Les Jones

Which Camcorder Should We Buy?

So we're going to get a camcorder. Any advice? I've looked over the Consumer Reports ratings. I stopped by Circuit City after work and tried a few models. The Panasonics seemed to be the most user-friendly, and they all had 20x or better optical zoom. The Sonys weren't real user-friendly, but the image on the LCD looked great and had terrific color. Does that correspond to the final image? Beats me.

What do I need to get? Does a triple CCD ($$$) improve the image quality?

UPDATE: Thanks to John Addis for the expert advice in comments. I just ordered a triple CCD Panasonic GS200. Camcorderinfo.com ranked it seventh out of 79 camcorders. What's amazing is that the six higher-ranked camcorders cost two to three times as much as the GS200.

I wanted to buy locally, but Circuit City was charging almost 50% more than online retailers. The cost of overnight FedEx was a little less than what I would have had to pay just in sales tax locally. Thank you, online shopping!

Why Does the Law and Order CI Captain Have an Eyepatch?

Dear Lazyweb,

Melissa and I are big fans of the Law and Order series, but the Criminal Intent imprint is our least favorite, so we hadn't watched it in a long time. We tuned in tonight and the captain is wearing an eye patch. Obviously we missed an important episode. What's the story behind the eye patch?

Windows Bleg: Photo Downloader, File/Folder Renamer

So for Christmas I bought a Panasonic FZ5 to replace our Canon PowerShot SD400 digital camera. (Quick review: I like it. The 12X zoom is wonderful, and the download speeds are much faster than my old camera.)

The photo transfer software that comes with the Panasonic is just OK. I actually prefer the Canon software. It asks for a folder name and file prefix. So if the picture file is P1000040.JPG, P1000041.JPG, etc., once I add the prefix it saves the file as 2005-12-25-Christmas-P1000040.JPG and so on, which makes finding photos easier. I liked that. Unfortunately, the Canon software bombs out when I use it to download files from the Panasonic.

Question 1- Is there a program for downloading photos from the camera that will let me control the filenames the way the Canon software did? Free is good. I like free.

LATER: Microsoft's Scanner and Camera Wizard pretty much does the trick. PhotoBase does it perfectly. PhotoBase was one of the programs installed with the camera, but for some reason it didn't appear on the list of autoplay options when I connected the camera to the laptop.

Question 2 - Is there a good Windows utility for doing search and replace operations on foldernames and filenames? As a ferinstance, I have some picture folders that look like 2004_09_11 and some that look like 2004-09-11, and I'd like to get everything in the same format, since Windows Explorer sorts dashes and underscores differently.

RSS/Atom Tools for Non-Blog Sites

Dear Lazyweb,

I'd like to add RSS or Atom feeds to the sites I maintain for work. They aren't blog-based, so I'm looking for tools to maintain a syndication feed for news. Any ideas?

Has Anyone Used a Doula for Birthing?

Dear Lazyweb,

Melissa is interested in using a doula for this birth. Can anyone who has used a doula offer advice or recommend someone in the Knoxville area?

(FYI, a doula is someone who assists the mother during delivery. She (and they're almost all women) isn't a midwife. A midwife is responsible for delivery. Nowadays a doctor does that. The doula takes care of the mother and makes her more comfortable, coaches her, provides massage, etc. They also frequently help after birth or provide breastfeeding assistance and coaching.)

Firefox Keeps Going Back a Page

Dear Lazyweb,

Somehow I keep hitting some equivalent of the Back button when using Firefox on my home laptop. If I turn off the touchpad while writing it doesn't happen, so somehow it's related to the touchpad. (If it matters, the touchpad has a little scrolly strip on the right side.)

WTF?

USB Repair in Knoxville?

Dear Lazyweb,

Where can I get a USB port repaired in Knoxville, preferably for less than the price of a new inkjet printer? It looks like the USB cable got pulled to the side on the HP. Now printing doesn't work and the USB port on the printer is muy wobbly.

Alarm/Reminder Function in Windows XP?

Dear Lazyweb,

Does Windows XP have any kind of alarm clock/reminder type function without running Outlook? I wanted to set an alarm to remind myself of something next weekend, and I can't figure out how to do it without running Outlook (which I never use at home) and keeping it open all the time.

How to Block Popups from Specific URLs in Firefox 2.0?

