How to Get Free HDTV Channels
When I say free, I don’t mean free with your paid cable or satellite package. I mean 100% free without paying for any service.
When television broadcasting began in North America, the broadcasts were completely free. The costs associated with producing TV were covered by program sponsors (advertisers). TV signals were received over the air, so all you needed was a television and an antenna (aka “rabbit ears”). This worked great at the time because TV was new and nobody knew if it was going to be successful; laying cable to distribute signals didn’t make any sense and satellites weren’t an option yet.
Once television was a proven success, viewers wanted more content on bigger and better televisions. Today, those demands haven’t changed, but the technology has.
Receiving signals over the air was not perfect, there were a limited number of channels that could fit in the airwaves. Reception was spotty, but Cable and Satellite services came along with more channels and reliable signals that didn’t require any adjustments.
The technology has changed again. The development of digital signals has allowed broadcasters to fit many channels in the same space that used to only fit one channel. Although it caused a lot of disruptions in June of 2009, the United States ceased all analog TV signals within a specific frequency range. That means the once crowded airwaves are much more useful with digital signals that can stuff more channels in the same space.
Some broadcasters have been distributing their television signal over-the-air for more than 50 years and they continue to do so, now in digital. The secret to picking up these free channels: rabbit ears.
Seriously.
To many people, this will sound like a huge step back, and in some ways it is. You’re not going to find John and Kate or Jersey Shore on the free channels, but it could be worse: you might find John and Kate or Jersey Shore on the free channels.
If you’re on a budget; or you only watch the most popular network shows; or you want to stick it to the cable-man; or you want to pickup really good HD signals on a TV without a cable box or satellite receiver, then this is an option to consider. In many cases, digital over-the-air signal quality rivals cable and satellite signals, where signals are highly compressed because of bandwidth limitations.
Digital rabbit ears are much better than the coat hangers of the past — if you’ve upgrade to a digital cordless phone in the past couple years, you’ll understand the difference in reception, reliability and clarity that digital signals offer.
Depending on where you live, your channel selection will vary. In some places, you can get 10+ HD channels and dozens of standard digital channels, all for FREE! If you live in the United States, you can enter your zipcode in AntennaWeb’s search engine to see a list of the channels you should receive. In many places, you should get most (or all) of your favorite prime time shows in free HD. All you need is an HDTV, an ATSC tuner (most HDTVs have one built in) and an antenna. Here are some examples of affordable indoor and outdoor antennas that you can buy.
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Photo: Dano (cc)
How to Prevent a GPS From Falling Off the Windshield
You’re driving along, minding your own business, when your GPS unit suddenly annuls its marriage to the windshield. It crashes into the dashboard, slides into the door, high-fives your passenger and bounces on the floor. Your GPS is not broken; but, it will be the next time it startles, then attacks your passenger again.
In the winter, it’s especially tempting for the suction cups on your GPS or radar detector to take your electronics skydiving. The suction cup relies on a vacuum tight seal to maintain its grip on the windshield. Cold weather, or direct flow of air conditioning, can degrade that seal enough that it can’t support the weight of the device.
The secret to getting a good seal: warm the windshield and suction cup(s) before getting them back together. You can warm the suction cup(s) with your hand or treat them like takeout food and warm them with your seat heaters. Using the defogger, blow hot air on the windshield for at least 10 minutes, then pull over in a safe place and apply the warm suction cup(s).
The idea is to create as much suction as possible inside the suction cups. Before you push it against the window, be sure the suction lever is all the way back, then push the suction mount HARD against the windshield, then push the suction lever forward. Because the windshield and suction cups are warm, you’ll get a better seal that should maintain enough suction to support your GPS unit or radar detector.
If you still don’t have any luck, try cleaning your windscreen and suction cups with glass cleaner wipes and repeat the steps above.
BrokenSecrets.com [Now available on Kindle]
Photo: redjar (cc)
Leap Years and Leap Seconds
Happy New Year!
You probably know that leap years occur every four years. On leap years we add an extra day to keep our clocks and calendars in sync with Earth’s rotation.
