Archive for the ‘General’ Category

If you’ve never seen an episode of “Pawn Stars” on the History Channel I have to recommend that you watch it at least once just to check it out and see if you like it.  I enjoy it for three different reasons.

1. I like to see unique items and especially those with collectibility
2. I like to yell at my television when someone sells something of considerable value for a painfully low price
3. See 1 and 2 above

If you’ve never taken something of value to a pawnshop to see what they would give you I suggest you do this at least once just to appreciate what you have and to see how well you hide being insulted when you’re offered one fifth it’s value on a good day.

One thing that you have to keep in mind is that most pawn shops don’t usually want your stuff – they just need it to collateralize whatever money they loaned you, at APR’s that are not covered by usury laws, so when you don’t come back in 14-30 days to pay back the money with the additional 30% fee and pick up your item they can sell it and cover the loan.

Some shops do deal in collectibles however and, depending on what the item is, can turn your item around in no time if they have the right customer base or if it’s an item that has demand such as World War 2 collectible firearms as an example.

Most shops you go to will tell you that the P08 Luger (that will fetch $1,400 on a bad day) you walked in with will only sell for $400-450 and that they will have to sit on it for months so that’s why the $225 they’re offering you for an outright sale is not only the best anyone in the free world can do but they’re practically suckers for offering so much.

The show Pawn Stars actually has experts come in and appraise items in front of the potential sellers letting them know what they can get at auction, and so on, if they wish to explore other methods for finding a buyer.  That’s why it amazes me when the Pawn Brokers still low-ball and the idiots still sell!  Here’s two examples:

A seller had a Winchester Model 1886 in very nice condition as well as in the more rare .45-90 caliber.  This is the first large caliber repeating Winchester and was designed by John Moses Browning.  This is the type of item that one has appraised as a must and the expert told him that models in poor condition can go for a lot and that his could bring in $3,000-$5,000 or more.

The Pawn Broker told him that he would only be able to give him $1,500 since the *most* it would really sell for would be maybe $3,000 and he would have to sit on it for a long time for a buyer.  Rather than be happy that he got an appraisal for nothing he sold it for the $1,500!  This would have gone for more than the appraiser told him and even if an auction house charged 30% he still would have grossed nearly 4K.

Next example was a rare set of cast buttons as used for early political campaigns.  The expert came in a and confirmed that a couple were very rare and that one was the best condition in know existence of that particular example.  All of these were confirmed to be original for George Washington’s campaign.  After being told by the expert that auction would bring between $8,000-$10,000 (or more) the broker offered $3,000 because, as a rule, they had to be able to sell for 2x what they paid and that despite being so rare that actually hurt since it would sit possibly for years before they sold.  The seller tried for more but they would not budge.  The seller took the $3,000.  I’m sure these were at a Sotherby’s Auction, or a more targeted auction with the right collectors, within days closing for a nice $5,000-$7,000 net profit.

I think I really need to go into the pawn business!

One other fun thing to watch is when someone has something that’s not original, or not completely original, or just plain a fake but even when the expert explains why they just won’t believe it.  This is usually a result of them getting ripped off because they paid way too  much for an item.

I still think I really need to go into the pawn business!

I saw this and of course had to post it as it’s just plain funny.

Futurama iPhone Video

The one thing I really missed about having a Google Android was the built in GPS as  it was very well done and didn’t cost an additional $9.99 a month like AT&Tcharges for using the fake GPS on your iPhone.

While I considered getting a stand alone GPS and saw units for as little as $59 for refurbished I didn’t really see anything I liked in the cheap price range.  Then one day I saw the app NDrive on sale for $3 which is a price that got my attention.  For about another $35 total I turned my iPod Touch 2nd Gen into a full blown GPS.  If you already have an iPod Touch, or an iPhone for that matter, and want want to GPS cheaply and well here’s all you need:

• roqyBT – This enables the bluetooth stack that Apple disables by default and is under $10 via Cydia on your jailbroken iPod.  You can also install it as a .deb file and then register following the instructions once launched.  You can get the roqyBT.deb here.
• A Bluetooth GPS device – There’s a compatible list here.  I used a TomTom MKII that I found for $20
• Window Mount for iPod – Unless you really want to crash your car you need this!  I got one for under $10 shipped from here and it works very well.
• GPS Mapping App – There are some free apps which I can’t give a fair review on as I haven’t tried them.  I was able to get NDrive on sale but it’s normally not too pricey.  I would consider Navigon to  be the best app hands down.  While it’s not cheap for the full version you can now get this based on region for $29.95 which is the way to go if you ask me as it’s a really decent app that I prefer over TomTom’s interface and would rank up there with the GPS Google Maps app that comes with Android.

That’s it!  Now you have a fully functional GPS that can play your music too.

One word of caution – roqyBT is not working on IOS4 so if you do go this route be sure to check to make sure it’s working before you update your iPod.

