This might get a little complicated…

I’ve been reading about a couple instances in the last week of people “manipulating” the search results of Google to allow their company’s website or client’s website to get a “better” position.  I’ve always found these "controversies” humorous, but does it really matter?

You may think that if a website is visited a lot of times, it automatically gets higher on Google results: this would only be correct for 10% of how Google figures it out.  A larger weight is given to a website that has a lot of websites connecting to it.

So, in my example from yesterday, it was discovered (before Google corrected the problem) that, when searching for ‘murder’, the Wikipedia page for Abortion was the second result.  This suddenly happened because a lot of websites that discuss ‘murder’ or mention ‘murder’ had linked TO that Abortion page, intentionally trying to make that page rise in the results.  Many times something like this is done for political reasons.

It’s not enough that a webpage has a lot of traffic and is about a certain murder.  Google thinks that, if other websites that are about murder LINK to a certain site, that site has more credibility on the subject.

So, there are some public relations companies and marketing companies that either make thousands of webpages or hire websites to put links to their clients websites.  That way, their client-pages have a LOT more sites linking to them, thus increasing their page views.

This happened last month when JCPenny was punished for hiring people to put their links on random webpages.  Google found out and decreased their ranking to number 27 in a lot of MAJOR search categories, i.e. clothes, bags, makeup.

Is this really a big deal?  It seems like people complaining about nothing.  Think about it this way, when you’re searching for shirts or a specific item of clothing, do you click on the 20th result?  Usually you click on one of the first 3 results, if you don’t already recognize the name of a major brand.

A company can make tens of millions of dollars more if their name is just a few results higher.  And that is why Google tries to be fair and why your search results are a valued commodity.

My next post, in a day or two, is going to be about how Google sorts its search results

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I noticed this as I typed “murder” into my Google search.  Look at result number 2:

I find this interesting/suspicious.

Tip of the Hat to: Cory Doctorow of Boing Boing

Update:

I promise a new blog entry later today or tomorrow.

I’m trying to stay on top of my MOTOROLA XOOM news.  What I’m hearing is disappointing.

Great News if You’re Looking to Buy a New HDTV

Alright.  I told you I would discuss some fun things to do with burned movies and a house entertainment system, but this topic is actually topical; meaning, the information I give will be of use to you NOW.

It was a sad year for hdtv sales in 2010.  Best Buy said their sales of hdtvs dropped this year by 14%.  This is GOOD!  70% of households already HAVE an hdtv.  But hdtvs have been around long enough that, if you were one of the first to buy, or even if you are still that person that hasn’t broken down yet, the next few months may be PERFECT for you. 

Since places like Best Buy usually get their new models into the stores in June, NOW is the time to purchase a television.  After the Super Bowl sales, when the stores have the leftover televisions that didn’t sell, is when you can find deals.  Just like after Christmas.

I want to make sure that, when you go out to find a television, you don’t go in and get blind-sided by a quick salesman.  Here are some things you need to keep in mind:

Type of hdtv: really, there is no debate between plasma and LCD anymore.  LCD won.  Now, you decide between LCD and LED.  They are both considered “LCD” screens, but LED is a different type of lighting.  LED delivers better colors and darker blacks, meaning when the screen is black it doesn’t look like someone is shining a light through a black filter; on LED screens, the light actually turns OFF.  Because of their better color and black levels, they are usually more expensive.

Refresh Rate: most TVs come in 120hz, which means that the screen “refreshes” the image 120 times per second.  Some old screens are 60hz, but many companies stopped making them because they do fidgety things with TV and blu-ray signals. (Ask me if you really want to know the technical reason)  If someone says that you should get the 240hz screen because it will be twice as good video quality, tell them that they’re “not talking to an ignoramus.  I know that 240hz is just a marketing term that means NOTHING.”  Stick with the 120hz.

Smoothing Motion: don’t fall for the “smooth motion” or “super motion” option.  Basically, movies and TV shows are filmed at 24 and 30 frames per second, respectively.  This means that when you are watching them on a 120hz TV, they are repeating the same movie frame 5 times and every TV frame 4 times every second.  That “smoothing motion” takes two frames and figures out what the picture is doing between the two for those extra frames.  Basically, it allows your TV to make its own TV show or movie.  If you’re someone who believes that a director knows what he is doing, you will respect him enough not to allow your TV to screw with the film or show he has created.  PHEW.

