Music Diary Quickie: Word of Mouth STILL Reigns Supreme

Over the last decade the ways of finding and sharing music have exploded – there are web forums, social music sites, subscription services, recommendations on music sites like tunes, Twitter, Facebook, and on and on. But guess what? There is still no better way to find something than a recommendation from a trusted friend – and better still, direct sharing that leads to a purchase. My brother came to visit us over Easter for the weekend, and on Sunday morning I put on Jason Parker’s Five Leaves Left. My brother grabbed his iPhone after a couple of songs and asked…

Music Diary

Pop Goes the Music Diary: Um … How About Requesting a Different Song

Every story starts somewhere … this one starts last Friday night after my kids got home from their middle school dance. They both had a great time with friends and overall had fun. The next morning my younger son said he was a bit disappointed, and when we asked why he said it was because he requested a song that didn’t get played. My older son reminded him that it wasn’t exactly ‘mainstream’, but agreed it would have been a great song for the dance. It reminded me of something I’ve written about before – my tastes in music tend…

Editorials, Events

BlackBerry World 2011: Is RIM Knocking It Out of the Park or Lobbing Soft Balls?

[image via Yahoo News] This week’s BlackBerry World Conference is meant to show off the latest and greatest BlackBerry products and software offerings — as well as give a sneak peek into what RIM, the makers of the popular BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBook tablet — have planned. Unlike many prior years (where the conference was branded as the Wireless Enterprise Symposium, or WES for short), there is a sense that RIM is struggling with the challenge of reinventing its brand and platform. Recent announcements such as the new crop of BlackBerry smartphones and PlayBook updates are…to be blunt, falling…

News

Geocachers: A Secret Society Stalking Your Streets

There’s a secret society stalking your streets, peering behind bushes and rummaging through parks. They work in the dead of night, or boldly move at high noon. These stealthy denizens are known to leave suspicious packages around public parks and quiet neighborhoods, and yet nobody tries to stop them. Using the latest in GPS and smartphone technology, they track hundreds of locations in nearly ever county of the USA. Their secret stashes are tracked on cryptic websites, and they’ve even made inroads into Canada and Europe. Their nefarious websites include listings for thousands of mobile treasures or “hitchhikers” which are shuffled from…

Gear Bits

Undo the Damage Inflicted on Marine Life with Recycled Carpet and Bottles? You Bet!

It is hard to believe but thanks to recycled carpet and water bottles marine areas that are currently “dead zones” can be brought back to life. Bruce Kania, CEO of Floating Island International has developed a way to create artificial islands from the garbage and, in the process bring life back to aquatic areas that would otherwise remain dead zones. Kania’s company takes the debris and uses it to create a “loofah-like mesh of plastic”. They then add soil and seeds and set it afloat. Nature takes over from there. The seeds bloom and grow and, as a post over…

News

Apple Updates iMac All-In-One With FaceTime HD, Thunderbolt and more

As expected Apple introduced new iMacs this morning. While they look the same they have some nice upgrades under the hood. Among the changes are quad-core processors across the line, graphics that are up to 3x faster, Thunderbolt for super-fast data transfer, and a FaceTime HD camera. The 21.5″ model starts at $1,199.00 with the 27″ starting at $500 more. The upper end of the “ready to ship” models line has a 3.1 GHz Quad-Core and costs $1999.99. If I wasn’t so pleased using my 13″ MacBook Air I would be pretty tempted right now. Must… Resist…

Gear Bits

‘Be Consecrated to Me with This Ring’ (Or Is It ‘With This Coin’?)

Within my tradition, a couple is officially married when one partner gives the other something of easily assessed value; which is probably the original reason why Jewish wedding bands don’t usually have stones — the addition of the gems makes easily assessing the value impossible. The result is that while we usually use a ring in a wedding, it doesn’t HAVE to be a ring. Yup, the object used in the ceremony CAN be a ring or it could be something like a watch or a coin; you name it. So long as you can easily determine the value, you…

Reviews

Google Docs for Android Review

Have you ever wanted to make a quick note or change to a document on the go? Many folks swear by Evernote, but sadly it is blocked by my work so I stick with Google Docs. So when a native Android app arrived, I hopped right on it. So far I have only messed around a bit, but have a clear impression. The Hype: Create, edit, upload and share your documents with the Google Docs app. * Designed for Android to save you time finding your docs * Edits to your documents appear to collaborators in seconds * Make quick…

Game Diary, Reviews

Madden NFL Football Nintendo 3DS Review

Handheld football gaming experience improves with smooth circle pad controls and touch screen play calling/creation with Madden NFL Football 3DS.

News

Amazon Takes on “Real Books” with New Kindle Ad

I love, love, love the new Kindle ad! Like many prior ones, Amazon is hammering home how great the Kindle screen looks in sunlight, how easy it is to use, etc…but instead of taking on the iPad, they are aiming this ad at the people who claim they prefer “real books.”

