Matt's Blog

Blog Moved

2009-08-28T11:10:00.002-10:00

This blog has been moved to - http://www.makaicom.com/blog

Check us out there

Safari Java is much faster than Firefox

2009-07-13T16:49:00.002-10:00

Not sure what Apple did but safari 4.0.2 really sped up Java applications.

I have have put firefox on the side for now.

Vimeo Video

2008-04-26T22:35:00.003-10:00

Sailboat Collision from Matt Darnell on Vimeo.

Here is how you make the symbols

2008-04-22T11:01:00.001-10:00

To obtain an ALT Character:

Make certain that the

Num Lock

key has been pressed to activate the numeric key section of the keyboard.

Depress the

Alt

key.

While the Alt key is depressed

, type the proper sequence of numbers (on the numeric keypad) of the ALT code from the table above.

Release the

Alt

key, and the character will appear.

^§To obtain an ALT Character:

Make certain that the

Num Lock

key has been pressed to activate the numeric key section of the keyboard.

Depress the

Alt

key.

While the Alt key is depressed

, type the proper sequence of numbers (on the numeric keypad) of the ALT code from the table above.

Release the

Alt

key, and the character will appear.

Great place for freeware

2008-04-17T10:08:00.001-10:00

http://grandfiles.com/

-Matt

Great articles about gmail

2008-04-17T10:05:00.001-10:00

http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207400245&subSection=Hosted+Software

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/04/how_long_is_gma.html

-Matt

Very nice computer setup

2008-03-31T16:37:00.000-10:00

This guy spent some time on his setup...I am very impressed

http://www.13amp.org/pc/

-Matt

Did you know you are still paying for the Spanish American war?

2008-03-31T10:43:00.001-10:00

Link is here

-Matt

Heard the song from the game Portal yet?

2008-03-25T11:58:00.000-10:00

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y6ljFaKRTrI

-Matt

Gas prices got you down?

2008-03-20T14:04:00.000-10:00

http://www.suburbanhousehunters.com/about/gas-prices/

Gret Link about Micrososft Speech Server

2008-03-19T10:13:00.001-10:00

http://gotspeech.net/blogs/marshallharrison/archive/2008/03/17/5-things-microsoft-must-do-so-ocs-2007-speech-server-can-grow.aspx

-Matt

Live Web Cams

2008-03-06T11:37:00.000-10:00

http://www.livenewscameras.com/

This site has links to live web cams all over the world.

You should check it out.

-Matt

You can tell an American didn't make this map

2008-02-15T14:37:00.004-10:00

Click for full size

You can tell an American did not make this map...if an American made this map, America would be in the center.

-Matt

What I want from Apple

2008-02-15T13:55:00.004-10:00

Dear Apple,

I have $1,500 I would like to give you.

I might not be your typical customer, I happen to think what is special about a Mac is the software, not the hardware. I know Mr. Jobs insists that Apple is a hardware company, but I like the software.

At home I have a dual core Mac Mini because I got tired of fixing all the issues my wife got herself into when she tried to do anything. Unfortunately the Mac Mini does not have the power for the HD editing I want to do with Final Cut Express; let alone dual monitors.

I would like to pay $1,500 for a Mac Pro Jr. The Mac Mini & iMac use notebook processors, the Mac Pro uses server processors. I would like you to create a computer that has work station parts and processors.

Thank you for recommending the iMac but I already have screens I am very happy with. I also would like to be able to have a decent video card and additional hard drives.

I do not need a case as 'fancy' as the Mac Pro, nor do I need aluminum. I also will need to juice up the RAM and add hard drives so $2,300 for a Mac Pro is too much..not to mention all the space it needs.

I challenge you to make a case that is easy to access, strong, has room for expansion, and attractive. It is OK if it is beige and has parts that are plastic. I am more interested in the insides & the software, not the wrapping.

Please let me know,
Matt

Want a free shirt?

2008-02-14T16:07:00.001-10:00

http://www.microsoft.com/australia/vistafacts/fact.aspx?page=confirm

Just answer some questions about Vista & they will send you a free polo shirt.

-Matt

Just passed Exchange exam 70-237

2008-02-14T10:34:00.001-10:00

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-237.mspx

It was a bit easier than I expected. I didn't have a lot of experience with Exchange 2003 and a lot of the questions dealt with upgrading from a 2003 to a 2008 environment.

-Matt

Even more fun stuff

2008-02-13T09:51:00.000-10:00

Why doesn't Tarzan have a beard?

Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are flat?

Why do banks charge a fee on "insufficient funds" when they know there is not enough?

Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet?

Whose idea was it to put an "S" in the word "lisp"?

What is the speed of darkness?

Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up every two hours?

If the temperature is zero outside today and it's going to be twice as cold tomorrow, how cold will it be?

Do married people live longer than single ones or does it only seem longer?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

Did you ever stop and wonder......

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I’ll squeeze these pink dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out?"

Who was the first person to say, "See that chicken there... I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its bum."

Why do toasters always have a setting so high that could burn the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

Why is there a light in the fridge and not in the freezer?

Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their bum when they ask where the bathroom is?

Why does your Obstetrician, Gynaecologist leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, then what is baby oil made from?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

Why do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

Stop singing and read on……. Yes, it caught me too!

Do illiterate people get the full effect of Alphabet Soup?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Does pushing the elevator button more than once make it arrive faster?

-Matt

Rules from men to Women

2008-02-12T12:12:00.000-10:00

Found this floating around the net:

We always hear "the rules" from the female side. Now here are the rules
from the male side. These are our rules! Please note ... these are
all numbered '1' ON PURPOSE!

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You're a big girl. If it's up, put
it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don't hear us
complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of
it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints
do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes, and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it.
That's what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument.
In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 days.

1. If you won't dress like the Victoria's Secret girls, don't expect
us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you're fat, you probably are. Don't ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways, and one of the
ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it
done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say
during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did not need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach,
for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have
no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say "nothing," we will act
like nothing's wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth
the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don't want an answer to, expect an
answer you don't want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine.
Really.

1. Don't ask us what we're thinking about unless you are prepared
to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or monster
trucks.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round is a shape.

1. Thank you for reading this; Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the
couch tonight, but did you know men really don't mind that, it's like
camping.

-Matt

Hosted Exchange Unified Messaging

2008-02-10T20:18:00.000-10:00

Makai Communications is offering Hosted Exchange 2007. They offer Unified Messaging Exchange 2007.

