We are currently remodeling (really just painting) our office to turn it into IKup’s new “Big Boy” room and this necessitated that we move our AT&T U-Verse gateway (router) to a different location. We decided to move it to the living room next to the TV which had several benefits for us. First it allows us to hook up our blue ray player in the living room to the Internet for streaming of movies and Pandora, second it allowed us to put the network printer in the kitchen and receive a strong enough signal for it to work.
However, we were left with a problem. We decided during all of this to add a TV and blue ray player to the bedroom in the back of the house, but now the gateway that sends the TV signals is in the front of house, instead of in the next room like before. The new LG BD570 Network Blu-Ray Disc Player was going to be hooked up via WiFi, so that just left the TV. This seemed simple enough, the TV to the living room before this was running from the office to the living room via a coax cable in the basement, so I should just be able to run the TV back the opposite way to the bed room.
This was a fine idea, except what when I tried, recorded shows did not show up on the box in the bedroom. In the U-Verse system you have a DVR box where you can pause live TV and where all of your recorded shows are stored. This box can be attached to the gateway via coax with no problem since the recorded shows are stored on it. If you want to watch TV in other rooms you receive a Set Top Box (STB) from AT&T. You can watch live TV (but can’t pause) and recorded TV on the STB, but only (as I learned today) if you connecte the STB via an Ethernet cable (not the coax). This is actually pretty cool that the video signals run via Ethernet cable and not coax.
Lesson 1: To watch recorded TV on the non DVR box in the U-Verse setup it has to be connected via Ethernet to the gateway.
Additionally, I learned (I think) that you can only have the coax or the Ethernet cable hooked up to one of the U-Verse boxes, but not both. It seems to only be able to handle one link. I am not exactly sure if this is true, but it seems to be.
Lesson 2: You can only connect a coax or Ethernet cable to a U-Verse box, but not both.
So, I had one 50′ cable I could run through the wall, across the basement, back up to the bedroom and to the STB. This was pretty easy because the coax was already in place and I just had to follow it backwards. Sadly, this cord was about 10′ short. At first I thought to try and use a router to fix the problem, but I didn’t really want to have to keep the router plugged in all the time. (Plus, when I tried it, it didn’t work.) So, I wanted to install a Cat 5 wall plate to basically just extend the cable. I headed to Home Depot to purchase said wall plate.
The front of the wall plate looks simple enough as shown below, but the back blew my mind!
This picture shows the finished product but there were eight wires on the back of the wall plate and the colors of the wall plate wires did not match the colors of the wires in the Cat 5 cable!?! And, GE didn’t supply any instructions!! So, thanks to Google, I found a tutorial atServers Serversto explain all of the colors of the wires to connect. And even then, I had to follow a slightly different set of instructions down in the comments of that page because of my setup.
Lesson 3: To install an Ethernet wall plate you will have to strip off the end of an Ethernet cable and connect the colored wires to other colored wires.
Once I had the wires connected to the wall plate, I plugged in the Ethernet cable to the new wall plate to the U-Verse STB and all was well. Hopefully this will help you find a way to fix any problem you are experiencing.
Live Blog review of Toy Story 3 at the McHenry outdoor. Probably will have spoilers. If you haven’t seen it, don’t read.
Day & Night
This short was very clever. I like the background and how it filled the shaped (which was obviously the point.) This was not my favorite of the Pixar shorts (I just watched the short before Up last month with the storks and that was much funnier), but the animation and creativity of this short was stellar. My favorite scene was when the day blob was over the waterfall and he relieved himself. I also enjoyed the Las Vegas at night and during the day scenes.
I thought the end was a little heavy handed and didn’t really have much to with the rest of the short. I didn’t really get a xenophobic feel for the film. It just seemed like the two were competing, not avoiding each other. But I guess the Pixar folks wanted to teach the kids a good lesson and they did that in their normal humorous way.
Movie
The opening train robbery sequence was very cool. I like how they incorporated all of the toys.
A lot of critics said the first 15 minutes dragged and I guess I would agree. After the opening sequence it was just a lot of necessary story setup. I wouldn’t call it bad, but it was not particularly exciting.
