News & Features

Check Out A Cool 'Live Lip Dub' Wedding Proposal

Gear Bits, News & Features

Check Out A Cool ‘Live Lip Dub’ Wedding Proposal

Photo courtesy of Alysha Beck and The Oregonian Way back in the stone ages when I proposed to my wife, cell phones were very rare and barely functional outside of cities (and only made ‘phone calls’), video recorders were bulky and tape based and left behind large rectangles no one ever saw again, and a ‘flash mob’ would call to mind a bunch of people with no clothes on. Oh, and my thoughts involved a romantic setting, relaxation and solitude for my proposal. But as noted at LaughingSquid, Portland, Oregon actor Isaac Lamb had some different ideas about how to…

How Common Is Your Birthday?

Gear Bits, News & Features

How Common Is Your Birthday?

Here at Gear Diary we have just gone through a period where it seemed that two-thirds of us had our birthday within the same month. So when I saw a link to a NY Times article that compiled some data on the most common birthdays, I was intrigued. Turns out that the plethora of April birthdays at Gear Diary is an anomaly, with the greatest density of births coming in mid September to early October. If you follow the link to the Times, you will see a tabular listing of dates with ranking. So for example, my birthday on April…

Asia Releases First Single from Upcoming XXX Album

Music Diary, News & Features

Asia Releases First Single from Upcoming XXX Album

I have followed the rock group Asia recently with some interest – because quite frankly I didn’t realize they had ever done much beyond their big hit debut and fizzled-out follow-up in the early 80s. But when I heard their last album ‘Omega’ my wish was that it was meant literally, as in their final entry. Because it was pretty dreary and mediocre. So when I heard that they were coming out with a 30th anniversary re-release of their excellent original album, I was not surprised – but I was pleased. However, when I also learned they were releasing a…

Add a Swimming Pool Nearly Anywhere!

News & Features

Add a Swimming Pool Nearly Anywhere!

I rented a house on Lake Nasworthy, or “Lake Nasty Water” as the San Angelo locals call it, back in 1995. It was a cute blue two-bedroom bungalow with a huge great room in the back that looked out on the lake. I had a boathouse that held my Sea-Doo, and when the mood struck, I’d go for a ride. Living on the lake was great for everything … except swimming. The water was murky, there was at least a foot of muddy sludge at the bottom, and there were water moccasins in the shallow areas. Not that I would…

SPIbelt Debuts a New Design for the "American Widow Project"

News & Features

SPIbelt Debuts a New Design for the “American Widow Project”

  I love my SPIbelt. It is probably my most-used piece of running gear, and I recommend it enthusiastically to everyone I know. The folks at SPIbelt are constantly pumping out new designs and styles, and their latest ones give a portion of the profits to the American Widow Project. From SPIbelt: The American Widow Project Stars and Stripes SPIbelt™ and SPIband™ The American Widow Project is a non-profit organization dedicated to the new generation of those who have lost the heroes of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. They emphasize healing through sharing stories, tears, and laughter. Military Widow to Military…

Encourage a Child's Creativity with the Kids Designer II Learning Graphics Tablet

News & Features

Encourage a Child’s Creativity with the Kids Designer II Learning Graphics Tablet

If you’re the parent of a youngster under 10, as I am, chances are your child will invariably start experimenting with learning how to draw and later on learning to write. If you are as old as I am, you probably learned to draw on boring sheet planes of cellulose from dead trees with a yellow-orange cylinder containing an allotrope of carbon, though hearing it from my kids you’d think I was using reeds on wet clay tablets.  How interactive stylus technology has progressed since then! Today, to assist in children’s intellectual and creative grow, peripherals designer Genius offers an…

Quad Lock Mounting Deluxe System for iPhone 4S, Review and Giveaway

News & Features

Quad Lock Mounting Deluxe System for iPhone 4S, Review and Giveaway

You need the right tool for the right job and the $69.95 Quad Lock Mounting Deluxe System for the iPhone 4 and 4S MIGHT be the right tool for YOU but it sure isn’t the right tool for ME. Here’s why and a chance to win the review sample. From Quadlock: The Quad Lock Deluxe Kit gives you everything you need to mount your iPhone just about anywhere. Mount your iPhone with the Quad Lock Bike Mount PRO while cycling and the Quad Lock Wall Mount in the home, office and car. The Deluxe Kit includes: 1 x Quad Lock…

