Relief!! (Found surround sound problem)

I found out what my sound problem was and it wasn't the pc or sound card!! Thank goodness. If it was the pc and direct X or something, nothing I can do, like the controller issue.  So I thought, ok,  it has to be the cheapy sound card I bought for $30 and I KNOW is made in Taiwan. Either that or the $4oo Logitech sound system (model z906). There is no way it could be the Logitech right? Cuz if it is, I could be screwed if out of warranty. God only knows when Ill ever have $400 again in my life. Guess what? It was the Logitech. Not like I'm that surprised. I have owned 3 Logitech surround systems now and here is what I have learned about gaming with surround sound:

First, Logitech is the ONLY maker of surround sound equipment that you can plug in Analog sound. Digital is on or off. Analog is all the data in between on or off. Digital is a switch and analog is a round volume knob, just think about it that way. So analog and digital dont play nice together. Analog doesnt like a digital cable. You might get analog sound over HDMI (which is digital), but the analog may get cut off as analog supports a LOT more data than digital does. So to get Analog (computer format, PCM its called) to play surround sound, you really have to play it through the 3, 3.5 mm jacks on your sound card. PCs dont tend to have optical outs if you shop around.

So long story short, Logitech sells the ONLY Analog input surround sound devices on the planet. The problem is that they dont last very long. They will usually stop working right around the end of the warranty, usually just outside the warranty. And compared in price to a digital (optical is the name of the port) surround system, Logitech cant compete. There are digital optical home theaters in a box for as little as $50. This is all thats required when gaming on an Xbox. Xbox, though technically a pc and is used primarily for gaming, uses a custom digital optical audio interface. Microsoft also pays a license fee for their sound card to translate Dolby Digital. This is how we have optical out on the Xbox and not 6-Channel direct. Logitech's equipment has the 3, 6-channel direct ports. 3, 3.5 mm cables that each carry 2 channels each, center/sub, front l/r and rear l/r. I found out today that Logitech can be shady though . I LOVE Logitech. Much of what I own is Logitech. I always suggest Logitech to others. I really LOVE Logitech, but today they pissed me off and maybe forever:

I had my current sound system go out with about 2 weeks left on the warranty. So I notify Logitech on THE last day of the warranty. I got it 7/1/2015 and my email got to them on 7/2/2017. I get the standard responses about do this troubleshooting and such. I tried what I had not tried already, from their suggestions, but I had already positively identified the problem and it was 2 ports on the Logitech. 3 ports on the pc would play through only one port on the Logitech. It should be 3 ports pc connect to 3 ports on Logitech, but 2 ports were just dead.

So I get a response quickly (kudos Logitech), the day after the 4th of July, my birthday, the 5th. I want to expedite the process so I call them. Firstly, they disconnected me at least 10 times. The first time i actually got through, they agreed to return the unit, they were typing in the info and finishing the return. I asked what the warranty would be on the new unit. He tells me that it will use the warranty on the first unit. I say, but that ended yesterday, does that mean there is no warranty on the second unit? He says yes. I ask, if the new one fails within 2 years are you telling me I have no re-course? And he tells me yes. I ask to speak to a supervisor and he hangs up on me. After 5 more attempted calls that ended before I could even reach a person, I get the same person back. I ask if I can speak to the supervisor and he says hell go get him, so he puts me on hold and comes back and asks when I notified them of the issue.  He then proceeds to tell me that the computer blocked him from completing my return because the date was the day after it expired. The bottom line was, as long as I didn't ask about the new warranty they were willing to take it back, though they were notified the day after the last day of the warranty. If I complained about the new warranty, they did not want to respect the original warranty at all. I did fill it out Friday night, its not my fault they didn't get the email until the next morning. But regardless of that, a warranty claim received on the day after expiration should not be ignored. I felt like this was very shady behavior on Logitech's behalf. I was hung up on again so I kept calling back. At some point I reached a new tech who said he was willing to return it as it wasn't "like a month" past the warranty. He put me on hold to talk to someone and came back with a "here's what were gonna do" attitude which I felt was also a very, I'm going to do you a favor attitude. I felt that honoring your own 2-year warranty from a legitimate claim shouldn't be a favor to me. He said he got approval to do a one-time return. I didnt mention the warranty on the new unit and he put it through as a warranty return.