I’m a little surprised at this point by Woody’s attitude towards Andy going to college. I would have thought that Woody would have been all for going to a day care to give a lot of kids happiness seeing as how Andy has moved on. I can see him being loyal too, but to call Jesse “selfish” seemed out of character.
The introduction to the day care was fun, seeing all the toys and the massage was a nice touch. Woody with the tea party friends was also fun, “I’m staying in character!”
The day care being taken over by Lotso (You can see the same sort of story as Jesse had in the last film causing his bitterness. I found Lotso’s story more touching and compelling than Jesse’s though I am not sure why) is classic along with the roulette game in the top of the vending machine. Very appropriate, junk food and gambling just seem to go together. And using the demo switch on Buzz Lightyear is genius. (Why all of the Buzz’s in Al’s Toy Barn were so “confused” now makes sense.) Just when you think they’ve used up all of the gags for a character they still think of one more. And, as several reviews have suggested, one the funniest gags in the movie is when Buzz goes into Spanish mode. He starts to tango and woo the ladies as you expect of a sexy Spaniard.
The whole security of the day care center is so elaborate and funny especially with monkey alarm, I’m consistently amazed at how these people think of new toys and how to incorporate them. And the box, being a sand box with “Lincoln Logs,” the Pixar folks really think of everything.
Conclusion
I got wrapped up in this movie, so I stopped posting but this movie has everything you expect from the great Pixar movies we are used to. (Really, have they made a bad one?) The humor is fresh and relevant and the story works on multiple levels. The kids like the toy’s playing and the silly slap stick humor and teens and adults can appreciate the moving on and growing up story line. I would agree with Dan that even the jokes and themes that reused are not reused do to a lack of creativity, but feel more like intentional links than lack of creativity. One complaint I have, and I guess I would have to have the same complaint regarding Stinky Pete, is that Lotso still was bad even after Woody saved him. I was hoping they would have a little lesson about redemption. Of course, then you wouldn’t have the funny “claw” gag from the three aliens, so maybe that was a necessary trade off.
I don’t think I can say enough about the the ending is perfect. I had heard several people say that the ending is perfect, but I wasn’t sure what that was to be even until it happened. The choice to end with Andy showing his love of all of his toys and passing them on to Bonnie was inspired. When he says, “Thanks guys,” wow, great that was great writing. It said a lot without saying too much and teaches us all about how to appreciate the past but move on to the future. When Andy is going through and giving the description of each character it made me want to go find my old toys in mom’s basement and start playing.
I would not say this was the best of the three Toy Story movies because Toy Story 2 was so good but, overall this may be the best original movie trilogy ever (which means you don’t compare it to Lord of the Rings). The only other original trilogy I can think of that would even compare would be Star Wars. I’m not sure which I would put on top of that list, but they would easily go 1 and 2. All in all, Toy Story has been a great ride. I don’t know if there is any thought of making a fourth, but I hope not. Anything else they do could only bring the series down. Having said that, Pixar has not disappointed so far, so maybe a fourth movie would be in order.
While playing Super Mario Galaxy 2 last week, little Isaac wanted to get involved and kept taking my Wiimote to play the “mouse game.” (Somehow he mistook Mario for Mickey Mouse.) While this was cute and all, it made me want to find him a Wii game of his own to play with and learn how to use the Wiimote and possibly let me play my game in peace.
Learning with the PooYoos is a game developed in France and available via WiiWare download on the Wii for 500 points ($5.00). The game is designed with two different levels: Little PooYoos (ages 3-4) and Big PooYoos (ages 5-6). Given the age levels, the graphics and catchy theme song are perfect and will capture the young players’ attention. After you pick you level, there are two different games to play. One involves matching the shape of a PooYoo with the shape in a cloud (first picture below) and the second involved popping balloons with the water from the elephant PooYoo’s trunk.
Isaac can not yet handle the shape matching game so I can’t speak as much to that part of the game, but we have played the balloon popping game several times. In the little PooYoo level of this game the player simply shakes the remote and the elephant PooYoo shoots water at balloons until they are all gone. (As shown in the video of Isaac below.) In the Big PooYoo level, the player actually has to point the Wiimote at the screen and aim at the balloons to pop them.