***********Update************

Effective 07/15/2010 the iPod/iPhone App “CoPilot Live USA” is on sale for $5

This really helps make the undertaking to transform your iPod Touch into a full GPS cost effective.

It doesn’t seem like it when I think about it but it has been one year since my Dad died.  It’s funny (not haha funny) but I didn’t actually realize that today was the anniversary until Janet told me however I have been thinking about my Dad all day today off and on and had dreamed about him last night as well.

I miss him and have regrets but I’m still thankful nonetheless that his long suffering ended.

I just saw the new Mac Mini and have to say  that it is indeed slick looking.  After I saw it I found myselkf saying aloud “Why the fuck can’t Apple price this thing fairly and keep a machine in the sub-$500 range?”.

As soon as I heard the words I had just spoken I suddenly remembered – the company I once held in high regard has turned into a money grubbing whore of the worse kind.  Seriously, they are registering way too high on Greed-o-meter as of late and have turned their backs on their own base a nickel and dime at a time.

The new Mac Mini does look sweet but with a starting price of $699 for a 2.4 Core 2 with 2GB and a 320GB it’s simply over priced by a good $200 or so.  To show the greed factor take a look at the upgrade options:

• 2.4 Core 2 to a 2.66 (real cost is $40) is a meger $150
• 320GB 2.5 drive to a 500G 2.5 drive (real cost about $3-$10) is only another $100
• 4GB RAM to 8GB – (street price of $250) is just $400

The thing that bothers me about this is that the Mac Mini is (was) the one Apple machine that was priced to the point that I could actually own one.  It was also originally priced competitively ($499 new sticker price at launch) enough to get PC users, who were newly introduced to Apples hardware via their iPods , to buy the economically priced Mac Mini and thus increase market share.

Between this, the gall to make iPad users pay for an extra adapter to use an USB drive (actually an USB anything) with their $500 purchase, and the previous yet ongoing practice of not including an AC adapter with a $299-$399 iPod I can say that I am truly disappointed to the point of feeling an actual sense of betrayal with the folks in Cupertino.  Perhaps all new Macs will come installed with the newest version of iGreed.

**Update**

I forgot to include the thing that first got under my skin in regards to Apple’s shenanigans, which was to render all Non-Apple AV cables for the Classic, Nano, and Touch useless unless they have a proprietary chip in them.  If you pay the ever so fair price of $49 for Apple’s branded AV cables, instead of the ones I used before that cost $3.99, then TV out works since those have the chip.  This was a really shitty thing to do not only to it’s customer base but to aftermarket manufacturers as well since devices for docking with a home theater that had been on the market for years stopped working for new units.  Forcing me to pay $49 just to use video out is not how customers should be treated if you ask me…

I sold my laptop as I wanted to upgrade and the opportunity to sell it for a fair price presented itself.  As I was comparative shopping I had to include the iPad as, despite whatever I may have said in the past, I have been following these units with more than just a passing interest.

After finding the laptop I would have normally chosen, a refurbed HP with 17.3″, T6600 Core 2, 320GB @ 7200 RPM for $540 from NewEgg,  I jumped into the PhildoMobile to hit BestBuy.

First off, to all who consider the iPad to be nothing more than an over-sized iPod Touch you make one thing abundantly clear, you obviously have never even picked one up and tried it as once you have it’s very unlikely such comments would still be made except by the most die-hard of idiots.

I had kept myself from trying an iPad until now as I knew I would want one as soon as I tried it.  Having picked one up all I can say is WOW!  The display on this thing is beyond sexy and gorgeous.

The choice to leave off a built in camera is less than ideal however the choice to leave off  USB connector is unforgivable.

Overall I really like the unit but hate the idea of voiding my warranty by jailbreaking it just so I can install a terminal emulator.  At the end of the day it came down to this – the device is not quite geared enough towards getting work done.  If I had just been getting this as a unit for casual browsing and what-not this post would be a review instead.

Somewhat sadly I opted for the 17.3″ 1600×900 display on the HP.  I almost got a MacBook as they had refurbs for $750 but as I already have a Dell Mini 9 running OS X I could not bring myself to do it as the 13.3″ display puts the MacBook closer to the Netbook category in my mind.

Of course I would never consider getting Snow Leopard to work on the new laptop and getting the best of all worlds…

Ps

One thing I always use when reloading an OS for a friend or customer (often a person is both) is a very spiffy Windows App called the PCDeCrapifier . This handy little app lets you pick the OEM and will give a list of all the nagware/trialware/bloat and let you select what, if any, you want to keep and then does a very nice job of cleaning things out.  I always run CCleaner afterwards to take care of the registry.

After doing more than enough fiddling with various soft-phone clients I started getting a bit frustrated as none of the SIP clients I used on the Mac, as well as Linux/Windoze attempts, worked well enough with the provider for normal use.