On the other hand, most people don’t know about leap seconds. Leap seconds are used for the very same reason as leap years, to keep our clocks in sync with Earth’s rotation.
Because Earth’s rotation varies, leap seconds are added or subtracted up to twice per year when needed. Leap years add a day in February while leap seconds can be added at midnight on December 31st or June 30th when necessary.
An extra day on the calendar isn’t going to go unnoticed, but an extra second is difficult to sense. That’s why most of us don’t know about them. Accurate time keeping devices (atomic clocks) are updated appropriately and you may notice the update on connected devices like cell phones or GPS units, but generally it goes unnoticed by nearly all of us. The last two leap seconds were added on New Year’s Eve of 2005 and 2008. The next time a leap second will be added is not known.
Here’s a video that shows an extra second inserted between 59 and 00 on an atomic clock.
BrokenSecrets.com
Sources: WP – Leap Year, WP – Leap Second, TimeAndDate.com,
Ball Drops Did Not Start in Times Square
Times Square beware: you’re not the oldest ball drop around. In fact, the ball drop originated in Portsmouth England in 1829. That is where time synchronization really started to take shape, in the form of a ball.
In 1833, another time ball was installed in Greenwich and has dropped at 1pm everyday since then.
The time ball was invented by Robert Wauchope, a Royal Navy officer, as a way for ships to set their chronometer before heading out to sea. The daily ball drop occurred at 1pm because at noon, observers were busy taking exact readings of solar time. Accurate time was important for ships to calculate their longitude at sea.
All over the world, time balls were installed in shipping ports for years to follow. In 1924, radio time signals rendered time balls obsolete and they slowly began to disappear. The ball drop tradition still continues today in a handful of places. In the United States, it happens daily at the United States Naval Observatory in Washington DC and, of course, the annual Times Square ball drop.
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Photos: WKA, Berk2804 | Sources: Times Square, WP, UOTS,
Web Browser Secrets
Based on the results in the video below, I should start by clarifying that a web browser is a piece of software that you use to view web pages. The top three browsers are: Internet Explorer (Microsoft), Firefox (Mozilla) and Safari (Apple). Google’s browser (named “Chrome”) is a close fourth. There is a 98% chance that you’re using one of these browsers to view this page right now.
Browsers are commonly confused with search engines, which are just web pages that you view using your web browser software. That’s obviously not a surprise to some of you, but like it says in the Google video below, it is a secret to almost 90% of people.
Knowing some browser tricks will make this tool work much better for you.
Modern browsers have tabs, which promote easier multitasking. There are a few ways to perform the tasks listed below, but here are a few of the best (and least used) tricks for managing tabs in the top three browsers mentioned above.
Managing Tabs
- Open new tab: double click on empty area of tab bar
- Close tab: middle click anywhere on the tab (does not work in Safari)
- Open link in new tab instead of replacing current page: middle click on link (instead of left click)
Because we spend a lot of time reading text in our browser, there are a couple of features built in to make reading easier. Try these keyboard shortcuts right now.
Reading
- Scroll browser down exactly one page: spacebar
- Scroll browser up exactly one page: shift + spacebar
- Full Screen Toggle: F11
- Zoom In (make text larger): ctrl + scroll mouse wheel up
- Zoom Out: ctrl + scroll mouse wheel down
If you know other really useful browser secrets, leave a comment so everyone can enjoy.
BrokenSecrets.com
How to Apply Cologne and Perfume
Perfume and cologne should be applied to pulse points (wrists, base of the throat, inside of the elbow or knee). These are places where blood vessels are closest to the skin; therefore, your skin warms the perfume and causes it to gradually release its fragrance over time.
Rubbing your wrists together will also speed the release of the fragrance, but experts say this bruises the fragrance and diminishes its endurance. Putting cologne on the pulse points should negate the need to rub your wrists together anyway.
Perfume and cologne usually contain alcohol which helps the fragrance evaporate so others can smell it. The warming property of your pulse points assist with the evaporation.
BrokenSecrets.com
Sources: eHow, Perfume Station, Tips for Healthy You
Instantly Brighten Your Basement With CF Lights
This secret is great for garages, basements, crawlspaces and outdoor spaces — where you can always use more light.
