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For more Leo and friends all week long, listen to the
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Saturday October 17, 2009
Show Audio
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Edited Audio | |
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Posted one week after broadcast… | |
Tech News
Leo’s back from TED X in Dubai.
Leo’s back from speaking at TedX in Dubai. Apologies that technical issues prevented a live remote of the Tech Guy Show last week, but he’s back today, rested and ready to roll!
Windows 7 Reviews Glowing
Walt Mossberg of the NYT shouts to out to Cupertino … watch out, Apple, Windows 7 is the best version ever! Course, Leo’s been saying this for months now. Leo says that Microsoft has closed the gap in ease of use and security with vs. 7. But will the security advances be able to stand up against virus writers plumbing its weaknesses? Only time will tell.
On the safe side, download Microsoft Security Essentials and install it along with upgrading. Also, Windows 7 doesn’t come with an email program or Windows Movie Maker (finally). You want to go to Get.Live.com and download one of the packages of programs which are available for that.
On the other side of things, Leo’s still not convinced that Apple users should go to Snow Leopard. But for Windows users Windows 7 is a must!
Microsoft & Mozilla working together
With the support of Microsoft, Mozilla’s Firefox will begin disabling Microsoft plugins like the .Net Framework Assistant and Windows Presentation plugins, which can be co-opted by hackers when visiting suspect sites. Mozilla contacted Microsoft with the issue and in a surprise move, Redmond agreed and approved the action immediately.
Guests
Scott Wilkinson, Ultimate AV Magazine
Scott is starting his review of the Vizio LED backlit LCD. An array of LEDs behind the image which can dim and brighten “individually” to really create stunning contrast. First impression … it’s a mixed bag. But a 55″ LED backlit LCD TV for around $2200 is a great deal.
Leo says that in light of California Assembly voting to ban large screen TVs (the hell?!) because they are “power guzzling,” LED backlit TVs could be a boon and also says that this law is going to be seriously unpopular. Scott agrees.
Scott wants to talk about loud commercials. TV commercial breaks have commercials have an audio level that can blow you out of your chair. There’s technology that can prevent that. Dolby has one called Dolby Volume. Audyssey Wide Dynamic Volume. But most are built into TVs themselves. So far, there isn’t a stand alone product until now. SRS Labs has unveiled such a product using their Tru Volume 7technology. The product is called “My Volume.” Three types, HDMI, Analog, and Skart (European). The Downside is that it’s only two channel, so any home theater systems using 5.1 surround won’t be able to take advantage of the technology.
From Alex Harden, the FCC does not have a rule on loud commercials. Maybe they should because both Leo and Scott agree that the loudness of commercials is getting worse.
Scott is on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SkoVar.
Hour 1
Q Ellie, Honolulu, HI - Ellie’s Twittering
Our favorite geek in Hawaii is calling in to say she’s finally started Twittering. Now she wants to know how to get people to follow her. Leo says there’s a new “lists” feature which allows you to create a list of interesting people to follow. You can follow any list in that fashion. Start by following people you like and check out the people they are following. Follow them. It’s easy to unfollow them, so you can try them out. Eventually, as you engage, people will follow you.
You can follow Ellie at http://twitter.com/giantdolphin50.
Q Bernie, Lakewood, CO - Roku and Netflix
Can you use a Roku Box with Flickr and not watch movies? RokuLabs has a great player which works with Netflix. The Roku Box is $99. Leo says they are adding stuff all the time - like live sports and either home or away announcers, you can even watch archived games. Roku is also now supporting MediaFly. This includes internet TV shows like Leo’s upcoming video podcasting, Revision 3′s programming, etc.
Is there another box? Leo says there’s the Popcorn Hour box. But soon, you won’t need a box as TV manufacturers will be supporting YahooTV. This will open the door to not only IPTV shows like Leo’s, but also from sites like Hulu, which streams your favorite TV episodes and more.
Hour 2
Q Chris, California - Duplicate devices in device manager
Chris goes into Windows device manager and sees duplicate entries for hardware, processess, etc. What gives? Leo says it may be an artifact on how Device Manager works. If you see a duplicate processor, your computer uses core 2 duo, so that makes sense. Leo says it’s nothing to worry about unless you see duplicates like two video or sound cards. Most are text files with a description and doesn’t tax the power of the processor.
What about Scroll lock key on the keyboard? Scroll lock, along with Print Screen, SysRq and Pause Break are a hold over from the old IBM PC keyboards for compatibility issues with older software.
