#i don't have a tv but i have an hdmi monitor

[bread-tab]

i'm trying to make an old DVD work on my PC using VLC media player and OMG. the technology nostalgia is hitting hard. and it's *weird.* i grew up installing everything from CDs (floppy disks were phasing out when i was learning to computer) and obviously there was no concept of an alternative at the time. the "cloud" wasn't a thing. and here i am fumbling my way back out of that cloud, leaning away from my PC tower as it loudly whirs at me... and this all transpires because i got a DVD player for free from a thrift store liquidation sale a few months back and. uhhh. forgot to look for a remote

[flyingwargle]

yamaguchi sticks his head out from behind the door, smile wide as he opens it further. "hey, welcome! tsukki just went out to pick up the food, but he'll be back soon."

"sweet! we brought drinks!" koganegawa raises his 7-eleven bag, and kyoutani has a 6-pack of asahi. "thanks for hosting!"

the three don't often meet up, no matter how persistent koganegawa is, but once every few weeks, he can persuade his teammates to a movie night or video games. he never thought that tsukishima, fancy university graduate and museum curator, owns a switch and smart tv, with a wide selection of titles. koganegawa only has pokémon, and kyoutani, surprisingly, has animal crossing, although he refused to show them what his island looks like.

they step inside, and koganegawa is amazed by how bright and tidy it is. there's an abundance of house plants, loveseat occupied with two worn dinosaur plushies, bookshelf filled with both books and games. yamaguchi takes them into the kitchen to put the drinks in the fridge, shiny with stainless steel appliances, with a floral-patterned rice cooker sticking out like a sore thumb. "make yourselves at home," he tells them. "if you want, you can start getting the switch set up.”

koganegawa sits in front of the tv while kyoutani takes the couch, examining one of the dinosaurs. unzipping his backpack, koganegawa takes his switch out, the dock, and... "oh, shoot, i forgot to bring the charging cable and hdmi. yamaguchi! do you have one that i could borrow?"

"check the bedroom," yamaguchi calls out. koganegawa peers down the hallway, where there are two closed doors, the bathroom door open. picking one at random, he pulls open one of them and switches the light on.

it is definitely not the bedroom. instead, it's like a...streaming room? there's a triple-monitor desktop and gaming chair, microphone attached to the desk, headset resting on top. behind it are shelves with books, but what catches his attention are the trophies along the top. they aren't for volleyball - no, they're for pokémon.

the largest reads 2018 pokémon vgc world champion. "holy shit," koganegawa whispers.

footsteps thump down the hall. "did you get lost, or-" kyoutani sticks his head in, freezing at the sight. "what. the. hell."

koganegawa moves closer to examine the titles. national champion. regional champion. and countless of podium placements. off to the side is a loveseat full of pokémon plushies, with a few dinosaurs thrown in. a switch is docked on a shelf beside the desk, along with a pro controller.

"tsukki was a pokémon nerd," koganegawa breathes out. "a worldwide pokémon nerd."

"no, he still is." kyoutani gestures at a trophy. it was from a month ago, a third-place finish.

the front door opens, and they both jump at tsukishima's voice. "i'm back. are they here?"

“welcome home, kei,” is yamaguchi’s chirp. “they’re just looking for something in the bedroom–“

pause. “tadashi. that is not the bedroom.”

another pause. “oh, shoot–“

“we didn’t touch anything!” koganegawa shouts, stepping into the doorway to defend himself, arms crossed over his chest. behind him, kyoutani sighs and mutters in irritation. “i didn’t know where the bedroom was, so i just opened the first door i saw and–“

he cuts himself off, the apartment flooded in abrupt silence. tsukishima is pinching his nose in annoyance, still in his overcoat. yamaguchi is behind him, placating hands hovering in front of his sheepish expression. koganegawa lowers his voice. “i never thought you were a pokémon nerd.”

“vgc champion, you mean,” kyoutani corrects.

“that’s not mine.” tsukishima’s flat tone is the most unconvincing thing in the world. “they’re yamaguchi’s.”

his teammates glance at each other, then back into the room, where there are framed certificates that clearly say kei tsukishima. they stare at him, the faintest blush rising in his cheeks, and he storms passed them, retrieves his switch and necessary cables, and shoulders his way into the living room.

it takes half the sushi platter, a few beers, and several rounds of mario kart before koganegawa needles him enough to talk about the trophies. “yamaguchi got me into pokémon. his dad took us to watch our first tournament in elementary school, and we both wanted to try competing, so we did.”

“i was terrible at it, though,” yamaguchi adds, comfortably tucked into his partner’s side. “i always got eliminated in the first round, but tsukki got all the way to top 16 before he started to get podium.”

“2018 was when you graduated from university, right?” koganegawa asks. “weren’t you playing for the frogs by then? how do you find time to do all these things?”

tsukishima shrugs. “you just follow the meta. doing damage calculations isn’t hard, and i have my own online group to help with testing. tadashi is good at teambuilding too, and i like the process. if you like something, you wouldn’t think of it as a waste of time.”

kyoutani glances at him. “you’re still doing it?”

“i’ve been trying to retire, but my friends want me to keep going,” tsukishima grumbles. “i’ve been to worlds enough times, even won once. i think it’s good enough.”

“no, tsukki! you need to win again!” koganegawa argues. “it’s like the v. league! just because you’ve won once doesn’t mean you can retire! you just have to keep winning!”

“it gets harder and harder every year. i’m within my right to retire.”

“i think we need to focus on the fact that you won worlds at all,” kyoutani says. “so, you’re good?”

the air shifts. tsukishima lowers his controller to his lap. “obviously.”

