Dan's Web Spot

At long last, we will hopefully get some much anticipated relief from having to jump for the remote to lower the sound volume when a television commercial airs while watching TV.

On December 15th, 2009, the House of Representatives passed The Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act (CALM) by voice vote!

The Act enables the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to monitor the volume of advertisements in television programming and determine acceptable levels.

Something else I read about that I found interesting is the fact that many advertisers know that there are certain frequencies that people hear better than others. They have been amplifying these frequencies in particular.

Official Summary:
Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to prescribe a regulation prohibiting advertisements accompanying video programming from: » More...

2009 Hyundai Santa Fe AWD V-6

With all the recent hype surrounding the "Cash for Clunkers" program, I had been seriously investigating what kind of "deal" I could get, let alone what kind of SUV or Crossover vehicle would be able to replace my 15-year-old Ford Explorer (with 246,000 miles on it!).

I looked at the Toyota RAV-4, which was too cramped and overpriced. After a test drive, I found that the Ford Escape, which was all plastic, was somewhat of sub-par quality. Finally I found and test-drove the vehicle that was night-and-day above the others as far as quality and comfort at a comparable price: the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe!

I wanted to share my tips and experience so others may possibly benefit from what I did... » More...

I found a link recently to an article about using your cell phone with your laptop (or desktop PC in a pinch) to get on the Internet. Maybe you're traveling and you can't find a Wi-Fi hotspot nearby, or you don't want to pay extra for Wi-Fi access somewhere, or maybe you can't afford to drop the money on a new wireless broadband card and services fees for your laptop.

If this sounds like you, then check out this article: How-To Roundup: Modem Tethering. Scroll to the bottom to select your phone type and download the appropriate software for free. (Note that you need to have a data plan with your cell service provider.)

The instructions worked out great for me and my Motorola V3m phone...

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NTIA DTV coupon program

UPDATE: The DTV Coupon Program officially ended on July 31, 2009. Further information regarding background and statistics can be found at at the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) web site.

On February 17, 2009, the television stations that broadcast analog signals over the air will be required to switch to digital. You don't need to worry about this unless you currently use a roof antenna or "rabbit ears" on your television to view TV.

If this is how you receive television signals in your home, then you will no longer be able to do so without a converter box to convert the new digital signal into the older analog format so your TV can understand it.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has been issuing coupons for DTV converter boxes since early 2008. They have set up a program to help people with the cost of a converter box. You can apply for up to 2 $40 coupons towards up to 2 converter boxes per household. » More...