Friday, December 11, 2009

Ustream Live Video app


I found this app the other day, It's cool and free. Check it out. I haven't played with it much, but it basically does exactly what the title implies. Use your iPhone to stream live video so that many people can see what you're up to. (iTunes Link)

One of my pictures will be featured in a UK magazine.



Just found out that this photo I made will be featured on a full page in a UK magazine.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Google wave invite givaway

I have a bunch of Google wave invites to give away. Follow me on Twitter and DM me to let me know you're interested. Special consideration will be given to those who spread the word. @beepnboops


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Finally got Knocking Live Video Working! Yey!

Well I finally got Knocking live video working. I'm gonna play with it for a little while. I'll post my review later. I think they are experiencing growing pains as more and more people discover this app. They say that there will be version update within the next couple of days and that they are feavorishly upgrading their servers. I wish them the best of luck, this is a great concept.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Monday, December 7, 2009

Knocking Live Video Sharing - It's just cool.


This is just cool. If you have an iPhone get this app asap. It's free and the more people that have it the better, so tell your friends. Its apps like this that make me wish that everyone had an iPhone.

The Best iPhone Car Kit Ever.




I've been on the cell phone bandwagon for a long time now, my Dad got one for work when I was just a kid, so I've just always had a phone in the car. I've seen many different systems come and go over the years. But I have to say that this is the first time in my life I've actually been truly satisfied with the system I have. It's so simple, elegant and effective. It has every feature I ever wished for. They are as follows:
  • Music, GPS, Phone Conversation all play through the car stereo system
  • Connected GPS (allows me, with one touch to call my selected destination; for example to make dinner reservations, check if the store will be open or has a product in-stock, or book a hotel room)
  • 2 phones can be paired via bluetooth to the system: my Blackberry (Work) and iPhone (Personal)
  • Caller ID Display and Announced
  • Unobtrusive noise cancelling mic
  • Excellent Sound Quality
  • Portable so I can take it with me when I'm on the road.
  • No Wires, none!
Introducing the "Jabra Cruiser" Bluetooth Wireless Speakerphone, it fucken' rocks literally. Using Bluetooth the Jabra Speakerphone interfaces with my iPhone and Blackberry at the same time. Then using its high quality FM transmitter pushes the sound into my car stereo via the FM tuner.

So here's how I have it setup.
  1. I paired both my iPhone and Blackberry with the Jabra Cruiser.
  2. Installed the Magellan RoadMate iPhone app. (I'll do a review soon, but its great. Killer feature is spoken street names, not just turn right/left 200m)
  3. I use the Mophie Juice Pack so that I have a lots of battery
  4. To mount the iPhone/Mophie Juice Pack I use the RocketFish GPS windshield mount (its got the longest arm I could find, so that my phone sits firm and forward easily within reach on my dash.)
  5. Setup the Jabra to transmit to my FM car stereo.
  6. Place the Jabra on my windshield visor.
That's it, it just works. When I get in the car I just flick on the Jabra's power switch and both phones connect. I then open my iPhone GPS app, select a destination, select a playlist and I'm off. When I take a call it mutes the music/gps/whatever, then plays the conversation. When I'm done talking it resumes whatever I had going on before. If I get a call on my work phone (Blackberry) it just mutes everything, I have my conversation and when I'm done everything comes back on.

The other cool thing is the Jabra and the Mophie both use micro-usb to charge, so when I'm on the road I don't have to carry a bunch of different wall chargers and cables. The battery life of this system is great (about 10 hours) so I just charge them at night, it's best to take this type of gear with you at the end of the day anyways or you're likely to have a broken window and some missing gear in the morning.

That's it, here are the links.




Play Radio Paradise in the background on you iPhone


Until now I thought the only way to listen to internet radio was by using one of the apps like shoutcast. The problem was that if I exited the app the music stopped. However, I just realized that I can play my favorate internet radio station Radio Paradise in the background using my safari iPhone browser. This is really useful because now I can stream thier tunes and blog or play games or whatever.