“bet.”

“hah? you don’t even play pokémon.”

“no, but he does.” kyoutani points at koganegawa, who perks up.

“yes! i do! let’s battle, tsukki!”

yamaguchi lifts his head. “no offense, koganegawa, but you’re going to get wrecked.”

“hey, i know about teambuilding and type advantages! i won’t be beat that easily!”

“that’s not…” tsukishima closes his eyes. “no.”

“come on, it’ll be fun! what, are you afraid that you’ll lose?”

“absolutely not. i’m afraid of what’ll happen after.”

kyoutani snickers. “all bark but no bite.” tsukishima narrows his eyes, reaching for his switch on the table. the game cartridge inside is pokémon scarlet.

“do you have either scarlet or violet? or any other generation, it doesn’t matter. i have them all.”

“ooh, i have scarlet! i’m taking down the world champion right here, baby!”

[canto-one]

some of you have asked me about my crt setup!!

some basic materials you'll need.

CRT TV (duh)

computer or laptop (duh)

HDMI2AV (NOT AV2HDMI)

RCA cords (the red, white and yellow ones)

HDMI to USB converter if your laptop doesn't have HDMI like mine does.

here is the setup, this is a multi monitor setup but you can just do this with one CRT.

step one: plug in your crt. cord in the back. that will power your crt!

step two: plug in the RCA cables like this.

step three: plug your RCA cords into the HDMI2AV adapter like so. you'll plug in an HDMI cord on the other side. MAKE SURE IT'S SET TO THE CORRECT SETTING. THERE'S NTSC AND PAL

if you don't know what yours is, check this map that explains where each one was sold.

PAL is just a different color encoding system, a bunch of technical stuff you can learn on your own.

step four: plug your HDMI into the USB adapter if you need it. YOU MIGHT NOT. DEPENDS ON YOUR DEVICE.

i use a windows surface pro and it requires i use this adapter. sucks ass but whatever.

OPTIONAL: if you have ONLY ONE usb port in your computer, consider getting a USB splitter so you can plug multiple things in. i have one.

and voila. a set-up!

you can treat these like different displays.

mines connected by the 3 cords in the front, but if you have more money and can get another adapter and etc etc, you can make these all different.

a few FAQ since i assume quite a few of you have never used crts or vhs players:

whats the ringing sound?: its a ringing sound caused by the transformer in the back, its the 15kHz tone. as you get older, you stop hearing it because you lose high frequency hearing. i cant hear it in one ear because of a radio accident and i bursted my eardrum.

can i stop the ringing?: buy a crt pc. theyre smaller and dont ring as much/at all depending on which one you have.

how do i use my vhs player: you plug the cords into the back of the vhs player and then into the crt.

where do i buy a crt: theyre not in production anymore so you will have to buy it secondhand on markets.

where did you get all your cords: most stores with an electronics section will have it but consider secondhand computer parts store.

what do you do with it: literally watch YouTube, vhs tapes, make vhs tapes (whole different thing) or play video games.

can it run bad apple?: yes

can it run doom?: yes

anyways yeah. end tutorial. 🥳

[katecursed]

oh man your art is amazing. any tips on how to get creating art with old tech like you do? I love the idea

thank you!!! <3 there are soooo many different ways to approach it. really any old CRT TV/monitor you can acquire is a perfect start. ask around if you don't have one, they might get harder to find but in my experience a ton of boomers still have em lying around (and will be overjoyed to part with them)!! as for camera, I used an iPhone SE for years and loved it, you don't need anything too fancy.

if the CRTs are all dead or no longer easy to find, you can definitely use an upscaler and a capture card. don't let the CRT hunt scare you away; it's like a tube amp but for visuals. it's not gonna make or break good art, and i've used a capture card for a different aesthetic as well! it's just one of many ways to render the analog signal.

beyond that, if you already have a digital art style or have the discipline to develop one, just pick up a copy of Aseprite and an HDMI to composite converter and you're good to go! whether you learn traditional pixel art techniques to adapt, or just downscale your art style, it's a pretty low barrier to entry there.

if you're more hands-on and want a glitchy aesthetic, the Dirty Video Mixer by Karl Klomp is a go-to first build. a camcorder + VCR/DVD player + dirty mixer combo is a classic setup for video artists. or if you're more into software, you can build an 8-bit creative code machine with an ESP32 devkit; there's an Arduino library for analog video based on Sega Master System emulation.

if you want to do the vector-style aesthetics like my oscilloscope pieces, look into 'oscilloscope music'! I personally use OsciStudio hooked into Blender, but there's free software as well.

last but not least, just follow your sense of wonder, experiment, try whatever. except don't open up the case of your CRT TV because it has super high voltages even when unplugged and will kill you

[nevaria-art]

I FINALLY HOOKED UP MY WII TO MY LAPTOP

Have you had the nostalgic desire to relive your childhood Mario Kart Wii or Skylanders passion? Do you still have a Wii, but no monitor or TV? Does this post have absolutely nothing to do with what I usually post? Well, no worries! Here's how to hook up your old Wii to your laptop, including all the things you need for it to work. What you'll need:

Wii and all included items (think: remote, sensor, all cables, maybe the manual)

Any working laptop with a USB port

Laptop program: OBS Studio (link: https://obsproject.com/ )

