Gear Bits

Editorials, Gear Bits July 17, 2011

Gear Talk: iPad 2 Case Roundup

We’ve long been talking about starting a Gear Diary Video Podcast and saw this weekend as a great opportunity to kick it off. In this first “episode” we talk iPad 2 cases. Below the video you’ll find links to our reviews of most of the cases we discuss. Powis iCase for iPad 2 booqpad iPad 2 Agenda for iPad 2 Aviiq SmartCase for iPad 2 The Joy Factory SmartGrip 2 The Joy Factory SmartSuit 2 for iPad 2 Yoobao Executive Genuine Leather Case for iPad 2 XtremeMac TuffWrap Shine for iPad 2 The Orbino Padova for iPad 2

Gear Bits, News & Features July 17, 2011

Scientists Create Implantable Memory, or the Dollhouse Cometh

I recently came across a brief news item about “memory jello”, essentially electronic components that can be placed in the human brain. Hopefully, these have non-nefarious uses, such as assisting people with brain injuries to recover, but if you watched the short-lived “Dollhouse” series, you would likely walk away with a different impression. Dollhouse was a show that took the concept of implantable memory to a whole new level. In it, “Actives” were people whose brains had been wiped clean, and could be “rented” by someone with the right amount of money. The rented “Active” had memories implanted to fit…

Gear Bits July 17, 2011

OS X Lion’s AirDrop- First Experience with it Explains Why it Rocks

One of the features that will arrive with OS X Lion later this week is AirDrop. AirDrop makes it possible to quickly and simply share files with someone on your local network. Personally I didn’t see much of the point… until just now. Judie and I are both working on our Macbook Airs here in NJ. My 13″ has an SD slot while her 11″ Air doesn’t. (And boy oh boy has she been complaining whining about that fact!) She took some pictures for a review and wanted to get them on her computer. At first we were going to…

Gear Bits, News & Features July 17, 2011

Androids in SPAAAAAACE!

image courtesy Brighthand When the alien invaders arrive, they’ll no doubt swing by the International Space Station for a quick rest stop before invading Earth. Let’s hope they’re fans of open source software and not iOS fans since they’ll find Samsung Nexus S phones powering several satellites there. According to Brighthand: SPHERES were created by a group of undergraduate students at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in conjunction with the Department of Defense and NASA, in 1999. Present on the International Space Station since 2006, SPHERES are individual satellites self-contained with propulsion, power, navigation and computing. Each SPHERE was designed with an…

Gear Bits, News & Features July 14, 2011

Sonos + Spotify = Even More Music Throughout the House

Despite using MOG quite a bit recently (It replaced RDIO for me.) I’m still a huge Slacker Radio fan. I like the interface, the customization and the catalogue. And now that you can cache music AND selectively grab tracks or albums it is just awesome. Unfortunately it still doesn’t integrate with my Sonos audio system so, at home at least, it is either MOG or Pandora. Hopefully I’ll have yet another choice before the day is out. Spotify went live in the US this morning and I’m waiting for my invite to arrive so I can try out the long-awaited…

Gear Bits July 11, 2011

Unboxing the Toshiba Thrive Android 3.1 Tablet

Yeah, I did it. I picked up the new Toshiba Thrive Android 3.1 Honeycomb Tablet. I’m just starting to check it out, but here is a quick unboxing video. More later…

Gear Bits July 8, 2011

The Circle of Technological Life, or, RIP Kindle 1

(while not actually our bedroom, a pretty close approximation) This is the conversation that used to go on in my house a few years ago: Me: Hey Sarah, would you like me to buy you a Kindle? Sarah: No, I don’t need one, look, I have all these books piled up on my nightstand. This is the conversation that went on earlier this year: Me: Hey Sarah, would you like me to buy you a Kindle? Sarah: No, I don’t need one, but can I borrow your old Kindle once in a while? This was the conversation a few weeks…

Gear Bits July 7, 2011

Jackson Pollock … Physicist?

