The Popcornhour network media streamer.
January 30, 2008
As these devices go, they are cutting edge and not available in the high street. They are also somewhat buggy and unless you are willing to settle with a device where you’ll have your fair share of hiccups it’s recommend you not buy one. Of course the advantages of owning one is that you get to test theses new devices, advice the makers of bugs, and hopefully they fix them and release new firmware and you have a player that plays every possible format (codec) under the sun.
The popcornhour is no bigger than DVD enclosure, and fits perfectly underneath your LCD or amongst your other media devices and is an incredible piece of equipment considering it can play all of the following formats:
Video [extension(s)] :
• ASF/WMV [.asf, .wmv] | MOV/MP4 [.mov, .mp4] | MPEG2PS [.ps] | MPEG2TS [.ts] | AVI [.avi, divx] | MPG [.mpg, .mpe, .mpeg, .m2v, .vob, .vro]
Video :
• 4 standard definition streams (PAL and NTSC formats) in any of the following
format: VC-1, H.264, MPEG-4 and MPEG-2
• One high definition stream 1920 x 1080i(60), 1920 x 1080p (30), 1280 x720p
(60) and one standard definition stream simultaneously
• H.264 BP@L3, MP/HP@L4.0, HP@L4.1
• WMV9 MP@HL
• VC-1 MP@HL, AP@L3
• MPEG-4 ASP @L5 1
• MPEG-2 MP@HL and MP@ML
Subtitle [extension(s)] :
• MicroDVD [.sub]
• SubRip [.srt]
• Sub Station Alpha [.ssa]
• Sami [.smi]
Audio [extension(s)] :
• WAV [.wav, .pcm] | ADIF, ADTS [.aac] | M4A [.m4a] | O.G.G. [.ogg] | ASF/WMA [.asf, .wma] | FLAC [.flac]
Audio :
• MPEG 1/2 Audio Layers I, II, and III (MP3)
• Dolby Digital® (AC-3)
• DTS
• PCM
• MPEG-2/4 AAC LC and HE
• Microsoft WMA and WMA Pro
• Supports the audio sampling rates at 8, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, and 96KHz
• Audio samples at 16, 20, 24, and 32 bits per channel
• FLAC (software decode)
and supports the following networks and Protocols:
Networking :
• Ethernet interface, 10-baseT/100-baseT
• miniPCI card slot for IEEE 802.11n
- Wi-Fi SSID : Maximum 64 characters
- Wi-Fi Security : WEP 64-bit, WEP 128-bit, WPA, WPA2
Protocols :
• UPnP AV NMPR v2.1
• UPnP 1.0 (connect to myiHome Lite)
• Bonjour
• Streaming via HTTP protocol over local network or the Internet
• WMS over HTTP support via the Internet
• RTSP over HTTP support via the Internet
• Multicast/IGMP support (optional)
But that is not all. You can also go online and watch online videos from sites such as YouTube, Google Video, MetaCafe, VideoCast, DL.TV, Cranky Geeks.
You can also listen online to the following: iPodcast, Radiobox, ABC News, Jamendo
Share or post Photos at Flickr, Picasa
Keep track of RSS feeds from Yahoo! Check the Weather, Traffic alerts, Stock, Cinecast, Traffic Conditions.
You can watch Peer-to-peer TV from SayaTV and listen to Internet Radio from Shoutcast.
It is an incredible device, and what makes it really special is that the firmware updates can be accessed online from the box and the team behind the Popcornhour (NMT - Network Media Tank) are constantly improving this device, which is a welcoming thought. 
Happy Birthday Pete!
January 28, 2008
Happy Birthday Peter.
By the time you read this, it will probably be the 29th already, so hope you had a good birthday.
We hope your colleagues onboard see this page and realize it was your birthday yesterday. (ha ha)… Perhaps you can explain to them what you are doing in that class cabinet.
Bowen’s gone Apple Macintosh!
January 27, 2008
A month or so ago I decided to buy an Apple Macintosh just because it’s something different and NOT Windows related. Over the years, I have gotten tired of Windows and all the problems associated with this operating system. It just doesn’t float my boat anymore. Windows XP for me was the best, and Vista is just a mix of XP and everything else Microsoft stole from other OS’s and it has some annoying pop-ups that prompt one for silly things. Boring!!!
I did my usual investigation into every possible Apple option and in the end decided to go for an iMac 20" because it’s basically a LCD screen with everything build into it (3xUSB ports, Bluetooth, Wireless, Network, DVD and a lovely 20" glass screen). Added extras are the wireless keyboard and wireless mouse, which makes the iMac experience even better because there is literally only 1 cable going into the back of the screen (and that is the power cable).
It is truely a clutter free experience.
My original concerns were that it only has 3 USB ports and that on my old PC I had at least 8 devices plugged into USB ports (USB DVDRW, camera, webcam, mouse, keyboard, printer USB Disk, phone etc), but in reality how often did i use all those devices simultaneously. Not very often to be honest. With the keyboard and mouse taken care of I still have three spare USB ports available. If push came to shove, I still have my windows laptop with ample USB ports so this worry soon disappeared.
As for future proofing it, I figured I would get a large Hard Disk (500GB), and I would get the maximum memory available (4GB), but shock turned into horror when I realised that Apple sell 4GB of RAM for a staggering £450 (extra)…. They must catch a lot of sucker!!!!
www.overclockers.co.uk sell the very same 4GB of RAM that the iMac uses for £76 (Yes, Apple.com - that is Seventy six pounds not £450).
