Gear Bits

Making Siri Work for You; Some Gear Diary Suggestions

Image courtesy of headlondon.com Siri is an interesting innovation.  I remember back in my early days  in the tech biz, when I read about and heard plenty of people talking about a) how voice recognition was just around the corner, and b) how voice recognition was dang hard, and it was going to be a long ways out in the future.  Of course, in those days a 500 MB drive was considered “wow, that’s big!”, so you can guess how naive both sets of opinion were! Now we have Dragon Dictation and any number of other voice recognition software apps….


Please Sir, May I Have Another? A Dropbox Request

I started using Dropbox several years ago at Thomas’ recommendation. At the time, I didn’t think I’d be using it for that much, so the 500MB that came in the free account seemed just right. I even managed to pick up some additional free storage space, because I did things like tweet about it, connect it to my Facebook account, and upload some photos. And then one day, I realized that I was using my Dropbox account in new ways I had never expected to: I was sharing folders with collaborators, uploading all of my family pictures and genealogy files,…



MacBook Pro Retina Draws on MacBook Air, and It Isn’t Entirely Good News

The great site iFixit has done the tear down of the new MacBook Pro with a Retina Display that was announced at the 2012 WWDC, and we find that it has more in common with the MacBook Air and iPad than any MacBook Pro before it; in other words, the RAM is SOLDERED in place.  This means that you had better order as much as you will ever need now, as you will be stuck with what you have installed.  Furthermore, the SSD is yet another proprietary format.  So upgrading it in the future is going to require someone to…


The Secrets to Beauty in One Simple Video!

It is not a secret that Photoshop enables magazines to make people look like idealized versions of themselves. In the world of photographic manipulation, no one has wrinkles, or pimples, or unsightly beads of sweat on hot days. Everyone is skinny and muscular, and clothes fit perfectly. In addition to being wildly unrealistic, it’s always ripe for parody, and Forbes shared a video that perfectly nails the absurdity of it: Fotoshop by Adobé is hysterical, and I love how it takes on not only Photoshop but the entire beauty industry. We are bombarded daily by commercials for chemicals that hide…


The FBI Serves Warrants Through Email Now?

Well, of course not. So if you get an email with the return address of FBI OFFICE, and the ALL CAPS subject line reading “WE THE FBI HAVE WARRANT TO ARREST YOU GET BACK TO US FOR YOUR OWN GOOD”, please hit delete. Don’t forward it to a relative or friend asking if they think it is legit; don’t think twice about it, don’t open it … just don’t bother. And whatever you do, don’t click the attached .txt message “final warning”, or else! Thank you. That is all. =P


Using YouTube to Relive My Favorite Childhood Show

When I was a kid, I loved educational television. Sure, 3-2-1 Contact was fun, but my favorite show of all time was Square One! What was Square One? Only the greatest show of all time…about math! From Wikipedia: Square One Television (sometimes referred to as Square One) is an American children‘stelevision program produced by the Children’s Television Workshop to teach mathematics and abstract mathematical concepts to young viewers. Created and broadcast by PBS in the United States from 1987 to 1994, the show was intended to address the so-called “math crisis” among American schoolchildren. The show was revived for the 1995–1996…


iLID MK-1 iPhone case/Stand/Wallet Combination Video Look

The iLID began life as a Kickstarter Project. (Here’s the page.) I got in on it later, so I ordered one retail (I ended up with two, so be on the lookout for a giveaway). Here’s what the website has to say about it. The World’s Thinnest iPhone Wallet! The iLID iPhone 4 Wallet Case is the thinnest Wallet iPhone (Patent Pending) in the world. Its ultra-thin 17mm profile means you’ll never be weighed down by an iPhone Wallet again. MSRP: $39.95 What I Like: Light; Not as thick as I expected; Let’s you go out with just your phone; The…


Why It May Not Be “Business As Usual” at WWDC This Year

There have been some significant changes at Apple since Steve Jobs died and Tim Cook took over the company. The first major change was that Apple introduced a charitable matching program for Apple employees. Say what you want about Steve Jobs, he was not known for his public philanthropy. Cook changed that. Here’s another indication that the company culture is changing, albeit in small ways. I received this email from Apple today. It asks for my thoughts on the Apple Store. Why is this such a significant change? Under Steve Jobs, Apple TOLD consumers what they wanted– not the other…


Protect Your Gear with iSafeBags Urban Crew Backpacks

Have you ever had something valuable stolen out of a laptop case or backpack? Most people have. Whether it was an ipod, cell phone, or wallet, this type of thing tends to happen to everyone – especially in urban environments and public areas. Fewer people, I’d imagine, would consider arming their backpack with a full-fledged alarm system. That’s exactly the motivation for tech retailer iSafeBags.com, which specializes in protecting your stuff through specialized bags and packs. The company’s newly launched Urban Crew Campus Laptop Backpack features two 125 decibel sirens and a high-intensity strobe light. An allegedly undetectable activation switch…


Star Wars Burlesque! (NSFW)

A friend of mine sent me the link to this amazing new “Star Wars” themed show on Facebook, and now I really wish I had the vacation time and disposable income to visit Australia. Not only does it look beautiful but they have a very… Uhm… creative take on the Star Wars mythology. Again, warning, this is not suitable for kids, workplace, or anyone who doesn’t want to think about C3PO that way. Check it out. Sadly, I am guessing it will be some time before we see this show hit the states. Hopefully, it has a nice long run…


Father’s Day Gifts: A Dashboard For Your Wrist

Express your auto-enthusiasm with the Max Speed Speedometer Car Watch. If you’re one of the few people out there that stills wear a functioning watch, innovative retailer Gadgetsandgear.com has the piece for you. Why bother pulling out your smartphone when you can check the time at lightning fast speeds, right on your wrist? Obviously inspired by a modern dashboard, this fashion accessory could be the perfect gift for the Forza fan or Top Gear freak in your life. Hidden behind the speedometer design is a standard Quartz movement, protected by a water resistant case for all of your auto-scuba expeditions….


