I knew it would happen, so no surprises here, but a bill is heading to the Senate that will delay the cancellation of all analog TV broadcasting until June 12th. It hasn't passed yet, but there's a good chance it will. This is not the first delay to this change, and might not be the last.

Stay tuned, and read more about it here:

http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=170868&site=cdn&f_src=lightreading_gnews

Labels: digital, televisions, TV

This is direct from the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission and the good people at B/S/H Home Appliances. If you own one of these models you should stop using it immediately and read the following alerts.

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Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 15, 2009 Release #09-100

Firm's Recall Hotline: (800) 856-9226 Firm’s Media Hotline: (310) 309-6611 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Bosch® and Siemens® Model Dishwashers Recalled by BSH Home Appliances Corporation Due to Fire Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Bosch® and Siemens® Model Dishwashers

Units: About 476,500

Manufacturer: BSH Home Appliances Corp., of Huntington Beach, Calif.

Hazard: An electrical component in certain model dishwashers can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: BSH Home Appliances has received 51 reports of incidents, including 30 reports of fires resulting in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves certain Bosch® and Siemens® dishwashers manufactured from May 1999 through July 2005. The brand name is printed on the dishwasher’s front control panel. Model and serials numbers are located inside the dishwasher door panel on the upper right side.

Sold at: Appliance and specialty retailers nationwide from May 1999 through December 2006 for between $550 and $1,100.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the listed model dishwashers and contact the repair hotline for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact the BSH Home Appliances at (800) 856-9226 anytime or visit the brand’s Web site at www.boschappliances.com or www.siemens-home.com

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Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

Labels: Bosch, dishwashers, recall notice, Siemens

That's okay, but here's some articles highlighting some good and bad news from the Consumer Electronics Show for 2009.

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2338779,00.asp

http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/10036.html

http://www.designtaxi.com/news.jsp?id=23431&monthview=0&month=1&year=2009

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2008616880_brier12.html

http://www.hardwarezone.com/news/view.php?id=12468&cid=5

Labels: electronics

I can't vouch for accuracy, but might be worth checking out if you're looking to buy a new LCD television.

http://www.lcdtvbuyingguide.com/top10.shtml

Hope this helps you make your TV buying decision.

Labels: LCD, televisions, TV

If you're interested, Samsung execs met had a roundtable discussion about the future of electronics and how Samsung will fit into the new markets.

http://www.gadgetell.com/tech/comment/samsung-executive-hdtv-blu-ray-roundtable-discussion/

Labels: electronics, Samsung

This is a handy article which lists four local groups that recycle old electronics.

Recycle your electronics in Alabama

Here's another article from the Shelby County Reporter about Technical Knockout, a Birmingham company that specializes in electronics recycling:

Technical Knockout

Labels: Alabama, Birmingham, electronics, green, Shelby County

Samsung Electronics plans to unveil a flat-panel TV that's as thin as just 6.5-millimeters at this week's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, it said Sunday.

The TV set, few details of which were immediately available, is between 6.5mm and 7mm across its width and has an LED (light emitting diode) backlight.

The backlight sits behind the LCD panel and generates the light that shines through it to allow the image to be seen. Most LCD panels use thicker backlights that make use of fluorescent lights but LEDs are fast finding favor with TV makers for their thinness and better overall light.

Read the full article here.

Labels: electronics, LCD, LED, Samsung, TV

"SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) — Yahoo! and Samsung on Monday said they will put the California firm's software to work linking the South Korean electronics giant's televisions to the Internet.

New Samsung high-density flat-panel television models to be displayed this week at a premier Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will feature Yahoo! "widgets," mini applications which access Internet services.

Samsung televisions built with an "Internet@TV" content service will let viewers check online news or stock portfolios as well as see videos or pictures on the Web, according to the companies.

"Through this partnership, we can combine the Internet benefits of user choice and personalization with Samsung's leading product innovation and global reach to deliver a new experience to users around the world," said Yahoo!'s Connected TV vice president Patrick Barry."

The rest of the article can be found here.

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My two cents... if I'm watching a TV show, a movie, or The Big Game and someone else wants to check their stocks or play SuperPong on the same screen, I'm going to be unhappy. Go play on the computer, I'm watching TV.

Perhaps, on second thought, it might be cool to be able to look a the meaning of a word I don't know, or get more information on an actor, or public figure. Maybe it would be nice to put a note in my calendar to bring an umbrella on a particularly rainy day. Mainly it would be used for useless trivia about some stupid television minutia I can't remember, but then what's the Internet good for if not for that.

Labels: Samsung, televisions, web

Plasma televisions use more power than LCD TVs, and California uses a LOT of electricity. In an effort to cut back on energy use, they're requiring energy efficiency levels that are higher than current plasma models can achieve.

Of course, California residents can go to neighboring states or order online to get their beloved plasma, but I think it's more likely that plasma TV manufacturers might try to meet the guidelines of this huge television market.

