www.jacobsen.no / anders / blog / Answerblog Archives

August 21, 2008

What is a NUF? - Norskregistrert utenlandsk foretak

Sponsored link: NUF MORE...


March 02, 2007

HDMI and error correction (do your cables make a difference? v2)

Digital signals can deteriorate slightly in poor cabling over long distances, and the message, rather than buy the cheapest possible HDMI cables, is that 'your mileage may vary' and it can be worth doing some testing before buying... MORE...


February 27, 2007

What's the difference between different HDMI cables?

Buying a $300 HDMI cable is like polishing your CDs with 'Hi-Fi-oil': not changing the outcome of digital processing... MORE...


January 11, 2007

Which noises can noise cancelling headphones filter out?

On the trend of me ploughing through emailed comments today, with the risk of making it a day of only headphone-postings, here is an interesting one from Alexandru Constantinescu, a Ph.D. at the Max-Planck-Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, explaining why actively noise cancelling head phones couldn't filter out sirens etc even if they wanted (without some rather heavy computational power): MORE...


What's the difference between the left and right on a headphone?

For normal pop music it's rare that it would make any difference to you at all whether you put the buds in the 'right' or the 'wrong' ear. MORE...


Earbuds for sport

Greg from the US writes: 'I am curious about what you think of the Shure E3C ear buds vs. the Etymotic 6i-isolater headphones. Specifically I am looking for some high quality ear buds I can use with my iPOD during sport and these two seem to be the best in my price range (preferably under $200 USD). [...]' MORE...


April 04, 2006

Ask the Jews

AskMoses.com! MORE...


Spencer Tunick

To whoever arrived here by searching for naked public photography - you're probably looking for either Spencer Tunick or Kim Phuc Phan Thi... MORE...


March 22, 2006

iPod without iTunes

The free basic version of WinAmp 5.2 supports the iPod and other portable players (PlaysForSure and Creative devices) natively. MORE...


January 05, 2006

How to set up the Linksys WAG54G as a wi-fi router only

Linksys' ADSL / wifi router combination boxes WAG54G can actually be used as only a wifi-router (ignoring the ADSL router part) if you have e.g. HomeChoice (UK ISP that provides a proprietary box) or e.g. a cable modem. MORE...


January 04, 2006

What is the ISO 13406-2 standard for LCD screen pixel faults?

I'm in the market for a new screen to hook up to my cute little sub-notebook laptop. While browsing, I noticed that all the flat panel monitors for sale at koplett.co.uk are labelled 'All LCD displays adhere to the ISO 13406-2 standard with regard to pixel faults.' This, of course, tickled my attention, [...] MORE...


October 26, 2005

How can I record a Skype call to mp3?

There is bound to be a free and easy solution to this question around the corner, but in the meantime, here are some options you have for recording a Skype call to an mp3 file (say, for example, if you you're pod casting or jamming music with your long-distance friends etc): [...] MORE...


October 12, 2005

Where can I find 'site anti-filter'?

I'm getting a lot of people searching for 'site anti filter', 'orkut proxy' and similar. Looks like a lot of users have been blocked out from sites they want to visit by their ISPs, proxies, employers etc. Here are some tips: [...] MORE...


June 03, 2005

How to play a NTSC DVD in Europe? (and other DVD FAQs)

Can you play a Zone 2 PAL DVD on a US DVD player? Can you play a Zone 2 PAL DVD on a US DVD player? MORE...


May 17, 2005

How to migrate from Virgin Broadband (UK)

Ask nicely for a transfer to another ISP; they will offer you an upgrade to 1-2 Mbit/s for free... MORE...


How annoying are mobile phones in cinemas?

Very! MORE...


How can I open an email account on gmail?

If you don't already know someone who has a Gmail account & can invite you, try visiting the GMail invite spooler, they had about a million invites to give away last time I checked... MORE...


April 01, 2005

Do you need a passport when flying from England to Scotland?

Not an April fools' joke, someone came to this blog searching for information on do you need a passport from england to scotland flying: The answer is no, you don't need a passport for immigration reasons, but you may need one as ID for your airline [...] MORE...


March 01, 2005

Where is the .ac domain name from?

.ac is the ccTLD of Ascension Island, .fm is for the Federated States of Micronesia and so on. The full list can be found at Wikipedia's List of TLDs. MORE...


How does RFID work in schools?

Here's how the InClass system works: A unique 15-digit ID number is written to each tag and associated with the name of the student to whom it is issued. As the students pass through the reader-generated interrogation field under a doorway, the reader sends the tags' unique ID numbers to a central server. MORE...


February 07, 2005

What are region 0 DVDs?

Whereas most DVDs sold for home entertainment purposes are "region coded", region 0 DVDs are unrestricted and unencoded discs that are playable on (most) DVD players worldwide (however not all... MORE...


Can we see circular rainbows?

Yes, you can see circular rainbows: [...] MORE...


