automating the world, one script at a time
Gordon
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Homepage: http://techjunkie.co.za
Posts by Gordon
Modern Warfare 2: It’s gonna be awesome
Nov 6th
I know there are people complaining about the lack of dedicated servers for the PC version along with other whinging about possibly killing civilians by mistake, but who cares ?!? This is going to be awesome. If you plan on playing online with your buddies over the next few months you will have to own a copy of this, because this is what all the cool kids are going to be playing.
Protect your iPhone
Nov 6th
(9/10)
I’ve never really been a fan of cell phone covers or cases. Usually because you end up compromising on the functionality of your device or you end up doubling its size. My 2G iPhone ended up looking like a expensive German bathroom fitting that had been attacked by a child with an angle grinder. Not a pretty site, but I never saw a cover that appealed to me. Mind you, I wasn’t really trying very hard to find one.
I was determined not to let my shiny new iPhone 3GS suffer the same fate. I saw a few covers that didn’t look too bad and decided to head out on a Saturday morning to pick one up. I was quickly reminded why doing your own research online and then ordering from an e-tailer is always the best option. All the staff in all the stores I went to were completely useless. I was really impressed with how little they knew about the products they had for sale in their respective stores.
In the last store I visited (why is it always the last store you go to ???) I finally found something that I liked. A little surprising as the cover was completely different to what I originally had in mind for my 3GS. As soon as I saw it I got flashbacks of Portal. It was brilliant white with grey buttons and hugged my iPhone like they were made for each other – which they obviously were.
They iPhone Candyshell from Speck
The Candyshell from Speck is a little pricey compared to some of the other covers that are available, coming in at around R350 depending on where you shop. It also comes with a screen protector (and a great little cloth to polish the screen before you apply it) which a lot of the other covers don’t have, not that they are expensive, but it’s great that I only had to buy a single product.
My 3GS now feels almost indestructible. The rubberised edges also give you that extra sense of security when you put it down on a hard surface or drop it. You can access all the buttons and the dock connector without any issues and the camera isn’t obstructed at all. I’ve also had zero issues with the phone overheating with the cover on.
If you love your iPhone and I know you do, buy it this cover and it will be with you till your next upgrade and beyond.
Borderlands – conquer it with your friends
Nov 5th
(7/10)
I’m still not sure about Borderlands. I can’t really fault the game. The graphics are great, it makes me laugh and it’s built from the ground up for online co-op. It walks a fine line between a FPS and RPG, probably my two favorite genres, but there still just seems to be something missing. I’m probably only about 25% of the way through the game, almost all of which has been done with at least one buddy in co-op, but I haven’t had that, “I must lock myself in the house and play this until the neighbors complain about the smell” feeling.
The story is also pretty cool. You are searching for a mythical vault that is packed with alien technology and secrets. I mean, who wouldn’t want to find that ! As with most RPG’s, you start off with miserable stats, miserable weapons, miserable everything really. You progress through the first 15 levels is pretty quick and if you spend your money wisely you can amass a fairly decent arsenal especially if you get lucky with one of the “daily specials” at the vending machines.
If I had my life over, I would probably wait to pick it up second hand, it is however a great way spend all night chatting to your buddies and making alien heads explode with your sniper rifle. Doesn’t really get much better than that.
Watch classic movies for free
Nov 4th
I thought this was pretty awesome when I stumbled upon it a few days ago. What the site has done is provide a smart interface to a library of classic movies that no longer have any copyright issues and are available on Google Video. You can search for specific titles or browse through a genre. The old school movie posters are a laugh and they feature a different set of movies based on the time of year or season.
Classic Cinema Online
So whether you’re in the mood for some classic animation or some really bad horror films, Classic Cinema Online has hundreds of films in dozens of categories and it’s all FREE !
The first thing that will put a grin on your face is the quality of the video – yes we really did used to watch stuff like that. Some of the acting is almost enough to put every movie in the comedy category.
Check it out.
