InspectorGadget

We've Moved

2011-04-05T15:39:00.000-07:00

You'll find all these wonderful posts and more now at...

Looking forward to seeing you there...

iPad2 DROPPED TODAY...

2011-03-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

Click here for the Video Demo
Click here for the Tech Specs
Click here for the Amazing Built In Apps
Click here for All the NEW FEATURES

How to buy online

I would normally write about this hot topic in more detail, but so is everybody else. Frankly, the links provided take you to the pages at Apple Inc. They truly explain it all perfectly, anything else would be regurgitation's of what's already been perfectly written the first time.

The only thing that I feel is missing is the Retina Display I think if this existed in the iPad2, this truly would be an unstoppable force.

Outside of this one fact, its pretty amazing what they've done.

The iPad was the break-through in this field, Apple Inc, has just re-written the rules once again!

Verizon has the iPhone4

2011-01-11T14:12:00.000-08:00

History will be made, on February 10^th, 2011, Verizon Wireless will start selling the very coveted iPhone 4. The 16gb model will sell for $199.99 with a new 2-year contract.

This is a major move with Apple Inc., as AT&T was the only carrier that had the iPhone series on their network. If you are not aware, the Verizon phones are CDMA based. The only other company (to my knowledge) that is also CDMA based is Sprint.

The future is unclear, but it will be interesting to see how many people break their contract with AT&T and go over to Verizon’s network.

I’ll be keeping a close eye on this, and will post more articles as more news comes out.

If you are planning on going over to Verizon, Case-Mate has a notify list available, informing you when their covers/cases will be available for purchase.

iPad Apps Review: Magic Piano

2010-10-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

Magic Piano by Smule is a very unique musical experience. At the get go, it looks like just another keyboard app, however once you start to look around, you realize it’s a whole new way to experience the piano!

When you select the solo button on the app’s menu, you are taken to a black iPad screen, but what you don’t realize is, the whole surface of the iPad becomes your musical playground. At the very top of the display, you notice a keyboard that appears for a moment, giving you a point of reference, then the fun begins. Like a regular Piano/Forte, you can use, all ten fingers, the same applies for the Magic Piano’s interface.

When selecting the Menu, and then choosing the Songbook, you are given a very impressive list of songs, most of which any musician would know instantly. Once you select the song (internet is required) you are greeted by glittering green orbs that fall from the top of the display, however there are white streaks that are hinting “touch me”, once you touch the proper number of white streaks, a song starts to appear, its almost the same concept of paint-by-numbers but you’re following along a guided path, to create music.

I’ve spent years in music schools, where regardless of your major, your minor was always piano. The Magic Piano’s songbook takes years of piano training, and it allows anyone with the ability to follow a guided path, to play like a pro. Anyone can do it, and no training is required, just the ability to play a visual Simon-says!

Pressing the menu button again, and you click duet, makes a globe appear, and from it, it finds you another Magic Piano player doing the same, looking for another person to play with. If you are lucky, and find another musician or musical inclined person, you can actually have a proper duet. In the upper right hand corner is a circular keyboard, which if pressed will present you with different keyboards (per press), so incase you wanted to see a keyboard, be it in their signature spiral, or a xylophone format, you can compose music with another.

Pressing the Menu button one more time, and choosing the World button, its functionality is similar to the Duet feature, however you can save links to your friends that you make.

All and all, Magic Piano is an amazing little program, one might call it a sleeper, but I for one, am completely amused.

iPad Apps Review: iOrgel HD

2010-10-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

iOrgel HD is an amazing music box simulator. It reminds me of the finely Swiss crafted music boxes that are still very collectable. This HD version optimized for the iPad is quite stunning. It comes built in with many classical and childhood songs that one can play, and enjoy the sweet tinkling sounds of a finely crafted music box. One neat feature, is when you browse the on-line free library, you can download other creations that end users, composers, etc have uploaded to their system. This virtual music box also allows you to create your own music as well, allowing your creative side to create unique and personal music. For $2.99 its well worth it, if you know and understand how to compose music, and you like me, love music boxes.

iPad Apps Review: LifeTracker HD

2010-10-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

LifeTracker by Oliver Rozynski is a very cool personal journal with a very interesting approach to a life-expectancy clock that takes your nationality, gender and age to calculate how much life you have left. I personally don’t hold much weight to the life-expectancy clock, as one never knows when its their time, however the beauty of this program is what I’m here to talk to you all about.

From the moment you’re born, one would call this a Milestone. This program allows you to track your Milestones agmost your every day journal entries. One could use this program as a personal log of ones life. One highlight of this program is that it automatically formats your dated memories into a sequential and chronological moments in time, like chapters of your life. Another feature is that you can make future predictions/goals/promises that you can set, and then track your progress to these goals, keeping a running log of pre and post comments.

The price is a little high for what it offers at $4.99 however, if you take into account the time and effort for its over all beauty, and the productivity of the journal, it’s a very useful tool, but I can’t stress enough, I don’t hold the “days left until life expectancy” to be true, as I personally know many people who have “out-lived” what doctors have told them, some by 30 years! So that aside, for a personal log, something that is eye-catching, and very easy to use, you can’t go wrong with this program.

IPad Apps Review: Metallic Spheres

2010-10-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

Metallic Spheres by Sony Music Entertainment. Are you a fan of David Gilmour? You may know him as the Voice & Guitar of Pink Floyd. Do you also know The Orb? The App Metallic Spheres just dropped October 1, 2010 and really takes advantages of the iPad environment.

Put your headphones on and tune out. This App is going to build the frenzy for the newly anticipated album by The Orb, featuring David Gilmour called Metallic Spheres.

Each experience is different and unique, you’ll not encounter the same thing twice. The entire iPad screen becomes a musical interface, allowing you to queue up ambient sounds of both amazing artists, visual eye-candy to keep you entertained as you paint with sound.

Tap your finger in different places, or drag it across the screen, the sounds and visuals change each time. There are these Metallic flowers (spheres?) that keep popping up, touch one, and watch it grow, and add its own music into the scene.

For only $0.99 cents, Metallic Spheres you get something that’s ideal on its own in the background, to break the white noise, and yet you can fidget with it, to add to the audioscape that you’re listening to.

iPad Apps Review: Cryptogram HD & Crypto-Families HD

2010-10-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

If you feel that certain logic puzzles that require math, just aren’t doing it for you, and you miss the days of classic word games, then I have two iPad / iPhone apps you’ll want to sink your teeth into.

Cryptogram HD & Crypto-Families HD by Norman Basham. These two programs cover the full gambit of cipher type word games. If you get stuck, you definitely can ask for a hint, and at times, you can just use your vast knowledge to solve the puzzles, but its pretty neat to look at the Cryptology type Algorhythms that are being used to solve these puzzles. Each one costs only $1.99 however on the iPad it’s quite stunning. They also have the look and feel of turn-of-the-century coded message a spy would use to decode hidden messages. I would not be surprised if you saw something like this used on the SyFy show Warehouse 13.

I tip my hat to Norman Basham for creating two amazing programs!

iPad Apps Review: iPocket Tools HD

2010-10-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

iPocket Tools HD 11 in1 by G.P. Imports, Inc offers every iPad user, extra tools, some very useful if you are a DIY builder. There have been many times where I needed a Caliper, with a digital output, a Plumb on the off chance I needed to know if my verticals were accurate, and a Protractor again with a digital output. This company is offering more applications in the near future (update?) however right now, for $0.99 cents, you get the following:

Alarm Talking Clock 

Caliper 

Clinometer/Inclinometer 

Decibel/Sound Meter 

Flashlight 

Metal Detector 

Plumb bob 

Protractor 

Ruler 

Voice Battery Tool 

Voice Compass

The graphics were designed by Danielo Lipele and it almost has a Steampunk feel to it. Some of the applications in this program are more entertainment purposes, however you can’t just buy a few, it’s a bundled deal. You can’t go wrong with the price, and frankly, the Caliper really sealed it for me.

iPad Apps Review: The Electronic Toolbox

2010-10-04T12:23:00.000-07:00

The Electronic Toolbox was created by Marcus Roskosch, and it’s a MUST HAVE, if you enjoy building anything-DIY type of projects. There is an iPhone and iPad version of the applet. Taken from the description of the program, it offers the following:

· Type listings (with color coding) for Resistors including SMD types and Capacitors 

· Databases for Transistors and ICs

·  Calculating circuit values for Resistor, Capacitor, Coil, and Filter circuits 

· An Ohms Law calculator 

· Unit conversion for numerous types of Measurements (pressure, energy, distance, speed, weight, etc.)

·  A database for common electrical Symbols • An Indices database of common electrical components 

· Calculation of voltage regulators with 78xx,79xx,LM317 or LM337 

· NE555 circuit design 

· Op-amp circuit calculation 

· Number base converter (Hex, decimal, binary etc.) • Frequency, period wave-length calculation 

· LED / resistor calculation 

· Voltage divider calculation 

· R/L calculations 

· BJT calculations • Schematic Diagrams

When I used to work in the more “hands on” electronic field (when I was younger) I really wished something like this would have existed, it would have made life so much easier. Take full advantage of this, its clean, accurate, and for only $3.99 you can’t go wrong!

The Enlightened Experimenters, Inventors, Tinkers, Mad-Scientists, Technical Books Catalogue

2010-09-22T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

I’ve been asked time and time again, “How do you know that”? I wanted to share one resource that I feel needs to be given the spotlight for a moment. There is this AMAZING catalogue technical books, what is the source you ask? Why Lindsay’s Catalogue of Technical Books (from the cover) “Exceptional technical books published for the enlighten of experimenters, inventors, tinkers, mad scientists, “Thomas-Edison-Types”, and individuals of high energy and intellect”.

The Lindsay Publications Inc is located at PO Box 538, Bradley IL 60915. You have to check out their website at www.lindsaybks.com

I can’t tell you how amazing this wealth of knowledge is. From their website, you can find just about anything that you’re looking for. The following is just a mere taste (from their website):

Machine Shop, Foundry & Welding, Chastain Books, Engines & Steam, Automobiles, Meador Books, Blacksmithing, Energy & Homesteading, Dixon Books, History, Crafts, Science, Radio, Electrical, Tesla, Magnets

And so much more…

If you are a “do it yourself” kind of people, this is a book source you’ll find you just can’t live without. On this subject, some of the things that I am going to be acquiring are:

Gear Calculations & Cutting (No. 23284)

The Watchmakers’ Lathe (No. 23519)

Clock Jobber’s Handybook (No. 22709)

Model Engines & Small Boats (No. 23195)

Creative Kinetics (No. 5142)

Caveman Chemistry (No. 5103)

Coffin-Making & Undertaking (for Halloween) (No. 23829)

Manual of Formulas, Recipes, Methods and Secret Processes (No. 20366)

Chemical Magic (No. 5050)

Simple Scientific Experiments (No. 22660)

Lindsay’s Chemical Cross-Reference (No. 20170)

A Thousand and One Formulas (No. 20811)

Wireless Telephony (No. 23560)

The Voice of the Crystal [Radio] (No.3099)

Crystal sets and How to Make Them (No. 22385)

Crystal Set Radio Projects – Vol 12 & 13 (No. 3124)

The Impoverished Radio Experimenter Series – Vol 1 – Vol 6

(No. 22407, No. 22571, No. 22733, No. 22920, No. 22938, No. 23500)

The Essential Steam Power Library Vol 1 – 7

(No. 23306, No. 23314, No. 23322, No. 23330, No. 23349, No. 23357, No. 4104, No. 23640)

Ringbom Stirling Engines (No. 1624)

Miniature Ringbom Engines (No. 1535)

Low Temperature Differential Stirling Engines (No. 1408)

An Introduction to Stirling Engines (No. 1374)

The Tesla Disc Turbine (No. 1534)

Gingery’s Tesla Turbine (No. 1573)

Build a Two-Cylinder Stirling Cycle Engine (No. 1302)

Atkinson “Cycle” Engine (No. 1400)

These choice selections will aid me in creating my Steampunk dreams, making thought into reality. I will also be utilizing the knowledge for other personal projects and a game that is currently in development.

