Gotham City Imposters Preview Video
Check out the preview for this upcoming first person shooter Batman game adds wild mayhem, character customization, multiplayer options and action amid the classic hero showdown with The Joker.
Gear Bits
It’s All in the Timing
This month’s MacLife magazine arrived today. It is the only “dead tree” edition mag I still get, but only because I cannot stand their browser-based eMag version. Elana immediately noted the cover story that reads “Apple First Aid”. I noticed the box in the upper left hand corner… Obviously the blurb is referring to Jobs stepping down as Apple CEO but the timing, and the way it now reads is… disturbing. And it is a question many are asking today. Yes, sometimes it is all in the timing.
Want to Know the Difference Between Two Things? DifferenceBetween.net Can Help
This morning I wanted to make sure that I was straight about what the difference between clams and oysters was, beyond taste; I must have slept through that lesson in Biology. As I often do, I turned to Google and posed my question in the search bar. The first site that popped up answered my question perfectly, and when I took a look at the site which had provided my answer, I was pleasantly surprised to find that what it does is answer questions about the differences between things. As they explain … Differencebetween.net not only facilitates your understanding of a topic, but it also…
Unboxing the Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0 US Edition
I took advantage of a recent W00t deal, and I now have a US Edition of the Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 5.0. This is the US edition, as opposed to the more common Asian/European version. Let’s take a look! Features • The 5-inch (12.7cm) display allows you browse full web pages and read small text without resizing the screen. The Galaxy S Wi-Fi 5.0 supports various video formats (DivX, Xvid, H.263, Ogg, MPEG4, Flac). It also delivers an impressive viewing experience on the large screen • SoundAlive maximizes the performance of Samsung mobile devices for real sound quality via Samsung…
FaceTime and iOS Impresses Halfway Across the Globe
(Image courtesy of Apple) The world is a big place. At the turn of the century trying to visit loved ones who lived halfway across the world took months. Now, we can fly from one side of the globe to the other in less than a day. And even when we aren’t physically technology enables us to feel as if we are. I was reminded of this when FaceTime and iOS brought me closer to my wife AND saved us money in the process. My wife and I live in the midwest, but she is from Thailand. She is visiting her…
Things That Make You Go “Hmmm”: iPads on Airplanes Edition
I just landed in Boston on my way to Martha’s Vineyard for a wedding tomorrow. Of course I brought my iPad with me. (It’s how I took this picture and wrote this post during a flight that was shorter than the time it took for me to get to the airport and through security.) It was a 38 minute flight. For the first ten minutes I could not use the iPad. For the last ten minutes I was told to turn it off as well. That left 18 minutes or so that the iPad was “legit” and usable. This has…
Not Suitable For Children — Nature’s Porn-y Veggies
A friend sent me this, and it was too awesome not to share. Basically, these are all naturally occurring vegetable shapes, that just, uh, happen to be NSFW. Sarah and I joined a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) earlier this year, and we’ve really loved getting a box of fresh produce once a week, but now I feel robbed! I honestly don’t think I can include most of the pictures here, so you’ll have to head to Organic Authority to see them all. Just make sure your boss isn’t watching!
iPads In Action — Wedding Band Edition
At my friend’s wedding on Friday night, Sarah spotted something different about the live band. They had stands for their sheet music, but no paper sheets…instead each member of the 9-piece band was rocking iPads! I didn’t get the chance to quiz them on their iPad use (they were a bit busy, what with playing music and all), though they did comment offhand that they really liked being so “technologically advanced” and that the iPads helped them immensely. What’s really cool is that this band is an incredibly diverse group of musicians. You can check out some of their bios…
Denny’s Embraces Indulgence, Ignores Health Risks with the ‘Let’s Get Cheesy’ Menu
What would you like for lunch today? How about a full days worth of calories and two days worth of fat? Oh, I know you can easily get that in any ‘glutton burger’ you’ll find around in burger joints looking for a moment of fame on one of the Travel or Cooking network shows … but how about as one of the featured items on Denny’s ‘Let’s Get Cheesy’ campaign? Here is part of the press release: Cheese enthusiasts across the nation are set to rejoice with the launch of Denny’s “Let’s Get Cheesy!” menu. Showing some serious cheese love,…
Music Diary Songs of Note: Get Ready for a New Release from the Monster Trio of Tony Levin, David Torn & Alan White!
I have written about bassist and Chapman Stick player Tony Levin several times here at Gear Diary – regarding a 1984 concert recording, Bill Bruford’s autobiography, and in my review of Trey Gunn’s Modulator – yet his name has yet to appear in a headline. Today I finally remedy that! I have been a huge fan of Tony Levin since first hearing him on King Crimson’s Discipline and then seeing him live on the tour supporting that record – which was 30 years ago! He has remained a strong creative voice in instrumental music and a tremendous innovator on the…
Saved by ‘Old’ Technology!