Wii to HDMI Converter (link: https://www.amazon.nl/converter-1080p-video-adapter-audio/dp/B076MQ6LPW/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2QC5ZR5Z2SB90&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BnmIgBJwIqiPbfFWcw-jVUVTzPoY9YEDvpbxoHsZhCGm780_AY77Glb-cTOxEJ4M93cY4mnGW_jDCxijX75A0lpKV1gkLJSRhpgONw4sOTpBB6D0AftIhiXaTtg1wMy1Um7_ZwqYAmwIs1xBMXfRgZJqW4hqpp6ajZg6Uf1KojYrkY_mWMYJybPLSFKO3Vqig213jpPnvrvy2b8e0wMR4n6HPjCVeJFdGWe4JYoxIbVEv520UKpjAjdeCrT3mjqkdxQMi3emF84UB02Npsh2p41KuyhuJGEmIxhrmqSCZLM.nt_ObaIMtCYRiI18VDSQdDNiyWbh_Y-xUEvbOc3aBMI&dib_tag=se&keywords=wii+hdmi+adapter&qid=1724265012&sprefix=wii+hdmi%2Caps%2C112&sr=8-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1 )

Video Capture Card with Audio (link: https://www.amazon.nl/dp/B08V92CZST?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title )

USB -> USB cable

HDMI -> USB cable

Any audio device (e.g. headphones, speakers) with a regular audio cable

I think that's everything?

To set up the Wii, follow the manual as per usual. For the rest, follow this tutorial to get you pretty far: https://youtu.be/PgO0g1d0Jlo?si=le9M2vbhzhYaS_-C By this point, you still don't have full screen or audio.

For full screen, simply right-click the Wii screen and preview Fullscreen Projector Mode. You might need to right click again a couple of times to get it right.

For audio, insert whichever device's cable you need (headphones, speakers, etc.) into the Wii to HDMI Converter [NOT INTO THE LAPTOP, DOESN'T WORK]. Keep in mind; the wire needs to be at least anywhere between 1-3m long, as this is the ideal distance for the remote sensor to work for the Wii

Now you can play as many hours on the Wii as you like, without needing a permanent setup with monitor or TV if you don't have or want one. I really hope this helps at least one person. When looking for a way to accomplish this myself, I couldn't find any full tutorial anywhere. So here ya go! Have fun getting Mario Kart-ed by the OG Wii version

[raspberryconverse]

So last month the director of marketing decided to try a new thing for the monthly marketing meeting: a fireside chat with someone on the team. I asked my boss if he wanted to do it and he said, "Don't you dare volunteer me!" I mentioned that I wouldn't mind doing it and he said I should. I'm the only one who volunteered, so I'm next.

The first guy (who was kinda voluntold) had a fireplace background on Teams. I do happen to have a fireplace, however, we had it closed off because it was "a danger to society" as my spouse likes to say. I even have the opening covered in plastic (like you do with the windows in the winter) because there's still a cleaning hatch that air gets in and you can hear it rattle when it's really windy. So I had an idea.

At first I was going to put the TV in front of the fireplace and have one of those fireplace YouTube videos playing. Spouse said absolutely not. Then I tried using my personal laptop, but the screen is too small and the only way you could see it was if I had it on a TV tray table right behind me. You could see the tray table, so I wasn't really digging that either because I had to position my pillows just so.

I do have a 23" monitor, but it's so old it doesn't have an HDMI input. I do have a VGA to HDMI adapter, but my spouse is currently using it because their monitor is so poorly designed (the HDMI input is blocked by the mounting plate on their monitor arms- which I bought at cost because my company is an office supply distributor). I don't have a VGA input on either my work or personal laptops, so I wasn't sure what I was going to do except hope my spouse didn't have to do work during the meeting or secretly use the TV like I planned.

Then I remembered my old laptop has a VGA input because it's older than the monitor. I got my new computer in 2018, so I literally haven't booted it up in 6 years. I did have the hard drive files transferred to my new computer when its hard drive died (for the 3rd time 🤬). I tried to boot it up, but for some reason the touch pad was working, but not clicking and the keyboard wasn't working at all. I borrowed my spouse's keyboard (they don't always use it for work) and tried to login.

Well, I got this weird "user profile cannot be loaded" error. I found a fix to it online and after about 20 minutes of the disk error being fixed, it booted up. The track pad was clicking, but the keyboard still wasn't working. Then I remember one of the deciding factors to me getting a new laptop was that only a few of the keys worked and I had already replaced the keyboard twice (the battery also didn't hold a charge, so it had to be plugged in at all times).

Here is the end result:

I originally had it on an Ikea cardboard storage box, but I didn't like how that looked and again, had to reposition pillows just so to block it. I happened to have this 10x10 plexi cube from when I worked at Bath and Body Works (it has a crack, so it was just going to get thrown away), so it works pretty well. And I kinda like that you can see it's a monitor in front of the fireplace.

I'm kinda hoping the director of marketing asks about it because boy, do I have a story about getting this to work. If anything, it'll be funny when it's my turn to talk.

[quohotos]

CW: Negativity, Grief

When we graduated high school my best friend at the time invited me and a small group of people to a graduation party at a local casino/hotel. We didn't gamble, we just hung out at the hotel room and used the pool. For some fucking reason I asked one of my friends to bring the firefly DVD box set so we could play it on my jank-ass computer. I didn't have an HDMI cable, so I asked them to bring one. They didn't bring one, but no worries, their older sibling would grab one on the way out and they'd meet us there. They got the wrong cable. They grabbed the one from their gaming monitor and that was a display port not HDMI, wouldn't plug into the hotel TV. I got really frustrated, way too frustrated. I remember complaining "I can't believe you couldn't tell the difference between a display port and an HDMI"

I don't know why I was like this. They actually do look very similar. They were in a hurry. They were trying to do a nice thing and I just threw it in their face. No one but me even wanted to watch firefly, and I'd already seen it.

