Factors To Consider When Choosing a Digital Video Recorder

Storage: DVR capacities range from 40 to more than 300 gigs. Sixty minutes of standard-definition programming requires about 1 gig, an hour of high-definition about 8 gigs.

Tuners: Most boxes have standard TV tuners equipped for rabbit ears or analog cable. Branded DVRs from Comcast, DirecTV, and Dish Network can handle those services' higher-quality digital signals.

Interface and Listings: Specs like hard disk space, inputs, and sharing are important, but user experience matters most. Program guides - the grids of channels and shows your DVR downloads from a listing service- should scroll quickly and be easily scannable.

Connections: High-quality outputs ensure a crisp, clear picture. Coaxial and composite video aren't as good as S-video. Analog component video and HDMI - which support progressive-scan DVDs and HDTV - are the best choices.

Networking: Some DVRs let you swap shows with other DVRs, or share them with a PC, using an Ethernet or Wi-Fi network. A few support remote scheduling via the web.

DVD Burner: Some machines come with a burner for archiving programs, home videos, and slideshows. DVD-R and DVD+R discs are compatible with most players.

Devices Update

An Australian researcher is out to show that an electronic brain can aid training and make fights fairer. Engineering student Kane Partridge at Swinburne University of Technology in Victoria embedded impact sensors in the gloves, vests, and headgear of a pair of boxers and connected the sensors to a ringside computer via a wireless link. The computer records every punch thrown, analyzes the blows in real time, and scores the bout, noting illegal punches and ignoring ones that miss. Partridge hopes the system, built for the Australian Institute of Sport, will allow coaches to identify boxers' strengths and weaknesses and let the fighters study blow-by-blow accounts of their performances. It could even replace human judges in bouts.

PowerPoint Tips

Are you having trouble with your QuickTime movies playing slowly in your PowerPoint Presentations. Try this: select the clip and then choose Format: Picture. Under the Size tab, click on the Best Scale for Slide Show option, set the Resolution pop-up menu to match your output device's resolution, and then click on OK. This will probably change the size of your QuickTime movies, but it should make them playmore smoothly.

Web Pages for January

Looking at the Tobacco Industry

Replace Your PDA Battery

Free Activity Kit - click on materials at site

Congratulations to the recipients of Bonnie's Fitware Inc. Grant Program:

Polly Unger - Vulture Peak Middle School

Volleyball Complete

Andrea Collins - Ledbetter Elementary

Primary Muscle Flash

Joanne Leight - Slippery Rock University

Sim Athlete

Dawn Brahler - Independence Middle

Health-Related Fitness

Francesa Zavacky - Venable Elementary

Elem Physical Education Dictionary

Lisa Lock - Mount Tabor Elementary

Elem Physical Education Dictionary

Spring 2004 Online Courses
February 15, 2005 - May 15, 2005

• Fitness Software
• Record Book Technology
• Web Design and Activities
• Instructional Software
• Technology Devices
• Electronic Portfolios
• Spreadsheets

Each course is $100 plus an additional $50 for college credit if needed. Click on each course for more information.

Questions and Answers

Q: My window is bigger than my monitor so I wind up dragging the window back and forth to see the entire image. What did I do wrong?

A: Your desktop settings are smaller than the minimum resolution needed to run your game. For example, if your Desktop is set to 800x600, but the game uses a minimum resolution of 1,024 x 768, the game's window will be larger than your Desktop. Try increasing your Desktop size by increasing your resolution. Simply right-click an empty spot on your Desktop, select Properties, and choose the Settings tab. Slide the Screen Resolution slider to the right to select a higher resolution and then click Apply and OK.

Funding Sources

Thousands of schools nationwide are a "billion times better" thanks to Box Tops for Education fundraising program. Since its inception in 1996, more than 80,000 schools have collectively redeemed more than one billion Box Tops coupons, earning a total of $100 million to use for everything from computers or playground equipment to textbooks and art supplies. Go to http://www.boxtops4education.com for more information.

The General Mills Foundation, in partnership with the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President's Challenge, will award 50 grants of $10,000 each to community-based groups that develop creative ways to help youth adopt a balanced diet and physically active lifestyle. The goal of the program is to improve youth nutrition and fitness across the U.S. Deadline is February 1, 2005. For more information click here.

New CDC Report Out on Physical Education

A new MMWR report released recently by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed two significant findings: 1) physical education can increase student participation in moderate to vigorous physical activity and help high school students gain the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to engage in lifelong physical activity, and 2) progress has not been made toward reaching the national health objectives for 2010 related to physical education. CDC analyzed data examining physical education class participation among high school students in the United States during 1991-2003 as a part of the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). According to the recommendations, a coordinated multilevel approach involving schools, communities, and policymakers is needed to increase participation in daily, quality physical education among all students. For a copy of the report click here.