So as it stands now, they are to email me a return label I print out and put on the box I load the broken unit into. When they receive my old one they say they will ship a NEW unit. As in NOT refurbished, they assure me. So we will see what transpires but here is the huge lesson I learned that may help you as well:

You dont want to be stuck with an expensive gaming pc where the controllers have suddenly stopped working. And you dont want to be tied to Logitech's expensive but prone to failure equipment and shady service. Play games on an Xbox or PlayStation and you can use a cheap digital surround sound system. Also, check this out: Logitech has 2 versions of their surround sound system. Virtually exactly the same except one has 6-channel direct and a left and right rca port. This is the sound we have been using since there was stereo (left and right) sound. This unit only costs $100 and is mainly for just surround sound on a pc (model z506). The one I have, the z906 has what the other model has but also has 2 digital optical ports and a digital co-ax. So for just 3 extra ports the cost goes to $400!!

Working in America

Good Morning Truth Seekers,

So I am asked to take a test to get a job writing computer code. I also have a 4 year college degree in Information technology. So as I sit here in debt I piled up trying to get a degree so I could make employers feel at ease to hire me, I'm told the degree means nothing and the test is all they care about.  It was so hard for me to get the degree. I have no money or family to help. It was scholarships, loans, prayers, hopes and dreams to attain it. It was working full time and still keeping full time classes. And it means nothing to anyone but me. So I'm going to waste time taking a stupid test that will block me from employment I rightfully deserve,

So what does it mean when society acts this way? All I can deduce is it is such a crappy society of people that all employers can expect is lying, kniving trashy people. That must be what they get applying to their jobs because they are all set up to protect against that. Never mind you say you can program. Never mind your swimming in debt you incurred so you wouldn't have to take tests for employment. Never mind you have been doing this work for 20 years.

If your from India you arent asked to test. You are just hired whether you really care about the job or not. And the only reason for this is because one american dollar is worth 65 Indian rupees.

PC Controller Fixed!

So you might remember my pc gamepad, the Logitech F710 quit working properly for the last year or so. Well I recently purchased a copy of Watch_Dogs from Gamestop and I noticed it was installing Direct X drivers. Now, I had figured that it was a Direct X problem the whole time I've had the issue. So I immediately try out the "broken" controller after the install and guess what? The controller is now working properly. Im back to awesome gaming glory now as my surround sound just showed up. My Logitech surround sound unit stopped working and I had to spend July waiting for a replacement. But Ill leave that for another post. For now, if your having issues with the F710, try installing Watch_Dogs!

To see the issues I had with the F710 previously, see previous post.

Well that was short lived (happiness with pc games)

I bought a copy of Watch Dogs by Ubisoft. As you may or may not know, the controllers I use to game on pc suddenly stopped working a few years ago. I was totally disgusted with that but just switched to a Steam controller that usually works great. Well I notice when I install Watch Dogs recently, it installs a new Direct X and C++. After the install, my controllers work!! Im overjoyed. I play Watch Dogs and its flawless. Well I go to play Saints Row, the first game I noticed the controllers weren't working with and what do i notice on the first cut scene? There is now no sound coming from the actors in the cut scene. WTF??? So now controllers work but surround sound is fd up. What is the fix put out by Ubisoft and im sure others? Set your gaming surround sound system to stereo. And idiots are doing it and saying 'oh thank you so much for suggesting that!!' Not realizing I guess that they no longer will have surround sound out the back speakers anymore.  All other sounds play in the cut scene. If someone moves its full sound. And the sound that is missing, I can hear very faintly, so i know its playing but the volume is messed up. When the controllers did not work because of Direct X, the sound was fine. Now, direct X breaks the sound but fixes the controller issues. Stay away from PC gaming its ridiculous. You never know one day to the next if a game is going to perform as expected.  I wish Microsoft would get Direct X working properly and leave it alone. Dont update it ever again. But oh no. And when I research this, people are having the same problems on PlayStation!! WTF!?!?!? I always say there are seldom problems with console games but I guess the times are a changin!

Trumped up election. Russia Putin him in office.

Trumped up election. Russia Putin him in office.

The Death of PC Gaming (and video gaming in general)

That's it, I've had it, never again. I'm done with PC gaming and almost gaming in general. So if your on the fence about pc gaming let me show you why you will want to stay with a console. And keep in mind, if pc gaming was so great there wouldn't be home consoles.


My background is: started gaming on the Atari 2600 home console (and on small handhelds like the old football, before the Atari). I've owned almost every console aver made. Its easier to list the ones I've not owned than the other way around.


So what triggered this rage? Well let me paint a picture.....


Last Christmas I was able to borrow enough to get a great gaming rig that I would start to download Steam games on. It was to be my 'Steam Machine'. The logitech f710 controller is THE first to have rubber on the handles! After all these years someone was willing to address my sweaty hands. So I bought the Logitech f710 controller and plugged it in.


