2013

Korg iPolysix Review – Bringing Classic Analog Synth to iPad

Type of app: Music app Platform/where to buy: iPad; available in the App Store Developer: Korg Description: ?Polysix polyphonic synthesizer, replicated on your iPad ?Use the newly developed Polyseq polyphonic step sequencer to control the Polysix ?A music production environment including two Polysix units, a drum machine, and a mixer ?Dual Kaoss Pads with chordal support make it easy for anyone to play analog synth sounds ?Polyshare powered by SoundCloud lets you publish, share, and remix songs with iPolysix users Major features: Way back almost 30 years ago I was trying to set up a home electronic music studio. I…

Editorials, Health and Fitness

Lance Armstrong’s Offenses Transcend Cheating, Are More About Abuse and Coercion

Last summer, I wrote about Lance Armstrong saying that he gave into the “need to be seen as better than all others that they are willing to go to any length – and take any number of people with them – to feed their ego-trips and need for adulation. Including cheating, and conspiracy, and use of drugs that have shown long-term health effects, and so on.” In his interview with Oprah he more or less confirms ALL of that … but as Carly pointed out, his motives were very likely not particularly pure. In terms of the interview itself, some…

News & Features

APC Releases Rock and Paper Computers

The Raspberry Pi has been openly embraced by the hacker community for all sorts of projects. From roll your own set-top boxes to Amateur Radio uses, it’s become a fast favorite of the hacker community. Not to be outdone, APC has released two new computers that are sure to peak interest of the hacker community and anyone who wants a nice, simple computer without worry of viruses or other malware. The Rock computer is a board only device that runs a customized version of Android 4.0 that is designed to work with a keyboard and mouse. The Rock has a Via…

Gear Bits

Let MobileFun.co.uk Be Your One-Stop Mobile Accessory Stop

If you are looking for mobile accessories you have a host of options from which to choose. There are brick and mortar stores like Best Buy and there are online retailers like Amazon. One online retailer you might not think of first is MobileFun.co.uk. They recently reached out to us and challenged us to make a list of a few accessories we might need and then go shopping to see if their site offered the listed items. That’s exactly what we did and, as luck would have it, we found a plethora offerings in each and every category. I decided…

Music Diary, Reviews

‘Synesthesia’ by The Kandinsky Effect Review

As I have been compiling my ‘best of 2012’ list, it has occurred to me that I failed to do something last year I really wanted: ‘quickie music reviews’. So starting with some initial 2013 releases I will try to publish a music review a week that is a ‘quick look’ with a summary impression. And to be honest, this album was good enough to inspire me to start again! Musical Genre: Jazz Where to buy: iTunes Music Store, also available on Amazon MP3 Store Artist: The Kandinsky Effect Description: Founded in Paris in 2007, The Kandinsky Effect is a…

Health and Fitness

Withings Introduces New Smart Kid Scale

It seems like the newest leap in technology is connecting everything. We’ve connected ourselves through smartphones, our homes through appliances, and now we’re even connecting our babies to our smartphones. Withings has moved baby technology beyond baby monitors to a new “Smart Kid Scale” that lets you track how fast your baby is growing and gaining weight. I am a bit torn about this concept. On the one hand, it’s a great way for parents to visualize how their child is growing and best monitor their size and weight. On the other, there’s a point where we obsess too much…

Editorials, Health and Fitness

Why Lance Armstrong Deserves That Lifetime Ban Despite His Confession

I never really gave Lance Armstrong much thought before this summer’s news of lifetime bans and sanctions for doping. It was shocking to see some of the reports and the depth of performance enhancing drug use that had penetrated professional cycling. As much as it shocked some people (or confirmed the suspicions of others), professional runner Lauren Fleshman has a more personal view as a fellow athlete. Her response to Lance’s confession, and rumors that he is only confessing to get his ban on competing lifted, is an insight into how much of a dirty shadow Lance casts over professional…

Events, News & Features

Etón Proves Nature Is Pretty Darn Good at Empowering Innovative Technology!