Labels: LCD, Plasma, televisions, TV

Thought this might be of interest to some of you.

SMALL GARDENS 1/24 10 a.m.-NOON. $20. Emmet O'Neal Library, 50 Oak St., Mountain Brook. Learn design techniques to bring out the best in your small garden. For more information, contact June Mays at 541-3740 or junemays@bellsouth.net. You can also guarantee a seat at this lecture by mailing a check for a ticket to June Mays, 3514 Country Club Road, AL 35213.

THE DECORATIVE VEGETABLE GARDEN 1/31 10 a.m.-NOON. $20. Emmet O'Neal Library, 50 Oak St., Mountain Brook. Learn how to grow your own vegetables in an attractive way. For more information, contact June Mays at 541-3740 or junemays@bellsouth.net. You can also guarantee a seat at this lecture by mailing a check for a ticket to June Mays, 3514 Country Club Road, AL 35213. 879-0459.

Labels: Alabama, Crestline Village, events, Mountain Brook, things to do

Just read a news announcement that H.H.Gregg will extend some sort of a promotion where they accept Circuit City gift cards towards purchases. This will continue until Super Bowl Sunday (February 1, 2009).

They must have an arrangement with the same company that processes the gift cards, otherwise I can't figure out how they do this. Interesting.

From KSTP TV in Minneapolis & St. Paul

Buyers beware of 'disposable' televisions

When you buy a new television, you hope it will last, but some televisions are considered trash after only a year.

Jack Haskovitz, of H&H T.V. and Electronics, Inc., hears from angry customers all the time.

"When you look at the store, you go to Costco, Circuit City, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, Sam's Club, wherever you see something that's $200 cheaper, same size, there's a reason," Haskovitz.

Haskovitz says some companies are making disposable TVs and they can't be repaired.

"They're just making enough parts for their TV sets. When they need extra, that's when they start replacing them. Or when the warranty is up, good luck," Haskovitz said.

(read more in the original story)

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We of course are making no commentary about this story. The retailers above sell a wide variety of products in a wide price range. It's up to the consumer to make sure they're getting what they want.

Labels: repairs, televisions, warranty

The Vestavia Hills High School Math Team Tournament has taken place for around 30 years and is one of the largest regional math competitions in the United States. Divisions for participation are PreAlgebra, Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II, and Comprehensive (for students beyond Algebra II). Founded by now retired math team coach Kay Tipton, the tournament is now run by Todd Taylor and Wes Gordon. Over 1000 students currently attend this event annually. Organizers are planning the next competition for December, 2009.

The website for the tournament is here.

Labels: Alabama, events, Vestavia Hills

Labels: Alabama, Jefferson County, Mountain Brook, televisions

I'm embarrassed, a little bit.

I've lived in Alabama my whole life, and been in and out of Homewood a couple of kazillion times, and I've never been to, or up in, the Vulcan monument. (I've driven by it, practically under it, thousands of times).

Seriously, it's really close to me, and it's a least worth a trip, but it's never happened.

I should take a break some weekend, stop thinking about television repairs and whatnot, and schedule a trip to Homewood and visit ol' Vulcan and see what it's all about.

I found this info, which brought it into my mind, so I'm sharing it here:

Vulcan Park and Museum
(205)933-1409

Vulcan Park and Museum
1701 Valley View Dr
Birmingham, AL 35209

Visit the Vulcan website, too.

Labels: Alabama, Homewood, repairs, televisions, things to do

Sorry folks, but for warranty repairs on televisions, in general the manufacturer will require that we keep a copy of your purchase receipt on file.

We honestly believe that you did purchase the TV when you say you did, we really do. But it does not matter whether we completely trust you or not. Unfortunately, the manufacturer will not pay for a warranty repair to fix your TV without a receipt.

This isn't our policy per se, it's a policy set forth by every television manufacturer in business today.

Of course, the customer service folks at these companies are likely to tell you a different story, and say that this is not required. Do not believe them, as they just want to make a customer happy (they really do). But when push comes to shove, and we file a claim for warranty repairs on your television, they are not going to pay for it without a receipt.

That is... unless they give us something in writing that says it's okay to do the repair in warranty without a receipt. We'll take a letter in lieu of a receipt any day, if it meets our requirements. We really do want to fix your TV.

So, if you're new television is broken, and you need it repaired, and you live in Alabama, please give us a call for television service (or request a television service call online).

Just remember, the receipt is required for warranty repairs.

Labels: Alabama, repairs, televisions, warranty

Bainbridge Trace is a neighborhood in Irondale, Alabama.

They have a community blog called the Bainbridge Buzz Banner. Residents should check it out, leave a comment, I'm sure they would appreciate the interest in the neighborhood.

Labels: Alabama, Bainbridge Trace, blog, Irondale

Being a good neighbor, thought I'd post this for anyone interested in the history of Irondale. It's a nice, cleanly laid out website with some good information.

Check it out!

Irondale Alabama Historical Society

Labels: Alabama, Irondale