Monthly Archives: January 2009

Jan 16 2009
Technology

Technolust: Personal Edition

I really want the Nokia E71.

Qwerty keyboard, wifi, gps, fm radio, micros SD slot, s60, I mean, what’s not to like?

Wired really liked it.  I just really like the form factor.  That, and I like having a keyboard.  It may be because I am of the educational institution that has been aged.

Like a fine wine.

It goes back to my old er, government job, we had Motorola Talkabout pagers.  We were expected to be able to respond anywhere we were, so we were assigned two way pagers.  Which was great.  Tiny keyboard, lcd backlit screen, very simple communication devices.  I feel like there is something pure about the text message, the way that you have to distill your communication into a character limit.

So, I guess I’ve been practicing for Twitter all this time.  But, back to the E71.

I am really into this phone.  There is wifi, which will allow me to check email, check twitter, possibly make posts, and upload pictures.  Although the E series camera is nowhere near as good as the N series phones from Nokia, I’m willing to make sacrifices for increased utility.  Besides, I carry a camera.

I’m so into this phone that I’ve even downloaded the iSync plugin for it.  I’ve also read the manual.  Additionally, I’ve bugged the AT&T store in Friendship Heights repeatedly about the phone.

They answer,  “We are never going to get it.”

Boy Genius Reports says, “Then what is this AT&T User Manual for the Nokia E71 guide doing on Nokia’s website?”

Problem is, it’s pricey, and I can’t justify that much for an item which will, ultimately, be just a phone.  No matter how awesome it is.

On the other hand, it’s beautiful.  I mean, LOOK AT IT.

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Jan 15 2009
Uncategorized

Perchance to dream

Right now the pull of sleep is dragging me, pulling me ever closer to the sweet embrace.  My lids are heavy, leaden.

It’s been a long time since I’ve been this sleepy and for some reason, I just want to fight it.

I’m having hot tea, but it’s just a warm, beverage that does nothing for my alertness.  The cold chills, saps any vivacity I may have had.

Man.  Maybe I should just go to bed already.

Jan 14 2009
2 Comments
Games

Interactive Fiction

It is times when I think about how games were better, “in the old days,” when I realize just well, how old video games are.

When I started playing video games, there were no three dimensional graphics.  There was a command line and a green squiggle that may have been a character, I don’t know.  I had to use my imagination.  (“Why, back in my day, we had to load games from a cassette tape!  Both sides!  And we liked it!  And there were multiple floppies!  And code wheels!”)

Then there were text adventures.

You are in an open field west of a big white house with a boarded front door.
There is a small mailbox here.
>

I was really into interactive fiction.  I actually had a couple of boxed INFOCOM games, I’ll have to dig them out from somewhere.  I just remember that the games came with such great swag.Wishbringer: The Magick Stone of Dreams, was about a wishing stone.

Inside the box, there was a map and a letter you had to deliver, and a descriptive leaflet about the origins of the stone, but best of all, there was a small plastic replica of the stone that glowed in the dark.

I just thought that was awesome.

I held on to that stone for years.  I think it was still on my bookshelf when I left home to go to college.

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Jan 13 2009
1 Comment
Technology

Microsoft Tag – Linking real life with the digital world

mstag2

Microsoft Tag

Microsoft Tag.  It’s a way for your phone to interact with a physical object, in this case printed material.

In a nutshell, you aim your Microsoft Tag iPhone app (bizarro world, here we are) at one of these “tags” and then it does. . .  something.  If it’s a website, then it browses there, if it’s a phone number, it dials out.  If it’s a text message, then I guess it just displays the text message.  There are apps for other phones as well, but the iPhone seems suited to this task.

Is this a big deal?  I thought that was the whole point behind QR codes in Japan.

To the right is a QR code.  You may have seen them before.

In 1994.

qrcode

QR Code

While the idea is pretty interesting, I’m still trying to decide whether or not it’s useful.  I guess with our phones finally catching up with the internet, they may have some use, eventually.

I did, however, create a “tag” with this website’s address  embedded in it.

So I’ve got that covered, at least.

Update:  More research and some thoughts. Continue reading →

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Jan 12 2009
Technology

Things I used on the last post

I realized I was going to write about the audio equipment I used for Ukulele practice.

First, the instrument.  It’s a Kala concert uke.  (Fun Fact!  “Uke,” pronounced, “Oooh keh” means something entirely different in Japanese!)  Concert ukuleles are larger than the sopranos, but smaller than the tenors.  It’s a bright sounding ukulele that doesn’t sound like it’s constantly in a tin can.  On the other hand, that “plucky” quality may be the sound you want.

Really, it’s a personal preference issue.

Next up, the tabs for the song, which are readily available on the internet.  Done.

Then there’s the matter of me having no musical training whatsoever, so that’s where the flash based ukulele chord finder comes in.

Finally, there’s the matter of recording.  I’m using a ZOOM H4 Audio Recorder, which is a great portable audio recorder, but I have yet to really start using it for its intended purpose, which was podcasting on the go.  It has a ton of features that I’ll never utilize, but it excels at  “click record twice for decent audio” performance.  It was about two feet away from where I was practicing, and I thought it sounded pretty good.

Even though I had a cold and was recording it in the bedroom.  I’ll try again with vocals after I recover.

It’s interesting to note that I didn’t do any audio adustment to the mp3 that I recorded for the last post, I just dragged that mp3 over from the recorder and sent it straight to the internet.

And now you know the rest of the story!

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