The website is http://www.makaicom.com

-Matt

Check out this USB drive

2008-02-07T16:51:00.001-10:00

Check out this USB stick....It gets bigger the more data you put on it!

Gotta have one!

-Matt

Apple can get back to work

2008-02-07T09:51:00.000-10:00

I am glad Mr. Jobs got the MacBook Air out of his system. In my view
this is a return of the old Steve, when he got fired. The old Steve
put form over function. What brought Apple market share were devices
that sacrificed form for function, the iMac & the iPod.

The Air reminds me of two other products, the $100 leather iPod holder
and the iBoomboox or what ever it was called.

With the inevitable failure, unless there are huge changes, of the
Air, he can lead the company back to producing meaningful products.

Almost all the products could use a refresh, but c'mon, how long has
it been since the displays were updated?

-Matt

How to make your own ghost

2008-02-06T10:30:00.001-10:00

This website shows you how to make your own ghost.

It looks really cool!

http://www.wackyarchives.com/offbeat/easy-do-it-yourself-ghost.html

-Matt

I guess the world is going to end

2008-01-30T17:02:00.000-10:00

http://theywarned.us/

We only have about 4 years....bummer

-Matt

Cheeseburger in a can?

2008-01-30T12:32:00.000-10:00

I really have a problem with someone that would even fake something like this.

Cheeseburger in a can

My two favorite foods...Cheeseburgers and Pizza.

-Matt

Great list of free Mac OSX apps

2008-01-30T12:31:00.000-10:00

http://macapper.com/2008/01/10/mac-os-x-freeware-list/

I use at least 50% of them at home.

-Matt

Awesome Google Searching Techniques

2008-01-24T10:22:00.000-10:00

You can use things like "reminds me of" or "similar to"

Worth a read if you use google.

http://lifehacker.com/339474/top-10-obscure-google-search-tricks

-Matt

Hilarious Video

2008-01-23T14:42:00.001-10:00

What happens when google's parents are away and google throws a party?

Well, the whole internet shows up of course!

You HAVE to watch this video

http://www.cracked.com/article_15825_internet-party-what-happens-when-googles-parents-leave-town-for-weekend.html

-Matt

Want to live in a garbage truck?

2008-01-23T13:59:00.000-10:00

You would want to live in this garbage truck.

http://www.itsjustabitoffun.com/date/2007/8/20/

-Matt

Even more great flash from the same site

2008-01-21T09:50:00.000-10:00

Check it out!

http://mrdoob.com/#/66/

-Matt

Great Flash Site - Return of the Blob

2008-01-21T09:34:00.000-10:00

Check out this site:
http://mrdoob.com/lab/effects/blobs/01/

The blob will move to your mouse.

-Matt

Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr.

2008-01-21T09:11:00.000-10:00

He was such a great speaker. Most people have only heard clips of his famous speeches but I encourage you to listen to more of them.

You can do so here:
http://www.mlkonline.net/video.html
http://www.mlkonline.net/sounds.html

He wasn't a perfect man, but they say that there has only been one of those.

Peace be with you.

-Matt

Mac World Keynote

2008-01-17T11:57:00.000-10:00

I can not believe how bored people seem to be with the Mac World
announcements.

The Macbook Air is an awesome product. So many people are going to
want to show it off. I don't think losing the optical drive is a big
deal. A lot of people screamed when Apple got rid of the floppy, that
worked out OK.

My only issue is that there is only one USB port. I would have
preferred two USB ports and no VGA port. Apple could sell a USB to
VGA adapter. They could also have a two port USB hub in the USB to
ehternet adapter...something to give more USB ports.

We will see about the movie rental....24 hours is kind of tight.....I
think they should have matched the price at Blockbuster....$3.99 for
three days. They need a weekend pass, or someway to use a coupon code to be able to buy the DVD for a slight discount after you rent it.

-Matt

Great Apple Post

2008-01-16T12:09:00.000-10:00

Found this great article here

We sold ourselves to the underdog. Then when the dog grew up, it bit us.

I was one of the early adopters who purchased the iPod Touch. I didn’t really need one - I already had an older iPod Video.

The iPod touch was the first time I felt shortchanged from the get-go. Apple always had this wonderful glow about them - their products would deliver the best technology had to offer in a sleek beautiful package. The iPod Touch could have been so much more, but Apple chose to cripple many features, delivering a merely passable product. I held on to the hope future software updates from Apple would fully realise the iPod Touch’s potential. I jailbroke my iPod Touch once and experienced the fullness of a real programmable device in my hand. I chose to update the firmware, disabling all the amazing 3rd party applications I had installed because I foolishly believed that Apple would eventually come through and outshine anything these 3rd party developers could produce.

I believed in the altruistic front Apple put up. I believed Steve Jobs when he said he was forced to incorporate DRM into all mp3s sold on iTunes because the record labels dictated so. I knew full well that the inclusion of DRM also locked us all into only using iPods for our music. But iPods would be the best players the technological world could possibly offer, right?

So forgive me if I was terribly upset last night when Steve Jobs announced some new enhancements for my iPod Touch. I’d get five new applications: email, stocks, google maps, notes and weather. They’re not mind-blowing by any standards. I’d have expected Microsoft to wow me more. The best part was that Apple expected iPod Touch owners to shell out $20 to have them installed, while anyone who bought a new iPod Touch would have them for free. Microsoft added functionality to their Zune product line for free. Hell has frozen over.

We were penalised for jumping in early. Exactly what Apple did when they made early adopters of the iPhone pay $200 more than customers who bought it 2 months after it was launched.

It doesn’t pay to be a Mac zealot. It doesn’t pay to believe in Apple, or any corporation. We all knew corporations exist solely to make money, but we hoped our Apple would be different.

Now we know better than to blindly believe. Apple will no longer enjoy the benefit of the doubt - it will have to earn our dollars the hard way.

Love the 70's Fasions

2008-01-11T10:32:00.000-10:00

-Matt

Looks like wikipedia is down

2008-01-09T10:25:00.000-10:00

I don't understand how all these big sites keep going down.

Redundancy!

-M

Slashdot is down

2008-01-04T12:02:00.000-10:00

Looks like Slashdot is down hard....wonder if a data center in the mainland is down again.

-Matt

AAPL gets crushed today

2008-01-04T11:48:00.000-10:00

Apple stock took a bath today, lost over 7.5%.

Looks like it is time to buy....it will most certainly go back above 200 for Mac World.

