Friday, February 29, 2008
TV and use Netflix, but Netflix rentals are slow and we had week ends without single DVD we can both enjoy. Netflix online is cool, despite
that I have to drag my Windows laptop, but selection is ... Just too
old: there are lucky new flicks like Darwin Award that is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS!!! , that made there, but in majority it sucks. Apple rentuls much more promising: new
staff, even so numbers are small.(2000?) also ATV offers iTunes
playback and YouTube . Cool.
Opening box was pleasure : Apple did a great job as usual: box looks a bit scary: more 'reach' but it is OK.
Most complex part is to make iTunes on my Windows Home Server see ATV and then entering code , connecting to WiFi and Apple Store: all required running around and using one finger cool Apple remote: not so bad and I was up and tuning with ATV connected to my projector (120' screen, 720p)
ATV updated itself and we were ready to rent a first movie : Sunshine. It was ready instantly and all worked good.
ATV less responsive on your own library: big photo folders give it serious trouble: I even had to create a separate small and one level tree for it to see pictures some how: I do not understand why Apple have issues with more simple things like pix.
Another thing is ATV get frozen on couple of YouTube flicks. Had to power down by unplugging: there is no button.ATV is always ON.
Well, all in all, Apple TV is a very cool and useful device, nicely implemented: I hope Apple will fix these minor issues and put more
videos on line.
I love my ATV- it is best 'media extender' I had so far and I had a few;-)
Strong buy: for 200$ ( this is for 40G version I got but you may want 160G above to be more future proof) or so it is a steal!
Update: as on end of March 2008 , my Apple TV works great and YouTube rules: Apple streams H.264 and that explains why it is a better quality compare to your PC's Flush video. I enjoy some cool clips on 120'' and there are a lot of very cool clips, you know. Also video podcasts, most free from Apple are great. If you like "Wait , Wait do not tell me" it is THERE! for free. Have fun!
Labels: Apple TV 2.0 review
Friday, February 22, 2008
Another event I was waiting for is Spy satellite goes down. It was about to happen in end of February or begging of March. But ... we shoot it down. I could not see.
21 February 2008 ...
It was star wars in real life with a rogue satellite playing the villain.
On Thursday morning, a US missile finally shot down an out of control satellite that was hurtling towards earth, carrying more than 500 kilograms of toxic fuel.
http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080041967&ch=2/21/2008%2011:48:02%20PM
It was a good shoot so :-)
While Russians are sure it was done "by design", Chinese want to see how it was done: last time they shoot one they created so much mess in space it was not funny :-)
Labels: Sky satalites shoot down
I hate to say that but we missed it :-(
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/lunar.html
I was ready and waiting, but on 20 Feb sky was covered with clouds and we can not see a shit!!!
Some people here said they was able to see it and it was ... beautifully ...
Well, I saw red moon a few times, it is cool :-)
Well, go to NASA page and find out more :-)
Labels: LUNAR ECLIPSE
When I saw this:
http://www.popularmechanics.com/automotive/new_cars/4217016.html?series=19
I was sure I am dreaming ...
We all know about air powered rockets: they make a nice toys.
Is this a joke ?
The $12,700 CityCAT, one of a handful of planned Air Car models, can hit 68 mph and has a range of 125 miles. It will take only a few minutes for the CityCAT to refuel at gas stations equipped with custom air compressor units; MDI says it should cost around $2 to fill the car’s carbon-fiber tanks with 340 liters of air at 4350 psi. Drivers also will be able to plug into the electrical grid and use the car’s built-in compressor to refill the tanks in about 4 hours.
Labels: Air Powered Car
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
When you think that every kid knows that XOR can not be used for that, you find that some smart Germans !!! ( wow !) use it for HD encryption ( 512 bit repeated key!!!)
Easy Nova Data Box PRO-25UE RFID
Funny thing it has sophisticated ( yeah, well) RFID controller and all these stuff, but do almost nothing to data protection.
