Michael Anderson | Gear Diary

Avoid These Hydration Mistakes During Marathon Season – The Monday Mile

Hydration is a problem for everyone – office workers deal with dry environments from conditioned air and need to increase fluid intake to compensate. Athletes bodies use it more quickly and it is easier to get into a very dangerous place. As fall marathon season starts it is important to separate fact from myth to keep hydrated and safe. Through the years there have been a number of articles and guidelines put out about what we should drink, when we should drink and how much we should consume. Most of these have been pretty rough guidelines, and can generally be…

Gear Bits

‘Cuddle Mattress’ Highlighted on NPR Innovation Series

You don’t get a long-lasting relationship without actually wanting to spend significant time with another person. And since we spend a significant amount of our life in bed, cuddling seems like a great way to enhance time together – but at a cost of possible circulation and nerve damage. The ‘Cuddle Mattress’ has an innovative way to solve those! Inventor Mehdi Mojtabavi was highlighted on NPR this week because of his innovative design. It divides the upper and lower portions of the bed into a series of slats. Side sleepers can wedge their arm — or stomach sleepers can wedge…

Music Diary, News & Features

Malik & Pettite Promo Song in Advance of New EP Release!

Malik & Pettite are an acoustic duo from Coventry UK, and are releasing a 4-song EP October 7th, and have the lead song on YouTube to give fans a taste. What really struck me was how much this reminded me of great acts like The Lilac Time or The Railway Children. I’m definitely getting this EP, check it out! Here are the four original songs coming on the EP: 1. No More Love 2. Only You 3. Victoria 4. Rise Up Check out the band on Facebook or their web site.

News & Features, Vehicles & Gear

Think Your Car is Old? Average Car is Now 11.4 Years Old!

For years we’ve had a routine – get a new car when we’ve exhausted the current one, donating that one to charity. Our oldest car was a 10 year-old Subaru we donated it and got my now 7 year-old Escape Hybrid. But apparently these cars are fairly young, as the average age of a car is now 11.4 years old. Hanging on to older cars has become a trend, with this year marking the highest average age since data collection started! The average age has increased nearly a year just over the last few years! And at the same time…

Gear Bits

Get a Daily Dose of Jazz Videos from the 20s and 30s!

I love JazzOnTheTube. It delivers a daily email with a classic or modern jazz video that is always worth watching. Recently JazzOnTheTube pointed viewers to 20sJazz and 30sJazz, sites dedicated to presenting videos from those eras. If you are a fan of jazz from the 20s and 30s check them out and subscribe to the daily email! Here from 20sJazz is an amazing early video from 1923 (!) featuring Nobel Sissle and Eubie Blake. I am not familiar with Sissle, but I do remember Blake well from the late 70s/ early 80s including Saturday Night Live and White House performances. And…

News & Features

Baldur’s Gate 2: Enhanced Edition Gets a Release Date and Pre-orders Open!

After finally untangling the legal web around Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition, Overhaul Games is getting ready to launch the sequel on November 15th. Baldur’s Gate II: Enhanced Edition includes Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal, offering over 120 hours of some of the best gaming of all time. Pre-order now: $24.95 for Mac/PC, iPad and Android come later. Here are some of the enhanced features: Four New Party Members – Bundled with the PC and Mac versions and available as DLC for iPad and Android, four new characters can join you on your journey. At the behest of his…

Game Diary

Bloodlust Shadowhunter – Demo and Gameplay for New Action-RPG!

Action-RPG games are fairly rare, and ones about vampires are rarer still. Aside from Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption from 2000 and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines from 2004, there is … not much. Enter Bloodlust: Shadowhunter, which has a new twist as you play a resurrected vampire hunter now a vampire – and must decide to embrace or destroy your destiny! The game hasn’t been released, but there is a playable demo with a tutorial and loads of resources to help you get through alive (or is it undead?). Check out the gameplay trailers below (more on their channel) and then…

Game Diary, News & Features

Thoughts on the Nintendo 2DS and Wii U Price Cut

Yesterday Nintendo announced a couple of major developments meant to bolster their sagging console business. The first is a price drop on the Wii U system to $299 to compete with the upcoming Sony & Microsoft consoles. They also launched the 2DS, a non-3D system that will play all DS and 3DS games for just $129.99. Mike S did a great job running down the details of the announcements and also the game line-ups for Fall release for Wii U and 3DS systems. So what I wanted to do was run down some thoughts on the Wii U price cut…

Gear Bits

Impact of Android Fragmentation: Vulnerability to Malware

An interesting report from the U.S. Homeland Security Department looks at the threat of mobile malware and other malicious threats, and breaks it down by operating system. Not surprisingly Android (especially 2.x and earlier versions) was most vulnerable, but the bigger concern was the slow adoption of more secure newer OS versions left many consumers at risk. Here are more findings about the major malware which has been identified by the bulletin: 1.SMS Trojan: sends messages to premium rated numbers owned by criminals leaving the user with heavy mobile charges. 2.Rootkits: logs the user’s locations, key strokes and passwords without…

Editorials

Connecting George Washington to MLK at a Synagogue in Newport

Reading a post at Medium reminded me how far we have to go on every level of race relations. The post was from a college student child of a black man and white woman visiting the historic Touro Synagogue in Newport when someone made an assumption based on the variety of skin colors and asked, “What organization are you with?”

Game Diary, Reviews

Brave Tribe is a Cute, Fun, and Engaging Strategy Farming SIM for iOS

Simulation games often sacrifice story and character for game mechanics, and those that do have a story are often too simplistic to be enjoyable for long. But as the games coming to iOS continue to mature, so do their stories and gameplay; and Brave Tribe is a great example of a casual game with fun story and gameplay.

