Steven McTainsh is a web developer based in New Zealand who loves creating websites.
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HDMI and C# Image Lists

Well, I finally made the leap from VGA to HDMI and, I must say, the sound quality seems to be pretty awesome (not sure if it’s just these speakers or the cable :) ). However, when I plugged the HDMI cable into the computer and my HP 2159m, the screen looked a bit odd. There was a black border around the entire image, and all text looked really fuzzy. I found out that this is a setting enabled by ATI drivers (I’m using an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 4570). To remedy the situation:

  1. Open Catalyst Control Center (the drivers I had from Windows Update did not include this, so I had to download the full driver package from Dell);
  2. Click Graphics in the top left corner and choose Desktops & Displays.
  3. Click the triangle in the top right hand corner next to your display (use the triangles at the bottom, not the ones on the numbered displays) and choose Configure.
  4. Click the Scaling Options tab and drag the slider to 0%. You’ll see the changes take effect as soon as you move the slider.

Thanks heaps to xpmediacentre.com.au for the tip.

In other news, whilst working on Time Sheet 2010, I discovered something interesting. When adding an image list, even after adjusting the colour depth to 32-bit, I found the images displayed within the image list would always appear jagged and rough around the edges, and the colours would never really look like 32-bit. So, by pure coincidence, I discovered that by removing all images from the image list and adding them back in, the issue was resolved! Hopefully someone else finds this little tip handy too. :) Never mind, it doesn’t seem to work. :(

Steven

New laptop on the way!

Well, my brand spanking new Dell Studio 15 is on its way! According to the courier, it arrived in Tauranga this morning and should (hopefully) be here today or perhaps tomorrow.

A little hint if you are buying a Dell computer in New Zealand and want to track it’s progress with the courier once it has arrived in New Zealand – go to the website of the courier Dell uses in New Zealand, PBT Couriers, and enter the PB Trace number 36XXXXXXX, where the X’s represent your 6 or 7 digit order number. It may take some time for it to become available, but it should eventually show up. I found this out after asking Dell when my order would arrive, and they let it slip in the subject line of the email. ;)

I’ve also ordered an awesome new case for my new laptop; a neoprene ISIS Black I for $34.99 from Mighty Ape. Check it out if you are looking for a great notebook sleeve; I look forward to putting it through it’s paces to see how it performs!

Also, I want to express how delighted I am with Mighty Ape’s service and delivery turn-around – my orders have always arrived in perfect condition and less than 24 hours after the order was initially placed – now that’s what I call service! :D I highly recommend them to everyone in New Zealand and, if you are in Australia, they’re launching there early this year.

Steven

Happy New Year!

Well, 2010 has arrived here in New Zealand! I hope everyone had or has an awesome New Year’s Eve and a relaxing and chilled out New Year’s Day!

Steven :)

Merry Christmas!

Wow, I can’t believe it’s only 5 days til Christmas, and that a whole decade is almost over. This year has gone by so fast – it seems like just yesterday that I was starting out at Waikato University, and now my whole first year of study has passed.

You may have noticed a subtle change in the design of my portfolio and blog – the traditional background has been temporarily replaced with a background made up of different snowflakes, which were obtained from here. Now, you may be thinking, it’s not winter in New Zealand at this time of year (in fact, it’s summer), but snowflakes seem to be an internationally recognised symbol of Christmas, so I thought, why not? Plus, it suits the existing site colour scheme well, don’t you think? ;)

Anyway, I want to wish everyone (in particular, my blog visitors, supporters and all of my clients from this year and all the years that have gone by) a very Merry Christmas and an awesome 2010! Be safe during this holiday season!

Steven :)

Who am I?

I'm a web developer who is currently proficient in XHTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL and JavaScript. In addition to web programming, I also enjoy software development with C#. My portfolio and blog are a platform for me to demonstrate my abilities and voice my opinions on various (primarily) computing related topics. Since 2009, I have been studying at the University of Waikato.

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