I have said it before and I’ll say it again – the iPod Touch is the worst iPod I have ever owned. Why do I say that? Because one of my main listening modes is in the car to and from work and between different offices, and changing anything requires you to look at the iPod Touch – and therefore away from whatever else you are doing! And as Carly mentioned here, that can be a very dangerous prospect. For a long time I used a second generation 4GB iPod Nano, but the screen slowly stopped functioning and then the…
Hurricane Irene: Be Prepared, Fake Candles Edition
Like everyone on the east coast we’ve been doing our part to get ready for Irene’s arrival. We moved the deck furniture into the garage, made extra ice so things in the fridge won’t go bad if (when?) the power goes out, we’ve charged our devices and some external chargers and we’ve stored up some water. The latter wasn’t so easy because every store we went to was out so we just filled up pitchers. Batteries and candles were out too, but Elana did bring something useful home. Here’s a quick look but first, a brief musical interlude from one…
Plant Buddies Let You Keep Your Plant With You AND Save an Endangered Species
The Plant Buddies caught my eye when Ali over on ChipChick posted on them last night. The Plant Buddies are selection of endangered cacti that you can carry with you, nurture for a time and then release back into the “wild” to help them repopulate and become less endangered. Each “kit” includes a starter plant (Stone Rose – Genus “Anacampseros”, Golden Marble – Genus “Opuntia Monachantha”, Eve’s Needle – Genus “Astrocylindropuntia Subulata”), soil, a plastic dome housing, and a keychain attachment. You can carry your little friend with you and, so long as you water it every 30 days,…
Six Degrees of Musical Separation
Last night I was listening to my iPod touch and an awesome song came on that I had never heard. I looked up the name and it turns out it was “All the World” from the self-titled album Fauxliage. Having never heard of the group I did a quick Wikipedia search of the band. This is what I found: Fauxliage is a musical project made by members of the Canadian electronic music group Delerium (which, in turn, is made up largely of members of the seminal industrial band Front Line Assembly) and Leigh Nash in 2007. The vocals are performed…
Slix – You Get What You Pay for Even with Underwear
I just spent more than I ever imagined to get a week’s worth of Slix socks, undershirts and briefs and I’m glad I did. They are, by far, the most comfortable undergarments I have ever worn and are worth every penny. Let me back up a bit and explain. Last January I was getting ready for my SCOTTEVEST No Baggage Challenge for Charity to benefit the Haiti Plunge. I knew I needed things that would be super comfortable, wash easily and dry fast since I was only bringing one change of clothing for the entire week. I hunted around…
Living under a Rock? Nope, under a Bubble
At times I’ve been told I live under a rock. Maybe I do sometimes but its nice and quiet there. 🙂 And it sure beats living in a bubble doesn’t it? Well maybe not. Check out this bubble hut, the Crystalbubble. Its shape …was voluntarily designed with the goal to offer a dreamy space without disturbing the nature and the environment. The hut and its walls were reduced at their minimum. Cristalbubble hut is both suited to spend an unusual night in the nature and taking advantage of a multifunction life space all year long, even at the bottom of…
Music Diary Notes: Wal-Mart Exits the MP3 Business!
It has been an amazing story – Apple burst onto the MP3 store scene when competing MP3 players were in place and markets were already emerging, and yet within a couple of years you would have thought that they invented the entire category. Yet a few years later as Amazon and later Wal-Mart entered the MP3 marketplace, many thought that both retailers’ reputation for low-price sales would mean the end of dominance for Apple. Of course that never happened, and Amazon has desperately struggled for market share, to the point of taking millions of dollars in losses giving away the…
A Gear Diary Video Look at… iPad 2 Keyboard Cases
We’re still in search of a name for this video series but, name or not, we are putting together a few more videos in the mean time. This time out we take a look at a couple of keyboard cases that are specially designed to work with the iPad 2. We look at the M.I.C. Keyboard Buddy for iPad 2 and the Adonit Writer for iPad 2($99). We also make mention of the Logitech Keyboard case by Zagg for iPad 2 ($99), the Apple Wireless Keyboard ($69) and the Waterfield Keyboard Travel Express ($49).
Soft-Touch Cases and Suntan Lotion Do Not Mix: A Gear Diary PSA
I love a minimalist iPhone case with a soft touch feel. among my favorites are the Feather cases from Incipio. I have one for my iPhone 4 and I also bought one for my iPad 2. They look and feel great. Here’s what Incipio has to say about them: Measuring less than 1mm in thickness, the feather® for iPhone 4 is a slim, form-fitting case that offers low-profile protection. Don’t like feeling the added bulk of a traditional case? Go lightweight and sexy with the feather®. With the largest variety of color selections to choose from, the feather® is the…
BlueAnt Embrace Stereo Headphones First Look
We first saw BlueAnt’s upcoming stereo headphones back at CES. (Our CES roundup of BlueAnt’s products can be found here.) Here’s what the company has to say about them- Music The Way It Was Meant To Be Heard True-To-Life Sound: Due to the flat frequency response of our highly optimised drivers, the BlueAnt EMBRACE enhances your mobile entertainment experience by offering the absolute best sound that is not artificially manipulated. The headphones provide a listening experience that is true-to-life and enables users to adjust EQ settings to match their personal preferences. Absolute Best Sound: The EMBRACE offers the absolute best…
Is There Anything You Can’t Do in an Apple Store?!
Sure, there are always people hanging around checking their email and surfing the web at the Apple Store. And apparently, they’re fairly permissive about small dogs and other pets. But one comedian, Mark Malkoff, really wanted to see how far he could push Apple retail and videotaped some of his more entertaining attempts to push the envelope. These were really funny, but trust me when I tell you there are some sure-fire ways to get kicked out of an Apple Store, or any retail store, but they wouldn’t be as funny to videotape. But here’s a few easy ones: 1)…