Drink Like a Winner with a Gold Medal Bottle Opener

News & Features

Drink Like a Winner with a Gold Medal Bottle Opener

I am extremely excited for the upcoming Summer Olympics. Winter Olympics are ok, but summer is the best. Track and field, beach volleyball, swimming, beach volleyball, gymnastics, and did I mention beach volleyball? Now, I am not so excited as to celebrate with a themed party (full disclosure: we did that in college for the winter Olympics, and let’s just say it was sort of like “The Hangover” but with mystery IHOP receipts instead of casino ones). But if you do, you need to fully commit to it, and Gadgets and Gear has you covered with a medal-style bottle opener:…

Sip a New Take on Water with Tyent's UCE 9000 Turbo Water Ionizer

News & Features

Sip a New Take on Water with Tyent’s UCE 9000 Turbo Water Ionizer

  Our house in New Jersey is served by well water; in fact, the only “public” service we get is electricity. While we do get our water tested every few years we had concerns that, between tests, anything could happen. As a result we installed a Reverse Osmosis Filtration system. This gives us clean, safe, filtered drinking water. The RO system is nothing exciting, and it lives beneath the sink. The only hint of it is the special spout that sits next to the main faucet. Tyent’s new UCE water ionizer is another way to filter water. It, however, is…

Zinio Interviews Judie! (And Dan!)

News & Features

Zinio Interviews Judie! (And Dan!)

Zinio recently introduced their Zinio Magazine Minute. In it “Notable figures in magazine publishing and technology share their thoughts exclusively with Zinio. Explore their favorite articles, magazines, and find out what inspires them.” They reached out to Judie and me and interviewed us both. Judie’s interview is already live and I thought I would share it with you. (If you want to see it on the Zinio page click here.) Question: What recent article(s) on Zinio had the most impact on you? Answer: National Geographic, June 2011 – “Too young to wed, the secret world of child brides” Smithsonian Magazine,…

Google Doodle Celebrates Bob Moog

Music Diary, News & Features

Google Doodle Celebrates Bob Moog

Today’s Google Doodle is a fully interactive synthesizer to celebrate the life of synthesizer pioneer Robert Moog. The sound of so many classic recordings from the 70s owes almost entirely to Moog and his crew from the small Trumansburg, New York manufacturing facility hand-wiring these innovative musical instruments. The ‘Moog Sound’ is not just due to analog circuitry, but more due to the limitations of the technology and some errors made in designing the circuits. I remember having to do most calculations by hand in undergraduate school, from electromagnetic waves to statistics and more … and certainly don’t miss those…

"The Amazing Robots of Israel", a Live Video Feed

News & Features

“The Amazing Robots of Israel”, a Live Video Feed

There is something rather neat taking place at my synagogue tonight, and Judie and I thought it would be fun to share it with you all. Dr. Amir Shapiro, the Director of the Robotics Lab of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, is joining us. Dr. Amir develops robots that benefit humans and improve the safety and security of not only Israel, but the world. He’ll be speaking for a while, and then he will be demonstrating some of his robots. That’s right, he’s bringing robots with him!! We’ll be streaming it over Ustream, and we invite you to watch. Assuming…

The New Sonos Sub Does Bass the Sonos Way

News & Features

The New Sonos Sub Does Bass the Sonos Way

Ever since I first heard a Sonos wireless music system I have been a fan. In fact, just 36 hours after receiving the review loaner unit, I ordered my own system. As I have written previously, my Sonos system is, by far, one of the best gear purchases I have ever made. Now Sonos is adding to their lineup and, in the process, adding some bass. As the release notes, “the Sonos SUB, a stunningly designed wireless subwoofer that takes the whole Sonos Wireless HiFi System one seismic step closer to the spine-curling, jaw-dropping, full body experience music was meant…

Nuance's Dragon Drive to Take on Distracted Driving

News & Features

Nuance’s Dragon Drive to Take on Distracted Driving

Last year Apple sought to bring “natural-language voice control” to the mobile market through the iPhone 4S’ Siri. While some have complained that Siri is too limited or simply doesn’t work well enough for them, there is no question that it is a taste of things to come. Now Nuance, the folks behind Dragon Dictation (and rumored to be behind Siri although neither Nuance nor Apple will confirm the fact) is bringing natural-language voice control to the car. The company just unveiled Dragon Drive!, Nuance’s “new automotive-grade natural-language voice platform created and designed specifically for the connected car. Dragon Drive!…

RIP Donna Summer, Queen of Disco and More!

