It’s No Joke, Laughter is Awesome Medicine!
By: Chad Ferguson
You go right ahead! Laugh and cackle to the point of losing your breath! Laughter has enormous amounts of health benefits ranging from affecting diabetes to lowering risks of heart attacks and everything in between!
In this modern world that we live in, full of medicinal remedies and medical breakthroughs, who would ever dream that something as simple as laughter could induce such amazing benefits to your health that could rival highly scientific compounds found in drugs of today?
The idea that laughter may have some serious benefits to our health may have been what spurned on many scientific research projects pertaining to the benefits of laughter on our bodies. Over the years, countless experiments have concluded with scientific data that laughter has one of the most astounding benefits for your health. We have heard about the positive impact animals and clowns have had on nursing home and terminally ill children. Scientists have taken that idea a step further. Experiments have been conducted on such things as type II Diabetes which is an increasing problem for many Americans today. A study done in Japan at the Foundation for Advancement of International Science, Bio-Laboratory, found that laughter helps regulate gene expression to help control type II Diabetes. This is a huge discovery. This means that laughter has such a homeopathic effect on even the gene expression on our DNA that perhaps if we were a happier sort the gene that causes type II Diabetes may possibly never be expressed. Granted, it will likely not take the place of insulin therapy, but it may be key in helping to prevent the disease.
Studies also suggest that laughter positively affects rheumatoid arthritis by affecting the level of the condition as well as psychological benefits in controlling stress and stress related conditions. Perhaps the biggest discovery, published by S. Karger AG, Basel, is that laughter is now being proven to alleviate some of the lasting effects of heart attacks such as less medication and fewer repeat attacks with humor therapy of just thirty minutes per day. Can you imagine the impact?
Go ahead and laugh. Point and giggle, do it with pride and do it for your health. You may be preventing Diabetes when you cackle aloud. You could be keeping yourself from having a heart attack or stroke when you belly laugh to the point of tears. It’s ok! It will be contagious and soon everyone around you will be laughing too. Life can sometimes be serious and tiring, but if you look around and can draw some laughter out of what may seem mundane you could possibly be helping your health. Learn a new joke and tell it to everyone you know no matter if you are a good joke teller or not! Join a Laughter Yoga class at your local ‘Y’ even! Go ahead, laugh! Your health can truly depend on it!
HUMOR
HUMOR
Washington Madam Names Clients; Who’s Next?
by:Tom Attea
As if our fearless leaders in Washington don’t have enough to fret about, now Deborah Jeane Palfrey, a madam accused of running a prostitution business has, as part of her defense, vowed to make her list of clients public. Worse yet, she has begun to do so.
First on the roster was the high-ranking military strategist who coined the lamentable catchphrase “shock and awe.” He was so shocked and awed he resigned.
Dick Morris, the dapper and devious former advisor to Bill Clinton, made the hit list and quickly persuaded his lawyer to deny, deny, deny.
Then came Randall Tobias, the affable but suddenly shamed head of the Bush administration's foreign aid programs. He also resigned, and the madam was so touched she felt obliged to express her apologies.
How many more cowering gentlemen will be named?
Apparently, Deborah and her lawyers believe that the more careers they destroy, the more likely she is to evade a sentence that might prove excessive.
Prompted by the failure of her flawed assumption, she is on the verge of making her entire stock of names public.
So all Washington can only be atwitter with the question, "Who’s next?"
Apparently, a lot of revelations lie ahead. After all, the lady managed to keep approximately 250 lasses gainfully embraced.
HUMOR
Ah, candy and memories. What are your favorites?
By: Sharon Cacho
What are your favorites?"It would be so much fun to be a writer!" What could be hard about it? Sure, I’ve heard of "writers block", but that should be easily overcome.
A friend of mine asked me to write blogs for his company. What did he want me to write about? It’s a great topic. One that I LOVE. It should be pretty easy to research, after all. I‘m great with typing, and I have good English skills. "Sure, why not? It has to be pretty simple!" was my answer to his query.
So I sat down to write about "candy". Who doesn’t love chocolate? Who doesn’t love to hear about the origins of Bazooka Joe? His company offers 48 varieties of nostalgic candy. It should be easy, fun and informative. I can do it!
Nearly a year later, I have stumbled upon a severe case of "writers block". Sometimes there is more information out there than a person can process. Sometimes it only SEEMS that there is too much information out there.
I keep telling myself, "This is hilarious! It’s such a seemingly simple thing to write about something that I’ve been eating my ENTIRE LIFE!" Especially HIS company’s candy. It’s all nostalgic. It came straight out of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s era.
I will admit, eating it has been much more simple than writing about it!
But in all seriousness, I have enjoyed it. I love that people are taking the time to check out his website, that I have actually enriched peoples lives on several levels by what I do. Enriching people by promoting candy?
Yes. It goes much deeper than that. As I said, the company is nostalgic. I have helped people tap into their memories, the simple days of their youth. The summers of mowing lawns, or babysitting to earn enough money to go the beach, laze around, and buy their favorite candy. It conjures up thoughts of people long ago forgotten.
I am now remembering one friend whose name was Motz. He was from Sweden. He introduced me to the "$1,000,000,000 chocolate bar". "Want to eat a million dollars worth of candy?", he said to me one hot summer afternoon. Yes, I have my own memories, too.
What are your memories? I hope my friend and I can help you to tap into yours by what he’s done with his business, and by my frankness in sharing with you.
Is blogging hard? Sometimes. But I wouldn’t be helping you tap into a different era of your life without it. Is it worth it? Oh, yeah.
HUMOR
How To Cope When You Are Surrounded By Idiots
by:Ben Goode
Are the idiots in your life driving you crazy? Do you often feel like you are surrounded by idiots? Have you ever wondered if YOU are an idiot? Do the idiotic C.Y.A. instructions on the packaging of most products you buy these days make you feel like the world must think you are an idiot?
The following article contains lessons on stupidity. They cover things you should pretty much never do. There are many, many more lessons we could add, such as not floating face down in the septic tank or not applying your own tattoo with a wood burner and lead-based house paint, but these are normally material for a post-graduate stupidity course. You probably shouldn't attempt to comprehend these high-level concepts until you have mastered the more basic skills.
Experience has shown that the louder you yell the principle to the idiot pupil in question the better the procedure works. (OK, a little honesty here would probably be good. The truth is, shouting the lessons probably won't have much of an effect on the idiot, because as we all know, he/she is an idiot, but it will probably make you feel a little better).
Here are a few suggestions that could change your life if you are someone who is struggling with idiots in your life. If you are an idiot, try to find someone to read these principles to you and then apply them. If you are surrounded by idiots or if you have a loved one who has idiotic tendencies, you will probably want to teach these principles to the idiots in your life. You never know. It might just help.
