I don't know about you, but I'm really sick of it, and I'm going to take a minute to bitch about it.
A lot of laptops these days don't seem to have a little volume knob or wheel for adjusting the volume, these days. The last 2 laptops I bought (HP and FUJITSU) have had absolutely none. My current laptop makes up for this by having a touch-sensitive panel right in front of the screen for me to simply rub my finger across whenever I need to change something.
This volume control scheme sucks.
First of all, I can't change the volume until the laptop is turned on. That means if I was watching a movie at full blast the night before and forgot to turn the volume back down before shutting it off, I'm going to find myself the centre of unwanted attention when I crack it open in the middle of class or the library. Not only that: It also scares the Be-Jesus out of me. The great thing about having a volume knob is that I can always check how loud it is before I turn it on, and I can turn it down if I want to before blowing anyone's ears off.
Second, just like everything computer-related, it's a bit screwy and is affected by just about anything you might be doing. For example; if you have to adjust your sound in a pinch, I wouldn't count on the ol' touch-pad. Trying to change it too quickly actually causes it to lag. Does sound ever lag when it is changed with a proper volume wheel? No.
Third, it's not very precise. Or maybe it's too precise. All I know is that moving my finger even just a tiny little microscopic hair too far on the sound touch-pad causes it to be about five times louder or quieter than I wanted it. It's a little sensitive. A volume knob is way easier to adjust because it doesn't believe in being completely neurotic.
All I'm saying is, stop trying to come up with new and innovative ways to adjust volume. The wheels and the knobs worked just fine. Not so much with an over-sensitive and over-crappy touch-pad.
I feel like I sound like a crazy old homeless man here. "Got-Dangit these crazy eelectronic volume controls! Ervrebody's tryin' to replace what's good with what's eelectronic! What was wrong wit' the way thing were, what with knobs and wheels, they'll always be better!'
Well it's true.
And it's hard to not be influenced by the homeless when you live in Waterloo. Every day, there seem to be more of them migrating here as the weather gets warmer. Like birds in spring, except not quite so majestic.
Anyway. Down with stupid and unecessary changes to technology. Bring back the knob!!!!!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Phreak615 wins.
*Note: the opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of Nick*
That's it.
I give up.
I thought I could have more faith in humanity. Ok, maybe that sounds a little extreme, and maybe this is going to sound a little rude, but that's why I'm not a terribly good blogger.
Let me get to the point - Phreak615, the so-called "hacker" of MUCH Music, wins.
That's it. He's done it. Say that we were right, and it was all just a viral marketing scheme. Those of you who tuned in to MUCH just to catch more of the "interferences" have played right into his hand. The same goes for the legions of blogs, videos, and comments created either for or against Phreak615. All of those things shot up the awareness of Phreak615 through the roof.
"But Nick, isn't this a little hypocritical considering you're writing a blog about him right now? And aren't you the creator of one of the very first videos against Phreak615?"
As far as this blog goes; I already told you, I give up. I've simply stopped caring. This blog is simply a venting of my own personal frustration from it all.
As far as my video goes; no. That's right, I can justify it.
See, when Shannon and I created our video, it was made early on, before this whole Phreak615 thing was catching on with people. Shannon had witnessed one of the "interferences" when they first happened, and at the time hardly anybody knew what it was. We spent time doing our research, gathering up what very little information we could. Eventually, we stumbled upon what seemed to be a really solid theory behind these "hackings" on http://www.dabbler.ca/, and this became the basis for our video.
The goal of our video was simple: to raise awareness about a possible petty viral marketing campaign from a station that seems to think we're idiots.
"Gee, Nick. 'Raise awareness' just sounds like 'bring more attention to'. Are you sure you know where you're going with this?"
Shut up, voice in my head.
There seems to be some confusion about what the message in our video was supposed to be about: yes. We were raising awareness about Phreak615. But the last thing we wanted was for everyone to go crazy over it. The last thing we wanted was more people to giddily start buying into this whole thing, watching MUCH Music all day just to catch another "interference". And the last thing we wanted is this huge online investigation of Phreak615 going on.
