Tech Archives - Page 6 of 8 - Chris Ullrich dot net
Browsing Category

Tech

Blackberry is the new Black

Posted on October 8, 2005

large_front.jpg
as many of you may know, i have been using the palm treo650 for a few months now as my primary cell phone/pda/etc. device. however, a few weeks ago, i decided that i had had enough of the treo 650’s “quirks” and switched to the blackberry 7100t directly from t-mobile.

i know what you are thinking. am i not the one who talked smack against locked devices tied to one carrier? did i not spent extra money and get the unlocked treo 650 to avoid this exact trap? the answer is, of course, yes. as i have used the treo these last months i have come to realize that its a great device that does many things but none of them particularly well. plus, i have decided that despite some spotty coverage in LA, t-mobile has been a good company to work with and i don’t mind giving them my money (at least for one more year).

one of its major weaknesses of the treo 650 is the phone. i have come to realize that the phone part of a device like this is one of the most important parts. i need the phone to work and work as much of the time as possible. i understand network dead spots and all that and i can live with it. what i can’t live with is a device that after losing connection with the cell network, needs to be completely reset before it will send or receive calls again. this doesn’t happen all the time with the treo 650, but it does happen enough so that it became quite annoying.

the blackberry, in contrast, does not have this problem. it works well as a phone and gets reception in places i never had a signal with the treo 650, even with its external antenna. so, kudos to the blackberry on this score. also, if i am ever in a place with minimal or no reception (which happens very frequently here in LA) the blackberry doesn’t freak out and need to be reset. it simply waits until it has a signal again and then goes about its business without complaint. i like that in a device. i want to be able to use the device for what it is intended to be used for and not have the device get in the way or hinder that use. that’s a major reason i use a mac instead of a windows pc.

plus, the email functionality on the treo 650 is marginal at best. in order to improve it, i ended up having to install a third-part application called snappermail and not use the included versamail application (which sucks big time). now that i have been using the blackberry for a couple of weeks, i know what all the fuss is about. if someone sends me an email, the email comes to the blackberry. i don’t have to launch an application and call for the email and download it to the blackberry like i do with the treo. it simply is “pushed” out to my blackberry when it is sent and i have it. that’s a great feature that i didn’t know i wanted until i had it. now, i will never go back.

there are many other ways in which the treo falls short of what it was intended to do. it’s a great idea for a device that was poorly realized. the palm os simply isn’t robust enough to handle the demands put on it by a device like the treo 650. palm feels this way as well, i think, or they would not be putting out a windows mobile version of the treo and perhaps a linux powered one as well. i, of course, would love to see an osx mobile smartphone/pda/ipod but i won’t hold my breath for that one. although, it could happen. and i would be right in line to get one.

so, anybody wanna buy a slightly used unlocked treo 650?

distracted and in some pain

Posted on August 28, 2005

not only did i recently get a big new TV so naturally i have to watch shows that i would not normally watch, like any of the CSI shows, because they are in High Def but i have also started to, it seems, suffer from some sort of carpal tunnel or repetitive stress disorder. in other words, when i use the computer, more specifically the mouse, for even a short time, i get a tingling in my right hand and pain in my right elbow and even more annoying, a pain in my shoulder and neck.

so that is some sort of explanation for the longer duration between posts here. its not that i don’t love doing this or really appreciate the readers who keep coming back and read this, its just that i have this new big TV and more importantly, it kinda hurts to get on the computer. so, i got that going for me, which is nice. however, i am here now and my neck does hurt and my hand is tingling but i say what he hell, you guys deserve an update or at least some sort of effort on my part. just had to move the mouse just then and its so odd, it hurt my neck to move it. this is not good.

its especially not good in that i make a large part of my living sitting in front of a computer. not always mine but other people’s. if i could not do it, i would not only suffer physically but financially as well. this has been going on for about a week or so and i thought it would go away. unfortunately, no such luck. so, i guess a trip to the doctor is in order. although, i am not looking forward to it as we recently changed insurance and the doctor that i really like is now not included in our plan. so, we need to find a new doctor.

i don’t know about you but i really don’t like doctors all that much. it took a long time to find one that i not only like but trust is making the right decisions. (let’s not get started on my control issues right now, thanks) so, finding a new one might not be so easy. i really think that the insurance industry in this country has its head up its ass for the most part. isn’t a large part of maintaining patient health associated with believing in your doctor and their ability? it is for me. i only hope we can find someone who we like and isn’t a total lame ass who just follows what the insurance company says is the right thing to do.

