Also a few weeks late, here it is...
Are you looking for the ability to watch HDTV on your PC or a USB TV tuner? Don't overlook the OnAir GT from Autumnwave available online at Circuit City and Wal-Mart. The OnAir GT allows for portable OTA (Over The Air) HD reception from your local TV stations (such as CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, and others) as well as inputs to capture video from video cameras, video games, and other sources. Competitively priced, high quality, and ready for the future, the OnAir GT is a solid product and a worthwhile investment if you're looking for a TV tuner.
The OnAir GT comes with its own program (OnAir USB HDTV) as well as the capability for use with other programs such as Windows Media Center and others, a customizable remote, the highly-rated nVideo decoder, InterVideo WinDVD Creator, a foot-long antenna, and a dongle for connecting video sources. The installation process takes a while, about 30 minutes, but is relatively painless and easy. Once all the correct programs are installed (at least the included program, the OnAir USB HDTV, and the nVideo decoder) and the antenna is attached you're ready to go! (I and Autumnwave suggest that you update to the new drivers and program first at autumnwave.com)
Reception with the included antenna was often difficult due to my distance away from the towers (20-30 miles). I opted to spend $5 and buy a replacement telescopic antenna from RadioShack that extends to 30 inches. Though AntennaWeb.org, a very useful and reliable website for antenna suggestions and directions for best reception, suggested I might need an outdoor antenna or a high quality indoor antenna, I successfully receive all of the major stations in Little Rock when the antenna is properly pointed. The upgrade to the larger antenna was well worth the price for its ease.
The included program to watch TV is solid. You can watch digital TV (HDTV when available), analog TV (not often used, it's fuzzy), digital cable (unencrypted QAM channels), and analog cable (we have satellite so I have not tested cable channels). If you have satellite, like myself, or you'd like to use the program to play video games, you can attach the video out to the included dongle via RCA inputs (red, yellow, and white cables) or S-Video (higher quality). The program includes EPG for digital TV (show information including title and description and times) and a scheduler. You can schedule recordings from any of the sources using EPG info (for digital TV) or manually entering times and channels. Most of the time the scheduler works well, just make sure you have plenty of hard drive space and a good signal for the channel you want to watch. Be warned, HDTV (most scripted programs and sports are broadcast in high definition) takes up large amounts of hard drive space (around 9 GB per hour). When watching digital TV, you can use timeshifting which allows you to pause, rewind, and fast-forward (if you've already paused). All of these features, and the difficulty of using the GT with third-party programs, make the OnAir USB HDTV my preferred program for watching TV.
The Autumnwave OnAir GT is a great product that is ready for the digital TV future while still supporting analog TV and video. This product is ideal for those often traveling (watch HDTV in the airport or at the hotel), college students (who may not have room for a TV), HDTV enthusiasts, and those who want to watch TV on their computer. Drawing its power from the USB connection, you can take the OnAir GT with you anywhere your laptop is powered. Though digital TV reception while on the road can be spotty and difficult due to constant changes, when it's stationary and the antenna is pointed well, it's beautiful.
Excellent support via AVS Forums sealed the deal for me. The strict computer hardware requirements and slightly steep price may be roadblocks for many but with a new computer and some money (or gift cards in my case), the OnAir GT is the best for HDTV on your PC.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Concert Review-Building 429 and Matthew West
A few weeks late but here it is...
On Groundhog's Day, a few hundred people gathered into the fieldhouse at Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas to see Building 429 and Matthew West. After a local artist, Matthew West and his band took the stage singing some of Matthew's hits, such as "Next Thing You Know" and #1 song for many weeks, "More". Interspersed were stories of where the songs came from and more about Matthew. He talked about his prior visit to Arkansas when he got sick eating fried twinkies and made a song about Arkansas mentioning Groundhogs Day in Conway, fried twinkies, and crazy Arkansans, among other things. His creativity, story-telling, and some new songs made for a good set.
Building 429 rocked out the fieldhouse next with their hits, some worship favorites, and some new material. Along with fan favorites "Glory Defined" and "I Believe", Building 429 sang some worship songs including one of my personal favorites, "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman. They also shared some stories and shared the origin of their name (Building 429 comes from Ephesians 4:29). Included in the set were some new songs coming soon on their new album, Iris to Iris. A good blend of rock, worship, and acoustic ended the night well.
