Q. I can see myself having the most dull summer ever. I've no vacation plans or anything... nothing.
If it'll help, I live in Phoenix.
If it'll help, I live in Phoenix.
A. 1. Get a make-over at the mall
2. Go to a restaurant that you have never been to before
3. Have a picnic
4. Bake cookies
5. Give yourself a manicure
6. Go bowling
7. Have a scary movie marathon
8. Go for a bike ride
9. Go online and discover all the tourist spots near your home that you have never been to before.
10. Go swimming
11. Create a new playlist that would include all the songs if a movie were made about you
12. Make up the list of actors who would play the characters in a movie about your life
13. Plan a vacation to an exotic destination for the future – do the research online
14. Take a long, hot bubble bath with candles and music.
15. Run through the sprinkler with your clothes on
16. Rent and watch a whole season of your favorite television series
17. Swing on swings at the playground like you used to (can you go all the way around?)
18. Climb a tree
19. Write a stand-up routine and practice it for your friends
20. Read a book by an author you like
21. Go to a museum
22. Call an old friend from elementary school and catch up
23. Hunt for bugs in the yard
24. Have a BBQ
25. Learn a new language
26. Play mini-golf
27. Wake up early and watch the sunrise
28. Make a smoothie with only local fruit
29. Have a friend or relative teach you a recipe of a food you love them to make
30. Write a story
31. Get a pedicure
32. Grill your breakfast on the outdoor grill
33. Organize your CD collection
34. Make a list of traits you would want in the perfect BF/GF
35. Check out the library (and not just the internet – peruse the books, too)
36. Spend an entire day in your pajamas
37. Make or update a website
38. Go to the Zoo
39. Play Badminton
40. Plant a veggie garden
41. Get a play from the library and direct your friends in it
42. Find a really cool quote online and then text it to a random person on your friend list
43. Make ice cream
44. Memorize a really funny joke and tell it to a friend
45. Have a sleep-over
46. Camp out in your backyard
47. Write a poem
48. Go to a local farmers’ market
49. Play a game you haven’t played with since you were a kid
50. Make up a secret code
51. Have a garage sale
52. Star-gaze and learn the summer constellations
53. Build a sandcastle
54. Pick strawberries
55. Write a story with a friend – each taking turns
56. Make a movie with a camcorder
57. Go backpacking
58. Get a facial
59. Dance like no one is watching
60. Dance like you have an audience
61. Spend a whole day playing board games with friends
62. Make up a treasure hunt for friends
63. Read the back of your cereal box
64. Give yourself a make-over
65. Learn a new exercise
66. Think about a business you would like to own someday and write up a plan
67. Play crochet
68. Go to the movies
69. Make up a scavenger hunt for you and a few friends
70. Go hiking
71. Make up a new game
72. Make popcorn the old-fashioned way
73. Volunteer at a nursing home, hospital, animal shelter, daycare or library
74. Listen to a new style of music (and give it a real listen – a couple songs or more)
75. Hang out with your grandparents and ask them to tell you what it was like to be a teenager for them
76. Write a song
77. Make a list of things you want to do before you are twenty
78. Learn how to knit
79. Buy a random magazine at the store and read the whole thing
80. Redecorate your bedroom
81. Make a funny commercial and post it online
82. Get a part-time job
83. Get a pen pal
84. Learn a new game
85. Go on a photo-scavenger hunt
86. Have a water gun fight with friends
87. Play poker and use candy to gamble with
88. Google your own name
89. Bake and frost cupcake
90. Set up a backyard party for younger kids and offer to babysit for the whole day to earn some cash
91. Check out colleges online
92. Have a snowball fight (use the ice from your freezer)
93. Wash your family car
94. Make dinner as a surprise
95. Paint a picture
96. Try not to complain for a whole day (this is really difficult – try it)
97. Try to make a house of cards
98. Offer to go grocery shopping for the week
99. Take drivers’ ed
100. Do something nice for someone else but don’t tell them it was you
101. Write your own list of 101 things to do
2. Go to a restaurant that you have never been to before
3. Have a picnic
4. Bake cookies
5. Give yourself a manicure
6. Go bowling
7. Have a scary movie marathon
8. Go for a bike ride
9. Go online and discover all the tourist spots near your home that you have never been to before.
10. Go swimming
11. Create a new playlist that would include all the songs if a movie were made about you