with our previous doctor, i really felt like she had our best interest in mind and didn’t really think about what was best for the insurance company or anything like that. it was a great feeling. i really felt like they cared. maybe its lame but it meant something to me. now, who knows what’s going to happen. i didn’t meant this to turn into a rant against insurance companies or anything but it sure seems like the system has some real problems. at least we don’t live in Canada.

ok, now to salvage this post and talk about a little news and stuff around the internets (as i sometimes like to do):

see the innards of the new XBox360! try to control your excitement.

the dualphone for skype is finally available in the good old USA. make calls over the internet for free using this phone and the skype service. you can even call me if you want. although, i probably won’t answer.

and, sadly, one of my favorite places could be under water shortly as Katrina prepares to kick the shit out of New Orleans. i hope the gumbo shop and jaques-imo’s are going to be ok. those places rock. if you ever get to New Orleans, try them. you won’t be sorry.

big Sony televisions, DirectTV high-def video and other cool stuff

Posted on August 22, 2005

lots of cool things happening around my place in the last few days. we are making the transition to HD so that required a new television and a switch to DirectTV in order to get HD programming and a TiVo that will record HD. our old and trusty Sony TV gave it up a week or so ago and so the hunt for a replacement was on.

i looked at various models, features and kinds. i was trying to stay under 2K as i think that’s enough to spend on a TV, even if we do watch a lot of it. we settled on another Sony and are looking forward to the delivery on Tuesday. so, that’s the first part done. need an HD TV. check.

next, due to the good folks at Adelphia not being able to offer HD cable in our area as of yet, we are forced to abandon them and move to DirectTV. actually, its not that big of a deal as DirectTV is the only one that offers a DVR with TiVo anyway and we have to have TiVo so that’s a no-brainer. i would rather give my five bucks a month to a company i like instead of a company that kinda sucks like Adelphia.

so, now we have a DirectTV HD DVR with Tivo to hook up to the dish that DirectTV will be sending with an installer next Monday. i will have to use the TV for almost a week with only standard def programming (sad for me). although, i should be able to get over the air HD in the interim as our building has an antenna on the roof. so that’s cool. either way, i can wait a week to get this all finished. then, i can cancel Adelphia. i can’t wait to make that call.

of course, any good HD TV needs a progressive scan DVD player to go with it so we needed to get one of those also. again, a Sony was the call. good reviews at Amazon.com and a price that’s pretty darn low made this a winner. it should arrive in a day or so and then we can really see what one of those Superbit DVD’s can do. more on this later.

as the whole process moves along, i will report back in and also post some reviews of the various parts of this HD puzzle like the TV and the DirectTV Tivo. plus, does the Superbit DVD process really make things look better and is it worth not having any extras on the disk? i’ll get into that also.

Interesting stuff (at least to me) from around the internets

Posted on August 19, 2005

first off, the fine folks at the RIAA are now, it seems, going to be going after you in your homes for making you own cd’s from music you already purchased. so, if you rip a cd that you own and then burn it or make some kind of compilation cd from songs you already own, they feel you are a threat to their business.

is it just me or do the record companies seem to be desperately trying to cling to a business model that seems destined to fail. i don’t know what the solution for them is but i’m pretty sure that lawsuits and the like are not necessarily the way to go about it. all that seems to do is enrage your customers and drive more people to do the things you don’t want them to do. although, i do think their statistics are flawed or at least their interpretation of those stats.

i guess the movie and tv industry should be worried as well. if everyone had a faster connection to the internet, i’m sure people would be trading movies and tv shows as fast as they do music now. its only music at the moment because music files are much smaller than video files. although, i know you can go to sites and download movies right now (no, i’m not going to tell you where). but that is mostly confined to a smaller group. a group that has bandwidth to spare.

in the next few years when every home has a fiber connection running at ten times your current dsl speed, movie downloading and swapping will become a big problem. i only hope that the MPAA has a better solution to the problem at that time than the RIAA has now. i won’t hold my breath on that one.

plus, is your boss a psychopath? take this quiz and find out. it worries me a little how many of these questions apply to people i have worked with in the past. especially certain producers on certain films. i knew something was off about those people. i thought they were just assholes. now i know the truth. i hope they finally got the help they so obviously needed.

ok, have a great weekend all. we are off to hugo’s in studio city for a bite. if you have never been, i recommend it highly. it’s very good and friendly to non-traditional eaters (vegetarian, etc.)

later.