Macheist warming up
Nov 4th
Macheist sounded their early warning system a few days ago. Claiming to have detected abnormal cosmic radiation levels. It seems that the countdown has begun. Navigating to correct galactic co-ordinates and sending out a solar tweet results in you getting a license for the disk visualisation application Daisy Disk worth $20.
Go to co-ordinates 151.7,174.4
I participated in the previous Macheist and scored a boot load of applications for $39 (retail value of apps was around $558). The concept gains momentum every year and I’m confident that this year the applications on offer will be better than ever.
Daisy Disk
The idea is simple, the guys over at Macheist set up a series of challenges that require you to do some serious detective work. They set up dummy web sites, embed stuff into images and generally make things super challenging. Never fear, you aren’t on your own and everyone participating in the event shares their successes. The bulk of the money raised goes to charity, some of it goes to the app developers and some obviously goes to Macheist – so this is all for a good cause.
It’s a heap of fun if you participate and even if you don’t, you still get all the listed apps. If you do decide to get a little more involved in the puzzle solving you unlock bonus apps that further increase the value of your loot.
There are usually a few bonus applications for first 25,000 people that sign up for the heist. The more people that join the cause the more apps are unlocked. From what I understand, the target had been reached every year for the past 3 years, so don’t worry about some of the apps not being unlocked.
Keep and eye on their website for further updates or follow them (@macheist) or me (@gordongreeff) on Twitter for more updates.
QOTD: Robert Pirsig
Nov 3rd
Robert Pirsig: “‘There is an evil tendency underlying all our technology – the tendency to do what is reasonable even when it isn’t any good.’
(Via Quotes of the Day.)
International Domain Names Are Coming in 2010
Nov 1st
This really is quite big. For the first time people other than those that use the 26 letter english alphabet will be able to use a character set they are used to on a keyboard they are used to.
DNS servers all over the world will need to be patched or updated to handle all of these characters, so I suspect there will be some migration and adoption pain, but in the end it will be good for everyone.
The short video from the Mashable article below lays it out pretty well.
The face of the Internet is about to change, and its potential impact on international Internet use cannot be understated.
Earlier today, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which governs domains, registrations, Internet Protocol addresses, and many other aspects of the net, voted to approve a fast-track process for implementing non-Latin domain names by early to mid 2010.
This means that by next year, you could be seeing domains in Arabic, Japanese, Chinese, and dozens of other non-Latin languages.
The new domains, which ICANN terms ‘Internationalized Domain Names’ or IDNs, has been something the organization has discussed for several years, but now IDNs have been placed on a fast track process, beginning November 16th. It will involve around 100 new, international characters on top of the traditional 26-character English alphabet.ICANN even takes the time to explain the impact of IDNs with a 7:10 video. In it, people from nations across (along with ICANN President Rod Beckstrom) the world discuss how IDNs will help them use localized keyboards and local email addresses. It’s a bit silly, but it really nails the key point: it’s time to expand domains to the native languages of over half the world. The video is below:
(Via Mashable!.)
Kindle vs Nook (vs iSlate)
Oct 29th
A few lucky early adopters have already received the Kindles down here in deepest darkest Africa, but as much as I want to get my hands on an ebook reader immediately, I’m going to try to fight the urge until there a few more killer devices available locally. The Barnes & Noble Nook was recently announced and will be available soon in the USA, but no word yet on availability internationally. I’m pretty sure that they will want to distribute the device as far and wide as possible, especially if they want to compete with Amazon.
If a had to choose a device today, I’d snap up a Nook in a second. It has features that the Kindle doesn’t have and just looks like a much better device. I haven’t used either device yet, but when it comes to the actual reading of books, I suspect they will be pretty much on par as they share the same size screen powered by the same E Ink technology.