-Matt

Rhyme This!

2008-01-02T17:34:00.001-10:00

No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver and purple.

-Matt

Great song from that guy...you know...Biff

2007-12-28T13:13:00.001-10:00

Kittens are cute

2007-12-26T09:45:00.000-10:00

Went to the pet store & man are the kittens cute.

Kittens are cute....cats not so much so

-Matt

Blogging slow down

2007-12-21T19:56:00.000-10:00

Seems like all the blogs have slowed down for the holidays.

Guess I should too!

-Matt

Vista is a dissapointment?

2007-12-18T10:07:00.000-10:00

Link to article

Vista was names the biggest disappointment of 2007....how can that be? There are just a few people with loud mouths and well read blogs that have an issue with Vista.

Everyone that I know, that has computer that is ready for Vista (2GB+ RAM, Dual Core Proc), has no problem with it. I love it. I run the 64 bit version because I have 4GB or RAM, but even it is able to do most of what I want.

Disappointment....give me a break.

-Matt

Canon HG10 Sample Footage - Low Light

2007-12-12T20:58:00.000-10:00

Here is some additional low light canon HG10 High Definition footage.

Movie Link

You can see the original outdoor footage here

The file has the same scene encoded at different bit rates.
The sharebig website said that the file will go away if it is not downloaded for seven days, if the link does not work leave feedback and I will put it on the site again.

-Matt

This is how you do a wheel barrow race!

2007-12-12T12:33:00.000-10:00

Check out the second team, it is as revolutionary as the Fosbury Flop

Info on the Fosbury Flop

Why does the United Stated still import oil?

2007-12-12T09:01:00.000-10:00

I do not understand why the United Stated still imports oil. OK, I understand why we import oil but I don't understand why we aren't doing more about it.

If I was president, I would set a national goal to eliminate the need for importing oil in ten years.

If we can get to the moon in ten years, we can eliminate foreign dependence on oil. When Hugo Chavez can dictate US foreign policy by threating to cut US access to Venezuelan oil something is broken Link to CNN Story

A common saying "You don't have to be a rocket scientist to...." became popular because of the perception that rocket scientists were the best of the best. If you wanted to pick up a girl you would tell her that you are a rocket scientist.

The saying should change to "You don't have to be an alternative fuels engineer to...." people should aspire to solve this problem. An alternative fuel engineer should be put on a pedestal above Tom Brady and Nickelback.

If the US government spent $5,000,000,000,000 (that is 5 trillion) in the next 10 years on alternative fuels research it would be much better than having to fight to keep our oil pipeline from outside countries available.

I don't know if we need to make flux capacitors, battery research, solar improvements, geo-thermal, change American ideas about what kind of cars they need to drive, etc.

The money should not go to "Haliburton" but to small businesses and Universities. Solve this problem Thomas Edison/Wright Brothers style, a bunch of guys working their ass off doing the impossible. The money should also go to universities, graduate students should be fighting to get into the Alternative Fuels program because:
1. Alternative Fuels engineers get all the hot guys/chicks
2. You get your own personal mainframe computer
3. You get an assistant
4. Did I mention the hot guys/chicks?

If the Exxon's & the Shell's of the world try to hold us back, they need to be dealt with. The oil business needs to be seen in the same light as tobacco companies & drug dealers, they feed an addiction.

-Matt

If an OS could run an airline

2007-12-11T16:23:00.001-10:00

Don't remember where I picked this up:

UNIX
Airways

Everyone brings one piece of the plane along when they come to
the airport. They all go out on the runway and put the plane together
piece by piece, arguing non-stop about what kind of plane they are
supposed to be building.

Air
DOS

Everybody pushes the airplane until it glides, then they jump on
and let the plane coast until it hits the ground again. Then they push
again, jump on again, and so on...

Mac
Airlines

All the stewards, captains, baggage handlers, and ticket agents
look and act exactly the same. Every time you ask questions about details,
you are gently but firmly told that you don't need to know, don't
want to know, and everything will be done for you without your ever
having to know, so just shut up.

Windows
Air

The terminal is pretty and colourful, with friendly stewards,
easy baggage check and boarding, and a smooth take-off. After about 10
minutes in the air, the plane explodes with no warning whatsoever.

Windows
NT Air

Just like Windows Air, but costs more, uses much bigger planes,
and takes out all the other aircraft within a 40-mile radius when it explodes.

Windows XP Air

You turn up at the airport,which is under contract to only allow XP
Air planes.
All the aircraft are identical, brightly coloured and three times as
big as they need to be.
The signs are huge and all point the same way.
Whichever way you go, someone pops up dressed in a cloak and pointed
hat insisting you follow him.
Your luggage and clothes are taken off you and replaced with an XP Air
suit and suitcase identical to everyone around you as this is included
in the exorbitant ticket cost.
The aircraft will not take off until you have signed a contract.
The inflight entertainment promised turns out to be the same Mickey
Mouse cartoon repeated over and over again.
You have to phone your travel agent before you can have a meal or
drink.
You are searched regularly throughout the flight.
If you go to the toilet twice or more you get charged for a new ticket.
No matter what destination you booked you will always end up crash
landing at Whistler in Canada.

OSX Air:

You enter a white terminal, and all you can see is a woman sitting in
the corner behind a white desk, you walk up to get your ticket. She
smiles and says "Welcome to OS X Air, please allow us to take your
picture", at which point a camera in the wall you didn't notice before
takes your picture. "Thank you, here is your ticket" You are handed a
minimalistic ticket with your picture at the top, it already has all of
your information. A door opens to your right and you walk through. You
enter a wide open space with one seat in the middle, you sit, listen to
music and watch movies until the end of the flight. You never see any of
the other passengers. You land, get off, and you say to yourself "wow,
that was really nice, but I feel like something was missing"

Windows Vista Airlines:

You enter a good looking terminal with the largest planes you have ever
seen. Every 10 feet a security officer appears and asks you if you are
"sure" you want to continue walking to your plane and if you would like
to cancel. Not sure what cancel would do, you continue walking and ask
the agent at the desk why the planes are so big. After the security
officer making sure you want to ask the question and you want to hear
the answer, the agent replies that they are bigger because it makes
customers feel better, but the planes are designed to fly twice as slow.
Adding the size helped achieve the slow fly goal.