Apple – the final countdown

Posted on August 11, 2005

apple-computer.jpg

no, not a mid-eighties rocker ballad. it is, in fact, come to the final countdown for my g5, still in the hands of the glendale apple store. but here’s a miraculous bit of news that i got just yesterday. a nice young man from the store called and told me that due to them having my computer “for so long” and not being able to repair it, they have decided to give me a new one.

yes, you heard it right (or read it, actually). apple is giving me a new computer to replace the one they cannot fix. is this a great country or what? kudos to the entire team at the apple store glendale and especially my new best friend conan. i think this is what could be called outstanding customer service.

granted, i did originally pay over 3 grand for the computer only a year and a half ago and i do have apple care and i did leave the computer there to be fixed almost a month ago and i already replaced it with a new g5 tower at my expense but hey, at least they are finally doing the right thing. i think its very cool. it makes sense. if they can’t fix it, they should just replace it.

i have heard of apple doing this before but not very often. i’m sure this is a last resort type of thing. not something that they want to do. but its nice to know that they will, if they have no other option. and i didn’t even have to ask them to do it. it might also help that my mac consulting company is a preferred consultancy for the store and that i am personal friends with the top managers. so, as they say, your mileage may vary if you try to get them to replace your mac.

regardless of my personal relationships, its just nice that a company will take the steps necessary to satisfy a customer. it gives me hope in these uncertain times of intel chips and sagging ipod shuffle sales. despite all the turmoil, i think things are going to turn out ok. at least in my little apple computer world. its the rest of the world i’m not so sure about.

storyjennings2obit.jpg

in other news not necessarily about me (yes, there is some, believe it or not):

apple scraps their shiny new “switch” campaign without firing a shot.

apparently, the rumors of drm preventing you from installing osx for intel on a non-macintosh are not so true after all.

martin sargent, late of the screensavers and unscrewed fame, returns to the web, ready, it seems, to get back to work.

CBGB’s gets to stay put.

and, my favorite news anchor, peter jennings, died recently of lung cancer. he was a class act and loved the daily show. was he cool or what? RIP peter.

Last Call (and some news)

Posted on August 2, 2005

i’m at my “office” (aka Starbucks) and people watching a little. The summer is always interesting here in the warmer climes. much more skin is shown and many times that’s a good thing. in fact, there are some pretty good examples of that here right now.

sadly, sometimes it isn’t. you know what I mean. now, i’m not small or thin by any means. In fact, i’m pretty big. however, at least I have the sense not to wear a shirt where my entire stomach is exposed so it can hang way over my belt. although, mine doesn’t do that. anyway, you’ve seen that person before, i know you have. people just should look in the mirror a little more before leaving the house. i’m not against them, i feel bad for them.

anyway, i am at least taking steps to remedy my situation. first, and this will definitely come as a surprise to many, i have stopped drinking alcohol completely. yes, that’s right. no more booze. i’l give you a minute. . . .ok, you may wonder why? its not because i think i have a problem or that i think alcohol is bad or that i’ve found God or anything. nothing so dramatic. it is just time to stop.

all the rest of you can keep drinking as much as you want. i am not going to judge anyone. what i’m doing is only for me. just to see if i can. it’s really more of an exercise to help me get healthier. i don’t like the feeling i get after a night of going out for a few. the next day (sometimes the next two days) are just not as fun when you have a hangover and feel like crap.

this started after my last trip to vegas for add’s birthday party. that was early june. so it has been a couple months already. i won’t say i have not had a drink at all in the last few months. i have had one or two. stopping completely is harder than it sounds. however, my intake is way, way, way down and is going to stay that way. its just time for a change, that’s all.

also, i have started back to the gym and am eating less and exercising more. just like you are supposed to. i want to try it this way and see if things improve. i don’t want to resort to an all liquid diet like my friends tm and jh are trying. a doctor supervised ucla experiment. i guess its come to that for them. not for me. not yet anyway.

in other news of the world:

apple comes out with a 2-button mouse! hell does not, in fact, freeze over.

the space shuttle will get some in-space repairs.

and, NASA shows a few designs for the next-gen shuttle (nyt reg required). change for the better is good. let’s hope they are on the right track.

a noted Windows expert calls for a boycott of the next version of Internet Explorer (IE7).

and this guy has a lot of time on his hands but he might have a point. i have heard of this. at least it hasn’t happened to me yet. i hope netflix isn’t like that but you never know.

