Tuesday, April 21, 2026

The Purge From Behind The TV….

So my 55” set is a Vizio flat panel. 10+ years old. But it still works. The previous TV was a 55” Sony projection TV. It was HUGE. Fortunately, I was able to have SBK Recycling pick it up (wasn't cheap either). Anyway, the Sony came with a stand, which I still use. The space behind the current TV is where my laptop is (just because it’s out of the way until I decide I was to play with Linux). And through the years, crap has accumulated. I experimented with an antenna (no signal, abandoned in place). And there where quite few HDMI cables. And one DVI-HDMI cable, too (can’t use it anymore as my current card doesn’t have a DVI port anymore0. And there was my old Echo (Christmas present from my brother many years ago before I decided I don’t need an always on microphone in my room). So, I’ve gone through and grabbed all the loose cable I could find and I’ve filled up my garbage can again.

My second computer, after the Gateway had heat issues. Finally, I took the side off the tower, and put my night stand fan down there to blow on the processor while I was using to keep the temps down (this was a Pentium 4 on a socket 775 chipset, mind you). Eventually it gave up the ghost, and I replaced it with my first HP. Never had any heat issues with it, and the fan was abandoned in place. It’s still down there,  Not anymore.

So when the HDMI cable I ordered in my previous post arrives, I’ll that opprtunity to try and tame the rat’s nest behind my tower….

Going Full Circle…..

Since spring of 2001, my computer(s) have always a TV tuner in them, starting with my All-In-Wonder Radeon back in the day. Even today, I have a Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2255 in my tower. I really don’t use it that much, but I appreciate the ability. I even have a USB tuner for my laptop. Hardly used, but it’s there. And the reason why I hardly use them is that I have a 55” HD TV hooked up to my cable box through the HDMI cable. And all my TV cards still only connect via coax. But still I can watch TV without have to strain my neck, and I have a backup if the TV ever goes down (because I definitely can not afford to replace it right now).

So what has happened of late is that for some reason, my box can’t keep WillowTV tuned. It’s always dropping the connection. So, to watch the IPL, I now have to stream it on my Tower. So, I’ve just had to order a longer HDMI cable to plug in to my 55” TV. It’s come full circle. First it was cable box to TV and/or computer. Now it’s from the computer to the TV….

I think there’ll a purge behind my TV shortly…..

Monday, April 20, 2026

Just another night off….

Tax refund finally arrived a couple of weeks ago. Really couldn’t sleep this afternoon, but oh well. I can just nap while my co-workers are working. Got up early enough to watch the Mariners game (they’re home vs. the A’s tonight). And applying the lessons learned from previous attempts to watch The New World Order (Mind-Control Division) and ensuing hypoglycemic episodes, I ordered the pizza a before I tuned the game. Cable boxen decided to act up, so I’m streaming it on my second monitor while I write this.

Begin the weekend, I guess….

Wednesday, April 01, 2026

The turning of the seasons….

Seasons change. Yesterday, I went to bed and dozed around half asleep for 3 hours and then got back up because my room was too warm. It’s funny how things like that happen when you have a western facing windows on a sunny day.

And seeing the forecast for next week, it had to happen. I’ve set up my AC this morning….