Tuesday, December 16, 2008

BCS championship to be available live in 3-D - Yahoo! News

BCS championship to be available live in 3-D - Yahoo! News: "LOS ANGELES – College football live in 3-D is coming soon — possibly to a theater near you.

Thanks to an impressive — though not glitch-free — test broadcast of an NFL game two weeks ago, Burbank, Calif.-based 3ality Digital said Tuesday it had won the contract to shoot the Jan. 8 BCS National Championship game in 3-D."

Monday, December 15, 2008

Most Popular Free Windows Downloads of 2008

Best Of 2008: Most Popular Free Windows Downloads of 2008: "In the past year we've highlighted hundreds of Windows apps aimed at making your life easier, boosting your computer productivity, and powering up your PC.

For those of you who weren't able to keep up, here's a look back at the most popular Windows downloads of 2008."

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Startup banks on making money from free broadband (AP) by AP: Yahoo! Tech

Startup banks on making money from free broadband (AP) by AP: Yahoo! Tech: "WASHINGTON - For the past three years, a startup called M2Z Networks has been figuring out a way to blanket the nation with a free wireless broadband network to ensure all Americans have access to basic high-speed Internet connections."

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Prediction for 2009

I predict that within 2009, Sprint will come out with an Android (Google) based phone that will be powered by their newly formed WiMax company called Clear (a company formed by Sprint and Clearwire). Keep your fingers crossed!

sources:

All Systems Go for Nationwide WiMax With Sprint, Clearwire Merger

All Systems Go for Nationwide WiMax With Sprint, Clearwire Merger: "The US$14.5 billion merger between Sprint Nextel (NYSE: S) Latest News about Sprint Nextel and wireless broadband provider Clearwire closed Monday with $3.2 billion in equity funding from a variety of heavy hitters in the technology and telecommunications industries.

The two companies have joined forces to build a nationwide high-speed wireless Internet network using worldwide interoperability for microwave access, or WiMax Take the FREE Motorola AirDefense WLAN Security Assessment. Click here., technology. The combined entity will be called 'Clearwire' and will be based in Kirkland, Wash."

Sprint Considers Google-Powered Device to Lure Users

Sprint Considers Google-Powered Device to Lure Users: "“We believe in the vision for Android, so we want to see it get bigger and get healthy,” Kevin Packingham, Sprint’s vice president of products and devices, said yesterday in an interview. “We can, when the timing’s right, pull the trigger.”"

Google’s Rich Miner to Give Sprint Keynote - Android Handset to Follow? | AndroidGuys

Google’s Rich Miner to Give Sprint Keynote - Android Handset to Follow? | AndroidGuys: "December 10th marks the start of this year’s Application Developer Conference for Sprint, which has been held annually since 2001. One of this year’s keynote addresses will be given by CEO Dan Hesse. Another keynote will be given by Google’s Rich Miner."

Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Comcast vs. FiOS vs. OTA

Starting tomorrow, I'm getting Verizon FiOS internet service (20 mbps down/5 mbps up) for $60.99 a month, that's $8 less than Comcast's lowest internet service (6 mbps down/1 mbps up).
I won't be under a contract either.

Today, I called Verizon FiOS to cancel my 'Triple Play' service after 3 months of constant haggling with them over my monthly bill. Movie packages were being put on my account that I didn't approve and when I was told they would be taken off, they weren't. This month's bill that was supposed to be $168 was $219 and this was the last month I was going to deal with this! I was resigned to the fact that I was only going to get internet access from comcast and go OTA with my tv's. OTA stands for 'Over the Air' and I was going to get local channels in HD and use Hulu or other online services to get programming that local tv doesn't provide. I did it a year ago and was happy with the results.

So I called Verizon and they naturally put me on hold for approximately 30 minutes. Nothing new so far. The time on hold gave me time to think about what life was going to be like going back to Comcast. When someone picked up, I politely told them that I wanted to cancel my account because I wasn't happy with their service. She asked me what could they do to keep me as a customer. I said that one of the things that really bothered me was the contract. I didn't want to be restricted to a contract. The other thing was the quality of the customer service. She said that they're working on customer service, but that she would be able to offer me 'internet only service' without a contract for a flat $60.99 a month. I asked if this was a promotion and she said no. I asked if there was any reason she knew of that would raise my monthly payment and she said no.