1. You should never try to lick the bottom of the blender while the blades are still turning.
2. Never drink quarts of vinegar while eating boxes of baking soda.
3. Never clean up nitro-glycerin or unstable nuclear waste with a vacuum cleaner.
4. Never let friends hit you over the head with a baseball bat unless you are wearing a good helmet.
5. Never adjust your TV antenna during a lightening storm.
6. You shouldn't smoke while siphoning gasoline.
7. Don't microwave dynamite.
8. Never dry your hair with a blow torch.
9. Never pick your scabs while swimming with sharks.
10. Never hang glide during a hurricane.
HUMOR
A Humorous Bow Hunting Story
by:Patty Pinkerton
A man and his friend were bow hunting elk in the Colorado mountains near Stoner Colorado. They rode their horse's from early morning until late evening. The high mountain terrain was very rough with tree's blown down and large boulders in the path. Their horse's had to step very carefully or chance breaking a leg.
With no sign of any elk the man told his friend that the elk must have all moved to the lower country. They decided to go down and try again the next day. The next morning the man and his friend decided to hunt closer to the town of Stoner.
They hunted most of the morning with no luck, the sky was clear and it was a beautiful day. As they got closer to the black top highway they saw a herd of cow elk. In the middle of the herd was the biggest bull elk you ever saw.
The hunter got down off of his horse and carefully drew his bow and took careful aim. Before he could release his arrow, his friend alerted him to a funeral procession passing on the highway below their stand.
The hunter slowly let off the pressure on his bow, took off his hat, bowed his head and closed his eyes in prayer. His friend was amazed. "Wow, that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You are the kindest man I know." The hunter shrugged. "Yeah, well, I was married to her for 25 years."
MUSIC
The Magic of the Flamenco guitar
By: Shawn Kohan
Flamenco has its own three forms which are Cante, Baile, and Guitarra. Cante is the song, Baile is the dance, and Guitarra is the guitar part of flamenco. Flamenco is a very important part of Spanish Guitar Music. It usually consists of someone playing the guitar, while people are dancing, and other people also join in with hand clapping. Although it is mostly popular in Spain, flamenco was influenced by other cultures as well.
Flamenco Guitar The Flamenco Guitar is very similar to the classical guitar. That is no surprise however, because flamenco music and classical music are very similar. Both of the instruments are descendants from the lute. The normal flamenco guitar is made out of the Spanish woods cypress and spruce. Even though this guitar is similar to a normal classical guitar, it is also different. For example, the flamenco guitar weighs less and is smaller than a normal classical guitar. These features attribute to giving the flamenco guitar the sharp flamenco sound. Nearly all flamenco guitars come with a golpeador.
For example, there are several ways to strum the guitar for flamenco. Strumming is an easy way to scratch the body of the guitar, so a golpeador is needed. Also, besides strumming, the guitar still has many different styles of being played. For example, in flamenco, the musicians often use their hands and fingers and tap the body of their guitar to create sounds to blend in with the flamenco music. The hand and finger taps serve as another reason why a golpeador is needed.
History and Origin of Flamenco Flamenco appeared for the first time in literature in the mid 1770s. During the Golden Age of Spain, flamenco started to get more and more popular. Flamenco started becoming common in the country's music cafes. Also, around that time, the number of music cafes in Spain began to increase. As time progressed, flamenco began to get more and more serious. Other forms of flamenco started to generate, and many of them got deeper in meaning. During the early 1900s, flamenco singing started to get attention. Soon, full flamenco dances were taking place with the guitar, the singing, and the dancing. After 1915, many people started to have shows for flamenco, and musicians would play in front of a crowd at a theatre or another public place.
Flamenco Today Today, flamenco is different than how it started. The dancers are mainly female, and they are showcased more. In the past, flamenco was more artistic, and the music and dance was the main focus. Now, flamenco usually consists of three parts. When there is multiple people dancing and the music is playing, the audience often joins in clapping. Today, the audience is also involved in flamenco.
MUSIC
Soothes The Mind And Body!
By: Nor Nan
Imagine life without music, and just like a human soul without consciousness. As sound refreshes the soul, it forms as a timeless masterpiece of the triumph of human life. What makes human beings different from the rest of the creatures is the capacity to copy and produce sounds using not only voices but also our bodies. This ability reveals powers that imitate the rustling of the trees and combine it with the intensity of the flowing wind.
Human beings reproduce other animal sounds and blend it together as one musical concerto. Furthermore, humanity does more than just mimic them and pretend to be like them. This is the best proof that, indeed, human beings are more than just an ape. A symphony of vivacity emanates from within us as the soul produces music from the core of our existence.
A harmony of sounds combines different tones that convey the deepest meaning of our essence as human beings. The drama of our earthly existence reveals that there is more than just the humdrum of the daily routine. It displays the dynamics and sonic qualities of texture and timbre. It is like going to a room which was previously silent and lifeless. Now, it is filled with endless excitement of music, which has been produced by our innate capacity to reproduce music. Music is the meaningful product to relax and express our feelings at the moment
At the end of the day, we relax to the tune of soothing music as our bodies absorb the vibration produced by human hands. It might be that some type of music maybe noise to another person but this is only because we choose the songs that will express what we feel deep inside the recesses of our personhood. Like a ballad is to a lover, or the sound of drumbeats for a fertility dance.
When words fail to capture the mysteries of our existence, the best way is to produce music. The interpretation of music would vary in culture and social situations. This clearly shows that music is as eternal as life is. As music travels to our senses, it goes deeper into our consciousness. Then, it triggers the most powerful emotions, which reside in the soul. Generally, music can either destroy or build the soul. We can say that music can destroy or nourish life. Therefore, as music heals it also annihilates.
It moves the soul in different ways and when played in a particular mode, it triggers violence and brings them towards anger and hatred. However, music can enliven and fill the soul with what is noble and sacred. This brings us to the most important reality that music is an integral part of the existence of human beings. The present generations continuously collect music from different timelines and place them inside computers and IPods. In addition to this, we have to move towards a philosophical reflection of how music can truly help humanity. At the peak of technological improvement, music faces a new challenge.
MUSIC
Does Hip Hop Alienate
By: Prashawn Jackson
I red few years ago an article that hip hop music alienate the youth from the society. I think this can not be true, because hip hop community is a society. It can be true that people can lose the sense of reality, when they are in touch with an art and they are living for that art and willing to do anything to keep that art authentic and preserve it from the vultures who are willing to destroy it and abuse it for their own wealth.
So far as the alienation consider, when it comes to the hip hop music no one can alienate me from this culture. I am an one man movement and although my budget is not large I still can contribute to the hip hop culture in other ways than buying albums daily. I think my mother thinks that hip hop is another name for having sex. She wonder why I call my blog hiphopfanatic.com. I feel quite alienated from the society there are no people who I can relate to. Only I can relate to are the rappers, because they are born into the dirt just like me. If you know hunger you will feel the struggle. And born into a racist society people judge you by the background and racial ethnicity can cost you lots of hair and health. I have been chasing a dream having a job and live like the working class people. This is not even possible, when the cocky white kids at your work call me a Ni**er in my face and gossip about me behind my back, gossiping is a habit that every society got to deal with, but throwing racial terms at your dome can hurt my soul. The bosses are looking for someone to do the dirty job. I am really a humble kid, that is my nature. I can not seems to take all the racial terms all the way long from the cocky Caucasians.