When quantum computers and commuter arrays slowly making DES and other real cripto obsolete it is a revelation to see people use XOR.
Note: XOR is a very cool algorithm, btw, but here the catch : you need to have a "book" or say DVD of truly random noise and you have some how to send this with your message. If you use your key only once ( say you shift over you long book till it all used up) then it is absolutely unbreakable of course. But if you use same short key over data that can be "known" then it add no security at all and just a regular scrambling.
The scary thing is that it just saw lot about human stupidity or may be more about that some people do not give a shit about thing. When it is your data or money it is a bad thing, eh ... :-)
Easy Nova Data Box PRO-25UE RFID
Funny thing it has sophisticated ( yeah, well) RFID controller and all these stuff, but do almost nothing to data protection.
When quantum computers and commuter arrays slowly making DES and other real cripto obsolete it is a revelation to see people use XOR.
Note: XOR is a very cool algorithm, btw, but here the catch : you need to have a "book" or say DVD of truly random noise and you have some how to send this with your message. If you use your key only once ( say you shift over you long book till it all used up) then it is absolutely unbreakable of course. But if you use same short key over data that can be "known" then it add no security at all and just a regular scrambling.
The scary thing is that it just saw lot about human stupidity or may be more about that some people do not give a shit about thing. When it is your data or money it is a bad thing, eh ... :-)
Labels: XOR encription
Saturday, February 09, 2008
This is a cool device that you can probably build in your own garage. I would like to!
While video looks cool and seems that MIT professor talked to this guy .... I am not too much concerned about what really happens. What strikes me is ... there is absolutely no single freaking diagram I can find on net. Like ... it sounds this cool dude is not after money, but some how he approach scientists and do demo and do videos and PR ... but... what can be easier then putting diagram on his web page :
Demo
Let geeks like me and others make these machine and see if it works and if anything cool can be done. Thane C. Heins can take all patents and credits: he already show that he did it first: so not much to worry about. If this shit is real he will be very famous. But instead ... oh, well... we have all these cool videos.
It almost seems one can figure out how to build perpetuum mobile from just his explanations: like it looks he have nothing to hide and may be just were way to busy to make diagram, right ?
Why I print it here :-) When I was kid I send my "invention" to "Technika Molodezi" i was reading - technical oriented magazine for kids in Russia. It was long before I knew Lorentz law and Physics well enough, but it utilized part of this machine: I wanted to make energy by placing magnets on spikes of bike wheel and coil to collect electric energy : just like the right part of his design. As a child I thought that no direct contact ( no friction) and air gap will allow for free energy (that can be partially put back to loop to motor that will rotate the wheel :-)) : here we have almost EXACTLY this device you see on video :-) Now... I have to admit... My device would probably not work and my letter was ignored :-) ( saved me embarrassment, but I do not care really, even so it would be fun if printed :-) even as humor )
So what is differences between my childish design ( 7-8 year old if I remember ) you ask ? This fero - magnetic rode that he put inside and idea to "flow" magnetic field back to inside motor. That is a "magical" thing that make it work. :-)
So, it is easy to build and try if this is all it is :-)
Btw, there are a cool device I wanted to build that will really work, but it has a bad side effect: it will slow down Earth and we all fly off to the space :-) You can make kind of very efficient gyroscope and try to harness Earth rotation. It will also look like it get energy form nothing, but it is not the case in my case.
So, if I will ever bother to build Heins device I would try to figure out where energy come from. As a first step it will be cool to cut it off from outside world : use battery power and put screens around to shield EMF ( we can not shield gravitation as easy so /:-) ) Also , it will help if some one will build "clean" device based on Heins diagram or explanation: that would make it clean ( like motor connected to rode may not be just motor but motor with some battary inside: it look like a HUGE motor to spin that small wheel - toy motor can probably do it, right ?)
Anyway, this looks just plane cool to any geek. Good work Mr. Heins ! Good Luck with your invention: drop me some comment if you want my help in reproduction of your experiment:-) Just send me some diagrams !