You see, the knowledge is from the past, but as we all know, we learn from the Past, that helps us alter our present state, which seeds the future to come. With that said, you really should check out her website, and buy some books! Most of what is listed here, I believe is not available (at this time) in an Electronic format (eBooks), and there is something to be said, by holding a good book in your hands – be it hard back, or soft cover!

Don’t forget, learn something new each day, it will keep your mind refreshed!

Jewish Studies on the iPad

2010-09-21T12:11:00.000-07:00

Good Yuntif to all,

In the recent months, I’ve taken an interest into the Jewish culture, of which, I really never explored. I wanted to share in some applications, that I think some of you might find useful for your iPad.

Sun Clock – aside from a very nice looking clock, it uses the coordinates of your location, and you’ll get an accurate Sunrise-Sunset times.

iTalmud - this was re-created for the iPad in mind. Aside from the stunning HD allowing you to zoom in without loosing any font quality, English or in Hebrew. Graphics, the audio lectures (that are downloadable) – full English translations (at a push of a button), Commentaries with one-touch hyperlinked commentaries of both Rashi, Tosfos and more! Keyword search, the ability to leave numerous bookmarks, Daf Yomi calculator. I have found it enjoyable to read the daily Daf’s that are available. The program by default loads in Hebrew, but with a quick click of a button, you’re back in English.

Pocket Luach - be this only an iPhone applet, its still very useful. No more trying to figure out the Jewish lunar calendar to the Gregorian calendar, this little applet does it all for you. Another great feature is that it displays all the Jewish holidays… Well worth the purchase.

Lúan – Lunar Calendar & moon Phases – Its pretty simple, but if you need to know the phases of the moon on the fly, this is the applet for you!

Totally Tanach – the Hebrew / English Bible – All of the Old Testament, written in Hebrew & English.

Pocket Techillim – A great free applet, 150 psalms written by Kind David. In Hebrew & English (same page)

ChiduseheiTora - Another great free applet, that contains the Hebrew texts of Volume 11 of Chidushei Torah.

X Commandments – Yep, it’s the 10 Commandments . Its pretty simple, but incase you forgot them, its another cool FREE applet.

Are you on the Vapors?

2010-08-03T09:49:00.000-07:00

By: Geoffrey “InspectorGadget” Schumann

http://technomage-djinn.blogspot.com

Before I start this article, I wanted to make clear, that this posting is not to promote, nor deter the usage of smoking tobacco products. I am very much aware, like all of you, of the countless Surgeon General's Warning that we see on tobacco products, of the four standards that are out there: Smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and may complicate pregnancy, quitting smoking now greatly reduces serious risks to your health, smoking by pregnant woman may result in fetal injury, premature birth and low birth weight, cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide.

This article is my research in something that was underground for a handful of years, but now has entered into the limelight, that would be eSmoking.

First and foremost, the usage of a device like this is for ADULTS ONLY. Depending on where you live in the world, generally that means you have to be generally 21 years of age (I am told some States/Countries 18 is the legal age limit) before you're allowed to Smoke.

In this article, I am covering the personal Vaping equipment that all have the look and feel of a modern day cigarette. "Vaping" the term that is used by those who use this type of product. When one smokes an eCigarette type of product the device produces and dispenses into your mouth by way of inhalation of an atomized glycerin-water vapor that is released/deployed by way of different adapters that have a personal atomizer contained within. The Propylene Glycol (PG) is on the Food and Drug Administration's list of substances for the most part is acknowledged as safe, and it’s used in everything from artificial flavors to fog machines.

All products being sold currently generally contains different levels of Nicotine content (Ultra Light = Approx 8-10mg, Light = Approx 12-14mg, Full = Approx 16-18mg, Mega = Approx 24mg) and some companies are also selling Nicotine-free products as well. One of the benefits of eSmoking, or Vaping over a traditional tobacco cigarette is that there are no carcinogens, tar, CO, etc that you have to worry about.

When "burning" on a regular tobacco product.

Do keep in mind, that even thou (for the most part) Propylene Glycol is considered to be safe, as its the base liquid used in fog machines, fog guns, etc. Some companies do create a Vegetable Glycerin as an alternative to the traditional Propylene Glycol, as some people have allergies to the propylene glycol overall.

One company that makes the Vegetable Glycerin base is called Johnson Creek. Like in traditional smoking, where the smoke produced by burning tobacco products, causes an after smell, that can linger, stick to just about anything it comes into contact with, and releases all the nasty chemicals that the FDA has been warning us about for years, Vaping is a different animal, you get the Nicotine fix that you are looking for, however, you get flavors, a water or vegetable based smoke, and not only is pleasing to you, its not offensive to others. Allegedly there are places, where the no-smoking rule is golden; Vaping is more acceptable, and not shunned. Also one of the best things about Vaping is, you don't walk in smelling like a wet ashtray.

In my research of personal atomizers, I came across three companies that all sell a similar product. Green Smart Living has the lowest intro-startup price, the S801 Super E-Cigarette (contains 1 battery (2.7volt / 22mAh), 2 cartomizers and one USB charger) MSRP $24.95 on their site, but their local distributors generally sell this product for around $20.00. Their S808 Refill pack contain 5 disposable cartomizers for only $10.00..

Each cartomizer I am told contains 1.21Milleters each, They only offer you five (5) flavors at this time (I am told more over the next several months are in the works), they are Regular (a Marlboro style/flavor), Menthol, Vanilla, Strawberry and Peach. At this time, they also only offer their cartridges in the full strength (18mg) and a low (11mg) is coming soon. I was curious to how their cartridges worked, so I took one and dissembled it, and the insides were different then what I expected. Instead of finding a foil-covered ampoule, I found a fibrous material, with what seemed to be a piece of media that contains the content. I did not feel any moisture from the fibrous material, however I can't disprove that it was not there. Also the atomizer is part of the cartridge. The cartridge is a metal tube, and the atomizer is firmly part of it,trust me, I tried with pliers, and could not separate the tube from the atomizer, its very well made.

The device works very well overall, and from tests, it produces a larger amount of vapor when exhaled then other products tested. The battery & cartridge also are longer/thicker then other products that I've been shown. The flavors aren’t' bad, but not as sweet as other vendors, however some people prefer flavors’ not as sweet, but the overall functionality of this device is top notch, for a very low start cost. What you don't get in fancy packaging, you gain in product stability, a long lasting cartridge (which is the equivalent to 1 pack (20 cigs!) and an overall high quality product.

The next product is the PureSmoker ACE (KR808D-1). Their starter kit is $29.99 on their site and you get 2 batteries (brushed silver or matte black), 1 USB charger (works with the wall charger), and 1 wall charger. The disposable Atomizer/cartridges are not included, they're a separate purchase. Each of their atomizer/cartridges comes in a package of 5 and on their website, sell for $8.49 each.

They currently offer 27 flavors at this time from their website and the are: Riskee Yuice/Minty Mint/5*5*5 Blend/Blueberry/Peanut Butter/Carmel Apple/Blank-Refillable (purchase your eLiquid separately from www.puresmoker.com and load in what you want )/CashBrew/Virginia/Pina Colada/ChocoMint/Kamel/Cash's Blend/Berrylicious/Cash Cola/Just Peachy/Ba-nana-nana/CashCap/Hot Fudge/Grape/Strawberry lemonade/Apple Cider/Energee/Clove/Menthol Ice/Vanila/Hiton . The company has two different eLiquid products. One called CaSH which the bulk of the 27 above are listed from, they do have a few more which are listed on their CaSH eLiquid page, that's not a pre-loaded atomizer/cartridge, but a manual load-it-yourself product, but also offer you TONIC USA eLiquid which is a new product for them.

Their current flavors are:

TONIC Bananaca/TONIC Berroidca/TONIC Appleonia/TONIC Mellonica/TONIC Tango Tea/TONIC Curtis' Coffee/TONIC 'Ccino/TONIC Firecracker/TONIC Karma Scotch/TONIC Silver Leaf Menthol/TONIC Minthia/TONIC Silver Leaf Tobacco.

Each of these are $4.99 and you get 6mL. They do offer higher mL product, 15mL is only $11.99 and they do offer up to 120mL but you'll need to contact them directly for those prices, but its nice to know between 6mL - 120mL for your ordering needs. Its nice that they have their own lab, so you'll not have to wait long for more product, if that is your wish. Their cartomizer holds approx 1mL and they do have blanks available for $1.09 each, that you can re-fill up to three times (the inside is a cotton like white filter that holds their liquid product) before you have to throw it away.

Also once you pick a flavor, you'll need to stick with it, as the cartomizer for the ACE series can't be cleaned out, however you can blend your own flavors, so an example, first run Menthol thru it, then pick a flavor you want to feel the menthol flavor, etc.. you get three per usage.

The ACE series battery is a 280mAh, the extended battery are 350mAh (that's 3.7 volts!). You can expect the usual 2-3 hours of normal usage, but if you get the extended battery they offer, you're looking at approx 6-10 hours. So from my research the "bang for the buck" with the PureSmoker product, would be the following configuration:

PureSmoker ACE USB/Wall Charger @ $10.99, PureSmoker Extended ACE manual battery (350mAh) - Stainless Steel w/ Blue LED @ $13.99, Blank/Refillable Atomz (Cartomizer) @ $1.09 each (remember, you can fill these up to three (3) times, that's 3mL per $1.09)) you're looking at $33.25 for this custom configuration, but keep this in mind, this is for a 3.7 volt system, this is only if you want/prefer the higher volt system and don't forget that you still have to purchase your flavors as noted above.

The third in this series is a product called BluCigs. Their starter kit is $59.95 and thou its the steepest in price, you get the following: 1 hard case (has a bay for 1 eCig, 1 bay to re-charge your battery ,), 2 atomizers, 1 wall charger, 1 USB charger, 25 free cartridges in the Nicotine strength of your choice (Full Flavored=16mg, Light=12mg, Ultra Light=8mg & Non-Nicotine=0mg) The starter kit offers you a generous sampler of 5 packs (5 cartridges in each), with the flavors of: Classic Tobacco, Vivid Vanilla, Magnificent Menthol, Java Jolt and Cherry Crush.) The packaging is very fancy, frankly a little too fancy for my taste, they definitely make you "feel" like you're getting more then you're paying for, however the only real saving grace is that their e-Juice is made from Johnson Creek.

One of the major differences that makes BluCigs stands out, is that their product is broken down into three primary components. You have the battery, the atomizer and the cartridge flavor tip. There are third party cartridges available, however since the BluCig is a slightly larger in girth, it won't really fit the third party flavors, unless you force it, and frankly let me tell you, the outcome is less to be desired, so when they tell you it won't work, believe them, it wont.