You can use the link below to see for yourself.
http://www.radioparadise.com/musiclinks/rp_64aac.m3u

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Sports Illustrated Apple iTablet demo


The more I hear about Apples iTablet the more interesting it becomes. I think this may be what saves the publishing industry. It's just so cool. The eReaders currently on the market just look like a more expensive way to read a book. I gotta' ask why spend the extra money? But this thing wraps up all kinds of devices into one very slick package.

It's kinda funny, as I'm writing this I remembered the Microsoft table thing. I think somewhere along the line they just totally lost touch with reality.

To be fair, Windows 7 does have ok touch support. The new on-screen-keyboard is a huge improvement over the old vista version. Off the top of my head I can think of two multi-touch capable tablets for sale right now(Lenovo Thinkpad X series, HP Touchsmart). So why isn't anyone using them to distribute content as shown above? Is their something magical about iTunes? I know for a fact that MS has all the marketing, hardware, and software resources available to them, so what's going on? I think if MS misses the boat on this one we'll all look back on 2010 as the beginning of the end for MS. By 2020 they will be relegated to a wikipedia article along with Atari, OS2/Warp. (ha, everything will be clear in 2020 hindsight)

Oh, ya one last thing both of the models I mentioned above do the screen swivel thing. When it's in tablet mode the keyboard is useless. Why did they even bother? Just get rid of the keyboard no one wants it! or at least offer a model without.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Decent 60" TV for less than 2k, sweet.


I was just puttering around Future Shop and noticed that they are selling a decent 60" TV for $1800. That's a sweet deal.

LG 60" 1080p Plasma HDTV on sale for $1800

Vuzix iWear VR920 Model Update


The Vuzix iWear VR920 headset has been available for more than a year now, I'm guessing that they will announce it's replacement at CES in January. I was disappointed when it became clear that they weren't going to offer a new model before Christmas. I'm hopeful they up the resolution.

http://forums.vuzix.com/Topic4631-2-1.aspx?Highlight=new+model
http://www.vuzix.com/iwear/products_vr920.html

HP Envy vs. MacBook Pro


I'll start off by saying that I have been an avid Microsoft supporter for over 20 years. From the dark days of DOS to the latest Windows 7. My first computer was a comaq 286 laptop back in the 80's. Computers have come a long way since those days, but it's Apple that has made impressive progress. It used to be that owning an Apple was a compromise, they just didn't have the software or hardware features that IBM compatibles offered. But that isn't true today.

Some may argue that Windows Pc's are cheaper, and they would be right, but only if you don't assign any value to the packaging or chassis, I do. There are plenty of Windows laptops out there that offer comparable specifications to the macbooks for considerably less cost. However it you compare the packaging it's clear that the macbooks are much, much nicer. In my mind, laptops are first and foremost portable devices, so I consider the chassis a major feature.

Now, all that being said their are only a few Windows models out there that have comparable chassis. One such model being the HP Envy series laptops. Here's the funny part, they still aren't as nice, and they actually cost more than their macbook competition. So it seems to me that all things being equal Windows PC's just aren't a better deal when compared to similar Apple products. I'm not alone, just walk into any Apple store to see for yourself. They are always filled with happy customers, I count myself as one of them.

The Road (Worst Movie Ever)


The Road is the worst movie ever. It was so bad I was jealous that Viggo had a suicide gun and I didn't. The best part was about half way through when I let out a huge fart, man that felt good. There was a scene about half way through when Viggo was crying into his hands depressed and broken, after sitting through 80min of this terrible movie I know exactly how he felt. It was at that point I decided my friends movie picking privileges were revoked, I pulled out my iPhone and concentrated on Tetris. Oh ya, those of you in the audience who were hoping to catch a glimpse of  Viggo's scrotum won't be disappointed, the rest of you will.

Streaming and sharing my video collection across my home network.



I have a respectable collection of videos now, last time I looked in the neighbourhood of around 5TB worth. Spread over about five different computers (kitchen, den, living room, bedroom, laptop). Some are Apple and some are PC.

