Hardware
CCTV Imports
Aug 17th
The robber stealthily creeps up to the porch, and looks around the door. He intends to break it right off its hinges, break in, and steal everything he can. Unarmed, but noticing that the lights are off, he is about to kick the door in when he realizes that there is a camera mounted right on your porch ceiling.
Security cameras and CCTVs can serve to detain criminals at best, or record them in the act at worst. They can be used to keep an eye on entrances, different rooms, so on.
I’m profiling CCTVimports.com today, a website that sells systems to capture, amongst other things, robbers in the act. These systems will serve to help keep peace of mind and track unwanted activities at home or at the office.
If you are in need of security cameras CCTV, CCTVimports.com is definitely a place to browse. They are assuring a lifetime warranty on their home page, and similar to Future Shop and Best Buy, offer price matching and an additional 10% off between the difference.
CCTVimports.com looks like an all-stop-shop for systems, as they sell monitors, DVR security cameras, digital recorders, network recorders, and even more advanced spy cameras and other peripherals. They also offer services for installation, marked by different packages (their gold bundle looks like a good middle ground between the two packages).
They also offer live support, which I have really grown to appreciate — my hosting offers live support, and I have often had to contact them when things went wrong. Although many companies offer telephone support, chatting is much more convenient and also a lot faster…and recordable (no more “Can you say that again?”).
Can you be too safe? With cameras and an eye in the sky keeping watch over your things, robbers are deterred and can be caught on camera. Preventative action is often the best method of action in this case.
Check out CCTVimports.com!
How to keep those Light Bulbs Alive!
Jul 26th
You might have just bought (or are looking into buying) those swirly Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs. (Shame on you if you haven’t already! Just kidding, of course.) They are supposed to last around ten times longer than an ordinary incandescent lightbulb, and because they don’t use heat to produce light, they are all the more efficient.
photo credit: Velo Steve
This is good for the environment. This is good for your wallet. And it means you don’t have to go through the work of throwing out as many bulbs! But, you may notice them dying, or having some bizarre quirks. Here are some tips to make them as normal as possible.
After you first install your CFL bulb, make sure you keep it on for at least twenty minutes. I would explain it, but I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be technically correct, and I hate geeks pointing these trivial things out: leaving it on for twenty minutes allows the ions in the gas to charge fully. This means that subsequently, you won’t have to wait to have the lightbulb charge to full power.
Secondly, on-off cycles kill CFL bulbs — so leave them on for at least fifteen minutes! This might seem counter-intuitive, but they’re super-efficient anyway — keeping them on for another extra ten minutes won’t cost you as much as replacing the bulb! (These bulbs are quite heavy on the wallet initially, but they do pay themselves off — if you can make them last.)
So make them last! Enjoy your CFL bulbs.
iPod Worth Deafness?
Jul 4th
A couple of days ago, I was listening to music in the shower (California Gurls! Omg!) as per usual, because — let’s be honest, I like to sing along and pretend that I’m a rock star. I’ll admit it. It’s a pleasure of mine (I don’t even feel too guilty, truth be told). A bit later, I had my dad tell me that he was worried about my hearing, because there have been a lot of news reports about how iPods and loud music can result in hearing loss.
photo credit: seanmcmenemy
Now I’m not an old guy, I’m almost 19. I’ve never seriously considered losing my hearing, but the thought of it is quite dreadful. Also, after watch the UFC 116 pre-show last night and seeing Brock Lesnar come to the recognition that his body had failed him once (he had holes in his stomach, as he put it — I’m not really sure what happened, I was only half-paying attention until that point), I realized that if a dude like him could have holes in his stomach then I could probably, very easily, lose my hearing if I kept listening to music too loudly.
I’m not an anti-iPod guy; in fact, ever since I lost my iPod Nano 4G a month ago, I’ve been quite saddened and adjusting to a life of no-Pod. (I’ve been trying to live in silence while walking, seems a bit more natural and I pay more attention to things, like cars and whatnot…can be important sometimes.)
So I decided to Google it, and apparently the safe threshold is at around 80-85 decibels for earbuds. For more information, here’s an ABC News report: http://abcnews.go.com/health/video/health-insurance-premiums-jump-10977894&tab=9482931§ion=1206835&playlist=1363742
I think that I’m going to do without an iPod for a while, but it is dead useful at a gym certainly, or in the shower, or on really long walks. The report indicated that volume and duration are the biggest criteria; thus, I think one change I will recommend is listening only to really high-volume songs when you have no choice. (Trust me, concerts and clubs will be filled with them.)
