A Bit Eclectic

Ford and DeWalt are teaming up to bring RFID and contractors together. For a comparatively low cost, contractors can add the RFID to their Ford trucks to track what tools are on board. This is a great implementation of the technology and hopefully it helps reduce the cost of replacing lost tools.

It’s 5 O’Clock. Do You Know Where Your Tools Are? – Gearlog:

You get a 50 ID tags (in DeWalt yellow, of course) that you apply to tools, an RFID scanner and software for creating a database, and two RFID antennas that go in the truck bed and monitor what’s onboard and what’s missing. You monitor the tool status via the Ford In-Dash Computer. One button press brings up a screen that shows what’s missing that you had on board earlier in the day

The Unclutterer blog has a great low tech tip for keeping track of your stuff.

When I was teaching, I helped a student with severe ADHD develop a system to help her get between home and school and back home again with all of her materials. The program was based on counting to three. Her lunch box was marked #1, her daily planner was #2, and her “inbox” in her locker was #3.

She had two sets of books (one left at school, and her parents rented a second set to leave at home), so all she needed to do was count “1, 2, 3″ to make sure she had everything in her backpack at the start and end of the day.

(via Unclutterer)

Three episodes in and Dollhouse is starting to call dibbs on my attention. During last weeks episode, I noticed one of the characters (Topher Brink) using a Drobo. I am a huge fan of Drobo and totally geeked out when I saw it.  I grabbed a clip off Hulu for proof.

I own a Drobo and firmly believe that it is one of the best ways to store data. I will write a review when I find time.

I love my Apple Mighty Mouse, but I have had one gripe.  The scroll ball’s utility has declined steadily over time.  It gets gunked up the more I use it and eventually stops scrolling down.  This makes it annoying to use and difficult to read web pages.  Recently I found a remedy.

Take a clean white sheet of paper.  Set it on a flat surface and roll the scroll ball vigorously on it for about a minute or so.  Roll it up and down, side to side, and in circles.  The purpose is to dislodge all the gunk and free up the ball.

After this my Mighty Mouse works like new.  The scroll ball functions better than it has for the past year.  I tried this on a mouse at work and you wouldn’t believe the crap that came out.  If you are seeing a decrease in performance then give your mouse a little TLC.

The world of eBooks is not new. They have been around for awhile, whether on a dedicated reader or just a computer or PDA. But they haven’t really taken off. The market is plagued with high prices and relatively small selection. Plus, it is hard to compete with good old paper. It is difficult to improve on something that has not only stood the test of time but also changed the world as we know it.

Amazon recently released an eBook reader called the Kindle. It started selling on Nov. 19th 2007 for $399 and was completely sold out until recently. It is about the size of a paperback book, but a little thinner. The Kindle utilizes an eInk display, which reads just like ink on paper, to prevent eye strain. One of the key features that sets the Kindle apart from other eBook readers is it’s wireless connectivity. You can connect directly to the Kindle store and download books all through the device itself with no monthly charge.

I received my Kindle at the beginning of February and I absolutely love it. This is my first foray into the world of eBooks and the Kindle has been an excellent host. At first, I was extremely skeptical about the device. I had heard about it through many different blogs and podcasts but it just never caught my attention. I thought it was neat, but still more of the same thing. Mainly it was the price that held me back. I couldn’t imagine paying so much for this device. After hearing more about it, I decided to hit up the product page for more information. That is when it got me.

Read the rest of this entry »

A couple months ago I bought a new 26″ Westinghouse LCD TV. My main reason for the purchase was the size. Its sleek form made it easier to transport back and forth between school.

The TV had a great picture and overall I loved it. That was until I noticed the audio started becoming out of sync. At first I thought I was crazy and it wasn’t really going on, but it got progressively worse the longer the TV was on. The audio would happen half a second after the video.

I then started doing some research to fix the problem and came up with nothing. I started to make up excuses for the problem, like it was the power source or the DVD I was playing. So I learned to live with it, until last night. After watching 30 minutes of Silverado I got fed up with the issue and decided to look up a solution yet again.

