March 16, 2008

How to change the rear light in a Focus

Pop quiz - what does it mean when you blinker starts making that little blinker noise twice as fast as normal? Interestingly enough, when mine started, I looked over an unnamed friend and said, "You know what that sound means!" He had no idea (which is why his identity is not revealed.)

I then figured I would take a quick test and called five other friends to see if it really was common knowledge. Turns out that 42.85% of the male friends I called did NOT know that a blinker going at double-time means that one of the bulbs is burned out.

Long story short, it was time to change the rear signal light on the Focus. Being the weirdo I am, I decided that some photo journalism was in order.

1 - The offender - left rear signal light. I headed over to Pep Boys and after the counter chick looked it up, I grabbed the bulb off the shelf.
2 - So far so good. Only one visible screw. Unscrew and tug - nothing... better look on the inside.
3 - Aha, a wingnut. There is a little cutout circle on the inside and when you reach up in there, you can unscrew the plastic nut with your fingers. Tug - nothing... hmmm?
4 - After tugging waaay to hard and fearing breakage, I searched the internet and found an article saying that the seal is pretty tough and that you should pry it with something while tugging. It was a lifesaver. After I found a non-scratching pry tool, it popped off.
5 - A simple twist pops out the bulb socket.
6 - Pull to remove the old one and slip in the new one. Put light back together.

Overall, it was pretty simple and the Gray Ghost is back on the road and back making legal turn indications.

Posted by CDogg at 08:10 AM | Comments (1)

September 24, 2007

Yeah, it IS good to be the king.

It is just minutes before I head to Dallas with my nephew Blake for a special pre-release party. It's not just any pre-release party - its for one of the most popular video game franchises of all time - Microsoft's Halo. That's right, while the rest of the world gets Halo 3 tomorrow, we will be fragging our way through the brand new environments, testing out all the awesome new weapons, and of course creating both audio and video content all along the way.

One of the very cool things we are doing is handing out thumbdrives with Podcast Ready's myPodder software preinstalled. It is a very special Halo 3 edition of the software that is not only skinned with awesome H3 graphics but comes with some great podcasts already in the subscription list.

Blake and I have been watching H3 preview movies all night on the web and via XBox Live download and I am getting as pumped up as he has been for the past week. One of the coolest things I have seen so far is the Forge editing engine. While the developers are sure to have created some great maps... once you put an editor in the hands of the playing community - you get the truly amazing ones.

Want your own copy of the Halo 3 myPodder software? Download it here.

Posted by CDogg at 07:47 AM | Comments (0)

July 25, 2007

Close, but no computer

I've been planning to get a new computer for about a month now because my main one started doing freaky things, my video editing station just took a dump, and even my laptop is full of annoying quirks. The audio on my podcasts has taken a turn for the worse because I now record on my laptop rather than risk a full-scale meltdown using one of the other systems. The problem with using the laptop is that the mixing boards and good microphones don't play nice with its crappy sound card.

So two nights ago was the final straw... I was determined to get something new and get back to making great audio... really that is the only reason for an upgrade - I am perfectly happy doing QuickBooks, Word, Excel, etc. on a computer with quirks... it just made recording good audio nearly impossible. With real-life advertisers interested in sponsoring a couple of my podcasts, it was a no-brainer that I do what I have to in order to fix the sound, right?

First, I figured I would go the way I normally do and build a 'whitebox.' I had done this on my last five or six PCs and it allowed me to get just the right video card, sound card, memory, chip, etc. The problem was that during the past couple years since I spec'ed out my last one - everything got incredibly confusing and I stopped keeping up... so did my "tech guy," who I won't name.

It took a long time, but I finally went against my assertion that I would never buy a name-brand bundled hunk of garbage from someone like Dell, Gateway, HP etc. I went and checked out branded systems and actually sorta liked the HP "media" PC. I know it installs crap software that I don't want, I know it requires HP replacement/upgrades which are much higher than the OEM stuff I can get, but I didn't have to figure out what works with what. The problem is that it only comes with Windows Vista... even in the midst of selling out, there are some things I WON'T do.