20 Pictures from the concert are available at Picasa Web Albums (album link below)
On Groundhog's Day, a few hundred people gathered into the fieldhouse at Central Baptist College in Conway, Arkansas to see Building 429 and Matthew West. After a local artist, Matthew West and his band took the stage singing some of Matthew's hits, such as "Next Thing You Know" and #1 song for many weeks, "More". Interspersed were stories of where the songs came from and more about Matthew. He talked about his prior visit to Arkansas when he got sick eating fried twinkies and made a song about Arkansas mentioning Groundhogs Day in Conway, fried twinkies, and crazy Arkansans, among other things. His creativity, story-telling, and some new songs made for a good set.
Building 429 rocked out the fieldhouse next with their hits, some worship favorites, and some new material. Along with fan favorites "Glory Defined" and "I Believe", Building 429 sang some worship songs including one of my personal favorites, "You Never Let Go" by Matt Redman. They also shared some stories and shared the origin of their name (Building 429 comes from Ephesians 4:29). Included in the set were some new songs coming soon on their new album, Iris to Iris. A good blend of rock, worship, and acoustic ended the night well.
20 Pictures from the concert are available at Picasa Web Albums (album link below)
Another beautiful day, basketball, and why Switchfoot is great...
Today is yet another beautiful day. High in the mid 60's and sunny. Not counting Saturday's rain fest (3.2 inches here at home), every day has been beautiful for 10 days. I love this weather!
We got a new basketball goal on Saturday to replace the one we had to leave in St. Louis. It's nicer with a stronger, transparent backboard more realistic to gym backboards. So I've been playing basketball yesterday and today. Until I hurt my back earlier today. I tweaked it somehow. Not instant pain but it hurts to do much of anything. But stretching my back helps and I've got a heat pack on it so hopefully I'll be able to get back out there.
Church was good yesterday. I went to evening service last night and we had The Lord's Supper. Afterwards, a group of us students helped empty and dry the communion trays. That was cool. I didn't realize how much went into putting all that together. Each dish has to be hand-washed and packed back into a box. After that, we went to Moe's Southwestern Grill, which was good. Kind of expensive but good. I had a quesadilla, and chips with queso. The lady overcharged me so it was $6.55 instead of under $5, oh well. I'll have to pay more attention. But the food was good and the time with new friends was good too. God's blessed me with some great friends in St. Louis and some great friends here.
Heroes is on tonight. Looks like a great episode. It's 63 minutes long so if you're taping it, make sure you get that in there, don't want to miss the end. I also have Bible study tonight which is awesome. Florida plays Tennessee in basketball tomorrow, Go Vols!
And I have discovered another reason Switchfoot is a great band: bootlegs. Switchfoot charges considerably less per concert in an effort to keep ticket prices affordable (most are around $20 to $30 that I've seen compared to what could be $50). They're outspoken critics of DRM (Digital Rights Management, they were especially critical of their label for putting some spyware DRM on the CD Nothing Is Sound). And they now offer bootleg CDs of the night's concert at the venue. Right after the show you can buy a CD of that night's performances. That's cool but doesn't affect me or most people because many won't get to see one of their concerts. But Tim of Switchfoot has said that people are welcome to distribute those live versions to get the band's music out there as long as they don't sell it. So there's a podcast on iTunes that has several places' bootlegs for free. And it's legal. The set list changes each night so there are many different songs and versions including an improvisation of "American Dream" in Canada to "American/Canadian Dream". So check it out if you have iTunes: Switchfoot Bootlegs Podcast
Oh, and Switchfoot's music is good too :)
That's all from here, I'm going to attempt to play basketball again, we'll see how the back responds...
-Kevin C. Burns
We got a new basketball goal on Saturday to replace the one we had to leave in St. Louis. It's nicer with a stronger, transparent backboard more realistic to gym backboards. So I've been playing basketball yesterday and today. Until I hurt my back earlier today. I tweaked it somehow. Not instant pain but it hurts to do much of anything. But stretching my back helps and I've got a heat pack on it so hopefully I'll be able to get back out there.
Church was good yesterday. I went to evening service last night and we had The Lord's Supper. Afterwards, a group of us students helped empty and dry the communion trays. That was cool. I didn't realize how much went into putting all that together. Each dish has to be hand-washed and packed back into a box. After that, we went to Moe's Southwestern Grill, which was good. Kind of expensive but good. I had a quesadilla, and chips with queso. The lady overcharged me so it was $6.55 instead of under $5, oh well. I'll have to pay more attention. But the food was good and the time with new friends was good too. God's blessed me with some great friends in St. Louis and some great friends here.
