YouTube goes HD

It looks like YouTube has finally started supporting HD content.  I have been using Vimeo HD for a while now, but in order to get unlimited HD uploads I would have to pay $60.  If YouTube offers a better deal than that for free, I might just have to switch over to youtube (which is too bad because I thinkVimeo is a great site).  For now, there is no ‘HD’ button I can see on the actual YouTube pages, so to watch a clip in HD you have to append ‘&fmt=22′ at the end of the URL (Edit: They have added a “Watch in HD” button now).  Here is an example of 720p HD vs SD from youtube (click play on both at the same time to see the difference):

720p HD (click here for full resolution):

Standard Quality:

I got a Sony HDR-SR12!

For my Birthday this year, my girlfriend got a great surprise gift for me with help from my family.  It was a Sony HDR-SR12 HD Camcorder.  It is exactly what I wanted.  I didn’t even remember that I wanted it because I had given up on the idea of getting one because they are so expensive.  Right now I am trying to learn how to use Sony Vegas Pro 8 since it is one of the only pieces of video editing software that will edit AVCHD in its native format.  I like it so far, but haven’t done much with the new camera yet.  Check out my vimeo page for videos I have shot with my new camera.

Wii Remote Marvels

This is mildly old, but still incredible.

from www.ted.com posted with vodpod

All cars should come with a Scangauge

So I got this useful gadget about a week ago that plugs into the OBD II port in your car and can display all sorts of information that your car’s computer knows about. It is called the Scangauge II and costs $170.

It can display a ton of stuff such as:

TPS: Throttle position sensor 0-100%
fIA: Intake Air Temps (Temperatures at the intake manifold)
fWT: Coolant water temperature
HPR: Horsepower
VLT: System Voltage
IGT: Ignition timing (advance)
LOD: % Power request
Closed/Open loop: Fuel management and transition point from O2 control to WOT
STF: Short term Fuel trims (Idle % on Block 32)
LTF: Long term Fuel trims (Partial throttle on Block 32)
OX1: #1 O2 sensor output, 0-100
OX2: #2 O2 sensor output, 0-100
MPH: Digital speed reading from Speed sensor
RPM: Digital RPM’s
MPG: Miles per gallon
GPH: Gallons per hour

Trip Data: Fuel economy, Fuel used, Distance, drive time, Avg. speed,
Distance/time/fuel to empty, ETC.

Scan Tool: Code reader and eraser, Readiness test, Turn off CEL’s

It also has a back light which I can adjust to match the lights in both of my cars!

The most useful part of this tool is the scanner that it has. When you get a CEL or MIL, it will read the codes that the ECU spits out to tell you what the hell is wrong with your car. It will also tell you the freeze data (information about what was going on) when the malfunction occurred.

So far I have been able to figure out that my Jetta has a Oxygen sensor on its last leg and the TT has a dead Air flow sensor. Both problems mess up my fuel economy – which is awesome.

Since both cars are out of warranty, the ability to diagnose engine problems myself on the fly will be pretty handy. If I really get crazy maybe I’ll grab a copy of Ross-Tech VAG COM which is the ultimate engine software tool.

Robots love 100 watt CFL’s

This weekend I replaced as many bulbs as I could with 100 Watt CFL’s. These suckers are awesome. I know because my light sensors have three settings, dark, light, and awesome. The best thing about these are that they only use 26 actual watts of power. The downside is that they contain mercury. I am not really concerned about that since my advanced electronic pirate/ninja circuits are not affected by liquid metals.

The only reason I am writing about this is because when I searched for “100 Watt CFL” on google, the first page returned was about growing marijuana with them, which is hilarious as well as informative.