This is a cheap and easy way to give you a light boost without installing extra light sockets.
Now, it’s no secret that the beautifully spiraled compact fluorescent (CF) lights use less energy than their incandescent counterparts, which saves you money and ultimately reduces our energy demand. But, even if you don’t care about saving electricity, CF lights may still benefit you.
When you replace an old bulb with a CF, take a close look at the socket. There is usually a silver sticker that indicates the maximum wattage light that can be used in that socket. Typical light sockets will be limited to 40, 60 or 100 watts.
You can replace a 100 watt incandescent bulb with a 26 watt fluorescent bulb, which gives you the same amount of light while using 25% of the energy the old bulb used. But, if you use a 42 watt compact fluorescent, you’ll still be well below the 100 watt max and the light will output the equivalent to a 150 watt bulb. Because the compact fluorescent produces more light per watt, you’ve got a much brighter room.
I use two of these lights in my garage light sockets and it makes a huge difference when I’m working out there. I also have one in my basement, which makes a big difference compared to the 100 watt incandescent it replaced — especially since there are no windows in the area.
I’ll remind you that it is extremely important to check the socket or fixture maximum and be sure the compact fluorescent bulb’s consumption is equal or lower (although the “equivalent” wattage will likely be higher, giving you more light).
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The Origin of Boxing Day
December 26th (today) is Boxing Day.
If you’re American, you might see it on your calendar every year and wonder what it is. If you live in the UK, Canada, Australia or most other commonwealth countries, then you probably get the day off and don’t really know why.
It is a popular day for sporting events in these countries, but its relation to the sport of boxing is only legend. In fact, the name is derived from an old tradition of servants and housekeepers collected their gifts (boxes) on the day after Christmas, in exchange for reliable service throughout the year.
In Europe, it dates back to the Middle Ages, although the exact origin is not known. It was traditionally a time when wealthy people gave seasonal gifts to less fortunate people. Today, the holiday is almost entirely secular and for most people it identifies the start of after Christmas sales and shopping sprees.
BrokenSecrets.com
Big thanks to Chris and Jeanne for sharing this secret!
Use Hot Water To Make Crystal Clear Ice Cubes
Ice made from cold water looks cloudy because air that is trapped in the water become suspended in the ice. If you boil water before pouring it in the ice cube trays, you release most or all of the air that would otherwise be trapped in the water — making the ice cubes crystal clear.
Crystal clear ice cubes look great when used with designer ice cube trays. For any holiday or event, designer ice cubes are a cool thing to entertain guests and spark conversation.
Ikea has a few designer ice cube trays that you can pickup or Amazon has hundreds available for delivery, including: Christmas Trees and Snowmen, Penguins, Ice Invaders, Peace Signs, Hearts, Homer Simpson, Stewie (Family Guy), Stars, Skull and Crossbones, Butterflies, Dinosaurs …etc. They even have molds to make Shot Glasses and Stir Sticks out of ice.
Another secret: the ice cube trays can also be used as Jello molds!
Remember, you’ll have to boil water to make it hot because you can’t use hot water from the tap – explained here.
BrokenSecrets.com
Sources: Illinois Dept Physics
Sarcastic Secret #1: Walk Left Stand Right
This is my first Sarcastic Secret, so I should explain that this category is reserved for things that most people already know — things that shouldn’t be a secret, but remain unknown or unclear to some.
Standing is acceptable when you’re on an escalator or moving sidewalk,and sometimes unavoidable. But, standers should stay to the right and leave the left side open so others may pass. You wouldn’t block the left “passing” lane on the highway, and you shouldn’t block it on foot-ways either.
It’s common to see signs reminding people of this rule and I support the people at Detroit’s McNamara Terminal who take this rule very seriously — they painted a line down the center of the moving sidewalk along with the words “walk” and “stand” on the appropriate sides.
Although I took this photo in Detroit’s airport in April ’08, apparently Kansas City has similar dedication to the walk left stand right rule of order in their airport.
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SF Photo: ATIS547 (CC) | Sources: Juxtaexposed
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