2013 | Gear Diary

Justin Timberlake 20/20 Experience Review

There is a line somewhere between drawing inspiration from the past and simply leaning upon the work of others as a crutch; so while Stray Cats or Adele took what came before them and reimagined it through the lens of a new era, Bruno Mars basically doing an 80’s era Police knock-off with a crappy chorus is just pandering. So what does this have to do with Justin Timberlake? If you caught his performance on the Grammy Awards, you know he is pushing a retro feel, so let’s take a look at his new Justin Timberlake 20/20 Experience album to…

Health and Fitness

My One-Year Runnerversary – The Monday Mile

I have posted several times about running as well as other fitness and health issues over the past year; I have also started a weekly ‘Monday Mile’ feature – and everyone has been amazing and supportive throughout, with loads of great discussions and tons of new stuff I have learned. At this point, I have no hesitation calling myself ‘a runner’ — something I would never have done before last fall. But when I look back to when the moment was that I turned the corner from being a ‘guy who jogged to control weight’ to ‘a runner’, it was Easter…

How to Do It Yourself!, Outdoors

How To Start a Simple Heirloom Vegetable Garden from Scratch

How many of us have been at a grocery store and been disappointed with the variety and quality of produce? How many sandwiches or other dishes have been befouled with limp lettuce or a feeble yellow-green-pink tomato? It’s no wonder kids (and some adults) aren’t too keen on vegetables. What to do? One solution is to start your own garden, especially an heirloom garden. The term “heirloom” is still often debated, but for the purposes of this post I’m going to loosely define the term to mean an openly pollinated plant that breeds true to its parents and is not…

Travel

Ziplining Through the Jamaican Jungle

Our time in Jamaica is over… for now… But the memories of our week down there won’t end any time soon. Had had a great time having a beachfront villa for the four of us but were happy to mix some fun excursions in with the lazy days reading, eating, playing cards and… eating. I posted the other day on our visit to Dunn’s River Falls. If you go to Jamaica it is an absolutely must. Check out the post. Then, this past Thursday, we headed toward Ocho Rios again but stopped short, this time. We stopped at Chukka’s Cranbrook,…

Game Diary, Reviews

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14: The Masters Historic Edition Review for PlayStation 3

Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14: The Masters Historic Edition, the 16th release in this game series, offers players an in-depth, rewarding golf experience. This high quality golf game features improved graphics, PlayStation Move controller capability, real-time weather system, and Legends of the Majors mode. Players can now create their own unique experience facing Tiger Woods or his fellow golfers, past and present like Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Bubba Watson. Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 14: The Masters Historic Edition includes tournament practice facility, extra content, online pass (broadband connection required), The Masters’ green jacket ceremony and five additional courses in additional…

Editorials, News & Features

PC Sales Plummet, But are Windows 8 or iPad to Blame?

There is one reality bolstered by two bits of speculation getting loads of attention today. The reality is that sales of personal computers are abysmal, in fact they just hit the lowest point since the IDC started tracking numbers nearly 20 years ago. As happens whenever numbers are released for anything, analysts swoop in to rationalize and spin, which has led to two major speculations about the origins of the decline. All we know is that PC sales plummet, but are Windows 8 or iPad to blame? Let’s look at those two, and a few more dynamics at play: Windows…

Game Diary, Reviews

Where Angels Cry HD for iPad Review

In the world of hidden object games, there are a number of paths a developer can take, including purely hidden object screen games – which come in a variety of types – as well as more adventure oriented games. Many of the G5 games bridge both major types, often pulling in ideas from multiple sub-genres. The new release from G5 games is more oriented to the adventure side of the genre, which can be tricky because it means that you need to integrate a story and plot development and milestones with hidden objects and puzzles. With that frames, let’s take…

News & Features

Verizon’s New 24-Month Subsidy and the Handcuffs of Strong Network Performance

I am due for a new phone upgrade on Verizon in June. I keep track of these things awfully closely, because 20 months is a long time for me to stick with one phone, and I am usually chomping at the bit for a new one by the time my new subsidy is up! So I was, to say the least, absolutely dismayed to see the news that Verizon is moving to a 24-month cycle between subsidies. I sent a lamenting email to my fellow editors, and this set off a discussion about cell phones, subsidy strategies, and why we…

Reviews

MiPow Boom Bluetooth Speaker Review

We posted our review of the MiPow Boom mini the other day. (Read it.) The speaker is tiny but the sound is anything but tinny. I’m impressed by the sound such a small speaker is able to pump out and I still can’t believe that, after using the speaker pretty continually since we got here to Jamaica, I still have not had to charge it. There is no question in my mind that MiPow’s battery rating is more than a bit conservative. The company also sent me the first ever review sample of the MiPow Boom. This speaker, the larger…

Crowdfunding, Game Diary, News & Features

Divinity Dragon Commander is Available for Pre-Order or as an Original Sin Perk

I have written extensively about my love of the Divinity games from Larian studios, including the recent Kickstarter of the turn-based Divinity Original Sin. The company is simultaneously working on another game, a real-time strategy game called Divinity Dragon Commander. Now Divinity Dragon Commander is Available for Pre-Order or as an Original Sin Perk. This week Larian and GoG.com announced they were teaming up to offer a discounted pre-order for Divinity Dragon Commander, knocking 11% off the price and asking only $39.99 for this massive game that offers single and multiplayer campaigns, as well as real-time and turn-based campaigns. There…

Gear Bits, Reviews

Facebook Home App Arrives on Google Play, Hands-On First Look

We have been hearing about Facebook Home since the Facebook event last Wednesday which we covered here. The general consensus was that Home was pretty much just another launcher – but a Facebook centric one. Now as the Facebook Home app arrives on Google Play, we have installed it and taken a quick look. The big question from the post we had about the event is ‘who cares’? In other words, exactly what market does this app serve? I always thought that was obvious but had two angles – it serves the Facebook crowd, and pretty much does NOT serve…

Editorials

Who Has Your Digital Back in an Emergency?