One thing I don’t really like about either device is that the content you purchase from the respective online stores isn’t portable. It’s the whole DRM saga all over again. We’ve been through this with the purchasing of online music already. It doesn’t work. That’s why you can now buy your music DRM free from iTunes. I know it just comes down the publishers being a little nervous having their content out there in the wild west, but in the end I want to be able to take my ebook content from device to device without being locked into a specific technology platform.
So there is a lot of buzz about the Apple iSlate/iTablet at the moment as well. A few media slips over the last few days seem to confirm that we should see something early next year and that there will definitely be some reader functionality built into the device. If Apple continue the trend of providing DRM free content from the iTunes store maybe this will be the first platform where I will be able to purchase an ebook and transfer the content from my iSlate to whatever my new ebook reader of the future will be.
I’m gonna hang on a bit longer before I make the leap.
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Device |
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Screen Size |
6 inch E Ink |
6 inch E Ink / 3.5 colour TFT |
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Touch Screen |
No |
Yes (Colour) |
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Storage |
2GB not expandable |
2GB Expandable up to |
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Wireless |
AT&T |
AT&T 3G and |
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Bookstore |
Amazon |
Barnes & Noble |
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Natively |
Kindle (AZW), TXT, |
ePub, “multiple DRM |
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Formats |
PDF, HTML, DOC,JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP |
Word, more to come |
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Web Browser |
Yes |
No |
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Sync with
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iPhone, iPod Touch |
iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry, PC, Mac OS |
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Available |
Now |
Nov 30 ‘09 |
Top 5 (almost) local tech podcasts
Oct 27th
OK, so only two out of the five are local.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been searching for the best local and international technology podcasts. I’m tired of listening to the same fools drone on on our local radio stations. Cape Talk isn’t bad and some of the presenters are pretty sharp, but they hardly cover technology at all. Their 3 minute “Hard Drive” slot every afternoon is pretty useless, but I understand that it may appeal to their less tech savvy listeners.
For my trip into work and home each day I wanted to find a few podcasts that could keep me up to date with the stuff I care about. At first I tried to limit my selection to local content only, but there simply isn’t much out there. Unless I’m missing it.
My search has by no stretch of the imagination been extensive, but the list below is what I’ve settled on for the time being. If anyone has any suggestions on other podcasts I should listen to, especially if they are local, please leave comments below.
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1 – ZA Tech Show. Currently my favorite weekly podcast.It’s local and covers a wide range of technology and technology news. Hosted by Simon Dingle and a few other local journalists and tech junkies it provides a good laugh and even some great insights. As long as there is beer… Subscribe here. Or here with the direct iTunes link. |
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2 – Buzz Out Loud. CNET’s Buzz out load has been around for a long time. They have done more than 1000 episodes to date and as long as you can surive the American accents you’ll love the show. Subscribe here. Or here with the direct iTunes link. |
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3 – The Engadget Show. They have recently relaunched this podcast in a new live format. The first one featured a long interview with Steve Ballmer on the day of the Windows 7 launch. I hope they keep the quality of the show and caliber of the guests this high. Subscribe here. Or here with the direct iTunes link. |
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4 – Major Nelson Radio. A little niche, but since I do all my gaming on the platform I find it very informative. He runs a good show and often has exciting guests. He actually works for Microsoft, so although he doesn’t provide you with the inside track, he usually has has facts straight. Subscribe here. Or here with the direct iTunes link. |
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5 – mac:about. The only other local show my list. They have only done one episode so far, so it remains to be seen how long the show will last and how it progresses and matures. It’s Apple centric, but that’s a good thing. Subscribe here. Or here with the direct iTunes link. |
QOTD: Muhammad Ali
Oct 27th
How to clean your Apple Mighty Mouse
Oct 27th
The little scroll wheel/ball on my Mighty Mouse gets lazy every few weeks and only lets me scroll in one direction. Sometimes only up, sometimes only down. Side to side never seems to be a problem.
A simple fix I learned about to solve this problem meant I didn’t have to keep phoning Digicape to complain about repeatedly being sold bad mice…
Simply turn your Mighty Mouse off (by sliding the cover at the bottom closed), turn the mouse upside down onto a piece of paper and move the mouse around putting pressure on the scroll wheel so that it makes solid contact with the paper.
