May 2012

SolMate, iPhone’s Hottest Solar, Inductive and Battery Case, Kickstart This!

Not all Kickstarter Projects are winners. And not all Kickstarter creatives have the integrity we want and expect. This is one example of a Kickstarter Project that looked great, had tons of promise but went sour… sour enough that I would NEVER AGAIN back a project offered by the folks who brought this forth. Project Title: SolMate: iPhone’s Hottest Solar, Inductive and Battery Case Status: Funded (Then Cancelled. See below.) Closing Date for Funding: Thursday February 23, 2012 URL of the Project: Find it here. From the Creatives: Introducing SolMate®, an aluminum-cut, silicon-dioxide, glass-covered iPhone-casing that is capable of charging…

Gear Bits

Modern Family Reimagined as Horror!

The ABC sitcom “Modern Family” is a sweet, funny look at what it means to be a family today. Each character has a mix of unique and stereotypical traits, and the kids are no exception. Alex, the middle child of one family, is the brainy daughter, and she often plays the straight man/outsider to the wackier elements of the show. One fan took those clips and reinterpreted them in a decidedly non-comedic way. What if Alex wasn’t just the brainy, put-upon middle child, but the brainy, put-upon, sociopath middle child? Fans of the show will know many of the out-of-context…

News

Tweet It! for Windows Phone Now Free until Tomorrow Evening

Yesterday was Khamidov Timur’s birthday. No, no, not the 14th century Turkic Mongol conqueror, but the modern developer of a very nice Twitter app named Tweet It! for Windows Phone, and you, dear reader, get the gift! For the next 36 hours or so his Tweet It! app is free! From the developer: Simple, but Powerful! Fast and awesome UI! It’s all about “Tweet It!” Tweet endlessly. Tweet comfortably! Tweet like no-one else before! Even if there is no Internet connection you can use built in drafts so your tweets will never be lost. It’s “Faster Tweeting!” feature lets you…

Gear Bits, News

Sometimes Verizon Expands LTE into Areas Not Listed on Updates!

Each week Verizon expands their massive high-speed LTE network into new areas and buildt out existing areas. Unfortunately for me, neither my home nor my main work office is in LTE coverage, though my office in our main engineering building offers me a tease of high speeds once every week or two. This week as usual I checked out the Verizon page and found the following updates (as compiled by Droid-Life): Introduction cities: Lake Charles, La. Hyannis/Mid-Cape, Mass. Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich. Biloxi/Gulfport/Pascagoula and Oxford, Miss. Atlantic City/Toms River, N.J. Dickinson and Williston, N.D. Ashtabula, Bucyrus and Defiance, Ohio Eugene/Springfield,…

Crowdfunding

BOWDEN + SHEFFIELD Minimalist iPad Cases; Kickstart This

Project Title: BOWDEN + SHEFFIELD Minimalist iPad Cases Status: $13,746 of $20,000 goal, with five days left. Closing Date for Funding: May 23, 2012 URL of the Project: BOWDEN + SHEFFIELD Minimalist iPad Cases From the Creatives: Eric Rea and Levi Price, two university students, have recently launched a project on Kickstarter featuring two unique, high-end iPad cases. The project is called “BOWDEN + SHEFFIELD Minimalist iPad Cases” and is definitely worth a look. The Bowden and Sheffield are minimalist, hand crafted cases for iPad. The inspiration for the project came from Levi when he was unable to find a case that featured minimalist…

Reviews

FlipStands Tablet Stand Review

If there is one negative aspect about having a tablet computer, it is probably how to hold the thing. As their form factor is super handy when on the go or playing a game, it is not always easy to hold them when trying to get some real work done. I have tried many products including cases that double as a stand, all with mixed results. Recently, I was able to check out a product called FlipStands. While it holds my iPad as several other gadgets do, the beauty is that it will work with virtually any tablet. Let’s take…

Reviews

Bracketron Universal Power Dock Pro Flex Review

One thing that is true for all smartphone users is that an opportunity to charge the device must not be passed on! And the perfect time to power-up is when in a vehicle. I never drive anywhere without first plugging in so I can get as much juice as possible. When charging in a vehicle, there is always an issue of where to set the phone. Sometimes my iPhone ends up in a cup holder or on the seat, and at times it might even sit in my lap so I can answer calls or change songs if need be….

Gear Bits

Professional Athlete Doesn’t Always Mean Millionaire

Running is not as popular as, say, football or baseball when it comes to spectators. So it isn’t surprising that professional runners don’t have the same earning power. But this article from Runner’s World surprised me with how low compensation can be, even for a talented runner. According to the survey: – Our sport has a very steep pyramid of income opportunities. A select few enjoy a very good living…though even they can fall hard in a short period if performance lags or injuries intervene. – The top variables that affect an athlete’s earnings realization are “world ranking” and “event”….

Game Diary, Reviews

Flick Home Run! for iPhone and Touch

Now that baseball season is upon us in full swing and summer is approaching, I found it proper to feature a baseball app in this week’s Blue Plate Special. My kids have been playing tee ball and coach pitch and making dad proud; we have already made it to a minor league game in San Antonio. Baseball is in our blood and a beloved summer activity. I actually learned about Flick Home Run from one of my students that thought I might enjoy it. Boy were they correct! Now I am able to take a little batting practice anytime I…

News

iLuv DualJack; Now, Why Didn’t I Think of That?