Gear Bits

Virtual City Playground Takes to the Skies in Another Massive Update!

The freemium city-builder Virtual City Playground from G5 Entertainment gets another big update, and this one adds a whole new dimension as you can take to the skies! Construct a hangar, build a weather station, and run an airship to increase the happiness of your citizens! You get 14 new missions and even more fun than ever before! Ever fantasized about touching the clouds? Build a top-of-the-line airship and conquer the skies above your city! – RECRUITING ALL TRADES! Hire your friends to help with everything from hangar construction to crewing the airship. – A NEW BATCH OF SKY-HIGH QUESTS!…

Music Diary, Reviews

PJ Rasmussen ‘Adventures in Flight’ CD Review

PJ Rasmussen makes it clear from the very first notes that he is an up-and-coming force on the electric guitar. His Kickstarter-funded album ‘Adventures in Flight’ sought to create music for TV and Film in the jazz genre, also accessible by general audiences. But while the music is solid and Rasmussen shines, the overall impact is uninspired. Musical Genre: Jazz Where to buy: iTunes Artist: PJ Rasmussen Description: A debut album is a daunting experience for any artist regardless of age. But guitarist/composer PJ Rasmussen’s first CD – Adventures in Flight on Third Freedom Music – shows a young man…

Editorials

Your Biggest Household Energy Hog? Your Smartphone!

Not too long ago we were marveling about how the iPhone 5 only consumed ~$0.41 per year to charge, with the conclusion that “energy consumption of a modern smartphone is minuscule”. But phone charging is only part of the picture, and as we factor in the migration to wireless networks and cloud, that smartphone uses more energy than TWO refrigerators! The new report from IEEE Spectrum notes that all of the transitions occuring as we move from a world of desktops and landlines to a 3-screen world of laptop-tablet-smartphone require more energy. I have seen this information twisted in the…

Gear Bits

Avadon 2: The Corruption Gets Trailer and Release Window

In early 2011 I reviewed Avadon The Black Fortress, calling the opening of the new franchise a resounding success. Now we are in the final months of waiting for the sequel, as Avadon 2: The corruption is set to release this November with more intrigue, role-playing, plot twists and strategic combat the fueled the original. Here is the trailer!

Editorials, Game Diary

5 Thoughts on the Growing iOS/Android vs. Sony/Nintendo Game Spending Gap

In the latest IDC/AppAnnie report, sales from iOS and Android games now eclipse Sony and Nintendo games by a 4:1 margin. Since 2009, we have seen a meteoric rise in the revenues and market share of games for iOS and Android devices and a decline in sales for dedicated handheld gaming consoles. What does this mean for the future of gaming-on-the-go? Here are five thoughts on what this means: Not an Anomaly: I have seen some dismiss this as a passing phase like netbooks, but that misses a larger trend. Since the launch of the initial iPhone people have been moving…

Editorials, Music Diary

In the Wide World of Music, VMAs Present a Very Small View

My family stayed up late watching the Video Music Awards (VMA) on MTV to unwind after a busy weekend; my wife and sons had people they wanted to see. What struck me was how in a world full of diverse music and musicians, there were only a dozen or so in a narrow brand of accessible pop music on display. If you look at the list of winners below, and you noted who was in the very small ‘stars seating area’, you will notice tremendous overlap. Pink, feat. Nate Ruess 30 Seconds to Mars Selena Gomez Janelle Monae feat. Erykah…

Health and Fitness

Use Back-to-School to Revisit Your Health & Fitness Goals – The Monday Mile

Many kids across the country are already in class, with other states opening within the next week. It’s back to school time, and that means getting organized for a new year. This sense of a fresh start can apply to everything, so as we get our kids equipped and organized, it is worth revisiting our health and fitness goals. At the end of last year, I talked about using the ‘SMART’ system to evaluate your resolutions. I emphasized the importance of setting goals that would make you accountable for tracking and milestones, and that were specific enough to be measurable. One…

Gear Bits

GoG.com Offers Amazing One-Day Wizardry 6-8 ‘Gem Promo’ Sale!

Every week GoG.com offers a ‘Gem Promo’. This week they feature the Dark Savant Trilogy – Wizardry 6+7 and Wizardry 8, an RPG epic from the golden age of PC dungeon crawling for 60% off. Pay $2.39 for one, and $3.99 for the other if you get both, or get one for 50% discount. Promo is for 8/26 only.

Gear Bits

Want a Chance to Be ‘Mr & Mrs Apteka Naturel’? Enter a Video to Win!

Apteka Naturel is a website devoted to all-natural, organic nutritional supplements. They’re running a contest to find the next ‘Mr & Mrs Apteka Naturel’. To enter, make a ~2 minute video explaining why you should be chosen and what Apteka products reflect your needs. Winners get a product pack and chance to be in upcoming ads! So get busy making videos!

Reviews

HP Pocket Playlist Review – Gives You 32GB of Stylish Wireless Storage on the Go!

With each passing year, flash storage is cheaper and more plentiful, but the options for using storage have become fewer. Apple has few options for storage expansion, and fewer Ultrabooks, tablets and smartphones allow expansion. But the HP Pocket Playlist offers 32GB of wireless storage for use even when you are offline, and does it in a stylish $99 package. Description: •Engineered to entertain: Hey, parents! The HP Pocket Playlist puts you in control of managing your mobile entertainment. No matter where you go— car, train, restaurant, mall— your kids sit still, not fight and stay happy watching their own…

Articles by Michael Anderson