Heroes is on tonight. Looks like a great episode. It's 63 minutes long so if you're taping it, make sure you get that in there, don't want to miss the end. I also have Bible study tonight which is awesome. Florida plays Tennessee in basketball tomorrow, Go Vols!
And I have discovered another reason Switchfoot is a great band: bootlegs. Switchfoot charges considerably less per concert in an effort to keep ticket prices affordable (most are around $20 to $30 that I've seen compared to what could be $50). They're outspoken critics of DRM (Digital Rights Management, they were especially critical of their label for putting some spyware DRM on the CD Nothing Is Sound). And they now offer bootleg CDs of the night's concert at the venue. Right after the show you can buy a CD of that night's performances. That's cool but doesn't affect me or most people because many won't get to see one of their concerts. But Tim of Switchfoot has said that people are welcome to distribute those live versions to get the band's music out there as long as they don't sell it. So there's a podcast on iTunes that has several places' bootlegs for free. And it's legal. The set list changes each night so there are many different songs and versions including an improvisation of "American Dream" in Canada to "American/Canadian Dream". So check it out if you have iTunes: Switchfoot Bootlegs Podcast
Oh, and Switchfoot's music is good too :)
That's all from here, I'm going to attempt to play basketball again, we'll see how the back responds...
-Kevin C. Burns
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Sunny with a high of 75...
"Now I'm sunny with a high of 75
Since You took my heavy heart and made it light
And it's funny how you find you enjoy your life
When you're happy to be alive"
-Relient K's "High of 75"
The weather recently has been great. Yesterday was, as the title says, sunny with a high of 75. Today will be even better when it's sunny with a high of 70. Tomorrow will be a little better than today when it's 64. Mid 60's is my preferred temperature zone but I'll take any warm weather after a few weeks in the 30's and 40's. The cold is only good for the snow and the hot is only good for the thunderstorms. Anyways, the weather is great and there's a chance of storms this weekend so that will be cool.
Heroes was good. Halfway between explosive and setup. LOST last night was a setup episode mostly. In my opinion, it wasn't very good. But I had it on such a pedestal after last week's episode that a good episode in my mind would be hard to attain. Anyways, more on LOST at The LOST Observations...
IMPACT was good last night. I ran the computer lyrics and message notes. It was weird because not only is it a different program (LiveWorship which has some similarities to what I used to use, MediaShout) but it's a different computer (Mac instead of Windows). The Macs are beautiful and elegant and cool looking but now that I know so much about Windows and everything, I'm not sure I could switch. Plus a lot of the programs I use don't run on OS X anyways. And I recently bought a laptop with Windows anyways. All that to say, IMPACT was good.
I actually drove by myself for the first time yesterday. I drove Kayla and myself there at 5:30 (IMPACT starts at 7, Kayla's Common Ground starts at 5:30) then I drove all by myself home around 8:30. I'm making progress...
Still looking for a job. I'm not sure if the Radio Shack manager is ever at the store because every time I call she's not there. Hastings kind of bugged me. The manager called after I submitted my application again and she said that everyone works Sundays there and asked if my "no Sundays" note on my app was a preference or a necessity and I told her I cannot work on Sundays so she declined my application. If everyone works Sundays there, why do they need another person to work Sundays? Anyways, I refuse to work Sundays. I have church in the morning. In the fall I'll have youth choir in the afternoon/evenings. Plus that's the day of rest and I don't plan on changing that just to work. So the search continues. I have three applications that are still possibilities: Radio Shack, Tinseltown theater, and Wal-Mart. I may apply at Target and Kohl's later.
I finished most of my schoolwork before 10 this morning so that's nice. I have physics left and I probably need to do some projects but the rest of the time I'm free.
Tomorrow night I'm going to see a new group called 33Miles. you might have heard their song "What Could Be Better (The Days Ahead)" on your local radio station (which for Central Arkansas would be Spirit 93.3, spirit933.com). If not, you can check it out at www.myspace.com/33miles. It's got kind of a country twang to it but I like it.
4.5 weeks til the beach trip!
-Kevin C. Burns
Since You took my heavy heart and made it light
And it's funny how you find you enjoy your life
When you're happy to be alive"
-Relient K's "High of 75"
The weather recently has been great. Yesterday was, as the title says, sunny with a high of 75. Today will be even better when it's sunny with a high of 70. Tomorrow will be a little better than today when it's 64. Mid 60's is my preferred temperature zone but I'll take any warm weather after a few weeks in the 30's and 40's. The cold is only good for the snow and the hot is only good for the thunderstorms. Anyways, the weather is great and there's a chance of storms this weekend so that will be cool.