Personal Vaporizing, or Vaping as you have learned in this article isn't designed to get you to quit smoking, however for those of you who are going to smoke, this seems to be a healthier alternative for yourself, the people around you, the stuff you own, etc. There is little to no second hand Vapors that could offend (unless you have a flavor that is relatively stronger then most, then the aroma may cause a small stir). If you drop a personal Vaping instrument in your lap while smoking, you don't have to worry about personal injury, starting a fire, burning holes in anything or everything, and the product is reusable for a very long time (if cared for) so its overall easier on your pocket book, and better for the environment.

Of the three items listed in this review, I have to honestly recommend two of the three. If you want a good "my first eCig" I would go with the S801-Regular-$20 starter product from as its a good starting point, to see if you even like doing any of this. I wished I had known about them before I tested the BluCigs, the S801-Regular dwarfs the BluCig both in girth, battery capacity and cartomizer.

Once you get the hang of it, and you like what you're experiencing, you should consider making another purchase, where by you pick up the PureSmoker ACE (KR808D-1) with the extended battery and the Blank/Refillable Atomz. Yes it will cost a little bit more at the startup cost, but its cheaper then the BluCigs brand, but a little more then the Green Smart Living product. I have yet to try to refill the S801, but when I do, I'll be blogging about that experience too.

In conclusion, the S801-Regular is the best bang for the buck. You get a very well built personal Vaping eCig for the money but you're limited in available flavors. You get the convince of using it with very little prep time, aside from pre-charging the battery and overall you get a good throat hit.

But where the ACE KR808D-1 comes in, you have several options for accessories, a multitude of e-Juice cartomizers or empty ones for pre-loading your choice of e-Juice, you're also not limited to where you can buy, you even can buy the hardware from Pure Smoker and then use the Johnson Creek SmokeJuice products.

===ARTICLE UPDATE===

I’ve recently acquired the PureSmoker ACE starter kit, and I have to tell you, for the $29.99 startup cost, its well worth it. Right out of the box, everything is nicely packaged. One of the two batteries came fully charged. Each Atomz (their brand of Cartomizer) are thicker, and just feel well built. The Atomz are sold separately from the starter kit, however you do get a wide range of flavored options. The flavors aren’t as good as Johnson Creek’s products, however, if you never tasted anything from Johnson Creek then PureSmoker would be the bees-knees. I would recommend the PureSmoker Extended Long-Life Ace Manual Battery for $13.99 each, you get a longer battery, but obviously you get more battery time.

In a perfect world I would use the PureSmoker product, with a blank Atomz and fill it with the Johnson Creek brand eLiquid. Overall, I wish I had their product when I wrote this article, my initial outcome would have been different. In the end, the best “bang for your buck” is the PureSmoker ACE starter kit, for your first time purchase.

iPad Accessories – CASES

2010-07-16T12:29:00.000-07:00

With the investment of your iPad, there always is the question about a case. It’s a never-ending quest for me, as I want to protect my investment, however, I don’t want to also make it a tank in size or weight, but there is a fine line between protection and overkill.

This article will touch on what I’ve found so far. I have my own preferences, from past experiences, and dreams of a brighter tomorrow with the über case for my iPad. But like all things, sometimes, one wishes to change the case of their device, to fit their mood, personality and/or attire for the day. I hope you find these selections usefully our iPad case decision.

I have always been a fan of Vaja Cases. I have own several of their cases in the last 10 years and have found their quality in manufacturing to be top notch. They use the Krusell Multidapt system for the products that come with a clip option. By far I’ve not found a better case company, but as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for. They do not skimp on quality, but you will pay for that quality and craftsmanship.

I saw a few weeks back, a bamboo case for the iPhone, and wished they made one for my HTC Evo, but instead I found that they’re not making a bamboo case for the iPad. You can’t get a better protection then bamboo. The one company I’ve found that’s making a case is from Boxwave. Its ½ as expensive as the Vaja Cases, but also you only have one option for style where the Vaja Cases has a plethora of selection to choose from.

Now I ran across another company called Vers and they make a wooden case/shell for the iPad that’s $10.00 cheaper then the Boxwave bamboo shell, but I have always been a fan of wood, the touch, smell and natural grain that it offers. The beauty is amazing and worthy of your iPad, but you’ll be adding weight to your device.

Now some of you just love the feel of the iPad on its own, and only wish to have a sleeve. Again I wish to point your eyes back to the Vaja Cases for this option, however, some of you out there are anti-leather, and only wish to use faux leather… I have found a very unique design sleeve. Switcheasy has a faux leather sleeve called the RibCage. This is a case I can see HR Giger walking around with. They claim their “Shock dissipating ribcage design for ultimate screen protection”. I have not personally tested it, nor can find anyone who has, but it sure does look interesting.

For those who feel their devices need to go everywhere with them, even to places that are hazardous to electronics, TrendyDigital makes a waterproof case, that looks a little better then a over-glorified self closing bag. I’ve not seen this in person, but they show it’s usable in the cover. Now you can lounge at the pool, and not worry that your drink, or a splash will short out your investment.

In my research, one company has a few crossover cases that do select different things. ModulRcase is raised an eyebrow. They offer a $99 special as mentioned at their on-line store that gives you a case, cover, slim mount & kickstand. This is for that person who wants a go-go iPad case. This might be the salve that any techie would want (yes I am looking into this for myself).

drawCase has a solid aluminum shell case for maximum protection with a sleek slim shell case.

GelaSkins is a company that allows you to put a removable skin on the front and back of the iPad. They use an advanced 3M adhesive that allows you to safely put it on and take it off. Also they’re skins are known to have very few air bubbles that ruin the look of a second skin effect. They have amazing art, and you can change the skin depending on your mood (and private collection of their product). It does prevent normal wear and tear scuffs on the device, but does not offer protection like the other cases.

Now for something different, Oberon Designs has an amazing bull-hide leather case that is definitely worth looking into. Their products can be found at fine paper craft shops and at most faires that deal with the arts including the Renaissance Pleasure Faire, Scottish Highland Games, etc. You get the beauty of their covers, plus an added protection on the face of the iPad, as well as some extra designs. Click here for the video explaining their product.

So there you have it, a small personal selection of cases that stand out from the crowd. Oh and if you’re curious what I personally use… right now is the o.g. Apple Case for the iPad. I find it does get dirty quickly, however, it does offer little bumpers on the edges, and it’s a very sleek case. Its not the “best” protection out there, but from my list above, you can see why I’m still looking for that perfect case.

In the end, I may just save my duckets and get a Vaja case and be done with it, but again, decisions, decisions, decisions…

the future of UI

2010-07-13T15:09:00.000-07:00

John Underkoffler points to the future of UI | Video on TED.com

if you really want to be amazed... simply watch this Feb. 2010 TED video... Yes... the future is NOW...

Thank you David Reedy for reminding me of new and exciting technology!

HTC EVO 4G– Making the battery last LONGER…

2010-06-11T12:46:00.001-07:00

So last Friday I joined in the next step of the Android platform revolution and found myself returning to Sprint. The HTC EVO is the finest mobile device I’ve ever seen. I have always joked by saying “In Techno lust I trust!” as with new technology, the microchip getting smaller, things getting faster, this is good yes? But is the old saying too much of a good thing is bad? – One has to ask, is too much power too much, the answer NO in my personal opinion when it comes to technology.

I was at a developer conference in the spring, where I saw the HTC EVO Prototype and overheard a conversation where the basic jest of it, the HTC EVO was created when allegedly HTC was asked, “we want this phone to do EVERYTHING” – and HTC answered the call with the EVO!

But what is the cost for all this power, usually a shorter battery life. But with technology making the rechargeable batteries lasting longer then ever, how does one enjoy the true fruits of this device, and keep the battery life alive between required charges, this article will explain that. I wanted to point out people who look for powerful devices in their mind, have accepted the reality that more power = more fuel, this goes without saying for anyone that has raced cars (more horsepower = more fuel), purchased (like myself) a Quad Core laptop with a sick 1gb video card = about 2 hors of battery life, 1 if you are running all 4 cores in a graphic render, trying to leave the earth’s atmosphere in a NASA powered ship – but these are devices that we want all that power, and are aware of the ultimate cost.

I have a general rule of thumb, when you’re using a smartphone – you don’t need all the bells and whistles turned on, true, you can, for show-off features, but keep in mind, there is a cost. Here is what I do:

Only use the radios that you need when you need them.

· If you’re not driving and you’re at work, you don’t need the GPS radio turned on, switch it off, save some juice.

· If you use your Bluetooth enabled headset outside the car, leave the Bluetooth radio turned on, if not, turn it off (unless you’re streaming music to a Bluetooth enabled speaker)

· If you are not in a 4G-covered area, turn off the 4G radio, no need for it to sweep/look for something that is not there.

· WiMax – only turn this on, IF you are hosting WIFI to other devices, leave it off otherwise.

· WIFI – only turn this on, IF you are using it, remember, if WIFI or WiMax when they turn off, any of your social networking applications will use the 3G/4G radio’s to run their updates.

There are other aspects that you can switch off, like:

· Live Wallpaper – Animations are cool – but they do suck battery life.

· Twitter/Facebook/Peep/Fring/etc – you can dial in what they do in the background, change the update setting, I believe 2 hours is the default, some have mentioned that raising it up to every 3 hours works best.

Again, it’s a common sense aspect of the device, the more applications you have running at one time, even though the HTC EVO can run them, do you really need to? Some people have suggested to install an application manager, however, the Android 2.1 management system is very effective, more so then the third party market download available to you – for the 1.x Android systems they were required, however 2.x and up you really don’t need them anymore.

Thus far, I’ve found two other blog posts that I would like to bring to your attention. Jenn K. Lee posted 20 things you can do to increase your battery life, also James Kendrick posted How To Stretch Battery Life on the HTC EVO 4G. For further investigation, they really have dialed down every nook and cranny, a great read if you are a proud HTC EVO owner.

I like to close with this thought, when I run my iPad 32gb on the 4G WiMax in my back yard to test the speeds, I have my HTC EVO connected to the A/C. When I have done this w/o the AC connected, I found I had about 2.5 hours of surfing time on the iPad, and I was able to do anything and everything while connected. The areas that I’ve discovered that have 4G in the greater Los Angeles area are on the outskirts along Rodeo Ave into the Downtown area, North… (when you leave the Downtown area heading North on the 110 Fwy, the 4G ends just outside of the Downtown area. Also starting from Venice & Robertson North, I have connectivity. In the West Hollywood areas, there are pockets where it stalls and starts again, and for the most part in Hollywood. I’ve found small pockets of 4G hotspots in the Culver City area, but again, these are personal explorations, Sprint right now only mentioned (while I was in the store) that West Hollywood was the “testing area” – but I’ve not found a definitive map on www.sprint.com as of yet.

Enjoy the phone, all the bells and whistles, just remember, IF you are going to use every feature on the device, PLEASE stop crying about the battery life, I would like to see any other smartphone offer what this has to offer, and have an amazing battery life!

Social Networking in Cyberspace Part-2

2010-06-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

In my previous article I touched on the basic history of the Internet and the changing of the guard, from the old BBS days to what eventually turned into the modern information super-highway that we all use today. However as any computer-related experience goes, there is always a game or two that was played.

In this Part-2 I am going to touch on the history of the online environment and what it has turned into. I am going to explain the ecommerce that currently exists and cover lightly the on-line social interactivity between people.