They left in a huff, rightfully fucking so if you ask me. I called them to apologize, they hung up on me. It ruined the party. Other people left early, no one really had fun. My best friend made a huge fucking mistake by bringing me along.

why was I like this why am I like this?

I don't think I ever properly apologized, I might have, but I don't remember. Not in a way that matters. None of them want to speak to me anymore (for something completely unrelated I did that was much worse, I promise) so I couldn't even apologize if I wanted to. All of these people were really nice to me in every other scenario, did really great things for me, stuck their necks out for me, and I took them for granted. It's been six years, or at least it will be in a few months. I've thought about that night every night ever since.

Don't wait to apologize to the people you love, if not for their sake than for yours

[murumokirby360]

My PC Screen Upgrades Review - Part 5 "Final" (w/ my paper dolls) [Recorded on Jan 21st & 26th, 2024]

Hello, February! The wait is over! 😁 Because here’s the final "Part 5" of my “PC Screen Upgrades Review” (featuring my paper dolls). Yup, this is my second attempt after I replaced the CPU cooling and added two PC fans in June of 2023. 🖥️🔧 This year is for the screen monitor by replacing/installing this trio of PC-related items! 😁

But before that, if you haven’t seen my previous topics that related to my “PC Upgrades”, then I’ll provide some links down below: ↓ 😉

- My PC Cooling Upgrades Review - • Part 1 [First Half] [Recorded on Jun 9th, 2023] • Part 1 [Second Half] [Recorded on Jun 9th, 2023] • Part 2 [First Half] [Recorded on Jun 9th, 2023] • Part 2 [Second Half] (Final) [Recorded on Jun 9th, 2023]

- My NVME Upgrade - • Part 1: Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 SSD (1TB) Review [Apr 7th, 2023] • Part 2: Thermalright M.2 2280 Pro Review [Apr 11th, 2023] • Part 3: Installation and trial & error [Recorded on Apr 21st, 2023] (published: Apr 22nd, 2023) • Part 4: Another Trial & Error [Apr 21st, 2023] (published: Apr 22nd, 2023 • Part 5: Timing comparison - HDD vs SSD NVMe M.2 Drive [Apr 25th, 2023] • Part 6 (Final): Samsung Magician & HWiNFO Softwares [Apr 25th, 2023]

And don’t forget this “Part 1, 2, 3, and 4" in case you missed it → [CLICK ME! For Part 1], [CLICK ME! For Part 2], [CLICK ME! For Part 3], [CLICK ME! For Part 4].

So, without further ado, let’s get started:

My Recorded Video [edited by: Filmora 9] 🎦🎞️:

• In the final part, you could see my computer desk overhauled, with the exception my desktop tower. The monitor and the extension sockets were changed to a different brand (Pensonic and Cherry Home). 🖥️🔌⚡And do you remember from my "Part 4" when the old AOC monitor had a spark sound by the time I turned on my custom PC? Well, it's dead. I wish I could fix it, but I don't have the tools to detect the old monitor's problem. 😞 As a result, my HDMI to VGA converter is now useless... 😥 Damn, I wasted my ₱250 fund. But it's okay, I could sell it at the same price, anyway. 🤷‍♀️ Nevertheless, after a long day of troubleshooting and tips on how our PC works, I turned on my PC by pressing a single power button, and my PC was brought back to life by a blinking red light! 😃 Now I turned on my new monitor to see if it works, and it does! My installation was a success! And man, I missed you so much, custom PC! It's been 7 months of being inactive and now you're alive! 🖥️😄 Then, I had to check the interior of my PC by removing the cover, and you could see they all functioning in all light up from the new PC power supply to the new GPU card! Uh yeah, I've also mentioned that our telephone and router were changed, with the latter changed from a four-antenna router to a two-antenna router which is a downgrade for our family. 😒 However, my new monitor's position was too low causing my head to tilt down and it was uncomfortable to view. So, 5 days later, my parents decided to add some floor tiles as an improvised stand booster of sorts, and I put two LEGO blocks on each leg for a little angle to make it a proper view 🧱➡️🖥️, since my 22-inch TV monitor (from Pensonic) wasn't designed for angle screen adjustment, unlike the actual computer monitors. You noticed I removed two universal adapter switches, but I'll re-attach these, soon. 🔌⚡ Another thing was my RGB LED light bulb was replaced with a white LED light bulb because my RGB light was dead, since September of 2023. But, I've bought a better one, so I'll reveal it, coming soon. Nevertheless, the 22-inch TV monitor includes a TV remote which is more convenient than pressing buttons at the back (any sides) of the monitor/television. Okay so, it's not NEW-NEW or as in literally "Brand New", but rather my big brother gave it to me. Plus, my dad won the prize from a raffle. So, congrats Dad. 👨🖥️🥳 So, what's the culprit of being unable to turn on my custom PC? 🤔 Well, the "DDR4 RAM Memory sticks" that will soon be decommissioned, after a long years of usage. 😮 However, these two RAMS we're functioned as usual with only my elbow grease and a luck. It looks like I'll invest in brand-new RAM memory sticks when these old RAM ones finally giving out, someday. 💵