This kind of shifted my thinking. I was all ready to have Comcast come in an get rid of Verizon but suddenly, Verizon seemed more attractive simply due to the price difference of their internet connections. Not to mention the speed differences.

So against my better judgement, I'm sticking with Verizon for now. But I did get rid of the TV and phone part of the package and because I did that, I'm breaking the contract and I have to pay $175 which is total BS! In the long run, it is more cost prohibitive for me to pay the early termination fee and only pay $60 a month rather then keeping the service and pay at least $168 a month for the next two years.

Bottom Line facts about your high definition television/broadband internet choices.

Comcast pros:
  1. No contract - On any service, tv or internet. Never thought I'd have to say this but this is a biggy. Read on.
  2. Stable - Once the service is in place, it's sturdy (at least in the Baltimore area).
Comcast cons:
  1. Dealing with their customer service is horrible. It can take up to a week or more for them to come out and respond even if you're completely down. Sometimes, they'll give you an eight hour window of when they will arrive.
  2. Comcast compresses their video signal 3:1. They do this because their 'data pipes' only allow so much data to be transfered at one time. So the thing that get's sacrificed is the quality of video and audio because those are the biggest bandwidth hogs. That great hi def signal that you're getting from Comcast could look three times better. And you can see the difference!
Verizon pros:
  1. Quality Signal - Their video and audion signals are not compressed. What you see coming out of your TV from Verizon FiOS is the best HD signal your going to see. The quality of your TV or your cables will be the bottleneck here. There is a noticeable difference between Verizon's signal and Comcast's compressed signal.
Verizon cons:
  1. Flakey Onscreen menu - Their onscreen menu needs work. While they do have some intuitive controls, they're missing some basic functionality. For example. If I want to just view HD channels, I need to select View HD channels every time I go into the menu. It defaults to viewing all channels and doesn't remember what your last preference was. This is annoying.
  2. Compitency of Techs- I was scheduled to have a tech come out August 1st to do my install of TV, internet and phone. When 4pm rolled around and there was still no sign of Verizon, I called and was told that someone would definitely be out by 6pm that evening. I was moving that day so I had my 75 year old father come over and babysit until they came over. Well they never made it. At 7:3opm, I finally got a hold of a rep and they said they were sorry that they didn't make it out. The next available date they had was August 15th. (15 days of no service, nothing). That should have been my que right then and there to get out while I still had some sanity left. By the way, I was credited $20 for being inconvenienced. WTF is that?! Anyway when they finally came out, the tech didn't have any network cable in his truck to run my connection to my office. Dazed at the lack of remorse from the guy, I let him use my personal stash of cable. Oh yeah, he needed my crimper too.... He told me that during 'the strike', some 'scabs' stole equipment from the work trucks and that's why he didn't have any material. I later found out that there wasn't even a strike, much less 'scabs' swiping stuff from the trucks. It took this technician a day and a half and a visit from his supervisor to come out to get me hooked up. The kicker to that was the previous owners already had FiOS installed in the house. Amazing.
  3. Costomer Service - Their customer service makes Comcast customer service look like a bunch of nuns. This is by far the worst customer service support I have ever dealt with, ever. Seriously, I need to set aside at least 45 minutes when I need to talk to these people because I'm literally on hold for at least a half hour. Then when I finally get a human, I suddenly get transferred and there I sit in another que for 15 minutes. It is incomprehensible that a company can operate like this. I'm learning that it's the growing mentality that these big companies don't need us, rather we need them.
  4. Verizon's Required Router - If you have Verizon Internet and TV, you're required to use their wireless router which is 802.11g. This sucks when I just went out and upgraded my network to gigabit ethernet and 802.11n. You're required to use their router because the STB's (set top boxes) they use have two way communication to Verizon. So the router needs to be able to see them on your network to be able to talk to them. There is a way around it and that's by making your 802.11n router a wireless access point and letting the Verizon router do the DHCP work. It's not bulletproof either because I always get messages saying that another device decided to take the DHCP address that I was using. Not fun.
  5. Verizon's Contract - If you join Verizon and select their "Triple Play" thing deal they have (phone, internet, tv) then you're locked into that contract for two years. If for some reason you decide that you don't need say the phone part of the package and you want to cancel it, you're required to pay a $179 early termination fee. No excuses buddy.
OTA pros:
  1. Freedom! - You don't have to deal with Comcast or Verizon! You are your own man/woman who doesn't have to dread when you see your broadband bill and wonder how bad it's going to be this month.
  2. Savings - By me dropping my tv and phone service, I'm going to be saving $100 a month on my bill by going this route. All I need from Comcast or Verizon is an internet connection and that will run me $60-$70
  3. Uncompressed Signal - Like Verizon, you're getting a pure, unadulterated HD signal. This is actually the purest signal you can get because there are absolutely no 'filters' on the signal before it gets to your tv.
  4. Room to explore - If you're going this route, chances are you have a computer hooked up to it. This allows you to have access to internet based content such as Miro and Hulu to name a few. There is a growing number of services out there to enhance your experience.
OTA cons:
  1. Lack of selection - Because you don't have cable tv, you don't have cable channels. But like I was saying in the pros section, there are more and more services every day to improve your experience if you have a computer hooked up to your tv.

