How Abercrombie & Fitch Defines “Sensitivity”
How does Abercrombie & Fitch portray sensitivity? Like this… Would the brand do it any other way?
Pulp
Buyer Beware the TVPad
What looks like an AppleTV, runs the Android OS, and irritates me to no end? It’s the TVPad!
First off, I admit that the language barrier didn’t help the situation, but if you’re thinking of getting one of these boxes, just know what you’re getting into. The TVPad is a custom box that runs specific apps to stream video from the Internet to your television. You can actually get your own computer hardware and install the same apps, but the TVPad is packaged into one small unit to make things very convenient. I won’t comment on the legality of the product or the video streams.
Now here’s where it gets dumb, and again, my language misunderstanding could have gotten in the way. Since the TVPad is meant to connect to your television to stream Internet-based video, you assume two things:
- The TVPad connects to your TV
- The TVPad connects to the Internet
Not unreasonable, right? Connecting to your TV is really easy if you have HDMI. One cable and you’re done. So how about that connecting to the Internet part? Take a look at the box and the “instruction manual.”
What would be your guess to connect the TVPad to the Internet? WiFi? I can read that on the box, and the manual shows the configuration steps. But no, you and I would be wrong. You see, the TVPad M121 does not support WiFi!! I have no idea why, and I still question this engineering decision. The only hint that WiFi isn’t on the M121 model is this statement in the configuration settings:
As a wireless network environment is uncertain, please choose the cable network for your comfort.
Translated this means suck it up and hardwire me to the Internet. Seriously?!
You have to use the cabled Ethernet connection to get the TVPad online. You have an Ethernet cable installed in your living room by your television, right? It’s common in every household, right? Oh wait, the TVPad has a USB port. That’s the answer. You can use one of those going-out-of-style USB WiFi adapters. Those are relatively cheap now. So I got one, a name brand one that should do the trick. But no, it didn’t. There was no indication that WiFi was now enabled via this adapter. More online research that keeps point me back to the wired Ethernet port. Really? Really.
Now, I wasn’t about to string a 50-ft CAT5e cable from the router through the living and dining room to the TV. And no, we weren’t going to relocate the Road Runner drop. What next? Set up a WiFi/Ethernet bridge like a wireless basestation working in reverse. Have you tried to get an older, unsupported 802.11g router working with a WiFi bridge from another vendor? You have? Good for you! I wasn’t about to go down that possibly tortuous road. Instead, I went for the (more expensive) sure thing – the dual band, 802.11n Apple AirPort Express.
I swapped out the older 802.11g router with one AirPort Express to act as the primary router and added a second AirPort Express to bridge the wireless back to a wired connection for the TVPad. This setup was much faster than figuring out the TVPad doesn’t or won’t natively support WiFi.
Then success, bittersweet success. The TVPad with $200 more in extra equipment was finally up and running. It actually streams video well and is responsive. Just remember that you have to choose the cable network for your comfort.
Here are some pics for the heck of it.
The Totality of My Knowledge
Seemingly, the totality of my work knowledge can be contained on a single disc, an 700-MB CDR.
I was backing up my documents on my work computer and pared down my files I wanted to keep to fit on a single CD – not sure how to view that fact. And oh yeah, the CD is only half full.
Aww, wait… I didn’t bother to verify if the disc is actually readable and usable. Perhaps that’s a better testament to my totality of work knowledge?
Lana Del Rey vs Katy Perry
This is an interesting spin on pop music success. Katy Perry started her musical career as Katy Hudson, a gospel singer. She then underwent a pivot, changing her persona and her fortune.
Basically, Lana Del Rey followed a similar path to Katy’s but with differing results (for now anyways). The trailer park-living Lana is actually Lizzy Grant who has significant backing for her talents. Her past and musical start didn’t begin with YouTube but as a member of Interscope Records. After this was revealed, there was backlash against Lana though her Born to Die album is melancholically good.
I’m not sure why Katy’s change didn’t derail her popularity. Maybe it’s Katy’s can’t-be-taken-seriously image she portrays that is the big difference, personified with songs like California Gurls and Last Friday Night. For the seriousness and weight of Lana’s genre, a transgression in her storied past cuts deeper since it questions her pain and angst captured in her music.
Listen to Lana’s music, and you decide for yourself.
Poll: What Would the Tabasco Man Say?
After seeing the Heinz Hot & Spicy ketchup at the store, I wondered what the Tabasco Man would say about this new condiment.
What do you think he’d say?
Whole Foods Kailua Mixup
If you’re planning on taking your kids to the Whole Foods Market Kailua ice cream making activity, there’s been a mistake. This event was published in the Advertiser’s Saturday paper, but when we called to RSVP, they said the event was an exotic fruit tasting. The WFM Kailua web page describes the event correctly.
This month’s Keiki in the Kitchen explores the wonderful flavors of exotic fruit, courtesy of Frankies Nursery! For keiki ages 3-10. Free; RSVP required. Email sp.kao.marketing to reserve your spot.
The Advertiser’s (premium) web site says:
July 7, 11:30 a.m.: Whole Foods Market Kailua teaches keiki how to make their favorite ice creams.
Hmmm… not sure what happened, but I don’t think I could convince my kids that a rambutan is ice cream. Hopefully, this gets cleared up before the event.
Refrigerator Pet Peeve
Along with my running pet peeve, here’s another thing that irritates me. Check out the refrigerator at work.
Why, oh why are there so many insulated lunch bags inside of the refrigerated refrigerator? Um, it is cold inside the refrigerator, so that insulation doesn’t do much inside the refrigerator. I really hate those bags that are big and puffy and take up so much space, but inside the bag is a small flat sandwich or a can of juice. People, can’t you take your food stuff out of these space eaters and only store the necessities inside the refrigerator?
Now, I take the initiative and rearrange the bags so that stuff actually fits. I’ve gently crushed a bag or two that has a plastic container or tupperware inside of them. I have to take a cue from @abaggy and bring in my Igloo cooler and jam it in the refrigerator to make a point.
Hot Sun, Hanauma, and a Big Dew
What does the hot sun, looking at fish at Hanauma Bay, and a Mtn Dew have in common? I don’t know, but I’m glad I had this big Dew on hand.
Walking In on Google Street View
Posting this for posterity sakes. Google announced its expanded views of Hawaii within Street View whereupon many local mainstream media covered the announcement. Check out how I “walked in” on KITV’s coverage at the 0:51 mark.
Get the Flash Player to see this video.
Being on television is almost second nature already! Have you already forgotten about my appearance during the closing of Don Quijote in Kailua?
What’s This Dock Dojobber?
Was given this dojobber but don’t know what it is. It’s like a rubbery lanyard with a iPhone/iPad dock connector on the end. It can’t be a lanyard since it’s kinda short. Could be a tether of some sort for your iPhone, but I wouldn’t risk securing my iPhone (or iPad) solely by the dock. If that breaks, you might as well get a new device.
Oh, and it’s branded from Panya Bakery which doesn’t help solve the mystery. Any ideas?
The Next Outbreak of Avian Flu
Here’s ground zero for the next outbreak of Avian Flu. You saw it here first.
But of course, everyone knows that pigeon spittle is perfectly non-toxic, right? So swimming in the  pool aka the drinking fountain for a flock of pigeons is perfectly sanitary, right?