Before I jump forward in the second part of this series, I wanted to make mention of two computer role-playing games (CRPG) that existed. The first would be Adventure created by Will Crowther in the mid 1970's on a DEC PDP-10 computer. Don Woods significantly expanded the game in 1976. The game had many features that Dungeons & Dragons had, the key difference; the "Dungeon Master" was the computer. Shortly after, a grouped of MIT programmers were inspired by Adventure and set out to create their own game. It had no pictures, just text and really made you work for it, the game Zork.

Back in the late 1970's Tim Anderson, Marc Blank, Bruce Daniels and David Lebling created the MDL programming language, all four were part of the MIT Dynamic Modeling Group. The Game Zork was the first fictional computer game where you were questing in the Great Underground Empire by wandering through a labyrinth, which is only part of the whole Empire. The term "Zork" was MIT hacker slang for an unfinished program. I remembered playing the text adventure on the first computer I learned how to use, a VAC-20 (running DEC) via a terminal interface while in the fifth grade. This game was strictly a single user game, but the concept can be considered one of the founding kernel games which adventure games today are based from.

In 1978 a student at Essex University in the UK, a student by the name of Roy Trubshaw started working on a multi-user adventure game that he named multi-user dungeon. What nobody knew was the game's shortened name MUD would be later used to be described as the first Internet multiplayer role-playing experience. For just about a decade, MUD's ruled the multi-player arena. By the time 1995 came around, MUD's were in full color and earned the nickname Graphical MUD's but they were all still single user play based games.

From all of this came the birth of the MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game). This environment is set to whole a very large number of players that all interact with one another in a virtual gaming world.

The whole social interaction via the MMORPG allowed communication between players. The players would join guilds or clans and take on roles within this virtual community. In the virtual communities, people would converse to one another within the game, before, during and after the actual game play, think of it as a virtual HAM radio experience. Within the MMORPG experience there was a ringleader called the Game Master, or GM for short. The general rule of thumb, they were un-paid people who had access to more information, and had administrative control and support within the games.

Many psychologist and sociologists were able to tap this new arena for academic research. One researcher, Sherry Turkle found after interviews with MMORPG players that their emotional range was expanded by exploring different roles and at times genders within the gaming community.

While playing in this virtual community, the players noticed that their emotions became stronger while playing these games, some to the point where online weddings would occur. A study by Zaheer Hussain and Mark D. Griffiths found that more male then female gamers preferred to interact with one another online instead of offline (in the real world).

It should not surprise you that since a complete social community has been born into the MMORPG environment, many of them have a very active economic model. People are buying virtual goods with cold hard cash, these items can range anywhere from in-game currency, food, upgrades, bonuses, etc. If you check eBay for example, you can do a search for virtual goods for on-line games such as Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction, World of Warcraft, Second Life, Farmville, etc.

In one early study, Edward Castronova showed that the supply and demand market crossed over from the virtual world into the real world. At one point back in 2002, the liquid cash spent on Everquest's in game experience surpassed the value of the Japanese Yen!

Another example of the MMORPG economics, one virtual community Second Life, people were buying and selling virtual real estate and have made revenues in excess of over $100,000. I remember listening on the news that some virtual property in Second Life sold for a few million dollars. So the old real estate adage of LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION brings a whole new meaning in the virtual community.

I am personally aware of several people who have moved to other parts of the world, to be in the same city, live with, court/date and or marry their virtual counterparts within these on-line social communities. This is a topic that I wish to cover in Part Three, On-Line dating.

I currently have been playing Blizzard's Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction. I have been playing on the Battlenet USWest server. I have friends that I know in the real world who play, and have met many new people on-line in a virtual sense, but never have met them in person. IF you play, look me up AncientOracle on line, and mention my blog, and you'll understand how the whole social community works. The game has Non Player Characters (NPC's) peppered through out the game, and we the questers interact in a real-time chat within the game.

Another virtual world worth expanding more on is Second Life. What makes this virtual world interesting is that there are no NPC's around; every avatar that you encounter is attached to a person in the real world. Some people have come up to me and asked (online) how to "win" within Second Life. At times, its difficult to explain to them that Second Life is not a game, but an environment, a virtual echo of the real world in a virtual landscape. You can either walk or fly within this environment. You can change your appearance 100% with the usage of in-game currency called Linden's. There is a current real world exchange rage between the virtual currency where $ turns into $L. If you have your own virtual business within this world and earn enough $L you can convert that back into cold hard cash.

Within the Second Life environment, there are areas dedicated for adults, and adult play, as well as spaces for children. If you can imagine it, seen it on T.V. or in a movie, you'll probably find it wit in the Second Life experience. The traditional CRPG take on a whole new meaning when you enter into the combat areas of Second Life, and then, you're back to a MMORPG but in overdrive. True the graphic experience is not like the modern MMORPG/CRPG games that are available now on line, however you do have complete control over your charger, to the point where you can find people to craft you complete custom weapons, devices, home furnishings, etc.

In conclusion of Part-2, you never know who somebody is in the real world while in a virtual world. Make no mistake, the entire social, political, religious and social interaction that you know in the real world, completely exists in the virtual world. Some people at the end of their normal workday, go home, log into the game or environment of their choice, and will spend more time Online then active in the real world. I know first hand this can add a new dimension within a couple situation where the husband and wife, boyfriend & girlfriend, etc are in the same household, playing online at the same time. These bonds at times strengthen the relationship, but as the pendulum swings, it also can tear apart a relationship as well.

Just remember, sometimes, its healthy to unplug, go outside and enjoy nature and depending where you are, you'll never know, that the other people also enjoying time outside, might be an ally or an enemy to a game or a virtual environment you frequent regularly.

My 32gb iPad – Productivity, Entertainment, Education & Distraction.

2010-05-26T12:47:00.000-07:00

So I was one of those technology holdouts on the iPad device. At my 40^th birthday, a good dear friend of mine W.G. showed me his 64gb iPad and all the musical aspects of the device. I knew it was a great device for those who needed to use it as an eReader, however, outside of that, I just thought of it as a huge entertainment & distraction. Little did I know how wrong I was, it was far more then that, it has a great productivity aspect to it and educational features that I did not even consider, so I went out and purchased a 32gb (middle of the road) iPad, as the 16gb was too small, and I really didn’t want a 64gb device.

I love the fact that the iPad supports A2DP audio streaming, which means my AltecLansing SoundBlade is supported, and I can stream my music w/o the need of wires. This helps greatly in a party situation. Also I enjoy the audio quality of my Bang & Olufsen – Form 2 headphones are lightweight enough, and provide such a rich audio quality, that nothing else really compares, for their price point. When I travel abroad on my recent trip to Chicago, IL. I found that my Bose QC2’s did the trick.

One of the key reasons why I went with the Wi-Fi model, vs the 3G version is simple. Where I live, I do not get AT&T signal at all. 30 towers surround my home and any AT&T device reads no service. I also have been biding my time, as Sprint is coming out with the HTC Evo a 4G phone. The key attraction of this Smartphone is the fact that it acts as a 4G Wi-Fi Hotspot that supports up to 8 devices! Once I switch over to Sprint from T-Mobile, I won’t loose my Android experience, but upgrade from a 1.6 OS to the 2.x OS the Evo runs, it’s a Win-Win in my eyes! My iPad will have the power of the 4G network from my Smartphone which is always in my pocket, I’ll get the benefit of the Android 2.x OS, life will be very good, and productivity should be through the roof!

I’ve broken my applications down into sections on the iPad, including the home screen I have 9 pages in total, I wanted to share with you, how I organize my iPad. The following reflects the applications, in the current order (which seems to work for me). I also found the need to purchase the Apple Bluetooth keyboard (A1314) as a typist (120wpm) the onboard keyboard or virtual keyboard that is provided on the iPad, thou its great for the one handed typing (while the other hand holds the iPad – get your mind out of the sewer!), when it comes to actual work, the Bluetooth keyboard becomes quite invaluable, and it fits nicely into my PacSafe Ventur 300 case that holds all my goodies. I implore you to check out the links on the following applications, I feel, you might be looking for something, and I may have run across it, but for now, the list stands and I find my research, productivity, education, entertainment & distractions are all well balanced.

My Dock

· Encyclopedia (Wikipedia)

· WordPress

· Safari

· Mail

· Photos

· iPod

The Home Screen

· Early Edition

· Dvice

· HoloBlog 3D

· ShrinkURL

· TWC Max+ (The Weather Channel)

· TweetDeck

· IM+ Light

· Bento (FileMaker Pro, Inc.)

· Calculator (Steampunk)

· Calendar

· Contacts

· Maps

· Videos

· YouTube

· iTunes

· App Store

· iThoughtsHD

Page Two - Productivity

· gogoDocs

· GoDocs

· Basho

· iJournaler

· Penultimate

· SoundPaper

· Notes

· PDFReader Pro

· iBooks

· Freemasonry

· Occult London

· ST Free #1

· S. Holmes

· Dragon Book

· 3D Artist

· PhotoCard (lite)

Page Three – Games & Education

· Auroa Fient 3

· Steamballs

· Cogs HD

· Bombardier XL

· iShisha

· True Backgammon HD

· Angry Birds HD

· Pinball HD

· Tall Ships - Age of Sail

· Sand Garden

· Pocket Pond

· Gravilux

· H1 SeaClock

· Sun Clock

· PocketClock (Lite)

· Emerald Observatory

· Solar Walk

· Tasseology

· Divination

· WitchEye

Page Four – Music Related

· SPL Meter

· iStroboSoft

· iReal Book

· Sheets

· MusicBox

· TabToolkit

· ScaleMaster

· VoxMatrix

· Propellerhead ReBirth

· Korg iElectribe

· MusicStudio

· dashMIDI

· Air Harp

· Dulcimer

· Harp

· Autoharp

· Chinese Zither

· Eastern Lute

· Odd:Hang

Page Five – Music Continued

· Virtuoso

· Music Tool

· iPiano Lessons

Page Six – Gastronomic Education

· Cooking Suite

· BigOven Pro

· Food Network Night Time

· Seafood Watch

· Dishfinders

· Sushipedia

· My Location Social Edition

· W&Y Pages

Page Seven – Audio Streaming & Network Tools

· Jewish Radio

· I-power (Turkish Radio Streams)

· NPR

· Pandora

· Elec. Ref

· WebEx

· Global Wi-Fi (iPass)

· iTeleport

· Settings

Page Eight – Spiritual Study & Language Education

· Tanach

· The Torah

· The Bible HD (King James)

· QuranMajeed

· Gita

· WordPowerLt (Italian)

Page Nine – Social Networking

· Sobees for FB

· Pocket MV

· Linkedin

· IronyDector

Musician's iPad App's you should check out!

2010-05-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

I was against owning an iPad for a very long time, true it was new technology, but I just didn’t see a want or a need for it, outside of the eReader possibilities. On my 40^th birthday, a good dear friend named WG (his initials) was a bit surprised that I yet to own one, and had to show me the light as it were, and from his knowledge, the seeds were planted, and after some careful consideration, I made the purchase. Since then, I am not quite sure how I lived with out it.

I have always been into technology, its my love, my career but the acquisition of new technology has always been paramount, as it allows us to grow, figure out how it works, and then gives you, the reader, something to read about, and perhaps helping you make a decision of your own.

