Austin360 blogs > Digital Savant > Archives > 2009 > July
July 2009
Following up: Pioneer wins by a wire
A few days ago, I wrote about choosing a new A/V receiver. The response was quick and lopsided: almost everyone recommended I go with the Onkyo. The company has a track record of making great audio products and those who told me they had an Onkyo receiver were not disappointed.
(I also got a few votes for Yamaha receivers, which weren’t on the list.)
In the end, though, I went against the well-intentioned device and ordered the Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K, which had the advantage of very good reviews and a very easy way to hook up an iPod or iPhone, something we do all the time at my house with our current, aging Sony receiver.
Even though I’ll miss having a handy HDMI port on the front of the receiver, the thing that kept bothering me about the Onkyo receiver was the idea of paying an extra $100 for an iPod dock that still wouldn’t even display video from the device on a TV screen. The Pioneer does that, seems to have a very good on-screen set of menus and even comes with an iPod cable, something that’s apparently unheard of in the world of home receivers.
The price was pretty comparable and I’m looking forward to seeing if my purchase was the right choice. One bit of irony: the moment I made my decision and went to purchase the Pioneer, I found that it was out of stock at every online storefront I looked. I finally used a gift certificate to cut into the price and buy it on Amazon, but it’s not expected to ship for another week.
I’ll follow up and let you know how the installation goes in a few weeks. One thing I did learn from this experience already: how to spell “Onkyo.”
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: Gadgets, Shopping, TV
The Linkdown for Thursday, July 30
How is it almost August!? The Linkdown thinks that’s absolutely locopants!
Some good linkage:
- A topic I see rarely discussed is explored in a GLAAD panel: homophobia in virtual communities.
- Kindle who? Sony’s e-book store (in partnership with Google) is open for business. It features more than 1 million public domain books.
- Yet another option for scanning documents (like business cards), in this case converting them to PDF documents with the eCopy Paperworks software package.
- Read about how the recent Tweet Camp San Antonio went.
- The Austin Children’s Museum makes Wired’s list of 100 Geekest Places to Take Kids.
- There’s an iPhone Development Camp happening in Austin this weekend.
- Have you been reading the texting and driving stories in the New York Times this week? I am officially terrified.
- Austin’s Pixel Mine Games releases an app for 99 cents called “The Love Test.”
- This week on NPR’s “All Tech Considered” we revisited mom bloggers after the recent BlogHer conference in Chicago. An accompanying blog entry is here. The whole NPR.org Web site is redesigned.
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New evidence of Warren Spector and Disney’s ‘Epic Mickey?’
Austin gaming legend Warren Spector has been the subject of much speculation since his company, Junction Point Studios, was bought by Disney Interactive in 2007. What could the lead designer of such dark, forward-looking thrillers like “Deus Ex” be doing with the Mouse House?
The answer might be “Epic Mickey.” The blog Superannuation might have spilled the beans by connecting rumors from last year about a possible “Epic Mickey” game with recent concept art that has appeared on the Web page of artist Fred Gambino where the title also appears.
The Web site also found a mention of it on the online resume of artist Tony Pulham (the mention has since been removed and cannot be found on a Google cache search). There, it was listed as a game for the Nintendo Wii.
So, what does the absolutely gorgeous, heartbreaking artwork suggest? This could be a Disney game like nothing we’ve ever seen before. Something dark and tragic that plays off of our collective memories of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Epcot Center and a whole universe of characters and locales.
Some are suggesting on blog comments that Disney would never go for something as dark and adult as the artwork suggests, but the company did have some success letting Square ENIX take the Disney universe and run with it in the well-received “Kingdom Hearts” games. Spector is well-respected in the industry and if you’re going to entrust anyone to take the most recognizable mouse in the world into some sort of industrial wasteland metaverse, he’s probably the guy.
The concept art is filled with apocalyptic imagery merged with a world where Disney once reined. Scaffolding surrounds a giant container for “Mickey Mouse Paint Thinner” next to a toxic beach where familiar Disney characters (is that Clarabelle Cow?) are pictured.
In another shot, a broken, decaying horned whale has a Mickey Mouse tower on top of it while a fragmented Disney World Epcot ball is broken, splayed open.
The mounting evidence of the game is making waves on gaming blogs from Kotaku to Joystiq to GameSpy to the Penny Arcade forum, where all the concept art seen so far was posted.
We’ve reached out to Spector, but given that it’s Disney, we don’t expect a formal announcement right away. Please, please, please let it be true, because this artwork is amazing.
(Concept art below from Fred Gambino’s Web site)
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I am researching A/V receivers (help!)
When I moved to Austin back in the swingin’ late 90s (what, you weren’t swinging? You totally missed all the SWINGING!), I was a single guy, living alone. The little bit of money I was able to save was spent on the kinds of things guys living alone spend it on: cheap tequila and pricey home theater stuff for movie parties that never seem to actually happen.
That’s how, about 11 or 12 years ago, I ended up with a very nice Pioneer DVD player, a gigantic Sony A/V receiver and a set of Advent 5.1 surround speakers back before those items had become ubiquitous. I believe I bought them all at A&B TV, which was able to guide me through all the gear in the store to find the ones I wanted.
Now, 12 years later, I have a baby, two mortgages and the opposite of a swinging life. What’s the opposite of swinging? Sedentary? I am a very socially sedentary man. The Pioneer DVD player now sits in the bedroom where we’re watching “The Wire” after the baby goes to bed most nights.
The Sony receiver and speakers are in the living room, now connected to several game consoles, our DVR and a Sony HDTV. Everything sounds fine, but the receiver is so old it lacks most of the new audio formats found on Blu-Ray, any kind of HDMI or component inputs/outputs (this was a LONG time ago in home theater years) and the volume knob is starting to give out. I think a new receiver with HDMI connections would also help eliminate a lot of extraneous wires that clutter up the back of our home theater cabinet.
