A good day for the kids

As my wife picked up our daughter from school yesterday, the Headmaster (Headmistress??) pulled them aside for a moment to show off what happened today. She showed our daughter a couple flash cards of short words with short vowel sounds (beginner reading words like CAT, MAT, BAT) and Audrey actually read them! Then they set out a string of words to make a sentence: SAM IS A MAN. And she read it. We worked some more after dinner last night writing more of those short beginner words and she was doing really, really well. Sounding things out properly, though not quite squishing the sounds together efficiently yet. Of course, her brother was constantly hinting as well, so sometimes it was hard to tell where her attention lies. Still, I'm impressed - at just over 4 years old she's picking this up very well!

Every morning at the breakfast table while I referee the kids, I'll read the morning paper over my cereal. On the weekends, I do the puzzles - Sudoku on Saturday, and Kakuro, Sudoku, and a crossword on Sunday. Of course the weekday papers have Sudoku as well, but they range from Very Easy on Mondy through Medium on Friday - the weekends are the only days with Hard puzzles. So every morning recently when I get to the end section, the kids are watching alertly for the number grid and then point out the difficulty and gauge how fast I could solve it. Yesterday, Jacob asked if he could start doing the easy ones. This morning's paper had a Medium puzzle, but Monday's paper was still in the recycling bin. I pulled it out and folded the paper up so he could work the puzzle. I told him the rules and started him off with a couple obvious entries. Then I jumped in the shower to return to a completed puzzle, but a mildly disappointed boy. Seems that towards the end he transposed a 6 and 7, throwing off two other numbers. He was frustrated because "there needs to be a 9 in this box, but this 9 is blocking it." But considering he worked through 90% of it alone and only goofed a bit at the end, I'm pretty impressed. He won't settle for the slow pace, but I'm planning on letting him do the Monday puzzles for a couple weeks before moving him up to Easy. I'm sure he thinks he's ready for Medium tomorrow, but I'm very proud of how well he did today!

High Def Resolutions

While setting up my new Home Theater PC (HTPC) the past week or so, I've been doing some reading online and some comparison of different resolutions. There's quite a bit of confusion floating around out there about the differences between 720p, 1080i and 1080p. I decided for my own reference to jot down some numbers and clarifications. As usual with this blog, this is 90% for my future reference, but maybe somebody else will find it useful too.

Let me go through the basics of the math I'm using here with an explicit example, then I'll report various numbers of a number of different resolutions. Starting with the standard HD resolution of 720p, in counting pixels we have a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels = 921,600 pixels on the screen. This is a progressive scan resolution, so each pixel is updated every refresh. In speaking of standard resolutions, this means 60 Hz for the NTSC world. (The PAL world is 50 Hz, but I don't want to introduce that confusion here -- just know the US is NTSC.) So refreshing at 60 Hz (60 cycles per second) means we're looking at 1280 x 720 x 60 = 55,296,000 pixels/second. This is a number we could use to compare all different resolutions, but let's take it a step further to get into more familiar units, even though the values just change linearly. To get more information, consider 24-bit color - this is where each of Red, Blue and Green values are defined by an 8-bit number. Since 8 bits are 1 byte, we have 3 bytes of color per pixel, so we can multiply the pixel/sec number by 3 bytes/pixel and get a number in more familiar bytes/second unit. Since the numbers are large, we divide by 1024 to get KiloBytes/sec or again by 1024 to get MegaBytes/sec.
For 720p, the whole calculation is 1280 x 720 x 60 x 3 /1024 / 1024 = 158.2 MB/sec.

With all that verboseness out of the way, a 720p display pushes through 158.2 MB/sec. One more word on progressive scan versus interlaced to have the following numbers make more sense. In an interlaced world (standard TV resolution is this), every other row of pixels are updated with each scan, which requires exactly half the bandwidth of a progressive scan at the same resolution. Standard TV is 480i and you'll see "progressive scan" DVD players that have been available for a long time that output 480p pictures. On even a low-end HDTV, you will see a nice difference here - basically twice the resolution from the same source. This translates to 30 Hz in the numbers above - 30 frames per second is standard interlaced display.

