Working at Home, I need a Big Monitor

43 inches with 4k resolution and 120Hz refresh for under $230.

Please forgive my terrible photography but at least you know it is real. The can of Coke Zero is for scale plus I was thirsty.

Update
    Updating the driver and a power down seemed to have resolved the audio issue. I found that annoying at best since I did a reboot and that did not resolve the issue. 

What I do for a living.

   It sure isn't blogging since I do not put enough effort into my blog and no one ever comments on my posts. So what do I do? I write software. To be specific, I am an embedded software engineer at L3Harris in Palm Bay, Florida. Like many companies, they are having people that can work from home. In fact, the current rule is if you can work from home you must work from home. At my office, I have two 1080p 27-inch monitors plus my laptop screen. I often wish for more screen space. When I started working from home, I just had my laptop screen. It just was not going to work for long.  Between my software development environment, Outlook, Skype, and Chrome that tiny laptop screen just was not going to cut it. So I started to shop for monitors.

That is no monitor, it is a TV.

   Back on Black Friday my wife and I got a great deal on a TCL 55-inch 4k TV.  We hooked up our XBox One to it and were really impressed with the picture. I also liked that it supported up to 120Hz refresh rate and after reading some reviews found it had a low latency for gaming. I started to think that it would make a good monitor for gaming on a PC. Sure it would not be as good as a high end 4k monitor but the cost was so low that it might be worth a shot. Then came the work at home order and I needed a monitor or two to make working more productive.

But 55 inches is just too big.

   Yes, I had no room for a 55-inch monitor but TCL made a 43-inch monitor that had the same specs and cost about $100 less. In fact, it was only $218 at Walmart. It is also available at Best Buy, Target, BJs, and Amazon. These are not affiliate links and I make nothing from them. I put them in as a way to make your life easier. 

So how does it work as a monitor for you?

   It is pretty dang good in my humble opinion. For work it is great. I have no serious problems with it. I have not done any advanced testing or used a color spider to calibrate it but I have tried moving windows around and I see no ghosting and the text is very clear. The size is large but not too large. I may make a shelf to raise the monitor up about four inches to improve my line of sight and sitting position. I used to joke that no matter how big the monitor is a software engineer will find a way to use all the space and want more.  I may have been wrong because I think this monitor is about as big as I would ever want. Think of it as four 1080p monitors and it makes a lot of sense.  No, I would not say it is too big but just about right.

Not without some problems.

   The first problem is that you have to use a remote to turn it on and switch it to the computer. It is a TV after all. The second issue has to do with audio. I do not know if this is an issue with my personal notebook or with the TV but sometimes I do not get audio. I cannot get any audio with Chrome playing YouTube video but it seems to work fine with Microsoft Edge. Another issue is that it keeps switching in and out of game mode when I am playing Flight Simulator while in Automatic mode. If you just set it to Game Mode and leave it set when playing games, it is not an issue. The final issue is without a doubt, not the monitor's fault. My laptop is not powerful enough to drive it well at 4k. To really use this TV at the full performance you will need a monster graphics card like a member of the Nvidia 2080 family. 

Is it worth it?

  I have to say yes. If you can get it at $229 and you need a big monitor for working on your computer, I think it is great. If you need a good TV and want to play console games I would also say it is a good choice.  If you want both in your office, then heck yes. The Smart TV software is from Roku which provides a really good interface and it even will do a limited version of Chromecast. 

   How does it work for writing software? I honestly really like it. Some people like to rotate their monitor into portrait mode to get more code on the screen so it is taller than wide. With this monitor, you can have a 1920x2016 window on one side and then have room for two 1920x1080 windows on the other.  I often run my development environment on half the screen and then divide the other half between Outlook, Skype, and a browser.  Hope this helps someone. 

Logitech K400 Keyboard

Working From Home Keyboard review.
Logitech K400.

It is wireless, has a touchpad, and is 10 Keyless but it is just not for me.

    I, like a lot of people, am now working from home. I really did not have a great setup to work from home so I spent some money and created a workspace for myself. Unlike normal times, I cannot just go to Ikea and get a desk. I also did not want to wait for deliveries from Amazon, so I stuck with local stores that offer pickup to minimize my and others exposure. I picked this up at Walmart along with the next two items that I plan on reviewing.

So why did I buy this keyboard?

Honestly, I picked this keyboard for three reasons.

1. It was at the store.
2. It was cheap.
3. When I left my office with my laptop I did not know that I was not coming back for awhile and left two good keyboards on my desk and with the external monitor, it is hard to use the laptop.