My problem was: I wanted everyone in the house to easily be able to watch any video on any system including my their iPhones, PS3, Xbox, etc.

The solution is TVersity. The best part is the price. Free. TVersity was easy to setup and works great. All the client action happens inside the web browser so it works the same on all the computers. The flash-based client UI is fast and easy to use. I highly recommend it. I setup my server to parse the shared folders on all the computers around the house than just mash them into one big list of content for the clients to navigate. It couldn't be more simple. I find that the video is only a little degraded from its original quality, I think that's a fair trade-off considering it streams smoothly to my wirelessly connected devices.

Internet Radio


I have a respectable collection of music, but sometimes it's nice to listen to something new and different. I could spend a bunch of time hunting around the iTunes store or just switch on one of my favourite internet radio stations. Shoutcast.com has been going for years, it's free and has a huge selection to choose from. My two favourite stations are "Radio Paradise" and "French Kiss FM". Radio Paradise plays an eclectic mix of old and new rock, folk, and alternative that I like to listen to at work or just puttering around the house. French Kiss FM broadcasts an electronic mix, they always satisfy my appetite for hard house or techno.

Shoutcast has a very easy to navigate website and their new design features a convenient browser based player. They also have an iPhone app that is just as easy to use and works great on my 3GS. Radio Paradise has their own app, but I find that it's just easier to use the Shoutcast app because if I don't like what they are playing I can switch to another station without having to exit the app. The big feature of the dedicated Radio Paradise app is its ability to switch to a lower bandwidth stream, which could be useful if you are trying to conserve on your mobile data usage.

Another site that I've found useful when I'm looking for a specific song is GrooveShark.com. They have a vast music library and a uber slick interface. Their browser based player also features an automatic playlist generator based on your initial music selection. I really like that feature because when I'm working on something I don't like to have to waste time messing around generating playlists etc.

One last note, both Serius and XM Satalite radio offer a free selection channels that can be streamed via the internet, if you are already a subscriber there are even more channels available. Both have iPhone apps (Serius app or XM app). To my mind they offer the best selection of talk and news programming. Neither of which I get excited about. They have a nice list of music channels which I have played with but I find the programming available through Shoutcast to be better.

Friday, December 4, 2009

A few words on home theatre speakers.



If anyone ever tells you that they have small speakers that sound as good as big speakers they are either lying or are deaf. There is simply no way for tiny speakers to do a good job, it's just not physically possible.

For my home setup I use JBL Studio series speakers and a Yamaha RX-v800 Receiver. I picked all this stuff up 10 years ago and it's still going strong. If you buy good stuff it will last. I have upgraded my TV a couple of times, but my speakers sound great and the features of the newer receivers just haven't inspired me to upgrade.

Some folks think that JBL's are too "bright", but I disagree. It's probably the titanium tweeters they are responding to. Music sounds awesome on these even at earth shattering volume. If you were wondering I listen to a lot of jazz, trance, hard-house, rock n' roll, and classical. I also like my action movies!

The important thing to remember when shopping for speakers is to listen to them first. Everyone has different tastes. Bring your ipod and favourite movie to the store and give em' a listen. Whatever you do don't by small speakers, save your money. Be sure to grab a receiver that puts out at least 120 watts per channel. Oh ya, try to buy matched sets, it sounds weird if you mix and match speakers.

For what it's worth this is what I use:
2 x JBL S312
2 x JBL S38
1 x JBL S Center
1 x JBL PSW-D110 (replaced original speaker with an Alpine 4Ω 500W Car Audio sub)

It's interesting to note that because the original sub was 8Ω, I basically doubled the power output of the unit by changing to the new 4Ω sub. But, I also had to upgrade the fuse from 10amp to 25amp, and attach a large passive CPU heat-sync to the internal amplifier. To say this sub pounds is an understatement. It's been working great for 10 years now (no fires).

One last thing, don't go crazy and spend a bunch of money on wire. It's a waste. Just go to radio shack or home depot, 18 gauge should be more than enough (buy a spool, you'll use it eventually). If you need computer or HDMI cables or whatever ncix.com has great prices.