Thursday, October 02, 2008

10 Ways to Rethink Your Commute

10 Ways to Rethink Your Commute: "Does turning the key in your ignition get more than just your motor angry? BBC magazine suggests 10 ways to rethink driving that might help with the stress. Key examples: Don't change lanes in slow-moving traffic, and make eye contact to foster a more human spirit. What do you do to lessen your ire during your commute?"

Monday, September 29, 2008

Sprint begins mobile WiMax network in Baltimore

Sprint begins mobile WiMax network in Baltimore - Yahoo! News: "Sprint Nextel Corp. opened its new wireless network to customers in Baltimore on Monday, offering Internet service for laptops for $30 per month. It's the first commercial network in the U.S. to use so-called WiMax technology for mobile customers."

Motorola Building Up 350-Person Android Team. Nokia Also Sniffing Around.

Motorola Building Up 350-Person Android Team. Nokia Also Sniffing Around.: "The iPhone may be the only game in town for serious mobile Web developers right now, but that won’t last long. Next year, the iPhone will see some serious competition from Google’s Android platform. Of course, T-Mobile will start selling the first Android phone, the G1 made by HTC, on October 22. But other cell phone manufacturers are gearing up for a major Android push."

Friday, September 26, 2008

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Friday, September 19, 2008

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

How To set your "File As" format to be uniform in Outlook Contacts

How To set your "File As" format to be uniform in Outlook Contacts:

"The problem with entering contact information on your Phone and Outlook and anything else that may be syncing with your contacts is that a lot of the time you end up with information they may not be entered in a uniform way. The File As attribute is often one of these problems where some contacts are filed as 'First Last' while others are filed as 'Last, First'. The steps below will hopefully help you setup Outlook so it is uniform across all your contacts."

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

HTC Touch Pro unboxed (exclusive!)

HTC Touch Pro unboxed (exclusive!):
"Ever since the HTC press conference announcing the HTC Touch Diamond three months ago people have been asking 'Where's the one with the Keyboard?' Well finally, thanks to Clove Technology we've been able to get our hands on an HTC Touch Pro review unit."

Monday, August 18, 2008

Android: An In-Depth Video Tour of Android 0.9, an (Almost) Great (Almost) OS

Android: An In-Depth Video Tour of Android 0.9, an (Almost) Great (Almost) OS:
"Earlier today Google released the Android 0.9 SDK r1 Beta, boasting of a pile of API updates and a visual refresh that moves it one solid step closer to actually, you know, showing up on a phone. A long changelog and a few screenshots are great, but we've fired up the SDK's emulator for a guided tour of Android's salient features."

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Large Hadron Collider nearly ready

Large Hadron Collider nearly ready

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a 27 kilometer (17 mile) long particle accelerator straddling the border of Switzerland and France, is nearly set to begin its first particle beam tests. The European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) is preparing for its first small tests in early August, leading to a planned full-track test in September - and the first planned particle collisions before the end of the year. The final step before starting is the chilling of the entire collider to -271.25 C (-456.25 F). Here is a collection of photographs from CERN, showing various stages of completion of the LHC and several of its larger experiments (some over seven stories tall), over the past several years.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/the_large_hadron_collider.html

Friday, July 25, 2008

Prof whose 'last lecture' became a sensation dies - Yahoo! News

Prof whose 'last lecture' became a sensation dies - Yahoo! News: "PITTSBURGH - Randy Pausch, the Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist whose 'last lecture' about facing terminal cancer became an Internet sensation and a best-selling book, died Friday. He was 47."