Music Diary, News & Features

RIP Donna Summer, Queen of Disco and More!

I remember way back at the beginning of High School the dances always seemed to conclude with one song – Last Dance by Donna Summer. It was just one of the iconic songs by the 5-time Grammy Award winning singer, who died yesterday at age 63 after a lengthy battle with cancer. Unlike some celebrities, she kept very private during her illness. For someone who bore the mantle of ‘Queen of Disco’, she refused to let that destroy her career or box her in. That was simply because she had the chops to go beyond ‘Disco Diva’. As noted at…

Tweet It! for Windows Phone Now Free until Tomorrow Evening

News & Features

Tweet It! for Windows Phone Now Free until Tomorrow Evening

Yesterday was Khamidov Timur’s birthday. No, no, not the 14th century Turkic Mongol conqueror, but the modern developer of a very nice Twitter app named Tweet It! for Windows Phone, and you, dear reader, get the gift! For the next 36 hours or so his Tweet It! app is free! From the developer: Simple, but Powerful! Fast and awesome UI! It’s all about “Tweet It!” Tweet endlessly. Tweet comfortably! Tweet like no-one else before! Even if there is no Internet connection you can use built in drafts so your tweets will never be lost. It’s “Faster Tweeting!” feature lets you…

Sometimes Verizon Expands LTE into Areas Not Listed on Updates!

Gear Bits, News & Features

Sometimes Verizon Expands LTE into Areas Not Listed on Updates!

Each week Verizon expands their massive high-speed LTE network into new areas and buildt out existing areas. Unfortunately for me, neither my home nor my main work office is in LTE coverage, though my office in our main engineering building offers me a tease of high speeds once every week or two. This week as usual I checked out the Verizon page and found the following updates (as compiled by Droid-Life): Introduction cities: Lake Charles, La. Hyannis/Mid-Cape, Mass. Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich. Biloxi/Gulfport/Pascagoula and Oxford, Miss. Atlantic City/Toms River, N.J. Dickinson and Williston, N.D. Ashtabula, Bucyrus and Defiance, Ohio Eugene/Springfield,…

iLuv DualJack; Now, Why Didn't I Think of That?

News & Features

iLuv DualJack; Now, Why Didn’t I Think of That?

Every now and then a product comes along that makes me say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” iLuv has new “Premium Audio Cables and Charging and Sync Solutions” available as part of their myLink collection, and one of them fits the bill quite well. Here’s what the company has to say about their new offerings. iLuv’s audio and data cables revolutionize the market in quality and design. They were designed to provide superior functionality and the stylish design consumers desire in their accessories. These durable cables were constructed with a number of enhancements in both form and function, and…

Waterfield Designs' CitySlicker Brings Style and Minimalist Protection to Your MacBook Air

News & Features

Waterfield Designs’ CitySlicker Brings Style and Minimalist Protection to Your MacBook Air

If you are going to have something as thin and light as a MacBook Air, then why in the world would you carry it in a big bulky bag? You wouldn’t, and with Waterfield’s new CitySlicker, you don’t have to. The CitySlicker is a “Slim, Modern Case for the MacBook Air” that provides 3-layers of protection for the MBA while maintaining the thin, light look and feel of the diminutive laptop. As Gary Waterfield, company founder, explains, The MacBook Air is unbelievably thin, and we wanted to enhance that look rather than detract from it. The challenge was to design…

Why I Chose the Galaxy Nexus

News & Features

Why I Chose the Galaxy Nexus

About a month ago I was in the market for a new phone.  My Droid 2 was at the end of its useful life, and I was ready for a new smartphone.  There was a lot of debate between my friends over what would be better, and it came of shock to no one that I chose the Galaxy Nexus. The Screen The number one feature of the Galaxy Nexus wasn’t the 4G network; although that is a plus, the screen is what truly won me over. I say this knowing that the Nexus has a pentile screen. I, quite frankly…