No/Low-tech – Page 5 – LIVEdigitally

LD's Gone Mobile

Posted on July 30, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Quickie post here. I’ve been a wee bit swamped recently to do much blogging (although I am reviewing new products from Gefen, the iRiver Clix, and MusicGremlin), but I did manage to incorporate a Mobile version of LIVEdigitally! That’s right, check it out with any smartphone and you should be automatically redirected here (click on it for a preview).

The fun part was taking Alex King’s awesome Mobile plugin for WordPress then tweaking it myself. Yup, I dusted off the ol’ PHP typewriter and did some work. I’m still playing, but when I’m done I’ll make the source available for anyone who wants to try it out. Edits so far:

Category-based browsing (the original only supports by archival date)
Related stories (thanks to this plugin)

I’d like to hear any feedback y’all have to give about how it works. I primarily use a Treo 700w and PPC 6700 to view the site, so haven’t seen it in a crackberry yet… Other features I’d like to add:

Search (I hear search is big…)
Pages
Links to my Flickr photos
Blogroll

Am I missing anything? Write your suggestions as comments.

Unless you're an elephant

Posted on July 23, 2006 by Guest Contributor

To avoid those moments of sheer panic that occur whenever you discover you’ve left something important behind, consider attaching one of theseto your bag/PDA/dog/toddler and put this in your pocket. The Mini Reminder transmitter will alert the receiver to start making a vibrating, beeping racket if you move more than your specified distance away from it. I need this thing. How many times have I raced back to a restaurant to admit sheepishly that I’ve forgotten my bag on the back of that chair? Yes…the one you’re sitting on…thanks.

via SCI FI Tech

Polite Thieves?

Posted on July 15, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Here’s an interesting little story for you. A bit over a month ago, I walked to my car early one morning prior to my 45 minute commute (hate it). Before I got in, I noticed something was… off. I couldn’t quite figure it out, so I got in, and drove away.

Four inches later, I felt something very wrong with the wheel. I thought, perhaps there was something under the car, causing a drag or something. So I got out, looked around. Didn’t see anything, got back in, and drove off.

Five inches later, I knew something was very wrong. I looked closely at a wheel and noticed the lug nuts were loose. A second later I realized the hubcaps were missing! I recall thinking, “what is this, Detroit circa 1974???” When I went to the trunk, I couldn’t find the jack kit, but I thought maybe we had accidentally moved it into the apartment. Luckily another Civic driver pulled up a few cars away, and he let me borrow his to tighten the lug nuts.

I decided at first not to bother with insurance, figuring new hubcaps would just get stolen again.

About a week ago, my wife took the car in to get the tires rotated. When I took the car in the evening, I noticed a massive pull to the right. I asked my wife about it, she thought it needed to be ‘broke in’ a little bit (much like her shoes), but I assumed the rotation had messed up the alignment.

Earlier this week we dropped the car off for a wheel alignment, but the dealer informed us immediately that it was not an alignment problem. The problem was the fact that the wheels were not the ones that come with the car!

The fact that thieves stole my tires is somewhat surprising, as I live in a decent residential part of San Francisco.

The fact that thieves stole my tires and left other tires in their place, not to mention the lug nuts, is just plain weird in my book. Looks like I got hit by the most polite thieves around…

Why in the world…

Posted on July 11, 2006 by Guest Contributor

… would anyone EVER even CONCEIVE of this? (Sorry, I just had to post this one.)
Bacon Bandages

I’m not sure how I found this – I guess that’s why the “web” is called the “web” – you can get anywhere at all starting from anywhere else. It’s nuts. It’s like the six degrees of Kevin Bacon (omg, that was a complete accident – PRICELESS!).

I wonder what the free toy is? Kid-friendly bacon press? Plush piggy? Maybe a wet nap.