Internet connectivity and widgets: you really have total control over this, most of the time.  Many televisions now come with application stores where you can add connections to HULU or Netflix or a weather application that tells you local weather.  If you don’t want to use them, you don’t have to, but they’re very convenient to watch streaming video on your TV from the internet.

3D technology: as much as I hate this, most of us are going to have to get used to the fact that 3d technology is here, at least for the next few years.  Basically, nowadays it’s glove compartments are in your car: not everyone uses them, YOU MIGHT NOT EVEN CARE ABOUT THE FEATURE WHEN YOU SHOP FOR A CAR, but it will be installed in the car anyway.  It doesn’t add anything to the price of the hdtv, since all the new TVs come with it anyway.  So, it will be an option that you have available to you, if you want, but if you never use it, you probably will forget that it exists.  So stop trying to find that hdtv that doesn’t have it.

TV size:  the most basic advice I can give you is that, for most people, a 46” TV is the perfect size.  As you look at the table below, know that I sit about 10’ or 11’ away from my 46” screen and think it look magnificent.  These viewing distances are mostly just to make sure that, if you’re at the close end of the spectrum, you can’t see pixels.  Because people will be able to see pixels on an an hdtv that is 100’ tall if they are close enough.

Screen	Viewing Distance Range
26”	3.25-5.5 feet
32”	4.0-6.66 feet
37”	4.63-7.71 feet
40”	5.0-8.33 feet
46”	5.75-9.5 feet
52”	6.5-10.8 feet
58”	7.25-12 feet
65”	8.13-13.5 feet
70”	8.75-14.75 feet

Those are the basic rules for looking for a new hdtv these next few months.  Keep in mind that big box stores like Best Buy, Costco and Wal-Mart can offer you some great advice and store service, but they usually have higher prices than online stores like Amazon, NewEgg or TigerDirect have.  So, make sure to research yourself, check out both venues (online and brick and mortar stores) and know that, if you need any help or have any other questions, I can answer them very quickly by email. 

Let me know.

Laziness or the Family Man

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Recently, I was at a friend’s house, visiting.  As I was looking around his house, I noticed that my friend, who is married and has children, kept his house spare of any expensive or precarious objects.  As we were getting ready to watch a movie, he went over to a cabinet, that was closed and locked, selected a DVD from a collection that was close to the top of the shelf and carefully opened the package.

I wasn’t use to this level of carefulness, but I guess when you have a house filled with children who have fingers that are covered in peanut butter and enjoy throwing dvds onto the ground under other toys, you need to be careful with your video discs.

It reminded me of something I started to do last winter as a way to allow myself to be lazier than I normally am.  It irritates me that, in order to watch one of my dvds, I need to get up, take the disc over to my player and put it in.  Then, if I am watching a television series with multiple discs, this routine repeats itself several times.  I wanted something simple.

Enter: Slysoft’s AnyDVD HD.

For 79 euros ($110), AnyDVD HD allows you to copy your movie discs to your computer as an image file.  Basically, it is a singular file that has all of the information of the DVD.  When selected, this file, in conjunction with Slysoft’s Virtual CloneDrive, tricks your computer into thinking that the disc is in the drive and plays the movie for you. 

In other words, I have made it so that, with other applications, I can watch any movie I own, on my computer just by clicking on the file from my bed; no disc, dvd covers, or getting up required.

How does this apply to my friend?  Using this program, you could make backup copies of your movies so that, if Toy Story 3 ever gets scratched or destroyed before a long car ride, you can burn a quick copy with a blank dvd and you don’t have to fork over another 20 dollars to avoid the screaming banshee in the back seat.  For a parent, I can’t imagine a more wonderful, technological security blanket. 

Now there are stipulations.  I only use this to make copies of films that I already own.  And I do NOT make copies of films I own, then turn around and SELL.  That is illegal.  Well, to be strictly technical, the Digital Millennium Copyright Act DOES imply that this is illegal, but if I own the movie, I feel that I should be able to do what I want with it as long as I am only using one copy at a time.

For the next couple posts, I am going to be talking about some of the cool tricks and tips that you should know if you want to start backing up your media and DVDs, so keep posted.

And remember to email me any questions you may have and follow my technology twitter feed.