Dear Lazyweb,

Some popup ads are getting through Firefox 2.0. I notice that the popups are usually from the same sites - tribalfusion.com, precisionclick.com, etc. It's easy to tell, because the URL is in the title area of the popup window.

How can I tell Firefox to never load popups from those URLs? In options you can block popups (which I did) and allow popups for certain Web sites. What I want to do is to block popups for all sites and like, rilly rilly block popups for some sites. For serious.

I Need Landscaping and Plant Ideas

Dear Lazyweb,

I thought LANDSCAPALOOZA 2007* was supposed to start this weekend, but my landscaper says I was confused and it's in two weekends. That works for me, since I'm still trying to get my planting map together. I could really use some suggestions.

A little background. The landscaper is bringing a Bobcat and will be doing the hardscaping - railroad tie retaining walls, railroad tie steps, clearing out old beds, and trucking in topsoil and mulch to create new beds. The Bobcat has an auger attachment that makes drilling holes for trees and shrubs really easy, so we're planting trees and shrubs now and my wife and I will fill in with flowers later. But what trees and shrubs?

Small, evergreen shrubs
A half dozen of these will go around the corner of the driveway in full sun. They need to grow to 2 plus feet. They should stay compact width-wise, otherwise they'll grow out into the driveway and scratch cars. (That rules out Otto Luken Laurel, which eventually gets quite big, though I like that look, and it flowers in the spring.) Some of the thornless hollies look good and aren't too expensive. I'm tempted to plant azaleas for the flowers, but I'm not sure how they'd do. This is on a hillside where we can't change the soil very much. I know azaleas like acidic soil. How hard is it to get azaleas to grow?

Evergreen privacy hedge
This will go between the house and the road in full sun. We have about 80 feet to cover, so economy is a must. The default choice if we can't find anything else is Leyland Cypress, which isn't bad, but I wouldn't mind something that flowers conspicuously or attracts birds or something. Needs to grow to at least four feet in height to provide privacy and four feet or more in width to keep the cost reasonable.

Red maples
I'm thinking about small, ornamental red maples in a couple of full sun locations to add color. Any reason I shouldn't go that route? I'd love to have some of the banzai-type, wide Japanese maples, but man oh man they're expensive - like a thousand bucks plus at Saplings garden center on Kingston Pike. I'm looking instead at the common, taller variety. Can I shape those myself so that they're low and wide?

Fruit trees
We'd like to put in a few fruit trees in the lower part of the yard. I want to avoid plum and cherry because I've found them to be disease-prone. We're thinking dwarf versions of apple, peach, and pear. Anything else we should consider? If we can find pawpaw trees there are some shady spots I can plant them.

* This is the event formerly known as LANDSCAPOCALYPSE 2007. I decided I wanted a more upbeat name.

More Landscapalooza Questions/Thinking Out Loud

Dear Lazyweb,

Instead of the small evergreen shrubs I'm thinking about Ninebark. Saplings has some really nice ones that look even prettier than the pictures at that link, with a nice medium red color in the summer.Ninebark has flowers spring to mid-summer and in the fall has fruit that birds and other wilidlife eat. It loses its leaves in the fall, but that's probably OK, since we're not using this for privacy. There's a new variety called Coppertina that has a copper color in the spring, and I found some for sale at a local garden center.

Ninebark sounds easy to grow, too: "The plants are found on moist soils in thickets, along streams in sand or gravel bars, and on rocky slopes and bluffs. Dirr (1997) observes that “the species is adaptable to all conditions, probably even nuclear attacks, and once established, requires a bulldozer for removal.”" More info on planting. One caveat is that it likes lots of sun, and if it doesn't get enough the leaves may turn green.

Any reason I shouldn't use Ninebark? My only concern is that I need to make sure I get a compact variety that doesn't need to be pruned too often.

Ground cover for a slope

We have two slopes - each about a thousand square feet, at about a 40 degree angle. If we can't find an alternative we're going to plant them in vinca major. Vinca tends to get a bit out of control, but we're stumped to find anything better.

The challenge is that we're deaing with red clay soil that's badly eroded, and replacing the soil is impractical. Because of the height and angle of the slope we're not going to be able to weed it once it's planted, so we need something that will grow fast enough to shade out weeds.