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Windows Mobile: HTC Touch Diamond ROM Gives Faster TouchFLO and 850MHz Support

Windows Mobile: HTC Touch Diamond ROM Gives Faster TouchFLO and 850MHz Support:
"A ROM update from Hong Kong for the HTC Touch Diamond released yesterday adds some fantastic functionality such as the use of the 850MHz GSM band (used by AT&T here in the US) and the improved TouchFLO 3D performance. (For the record, the performance update is great.) There are also a few bug fixes like the 'no signal issue' and home page loading. Grab it at the links from XDA Devs."

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Quick Access to Gmail Attachments

I often find myself sifting through boatloads of mail looking for that video attachment of that guy getting hit in the crotch. There's a way to do that fairly quickly in Gmail using a couple tools:
  • Quick Links from Google Labs
  • Advanced operator searches

Getting the "Quick Links" tool:

You can check out the article Manually Enable Gmail Labs in Your Account or you can just copy and paste this into your browser: https://mail.google.com/mail/?labs=1#settings. You will then see a green beaker in the top right of your Gmail screen just after your email address. Click on this icon and you will be taken to Gmail Labs where you'll see a tool called "Quick Links". Select 'Enable' and you will now have a "Quick Links" tool on the left pane of your email screen.

Using Advanced Operator Searches:

The best way to get results is to play with the operators in your search. You can find the search operators here. Here are some that I use:
  • has:attachment (*.mov || *.wmv || *.wm) - With this in my searchfield, it will return any videos that were sent to me with the formats of .mov, .wmv or .wm.
  • has:attachment (*.wav || *.mp3 || *.m4a || *.wma) -"You have received a new voicemail message" - This search string will return all .wav, .mp3, m4a and wma files that were attached, but that don't include the string "You have received a new voicemail message" in it. (I have my voicemails emailed to me and I don't want to include them in my music search.
As you can see, these searches are pretty self explanatory.

Once you're happy with your search results (I'm sure I'll be tweaking mine for a while), and you have your search string in the search field, simply select "Add Quick Link" from your Quick Links tool. When it prompts you for a title of the search, enter a name and select "OK".

You will now have a custom search in your Gmail that will serve up all of your Videos or Music that was ever sent to you through Gmail.

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

4 Confessions Of A FiOS Support Agent

4 Confessions Of A FiOS Support Agent:
"A FiOS Support Agent has kindly written in to share some insider tips to getting the most out of your FiOS support experience. Of particular interest: Make sure you know (and approve of) where they've buried your cable so you know wherenot to dig in your lawn!"

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Vlc: Master Your Digital Media with VLC

Vlc: Master Your Digital Media with VLC:
"Cross-platform media player VLC is often referred to as the 'Swiss Army knife of media applications' for good reason: Not only does VLC play nearly any file you throw at it (you even voted it the best desktop media player), but it can do so much more. From ripping DVDs to converting files to iPod-friendly formats, let's take a look at the four coolest things you can do with VLC and start you on your way to becoming a VLC ninja. Photo by R'eyes."

Now you can hedge fuel just like Southwest ... [Mygallons]

"Now you can hedge fuel just like Southwest Airlines! A Miami company is offering gas-weary consumers the opportunity to 'lock in' today's gas prices. For an annual fee, one can obtain a gas card that works as a debit card at a variety of gas stations. Does this idea appeal to you? [MyGallons.com]"

Start Using the New iGoogle Today

Start Using the New iGoogle Today:
"Last week we told you about iGoogle's new look, which they've rolled out to a few users in June and will continue to roll out to users through July. However, if you're dying to start using the new iGoogle today you can head to the iGoogle Sandbox Sign Up page and enable the new iGoogle right now. The only catch: Google puts you on the honor system that you're a developer. If you're comfortable calling yourself a developer (there are no real checks in place), then go ahead and get started. Either way, hit the jump for a closer look at the new iGoogle."

**Note from Eric - I tried this for a day and was looking for a way to change back pretty quickly. Didn't like this at all because having another column for navigation on the page makes your RSS Gadgets even smaller. I'm already fighting for width on my gadgets and this just made it smaller.

From a practical standpoint, having a row for the navigation above the RSS Gadgets seems to be the best place for them.