Eight days later and all I can say is that the Mac is AWESOME! It just works brilliantly, it’s refreshingly different, flat out (even on 1GB of RAM it flies, although I have since upgraded to 4GB) and it’s lightening fast. It is fairly easy to use and is similar to Windows in many ways. It is user friendly. One would have to be really stupid if you couldn’t figure it. I haven’t had any pop-ups, or prompts etc. I am still trying to get my head around all the mounting of software, but it’s definitely better than installing software that gets installed in a hundred and one locations.
The 20" screen is more than big enough for what I plan to use it for (email, internet surfing, downloading, programming, watching videos, etc). It even came with a remote for the media experience. A very nice touch!
At first the most annoying thing was the keyboard because it doesn’t have some basic keys (e.g. DEL, INS, Page Up, Page Down, #, HOME, END)… but after learning the keyboard shortcuts (and there are many of them), it’s a pleasure to use. The keyboard is tiny, but the keys are really firm, well spaced out, and typing fast is is easy.
I hate the mighty mouse, it’s just crap, and I would not recommend it at all. I’ve a Logitech mouse with proper buttons on it, and if one is use to that type of mouse, then the mac mouse will never match it. (there goes 1 USB port - 2 remaining).
As for software, well there is no shortage of software, and if you think that Windows can do everything, then fear not, because I have matched all my software with Apple software and it works 100 times better and faster with less hassle. I have no intention of installing Windows on my Mac (pointless if I’m trying to get away from Windows), but it’s nice to know the option is there.
I would definitely recommend an Apple Macintosh (iMac 20"). Yes, they are slightly more expensive that a Windows PC, but then I guess you get what you pay for. 
South Africa to join “Darkest Africa”!
January 23, 2008
Imagine working on a news article or a business letter and suddenly your electricity goes off for an hour - You’re in the dark, your PC is pissed because it wasn’t shut down properly and in an age where everything is electronic, you are pretty much stuffed. Then it comes on again, and it takes a good couple of minutes to get back into the stride of things, and you are just about to finish that article and off it goes again.
This is apparently happening on a daily basis in South Africa. How businesses are copying I just don’t know?
Someone sent me this great new CD from a little known band called ESKOM. You might have heard of them! They recommend you listen to it immediately just in case you are left in the dark.
Why is it that only whites can be racists?
January 23, 2008
Someone sent me this email today, and it definitely should be shared with the world.
Michael Richards better known as Kramer from TV’s Seinfeld.
This was his defence speech in court after making racial comments in his comedy act.
He makes some very interesting points and it’s good to see that someone has finally stated the obvious.
<< Proud To Be White >>
There are African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian Americans, Arab Americans, etc. And then there are just Americans.
You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction. You Call me ‘White boy,’ ‘Cracker,’ ‘Honkey,’ ‘Whitey,’ ‘Caveman’ … and that’s OK.
But when I call you, Nigger, Kike, Towel head, Sand-nigger, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook, or Chink …
You call me a racist.
You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live?
You have the United Negro College Fund.
You have Martin Luther King Day.
You have Black History Month.
You have Cesar Chavez Day.
You have Yom Hashoah.
You have Ma’uled Al-Nabi.
You have the NAACP.
You have BET.
If we had WET (White Entertainment Television) we’d be racists.
If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists.
If we had White History Month , we’d be racists.
If we had any organization for only whites to ‘advance’ OUR lives we’d be racists.
We have a Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, a Black Chamber of Commerce, and then we just have the plain Chamber of Commerce.
Wonder who pays for that?
A white woman could not be in the Miss Black American pageant, but any colour can be in the Miss America pageant.
If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships you know we’d be racists.
There are over 60 openly proclaimed Black Colleges in the US. Yet if there were ‘White colleges’ THAT would be a racist college.
In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights. If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists.
You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you’re not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.
You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us. But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats up a black drug-dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.
I am proud.
But you call me a racist.
Why is it that only whites can be racists?
Only in Mpumalanga (South Africa)!
January 18, 2008
I thought I would stay with the South African theme and put a couple of jokes I received today from Mom-in-law (thanks).
Actual writings in a Mpumalanga Hospital Register.
1. The patient refused autopsy.
2. The patient has no previous history of suicides.
3. Patient has left white blood cells at another hospital.
4. Patient’s medical history has been remarkably insignificant with only a 40 pound weight gain in the past three days.
5. She has no rigors or shaking chills, but her husband states she was very hot in bed last night..
6. Patient has chest pain if she lies on her left side for over a year.
7. On the second day the knee was better, and on the third day it disappeared.
8. The patient is tearful and crying constantly. She also appears to be depressed.
9. The patient has been depressed since she began seeing me in 1993.
10. Discharge status: Alive but without my permission.
11. Healthy appearing decrepit 69-year old male, mentlly alert but forgetful.
12. Patient had waffles for breakfast and anorexia for lunch.
13. She is numb from her toes down.
14. While in ER, she was examined, x-rated and sent home.
15. The skin was moist and dry.
16. Occasional, constant infrequent headaches.
17. Patient was alert and unresponsive.
18. Rectal examination revealed a normal size thyroid.
19. She stated that she had been constipated for most of her life, until she got a divorce.
20. I saw your patient today, who is still under our car for physical therapy.
21. Both breasts are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
22. Examination of genitalia reveals that he is circus sized.
23. The lab test indicated abnormal lover function.
24. Skin: somewhat pale but present.
25. The pelvic exam will be done later on the floor.
26. Large brown stool ambulating in the hall.
27. Patient has two teenage children, but no other abnormalities
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