LarryC’s World

In my post about DirecTV, I alluded to the fact that I had purchased a new TV.Well, here it is: Philips 42″ flat screen.

It isn’t a high-end set, but it is pretty nice. It is possible to spend close to $3,000 for a 42″ flat screen TV, but frankly for a guy who wears bi-focals, and isn’t getting any younger, I could not see a significant difference between those high-end ones, and my lower-middle priced model. It is a full 1080p model, but a recent study I read said that the average person cannot tell the difference between 1080 and 720p models. I liked the clean look of the set. The speakers are hidden on the back (and have pretty decent sound). In the store, the picture was comparable to the more expensive brands.

The other feature that appealed to me was that it had a full compliment of inputs. In addition to 4 HDMI ports, it also had 2 component video, and 2 s-video ports, and has an s-video, and HDMI port on the side for attaching portable devices. It also has a USB port. If you aren’t familiar with all of the terminology, you need either HDMI or component video to get HD programming to the TV.HDMI is preferable, because it is a single digital cable that carries both video and sound. Component video requires 5 coaxial cables (3 for video, 2 for sound). USB is a data port that is common on computers.

While I’m talking about cables, if you check the price of cables at the local Best-Buy, a six foot HDMi cable will set you back 50-70 dollars!. Order your cables online! You can buy the same Belden(brand name) HDMI cable that the stores sell for $50, for less than half that price at Blue Jeans Cables. If you don’t mind using made-in-China generic cables, they cost even less at Monoprice.com. I have linked to both of those web sites.

Oh yes, you may have noticed that I mounted it on the wall. I used 2 8 foot HDMI cables, 1 for the Dish receiver, and 1 for the DVD player.

Do you shop online? I do, and I am doing more of it. Part of the reason is because of where I live and the lack of shopping in a small town. But much of it has to do with unsatisfactory customer experiences in stores. I would like to patronize local merchants, although there are few of them around. But the local outlets for the big national chains are horrible. A recent experience at the local Lowe’s home improvement store started me on this rant. We visited the store last weekend to look at and probably purchase blinds for a couple of windows. There was a sales clerk in the department, and we were the only customers around. When I asked for help, I was told “the computers are down”, and “I am really busy”. She finally agreed to call for help. But when the new clerk arrived, she conferred with the clerk I had been dealing with and then left! The original clerk then proceeded to ignore us, so we left. We tried to speak to a manager about the lack of service but… none could be found!

I proceeded to write a complaint on Lowe’s web site, but I also started looking at window treatment options online, and found that I could save 50% by ordering myself. So why should I put up with the aggravation of poor customer service. Of course maybe that is what the big chains want, so they don’t have to hire adequate employees, but in Lowe’s case it is self-defeating. Even online, Lowe’s prices were higher than at least 6 other options. So, for lack of reasonable customer service, Lowe’s has lost my purchases. This isn’t just a rant about Lowe’s, all of our local national chain outlets suffer from the same problem. Home Depot, Best Buy have the same issue, poorly trained, unmotivated sales staff. At least Best Buy’s web site is better. You can often get better prices on their web site than you can in the store. And, you can buy online, and pick up at the local store saving shipping costs, and getting almost instant gratification. But, even on the web, big national retailers seldom have the best prices.

One product I never thought I would buy online is prescription glasses. Last fall my prescription changed and I wanted to buy a new pair of glasses. I was unable to find a pair of no-line bifocals (spare the jokes) in Las Cruces for less than $300. I wanted to get the new pair before our Paris trip in December, so I drove to El Paso and bought a pair at Costco for about $200. Then a couple of months ago, I came across the Glassy Eyes blog (link:Glassy Eyes Blog.) I thought about it for a while and then finally decided to try ordering online. I chose 39 Dollar Glasses (link:39 Dollar Glasses .) A pair of no-line bifocals, with decent frames and anti-glare coating cost me $102. The glasses arrived in 8 days and they are great. They fit well, and the lens are accurate and are comfortable. I have been wearing them for about a month and they are great. I have no complaints. So, if you wear glasses, give them a try. If you use the link for 39 Dollar Glasses that is on the Glassy Eyes blog, you will get an additional 10% off. I will put the links in my ‘links’ list on the left side of the page.

Here is a cute online game from Lufthansa. It tests your knowledge of geography. See if you can navigate from the US to Europe. Give it a try. Here is the link: http://www.lufthansa-usa.com/useugame2007/html/play.html

I have mixed feelings about so-called Reality TV. American Idle (mis-spelling intentional) leaves me cold. For one thing, letting the audience decide this popularity contest means that the most talented never win. Come on… is Taylor Hicks really the best that season had to offer? Maybe Americans would vote for him on the show, but they won’t buy his albums! On a couple of the ‘contests’, the winner was smart enough to use the show to become successful. Kelly Clarkson was not the most talented on season 1, but she listened to the judges and her advisers (at least until recently) and worked hard enough to have a successful post-idol career. While I am not a fan of country music, and did not believe that Carrie Underwood was the most talented on her season, she had the drive and clear vision of what she wanted to be successful. But those two have proven to be the exception, and not the rule.