12. Make up the list of actors who would play the characters in a movie about your life
13. Plan a vacation to an exotic destination for the future – do the research online
14. Take a long, hot bubble bath with candles and music.
15. Run through the sprinkler with your clothes on
16. Rent and watch a whole season of your favorite television series
17. Swing on swings at the playground like you used to (can you go all the way around?)
18. Climb a tree
19. Write a stand-up routine and practice it for your friends
20. Read a book by an author you like
21. Go to a museum
22. Call an old friend from elementary school and catch up
23. Hunt for bugs in the yard
24. Have a BBQ
25. Learn a new language
26. Play mini-golf
27. Wake up early and watch the sunrise
28. Make a smoothie with only local fruit
29. Have a friend or relative teach you a recipe of a food you love them to make
30. Write a story
31. Get a pedicure
32. Grill your breakfast on the outdoor grill
33. Organize your CD collection
34. Make a list of traits you would want in the perfect BF/GF
35. Check out the library (and not just the internet – peruse the books, too)
36. Spend an entire day in your pajamas
37. Make or update a website
38. Go to the Zoo
39. Play Badminton
40. Plant a veggie garden
41. Get a play from the library and direct your friends in it
42. Find a really cool quote online and then text it to a random person on your friend list
43. Make ice cream
44. Memorize a really funny joke and tell it to a friend
45. Have a sleep-over
46. Camp out in your backyard
47. Write a poem
48. Go to a local farmers’ market
49. Play a game you haven’t played with since you were a kid
50. Make up a secret code
51. Have a garage sale
52. Star-gaze and learn the summer constellations
53. Build a sandcastle
54. Pick strawberries
55. Write a story with a friend – each taking turns
56. Make a movie with a camcorder
57. Go backpacking
58. Get a facial
59. Dance like no one is watching
60. Dance like you have an audience
61. Spend a whole day playing board games with friends
62. Make up a treasure hunt for friends
63. Read the back of your cereal box
64. Give yourself a make-over
65. Learn a new exercise
66. Think about a business you would like to own someday and write up a plan
67. Play crochet
68. Go to the movies
69. Make up a scavenger hunt for you and a few friends
70. Go hiking
71. Make up a new game
72. Make popcorn the old-fashioned way
73. Volunteer at a nursing home, hospital, animal shelter, daycare or library
74. Listen to a new style of music (and give it a real listen – a couple songs or more)
75. Hang out with your grandparents and ask them to tell you what it was like to be a teenager for them
76. Write a song
77. Make a list of things you want to do before you are twenty
78. Learn how to knit
79. Buy a random magazine at the store and read the whole thing
80. Redecorate your bedroom
81. Make a funny commercial and post it online
82. Get a part-time job
83. Get a pen pal
84. Learn a new game
85. Go on a photo-scavenger hunt
86. Have a water gun fight with friends
87. Play poker and use candy to gamble with
88. Google your own name
89. Bake and frost cupcake
90. Set up a backyard party for younger kids and offer to babysit for the whole day to earn some cash
91. Check out colleges online
92. Have a snowball fight (use the ice from your freezer)
93. Wash your family car
94. Make dinner as a surprise
95. Paint a picture
96. Try not to complain for a whole day (this is really difficult – try it)
97. Try to make a house of cards
98. Offer to go grocery shopping for the week
99. Take drivers’ ed
100. Do something nice for someone else but don’t tell them it was you
101. Write your own list of 101 things to do
Is there anyway to copy video on the computer to a VHS tape?
Q.
A. Depending on the video card in your computer, you may already have the most important component, a PC to TV (NTSC) scan converter. By far the most popular video card with this feature is the ATI All-In-Wonder. There are of course many video cards with this feature but the All-In-Wonder has almost become the de-facto standard for this type of use. (Means they have most of the bugs out of it.)
If you don't know what type of video card you are using or if it has this built in TV output, look at the back of your computer where your monitor plugs in. Look for either an "F" connector or an "S-Video" connector.
An "F" connector is the one most of us are familiar with and is used universally on televisions, cable boxes, and VCRs. Note: Television systems use 75-ohm cable.
Newer video devices use an "S Video" connector and if all (TV, VCR, Scan Converter) of your equipment has "S Video", I highly recommend using it, as it will provide a much better picture quality.