Getting off the grid

Posted on July 9, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

JT with a beer and a steak I spend about 12-16 hours a day connected/online. That time is spent doing email, surfing the Web, researching various topics for work, browsing products, blogging, and the rare game of Hearts or Spades (okay, very rare). I’ve spent 4 of the last 7 days totally off the grid, and it’s an interesting dichotomy with my regular life.

Normally I get frustrated when I can’t use my PPC-6700 to get an EVDO connection and am stuck at 1x. I had no signal of any kind at either Lake Sonoma (loved it) or Costanoa (nice time, but it was very windy and totally overpriced).

I tend to check email at worst every 10 or so minutes (and that’s without owning a blackberry, which I refuse to use when in North America). I came home to hundreds of emails to read through. Been 2 days, still deleting the ones I don’t need to respond to.

While traveling, I always use my Slingbox to watch something (recently lots of World Cup soccer), typically from my DVR, before going to bed. I watched no TV whatsoever, even though Costanoa actually had wifi access in their main cabin, but I didn’t even have the laptop with me! Funny thing was the Costanoa camping areas even offered power outlets at each ‘site’. I’m proud to say I didn’t use em.

I used exactly three gadgets this week:

My digital camera (lowly Canon SD100 – anyone have a spare SD450?) – here are the pix we took (including our visiting friends, the Arnowitz family).
My PPC-6700 to play solitaire before going to sleep (in between good books right now)
My Nuvi 350 GPS receiver (review coming soon!) to help find a few spots along the way

Bottom line: get yourself off the grid for a few days this summer, it’s a good feeling. No matter how many emails you have to sort through when you are done.

SeV Performance T-Shirt by Scottevest

Posted on June 29, 2006 by Guest Contributor

About a week ago I received the newly designed SeV Performance T-Shirt by Scottevest Incorporated. The shirt is part of their “Technology Enabled Clothing (TEC)” line. This t-shirt is for the avid technologist who is constantly on the go.

Fitting into the shirt and installing your portable devices is a bit tricky. Once I put the shirt on, it did not make it clear where exactly the wires and devices fit. It took more than a few minutes to “figure out” how exactly the devices fit.

When I first tried out the shirt, I could tell that it was light weight, but with an iPod and digital camera it made the shirt feel incredibly off-centered. When using the shirt on a hot day, the fabric did not “soak up” the sun; the shirt did not get that hot. After the first use, this shirt is not designed for the average iPodder.

The shirt is designed out of 100% Polyester 3M Quick Dry fabric – the same materials that athletic clothing is made out of. This type of Polyester is designed to repel moisture from your body, which in turn means the shirt dries faster and the user is not left with a “soaked” shirt after a good workout.

The shirt comes equipped with a patented Weight Management System; in essence, the shirt has extra fabric in the shoulders in which it evenly distributes the weight.

The shirt comes equipped with the patented “Personal Area Network” in which wires are run in the lining of the jacket. All of the pockets have a little hole in the pocket, in which it allows you to connect all of your devices. For example, if you wanted to connect your phone to your Pocket PC you could do this without having any wires showing. The shirt also has a hidden compartment to store a pair of ipod sized earbuds.

After having used the shirt off and on for a little over a week, it has proven to be a great shirt for the outdoor businessman. Having tested the shirt with a Motorola RAZR, Video iPod, and Digital Camera, the shirt held up to all of its claims. The Personal Area Network was very difficult to set up, and was not that much of a help.

Pro’s

Light weight
Comfortable fit
Cost efficient
Attractive Design

Cons

Difficult to install devices
A bit heavy when installing more than an iPod and phone
Lack of documentation or step by step set up guide.

I would recommend this product to those who are constantly on the go and care about having people see your “cords” or “earbuds.” For $34.99 (Plus Tax and S&H), it is a nice luxury, but certainly not a shirt you could wear everyday.

For more information and to purchase the product directly from the manufacturer, please visit Scottevest Online Store. The shirt comes in sizes Medium thru XX Large and is available in both short or long sleeve designs.