Apple Magic Mouse

Moving parts are the death of anything mechanical.
Finally a mouse without any wheels or balls or whatever!! WAY TO GO!


Mophie Juice Pack - Case and Rechargeable Battery for iPhone 3G

I picked this up because I really hate running out of batteries. I like the added size and would even call it a feature because it makes the phone easier to hold on to.


Vuze a great BitTorrent app

http://www.vuze.com/

Vuze is my BitTorrent client. I like it because of its integrated search and iTunes capabilities. The XBOX/PS3 sharing is nice too, because when I take my macbook to friends places it's easy to get my content playing on their TV's without having to get into rewiring their systems.

Between eztv and Vuze search their isn't much I can't easily get my hands on. That's just cool.


Elgato EyeTV Hybrid

When I'm at home I plug my macbook into my 52" TV (Sony KDL52V5100) it became annoying to have to choose between the TV or Computer so I picked up this little gizmo. The Elgato EyeTV Hybrid. Now I can watch and record TV using my computer. The setup was easy the quality is great. The program guide is better than any other I've ever tried. Now, using my iPhone I can watch my live TV or pre-recorded programs whenever or wherever I like. I have to admit I didn't watch much TV before I got this, but now that I can skip the commercials/boring parts cable has become interesting again.

The Best "in-ear" headphones.

Sometimes I don't want to wear my cans, so I use my Sure SE110MPA headphones. They are lightweight, comfortable, and sound great. The other nice feature is that the mic can be used with any other headphones of your choice. When I use the mic with my Sony cans, I use the included short headphone lead so that I don't have a super long cable.





The Best Noise Cancelling Headphones

Sony’s MDRNC500D Digital Noise Cancelling Headphones, I looked around, tried all different kinds and if you ask me these are by far the best noise cancelling headphones available today. I've been using them for about 9 months now and they are great.

My only complaint is that they require a special sony charger, these would be much more convenient if they could be charged via mini usb. That way I would be able to save packing yet another power cord.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

When Eztv goes down use twitter

Eztv goes down from time to time, but you can still get the latest TV torrents via Twitter.


life goes on without mininova.

Toslink to Optical Mini Adaptor for Macbook Pro Digital Optical Output. aka S/PDIF

I have a late 2008 (unibody) MacBook Pro, one if its little known or used features is it's digital sound output. The analog sound is ok, but for the highest quality sound and to get 5.1 sound from DVD's into my home theatre I use this little adapter. I got mine from my local Mac store for about $15, but You can find them online for as little as 3. You will also need a toslink cable, as this is only an adapter.

Link to the store where I bought mine.

iPhone waterproof case

I'll be going on a little vacation to Mexico soon. Lucky me. What I'm really looking forward to is being able to listen to my tunes and do some reading at the beach. If you don' already know salt water and electronics don't get along. So I've been researching waterproof cases. Here's what I've found.

Otterbox.com makes some cases that look like they work well, but they are way to bulky for my tastes. So I settled on a product from drycase.com. I really dig the vacume seal, headphone Jack, and it's simple lightweight design.




Just a quick note, for my day to day I use the Griffin Elan form Graphite. It's great because it offers good protection, and the texture makes the phone easier to hold.








- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

First Post.


"This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box."
- Edward R. Murrow, October 15, 1958


The above quote is eery given the state of the news media today. If you ask me, they (the mainstream media) only have themselves to blame. They took news reporting from a respectable profession to the level of carnies in only a few decades. Today, it seams fake tits and a post 1985 birthdate are the only prerequisites. Is it any wonder that bloggers are killing their market? All things being equal, when presented with a choice between free shitty information or shitty information behind a paywall which would you choose?

I digress.

I'm a bit of a techno-nerd. Generally I'm the guy my friends call whenever they have problems with their tech. and there are always problems. As this will be the easiest area for me to write about, I'll be using this blog to document the various problems and solutions I come across. However, as my interests are not strictly limited to "how to" or "review" articles I plan to generate a diverse pile of content as I see fit.

Christopher.