Also, in-ear earbuds usually have headphones at 5 decibels louder, the news report indicated. I’d recommend buying sound isolating headphones; thus, the background noise will be blocked out and music can be listened to at lower volumes without background interference. The V-Moda Vibe IIs were excellent, as were the Able Planet NC200s.
But go easy on the ears, they might come in handy in the future. Haha. 
Look out: Lucid Lynx
Mar 23rd
I’ve been expecting great things from Ubuntu. Here is the down-low: Ubuntu is a distribution of Linux that can be downloaded for free. It is open-source, meaning that it is designed to be greater with every additional user that contributes to coding, application development, etc. Not to mention there are no limits with what you can do — no secret processes running (ahem, “Trusted” Computing and Microsoft). The main thing holding me back from using it with my daily activities would be the hideous GUI (compared to OS X and Windows 7).
Not any longer. Lifehacker‘s recent post on Lucid Lynx contains screenshots that are mindblowing; they feature a new “Zune-themed” GUI, with a combination of purple, black, and orange touches. I really dig it.
Other than that, there a ton of features that should not be overlooked; new applications, new social networking capabilities, etc. I’ve only gotten a minor chance to look at this news, so by all means check it out! And download the VirtualBox image and test it for yourself (it can be found in the Lifehacker link).
For the cause. 
Smart Marketing: Why Apple is near Undefeatable
Dec 28th
Apple’s not much better at graphics than PC’s. In fact, the majority of modern laptops can probably outdo their Apple counterparts at that price-point. Sure, Macs are able to run Garageband and Final Cut HD (only because of OS X, which can be illegitimately put on any computer now), but that doesn’t really give them the ‘graphic-design-edge’ that everyone boasts about. In fact, I find the Windows variants of Flash CS3 and Photoshop CS3 to be much more user-friendly than the OS X variants (similar, but the tiny differences really bug me — windows that drag funny, etc).
Similarly, the Nexus One and Droid phones are written by many columnists to outdo the iPhone 3GS — both in terms of hardware and user experience. But why is it that the iPhone is still capable of surpassing these two phones in sales and popularity? (Granted, the Nexus One is still a ghost.)
Smart marketing.
It’s not about commercial time. If it were, the Droid would probably be a lot closer to the iPhone. And in fact, I personally find the Droid commercials to be a bit more clever than the iPhone ones.
It’s the simplicity, the physical popularity, the word of mouth, the lack of exposure the Droid has to the non-geek world, and the reputation (or lack of, rather).
The iPhone definitely has a much more interesting ‘one-button’ hook than the Droid would. One-button to do all things. One-button to rule them all. Etc, etc. It’s just funny, and it’s a major selling point — plus, Apple is very well-known for it’s ‘simplicity’ (in fact, OS X is maybe just a bit simpler than Windows, in my opinion).
Where do you see a Motorola Droid? Maybe in a Chinese mall, along with those next-level cell phones that only 0.1% of the population takes a note of. You don’t see classmates, friends, colleagues, bosses, or anyone using them. This is also a reason why Blackberry hasn’t been trumped by Apple yet. It’s because of the physical presence that both Blackberries and iPhones have; you see strangers in the mall scrolling with their thumbs, or texting on their QWERTY-keyboards. And maybe one person on a bench, on some phone that looks like an HTC model or a generic brand — nothing to pay attention to.
When the iPhone came out, the world knew about it. Sure, there are people that know about the Droid — but not many. And a lot of them are just…geeks. Enthusiasts. Where the iPhone appealed to fashionstas for its beauty, geeks for its applications (as well as gamers), media freaks for its screen, and insecure people for its popularity, the Droid is only known to geeks. Not your mother, not your sister, not your grandpops. Just geeks. Maybe you, and one or two of your friends. And, to be frank, no one really cares that much about it, because no one’s seen anything that it can do better than the iPhone (when in fact, there is quite a bit that can be shown).
