I found this software awhile back and while I can't say that I personally used it often, I can say I see how the software could benefit a traveling user. Though, the user would have to be pretty stupid to leave their investment at an unguarded public location.
Basically, the software sync's your Macbook and the wireless remote to enable a type of car alarm system on the computer. If the sudden motion sensor (SMS) inside the Macbook senses movement, the "alarm" goes off and snaps a picture, alerting others to the bandit that is about to make their getaway with your machine. By default iAlertU can either store the picture locally on the machine or email it to a user-specified email address, but a nifty LifeHacker article shows how to use certain Applescripts to automatically upload the photo via FTP to a server of your choice. The only problem I found with this software was that someone (when I was using it about a year ago) could hold down the power button and the computer would just power down, allowing an easy getaway. Enjoy!
iAlertU is available for free at slappingturtle.com.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Bill Gates and Steve Jobs comedy
"its an iHouse"
"but theres no windows!"
"exactly!"
an instant classic...
"but theres no windows!"
"exactly!"
an instant classic...
Enable SSH between a Mac and an iphone/iPod Touch
I found this video on YouTube not too long ago and I found it to be pretty informative and through. It's something I would do if I was a lucky iPhone/iPod Touch owner...
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Initial thoughts on the Macbook Air
Apple has hit some home runs in its day, but I can't say that I am a firm believer in their latest Macbook installment, the Macbook Air.
The first thing that I, like many consumers, notice is price. Apple can set a premium for its hardware and rightfully so. It makes some of the coolest hardware out there and has brought many technological innovations to the table, but I just can't ignore the outrageous pricing of the Macbook Air. $1800 for the base (!) model?! And don't get me started on the "upgrade" to SSD memory. Who in their right mind would pay over a $1000 premium for solid state memory (with less space than the base hard drive) and slight processor improvements? I understand solid state disks are still in their infancy, but come on.
I will admit that I am amazed at the small form factor of the UMPC (ultra-mobile PC). At .76" at its thickest, it becomes the thinnest notebook to ever come off a production line and with only three pounds to kick around, it will surely not be a hassle to transport. I also give kudos to Apple for not including a disk drive. It is my firm belief that in the coming months they will be rapidly phased out by solid state media (like USB drives, or SD cards) with their limitation on storage capacity being their downfall. For example, I have a 4 gigabyte USB thumb drive that can carry only slightly less than a DVD, but yet I can throw it in my backpack and not worry about it until I need it.
I am glad to see computer designers incorporating solid state drives into their lineup, but right now they are downright too expensive for their general acceptance. Like all things tech, I am willing to bet that the prices will fall quickly while storage capacities go up. My initial verdict on the Macbook Air: wait until a revision comes out. Having the latest and greatest is always a plus, but I think I will hold out on this one.
The first thing that I, like many consumers, notice is price. Apple can set a premium for its hardware and rightfully so. It makes some of the coolest hardware out there and has brought many technological innovations to the table, but I just can't ignore the outrageous pricing of the Macbook Air. $1800 for the base (!) model?! And don't get me started on the "upgrade" to SSD memory. Who in their right mind would pay over a $1000 premium for solid state memory (with less space than the base hard drive) and slight processor improvements? I understand solid state disks are still in their infancy, but come on.
I will admit that I am amazed at the small form factor of the UMPC (ultra-mobile PC). At .76" at its thickest, it becomes the thinnest notebook to ever come off a production line and with only three pounds to kick around, it will surely not be a hassle to transport. I also give kudos to Apple for not including a disk drive. It is my firm belief that in the coming months they will be rapidly phased out by solid state media (like USB drives, or SD cards) with their limitation on storage capacity being their downfall. For example, I have a 4 gigabyte USB thumb drive that can carry only slightly less than a DVD, but yet I can throw it in my backpack and not worry about it until I need it.
I am glad to see computer designers incorporating solid state drives into their lineup, but right now they are downright too expensive for their general acceptance. Like all things tech, I am willing to bet that the prices will fall quickly while storage capacities go up. My initial verdict on the Macbook Air: wait until a revision comes out. Having the latest and greatest is always a plus, but I think I will hold out on this one.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Thoughts on the Mighty Mouse
For the first time in a long time, an Apple product has disappointed me. Enter the Mighty Mouse.
Bluetooth, which translated to no usb dongle, was the major selling point for me. I predicted in one of my earlier videos that it would be relatively easy to crack the dongle or, worse, break the usb connector inside of the computer and guess what happened. One day, while typing a paper on while sitting on my bed, my Macbook slid off of my lap and landed on my comforter ever so gently. It didn't matter. Because of the length of the dongle, it cracked the connection (luckily only on the inside of the dongle itself) and the mouse was dead.