I still like my Advent B&R speakers, so there’s no need to replace them. But I’m definitely in the market for a new receiver — something not too expensive, which decodes DTS-HD and Dolby True HD formats and is capable of 7.1 sound (which I don’t have the speakers for now, but may be willing to add on later).
There are some pretty amazing deals on receivers out there right now. The three front runners are as follows:
Onkyo TX-SR607 7.2 receiver — It has a front HDMI port which sounds like it would come in handy for new devices I test out for short periods of time. It seems to be widely admired on geeky A/V forums and seems like a solid piece of equipment. It doesn’t seem to have a decent on-screen menu, however, and an iPod dock add-on costs $100, which seems ridiculous. Still, it seems like a solid choice. Also, it is 7.2, not 7.1 (for an extra subwoofer, if you have it). .2! That’s another whole .1! And it has six HDMI ports, which seems crazy. Crazy GOOD!
Sony STR-DN1000 — My last Sony receiver lasted more than a decade, so there’s a sentimental factor here. but the DN1000 isn’t out yet (it arrives on Amazon this week) and there are no real reviews or testimonials out there. It’s $388 on Amazon, which seems like a steal, but I’m leery of buying any product that’s brand new and hasn’t been put through its paces by A/V geeks smarter than myself. Think I’ll have to pass on this one. It also suffers from Lame Accessory Syndrome: an iPod Dock and Sirius-Ready add-on antenna aren’t even available yet, but I’m sure they’ll be pricey. We have a Sony TV and a Sony PlayStation 3, so I thought this receiver might play extra-nice with those sibling components.
Pioneer VSX-1019AH-K — A very positive review on CNet almost has me convinced that this should be my purchase, even without a front-panel HDMI port. I like the USB port on this thing and the included iPod/iPhone cable. We hook up my iPhone and iPod to our receiver all the time to listen to music and I’d like not to have to pay for a separate dock. And the on-screen menus for this receiver sound like they’re easy to navigate.
All the receivers are about $400, so price isn’t that much of an issue. And there are much geekier specs than I’ll get into here like, “Does it upscale from analog sources over HDMI or pass along the signal?” Stuff like that makes me curious and disgusted with myself for being curious at the same time.
Sure, I could buy a home theater in a box, but I already have good speakers and, as lame as it sounds, I like getting back there and setting up all those speaker wires and deciding which cable goes where. And I like the bulky heft of a good A/V receiver with those dozens and dozens and dozens of inputs and outputs. It scratches a geek itch that a HTiB just doesn’t (trust me, I know; I’ve helped other people set those up).
Any A/V geeks in the house want to offer advice? I’m leaning toward the Pioneer even though the Onkyo seems to have a good track record and has all those handy HDMI ports.
What’s a geek to do?
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Linux Against Poverty: putting old computers to good use
We’ve written about Ken Starks in this space before and the admirable work he does for the HeliOS Project.
It’s one of those amazing Austin organizations that puts a lump in my throat every time I write about it. Ken and his volunteers take computers that would otherwise go into landfills or get donated to Goodwill, get them operational and donate them to needy kids, families and non-profits that are happy to have functioning desktop and laptop computers.
One thing I still hear a lot at this late date is why techies aren’t spending less time Twittering and more time doing things for their community. Well, Austin, it’s time to put up or shut up. This Saturday, you have an opportunity to get computers in the hands of those who need them most. Starks hooked up with networking guru Lynn Bender of GeekAustin and they have organized Linux Against Poverty.
At Union Park, starting 1 p.m. Saturday, an Install Fest will accept computers from the public. There’ll even be valet pick-up; just drop that computer in your trunk, show up, and let them take over. Worried about your private data you don’t know how to wipe off the computer? Ken and Co. will wipe the hard drive for you using DBAN; they’ll even accept computers without hard drives if you’re paranoid.
Volunteers for Linux Against Poverty are talking to companies and to friends to try to get as many computers as possible for the Saturday event. Some of the computers keep disappearing, though — Starks has a hard time saying no when kids or families call asking for a donation.
“We keep getting computers and Ken keeps giving them to the kids,” Bender says, “how can you complain about that?” There are expected to be at least 40-50 systems at the Install Fest, but I’d urge you to help get the word out for many more. Among other projects Starks is working on is setting up 25 computers for a new lab at the Cristo Rey Catholic Church.
A party for VIPs and those who donate will start at Union Park at 6 p.m. If you’re a company with a bulk donation, Bender and Starks will arrange to have the PCs or laptops picked up.
They’ll continue to take computers long after the Saturday event is over.
Bender says he started Linux Against Poverty to create a link between the people he knows and the work that Starks is doing. “I had access to computers, I had access to volunteers. Nobody was interested in taking them off my hands. Ken was the missing piece.”
Once the computer data is wiped, Starks and his team install Super OS, a free, open-source derivative of Ubuntu. He loads the computers with free educational software based on what the kids need, then offers tech support afterward to families that need it.
The specs for what computers they’re looking for is on the Linux Against Poverty site and they’re even more lenient for laptops. You can still offer to volunteer, and the hope is that this goodness will spread to other cities.
To top it off, the effort will keep machines out of trash. “These were computers that were going to go to scrap,” Bender said, “they were destined for goodwill or the junkyard. We keep them out of the landfill for another two or three years.”
If you’re a techie, you’re probably surrounded by old computers or equipment you’re not using. Now’s the time to get rid of it and help the community.
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Heads-up: Apple tablet seems increasingly likely
It’s happened before with the iPhone 3G S, Apple’s last few iPod Nano changes and even changes to its MacBook Pros: the rumor mill that used to issue wild speculation on future Apple products has increasingly gotten it right before the company’s big announcements.
So it’s getting harder to deny that Apple may be unveiling a small portable computer this fall (possibly as early as September) that would be something like an oversized iPod Touch, probably with the power of at least a comparably sized PC netbook.
Tech blogs like the ones on Wired.com have begun to accept it as a given that Apple will enter this market space soon and a report in The Financial Times suggests it ties in with Apple’s recent music industry moves, which seems to miss the point that such a device, if priced right, could be the Rolls Royce of netbooks.