After you pop the balloons the first time, the game has an intermission and asks what shape the balloons were and then goes through a second round of balloon popping followed by a question of what color the balloons were. Then the PooYoos lead you through a nice dance routine. During the dance routine, by pressing different buttons on the Wiimote various effects happen on screen like spot lights, confetti and other fun. After the dance, you take a boat ride where again, pressing buttons on the Wiimote causes different effects on the screen. Isaac especially enjoys pushing the buttons and causing lights and the sun (a fan to him) to go across the screen.
Isaac has not played the big PooYoo level, but he enjoys the little PooYoo level quite a lot. Simply shaking the remote is a nice way for him to learn about the cause and effect relationship of the Wii. As I said, he truly enjoys pushing the buttons on the Wiimote that cause various visual effects to appear on the screen.
My biggest complaint with the game is that the few questions it asks are always the same. At one point the game asks what color the bubbles are or what color an umbrella was but the answer is always the same color. I would like it better if the color would rotate to make Isaac think a little more. There is a version 2 released, but I have not looked at it yet.
Ultimately, this game did exactly what I wanted it to do, especially for only $5.oo. Isaac is able to use the Wiimote and learn how it works. He is learning more about cause and effect relationships and a little about hand-eye coordination. Another learning piece I didn’t think about was that it counts on screen and out load to help re-enforce math skills. I have a feeling I will download the second episode before the end of the summer for Isaac to play. If you have a two – six year old who you want to introduce to the world of Wii, this is the game for you.
Yesterday I wrote about how I was sad for man kind if people keep sending & tolerating horrible comments to YouTube videos and other on-line sharing locations veiled by the anonymous nature of the internet. Well, I was pleasantly surprised today to see a comic on the GeekDad blog with the same sentiment.
Maybe we aren’t in as much trouble as I thought. Clearly there is an awareness of the issue out there and through that awareness hopefully the internet culture (of the few bad eggs out there) will change as we realize that we will not tolerate that kind of attitude towards each other.
The video is very cute, especially when little Charlie starts cracking up at the end. Maybe you have to be a parent who has had your finger bit by a kid to truly appreciate the humor, but that is not really the point. My frustration was not with the video, but rather with the comments below. There are people that are just mean to the family that posted this cute little video. Here is a brief example:
I think it is fine if Kanzo93 doesn’t find little Charlie funny, but does he really need to post that comment? I know I shouldn’t be surprised, but I guess I hope just hope for the best in people. I know the internet provides a certain level of anonymity, but what does Kanzo93 get out of post that? Now, maybe that was just one out of context comment from him, maybe is a normal happy guy. I tend to think not, but like I to believe the best in people. Let’s check his profile:
Alas, no, this 27 year old man from the UK is just mean. People like this just make the internet less fun. Now, I certainly don’t mean to just pick on this comment, because as you can see above and below, several other people felt the need to make just unnecessary comments. But, this was the one that happened to be there when I logged in tonight. Here are a more comments in the same vain.
I think what it comes to is The Golden Rule, If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all. However, we need to start adopting an addition to that: If you wouldn’t say it in person, why say it online?
If these people actually met the dad and watched the video, they would never say those things. I’m not sure exactly how we change this mentality, but maybe it just takes each of us to call out one person when they see this behavior. Perhaps all we can do is be the model of the internet user we would like to see and hope the rest of the world follows. Or, maybe it can’t be changed at all. I hope that isn’t true because that would make me sad for humanity and I know we are moving towards a world where more and more communication is going to be faceless. Hopefully each us go forward and make sure our comments and appropriate and fair and hope that everyone else falls into line.
And the end of American Idol is upon us. I’ve been very excited about the epic showdown between Crystal and Lee and a while now. It has been fairly clear for at least a month that these two would be in the finale and it was not a disappointment. Unlike the other weeks I’m writing this after the show so I can reflect on the whole episode at once. Ultimately, I have truly enjoyed American Idol Season 9 and I think it has produced one of the best final two contestants ever (neither were ever in the bottom 3, which I believe is the first time two contestants have had that distinction in the same season). It would rival the level of Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice or David Cook and David Archuleta. After the top 2, the rest where probably weaker than other seasons, but there are a lot of good ensemble singers.