I was able to change it back just by hitting this url:www.google.com/ig/sandbox

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Hacking The Facebook Platform For Data Portability

Hacking The Facebook Platform For Data Portability:
"There’s one thing about Facebook that most people still seem to have wrong: that it’s a walled garden. Quite the contrary, the Platform allows for full data portability and has since its inception. It actually isn’t a walled garden at all."

The Books That Changed Your Lives

The Books That Changed Your Lives:
"On Thursday we asked you what books have changed your life, and over 250 thoughtful comments later, it's clear you all have book shelves stuffed with meaningful tomes. Now it's time to share the love. Today we've compiled some of the titles that you mentioned the most, with summaries and links to Amazon so you can check 'em out further—and get a glimpse into the minds and lives of Lifehacker readers."

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The God Particle - National Geographic Magazine

The God Particle - National Geographic Magazine:
"If you were to dig a hole 300 feet straight down from the center of the charming French village of Crozet, you'd pop into a setting that calls to mind the subterranean lair of one of those James Bond villains. A garishly lit tunnel ten feet in diameter curves away into the distance, interrupted every few miles by lofty chambers crammed with heavy steel structures, cables, pipes, wires, magnets, tubes, shafts, catwalks, and enigmatic gizmos."

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

10 Ultimate Cubicle Gadgets

10 Ultimate Cubicle Gadgets - Switched:
"Milton from 'Office Space' had his coveted red stapler. Dwight Schrute from 'The Office' has his Dwight Schrute bobble-head doll. What have you pimped your cube with -- one of those horrible inspirational posters that reads something soul-crushing like, 'Excellence,' 'Success' or 'Opportunity'? Lucky for you, we've compiled a list of the 10 ultimate cubicle gadgets no worker should toil away without. And now's the perfect time to give these useful and sometimes amusing doodads as gifts, given that December is upon us and the 'Secret Snowflake' office party frenzy is only just beginning. The gadgets on the following pages are guaranteed to either make you or your co-workers more productive, or make the day go by faster. And away we go!"

Monday, June 16, 2008

Spend less on everything

ConsumerReports.org - Spend less on everything:
"In today’s economy, consumers are being squeezed at both ends: On one, by higher prices for staples like food and gas; on the other, by dropping interest rates on savings, disappointing stock-market performance, and meager or no salary increases. If you’re having trouble keeping within your budget, this is a good time to review your spending to find ways to cut costs without denying yourself too many of life’s pleasures."

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

The PoD: Poor Man's Media PC

The PoD: Poor Man's Media PC:
"Sure, most of us would love to stream the world's media through our televisions, but it can get pricey real quick when media centers get involved. 'The PoD' by Verismo Networks is a $99 box that supports basically any format of video that you can throw at it (from internet Flash clips like YouTube to Windows DRM content like Amazon Unbox downloads)."

International Space Station Construction Phases

I've been looking for a website that describes the step-by-step phases of construction of the International Space Station. This one is the best I've seen to date:

http://www.chron.com/mm/iss/

HTC announces HTC Touch Pro : Boy Genius Report

HTC announces HTC Touch Pro : Boy Genius Report:
"You might know it as the HTC Raphael, but from now on, it’s official, and officially the Touch Pro. More or a less a slide-out QWERTY version of the HTC Touch Diamond, the Touch Pro improves on some of the Touch Diamond’s specs. Here we’ll find a 1350mAh battery with up to 8 hours of talk time, 3.2 megapixel autofocus camera, GPS, HSDPA 7.2 and HSUPA connectivity. Sadly, it’s not a quad-band EDGE or tri-band UMTS device, with North American versions coming “later in the year.” Hit the jump for the full specs on the Touch Pro and a couple images."

Friday, May 30, 2008

How To: Learn to Play an Instrument Online

How To: Learn to Play an Instrument Online:
"Chances are at one point or another, you've either purchased an instrument or considered doing so with the intention of learning to play it; most of us, however, never get around the learning part. The internet is a glorious fount of freely available information, and it's slowly filling up with excellent tutorials for getting good at just about anything—including playing a new instrument. Hit the jump for a handful of great resources for getting started with a new instrument online for the low, low price of free."

Webcams: Do More with Your Webcam with Free Tools

Webcams: Do More with Your Webcam with Free Tools:
"The webcam that came packaged with your computer system can do a whole lot more than just let you video chat. With the right tools, you can turn your webcam into a watchful surveillance tool, a face recognition-enabled computer login utility, a time-lapse movie-maker, and more. Let's take a look at some ways you can get more out of your underutilized webcam."