Heroes was good. Halfway between explosive and setup. LOST last night was a setup episode mostly. In my opinion, it wasn't very good. But I had it on such a pedestal after last week's episode that a good episode in my mind would be hard to attain. Anyways, more on LOST at The LOST Observations...
IMPACT was good last night. I ran the computer lyrics and message notes. It was weird because not only is it a different program (LiveWorship which has some similarities to what I used to use, MediaShout) but it's a different computer (Mac instead of Windows). The Macs are beautiful and elegant and cool looking but now that I know so much about Windows and everything, I'm not sure I could switch. Plus a lot of the programs I use don't run on OS X anyways. And I recently bought a laptop with Windows anyways. All that to say, IMPACT was good.
I actually drove by myself for the first time yesterday. I drove Kayla and myself there at 5:30 (IMPACT starts at 7, Kayla's Common Ground starts at 5:30) then I drove all by myself home around 8:30. I'm making progress...
Still looking for a job. I'm not sure if the Radio Shack manager is ever at the store because every time I call she's not there. Hastings kind of bugged me. The manager called after I submitted my application again and she said that everyone works Sundays there and asked if my "no Sundays" note on my app was a preference or a necessity and I told her I cannot work on Sundays so she declined my application. If everyone works Sundays there, why do they need another person to work Sundays? Anyways, I refuse to work Sundays. I have church in the morning. In the fall I'll have youth choir in the afternoon/evenings. Plus that's the day of rest and I don't plan on changing that just to work. So the search continues. I have three applications that are still possibilities: Radio Shack, Tinseltown theater, and Wal-Mart. I may apply at Target and Kohl's later.
I finished most of my schoolwork before 10 this morning so that's nice. I have physics left and I probably need to do some projects but the rest of the time I'm free.
Tomorrow night I'm going to see a new group called 33Miles. you might have heard their song "What Could Be Better (The Days Ahead)" on your local radio station (which for Central Arkansas would be Spirit 93.3, spirit933.com). If not, you can check it out at www.myspace.com/33miles. It's got kind of a country twang to it but I like it.
4.5 weeks til the beach trip!
-Kevin C. Burns
Monday, February 19, 2007
Happy Presidents Day
I hope your Presidents Day has been a great one. :D
My weekend was plain but good. Nothing overly exciting other than Vanderbilt's win over Florida. That was pretty sweet. Go 'Dores!
Yesterday's weather was nice, today's was great. Upper 60's and mostly sunny. Perfect day to be outside.
Church was good yesterday. At CONNECT, Sunday School at FBC Benton, we had a nice acoustic worship time which was great. Sometimes it's nice to just hear an acoustic guitar and 100 voices singing praise to God. And there are times when it's nice to have high energy, guitars, drums, etc. FBC Benton has a good balance of both.
I have beach fever. Still more than a month away but less than five weeks! I'm super excited.
And I'm excited about the Switchfoot CD's and iPod Nano coming soon too.
God has given me so much to be excited for, and even if He didn't, He's still worthy of all my praise.
Well Bible Study time is approaching, as well as Heroes, so tonight will be good. :)
Enjoy the remainder of your Presidents Day, it only comes once a year :D
-Kevin C. Burns
My weekend was plain but good. Nothing overly exciting other than Vanderbilt's win over Florida. That was pretty sweet. Go 'Dores!
Yesterday's weather was nice, today's was great. Upper 60's and mostly sunny. Perfect day to be outside.
Church was good yesterday. At CONNECT, Sunday School at FBC Benton, we had a nice acoustic worship time which was great. Sometimes it's nice to just hear an acoustic guitar and 100 voices singing praise to God. And there are times when it's nice to have high energy, guitars, drums, etc. FBC Benton has a good balance of both.
I have beach fever. Still more than a month away but less than five weeks! I'm super excited.
And I'm excited about the Switchfoot CD's and iPod Nano coming soon too.
God has given me so much to be excited for, and even if He didn't, He's still worthy of all my praise.
Well Bible Study time is approaching, as well as Heroes, so tonight will be good. :)
Enjoy the remainder of your Presidents Day, it only comes once a year :D
-Kevin C. Burns
Friday, February 16, 2007
LOST, IMPACT, Pizza Hut, Taco Bueno, and more
In my personal opinion, LOST was great Wednesday night. Reviews are mixed, most people loved it or liked it a lot but a lot of people hated it. There aren't many in between. It definitely renewed my commitment to the show to its conclusion (if there was a trace of doubt). Check out The LOST Observations for more analysis.