For that first year I had been LOVING my new Windows 8.1 gaming pc. Reluctantly, I purchased a Logitech f710 controller because I've had problems with controllers in the past with other gaming pcs. But to my surprise, the controller makes it like gaming on a console, plug the controller in, open up game, controls just work. All is awesome for a year. Last month, around the beginning of November I go to play AC3 and the right stick (camera) is now in the triggers. The A button was functioning on the X button. Attack was the start button. The control scheme was completely broken. The only thing that ever changed on that dedicated Windows 8.1 gaming pc was the Windows updates. No other games added and no other hardware introduced. I freak out and check other games. Bf4, Saints Row 4 and AC3 all suffer from the same problem. Virtually all my games (and from different manufactures) now suffer this condition. So begrudgingly, I start to contact Logitech and MS. Logitech didn't want to acknowledge the problem and wrote me off, eventually ignoring my emails. MS wont listen unless you buy a support contract. I should have to pay for support of something they broke? If I didn't break it I cant fix it MS. This is your responsibility. So because of the ingenious moves of these 2 companies, I'm leaving gaming. I also wont be buying games or consoles for my kids. This from a gamer that's been buying games and consoles since the Atari 2600. I've owned virtually every system ever made and have bought thousands of games. I chose XBOX over Playstation from the first xbox and have owned all the xboxes, even after my first one caught fire, and the 360 gave me the RROD. I've been so loyal, and this is how I'm treated? I was going to get my kids into gaming but now I will not. Maybe Ill consider Playstation again instead of Xbone. If MS or Logitech remove this post, don't worry Ill have this info on every site i can find, and you'll know they removed it from their sites. Way to go guys!

So your gaming experience wont change much with a console. But, MS has made people worried they will implement DRM and always online requirements, no playing of used games etc. like they did with the XBone. So because of these worries I went the way of the PC. Screwed either way. The only thing you'll miss out on now with a console is less graphic ability and less processing power than a pc. But someday you may come to play your pc game and the game now crashes, wont play, has bugs, or has broken controls. And all these problems after you forked out double the price of a console to play games. Don't get stuck in this fly trap, pc gaming is horrible.

MicroSoft many years ago started a campaign called "games for Windows ". These pc games promised controller support, high def visuals, surround sound and everything you find on a console game now-a-days. This campaign never took off and MS made maybe 3 or 4 'games for windows'. The whole thing faded away. So now pc games wont always support; high def visuals, controller support or surround sound even though a pc that will play pc games is expensive no matter how you slice it. Buy the way, good luck hooking up digital surround sound to a gaming pc and getting surround sound. Doesn't happen. PC games play analog sound instead of digital. Virtually all home theaters are for digital sound.

And when your peripherals don't work on your pc, they will blame each other (Microsoft and the peripheral mfg. and the game makers) and not even listen to your problem. This wont happen with a console. I thought stupidly that by 2016 they would have worked out the kinks in pc gaming, but its still the same old busted piece of crap its always been, and that makes me feel that it will always will be just that. Way to lose out on a ton of my money idiots! PC master race is a joke about idiots with too much money.


You always also hear how you can always upgrade your pc as a benefit of pc gaming. Hey, just pop in a new video card and you can now game the next generations visuals for the next 10 years!! Ya thats what I thought too until i found out that:


a new video card usually needs more power. You current motherboard prob wont work with a new power supply (it will burn up the board!). So to accommodate a new graphics card usually is a complete rebuild of the pc, making it the same price (or cheaper) to just get a new pc than to upgrade. And check this out. Eventually Microsoft drops support for your os. SO imagine you just upgraded your old game rig with hot new hardware just to find that MS had dropped support of your os. Now we are talking about buying a new version of windows that may or may not work with your new hardware! So, its just not as easy as they make it seem to upgrade an old game rig. This is another pit fall I'm helping you to avoid.


So, I may go back to playing on the Playstation after this fiasco if I game at all. But, Microsoft and Logitech have chased me away from PC gaming forever and possibly console gaming too. If you have to game, look at Playstation. All PStations have always had better visuals and still give everything you would expect on a game console. PC and xbox, not so much.


Hell the reason I went to Microsoft in the first place was this situation:


I bought a PS3 and Socom Seals. I LOVED Socom on the PS2 so I was like o hell ya! Got it home. Spent the hour or so to set it all up, PlayStation accounts and all, just to find out that this Socom was online only. Worried, I go online into the only server I can find. There, a few people attacked me from all the hiding spots they knew of, then berated me about what a crappy player i was and then just left. It all took about 5 minutes for me to discover that the game I bought the PStation for was a $60 waste of money. I returned the Playstation the next day, but because I opened the software I had to eat the $60 for Socom. That's why I went to MS gaming.


So gaming is chasing away people that give it a lot of money for nothing. Gaming isn't necessary, and some of us put all the money we have into it just to be given the experiences I've outlined for you here. So I hope this post saves you the time and money I've had to waste with gaming.

