Thursday, May 27, 2010

VS2010 Will Create iPhone Apps?

Apple: Will Steve Ballmer Show Up At The WWDC Keynote? - Tech Trader Daily - Barrons.com

Apparently he will be there to talk about VS2010 and that it can be used to create iPad, iPod & iPhone appps.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Jobs: Thoughts on Flash

I'm really surprised Steve Jobs wrote this and put it out there for all to see.

Essential thoughts:
1) Flash is not an open format
2) Flash is not necessary for the "full web" experience
3) Reliability/Security/Performance issues
4) Hardware (H.264) vs. software (Flash) video decoding and battery life
5) MouseOver events
6) Adobe wants to use Flash to create native iPhone/iPad/iPod touch apps

Thoughts on Flash

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Volkswagen bik.e - Electric portable bike


The Volkswagen bik.e folds up into the size of a spare tire, goes for about 20 miles on a charge, and can be charged by being plugged in to the car.

Volkswagen bik.e replaces spare tire with electric mobility device [w/video] — Autoblog Green

Boy Scout Video Game Beltloop


You can now earn a belt loop by playing video games! Well, it's a little more involved, but still...
Video Games

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Is Bowersox Out?



Poor Bowersox. This is the first time all four judges said she didn't do a fantastic job. It was still fantastic, according to them, just not her best performance. They told everyone else that it was their best performance ever (mostly anyway). I wonder if that's all it will take for her to get voted off.

Hate the iPad?



This is, like, the opposite of an iPad. A keyboard with a tiny screen. I really like ASUS but I just can't imagine this succeeding.

ASUS EeeKeyboard

iRetrofone Base



One of my friends spent a fair amount of time and money to get an authentic 1970s rotary dial phone. Maybe he'll get this when he gets an iPhone.
iRetrofone Base

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Treadmill bike?


I think this is actually a real working prototype, not a spoof.
Treadmill Bike Concept

Abed Nadir = Scotty Pelk

=

The character Abed Nadir from the TV show Community is almost the same character as Scotty Pelk from the movie Film Geek. They both have encyclopedic knowledge about film, but Abed is well liked while Scotty turns everybody off. I kept thinking "That's something Abed would do" the entire time I watched the film.

Abed's quirkiness isn't considered a problem because it's productive. He improves the lives of his friends through his insights and makes lots of student film shorts. Scotty forces his opinions about directors, widescreen vs. pan-and-scan, etc., on customers at his video store to the point that they complain to the manager. Abed goes on dates and actually talks about different subjects, while Scotty can only talk about how awesome a given director is, then mentions his essay "[director] Is Awesome! By Scotty Pelk" on his website.

I don't know how Abed ends up, but Scotty's life takes a turn by the end of the movie. I can't say any more without spoiling it, but if you wonder how Abed would fare in real life, watch this movie.


I can't believe no one else has made this connection (based on Internet searches, anyway).

Friday, March 12, 2010

Spy Coin Holds MicroSD Card


(picture via makersmarket.com)

It's almost $30 but still pretty neat. You can put a MicroSD in it so you can accidentally give someone pictures of your family when you give them change.

Makers Market: MicroNickel Hollow Spy Coin

iPad Preorder


(image via Apple)

I love the idea of this thing, but without a videoconferencing camera on the front and without Flash support I just can't justify it. Everything else about this Big Ol' iPod Touch makes me want to buy it.

iPad - Apple Store (U.S.)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Google Maps Now Has Bike Routes

Google Maps is starting to add bike routing. You can find bike trails, bike-friendly roads, etc. It will route you around busy intersections and will avoid going uphill when possible.

Go to http://maps.google.com/biking to see what bike trails are in your area.

Official Google Blog: Biking directions added to Google Maps

PlayStation Wiimote

Playstation Move has been officially announced. First glance makes it look a lot like a Wiimote + nunchuck.


Image via TechSpot.com

It is lighter, has built-in rechargeable batteries, is completely wireless, has a different button layout, etc. The ball is the only real innovation--the Sony camera determines what color is missing from the background then changes the ball to that color so that it can be easily tracked. Of course, it's not very accurate right now but I'm sure they'll have that ironed out by the time it's released.

In my opinion, the Wiimote combination is quite silly, but is appropriate for the silly Wii. The Wii tries very hard to be a simple fun family gaming system. FPS games are certainly easier to play on the XBox 360 than the Wii. I can't imagine how this limited-button controller could be used for existing games, so users will essentially have to buy an entirely new set of controllers & games to use this, so what is its advantage over just buying a Wii? I can see Nintendo cutting the price again this year to get even more market share.

I am glad we finally bought a 360, but that's because it's cheaper than buying a new PC for its graphics card. I pretty much only play PC games on it, while I play everything else on the Wii. I guess if I only had a PS3 this would be a more exciting announcement.


PlayStation Move first hands-on (update: video!) -- Engadget

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Obama Caught Lip-Syncing Speech

What a losser. He needs to be impeched. This is whats wrong with America. I'm glad he got caught doing something shameful. I was just thinking about what else he could do stupid and wala! He does this! The Democrats and there followers must feel really stupid now! Go to school!

Obama Caught Lip-Syncing Speech

Gotta love the Onion.

Monday, March 08, 2010

Perspective

One of my old friends from high school just lost her husband to a complication after surgery. He went in for his septum and was at home on medication when he passed away in his sleep. Reminds me that petty things are petty things.

Friday, March 05, 2010

MacDailyNews - Why Adobe's Flash doesn't work on Apple's iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

Duh. There is no 'mouseover' event on touchscreens, so most Flash applications won't work, so they just don't support it at all. I found it hard to believe that the iPhone wasn't powerful enough to show the Flash-based menus on our son's school's website.

MacDailyNews - Why Adobe's Flash doesn't work on Apple's iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch

Thursday, March 04, 2010

How cybercriminals invade social networks, companies - USATODAY.com

I'm surprised at how extremely specific this is about how they did it. The only thing they didn't explain was how the guy's Facebook account was hacked.

How cybercriminals invade social networks, companies - USATODAY.com

Eton Scorpion | Uncrate

This is a great all-in-one radio/weather/light/charger with a hand crank and solar cell (no batteries required). They also make a smaller one for about $30 that charges any USB-powered device (iPhone, Sony Reader, etc.) so you always have a way to charge your phone.

Eton Scorpion | Uncrate

Screwpop | Uncrate

I've always wanted a keychain screwdriver but I haven't liked any of the available items. Unfortunately this is only available from their online store, which has a pretty steep shipping cost.

Screwpop | Uncrate

Survivorman Fan found dead in Muskoka wilderness - thestar.com

Survivorman fan found dead in Muskoka wilderness - thestar.com