That's right: some of the nay-sayers of Phreak615 have been thoroughly investigating any signs behind what it may truly be.
I ask you this: Why? Why waste your time? You don't like him. You hate what he's doing. Don't you realize you're only promoting it further just by making this a country-wide scavenger hunt?
Our video's message was clear: ignore Phreak615. That's what we wanted. Our message was to "Boycott MUCH Music". Not a lot of people seem to be familiar with the term "boycott". Simply put: we wanted to raise awareness about what MUCH was doing, not Phreak615. We wanted you to direct whatever negative though or emotion you may have had towards the station itself, not Phreak615.
After all, Phreak615 doesn't exist.
Come on.
Let's consider the possibility that someone actually did manage to hack a digital broadcast signal. It would be the first time someone successfully managed to hack television in over a decade. This person would have to be exceptionally skilled; a technical genius. What in God's good name makes you think that such a person would be working for MUCH Music? Have you ever been to the station before? I have, and I can tell you that none of the people working the computers there seem as if they'd know any more than what was covered in their 3-page training pamphlets. The collective IQ of the MUCH Music building would make K-Fed feel almost right at home (*ba-dum bsh!*)
Thank you, thank you.
Come on, people. Let's think this through logically.
If someone was hacking TV, especially for over five days in a row, we'd be hearing about it on the News or MUCH Music. The authorities would be looking for this guy. A Hell of a lot more "official" awareness would be brought up in an attempt to find him.
Obviously, some people are just die-hard believers about the whole Phreak615 incident, like this "eloquent" fellow who claims that our "spoonfed propaganda has been spoiled by a harsh taste of reality":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIt8hLgGqB8
Riiiiiight buddy. Leave it to a guy who's an even bigger pot-head than I am to tell us about "reality". The guy seems to be as rooted in reality as he is in shaving (*rimshot*)
The point is, our video's message was to reveal the bullshit and call MUCH Music on it. Unfortunately, not enough people took that message the right way.
Anyway, my fingers are tired, and I need to study more for my final exam.
I plan on making more of my "regular" videos when I finish everything up, as well as a few "bigger" and more scripted projects that I have in mind.
But I think I'm going to be keeping my nose out of all of this viral marketing business from now on.
Oh, how could I almost forget?
Some people have actually been accusing Shannon and I of being paid for MUCH Music to make our video. Show of hands for whoever thinks this is one of the most God-damn ridiculous things you've ever heard of in your life. *raises hand*
I'm simply baffled by such claims. Despite my remarks about MUCH Music's intelligence level, don't think that even they would ever pay a couple of university kids to read a speech written up on a laptop while recording it with a photo-camera.
Yes, that's right, it's a bloody photo-camera. I don't even have a video-camera.
Whatever, guys. You can keep going on with your crazy conspiracies, sitting at your computers, commenting on blogs and YouTube videos until your fingertips bleed...
...but it's a crazy-beautiful day outside, and I'm going to enjoy it.
Have a good one.
-Nick
That's it.
I give up.
I thought I could have more faith in humanity. Ok, maybe that sounds a little extreme, and maybe this is going to sound a little rude, but that's why I'm not a terribly good blogger.
Let me get to the point - Phreak615, the so-called "hacker" of MUCH Music, wins.
That's it. He's done it. Say that we were right, and it was all just a viral marketing scheme. Those of you who tuned in to MUCH just to catch more of the "interferences" have played right into his hand. The same goes for the legions of blogs, videos, and comments created either for or against Phreak615. All of those things shot up the awareness of Phreak615 through the roof.
"But Nick, isn't this a little hypocritical considering you're writing a blog about him right now? And aren't you the creator of one of the very first videos against Phreak615?"
As far as this blog goes; I already told you, I give up. I've simply stopped caring. This blog is simply a venting of my own personal frustration from it all.
As far as my video goes; no. That's right, I can justify it.
