Saturday 09/18/2021
Did my usual Saturday indulgence, a modest walk ending with picking up a chocolate hazlenut swirl at the farmers market.
I spent a couple of hours in the auditorium getting noplace with trying to set up for — what I have decided to call — a Simulcast. This would be to put the image and sound of an event on the auditorium stage, onto a laptop as a Zoom meeting. For the benefit of people who don’t want to, or can’t, come to the auditorium.
I was asked to set up the 11th floor TV to show the Stanford football game. It was on ESPNU, which the comcast unit there is not authorized for. However if I switch to the Roku box, and go through a whole magical 3-factor authentication dance to activate ESPN access under my personal comcast ID, the Roku can put ESPN on the screen.
I thought, sure 10 minutes is plenty of time for that. So at 4:50 I went up there and — the Roku didn’t work. Obviously not responding to its remote. Pulled the remote batteries; saw that the spring on the minus end of one battery was corroded. Took it down to the workshop on the 5th floor, found some sandpaper, shined up the spring. Back to 11 (and ten minutes is disappearing fast) and it still didn’t work.
Back down to my apartment on 6, look in the drawer for AA batteries — oh no, I meant to get some. I find only 1, of dubious age. Down the hall to Craig’s place and cadge a battery from him. Back to 11. Now the Roku works, yay! After I go through the authentication and activation ritual, it is 4 minutes into the game and Stanford has already scored. Fortunately only one other fan has showed up.
So, tomorrow? Buy AA batteries. Put 2 in the Roku remote.
Codgerville 