While video looks cool and seems that MIT professor talked to this guy .... I am not too much concerned about what really happens. What strikes me is ... there is absolutely no single freaking diagram I can find on net. Like ... it sounds this cool dude is not after money, but some how he approach scientists and do demo and do videos and PR ... but... what can be easier then putting diagram on his web page :
Demo
Let geeks like me and others make these machine and see if it works and if anything cool can be done. Thane C. Heins can take all patents and credits: he already show that he did it first: so not much to worry about. If this shit is real he will be very famous. But instead ... oh, well... we have all these cool videos.
It almost seems one can figure out how to build perpetuum mobile from just his explanations: like it looks he have nothing to hide and may be just were way to busy to make diagram, right ?
Why I print it here :-) When I was kid I send my "invention" to "Technika Molodezi" i was reading - technical oriented magazine for kids in Russia. It was long before I knew Lorentz law and Physics well enough, but it utilized part of this machine: I wanted to make energy by placing magnets on spikes of bike wheel and coil to collect electric energy : just like the right part of his design. As a child I thought that no direct contact ( no friction) and air gap will allow for free energy (that can be partially put back to loop to motor that will rotate the wheel :-)) : here we have almost EXACTLY this device you see on video :-) Now... I have to admit... My device would probably not work and my letter was ignored :-) ( saved me embarrassment, but I do not care really, even so it would be fun if printed :-) even as humor )
So what is differences between my childish design ( 7-8 year old if I remember ) you ask ? This fero - magnetic rode that he put inside and idea to "flow" magnetic field back to inside motor. That is a "magical" thing that make it work. :-)
So, it is easy to build and try if this is all it is :-)
Btw, there are a cool device I wanted to build that will really work, but it has a bad side effect: it will slow down Earth and we all fly off to the space :-) You can make kind of very efficient gyroscope and try to harness Earth rotation. It will also look like it get energy form nothing, but it is not the case in my case.
So, if I will ever bother to build Heins device I would try to figure out where energy come from. As a first step it will be cool to cut it off from outside world : use battery power and put screens around to shield EMF ( we can not shield gravitation as easy so /:-) ) Also , it will help if some one will build "clean" device based on Heins diagram or explanation: that would make it clean ( like motor connected to rode may not be just motor but motor with some battary inside: it look like a HUGE motor to spin that small wheel - toy motor can probably do it, right ?)
Anyway, this looks just plane cool to any geek. Good work Mr. Heins ! Good Luck with your invention: drop me some comment if you want my help in reproduction of your experiment:-) Just send me some diagrams !
Labels: Thane C. Heins perpetuum mobile
Thursday, February 07, 2008
I got intimate with MacBook Air in Bellevue store yesterday( after taking my turn in line)
Air is perfect demonstration of first rule of marketing ( call it what it is not ): laptop is heavy. It is probably not really too heavy, but it plays mind trick on you: you think it should be lighter because of it dimensions, but it must be packed with electronic and that goes to weight.
It is a shiny chick Laptop and keyboard really nice, big touch pad is cool and screen is beauty. It is fun to scroll pictures with 3 finger swap, but after small rolling ball of mighty mouse it feels little bit like a waist of energy: it does not feels the same with my iPhone, where it is very appropriate and natural.
Personally, I like plastic smooth-square MacBook best and find that very much irregular shape of Air a bit disturbing: I would like it much better if it will have uniform thickness like iPhone and any other apple gadget. Call me old fashioned, but … there is some beauty in simple geometry and white color. It looks cool from top and inside so, just do not flip it over
Ok, so they put no SSD models on display and 1.6 HD model is … not too fast. While memory only task are tolerable, you can feel slow down when applications lunch from HD. It is not too bad, but on the level that is already annoying and suck compare to any other Apple computer you can buy today. On daily base it can lead to frustration, frustration lead to anger … and you know where it goes
Well, we all know it luck DVD and ports and cost a bit more, while not really much smaller or lighter then MacBook when you hold them together, as I did. MacBook looks sturdier and feels lighter in comparison, while it is a bit scary to hold Air in the Air when it open, as many PM do: It does not feels balanced and I do not know how much it likes to be droped.