UPDATE: It gets even worse with PC games. I played Battlefield 4 a lot the last few weeks (with a Steam Controller). It reminded me of the Battlefield 2 days when you can unload a full clip (assault gun or shotgun ) in someones back and they turn around and one shot kill you with a handgun.  Then there are the times I'm one shot killed from across the map with a handgun or shotgun. I Googled for BF4 cheating, guess what I found: websites selling monthly subscriptions for cheats for the game! Thats right, for only $20 / month you too can log into BF4 and headshot the whole enemy team at once if you prefer. You can press one button on the keyboard and instantly kill every enemy on the map. Turn on aimbot and when you aim at people, it auto shoots them in the head. So if the crap even plays, which BF4 (and many other pc games ) did not play upon launch, you will have the game hacked to death eventually. When I just spawn for 20 minutes strait, I don't want to play anymore. This and more can be yours all so that you can enjoy slightly better graphics than the console version. Uh, no thanks.

And I've heard from family that has the new Xbone, that to play games you must install them for hours. Gone are the days of simplicity when you just inserted the game and played immediately. And the kicker; you still have to have the damn disk in the tray to play after installing! WTF?! At least on the crappy pc I install and can play from the hard drive without a disk. Not only does this make you tech support again instead of being a gamer but then you have to spend lots of money on big hard drives just to be able to play many games at once. If all you can buy is a small hard drive console then you are stuck finishing a game so you can delete it and install another. That limits how many games Ill buy at once. Force me to finish a game before I can start another and Ill buy fewer of them.

Also im so tired of the mouse/kb vs. controller argument that Im going to squash it once and for all, forever. The first point is a skilled player will beat you with any input device. The other point is, if these websites are thriving that sell cheat codes, why would people use them? They are ultra precise with a kb/mouse right? Then dont use cheats and headshot every person you see instantly. Crappy cheaters need codes to compete even with gaming mouse and keyboard.

Finding Work in this "country"

Good Morning Truth Seekers,

Its been a while since my last post. Today I write about how ridiculous working in this "country" is. I recently moved and the head-hunter agencies want me to waste a bunch of time doing "assessments". So I have a few thoughts:

First of all Im totally offended being asked to take a test on programming languages I know. The way I see it, my 4 year programming degree that I paid upwards of $100,000 to obtain is my "assessment".  I worked full time while going to school for about 10 years. Not only did I have to work full time, but then had to fit in school in my "free" time. I had no family to contribute anything. When you apply for financial aid at a school, they factor in something called EFC, or expected family contribution. If you have no family to contribute, oh well you just get less money and thats the way it is. I had to beg and borrow just so I could get my degree that I had hoped would be able to speak for me in the future. Employers just overlook this and want to base hiring you on crappy little tests that neither can measure your intelligence or know-how. If there is something on a test that you haven't used, you dont get the job. Many things on these tests are things that you dont even use or is irrelevant. And the kicker is, I read that there arent enough people to fill the empty programming positions. Well that certainly isnt true. If there was such a shortage people out of school would be hired but they are not. Assessments wouldn't be required. If you dont create your own business you might as well not even apply. There is no such thing as a junior level programming position. You have to graduate, and start your first job as a seasoned experienced senior level programmer or you dont get the job. WTF? And the dirty little secret no one wants to talk about is the fact that corporate america only wants to hire the cheapest people possible. No longer does quality count towards creating a product. I witness this first hand as all current video games that come out arent playable. Virtually every company in america is getting hacked. Your telling me that people that have to keep one hand clean so they can eat with it (because they dont have basic sanitation technology) is going to be more knowledgeable than an american that has only known technology? America created the technology. The saddest part is they are now more knowledgeable because employers will hire the cheapest workers at the expense of quality, giving them all the experience. So if you want to program for a living, know these facts. You may end up at the same dead end I did, except $100,000 in debt for nothing. And, the worst part is, Im a better employee, programmer, and human being than anyone Ive ever met in the workplace.

As a side note: Only a hindu would let me be free. I had a job for 3 years as a web developer and the reason was that the IT manager was from India. He set me free to do what I wanted. Its because of this that I was there for 3 years. As long as the owners of businesses are always going to be crusty, evil, white males its going to be hard for anyone to get a job or be set free to do what they are good at in the workplace.

Im sure 50 years ago when you interviewed to be a doctor or lawyer they just looked at your degree. There were probably no silly little tests for getting hired. After passing the bar or a medical exam and you got your degree or licence you just presented yourself to employers and they hired you. It does not work like this now and it should. If ive done all the hard work to get a degree, paid for it and actually made the grade, I should have many options of places to work. This is not the case even with many years of experience.