On to the numbers. To standardize more, I'm using 16:9 wide screen resolutions here.

480i = 853x480@30Hz = 35.1 MB/s
480p = 853x480@60Hz = 70.2 MB/s
720p = 1280x720@60Hz = 158.2 MB/s
1080i = 1920x1080@30Hz = 178.0 MB/s
1080p = 1920x1080@60Hz = 356 MB/s

Some conclusions:

480i sucks. At least play all digital content (DVDs, etc.) on an HDTV in progressive scan mode if possible. The difference is clear to just about anyone on any TV - we are talking a full factor of 2 here.

1080i versus 720p is a judgment call. Lots of people claim one is better than the other, but these numbers show 1080i is only slightly better than 720p. So don't bash your neighbors 720p HDTV compared to your 1080i -- hardly anyone will be able to see much difference. Exactly, there's a 12.5% difference. When talking about what's noticeable and what's not, 40% is usually the key minimum value.

1080p rules. It's literally twice as good as 1080i. You can argue weather upscaling a standard resolution DVD to 1080p versus 1080i is much different, and that's really kind of a judgment call there. HOWEVER, 1080p sources (Blu-Ray, HD-DVD, .mkv files, etc.) carry twice the amount of information as a 1080i source and 10 times that of standard TV. Incredible.

Finally, for the rest of the internet out there -- YES both 1080i and 1080p can be characterized as 1920 by 1080 resolution. However, the difference between an interlaced and progressive scan display is a factor of two in true resolution, giving a much smoother picture at 1080p.

Personally, I've been keen on 1080i because that's what my TV and cable box both support. Hooking up the HTPC, I've got both 1080i and 720p running well, but have to say that I'm probably going to stick with 720p almost all the time. First, as shown above, upscaling standard DVDs to either is going to result in almost the same quality. Since I can do both, 1080i makes sense -- but there's the pragmatic side too. At 1920x1080 my icons and text are TINY. Even on a 52" screen, it's really hard to see. Plus, with so many pixels and a trackball/keyboard setup it takes a long time to scroll across the screen. at 1280x720, the icons and text are much more visible, and navigation is a lot easier too. Finally, most of the true high-def content I've been downloading is 720p already. It does look good at 1080i, but not worth dealing with tiny icons. I will of course set things up to switch between, but unless I see artifacts or am working with 1080i sources, I think I'll be sitting at 720p most of the time.

Looks like it's Blu-Ray

I was holding out for HD-DVD. I'm not sure why, but it's probably because I'm still fairly anti-Sony. But lined up against each other, even I would admit the Blu-Ray spec sheet looks a bit better (old info, CNET info). Recently the producers making both having been choosing sides, as Warner Brothers just announced. And now Microsoft says they might support Blu-Ray on the Xbox. Another reason I was hoping for HD-DVD was that my XBox 360 would be the inexpensive move to this technology for me - but if they support Blu-Ray, there's no motivation left for HD-DVD as everyone moves aways. I'm just glad I kept waiting to see who would win. Sorry to anyone who's invested in HD-DVD. Time to store that next to your BetaMax stuff

I don't like gin

I don't like gin! My father-in-law is a big gin & tonic person. I've always preferred a vodka tonic personally, usually with a bit of lime. Especially in the summer. I was traveling recently with an older guy in our company. It was a week long trip to Reno, so we a) spent a good bit of time together and b) spent a good bit of time drinking. He's a martini guy. Figuring it's too cold for vodka tonic but wanting something different, I started ordering vodka martinis. These are good. Even green olives (which I normally can't stand) are kind of a little punishment for me to get over the guilt. Ha! Soaked in vodka, they're not that bad.

Long story longer, when I got home I got the fixings for vodka martinis - which really just meant picking up green olives and Martini & Rossi Extra Dry Vermouth. In my mixer, it's a hand full of ice (5 cubes), 2 shots of vodka, 1 shot of vermouth and then shaken until my hand is cold. Strained into a glass, then stab 4 olives and drown them. Not bad. One or two after dinner occasionally is quite nice.