And, lastly, the iPhone’s already proven to be fun to use. It’s proven to be worth its price tag. And its prices are dropping, while specs are rising. In contrast, the Droid is still very new to the market; although a lot of smartphones came before the iPhone, the iPhone is really the phone that brought smartphones to the mainstream crowd — Feist’s song, its clever demonstration of the Shazam app (which really wow-ed my friends when we saw it), and its variety of apps just really makes the phone. Whereas, the Droid (and Android) still has a lot to prove.
photo credit: dailylifeofmojo
I’m not saying it’s impossible, but it’s very difficult to dislodge Apple and the iPhone from their throne. There needs to be a shift — from simple commercials, to different marketing tactics. How about giving away free Droids, to certain people to try? Chanel did that with her perfume — only to a few select exclusive high-end people, for free. That way, when people are looking to see what the rich people are doing, they find that — Lo and Behold, they’re not using the iPhone, but a Droid! It’s only ideas that are out of the box, that will stand a chance against Apple’s iPhone.
Cover image by William Hook: http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamhook/3656233025/
Dell SP2309 23″ Screen: Exceeds HD, for $239 until Midnight!
Dec 4th
Dell Canada has the SP2309 23″ screen — a monitor with 2048×1152 screen resolution (that’s a bit greater than the standard 1080 hd resolution) — for a mere $239 until midnight!
I’m usually not an advocate of spending, but if you have $250 and need an external monitor, this is a must get. It’s a great deal; I’ve personally been a fan of Dell’s monitors ever since I got the S2208W (here’s my review on it: http://cutedge.org/full-hd-in-22-inches-the-dell-s2209w/), and this baby exceeds HD (even if only by a bit)!
Check it out, it’s only on till midnight so get cracking!
HP’s MacBook Pro Clone: Envy
Sep 15th
No doubt there are a huge amount of MacBook Pro fans (I’m one of them) — the new MacBook Pros are cheaper, more efficient, and simpler than ever before. There wasn’t really much competition. Until now.
HP has created an (almost) exactly replica of the MacBook Pro; taking the exterior design of the MacBook Pro and slapping an HP logo on it, but reinventing the inside to have a lot more juice, and a lot more power. Named Envy, this line of laptops was created to capture a portion of those interested in MacBook Pros — the Envy line is more than comparable to Apple’s MacBook Pro.
With an i7 processor and double-digit RAM, and a dedicated ATI graphics card, the Envy is definitely something to keep your eyes peeled for. Available in mid-October, I’d suggest holding off that MacBook Pro until you’ve decided whether Snow Leopard is that essential, and if you can live with Envy and the Windows 7.
Read: http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/15/hp-envy-13-and-15-bring-luxury-to-the-everyman-look-like-macboo/
Read: http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/envy/discover_15.html
5 Free Utilities to Instantly Beautify Windows Vista (and XP)
Aug 29th
Alright, so we’ve got Windows Vista or XP, and we can’t wait for Windows 7 to come out. We absolutely have to make Vista look nice. Like, right now. Here are 5 tools to instantly make Windows Vista or XP that much more bearable. Best of all, they’re free.
1. Ultimate Windows Tweaker
Ever needed to slightly alter the appearance of Windows? Enter Ultimate Windows Tweaker, a utility for Windows Vista and the upcoming Windows 7 to adjust the details of Windows. For example, I remember one time when I decided that shortcut arrows were a nuisance and I didn’t want them to appear on the icons of my desktop. I went into Ultimate Windows Tweaker and performed the adjustments from within – one reboot later, presto! They were gone.
Visit: http://www.thewindowsclub.com/ultimate-windows-tweaker-v2-a-tweak-ui-for-windows-7-vista
2. Avedesk
Avedesk is a favourite amongst many computer customization enthusiasts – it is a program that basically adds a layer onto your desktop that enables gadgets (aka applets, widgets, desklets, etc) to run. I like Avedesk because there are a ton of applets ready to be downloaded, and because it looks beautiful. However, I wouldn’t suggest running it on anything that can’t run Windows XP smoothly – it can significantly slow startup time.
Visit: http://www.avedesk.org/
3. LogonStudio
What’s the first thing anyone sees after the boot screen (excluding those single users who don’t set up a password)? Your login screen! I remembered the first time I saw Vista’s beautiful Aurora-styled login screen – but after a certain number of reboots, it got old. If you’re as bored of the background as I am, be sure to give LogonStudio a look.
Visit: http://www.stardock.com/products/logonstudio/
4. Samurize
Somewhat along the lines of Avedesk (don’t ask me which was the original), Samurize offers a bunch of applets to enhance the look of your Windows desktop. I think Samurize to be a bit more computer-intensive than Avedesk, but it’s still worth a go (hey – it’s free) if you’re wanting to take computer customization to the next level.