So what about going back to Apple? I mean, my first computer was an Apple. I have owned six or seven Apples in my life. Why not just make the jump back to the Cult of Jobs? The price, for one. I am not trying to do Rocket Science here... they don't do anything more than a clone PC... so why do I have to pay an extra $1,000 for a similar machine? Plus all my software is PC-based... I would have to spend a fortune on new software. (Don't forget I do video and audio editing professionally and those programs are not cheap.)

The bottom line is that I am no closer to solving my problem because I hesitated to pull the trigger on the HP the other night. Turns out, it may have been a good thing because I got some news the following morning that will make me totally re-think my choice again.

Posted by CDogg at 07:18 AM | Comments (2)

March 08, 2007

This one takes much better photos

I got the new RAZR V3t in today and of course had to test everything out. I shot some video with it (and was quite impressed) and of course took some photos. This is a marked improvement over the old V300 I used to use.

Between the photo capability, the voice recorder, and the video recorder, I think I am going to be running the battery down quite often. I tested the MP3 player and while it is kinda cool, I think the storage capability is too limited for it to be considered a very useful player.

All in all though... I am happy with the new phone.

Posted by CDogg at 05:33 PM | Comments (0)

March 03, 2007

Sometimes they do reward loyalty

Close friends and family know that my phone has been doing strange things lately... things like hanging up in the middle of a call and hanging up right when I answer a call. We are not talking about dropped calls, we are talking about the phone itself hanging up. Because of the frustration, I decided it was time to get a new phone.

My first thought was to get some big whiz-bang phone with all the extras... that lasted for about ten seconds. I instead figured I would get something reasonable because I felt sure that the next big thing in phones (iPhone?) is just around the corner.

Normally, it would be a simple decision - just switch carriers and get a free phone or a greatly discounted high-end one. The problem is that nobody can touch my current plan... I get 3,000 anytime minutes for only $49 a month. I have been on this plan way back since my first phone looked something like a large black brick and can't find anything better.

I went to the T-Mobile store to see what they had to offer. T-Mobile is the latest in a long line of phone companies to buy out my contract and other than my dislike for their cycling team, I really don't have anything negative to say about them. Well, let me speed this story up a bit.

After checking many stores and getting many outrageous prices, I was beginning to hate T-Mobile so I called their offices. I told them that my loyalty predates T-Mobile's arrival in the US market and that keeping me happy would be much less expensive than finding another customer anywhere near as loyal as me. They checked my records and sure enough, I predated everyone in their office (even the ones that came over in the various buyouts.) It was then that they shocked me... not only did they offer me the lower end RAZR model I was wanting, but they gave me the top-end V3t RAZR not at a discount, but absolutely free! They also threw in a bluetooth headset, a car charger, a belt clip, and a new SIM card in case that was the original cause of my hangup issues.

Moral - Loyalty does pay, but you have to get off your butt and remind them what you are worth.

And yeah... consider this a recommendation for T-Mobile's customer service. And if you do decide to switch the T-Mobile email your full name to me and I will send you a referral card that you can take into the store for 15% off any accessory!

Posted by CDogg at 01:13 PM | Comments (2)

January 15, 2007

iDig It

When I first heard about the iPhone, I thought "well, Apple has finally jumped the shark." Not so fast. I finally watched the whole MacWorld iPhone introduction presentation and I want one. I actually think this might be their biggest product yet... that is IF they can get the price point affordable.

I am normally a big "o"pponent of all-in-one gadgets mainly because if it breaks, you end up losing all your devices. For that reason, I would never buy the first model as I am sure bugs will be found. I can however, see myself trading in my iPod, cell phone, etc. for one of these in the future. It is toot sweet!

Posted by CDogg at 10:39 PM | Comments (0)

January 11, 2007

Testing remote capabilities of the new laptop

I am at West Oaks Mall testing out the new Sony Vaio laptop. It isn't a brand new one, but it was a good deal and its much lighter than the Toshiba I lugged around. For now, I am just testing the remoting blogging capabilities... in the future, I will see how it does as a remote podcasting station.