The provider was Callcentric and I want to be clear that I think they have great pricing and that they may work great if you’re using an ATA or DECT phone but I didn’t want to incur the cost on either until I could get a softphone working well.  To add to the annoyance none of the SIP clients for the iPod Touch worked worth a damn.  This includes a couple of paid versions that I wasted a few bucks on. I did however buy some Skype credit and installed the Skype app from the iTunes store on the iPod and it worked most awesomely!  Seriously it was nice using the iPod to dial out and make very good quality calls.

I almost went with Skype completely as, despite it’s closed nature, it works well on everything I’ve tried it on making  outbound calls.  I decided, almost on a whim, to try the MagicJack of infomercial fame before I paid for a year of having a DID through Skype.

I was pleasantly surprised that the MagicJack works very well thus far.  After doing my homework I’ve also confirmed that the DialGizmo pulse to DTMF works with the service!  What this means is that for a one-time investment of $70 plus an additional $20 a year I will finally be able use my antique WE233 three-slot payphone, WE500, and Northern Electric 302 for making and receiving calls!  Of course I could have just gone with a land-line for about $40 a month instead but how could I ever look myself in the mirror again had I gone that route?  **shudders**

Yup, I can now continue to be terrible at returning calls with even more devices at my disposal.

I’m curious if the MagicJack will send enough voltage to make the phone(s) ring but if not I suspect I could use a warbler in-line somehow.  I’ll post the results once the  DialGizmo gets here.  I ordered it today but it has to ship from down under.

In regards to the MagicJack anyone willing to violate the terms of service and use Wireshark with a couple of other utilities can get the SIP details which enable you to use any softphone or, even better, DD-WRT as a SIP proxy which would allow use of a standard ATA.  The violation would come as a result of not seeing the ads on their softphone client.  I’m not actually going to do this as I always have a machine on anyway but it’s nice to know regardless.

For the last week I’ve been working on a couple of different projects that have had the house either torn up or in compete disarray. As a result of this I’ve barely been on the internet for the last week.

For those of you who thought I was incapable of being disconnected for such a prolonged period I can only say this: I wish I had put some money on it and made bets.

I now have a ton of email to get caught up on…

DirecTV has a new set top box for standard definition called the D12.  While some think there’s no longer a need for a standard def STB (set-top-box) I disagree as, for example, I simply didn’t want to pay an extra $10 per month when everything I watch is recorded anyway.

I found the Dc12 to be the most finicky STB ever when it comes to changing channels using an IR blaster and completely unreliable with most blasters with a single exception being the ZephIR for Mac’s using EyeTV.  It (the ZephIR) actually works beautifully however none of the Windows IR blasters worked well enough to be a feasible solution.  So what do you do when you realize it’s too late for the 7 day return policy DirecTV has to cancel your contract?  Use a serial connection to change channels!  I made the following how-to so directions and apps/drivers could all  be gotten in a single location rather having to hunt around and read what little there is out there on the subject.

How to change channels using a serial cable on the DirecTV DC12

This  how-to works on Windows 7 64bit and 32 bit.  It should also worh on Vista however I have not personally tested this.

Things you need:

The DC12 has a USB connector but USB to USB won’t work so you need to use a serial cable.  You also need a serial to USB adapter that uses the Prolific 2303 chipset.  While not all cables use this I have listed one that I have that did work.  Your mileage may vary if the chjpset changes as it’s not listed on the device.  For under $30 you can get the following:

• Serial to USB adaptor with Prolific 2303 chipset
• Female to female null modem adaptor
• Serial cable

One other USB to serial cable that works perfectly is the microprocessor controlled USB TV Translator.  It costs a few bucks but is well worth the price.  I’m currently using one with a Series 2 TiVo using the TiVo serial cable.

Applications and drivers

For the Serial to USB cable you need the Prolific driver and the DirecTV Serial Control Utility to make sure channel changing works.  First connect the serial cable to your computer, then the null modem connector, and then the serial to usb.  Download and install:

• Prolific 2303 driver
• DirecTV Serial Control Utility

Run the driver installer, plugin the cable, reboot.  Next run the serial control app to see if the channels change.

The next step is to download the Windows Media Center DirecTV Serial Control Plugin

• DirecTV Serial Control Plugin

First step is to go to your C:\ directory and create a folder named “MyD11Control”, unzip the plugin, and place all the contents within.

The following file named “DirecTVSerialControl.config” may have some incorrect information that needs to be changed.  Find the following line:

value=”C:\\MyD11Control\\directTv.log”

You’ll see that there are double backslashes that need to be changed. Correct this value to read:

value=”C:\MyD11Control\directTv.log”

You  will also see the baud rate needs to changed so find the following:

“PortSpeed” value=”115200″

Change this to read:

“PortSpeed” value=”9600″

You may also need to change the port number for the serial port which can be done by changing:

“SerialPort” value=”1″

to

“SerialPort” value=”2″

Mine was on port 1

Once this is done right click on the file “reg.bat” and run it as administrator.  If you’re running 64 bit Windows then you need to run “reg64.bat” instead.

Next reboot your machine and, if all went as it should, you should be able to launch Media Center to view live TV and change channels using the guide.

Good luck!