As you can see, Super Domo is super good at hiding using the local terrain.
Super Domo hides in his hunt for unwary little kittens.
Category Archives: Random Tech
Samsung “Click of Death” Capacitor Problem in LCD TV Screens
It happened this weekend. The dreaded “click of death” started on the 46 inch LCD TV. First it was just a few clicks and then the familiar Samsung start up tone would sound and the the screen would turn on. After a few days of delayed TV start ups with the “clicking of death”, eventually there was only clicking. No start up tone, no indicator lights, just a steady clicking of impending television doom. (much like MSNBC). <g>
So I did a little standard troubleshooting, unplugging and plugging the TV back in to the surge protected power strip and still nothing. Though after I unplugged the Samsung TV, the clicking kept going for few seconds and then had 2 quick clicks and stopped. Which led me to believe it was a bad capacitor that was still charged after removing the power source. I tried resetting the TV with the remote, no response. Tried to get it working by plugging the power cord straight into the wall socket and bypass the surge protector, nothing, just a steady click in the blackness of a blank, black screen.
This “click of death” has become a common problem on certain Samsung television sets that were manufactured with a bad batch of capacitors. (This one is a LN46A550P3FXZA) So common in fact that they have a “Capacitor Settlement Division” that I was transferred to when I called Samsung support. These capacitor death caps may be hidden in your TV, waiting to pop and cause you to go to the gym rather than watch Game of Thrones.
Even if you believe that your monitor is out of warranty, check with Samsung first to see if it eligible for a free repair at 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864). You can also go straight to the Samsung Capacitor Settlement site, or call 1-888-899-7602.
You’ll need the model number and serial number, as it is a one-time repair. Specifically, a one-time free of charge repair to replace the capacitors and if that doesn’t work, they’ll replace the power supply.
Affected model numbers as listed by Samsung:
Dell had a widespread issue with capacitors a few years back and took a public beating for it. Samsung seems to have learned that it is far better to stand and fix this problem than to let the interwebs sully their reputation as a quality consumer electronics manufacturer. The failed capacitor phenomenon has become known as “capacitor plague”. The Samsung Captivate Android smartphone may have so named so that something other than “Samsung Capacitor” comes up in a Google search when you start typing “Samsung Cap….” But they seem to fixing this problem even on older out of warranty televisions. (My LCD TV was purchased in 2008) |
Now if they can only take a bite out of Apple’s “patent of death” legal team.
Update: So the Samsung technician arrived at about 9:45 this morning and was out the door by 10am. Pretty quick. The repair process required taking off the back cover of the TV, removing the power supply circuit board, removing the 2 offending capacitors and replacing them with fresh ones, soldering them to the board and putting the parts back together. That’s it. All working now.
Star Trek’s 46th Anniversary Celebrated by Google Doodle
Google is celebrating the 46th Anniversary of the Star Trek series with an animated Trek themed doodle on their homepage.
The Star Trek Sci-Fi TV series and subsequent films helped to inspire much of the tech that we see in the world today.
“Star Trek: The Original Series” as the pioneering series is now known continues to inspire young and old by showing what is possible.
Google keeps an archive of their doodles and the animated Star Trek Google Doodle can be found here.
Bay Area Fire Ball Streaks Across Early Morning Sky
Did you see it? At about 6:09 AM this morning a bright fireball streaked across the sky looking south from the peninsula. It was bright enough to be seen in the pre dawn light. Did anyone else see it? Any ground impacts? We’ll see if any reports come in.
This meteor may have been enough to cause some sonic booms as it entered the atmosphere but I was driving south on 101 at the time so road noise drowned out any possible sound fro the falling space rock.
Gangnam Style gallops all over YouTube
The K-pop video Gangnam Style (강남스타일) has garnered nearly 110 million views since hitting YouTube on July 15th and shows no signs of slowing down. With it’s catchy beat and crazy horse dance, this video can infect your mind. Just watch!
Not since the 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail has galloping around without a horse been so popular. Expect this horse dancing Gangnam Style craze to go on for months until the next YouTube sensation sweeps over the planet.
National Hurricane Center has Star Trek fun with Tropical Storm Kirk
Tropical Storm Kirk is just way too easy for the weather geeks at the National Hurricane Center to throw in some Star Trek references in their advisories.
From TROPICAL STORM KIRK DISCUSSION NUMBER 20 released at 1100 AM Sunday September 2nd:
KIRK IS NOT EXPECTED TO LIVE LONG AND PROSPER
And these two Star Trek related lines written into TROPICAL STORM KIRK DISCUSSION NUMBER 19
KIRK HAS BEEN ACCELERATING OVER THE PAST SEVERAL HOURS AS IT CONTINUES ITS TREK ACROSS THE FAR NORTH ATLANTIC.