Sure, a 10-inch Apple tablet would be a boon to music album art and would be a great device upon which to watch movies, but so would a 13-inch Macbook Pro. The real possibilities here would be a device that has all the utility of an iPhone or iPod Touch (minus the phone part), without a physical keyboard, but with more computing power, memory and — as long as we’re wishing — built-in mobile broadband at a reasonable price.
What do you think? Would a device like this work? Would you consider buying it if it were, say, under $700?
Permalink | Comments (8) | Categories: Computers, Gadgets, Internet
Review: ‘Wii Sports Resort’
The Nintendo Wii game console debuted November 2006, and there are many people who are still playing little more on that system than the original pack-in game, “Wii Sports.”
Which is why it’s no stretch to imagine that Nintendo’s new, “Wii Sports Resort,” a tropical-themed sequel of sorts, is going to be a huge seller. it includes many of the things that made “Wii Sports” such a success (fun, innovative gameplay) and does a few new tricks to justify its $50 pricetag. The game hits stores on Sunday.
Like one of the Wii’s biggest sellers, “Wii Play,” which came bundled with a Wiimote, this game has a bonus inside the box: Nintendo’s new WiiMotion Plus. It’s a small, white attachment the size of a camcorder battery that connects to the bottom of the Wiimote controller. The MotionPlus add more accurate motion sensing to Wii games; instead of a vague approximation of where the controller is and how it’s moving, MotionPlus offers something closer to 1-to-1 motion. You move your controller a few inches and the virtual golf club swung by your on-screen Mii avatar mirrors that movement very closely.
Sold separately, the MotionPlus sells for about $20 (it’s also packed in with the new “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10” golf game), which makes “Sports Resort” seem like a bit of a bargain. But even without it, the grab bag of games would mostly stand on their own with several very entertaining standouts.
Set on a resort island, the game literally throws you into the action: you begin by watching your Mii character jump out of the plane and controlling in-flight movement by moving your Wiimote around. Photos are taken in the air and you can lock-in with other jumpers. It’s a joyous, unexpectedly compelling experience that feels instantly accessible; it’s play like this that shows why the Wii is dominating this generation of consoles.
Other highlights include “Swordplay,” which brings whack-a-friend combat to the living room. Using plastic swords, you can have a pseudo-fencing duel with a friend, or take on mobs of opponents in a challenging, very satisfying samurai mode. It’s likely to be the most popular of any of the games in “Sports Resort.”
“Frisbee,” which also includes a Frisbee Golf mode, is a nice diversion, while “Cycling,” which involves pedaling with the Wiimote and Nunchuk attachment, is a good competitive experience that involves more strategy than you’d expect.
I found myself coming back again and again to “Table Tennis” and “Archery,” two games that make excellent use of MotionPlus, while revamped versions of “Golf” and “Bowling,” from “Wii Sports” are reminders of how enjoyable those games were.
Less successful are, “Power Cruising,” “Wakeboarding” and “Basketball,” all of which look pretty, but seem half-baked in execution. They’re more tedious than fun and “Power Cruising” especially is exhausting to play with its, “Hold your arms up to steer” controls.
“Sports Resort” is best when it mixes unique gameplay challenges with something new, as it does in “Air Sports.” that set of games includes the skydiving bit along with a simple, but lovely airplane-flying simulation and a spectacular “Dogfight” mode.
Many of the games in “Sports Resort” accommodate up to four players — like “Wii Sports” before it, it’s destined to be a living room mainstay. The games are almost all entertaining, with great attention to detail (the Mii characters still make great background cheerleaders and competitors), and Nintendo’s usual polish.
It remains to be seen if MotionPlus will be used so well in other games or whether it’ll be worth upgrading all your Wiimotes to accommodate friends. But in “Sports Resort,” makes a great case for the new technology and it’ll be hard for many resist playing Virtual Jedis in “Swordplay” mode with friends. This is the kind of thing the Wii was meant for and once again Nintendo has shown why it leads the gaming pack.
“Wii Sports Resort”
$50, for Nintendo Wii
Rated E for Everyone
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Windows XP to Windows 7: The rickety drawbridge ahead
Last month, I gave an optimistic view of Windows 7, Microsoft’s new operating system due out in October. I’d been playing around with the Release Candidate version of the OS, which was made freely available to try out and install.
Instead of installing it over my Windows XP system, I did the safe thing and put it on my Macbook as a Boot Camp installation, allowing me to try out Windows 7 without worrying about disturbing my Windows XP system, which runs great and is causing me no problems.
I liked Windows 7 so much, that I held out hope that there’d be some easy way to upgrade from Windows XP when the time came without having to upgrade to the operating system in the middle, Vista.
It was a futile hope, it turns out, like wishing for rainbows on your wedding day or free money at the ATM. My worst nightmare is having to wipe away my whole Windows XP system and having to start over, reinstalling all my programs and reconfiguring everything to run the way I want it to, something that has taken me literally years to do.
What’s that process going to be like? The Wall Street Journal’s tech columnist Walt Mossberg, who has been exploring the issue, says that for XP users looking to upgrade, it’s going to be, “Frustrating and tedious and painful.”
Well, (expletive).
I was hoping Microsoft might have come up with some magic bullet, perhaps involving their Windows XP mode, but it doesn’t sound like a painless upgrade path will be provided at this late date. (Unless Mossberg has so much sway that it caused Microsoft to brew up some last-minute magic.)
Well, Windows XP isn’t so bad and I guess I’ll be able to use Windows 7 on my Mac (which always seems a bit of a strange situation) until that Release Candidate version expires.
See the video below to get the sobering explanation from Mossberg.
Oh, and before you think you’re being clever by posting a comment that says, “Just get a Mac” or “install Linux!” I should warn you that I have a delete button and I know how to use it.
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‘Zappos and Amazon sitting in a tree..’
However, despite headlines that already say, “Amazon buys Zappos” across the Internet, charismatic Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh (pictured at right) insists that Zappos will continue to run as an independent company, maintaining its unique culture and staff.