IMPACT was good on Wednesday night. Clay is speaking about love in the month of February. He spoke about dating in part one of a two-parter on dating. Good message.
Yesterday, Clay and I had lunch at Pizza Hut and discussed life and the Upper Room website. We mapped out what's going to be on the website and such. I spent two or three hours working on it yesterday, getting used to the system, organizing the sections and pages, and things like that. I'll try to work on it some tonight.
Last night, I watched Survivor and The Office (recorded, watched it after Survivor). Survivor was good and The Office was funny. Then I watched some of the Mavericks and a two-hour program on the assassination of JFK and the conspiracy theories. It was interesting. Part of me is conspiracy theorist so it really appealed to that part. It basically disproved all the conspiracies, though you never know about those Communists. They could have done it. Anyways, it was a good night.
Today I did school and we went to Taco Bueno. I had two bueno chiladas. For those of you up north, Taco Bueno is a good Taco Bell. Still fast food but higher quality fast food. Really good. Anyways, we met up with my dad and enjoyed lunch.
This afternoon I've been looking at Nano accessories, finished SAT prep, looked up info about Orange Beach, AL and where we're staying, and now I'm about to work on the Upper Room website.
Have a great weekend.
-Kevin C. Burns
IMPACT was good on Wednesday night. Clay is speaking about love in the month of February. He spoke about dating in part one of a two-parter on dating. Good message.
Yesterday, Clay and I had lunch at Pizza Hut and discussed life and the Upper Room website. We mapped out what's going to be on the website and such. I spent two or three hours working on it yesterday, getting used to the system, organizing the sections and pages, and things like that. I'll try to work on it some tonight.
Last night, I watched Survivor and The Office (recorded, watched it after Survivor). Survivor was good and The Office was funny. Then I watched some of the Mavericks and a two-hour program on the assassination of JFK and the conspiracy theories. It was interesting. Part of me is conspiracy theorist so it really appealed to that part. It basically disproved all the conspiracies, though you never know about those Communists. They could have done it. Anyways, it was a good night.
Today I did school and we went to Taco Bueno. I had two bueno chiladas. For those of you up north, Taco Bueno is a good Taco Bell. Still fast food but higher quality fast food. Really good. Anyways, we met up with my dad and enjoyed lunch.
This afternoon I've been looking at Nano accessories, finished SAT prep, looked up info about Orange Beach, AL and where we're staying, and now I'm about to work on the Upper Room website.
Have a great weekend.
-Kevin C. Burns
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
I won! Heroes, Bible study, Church, and more
Sorry for the long period between posts, I'll try to keep it shorter...
I just got some exciting news from Todd Hertz, an editor at Ignite Your Faith magazine:
So I just answered a few questions, gave him my address and I'll have an iPod Nano and all the Switchfoot CDs soon! This is my first big contest win (I won some CDs from Music Faith a few months ago). So look for me in the Ignite Your Faith magazine soon (they do little bios on contest winners, I'll let you know what month it's in when I find out). Thanks Ignite Your Faith magazine!
Last night's Heroes was good. Not as explosive as last week's but good nonetheless. I'm liking this time when both LOST and Heroes are on.
Bible study was good last night. I really am learning from the book of James instead of just going through the motions and hanging out with friends.
I signed up for Spring Break Camp at the Beach in March on Sunday. It's over the spring break here in Benton. We're leaving at midnight and driving through the night to Orange Beach, Alabama (by Gulf Shores and Mobile and such). I'm very excited about it. I haven't got to spend a lot of time at the beach in a long time and it's a good chance to build friendships and grow in my relationship with God.
It rained a lot here yesterday, last night, and early this morning. And now the cold front has moved through so it's cold and windy. Not a good day to be outside. I wish it was snow instead of rain...
I guess that's all. LOST is on tomorrow night so that's exciting. There was an interesting Easter egg in the last episode. To read about it from my friend, Charlie, go to The LOST Observations.
Yay for winning contests!
-Kevin C. Burns
I just got some exciting news from Todd Hertz, an editor at Ignite Your Faith magazine:
Kevin,I am an editor with Ignite Your Faith magazine. Last month, you signed up for our Switchfoot contest. It's my honor to let you know that you were picked as our winner! That means you will receive an iPod Nano and every Switchfoot CD: Nothing Is Sound, The Beautiful Letdown, Learning to Breathe, New Way to Be Human, and The Legend of Chin and an autographed copy of Oh! Gravity.Cool, huh?