Hurricane Sandy knocked out power for much of New Jersey, and at our house we lost power for about a week. Unfortunately, it was the same week we were scheduled to move out, so we found ourselves doing all the last minute packing in the dark. Luckily we weren’t totally on our own, as my handy Etón emergency radio kept us happy with music, a flashlight, and the chance to top off a smartphone once in a while. Basically, it was the first thing we grabbed when the power went out and the very last item we packed. So I was…

Reviews

ZooGue New iPad Leather Case Genius Pro Review

Since I have moved to using an iPad 3 for my full-time mobile computing option, I’ve discovered how important my case choice is. The iPad literally goes everywhere with me, including my deer blind. It is important to not only protect the tablet, but for it to also be functional in many situations. My iPad is used on a work desk, in my lap, lying in bed, in the car, on the deck, and while I’m hunting. The situations where I use my iPad are literally endless. All of this means my case must work in each environment without having…

Crowdfunding, Game Diary

CasinoRPG, a Browser-Based Tycoon/MMORPG/Casino Game

This Kickstarter campaign is to fund the development of a cross between a Tycoon game, MMORPG, and a gambling game. This game really intrigues me because I’ve always been interested in a Mass Multiplayer Online-type environment where you can keep building an empire and the game continues ever after you log off. In games like Minecraft, you can craft some really cool things, but unless you’re on a large public server, you aren’t really sharing that with anyone. But in CasinoRPG, you get to grow your fortune from the ground up and then other real-live players can interact with your…

Gear Bits, News & Features

Are Subway’s ‘Not Quite Footlongs’ the Next Class Action Lawsuit Fodder?

Not too long ago Apple iTunes customers got a voucher for a few dollars based on a settlement from a lawsuit. The lawsuit came after Apple shifted pricing on music from $0.99 per song to a $0.69/$0.99/$1.29 tiered scheme to appease record labels. Suddenly gift cards that said ‘Buy 10 Songs’ would only buy 7 or 8. Now we have word that there is quite an online uproar over Subway ‘footlong’ subs not quite measuring up. According to the Yahoo article the trouble began when “a very precise customer, identified as Matt Corby of Perth, ordered a footlong sub and then…

Editorials

Bus Shelter Infographic Advises to ‘Stop Being Black’ to Avoid Police Searches

We would like to think we are living in a ‘post racial’ society, where someone would be judged based on their merits rather than the color of their skin or national origin or religion. But we only need look at the last political election to realize that racial and other discrimination issues continue to exist, along with a rising ‘victim mentality’ in the white and Christian majority communities that complicates any progress towards finally ending the conflict. The issues trickle down to the way people are treated by police, and has been detailed by a group calling themselves “Racism Still…

Vehicles & Gear

GM Trio of Large CUVs are ‘Family Truckster Avant Garde’

Several years back, General Motors decided to begin offering consumers an alternative to large, frame-based SUVs that while still being family-friendly they were geared more towards actual usage by their owners and delivered better fuel economy along, improved ride and handling, and ease of use. This new family of large Crossover Utility Vehicles has proved popular with consumers and for 2013 GM has updated the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia models. The trio share common architecture with each brand giving unique styling cues to the individual vehicles. They are all powered by 3.6-liter direct-injection V-6 engines generating 288hp…

Gear Bits

In 2013 Thanksgiving and Hanukkah Overlap for the Only Time … Ever

Largely because I am not Jewish, I only vaguely keep up with the Hanukkah calendar on an annual basis. But when Perry shared this link on Facebook recently, I fell in love with the graph and simply had to share it here. Bottom line – Thanksgiving and first day of Hanukkah coincide in 2013 … never before, and never again. Why is that? Thanksgiving is set as the fourth Thursday in November, meaning the latest it can be is 11/28. 11/28 is also the earliest Hanukkah can be. The Jewish calendar repeats on a 19 year cycle, and Thanksgiving repeats…

Gear Bits

Early Aerial Spy Photos – How Did They Get Them?