As I said, I do not really like this keyboard but that does not mean that it is a terrible keyboard for the right use case. It does have some nice features that may make it a good choice for some.

Features

1. Wireless. The K400 uses a wireless dongle to connect to your target device.
2. Small. 
3. It does not feel too flimsy or cheap.
4. It has an integrated touchpad, so you do not need a mouse in addition to the keyboard.
5. Multi-media keys.
6. Inexpensive, as low as $19.95.

So why don't I like the K400? It all comes down to how I need to use it and personal preferences. If you want this to connect to a Rasberry Pi hooked to your TV or a Media PC, it is a good choice. You can put it next to the couch and control the device. Others may like it because they can put it in their laptop case and have an external keyboard and touchpad to use. 

What I need it for is to write code. I am a software engineer and currently writing Linux device drivers.  I am also a big guy, at almost 2 meters tall. I will be using this at a desk hooked to my work laptop or my personal laptop. So, a lot of the features of this keyboard require trade-offs that I just do not like. 

So what is it that I do not like.

The small size.

The trade-offs to get a small size are just too great for me and the small size offers me no benefit. It is too small and feels cramped to me. Many of the keys are not are full-sized. For example, the enter key and the right shift keys. Also, the home, end, page up, and page down keys require the use of an fn key as well as the function keys. Another trade-off is that it has a very short keystroke and a mushy feel. The height of the keyboard is also not adjustable. 

The integrated touchpad. 

I find it terrible to use. It may be a setting I need to change but it is useless to me. I admit that it has a lot of potentials, if I can get it working well but right now it just does not work for me. It takes forever to move the pointer. Because it is so slow, I have plugged in an external mouse. I do like that it is located to the right, so you are less likely to brush or hit it by mistake which I feel is a real plus.

Not a Bluetooth device.

For many, this is not a problem but a feature. It is simpler to just plug in a USB dongle and not worry about pairing a Bluetooth device. Also, if you are going to use it for gaming, in theory, the property wireless connection offers lower latency than Bluetooth. For me, it is not a benefit. Both my laptops have Bluetooth and I do not find pairing them an issue. So to switch between computers, I have to swap the USB dongle and mouse when I switch between laptops. It would be much simpler if whichever laptop was on would just grab the keyboard and mouse. I could get a KVM switch to handle all this but that is an added expense. 

So should you buy it?

That really depends. If you do not mind the small keys and the feel of the keyboard, it is not a bad choice. If you are going to be writing a lot of code with it, I just think you can find better options.

If it sounds like a good fit, you can buy from Walmart for only $19.95

Other options?

Tom's guide has a review of cheap keyboards that may offer you some better choices if you can get them or have time to have them delivered. 

Stay safe and have a good week.

If you are working from home and have a secure job like I do, please consider donating to your local food bank, homeless shelter, animal Shelter or charity of your choice. 

The problem with a lack of accuracy in the news.

Shotty news coverage reduces trust in the news. Don't worry this is politics-free.

I am going to discuss one news story on CNN. You can find fiction on every news site but this one is just a perfect example of really bad journalism.

We will start off with the headline.

Grumman X-29: The impossible fighter jet with inverted wings.

So what is wrong with the headline? 

Well for starters the wings are not inverted they are swept forward. They are not mounted upside down or backward. The leading edge of the airfoil is pointing forward as it should. It is in no way inverted. It is also not a fighter. It had no weapons. It had no gun. It was a research aircraft. A plane can not be a fighter if it can not fight.

Well, those are just words does it really matter? 

Words do matter and a journalist's first task is to get the facts straight. the real issue with this is just the laziness of this. My guess is it was researched with Wikipedia and enhanced with a thesaurus. I am sure the author just looked up backward and got inverted and thought it was an impressive word. 

It is a matter of trust.

I can not trust a news site one a subject I am knowledgeable about how can I trust them when I am not knowledgeable enough to cross-check it myself or worse will I trust them to tell me something I need to hear but goes counter to my world view? When this happens a news site has lost its power to inform and educate.

If you want to see it for yourself you can here CNN

The problem with a lot of YouTube channels I used to like.

My wife says I am not like other people.

This is a terrible picture of me wearing my Snoop Dog "as in Snoopy" hoodie. It is also a NASA Apollo hoodie. I love tools, I like homesteading and rural life, I like high technology, I like retro technology, I like history, and I like teaching my Sunday School class. But three things I really do not like are politics, left-wing self-loathing,  and right-wing conspiracy nuts!