1st to 12th Image(s) 📷📲 & Aftermath: ↑

• Here are some of the photos that I took, and I'm happy to report that my PC is still working after this moment. 🖥️🖱️😁 There are a few things that I want to address, as of February 2024. Like the 22-inch TV monitor had a few dead pixel lines when I view in black/dark mode, and the BIOS intro screen was skipped when I turned on the TV monitor first then the PC. The latter will work it out, soon after I browse and watch the tutorials via the web. 🌐🤔 But hey, on the bright side, my paper dolls we're happy to see my PC finally come back to life and they seem to be enjoying themselves from the gorgeous lights from the interior. 😄💡🖥️ Plus, they liked the new look, and with the 22-inch screen they could enjoy watching videos, or heck maybe re-visiting their "Chowder" episodes in 1080p High-Definition! Right, you two? Hehe 😁 Yes, I forgot to mention, that this TV monitor handles 1080p in a standard 60Hz rather than higher 120 or 160Hz.😅 Yeah, I'm okay with that. 😊👍

IMPORTANT NOTE: Pls, don't mind about that 1.5 litre coke. Its a improvised mouse trap. So, please don't mind that. ☝️😮

Final Overall:

• I'm so very happy to see my custom PC has risen like a Phoenix thanks to my two new PC parts that we've installed and some of my elbow grease 🖥️🔧, except my HDMI to VGA converter. And you know, there was a VGA port built-in at the back of the 22-inch TV monitor, though. Then I thought to myself, Nah... I would rather use an HDMI cable that we're lying around and use it instead of the VGA + converter combined. After all, the HDMI cable/port had already a superior approach when it comes to quality screen over the old-style VGA cable/port. Aside from the BIOS problem, as I said in my video, this isn't my final PC desktop look because there are some things or parts that I want to replace, like my two DDR4 RAM Memory Sticks (currently: PROVISION DDR4 8GB RAM (2x4GB) with 2133Mhz speed) will soon be decommissioned, and the entire PC desktop case which has to be replaced for a newer design look. But for now, "Functional" is important to me over appearance, and soon I'll take care of the latter. 😊🖥️ But right now, I'm enjoying reuniting my custom PC with blazing reading speeds from an NVMe card, and a serious GPU Card limit. More PC parts will be installed soon. 😉

Well, that's the end of my topic! More topics coming up, soon. 😊

Tagged: @lordromulus90, @bryan360, @carmenramcat, @leapant, @rafacaz4lisam2k4, @paektu, @alexander1301

[mental-mario]

Part II: Borderline Boogaloo!

Before I continue about my experience in the psych ward, I want to thank my new friend (who is hopefully a real person) lady-macbeth13 for joining me and hopping aboard! I encourage you if you're reading this to click that follow button so you can be my friend as well. Hop aboard this thing before it takes off so you can say, "I knew him when..." Also, please help a friend out and tip me if you can spare it! You can't see but I'm shaking my change cup on the corner right now. I currently have no income, so I am trying to afford the monthly bills and also a video capture card and HDMI splitter so I can get live streaming off the launching pad! I am also trying to afford Super Mario Bros. Wonder, so I truly appreciate any tips you can help with! I want to get some online multiplayer up and streaming with everyone, so look out for that as well! Finally, my friend code on Switch is posted in my bio at this time and QR code is my profile pic, so send me a friend invite! I'm lonely and need friends! :)

So when we left off, I was getting strip searched by 2 nursing staff, and as kinky as that was, it ended rather abruptly when they had me put my jumpsuit back on. Before I could contain my arousal, they showed me to the infamous padded cell. Now, this is all taking place in a cramped, locked, dark area with no windows. The padded cell felt much like a cubicle made of the padded mats from gym class. The walls were the same material, and there was a camera up in the corner of the ceiling near the dingy yellow light. The door had a small slotted window as well. The staff member told me she had to show me the cell so she could document that she showed it to me, and I would only need to see it again if I got violent. From there I was let back out into gen-pop and was given a dinner tray with microwave pizza, which was probably the best thing I had there to eat. As an aside, you may want to make sure what you eat can be a finger food because it is a tall order to eat an overcooked pork chop or chicken breast with a plastic spoon.

As I sat at one of the tables in the dayroom, I got the chance to better observe the environment. There was a TV which was showing the ever-therapeutic local news, where they were running a story about another shooting somewhere. I started feeling less depressed already...There were also a few games like Jenga and Sorry available, which nobody played. Also available was some paper and colored pencils. I ate and sat in a stupor, as the atarax was still kicking in my system. There were posted rules on the wall, stating we are to remain in the dayroom during the day, participate in groups when scheduled, make our beds every day, and clean up after ourselves, including our food trays. The doors were all locked with security monitoring the main doors and cameras everywhere except for the bedrooms. There were a few locked doors designated for group exercise and meeting with the psych team, but I wouldn't get the chance to be evaluated or talk to anyone until the next morning. The rooms were mostly 2 beds but some were private. I did end up having a roommate that night which I hated, but he was quiet enough that I could sleep that night in combination with trazodone. Also in the room was a sink, a bathroom with half door (no lock), a toilet with no seat, and a shower that was surprisingly adequate. For other entertainment, if board games don't grab ya, you could walk laps around the nurse's station, and they even had a helpful sign to let us know that just 33 times around = 1 mile! I know nothing could make me feel more prepared to reintegrate into society than stumbling around the nurse's desk like a zombie in a paper suit that was 2 sizes too large for me.

