deejStuff Is Here!! (Part Four!)

[sonicdsl]

For those of you who haven't used up their weekly Amazon allotment on Hitbliss, The new Hunger Games: Catching Fire just became available this evening.

<snip>

Also some other good ones that have recently become available over the last week or so:

Thor: The Dark World
Ender's Game
Gravity

I'll be watching Hunger Games tonight. Haven't seen Thor 2 yet, but the others I enjoyed very much. Gravity was much more gripping than I expected and Ender's Game had some unexpected and interesting twists to go along with all of the eye candy.

Did you read Ender's Game? The movie was good if I didn't think about the book, but that was hard to do with this one - sooo much left out (I can usually compartmentalize them when that happens, but really couldn't this time for some reason). The book was way more satisfying to me.

Looking forward to HG and Thor2 though! Loved the first ones of each (and I did read the HG trilogy!).

 

[FranC]

We watched Thor2 the other night. Pretty good movie.

 

[Poeia]

Did you read Ender's Game? The movie was good if I didn't think about the book, but that was hard to do with this one - sooo much left out (I can usually compartmentalize them when that happens, but really couldn't this time for some reason). The book was way more satisfying to me.

Looking forward to HG and Thor2 though! Loved the first ones of each (and I did read the HG trilogy!).

Ender's Game, the book, had me crying. The religious symbolism got to be a bit much after a while but, other than that, I thought it was great. I have no intention of seeing the movie.

 

[FranC]

 

[TravTech]

Did you read Ender's Game? The movie was good if I didn't think about the book, but that was hard to do with this one - sooo much left out (I can usually compartmentalize them when that happens, but really couldn't this time for some reason). The book was way more satisfying to me.

Looking forward to HG and Thor2 though! Loved the first ones of each (and I did read the HG trilogy!).

I never read either of them. I'm a little disappointed in HG2, mainly in how they ended it.

I know what you mean though, the books are generally better. I remember from back in the days of the Dune trilogy. Haven't done much reading since then tbh.

 

[Poeia]

I went to Dad's today to work on his taxes. I chose today because my sister was going too and she's the organizer. I work the spreadsheets and she finds the documents needed from wherever my Dad put them.

I arrived at 1:30 as I usually do for a visit. She was going to leave her house in suburban Philadelphia at about the same time and arrive around 4. At 2 we got a call from her. She wasn't coming.

She got home from work and let the dogs out in the back yard while she got her stuff together and put it in the car. Then she got the dogs, so happy that, for once, she was going to leave on time. Petey, her crazy dog, was sitting in the snow. She saw a couple of dark spots in the snow by him but didn't think anything of it. Inside, she gave them each a treat before she left and notice he was lying with one leg out to the side. She looked over and he had two long gashes on his belly.

Trip to the vet for emergency surgery. He got over 100 stitches. They said he had basically flayed himself. They wanted her to take him home afterwards because they don't have anyone with the animals overnight and he shouldn't be alone until the stitches come out in about 14 days. That's not going to happen. She's been so busy at work that she's overwhelmed but she'll be with him for the weekend and he'll spend the day at the vet's on Monday. And he has 2 antibiotics, 2 pain meds and an herbal thing to prevent fluid buildup at the wound site.

The amazing thing to me is that he wasn't howling in pain but this is the same dog who will obsessively jump at a sprinkler or shower drip until he sprains his back and who once ran back and forth along the fence in their back yard for so long that he tore the pads off all his feet and had to have them bandaged until they grew back.

 

[Poeia]

The screen on my Dad's computer is turning pink or blue for several minutes at a time. Apparently it started last night.

I assume I need to shop for a replacement monitor quickly.

 

[sonicdsl]

Ender's Game, the book, had me crying. The religious symbolism got to be a bit much after a while but, other than that, I thought it was great. I have no intention of seeing the movie.

There was a lot of good emotion in that book, written quite well. I understand what you mean about the symbolism, but I was more focused on the action and political story I think. The religious symbolism was barely in the movie, and the political thing with his brother & sister was completely gone. We saw his brother once I think, and his sister maybe twice. Was really disappointing. But, if I work hard to not think about the book, it was decent. The actor playing Ender did a good job, but Harrison Ford was not putting his best foot forward, IMO.

The screen on my Dad's computer is turning pink or blue for several minutes at a time. Apparently it started last night.

I assume I need to shop for a replacement monitor quickly.

Yep...ready to die... Is it CRT style or flat panel? That happened to me on the old CRT style monitors. Haven't seen it on LCD/LED panels yet though. I'm sure Trav knows more about that than I though.

Sorry to hear about the poor dog.... poor thing sounds a little neurotic. Bless his heart!

 

[Poeia]

Orson Scott Card is a strict Morman who did missionary work.


Monitor is a flat screen. I think he got it with his last computer so it's at least 7 or 8 years old. Writing is one of his few remaining pleasures but his eyesight is so bad (he has glaucoma) that it's unlikely that he'll be using it in a year (plus he'll be 95 next month.) The old one is a little under 20" so I'm looking for one about that size for under $100. Found a Samsung and a Viewsonic for $90 each on Amazon and both got good reviews on NewEgg.

 

[FranC]

 

[CES]

Good morning y'all

I didn't realize Ender's game was out in a movie. I really like Orson Scott Card's writing (even with all the embedded religious symbolism).