I feel like I'd rather be alienated than being a modern house slave for this society who thinks that I only deserve the minimum wage. In my case I know some people who gets alienated in the hip hop culture, since they have no friends. These kinds of people always needs someone around them to show them the way. I never had that kind of cousin or brothers to show me the way. That way I feel that I failed comparing the mediocre standers the majority set. I made lots of mistakes like skipping classes and even passing my math exams drunk. I never knew how to choose the right friends, if they were hip hop fans I was willing to hang out with them. Some kids I knew they only were after the money and their older cousin or brother were cooking for them and they ran studios from houses. I feel like these studio rappers were the alienated ones, they never come out hanging and getting drunk in public with the regular kids like us. They truly got the house slave mentality and they never felt how much stressful it gets and how it feels one of your friends throw him self front of the train. These studio gangstas only know happy times. They do not know what it is like to grow up with no family around you.
And then you have these upper class brothers talking black supremacy, while their label owner is white. They never talked to a kid from the ghetto and they do not have the spine to set up their own labels to make a start of their career. Once this reminds me of the song of Gravediggaz song '12 Jewels'. It said the "old man from Sudan didn't knew the basic principles of the economy". Being your own boss that is the major economical achievement is about. Working for the white man and calling your self black activists and pumping your fist is just lack of awareness and political consciousness. In this modern society rappers are almost doomed to sell their soul to the labels, when a rappers is hungry he will be easily convinced by the A&R's and other record label people. I think the true potential of a socially, economically and politically aware artists does not where the money is running, but where the hearts of the hip hop fans are running. That is preserving of the hip hop culture as an authentic culture and reminding the fans what the true purpose of the hip hop culture is about, which is peace, love and unity. With these three keywords there is no alienation possible for the hip hop fans not even the majority alienates them.
MUSIC
Rock Pop Music
by:Mary RoseRock
pop music is a style of popular music with an outstanding vocal melody accompanied by guitar, drums, and bass. Many forms of rock music also use keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, mellotron, and synthesizers. Other instruments sometimes employed in rock include harmonica, violin, flute, banjo, melodica, and timpani. Besides, rare stringed instruments such as mandolin and sitar are used. Rock pop music normally has a strong back beat, and often revolves around the guitar, either solid electric, hollow electric, or acoustic.
Rock pop music has its origin in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll and rockabilly, which developed from blues, country music and other influences. The All Music Guide opines that rock and roll in its purest form has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody. Initially,rock & roll took from a variety of sources, mainly blues, R&B, and country, but also gospel, traditional pop, jazz, and folk. All of these impact combined in a simple, blues-based song structure that was not only fast and catchy but also foot tapping.
In the late 1960s, rock pop music was combined with folk music ,blues and jazz to create folk rock, blues-rock and jazz-rock fusion respectively.It created psychedelic rock music irrespective of the time. In the 1970s, rock incorporated influences from soul, funk, and latin music. During the 1970s, a number of subgenres of rock, such as soft rock, heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock, and punk rock was created. Synth-rock, hardcore punk and alternative rock were the sub genres of rock pop music that was developed in the 1980s whereas, rock subgenres in the 1990s included grunge, Britpop, indie rock, and nu metal.
A rock band or rock group is a group of musicians specializing in rock pop music . Most of the rock groups consist of a guitarist, lead singer, bass guitarist, and drummer, forming a quartet. Few groups may skip one or more of these roles and make use of a lead singer who can play an instrument while singing, forming a trio or duo; others include additional musicians such as one or two rhythm guitarists and/or a keyboardist. Seldom, groups also employ stringed instruments such as violins or cellos, or horns like trumpets or trombones.
MUSIC
Rock Pop Music
by:Mary Rose
Rock pop music is a style of popular music with an outstanding vocal melody accompanied by guitar, drums, and bass. Many forms of rock music also use keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, mellotron, and synthesizers. Other instruments sometimes employed in rock include harmonica, violin, flute, banjo, melodica, and timpani. Besides, rare stringed instruments such as mandolin and sitar are used. Rock pop music normally has a strong back beat, and often revolves around the guitar, either solid electric, hollow electric, or acoustic.
Rock pop music has its origin in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll and rockabilly, which developed from blues, country music and other influences. The All Music Guide opines that rock and roll in its purest form has three chords, a strong, insistent back beat, and a catchy melody. Initially,rock & roll took from a variety of sources, mainly blues, R&B, and country, but also gospel, traditional pop, jazz, and folk. All of these impact combined in a simple, blues-based song structure that was not only fast and catchy but also foot tapping.
In the late 1960s, rock pop music was combined with folk music ,blues and jazz to create folk rock, blues-rock and jazz-rock fusion respectively.It created psychedelic rock music irrespective of the time. In the 1970s, rock incorporated influences from soul, funk, and latin music. During the 1970s, a number of subgenres of rock, such as soft rock, heavy metal, hard rock, progressive rock, and punk rock was created. Synth-rock, hardcore punk and alternative rock were the sub genres of rock pop music that was developed in the 1980s whereas, rock subgenres in the 1990s included grunge, Britpop, indie rock, and nu metal.
A rock band or rock group is a group of musicians specializing in rock pop music . Most of the rock groups consist of a guitarist, lead singer, bass guitarist, and drummer, forming a quartet. Few groups may skip one or more of these roles and make use of a lead singer who can play an instrument while singing, forming a trio or duo; others include additional musicians such as one or two rhythm guitarists and/or a keyboardist. Seldom, groups also employ stringed instruments such as violins or cellos, or horns like trumpets or trombones.