As a hard core “must-have-this-new-cool-gadget” geek I sadly have to pass on this one: I know my colleagues will die from envy if I buy it ( and they all expect I will!!!), but after novelty factor will quickly ware off I cannot see that one develops in long term love relationship as with my iPhone…
Air is perfect demonstration of first rule of marketing ( call it what it is not ): laptop is heavy. It is probably not really too heavy, but it plays mind trick on you: you think it should be lighter because of it dimensions, but it must be packed with electronic and that goes to weight.
It is a shiny chick Laptop and keyboard really nice, big touch pad is cool and screen is beauty. It is fun to scroll pictures with 3 finger swap, but after small rolling ball of mighty mouse it feels little bit like a waist of energy: it does not feels the same with my iPhone, where it is very appropriate and natural.
Personally, I like plastic smooth-square MacBook best and find that very much irregular shape of Air a bit disturbing: I would like it much better if it will have uniform thickness like iPhone and any other apple gadget. Call me old fashioned, but … there is some beauty in simple geometry and white color. It looks cool from top and inside so, just do not flip it over
Ok, so they put no SSD models on display and 1.6 HD model is … not too fast. While memory only task are tolerable, you can feel slow down when applications lunch from HD. It is not too bad, but on the level that is already annoying and suck compare to any other Apple computer you can buy today. On daily base it can lead to frustration, frustration lead to anger … and you know where it goes
Well, we all know it luck DVD and ports and cost a bit more, while not really much smaller or lighter then MacBook when you hold them together, as I did. MacBook looks sturdier and feels lighter in comparison, while it is a bit scary to hold Air in the Air when it open, as many PM do: It does not feels balanced and I do not know how much it likes to be droped.
As a hard core “must-have-this-new-cool-gadget” geek I sadly have to pass on this one: I know my colleagues will die from envy if I buy it ( and they all expect I will!!!), but after novelty factor will quickly ware off I cannot see that one develops in long term love relationship as with my iPhone…
Labels: MacBook Air review
Monday, February 04, 2008
Mac Air is shipping !!!
This is a very cool Laptop of course and I want to see how it will be in real life.
There is no DVD drive and only one USB port, so I wonder how it will work out.
MacBook seems to be best notebook for the money so far, but Apple strategically waits with it update of Mutli-Touch pad.
Another bamer is that cool Super Drive for Apple Air seems will not work with anything else. That is kind of sucky call if you ask me.
This is a very cool Laptop of course and I want to see how it will be in real life.
There is no DVD drive and only one USB port, so I wonder how it will work out.
MacBook seems to be best notebook for the money so far, but Apple strategically waits with it update of Mutli-Touch pad.
Another bamer is that cool Super Drive for Apple Air seems will not work with anything else. That is kind of sucky call if you ask me.
Labels: Mac Air
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Apple TV may win if they will offer cool selection ( new ) for rent. I could not find a second flick to watch on Netflix online. I watched Heavy Metal, but that was not as good as Darwin Award. So, online is not-popular new or old junk. Old good DVD I already have, so... I may drop Netflix in favor of few AppleTV rentals a month for same money and it will work with cool Apple TV gadget that will be connected to my projector better then laptop :-) And it will be appliance to !