Regardless of which type of connector is present, there should be two "jacks". One marked "video in" and the other marked "video out". We will be using the "video out" jack, as we want to output the signal of our PC to the VCR. In the most basic configuration (if your video card supports video out) all that is required is a cable attached to the PC's "video out", to the VCR's "video in" jack. Press the VCR's record button and start the presentation. That's all there is to it.
For those who don't have the TV video function built in to their PCs, you will need to purchase a "Scan Converter". A scan converter is a small box that connects between your PC and the VCR (or TV).
Let's talk about price for just a second. There are a number of low cost (sub $75) units on the market. While they have reasonable performance, there are drawbacks. First, many of then require software (in the form of device drivers) to be running on the PC. These drivers "take over" your video card and may or may not work! The other problem is, PowerPoint wants/needs all the PCs computational power for itself. My recommendation is NOT to use these units, but rather a unit requiring no software be installed. In other words, you want the converter to do the work, not your PC.
The other problem is that the very cheap units give you, well, very cheap looking results. OK for giving the grandparents a copy of your favorite presentation of the kids, but I wouldn't use it for anything else. Just to give you a frame of reference, these are low-end prices and professional units producing broadcast quality video can cost several tens of thousands of dollars. Sort of like comparing your camcorder to the cameras they use to make motion pictures.
Hooking up these units is straightforward. Simply unplug your monitor cable from the PC, plug it into the scan converter, and plug the scan converter into the PC. This is called a "pass though" connection. The converter has connectors, either "F" or "S Video" (or both) labeled "video out" and all you need do is run the appropriate cable from this jack to the "video in" jack on your VCR. You're ready to go! Again, this is a "basic" configuration.
So which is better, a scan converter or a video card with TV output? Assuming you're faced with needing to buy one or the other, and you want to stay in the "low cost" neighborhood, I would go for the new video card. There are a couple of real advantages to the video card solution. The first is the ability to "capture" TV signals with the computer. Scan converters only work "one way". It's also a simpler solution with fewer pieces and parts to go wrong. Finally, it's a great way to justify buying the powerhouse video card you always wanted.
Beyond the basics:
One of the most common questions asked is, "The video works but why isn't there any sound?" The answer is, we need to incorporate the sound card output of the PC to the VCR.
Your PC speakers have a cable that plugs into your computer's sound card. The problem is that sound cards use one, 1/8" mini jack for both left and right speakers, (stereo) while our VCRs use two RCA jacks, one for left and one for right stereo sound. Not to worry. A simple (cheap) adapter is available from your closest Radio Shack store for under $5.
Simply unplug the PC speakers (turn off the speaker power first), plug in the adapter, and then run RCA patch cords to the left and right "audio in" jacks of the VCR. Normally these jacks and cables are color-coded, red and black, or labeled right/left to make certain they are connected properly. You're ready to go!
Beyond the technical stuff:
Ok, all the wiring is done so what's left? The answer is comparing what you see on your monitor to what you see on your TV. It would take pages to explain all the differences between a PC monitor and a television, but the bottom line is they are going to look very different. Bright colors on your monitor will "over power" your TV screen. Fancy, or small text will be all but unreadable. And you may also notice the image has been clipped (cropped) in order to fit the TV screen.
I recommend that you hook a TV up to the VCR so you can monitor the image. Once you see the results you can make any needed changes to the presentation before recording it. I wish there were a "rule of thumb" for this but with so many possible "visual differences", it is almost impossible to do. Well, there are a couple suggestions I can give. Avoid bright reds and use large plain fonts for text.
Another thing to consider is your PC's resolution setting. In most cases a setting of 640 X 480 screen resolution and a color setting of 64,000 colors (16-bit or high color) works best. However, follow the directions for your scan converter or video card as outlined by the manufacture. If in doubt, you may have to break down and read the manual.
A recording tip. Before recording a presentation, insert a blank slide at the very beginning and set its background color to black and have it go to the next slide after 10 seconds. This gives you a 10 second span in which to start the recording process on the VCR. Your finished video will have a smooth entrance to the presentation.
That's pretty much it. As an aid I've also included a couple of drawings of "typical" set ups showing these connections. While it won't cover every possible hardware set up, it should give you a good idea of what needs to be done.
If you don't know what type of video card you are using or if it has this built in TV output, look at the back of your computer where your monitor plugs in. Look for either an "F" connector or an "S-Video" connector.
An "F" connector is the one most of us are familiar with and is used universally on televisions, cable boxes, and VCRs. Note: Television systems use 75-ohm cable.