This past weekend my brother had a massive heart attack, and while he is now stable he has a long road ahead of him. Right after it happened he was treated – it was amazingly fortunate that it happened in a gym with a doctor next to him and a nurse on staff! It is a symptom of our far-flung society that aside from his ex-wife and high school daughter, I am the closest one in terms of distance – and I live nearly FOUR HOURS away! In situations like this it is worth asking who has your digital back…

Game Diary, Reviews

Art Mogul for Mac Review

Art Mogul puts you in the role of an art collector seeking to maximize your collection and your profits, traveling the world visiting galleries; getting the best price and rooting out fakes along the way. At its core Art Mogul is a hidden object game, but it plays almost like a simulation game in some ways. Your goal is to make the most money to build your art collection value. You start off going to a gallery with some money, where you can purchase a painting that is guaranteed to be authentic. But you want to drive down the price,…

Gear Bits

The Origin of the Term ‘Ham Radio’

I hope you have been enjoying my posts on Amateur Radio. Other than mobile tech and the typical tech stuff I am into, it is one of my most favorite things to do in the evening. Nothing beats chatting with a group of fellow hams about amateur radio itself, the tech behind it, or other things that are related. As you may have noticed, I use the terms amateur radio and ham radio pretty interchangeably. They are indeed one and the same; there’s no difference. However, one might wonder how the term ham radio come about? Well, according to the ARRL, the…

Music Diary, Reviews

Kris Davis Capricorn Climber Review

For all of the grand debate about ‘music discovery’ going on with regards to services such as Slacker and Spotify right now, I continue to have success with the same method I have been using for decades. I find an artist I like, note sidemen I like from their recordings or find recordings where they are sidemen, and check those out. Sometimes that leads to me discovering a sideman from an artist two or three times removed from the original person – such as Kris Davis. Davis plays piano on Ingrid Laubrock’s Anti-House, whose new release I wrote about here….

News & Features

The Scosche boomBOTTLE Is a Ruggedized Portable Speaker for Tunes on the Go

We’ve reviewed a host of different Bluetooth speakers but never one quite like this. The Scosche boomBOTTLE is a new mobile speaker that is ideal for streaming music while biking, hiking, camping and more. The boomBOTTLE not only has a unique design, but it has the features to match. A durable non-slip, shock absorbing TPU exterior is strong enough to withstand drops or vibrations caused from rough terrain, which makes it perfect for biking. An IP4X rated weatherproof construction means you can use the boomBOTTLE even when it is wet outside. The boomBOTTLE even features sealed dustproof speaker grills. The…

How to Do It Yourself!

Tiny Tiny RSS: DIY Android Google Reader Replacement

I am still lamenting the decision Google made to kill off Google Reader. While I am generally ok with Feedly, I am actually in the same boat I was with Google Reader when I use another service like Feedly. If Feedly goes away, then I am stuck yet again. So I began searching for other alternatives and had a friend suggest something called Tiny Tiny RSS. Tiny Tiny RSS has all of the features Google Reader has and more. Tiny Tiny RSS Web Interface The web interface looks a lot like Google Reader. It lets me star things for later, and…

News & Features

Packing Light for Telenav’s Waypoint

I’m heading to Telenav’s annual Waypoint conference next week. Since this is a fairly short trip, I’m looking to keep my baggage fairly light. I’d like to minimize my time lugging items around the airport, and with some careful planning, I think I can cut way back on my tendency to turn every trip into “my backpack is a mobile Radio Shack.” What’s on my packing list? Read on…

News & Features

Startech Flash Drive Duplicator and Eraser

As we move to a virtually paperless society, sharing digital files becomes an issue. While there are many avenues to exchange files in a large setting, many businesses do not prefer to email or share the files over servers for fear of being stolen or damaged. Giving the files on a flash drive insures control until it reaches the end-user. Startech.com has introduced a device to make duplicating flash drives or erasing them a snap, which means no more watching files copy from a computer over and over. I once wondered how companies that pass out large numbers of flash…

News & Features

Slickwraps Add Colorful Skins to Your New Pebble Watch

The other day I received my Kickstarter Pebble Watch in the mail, and I was excited as you might imagine. However, as I began to use it, I quickly noticed how well the device face ergonomics might lend itself to skinning and screen protection. As it turns out, Slickwraps.com has released attractive skins to do just that with their Wraps for the Pebble Watch. Now Pebble Watch owners can choose one of 38 skins to customize their Pebbles the way they want. The skins boast an accurate Pebble face template, and cover not only the periphery around the watch face but…

News & Features

Gtech AirRAM Vacuum Cleaner Is Light, Clean, Cordless, and Longer Lasting

Yesterday I wandered the aisles at the San Angelo Sam’s Club, and I couldn’t help but stop in front of the Dyson vacuum cleaner display. I really hate our current vacuum cleaner — a traditional heavy upright with hose that must weigh at least 25 pounds. The least expensive Dyson was around $359, but it was a low to the ground canister model. I prefer uprights, and the one I was particularly interested in was the Dyson Animal Upright. It’s a 7 pounds cordless model that is supposed to have excellent sucking power for cleaning both carpets and floors. I…