Once on the plane, every passenger has to be asked individually by the
flight attendants if they are sure they want to take this flight. Then
it is company policy that the captain asks the passengers collectively
the same thing. After answering yes to so many questions, you are
punched in the face by some stranger who when he asked "Are you sure you
want me to punch you in the face? Cancel or Allow?" you instinctively
say "Allow".

After takeoff, the pilots realize that the landing gear driver wasn't
updated to work with the new plane. Therefore it is always stuck in the
down position. This forces the plane to fly even slower, but the pilots
are used to it and continue to fly the planes, hoping that soon the
landing gear manufacturer will give out a landing gear driver update.

You arrive at your destination wishing you had used your reward miles
with XP airlines rather than trying out this new carrier. A close
friend, after hearing your story, mentions that Linux Air is a much
better alternative and helps.

Linux
Air

Disgruntled employees of all the other OS airlines decide to
start their own airline. They build the planes, ticket counters, and pave the
runways themselves. They charge a small fee to cover the cost of
printing the ticket, but you can also download and print the
ticket yourself.

When you board the plane, you are given a seat, four bolts, a
wrench and a copy of the seat-HOWTO.html. Once settled, the fully adjustable
seat is very comfortable, the plane leaves and arrives on time without
a single problem, the in-flight meal is wonderful. You try to tell
customers of the other airlines about the great trip, but all
they can say is, "You had to do what with the seat?"

2GB iPod Shuffle

2007-12-07T10:13:00.000-10:00

Of all the things that will be talked about a Mac World in January, I would like to see a 2GB iPod Nano.

There should be plenty of room there for the increase in storage based on flash memory improvements.

Keep your fingers crossed.

-Matt

Cool Windows Blog

2007-12-07T10:09:00.001-10:00

http://www.istartedsomething.com/

This is a young nerd in Australia with a sense of humor, check out the "who is Long Zheng" tab

-Matt

Create Old School Banners

2007-12-07T09:43:00.001-10:00

Check out this web site:

http://www.neoformix.com/Projects/BigSmall/index.html

You can create words, using other words.....just go look at the site.

-Matt

I am thinking about buying a Zune

2007-12-03T16:41:00.000-10:00

Hard to believe it, but I might buy a Zune, something about a squircle.

I don't think I will, but I might. I want to play with the Zune softare. I don't buy things from the iTunes store but I have all my playlists, podcasts etc. I love the smart playlists.

I wonder if the Zune software can import your iTunes settings.

-Matt

Went to the U of Hawaii Vs. U of Washington Football Game

2007-12-03T14:03:00.000-10:00

Wow, that was a great game.

We were down 21-0 at the end of the 1st Qtr
Bring it back to within 28-21 at the half
Scoreless 3rd Qtr
Tie, then take lead with 44 seconds left
Intercepted a UW pass when they had the ball at the 6 yard line ready to tie it up

It was a great game!

Who wants an Ultra Portable?

2007-11-30T10:13:00.000-10:00

There is a lot of news about companies coming out with an ultra portable laptop.

Who needs them? They are too small for business use and too big to take wherever you go.

The keyboards are too small for the normal person to use, especially people like me that have gorilla hands.

I remember an IBM laptop from a while back that had a butterfly keyboard. Here is a pic

Companied should be working on those kinds of ideas to make smaller laptops more user comfortable. (I think I will trademark 'user comfortable')

-Matt

Speaking of a word:

2007-11-27T12:21:00.000-10:00

antidisestablishmentarianism
an ti dis es tab lish men tar i an ism

That is a great one to throw out in conversation, especially if you are trying to pick up chicks. Count 'em 11 syllables.

-Matt

I really love a dry wit!

2007-11-26T10:40:00.000-10:00

Some of my favorite TV shows of all time were when Chandler was so sarcastic, that was at the beginning of Friends....before he got fat and started doing all the drugs IRL.

Microsoft running your car's systems?

2007-11-23T12:14:00.000-10:00

I just saw a commercial that highlighted speech recognition for your car's audio system. What was interesting was that there was a blurb about how it was powered by Microsoft.

I wonder what that means, did they just use Microsft speech recognition software, or is there is Windows Embedded somewhere on the car? Should that bother me...well not me, but someone who owns one the cars. I am just happy will all my embedded system running VxWorks.

What is the next of the technology? I can imagine being able to control the wipers, head lights, and most other non essential things in the car.

-Matt

What happened to the $199 Walmart Computer?

2007-11-20T15:28:00.000-10:00

Checking Walmart's website, I was unable to find the $199 PC they were selling earlier this month.

The least expensive PC they have online is $278. The specs look the same, just a bit more RAM & Windows Vista Home Basic. You can get a 512MB stick of RAM for less than $15 on sale.

I would imagine this PC runs sloooooow with Vista & a 1.5GHz proc.

For $299 you can get a PC with Vista & a monitor.

Hopefully they will bring back the $199 PC.

-Matt

New controls for iPhone and iPod Touch

2007-11-15T15:28:00.000-10:00

I have started development on a revolutionary way to control an iPhone and an iPod Touch. It takes advantage of two key developments:

1. No spinning media in the iPhone or iPod Touch
2. An accelerometer is built into both devices. The accelerometer allows the devices to change between portrait and landscape depending on how the device is being held, upright or on the side.

The problem being solved is that to control play, volume, and track you have to look at the iPhone and iPod Touch; with a click wheel you could keep your device in the pocket of your hoodie and make any changes by feel. Using a good flick of the wrist we will be able to control playback of the devices.

To go to the next track, flick the top of the device to the right
To go the previous track, flick the top of the device to the left
To up the volume, flick the bottom of the device to the right
To decrease the volume, flick the bottom of the device to the left

To play and pause the device you would flick the top of the device up

Once I have the basic operation working, I will allow users to build macros; i.e. left-right-up-down will unlock & play the Celine Dion you have hidden on your device.

I really think this will make the devices a lot more useful, without the tactile feedback of the click wheel the iPhone and iPod Touch are a lot less user friendly.

-Matt

Just how many people use 4.2.2.2 as a DNS Server?

2007-11-14T20:25:00.000-10:00

Raise your hand if you use 4.2.2.2 as a DNS server or a ping target.

That's what I thought.........most of you!

-Matt

This was a laugh out loud picture!

2007-11-07T10:30:00.000-10:00

Click to expand the picture

Why can't Time Machine use wireless disks?

2007-11-04T15:23:00.000-10:00

I have to wonder why Time Machine can not use airport disks.

This is how I imagine the data would flow:

Time Machine <> OS <> Disk Services <> WiFi <> Remote Disk

How is Time Machine different from iTunes, or any other high throughput application?

