Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with fuzzy

How to use a 32" CRT as a computer monitor?

Ziggy Zaga — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:43:13 -0800

I want to be able to use my 32" television as a secondary computer monitor for games/movies. There are many tutorials for doing this on the internet but I'm having a heck of a time actually getting this to work. What am I doing wrong? Computer is relatively new, runs Windows XP SP2 and has an nVidia 7300 GS card with a VGA, DVI and 4-pin S-Video port. Newest video drivers (as of today) are installed.

Television is an unknown model Philips/Magnavox CRT monstrosity with several rows of composite ports and two (pretty sure, but not 100%) 4-pin S-Video ports. If I knew the model I could locate the manual or specifications but neither Philips nor Magnavox seem to have these CRT television sets listed on their sites anymore.

I went to the store and bought a 12' 4-pin S-Video cable. Hooked one end up to the video card, other end to the television. Messed around with the settings and configurators in the nVidia control panel.

I'm getting a signal on the TV, but unfortunately it is about as clear as watching scrambled porn. It's constantly fuzzy and doesn't display anything coherent. I know it's getting a signal from the computer since I can make out certain things depending on what's on my monitor ("hey, that looks like a nipple!") but it is absolutely unusable.

I am assuming that something, either the resolution, bit depth, or frequency is incorrect but the nVidia control panel does not make it easy to change any of these things. I'm pretty sure at one point I did find somewhere I could change the resolution but the lowest it would go is 800x600 and didn't seem to have any effect on the display.

If it matters, the control panel keeps referring to my TV as being an HDTV. It is not an HDTV.

Any suggestions? All the computer hardware I find seems to facilitate watching TV on your computer monitor, not the other way around. Furthermore I could not find any useful adapters or anything at Fry's; I couldn't even find a VGA-to-composite converter (yes, I was getting that desperate).

If you need any more information about the setup then please ask; I'd really like to be able to accomplish this task.

Thanks

Streamline a conversation

colecovizion — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:49:54 -0800

Outlook Cleaning/Archive Gurus: Help me eliminate emails with similar (but not duplicate) content! I'm having a hard time finding a way to automate the search and deletion of emails with similar content. I have a manual process that I'm trying to automate.

The method: Every time an email is responded to, the full text is usually retained from the previous response.

Example (without attachments):

* Person #1 sends email
* Person #2 replies to email (includes the first email's full text)
* Person #1 replies to email (includes the first two emails)

Why not just keep the latest response in the conversation and any emails that have unique attachments? This way, you can reduce the Outlook size without compromising any data! Of course, this gets more complex with multiple recipients and responses.

The setup: Let's assume 1000 emails are in 1 giant archive folder. These emails include my sent email and my received email that are ready for archiving. Hence, my manual process....

* Sort by conversation (more often than not, the email text in the body is duplicated each time there is a response)
* Delete the oldest emails within a conversation UNLESS there is a unique attachment or unique text that isn't already in a newer email

In a world without attachments, this would usually keep the most current email in the conversation (which has all of my replies and their replies).

I know this is a very specific request, however, I think this method is pretty snazzy (to blow my own horn here) because it keeps all the unique information and it eliminates the duplicate information. Hence, smaller backups and better searches.

Any guidance is appreciated! Also if you have any Outlook email tricks please post for all to see!

name that sound!

Koko — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:42:08 -0800

What did they use to make that fuzzy, rattly percussion sound in the Sanford & Son theme? You can hear it here, and it's sampled and repeated in MIA's song U.R.A.Q.T. (click the audio symbol next to the title to hear a sample), and it's also used briefly in Simon & Garfunkel's The Boxer, but I can't find a sound file of that.

What is making that sound??

Hangover question--why the "fuzzy" feeling?

mintchip — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:48:01 -0800

Hangover question--why the "fuzzy" feeling? I am pretty susceptible to the effects of alcohol. A couple of times a month a night out on the town results in a hangover.

The day after I drink my thinking seems really "fuzzy." My reaction time is slow and I just feel really dense and out of it.

Is this typical of a hangover? I have heard about the sick feelings (headache, nausea, sensitivity to light, etc.), but I get the "dumb" feelings even when I'm not hungover enough to feel all that sick (i.e. I had 2 and a half or 3 drinks).

Secondly, while I know getting hangovers in the first place is not ideal, does my body's reaction indicate some sort of inability to handle alcohol? In other words, am I killing all manner of brain cells when I have 3 drinks in a night (which doesn't seem all that excessive to me and doesn't happen more than 3x/month)?

I should also mention that I take Wellbutrin. How would this influence my body's reaction to alcohol? I'm not so concerned about the day after, but would love reassurance that I'm not doing irreparable damage to the gray matter.

Help me see my brother's smile again

odi.et.amo — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:13:58 -0800

FuzzyPictureFilter: Is the entertainment industry lying to me? Is it really possible to get a clear image from a fuzzy picture? I have several digital photographs of a deceased love one - these pictures are unfortunately fuzzy. I would REALLY like to get a nice picture of his smile - I know there is a great shot behind the fuzzy, but how can I get to it? My only other option is to use a picture from when he was about 6, but obviously, I want to remember him in all his grown-up splendor. The fuzziness is due to both slight movement as well as a not-completely-focused digital camera + hand shaking.

Is this something that can be fixed with photoshop/gimpshop? I've never had much success with un-fuzzying pictures, even using instructions listed in a book of photoshop tricks. Any help offered would be graciously and appreciatively accepted. I can post a link to the pictures if you guys think that would help.

Bad juju or good juju?

gergtreble — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 15:16:32 -0800

Does anybody know where I can get a copy of the US single "Fuzzy" By Grant Lee Buffalo? specifically I'm after Dixie Drug Store (JuJu Mix). I remember hearing this extended mix of Dixie Drug Store By Grtant Lee Buffalo many many years ago. And Ive been looking for it ever since. It was relased by Warners in 1993 and had the Cat no. 857 293-2.

This track may also have been available on a promotional copy of the single "Mockingbirds" in the UK. Because i think thats what i heared it on.

I am willing to buy the single though if anyone has this track on mp3 i would be happy with that.

Please oh great Hive mind help me out on this...