Any ideas for another ground cover?

Two Week Reprieve on Landscapalooza

Dear Lazyweb,

The landscaper called Tennessee One Call two weeks ago to get the gas and water lines marked. They say they're coming out tomorrow, but until they can do some more research they aren't guaranteeing we won't hit gas or water lines. Ergo, we're putting off digging until they can make that guarantee. He's already booked for the next weekend, so we're looking at delaying major operations two more weeks.

Fine by me. I'm learning a lot about landscaping and plants right now. The more time I have, the better. We may still do some small hand digging and planting this weekend. We may get the herb garden and side garden done, and the slopes planted in vinca major.

Possible New Name for LANDSCAPALOOZA 2007

LANDSCAPALOOZA was originally LANDSCAPOCALYPSE. Now I'm thinking of riffing off of one of Melissa's favorite TV shows and calling it LAWN ORDER. To be followed by LAWN ORDER: BOTANICAL INTENT and LAWN ORDER: SPECIAL LANDSCAPING UNIT.

"In the criminal justice system, crimes against nature are considered especially heinous."

Inadvertent hat tip to PDB.

Looking for Birthday Cakes in Knox/Blount

Dear Lazyweb,

Melissa wanted me to ask if anyone could recommend a good source of birthday cakes. We've been getting them from the grocery store, and wanted to try something a little nicer. It can be in Knox or Blount county either one.

Need Babysitter in the Airport Area

Dear Lazyweb,

We're looking for a part-time babysitter for our one and two year old. The kids go to daycare two days a week and spend the rest of the time with their grandmother. This would be mostly on the weekends so we can have some time to go to the movies or a party, or the occasional weekday when their grandmother can't keep them.

We'd prefer someone fairly close. We live in Blount County near Mcghee-Tyson airport. It would be wonderful to find someone within about 15 minutes of there.

Looking for someone with experience and good references.

Paint Can Disposal in Knoxville or Maryville?

Dear Lazyweb,

I have some half a dozen partially-used gallon paint cans. I'm looking for a dropoff center in Knoxville or Maryville where I can properly dispose of them.

UPDATE: Bob in comments says for latex paint (which this is) open the lid, let it dry completely, and throw it out with regular trash. This page from the Montgomery County, Maryland government and this one from the Illinois EPA say the same thing, and specifically say to not take latex paint to toxic waste facilities. So there you go.

Need Advice on Monitored Alarm Systems

Dear Lazyweb,

We've talked about getting mom an emergency bracelet, and she warmed up to the idea lately. Yesterday she fell and hit her noggin. Nothing serious, and luckily my brother was visiting at the time.

Still, it's raised the subject again. Emergency alert services seem to cost $20-30 per month. A monitored alarm service for burglary and fire costs about $30-40 per month. Is there a monitored alarm service that also offers a bracelet or necklace alert system of the "I'm falling and I can't get up" variety?

Any advice on monitored alarm systems or emergency bracelets and such appreciated.

Bleg: Value of Porcelain Dolls?

Dear Lazyweb,

My mother-in-law bought a collection of 150 porcelain dolls. She wants to sell them on eBay, but we haven't got a clue as to what they're worth. I've checked local bookstores and Amazon and I am unable to find a book that lists values for porcelain dolls.

Any ideas of where to look for price resources? If we only had one or two I'd be willing to ask on a forum, but for 150 I need a book or a person.

Why is My PC Beeping All the Time?

Dear Lazyweb,

My new PC beeps pretty frequently. (It sounds like bing-bing or ching-ching - two pleasant notes.) OS is Windows XP Home Edition SP2. I have a Netgear wireless card with a mildly hyperactive status bar icon. I checked its prefs but didn't see any sound settings.

It happens when nothing is running except Firefox. It isn't happening on the hour or half hour. There are not alert boxes or anything. It's happened as far as I can tell ever since I got the computer.

What's up with that?

UPDATE: Mystery solved. It was the NetGear wireless card after all.

Mystery PC Beeping Solved

Dear Lazyweb,

The mystery PC beep has been solved. It was the NetGear WiFi card after all. I didn't see any settings in the program for sounds, but my wife discovered that if you right-clicked on the menu bar icon there was a check mark next to "Enable 'Internet Connected' Notification." Once she unchecked it the problem went away.