I can only think that the data integrity is an issue with airport disks. Anyone that is storing critical data on airports disks should be worried!

-Matt

Great site that lists Windows Freeware

2007-11-01T12:37:00.000-10:00

Be sure to check out the comments at the bottom of the page, there are a lot of other suggestions.

Link to site

-Matt

Bumper Stickers

2007-11-01T10:09:00.000-10:00

This a site with tons of great bumper stickers.

Someone should have a site where you can print these up! I wonder if there is a site that does on demand bumper stickers.

Link to site

-Matt

Canon HG10 Sample Footage

2007-10-30T21:25:00.000-10:00

Here is a link to sample footage I took with my HG10. It is outdoor footage at a swimming pool.

Movie link
This file is about 210 MB

UPDATE 12/10/07 Added more footage here

The sizes of the files are amazing! When I exported a 2 minute clip in Quicktime HD format it was 20 GB.

The sharebig website said that the file will go away if it is not downloaded for seven days, if the link does not work leave feedback and I will put it on the site again.

I will post some low light footage soon.

-Matt

Great wget tips

2007-10-30T10:29:00.000-10:00

Here is a blog that has some great tips foe people what use wget.

http://tipotheday.com/2007/10/11/wget-some-quick-tips/#comment-643

The wget site says that there is a Windows version, but I couldn't find it. I will keep looking.

-Matt

Installing Webmin on CentOs 5

2007-10-26T10:12:00.001-10:00

Update - 12/12/2007 - New version of Webmin

I just installed the latest version of webmin on my CentOs 5 server. I have not used webmin in about 2 years, I can not believe how much the interface has improved. Webmin is a GUI control panel that lets you administer a Linux box.

Here is all you need to do to get it installed:

This will install some dependencies.
yum -y install perl-Net-SSLeay

Install the system:
cd /usr/src
wget http://prdownloads.sourceforge.net/webadmin/webmin-1.510-1.noarch.rpm
rpm -i webmin-1.510-1.noarch.rpm

Once you log in, you will see screens like this, click the image for a larger view:

Congrats to the Webmin team for keeping the product fresh!

-Matt

Updated game of Life

2007-10-24T16:10:00.000-10:00

You might be familiar with the game of Life, no not the board game, this game of life.

Here is a really cool update to the game that uses Flash & parasites.

http://www.footloosemoose.com/michael_wp/2007/04/12/experiment-parasites/

-Matt

Windows Telephony Podcast

2007-10-24T14:31:00.000-10:00

I just started podcast covering Windows Telephony.

The podcast will cover:

Server Technologies - OCS 2007, Exchange 2007
Middleware - TDM Gateways, Realtime codec
End points - Tanjay phones, Video products, LG/Nortel
End user experiences

To subscribe in iTunes you can put this link in your browser:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=267041700

Here is the direct RSS feed:
http://ocspodcast.libsyn.com/rss

I am looking for people with experience with one or more of the end points that I cann interview for the podcast. Please let me know if you are interested. You can reply to this post or send an email to windowstelephony@gmail.com

-Matt

Burn CDs with iTunes on Vista 64 Bit

2007-10-23T17:21:00.000-10:00

Here is a great tip to let you burn CD's using iTunes on Vista 64 Bit.

iTunes uses Gear Software's CD Driver but only includes and x86 driver. Download and install the x64 driver from Gear's website @ http://www.gearsoftware.com/support/drivers.cfm

The first time you use iTunes check that your cd-burner is detected in iTunes advanced/burning tab. I've found that if you don't open that tab before the first time you try to burn iTunes will crash.

This works great.

-Matt

My top 10 fav songs of all-time

2007-10-22T21:06:00.000-10:00

Of course ask me tomorrow & it will be different!

Van Halen - Jump

U2 - One

Eric Clapton - Layla

U2 - With or without you

David Bowie - Heroes

Tears for Fears - Everybody wants to rule the world

Depeche Mode - Enjoy The Silence

New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

U2 - Bad

Want to watch Star Wars on your computer?

2007-10-22T17:38:00.000-10:00

Run this command from the command line or run box & enjoy!

telnet towel.blinkenlights.nl

If you don't have the telnet program or don't know what it is, you would not enjoy it!

-Matt

Create PDF Files in Vista 64 bit

2007-10-22T14:15:00.001-10:00

I just installed CutePDF from this site http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp and it is working great.

They have a pay version for $50, but the free version is all I need.

I give it two thumbs up!

-Matt

Saba Island Airport - Short Runway

2007-10-19T16:51:00.000-10:00

What a short runway! Click on the picture for the full size

NFL Picks week 7

2007-10-19T15:26:00.000-10:00

Pittsburgh - 3½ vs Denver
Pittsburgh should be well rested and be able to deal with the altitude
Denver has not been able to put it together and have lost three in a row
Pittsburgh should be able to keep them losing

Dallas - 9½ vs Minnesota
Dallas will lick their wounds and trounce Minnesota
Dallas will put it away in the first half and keep it at 14 points

-Matt

Apple stock on the rise, but why?

2007-10-17T14:29:00.000-10:00

There was a blog post that stated that if you invested 50K in Apple stock five years ago, it would be worth 1.2M today. The blog states it went from $7 to $167 in that time. As I write this post, Apple stock is trading at over $172.

The key thing about five years ago, October 2002, is that it was the bottom of the bubble. Everyone that was going to survive started their way back up. They key question is why has apple stock gone through the roof when other hardware companies have been so stagnant over the same period? Here are some examples:

Apple:
Five Years ago - $7.17
Today - 172.75
Increase - 2300%

Microsoft:
Five years ago -$26.57
Today - $31.08
Increase of 17%

IBM
Five years ago - $74.25
Today - $115.78
Increase of 55%

Oracle
Five years ago - $9.49
Today - $21.49
Increase of 126%

Sun Microsystems
Five years ago - $2.74
Today - $5.99
Increase of 118%

Amazon
Five years ago - $19.04
Today - $90.55
Increase of 375%

Berkshire Hathaway
Five years ago - $74,000
Today - $130,000
Increase of 75%

Hewlett Packard:
October 18, 2002 - $13.09
October 17, 2007 - $52.54
Increase of 337.1%

Nasdaq Composite - 130%
Dow Jones - 77%
S&P 500 - 75%

Note that they all went up, but nothing compared to Apple.