In a Sea of Canceled TV Shows, How Did YOUR Favorites Fare?

I had started to write about canceled shows last fall after the abysmal Charlie’s Angels was unceremoniously dumped along with Playboy Club and a couple of others. What stopped me? The cancellations never seemed to end! But then the season settled in and suddenly it was time for holiday breaks, then mid-seasons shifts and so on. But now we are nearing the end of Season Finale month, and the networks have spent the last few weeks compiling lists of shows that will or will not be returning – and they have been BRUTAL! I will list them all out in…


Go Custom with Skinit’s Infinity Case for iPhone 4

Tired of going to Best Buy and looking through hundreds of boring, repetitive case designs? Skinit.com thinks they’ve got you covered. Today, the website launches an innovative line of customizable cases for the iPhone 4 and 4S. As a site known for their high-quality protective skins and casings, the company’s aptly named Infinity series offers up a two-part accessory featuring a protective skeleton and a fully personalized “Switchplate.” As seen in the image above, the switchplate locks directly in to the casing, and is both removable and completely interchangeable. Once you’ve got the case, you can purchase additional switchplates separately….


Check Out A Cool ‘Live Lip Dub’ Wedding Proposal

Photo courtesy of Alysha Beck and The Oregonian Way back in the stone ages when I proposed to my wife, cell phones were very rare and barely functional outside of cities (and only made ‘phone calls’), video recorders were bulky and tape based and left behind large rectangles no one ever saw again, and a ‘flash mob’ would call to mind a bunch of people with no clothes on. Oh, and my thoughts involved a romantic setting, relaxation and solitude for my proposal. But as noted at LaughingSquid, Portland, Oregon actor Isaac Lamb had some different ideas about how to…


How Common Is Your Birthday?

Here at Gear Diary we have just gone through a period where it seemed that two-thirds of us had our birthday within the same month. So when I saw a link to a NY Times article that compiled some data on the most common birthdays, I was intrigued. Turns out that the plethora of April birthdays at Gear Diary is an anomaly, with the greatest density of births coming in mid September to early October. If you follow the link to the Times, you will see a tabular listing of dates with ranking. So for example, my birthday on April…


Add “Skydiving Without a Parachute” to the “Don’t Try This at Home” List!

I saw a headline on The Clymb today about a skydiver who completed a jump without a parachute, and at first, assumed the gentleman made a dramatic landing with a malfunctioning parachute. As it turns out, the actual story is much cooler. The jumper is a stuntman, and he designed a wingsuit specifically to try skydiving without a parachute for landing. They laid out boxes to help cushion his descent, and he landed safely! Check out the video below, and then hit up Sky.com for more details on his suit and flight. Then let us know: would you jump out…


McDonalds Catches the Running Bug

Quick, what’s the first corporate sponsor that might come to mind for a huge distance race? If “McDonalds” didn’t spring to the forefront of your mind, you aren’t alone. However, the folks at Rock n Roll Marathons see some opportunity there, as they have teamed up with the big M to sponsor several of their upcoming races.   From the press release: Five markets to feature select McDonald’s menu options San Diego, CA – May 23, 2012 – Competitor Group, Inc. (CGI), the leading media and event resource in the active lifestyle industry, today announced a partnership with McDonald’s USA…


BANG! Your Lights Are Out

Back in the days when I was on the look out for the “perfect tablet” (in other words, before I got my iPad), I used to love checking out Dynamism. While I’ve become more focused in my “gadget-selection”, Dynamism apparently is branching out. I just received an email and one of the new products they carry looks rather neat. BANG! from bitplay is the perfect lamp for the aspiring sharpshooter, wannabe assassin, noir aficionado, or lazy bum in all of us. Simply point and shoot and the lamp will turn off and ‘play dead’ – until the next shot, when…


RIP Eugene Polley, Inventor of the TV Remote at 96

Image courtesy of Wikipedia I remember reading an article about 25 years or so ago! on how everything wired was going wireless and everything wireless was getting wired. The article was mainly about cordless phones and wired cable television, but it is one that comes back to me often about the transformative effect of technology and how quickly we acclimate to changes. One thing that pretty much everyone takes for granted is a full-function wireless remote. Yet many of us can remember a time into the 70s and 80s where switching channels meant getting up off the couch and turning…


Windows XP’s “Bliss” Background: A Blissful Happenstance

Most people who have been using PCs in the past decade or so have doubtless seen this image, the default background image on Microsoft Windows XP. “Bliss” it is called. I’ve always had a soft spot for this image, plus images like it for my desktops. To my mind there is something soothing about undulating fields of green grass under a bright blue sky. In the back of my mind I simply assumed that it was a tweaked photo taken somewhere in Washington, owing to the topography and proximity to Microsoft’s Redmond HQ. More recently, however, while setting up an…