I was very happy with the Android platform for my smart phone, and had all my emails going thru it, and felt I was rather productive, however with the iPad now, I have all my emails set up on it, and the ease of use, the joy of reading emails, even from multiple email accounts, is so very easy, also the larger screen does not hut either. But outside of the initial usages of the iPad, as a musician, there is always so much more, and this posting is about that.

In a previous posting I made mention of two programs that were being updated and optimized to work with the iPad and they’re just wonderful, however there is so much more out there, even if you use the main menus to find stuff, at times, you just have to randomly search for instruments, drums, etc, and you’ll never find the same thing twice. There have been some noteworthy applications, if you’re a musician; I feel these are must haves.

1. SPL Meter

2. iStoboSoft

3. Scale Master

4. Tab Toolkit

5. VoxMatrix

6. Music Box

7. Dulcimer

8. AutoHarp

9. Harp

10. Air Harp

11. Eastern Lute

12. Zither

13. HANG

Each applet is well worth what they’re asking for, here is a breakdown via the list:

No. 01 an SPL Meter is very effective when used properly, it also can be very costly if you have ever owned the larger hardware, and be difficult to drag to a gig. Now you have the portable ease, with effective utilization.

No. 02 Strobe Tuners have been around for over 50 years and in my personal opinion, nobody does it better then Peterson.

No. 03 Scale Master is a handy portable tool that will teach/remind you of the importance in scales within music as a whole. I have owned several different books, posters, etc on scales, and I have to say, this little powerful applet is well worth it.

No. 04 Tab Toolkit is a great tool, if you are trying to learn a piece of music quickly. Even if you are a veteran sight-reader, this little applet will get you through a piece of music quickly. It also has the ability to allow you to upload your own music (I have yet to try) however, overall the U.I. is quite simple, direct and straightforward.

No. 05 VoxMatrix reminds me of the hardware sequencer that Yamaha created called the Tenori-On. This is not as advanced, however the concept is very similar in nature.

No. 06 Music Box – if you are a fan of Music Boxes, this is a must have. It allows you to create your own music, or you can listen to the music that is preloaded. If you are a DYI builder of these type of grinders, this digital instrument will allow you to test out your creations, before you pay to have them punched!

No. 07 Dulcimer – it’s a cute little applet that emulates a hammer dulcimer. The tones are crisp and clear, and is a great practice way.

No. 08 AutoHarp, or Zither (as I grew up with the name) this applet really works. Make sure to turn the volume down as it gets quite loud, very quickly, just like the real instrument.

No. 09 Harp – as the website recommends that you visit the site to understand how it works, I would do the same. I own a harp at home, and for harp players, its really cute, some may not find the interest of it, but I think, it has a few more options of chords and modes you can use to enjoy playing it.

No. 10 Air Harp reminds me of the “pig nose” harps I grew up with. It even provides you with a few simple tunes to play along with as the real one does, however no tuning is needed, this baby is digital, no need for calluses when playing this instrument.

No. 11 Eastern Lute – This is a Chinese based Lute – if you are a fan of the Asian themed instruments, this is a must have.

No. 12 The Zither is another Chinese based instrument. It does have a cousin in the instrument family, the Japanese Koto is similar by look and design, but both do have a unique voice all to their own. This Zither is very easy to play, and instantly transports you to the ancient times of China.

No. 13 I used to own a PanArt HANG C-Pentatonic scale. I loved it and took very good care of it, but eventually decided to sell it, as I rarely played it, and wanted a custom Hurdy Gurdy made for me. I did not realize how popular this instrument became, and from an initial investment of $600.00 with case purchased from Lark In The Morning many years ago, I was able to sell it for $6,000.00! Now occasionally I do miss the sweet sound it made, and through this little applet, I can have that, plus, pick all the available tunings (which would cost a pretty penny and I just don’t have that much room for all the instruments).

Social Networking in Cyberspace Part-1

2010-02-19T13:26:00.000-08:00

I grew up in the computer age of the 1970’s, when mainframes ruled the world. Unknown to all of us, government scientists had created the first revision of the web back in the late 1960’s, where by they could transmit their findings globally, without having to use the snail mail method from the early 1960’s. Moving forward to the early 1980’s the World Wide Web was still an unknown virtual network, and only the elite civilians, and then known as Hackers/Phreakers stumbled upon it all by accident. Corporations were just starting to utilize this environment, but baby steps were the only option at the time. From the late 1970’s to the early 1980’s while the world wide web was still in use, the main form of communications between folks was a system called Bulletin Board Systems (BBS), where people could post a message on a virtual pinboard, and somebody could respond, very similar to a Dear Abby column, but a bit more real-time then the printed news paper, which had a 24 hour delay before a response was issued. In the 1980’s the Social Networking circles lived and breathed within the BBS worlds, virtual communities started to form. The seeds of today were all sown in the echoes of the BBS’es.

In the late 1980’s to the beginnings of the early 1990’s the BBS’es were getting long in the tooth, and customers were leaving for the waters of sites such as American On Line, Prodigy, CompuServe, where faster more real-time social networking was happening. From those waters, ideas were forming, and the wheel was being reinvented. In 1994 Geocities hit the cyber-scene and a year later Tripod.com immerged. What made these sites such a hit, they were bringing back the old real-time chat rooms of the BBS days into the modern age. Each person had their own profile, a virtual Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) about themselves, and you could put whatever you wanted. During this decade of cyberspace, the main theme was people were re-inventing themselves into what they wanted, alter egos, and virtual echoes of themselves. This was an escape hatch for people who were “shut-in”, or “latchkey kids” that grew up, it was a virtual escape. People, who worked the regular 9-5 shifts, could not wait to go home, to their own personal computers, and “get on line” to their alter ego accounts. By 1995 everyone had a Yahoo.com account, were on line playing virtual games, chatting, and the social networking world really started to gel.

It’s the year 2000, we’re in the golden age of cyberspace, and the World Wide Web is now the super highway of information. Thoughts and ideas are being shared faster then a trained librarian of a university reference library could ever dream of. We were also in the full swing of the growing bubble of the Dot-Com era. Websites were in full bloom, thoughts and ideas were made into website, business plans, but the bubble popped in 2001, and everything was turned sideways. The only cyber-concept that was still very much alive was the social networking sites.

In 2002, a unique site launched called Friendster.com. This was the re-birth of “people” on line. People leaving their alter ego’s behind, and from the fantasyland of cyber space, we the people, emerged back into our own virtual second skin and the outcome was a digital version of you – ON LINE. In 2004, Myspace.com and Linkedin.com was born, and the cyber-landscape of social networking changed again. Myspace.com was the premiere social networking, and in 2004, they were getting more hits to their site then Google.com. Google.com was a privately held company in 1998, but was shares were made to the public in 2004. A feature of Myspace.com that was very popular would show you in a visual way, the seven degrees of separation between you, your friends, and your friends’ friends. The expression “wow sure is a small world” was almost a trademark statement, when you found people through the Myspace.com social networking. Old friends, lost loves, and relatives long forgotten were all reunited thru the Myspace.com system.

Its now the fall of 2006, and Facebook.com has come into their own. If you had a valid email address, were above the age of 13, you too could have your own virtual community. Facebook.com quickly grew and eventually overtook the popularity of Myspace.com. Also a baby of 2006 is Twitter. Twitter works off of the Short Message Services (SMS) – like what you can do between cell phones. From the Twitter account, you can track groups of authors, instead of individuals. What I like to consider short bursts of information, Twitter is a great service to be part of. Like everything on the World Wide Web, some of it you want, some of it you don’t, information is information, and Twitter has made it fashionable to quickly post to your blogs, websites and all the social networks that you belong to.

Its now 2010, we’re at the end of the last octet of this decade, with the birth of a new one less then 10 months away and the Social Networks are in full swing. Wikipedia.com has a list of all the social networking sites, rough numbers of who’s where, and the requirements incase you wish to see what your options are.

In Part-2, I’ll be covering the on-line game presence, and how the social networking has affected their interfaces, gaming experiences, what’s really going on in cyberspace for on-line games and the viral marketing that’s attached.

iPad - the new age

2010-01-28T14:52:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (1/27/2010) Apple Computers, Inc. announced the iPad device. This device is Apple’s entrance (finally) into the tablet arena. Now there is a great deal of speculation regarding this device, its price point, however I article is more on the musical aspect and what this device will do for the future of musicians.

The Apps (applications that exist on iTunes store) are something to really take notice on. They currently are designed for the iPhone & iTouch platform. With Apple’s release of the iPad, and the backwards compatibility of all the 100,000 apps that are currently available and more on their way, the possibilities of a useful product, versus a very large toy is more then possible.

The following apps in my honest opinion would make a musician’s daily chore more enjoyable, and possibly amazing.

Xewton Music Studio by Alexander Gross is a complete portable studio, with the ability for a full production. A major plus is what you create, you can export the MIDI file back to your computer, and implement in your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). This is ideal for the composer who has an idea, and needs to quickly jot it down. Also when inspiration occurs, with any of the iPlatforms that Apple currently offers, makes this a dream. Check out the video on the Xewton. I have been in communication via email with Mr. Gross and he has informed me that he’s developing an iPad optimized version, that will take advantage of the new features that the iPad offers, that currently do not exist on the iPhone/iTouch platforms. He also informed me that at this time, he does not have a dedicated PC/Mac version of the application.

iRealbook by Massimo Biolcati is something that anyone that reads music, and is a fan and performer of the Jazz & Improv forms of music should have. Now I’ve been playing the upright bass for 20+ years, and as a seasoned “reader” I can transpose on the fly, when needed during a gig. With this little device, it will transpose the music for you and REWRITE it on the fly. So any reader now, with this little applet can transpose, into any key, on the fly, ideal for any piano bar situation or last minute changes to a song for any vocalist. I also have been in contact via email to Mr. Biolcati and he also has assured me he too is developing an optimized iPad version of his software as well. If you visit his website you will see he has this app available for the Android OS as well.

Droid-DOES

2009-12-02T10:35:00.000-08:00

I know somebody that her husband got the new Droid device for her. The sales folks at VZ insisted that they pre-set it up for her, right down to her G-Mail account. I find this strange, as when I got my G1 from T-Mobile when they first came out, it was all “self setup” and the device didn’t need to have the primary G-mail account pre-setup to make the phone work. I tried to delete the “fake” account on her phone, and could not, I also could not find a way to get into the “fake” account to edit it, and make it correct. From the blogs, I have to reset the device. Per the Droid forum the following is the factory reset:

Turn phone off, open the keyboard and press x while pressing the power button until you see a triangle with a yellow exclamation point appear. Press the camera button and the volume up button simultaneously until you get a data menu. Using the 5-way pad, scroll down to data reset and click with the D pad. When it is finished resetting, power off and then up again.

When I tried it, like others on the blog, it does not work out of the gate, however I will keep trying, as others say “it will work, just try it again”. Once I am able to do a factory reset on the device, I’ll be able to get her primary g-mail account up and running.

I have to say; the Motorola version of the phone feels ROCK SOLID. The touch screen is as quick as the G1, maybe a little faster, also when the display slides upward to reveal the keyboard, the display is secure and strong, not that flimsy version on the HTC G1 (which I never liked, never felt secure about it). One major difference on the device is the QWERTY keypad under the display. The keypad reminds me of the Sony Experia (X1 – Windows Mobile platform) where the top row of keys are easily accessible, unlike the X1. Also there is a D-Pad, yes, that flat/flush joystick like pad, vs the trackball that’s on the HTC G1.