Courtesy // Scottevest

This is a diagram of the various components of the shirt.

Courtesy // Scottevest

This is an “inside out” view of the shirt.

Courtesy // Scottevest

This is the shirt as it will first appear once you open the packaging.

For a video demonstration of the Personal Area Network feature see Personal Area Network (PAN)*

… and for the Weight Management System feature see Weight Management System Demo*

* Windows Media Player Required

Gamera Walkie Bits!

Posted on June 21, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Oh, look! It’s so cute! Takara toys has released limited edition Gamera Walkie Bits to coincide with the new Gamera movie. These little robot turtles are very popular in Japan. They will walk to a rhythm you specify by clicking their mouse button-like shells. They also sing and race. Gamera singing, that seems like a new one to me. There doesn’t seem to be an excuse to not get one, unless you have a dislike for adorable little toys with the power to entertain children and draw attention from adults in coffee shops. Note, though, that all the instructions are in Japanese.

The Introduction Bandwagon

Posted on June 15, 2006 by Guest Contributor

Ahoy catz! I’m Emily. Not much to say, but I thought I’d put in a couple lines advertising my appearance as seems to be the trend. I’m not as tech-savvy as I’d like. My take on this stuff will be much more average consumer perspective. I’m not sure if any of my musings are tech-minded enough to appear here, but when they are, I’ll certainly share.

Actually, I just finished watching Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. Roooooobots. Not sure I knew what was going on most of the time, but the CG was very polished. Obviously we’re quite a ways off from “gyroids” or “sexaroids” or even androids. Not up to cyborgs yet either, but there are some people doing interesting things with/to their bodies. Does anyone read Questionable Content? When can I have a Pintsize of my very own? *sigh*

JT: Meet Your Delight

Posted on June 8, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Was getting into the subway in Tokyo yesterday when this sign caught my eye. don’t really know what its for, it could be a bank, a soccer team, a high-energy drink, or just about anything. But I like to think there’s an off-chance it’s an ad for yours truly, and all I can say is “thanks, Tokyo, but I am taken.”

Mangosteen: the perfect fruit

Posted on May 30, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

When my cousin introduced me to the Mangosteen several years ago, he described it as the best fruit on Earth. We were in Harrod’s (yes, in London) and found it in their wonderful fresh produce department. We bought a few of the admittedly-odd-looking fruit, and he began to peel it prior to exiting the store. He pried out a pale, whitish fleshy wedge, and handed it to me.

In a single word: absolute delight.

Upon returning to San Francisco, I sought out this heavenly treasure, but alas, have never found it (other than in preserved format, which doesn’t hold nearly the same appeal). On subsequent trips to the Netherlands, London, and Vietnam, I’ve managed to find and consume the delicious fruit on each trip.

I recently visited http://www.mangosteen.com/ to try to find out why I can’t get the darn things in the US. Turns out that due to some types of Asian insects combined with a lack of irradiation ability, the mangosteen is not available. Although a recent update to the site implies that the US department of agriculture is working to get the fruit importable (is that a word?) sometime this year! Joy!

Personally, I describe the taste as “somewhere between a kiwi, mango, and raspberry” but I don’t think that’s quite right. Wikipedia says “underripe strawberry, with hints of sweet orange” which is also off in my opinion. All I can say is when given the chance, seek it out. It’s worth it.

More photos of the mangosteen in action.

ps – no, it is not a Jewish mango.

Rant: They call it basic math for a reason!

Posted on May 28, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Went out for dinner the other night with my wife and some colleagues. Had a great meal at a decently pricey restaurant, and pretty much the moment I hit about $30 or so per head, I expect good service. While it wasn’t bad, it certainly wasn’t good service. But overall, all was well until the bill came. Then we agreed to put it on two of our cards, splitting it 40/60 (you know, one of us paid for 2, the other for 3 – but if this didn’t make sense, nor will the rest of my story). The waitress (if stewardesses are now flight attendants, why aren’t waitresses food or restaurant attendants?) came by, we said 40%-60%, she wandered off.