I thought the Mighty Mouse would follow in the footsteps of its Apple siblings, but it was not to be. To start, the scroll "ball" is tiny, and I mean TINY. I am about average in size, and I simply could not get used to manipulating the tiny ball with my seemingly gigantic hands.
My second complaint is the right click. Because of the use of the touch technology, I have become accustomed to being able to right-click and select actions from a drop down menu. You have this ability with the Mighty Mouse, but the touch sensitivity was a little quirky for me. A single plastic shell that sense right and left clicks? Not really for me.
Bluetooth was a major plus for me, but this mouse needs some ergonomics worked out in its next redesign (if there is one). For now, I will stick with cheap, mass-produced usb wireless mice. Hey, the connectors may get broken now and then, but they don't cost $69.00 (!) to replace.
Bluetooth, which translated to no usb dongle, was the major selling point for me. I predicted in one of my earlier videos that it would be relatively easy to crack the dongle or, worse, break the usb connector inside of the computer and guess what happened. One day, while typing a paper on while sitting on my bed, my Macbook slid off of my lap and landed on my comforter ever so gently. It didn't matter. Because of the length of the dongle, it cracked the connection (luckily only on the inside of the dongle itself) and the mouse was dead.
I thought the Mighty Mouse would follow in the footsteps of its Apple siblings, but it was not to be. To start, the scroll "ball" is tiny, and I mean TINY. I am about average in size, and I simply could not get used to manipulating the tiny ball with my seemingly gigantic hands.
My second complaint is the right click. Because of the use of the touch technology, I have become accustomed to being able to right-click and select actions from a drop down menu. You have this ability with the Mighty Mouse, but the touch sensitivity was a little quirky for me. A single plastic shell that sense right and left clicks? Not really for me.
Bluetooth was a major plus for me, but this mouse needs some ergonomics worked out in its next redesign (if there is one). For now, I will stick with cheap, mass-produced usb wireless mice. Hey, the connectors may get broken now and then, but they don't cost $69.00 (!) to replace.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Something to check out: Tekzilla
Patrick Norton and Jessica Corbin serve the tech community well with their relatively new video podcast, Tekzilla.
Packed full of tech information, Tekzilla offers great reviews, hacks, and how-tos on the latest technology, and even dwells on older or more budget-minded hardware (They built a desktop pc for under $500 in one of their latest episodes). If you ask me, they seem to have "borrowed" the general introductory theme from Diggnation (as Diggnation recently hit its 130th episode) but the theme serves both independent media producers well.
I like this show a lot, and they even offer a daily podcast to go along with their weekly longer episode. I am not a huge fan of the daily videos, but every now and then I find Patrick Norton discussing something that interests me. Check it out for some video entertainment on Revision3.
Packed full of tech information, Tekzilla offers great reviews, hacks, and how-tos on the latest technology, and even dwells on older or more budget-minded hardware (They built a desktop pc for under $500 in one of their latest episodes). If you ask me, they seem to have "borrowed" the general introductory theme from Diggnation (as Diggnation recently hit its 130th episode) but the theme serves both independent media producers well.
I like this show a lot, and they even offer a daily podcast to go along with their weekly longer episode. I am not a huge fan of the daily videos, but every now and then I find Patrick Norton discussing something that interests me. Check it out for some video entertainment on Revision3.
Saturday, January 5, 2008
Something to check out: DIGGNATION
If you don't know what Diggnation is, you are missing quite a bit. Brought to you by Alex Albrecht and Kevin Rose, diggnation "covers some of the hottest user-submitted stories on the social news website Digg.com", providing about an hour of non-stop entertainment. Yearning for some hilarious high-def fun? Check out the video podcast on iTunes. I have a 22" Hanns-G monitor and the high-def download definitely shines on full screen mode.
The download will set you back about 700 megabytes (yeah, HD takes up ALOT of space) but it is well worth the space it takes up. Set your iTunes podcast settings to save only the latest two downloaded podcasts and you you're as good as gold.
*Kevin and Alex use quite a few choice words, so beware of who is around when watching.
The download will set you back about 700 megabytes (yeah, HD takes up ALOT of space) but it is well worth the space it takes up. Set your iTunes podcast settings to save only the latest two downloaded podcasts and you you're as good as gold.
*Kevin and Alex use quite a few choice words, so beware of who is around when watching.
Something to check out: Hak.5
If you're into tech like I am, I would definitely recommend checking out the Hak.5 video podcast (which I use iTunes to access). The show will generally run 45 minutes in length and is packed full of tech info. What can you expect? Hacks, reviews, how-tos...what else could a geek ask for?
This show has been entertaining myself for quite some time now, and I enjoy every minute of it. Check it out if you have some time to kill. Who knows, you may just get hooked!
Hak.5 site
This show has been entertaining myself for quite some time now, and I enjoy every minute of it. Check it out if you have some time to kill. Who knows, you may just get hooked!
Hak.5 site
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