Fighting back against the monopolists

So in my quest to get a Freeview+ box with DVD player/recorder I ended up buying an LG RHT297H which is great in most ways (a few niggles like losing the time and hence recording times when the power cuts) but is forced to only play region 2 DVDs. Now I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again if I buy a DVD from the US the UK or Australia then it should play on my equipment so obviously I wanted to fix this.

After searching on a few forums here is how to make your LG HDD DVD recorder multiregion.

Switch your player on.

When it’s booted up hold down CLEAR on remote (under the slider) and PROG Down on the front panel of your DVD player simultaneously for about 6 seconds

You will see a list of codes

Change OP6 from ae or af to 8e (move around using the left and right arrows on the remote)

Press Enter and then menu/list on your remote

Your player will reboot or switch off

Turn it on or wait for it to reboot and now your player is multi region.

🙂

Google Contacts Nightmare

So a slight problem recently with contacts.
I use a number of tools and web apps in my daily life to keep things organised beacuse I work for myself I use a number of machines in a number of offices so it’s easier to rely on web applications for some tasks.

30 boxes (30boxes.com) for a calendar as this also allows my partner to add events and we can keep track of what nights we have free for stuff which is nice.
Gmail (gmail.com) for email as it’s usually reliable and has heaps of storage space and I like the search
plaxo (plaxo.com) for keeping my contacts up to date
linkedin (linkedin.com) for business contacts
mobile me (me.com) because it came free with my iPhone and works with my MacBook address book

The problem I have now is syncing al the data.

This used to be easy as every now and then I would sync with plaxo to my work machines and that would pick up new contacts and I would dump them into Gmail manually. Not too painful and simple.

Now though the iPhone sync has got the better of me. Gmail has a whacked-out idea of contacts management in that email addresses are automatically added to your contacts list each time you use the reply, reply to all, or forward functions to send messages to addresses not previously stored in your contacts list. Sounds great in theory. In practise I don’t actually know a lot of those people and I may not want them in my contacts list.

iPhone has imported contacts from Gmail bringing all this random data and that has synched with mobile me and now my phone has 1800+ contacts only around 300 of which I actually added myself.

Google what are you thinking adding all these people to my contacts list without asking me?
Apple what are you doing allowing me to sync with data that is so different from my original set without setting off alarm bells somewhere.

Gah!

Apple MagSafe power adapater replacement (free of charge hopefully)

This evening my magsafe was flickering red and green and when I went to check the connection it felt really hot to the touch. When I pulled the cable it came out leaving the magnet attached to the macbook. The cable is burnt through so it was lucky I was here. After a quick search on the apple site it appears I am not the only one.

If you’ve had any problems with your MagSafe power adapter, Apple has good news for you: They’ll replace it for free. You just need to bring it in to an Apple-Authorized Service Provider or an Apple store for evaluation. If you’re out of warranty, you’re still in luck-they’ll take it back if it’s defective.

magsafe burnt
—-

Symptoms
You may notice a separation of the white insulation on the magnetic end of the MagSafe adapter. Under continued use, the cable may discolor and the rubber molding may become deformed.

Products Affected
MacBook (13-inch Late 2006), MacBook (13-inch), MacBook Pro (15-inch Glossy), MacBook Pro (17-inch)

Resolution
Whether your product is in or out-of-warranty, you can take your adapter (you don’t need to take the computer) to an Apple-Authorized Service Provider or Apple Retail Store for evaluation, and replacement if necessary. You may be eligible for a replacement adapter free of charge provided there are no signs of abuse. Make a reservation at the Genius Bar before visiting your local Apple Retail Store. To make a reservation, go to http://www.apple.com/retail/geniusbar/.

Funniest comment award goes to…

Just because Stephen Fry loves Apple does not mean you need to be bent to enjoy good design.

Jon Ive, the Apple design GOD, is married with kids. SUre, they might be photoshopped in but I don’t think so.

I love good design and I’m as straight as a fence post. I also enjoy Stephen Fry too, but not That Way.

More: @ the register