The interface at the beginning, to get into the phone is different from the G1. I like the new interface on the Motorola however once you get into the phone is the same as the G1. You have the three standard sliding desktops, you have the pull down, or up menus you’re used to, depending on the portrait/landscape mode you’re in. The new VZ Motorola phone has a 5MP camera, auto-focus with a dual flash. I’ve yet to see the camera in action, but I have to assume it’s wonderful from the specs alone.

If I didn’t know better, the newer hardware seems to be peppier then the G1, or the new HTC version. I have to say, I’m jealous, not of the Android platform, I have that already in my G1, however the Motorola Droid for VZ is just stunning. VZ made the right choice going to the Droid platform; this new device is quite impressive over all… In the end, Droid-DOES!

Windows 7 – are you ready?

2009-08-11T16:17:00.000-07:00

Without getting into ancient history, and the platforms I’ve worked on, if you are under the age of 40, you’ve used Windows at some point in your life. Every version of Windows promised a brave new future chuck full of features; however as any P.C. user can state, with the introduction of new technology always generates new unforeseen problems. Vista, the current O.S. (operating system) has its own bugs, however people remember the days of XP with Service Pack 2 and for everything it wasn’t it was stable and with not that much bloat, unlike Vista.

Windows 7 changes all that, with a stable platform, that will support any user, from the occasional emailer, to the power user doing graphics to animations, digital audio workstations (D.A.W.) to film editing and architectural designs. I am using the Windows 7 64bit beta build, and I have to say, for once, I am really excited for the actual launch/release date. But with any new platform, you’ll have to be up to date with your software.

As for me, I recently switched back, from a Macintosh to a P.C. and I realized that I needed to get the basics down. This is my own personal list, of software, that’s working on the most leading edge piece of laptop hardware out there, on a beta O.S. build, and everything is working in pure harmony. I hope my experience saves you time and headache in your future P.C. endeavors.

Audacity v. 1.2.6. is an audio editor and it works. The newer beta versions do not load properly, and give you an error message that it’s running already.
WinZip v. 12.1 is a zip/unzip utility that is worth its weight in salt, and the cost is nominal.

Acronis True Image v. 11.0.8053 – backup utility software, with a proper setup, it will restore your build in minutes, saving you the time and aggravation of having to re-install everything again (and again)…

Acronis Disk Director Suite v. 10.0.2160 – the ULTIMATE in disk/partition creations

SpywareBlaster v. 4.2 – this protects your computer from the spyware that you can get, just by checking your email, surfing the web, or going to your favorite website, a must have!

Antivirus 2009 Gaming Edition – this antivirus program has been rebuilt from the ground up. The coding on this is superb. On my Quad Core laptop, when running, its footprint is less than 1% on all four cores – that’s amazing! Also I personally know from usage, that other antivirus programs, what they miss, this version of Norton catches & contains.

Roxio Creator 2009 v. 11.0. (you need to run the updater after installing) – this is your burning software. If your laptop/desktop has a burner attached, this is the best way to go. Also this version has an additional High-Def/Blu-ray disc plug-in (v.1.0.) that is well worth it, for those lucky few who have a Blu-ray burner. Also the Roxio Creator 2009 supports the lightScribe technology.

Pigdin v. 2.5.8. – this is your MacGyver of I.M. (instant messenger) programs. Those of you who have used it on the Linux platform now can enjoy it on the P.C. side of things. The only thing that comes remotely close to what Pigdin does, on the Macintosh side is AdiumX.

Apple’s QuickTime – there are websites that if you want to watch the latest and greatest movie trailer, you’ll need the QuickTime software loaded. You can just download that feature w/o the installation of iTunes. Also for a very low fee, you can purchase the Pro aspect, which will let you download the QuickTime files you’re watching, export the video to an audio file and a handful of other options as well.

Apple’s Safari – Safari is Apple’s own version of the web browser. They developed it for the P.C. platform years ago. It works with the Apple QuickTime software and on its own makes a powerful web browsing experience.

Opera v.9.6.4. – this is one of the first web browsers out there, its sparse interface allows for quick loading time. I use several web browsers as some sites work better with different browsers. Opera is great in a pinch when you need it most!

Google Chrome v.3.0.195.6 – this is Google’s web browser and the newest of the browsers out there. It currently is P.C. only, but who knows what the developers will bring to the Macintosh camps down the road. It’s quick loading, fast acting and has the world’s famous Google architecture that many of us are huge fans of.

Mozilla’s FireFox v. 3.5.2. (en-US) is one of the standard staple of web browsers for all three platforms, P.C., Linux & Macintosh. On my taskbar this is the second web browser that I have.

Internet Download Manager – this is a MUST HAVE for any P.C. user! It’s a download accelerator software that pulls multiple leads and does not plug up your bandwidth while doing it. This little beauty has saved me on numerous occasions.
Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 – by far, Microsoft has outdone themselves this time, this is the Internet Explorer we’ve all been waiting for. Also you can move the temp files and cache files to an external hard drive, flash drive, or even a Ram disk.

RAMDriv v.5.3.1.10– this is an applet which throws you back to the D.O.S. (disk operating system) days. It allows you to covert part of your system R.A.M. (random access memory) into a virtual hard disk. It’s great when you need an extra scratch disk (or two) and you do not want to use up valuable hard drive space.

IDM – this little applet allows you to download a plethora of file types, but it’s most popular usage is to download YouTube videos. You will need a converter file, to make these downloaded flash file types usable by other applications other then Flash based applets.

Smart FLV Converter v.3.3.2.38. – This allows you to convert any Flash file that you’ve downloaded from the internet, and will convert it into a usable file type. This is ideal for people who create PowerPoint (Microsoft) presentations. It also allows Audio only conversions to MP3/AAC/WAV. It also converts files to AVI, MOV (Apple) and RM (RealPlayer) file types.

My DREAM Laptop - Amazing Power, Great Price!

2009-08-03T10:42:00.000-07:00

As you all know, I am in the technology field for over fifteen years and I saw how technology was growing in leaps and bounds, I knew at some point, I’d have to buy a laptop computer, that would allow me to create my world music and film scores, while still giving me the graphical power for my virtual worlds that I create when I render 3D objects and virtual worlds for conceptual websites as well as desktop publishing.

I was biding my time, allowing the hardware between Macintosh and PC's to become even and that occurred with the introduction of the Intel Processor on the Macintosh side. The major factor was about how much power I can get in a laptop, and the price point. In the days of old, if you wanted ultimate power, you would purchase a desktop computer, and keep the laptop for portability, but the times have changed, and now you can at last, have your cake and eat it too.

The HDX18 has 2 main qualifying factors, you can get it’s a Dual Core, or as a Quad Core – which is exactly what I choose to do. My Quad Core setup is the End Game for all other laptops as you start with a very sexy case design, a display that opens w/o the need of a display lock (like other laptops have), a stellar 18.4" display that for its size, I'd rather watch my Blue-Ray movies on it, then my 50" Grand Wega I have at home!!! The fact that I have DUAL hard drive bays, (I have a SSD-60GB as my primary and the 500 GB as my 2nd), a HDTV tuner, its HDMI ready - I can control any HDMI display, using my HDX18 as the core system. The surprise was I didn't realize it had a DDR built in, which is Cable/Dish/HDTV Antenna ready, just program and go! The Light scribe burner is a nice touch, saves time and makes all my DVD's/CD's very professional looking, the Biometrics’ for security and the HP Webcam, not to mention the amazing sound of the Altec Lansing sound system WITH A SUBWOOFER (that really works!) and the Dolby Home Theater all under the roof of HDX18. The Quad Core processor, the 1gb of Video memory, I can crank up my Second Life environment to MAX - and let me tell you, it’s quite stunning now.. If anything, you at times have TOO much power for a video game.. Anything you want to play, you CAN... The DDR3 memory is uber quick, the 4 GB’s I have on my system now, I don't have any system wants (outside of one day upgrading to the 8 GB of ram, which maxes out this laptop)! All in all, if you have been waiting for a laptop to get, your wait is OVER.

If you can't make it happen with the HDX18, IT CAN'T BE DONE! I've had every kind of Laptop, Notebook, Micro-PC, UMPC, and I have to say, if you want, need, desire, dream of the power of a desktop system, portable, the HDX18 grants every wish, want, and desire. I myself use it for CGI-Rendering and Music Composing/Scoring/Recording and all I can do is keep smiling, with my ear-to-ear grin and out loud I express WOW... Many of my Macintosh friends are grumpy with my decision to go with the HDX18, some have even jokingly called me a traitor, but I keep telling them, “I’d buy a Quad Core laptop, with ½ of the HDX18’s features, IF Apple made one… and as of 8-3-2009 in a laptop, they don’t… So to end this conversation, when people ask me, am I a Mac user, or a PC user… I have to say, I’ve lived in the Macintosh world and created amazing virtual landscapes, composed music, crafted websites and played games, and the PC world since I’ve returned, I’ve scored music, I’m learning Turkish with the Rosetta Stone software, Was allowed to crank up my Second Life environment to the MAX and my hardware didn’t choke, I’ve Watched Blue-Ray movies and have been blown away, watched HDTV on my laptop and been amazed, and the world is my oyster now that I’m on the HDX18.

Both hardware platforms are very powerful for what they do… but in the end, my decision to purchase the Hewlett Packard HDX Premium Series 18.4” laptop, the answer is pretty clear… I’m a P.C.

E-Readers Sony vs Kindle

2009-02-12T11:06:00.000-08:00

Ever since man learned how to print books, people have been yearning to read. I can remember growing up, with a paperback book stuffed in my backpack, and I knew several who carried book bags wherever they would go. Then the computer age came and Adobe Systems back in 1993 created the Portable Document Format (.pdf) and everything changed. From then on, you were able to read book style media, heck any printed media on your computer. I remembered every computer device since then, from a desktop, laptop, Apple Newton, Palm Pilot(s), smart phone, web pad, etc, I would read a .pdf document and take my knowledge with me.

The e-Reader idea has been around for some time, but this article is going to focus in on two devices, the Sony Portable Reader System and the Amazon.com – Kindle2. For Chanukah, I went to the Sony Style boutique at the Beverly Center, and picked up a PRS-505. They had the newer model, the PRS-700, and thou it had more internal memory then the PRS-505, I have to say, from what I saw, the touch screen really did not appeal to me, as it did not feel that responsive, also it has 6 built in lights, that in a dark environment, I felt they would be more a distraction, then a clean even lit display. So I opted for the PRS-505 and have to say, in comparison, the PRS-505’s E-Paper display was crisper then the PRS-700 – maybe the touch screen interface distorts it, I am not sure. What I enjoyed about the PRS series, is that it has a Memory Stick Duo port which supports up to 8gb max, and a SD port that supports the same, true the PRS-700 boasts a 32gb max for the Memory Sick Duo, and the SDHC port does the same as well, the clarity of the display was the most important thing to me. Since then, I’ve maxed out both external 8gb memory sticks, and I still have more .pdf’s in my collection, but I’ve discovered that all .pdf’s are not equal, and the formatting of each .pdf will vary. I know this, as I’ve locked up my PRS-505 with .pdf’s that I purchased from a few companies overseas. I did however go to a few online book companies, and I’ve found, to date, that the books from www.lulu.com work flawlessly. Maybe it’s the device, maybe it’s the .pdf’s themselves, I do not know, but what I do know is, that I’ve spent more money on books over the last few months on E-books, then I’ve done so on hardback books. Please keep in mind, nothing takes the place of a good hardback book, but for what an E-Reader does, I’m sold! There also are some books, that are yet to be converted, but since this craze is out now, and with people going more Green, I find that an E-Book might be better on the environment overall, as the requirements for printing a book and all that goes into it, the paper, the glue, etc.. is no longer needed.