News

Blue Canary Night-Lite Makes a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul

Blue canary in the outlet by the light switch Who watches over you Make a little birdhouse in your soul Not to put too fine a point on it Say I’m the only bee in your bonnet Make a little birdhouse in your soul Who didn’t sing along with this song in 1990? Thanks to Think Geek, now you can have the night-lite that They Might Be Giants were referring to. $12.99 gets you this 4″tall night light with its light-sensing white LED. I’m ordering one now. Think Geek’s Blue Canary in the Outlet by the Light Switch (who watches…

Gear Bits, Reviews

PPC Techs Apple iPad Black Universal Capacitive Stylus Review

Steve Jobs was clear when he introduced the iPad that using a stylus was a “no-no”. Instead, he encouraged all of us to use our built-in pointers; you know, those things called fingers. Well that has worked pretty well for me over the last year. In fact, it has worked so well that I have increasingly tried to touch the screen of my MacBook Air only to be reminded that, oh yeah, it has a trackpad, not a touchscreen. There are, however, times when you might want to use a stylus. No, the iPad will never be as stylus-friendly…

Reviews

Crackle (multiple devices) Review

There seems to be another new ‘streaming video’ site popping up every week, but the mantra is all-too familiar: too little content that you want to watch, or just as likely plenty of content but it is just the same stuff you can get on every other site. Enter Crackle, the streaming video site cooked up by the folks at Sony Pictures. Is it any better? Let’s look and see! The Hype: Crackle is the place to experience pure entertainment: full-length movies, TV shows, and original series from genres that embody cool — all uncut, uncensored, and unbelievably free. We’ve…

Gear Bits

OS X Lion Turns Your Laptop Into the Best Desktop Ever

9to5Mac had an interesting post earlier today regarding a seemingly minor change in the upcoming OS X Lion release. As they explain, Among other subtle changes, in Lion when you shut your MacBook’s screen while connected to an external monitor, the machine no longer goes to sleep but instead switches immediately to external monitor-only view while staying active. To flesh it out a bit, when I have my 13″ MBA connected to an external monitor, mouse and keyboard and I close the lid the external monitor goes blank and the MBA goes into sleep mode. If I want to use…

Gear Bits

An Ingenious Dieting Tool: The Diet Fork

I saw this on Etsy and thought it was cute. Want to look more svelte? Try eating less with a “Diet Fork.” You’ll be so frustrated by the time you are done trying to stab your spaghetti or rice that you’ll just naturally begin eating less, your stomach will shrink, and you’ll live happily ever after! Well, maybe losing weight isn’t quite that simple. Okay, so there are some fundamental flaws with that theory, but I still thought the Diet Fork Magnet was a whimsical item — perfect for gifting to your friends who are always starting the latest fad…

Music Diary

Music Diary Notes: Amazon Launches $0.69 Pop Singles Store!

When Apple introduced variable pricing, the purpose was for music labels to be able charge more for popular songs … and to push people o buy albums. There was supposed to be a huge library of $0.69 songs … but anyone who has browsed the store knows that most everything is either $0.99 or $1.29 – or is the crap on albums that nobody wants! This morning I hit up Amazon.com as usual (for the free Android app of the day), and I find that Amazon has launched a new $0.69 singles store! As the site says: Instantly buy all…

News

iPhone Game News: It’s a Dinosaur! It’s Godzilla! It’s… Destructopus!?

Behold… the first game that combines the three elements necessary to help make you feel awesome: heroism, indestructibility, and giant octopi (and fuzzy pandas)!!! The world is doomed. Pollution levels are rising, trees are endangered, and industrialization is past the limit of sustainability. You are the world’s only hope. You. Are. The. Destructopus. Yes you are the only one who can save our planet. Along the way you will upgrade your abilities and unlock new powers. How do you do it? Simple, you just save the trees, exterminate pollution, and protect our forest friends. Oh, and OF COURSE you’ll need…

Reviews

iPad 2 Case Review: Yoobao Executive Genuine Leather Case for iPad 2

I have a new favorite case for my iPad 2 and, to be honest, it comes as a surprise to me. The case isn’t from a brand name. It doesn’t have a striking style. Isn’t one of the many luxury cases we have the good fortune of reviewing here on the site. No, this iPad 2 case is a relatively inexpensive, unassuming case for my constant companion and yet it has, for now, risen to the top of the heap. The case in question is the Yoobao Executive Genuine Leather Case for iPad 2 and it comes to us via…

Music Diary, Reviews

Riffs and Pixels: Griffin’s GuitarConnect Cable for iOS devices

I procrastinate. Yes, I’m one of THOSE guys. I might put off my research paper a few days to, you know, let it “mature.” I also might put off writing a killer guitar tune because I’m not in the creative mood. Sure, THAT’S the reason. Actually, it’s because I’m not as proficient with musical notation as my high school music theory teacher would like (unfortunately, that man is also my cousin). I’ve been playing guitar for over 23 years now, and I still have yet to write the next big rock hit. So what gives? I’m happy to say that…

News

Freestyle Buzz 2.0 Wristwatch Review

While preparing for our family vacation, which included a morning at surf school, I realized I no longer had a rugged watch. I’d owned several over the years, including an Ironman that lasted from Basic Training through several overseas trips before finally succumbing to a broken strap and went missing somewhere in the desert. Surfing…salt water…surf watch? Freestyle is a company which has been making saltwater-friendly watches for many years, so I picked up one of their midrange models. The Freestyle Buzz 2.o ($75-80 MSRP) has gigantic numbers for the main time, two time zones, two alarms, and the usual timer…

News

‘Hats’ Off to the Newly Married Royal Couple!

The media is super-saturated with coverage of the royal wedding, so I have no intent of spending any time on it. But as my wife and I drank coffee and watched the wedding – we normally watch the morning news, but the wedding was on pretty much every channel – we noted all of the wild hats. I couldn’t help but notice that next to the princess who reminded me of Monica Lewinski was another princess who was wearing a hat that looked like a combination of a wreath and a huge ribbon, but solid and attached to something that…

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