Portable DTV! But which to buy?

I know this issue has been beat to death on the web. But, now it’s time for me to finally take a look. Wife wants a portable TV for work.  Needs to be ATSC (“DTV”) compatible, have good battery life, and most importantly, portable. She DOESN’T want a laptop.

I’ve found that almost all have battery life of ~1.5 hours and require external antenna for normal operation, regardless of advertising claims. Most have the same resolution and other technical specifications. Some have digital media players, some come with external antennas.  Some have carrying handles. I’m looking specifically at quality (from reviews) and price. Though a media player sounds cool, too.

I’ve listed what I’ve found below, including a composite of reviews from other sites (Amazon, AVN, etc.), and an average price.  All except Chinese TV’s for export because… what  are you, crazy? I’ve been burned enough by Chinese “technology.”

 

NOW WHAT?

 

Really. Now what do we do?

 

What the hell is this?

The wife thought it was some sort of bird at first.

Then an evil bird.

I thought it was a little devil-bull figurine.

Or, at almost 3 inches in length, maybe a petrified mustache.

Our Korean friend said it was a nut, but couldn’t remember how to open it or eat it. This object is presumably a nut common in Asia, but that’s all she knew. She just said it was good, and bought the whole bag. The bag from the local Asian store was, of course, unmarked.

If any of you know what this is, please tell me.

UPDATE: Using a nearby meat mallet, I discover there is, in fact, a nut inside. Unfortunately, it’s pretty vile raw. Our Korean friend says boiling is preferred method of prep. Of course, that little nugget if wisdom was a day late.

Still have no clue what this nut was.

 

RANDOM RANT: Where’s my Halloween movies?

 

What a crappy Halloween. Sure, the trick-or-treaters were nice, but what about the television? My wonderful Television?

 

ONE ISSUE: Healthcare

With new healthcare legislation, I feel I must re-publish an entry of mine from almost 2 years ago. Though written for the democratic convention to choose the candidate for the upcoming presidential election, it seems as relevant now as it did then.

 

Vaseline MEN body and face lotion and Glue

I want tough skin, but I don’t want to have to do anything to get it. Like..activity. So I try a bottle of Vaseline MEN body and face lotion . “Fortifies”, “build healthy skin resilience”, “more efficient”- whatever. Getting it home, I squirt a little out. Wife liked the smell, but I found something oddly familiar about. Sticky. Strange. Couldn’t quite place it.

Something from long ago..

from childhood..

..Kindergarten?

 

Pinoy Pan-oy

A new ’souvenir’ from the wife’s Philippine vacation: an aluminum pan.

With no handle.

 

Not-So Edible Muffleheads?

My tranquil lakeshore community is inundated each year by a pervasive invader. They loom above the treetops in the late evening, swarms swaying in the breeze like black flags of doom. During the day, they carpet buildings, shrubs and cars until disturbed by the slightest movement. Then, this mass of agitated, blind, and deaf piles of flying intestines swarm around any unfortunate soul who comes to close. One or two are inevitably inhaled every year, causing much spitting, hacking, and general unpleasant behavior until the shock subsides.

 

Java Apps and Motorola Phones

At work, I regularly use a little java timer application on my Moto v551 phone. I use it almost every day. Several times a day, actually. But my phone has one major inconvenience. When I close the clamshell, the application pauses or exits. It’s not that application, all the programs exit when the phone is closed.

I was wondering if there was any way to reprogram the phone to keep Java apps running in the background when the phone is closed.

 

Quarterly income tax

My city has decided to follow a lesser-known trend spreading slowing across the country. Local estimated income tax bills are now issued EVERY FEW MONTH’s instead of the yearly income tax we’re used to. These bills are not for businesses and high-income individuals, but everyone in the district, regardless of income! This doesn’t raise the income for the city, it just spreads-out their income in smaller payments over the year. Well, this isn’t quite true. It allows the city to charge random fees, penalties, and taxes on every return 4 times a year, instead of just one. That’s a nice boot to the general fund. And, since our city has the unusual habit of losing over-payments, forgetting to roll-over past-year credits, and miscalculating taxes, even more cash can be skimmed from the public.