Since I had checked myself in voluntarily, I was allowed to sign a discharge request notice, which would allow them no longer than 72 hours after submitting it to continue holding me. By 9:30pm, I was ready to go to bed after a long day, and I was also ready to sign the aforementioned form. The unit was loud with lots of hollering, and that triggered my anxiety and shut me right down. Brought me back to my year at the college dorm, which was traumatic and did not go well for me. When I knocked on the door to the nurse's station, I was informed that my nurse was busy at the moment, as she had patients on the other unit to attend to. I stood outside the station, waiting for my nurse to return. By 10:15, I had enough. I knocked on the nurse's door again and said that I didn't care who handled the form but that I wanted to sign it. This other nurse then comes out and gets in my face and tells me it has to be with my nurse and also, "you won't be leaving here tomorrow...I can tell you that!" She replied with such a nasty attitude, and if it's one thing you want to do as a medical professional working on a psych unit, it is to instigate someone with BPD. I started to get nasty right back, and the nurse slunk away back behind the glass, perhaps realizing that she wasn't making the best decision in that moment. I stood around some more until my nurse finally arrived at 10:30pm, and I was wondering the whole time at what point I could expect this experience to actually start making me feel better and less suicidal. Spoiler alert: that moment never came. After this nurse checked that I properly swallowed my late meds, I went to sleep at 11pm, which began quiet time.

I am going to break there and continue on in Part III for my next post, so make sure you click FOLLOW to make sure you don't miss out on that! After all, I feel like we are starting to become good friends now, so friend me and make me a part of your day! I will try not to be too needy! And again, my friend code on Switch is SW-4419-5159-3401. Send me a friend invite and I will accept! I'm lonely...and I'm also broke and unemployable, so please hook your new friend up with some tips on my page! Thank you, and I love you!

[robotpussy]

hi I was just curious since you like to use a bunch of old hardware to play old video games & computer games, do you happen to own a CRT monitor or TV that you play them on or are you using an adaptor to plug them into a modern flat panel fixed pixel display?

and if you do have any CRTs, what are your thoughts on them?

I like them for a lot of retro games. 90s and early 2000s games just look a lot better on them for the most part imo. newer games not so much, especially since newer games are made for higher resolutions, but there are some 1080p widescreen CRTs -- those are pretty rare

my tv is modern but it was one of those HD TVs that were still being manufactured with AV ports and SCART ports so luckily i don't have to get any converters for my tv (i think this stopped around 2017 because after this i noticed HD TVs only had HDMI ports. my tv came out in 2017)

I was looking to buy a CRT tv because in all honesty, some games looked like shit on my tv even tho I wasn't using any converters. i think the tv tries to upscale and sharpen the image, especially for 8 and 16 bit games. i ended up not getting one because i don't have any space for one.

i loooove CRT TVs and monitors because most, if not all, retro games were made for CRT as the horizontal lines blur the pixels so it just looks better. when I've played ps1 and sega mega drive games on CRT it looks amazing compared to when i play on a HD tv or when i emulate on my computer. I'm def gonna get one some day 🙏

[fleshadept]

@sapphic-suchoripterus

YES! you'll need a VCR to read the VHS before anything else.

once you have a VCR, you can get something like the elgato analog video capture device or the vidbox video conversion suite. these will plug into the A/V ports in the VCR on one end and your computer's USB port* on the other. you'll access it through the software it comes with and be able to save the recorded video to your hard drive. however, the highest resolution the elgato can go is 640x480 for a 4:3 aspect ratio or 640x360 for a 16:9, which is not great. i can't find the max resolution for the vidbox one, though.

now, if you want to be able to capture literally anything you want, VHS or otherwise, don't mind something pricier, and have a computer with an HDMI port**, i personally recommend the elgato HD60 line. i have the HD60s+, which you can find on ebay for around $100. it's most often used for recording gameplay of console games, but combined with an HDMI to RCA converter (the red, white, and yelow cables on old consoles are called RCA cables or analog video cables) you can record anything. it's how i recorded myself playing pikmin on my gamecube, and how i'm planning on digitizing some VHS home videos soon. but it's also pretty pricey, so it's probably only worth it if you're super committed to having the ability to digitize a wide range of things. once you have a version of the HD60, you can digitize pretty much anything as long as you can find a converter from the outputs it uses to HDMI.

*note: your computer will need a USB type A port, or you'll need to get an adapter. USB-A is the one that was standard for a long time, the rectangular one. USB-C is the oval one that's becoming more common on newer machines.

**you only need something with an HDMI port if you want a dedicated viewing point for whatever you're sending through the elgato. for example, when i was recording pikmin, i unplugged one of my monitors from the cable connecting it to my PC and connected it to the elgato. this effectively made my monitor the TV screen through which i'd play a console game normally, so conveniently if you want to view what you're digitizing but don't have a computer with an HDMI port, you can also use a TV. you just need a computer with a USB-A port to send the recorded footage to.

you guys know you can get USB connectable CD, dvd, and blu-ray players right. and you can buy external hard drives with crazy amounts of space for an amount of money that would make the average person from 2009’s head explode bc of how cheap it is. and if you do this and get ripping software such as handbrake for CDs and DVDs and makeMKV for blurays you can both own a physical copy of whatever media you want and make it accessible to yourself no matter where you are. do you guys know this

[surrexi]

in my apartment i have a futon instead of a couch, and it was a decent enough futon when i bought it but it's now like 15 years old and i literally can't sit on it for too long or my back tries to murder me, which means i haven't been using my tv to watch stuff much at home. i don't have cable anymore, i just use streaming services and piracy, so it's only keeping me from watching things on a nice big screen, but still.

my parents just left yesterday for a three-week european vacation (they're taking a ~viking cruise~ to see the northern lights and various cool northern european sights and then spending a week catching up with old friends in the uk from when they lived there before dad retired; this is something they've been wanting to do since he retired, but unfortunately he retired in like 2019? and then the panini hit and welp. no trips.). i am house- and dog-sitting for them while they're gone. their dog is a sweet boy and he and my dog get along great, and i'm *sigh* still unemployed, so this is not disrupting my life.