I have always loved the art of Jackson Pollock. What for many is the epitome of all that is wrong with abstract art, I find the opposite – I see deep inferences drawn in the lines strewn on the canvas. Yeah … there is something wrong with me – or is it the statistician in me seeing the beauty of physics at work? A recent study published in Physics Today looks at the scientific nature of Pollock’s unique painting techniques using quantitative analysis and finds surprising results: “My own interest,” said Mahadevan, “is in the tension between the medium —…

Gear Bits, Music Diary July 6, 2011

Music Diary Notes: Spotify Opens ‘Sign Up For Invite Page’ … U.S. Launch Imminent!

I have written much about Spotify, including this hands-on I did a while back. But the time is fast approaching for everyone to get their own chance to try out the service! Today Spotify opened up a ‘Sign Up for an Invite’ page, touting ‘We’re coming to the U.S.’ and offering a lucky few to be among the first to try out the service! So don’t delay – head to Spotify and register your email address for an invite!

Editorials, Gear Bits, Music Diary July 4, 2011

The New America: Jazz Legend Has Payment Blocked Because His Name Sounds ‘Muslim-y’

The name Ahmad Jamal has popped up here a couple of times. He was playing at the Newport Jazz Festival last August which was broadcast live via webcast, and then I also mentioned his Live at Pershing recording as one of few records I remember from my dad’s music collection (not that I remember him ever playing it). Ahmad Jamal was born Frederick Russell Jones in 1930, and changed his name in 1952 when he converted to the Islamic religion. His recordings have been extremely influential both inside and outside of Jazz. His most famous and direct influence was on…

Gear Bits July 4, 2011

I Reviewed It, and My Father-In-Law Still Uses It: The Pro-Clip Multi-Stand for iPad 1

My Father-in-law Mark is a great guy, a good friend and an even better sport. 🙂 He is also a big-time iPad-user and loves the first generation iPad we picked up for him prior to his trip to China last year. (Actually it is his second iPad. What happened to the first one? It is a long, sad story for another time.) A few months ago I swapped out the case he was using for the Pro-Clip Multi-Stand I had reviewed some time ago. Here’s the conclusion from my review: What I Like: It’s made from high quality plastic that you…

Gear Bits June 27, 2011

Toshiba Thrive Tablet Gets a “Special” Sneak Peek Unboxing via YouTube

Image courtesy of Gizmodo If you’ve seen one unboxing video, then you’ve seen well….Unboxing videos are a great first look at a device but Toshiba is stepping it up with their latest Sneak Peek. I saw this first on my twitter timeline and after a few dozen RT’s I figured it was worth a look. The video steps out of the normal boundaries of unboxing and adds some serious creativity. Even though The actual device is not even shown in the video, it’s definitely worth two minutes of your life. The Thrive is Toshiba’s first Android tablet, and it has a…

Gear Bits, News & Features June 24, 2011

Random Funny Video: Conan on Final Cut Pro X

Loving the new version of Final Cut Pro? Conan and his team do too! NOT! Here’s a look at them showing some love to Apple’s newest editing software. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=sRzLP0FJ82I Via Cult of Mac

Gear Bits, Music Diary June 20, 2011

Music Diary Songs of Note: R.I.P. Clarence Clemons, aka ‘The Big Man’ With Bruce Springsteen

Last week saxophonist Clarence Clemons suffered a severe stroke, and over the weekend he succumbed to the effects. He was 69 years old. Most famous as the iconic sideman for Bruce Springsteen, Clemons was known as ‘The Big Man’ for his towering stage presence as well as his physical attributes. Clemons was a life-long powerhouse in a band known for explosive live performances – Springsteen was an event truly worth seeing for the quality of the musical experience, in no small part due to Clemons. Bruce Springsteen had much to say on his web site, including: “Clarence lived a wonderful…

Gear Bits, Music Diary June 18, 2011

Music Diary Notes: Relive Monterey Pop With Wolfgang’s Vault!