Labels: Apple TV
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Darwin Award and Netflix Instant Browse
Oh, well... it was a Friday night and we were looking for flick to watch... All 3 DVD from Netflix were my wife's pick ( so sucked ... :-)) but she knew that so suggested me to pick one we both enjoy... Hm... I could not think about any, but then it hit me: let try this Netflix online. I brought my Laptop and connected it to projector and amplifier. Netflix wanted me to install some new crap, including new Media Player 11, so I did and after 30 minutes and reboot and then yet another update ... we were IN. I picked the first suggestion Netflix had for me, just to see how it will work. That was a lucky pick ! Flick name is "Darwin Awards" and from very first frames of it I knew it is a great show. I will not spoil it for you, but ... boy ... did we both lough like crazy during it and after and mornig after :-) My wife think it is a bit depresing, but I say, not really, it is fun. It is life. and .... " ... I did some thing !!!!" is not a bad last word one can say, right ? :-) Anyway... Netflix ... it WORKD !!! on my old XP Laptop over G WiFi. Full screen on 120'' , with big loud speakers. It was cool. It never stooped ( unlike say YouTube or Joost that never really worked for me) So, it look like both Netflix and Microsoft did a nice job with encoding and streaming. I do not know how many people use this , so I would guess servers not very loaded, but I hope it will scale: this is a terrific feature. Yeah, of course video was heavily compressed: blurry. But I like blurry versus blocky or jumpy. It looks smooth and natural and I can blow it to 120'' and still enjoy it. Sound : same thing. Compressed, but compressed well. Voice was perfect and lows were lows, so all effects were excellent. So , while it is not HD or even DVD quality, it is very pristine and usable. After all, what is REALLY matter is flicks itself and your convenience to get what you want NOW! It is unlikely that Apple TV 2.0 will support Netflix, so no free ride, dudes, but it will bring HD and 5.1 sound to you and nice fresh selection ( all major studios) and it will be much much sleeker then my old laptop ( with nice small remote). So... spending 4$ couple times a week: 32$ a month if you do not have TV does not sounds like much to pay for that fun: still much less then going to movies :-) ... Honey !!!! Where is my pop corn !!! :-)
Oh, well... it was a Friday night and we were looking for flick to watch... All 3 DVD from Netflix were my wife's pick ( so sucked ... :-)) but she knew that so suggested me to pick one we both enjoy... Hm... I could not think about any, but then it hit me: let try this Netflix online. I brought my Laptop and connected it to projector and amplifier. Netflix wanted me to install some new crap, including new Media Player 11, so I did and after 30 minutes and reboot and then yet another update ... we were IN. I picked the first suggestion Netflix had for me, just to see how it will work. That was a lucky pick ! Flick name is "Darwin Awards" and from very first frames of it I knew it is a great show. I will not spoil it for you, but ... boy ... did we both lough like crazy during it and after and mornig after :-) My wife think it is a bit depresing, but I say, not really, it is fun. It is life. and .... " ... I did some thing !!!!" is not a bad last word one can say, right ? :-) Anyway... Netflix ... it WORKD !!! on my old XP Laptop over G WiFi. Full screen on 120'' , with big loud speakers. It was cool. It never stooped ( unlike say YouTube or Joost that never really worked for me) So, it look like both Netflix and Microsoft did a nice job with encoding and streaming. I do not know how many people use this , so I would guess servers not very loaded, but I hope it will scale: this is a terrific feature. Yeah, of course video was heavily compressed: blurry. But I like blurry versus blocky or jumpy. It looks smooth and natural and I can blow it to 120'' and still enjoy it. Sound : same thing. Compressed, but compressed well. Voice was perfect and lows were lows, so all effects were excellent. So , while it is not HD or even DVD quality, it is very pristine and usable. After all, what is REALLY matter is flicks itself and your convenience to get what you want NOW! It is unlikely that Apple TV 2.0 will support Netflix, so no free ride, dudes, but it will bring HD and 5.1 sound to you and nice fresh selection ( all major studios) and it will be much much sleeker then my old laptop ( with nice small remote). So... spending 4$ couple times a week: 32$ a month if you do not have TV does not sounds like much to pay for that fun: still much less then going to movies :-) ... Honey !!!! Where is my pop corn !!! :-)
Labels: Darwin Award and Netflix Instant Browse
Subscribe to Posts [Atom]