Here are the possible reasons why the stock has risen so high, so fast. I also rate each item on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being high influence.

OS X

Version 10.0, Cheetah, was released March 2001. Most people agree that it was buggy and not close to being feature complete. There were also a lot of hardware compatibility issues with older Macs. This was an upgrade skip for most Mac users. It was followed quickly by 10.1 the same year. Version 10.3, Panther, was release in October 2003 and was the first version of OSX to be polished and stable. It also greatly increased performance. With version 10.5, Leopard, set to be released October 26, Apple has upped the ante for both Windows and Linux.
Innovation - 6
Halo Effect Creation - 3

iMac G4

The new iMac was released January 2002. It came standard with a flat screen monitor and tray loading DVD/CD. It was well liked by Apple users and was surprisingly affordable. To Windows users it looked like a toy and did not convince many businesses that is was a good machine for business use.
Innovation - 7
Halo Effect Creation - 1

iMac G5/Intel

The iMac G5 was released August 2004. It was the first machine that businesses seriously considered to put on users' desks. With the new Intel chips and Parallels it is a serious contender to Dell and HP. I expect to see more and more iMac's on business users' desk. They will run OSX and use Parallels for the Windows apps they can not get away from
Innovation - 3
Halo Effect Creation - 8

iPod/iTunes

When it was released October 2001 it was met with little fanfare. A lot of people wondered why Apple Computer was releasing a music player. There were lot of other MP3 players on the market and there was no reason to think that Apple would dominate market. A lot of people don't realize that iTunes was released January 2001, 10 months before the iPod. iTunes is still the easiest way to purchase, manage, and store digital files. From smart playlists to coverflow iTunes is a huge reason for the iPods success. I would bet that iTunes was the first piece of Apple software that many Windows users put on their computer. It let them indulge their Apple Curious fantasies in a way they would not be laughed at by their Windows cohorts. Not enough can be said about the iPod/iTunes combination; there has not been a better marriage for hardware/software since Atari 2600 & its joy stick.
Innovation - 8
Halo Effect Creation - 10

iPhone

The iPhone just had a huge announcement in that by February Apple will release a 3rd party application development kit. Without the kit, I consider the iPhone a second rate device. It has a cute interface, but unlike the iPod, more needs to be added to it so it can meet the demands of everyone. I doubt that Apple will meet its goal of 10million iPhones sold in one year. The first sign of their problems was the huge price cut. The iPhone could become the Newton.
Innovation - 9
Halo Effect Creation - 2

As hard as it is for me to believe, I think the reason for Apple's tremendous success is the iPod. It forced them to change their name from Apple Computer to Apple. Over $30,000,000,000 have been spent on iPods & more have been spent on iTunes Store music and accessories. The white iPod earphones have defined a generation, 100 years from know, after GenX there will be the iPod Gen.

-Matt

Unboxing of a Canon HG10 High Definition camera

2007-10-15T21:22:00.000-10:00

I ordered a Canon HG10, it is High Definition , Hard Disk Drive based cam corder on Thursday. I ordered it from Dell & paid full list, I found it a little cheaper around the net but the sites looked a bit sketchy. The ordering process was easy & it shipped the next day. I received the cam corder today and here is what I found:

Click on the image for a larger picture

I could not believe the horrible packing, the camera was sliding around like a hockey puck.

This paper was all that was in the box beside the camera, this is an $1,100 camera

Here is the box with the features

When you open the box, all the docs & software is on top

Once you lift the top layer, the camera is on the left and the cables on the right

Going top to bottom, left to right
Battery cover, camera battery, remote battery, AC Adapter
Component video cable, Composite/Sound Cable, USB Cable, AC Power Cord

Top of Camera

Right side of camera

Back of camera (without battery)

Left/Top of camera

Front/Right of camera, Mini HDMI, Headphones, Component Out

Bottom of camera

Size of camera vs a 2nd Gen iPod flash

Size of camera vs a Palm 755p

Once I use the camera a bit I will post a review and post some sample footage.

-Matt

Time Warner's AOL Internet Division to Cut 2,000 Jobs

2007-10-15T12:52:00.000-10:00

"The latest cuts will pare AOL's staff to 8,000, down from about 18,000 employees in 2001, when the company bought New-York based Time Warner for $124 billion."

My first internet access was with Compuserve. I was getting restaurant reviews trying to save a few bucks, then I got an access bill for $40. I remember it being pay per minute.

I switched to AOL when they added the "all you can eat" plans.

Oh, how the mighty have fallen, I still can not believe that AOL was able to purchase Time Warner, I guess it made sense at the time.

-Matt

NFL Picks Week 6 - 1-0-1

2007-10-15T10:31:00.000-10:00

Chargers -9.5 - Win
Chargers won 28-14, I was afraid that they would sit on the ball when they were ahead 21-14, but then LT ripped of a 41 yard run to seal the win.

Redskins +3 - Tie
They gave this game to the Packers, between the fumbles and dropped balls. They should have won by 17+ points. I really like Jason Cambell. Next year Joe Gibbs should have the running game geared up.

Season 1-2-1

-Matt

What is the black stuff is under football player's eyes?

2007-10-14T15:55:00.001-10:00

Eye black is a grease applied under the eyes to reduce glare. It is often used by baseball and American football players, where sunlight or stadium lights can impair vision of an airborne ball. Traditional grease consists of beeswax, paraffin, and carbon. Patented antiglare stickers that emulate the grease are also manufactured, sometimes with a sports team logo printed on. According to Paul Lukas of ESPN.com, the earliest known instance of a player wearing eye black is Washington Redskins fullback Andy Farkas, who apparently came up with the idea on his own in 1942. He also goes on to say that the original eye black was made from burned cork ashes.

A 2003 study by Brian DeBroff and Patricia Pahk tested whether black eye grease actually had anti-glare properties. The subjects of the study were divided into three groups: wearers of eye black, wearers of antiglare stickers, and wearers of petroleum jelly. The subjects' vision was tested using an eye chart while being exposed to natural sunlight. The study concluded that eye black reduced glare of the sun and improved contrast sensitivity, whereas commercial antiglare stickers and petroleum jelly (the control substance) were found to be ineffective. A further study which set to improve DeBroff's methodology also found eye black to reduce glare from the sun, but less so in blue-eyed individuals and males.

