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December 30, 2011
Those magnificent women mechanics and their flying machines
via Big Geek Daddy!
Posted by Snaggy at 10:01 AM
December 26, 2011
Incredible building light show!
And you thought your Christmas lights were cool...
Posted by Snaggy at 08:11 PM
December 23, 2011
Hitler reacts to SOPA. :-)
Posted by Snaggy at 09:50 AM
December 19, 2011
New iPhone cases from UNIEA, plus a giveaway!
The fine folks at UNIEA have introduced a new line of iPhone 4 cases, 25 new designs to be exact! They've created several new product lines based on cutting-edge illustrations from the world's top designers, and sent a few for us to test out. Plus we're having a giveaway too. (Note: giveaway is now over, congrats to the winners!)
If you like to carry your iPhone in your pocket, but you want to protect it too, then these cases are for you. They are made of ultra hard polycarbonate with an anti-scratch UV coating, so the case protects the phone, and the coating protects the design on the case. These super slim cases add hardly any bulk to your iPhone 4, so you can still slip it easily in and out your pocket. Best of all they come in great designs and colors, so you can give your iPhone a fresh, artistic personality.
First up, Nitrozac tried the Rebelution case for her white iPhone. She loved the look of the design, and it's super-snug fit to the phone, and the built in little grippy nibs on the sides of the case. Next I tried the U-Suit Premium - Executive Director for iPhone 4/4S. I liked the look of the brown case on my black iPhone, it reminded me of the old leather camera cases from the 1940's and 50's. This case is mostly polycarbonate with a patch of leather on the back that gives it a bit of warmth. I do wish the sides had some texture grip like the Rebelutions, but that's about the only complaint I had of the case. Lots of access to ports and camera, and generally un-intrusive.
Mind you, both of these cases only protect the backs and sides of iPhones, although they do come with a cleaning cloth and a protective film for the front glass that you can install if you wish. UNIEA has others available, including flip style cases that cover the front glass. If you are looking for something to make your iPhone indestructible, these probably aren't for you, but if you want some stylish and inexpensive protection for your phone, without it feeling like you are carrying an anvil in your pocket, then they are just the ticket.
Check out all the designs at UNIEA, and if you have an iPhone 4 or 4S, enter our giveaway! (Note: giveaway is now over, congrats to the winners!)
Bonus! From December 26th to January 3rd, customers can use the promo code MYGIFT at uniea.com for 40% off their entire order, plus $5.95 flat rate shipping worldwide.
Posted by Snaggy at 09:09 PM
December 14, 2011
Review: SuperBeam Phones
I've been checking out a pair of SuperBeam Phones from Andrea Electronics Corp, and I like them! For music playback, I found they have incredible bass response. I was listening to some old music and it was like hearing the bass track for the first time, pretty impressive for such small headphones. Besides listening, one can also use the Superbeams for recording, in applications like gaming, Skype, Facetime, or dictation software. But what's really interesting about these is that instead of a pesky microphone boom sticking out in front of your face, the SuperBeams use two microphones, one on the side of each earcup. So just put 'em on and play, there's no adjusting or fighting that annoying stick in front of your face.
Two mics you say? Well that is interesting, especially to a binaural recording geek such as myself. Much like how a stereo camera records three-dimensional pictures, these headphones can record a true stereo sound. When you are wearing them, each microphone records the sound it hears from its relative location on your head. Now because you have a head, sound waves have to move around it to get to each ear, so a sound on your left side will reach your left ear first, then must travel around your head to reach your right ear. This is affectionally know as a "head shadow", and everyone's is a little bit different. The micro delay and subtle shift in sound characteristics caused by your head shadow is all interpreted by your brain to create the three dimensional sound you normally hear as a two-eared geek. When recorded by binaural microphones like those on the SuperBeams, then replayed through headphones, your brain re-assembles this soundscape just as if you were hearing it live again. The effect is powerful, and so life-like it's often quite freaky. Binaural recordings can accurately reproduce all the subtle nuances you normally hear with your ears but are lost in most recordings... the location of sound behind, ahead, above, and to the sides of you.
The unit comes with a great hardish-shell case for protecting the phones during transport, or for just keeping your geekosphere tidy. They are fairly light, and fold flat, and also have a volume adjuster and mute button build into the cord. Andrea Electronics also provides downloadable software for EQ and their patented beam forming and digital noise reduction, if you really want to geek out (available for Mac and PC). There's also an optional mobile phone adapter cable that's compatible with all version of iPhone, smart phones, and most non-smart phones, as well as Macbooks and notebooks using a single analog jacks, so you can record and listen on these devices without having to unplug and replug. It would be nice if they included this with the package, but I suppose that's one way to keep the price down (the headphones will still work as headphones without the adapter).
So there you have it, the convenience of no boom, plus the added power of binaural recording. Recording podcasts, live entertainment, music, lectures, environmental sounds, or you just walking around in the mall has never been so much fun. Available in two models, SuperBeam Buds (earbuds) and SuperBeam Phones (on-ear headphones) both come in black or white and retail for around $99.95 and $119 respectively, or over at Amazon.
Posted by Snaggy at 08:55 AM
December 13, 2011
Don't just sit there!
via the Atlantic, RT'd by pcweenies
Posted by Snaggy at 01:47 PM
OK, it's old, but still good.
Posted by Snaggy at 10:13 AM
December 12, 2011
Forum Tidbits for short December days...
TheMoMan thinks They may have found him, ... and writes the Observations of the old man, ... GrumpySteen fires off Battleship, the movie, and delivers some Holiday Mashups, ... and Ugh, MightyClub presents The House of the Rising SunSparc?
Posted by Snaggy at 07:14 PM
December 08, 2011
i-Helicopter!
I've been playing around with the Lightspeed iPhone Controlled i-Helicopter, and it's pretty neat. Charge it using a USB cable, and drive it with your iPhone or Android smartphone! I haven't reached the level of control as this video suggests, but it's still a lot of fun, and challenging (especially for my cat!). Luckily, the iHelicopter has so far proven indestructable, despite pilot error!
Check out the video and the iHelicopter website if you are like me, and love flying machines. Just $60 bucks, with free worldwide shipping! And here's the link for European Customers for the iHelicopter.
And for other gift ideas, here is Paramount Zone's Christmas Presents page.
Posted by Snaggy at 01:17 PM
December 07, 2011
The Force.
Posted by Snaggy at 09:13 PM
December 06, 2011
Siri finds out Steve Jobs dies...
via Woz!
Posted by Snaggy at 08:09 PM
Nitrozac's painting up for auction!
Nitrozac's fantastic logo painting is up for auction! It's a magnificent one-of-a-kind work of art, one that will add insanely great energy and enthusiasm to your home or office. You will treasure it!
"I like to imagine that the painting depicts the love child of an Apple logo and a PacMan creature."
Posted by Snaggy at 06:17 PM
December 02, 2011
And you were worried about that sweet little Carrier IQ...
"Mass interception of entire populations is not only a reality, it is a secret new industry spanning 25 countries."
WikiLeaks has released new documents that detail widespread mobile phone, texting, and email hacking capability by a growing private sector surveillance industry. This information and capability is then sold to whomever can afford it... police, governments, dictators, industry...
Speaking in London, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange showed documents that suggested software could listen in on phone calls, read emails and text messages on all your favorite devices, and even alter them and send out fake messages to others. EEK!
It's all detailed over at WikiLeaks, or you can read a great summary over at Zack Whittaker's London Calling.
Posted by Snaggy at 07:50 AM