I lost my cookies.

This is very strange. I can't seem to find my cookies folder on my Windows XP computer. I have done a folder search and nothing came up. Under the folder options, I have selected "Show hidden files and folders."

I know the folder is under C:\Documents and Settings\username\Cookies, but it is just not showing up.

There appears to be a new option which I must have overlooked in the folder options/view window. I need to unchecked "Hide protected operating system files." Once it is unchecked the folder showed up as a light gray hidden folder.

The other thing I could have done is just type "cookies" as a run command and the folder will show up.

Review of Smartparts 8" Digital Picture Frame SP8EM

Digital Picture Frames are very popular these days. It is a wonderful way to display all the digital photos that seem to clog up my hard drives. The Smartparts 8" Digital Picture Frame was on sale at Costco this weekend and here is my first impression. The model number I have is the 8" SP8EM. There are many other models available at the Smartparts web site.

The entire wood frame size is about 9-5/8" x 8-1/4" with the LCD screen size of 6-1/4" x 4-3/4". The resolution of the LCD is 800x600. Therefore, the size of the LCD is just a little larger than a regular 4x6 photo. The LCD size is just about right for me.

What's inside the box:

• LCD Picture frame


• Remote control


• AC Power adapter


• USB cord to connect to a PC


• Removable stand (Plastic piece)

Getting Started:

Getting started is easy. Plug the power cord into the LCD frame and turn the unit on. The slide show starts automatically using the 5 sample slides saved on the internal 128 MB flash memory. I inserted a 256 MB compact flash (CF) card with about 20 jpg photos at 1800x1200 size and they were automatically displayed in the slide show. The jpg files on the CF card do not need to be transferred to the internal memory to be displayed. The photos displayed just fine from the CF card directly. Therefore, if you have a large memory card, the number of photos that can be displayed can be into the thousands.

There are 2 slots for memory cards- CF card and SD card. There is also another USB port probably for an USB memory stick. If the LCD frame is connected to the USB port of a PC, Windows automatically detects the 2 removable card slots and the internal flash memory. Files can then be copied to the removable memory card or internal memory by using copy and paste within Windows. There is a program called Optipix Pro stored in the internal flash memory. Clicking on the setup program automatically install the Windows program.

The OptiPix program basically resize any jpg photo to a 800x600 resolution. This can be done by selecting each file individually or by selecting a directory. If your LCD frame is connected to the PC, the files are automatically transferred to the internal flash memory in a subfolder. A folder is also created on the desktop with the downsized jpg photos. The original photos are untouched. If the LCD frame is not connected to your PC when the OptiPix program is running, you will get an error message; however, the files are still transformed and the subdirectory is still created on the desktop. I converted my original 1800x1200 jpg files to 800x600 resolution to save space. The converted files are about 50 to 80 KB in size.

This is actually the way I preferred to organize my photos on my CF card- putting photos in subdirectories. I ran the OptiPix program multiple times without connecting the LCD frame to the PC and each time I renamed the folder to the title of the vacation photos. Then I copied and pasted the file folders directly to the CF card. Even with the subdirectories, the LCD frame displayed all the photos within them without any problems. The order of the photos being displayed appears to be based on the time the files were created or converted.

Music:

The LCD frame also plays background music if you have music files saved in memory. Unfortunately almost all my musics are in the MP3 format and the LCD frame only works with WMA files. I had to search ways to convert my MP3s to the WMA format. I was able to use a program I already have called TotalRecorder for the job. It does a nice batch convert and saved the output file to my CF card. I encountered another problem with the WMA file. The LCD frame will not recognize WMA9 files and I had to convert the files to WMA7 format. Once I figured out the problem, I was able to encode the files at 128 kBit/s, 44.100 Hz, Stereo. The sound output is adequate. There is a volume control and mute buttons on the small remote. The small speakers are in the back of the LCD frame.

Movie:

The LCD frame will also display movie files with sound. The only movie files I tried are the ones that came out of my small Canon camera. The files I have are MVI files at 640x480. They worked fine on the LCD screen. The resolution of my file is lower than the display resolution, 800x600, therefore the movies were somewhat pixelated.

Remote Control:

The small remote control is very useful. You can select one static photo to be displayed or run the slide show. As mentioned above, it has volume control and a mute button. Adjustment of brightness/contrast and color are also available. Files can be deleted using the remote control, however, I prefer just taking the CF card out and using my PC to move files around. The remote also has an on and off button. There is really no place to store the remote, so I attached a little Velcro to the back of the LCD frame and store the remote there.

Summary:

The prices of digital picture frames are coming down quickly and the Smartparts SP8EM 8" model seems to be a good buy. I like the sizes of the wood frame and the LCD display. I saw a 10.4" LCD model today and the frame seemed a little too big for an office desk. The ability to display jpg files directly from the removable memory card is a plus. The images displayed are sharp and colors are nicely reproduced for the typical family photos. The small remote is also a nice feature.

A few thousand photos can be stored in the internal flash memory if converted using the included OptiPix program. There is no need for additional memory cards other than for convenience.