The Wright Brothers famous first powered flight at Kitty Hawk happened on December 17, 1903. Lasting for only 12 seconds and covering a distance of only 120 feet, that historic flight was brief — and anything but covert. In order to take aerial photographs previous to powered flight, photographers would use hot-air balloons, kites, and even rockets. It wasn’t until 1909 before the Wright Brothers produced the world’s first military airplane, but one method had already proven stealthy enough that it could be used for early military spy photos. How then could shots like these be taken virtually undetected? That same…

Health and Fitness

Even if the Science is Murky, ‘Meatless Monday’ is Worth Your Effort

Choosing a dietary plan can be challenging, because sometimes it seems that for every bit of ‘nutritional science’ that tells us one thing, there is at least as much counter-evidence. No carb, all-carb, low-fat, loads of fat, Paleo, South Beach, Vegan, all-juice and on and on … it makes it very difficult to know what to do. Here is one thing I will suggest – join the ‘Meatless Monday’ campaign. Why? Let me get back to that in a bit … In terms of making healthy changes there are some easy things – a while back we looked at our…

Editorials

Interesting History Lesson on the 2nd Amendment and Slavery

There is something about the mental image of 20 six and seven year old kids shot to death, some as many as 14 times, by an American citizen using perfectly legal and licensed weapons, that causes people to demand that SOMETHING must be done about the level of gun violence in our country. Others say that ANY restriction of guns is an attack on the 2nd Amendment. This isn’t meant to be a diatribe on gun violence or ultra-powerful lobbyists or what I think we need to do or anything else. It is more about the history of the second…

Gear Bits

Updated Star Trek The Next Generation Blooper Reel Video on YouTube!

A couple of weeks ago I posted about a 10-minute ‘gag reel’ for Star Trek: The Next Generation … and naturally, within minutes of the post going live, the video was pulled. Well, eagle-eyed Joel noted that the video is up again! I checked it out, and it is now a 2.5-minute quick-cut with a push to grab the DVD for more … but there is still plenty of great stuff contained in the video! Enjoy!

Editorials, Health and Fitness

LED Ice Cubes Signal It’s Time to Stop Drinking

There are many devices and tools that connect to your smartphone. Likewise, there are many fine apps that let you track your food, drink and activity. However, if you require LED ice cubes to alert you that you’re en route to a blackout, perhaps you need help, and not a text from your drink? If the novelty of such an item amuses you, though, don’t worry: it does exist. I’m trying to be fair here, but if I landed in the hospital after drinking too much, my response would emphatically not be to invent a complex ice cube that nagged…

Events, Vehicles & Gear

First Chevrolet Corvette Debuted 60 Years Ago Today, First C7 Hits Auction Block Saturday

Happy Anniversary Corvette! Sixty years ago today the first Corvette debuted at the Motorama in New York City. The rest – as they say – is history. Commemorating the event Chevrolet is returning to the Big Apple with the new C7 Corvette Stingray that was debuted in Detroit earlier this week. “The all-new 2014 Corvette Stingray is the most advanced and engaging Corvette in the long, prestigious legacy of this uniquely American success story,” said Chris Perry vice president of Chevrolet Marketing. “It is a car woven into the fabric of American culture and it got its start right here…

Events, News & Features

Targus iNotebook Shines at CES 2013

While at CES, we spent some time visiting with Targus. Among the new items they were showing off was the $179.99 iNotebook, which “seamlessly transmits your handwritten notes to your iPad using the included sensor and pen.” If it sounds too good to be true, then you might want to check out this quick demo of Judie writing on paper and seeing the text rendered on the iPad in real-time. The iNotebook wirelessly transfers handwritten notes and sketches to an iPad using Bluetooth technology. It requires no special paper and is compatible with standard A5 and 8” x 5” notepads. That…

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