I think all I have managed to determine is that the wireless at West Oaks Mall is crappy. haha

Posted by CDogg at 07:18 PM | Comments (0)

October 29, 2006

Can you people please find something constructive to do?

Once again the "blame the world for bad parenting" crew is on the rampage. Rockstar Games, makers of the Grand Theft Auto series of video games, recently released their brand new brawling romp - The Bully. In this game, you are a student at the prestigious Bullworth Academy. Rather than killing cops, stealing cars, and shooting rival gang members (ala GTA,) as a mischievous schoolboy, you’ll stand up to bullies, get picked on by teachers, play pranks, win or lose the girl, and ultimately learn to navigate the obstacles of the worst school around.

As expected, there is an outcry against the violence and negative themes of the game. Puh-lease! These folks need to get a life and if they are worried about their kids... try parenting. I hear it works wonders. Don't buy your 8 year old games depicting murder and mayhem and then protest the company that made it. As an adult gamer, I love these "suspension of reality" games and have never felt moved to steal a car or shoot a police office despite countless hours doing the same via Xbox.

Oh and the latest controversy is that The Bully actually depicts two boys kissing at some point in the storyline. GASP!!! Have you seen television lately? Why is it cool to be gay on television, but blasphemous in a video game. I am so confused. (Uh oh, maybe the gay conspiracy is working on me.)

Posted by CDogg at 09:28 PM | Comments (0)

May 03, 2006

Fun Stuff

My nephew brought his Xbox 360 along for the video shoot and it pretty much rocks. The image here is from Fight Night Round 3... it is a very cool boxing game.

The detail is amazing - from the sweat flying off the brow to the ripple of the skin as you punch it - the visuals rock. Oh, and you can't forget the blood - haha. It's enough to make you want to blow a lot of money on a silly video game system. Fun stuff!

Posted by CDogg at 09:18 PM | Comments (3)

April 17, 2005

I am among the pod people again.

I did it... I broke down and finally replaced my stolen iPod. (Article on the theft) I started doing some research and discovered that my cycling miles dropped dramatically after losing my iPod. Despite several half-hearted attempts to get back into cycling, it never really stuck. I was thinking about it last week when I was riding and realized it was boredom that was causing me to stop after a couple miles. I used to not even notice the miles clicking by when I was listening to an audiobook on the iPod.

Sure enough, I loaded up with songs and audiobooks, went out for a ride and knocked out 10 miles before I noticed. I wanted to keep listening but knew that I better not overdo it or I would not feel like riding tomorrow. Call it justifying the expense, but all I know is that I will be out riding a lot more and that is a good thing.

Posted by CDogg at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)

September 08, 2004

The Sims are Coming!!

That's right - The Sims 2 is almost here!

For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past decade. The Sims 2 is the sequel to the best selling computer game of all time! This version will feature fully developed 3D graphics, and a family tree. No longer is your sim one age forever... now they go through several distinct ages, toddler, child, teen, adult, elderly - and they DIE! But fear not - your genes will be carried on by your offspring. Children now share traits and features of their parents and understand and maintain complex family relationships. (No more brother/sister marriages) It should be a blast.

Here is what Maxis (the publisher) says about it...

"In the The Sims 2, you direct your Sims over a lifetime and mix their genes from one generation to the next. You set your Sims' goals in life; fame, fortune, family, romance or knowledge. Give them a long, successful existence or leave their lives in shambles. Take them to extremes, from getting busted to seeing a ghost, from marrying an alien to writing a great novel. Unleash your creativity with the all-new Create-A-Sim, new building options, and the new in-game movie camera. Get ready to mix their genes, fulfill their dreams, and push them to extremes. What do you want to do with your Sims' lives? "

Sure, it's a total waste of time - but isn't that what playing is all about? I am sure that there will be more than one sleepless night spent trying to make my Sims happy.

Posted by CDogg at 07:49 PM | Comments (1)