This is with regards to the old laptop. The Twinhead 9000T. Fabrication date: pre 1997. 120Mhz, 32mb ram and nearly a gig of hard disk space. Haven't really checked the specs because it depresses me how fast time has flown and how over-taken I am by technology. I clearly remember how excited I was that it had 32mb Ram!
So I am trying to figure out what to do with this laptop that is in good working condition, except for the touchpad (synaptics) which I suspect I had fried when I tried to install a Wacom mini drawing pad.
So now I want it to go fast. I am thinking of using this as a kitchen laptop ie. a dedicated web browswer. In my previous attempts, I couldnt install Firefox, or the latest IE because the thing was still running Windows 95. So now looking at what OS would be kind to an old laptop.
Reading FreeDos. I've decided to give Linux a skip because Linux has overdone itself by trying to follow the Windows trail. In MHO, it is trying so hard to one-up Windows with a graphical environment that there's nearly no diff now between Linux and Windows.
I am seriously generalising of course since I am no Linux expert - and I know not all the distributions there are. But I have tried to install Suse, DSL and RedHat to no avail. The library has a copy of an old RedHat (Dummies guide) but the accompanying CD were lost years ago.
Just rambling.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Friday, April 20, 2007
What I Plan - DVD to Old TV
Objective: Plug in high tech DVD to old tech one RF input TV.
Found out that it is do-able but it's a 50/50 thing.
Old TV has combined AV signals into one RF (Antenna) socket.
DVD has split different AV signals so the alternative is to plug DVD via VCR which then combines AV into one RF out.
DVD players have copyright circuitry which means that it may not output correctly resulting in poor picture quality or no picture at all.
Solution: buy a AV (RF) modulator. At Dick Smith it's about $40. At Jaycar the set alone is $20 but it has no power source, and with another power source, I'm looking at total $37.
But I am not going to get a new TV. That defeats the whole purpose
UPDATE :22 APRIL , SUNDAY
So yesterday I went to Dick Smith to check out modulators and found DVD players on sale. I decided to buy a Teac DVD player for $69. It had the latest playable things: include MP4 and WMA. The assistant told me the more "no name" brands, the less the problem of copyright circuitry.
Got it home, connected Audio to Sony Hi-Fi (circa 1990) and connected to National VCR (circa ? at least pre-1990) and connected RF out to Trinitron RF/Antenna In. Switched to AV channel and beaut! Worked like a charm. Needless to say the DVD player doubles as a CD player for my MP3.
This morning, though, the screen decided to show an error message: !PSCAN, with the screen split down the middle.
Finally discovered that the DVD player is doing some kind of progressive scan which my old TV cannot cope with. So went to Settings, selected Video and selected Interlaced, rather than PSCAN. Beaut take 2!
Found out that it is do-able but it's a 50/50 thing.
Old TV has combined AV signals into one RF (Antenna) socket.
DVD has split different AV signals so the alternative is to plug DVD via VCR which then combines AV into one RF out.
DVD players have copyright circuitry which means that it may not output correctly resulting in poor picture quality or no picture at all.
Solution: buy a AV (RF) modulator. At Dick Smith it's about $40. At Jaycar the set alone is $20 but it has no power source, and with another power source, I'm looking at total $37.
But I am not going to get a new TV. That defeats the whole purpose
UPDATE :22 APRIL , SUNDAY
So yesterday I went to Dick Smith to check out modulators and found DVD players on sale. I decided to buy a Teac DVD player for $69. It had the latest playable things: include MP4 and WMA. The assistant told me the more "no name" brands, the less the problem of copyright circuitry.
Got it home, connected Audio to Sony Hi-Fi (circa 1990) and connected to National VCR (circa ? at least pre-1990) and connected RF out to Trinitron RF/Antenna In. Switched to AV channel and beaut! Worked like a charm. Needless to say the DVD player doubles as a CD player for my MP3.
This morning, though, the screen decided to show an error message: !PSCAN, with the screen split down the middle.
Finally discovered that the DVD player is doing some kind of progressive scan which my old TV cannot cope with. So went to Settings, selected Video and selected Interlaced, rather than PSCAN. Beaut take 2!
She Threw a Chair at me
So this is about Never Been Kissed. Last night I told her that if she wanted to prepare her folio, the first thing she'd need to do is to practise drawing. I said "I dont ever see you drawing" ... she flew into a rage, and shouted "Why are you and my teachers always putting me DOWN!"... THEN she threw a chair at me. Actually, she was looking for something to throw and the closest thing was a steel backed chair right before her eyes. She has a lot of strength. She picked it up and chucked it on the floor but instead chucked it at me. The back of the steel chair hit the back of my left hand. It bruised a vein. The fingers hurt like hell. Mad Animator got so mad, he took the next closest thing, a cleaning brush and he followed her to her room and wanted to bash her with it. I stopped him before the violence escalated. Muscle salt cream work rather well on bruised veins.
What I Plan
To do today, tomorrow, next week, next month.
- find a way to attach DVD/VCR combo unit to old Sony Trinitron TV with only one UHF outlet
- Put Linux onto old laptop
- Clean up old toasting oven so that Mad Animator can use it to cook his fimo
- Install ABC Amber and reg key so that I can back up my emails
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