Grand Vistas

Some four years ago, I bought myself a new monitor for Christmas. It was a nice 21.5-inch Dell LCD and, as Dell monitors typically are, it was a good piece of equipment. Unfortunately, it was also a refurbished piece of equipment, and perhaps this is what led to its untimely demise. Last night, after spending a while pondering what a "timely demise" might be, I decided, on a whim, to try hooking up a certain 32-inch LED TV I had lying around. That's me: born whim-y. This particular TV set simply stopped working about three months ago, but I thought I would give it one last chance. To my surprise, it works as well as if it were new out of the box, which has me wondering what on earth went wrong a few months ago. I quickly thought, as Bill Clinton said after discovering his Secret Service detail was actively soliciting Columbian hookers behind his back, "There's an opportunity here somewhere."

I proceeded to connect the TV to my computer faster than a blizzard turning up to spoil an Al Gore speaking engagement. Imagine my ecstasy when Middle-earth opened before my eyes in full 32-inch, 1080p glory! I was more excited than Harry Potter learning Chu was opening a massage parlor at Hogwarts. My jubilation was short-lived, however, as I quickly discovered this particular piece of technology came with a trade-off. Namely, text is rather difficult to read due to excessive pixelation. I've tried tinkering with the settings, but to no avail: like Internet Explorer in the 21st century, it just wasn't meant to function in this environment.

A beautiful view of Dol Amroth by night.

And so, as Paris Hilton was told after she failed to acquire her GED for the 19th time, "We'll just have to find another use for you." This also means I'll have to pony up the cash for a new monitor, but I also get an extra TV out of the deal, in a manner of speaking. See you back in game shortly!

Padhric
Master of Toons