As you move it around you should see it leave a gorgeous trail of finger dirt and residue. Depending on how bad it is, you may even be able to spell your name before it’s clean.
The video below demonstrates the process:
Apologies for the poor quality. I whipped this up quickly on my iPhone 3GS.
Geotagging for everyone
Oct 26th
For people like myself that are stuck with a digital camera that was built before anyone had even thought up the term “geotagging”, there is finally a solution that will enable you to have location information for all your snaps.
There are a number of original manufacturer and 3rd party solutions available for a handful of the higher end cameras, but most of them are quite expensive and are most certainly not readily available locally.
This device requires you to sync your computers time with it and to take it with you on your shoot. When you get back you need to download the photo’s into the PhotoTrackr software which will add all the relevant location information to the EXIF data before you import it into your favorite photo organising/editing software.
At $69 we can expect to see it at around R700 locally. I doubt you’ll find them at your local electronics store, but the specialist photo stores should be carrying them later this year.
Looking for a geotagging solution that doesn’t discriminate based on what kind of camera you have? Looking for one that can fit snugly into your Fifth Pocket? The PhotoTrackr Mini looks to be that very device, boasting a diminutive thumb drive-esque appearance and the same geotagging technology as found in the original. Put simply, the device works by syncing the time of your camera with bundled software; when you’re back from a shoot (a shoot where your device also was), you just allow the application to figure out where a given shot was snapped at what time. There’s also Mac and RAW file format support on this model, neither of which were compatible with the prior version. Pre-orders are being accepted now at $69, and the first shipments are expected to go out next month.Continue reading PhotoTrackr Mini geotagging device shrinks down, adds Mac and RAW support
(Via Engadget.)
QOTD: Fran Lebowitz
Oct 23rd
Fran Lebowitz: “‘All God’s children are not beautiful. Most of God’s children are, in fact, barely presentable.’”
(Via Quotes of the Day.)
O’Reilly continues awesomeness
Oct 23rd
I have a number of O’Reilly books myself and I must admit, when their spines are all nicely lined up, they look awesome on my bookshelf.
They are now running a promotion that allows you to download an electronic version of any of the paper books that you own for only $4.99 each.
I will almost always want to own the paper version of these books, but having a portable version that is searchable makes access to the information I need extremely convenient.
Promotion ends at the end of October, so hurry along.
As one of the programmers here at Unclutterer, I spend quite a bit of time educating myself on new technologies. My bookshelf is pretty crowded, mostly with books that I’ve already read, and now only need to refer to once in awhile.
I’ve been looking for a good way to unclutter my programming bookshelf, so I was excited to find out that O’Reilly, one of the foremost publishers of technology books, is currently running a promotion to allow owners of paper versions of their books to buy ebook versions at a substantial discount of only $4.99 per book.
While many people prefer paper versions of books for readability, ebook versions have a few notable advantages that make them particularly useful when it comes to technology books.
- Tech books are typically big and take up a lot of shelf space. Ebook versions are quite a bit smaller, and take up approximately zero shelf space.
- Code samples cannot be cut and pasted from paper books. Some books include an additional DVD, or link to a website, that contains sample code. This is unnecessary with an ebook, and can save a lot of time when trying to learn new concepts quickly.
- Ebook text can be searched much more easily than paper text. Especially across multiple books at once.
- Ebooks make it possible to take your bookshelf with you on the road, and nobody wants to be anchored to an office just because that’s where his books are.
To take advantage of this offer:
- Visit oreilly.com and log in to your account, or create a new one.
- Register each book you own using its 13 digit ISBN number.
- Find one of your registered books in the O’Reilly store and add the ebook version to your shopping cart.
- Enter the discount code 499UP during checkout.
The promotion runs through the month of October.
(Via Unclutterer.)
