Happy St. Paddy’s Day! It’s a slow week in tech, all the attention seems to be focused on some new product being offered by a little known company………
Seriously, We do have some commentary about the new iPad, including why there is STILL no serious competition in spite of the many shortcomings the device has, including no USB, no SD card slot and no HDMI connection.
BoomertechRadio will be LIVE today starting at Noon PDT, broadcast over the air and via internet streaming at www.kcnr1460.com
From the ” You can’t make this stuff up” Department…
A story that gives new meaning to the marketing phrase “Complete Online Experience” is being offered without comment.
Viewer Discretion is Advised…
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398754,00.asp?obref=obinsite
BoomerTech is now being broadcast TWICE each weekend on KCNR AM1460 in Redding. Our (sometimes live) program airs Saturday Noon-1PM with an Encore broadcast sent our Sunday in the same time slow. In addition, I’ve decided to set up LiveStreaming Video, but that will be on a test basis because I also produce the show while I am trying to talk. It should be fun, however.
This Week:
Solar Storm Update,
Using These Words in Your Tweets MIGHT get Homeland Security’s Attention
The Zoom H2n, Great Mini Audio Recorder
Yet Another Attempt To Make SENSE of Video Formats for Consumers.
New iPad, should you get it, what are alternatives, Bob’s Dilemma
Phishing Scam Update
All that and whatever else we can fit in, today on BoomerTechRadio Noon-1PM PST
As the weather changes, thoughts of Christmas Shopping come to mind. Given the condition of the economy, it’s remarkable that sales of tech items remain robust, especially our multi-purpose devices. My gift to myself is to keep nudging myself to get on this site and post, which is why I went to the trouble of setting it up in the first place.
It’s a weekend of reflection, ten years after this country changed forever. So much has changed, technically speaking, and we’ll address some of those changes and how technology figured so much into that fateful day, and the decade since, this weekend on BoomerTechRadio, heard online at www.kcnr1460.com and on the air on KCNR-AM1460
Of all the articles canonizing or demonizing Steve Jobs and his vision of Apple, here is perhaps one of the best, by noted Science Fiction author and techie emeritus Jerry Pournelle:
http://www.informationweek.com/byte/authors/7038
And in case you’ve never read it, find a copy of “The Mote in God’s Eye” at your local bookstore. Look at the copyright date. I think Mr. Pournelle and Mr. Niven have grounds for suing Apple for concept of the pocket computer, after all that’s what Apple seems to be doing a lot of lately…
Just got a nice reply from the folks who are looking for public support in getting their product off the ground:
BEGIN COPIED TEXT:
Josh Wright & June Lai says:
Hi Bob,
We just read the article you wrote and it is fantastic. We want to send you a personal THANK YOU! for taking an interest in us and making time to blog about us. We get that it took something and we appreciate you it.
We are seriously blown away by people like you. You get what we are creating, fully appreciate what it takes to make this successful and want to make a difference by supporting our project.
Thank you for making a big difference to us. You are amazing.
June and Josh 
END COPIED TEXT
I wish June & Josh success with their dream, it certainly looks as if they are off to a good start.
The bigger story, at least for me, is this notion that ordinary people can invest in something like this product, not because they are looking for a huge monetary return, but because it’s a GOOD IDEA that ought to be funded. Capitalism and making a buck has a place and time, but once in a while it’s a good thing for your own personal growth to give something back to the world, be it as a volunteer in some cause that has personal meaning to you or to lend a helping hand to someone just getting started. Call it the modern version of barn-raising, when a community joined in helping a neighbor with a project. This, more than anything else, is the nearly forgotten promise of the Web as I see it, a world neighborhood, not a place to grind a political axe, cheat the unsuspecting, or just be flat-out mean because you can.
Besides, I Really Want One Of These and can’t wait for it to come to market (which is planned for November)
One of the services we provide at Belongie Entertainment is digitizing media such as record albums and cassettes. Generally because of the amount of time involved, I charge what I feel is a nominal fee, but for people who want to do it themselves, I’m not adverse to sharing some of what I’ve learned.
First, you need to get the sound into your computer. A company called ION sells turntables already equipped with USB audio interfaces, and I recall seeing one at Radio Shack, but I’m not terribly impressed with the build quality and how they will treat that old analog material. A better solution for the DIY person is to do a little sleuthing on E-Bay or the local yard sales or pawn shops.
That’s how I found a Technics SL-1200 turntable, an oldie but goodie that’s been the standard for Club DJ’s for more than twenty years. You might have to replace the cartridge and stylus…what us boomers call a needle…but those are available through MCM electronics. Get the best quality cartridge that your budget can handle, generally the more expensive, the kinder to the vinyl it is.
NEXT: The Interface.
Just about everyone knows that Apple started as a couple of nerds in a garage in San Jose building something that the corporations didn’t think was a viable product. (anyone recall the statement by a now-forgotten executive that the Personal Computer would be a “niche” item sold to hobbiests and tinkerers?)
As HP has discovered to the sorrow of shareholders, getting a product through the development cycle and all the way to the consumer market is a chancy proposition with a LOT of misses for every hit, ESPECIALLY when the Suits can pull the plug on the project without warning or logic. The game is rigged in favor of the house when it comes to the “little guy” inventing a product that people want, and all you have to do is watch the infomercials to see just what lengths inventors are willing to go to to find the Next Big Thing.
Bringing any product to fruition is generally the domain of companies that think in terms of Millions of dollars worth of R&D the way I think of getting my next cup of coffee at the corner kiosk.
There are alternatives for the brave. For instance, a website called kickstarter.com bills itself as the “world’s largest funding platform for creative projects in the world”. Product developers who haven’t been able to attract the attention of venture capitalists are able to take their vision and prototypes directly to the public, hoping to gain donations to help overcome startup costs.
Now I tend to be reeeeely skeptical of these things, having seen a lot of phantom hardware and computer vaporware used to fleece the unsuspecting, but it looks like this product has pretty good odds of being the Real Deal, especially for those of us iPhone users who work and play near….(shudder) water.
According to the entry, The “Escape Capsule” features a polycarbonate shell with o-ring seal that still allows access to the touch screen, yet protects against environmental hazards like dropping your $300 toy in the lake or exposing it to a dust storm while you’re taking videos at Burning Man.
Catalyst founders Josh Wright and June Lai have 30 days to raise the $30K they say they need to begin production in Hong Kong and get the product to market. Folks who contribute are being offered the chance to pre-order the Escape Capsule (I would have thought Escape Pod would have been a better product name but perhaps Apple’s legal division would have sued…they’re doing it to pretty much everyone else on the planet) at a substantial discount, get accessories or even yet another tee-shirt to add to that overflowing box in the top of your closet. If you’re really low on cash, a dollar donation gets you added to their website as contributing to the cause.
I’m interested in the product, and will keep you posted.
BoomerTechRadio will cover:
-How the recent London riots have lawmakers considering drastic measures, including cutting off social media connections during times of crisis;
-If E.T. phones, someone will be home once again to pick up the message;
- What are QR codes and who is using them and why you’ll probably see more of them in the future.
-Solar activity is on the rise, how a major flare could send our civilization right back to 1850.
- T-Mobile plans to start charging their data customers even more.
Join Bob and Brenda Belongie for BoomerTechRadio, Saturday from 1-2PM on KCNR-1460AM