and in fact, i had been kind of looking forward to linking up my laptop and their tv with ye olde hdmi cable and settling into my dad's comfy recliner and watching some streaming stuff that i've been literally saving to watch on a bigger screen with a comfy place to sit (leverage redemption among other things).

the other night before my parents left i had hooked up my computer so we could all watch the premiere of s3 of ted lasso, which i had downloaded since neither i nor my parents have apple tv+. it looked fine.

so last night i hook up my computer and start trying to watch various streamed things. mind you, i'm just connecting my laptop to the tv with an hdmi cable and doing the "extend display" thing, so my computer is doing all the work and the tv is just being a monitor.

this makes NO SENSE to me whatsoever, but while the audio and video sound and look fine when it's a file located on my computer's hard drive, anything that i stream ends up looking weirdly choppy and the audio is slightly out of sync. but if i just move the window with the video over to my laptop screen, even with the sound still coming out of the tv, the audio sync issue is gone and the video isn't choppy anymore. and i've looked through all the settings on the tv (it's a new LG OLED tv) and the settings that pop up for it on my computer when it's connected as my second display and i have NO IDEA WHAT IS HAPPENING.

and it's very frustrating because i just want to watch the leverage redemption crew do crime on a screen bigger than my laptop or tablet :(

(if you have suggestions on how to fix this you are welcome to reply/leave a message in my ask box/send a dm/etc)

[chuunibyou]

Radiata Stories was/is such an underrated game. It deserved so much more love. It’s still one of my favorite games of all time. I really need to hook my PS2 up and replay it twice (since it has two different endings)

[jerrytheduck]

College packing tips, because I have ✨opinions✨

This isn’t gonna be all inclusive instead just a list of thing to think about that might not be on a standard list

It got really long so I added a read more lol

long and the short of it is consider if you can buy it easily from college if you aren't gonna need it right away, that way you keep down on bringing so much stuff

but also if it is gonna make you happy, honestly do bring it. like college is different enough, you can keep some things the same

Most college beds are extra long, so don't get the wrong sheets

mattress toppers are godsends imo but they can be expensive so don't stress too much about it if u can't

on that note i also adore my ugg comforter its so damn soft

Bring the documents you might need to get a job! If you have a passport this is the best choice because it is the most easily replaceable, but a (certified) copy of your birth certificate *and* your social security card also works (you need both)— obviously not everyone works in college but it’s still good to have the option

Check the I9 list online if you’re not sure what counts

Yes you should bring a little set of tupperware and a single set of dishes/silverware — sometimes you just wanna make ramen or order takeout whatnot so it’s nice to have some containers

On that note, I would pick a little electric kettle over a microwave or a fridge— it’s cheap, not a fire hazard like a microwave (check your college’s rules! some are fine with it some aren’t) and you can make all sorts of stuff with boiling water—namely, ramen and hot chocolate/tea

If you don’t like the 50 cent ramen they have slightly more expensive ramen that I do think is better— personal choice tho you do you

Some dorms have stuff you can use/share and some don’t, so it might be better to hold off on buying some things until you get there—my dorm has a communal vacuum, kitchen and box of trash bags, for example

If you wanna be the og, after you put up a command hook for your coat by/on the door, leave it there for the next person. Or don’t, you do you.

Don’t forget an umbrella. Pref one that shrinks down and has a little strap for your wrist

If you use wooden pencils, you also need a pencil sharpener. Battery operated little ones usually aren’t too expensive

Bring meds like Tylenol, Advil, cough drops, prob mucinex, and neosporin, and share them if people ask (don’t forget prescriptions too!) — however, if you’re looking to pack light, you can also just buy them at a cvs or walgreens as needed (but remember, if you’re in quarantine that may be harder than u think)

HDMI cord (and adapter if you’re a stinky MacBook user) (that is a joke, MacBook users are not stinky) so that you can attach your computer to monitors, tvs and the like (I wouldn’t buy a new one just for college tho, just pack one if you’ve got a spare)

Paper towels. Can also buy these when there tho, just nice to have

Tissues. Same as above.

A laundry hamper that you can carry with you down to the washing machines all in one go (don’t get like a hamper and a bag, for example cause you’re not gonna want to do that transfer). I would also recommend something that only holds one load of laundry if you’re only ever gonna do one load at a time, and that it is small enough to fit under the bed

I like tide pods cause they’re idiot proof, but that’s a personal preference.

The next few bullets are gonna be about cold weather shit, because I go to school in New Hampshire but live in Virginia— therefore there was quite a difference in winter temperatures — these only apply if you’re also going somewhere hella cold

You might not need your heavy duty coat until after thanksgiving but you should have a coat or layers that are warm enough to tolerate down to like 30 even before thanksgiving

My coat complement was as follows: one thin pullover, one sweatshirt, one waist-length Patagonia that was pretty good in a lot of temps, one knee length Patagonia with a hood that is very very warm.

With these, I would usually wear the waist length Patagonia down to 30, double with the sweatshirt down to 25, and switch over to the knee length below that. If you’re not in the cold for very long the waist length will do without the sweatshirt until as low as 20 if you walk fast and have accessories

Speaking of accessories, you need a nice hat and some gloves. I personally liked the fairly thin driving style gloves for most everyday stuff, because you could actually do things with them and they were pretty much enough for most activities unless you were literally playing in the snow

These made every coat so much warmer.

