Category: Tech

Nowhere Blog

As I warned a couple of times, the site would be down, and for most of today it was. A problem inherent with my installation remains, however. It probably stems from the fact that my WordPress installation dates back to version 2.0.2. Ten years ago MySQL was converted to a newer version to be made compatible, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that added to the trouble. It seems I’ve hit an update wall.

Bluehost was nice about setting me back to run on an outdated version of the PHP interpreter. As I expected, there was also a problem within the .htaccess file for the HTTP service. That was the immediate cause of today’s problem, and Bluehost has fixed that, with my thanks.

To keep the blog running as it should, eventually I must force myself to install a new instance of WordPress from scratch and see if it’s possible for the MySQL database to be restored onto it. Perhaps another conversion will be required. My plan is to do all of that with a complete up-to-date software installation on my primary desktop PC, and then migrate it online. It’ll require a lot of work and head scratching, which is why I’ve been putting it off.

The 3.0 Advantage

Cable TV companies have also been Internet service providers for over 20 years. Next Generation over-the-air TV, IP-based ATSC 3.0, will give many more cable customers a reason to drop TV from their service.

In 2009, when ATSC 1.0 was finally mandated by the FCC, TV’s with compatible tuners, or converter boxes for older TV’s, were required. The same will be true of ATSC 3.0, but 1.0 should be around for at least another five years after the switch is ubiquitous. Boston doesn’t even have any stations yet transmitting a 3.0 signal.

Tyler, the Antenna Man on YouTube, has a clear explanation of what’s going to happen. Note that the flat antenna Tyler holds up is not a Mohu model. My experience with a Mohu Leaf has been very good, and Tyler gives Mohu a good review in another video.

LASER Eyes

Long before lasers saved my eyesight, I was watching LaserDisc video. I’ve been going through some of my discs to see how good — or not — they look. Here are a couple of short transfers.

TV shows come off well, being 4:3 with plenty of close-ups.

https://youtu.be/DKGrhzo6R7U

Widescreen movies, letterboxed on LD to avoid the “talking noses” of pan-and-scan video, suffer from small images and reduced resolution.

https://youtu.be/ZH_RwxFAwXI

Fair Warning

Ya know, when I started this web log (14 years ago on Sept. 5), a primary motivation was learning about WordPress and all of the software components that make it work. Eventually the platform became stable, and I guess I got spoiled, because I’m not looking forward to tackling a new technical mess that Bluehost has warned me is coming. I’ll try to motivate myself to make everything right before the automatic updates screw up the site, but if I don’t manage to do that, then www.dograt.com will be gone for a while.

Mojo Working

I skipped watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine when the series began airing more than 25 years ago, choosing instead to watch The X-Files. But I’m catching up to ST:DS9 now, during family viewing time.

DS9 shares many similarities with another 90’s TV series, Babylon 5. Something the two shows didn’t share at first was how their outer space effects were done. Babylon used groundbreaking computer graphics effects exclusively for its spaceships, while DS9 relied upon physical models until later in the series.

DS9 is available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and CBS All Access. It also airs on the over-the-air broadcast channel H&I. All of these outlets are showing the same standard definition copies. I know because I’ve checked. I keep wondering how much better DS9 would look if it could be presented in HD, as was done for the original 1960’s Trek.

Special effects wiz Adam “Mojo” Lebowitz, a 2-time Emmy winner who got his start on Babylon, remastered a scene he worked on in 1997, to demonstrate what’s possible.