This time I had a ton more luck. I found my solution in a review at Buy.com. Apparently, some Westinghouse TVs had a firmware issue that would cause this problem. Lucky for me, the firmware on my TV is user upgradeable. All I had to do was download the newest firmware from the manufacturer’s site and load it onto a portable USB drive*. That then plugged into the side of my TV and the update started. It was really easy and the whole process has renewed my faith in the company. The audio/video sync issue is completely fixed.

The whole process was so simple that I wish it was on more devices. This is the first TV that I have owned that allows the user to update the firmware with minimal frustration. Although it was a pain to deal with the audio issues, now that it is fixed I can easily recommend this TV.

*There are more detailed instructions with a few more easy steps located on the firmware page.

Last week I made the transition from a point and shoot to a digital SLR camera. After reading many reviews and articles I decided to purchase a Nikon D40.Overall, this camera has been amazing. It exceeds everything that has been said about it and has gotten me more into photography. I have been reading and learning more about the technical aspects of photography and overall it has been an excellent experience.If you have been thinking about purchasing a dSLR, I strongly recommend going to a store and trying them out. Make sure and read reviews to find one that is right for you. I can’t really give a recommendation as this is my first and only dSLR, but I can say that I have been more than happy with my new camera.The site that has helped me out the most on my quest for a dSLR has been KenRockwell.com. The site has great reviews on cameras and also provides excellent user friendly guides on how to access the basic functions of various cameras. The author has written some excellent articles on photography and is overall an excellent resource.If you want to check out the photos I have been taking with the camera, they can be found on my flickr site with the tag Nikon D40. Also go and check out the article I wrote on YourWeb about flickr.

The Zune.

I really really wanted the Zune to be outstanding. I wanted the press to get a hold of it and actually dub it the device that will dethrone the iPod. This has not happened. It hasn’t necessarily gotten bad reviews, it is just good. I was actually a little bit puzzled that my fellow Mac fanboys do not share my disappointment that the Zune was not the iPod killer.

Why do I want the Zune to be amazing? It is quite simple actually. If Microsoft made a product that the media was raving over, what would Apple do? They would make the iPod better by leaps and bounds. Apple wouldn’t sit around as their “golden child” got trampled by a competitor, they would go out and make it regain its throne. I am not saying that I am not satisfied with the iPod by any means, I just think that Apple can do better. I feel like they have a lot of cool things that they are planning to do with it but are holding out so they can release it in a steady stream and gain more revenue. This isn’t wrong from a corporate standpoint, but it doesn’t really benefit me the consumer.

So far it seems like the Zune isn’t necessarily bad, it just has some broken features. The biggest example is the wifi. It is an excellent idea but the limitations cripple it. I understand that the restrictions are in place to keep the record labels happy, but I believe that they could have made the restrictions a little more laid back. Also it could have been made a little bit more viral, they could have allowed you to re-share songs. That ways if “friend A” gives me a song that I like then I can pass it to “friend B” so that he can get a taste of it as well. Also it would have been neat if they could not only have done sharing but also a broadcasting type of thing. This way if you and your buddies are taking the train or something somewhere you could all tune into one Zune as if it were a radio station. One major thing that the Zune is lacking is Podcast support. I am a huge fan of podcasts and believe they are an excellent source of entertainment. The mere fact that the Zune does not support podcasts is a deal breaker for me.

Overall I think it is a good thing that the Zune has come in to battle the iPod, it will help force Apple’s hand to put more neat idea’s into the iPod. I am hoping that they incorporate the wifi functionality except do it better and hopefully include what I said above. Also, Apple could adopt a better interface to compete with the one on the Zune. I like the minimalistic one but it is starting to show its age. The form factor of the iPod is fantastic. I don’t want them to change the metallic back and polycarbonate front that they have used for so long. They can change up the screen layout and do some interesting stuff with the clickwheel, but in general I want it to remain the same. The last main difference means very little to me and I think that Apple’s approach is the better one. That is the built in FM tuner. I don’t need to have radio on my iPod and would personally like it to stay the way it is without it. Apple offers the FM radio add-on for those who want it and I think that is the way it should stay. That way people that want it can have it and it doesn’t add bulk to the iPod for those of us who don’t need it.

Overall I think it is good that the Zune has been brought into the market. It will force Apple to keep innovating and make the iPod better. As always, Arstechnica has done an outstanding job reviewing the Zune. You can find their review here.