Getting Wired

Getting Wired was Originally Posted on December 13, 2012 by lavarock

I am still trying to get lots done on the farm and avoid distractions. That includes shutting of the phone, keeping away from the internet and telling people “sorry I can’t help”. I recently spent 5 hours on the phone helping someone with a problem and got nothing done on the farm.

At the moment I am weeding, picking old coffee and disposing of it, having new coffee roasted and filling a few large coffee orders. I will soon be out of coffee again and don’t expect a large amount until next season.

To get a lot done, I need energy and that often comes from caffeine. You can guess where I get caffeine!

As for other ways to get wired, many people this season will be buying TV and components. I want to state my opinion and that of many experts, that you should not be swayed by the expensive wire and cable push. Oftentimes you will be encouraged to buy expensive cables for your equipment. With the advent of digital signals, these expensive cables are a waste of money to everyone except the people making a profit off you.

In the olden days of analog, bad cables caused problems because the shielding was horrible or the wire was the wrong size or the impedance was off. With digital, that doesn’t matter. Well, let me say that it doesn’t come into effect unless you buy a cable that is way, way too long or had flimsy connectors on it.

Most stores will be happy to accept returns, so buy the cheap $5 HDMI cable and hook it up. It it works, you are $95 ahead. Digital signals are not effected as much as analog signals were and very long runs of analog signals could degrade video and make it mushy. Digital signals are way more forgiving and the short distances (measured in feet) should not be a problem for you.

By the way, the same holds true for gasoline in your car. If you try the lowest grade and it still runs fine, why buy expensive up grades? Most cars in America run well on the cheapest grades. When I had an IROC Camaro 5.7 liter powerhorse, I used 87 octane and never had knocking or other problems. Friends can attest that I was able to accelerate fast enough to push them back into their seats and shaking in their boots; all with cheap gas.

For those keeping score at home, I am STILL trying to recover the computer with Carbonite well over a month later! Just say No!