MUSIC
Music Sharing Websites Files are delivered in 192 kbps MP3. There is no copy protection. File sharing grew in popularity with the proliferation of high speed Internet connections, relatively small file size and high-quality MP3 audio format. Although file sharing is a legal technology with legal uses, many users use it to download copyrighted materials without explicit permission: copyright infringement or "piracy". File Sharing Technology , also known as Peer-to-Peer (P2P), generally refers to any software or system allowing individual users of the Internet to connect to each other and trade computer files. These systems are usually highly decentralized and are designed to facilitate connections between persons who are looking for certain types of files. File sharing is simple and generally involves downloading special software, that connects your computer to a network of other users? Peer-to-peer networks often use incentive policies to encourage cooperation between nodes. Such systems are generally susceptible to collusion by groups of users in order to gain unfair advantages over others. Peer-to-peer systems enable the rapid development of distributed applications; peer-to-peer file sharing has become one of the most popular Internet applications. There are two primary functions in a peer-to-peer file sharing application: content discovery (determining which peers have the desired content) and content retrieval (transferring content from a peer to the requester). Peer-to-peer computing offers a radically new way of isolating and focusing on the networking aspect as the business model's mainstay. P2P networking thus offers unique advantages that will make it a more effective alternative to several existing client-server e-commerce applications-if it can mature into a secure and reliable technology. Music and movie industry groups have long complained that Web-surfers have become increasingly savvy on how to illegally download and share pirated entertainment. Numbers released in November show that online music sales fell 39 percent in the third quarter of this year compared to last year and that sales are lower than normal. Music files are passed from user to user; there is no home office to shut down in the event of court challenges. That there are no central servers is also a disadvantage, because it makes the network erratic. Software piracy over the Internet is a growing multi-billion-dollar crime. The Business Software Alliance (BSA) recently reported that one in every three business software applications in use during 1999 was pirated, with the global software piracy losses exceeding $12 billion worldwide, including $3.6 billion in the U.S. Software manipulation of photographs makes it possible for that photo to be altered and put back on the Internet or traded among child pornographers. Be anonymous: Don?t give away personal information in your user name or screen name. i don't think file sharing can't be proven illegal, If i buy a record and want to share it over the internet with my friends, thats my right as the owner of the record and a user of the internet. Barring such activities is clearly not the intent of copyright law. No one ever wanted to tell you that you couldn?t read a book that was printed in China or watch a video tape at the full quality allowed by your television set. But Free music downloading companies should be fined beacuse they are the ones that are getting downloaders in trouble. Legal music download sites make use of advanced security measurements and also do frequent updates to keep their customers safe from any security risk. The software provided in these sites help to download music which are usually free from viruses, spyware and adware. Legal music download sites like their offline retail counterparts are getting an actual fee for their service. They don't want to scam or upset their customers by placing dangerous and annoying spyware and adware programs on their computers.
by Jonathan Marino
MUSIC
Shopping for a Piano: Acoustic vs. Digital
by:Eugene Chung
The most serious piano teachers will adamantly point their students in the direction of an acoustic piano. For serious piano studying, I agree with this completely for reasons I will discuss shortly. But for many reasons, a genuine handcrafted instrument may not be the best choice for you. With the affordability, portability, and the many features that come with digital pianos, you may wish to head the other way. Summarily, the question of acoustic versus digital boils down to a matter of authenticity versus everything else.
Mostly, the drawbacks of an acoustic piano are matters of practicality, such as price. For what you could get a new, decent quality digital piano with, you’ll be dealing with a rather meager acoustic. This can encompass a number of problems. For instance, aside from any tuning it might need, the overall sound quality of a cheap acoustic piano can be quite poor. This may not just be an issue of old strings, but can result from an infinite number of possible factors arising from any of the complex mechanics of the piano being in disrepair. Other common problems of old pianos are broken keys and sticky keys, which is when the keys fail to spring up the way they should. There may also be faults with the framework that can range from nuisances to impending hazards. The trouble of a bad acoustic continues indefinitely, and the piano may need a decent amount of initial maintenance, in addition to periodic maintenance, which is likely to pull a few additional large bills out of your wallet right way.
Also, because of its bulk and weight, an acoustic may be a very difficult accommodation for people living in tight or elevated spaces, such as dorm rooms and certain city apartments. Some buildings may even prohibit pianos, particularly on floors above the ground level because the weight and bulk of pianos make them quite cumbersome and possibly hazardous to either the tenants or the buildings themselves. This raises the issue of portability as well. Do you gig? Do you relocate frequently? Toting a 500 pound upright piano isn’t possible for most people; moving one across the room is a challenge for most people. If your music needs to be ready to go, your hulking wooden companion is not going to be sympathetic.
Acoustic pianos also lack the many features present in digital pianos nowadays that may be valuable tools to you. For example, volume control may be necessary in dormitory, or close living, situations. Newer digitals also come with a suite of onboard functions, including on-the-fly recording, voice customization, electronic metronome, and even music mixing features, which you won’t have. You will also lack the benefit of porting your music to your PC; a simple MIDI connector would feed your performance directly into your computer’s audio card without any ambient noise or loss of sound quality, which will probably beat any recording made with an acoustic piano and consumer grade recording hardware available at a neighborhood electronics store.
With an acoustic, you will surely be at, at least, some degree of inconvenience. Still, despite the great deal of effort digital piano makers have put into their product, none have been able to truly reproduce the sound and feel of a good acoustic piano. First, lets talk about the piano sound. To most people, casual or occasional listeners of piano music, the resulting sounds between an acoustic piano and a digital piano are quite identical and equally satisfactory musically. But listen closely, because there is an important difference.
A digital piano outputs high quality recordings of the sounds that were made by a real piano at one time. During the process of making a digital piano, each key of a real concert grand piano is struck a number of times at varying velocities and recorded with sophisticated equipment to be used as the digital voice. This will give the digital piano a sufficient range of tonality and an overall likeness to the sound of an acoustic piano in varying music dynamics. But once the notes have been recorded and finally integrated with the digital piano’s voicing mechanism, they are never going to be changed. Even though the aesthetic quality of the sound is state of the art, it is the way the sounds should behave but cannot because they are fixed recordings that is the fundamental problem of digital pianos.
An acoustic piano uses a complex array of hammers, strings, a soundboard, and other moving parts that function in collaboration. This means that when any note is played, it is not played with entire independence, but is highly affected by the current state of the surrounding components of the piano. For example, playing a chord on a digital piano will simply result in three notes being played, as they were recorded individually, at the same time, whereas with an acoustic piano, the three notes will interact with each other through the soundboard and become a stew of vibrations, producing a different, more complex, and ultimately richer sound. Lacking this quality, what comes out of digital speakers will typically be quite boring and unsatisfactory to aficionados of the true piano tone.
An acoustic piano is also an analog instrument, which means is has virtually infinite range. For example, there is no limit to the loudness or softness a note may be played on an acoustic piano. With digital pianos, there is a point at which a minimum or maximum will be achieved. This means there will be occasions when you will not be able to play a note as softly or as loudly as you wish. In order words, true pppp or ffff are probably beyond the reach of digital pianos without you resorting to adjusting the volume dial while you’re performing. Even if you were to do that, the tonal quality of the notes would remain static from that point on, when it would further continue to dull or brighten on an acoustic piano.
Another problem of digital devices is the matter of intervals. In photography, for example, pixels are the intervals. With a traditional film camera, the amount of detail you are able to capture is theoretically unlimited because film is a single and continuous malleable body. The “film” of a digital camera is not single or continuous but is a multitude of pixels, each of which is only able to record a solid block of color. The amount of detail a digital camera is able to capture will depend on the how small the pixels are and how tightly they’re packed together. If the pixels, or intervals, are small enough and packed tight enough, the amalgam of the blocks of color they record will appear to be smooth curves and gradients to the human eye.
There is a similar issue of intervals with digital pianos, which is mainly the issue of touch sensitivity. Digital pianos have a finite number of intervals when it comes to key pressure. The more intervals there are and the closer they are to each other, the more realistically the piano will respond to your dynamics. High end digital pianos will have quite a lot of them. But digital pianos within the means of average shoppers may not have sufficient sensitivity. This means that while the vast difference between piano and forte may be noticeable, the most intricate variances of touch pressure may be disregarded. This will be quite a nuisance to pianists seeking a highly responsive instrument, particularly when it comes to meticulous classical music.