Shop for coats in the summer when they’re on sale and search around— they don’t need to break the bank but I would opt to splurge on this over pretty much anything else specifically for the knee length coat. You can also layer more tho if yours isn’t as warm, and that works too!

I wore a mask outside instead of a scarf cause that was easier but that’s personal preference

I don’t really go out so this doesn’t apply to me really but lots of people have a “fracket” — a cheaper jacket meant to be used between parties that you don’t care if it gets stolen as much

If you see people wearing Canada goose jackets they are insanely rich. Keep that in mind when meeting people who may otherwise seem mostly normal. (No, not all rich people are assholes but it’s something to keep in mind)

Don’t forget to bring warm weather clothes for the start tho!! It’ll still be warm in September and buildings up here don’t always have AC

Yes, bring your stuffed animals. If your roommate judges you they can fuck off and mind their own business.

Shoes: similarly based on it being cold and snowy as hell in the winter, may not apply

A pair of comfy hiking boots/shoes will probably be more useful than straight snow boots on most days, though if you have those you can def bring after thanksgiving/christmas

Hiking boots are the second thing I’d recommend you splurge on for high quality if you can

However, while nature works hard, northern snowplows on golf carts work harder so usually you won’t be literally trudging through snow unless it’s actively snowing. They plow the sidewalks too here usually, which is why you can get by without snow boots if you want

You do need some kind of comfy everyday shoe that is both waterproof and non-slip tho because there will be ice

Speaking of which, if it is below freezing that is not a puddle. You should not remotely trust any wet spots on the pavement or you *will* end up immediately on your ass.

Otherwise, bring flip flops, sneakers and dress shoes if you have them (for the few times you will need to dress up, or if you wanna make a less dressy outfit immediately a little more formal)

You shouldn’t need to buy anything new tho just bring the shoes you have/wear at home

Oh and shower shoes. Spend like zero dollars on them tho

I have generally not needed a tv tho I do have a second monitor for my laptop (those are usually cheaper than tvs) which was a godsend when we were semi-virtual my freshman year but doesn’t get used as often now

Don’t buy the books until after you start your classes but also check the library (online and physical) because sometimes they have them available for free

Actually before buying any piece of media (movies and whatnot included) check to see if they have it first, some schools have a movie library or even video games and consoles

Not related to what to bring but after you finish your classes leave an honest description of them on rate my professor or the college-specific review website—and use those websites when choosing classes too

However, remember that people are more likely to leave reviews when things go badly, so especially take things like evaluations of niceness of the prof with a grain of salt

Instead, look at workload, style of the class, content, etc to see if it lines up with what you assumed from the course description, and then go from there.

Generally assume that there is no such thing as a truly easy class, so searching for only the easy classes won’t really get you anywhere. Things are easier when you actually like the content, usually.

You don’t need as many school supplies as you did in high school— if you write notes for every class you’ll need a notebook for each, some pencils/whatever tools you usually use to take the notes, and maybe like one folder or binder to leave in your dorm for printouts and whatnot

If you want to print every reading ever you might need another binder, but wait to buy that until you’re actually doing the readings because that depends a lot on the class

Speaking of which you do need a backpack for college but def make sure it’s the right size for that updated list of supplies ^^^ mine was way too big and I was gifted a smaller one so that’s what I use, you do you

[opalescentlesbiian]

does anyone who follows me like. Understand monitors well?

i have a mid-2014 Macbook Pro (so it has retina display) and i want a small external monitor that I can hook it up to with HDMI, and i’d also like if i could hook my gamecube to it with its RCA connector if that’s even a thing monitors have and like... i don’t understand what any of these computer things i’ve been reading mean. i think i want a monitor with IPS???? basically i’m a graphic designer so i would like to have Good resolution/color accuracy/etc and from what i understand IPS is good with that??? other than that i’m not sure what i want. i’d like it if it could look as close as possible to what’s on my mac screen if that’s a thing that exists

idk anyway does anyone have like. advice? i don’t know enough of the nitty gritty computer shit to understand what anything i’m reading online means

[sirfrogsworth]

nerd stuff!

My chromebook is frustratingly limited. I would like to swap to a desktop with two monitors. However, I currently have a huge 32" tv, that I solely use for my ps2/xbox360/possible dvd or bluray. They are either old school RCA or HDMI. I do not use a tv otherwise. I was planning on using converters and those multi switch things to route them all through a single HDMI switcher.  Is it possible to hook those things up to a regular computer monitor instead of having to use a tv? But I can't figure out how my sound would work, how I would get sound out of the computer monitor. How could I route sound to whatever speakers for the desktop? I know hmdi carries sound, but...how do I get it out of the monitor?

_______________________________________

This is a question from @postsforposting

Sorry for the late reply.

I'll give you some general advice and hopefully one of these solutions works for you.

Some monitors have a headphone out jack, so you may want to look and see if yours does. They don't always output the HDMI signal though.

Or if it has RCA outputs, you could do RCA audio out into a 1/8" mini jack with an adapter cable.

You can also try an HDMI audio extractor.

Pretty simple. You plug the HDMI out from your device into this and it will split the audio from the video signal. You'll need a second HDMI cable to go to your display because it captures and splits the audio before it even goes to your monitor.

You don't have to buy this exact one, you can find some that have headphone outputs for computer speakers. But you can also just get that RCA to headphone cable.

I don't know if you need 4K, but this one does 4K, has a headphone output AND you can split the video signal into 2 displays. It will be the same image on both displays though.

There are tons of variations and configurations for extractors, but hopefully this will get you started so you can find the right device for your needs.