So I just answered a few questions, gave him my address and I'll have an iPod Nano and all the Switchfoot CDs soon! This is my first big contest win (I won some CDs from Music Faith a few months ago). So look for me in the Ignite Your Faith magazine soon (they do little bios on contest winners, I'll let you know what month it's in when I find out). Thanks Ignite Your Faith magazine!
Last night's Heroes was good. Not as explosive as last week's but good nonetheless. I'm liking this time when both LOST and Heroes are on.
Bible study was good last night. I really am learning from the book of James instead of just going through the motions and hanging out with friends.
I signed up for Spring Break Camp at the Beach in March on Sunday. It's over the spring break here in Benton. We're leaving at midnight and driving through the night to Orange Beach, Alabama (by Gulf Shores and Mobile and such). I'm very excited about it. I haven't got to spend a lot of time at the beach in a long time and it's a good chance to build friendships and grow in my relationship with God.
It rained a lot here yesterday, last night, and early this morning. And now the cold front has moved through so it's cold and windy. Not a good day to be outside. I wish it was snow instead of rain...
I guess that's all. LOST is on tomorrow night so that's exciting. There was an interesting Easter egg in the last episode. To read about it from my friend, Charlie, go to The LOST Observations.
Yay for winning contests!
-Kevin C. Burns
Thursday, February 8, 2007
LOST's return, IMPACT at FBC Benton, and more
LOST made its much-awaited, highly-anticipated return last night and did not disappoint me. The action was intense, the storyline moved along, and progress was made while still adding questions. 16 weeks in a row will be nice :D. For more LOST analysis and thoughts, visit The LOST Observations, a www.kevincburns.com feature.
And since I love HD screenshots, here's one from LOST :) (click the picture for full HD resolution)
I had to find a shot that doesn't spoil anything for those who haven't caught on to LOST yet.
I went to IMPACT at FBC Benton last night. Good service. In February the message series is all about love. Last night was about God demonstrating His love for us. Good message.
In other news, I think I'm going to be working on the FBC Benton Student Ministry website some. I think I'll call it "consulting" so it sounds like I have an important, powerful position, lol. Anyways, that will be cool.
Today was a plain day. Lots of schoolwork. Watched LOST again for clues and things I missed the first time. Watched Survivor tonight. Then watched The Office on my laptop. Funny show, especially when they keep it clean (last week's disappointed, had to skip it).
The Cowboys named their new head coach today, Wade Phillips. Hope that works out well and the 'Boys return to championship form for the 2007 season. Go Cowboys!
In other sports news, the Mavericks are now 40-9, one game ahead of Phoenix for best record in the league. Can't wait for the two to play each other (comes in March and April).
That's all for tonight, have a good weekend.
-Kevin C. Burns
And since I love HD screenshots, here's one from LOST :) (click the picture for full HD resolution)
I had to find a shot that doesn't spoil anything for those who haven't caught on to LOST yet.I went to IMPACT at FBC Benton last night. Good service. In February the message series is all about love. Last night was about God demonstrating His love for us. Good message.
In other news, I think I'm going to be working on the FBC Benton Student Ministry website some. I think I'll call it "consulting" so it sounds like I have an important, powerful position, lol. Anyways, that will be cool.
Today was a plain day. Lots of schoolwork. Watched LOST again for clues and things I missed the first time. Watched Survivor tonight. Then watched The Office on my laptop. Funny show, especially when they keep it clean (last week's disappointed, had to skip it).
The Cowboys named their new head coach today, Wade Phillips. Hope that works out well and the 'Boys return to championship form for the 2007 season. Go Cowboys!
In other sports news, the Mavericks are now 40-9, one game ahead of Phoenix for best record in the league. Can't wait for the two to play each other (comes in March and April).
That's all for tonight, have a good weekend.
-Kevin C. Burns
Tuesday, February 6, 2007
January Stats, Bible Study, Heroes, LOST returns tomorrow!
January was a record month for www.kevincburns.com featuring over 275 visitors from 27 states and 8 countries including The Netherlands, Germany, Canada, and the UK among others. Over 1,000 pages were loaded. We hope you enjoyed January on www.kevincburns.com including the new blog.
Bible study was good last night. Talking about trials, perseverance, and wisdom in the first eight verses of James. It's a good study with great people.