Don't worry, I'm getting to the gin.

This month's Maxim magazine had a section on booze. I didn't learn anything from the vodka, whiskey, rum and tequila sections, but was a little surprised to see a bit on gin. I just don't really count that in the top 5 boozes I guess. I've also seen shows on Discovery channel and such about the distillation process for various spirits, learning a lot about gin there. I've always thought it was a little flowery for my taste. Not like a flowery wine, but a bitey flower that's pretty pissed off. Anyway, I read up some online then about 'real' martinis. Apparently a true extra dry martini is a touch of vermouth then a glass of gin and ice. Knowing I didn't want to jump in like that, but curious if my tastes have changed, I made a regular stirred martini. 5 parts gin (in the cabinet already from the afore mentioned father-in-law) and 1 part vermouth over ice in the shaker, swirled around so as not to 'bruise' the gin, then strained. Stirred, not shaken. Drowned olives as before.

But here's the thing: it sucks.

It smells like potpourri and tastes like my lawn. Holding my breath to block out the smell helps it get down, but what kind of after dinner drink is that? Plus I've read that people drink this stuff to cleanse their palette before a meal. I guess it's better than cleaning off your tongue with sandpaper -- but I'd rather give that a try before I have another gin drink.

I really like scotch and have appreciation for how different brands bring a different smokey aroma and peaty taste. And each has its own aftertaste too. Maybe I've got a bum brand of gin here, but scotch differences are sometimes quite subtle. It's all still scotch using the widest brush. So you can keep your variations on the theme of turpentine filtered through decaying flower petals.

I don't like gin.

Dance, Monkeys, Dance

Dance, Monkeys, Dance

No comment necessary. This is pure awesome.

Wait, that was a comment. So, maybe one little opinion was necessary.

Well, it's not really necessary, but I wanted to give it anyway.

Some monkeys write down their thoughts hoping other monkeys care what they have to say. But each monkey is so wrapped up in their own little monkey worlds, they pretend to interact with other monkeys, but really only care about themselves. Didn't we evolve with the conception that cooperation was mutually beneficial? Give me a little monkey meat treat when you've got plenty and I have none gives you the promise of my debt and we can all come out on top. It works great until one monkey realizes he can get meat from everyone else and not give anything back. So the question becomes: does that selfish monkey live long enough to reproduce more effectively than all the other helpful monkeys in his tribe, and will his descendants take up his selfish ways? Walking through a mall today or driving down the highway, I'd say his genes have been pretty damn successful.

What kind of monkey are you?

update
Here's another version that sounds like it may have the original audio track by Ernest Cline.

New Phone!

Yes, I got my new phone. AT&T Tilt running Windows Mobile 6 and Goodlink 5.0. It's much faster than my old Treo 650 and the Windows OS is a bit more friendly and accessible than Palm OS ever was. There also seems to be a ton of software available, but I haven't dented this yet.


Size

The size and shape of this thing would be one complaint for many people looking at this phone. Of course any phone with a full qwerty keyboard will be of substantial size, there are many layout options out there now. What I did like about the Treo was its vertical layout which provides a relatively narrow keyboard. I could hold the device in my right hand and type with my thumb -- all with one hand. While I can't recommend emailing/texting while driving, it was possible to do with the Treo because of this property. A slider phone like the Tilt has a much wider keyboard. Even with my long skinny fingers, I just can't reach both sides of the keyboard with my thumb now. This layout seems to be better used sitting on a surface and poking one-handed with fingers, though I haven't really tried that.

Weight

It's heavy at 6.7 oz. It's a bit heavier than my old Treo 650 (6.3 oz) which puts it much more massive than the Treo 750 (5.4 oz). Carrying this or a Treo in the pocket of shorts with an elastic waistband often lands you in an uncomfortable position where the thing is banging around in there trying to pull your pants down. Much different than anyone used to light-weight phones like the Razor (3.4 oz) or even the Motorola Q9m (4.8 oz). It will be best suited to a belt holder, though I never used one of these for my Treo because I'm more likely to bang it into things. When traveling, it's either in my bag, on a table, or in the seat back of an airplane - no weight or size worries there, or need for a case.

