Recycling Electronics Is Getting Easier

In my March 30, 2008 blog post, I discussed the issues and methods of recycling electronics.

As more retail stores, equipment manufacturers, and local governments open or expand their recycling programs, it is getting easier for consumers to recycle computers, televisions, media players and cell phones.

In the June 2009 issue of Consumer Reports, they answer the question "Why recycle?" by explaining,

"The cathode-ray tube in old-style TVs and computer monitors contains 4 to 8 pounds of lead, a neurotoxin. Cell phones and other electronic gadgets can contain mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and brominated flame retardants. Those toxins can leach from landfills into groundwater."

Read the full article.

We had an old 19" standard-definition, non-HD-ready CRT television that we no longer needed and could not find a friend or neighbor who wanted it. The TV worked fine, but even selling it on Craigslist was more problem than it was worth. We decided to recycle it. Houston has recycling centers that accept glass, electronics, motor oil, and paints. We went to the closest center and dropped off the television with the workers. We explained it was a functional television, so in case they or someone else wanted it, they were welcome to have it.

If you have an old cell phone, check with your local women's shelters or other charities to see if they accept cell phones for their clients. (Some cell phone or office supply stores collect cell phones for this purpose.)

Even scratched or defective CDs can have a new life as the face of a clock, or as reflective hangers to scare birds away from your fruit trees.

If you are recycling a computer that still has its hard drive, be sure to not only delete everything on the computer, but also to reformat the drive. If you can remove and (safely) damage or magnetize the drive, you can prevent anyone from finding sensitive information you may have had on the computer when you were using it.

Recycling keeps dangerous chemicals out of our soil, our water, and our bodies.

Save Dollhouse

Tim Russert, R.I.P.

Totem Media and our family offers condolences to the family, friends, and co-workers of Tim Russert, host of the NBC Sunday morning program, Meet the Press. Details of his passing, and his life and work can be found here.

We watch Meet the Press every Sunday. It is a very good news show, discussing politics in an objective manner. Tim Russert was a great host. One reason is that he seemed fair. We felt we were getting both sides of the issues, unlike what one might see on Bill O'Reilly's or Amy Goodman's shows. Another reason we enjoyed watching Tim Russert is he had a good sense of humor. He was serious when needed, but could laugh at humorous situations or himself. Finally, he brought a strong sense of history and knowledge to the program. This ability to go back and directly quote people when they were either the guest or topic of discussion helped put today's hot-button topics in perspective.

We will miss his skill, his humor, and his voice.

Peace.

TV Producer Thrives on Tabloid Sleaze

Joseph Mallozzi, executive television producer and writer, foodie, super villian, voracious reader, spam destroyer, and dog owner, has a very successful daily blog on Wordpress. A couple of days ago, he wrote about how the use of tabloid-style blog titles could raise hits. His blog titles so far have been very amusing:

Major Hollywood Star Attacked by Rabid Turtles

and

Ballroom Dancing Linked to Mad Cow Disease

I've decided to give it a try - just for fun! The cool part is that my titles will actually relate to my blog posts, so my dear readers never have to feel cheated.

Digital TV, High Definition, and You

Many television channels today broadcast on both analog and digital channels. Starting February 17, 2009, major US television broadcasters will broadcast only on digital television (DTV) channels.

What's the difference between analog and digital? Think of analog as an audiocassette tape and digital as a compact disk (CD). The heads of a cassette player actually touch the tape as it passes through the machine, reading the magnetically imprinted information (sounds). A compact disk player uses a laser to read the information (sounds), which are recorded in binary computer language (1s and 0s).

A cassette player cannot play a CD, and a CD player cannot read a cassette. This is why televisions without a digital tuner cannot display the new digital channels. They simply are not built to "play" the signal it receives.

How do you know if you have a digital tuner in your television? Televisions manufactured after March 1, 2007 were required to include a digital tuner. That doesn't mean if you bought a TV after that date it automatically has a DTV tuner. Stores were allowed to sell their remaining stock of analog-only TVs after March 1. Your TV's owner's manual can tell you if you have a digital tuner.

If you have an analog-only TV, what can you do? If you receive television channels only with an antenna (over-the air), you will need a digital-to-analog signal converter box. This electronic component will convert the digital signals (1s and 0s) into analog signals (waves) so you TV can display them. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),

"Analog-only TVs should continue to work as before with cable and satellite TV services, gaming consoles, VCRs, DVD players, and similar products."

The US government is providing $40 off coupons to purchase a converter box. You can register to receive this coupon through this US government website.

What is the difference between DTV and HDTV? Is one better than the other? DTV means digital television. HDTV means high-definition television. They are two different things, but may be advertised or promoted together.

DTV is the type of signal transmitted by television broadcasters. HDTV is the resolution and size ratio of an image on a television. TV shows in the US used to all be 525 lines of resolution and 4:3 size ratio. A television image may look like one big square, but it's actually made of thin horizontal lines from top to bottom. Standard definition television (SDTV) has 525 of those lines from top to bottom on the screen. HDTV has 1125 horizontal lines of resolution and a 16:9 size ratio.

Standard Definition Television: 525 lines of resolution, 4:3 size ratio














High Definition Television: 1125 lines of resolution, 16:9 size ratio

For more information, post a question comment here or visit DTV.gov