See, when Shannon and I created our video, it was made early on, before this whole Phreak615 thing was catching on with people. Shannon had witnessed one of the "interferences" when they first happened, and at the time hardly anybody knew what it was. We spent time doing our research, gathering up what very little information we could. Eventually, we stumbled upon what seemed to be a really solid theory behind these "hackings" on http://www.dabbler.ca/, and this became the basis for our video.
The goal of our video was simple: to raise awareness about a possible petty viral marketing campaign from a station that seems to think we're idiots.
"Gee, Nick. 'Raise awareness' just sounds like 'bring more attention to'. Are you sure you know where you're going with this?"
Shut up, voice in my head.
There seems to be some confusion about what the message in our video was supposed to be about: yes. We were raising awareness about Phreak615. But the last thing we wanted was for everyone to go crazy over it. The last thing we wanted was more people to giddily start buying into this whole thing, watching MUCH Music all day just to catch another "interference". And the last thing we wanted is this huge online investigation of Phreak615 going on.
That's right: some of the nay-sayers of Phreak615 have been thoroughly investigating any signs behind what it may truly be.
I ask you this: Why? Why waste your time? You don't like him. You hate what he's doing. Don't you realize you're only promoting it further just by making this a country-wide scavenger hunt?
Our video's message was clear: ignore Phreak615. That's what we wanted. Our message was to "Boycott MUCH Music". Not a lot of people seem to be familiar with the term "boycott". Simply put: we wanted to raise awareness about what MUCH was doing, not Phreak615. We wanted you to direct whatever negative though or emotion you may have had towards the station itself, not Phreak615.
After all, Phreak615 doesn't exist.
Come on.
Let's consider the possibility that someone actually did manage to hack a digital broadcast signal. It would be the first time someone successfully managed to hack television in over a decade. This person would have to be exceptionally skilled; a technical genius. What in God's good name makes you think that such a person would be working for MUCH Music? Have you ever been to the station before? I have, and I can tell you that none of the people working the computers there seem as if they'd know any more than what was covered in their 3-page training pamphlets. The collective IQ of the MUCH Music building would make K-Fed feel almost right at home (*ba-dum bsh!*)
Thank you, thank you.
Come on, people. Let's think this through logically.
If someone was hacking TV, especially for over five days in a row, we'd be hearing about it on the News or MUCH Music. The authorities would be looking for this guy. A Hell of a lot more "official" awareness would be brought up in an attempt to find him.
Obviously, some people are just die-hard believers about the whole Phreak615 incident, like this "eloquent" fellow who claims that our "spoonfed propaganda has been spoiled by a harsh taste of reality":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIt8hLgGqB8
Riiiiiight buddy. Leave it to a guy who's an even bigger pot-head than I am to tell us about "reality". The guy seems to be as rooted in reality as he is in shaving (*rimshot*)
The point is, our video's message was to reveal the bullshit and call MUCH Music on it. Unfortunately, not enough people took that message the right way.
Anyway, my fingers are tired, and I need to study more for my final exam.
I plan on making more of my "regular" videos when I finish everything up, as well as a few "bigger" and more scripted projects that I have in mind.
But I think I'm going to be keeping my nose out of all of this viral marketing business from now on.
Oh, how could I almost forget?
Some people have actually been accusing Shannon and I of being paid for MUCH Music to make our video. Show of hands for whoever thinks this is one of the most God-damn ridiculous things you've ever heard of in your life. *raises hand*
I'm simply baffled by such claims. Despite my remarks about MUCH Music's intelligence level, don't think that even they would ever pay a couple of university kids to read a speech written up on a laptop while recording it with a photo-camera.
Yes, that's right, it's a bloody photo-camera. I don't even have a video-camera.
Whatever, guys. You can keep going on with your crazy conspiracies, sitting at your computers, commenting on blogs and YouTube videos until your fingertips bleed...
...but it's a crazy-beautiful day outside, and I'm going to enjoy it.
Have a good one.
-Nick
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