...WHICH HAS HELPED KIRK TO CLING ON TO TROPICAL CYCLONE STATUS.
The fun with Kirk couldn’t last of course. As predicted Tropical Storm Kirk did not live long and prosper. In fact he fell down a broken pedestrian walkway while playing with his Google Nexus 7 tablet. 😉
DEEP CONVECTION ASSOCIATED WITH KIRK HAS BECOME DISPLACED ABOUT 100 N MI TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST OF THE ESTIMATED CENTER DUE TO OVER 30 KT OF SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY SHEAR. THE GLOBAL AND REGIONAL MODELS INDICATE THAT THIS SYSTEM HAS BECOME COLD CORE...OR NO LONGER TROPICAL IN NATURE...ACCORDING TO THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY CYCLONE PHASE ANALYSIS. THEREFORE...KIRK IS NOW CONSIDERED A POST- TROPICAL CYCLONE...AND THIS IS THE LAST ADVISORY ISSUED ON THIS SYSTEM BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER.
Can we expect more Star Trek related weather write-ups from Forecaster Cangialosi and the National Hurricane Center in Miami? I don’t see a “Tropical Storm Spock” or “Hurricane Picard” in the near future, but we are sure they will boldly drop Star Trek references where no one has gone before.
Think Geek celebrates International Bacon Day with limited edition “Bacon Skyline” T-shirt
Our friends at Think Geek, purveyors of fine tech related goodies, are releasing a limited edition T-shirt celebrating International Bacon Day. The shirt depicts a giant slice of bacon over a city skyline: http://www.thinkgeek.com/product/f18b/?i=14763
The Bacon Day Bacon Skyline T-shirt is only available this Labor Day weekend adding another shirt to Think Geek’s long line of limited run T-shirts.
International Bacon Day is the Saturday just before Labor Day, September 1st this year. (020120901 in Y10K compliant Long Now notation)
So that’s today! Enjoy Bacon Day!
If you are a student of baconography and enjoy late nights out on the town, this article may interest you:
Scientific proof that a bacon sandwich is the best cure for a hangover revealed.
Neil Armstrong: A Lunar Pioneer
The moon hangs above us. Nightly taunting us with it’s silvery glow, seemingly close enough to touch. Yet it is a very dangerous, complicated and gruelling journey to get there. And to return alive. Many men answered this country’s call to go to the moon. A very select few had the right stuff to be chosen for the task. A much smaller group would actually set foot on the surface of the moon. Neil Armstrong was the first of these brave Americans. Venturing into the unknown for the thrill of exploration and the national pride of accomplishing a daunting technological feat that many believed was impossible. It was an amazing act that brought the entire country together and showed the world the power of American “can do anything you set your mind to” ingenuity.
Though for many Americans today, this story is ancient history. Nearly a legend that some soft minded people even believe was faked by Hollywood. The next time you look up at the night sky and see the glow of the moon taunting our once proud country, ask yourself, sadly: Why has no one been to the moon in my lifetime?
Has exploration and pushing the boundaries of our known capabilities become passe as style and comfort become our top priorities? Many years from now will our country be remembered more for the entertainment it produced or the grit and guts it once had to accomplish the impossible?
The biological life of Neil Armstrong has passed. Yet his footprints and their impact on the human legacy remain. Will the same be said of any of us when we’re gone?
“Don’t tell me the sky’s the limit when I know there are footprints on the moon.” Paul Brandt
SiliconCali.com
Microsoft launches new logo
After 25 years of the same old Microsoft logo, a new squarer logo is revealed. Basically four different colored squares arranged in a, umm, square. Pretty innovative, right? That’s what I thought. It’s pretty much the same logo that’s been appearing on Microsoft’s newly opened brick and mortar stores as Mr. Softy tries to compete with Apple. It’s just newly simplified with just the four color squares and no other color gradients as in the photo below.
- Microsoft Store at Stanford Mall, Palo Alto, CA
The same logo appears on their online store pages along with the new four color logo.
Microsoft is trying to push a new image ahead of their Windows 8 upgrade later in the year. These new colorful squares are sure to build excitement in new Microsoft products.
Will the Face-Kini be a hit on California beaches?
Swarming the beaches along the East China Sea are masked people hiding from the harmful rays of the sun. Will these strange looking masks become a hit on the style conscious beaches of California? I sure hope not. B-)