Newer video devices use an "S Video" connector and if all (TV, VCR, Scan Converter) of your equipment has "S Video", I highly recommend using it, as it will provide a much better picture quality.
Regardless of which type of connector is present, there should be two "jacks". One marked "video in" and the other marked "video out". We will be using the "video out" jack, as we want to output the signal of our PC to the VCR. In the most basic configuration (if your video card supports video out) all that is required is a cable attached to the PC's "video out", to the VCR's "video in" jack. Press the VCR's record button and start the presentation. That's all there is to it.
For those who don't have the TV video function built in to their PCs, you will need to purchase a "Scan Converter". A scan converter is a small box that connects between your PC and the VCR (or TV).
Let's talk about price for just a second. There are a number of low cost (sub $75) units on the market. While they have reasonable performance, there are drawbacks. First, many of then require software (in the form of device drivers) to be running on the PC. These drivers "take over" your video card and may or may not work! The other problem is, PowerPoint wants/needs all the PCs computational power for itself. My recommendation is NOT to use these units, but rather a unit requiring no software be installed. In other words, you want the converter to do the work, not your PC.
The other problem is that the very cheap units give you, well, very cheap looking results. OK for giving the grandparents a copy of your favorite presentation of the kids, but I wouldn't use it for anything else. Just to give you a frame of reference, these are low-end prices and professional units producing broadcast quality video can cost several tens of thousands of dollars. Sort of like comparing your camcorder to the cameras they use to make motion pictures.
Hooking up these units is straightforward. Simply unplug your monitor cable from the PC, plug it into the scan converter, and plug the scan converter into the PC. This is called a "pass though" connection. The converter has connectors, either "F" or "S Video" (or both) labeled "video out" and all you need do is run the appropriate cable from this jack to the "video in" jack on your VCR. You're ready to go! Again, this is a "basic" configuration.
So which is better, a scan converter or a video card with TV output? Assuming you're faced with needing to buy one or the other, and you want to stay in the "low cost" neighborhood, I would go for the new video card. There are a couple of real advantages to the video card solution. The first is the ability to "capture" TV signals with the computer. Scan converters only work "one way". It's also a simpler solution with fewer pieces and parts to go wrong. Finally, it's a great way to justify buying the powerhouse video card you always wanted.
Beyond the basics:
One of the most common questions asked is, "The video works but why isn't there any sound?" The answer is, we need to incorporate the sound card output of the PC to the VCR.
Your PC speakers have a cable that plugs into your computer's sound card. The problem is that sound cards use one, 1/8" mini jack for both left and right speakers, (stereo) while our VCRs use two RCA jacks, one for left and one for right stereo sound. Not to worry. A simple (cheap) adapter is available from your closest Radio Shack store for under $5.
Simply unplug the PC speakers (turn off the speaker power first), plug in the adapter, and then run RCA patch cords to the left and right "audio in" jacks of the VCR. Normally these jacks and cables are color-coded, red and black, or labeled right/left to make certain they are connected properly. You're ready to go!
Beyond the technical stuff:
Ok, all the wiring is done so what's left? The answer is comparing what you see on your monitor to what you see on your TV. It would take pages to explain all the differences between a PC monitor and a television, but the bottom line is they are going to look very different. Bright colors on your monitor will "over power" your TV screen. Fancy, or small text will be all but unreadable. And you may also notice the image has been clipped (cropped) in order to fit the TV screen.
I recommend that you hook a TV up to the VCR so you can monitor the image. Once you see the results you can make any needed changes to the presentation before recording it. I wish there were a "rule of thumb" for this but with so many possible "visual differences", it is almost impossible to do. Well, there are a couple suggestions I can give. Avoid bright reds and use large plain fonts for text.
Another thing to consider is your PC's resolution setting. In most cases a setting of 640 X 480 screen resolution and a color setting of 64,000 colors (16-bit or high color) works best. However, follow the directions for your scan converter or video card as outlined by the manufacture. If in doubt, you may have to break down and read the manual.
A recording tip. Before recording a presentation, insert a blank slide at the very beginning and set its background color to black and have it go to the next slide after 10 seconds. This gives you a 10 second span in which to start the recording process on the VCR. Your finished video will have a smooth entrance to the presentation.
That's pretty much it. As an aid I've also included a couple of drawings of "typical" set ups showing these connections. While it won't cover every possible hardware set up, it should give you a good idea of what needs to be done.
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