From Wikipedia

-Matt

NFL Picks - Week 6

2007-10-12T16:05:00.000-10:00

Washington +3 over Green Bay
Green Bay has been playing much better than they are
They are getting beat up and all the young talent is breaking down
Joe Gibbs will have the skins ready

Chargers -9.5 over Raiders
Despite Norv Turner, the Chargers are getting the offense going
Antonio Gates and LT will light it up against the horrible Oakland defense

-Matt

Flying Car Becoming a Reality

2007-10-10T10:28:00.000-10:00

Terrafugia, Inc - http://www.terrafugia.com/ - is touting that they will be delivering a flying car in 2009. You will need a pilot's license to fly it, it will be certified as a light-sport airplane.

Imagine being able to drive to the airport, do a quick conversion on your vehicle, take off in it, and convert back to a car when you land on the other side.

It can only carry 550 Lbs, if you top off the tank, you can have 430 Lbs for people and luggage.

Looks like fun to me!

Click on the image for an expanded view

-Matt

Just pimped my rig

2007-10-09T13:20:00.000-10:00

My PC has been lagging of late, it was about 20 months old and showing its age.

I kept my:
Case - Nice & big
Optical Drives - DL DVD Burner & DVD Player
Hard Drives - Three SATA drives

After looking around here is what I bought:
Intel Core2 Quad Core - Q6600 2.4 GHz

I got the CPU for $280, five months ago it cost over $900
So far it is behaving very well, I wanted multi-core because my old processor, a single core Athlon 64, would bog down when I would try to do some heavy multi-tasking
It seems like the stock cooling fan is good enough, the idle temp is about 25C
I can be watching a large MPEG4 movie, work on a Word document while iTunes is downloading at the same time & all windows are very responsive.

4 GB of RAM:

Nothing special about the RAM, just wanted a lot!
The worst thing about that much RAM is I had to use Vista 64bit Professional.

ATI Raeon HD 2600 Pro:

This is an PCI-Ex16 video card
There are two DVI-D ports
There is this trick feature that lets you convert the DVI -> HDMI. Somehow they use the extra pins to get sound out of the DVI port. As you know, HDMI includes sound & DVI doesn't
I am running the video at 1920 x 1200, I love all the screen real estate
I might not need a sceond monitor, I can easily have two documents side by side

Acer AL2416W:

This is a no-frills 24 inch monitor
There are no USB ports, speakers, etc.
There is no landscape or height adjustment, just tilt
It is just a great montior, if I get a second montior I will get this same monitor

NVIDIA NFORCE 650i Motherboard:

Very easy to install
Lots of USB and SATA ports
The CD that came with the Motherboard had Vista 64 Bit Drivers....lets you get on-line to get the latest drivers
No Firewire port

500 Watt Power Supply:

I forgot the brand, but the power supply rated very well

The total for my upgrade was about $1,100 & worth every penny. I am set up for the next 3 years!

-Matt

NFL Picks - 0-2 Week 5

2007-10-09T13:09:00.000-10:00

I can't stand the Patriots. They are ahead by 10 points with less than two minutes remaining and they drive down the field. Their coach said they 'left a lot of points on the field', indicating they needed all the time running plays. If I was coaching, I would be more worried about getting someone hurt, with a game in hand, than getting all the reps. It turns out the Browns stopped them from scoring...I thought I was golden, but the Browns throw a pick returned for a touchdown. That was a killer. What can you expect from the Pats, a bunch of cheaters, they probably new what play was going to be called because they tapped into the Browns system...and yes, I am a Miami Dolphins fan.

I don't know what happened to Dallas. I don't think they looked passed Buffalo, Romo just threw a bunch of bad passes. The second INT for a touchdown was bad luck, the guy was at the right place at the right time.

Oh well, lick my wounds, sell some blood, get my bankroll back up.

-Matt

My NFL picks for Week 5

2007-10-04T12:55:00.000-10:00

Cleveland +16.5 vs New England
The Pats have won by 22, 22, 31, & 21.
The Browns have scored 51, 24, & 27 since Derek Anderson has started.
The Pats will win, but the Browns should score enough to cover.

Dallas -10 vs Buffalo
The Redskins should beat the Lions and move to 3-1
If Dallas loses, they would fall to 4-1, they will make sure they don't give Buffalo any hope
The weather is supposed to be good, T.O. & Romo should hook up a few times.

-Matt

Need a cheap new cellular phone?

2007-10-04T11:25:00.000-10:00

My wife had gotten her cellular phone wet and it would not work once we dried it out. She made the mistake of turning it on while it was still wet. If you get any electronics wet, you should always wait until it is dry before trying to power it on.

I went to the cellular phone store (company purposely omitted) and the cheapest phone they could sell me was over $130. The $130 bought you one of the phones you get for free when you sign up with a new plan. She had about 18 months left on her current contract so we would have to pay the full price for any phone we bought.

I thought about buying a phone on eBay, but you never know what you are going to get. "New" & "Un-opened" don't always mean what I think they mean.

I then went to Wal-Mart and bought one of their pre-paid phones for $25; it was the same exact phone the cellular company wanted $130 for. The sales guy asked me if I needed a pre-paid SIM card & I told him "no".

Took the phone home, popped in my wife's SIM card and it came right up. I read the agreement that came with the phone & I don't think it violated the terms of using the phone....recognize that I am not an attorney!

Wal-Mart had all different kinds of phones, from basic phones to high end ones. The phones are clearly marked as to what service they belong to. I would imagine you can use this trick with any service that uses a SIM card.

Hope this saves you some money!

-Matt

Wanna know what the clear plastic piece with the iPod Touch is used for?

2007-09-28T15:22:00.003-10:00

Blog post moved to http://makaicom.com/blog/?p=46

-

Tansfering domains at Godaddy.com

2007-09-28T11:09:00.000-10:00

I had to transfer some domains from one account to another on the Godaddy site.

After looking around the site I couldn't figure out how to do it. I called their support number and the call was answered in two minutes, not bad for a big company. The support person was obviously American and very knowledgeable, I was expecting to get someone in India. He walked me through the process and I was on my way.

Overall I think the process of moving a domain from one Godaddy account to another is harder than it should be, but the support I received was excellent. I will certainly continue to do business with Godaddy.

-Matt

SNL Transcripts

2007-09-26T20:57:00.000-10:00

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/

This site has transcripts of every SNL episode.

Do a search for 'cork soaker' then do a search for the same thing on youtube.

