• Feb 6, 2016

    OS X Server and the runaway process

    Yesterday I heard the fan running like mad on my Mac Mini. My mini is my workhorse machine that is my media center, surveillance system, and build server. This is not uncommon as it processes video at times and when it builds certain projects (Swift seems to cause it more), the processor has to work harder. Normally the load is about 30% (Quad Core i7), but when the fan comes on loud enough for me to notice, it is hitting the 50-90% range. I did a little poking at the machine and saw a process called sdmd hogging the CPU. I had never heard of this process, but a quick search found some references on Apple's support discussion threads.

  • Jan 24, 2016

    Attempting to perfect TV viewing system

    As I've written about in the past, I've gone to great lengths to record and play TV shows (I don't torrent and I get my shows over the air). My system up until now has relied on El Gato's EyeTV 3 software running on my Mac Mini combined with a few scripts and now a command line program I wrote called EyeTVExporter to drive ffmpeg. The whole system has worked well, but one problem with EyeTV is that I have to screen share to the Mac Mini to add or modify schedules. Also, this process is far too complex to maintain in the long run. Also, I don't currently have faith that EyeTV will continue to be updated; for instance the latest issue I have with it is that the Export routines (either in the app or via AppleScript) convert all the audio to stereo instead of preserving the AC3 5.1 audio that is recorded on many shows and exists in the MPEG2 file that EyeTV internally stores. When I've tried to just export to MPEG2 with the cut marks which mark the commercials, it has garbled some of the video.

  • Jan 19, 2016

    New Car Decision

    A few weeks ago I went to the San Diego International Auto Show with my father and my son to kick some tires and see if anything wowed me. We looked at the "green area" and there wasn't much exciting there. To keep my son entertained, we went to Camp Jeep, rode in a Jeep Renegade on their indoor course and my soon climbed a rock wall. Unfortunately (for my car looking), this was the highlight of the trip.

  • Jan 18, 2016

    Review: Amazon Echo

    [19 Jan 2015, 7:38 AM - Minor Edits]