I have friends that fit into both categories. For an example of left-wing self-loathing just listen to any music by Midnight oil. A bunch of white guys from Australia that sing about how badly the indigenous population was treated. This is true but the made a bunch of money singing about it and maybe the gave some money to help but I bet they made a pretty good living at it as well. I am sure that people feel cleansed by being told how terrible they are but it really helps nothing,

Then you have the right-wing conspiracy theory nuts that think they have the inside dope on how the world really works. You also have the left-wing conspiracy theory folks but I have not been bothered by them of late. This is the problem there is a YouTuber that does some really good projects and reviews. I really like what he does except that he is a prepper. He also has a video on preparing for WW III. He is also a big concealed carry guy and talks about taking his gun with him to dinner with his wife.  I have friends that have guns and that is fine but I do not own a gun and never really needed one.

Planning for World War III is just in my opinion a little crazy. Same thing for trying to defend the US from invasion with your own gun or rebelling against the United States government. 

So here is the problem. Because I watched his video YouTube is suggesting other extremist gun nut and prepper videos to me.

But wait your blog is all over the place as far as subjects.
Yes, that is correct but this blog is more just for me to try and improve my writing skills. I am not trying to make money off of it and my views are in the double digits at best not in the tens of thousands. It is just my interests and I keep politics out of it. In fact, this is going to be the only post I make on this subject but I really wanted to get it off of my chest. Plus I think it is possible to like making and growing things without preparing for the end of the world.

Cat Free YouTube Channels Den of Tools

Den of Tools

Yes, this is an animated bear doing tool reviews.

  This is heading back to one of my favorite types of YouTube Channel. This is more of a tool review and a good deal-finding channel. I have not seen any projects on this channel yet but that is fine. And yes I love the animated bear.

Scorecard

The Rating uses G, PG, PG-13, and R while the other categories use A for the best that I know of, B for good but others might be better, C is average, D below average, and F is just terrible. 

• Rating G From what have seen this is totally family-friendly. Red Beard is a family man and it shows.
•  Quality A I really like the animated bear that is the "host of the show". It really makes for a fun watch. Now when he shoots video the quality goes down like when he does shopping at the store video but I just do not care.
• Community A The community currently seems on the whole good but has the required flame wars over what brand of tools is the best. Red is not a fan of Snap-On because of the price. He is a best bang for the buck kind of bear.
• Depth A Red really seems to be on top of things. He seems to have inside contacts at many tool companies and stores like Lowes, HomeDepot, and Harbor Freight. 
• Overall A  It is very informative and yet fun to watch. 

Where to watch it

  YouTube Den of Tools.
   He also has a website located at www.denoftools.com
   

What I think of this show

I really like this channel. It is fun and informative. It is great fun. What is really great is that Red really keeps hin channel on target. No politics or other off-topic subjects. He does have two other channels that cover gadgets and weight loss. So if you like tools this is a channel you may like.

Lost in the Pond. A funny and touching look at ourselves.

Lost in the Pond

And now for something completely different. 

   This channel is not about technology, tools, airplanes, history, or cats. This channel is about being an American. It is a mirror that we can stare at ourselves in and laugh. 
   The creator of this channel is a gentleman from England that moved to the US around 10 years ago with his American wife. He moved not to a big city on the coast but to the midwest. This is about all the things he loves about America and the things he finds really odd. It is a fun look at ourselves through someone else's eyes. 
   If you are not from the United States it is a great way to find out more about the United States. I am sure that many people think that they know all about the US from movies and TV but imagine what we would think of the UK if we based it on Harry Potter, Bennie Hill, and Mr. Bean. 

Scorecard

The Rating uses G, PG, PG-13, and R while the other categories use A for the best that I know of, B for good but others might be better, C is average, D below average, and F is just terrible. 

• Rating G I have not seen every video but the ones I have seen have been profanity-free with a few beeped out words.  While small children may not get the humor you will not have to turn it off in a hurry if they walk into the room.
•  Quality B  Production quality is good, It is mostly talking headshot but he is actually a pretty good presenter. I could see him as a good stand up act. 
• Community B The communities on YouTube Channels are often terrible but this one seems fine. I have not looked a lot into the comments to be honest because it is just pure entertainment to me. 
• Depth A It is as deep as it needs to be. The creator does research a bit on the subjects that need it. Again this is just a fun channel and not really a how-to or Nerd war channel. It is educational but in a fun way. No test will be given at the end of the videos. 
• Overall A  It is fun and enlightening all at the same time. Just watch it.

Where to watch it

  YouTube Lost in the Pond
     

What I think of this show

I really like it. It is fun.

Random Thoughts: An Analysis of Macbeth as an Aristotelian Tragedy,

If you are wondering what the heck this is all about or think that I might be kidding let me explain. I am currently taking college courses and I had to write a paper on Shakespeare's Macbeth and analysis it as an Aristotelian Tragedy. I decided to go ahead and post it on my blog.