About 5 minutes later she returned, needing a reminder as she recalled us saying 80-20, but didn’t think that was accurate. We reiterated the split, and she expressed her confusion on it. I made a quick guess at the number, but really wasn’t in a “calculating mood” and honestly wanted the service – at this point it was clearly an issue of principle (its the principalities of it!). Several minutes later she returned with the bill split exactly at my guess number (wrong by about 5%). Ugh.

At this point, both myself and colleague were annoyed. We reiterated the split, and she complained “but you told me something different!” I disagreed and she then said, and I quote, “we don’t have any calculators here, just the computer”.

Are you kidding me?!?

First of all, there’s the audacity to complain that the restaurant can charge $10 for a bottle of still water, but doesn’t have the capacity to do basic math. Second of all, does she mean to say that not only is this type of math beyond her, nobody else at the restaurant could do it? While my colleague did the work on PAPER, I pulled out my mobile phone to show the built-in calculator it included.

The worst part was yet to come, as the restaurant’s new computer system didn’t allow cancellations (yeah, sure), so they had to issue a second check, one with a refund to my card and and additional charge to the others. Pathetic to the nth degree.

As a favor to other diners, I hereby provide JT’s guide to calculating something as blindingly simple as 40% of anything else. For your convenience, I will do it with none of that complication division stuff. I will leave it somewhat condescending, as I feel that’s how it should be described to one who needs this kind of help:

Take your target percent, for this case we’ll call it 40%, and get rid of the “0”. This gives our example the number 4.
Multiple the bill by this number. If your bill is, say $150, and your target is 40%, you are doing 150 * 4. Yes, it’s 600.
Now, remove the last “0” again. In our example, we are at $60
That’s it!
Advanced topic: how to figure out the balance for the other card…

Subtract the 40% number from the total. In this example, it’s $150 – $60, for a total of… uh… hmm… I dunno, something carry the zero?

Go laugh at a geek!

Posted on May 26, 2006 by Jeremy Toeman

Back when I was in school, being geeky was only comedy to those around me. I was fairly geeky, but then I went to college, found a life, made some friends, and eventually got married to a very beautiful woman. I also work for a cool company (Sling Media – geeky, but cool in geek-dom), and only really out myself as a geek here on the LD. Okay, there are other times too (like uttering obscure quotes from Fletch), but this is probably the top of the proverbial heap.

Anyhow, back to high school (was the above a digression, or me avoiding the topic?). Geeks get laughed at. It sucks. We like to think that we can pull a Gates-like maneuver and ‘show them’ one day, but odds are pretty good if we move out of the geekosphere, we’ll tend to put it all behind us. Not me of course, as I am a bitter, bitter man.

Erikka Innes (yes, a former blogger here on LD!) is trying to make the laughing at part more like the good kind of laughing at (more “ha-ha” funny, less “you are such a loser” funny), with her new comedy show focusing on, you guessed it, geeks! Erikka apparently got the idea for her event, the Geek Comedy Night, while watching other comics use geeky material interwoven in their routines. She decided there was enough meat on them 98-pound-weakling bones to have a monthly event.

Geek Comedy Nights start on June 14th at Rooster T. Feathers in Sunnyvale, California. Innes and her coproducer Daymon Ferguson plan to make the show “as geeky as possible” and will even include a “best geek” costume contest (the true winner, of course, would not wear anything abnormal). If you have a little closet geek left in you, Erikka promises “the event will feature tons of jokes about technology, gadgets, video games, science, sci-fi, comic books, d&d, etc.”

The event is $10, and I believe they might take Federation credits, if you can calculate the current exchange rate, that is. So go ahead, laugh at a geek, and this time, you won’t even harm one of our extremely fragile egos.

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