Heroes was great last night. Several key things were presented. There weren't a whole lot of loose ends like last week. It's good enough that I'll be watching it again soon. And I decided to do a screen capture at full HD resolution. Had to find a good frame to capture that doesn't give anything away. So here it is, click the picture below for the full resolution. I love HDTV :-D
The resolution is higher on NBC and CBS (1080i) but when the camera moves a lot, you don't get good captures. But at least ABC uses 720p so LOST captures should be great.
Speaking of LOST, today is the last full day before LOST's return! Then 16 weeks in a row of LOST. Check out The LOST Observations tomorrow night after you watch for analysis and more.
Today is a beautiful day. 64 and sunny. But alas, rain is on the way to end the week :(.
That's life for Kevin C. Burns.
-Kevin C. Burns
Bible study was good last night. Talking about trials, perseverance, and wisdom in the first eight verses of James. It's a good study with great people.
Heroes was great last night. Several key things were presented. There weren't a whole lot of loose ends like last week. It's good enough that I'll be watching it again soon. And I decided to do a screen capture at full HD resolution. Had to find a good frame to capture that doesn't give anything away. So here it is, click the picture below for the full resolution. I love HDTV :-D
The resolution is higher on NBC and CBS (1080i) but when the camera moves a lot, you don't get good captures. But at least ABC uses 720p so LOST captures should be great.
Speaking of LOST, today is the last full day before LOST's return! Then 16 weeks in a row of LOST. Check out The LOST Observations tomorrow night after you watch for analysis and more.
Today is a beautiful day. 64 and sunny. But alas, rain is on the way to end the week :(.
That's life for Kevin C. Burns.
-Kevin C. Burns
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Super Bowl XLI, We Are Marshall, Concert, Church Search: Church #3 etc.
I enjoyed my first football game in high definition tonight. I watched the Indianapolis Colts defeat the Chicago Bears 29-17 in a good, rainy game. I like both coaches and I would have been ok either way. Tony Dungy and the Colts' owner both gave the glory to God which was awesome. Peyton Manning, UT alumnus, finally won the big one so that was cool. And we had some great snacks here at the house for the game so that was good.
I did not get off the couch during the game. I only got up at halftime and after it was over. My muscles seem to ache from the lack of activity.
I utilized several of the OnAir GT's capabilities. I used the rewind and zoom on some close calls. I paused and played to keep the TV and the computer in sync so I could watch with my family (since we have satellite, the TV was 4 seconds behind). And I used the screen capture to capture this moment (had to save space so it's not full resolution, full res screen shots will be used in The LOST Observations):
In other news, the family and I went to see We Are Marshall last night. Good movie. It was different because there was no real "feel good" part of it. Lots of sadness. Had to hold back the tears. But it was a good movie. Makes you think about those you love and how you would react.
The concert Friday night was good. I'll be posting a concert review soon, look for it here on www.kevincburns.com along with a product review of the OnAir GT HDTV.
LOST return in less than three days! Yay!
Heroes is supposed to be "unforgettable" tomorrow and from the promos, it looks good.
We visited our third church today: Indian Springs Baptist Church (isbcbryant.org). The worship service was good. But it was different because their auditorium is their carpeted gym. The youth group was ok. I don't really want to use comparisons to FBC Benton because I don't think that's fair to ISBC but it seemed like they don't do too many activities. They certainly didn't plug 'em from the stage. The people were alright, no one exceptionally nice but one or two guys helped me out.
I'm ready for comfort. I do want to be stretched in my faith and such but I want a church home where I can hang out and people know me and I can get plugged into a ministry. But I realize that takes time and it will come eventually.
I still plan on going to the Bible study on James tomorrow. It's a good study.
That's all from Arkansas, be on the lookout for the concert and product reviews. Maybe they'll be here tomorrow, hopefully this week.
-Kevin C. Burns
I did not get off the couch during the game. I only got up at halftime and after it was over. My muscles seem to ache from the lack of activity.
I utilized several of the OnAir GT's capabilities. I used the rewind and zoom on some close calls. I paused and played to keep the TV and the computer in sync so I could watch with my family (since we have satellite, the TV was 4 seconds behind). And I used the screen capture to capture this moment (had to save space so it's not full resolution, full res screen shots will be used in The LOST Observations):
In other news, the family and I went to see We Are Marshall last night. Good movie. It was different because there was no real "feel good" part of it. Lots of sadness. Had to hold back the tears. But it was a good movie. Makes you think about those you love and how you would react.
The concert Friday night was good. I'll be posting a concert review soon, look for it here on www.kevincburns.com along with a product review of the OnAir GT HDTV.
LOST return in less than three days! Yay!