Every now and then a product comes along that makes me say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” iLuv has new “Premium Audio Cables and Charging and Sync Solutions” available as part of their myLink collection, and one of them fits the bill quite well. Here’s what the company has to say about their new offerings. iLuv’s audio and data cables revolutionize the market in quality and design. They were designed to provide superior functionality and the stylish design consumers desire in their accessories. These durable cables were constructed with a number of enhancements in both form and function, and…

Reviews

The Sena Florence Portfolio for the New iPad Review

As I wrote in our preview of the Sena Florence Portfolio, I love Sena’s cases and am particularly fond of their Florence for the iPad. It is thin, form-fitting, light and is a great all-purpose iPad case. That is why it is one of my all time favorite iPad cases. That is also why it is back on my iPad after a brief period when Elana “stole” it from me. I was excited to see Sena expand this design with their new Florence Portfolio. It sounded like the perfect iPad case for someone who uses an iPad 90% of the…

eBooks

The Line Between Writing as a Business and Writing as an Art

Publishing has had a rough year, and it’s only May! The Department of Justice lawsuit, Barnes and Noble is splitting digital and paper into different companies, and it seems like mainstream media has put a death clock on bookstores. Plus ebooks have hosed the “traditional” model of bookselling: what used to be a yearlong process of hardcover to paperback to mass market is now hardcover/eBook to paperback. The entire business model is in flux, and it’s impacting authors and publishers. Unfortunately, in an idea that must have been conceived in a boardroom and not during the creative process, authors are…

Gear Bits, How to Do It Yourself!

When is a ROM Update an Official Update? The Verizon Galaxy Nexus Edition

As a Verizon Galaxy Nexus owner for merely a month, one thing that I have learned is that you can not expect to have the update from Google at the same time as the GSM version. Here I sit one month in, and it’s been five months since the launch of the phone on Verizon … and I still have Android 4.0.2. Why? Funny you should ask. I have too. In February, there were many posts about the Verizon version of the phone “losing” it’s developer phone status. Many of the posts were quickly updated as Google stated that it…

News

Waterfield Designs’ CitySlicker Brings Style and Minimalist Protection to Your MacBook Air

If you are going to have something as thin and light as a MacBook Air, then why in the world would you carry it in a big bulky bag? You wouldn’t, and with Waterfield’s new CitySlicker, you don’t have to. The CitySlicker is a “Slim, Modern Case for the MacBook Air” that provides 3-layers of protection for the MBA while maintaining the thin, light look and feel of the diminutive laptop. As Gary Waterfield, company founder, explains, The MacBook Air is unbelievably thin, and we wanted to enhance that look rather than detract from it. The challenge was to design…

Game Diary, Reviews

Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom for PSP Review

This “visual novel” provides a very unique, narrative experience from Japan where choose-your-own-adventure-type choices rule over button mashing gameplay.

News

Why I Chose the Galaxy Nexus

About a month ago I was in the market for a new phone. My Droid 2 was at the end of its useful life, and I was ready for a new smartphone. There was a lot of debate between my friends over what would be better, and it came of shock to no one that I chose the Galaxy Nexus. The Screen The number one feature of the Galaxy Nexus wasn’t the 4G network; although that is a plus, the screen is what truly won me over. I say this knowing that the Nexus has a pentile screen. I, quite frankly…

Reviews, Vehicles & Gear

The 2012 Buick Regal GS Is a ‘Hot Wheels’

Growing up it seemed as though it was all about my “Hot Wheels,” riding backwards in the rear-most seat of the family truckster, and watching the Indy 500 on Memorial Day weekend. Since then, not too much has changed really. Substitute the Daytona 500 for the Indy race, and I hardly ever ride anymore as I am always driving news cars to review, but it is still all about the “hot wheels” and I don’t just mean the kids’ toy. Sure I have a sizable collection of the little metal cars (including many I owned as a child) but being…

Crowdfunding, Reviews

SlingShot Smartphone Accessory Review, Kickstart This!

We get a lot of gear sent to us in my household. Most of it disappears into my office/gear cave, and occasionally I ask Sarah for help with reviewing it. She rarely, if ever, comments on the items, but the SlingShot caught her attention. We used it on a few hikes to take video and photos, and today Sarah declared that it’s the first item I’ve ever reviewed that she would buy without hesitation. What triggered such high praise? Read on to find out more about this great Kickstarter project! Project title: SlingShot Status: In progress Closing date for funding:…

Gear Bits

The 50 Best “Very Special” Sitcom Episodes

Coming out of the 1970s social awareness which turned into popular After School Specials and dramatic mini-series ‘events’, the early 80s spawned an endless stream of ‘Very Special Episodes’ in sitcoms, which continue to plague shows as some of the worst and most awkward moments in the series. The folks over at Jest Comedy have compiled a video of 50 memorable episodes, from caffeine pills to shoplifting and more. Here is the info: The people at Jest Comedy bring us this supercut of the best of those very special episodes, from peer pressure to deadbeat dads. Enjoy reliving some of…

Gear Bits, News

All the Things a Star Trek Doctor is NOT!

If you think of quotes from the classic Star Trek, one of the first few would be ‘I’m a doctor, not a …’. These were uttered brilliantly by DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard McCoy in the series, and have become a standard line in later series entries. You heard it in Deep Space 9, Voyager and even the Enterprise prequel – but ironically never from Dr. Crusher on The Next Generation. Anyway, here is a great video showing a ton of these lines! If you are interested, there is a great list of sayings from Star Trek fan site ‘Memory…

Music Diary, News

RIP Legendary Bassist Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn

This weekend we learned of the passing of one of the most influential bassists of the electric era – Donald “Duck” Dunn. He was 70 years old and ‘died in his sleep’ according to long-time collaborator guitarist Steve Cropper. The pair were touring and had just played two sets at the Blue Note in Tokyo earlier that night. Here is more information: Dunn is perhaps best known as the bassist for Booker T. & The MGs, the highly influential house band for Stax Records that set the tone for modern Southern soul music. Dunn was invited to join the band…

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