Jason Yong

  • Setting up an OTA Antenna

    Setting up an OTA Antenna

    I ordered the Antennas Direct DB4e (right) from Hookbag.ca for $43.12 + free shipping on Saturday and it arrived on Tuesday.

    After taking a minute or two to assemble the antenna (it just involved screwing a few things together) , I hooked it up to our main TV downstairs and it was only able to get about 6-8 channels. I then tried hooking it up to our upstairs TV and it was able to get around 20+ channels (ex: FOX, CBS, PBS, CW, CBC, TVO, ABC). We haven’t installed it on the roof yet but I imagine that when we install it to the proper height/direction, we’d be able to get a few more channels.

    In Toronto, most of the stations are broadcasting from the CN Tower so, as long as it’s pointed in the general direction of the CN Tower, you should be able to pick up something. Generally speaking, the higher the antenna is, the better.

    One of the features of over-the-air (OTA) television is that the signal either comes in perfectly clear or it doesn’t at all. You’ll either see something that looks amazing or you’ll see a blue/staticy screen, indicating that your antenna couldn’t get a good enough signal. Watching last night’s Red Wings vs. Predators game on CBC was awesome. In addition to watching it in 720p, you also receive 5.1 sound and that definitely adds to the experience (it’s a shame that TSN/Sportsnet doesn’t broadcast OTA). On top of all of that, you also get information about the current show that you’re watching so there’s no need to check the TV guide or anything.

    More information on OTA can be found after the break.

  • Looking back at old photos – Part II

    2009

    [nggtags gallery=2009 template=compact]

    1. Snow on roof
    2. Sunset
    3. Ice (Guess where it’s from?)

    (more…)

  • Oh telemarketers!

    I received a call today from someone at Air Duct Cleaning and here is a transcript:

    Man with a thick brown accent: Air Duct Cleaning. My name is Jack.
    Me: Hi. What’s your phone number?
    ‘Jack‘: But why?
    Me: What’s your phone number?
    ‘Jack‘: But why?
    *repeat x 3*
    Me: What’s your last name?
    ‘Jack‘: But why?
    Me: What’s your last name?
    ‘Jack‘: But why?
    Me: What’s your last name?
    ‘Jack’ either tries to make up a last name or can’t say my last name. Jack gets confused and hangs up. 

    I believe I won this time. (more…)

  • Looking back at old photos

    Buying my first lens seems like some kind of photography milestone. Having said that, I decided to create a timeline of photos that I’ve taken over the years. I haven’t included every single photo I’ve ever taken since then but I’ve uploaded a few from each year that I like.

    2005

    [nggtags gallery=2005 template=compact]

    1. Grade 10 trip to Queen’s University. I really like the zig-zag pattern of the clouds.
    2. Flower on a pear tree
    3. One of the 12 winners in the 2006/2007 Through the Lens: Photo Celebration competition. I still have the huge poster board with all the photos in my room. If I recall correctly, we had to use a photo and describe the science behind it. For example, one of the photos was of a large beaker/flask and the student explained refraction.
    4. Ontario Place

    (more…)

  • Ordered my first lens – Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II

    Update #2 (Apr. 16): Finally received a shipping notification e-mail from Canada Post. Hopefully I get it tomorrow.

    Update (Apr. 5): After e-mailing them to find out what was going on, they said that the item was on back order and that it’ll be another 2 weeks before they get it. According to their website, all items are shipped out within 2 business days and, in the event of any delay, Merkle is supposed to contact me. Had I not sent an e-mail asking about my order, I wonder when they’d actually let me know that I wouldn’t be getting my item any time soon.

    After searching through photoprice.ca for the cheapest price, I decided on Merkle Camera. They offered free shipping and their price ($119.00) was the lowest among the retailers listed on photoprice.

    Once I get the lens, I presume I’ll go on some shooting photo spree. I guess that’d be a better choice of words. Anyway, I decided to take a look back at all the photos I’ve taken over the years with digital cameras. I think one of my first film cameras, not including disposables, was the Fuji Discovery S1450 Zoom Date Kit. My first digital camera was the Canon PowerShot SD300 (early 2005). This was followed up with the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS a few years later (end of 2008) and I now currently use a Canon Rebel T1i with a 18-55mm IS lens.

    As of right now, my Pictures folder is 146GB with about 25000+ photos/videos.

  • Toronto Star website looks cleaner when it’s down

    Toronto Star website looks cleaner when it’s down

    I really liked the simplicity of the Toronto Star’s website when it went down yesterday so I decided to create a quick page that grabs their top stories via RSS feed (using simplexml_load_file) and outputs that information in a nice, clean manner.

    I could probably implement something like this into FeedMe but I will leave that for another day. Another possible feature would be to grab the Toronto Star’s feed along with The National Post, The Globe and Mail, and other Toronto newspapers as well.

    While the functioning Toronto Star website provides a lot more information, things still seem a little too cluttered for my liking. The Federal Budget ‘offline’ version can still be viewed here. A comparison photo of the online/offline versions can be seen to the right.

  • Got casted for TF2 a while back

    http://www.twitch.tv/extvesports/b/309357910

    In-game name is Jabber (medic). Match starts at 10:58.