On the negative side, the LCD frame can only play WMA7 files and people may have problem converting their music to the WMA7 format. However, the LCD frame will probably be used in a silent mode most of time anyway.

Actually my wife has already decided that she is going to take the LCD frame to her office. I just have to finish processing our vacation photos from July. I am still on day 1 of our Italy trip.

Addendum: When shopping for a digital photo/picture frame it is important to note the resolution of the screen and the proportion of the screen. Most of the frames are listed by the diagonal length of the LCD screen in inches. The screen resolution for the SmartParts SP8EM is 800x600 and the proportion is close to a 4x6 print (aspect ratio 4:3). I see some 10.4" screens with similar or even lower number of pixel counts such as 640x480. There are also screens with 800x480 resolution, which displays the photo close to a 16:9 wide screen format. Most of my photos and most digital camera jpg files display better in the 4:3 aspect ratio format. After playing with the frame for a day and seeing the excellent color and resolution, I went back to Costco and purchased 2 more frames to give to the grandparents. I am going to load up the frames with family photos before I give it to them. Overall I am very happy with my purchase.

Pizza Version 1.2

Made two more pizzas last night and they actually looked like "real" pizzas and not "mutants", lol. I used lots of cornmeal so it didn't stick to the pizza peel. The amount of time needed to make the pizza is also getting shorter and this can become another quick and cheap meal option.

The photo above was my second pizza and it is already kind of dried up. The flour and cornmeal are still making it a little messy to clean up. Overall, I am still happy at the way things turned out again. It is definitely an improvement from my version 1.0 pizza and the kids are really having fun making fun of my cooking. Having some fun with the kids, that is what really matters.

What is the phone number I am calling from?

With the recent fire in Southern California, the electricity to our office went off. When it came back on, there must have been some sort of power surge that zapped our Panasonic phone system. AT&T was nice enough to allow us to set up a temporary call forwarding feature for a few days until we got a new phone system installed. Anyway, here are some interesting numbers I found while trying to debug and fix the phone lines.

• If you want to know the phone number you are calling from and you are with AT&T, dial 959-9822
• MCI can tell you the number you are dialing from at 800-444-4444
• If you don't know who your long distance carrier is, call 1-700-555-4141

Thanks to AbleComm.com for the above information.

craigslist.com

I finally sold something online via craigslist. I had 5 Kodak slide trays that have been sitting around in my office for many years collecting dust. All of the presentations these days are done on PowerPoint and the slide trays are totally useless now. The slide trays were listed on craigslist for 2 months and someone came and picked it up. Um.. I made $5.00, lol. It is good that the trays now have a new home. This is better than throwing them in the trash.

Pizza Version 1.1

I did my Pizza Version 1.1 for dinner tonight- two 12" pizzas. "Not bad," my wife said. I learned my lesson last week and used a lot more flour and cornmeal. With the cornmeal, the pizza didn't stick to the peel this time and it worked out much better.

The pizza dough was from Trader Joe's and I even baked some bread sticks with a garlic/spice dough. Overall, I am very happy the way things turned out today.

Oh, I still couldn't figure out how to use the fancy digital timer on the Dacor oven. Okay, plans for version 1.2 for next week:

• adding some herbs and garlic to the pizza sauce.
• I read somewhere you are suppose to poke the dough with a fork to get rid of bubbles. My second pizza tonight had a very large bubble. It was the size of a baseball!

Attack of the Mutant Pizza

My latest quest in life is to learn how to make a pizza from scratch. As with any tasks in life you must have the right tools and Amazon.com definitely has got my vote for the place to purchase all the required gadgets to make a pizza from scratch. Here is my list:

• pizza stone or pizza pan is a must. I purchased a cast iron pizza pan.
• a pizza peel to transfer the pizza
• a pizza wheel cutter
• a silicon mat to roll out the dough.

Well, I kind of cheated for my Pizza 1.0 version. I purchased a ready made pizza dough from WinCo Foods. After reading about 20 variations on dough recipes on the Internet, I think I may have to stick with ready made dough.

Once I have the pizza dough, pizza sauce, and some cheese, I thought to myself how hard can it be? Just put the pizza in the oven and a few minutes later, it is ready to eat. Actually, it was a lot harder than I thought. My version 1.0 pizza bombed. While trying to place the pizza on my new cast iron pizza pan, the dough stuck to the peel and didn't want to slide off. I tried desperately to keep the circular shape as I tucked and pushed on the pizza. The pizza kind of flopped upside down on the pan preheated to 425 degrees.

The end result was still edible, well, kind of, just a small portion of it. My kids ate 2 small pieces and the rest I had to trash. I was just too embarrassed for anyone else to see it. It was one ugly looking pizza. It was all twisted and looked liked a mutated tumor.

Version 1.1 of the pizza is coming this week, and I am planning some adjustment:

• I got to get some cornmeal. I read that is the thing to use to prevent the pizza from sticking to the peel.
• I am going to cook 2 small pizzas instead of one large one. In case I mess up the first small one, I still can try to make another.
• I needed a little more cheese.