It also manifests in pedaling. Piano pedals are ranged. Between simple on and off, or up and down, there are degrees. Half-pedaling and quarter-pedaling are crude terms describing the manner of pedaling in which the pedal is only pressed partially down in order to create an intermediate effect. For instance, rather than completely depressing the pedal so that the full brilliance of a note is sustained, you may wish to depress it only half way to dampen about half of the note and let only the remainder of it sustain for a subtler, suppressed quality. Certainly a scrupulous pianist will wish to employ the complete range of pedaling available to him, which may not be represented entirely accurately in a digital piano.
Aside from sound, as mentioned previously, key touch is also an important issue. Digital piano makers these days have gone to great lengths to reproduce the feel of acoustic pianos. For the most part, they’ve done a good job. They’ve even gone as far as implementing graded hammer action, which is in line with the hammers of acoustic pianos gradually becoming lighter from left to right. As a matter of fact, if you could take a look at the inner workings of a digital piano, you would be quite surprised and impressed with the complexity of the hammer mechanics. However, as long as digital pianos look the way they do, being the shape and size they are, there is going to be a limit as to how authentically the key feel can be made.
The hammers on a digital piano are simply extensions of the pianist’s fingers. When the pianist presses a key down, it will raise the opposing lever, which touches the electronic pad inside the piano that serves as the string. The hammers on an acoustic piano do not behave this way. Instead of being extensions of the pianist’s fingers, they are rather like projectiles that are sprung toward the strings high above them. Imagine the carnival game where you must hit a pad on the ground with a mallet, which flings a projectile up the meter towards the bell at the very top. The finger is the mallet, the visible piano key is the pad, the hammer inside the piano is the projectile, and the string is the bell. First of all, this means if you press a key all the way down but not with the minimum amount of force needed, the projectile hammer will never leave its seating and the string will actually never be struck. Secondly, this launch-pad-like action feels quite different than the seesaw-like action of digital piano hammers.
The only way this can truly be reproduced in a digital piano is by the use of bona-fide acoustic hammers. And there’s nothing wrong with doing that. But the problem is there isn’t enough room for them inside the compact size of most of the digital pianos today. That’s why as long as they look the way they do, the action of digital pianos will not feel completely akin to that of acoustic pianos. Larger, higher end models do integrate the acoustic hammer action simply to recreate the key feel. Even higher end models, which are called “silent pianos,” integrate strings as well and are bona-fide acoustic pianos with the added ability to remove the strings from the action and toggle on digital mode in order to provide volume control! But these tend to be even more expensive than acoustic pianos.
These are the basic points to think about when shopping for your piano. To restate what I said at the beginning of the article, it really boils down to the authenticity versus everything else. And the authenticity is usually going to cost you more to get. What you should think about is how important it is to you that the piano truly resembles an acoustic. Are you a classical piano student looking at a long road of perfection and possibly a career as a concert performer? Then a digital piano is probably not what you want to be practicing on, even as a temporary substitution. I would suggest taking financing an acoustic and using your relatively small budget of cash as the down payment. If this is not necessarily what you’re going for, then perhaps a digital reduction is all you really need. For most people, it is.
MUSIC
For Romance Without Any Stress, "Sleepless in Seattle" Is the Cure
by:Ed Bagley
If you were celebrating Valentines Day with a candlelight dinner for two at home and settled in to watch a movie, "Sleepless in Seattle" would be a great choice because it provides a pleasant experience and is already becoming a romantic comedy classic.
Your parents or grandparents experienced a similar story line in the now classic "An Affair to Remember" that was released in 1957 and paired Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. Their characters fall in love and agree to meet in 6 months at the Empire State Building in New York.
Sleepless in Seattle, released 36 years later in 1993, pairs Tom Hanks as Sam Baldwin and Meg Ryan as Annie Reed. Sam is the recently-widowed father of 8-year-old Jonah Baldwin (Ross Malinger), who calls a nationally-broadcast radio talk show in an attempt to find his lonely father a partner.
A somewhat reluctant Sam talks to host Marcia Fieldstone and thousands of single women across America are suddenly drawn in to Sam's sense of love for his former wife, each wishing she could be as cherished as Sam's next special person. To wit:
Doctor Marcia Fieldstone: Tell me what was so special about your wife?
Sam Baldwin: Well, how long is your program? Well, it was a million tiny little things that, when you added them all up, they meant we were supposed to be together . . .and I knew it. I knew it the very first time I touched her. It was like coming home . . . only to no home I'd ever known . . .I was just taking her hand to help her out of a car and I knew. It was like . . . magic.
If that dialog does not melt every woman's heart she would need to go straight to "The Wizard of Oz" and receive a new transplant. Soon Sam is getting thousands of letters from wannabe partners, all of which are read by his son Jonah, who decides that "Annie" is the best choice.
Annie is engaged to marry Walter (Bill Pullman). Should she do so she would be making the first great mistake of her life. Walter is a decent enough chap, but Annie is missing any sparks in their relationship because Walter has the personality of an ashtray.
Annie goes to great lengths to meet Sam, flying from New York to Seattle only to discover Sam with another woman, whom she mistakes for a love interest. She never mails a letter she has written to Sam, but her friend does. In it she proposes to meet Sam on top of the Empire State Building.
Sam is not interested in going, but his son Jonah is, so, with the help of his new friend whose parents own a travel agency, he is able to book a flight to the Big Apple and ends up on the observation deck of the Empire State Building looking for Annie. Sam, in a panic, to find his son, follows him to New York. The rest you will have to see.
Hanks is very convincing as a forlorn widower and Ryan was at her peak of being cute and innocent. The chemistry between the two, who only share approximately 2 minutes of screen time together, is great.
The role of Annie was originally offered to Julia Roberts but she turned it town. Kim Basinger, who was also offered the part, turned it down because she thought the premise was ridiculous. Just recently in the news, a youngster in Jonah's peer group did exactly what Jonah did, managed to book flight on a major airline and fly undetected. Life is indeed stranger than fiction.
The screenplay for Sleepless in Seattle was written in part by Nora Ephron, who also wrote "When Harry Met Sally" (another great romantic comedy with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal). Ephron directed the film.
Ephron, David S. Ward and Jeff Arch (who did write the story) were nominated for an Oscar for Best Screenplay, and the film received another nomination for Best Original Song ("A Wink and a Smile"). Sleepless in Seattle also got Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture, Best Actor (Tom Hanks) and Best Actress (Meg Ryan).
Sleepless in Seattle cost $21 million to film and grossed $227 million worldwide at the box office, adding another $65+ million in rentals.
Tom Hanks is the gold standard in acting. He has been nominated for 5 Best Actor Oscars (Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Saving Private Ryan and Cast Away) and won twice for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump". Hanks also has won 4 Best Actor Golden Globes for Big, Philadelphia, Forrest Gump and Cast Away.