Six free security tools you shouldn't live without | NetworkWorld.com Community

Six free security tools you shouldn't live without | NetworkWorld.com Community:
"I won't keep you in suspense. I'll go ahead and name them right here, at the top of my post -- the six free security tools that all IT folks should know about and use. (But, you'll have to click through this nifty mult-page post to let me explain my choices.) And the winners are ... MetaSploit, Splunk, Google (don't laugh -- it's true!), KeePass, Helix and Netwox. Now read on to learn why ..."

HTC Raphael to show up in Europe as T-Mobile MDA Vario IV, specs listed - Engadget

HTC Raphael to show up in Europe as T-Mobile MDA Vario IV, specs listed - Engadget:
"Without much ado, the HTC Raphael, now called the T-Mobile MDA Vario IV in Europe, will hit streets sometime in Q2 2008."

Free Live Online TV Streams

Free Live Online TV Streams:
"Most television studios have caught up with the web and made their shows available online, either with their own websites or with an aggregate effort such as Hulu. However most studios are still far away from offering live television online, leaving web users having to revert to an alternative means to source live TV web feeds. TVChannelsFree is a website that has aggregated live streaming video sources for almost 3,000 TV channels, and they can all be viewed with just a web browser."

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

TED | Talks | Brian Cox: What really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider (video)

TED | Talks | Brian Cox: What really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider (video): "'Rock star physicist' Brian Cox talks about his work on the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Discussing the biggest of big science in an engaging, accessible way, Cox brings us along on a tour of the massive project."

Windows XP: Find Out What's On Your PC — Tekzilla Daily Tip — Revision3

Windows XP: Find Out What's On Your PC — Tekzilla Daily Tip — Revision3: "Veronica has got a handy little tool to take the mystery of what's inside and installed on your PC on today's Tekzilla Daily."

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

HTC Touch Diamond hands-on - Engadget

HTC Touch Diamond hands-on - Engadget: "We had a little thumb-print orgy with the new HTC Touch Diamond immediately following its launch. Light and small, the Touch Diamond comes off as a unit with promise. Unfortunately, we'll have to wait a while to get our hands on this via a US carrier, but Orange users in the UK will no doubt be pretty happy with this new handset, the first of its kind to use Windows Mobile 6.1."

Thursday, May 01, 2008

HTC Diamond and Raphael = Touch Diamond & Touch Pro - WMExperts

Well, following up on our earlier post about those fancy-schmancy new HTC devices reportedly heading to Sprint, some much wanted specs have since come out.

HTC Diamond and Raphael = Touch Diamond & Touch Pro - WMExperts

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Six Ways to Catch Your Favorite TV Shows

With the fall television schedule in full swing, many of us are back in the habit of plopping down in front of the tube at night to catch the latest installment of our favorite show when it's scheduled to air. That means clearing your schedule to watch the show and then sitting in front of the TV for a whole hour just for 43 minutes' worth of programming. That doesn't seem very productive, does it? Luckily, this viewing season there are more ways than ever to catch the latest episodes of your best-loved shows without becoming a slave to the prime-time television schedule. So forget the fall lineup as you know it, because this year you're going to watch TV on your terms.

Six Ways to Catch Your Favorite TV Shows

Monday, April 21, 2008

HD enthusiasts crying foul over cable TV's crunched signals

As cable TV companies pack ever more HD channels into limited bandwidth, some owners of pricey plasma, projector and LCD TVs are complaining that they're not getting the high-def quality they paid for. They blame the increased signal compression being used to squeeze three digital HD signals into the bandwidth of one analog station.

HD enthusiasts crying foul over cable TV's crunched signals - Yahoo! News

Ben Stein Vs. Sputtering Atheists

Ben Stein's extraordinary presentation documents how the worlds of science and academia not only crush debate on the origins of life, but also crush the careers of professors who dare to question the Darwinian hypothesis of evolution and natural selection.

Ben Stein Vs. Sputtering Atheists - Yahoo! News

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Joint Nokia research project to capture traffic data using GPS-enabled cell phones

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Nokia today (Friday, Feb. 8) tested technology that could soon transform the way drivers navigate through congested highways and obtain information about road conditions. In the unprecedented field experiment, transportation researchers tested the feasibility of using GPS-enabled mobile phones to monitor real-time traffic flow while preserving the privacy of the phones' users.