Now to be fair, I would like to consider myself a Sonyphile, as my PC at home, is a UX230c, my mixing headphones for my studio are Sony, my near field speakers are Sony, my choice of phone is Sony Ericsson (thou I currently own a Google Phone, with dreams of the Sony Ericsson X1 but still have my reservations on the Windows Mobile platform, as I love the Symbian OS) my digital camera is Sony DSC-M1, and my E-Reader is the PRS-505, but now, I’ve looked at the Amazon Kendle2 device, that is on pre-order status only, but alleged to ship on the 24th of February and I have to say, for once, I am intrigued over the device. From the initial specs of the device, it burry’s the new PRS-700 from Sony (the PRS-700 & PRS-505 have the same display that only does an 8-Level Grey Scale, where the Kendle2 does 16-Level Grey. They also claim its 20% faster on the page flips, but I was not impressed with the original Kindle, so I feel it might be slightly faster by the PRS-505, but maybe not by much, its yet to be seen. Also a feature of the Kendle2 is it does have Wireless access, and honestly before I didn’t mind having to connect my PRS-505 via a cable, but the software for the PC really only works under Windows XP, and worked only once on Vista and not since (surprised?). It does mount all the drives on my Mac, for drag and drop, but the Kendle2 does have Wireless, and the neat feature on the Kendle2 is that Amazon will allow you to hit the Kindle Store, even if you’re not attached to your own Wireless network, they give you access to a FREE network – if you’re in a coverage area, but, when you look at the coverage map, when I did a search for my area – It showed Orange – which boasts high speed EVDO. The PRS-505 is only 9 oz, and the PRS-700 is 10 oz, but the Kendle2 is 10.2oz but thou its heavier, its dimensions are impressive as its only 1/3 of an inch thick, where the PRS-505 is 8mm thick and the PRS-700 is 9.7mm. The Kendle2 battery life with the wireless turned off will last 2 weeks, like the Sony PRS’, however with the wireless turned on, its only 4 days. A feature of the Kendle2 that has me buzzing, is the fact that it does come with a QWERTY style keyboard, true the old one did as well, however this newer version allows you to type in notes, like if you were writing in the margins of the book you’re reading or studying from. Also they give you the ability for cut and paste (which on any device is HUGE), and the ability to export your notes.

Lets talk about supported formats. The Kendle2 supports wireless delivery of unprotected Microsoft Word, PDF, HTML, TXT, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, PRC and MOBI files. The Sony PRS systems only supports BBeB Book, TXT, RTF, Adobe® PDF10, Microsoft® Word (Conversion to the Reader-requires Word installed on your PC), now I have to say, the thought of Converting my Word documents is a real bummer.. COME ON SONY, geez!!!; and I’m lucky, as I have both a PC and a Mac, but what about Mac users who don’t have a PC, who are not running Sun’s VirtualBox, VMware Fusion or Parallels software, we’d be up the creek without a paddle, but the Kendle2 allows it, without conversion… now that’s something to write home about! The Kendle2 is starting to sound more like a Smart phone, or a computer, then an E-Reader! A nice feature of the Kendle2 is that you can adjust the font size up to six times, where the PRS system only allows for three, also the Kindle2 has a built in dictionary, free wireless access to Wikipedia.org – talk about being a walking source of knowledge and the ability to search with a word, just one word, and the Kindle2 will search out every instance of that word, and all the books on the device, and if you wished, books you can purchase on line. The Kindle2 even boasts within 60 seconds, from their wireless network, you can have your book downloaded to the device, no computers, no syncing, geez, this is sounding more like Cloud technology, the same that Google and Mobile Me are using.

Other features on both devices, yes, they can play audio files, audio books, but the Kindle2 has taken it a step further, they have a feature called “Read-To-Me”, which will read any document, from a .pdf, a blog, a magazine, whatever. I’m not sure the quality of the voice, but it’s a nice feature never the less. SONY?!?!

The bottom line, any wireless device should do everything that the Kendle2 is offering, but its something you expect from a computer, or a smart phone, but now, it looks like a new category is in order, a Smart E-Reader – since by definition, a Smart Phone has the ability to open and view, edit and save a Microsoft Document, and thou, right now, the Kindle2 to my knowledge can’t edit a Word document, who knows what future revisions will bring. Once I acquire one, I’ll make a follow-up post to this one, on how it actually compares to the PRS-505, in battery life, page flipping, clarity of the display etc.

Protecting yourself against Cyber-Crimes

2007-12-28T17:22:00.001-08:00

I know everybody by now, has had either a first hand experience, a family member, or a friend that in one way or another has experienced a fraudulent act and was the victim of a cyber-crime. Since the Internet is a vast wilderness of information, however, a lot of the snail-mail & phone scammers have gone to the Internet. The Internet has also sparked a new type of cyber-criminal, of which the FBI has a division that’s dedicated to Cyber-Crimes. I recently took a course with the FBI Citizen’s Academy and found the Cyber-Crimes class to be an eye opening experience, and I do technology as my living. Here are some links for our protection, I would stress, bookmark these links in your web-browser(s) and keep them for a rainy day.

Internet Crime Complaint Center
IC3's mission is to serve as a vehicle to receive, develop, and refer criminal complaints regarding the rapidly expanding arena of cyber crime. The IC3 gives the victims of cyber crime a convenient and easy-to-use reporting mechanism that alerts authorities of suspected criminal or civil violations. For law enforcement and regulatory agencies at the federal, state, local and international level, IC3 provides a central referral mechanism for complaints involving Internet related crimes.

OnGuard Online provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

LooksTooGoodToBeTrue.com

While the Internet can be a safe and convenient place to do business, scammers are out there in "cyber world" targeting unsuspecting consumers. The Looks Too Good To Be True.com website was built to educate you, the consumer, and help prevent you from becoming a victim of an Internet fraud scheme.

Every PC user should read this post!

2007-12-28T16:01:00.000-08:00

Unlike Mac users or Linux users who rarely have any issues with malware or spyware, the PC platforms do. This article is for all the “free” applications that exist out there, some of which I actually learned about from a class that I took with the FBI Citizen’s Academy. There were two main applications called SpoofStick & Netcraft Toolbar, they also enlightened me to a few ways to protect us while on the Internet. People can be naïve and think that it’s a safe place, but the Internet, honestly is a wild wildernesses with many evil beasties out there, wanting to cause you harm. With this post, I hope to give you the tool, that are free, to be your protection.

Phishing Protection. Phishing as defined by Wikipedia.com is:
In computing, phishing is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. eBay, PayPal and online banks are common targets. Phishing is typically carried out by email or instant messaging,[1] and often directs users to enter details at a website, although phone contact has also been used.[2] Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users.[3] Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical measures.

There are many different applications that are available for a subscription, or fee, however from my class with the FBI Citizen’s Academy – I learned about SpoofStick. Here is the explanation from their website and what it does:

“SpoofStick is a simple browser extension that helps users detect spoofed (fake) websites. A spoofed website is typically made to look like a well-known, branded site (like ebay.com or citibank.com) with a slightly different or confusing URL. The attacker then tries to trick people into going to the spoofed site by sending out fake email messages or posting links in public places - hoping that some percentage of users won't notice the incorrect URL and give away important information. This practice is sometimes known as “phishing".”

Another application that I learned from my class, is an application called Netcraft Toolbar. Here is the explanation from their website and what it does:

“The Netcraft anti-phishing system consists of a user interface implemented as a toolbar (a small program that is active whenever the user is using a web browser) and central servers, able to respond quickly to large numbers of requests as each user moves around the web. The central servers are managed by Netcraft and hold the information about URLs and sites provided by the Toolbar community and Netcraft.”

These are both free applications that are invaluable for your web browsing. Now lets move on to Spyware protection. Spyware as defined by Wikipedia is:

“Spyware is computer software that is installed surreptitiously on a personal computer to intercept or take partial control over the user's interaction with the computer, without the user's informed consent. While the term spyware suggests software that secretly monitors the user's behavior, the functions of spyware extend well beyond simple monitoring. Spyware programs can collect various types of personal information, but can also interfere with user control of the computer in other ways, such as installing additional software, redirecting Web browser activity, accessing websites blindly that will cause more harmful viruses, or diverting advertising revenue to a third party. Spyware can even change computer settings, resulting in slow connection speeds, different home pages, and loss of Internet or other programs. In an attempt to increase the understanding of spyware, a more formal classification of its included software types is captured under the term privacy-invasive software. In response to the emergence of spyware, a small industry has sprung up dealing in anti-spyware software. Running anti-spyware software has become a widely recognized element of computer security best practices for Microsoft Windows desktop computers. A number of jurisdictions have passed anti-spyware laws, which usually target any software that is surreptitiously installed to control a user's computer.”

Now for the applications that I prefer, they work the best from my personal experience are:

SpywareBlaster is a very easy to use application, its quick, and protects your web browsers (Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox) from websites that would be toxic to your computers. Here is the explanation from their website and what it does: “Spyware, adware, browser hijackers, and dialers are some of the fastest-growing threats on the Internet today. By simply browsing to a web page, you could find your computer to be the brand-new host of one of these unwanted fiends!  The most important step you can take is to secure your system. And SpywareBlaster is the most powerful protection program available. Prevent the installation of ActiveX-based spyware, adware, browser hijackers, dialers, and other potentially unwanted software. Block spyware/tracking cookies in Internet Explorer and Mozilla/Firefox. Restrict the actions of potentially unwanted sites in Internet Explorer.”

Now for the second application that I like, and use on my own personal PC is Spybot Search & Destroy. Here is the explanation from their website and what it does: “Spybot - Search & Destroy detects and removes spyware, a relatively new kind of threat not yet covered by common anti-virus applications. Spyware silently tracks your surfing behavior to create a marketing profile for you that is transmitted without your knowledge to the compilers and sold to advertising companies. If you see new toolbars in your Internet Explorer that you haven't intentionally installed, if your browser crashes inexplicably, or if your home page has been "hijacked" (or changed without your knowledge), your computer is most probably infected with spyware. Even if you don't see the symptoms, your computer may be infected, because more and more spyware is emerging. Spybot-S&D is free, so there's no harm giving it a try to see if something has invaded your computer.”

With these little tools, you can protect your computer. Remember, an ounce of prevention is a pound of cure. Remember you’ll have to run the updates, and run these programs from time to time to catch and cure problems, but in the end, what’ a few minutes out of your day, vs. hours of re-setting your computer up, and recovering your files from backup.

iTunes – how its changed the way we listen to music

2007-09-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

Back on January 10th, 2001 at the San Francisco MacWorld, Apple would start what now I like to call the music revolution. Prior to the announcement of iTunes, there were several applications out there to organize your music. One of them that existed is WinAmp there are some people that today still swear by this. Mind you it has improved vastly from the earlier days on the PC platform, but there still are some conformists that won’t switch over. Most MP3 players for the Pc/Mac that are not iTunes always had some form of Visualizer, however Apple’s iTunes really took the prize in my opinion. You also had Real Player & Windows Media Player that existed before iTunes and they all had some type of visualizer.