His films have grossed more than $3.3 billion. He remains only 1 of 3 actors to have 7 consecutive $100 million domestic blockbusters; the other two are Tom Cruise and Will Smith.
Sleepless in Seattle is viewed by many guys as a "chick flick" but not by me. I consider it an outstanding relationship film with a great story line that proves to be a pleasant viewing experience every time I see it again. If a guy has ever been in love and felt the magic, he will appreciate this film a lot more.
COMPUTER
Overclocking and Gaming Laptops: Getting Higher Performances For Less Money
by Titus Hoskins
If you're not a computer gaming enthusiast or have a nickname that rhymes with Greek... overclocking may be a term that's foreign to you. Overclocking is usually associated with gaming computers and it's a way of increasing your computer's performance without having to pay the higher price tag.
Overclocking basically refers to changing the frequency of an electronic component; the name comes from the "clock" which acts as a timer which sends out an electronic wave that determines the speed at which the component processes information. In regards to computers or laptops, this usually means the CPU and the FSB.
Now if all that is also sounding a bit foreign to you, just remember overclocking simply means changing the default speed in a CPU to a more faster level to achieve better performances from your computer. Gamers use it to rev up their gaming machines to get the ultimate performance level possible. Like you would!
The theory goes something like this: in order for major CPU makers like Intel to turn out new CPUs every few months or so, they simply design a single processor and then release it with different configurations, usually at the most stable frequencies so your computer will run smoothly. Changing the clock frequencies is one way they can have a new processor very quickly. Since the major market share is for mid to low range CPUs that's where most of them are configured/sold at this level. However, many of these CPUs can operate at a much greater frequency with higher performances just a few adjustments away.
Gamers and computer enthusiasts have figured this out and by changing this frequency they can get a high-end CPU without having to pay the higher price. Overclocking is simply a way of getting more bang from your computer spending bucks.
WARNING & DISCLAIMER
However, there's a major WARNING that should come with any discussion of Overclocking - along with a major DISCLAIMER. If you don't know exactly what you're doing, you can seriously damage your computer. That's why overclocking will usually VOID your warrenty with your computer maker or seller. Proceed with caution and at your own risk if you attempt to overclock your laptop or computer. There are serious risks involved.
Nor is overclocking a simple procedure, it can be very complicated and does require some knowledge of how computer systems work and operate. What really complicates the whole process is the variations of the "electrical and physical characteristics" of different computer systems, plus many factors are involved such as CPU multipliers, thermal loads, cooling methods, bus dividers, voltages and so on.
Keep in mind, with overclocking you're talking about changing the frequency of the FSB (Front Side Bus) which literally dictates how fast all your computer components will run. By changing the FSB speed you can change the speed of your CPU and RAM. End result: faster laptop or computer.
However, as mentioned before there are major risks involved; change the frequency of the FSB too high and you can end up with hard drive failure. There is also the more serious issue of overheating your laptop or computer which could result in permanent damage. In other words, you could "fry" your machine.
That's why most experts suggest you not change the FSB speed by more than 20-30 MHz. Also remember, not all CPUs (due to manufacturing processes) can be overclocked. And also as a general rule of thumb, it is usually not wise to overclock a laptop that's already "hot to the touch".
Likewise, some CPUs are much more suited for overclocking because they run at cooler levels and use little power - these include the Pentium M and AMD Turion lines. If you want to learn more about overclocking and exactly how it's done - you can check out this excellent detailed article on overclocking from LaptopLogic:
COMPUTER
Getting the Best deal on Computer Repair
by Jacob Erdei
At some point and time your computer will go down. It's Newton's law. If it can happen it will. It's just a matter of time. Before you are in need of computer repair or even if you need to have your computer repaired today here are a few tips to get you the best deal around.
Don't go to the big box stores. While you may shop Best Buy for the best deal on electronics or computer parts often times the repair services in big box stores will be far higher then a smaller company. With small companies they tend to screen their workers closer and you are far more likely to have someone who knows what they are doing. This and the simple fact that if something goes wrong you have a much higher chances of speaking with the same person again.
Don't be afraid to call around for prices. Many people call one place and that is it. You should call at least three places and describe your issue to them and get a quote. If the first company sounds like they know what they are doing and offer a price tat you feel is very free then you may not have to call anymore but more often then not you should call around. Also be sure and check if they charge by the service or by the hour. If by the hour then you should always place on spending a little more then the quoted price. Going with a company that charges a flat rate is often better because you get know exactly what it will cost ahead of time and can consider all options.
Something many people out there do not know is you can have your computer repaired on-line. This is almost always the better way to go if it is a problem with a virus or spyware infection or if you computer can boot up just fine. This is because the person working on your computer can remote in and not have to travel to your house and they can work on several systems at once. The price will vary from company to company but places like this Computer Repair shop can remove all viruses and spyware for only 89 bucks. This is not a bad way to go at all. If you have a hardware issue then there is little they can do for you but if it's software and you want it fixed right now then by far that is a better way to go.
Lastly you can always haggle over price. Many companies are willing to drop a diagnostic fee or other related fees as long as they can still make a good profit off the job. If you have more then one computer and need both of them looked at you can almost always get a good discount. Ask about any specials they may be offering and don't be shy about asking for a discount direct.
COMPUTER
an Data Breaches Be Expected From Bankrupt Mortgage Lenders?
by: Tim Maliyil
The stock market is in a tumult. Actually, it has been for about a year, ever since the subprime fiasco (anyone take a look at Moody's performance over the past year?) Now that that particular issue has been beaten to death, other mortgage related issues are cropping up. Most of the stuff covered in the media is financial in nature, but some of those mortgage related issues do concern information security.
It's no secret that there are plenty of companies in the US that discard sensitive documents by dumping them unceremoniously: leave it by the curb, drive it to a dumpster, heave it over the walls of abandoned property, and other assorted mind boggling insecure practices. In fact, MSNBC has an article on this issue, and names numerous bankrupt mortgage companies whose borrowers' records were found in dumpsters and recycling centers. The information on those documents include credit card numbers and SSNs, as well as addresses, names, and other information needed to secure a mortgage.
Since the companies have filed for bankruptcy and are no more, the potential victims involved have no legal recourse, and are left to fend for themselves. In a way, it makes sense that companies that have filed for bankruptcy are behaving this way. (Not that I'm saying this is proper procedure.) For starters, if a company does wrong, one goes after the company; however, the company has filed for bankruptcy, it is no more, so there's no one to "go after." In light of the company status, this means that the actual person remaining behind to dispose of things, be they desks or credit applications, can opt to do whatever he feels like. He could shred the applications. He could dump them nearby. He could walk away and let the building's owner take care of them. What does he care? It's not as if he's gonna get fired.
Also, proper disposal requires either time, money, or both. A bankrupt company doesn't have money. It may have time, assuming people are going to stick around, but chances are their shredder has been seized by creditors. People are not going to stick around to shred things by hand, literally.
