Cool things
Nov. 4th, 2003 10:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kingandyBegun, the microseries has. Well, not yet, but soon, soon. They'd better release that on DVD, I tell ya.
Other cool things:
I went to Somerfield (supermarket) in the city centre this weekend and they are trying out a wonderful new thing: Self-service checkouts! I got to scan things in, and also weigh things on the scales, and push money into a slot at the end. And it doesn't mean lower employment, because they have to employ two people to stand next to the checkouts all day, helping people who fail to understand how to operate them properly. Or just have problems due to computer stupidity. After each item you scan it shouts, "NOW PUT THE ITEM IN THE BAG, PUNY HUMAN" (I'm paraphrasing), as there's bags next to the scanner on special prongs that are supposed to detect when you've put the item in the bag. Only the prongs failed utterly to notice even a single item that I put in, and each time I failed to obey the machine it shouted, "WAIT FOR ASSISTANCE, PATHETIC FLESHLING," as though I had somehow misunderstood the bag/item interface, that most simple part of the whole operation. The assistants told me "Yeah, ignore that bit, it's crap."
And:
Something random and almost cool that I found out this weekend. Several times now I've seen what I thought was the first of a two-part Sabrina episode, where Salem swallows a Time Ball and runs away at the end. Well, at the weekend I happened to be looking up Nick Bakay (voice of Salem) on IMDB to see what else he'd been in, and my eye was caught by his multiple appearances as Salem Saberhagen in various different series. My first thought was that he was abusing his power as writer and producer (or something) and just having himself cameo, but it turned out that all four shows (including the Sabrina Time Ball episode) used to air on the same night, made by the same production company; apparently one week they decided to do a special crossover night event kind of thing. The Time Ball plot ran through all four shows, picking up some of the cast from each as it went. I imagine the fans of Boy Meets World may have been annoyed to find their stable, normal, mundane sit-com invaded by somebody with random magical powers, but I'm all in favour of crossover TV. I've always said I'd love to see Sabrina cross over with Buffy, or Charmed ... mostly so they could get annoyed with how easy magic is for her. :)
Links to the three non-Sabrina episodes can be found on Nick's TV Tome page, down in Guest Appearances in the year of 1997. Doesn't he look a twat? I always pictured him with black hair.
Other cool things:
I went to Somerfield (supermarket) in the city centre this weekend and they are trying out a wonderful new thing: Self-service checkouts! I got to scan things in, and also weigh things on the scales, and push money into a slot at the end. And it doesn't mean lower employment, because they have to employ two people to stand next to the checkouts all day, helping people who fail to understand how to operate them properly. Or just have problems due to computer stupidity. After each item you scan it shouts, "NOW PUT THE ITEM IN THE BAG, PUNY HUMAN" (I'm paraphrasing), as there's bags next to the scanner on special prongs that are supposed to detect when you've put the item in the bag. Only the prongs failed utterly to notice even a single item that I put in, and each time I failed to obey the machine it shouted, "WAIT FOR ASSISTANCE, PATHETIC FLESHLING," as though I had somehow misunderstood the bag/item interface, that most simple part of the whole operation. The assistants told me "Yeah, ignore that bit, it's crap."
And:
Something random and almost cool that I found out this weekend. Several times now I've seen what I thought was the first of a two-part Sabrina episode, where Salem swallows a Time Ball and runs away at the end. Well, at the weekend I happened to be looking up Nick Bakay (voice of Salem) on IMDB to see what else he'd been in, and my eye was caught by his multiple appearances as Salem Saberhagen in various different series. My first thought was that he was abusing his power as writer and producer (or something) and just having himself cameo, but it turned out that all four shows (including the Sabrina Time Ball episode) used to air on the same night, made by the same production company; apparently one week they decided to do a special crossover night event kind of thing. The Time Ball plot ran through all four shows, picking up some of the cast from each as it went. I imagine the fans of Boy Meets World may have been annoyed to find their stable, normal, mundane sit-com invaded by somebody with random magical powers, but I'm all in favour of crossover TV. I've always said I'd love to see Sabrina cross over with Buffy, or Charmed ... mostly so they could get annoyed with how easy magic is for her. :)
Links to the three non-Sabrina episodes can be found on Nick's TV Tome page, down in Guest Appearances in the year of 1997. Doesn't he look a twat? I always pictured him with black hair.
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Andy's New Mission
Date: 2003-11-04 05:13 am (UTC)Re: Andy's New Mission
Date: 2003-11-04 05:35 am (UTC)Re: Andy's New Mission
Date: 2003-11-04 06:19 am (UTC)Re: Andy's New Mission
Date: 2003-11-04 08:10 am (UTC)VCD's
Date: 2003-11-04 08:34 am (UTC)[alex@cambridge 307-TheShipment]$ ls -1 *.mpg
307-TheShipment[1of5].mpg
307-TheShipment[2of5].mpg
307-TheShipment[3of5].mpg
307-TheShipment[4of5].mpg
307-TheShipment[5of5].mpg
307-TheShipment[credits].mpg
308-Promo.mpg
[alex@cambridge 307-TheShipment]$ ls -1 *.mpg | xargs vcdimager
finished ok, image created with 212175 sectors [47:09.00] (499035600 bytes)
[alex@cambridge 307-TheShipment]$ cdrdao write --device 0,0,0 --driver generic-mmc videocd.cue
Re: VCD's
Date: 2003-11-04 08:48 am (UTC)the best crossover ever (well, technically it was a spin off but who really cares) was Mork appearing in Happy Days. The showdown between Mork and The Fonz was hilarious.
Re: VCD's
Date: 2003-11-04 09:09 am (UTC)Re: VCD's
Date: 2003-11-04 09:10 am (UTC)Sorry, that started as a serious question then changed to a comedy routine halfway through.
Re: VCD's
Date: 2003-11-04 09:56 am (UTC)Your chances of getting the cd burning software running on it are much more limited (as hardware interfaces are involved). But I'm sure there are *some* standards complient bits of software out there for your platform of "choice".
That started out as a useful answer and got a bit zealous at the end :-P
no subject
Date: 2003-11-04 10:47 am (UTC)In other words, you can get the most out of MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 with the help of a KVCD template (I use TMPGEnc), and then burn it to a VCD or SVCD via Nero or whatever else you might be able to get your hands on.
If I'm too confusing I could reinstall MSN I suppose.
no subject
Date: 2003-11-04 11:53 am (UTC)The software my CD burner came with has an option to make VCDs, but it is greyed out. I think I would need to give them money to make it happen. I had assumed that Nero would be able to sort things out, once I dug up the copy that I think I have somewhere (possibly on an illicitly burned CD, heh).
no subject
Date: 2003-11-04 10:53 pm (UTC)"Waaaiiit....so I put the item...here? And it.......scans it. And then...I guess...it goes....in...the...bag...thingee. Oh, there's some sort of problem...I'll just stare at it for a minute to see if it goes away. Now it wants my money. Wait, that's not right. Oh nuts....I pressed the wrong button.......*rings for help*"
no subject
Date: 2003-11-05 01:11 am (UTC)Did I mention it had a touchscreen? Touchscreen technology is cool. They are pictures that you can press, and they may change when you press them!
Touchscreen technology is cool :-)
Date: 2003-11-05 08:26 am (UTC)