In a surprisingly amusing letter to Zappos employees, Hsieh, a keynote speaker at this year’s South by Southwest Interactive, says he’d rather call it, “Zappos and Amazon sitting in a tree…” than an “acquisition.”
Nevertheless, devoted shoppers of Zappos will wonder if they’ll still get their free overnight shipping and if the company’s employees will still have “Happiness” as a mission-critical goal. If Hsieh’s letter is accurate, very little will change at the company; Amazon will presumably give Zappos access to its larger customer base and, potentially more shipping muscle and reach.
Zappos, in exchange, may smooth out some of the rough edges in Amazon’s recent PR missteps and could be a nice, premium boutique within Amazon’s bargain mall of an online store.
What remains to be seen is whether Amazon’s reputation for low pricing will rub off on the retail strategy at Zappos, which typically has great customer support, but not always the lowest prices. And is this a signal that Amazon might be ready to expand its empire even further? If so, I might have a suggestion for the next one.
See a video below of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos talking about the deal:
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The Linkdown for Monday, July 20
The Linkdown is thrilled that the summer heat has broken just a bit and that it’s safe to wear dark colors again.
Here are some links you need:
- “DC Universe Online,” which is being developed in Austin, is accepting videos at Comic-Con this weekend where people will tell them about their favorite superhero. More details on their MySpace page. Much better news than recent word about 41 layoffs at Sony Online Entertainment, the company developing “DC Universe Online.”
- “Tech Girls Are Chic,” the book. (We didn’t really need a book to tell us that, but it’s nice that it’s being acknowledged out there.)
- Absolute Software helps AISD with laptop recovery.
- Slacker Radio now appears standard on BlackBerry Storm phones.
- GameStop, The Guildhall at Southern Methodist University and the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences announce the first Indie Game Challenge.
- The American Heart Association’s CPR and First Aid app: life-saving tips in your pocket.
- A new version of the Outlook Add-in for fans of “Getting Things Done.”
- Free backup software! I’m using this on my Windows XP system with my Drobo and it’s working very well.
- Austin HDR star Trey Ratcliff is hosting an Austin PhotoWalk on August 6. More details on Facebook at this page.
- Austin’s Linux Against Poverty event is only two weeks away.
- Austin-based company launches a running app, iRace.
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Getting those business cards all-digital
The problem.
When I started working at the American-Statesman, just over 12 years ago (I know; I am surprised by that, too), I didn’t have a PDA or a smartphone. I kept things in a weathered Day Planner I got in college. I thought it was a gigantic leap forward in my organizational prowess when the company gave me a large Rolodex (pictured above) to keep my business cards in order.
What I didn’t count on was that being a business reporter was one of the quickest ways to fill up that thing. In just a few months, I’d already jammed the Rolodex with enough business cards to exhaust my supply of plastic card sleeves. New business cards began to get stored, unfiled, in a box I kept in a desk drawer. I’d thumb through those cards like a Vegas dealer whenever I needed to contact someone who wasn’t on my computer’s contact list file.
A decade and hundreds of business cards later, my collection had grown to three boxes, the Rolodex (now dusty) and the hundreds of contact scattered across my work computer’s Address Book program, my laptop’s Address Book, my iPhone and my contacts list in Gmail.
I’d had enough. One of my big projects this year is to consolidate everything into one electronic contact list that’s synchronized across all my computers and is updated on my phone as well. It’s a tall order and I’m not even sure what some of the steps will involve, but I do know that the first order of business is getting rid of those stacks of cards — many of them filled with outdated, useless information — off my desk.
The first thing that spurred me to action was a Buy.com sale on a receipt/business card scanner for $69. That deal’s no longer available, but a business card-only scanner by the same company is there for just a little more, about $75.
The one I bought looks like this:
Most similar scanners I’ve seen cost more than $200, especially if you want a Mac version, so this was enough of a steal for me to go ahead and jump at the offer.
I installed the software on my Windows machine and got to work. I brought home several dozen business cards at a time and started scanning. The NeatWprls software that came with the device stores not only the information from the card, but also a color or black-and-white image of the original card in case you need to come back to it later. You can also scan a double-sided card (though you have to insert the card into the scanner manually twice), and it does a remarkably good job recognizing text and numbers from most standard-issue business cards.
It runs into problems with cards that have a black or transparent background, requiring you to go back and type much of the information anyway. But with about 75 percent of the cards I scanned, all the information was recognized and categorized correctly without much work on my end. You have the option of approving a card and going in and fixing any typos or category mix-ups (say, a physical address that might have gotten mixed up with a Web address).
Although going through and fixing things yourself would seem to defeat the purpose of having hardware and software dedicated to scanning in cards automatically, I learned to be sympathetic: I was amazed by the variety of typefaces, weird graphics and obscured information on business cards, especially for people who are supposedly marketing experts.
Some of these cards weren’t just giving the character-recognition software problems: they were hard for me decipher using my own eyes. Word of advice for creative types designing their own business cards: don’t be so cute. Or if you’re going to have a typographical meltdown, do it on the back of the card, away from your basic name/company/phone/e-mail information.
Otherwise, the scanner performed fine. Scanning in cards takes only four of five seconds each (even faster if you scan in black and white instead of color), much quicker than trying to use a flatbed scanner. The software was good about recognizing text, even if the card was scanned slightly askew, as can happen on hand-fed scanner like this. The scanner is small, light and unobtrusive, and even comes with a stand and a wall mount to keep it from taking up too much desk real estate.
The biggest hurdle I had to overcome (next to the sheer number of cards to be scanned) was getting the cards recognized in Apple’s Address Book software. Every format I tried to export the business card information (including supposedly ubiquitous formats like vCard, .csv text or .rtf) was ignored by Address Book as an invalid card format.
The work-around for me was to export them as vCards, import them to Microsoft Outlook and then export them again as vCards. Something about doing it that way seemed to magically fix the problem. Then, I put the files onto a flash drive, walked them over to my Mac and imported them into Address Book, no problem.