Poor doggie, Poeia. Does your sister know how he hurt himself?
Glad you found a monitor so quickly. the only time I've seen the color thing on a flat panel is when the connection to the computer was loose/going out- jiggling and making sure it's fully seated may buy you enough time for the new monitor to arrive.

 

[FranC]

Good morning,CES I have the DVD of the Enders ordered. Is it good?

 

[CES]

i haven't seen the movie, but i liked the books. Ender's game was the first in a series. the final books were less good than the first, but still decent.

I want to see Divergent when it comes out- It's the first in another trilogy that i really liked.

 

[FranC]

TY............

 

[sonicdsl]

i haven't seen the movie, but i liked the books. Ender's game was the first in a series. the final books were less good than the first, but still decent.

I want to see Divergent when it comes out- It's the first in another trilogy that i really liked.

That series sounded interesting, but never got around to reading it. Movie looks good though.

I really enjoyed reading the Hunger Games. The whole concept is disturbing of course, but the creativity, particularly the different districts surrounding the capitol, etc. was interesting to me.

 

[TravTech]

Good Morning Clowder!

The screen on my Dad's computer is turning pink or blue for several minutes at a time. Apparently it started last night.

I assume I need to shop for a replacement monitor quickly.

... Monitor is a flat screen. I think he got it with his last computer so it's at least 7 or 8 years old. Writing is one of his few remaining pleasures but his eyesight is so bad (he has glaucoma) that it's unlikely that he'll be using it in a year (plus he'll be 95 next month.) The old one is a little under 20" so I'm looking for one about that size for under $100. Found a Samsung and a Viewsonic for $90 each on Amazon and both got good reviews on NewEgg.

Finding a good 20" for under $100 should be quite do-able. Be sure to check dealnews.com as well. They normally point to places like Amazon, newegg, and that photo place you like in NY. Along with many other reputable sellers. But they do all the legwork and research for you in finding the deals. You'd be surprised, even places like Best Buy or Sears will often have a killer deal of the day or something though most people wouldn't think of them for such items. But dealnews sniffs them out.

Good morning y'all
... Poor doggie, Poeia. Does your sister know how he hurt himself?
Glad you found a monitor so quickly. the only time I've seen the color thing on a flat panel is when the connection to the computer was loose/going out- jiggling and making sure it's fully seated may buy you enough time for the new monitor to arrive.

Agreed! Checking the cables first is definitely worth a try.

On a standard computer monitor cable (CRT or Flat panel) there is a separate wire & connector pin for each color, red, green, & blue. If the connector is loose on either end one (or more) of those pins can be making intermittent contact.

If you lose green connection you end up with a fuchsia (pink) screen, if you lose green and red connection, you'll just have blue. I've seen it MANY times where the user has kicked the cable loose from the PC dues to it not being tightened down by the installer. It could be bad inside the cable as well (move the cable, color changes).

Of course it could also be the monitor itself. CRTs have 3 separate color (RGB) guns for the electron beam. But they usually go out one at a time. Flat screens also have some circuitry that is color specific.


And I too am curious how the dog ripped his belly open.

 

[TravTech]

Missed one.

... I want to see Divergent when it comes out- It's the first in another trilogy that i really liked.

At the very end (after credits) of the Amazon version of Hunger Games 2, they have a 7 minute "behind the scenes" sort of "making of / meet the cast" type thing all about Divergent.

 

[TravTech]

LOL Dealnews only seems interested in monitors larger than 20".

They did list a 22" from newegg for $99.99 (with code EMCPGPD22) with free shipping. Acer G226HQLBbd Black 21.5" 5ms Widescreen LED Monitor200 cd/m2 ACM 100,000,000:1 (600:1) No - Retail - Newegg.com
They ship from Jersey so you'd have it in like a day.

4 star reviews overall, decent specs. Biggest complaint seems to be that it has no HDMI connector. But it does have a DVI connector which is basically the same sort of connection (all digital) just a different shape. There are adapters and / or cables available to use HDMI with DVI connectors.

 

[Poeia]

None of the ones under $100 have HDMI. Doesn't matter. All he needs is to go on the web (primarily Schwab) and writing Word documents. He'll look at the occasional picture but his vision is so bad he's lucky to recognize the people on the screen.

I prefer Amazon. I can send it with Prime and free return if there's a problem. (If NewEgg sends you something DOA, you pay to mail it back to them.) Staples would be fine but they don't have anything good right now.

I'm looking at these two:
Samsung. No reviews on Amazon but two reviews on NewEgg -- both 5*
Viewsonic
4.5* on Amazon, 4* on NewEgg
both are $89.99

Today, so far, the monitor is apparently just white. I'll have him check the connections.
I thought of my old 22" Samsung that I replaced because I couldn't get the buttons (especially the on/off button) to work but they seem to be fine now. Then I remembered that it costs over $40 to visit him (roundtrip train and four cabs.) It makes no sense to make a special trip just to lug an old monitor that probably works to save $90. I'll be going later this week and can just hook up the new one.



The mutt is doing okay. The only thing sis can think of is that there is a roof slate that fell off and is frozen on it's edge in the garden. She has a large backyard and he's got fairly long legs but if there's a dog who could manage to scrape across that, Petey is that dog.

 

[Poeia]

Are we having the game today?