Interesting Sites ‘O the Day (and a little news)

Posted on July 28, 2005

From across the www direct to you. Some interesting sites that might be worth a visit. Especially if you are looking to kill a few minutes (or a few hours). Enjoy.

The Playstation 3 info page of things known so far.

Microsoft Windows Vista (i really love that name. no, really. at least no animal names. kinda tired of that too) info page with screenshots.

Some speculation on the innards of the Video iPod, to be released real soon (i am holding my breath. i hope it doesn’t take too long).

Some good tips that every webmaster (like me!) needs to know to enhance his or her use of Google Adsense.

This looks promising. Record everything on TV and play what you want. When you want. No more season passes or setting the timer on the VCR (although, if you really have a VCR, its time to move into the 21st century and get a Tivo at least. I mean really people, tape is so nineties).

And, it seems some debris fell off during the latest shuttle launch. It looked so perfect too. So, NASA has grounded the fleet again. Well, the comet thing was cool anyway. Can we get something else besides foam? It doesn’t work guys. You’re really, really, really smart. Think of something else. Please.

And last but certainly not least, some very cool tips on how to speed up Mac OSX. Many of these I already use. I guess I could have posted them too. Oh well, easier just to link to this guy. Less work for me.

Yahoo gets into the widget business and other stuff

Posted on July 25, 2005

gr_dl_wid_tophed2.jpg

Yahoo! for some reason decided that widgets were another great way of competing with Google. So, they purchased Konfabulator and today, debuted their own Yahoo! widgets site. They say Mac support will continue and may even get better as they want to be more “cross platform”. That’s nice. Will that make up for the less than stellar version of Yahoo! messenger now on the Mac? I hope so.

Also, quite a bit of fanfare for the new XBox 360 in Tokyo recently. Having seen it at the recent E3 event here in LA, I can say that it looks great and could help push Microsoft ahead in the console wars. Of course, there is a big difference between a demo and actual released product so anything is possible. It could still suck.

Lastly, Microsoft also wants to bring you the world. Or is that dominate the world? I get those mixed up sometimes. Anyway, they now have the Microsoft Virtual Earth site. Which is, of course, in direct competition with Google Maps. Which is better? Too early to say. However, I did have some issues using Virtual Earth with Safari 2.0 in Tiger so . . . . I guess it’s still Google Maps for me for now, which works perfectly fine in Safari.

Life with the Canon EOS 20D Digital SLR (so far)

Posted on July 17, 2005

I realize that when I write something here and say I am going to do something, I should probably do it. So, in that spirit, following are my much considered observations on the Canon 20D digital SLR. As a former Nikon user who previously had a Nikon D100 and used it frequently, the Canon has taken some getting used to. It’s not bad, just different.

Some people have also asked me why I switched from Nikon to Canon. My reasons are simple. I looked at the new Nikon cameras like the D70 and the new Canon cameras like the 20D and decided that I liked the 20D and its features. And, after a few test shots with the 20D, it felt right. So, that was it.

Plus, I originally had been a Canon user, owning the very cool EOS A2, before I ever got a Nikon so it was really more like I was going back than switching to something new. And, I had used one or two of the Canon “L” lenses that a friend owned and had really liked the way they work. Now, of course, I am in love with Canon “L” glass and that causes problems of its own because those suckers are expensive.

People always want to get into the Canon v. Nikon debate much like the Macintosh v. Windows debate. It is usually a hotly contested issue where people take opposing sides and defend those sides with near religious zeal. I look at technology as a tool. A tool that allows me to accomplish things and sometimes even to create things.

The big question for me is always what tool can i use to do something and almost as important, what tool will help me do what i want to do and not get in the way. I use a Macintosh because it helps me and doesn’t hinder me (not usually anyway). Windows simply takes more time to get working correctly and requires more diligent maintenance. The Mac just works. Turn it on and go.

The same holds try for my choice in cameras. The Canon 20D was easy to use right out of the box and with minimal effort, allowed me to take some decent photos. Turn it on and go.

Anyway, let’s get on with it:

First, here are some specs on the camera:

8.2 Megapixel: 3,520 x 2,344 pixel images. Also 2,544 x 1,696 pixel and 1,752 x 1,168 pixel settings. Choice of Regular JPG or Fine JPG. RAW mode and also RAW + JPG mode which lets you choose which kind of JPG you get along with your RAW file.