Heroes is supposed to be "unforgettable" tomorrow and from the promos, it looks good.
We visited our third church today: Indian Springs Baptist Church (isbcbryant.org). The worship service was good. But it was different because their auditorium is their carpeted gym. The youth group was ok. I don't really want to use comparisons to FBC Benton because I don't think that's fair to ISBC but it seemed like they don't do too many activities. They certainly didn't plug 'em from the stage. The people were alright, no one exceptionally nice but one or two guys helped me out.
I'm ready for comfort. I do want to be stretched in my faith and such but I want a church home where I can hang out and people know me and I can get plugged into a ministry. But I realize that takes time and it will come eventually.
I still plan on going to the Bible study on James tomorrow. It's a good study.
That's all from Arkansas, be on the lookout for the concert and product reviews. Maybe they'll be here tomorrow, hopefully this week.
-Kevin C. Burns
Thursday, February 1, 2007
The Greatest Super Bowl, an "Experiment", and Snow!
I just finished watching the greatest Super Bowl (that I saw live and can remember). Super Bowl XXXIV between St. Louis and Tennessee. I watched a lot of the game for the first time since it happened. I had seen the 30 minute highlight shows but the NFL Network showed the game in its entirety. I saw all of the fourth quarter and even though I knew the result, I found myself really getting into the game. I remember the shock and heartbreak as Dyson fell one yard short. The greatest Super Bowl of my lifetime thus far. Thanks NFL Network. :)
Now I'm watching the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns, #3 at #2 in the standings. Go Spurs! I'm a Mavericks guy but I still like the Spurs and I don't like the Suns.
I had read online that you can strip a coaxial cable and use the plain copper as an antenna and I've had some dismal TV coverage in my room so I figured I'd try it. I didn't realize how shielded those coax cables are. There's the rubber, then some paper-plastic sleeve, then a metal braided sleeve, another paper-plastic sleeve, and something like cotton before you get to the copper. So after all that work.....nothing really special. I got some amazing signals, more powerful than before but the copper had no structure, it just flopped everywhere so it wasn't very practical nor could I pick up all the major channels with one configuration. I even added an empty green bean can since that is an antenna staple (at least for Wi-Fi antennas) but no luck with that. I haven't given up, I still have the copper. But my one foot long antenna that came with the tuner will do. I just gotta set it up on a per channel basis.
Anyways, that's how I spent a lot of my afternoon.
We finally got snow. Currently there's about an inch on the ground and some light snow is expected overnight.
Tomorrow is the Building 429 and Matthew West concert. So that will be fun. I've been B429 twice and Matthew West once but they're both good so I'll enjoy it. And I found out that I will get to see Audio Adrenaline one last time before they retire (or take an extended break). They'll be coming April 4 with MercyMe and Aaron Shust. What a great concert that will be. But still no Switchfoot or Relient K concerts here...
I'm going to return to watching the Suns-Spurs game, six minutes to go, three point Suns lead.
Enjoy the weekend
-Kevin C. Burns
Now I'm watching the San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns, #3 at #2 in the standings. Go Spurs! I'm a Mavericks guy but I still like the Spurs and I don't like the Suns.
I had read online that you can strip a coaxial cable and use the plain copper as an antenna and I've had some dismal TV coverage in my room so I figured I'd try it. I didn't realize how shielded those coax cables are. There's the rubber, then some paper-plastic sleeve, then a metal braided sleeve, another paper-plastic sleeve, and something like cotton before you get to the copper. So after all that work.....nothing really special. I got some amazing signals, more powerful than before but the copper had no structure, it just flopped everywhere so it wasn't very practical nor could I pick up all the major channels with one configuration. I even added an empty green bean can since that is an antenna staple (at least for Wi-Fi antennas) but no luck with that. I haven't given up, I still have the copper. But my one foot long antenna that came with the tuner will do. I just gotta set it up on a per channel basis.
Anyways, that's how I spent a lot of my afternoon.
We finally got snow. Currently there's about an inch on the ground and some light snow is expected overnight.
Tomorrow is the Building 429 and Matthew West concert. So that will be fun. I've been B429 twice and Matthew West once but they're both good so I'll enjoy it. And I found out that I will get to see Audio Adrenaline one last time before they retire (or take an extended break). They'll be coming April 4 with MercyMe and Aaron Shust. What a great concert that will be. But still no Switchfoot or Relient K concerts here...
I'm going to return to watching the Suns-Spurs game, six minutes to go, three point Suns lead.
Enjoy the weekend
-Kevin C. Burns
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