02.08.2008 - Joint Nokia research project to capture traffic data using GPS-enabled cell phones

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Back Up and Reorder Your iGoogle Page

Google doesn't offer a drag-and-drop method of reordering the tabs on your personalized iGoogle page, but you can manually move the tabs using an XML backup tool provided on the settings page. The basic trick should be pretty simple to anyone who's edited web code before, but Google Blogoscoped has a thorough explanation of what you're looking for and what to move. It's also worth a spin just to grab a copy of your iGoogle XML data, which you can restore at any time if that new experimental gadget takes over your whole page (which has been known to happen on occasion).

Back Up and Reorder Your iGoogle Page

PlayStation 3 Firmware Update 2.30 Brings DTS-HD Master Audio

Today, SCEA announced that the latest PS3 update, 2.30, would bring the ability to decode DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS-HD High Resolution Audio tracks, that is to say, Blu-ray audio at variable bit rates up to 24.5Mbps, and 7.1 streaming of 96K/24-bit tracks. Does this make PS3 the best Blu-ray player ever? If you've got a receiver that can take an uncompressed audio stream of that magnitude via HDMI, then we think it does. The upgrade also contains new PlayStation store functionality—more details after the jump.

PS3: PlayStation 3 Firmware Update 2.30 Brings DTS-HD Master Audio:

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

'God particle' expected to be found soon - Yahoo! News

The father of a theoretical subatomic particle dubbed "the God particle" says he's almost sure it will be confirmed in the next year in a race between powerful research equipment in the United States and Europe.

'God particle' expected to be found soon - Yahoo! News

Friday, April 04, 2008

Verizon announces 700MHz LTE plans -- can you wait 3 years? - Engadget

Verizon just announced its plans for the "C block" chunk of 700MHz spectrum it purchased from the FCC for almost $10B. As expected, it's going to provide high speed, 4G services in the form of LTE in the newly acquired spectrum. Of course, the 2010 launch is the same target stated by AT&T. Verizon also claims to have increased its spectrum inventory by about 60%. Before and after auction coverage shots in the gallery below

Verizon announces 700MHz LTE plans -- can you wait 3 years? - Engadget

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

You Might Want to Wait on that DTV Converter Voucher

As you're probably aware, with analog TV signals being killed off next year, you'll need a converter for old and crappy TVs. The government is offering up DTV converter vouchers worth $40 towards the devices, which you can get now. You should be running for yours now, right? Wrong! CNET gave us a few reasons to wait, and they're good ones.

You Might Want to Wait on that DTV Converter Voucher

Comcast Compressing HDTV Signals to Fit Three Shows into Two Shows' Bandwidth

Comcast has begun compressing HDTV shows in order to deliver more HD channels to you while using the same amount of bandwidth. They didn't use to do this before, but now, when compared to Verizon FiOS, the channels are grainy and blocky and full of artifacts—a result of shoving three channels into a space where only two previously occupied. A guy at AVSForum measured how the new bitrate stacks up against Verizon.

Comcast Compressing HDTV Signals to Fit Three Shows into Two Shows' Bandwidth

Friday, March 28, 2008

Protect Your Privacy When Downloading

Whether you're downloading copyrighted material or not, no one likes to have their activities online monitored. Let's take a look at ways you can protect your downloading and file sharing privacy, and prevent the big media companies and other anti-P2P organizations from spying on your file sharing habits.

Protect Your Privacy When Downloading

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster

Commercial DVDs are far too expensive to let scratches turn your video into a glorified coaster, but most people still don't back up their DVD collection. Once upon a time, the four to eight gigabyte footprint of a DVD on your hard drive was prohibitively large. But since the price of a gigabyte has plummeted, ripping your entire DVD collection to your computer is not just possible, it's prudent—and it's easy. Let's take a look at the best ways to back up and play any DVD rip on your home computer, along with how to burn a DVD rip back to a playable DVD.

Feature: Turn Your PC into a DVD Ripping Monster

Share your phone's internet connection, through WiFi!

CradlePoint has just introduced the PHS300, a pocket-sized unit that does the same thing—make the EVDO from a 3G-capable device, like a USB stick or compatible phone, into something you can easily connect to with any device that uses Wi-Fi. And it's battery powered. (Although it can plug into a wall, too, of course.)

CradlePoint PHS300: Pocketable EVDO to Wi-Fi Bridge