It’s an annoying middle step and one that could have been eliminated if I’d simply bought a Mac version of the scanner and software in the first place (at three times the price).
It’s an annoyance I’m willing to live with and, as long as I do the extra export/import steps in large batches, it’s not too time consuming. Once they’re in Address Book and on my phone, I no longer have to worry about them and I can even sync with Facebook to pull down images of my contacts to go with those phone entries.
My stack of business cards is still large, but after scanning in more than 150 over the last few weeks, I’m starting to feel like I’m making a dent. It’s very nice to see fewer cards on my desk, and it’s been a good opportunity to clear out outdated information and to throw away cards for people who are no longer at the companies listed.
Of course, if I’d decided it was too much time and effort, I could have tried out a service like Cloud Contacts, which does the physical scanning for you and even exports your contact info to social networking sites like LinkedIn, Plaxo or Facebook. The service starts at about $30 for 100 cards scanned and even offers a service that allows you to simply take a photo of your cards and upload them.
Shoeboxed.com also offers a monthly service for scanning in those cards, starting at about $10 a month.
If nothing else, I feel a little more organized every time I scan in 20 or 30 cards and am able to toss the paper versions in the recycle bin.
How do you handle business cards? Are you all-digital or do you have stacks and stacks around? Let me know in the comments.
Permalink | Comments (8) | Post your comment Categories: Austin, Gadgets, Phones
Music label neuters ‘Keyboard Cat’
I’m a day late on this, but I attribute that to a period of mourning and disbelief in which my eyes simply couldn’t focus on the screen (that’s why there was no blog entry yesterday).
As reported by Wired and CNet (which called it the greatest Internet video ever; I do not disagree), a Keyboard Cat video featuring a brilliant Helen Hunt movie and a Hall & Oates video. (Trust us. You just have to watch it.)
Unfortunately, the YouTube version of the video, which had amassed over 379,000 views, had had the audio for the music portion stripped by request of Warner Music Group, which apparently doesn’t recognize a golden Internet opportunity when it’s scratching at their cat door.
I was too distraught to dig deeper on the story yesterday, but the silver lining is that, this being the Internet, it’s very easy to find the video intact at other places, like Funny or Die. In fact, here it is right now:
No one will ever top this Keyboard Cat video, so let us simply bask in its glow and curve Warner Music Group under our collective breath.
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Warning: Don’t text and mow
Photo by M. Spencer Green / ASSOCIATED PRESS
I received an important missive from a company called Predicto Mobile (is it Mobile? I Predicto it is!), with warnings on when you shouldn’t use text messaging.
Are you moving? Do not text! Are you holding a sharp object or moving around near rotating blades? Put down the phone!
In the e-mail I received, the case of Texas Longhorn Sergio Kindle (who was said to be texting while driving and had an accident) was cited to give the issue a strong local connection. As a journalist, this does help me out as I sift through press releases.
But then I have to ask myself, is texting a big deal? Of course it is. They do it on “Gossip Girl,” the e-mail helpfully pointed out. And, of course, a girl just fell down a manhole while texting, so there’s a very timely element to this pitch.
But Predicto, a “leader in the online mobile community” I’d previously never heard of, should not be mocked because they are offering some useful, practical information on things you should not do while texting. Laugh if you like (and believe me, I have), but this is all very sound advice. Check it:
Got it? Shoot me a text (BUT NOT WHILE MOWING!) if you have any questions.
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The Linkdown for Monday, July 13
The Linkdown used to have a fully functioning brain, but it has melted under the relentless heat of a summer full of 100+ degree days. If this heat doesn’t let us soon, The Linkdown is going to have to be renamed The Meltdown.
Here are the burnt-to-a-crisp links that have survived cranial warming:
- Hey kids (and parents): it’s not too late to sign up for UT Digital Media Academy camp! More Internet, fewer bugs and canoe tip-overs!
- Austin’s Mobile Loaves & Fishes needs your vote in the MindComet CommuniCause contest. It’s just out of reach of the top 10 for a non-profit makeover. If we promise to support them by voting, will MindComet stop mashing up words together like “CommuniCause?”
- Just launched today: “DriveSharp,” a $139 software package for PC and Mac purporting to help improve brain/visual acuity for driving.
- Austin’s Virtual Worlds Management has changed its name to Engage Digital Media. I like to engage digital media every day! Sometimes twice!
- Sony’s Bravia Internet Video platform, which is becoming available on more and more Sony Bravia TVs, has signed up Livestrong.com, Netflix, ON Networks, and eHow/Demand Media as content providers. Sadly, no announcement has been made about Netflix on the Sony PlayStation 3.
- Deltina Hay, author of “A Survival Guide to Social Media and Web 2.0 Optimization” will be at BookPeople 7 p.m. July 22.
- Nerf N-Strike 2: The Re-Nerfening!
- City of Boston has an official iPhone app. Might we see one here?
- “What To Wear,” a Facebook social game, was revealed to us by Andrea Meyer, a UT alumni who is Community Outreach Manager for the game. It’s produced by New York-based Large Animal Games. You can see a YouTube video for the game at the bottom of this entry.
- PC World tests out 3G phone service in 13 U.S. cities (not including Austin).
- Games emporium GameStop is declaring this the summer of Family Night In. Playing video games is cheaper than taking the family out.
- Electronics recycling at Best Buy locations.
The video for “What To Wear”:
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Another mom blogger you should hear about
If we weren’t limited by the dimensions of space in the newspaper, the story about mom bloggers that runs in this Sunday’s American-Statesman would have certainly included Bernadette Noll, an Austin blogger who was kind enough to talk to me in an interview for the piece.
Noll writes several blogs including Slow Family Living, which she describes as part of a movement to, “Slow your life down at home and connect with your family members.”
Like many mom bloggers I spoke to for the story, she began her original blog as a chronicle of motherhood, trying to write about both the highs and the lows without dwelling on the negatives.