-Matt

How Apple can make switching to OSX easier

2007-09-26T10:22:00.000-10:00

At my office I have a PC that runs Windows & just bought a new laptop that runs Windows (more on that in another blog post). At my home I have a dual-core Mac Mini, I would have bought an iMac but I already had a great LCD display. I find myself as technical but after one year I am still having a hard time with some things on OSX. If you know how to fix any of these please let me know.

The end & home keys do not go to what I consider end & home. End should take you the end of the line, home should take you to the beginning. CTRL + home should take you to the top of the document and CTRL + end should take you to the end of the document. When I am trying to get to the end of the line I just keep pressing buttons until I get to where I want to go.
ALT + Tab is what is burned into my brain for activating the task switcher. I should mention that I have the same keyboard at work & home - The wireless Microsoft Natural Multimedia keyboard, the one with the keys split down the middle. I have to press Start + Tab to activate the task switcher on OSX, I hate that I have to think about it.
In OSX, not all the open programs appear in the start bar, if I have three Word documents open I can not click on something to bring up the instance I want to see. If you minimize the document it shows up to the right of the start bar, but once you click it, it disappears. Even when you do the task switcher, if you have three documents open, it will only show one instance of Word. I want an icon I can click to bring any Window to the front.
The maximize window button does not maximize. I know Apple wants me to drink their cool-aid but I like havening applications take the full screen. The bottom of the application could mate with the top of the start bar. Ten times a day I accidentally click an application that is beneath when I go for the scroll bar. Then I have to somehow get back to the app I am working on. If the app was maximized, I wouldn't have the issue.
Apple should work with keyboard manufacturers to get better drivers for OSX. There is no reason the Multi-Media keys on my keyboard shouldn't control iTunes. I am sure it is the same with other multi-media keyboards.
Perhaps a Windows keyboard emulation mode would work. I know that would fly like a lead kite, but it would help.
One of the keyboard combinations that I use many times a day is Start button, then 'R', this opens the run dialog box. I can then type the name of the executable I want to run. I tried Quicksilver, but it wasn't as efficient & I had to learn their keyboard shortcuts. I already have shortcuts.....don't make me learn different ones.

Let me know if you have any ideas how Apple can make it easier or solutions!

-Matt

My iPod Touch Story - bought & returned

2007-09-25T16:36:00.000-10:00

My 4G color iPod had been giving me a lot of issues lately so when the iPod Touch came out it seemed like a natural upgrade for me --- until I returned it today, here is what happened.

Pre-Purchase
1. My 4G iPod had about 50GB worth of stuff on it. Most was crap, but a lot was podcasts and music I had to keep.
2. Turning on the auto-delete function for podcasts cleared up a lot of space. I chose to only keep the last one, that deleted about 10GB worth of stuff. I must not have deleted a podcast in 3 years.
3. I had a lot of spoken word podcasts that I got rid of - stuff I downloaded a while ago, it was all in a playlist I never listened to.
4. Made some hard decisions on songs.....About 5 years ago I ripped every CD I owned, 500+ of them. Most of them I would be embarrassed to say I payed for. This got me down to about 12GB of music & it took about 6 hours to look through and delete songs.
5. I wanted the video playback but did not know how to get my DVD's onto the iPod.
6. I found handbrake, it is an awesome product, just put in the DVD & tell it to rip for an iPhone. 90 minutes later you have an iPhone ready file. I can't recommend handbrake enough, it works on Windows, Macs and Linux.
7. Each movie was about 700MB once it was ripped.
8. 16G iPod - 12G of music = 4G free for movies & podcasts...........need to delete more music
9. 3 hours later I was to 6.5G of music
10. 16G iPod - 6.5G of music = 9.5G free = 11 movies. I wanted to put about 50 on the iPod.
11. I found you could rip them and keep them in your iTunes and it will shuffle the movies.
12. I was finally to buy ready but....need to find one, they came out two days ago and the two Apple Stores in Hawaii are sold out of the 16G models.
13. After calling once a day, I got one.....3 days after I started looking...not bad
14. Took the sucker home!

Post Purchase

1. Wow, this thing is very very very thin
2. Nice presentation, like all the Apple stuff
3. There is this clear plastic piece in the box....spent 10 minutes but can not figure out what it is. (I have since learned that it is a stand to hold the iPod to watch movies hands free)
4. Uses the same sync connector as the 4G iPod
5. Plugged it in, I had previously upgraded iTunes, accepted the license agreement & it was syncing!

Using the iPod - I won't give a review, there are lots of those around

1. Has the same slider 'tool' to get started that you see on the iPhone, it is neat.
2. It has WiFi and would download youtube videos quickly. Watched the first Chad Vader episode - still very funny. Hate the keyboard, that is why I don't have an iPhone.
3. Music sounded superb with the included ear buds. I use different ear phones, but wanted to test the ones that come with the touch
4. Photos look fabulous and the two finger pinch is very intuitive. They make it very easy to enlarge a picture and make it be your desktop
5. Unfortunately the unit I had was affected by the overly dark screen. When watching a movie, it was very difficult to see any scene that was at night. Tilting it at different angels seemed to help, but it was unacceptable.

Returning the iPod

1. Boxed it up & headed to the Apple store at Kahala Mall
2. Was there when they opened and got a refund in less than 3 minutes
3. The people there are really great, I have to hand it to Apple for hiring quality people
4. Of course they asked me if I wanted an exchange and not a refund, but I told them that I wanted to look around more
5. That is why I buy all my big Apple stuff at the Apple store
6. The video playback was so poor, I did not think I got $400 of value out of the device.

Lessons Learned:

1. I missed the click wheel. I did not like having to look at the device to make changes. While I keep my current iPod at my side I can do everything, next song, change the volume etc. Since the touch has a flat screen you have to look at it to make a change.
2. I kept holding it upside down, the earphones plug into the bottom of the iPod, not like my current iPod
3. I need some program to download the album covers. I originally ripped my CD's into WMA, then to MP3 and then imported into iTunes. Somewhere they lost the tags so almost every album cover was blank...coverflow sucks with no album covers. You should be able to disable coverflow
4. The video (excluding dark scenes) was really great. The screen is very high resolution.
5. Would I buy one again......Yes.....but I will wait until after Christmas or when ever Rev2 comes out with 32G of storage.

-Matt

Game cover for the NES - Anticipation

2007-09-25T16:21:00.001-10:00

This has to be the best cover of a video game ever!

You gotta love the 80's, I know I do.

Each person can be a character study, the guy in the upper right has serious issues & what is with the chick in the bottom right? I wonder where they are today.

-Matt