Q Jay, Providence, NC - AOL issues
Jay is having issues with his free AOL email. He’s not getting email from others who are bouncing back. Leo says that almost certainly, there’s an error in their email address book entry.
Q Sharon, Orange, CA - digital camera recommendation for video too
Sharon is frustrated. She either has a camera with great stills and bad video or vice versa. Leo says that often this is because of chip size, which has gotten really small as cameras get more compact. Sharon’s budget is $300. Leo says he likes Canon Powershots for still images, but go up a step to improve the video quality. You’re going to want at least 720p HD video. The G11 is a great option, but so is the Panasonic Lumix LX3. Great image quality and 720p HD video. What’s really nice image quality wise is the Lumix 24mm wide angle setting. Great for landscapes and large groups.
A great place for reviews is digitalcamerainfo.com.
Q Brian, Azusa, CA - Remote access
Brian needs to use remote access to use a computer. Is there a free option? LogMeIn is a good, free option. But don’t pay for it. A tad slow, though. But our sponsor GO TO MY PC is really the best. Faster. More secure.
Q Tom, Santa Rosa, CA - Good web design
Tom says that good web design will help people find your site. Leo’s not so sure. You can’t really guarantee that. Ease of use, sure. Visibly pleasing? you bet. But search engine optimization is something you can do yourself by making those first 1500 characters grabbing and easy to search for. Don’t pay for it. Companies that offer SEO services are selling you snake oil and could get you banned from Google.
Q Jason, Boston, MA - Getting his site noticed
Jason has created a blog and comic book on technology. How do you get the word out? People will come if you put out great content, and they’ll follow you. Just remember, content is king. When you do something, you do it because you love it.
Jason’s blog is at NGVGN.com
Hour 3
Q Debbie, Raleigh, NC - Solar charger recommendation
Debbie has found a solar charger. But isn’t sure which model to get. What are millamps and why is more important? Leo says it has to do with capacity. The lower the milleamp rating, the less power they hold. The larger, the larger capacity for power generation and standby time. If it’s only $20 more for the larger capacity, it’s worth paying the extra money for it.
Q Jan, Temecula, CA - Updates killed her husband’s computer?
Jan’s husband has a computer that was “killed” by the latest round of Microsoft updates. She’s getting the dreaded BSoD. Leo says that anytime you make a huge update that changes the computer setup, it’s possible to run into problems. But much better than problems you’ll get by not doing the updates.
Boot into safe mode by either tapping F8 or holding down the shift key while you reboot. Look in the bootlog. The last item on the list will be the driver that crashed it. The file Jan mentions, mup.sys, is a Windows update file that often gets corrupted during updates. Could be a hard drive issue, or even a USB device issue. Unplug all your devices and reboot. See if that helps. But the easiest thing to do at this point is to boot to your CD and go into Windows Setup utility and start up the recovery console. You’ll go into installation until Windows notices you already have a copy installed and asks if you want to recover and repair it. That’s when you want to hit repair and let Windows repair the corrupted files.
Another culprit could be bad sectors on your hard drive. You may want to backup your data, run SpinRite on the hard drive to give the drive a checkup and then reformat the hard drive and reinstall the OS. Then run all your updates from a virgin install. In fact, why not update to Windows 7?
Q Michele, Lynwood, CA - Getting new TV/Home theater
Michele is updating her home theater and TV and wants to know Leo’s thoughts on a Sound Bar? Leo says that a sound bar uses technology that “tricks” the ear to believe it’s listening all around you. Leo thinks that Scott may like it, but Leo recommends going to a show room and listening to it. But it won’t be as rich as real surround sound. But it may be good enough.
Q Scott, Malibu, CA - Video questions
Scott has a few clients that he wants to send SD Video on with his SONY converter box. He’s having trouble with color. How can he convert SD and keep the color of his masters? With tape, converting analog, you can do better. Try the Canopus’ AVDC 300 or 700 is ideal.
HD Camcorder recommendation? Leo is still a fan of tape and likes the Canon HV30. And the wide angle adapter is a great optional accessory.
Q Jennifer, Bellingham, WA - Adapter error message
Jennifer has a Linksys card that isn’t being picked up by her laptop. Leo thinks that it could be fried out or a voltage issue may be causing it to be noticed by your OS. Try another card.
See you tomorrow! Have a great geek week!