Visit: http://www.samurize.com/
5. VistaGlazz (+ DeviantArt)
VistaGlazz is a beautiful two-in-one application – basically, it patches the uxtheme.dll on your computer and replaces the default Aero theme with one that has transparent windows even when maximized. By patching the uxtheme.dll, VistaGlazz opens the world of non-Microsoft themes up to your computer. The transparent Aero theme is reminiscent of the updated theme in Windows 7.
As for third-party themes, there are a ton – stuff designed to emulate OS X, Windows 7, or stuff that’s just way out there. For a grand collection of these themes, visit the Vista Visual Styles collection at DeviantArt (links below).
Visit: http://www.codegazer.com/vistaglazz/
Visit: http://browse.deviantart.com/customization/skins/vistautil/visstyles/
Can you still complain about the ugly look of Windows after running through these five applications? And even if you despise Windows, I’m sure that these applications or patches will make things all the more bearable. More importantly, have fun modifying Windows! Hacking and modifying is an excellent experience to have under your belt.
The Future of Gaming: Xbox 360
Jul 10th
I truthfully think that Microsoft has the most going for it at the moment. Its graphics are top-notch and comparable with the PS3, it retains a respectable portion of the market, it has an excellent online-gaming experience, a slew of very fun games, and costs less than the PS3 and only a bit more than the Wii.
First off, the games that are coming up: Halo 3 ODST, Left 4 Dead, and Forza 3 come to mind. However, there’s a lot more to look forward to with the Xbox 360 that was introduced at E3 2009. I’m talking about Project Natal.
photo credit: juanma.cabello
REVOLUTION.
Project Natal works with a camera — it captures full-body motion, scans pictures, and integrates a new touch-based navigation system into the Xbox 360. That’s a lot of stuff. The official Project Natal page can be found here (http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal/), and there is no shortage of videos. And I must admit, I’m very impressed — think Wii, without the controller. If Microsoft really focused on making dedicated games towards Project Natal, I’m sure that the tides will turn and the Xbox 360 will surpass the Wii inevitably.
photo credit: modenadude
Secondly, Project Natal already has a program coming up — a friend of mine (thanks Nick!) told me about this about a month ago, but I never got around to seeing it until now — called Milo. Milo, developed by Lionhead, is basically a program where a boy (named Milo?) interacts with the player. One can hold a conversation with this boy, play interactive minigames, but — can also input data virtually into this game. Meaning that Milo scans a piece of paper through Natal, and will have it appear on screen. The transition is seemingly seamless, which is very impressive and speaks a lot for the processing power of the 360 and the speed of Natal.
Again, truthfully, I believe that the Xbox 360 is gearing up for the future, and the other consoles will no doubt be decimated unless they plan something fast. With games coming left and right, and Project Natal around the bend, the Microsoft Xbox 360 would be my recommended system to purchase today.
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPIbGnBQcJY&feature=fvst
The Future of Gaming: Nintendo Wii
Jul 4th
The Wii’s success is self-evident in its sales — and the fact that it took nearly a year after release before one could manage to find a Wii in stock at a retailer (I imagine it’s not nearly as difficult now). Anyway, the Wii has had much to offer — most outstanding would be its motion-detection and incorporation of movement into its controller. The pioneer of mainstream motion-sensing, the Wii is now feeling pressure from both Sony with the unofficially-named “PS3 Wand” as well as Microsoft’s “Project Natal”. With both powerhouses trying to rob the Wii of its competitive advantage, what is Nintendo’s next move?
Surprisingly, nothing drastic — after all, the Wii already had the advantage to begin with. Instead, the Wii is upping its arsenal of games — with new Zelda, Metroid, and Mario games on their way to bolster the current line-up. Interestingly enough, Nintendo is also starting to experiment more with MotionPlus sensitivity on the WiiMote, starting with Red Steel 2 (another game to keep an eye on).
But to be truthful, although the Wii has maintained a good lead in the console wars, I can foresee it losing its current advantage very quickly — the PS3′s wand will incorporate motion control, levelling the playing field in that aspect, and the Xbox 360 is taking it a step further with full-body motion sensing. With both competitors possessing far superior hardware and catching up to the Wii’s only advantage, what will Nintendo do? I once doubted Nintendo and scoffed at its lack of power — but the people have proved me wrong. For Nintendo’s sakes, let’s hope that they come up with something interesting — and that the people love it.