As for the two contestants here is my impression from the show:
Lee DeWyze In some I would agree with the judges comments from the first song, that he didn’t seem to be bringing a very high energy. Granted, his first two songs didn’t really allow for a lot of energy, but I think you could say the same for Crystal’s first song but she had some high energy. Now, I don’t think that Lee isn’t bored or uninterested or giving up, I think Simon hit the nail on the head and said the Lee just nervous. In the last song, it seemed that he got over that a little bit, but he still needs to grow a little as a performer. The three songs he sang were quality and it is clear that he is ready to a recording artist and he will have a pretty decent career.
Crystal Bowersox Ever since my first power rankings I have had Crystal on top of the charts. She has consistently performed at a high level. Tonight the only criticism I have of her is that she didn’t seem to be able sing and walk downstairs during Black Velvet. Out side of that all three of her songs were high energy and passionate. She connected more with the audience tonight than any other night during the season. She definitely is something that we don’t have in the music world right now as Ellen said and it would be interesting to see what she does after the Idol tour is over.
Conclusion Truly I feel that Crystal is the one that should win this competition based on her skills as a performer and her singing ability. Lee seems to have the momentum and he has the potential to be more commercial, so he may win the popular vote. In any event, which ever of these two wins they were both great contestants and will most likely have great careers going forward.
I’ve really enjoyed blogging about this show this season. I don’t know if anyone besides me really ever read these posts, but that was never the point. I just needed a place to work out my thoughts about the contestants and a blog seemed like a cathartic place. American Idol has been a show I have devoted a lot of time to over the past nine years and after this season it will irreparable change. In the near future, I plan to post about that and the man that is Simon Cowell.
Wow, here we are at the semi-final for American Idol Season 9. It seems like it has taken forever to get here, partially because it has been a clear Crystal/Lee finale for the last four weeks, but it is time to wrap this thing up with this second to last live blog:
Casey James — Ok, It’s Alright With Me
This exemplifies who Casey is and what I have been saying for the last few weeks; Casey is a good performer, but he has reached his plateau on Idol. He has really not progressed throughout much of the year, he came in as a good performer and he will leave as a good performer. The song itself was fine and could be on the radio without too much trouble, but it doesn’t set my heart racing.
Crystal Bowersox — Come to My Window
As soon as I heard her say she was singing this song I was excited. As I started to hear it my head it just seemed to fit with her. The arrangement was a little weird (as Randy said) but she crushed the vocal. From the first harmonica note I felt the passion of the song coming from here. However, ss the song started I was a little worried it wasn’t going to be anything really new. However, as the song progressed she did a great job with the vocals and brought the power and passion that song needs.
Lee DeWyze — Simple Man
In contrast with Casey, Lee has grown by leeps and bounds this season. It just goes to show how important confidence is in life. I am familiar with this song, but you could Lee’s connection to the song and it makes you get invested and enjoy the song a lot.
Casey James — Daughters
As stated above, Casey is a good singer and performer, but his songs aren’t getting me as excited as the others. He doesn’t have any big point that makes me say, “Wow, Casey should win!” So, I don’t think he will be in the finale but I do think he will have a good career.
Crystal Bowersox — Maybe I’m Amazed
I am digging that she is moving on stage. From start to finish this song blew me away. You could tell it was the same song as McCartney did, but she took the vocals to a whole new level. She shows that she can sing and her ability to move without a guitar for this song was great. She is the one to beat!
Lee DeWyze — Halleliah
Great job by Lee. The song was controlled and powerful and emotional and moving. (I’m trying to think of more adjectives, but I can’t.) He has arrived, and he is a competitor. A month ago, I would have said there was no one who could compete with Crystal, but next week is going to be a serious competition. Despite what others will say, I don’t think that was my favorite Lee performance. I personally preferred The Boxer, but this was a top notch performance.
The last two songs of the night where clearly the best and set the stage for next week. It seems like Lee has the momentum, and the judges seems to be pushing that way, but I hope everyone is not forgetting the consistently great performances of Crystal. She started the season at the top and has stayed there, so perhaps people are overlooking her because of Lee’s vast improvement, but next week is going to be musical thrown down!
