“Wouldn't it be nice if our lives were like VCRS (video recorders), and we could "fast forward' through the crummy times? " Charles M. Schulz

Do you have a VCR or did you sell it at a yard sale? Now that the box of video tapes are sitting at the back of your closet what will you do with them? Do you even know what is on them? One of my hobbies is buying old video tapes just for sheer fun of being surprised what's on the tapes. I have watched many a wedding or family trip on these tapes and I wonder did they actually mean to sell them. Before you throw out or donate these tapes I recommend a few things below.

1. Look through them. If you got rid of your player borrow it from a friend. I am sure you know a pack rat like me. If you have a VCR pop it in just to see if it’s something important. If not throw it in the donation pile. If it’s personal go onto step #2. Also I should say if it is something good do not over watch it. Even running it through the VCR can degrade the quality.
2. You have two real choices. If it is something you want never to see daylight (your 15th birthday party) you can pull out the film from the cassette and toss it but this is only so good. Instead sandwich the tape between two strong magnets for a day or so. This should erase the evidence. However if you want to keep these recorded images then do not delay and go to Google and type in “VHS to DVD services”. There will be a local one. Even some camera shops do it. They will take your tape, clean it, digitize it, and burn it to DVD. The reasons I say not to delay is that this stuff is magnetic tape. It breaks down over time. The more it is exposed to heat or moisture changes the more it degrades. If you care about it have it transferred. I did this with a tape of the last time my grandfather spoke at a family gathering. If it’s important DO NOT wait!

One other thing I should mention is that during the holiday season many people buy gifts for people that have enough junk. Instead taking an old video and making it new again can sometimes mean far more to them than any other item.

“A good deed is like peeing in your pants. Everyone knows you did it, but only you can feel it's warmth.” Unknown

This post is for a specific friend who I see movies with. Every time I have ever seen a movie with him he buys a large soda and drinks most of it through the trailers and by the mid point in the movie he has to bolt for the bathrooms. When we are discussing the film later there is an important blank spot that will have to be explained. It is really too bad he didn’t know when to um….go. Finally a brilliant website is at hand, RunPee is a site devoted to telling you what part of a movie is OK to miss. It has all the new ones and a lot of older films as well. For each movie it gives you one or more pee times and what signals it and how long you get. They also have an unscramble feature at the bottom if you want to know what you will be missing during that part. The only two downsides to the site is that it is all in flash and some people don’t like that sort of thing. However it is fast and very cute. The logo made me laugh. The other is that it seems to be missing a search function so you can find a movie quickly. You can also print or email a specific film to someone. They have an iPhone app as well that might be useful. I tried it with a few different movies that I know well and it was right on the mark of what is safe to miss. So if you are on the verge of turning into a fountain at many movies give this one a try or don’t drink at all.

“That some achieve great success, is proof to all that others can achieve it as well.” Abraham Lincoln

On January 20th two things will happen our new president will be inaugurated and I will be freezing in DC. Many people who are at work, school, or just don’t have TV have asked me where they can watch the inauguration. To this point I have put together a list of sites and places where you can watch it. Also I will try to do a bit of live blogging from the National Mall. If I have time and inclination I will put up some photos from the action on the ground. Did I mention freezing? On to the list.

All the major channels will stream it live.

• CNN
• MSNBC
• ABC
• C-Span
• Hulu. This one is also embeddable for any site or blog.
  

Also some Starbucks coffee houses will have it on. My personal favorite so far is the movie theater. The idea of watching it on a giant screen with popcorn. It is after all political history but also political theater. The tickets are free but first come first serve. They are being shown at Providence Place Mall Cinema. That is all the info I could get without signing up.

NPR will be streaming so you can get that radio by the fireside in a darkened room sort of deal going (during the day).

Finally to put this all in perspective give this site a chance for some great histiry. They have Kennedy's and Reagan's inaugural. Really fascinating stuff.

Hope this helps.
Note: The photo is of Lincoln’s first inauguration.

“On second thought, let's not go to Camelot. It is a silly place.” King Arthur

As a kid I played D&D, Dungeons and Dragons to the non-geek, and I am sure this does not come as a big shock to you. There is one basic rule or at least it seems when you play D&D and that is you must watch Monty Python and incorporate it into your everyday speech much to the annoyance of your parents. Now that you have the importance I can get to the meat of this post. Monty Python has released all their best bits on YouTube in high quality versions. Why is this important you ask? Well the computer should be used just as much with fun stuff as work stuff. It doesn’t all have to be PDFs and DOCs you know. Think of the computer like your car. Sure it is used to get you to work and back but it also brings you to the movies or a leisurely drive through back roads. A computer should be used the same. They have everything from the dead parrot sketch to clips from their movies. It is awesome! You can also do the typical things YouTube offers like comments and the ability to send them on to friends or embed them on a website or blog. Below is a video explaining why they did this. If you are a fan or just like certain bits give this a try and check out their YouTube channel. Also I should put a plug in for the library and say we have most of their works in our catalog.

There are three kinds of death in this world. There's heart death, there's brain death, and there's being off the network. Guy T. Almes

Finally a tech related holiday has come. Today is system administrators day. A byte of cake anyone? OK that was bad but what is a system administrator. Essentially they are the people that keep everything running when it comes to your workplaces network, servers and all the communication that runs through it like webpages and backups. As we all know communication is the circulation that keeps any business running. Without a proper systems admin threats from things lie spam, hackers, and just general wear would eventually stop the server from functioning properly and thus stopping the normal flow of a workplace. To read more about is check the sysadminday site. They have everything from explanations to photos which I really recommend. So to all the sys admins out there I raise half a bottle of Mountain Dew and a bag of your favorite snack cake and say thank you.