Reality shows that put people in abnormal circumstances, like Survivor, Big Brother and their clones are not interesting to me at all. I have developed a fondness for The Amazing Race. I think the situations there are just close enough to real life that we can identify with the racers. I really prefer the reality shows that are more like documentaries, where the cameras follow people in their normal environment. The best example of this is “Deadliest Catch”. For three seasons Discovery Channel cameramen followed Alaskan King crab fishermen while they fished for crab in the Bearing Sea, in Winter!! Pretty riveting stuff. I also loved Meerkat Manor on the Animal Planet channel. But with the big changes in the Whiskers mob (the dominant family group), and the untimely death of matriarch Flower, I don’t think it will be back this year.

And then there are the contest shows. Not the popularity type with the viewers voting, but where there are a panel of judges. Bravo TV seems to have the best of these. Starting with my current favorite; . In this show, a group of contestants who work in the fashion industry (not people off the street) compete weekly in a series of challenges that are then judged by a panel of fashion experts. The show is produced and hosted by model Heidi Klum. Eventually, the field of contestants is narrowed down to three who then design a line of clothing that is shown in New York at Fashion Week. Since the New York fashion week was the first week of February, you can see the designers fashions at this link. There are 5 designers, but 2 of them are decoys. Fashion week occurred before the final competitions so to prevent any spoilers, the 5 contestants who were still in the running were there. We know that Sweet P was eliminated, and only 1 of either Chris or Rami is actually competing. Anyway, the final show will be this Wednesday on Bravo TV at 8:00 PM. Watch and enjoy.

Then starting in March, is the Runway clone “Top Chef”. This show uses the same format only with a dozen or so chefs competing each week.

This is my last post on Meerkats. The Whiskers have moved on and so must I. But, before I leave the topic, here are 3 Youtube vids you might enjoy. The first 2 are short adds for season 3, the first is Flower, and the second is Carlos. The 3rd video is a trailer for the upcoming movie from Animal Planet.
Flower Promo

Carlos Promo

Queen of the Kalahari

I love movies, of all kinds. So, I have added a link to TCM, Turner Classic Movies, in my links list. TCM (channel 256 on DirecTV) shows classic and older movies uncut, and commercial free! Not only that, but it is part of the ‘basic’ tier on DirecTV. What a bargain. Anyway, TCM’s web site has a wealth of information on old movies, 100+ pages of clips and trailers, and even free streaming movies. If you are a movie fan like myself, you will like the TCM website.

Here is a link to the trailer for the 1966 Michael Caine film ‘Alfie’:

This movie made Michael Caine a name in the US. Watching this movie today, it doesn’t seem nearly as ’shocking’ as it did in 1966. But it still holds up well, and is so much better than the 2004 Jude Law remake that it isn’t even comparable. One other point; even though Dionne Warwick had the hit single of the title song ‘Alfie’, she didn’t sing it on the soundtrack. Did you recognize who did? Yep, it was Cher! Her version only made it to 32 on the pop charts.

Vinegaroon

Checking in on a daily basis to let you know that I am working on getting the site populated. This fiercesom looking fellow is called a Vinegaroon, or sometimes a whiptail scorpion. He is actually quite harmless, but he can secrete acetic acid when he feels threatened. Well, apparently photographing him made him feel threatened, cuz I could distinctly smell a vinegar-like odor around him.

Anyway, I thought that while you are waiting for my site to get fully populated, here is a fascinating site I stumbled across while browsing: elenafilatova.com. Elena Filatova is a young woman who lives in Kiev, Ukraine. She has several photo albums on her site of the area. Elena specializes in photographing the ‘dead-zone’ around the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. As you should remember, 21 years ago, there was an explosion in the reactor core, and a little over 10% of the fissionable material was released into the air. As a result, a fairly large area of the former Soviet Union was evacuated. The Soviets built a sarcophagus around the reactor, entombing it in concrete. The site will remain deadly for approximately 100,000 years. Elena has made several trips through the Ukraine portion of the evacuated area on her motorcycle, documenting the abandoned villages, and the changes that are taking place.

Elena has also explored some of the WWII battlefields around Kiev. She also has photo essays on the Soviet era Gulags and the Ukraine Orange rebellion.

Anyway, check out her site, I think you will find it interesting.

Larry