Her story confirms a lot of what was in the story: she found success focusing on a particular area (the slow family movement) and has made lots of real-life contacts through her online writing.
But the thing she said that I liked the most and regretted not including in the story illustrated the differences between how people perceive the authors behind mom blogs and the realities they face every day. I will let Bernadette say it for herself. It’s what happened when a reader wrote to her about her seemingly perfect life:
“I had a picture on my blog — I was wearing this awesome dress a friend made for me. They wrote, ‘Man, you look like you got it made. It’s so easy for you.’ “
“In the picture, what looked like a little handbag in one hand was a pair of toddler pants soaked in urine. In my other hand you couldn’t see, I’m literally dragging a screaming toddler across the lawn. A friend snapped the picture. I was smiling, hysterical. When she captured it, it looked cover girl-ish. I wrote back, ‘You have to be careful of looking in and thinking that all the other moms have got it made.’ “
“To read someone’s blog and kind of compare yourself to it can be a dangerous position. Build your virtual world, but make sure you build a real world as well. The real human connection — there’s not substitute for that.”
This would also be a good place to mention our own mom bloggers, Tara Trower and Nicole Villalpando, whose award-winning Mama Drama blog has been a fixture on our site for quite a while.
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Review: Able Planet True Fidelity Headphones
Headsets for a PC need to meet a pretty small number of criteria: they just need to sound good, deliver decent voice quality to other online gamers or Skype-mates you’re communicating with, and they need to be comfortable.
You’d be surprised how many headphone/microphone sets get at least one of those requirements wrong. Some are too bulky and and pack so much material into the earpieces they weigh down your head and make your ears sweaty. Others don’t pick up decent or loud-enough sound from your voice. Others just sound awful or only handle sound for one ear, requiring you to keep your PC speakers on or to settle for a decidedly un-stereo experience.
Able Planet’s $99 True Fidelity Multimedia Stereo Headphones works well because it has small, lightweight earpieces that nevertheless completely block out the outside world to deliver good PC gaming audio. They’re not big enough to cover your ears, but make a good seal to eliminate outside noise and don’t feel cheap or fragile despite their size.
One surprise I had with the headset is that it has a USB adapter that plugs into two separate connectors for the microphone and the headphones. That sounds great in theory and worked well on my Windows PC, but on a Mac, I wasn’t able to get the popular audio recording program “Garage Band” to recognize the mic. When I tried to plug it in without the USB connector to the Audio In port, I got very weak sound, unsuitable for voice recording.
Nevertheless, the headset is meant more for gaming audio and online chatting, and that’s where it excels. My nightly “Team Fortress 2” matches sounded fantastic, with booming bass and distinct weapon fire, and teammates picked up my voice loud and clear. Though it may be redundant for those with audio controls nearby, the headset has its own volume dial and mic mute button on the cable. It’s small and unobtrusive and also has a clip to keep it attached to you if you’re prone to dancing around your desk.
For $99, the Able Planet headset isn’t cheap, but I’ve tried out more expensive headsets that aren’t nearly as comfortable and as compact as these.
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Digital Contrarian: the iTunes App Store
This is the first in a regular series called “Digital Contrarian,” in which we’ll look at widely-used online services, tech products and electronic entertainment and talk about the ways they might be improved.
Let us first praise the wonder that is the iTunes App Store. Cell phones used to be closed-off platforms tightly controlled by the wireless companies.
They still are, but at least the software you use on cells like the iPhone, BlackBerry or Android G1 can be supplemented with downloadable applications (“apps”), many of them free.
It’s brought garage developers and plenty of others into the fold, giving you more options on how you use your phone, bringing your mobile ever closer to the power of a laptop or desktop computer. And there are so many apps. On the iTunes App Store there are currently more than 56,500 apps; when the iPhone debuted two years ago, there were just more than 500. The App Store (and the fledgling, but growing equivalents for BlackBerry, Android and Palm’s new Pré phone) are great.
However … they’re not perfect. As Apple’s store proves, sometimes having a great variety of apps for a very good phone does not come without problems. Here are five things that drive us crazy about the iTunes App Store:
1. Finding stuff: Anyone who has tried to find an App without knowing the exact name or simply by browsing through 56,500 options knows that Apple’s approach to search need work. You can find Apps through iTunes, on your iPhone or iPod Touch and on Apple’s Web page for the App Store, which makes a go of categories like “Apps for Working Out” and “Apps for Managing Money.” But otherwise, the categories are too generic (“Lifestyle,” “Reference”) are too generic and there are so many apps in every category that it’s hard to figure out what to download. Search is also flaky. Check out what happens when you type in productivity guru David Allen’s name to try to find to-do list applications associated with his popular “Getting Things Done”:
NBA apps? “Babelgum?” (That one’s an App that plays Web videos.) No. If you’re going to wade through so many apps, iTunes needs far better ways to search.
2. Ratings are inconsistent: The five-star rating system should be a good resource to separate the bad apps from the ones worth buying or downloading. Unfortunately, good apps often get bad ratings that don’t go away even if the app is improved by subsequent updates. It’s tough to tell who the reviewers are (there’s no accountability for writing bad reviews except for Apple’s annoying “Was this review helpful?” vote). Searching by top-rated apps often simply doesn’t bring up the best apps, especially the hidden gems that a lot of people haven’t found yet.
3. Some apps can’t be downloaded without a fast network: This has improved a bit, but many apps above a certain size can only be downloaded while on a 3G or Wi-Fi network. This is fine for owners of new iPhones, but I know when I used my first-generation iPhone, I would have been willing to wait for some apps or updates to download over the slower EDGE network. That option wasn’t available. 3G also isn’t ubiquitous. There should be an option to download an app whether you’re in the fast lane or not.
4. There’s no way to search by price or find bargains: One of the pleasant surprises of the App Store is how many publishers have promoted their wares by discounting them to 99 cents. I picked up the $5 game “Peggle” at that price and several others. But I wouldn’t have known about them if I’d only been looking around the App Store. Instead, I usually find out about sales like that through gadget blogs or special sites like 148apps’s list of discounts and sales. Besides offering an option to view free or pay apps, Apple has done little to help us find good deals. There should be an “On Sale” category in the App Store.
