Something went right
Eventually.
I thought I'd try getting a VGA cable so that I could connect the laptop to the new TV. I found what I was looking for in Metro, but I wasn't absolutely certain I should be buying a male-male cable. I returned home and found that I was right, but I'd also noticed that the cable at Metro had a damaged end.
I decided to try Yonghui Supermarket, but they didn't have any. I knew that there was another branch of Gome in the vicinity which I found by luck rather than certain knowledge. Once I managed to convey to them what I wanted (I had the manual with me, but they still seemed unable to grasp initially that I wanted a VGA cable), I was informed that they didn't have any. Huh? This is Gome. It's an electronics shop.
I returned home and then headed to the branch of Gome on the mainland where the same thing happened, but with none of the what-the-hell-does-the-laowai-want-in-spite-of-a-Chinese-manual routine. They sent me to 大利 which turned out to be opposite the Apollo Hotel where the Walmart is. I was unaware that this is a whole bunch of electronics shops. I stumbled into the first one I found and tracked down exactly what I wanted.
Having acquired the cable, the next question was whether it'd work. To cut a long story short, it did. The quality of the colour on the TV is much better than it is on the computer, but the on screen resolution of text is a bit rubbish. Also, the TV's off to my left, whereas I prefer my monitor to be in front of me. If it wasn't for the poor rendering of text on the TV, I'd be tempted to transfer the TV to the desk and place the laptop to one side. The other issue is the different screen ratios. The TV is 4:3, but my laptop 8:5.
The other personal news today is that MSN is back, although it seems to be limited to .com stuff only. I can access my old Hotmail address, but not the .co.uk one. Spaces is also back, although it's a little slow to load.
In international news, Saddam Hussein has been executed. I wonder whether he thought to himself, "Perhaps if I hadn't been an evil bastard, this wouldn't be happening."
I thought I'd try getting a VGA cable so that I could connect the laptop to the new TV. I found what I was looking for in Metro, but I wasn't absolutely certain I should be buying a male-male cable. I returned home and found that I was right, but I'd also noticed that the cable at Metro had a damaged end.
I decided to try Yonghui Supermarket, but they didn't have any. I knew that there was another branch of Gome in the vicinity which I found by luck rather than certain knowledge. Once I managed to convey to them what I wanted (I had the manual with me, but they still seemed unable to grasp initially that I wanted a VGA cable), I was informed that they didn't have any. Huh? This is Gome. It's an electronics shop.
I returned home and then headed to the branch of Gome on the mainland where the same thing happened, but with none of the what-the-hell-does-the-laowai-want-in-spite-of-a-Chinese-manual routine. They sent me to 大利 which turned out to be opposite the Apollo Hotel where the Walmart is. I was unaware that this is a whole bunch of electronics shops. I stumbled into the first one I found and tracked down exactly what I wanted.
Having acquired the cable, the next question was whether it'd work. To cut a long story short, it did. The quality of the colour on the TV is much better than it is on the computer, but the on screen resolution of text is a bit rubbish. Also, the TV's off to my left, whereas I prefer my monitor to be in front of me. If it wasn't for the poor rendering of text on the TV, I'd be tempted to transfer the TV to the desk and place the laptop to one side. The other issue is the different screen ratios. The TV is 4:3, but my laptop 8:5.
The other personal news today is that MSN is back, although it seems to be limited to .com stuff only. I can access my old Hotmail address, but not the .co.uk one. Spaces is also back, although it's a little slow to load.
In international news, Saddam Hussein has been executed. I wonder whether he thought to himself, "Perhaps if I hadn't been an evil bastard, this wouldn't be happening."
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