JohnA lifeBlog

I’m a wimp who cannot last through this “parade”.

• I am simply AMAZED at how the producers have chosen to use people instead of technology in so many places. Where I expect to see a nice servo, I instead see a smiling Chinese citizen.
• What technology are they using to project on the canopy at the top of the stadium? It is too precise to be DLP, but too bright to be anything else.
• Ugh, time for the part of the “ceremony” that is awful… how long until they light the flame?
• Even the immovable Bob Costas is confused by the the athletic parade. I don’t feel so stupid now not knowing how many character strokes “United States brought to you by McDonalds and Starbucks” requires
• Why is Bush 43 still “arguing” with Putin? Isn’t that what the Kremlin is for?

Sorry friends, I need to hit the sack. Enjoy 2 more hours of, um, walking. Yeah.

Wow, the first Lenovo commercial I’ve seen yet… sorry, but it’s not a Thinkpad…

• I wish I could be a cameraman covering this event… how awesome was the petticoat shot just when Bob Costas talked about costumes!
• A 500 foot LED display… how many pixels, and how much $$$ is that?
• Every single woman performing is simply stunning. I guess when you have over 500 million available, you can be choosy.
• It’s interesting, watching NBC’s bumpers with the “classic” Olympic theme song seem dated compared to the actual event.
• Thanks for the IMs. In regards to my previous post about ATSC, I meant that I need to get my ATSC tuner working in my big Vista MCE server so I can record all of the prime-time HD coverage on NBC.
• OMG, look at the LED costumes… it reminds me of the Main Street Electrical Parade.
• Hmm. I wonder how the lights are controlled… per person, or as part of a larger procedure?
• It looks like from a closeup shot that each performer has some kind of control module attached just above the waist.

In the spirit of my good friend Tony’s weekly braindump posts, here is my braindump thus far into the opening ceremonies. More to come after the break.

• $300 million, and it shows. This is crazy over-the-top.
• How precise was the color guard in the flag ceremony?
• Watching this in 1080i is definitely worth it. I need to get my ATSC tuner working ASAP.
• How much money did that unrolling scroll prop cost?
• A 230′ x 70′ LED display? That is nuts. The shot from the blimp shows that it really is LED technology.
• This really is the best High-Def presentation I have seen since Planet Earth on Blu-Ray, and this gives that a run for the money.
• I could have sworn the chinese printing block presentation was done with mechanics. Wow.
• NBC should have made better use of the Dolby Digital 5.1 provided by High-Def.
• Only China could have ever spent this much money on such an elaborate production.

Stay tuned…

Ok, as most of my long time readers know, I am a total steak addict. Steak has always been my favorite food, and my favorite cut of steak is the Ribeye.

Previously, the only place I could get a USDA Prime Ribeye was from Stoney River, the most awesome steakhouse in Atlanta. Actually, in recent years, they have stopped advertising that they serve only USDA Prime beef, which means that we should defer to Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Sadly, none of these steakhouses show their prices. By visiting a industry trade site, I did find this recipe for a steakhouse in Atlanta that only serves USDA Prime. Since I have never been there, I cannot vouch for the quality. But at least they show their prices online. However, using my incredibly awesome Kindle, I asked what the average price per pound for a prepared USDA Prime Ribeye steak is. From my research, it is about $30.54. We’ll see what the Kindle researchers say. Recently, though, my local Costco featured USDA Prime Bone-In Ribeye steaks for only $8.99/lb.

Let’s compare. This is a crappy picture of the USDA Prime Bone-In Ribeye I am about to prepare:

I actually chose this picture because it shows that this steak is, hands down, the most well marbled steak I have ever prepared.

The steak was prepared and cooked using Alton Brown’s techniques for ribeye steak as demonstrated in the Good Eats pilot episode “Steak your claim“.

Bottom line is that the AB approved, home prepared Ribeye was by far the most delicious steak I have ever enjoyed.

Tomorrow’s blog will discuss the details of this test, as well as what I did to make it more enjoyable.

I just used the NowNow feature for the first time. Here is the message they sent in response:

Your Question:
Can the tivo hd do 720p over component cables?

Answer from NowNow:
Yes

TiVo HD Digital Video Recorder (DVR)(TCD653080)
Product Overview:
Video output modes include: 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i
from: http://www.solidsignal.com/prod_display.asp?PROD=TCD653080

“Another difference is that the DVD player can only output 480p over component cables while the HD Tivo could (and should) output 720p or 1080i.”
from: http://www.hdtvmagazine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9571

“And the Series3 offers flexible high-def options that maximize its compatibility with HD sets: you can choose to output everything via component and HDMI at a set resolution (1080i, 720p, 480p, or 480i), so-called “hybrid” resolutions (all HD content at 720p or 1080i, all standard-def content at 480p), or “native” (everything is displayed at the resolution in which it was broadcast).”
from: http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-video-recorders-dvrs/tivo-series3-hd-dvr/4505-6474_7-32065631.html

Hope that answers your question,
Have a Great Day

Yes, I asked a question for free wirelessly from my Kindle, and they researched it, and sent me the answers to my Kindle wirelessly for free 5 minutes after I asked.

I am falling more and more in love with this thing every day.

I love Hi-Def, but do we really need Drew Carey and The Price Is Right in 1080i? Anyway, here is a cool clip in all of its superfluous HDTV glory.

Anybody who can get Peter Griffin, Space Ghost, and Master Shake on their council is worthy in my book.

So, literally more than two of my readers have asked about my home theater, since I talk about the fact that I watch movies non-stop. So, here we go. What makes up my home theater? Let’s break it down.

• 1080p 42″ LCD Display, courtesy of woot.com
• Outlaw Audio 1070 Receiver
• e:XL-26-B1 Fronts
• e:XL-C Center
• e:XL-150 Rears
• e:XL-S12 Subwoofer
• PS3 60GB
• XBox 360 Premium
• Tivo HD with 2 Comcast CableCards
• Vista MCE Server with a combo HD-DVD / Blu-Ray player, powered by the nVidia 8600 GTS video card and the Razer Barracuda 7.1-out audio card.
• All controlled via a Logitech Harmony 880 remote
• Oh, and a Nintendo Wii

There are various add-ons not discussed, but that is the gist of it. Let me know if you have any questions.

But… I watched this earlier.

Tonight, Barak Obama completely blew the competition out of the water in demonstrating what it means to be a statesman.

Life is about reality, and leadership is about being honest, and building up a nation, not dividing it.

Thank you, Mr. Obama, for helping me remember what it means to be a proud American.

Whoops, I mean Best “Big Game” ever.

I’m so pleased I have Tivo HD… I’m watching the last 2 minutes over for the 3rd time.