5. Updates are a pain: The more apps you download the more often you’ll be downloading updates every time the publisher of an application decides to release a new version. Sometimes it’s done to fix bugs, other times major new features are rolled out. It’s nice to see a list of things that are new or being fixed, but I imagine most people don’t care to go through the process of checking for updates, selecting which ones to update and entering their password to authorize the downloads. Why isn’t there a way to automatically download and apply updates? Not everyone would use that option, but for those who want the latest App updates, no questions asked, iTunes needs a way to automate that process.
How would you improve the App Store? Let us know in the comments.
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‘Ghostbusters: The Video Game,’ you have defeated me
You have no idea how excited I was to play the new “Ghostbusters: The Video Game.” It just sounded like complete geek catnip. Who wouldn’t want to hang around with Dr. Venkman and Egon and… you know… the other guys… and bust some ghosts!? I wasn’t even afraid. I had my proton beam hopes set to, “Anticipation.”
I have to tell you: I’ve been playing this game for weeks now and I’m barely past one of the earliest levels. The difficulty I have it set on is “Normal,” but there is nothing normal about the difficulty spikes this game presents in what is an otherwise entertaining experience.
This is not gameplay meant for humans. This is gameplay so difficult that it would make robots cry, reducing them to impossible robot tears while they whined (in binary), “NO FAIR!”
Not once, not twice, but three times I’ve stayed up past 1 a.m. trying to get past one portion of the game only to grind my teeth and curse at the TV and feel my self esteem drop as the game takes its sweet time restarting a level. (The Ray Parker Jr. song plays, mocking you. Nobody wants to be mocked, in song, by Ray Parker Jr.)
The game is so frustrating to play (as opposed to just watching; it’s a great game to watch) that I’ve begun to doubt my own skills as a game player. Is it just me who gets unfairly cornered by fireball-tossing ghosts and what seem like hundreds of little dog-like imps every time, knocked over and killed with a grating “MISSION FAILED” across the screen before I can even get back on my feet?
Is the Wii version any easier? Because the Xbox 360 is proving impossible. It owns me.
Most games that present a bit of a challenge require a simple trip to an online walkthrough guide. When I went online out of frustration looking for shortcuts, i was told simply to kill everything on screen and move on. Thanks for the advice, Internet dudes.
It’s a shame because the voice acting, dialogue and visuals are mostly spot-on; it’s disappointing the actual gameplay makes me want to track down the people in charge of the game’s artificial intelligence and rap their knuckles with a ruler until they cry.
I’m that frustrated.
And this is just the first couple of stages of the game. I can only imagine the tortuous “Dante’s Inferno”-style levels of Hell ahead.
I wanted to review this game and tell you all about it, but apparently I am not qualified to play it far enough to give you a complete picture. I gave it another go last night and had the same blood-boiling experience. I did get past one area that had been giving me problems (right before the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man climbs the building), but I’m sure there’s another soul-shrinking set of challenges just ahead as I trek to the haunted library.
At this point, I don’t even know if I’ll keep playing to see what happens next. I’m sure some of it involves me having a coronary event. I can’t remember the last time I was so perplexed by what’s supposed to be a fun, mass-audience video game.
I’m sorry. I have failed you, readers.
And “Ghostbusters: The Video Game” has failed me, big time.
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Jackson memorial brings down the house, but not the Internet
Fears that the Internet might be crippled by a surge of interest in Michael Jackson’s televised memorial proved unfounded today as things chugged along, even as some sought out live streams of the Staples Center memorial or posted their running commentary on sites like Twitter and Facebook.
Keynote Systems, a San Mateo-Calif. company that follows the Web performance of many major sites gave this highly scientific analysis just after the memorial ended:
“Overall the Internet is performing ok (that is based on The Keynote Business 40 Web Performance Index).”
Well, OK, then. The analysis was free from the grim take Keynote had after Jackson’s death rocked the Internet, which later proved to be a bit overblown.
From where I sat, sites like CNN and Facebook — which were joined at the hip on CNN’s live Web stream — held up well while Twitter mostly held up under a barrage of observations from people watching the memorial as it was broadcast.
Unlike the last major media event held during the day: the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January, my guess is that many people tuned out or simply abandoned Twitter to avoid the commentary entirely. Several people I followed seemed to log back into Twitter when it was over or at least expressed wariness at all the attention.
One of them, Deputy Technology Editor Vindu Goel of the New York Times, wrote simply, “Does this mean the long good-bye is finally over?”
Some other observations:
- CNN and Facebook’s video + commentary mashup again impressed. With an option to see what all Facebook users were saying or just what your friends were posting, it combined usefulness with very good, uninterrupted video of the event itself.
- NBC News’ unfortunate declaration just before the memorial of, “We don’t know what’s going on inside” might be the most piteous thing said all day.
- Mariah Carey’s back-up singer Trey Lorenz got a brief moment of glory when he was among the Jackson-related trending topics on Twitter. Wonder when we’ll see that happen again for Lorenz. At various times during the memorial, almost all of Twitter’s trending subjects were related to Jackson and the Staples Center event.
- Several people I follow said they couldn’t wait to download the performances from the memorial when they were available on iTunes. I’m pretty sure they weren’t joking.
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The Linkdown for Thursday, July 2
Oh, The Linkdown can already taste beer and hot dogs warmed not only by the grill but by blazing 105-degree temperatures. Saturday is gonna taste like freedom (or at least freedom-dipped beef franks).
While you are recuperating from heat stroke, you can check out these links:
- A few months ago, I sent off my old, unused Motorola Razr phone to Cell Phones for Soldiers. It’s Independence Day soon; do the same if you have an old phone lying around. More info here from AT&T. Shipping is free and you’re doing a good deed.