1.6x lens cropping factor. You have to buy a 10 – 22 mm Canon lens for ultra wide shots; any 17 mm or 18mm lens will only give an angle of view similar to a 28mm lens on 35mm film.

5 Frames Per Second Shooting Rate. Good for the sports shooter. Or, for me who likes to bang out several frames in a row to up the odds of a “keeper”.

9 Point AI Autofocus which is very good but still, not perfect. Compared to the D100 or the D70, it is much better but compared to the Canon “Pro” DSLR’s, and their 45 Point Autofocus, the 20D leaves something to be desired. Most of the shots I have taken are in focus and focused on the area i intended. Some are not. It could also be attributed to operator error so at the moment, until I take more photos, I will say the focus speed and accuracy is good.

ISO 100 – 1,600 in full stops. ISO 3,200 also if you enable it in a menu. This is pretty cool and provides a decent image. I don’t intend to get into a situation where I need this setting but you never know.

Mirror lockup. This is excellent for use with long telephotos on tripods for exposures between 1 and 1/30 second. Not found on the D100 or the D70.

The controls are in different place on the camera than they were (are) on the Nikon. Which, of course, makes sense as they are from different companies. I’m not sure why this didn’t stop me when I first examined the camera in a store but I guess I was not paying that close of attention to all of the differences between the Canon and the Nikon.

Nikon cameras, for the most part, all have similar controls in similar places. So, if you can use one, you can pretty much use them all. Canon does the same across its product line as well but as I am a switcher, I didn’t have the benefit of familiarity.

In the store where i first took some test shots with the 20D I was able to use it with little or no problem. It’s very simple to operate and takes pictures quite easily. Really, you could just leave it set on P or on one of the other “Auto” modes and happily snap away, assured that the camera will take very good pictures without much intervention from you, the user. With its 8.2 megapixel sensor and Canon’s Digic II system, the camera is very smart and can do a good job all on its own.

But really, this camera isn’t the one that you get if you are just a casual shooter looking for a point and shoot camera. This is a pro caliber camera that in the hands of even a somewhat experienced shooter can produce stunning results. I am not that shooter yet, but I am working on it. The more I use this camera, the more I like it. I still sometimes miss the D100. Not because I think the 20D lacks something but mostly because I was used to the D100 and I felt like I knew it pretty well.

Of course, after a time I will feel the same way about the 20D I am sure. The more you use something the better you get with it. I already have the photographic fundamentals as I have been shooting pictures for a long time. I just need a better understanding of my camera and its capabilities and quirks. Then I can start to take pictures that I can be proud of again. Until then, my percentage of “keepers” will stay pretty low.

Here is a list of my current main camera kit:

Canon EOS 20D Digital SLR
Canon 580 EX Speedlight (powerful yet compact flash)
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Zoom Lens (this lens rocks!)
Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM Lens (best bang for the buck in Canon’s lineup)
Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM Lens (i like it and image stabilization is nice)

And, for fun, I also carry:

Canon Powershot SD300 Digital Elf Camera (i love this little camera and it takes some pretty damn good pictures. plus, its tiny and fits in your pocket)

Plus various other items and misc. stuff. All encased in my favorite camera bag:

The Lowepro Omni Pro with optional Hard Shell Case (i use a Pelican 1520) for travel.

Or, my new favorite camera bag, the Lowepro CompuRover AW which is a backpack that holds camera, lenses and laptop. It’s a cool bag.

More on my use of the camera and more observations as I continue to use it over the next few weeks and months.

Zombie Dogs

Posted on June 27, 2005

Now that could be a good name for a band. But really, its your tax dollars hard at work as our government’s big brains have created zombie dogs, reanimating the canines after several hours of clinical death in attempts to develop suspended animation for humans. Be sure to check it out.

Oh, apparently everything you know and love about the internet and file sharing is about to change for the worse. At least according to the EFF after the Supremes found against Grokster in Grokster v. MGM. Who knows what the fallout will actually be from this decision. It may very well be very bad for innovation and may change the internet landscape forever. I don’t know.

Or, maybe people will actually have to start paying for the stuff they download from the internet? What a crazy idea, I know. It’s so crazy, it just might work. I guess we will just have to wait and see. No matter what happens, it shouldn’t be boring.