Aren't there any laws regulating this? Apparently, such issues are covered by FACTA, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, and although its guidelines require that "businesses to dispose of sensitive financial documents in a way that protects against 'unauthorized access to or use of the information'" [msnbc.com], it stops short of requiring the physical destruction of data. I'm not a lawyer, but perhaps there's enough leeway in the language for one to go around dropping sensitive documents in dumpsters?
Like I mentioned before, inappropriate disposal of sensitive documents has been going on forever; I'm pretty sure this has been a problem since the very first mortgage was issued. My personal belief is that most companies would act responsibly and try to properly dispose of such information. But, this may prove to be a point of concern as well because of widespread misconceptions of what it means to protect data against unauthorized access.
What happens if a company that files for bankruptcy decides to sell their company computers to pay off creditors? Most people would delete the information found in the computer, and that's that-end of story. Except, it's not. When files are deleted, the actual data still resides in the hard disks; it's just that the computer's operating system doesn't have a way to find the information anymore. Indeed, this is how retail data restoration applications such as Norton are able to recover accidentally deleted files.
Some may be aware of this and decide to format the entire computer before sending it off to the new owners. The problem with this approach is the same as deleting files: data recovery is a cinch with the right software. Some of them retail for $30 or less-as in free. So, the sensitive data that's supposed to be deleted can be recovered, if not easily, at least cheaply-perhaps by people with criminal interests.
Am I being paranoid? I don't think so. I've been tracking fraud for years now, and I can't help but conclude that the criminal underworld has plenty of people looking to be niche operators, not to mention that there are infinitesimal ways of defrauding people (look up "salad oil" and "American Express," for an example). An identification theft ring looking to collect sensitive information from bankrupt mortgage dealers wouldn't surprise me, especially in an environment where such companies are dropping left and right.
The economics behind it make sense as well. A used computer will retail anywhere from $100 to $500. The information in it, if not wiped correctly, will average many times more even if you factor in the purchase of data recovery software. Criminals have different ways of capitalizing on personal data, ranging from selling the information outright to engaging in something with better returns.
Is there a better way to protect oneself? Whole disk encryption is a way to ensure that such problems do not occur: One can just reformat the encrypted drive itself to install a new OS; the original data remains encrypted, so there's no way to extract the data. Plus, the added benefit is that the data is protected in the event that a computer gets lost or stolen. However, commonsense dictates that encryption is something ongoing concerns sign up for, not businesses about to go bankrupt. My guess is that sooner or later we'll find instances of data breaches originating from equipment being traced back to bankrupt mortgage dealers.
The stock market is in a tumult. Actually, it has been for about a year, ever since the subprime fiasco (anyone take a look at Moody's performance over the past year?) Now that that particular issue has been beaten to death, other mortgagerelated issues are cropping up. Most of the stuff covered in the media is financial in nature, but some of those mortgagerelated issues do concern information security.
It's no secret that there are plenty of companies in the US that discard sensitive documents by dumping them unceremoniously: leave it by the curb, drive it to a dumpster, heave it over the walls of abandoned property, and other assorted mindboggling insecure practices. In fact, MSNBC has an article on this issue, and names numerous bankrupt mortgage companies whose borrowers' records were found in dumpsters and recycling centers. The information on those documents include credit card numbers and SSNs, as well as addresses, names, and other information needed to secure a mortgage.
Since the companies have filed for bankruptcy and are no more, the potential victims involved have no legal recourse, and are left to fend for themselves. In a way, it makes sense that companies that have filed for bankruptcy are behaving this way. (Not that I'm saying this is proper procedure.) For starters, if a company does wrong, one goes after the company; however, the company has filed for bankruptcy, it is no more, so there's no one to "go after." In light of the company status, this means that the actual person remaining behind to dispose of things, be they desks or credit applications, can opt to do whatever he feels like. He could shred the applications. He could dump them nearby. He could walk away and let the building's owner take care of them. What does he care? It's not as if he's gonna get fired.
Also, proper disposal requires either time, money, or both. A bankrupt company doesn't have money. It may have time, assuming people are going to stick around, but chances are their shredder has been seized by creditors. People are not going to stick around to shred things by hand, literally.
Aren't there any laws regulating this? Apparently, such issues are covered by FACTA, the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, and although its guidelines require that "businesses to dispose of sensitive financial documents in a way that protects against 'unauthorized access to or use of the information'" [msnbc.com], it stops short of requiring the physical destruction of data. I'm not a lawyer, but perhaps there's enough leeway in the language for one to go around dropping sensitive documents in dumpsters?
Like I mentioned before, inappropriate disposal of sensitive documents has been going on forever; I'm pretty sure this has been a problem since the very first mortgage was issued. My personal belief is that most companies would act responsibly and try to properly dispose of such information. But, this may prove to be a point of concern as well because of widespread misconceptions of what it means to protect data against unauthorized access.
What happens if a company that files for bankruptcy decides to sell their company computers to pay off creditors? Most people would delete the information found in the computer, and that's that-end of story. Except, it's not. When files are deleted, the actual data still resides in the hard disks; it's just that the computer's operating system doesn't have a way to find the information anymore. Indeed, this is how retail data restoration applications such as Norton are able to recover accidentally deleted files.
Some may be aware of this and decide to format the entire computer before sending it off to the new owners. The problem with this approach is the same as deleting files: data recovery is a cinch with the right software. Some of them retail for $30 or less-as in free. So, the sensitive data that's supposed to be deleted can be recovered, if not easily, at least cheaply-perhaps by people with criminal interests.
Am I being paranoid? I don't think so. I've been tracking fraud for years now, and I can't help but conclude that the criminal underworld has plenty of people looking to be niche operators, not to mention that there are infinitesimal ways of defrauding people (look up "salad oil" and "American Express," for an example). An identification theft ring looking to collect sensitive information from bankrupt mortgage dealers wouldn't surprise me, especially in an environment where such companies are dropping left and right.
The economics behind it make sense as well. A used computer will retail anywhere from $100 to $500. The information in it, if not wiped correctly, will average many times more even if you factor in the purchase of data recovery software. Criminals have different ways of capitalizing on personal data, ranging from selling the information outright to engaging in something with better returns.
Is there a better way to protect oneself? Whole disk encryption is a way to ensure that such problems do not occur: One can just reformat the encrypted drive itself to install a new OS; the original data remains encrypted, so there's no way to extract the data. Plus, the added benefit is that the data is protected in the event that a computer gets lost or stolen. However, commonsense dictates that encryption is something ongoing concerns sign up for, not businesses about to go bankrupt. My guess is that sooner or later we'll find instances of data breaches originating from equipment being traced back to bankrupt mortgage dealers.
GADGET
The Coming Age Of HDTV - What Does It Mean To
by: Lloyd Howar
HDTV - high-definition television: it is something that has been discussed for some time now, however not everyone has a strong sense of what it is and why he or she would want to have it.