February 02, 2005

How safe are scuba dive computers?

I came across this interesting-looking abstract where someone has done a piece of research I wouldn't have minded testing myself as a practical science project: 'Performance of dive computers exposed to profiles with known human subject results' [...] MORE...


January 25, 2005

How does a dive computer work?

A dive computer is an electronic device used by a scuba diver to measure the dive profile (depth, bottom time etc) and to display information needed for a safe dive, avoiding decompression sickness [...] MORE...


January 11, 2005

London Congestion Charge OCR technology

The London Congestion Charge zone is a defined area in London where you have to pay a fee to drive your veichle. The charging of this fee (and the tracking of evaders) is being done by a large number of CCTV-style cameras [...] MORE...


How to redirect after changing your domain name

For people arriving searching for how to redirect after changing their domain name, my advice is largely unchanged since last time I discussed this (in August 2002): Use a proper HTTP redirect where possible for website visitors (humans AND robots). Forward your employee's mail for a long time (imagine a potential customer digging out an old business card with emails in the old domain on it - you want these emails to arrive!) [...] MORE...


December 20, 2004

What are the black dots you see every 20 min at the cinema?

Reel change markers, simply reel markers, cues or 'cigarette burns' are used to indicate to the cinema's projectionist that it is time to change the reel of film. [...] MORE...


December 17, 2004

Are Christmas trees religious symbols?

As some outpost in Pasco County, Florida is currently banning Christmas trees from public buildings in an effort to rid themselves of religious connotations, there is a more fundamental question to be answered: since there is no mention of Christmas trees in the Bible; are they Christian symbols? (or are they religious symbols at all?) MORE...


December 16, 2004

Why is there an X in Christmas? (X-mas)

A seasonal and interesting etymology question: was the X a 'commercializing' thing to make Christmas more edible for non-Christians? Is the X really a cross? Neither, in fact; it appears that the X is really the first letter of the word Xtos, which in Greek is the word for Christ. MORE...


December 08, 2004

What is a 'prosumer' camera?

'Prosumer' is a word often used about cameras (or other gear) that is targetted for sale to people on the border line between being consumers and professional users. MORE...


The configuration of the sun, the moon, and Earth lying in a straight line

The Jeopardy-style answer is: 'What is a Syzygy?' MORE...


Something interesting about the United Kingdom

In the series of curious queries people have asked at this website, someone came looking for 'something interesting about the united kingdom'. Well, honoured visitor (should you return), how about this: [...] MORE...


November 22, 2004

Which information is contained on a machine readable passport?

One reader asks a question more people should ask themselves as machine readable passports are rapidly becoming the standard identification documents for international travel, and as remotely readable biometric information is becoming the standard for entry to the US very soon: what information is contained within machine readable passports? MORE...


November 18, 2004

Is dihydrogen monoxide a bad thing?

No. Dihydrogen Monoxide (H2O) is plain old water. The dihydrogen monoxide-scare you might have heard is a prank. More information: [...] MORE...


November 17, 2004

Will American DVDs play in a DVD player in England?

[...] No, by default your UK-bought DVD player will not play DVDs from outside your region (UK being in DVD Region 2 (sub code D1), US being Region 1). However, browsing the net a bit should reveal whether the player you own can be made region-free, or you can consider purchasing a player that will play all zones. [...] MORE...


When was 'the Gherkin' built?

Answer: 30 St Mary Axe, as the building officially is known, was granted planning permission August 23, 2000, and the building was completed in 2004, opening on April 28. MORE...


November 09, 2004

Names of people on the US dollar bills

Search for 'the names of people who are on dollar bills' and you don't find a lot of information. Luckily for this visitor, he (or she) shows up in my access log, and I'm happy to share what I've dug out: [...] MORE...


November 08, 2004

How do I find the dpi of a jpeg?

The answer is in Gisle Hannemyr's excellent 'Pixel FAQ': use Photoshop or a similar photo editing tool. In Photoshop, go to the following menu option: Image->Image Size. MORE...


How to allow apostrophes in email addresses?

Surprise surprise: apostrophes *are* allowed in email addresses, although not recommended as they may not be treated correctly along the way by mail servers or e.g. SQL-based customer databases etc. MORE...


ISO standard for tracking of sushi using rfid

Someone arrived at this blog searching for 'iso standard for tracking of sushi using rfid' and in the new answerblog-tradition, I thought I'd shed some light on the topic: [...] MORE...


October 01, 2004

How did Anorexia get its name?

Anorexia is simply the medical name for loss of apetite. MORE...


How was the Johnson space center named?

Johnson Space Center was established in 1961 as the Manned Spacecraft Center. In 1973, the Center was renamed in honor of the late President and Texas native, Lyndon B. Johnson. MORE...


How do noise cancelling headphones work?

I've decided to start properly answering questions that have led people to this site. One visitor last month was someone searching for information about 'How do noise cancelling headphones work?' MORE...