Since iTunes has dropped, the rise in its usage and popularity has grown. From one thread back in December of 2005 on Goggle Answers I found this amazing little article by one of the more popular users pinkfreud-ga and it stated:http://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

Research analyst Sam Bhavnani, of the market research firm Current
Analysis, says that iTunes has 200 million users. Research analyst
Shaw Wu, of the market research firm ,
gives a figure of 100 million. Oddly, Apple itself gives a much lower
number: 10 million.

One can only guess by these numbers, it’s easy to say iTunes is one of the media super powers that exist out there. To use a Star-Trek term, if iTunes is the Borg and as time moves forward it assimilates newer features as Coverflow, (technology was sold to Apple and has been incorporated, which now can be seen on your iTunes) desktop application, and now on the iPhone & iPhone Touch . So to be slightly cliché, Resistance is futile – download iTunes today and start enjoying the bells and whistles.

One of the whistles I’m quite fond of is the Visualizer feature. Visualizer however, with the stock settings is pretty impressive. The only other ones that existed were in very expensive DJ setups that you would see in places like the Luxor in Las Vegas but that was back when it first opened or at any modern club. One could imagine what the iTunes Visualizer would look like on a big screen or projector situation – but in the end, once again Apple has changed the way we enjoy our music – and for the better I might add. Here is a link to some of my favorite visualizers that you can download. Most of them are free, some might require a registration.

Ultragroovalicious
ArKaos
Collage
Fountain Music
Kaleidostrobe
MatrixJam

Hello Help Desk…

2007-08-24T14:15:00.000-07:00

This is something you hear, in different dialects, different accents and at times different languages. This is the place you call when you get stuck, can’t figure something out, can’t make it happen, want to know how to make something happen, a little information center that will answer all of your technical questions, yet do you ever wonder “how do they know that”? You notice they put you on hold, you listen to some music that they have, and they return with your solution. Sometimes, they tell you to keep holding as they’re looking it up for you, and presto – they have an answer. Well I’m about to shed some light, on to a great secret.

The great secret is – we don’t know everything, we just know how to look things up. Sure there is somebody that has a wealth of knowledge in his head, but where did he get it? Back when I started in computers – there wasn’t a school, degree really designed to teach you the software end. Sure there were a few hardware schools like DeVry & ITT Technical Institutes but they were teaching you how to build them & repair them – even at a circuit level, where most of the computer problems are software based. Keep this in mind, the hardware in your laptop or tower, has some major components that when they fail, the whole thing shuts down (we’ll talk about that in another post) – but the software, that’s where it’s a whole other world. There are people now who specialize in just that – software over the hardware and that’s what this post is about – tipping my preverbal hat to all those who came before, to figure it out, and who’ve posted it out there on the net, for all of us to find.

A little bit of hardware history, to give you a better appreciation of what occurred in the computer world. Currently there are three super giants that rule the land, thou two of them are in the limelight, and one still lurks on the fringes to what the masses know. You have the Personal Computer platforms (P.C.’s) – that is where Bill Gates brought order to a very chaotic land, when P.C.’s were name brands like I.B.M., back in the late ’60 to early ‘70’s, they were mainly for corporate America. In the late ‘70’s is when Toshbia, Compaq, Hewlett Packard & Texas Instruments came onto the scene with newly released I.B.M. systems for the home. Then you had all the clones – built by the hobbyist who loved to tinker and build their own computers with whatever operating system they could run – from Basic to who knows what and that’s when Bill Gates stepped in. He (and his merry men) created one standard operating system – that worked on every platform, and then from that, Windows came around. To this day, Microsoft Windows is considered one of the big three out there. Then in 1977, when Apple was formed by Steve Jobs and Stephen Wozniak started out on a path bringing a new type of computer to the masses. Then in 1984, with their one time ran ad that today still is lives in advertising history, the Macintosh was introduced to the world. From then on, the way people looked at computers, how they interfaced changed forever, and the graphical user interface (G.U.I.) was born. The third operating system that today is on the fringes of the computer world is Linux. A man named Linus Torvalds who was a Finnish university student didn’t like the Microsoft DOS and Windows environments, but loved Unix – an operating system that was never designed for the home computer user back when it first came out, but kept in the corporate world (another post to explain all about Unix and its benefits), but Linus loved the way Unix operated, and had the mind power to build his own operating system – a system that was 100% free to all who wanted it. He also insisted help from the Internet – and people rallied together, and Linux was born.

I bet you’re wondering, why this history lesson in computers – what it has to do with the Help Desk, and what we do, and how we do it – but with out history teaching you of the past, one cannot understand the present, or dream of the future. The computer hardware has changed greatly over the years, as the software that manages them, but keep one thing in mind. What you have on your computer, be it a desktop, laptop, mini computer, etc… One thing remains the same, you don’t have just the core operating system, and you have your favorite programs on it. With each program that you have, there is a manual for you to read and use to teach you how it works, also the other side of the coin, there is another manual, for the technical support people, that only the manufacturers have access to. This special manual will explain, what an error is, when it occurs, and how to resolve it. Now imagine people, programmers, etc, who use these programs, from their experience, they create their own “how to” guides and place them on the Internet, be it in forums, or their own sites. These are tools that anyone in my business utilizes aside from their own personal experience.

So there you have it, the whole “help desk” in a nutshell. So when you call next time, to either wherever you work, or a 1-800 telephone number to receive technical support on a problem do keep this in mind. The person whom you speak with, either knows how to fix that problem, either because he/she has done it before, by reading up on a solution, or they figure it out on the spot, or they might ask a fellow collogue, or even look up the answer on the internet for you – but we all do appreciate your patience while we figure out what the answer is, and do keep one thing in mind, if they don’t know the answer, don’t be upset if you’re on hold too long, or if they want to call you back, as everybody at some point just has to “read the manual” ☺ Here are some places I frequent when I am looking for answers on several topics:

Macintosh:
Apple's Tech Support page
MacFixIt
Mac OS Hints
OSX Faq

PC:
Microsoft Tech Support page
Ask Dave Taylor
Micro PC Talk

Your Macintosh & Your Cell Phone:
iSync 3rd party phone plug-ins

Equipment Review - Notebooks & UMPC's
Notebook Review
UMPC Portal

Tech-Books:
OpAmp Books
O'Reilly Books
Amazon Software Section
Barnes & Noble - Software section

Internet Tablets & Web Pads, O Where Art Thou?

2007-08-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

Remember the days before the iPhone landed, when the devices that brought a smile to our faces, and a few raised eyebrows’ in the public’s eye, where have they all gone?

I currently am (still) using a Nokia 770 Internet Tablet and am quite happy with it. The device has all the features of a cell phone – but with out the ability to make any calls. Well that’s a half-truth, as thru the WiFi connection – you can make voice/ip calls – but we’ll get into that in a later post.

The Nokia 770 Internet Tablet (some call it a Web Pad) is running a form of Linux called Memo. Its very limited in its functionality if you compare it against Unbuntu, Red Hat, Yellow Dog, Debian, or the many other flavors that Linux has to offer. What the Nokia 770 does give you is a very clean, fast loading Memo shell that unless you load Xterm on to it, there isn’t any terminal application or access. It has an interesting way to load applications from a catalogue, with links that you have to install – very similar to web pages, but they’re encoded with all the file locations, installer packets, etc that you will need – making installs a dream, though somewhat limited – as if the application packet does not exist – you can down load the parts, and try to install it manually, however that always does not work.

Nokia users have created a 3rd party website, that frankly, is the best source for all of your 770 questions, support issues, etc. that website is: www.nokia770.com & www.internettablettalk.com

Since its development and release over a year ago, it has been discontinued and a newer version of the tablet has come out called the Nokia N800 Internet Tablet, and it has some newer upgrades on it, but for one, of which I personally don’t like (or care for) is its new body design, compared to the old sleek format of the Nokia 770.

Some of the features of the Nokia 770 that I really enjoy is the display. Its organic, compared to the standard LCD displays, just by looking at it, you can tell it’s a different type of screen. It has WiFi on it, and you can even pair it to your Cell phone incase you are not near a WiFi point, but again, we’ll get into my opinion of CDMA/GPRS/EDGE usage for internet in a later posting, since 3G is not fully deployed here in the U.S.A. (coming soon to a city near you) the internet thru a cell phone is lacking to say the least – and reminds you of the throw back days of dial-up (gives me the shivers!)
But thru the WiFi on the device, you can enjoy high speeds, quick loading of most websites (depending on content, etc). You can get your mail (POP, IMAP) from it, and have as many accounts as you can stand – also the device has a memory expansion, so you can buy up to 4gb’s of flash memory (proprietary) and load it up with movies, music, etc.

All in all, the Internet Tablets that once walked the earth, over a year ago, now are a dying breed of technology, as people are buying more Smart Phones, with bigger displays and want to combine their Cell Phone, MP3 player, Movie player, Internet Tablet all into one device, but it begs the question, is it really safe to put all of your technology into one device (like eggs in one basket) – as if a feature stops working, you’ll have to send the whole thing back then you’re left with nothing… unless you’re like me – and you save your older technology, and brush it off, dust it off, power it up, and start using that as a backup.

Please keep in mind, there were other “web pads” on the market before the Noka 770, I am just a huge fan of the Nokia 770, for its design, its usage of Linux, and its functionality. But don’t let my biased judgments sway you – as the earlier designs all had their day – and offered different features like the following:
• Hitachi’s VisionPlate wireless tablet
• LG’s iPad
• Pepper Pad 3
• FreePad
• Atigo S
• SONICblue ProGear wireless webpad
• Sony MyLo

Again, these are but a hand full of devices, there are others out there, but they fall into the micro computer category, which will be covered in another post.

In the end, Web Pads, Internet Tablets, they really all do the same, in the end, it comes down to user preference, customer ratings, size of the device, power of the device, and efficiency of the device. I’m quite happy with my Nokia 770.

The future of Displays

2007-08-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

As a child of the 70’s, I grew up with Science Fiction. Of that, the number one thing that stuck out in my mind was the advance visual displays, better known as holograms. In the mid 70’s, this idea, of a three-dimensional viewing display was left to our own imaginations, or to the delights of the masterminds of Industrial Light & Magic, of which we saw in Star Wars with R2D2 presenting Ben Kenobi a secret message from one young Princess Leigh.

Since then, the lines between Science Fiction and modern Science have long since blurred and what once was only a dream, now is a very real reality. I present to you, two different companies with the same theme – the development and production of Holographic Visual Displays that can be acquired “today”, not in some distant future far, far away… but the fact that the optic technology has caught up to our childhood dreams. Please keep in mind, all trademarks, copy writes, etc belong to their own companies, and if you wish to use any of their images, etc, I would strongly recommend you contacting their websites first, and get permission before using any of their images, logos, etc. Thank you to both Actuality & IO2 Technology for allowing me to use images to show your product on my post.

Actuality Systems have produced an amazing clean & self contained unit called the Perspecta Display 1.9. This is a true 3D display that does not require any external visual aids like goggles but it works all on its own.

The second product that is equally amazing is the heliodisplay by
I02 Technology.

This system you might start seeing in meetings or presentations in the near future. This system, as advertised is ready to go – just connect it to your desktop, laptop or any video source (like a DVD). This system is called a “mid-air video projector” and so far, its quite amazing from what I can see (YouTube, their website, etc).