- NCSoft is still chugging along despite the departure of Richard Garriott. Their next big game, “Aion” is due out Sept. 22 and is already available for pre-order. The company says it’s holding a special closed beta event this weekend and is giving players a chance to win a trip to Seattle for the game’s launch party and the Penny Arcade Expo.
- The City of Austin has an online game for you: crunch the budget!
- The Snuza uses motion-detection technology to monitor your baby’s movement. You can also use it to clip a bag of chips and make sure they don’t tip over in the pantry.
- If you’re still rocking Internet Explorer (WHY!?), you can now translate pages using Google Toolbar.
- Is it just me or does paying $160 to try to save money on gas with a device like the Fuel Efficiency Adviser seem a little… inefficient?
- Journalism students: MaYaMo wants you for a citizen journalism project. Just remember, “Citizen journalism” is often just another way of saying, “You work for free.” Just ask CNN’s iReporters.
- Austin’s Pixel Mine has a new iPhone game called Super Collider. 99 cents!
- QuakeCon 2009 is moving to a new location: The Gaylord Texan, north of Dallas.
- The Wattpad e-book service has arrived on the Android platform.
- I’ve not been in the market for a Vizio TV, but I must admit, the partners announced for their Internet apps are HOT. Pandora? Netflix? Twitter? Facebook? Flickr? Yes, please!
- Austin-connected Slacker has a Michael Jackson radio station in case you’re not already burned out (again) on the King of Pop’s music.
- Sessions for September’s Game Developers Conference in Austin are starting to fill the schedule.
- Sharon Henry is a journalism artist and friend; that’s sure not going to prevent me from sharing her amazing work with you — check out her iPhone-generated visual reports on Austin. They’re beautiful!
- Pretty cool video about HP’s new Web-connected printer, the TouchSmart.
- Austin’s Game Over Videogames is launching a summer-long Classic Game Fest, starting Friday night with “Pong.” It’s retro game summer!
Have a great holiday weekend!
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Why I don’t #squarespace
Recent #moonfruit Tweets
From a marketing perspective, it was pure genius. A Manhattan-based Web service and hosting company called Squarespace offered to give away 30 iPhone 3G S devices for 30 days to a person randomly selected among those who included the hashtag “#squarespace” in Twitter posts.
I’d never heard of Squarespace before this contest, which was timed perfectly with Apple’s announcement of its latest iPhone version. Now, I hope I never hear about them again.
I only follow a few hundred people on Twitter, but I was flooded with posts tagged “#squarespace.” Because I like to follow people who are very smart and funny, many of the posts were amusing, plaintive calls for an iPhone 3G S with a hint of irony. Many other posts simply added the “#squarespace” without any context, basically the Twitter equivalent of tattered lottery scratch-off cards you find littering the space around a municipal trash can.
The company isn’t actually giving away iPhone 3G S devices. According to their contest page, they’re actually giving away $199 Apple Store gift cards, which winners can choose to purchase the 16-Gigabyte iPhone 3G S (as for activation fees and monthly service, winners are on their own).
Using those numbers, you can calculate that the company spent $5,970 for what I would guess returned hundreds of thousands of dollars in free publicity.
Genius. The contest ends July 7, but I have no doubt they’ll bring it back around for another go-round. Why not? It’s an amazing bargain for them.
It worked so well, in fact, that another company is doing the same thing: London-based Moonfruit, an online Web site builder, is using the same method to give away 10 Macbook Pros.
Not surprisingly, #moonfruit, which no one had heard of before, is now a trending topic on Twitter and will likely stay there for the duration of the contest.
And here’s where I get grouchy: I have no problem with people wanting to win an iPhone. Or a Macbook Pro. Especially a Macbook Pro. But let’s be honest: these are both online raffles with very little chance of winning. You’re buying a lottery ticket, basically, by using your Twitter account to try to win.
The argument would be that a lottery ticket costs money, while posting one, several or many Tweets with “#squarespace” or “#moonfruit” costs nothing.
I would disagree. If you believe that, then you must believe that your Twitter posts are worth nothing, mere scraps in the wind with no value. Come on, Twitter people: have some self-respect.
This is what posting lotto-Tweets costs you, as I see it:
- Every Tweet you post with a #squarespace or @moonfruit increases the likelihood that cynical jerks like me will unfollow you. The more you do it, the unfollow likelihood increases exponentially.
- The more contest Tweets you post, the less likely you are to post good, useful information or give us insight into your own life. Unless the insight you want to share is, “I’ll do anything for a $199 gift card.”
- As always happens when you post useless things on Twitter, you’re polluting the stream of everyone who follows you. And there’s no simple way to filter that out without filtering you out.
- You’re helping a company that you probably have little to no interest in beyond winning a contest. Do you really want to turn yourself into a talking online billboard? You know those guys who walk down the street with the sandwich board for new housing subdivisions or furniture stores? You are to Twitter what they are to busy street corners.
Perhaps I’m being too cynical and too judgmental. I mean, really, post whatever you want. But it made me a little sad the last few weeks to see people embrace wholeheartedly what’s little more than a very clever marketing gimmick.
Your Tweets, however trivial, have some worth. That’s why people follow you on Twitter.
You have worth. You’re better than this, frankly.
Time to start acting like it.
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Moving movie posters
The videos below are a little self-promotional (for the Red camera company as well as Alexx Henry Photography, but I’m sure you’ll agree what they’re doing is very cool. Stunning, even, if you didn’t know exactly what you were looking at.
Using an ultra-high-def Red One movie camera, Alexx Henry and his crew put together movie posters (that could be embedded onto Web sites as well) that appear to suddenly go into motion from a still image. The trick is capturing on a digital video camera something that looks as sharp and life-like as a photo we’d see on a movie poster.
The video below shows how it’s done for the Cybill Shepherd TV movie “Mrs. Washington Goes to Smith” (ha!) and the video below shows one example of the final product as it was presented on the movie’s Web site. Pretty amazing.
Living Movie Poster - Start to Finish from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.
Living Movie Poster - Students Have No Class from Alexx Henry on Vimeo.
More examples from this project over on Alexx Henry’s blog.
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