Spoiler Alert

If you have never seen or read Mcbeth you might not want to read past this point. Frankly, after reading past this point you may never want to read or watch Macbeth.

 

   The complication in the plot of Macbeth is when the witches tell him that he is to be king after he won a great battle. He had really everything that he could have wanted but his greed and ego for more lead him into self-destruction and a murderous rampage. 

   The climax comes when Malcolm kills Macbeth and retakes the throne. The denouement comes when Malcolm states he is going to return the land to peace and order. The denouncement is all very much in line with the old concept of the divine rule of kings being the only correct path. The usurper Macbeth brought mayhem to the kingdom that was only put right when the true king was put back on the throne.

   The principle protagonist and antagonist in Macbeth are one and the same. Macbeth. You could list just about every other character from the witches, Lady Macbeth, Duncan, to Malcolm as antagonists but the primary antagonist was Macbeth or Macbeth’s ego. The witches just provided an excuse for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth’s greed and ambition to take control of their lives, but it was only an excuse. Lady Macbeth encouraged her husband to abandon his morality and duty for power. All the rest of the characters had very good reasons to oppose Macbeth he was after all a murderous tyrant. In the end, the greatest opposition that the protagonist faced was his own ego, greed, and lack of moral compass. He was his own worst enemy.

   The themes in Hamlet are pride, greed, and infidelity. The pride and greed themes are clear but the infidelity has to do with Macbeth not keeping faithful to the true king. The virtue that Macbeth seems to inspire is the virtue of the status quo and of the ruling class. While it is easy to include the Christ-like attributes of humility as well as the blatantly obvious ones of don’t go around murdering people or trusting witches the actual virtue that it may have been created to inspire is not considered a virtue today. When looked at in historical context it is a cautionary tale about the futility of opposing the righteous rule of kings. Macbeth in his arrogance decides he should be ruler and kills the king. When that happens, things go badly for the people and Macbeth and his family. Only when the true heir to the throne regains the throne is all returned to normal. Today we do not believe in the divine right of kings to rule without question, so we see other lessons in virtue like humility and of course not committing murder that apply to current times.  

   Macbeth’s fatal flaw is hubris, his arrogance and compassion are what cause his downfall. Finding two examples of Macbeth’s hubris is difficult because the play is in many ways nothing but his hubris. The clear examples are when he believes the witches when they say he will be king and the second when they tell him that he will not be deposed until the forest moves and cannot be killed by any man born of woman. Both times he took it as proof of his own greatness and invulnerability. 

   It would be easy to select Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow and out dammed spot as examples of using diction to increase the drama. The dialog of the sergeant in Act I scene II is a far less well-known example. In his description of the battle, he references the site of Christ’s crucifixion Golgotha as well as many other metaphorical terms to describe the horrors of the battlefield. The second is in Act V when Macbeth talks of the prophecy that no man born of woman can defeat him and dismisses the threat that Malcolm poses. I wonder what the people of the time thought. Did they wonder how the prophecy and events would resolve the paradox?

   The play starts off with spectacle the opening scene with the witches invokes the supernatural. The use of sound effects of thunder crashing and a storm raging are all images of wonder, terror, and power beyond the understanding of the people of the time. If you think of the time, they lived in such images would inspire awe in the audience.  The descriptive language of the great battles would then use imagination of the audience to provide a spectacle that was more internal. Shakespeare lacked the resources to stage a great battle so he uses descriptive language as a tool to create a spectacle in the audience’s mind. 

   My emotional reaction to this play? Disgust is probably the best description. I do not like it. I do not feel that it is a great example of a classic tragedy because it was completely avoidable, and I find the characters of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to be completely unlikable and without any redeeming value. Unlike Oedipus Rex where the tragedy was driven by fate Macbeth is driven by greed and a complete lack of mercy and compassion. A passage that moved me. Nothing really did in a positive way. Even the Out Dammed Spot speech is about how the guilt of the murders committed affects Lady Macbeth.  I did not see any sorrow for the victims killed. It all filled me with disgust for the self-indulgent nature of the Macbeths

   Lady Macbeth’s Out Dammed Spot as an example of peripety is in that Lady Macbeth went from saying all that one has to do is wash away the blood to descending into insanity because of guilt over the murders.  I question the idea that she became insane at this point I am tempted to think that instead she regained some sanity and could longer just dismiss her terrible crimes.  Her death could be seen as her act of repentance or even the wages of sin. A dramatic change from her unbridled lust for power at the beginning of the play.