Goodlink

We use Goodlink to connect to the work exchange server for email. However, the 8925 isn't currently officially a supported device. I have read though that people got Goodlink version 5 running on it. Determined, I set out to get this going which proved more challenging than I thought. First, it was not easy to navigate the Good website, and I ended up have to Google the right keywords to uncover the hidden download link. The main page is the Tech Support Download Page. There's lots of stuff there, and what you want is at the bottom, so install from an SD card, sdcard_5_0_0.exe. DO NOT DOWNLOAD THIS ON YOUR PHONE. This is a 26MB zip file with several supported platforms including PalmOS, SmartPhone (SM) and Pocket PC (PPC) and several different languages. To install this, I just copied the GetGoodLinkPPC2005.cab from the 'en' folder to my device using ActiveSync. Running this, you need a valid Goodlink account with an email address and pin. If you're replacing an existing device, you'll need your IT guy to reset the account. So you'll have an email from them in hand with a pin and work email address. Plug those in and the install goes smoothly, resetting the device once or twice. I haven't seen much difference between 4.9 (on my Palm Treo) and 5.0 (on Windows Mobile 6). Many of my settings were remembered which impressed me a bit. In short, while not officially supported and the device doesn't come with a "GetGood" app, it's pretty easy to set up and use on this device. After getting Good set up, make sure you configure ActiveSync not to sync Outlook email, calendar, etc. or else you'll end up with double copies of everything. Re-sync and it'll automatically delete all that if you synced it up before (which I did to get my contacts in there quickly).

Summary

It might sound like this is a big, heavy phone that is annoying to set up, but I've only highlighted some of the common things. Surfing the web using this phone is fast and amazing. There's support for WiFi, which means at home you can use your wireless router and land connection to surf even faster. It's got GPS, though I haven't played with this yet. It's supports 3G (though we only have Edge here) and BlueTooth. It really is an amazing device given some of the installed applications. I'm a happy camper!

Anyone want to buy a slightly used Treo 650?

My new phone ????

I'm waiting. And waiting. After much research, I'm pretty settled on getting what was initially called the AT&T 8925. This is the HTC Kaiser or TyTN II. Now it's being called the AT&T Tilt.

While I was leaning towards a Treo 750 running Windows Mobile, that phone is showing its age already, even if it is a huge upgrade from my Treo 650. I want current generation technology, and that includes WM6. It's not clear the Treo 750 has a migration plan to WM6 or not. Plus, there's no GPS and some other missing features (3G, WiFi) compared to the current generation. So the question then is to wait for the Treo 800 or not. But that could be easily next Spring before it appears. Then you're rolling the dice on which carrier gets it first. Maybe Verizon, maybe AT&T, who knows. Verizon is likely because they're stuck at the 700 now. I'm not opposed to switching, but the devil you know....

Anyway, once I kind of decided on the 8925, I've been asking around and watching the internets with mounting frustration. Sure, you can't call its release 'delayed' because they've never acknowledged the product even exists. Until now. Tilt Your World. I'm not sure they meant for this to be an external site or not, but I could see them punishing some poor IT guy getting the rack for this. There's even a calendar of events on the site. I'm getting my hopes up for a 10/5 launch, but it might not be for a couple more weeks either.

I'm a little annoyed with the AT&T guy at the Galleria Mall who claimed to know nothing about a replacement for the 8525 -- but yet knew just about everything else I asked about. I know there's a need to push the current devices off the shelf, but c'mon. There's a point at which you realize you're dealing with an informed consumer and at least come clean that you can't talk about it. You don't call to another store guy and say "have you heard about an 8525 replacement?" to back up your ignorance. So I'll be going to the AT&T shop in the other mall probably. And a note: always work with official factory stores, not licensed resellers. The resellers only get paid if you activate a new line. Upgrades don't buy them anything, so you'll get talked into stuff you don't want or need.