Because all television stations will be required to broadcast a digital signal after February 17, 2009, many viewers are beginning to ask a lot more questions about how the new digital age of television will affect their personal viewing experience. They want to know whether or not their television set will be compatible, whether or not they will have to replace it, and what steps they will have to take in order to keep watching their favorite shows.
How To Identify If Your Television Is An Analog TV
Analog television has been with us since the inception of television broadcasting. Analog is the old way of processing a television signal.
Television technology took a big leap in the 1960's with the transition from television tubes to circuit boards, but that conversion failed to bring with it any major strides in the quality of the television picture.
If your current television does not have a logo on its front that indicates DTV (Digital TV), EDTV (Enhanced Definition TV), or HDTV, then your television set is an analog TV.
Understanding The Transition From An Analog Signal To The New Digital Signal
Digital image processing is a technology that began in earnest during the 1970's, when Japanese technology companies began to explore the concepts of HDTV. The Japanese TV manufacturers were exploring ways to improve the picture quality of the television image, as a way to find more customers for their television products.
While Americans were busy playing with building the computer industry, the Japanese were hard at work trying to build a better television set. The first HDTV systems developed by the Japanese still relied on the old analog system of sending a broadcast signal to their televisions, but they were still able to produce a better television viewing experience.
When initially introduced to the U.S. Government, the new HDTV system produced a myriad of concerns, which included the issue of an analog HDTV-system needing more bandwidth than what was currently allotted to the television broadcasters.
In 1993, a consortium of American researchers and manufacturers (known as The Grand Alliance) joined forces to find a way to bring HDTV-quality to the American public, while keeping the bandwidth requirements of broadcasters within the existing limits.
Researchers soon understood that they would need to push at least part of the television signal in a digital format to make sure that HDTV could be transmitted within the limits currently allotted to the television broadcasters. By the time they had finished their work, the Grand Alliance had created a system that was 100% Digital.
In 1995, after considerable opposition from the television broadcast industry, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission officially set the standard for completely digital HDTV broadcasting system. This put into motion the events that are just now coming to fruition, with the rollout of the new Digital Television broadcasting system.
Although most television stations have been broadcasting a Digital Television Signal now for a few years, analog television owners have been none the wiser. But that will all change on February 17, 2009.
Will My Analog Television Stop Working In 2009?
The simple answer is "yes", but that does not mean that you will have to buy a new television in order to get the new digital broadcasts. While you may not need to replace your television set, you may have to make changes in how you get your television signal.
There are in fact three ways that the average consumer can continue to get a television signal using their old television set:
1. Subscribe to a cable television service (and use their digital television converter);
2. Subscribe to a satellite television service (and use their digital television converter); or
3. Buy a DTV converter (Digital TV Converter) to receive signals from your analog antenna and to convert that signal back to analog, so that you can continue to use your analog television. (If you receive your television signal over-the-air, the Federal Government has implemented a Coupon Program to help consumers offset the cost of the DTV converter boxes: http://www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon/index.html )
Understanding The Three Facets Of The New Digital Technology
1. Lines Of Resolution
The newer digital technology is all about Lines Of Resolution. With more lines of resolution, the viewer will receive more image information, therefore bringing the viewer much more picture clarity and detail.
When the Japanese rolled out HDTV on the Japanese mainland, the lines of resolution numbered 1080. To put this into perspective, the standard analog TV signal exhibits 330 lines of resolution. This makes it more than clear that the original analog HDTV format really was a real issue for television broadcasters in the United States. To produce a resolution of 1080 lines on a system designed for 330 lines would have literally required three times the bandwidth of the current analog system.
Here are the standard television resolutions:
* Analog Television - 330 Lines of Resolution
* VCR's - 240 Lines of Resolution
* DVD's - 480 Lines of Resolution
* EDTV - 720 Lines of Resolution
* HDTV - 1080 Lines of Resolution
There is a caveat to this chart though. The minimum requirement of the FCC is that broadcasters must produce a minimum of 720 Lines of Resolution. As a result, some broadcasters like ABC chose the 720-resolution, and yet they can still legally call their programming standard, HDTV.
Other broadcasters like PBS opted for the higher 1080 format. Good for them.
In 1998, when the first HDTV's became available to the buying public, the Headline News newscasters were joking that with the rollout of HDTV, we the audience would be able to see every blackhead and blemish on their faces. Of course, they were probably correct in that assumption. The detail of the HDTV-signal is absolutely amazing.
2. Aspect Ratio
Another factor connected to the new HDTV-format is the Aspect Ratio.
In a standard analog television, the Aspect Ratio is a 4-by-3, which nearly looks square. The 4-by-3 ratio means that it can be measured 4-parts wide to 3-parts high.
With the new HDTV format, the Aspect Ratio has been changed to the same format seen in the movie theatre - a 16-by-9 Aspect Ratio, or 16-parts wide to 9-parts high.
3. Sound Quality
The third factor connected to the new HDTV-format is Sound Quality. In fact, most HDTV programming will carry with it Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, as frequently heard on DVD's. So long as you have a surround sound unit attached to your television set, the surround sound will enable to the television viewer to be immersed in the sound, so much so as it often feels as if you are in the middle of the action happening on your television set.
In Conclusion...
While it is true that you do not need to upgrade your television from the analog format to the new digital format, you might seriously consider doing so anyway.
Now that we are quickly approaching the end of the analog-television era, the cost of HDTV television sets has fallen considerably. Whereas five years ago, the average HDTV cost in the range of $3-4,000, the cost of most HDTV's has fallen to under $1200 today. After February 17, 2009, the cost of HDTV should drop again, making it much more affordable to the general public.
Although it will be possible to convert the digital television signal to analog, you will lose the extra picture detail on the conversion. So, if you stick with your analog television, you will be restricting yourself to the quality of picture you are currently receiving, even after the change in television broadcasting formats is complete.
Although color-technology was first introduced to audiences with the release of The Wizard Of Oz in 1939, color television did not become mainstream until the late-1960's. And although the technology of color was mainstream, black-and-white televisions were still being manufactured and sold well into the 1980's.
Fortunately, this transition will be a bit quicker than the conversion from black-and-white to color. Under the FCC rules for the transition to digital television, television manufacturers were required to include a digital tuner in all television sets manufactured after March 1, 2006.
This conversion is much like the transition from AM to FM as the standard listening medium in the radio industry. Radio listeners could not listen to FM stations until which time they had upgraded their radio from AM to the AM/FM format. The same thing will happen here as well. If you want to receive the beautiful, high-quality HDTV images, you will need to upgrade to a television set capable of displaying the HDTV images.
If you have any lingering doubts about the better HDTV standard, all you need to do is to visit your local television store and see for yourself just how awesome of a picture HDTV actually produces. Just as Dolby Digital Surround Sound enables the listener to feel as if they are in the middle of the action on the television, HDTV permits the viewer to feel as if they are standing in the same room as the actors, on the sidelines at the football game, or on the same beach as the models - it really is that good of a picture.