I recommend celebrating with the movie that first brought computers and their possibilities to the screen Wargames. I saw this as a kid and was forever hooked on computers. Also it is the 25^th anniversary of this great geek movie. Here is a link to the trailer.

“You cannot truly listen to anyone and do anything else at the same time.” M. Scott Peck

As we head into the great and wonderful Holiday week that is Thanksgiving I would like to highlight some sites that have no real redeeming educational value or help to you (may not be true) because why should it all be good for you. I mean sometimes you have to go for the sweets rather that the veggies.

When working I have always needed something else going on to truly concentrate. I usually use music but if I want something a bit different I turn to Listentoamovie. Many of us know certain movies by heart and it really doesn’t matter if you see what’s going on because you know it so well. That is what this Listentoamovie believes. This site has a huge list of movies and TV shows to choose from. All you do is choose a film or show and then click the launch audioplayer button. A small window will pop up looking like an old fashioned tuner. It has all the standard features like pause, play, and volume control. I have to say the most inventive feature is stealth. By clicking stealth it masks the player with a window that resembles Excel. The vast majority of people reading this are single taskers but for the minority of true multitaskers Listentoamovie is perfect for you. Give it a try.

“The movies enable an actor not only to act but also to sit down in the theater and clap for himself” Will Rogers

Alright I did say in the future I would talk about lesser known Google features but it seems the future is now and so for the rest of the week it is all Google.

What is the main part of the paper that disappears instantly in a home? The movie section always seems to be the most elusive. Now you decide to go see a movie and now you must call the theater and sit and listen to every film they have or wade through all the stuff on a site like movie phone. Instead I generally do two things. I type in the word movie and my zip code in to the Google search box. An example would be movie:02906. This will bring you to a page with every theater in your local area. It lists every movie and time at the theaters. It also give you direct links to IMDB (Internet Movie Database) and to the movies trailer. Do not forget the colon after the word movie. This is very important. Now the other choice is to type in the name of the movie like this movie:Evan Almighty, 02906. This will give you all the times from every theater in your local are for that one movie. I find this one a little trickier to use because the name of the movie has to be exact. i usually go for the first option. When going out with a group of friends to dinner and a movie print this out and drop it in your pocket. This way when you change your minds on the theater you have all your choices with you. If your heading to the movies give this one a try.

“I seldom end up where I wanted to go, but almost always end up where I need to be.” Douglas Adams

Quick extra note: Today contains two important time sensitive issues.
One of my favorite writers of all time has a memorial day called Towel Day. In honor of Douglas Adams you are supposed to carry your towel with you. The reference is from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If you have not read it, don't be hoopy! Read it today and always carry your towel.

Also just a mention here it is the anniversary of a science fiction classic. Star Wars came out 30 years today. If you have never seen the movie then to catch you up I give you Star Wars in 30 seconds done by bunnies. Enjoy! So to be as trite as possible may the force be with you.

“In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director” Alfred Hitchcock

I know what you are thinking. You wish there was good documentary to watch but you are stuck in front of my computer. Well be stuck no more. The site Best Online Documentaries has collected them from online video sites like Youtube and Google Video but in one convenient place. They have documentaries ranging from NASA stuff to shows that would have been on the History Channel. Unfortunately you will have to watch them on your computer but with some good speakers and a place to put your feet up this does not seem so bad. More and more you will be watching shows if not on your computer at least fed from the computer. So if you are desperate for information fix give it a try.

“People always ask me, "Where were you when Kennedy was shot?" Well, I don't have an alibi.” Emo Phillips

For years the film of JFK driving through Dealey Plaza has been reviewed and reviewed. Unfortunately without new information or images or video, this research can stagnate. That is why it is such large news when new films emerge. For those interested in JFK or a possible new piece in the puzzle of that day, there is a site connected to the Sixth Floor Museum. They have on their main page the newly found Jefferies' Film. It has all the information you could want on this incident, from oral histories to current exhibits. You can also watch other films of that day. If you have trouble with the film check the alternate site for the video. See a slice of history and give it a try.

“Only thing worse than watching a bad movie is being in one” Elvis Presley

Let's say a friend sends you a video and you get it on the computer. Now you try to play it but it keeps saying that file is not recognized or it just doesn't seem to play. One program many turn to is VLC. It can play MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, mp3, ogg, as well as DVDs, and VCDs. Now if some of these are foreign to you, don't pay any attention to them but know this: if it is video, VLC most likely plays it. If it does not automatically work, you may have to right click on the file and choose open with and then click VLC. Now to download choose either PC or Mac. Once this is installed you will be able to watch all sorts of great media. Many times I rent a DVD from the library and pop it in and watch it using VLC. This is really one of the programs to put on a computer right away. Give it a try!

Please don't Harpo on this turkey of a post

Today is Thanksgiving here and in Japan. Yes in Japan it is called Labour Thanksgiving Day. That is interesting but everyone is talking about Thanksgiving, so to bring something different to the dinner table, I give you another reason to celebrate this fine day. 118 years ago on this day, Adolph Arthur Marx, popularly known as Harpo Marx, was born in 1888. Many people talk about being contemplative and quiet for Thanksgiving so I thought of the quietest person of all time. But what does Harpo have to do with the Internet? Because of this fact I am reminded of all the great Marx movies but where to go to find the info? IMDB or Internet Movie Database has been the place to go for years. They are the one stop site for movie information. They have over 825,865 titles. Cross referencing on this site is awesome. I can look up Harpo and find what movies or shows he was in. Put some time aside and give this one a try!