Hard to believe but the Monterey Pop festival – which was the first huge gathering of the psychedelic counter-culture of the late 1960’s and featured artists such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and The Who – happened 44 years ago this weekend! To help celebrate, Wolfgang’s Vault has opened up their great collection of memorabilia! Here is the description: Two years before Woodstock, this three day celebration embodied the themes of the new counter-culture and became the template for all future music festivals. The event gave Jimi Hendrix and the Who their first major US appearances, and the world its…

Gear Bits June 18, 2011

And You Thought Veggie Burgers Were Weird…

I’m a huge fan of the television show “True Blood”. The show is set in a world like ours, except the Japanese have perfected artificial blood, which has prompted vampires to “come out of the coffin”. In real life, though, the Japanese haven’t invented fake blood; they’ve turned poop into food! No, this is not a joke. According to Fox News: Japanese scientist Mitsuyuki Ikeda from the Okayama Laboratory certainly doesn’t believe in human waste. He thinks that’s perfectly good protein you’re sending out to sea, and he’s found a way to extract it, mix it with steak sauce and create…

Gear Bits June 17, 2011

Meet Winston Kemp, Lightning Strike Survivor and Lichtenberg Figure Owner

“What does your boyfriend do when you go out of town? Well, [mine] gets struck by lightning.” – Daphne Cheek We’ve all heard stories about people getting struck by lightning — usually as some sort of cautionary tale, but how many of us have ever seen the effects of lightning on a human? The Lichtenberg Figures it can leave? Winston Kemp, a 24-year-old electrician, has had first-hand experience, and now he also has a unique and possibly permanent bit of body art — a Lichtenberg Figure — to go along with it. As Winston tells it … I went outside…

Gear Bits June 16, 2011

Final ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part Two’ Trailer is Full of Awesome!

It seems like my kids have grown up with Harry Potter, and therefore we all share a fondness for the books and films. When they were little I read the first few books aloud using character voices. By the time the last couple arrived they could read them just fine but still had me read them aloud … which meant the world to me (though my wife wished she made the ‘approved reader’ list). We have also seen all seven films in theaters, and most of them a few times at home as well – so we are very much…

Gear Bits June 14, 2011

Random Cool Stuff: Raiders of the Lost Ark Turns 30!

Just sayin’ – there is no ‘Indiana Jones and the …’ prefix to MY Raiders of the Lost Ark! Anyway, this past weekend Raiders of the Lost Ark turned 30 years old. Released on June 12, 1981 the film was an enormous success and an instant classic. It cemented the legacies of George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, as well as screenwriter Lawrence Kasden who had just done The Empire Strikes Back. Here is the backstory of the production according to TheRaider.net: The swashbuckling archaeologist idea first came to George Lucas. He created the Indiana Jones action hero inspired by the…

Gear Bits, Music Diary June 14, 2011

Music Diary Notes: I <3 iTunes in the Cloud

The other day I wrote about the conundrum I was having about the pricing versus feature comparison of iTunes compared to the Amazon MP3 store. I mentioned Pat Metheny’s ‘What’s It All About’ recording, which came out this morning. Here were my thoughts: But next week the new Pat Metheny recording comes out, and that has the exact same issue, but worse! iTunes has the pre-order set at $11.99 and Amazon has it at $10.49 (~12.5% difference). The iTunes has an added bonus track not found on the Amazon listing, but the Amazon one is much more likely to go…

Gear Bits, News & Features June 5, 2011

Mac App Quick Look: unDock Brings Fast Drive unDocking for Mac

One of the things that bugs me about Mac OS X is the need to physically undock a drive before removing it. I understand the reasons, but it doesn’t make it less annoying and it does not mean I don’t forget to do so sometimes. (And each time I forget I receive the “you forgot to undock the drive you shmuck, and it can do damage!” warning.) unDock doesn’t make drive undocking automatic, but it does make it possible to remove all drives at once. As the app’s description explains, Time machine is wonderful, but it makes a mobile Mac…

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