Foot-long store receipts
It’s getting to the point I need to start recycling receipts they use so much paper!
Toothbrush holders
Is it just me or do toothbrush holders with enclosed interiors make little or no sense?
The best thing about the Kinect is…voice commands?
I finally got a Kinect. Up until now, I really didn’t feel compelled to get one. Waving your arms around to control the Xbox just seemed more fad than useful. However, a friend of mine showed me how you can control the Xbox using voice commands. THAT was it. I ordered one on my phone before he finished demoing it.
Sure, using gestures is pretty cool, but controlling, say, Netflix using just your voice is a dream come true. I just wish everything was voice controllable. It appears that you can only do it with certain things. For example, you can’t use the video player using voice commands. C’mon MS! Get with it! LOL!
…and we’re back!!!
Sorry for being MIA for the past five months. Both SeriouslyTrivial.com and Dougworld.com are back online. I’m working at Clear Channel Outdoor as an Assistant Controller in San Antonio, TX these days and love it. Looks for some incredibly seriously trivial posts in the coming days! Much to say…and not say LOL!
It’s so good to be back.
–doug
Rich man
“That man is rich whose pleasures are the cheapest.” –Henry David Thoreau
Workable storage and backup strategy with encryption
I’ve always backed up my files religiously, including having an off-site copy. I recently moved all my files to a new PC and decided to take the opportunity to rethink my organization and backup process.
Security
My main concerned is keeping data files secure. I really don’t care if someone was able to gain access to my movies and music. For general network/Internet protection, I’m relying on typical user authentication. However, the thing that many people overlook on home systems is physical protection. It’s pretty easy to get access to files directly from a hard drive. The solution that follows reduces that risk substantially.
Drive Set-up
The first thing I did was add a new 2TB internal hard drive as Drive Z:. I copied all of my media files (music and movies) to this drive. Then, I created a 200GB encrypted file container on Z: using Truecrypt, a free open-source disk encryption application. This gets mounted as Drive Y: and is the home for all of my data files. Finally, I mounted an entire portable USB drive as a encrypted non-system drive with Truecrypt as Drive X:. This is used for daily backup. What I have essentially is this:
X:, encrypted portable USB drive used for backups
Y:, encrypted file container on Z: used for data
Z:, non-encrypted drive used for media
Since Drive Z: is not encrypted, my media files are available as long as the PC is running. I do this because I like to stream media over the Internet to my iPhone and iPad. My encrypted data Drive Y: auto-mounts upon boot up, but requires me to enter a password. Thus, if someone steals my PC or powers it down, they will not be able to access any of my data files. My external USB Drive X: is similarly inaccessible if the system is powered down. (I really like using these portable USB drives since they don’t require a separate power cord.) I also have the screensaver set to request a password on resume.
Backup
My backup software is Cobian Backup, a nice free backup utility. Cobian backs up Drives Y: and Z: to the external USB Drive X:. I only backup a few items on my system Drive C:, for example, the My Documents and Start Menu folders. Why Start Menu? If Drive C: dies, I can use the back up as a guide of what I need to re-install. Drive C: is also backed up to Drive X:.
Closing Thoughts
I really like this new set-up and back-up process. I really don’t have too many really confidential files, but now I really don’t need to worry too much about things ending up in the wrong hands.
Cool way to pack hanging clothes for a move
I was faced with moving a lot of hanging clothes on my move from Los Angeles to San Antonio. Since everything had to fit in my car, I had serious limitations on how much I could bring. Moreover, packing suits and dress shirts in boxes would end up in a bunch of wrinkled clothes.
I found this post on instructables.com entitled “how to pack clothes for moving.” The author suggests using plastic trash bags. Now although I generally liked the idea, it seemed too difficult to get the proper amount of hanging clothes in the bag and some part of the clothes might stick out the bottom. I also thought that they would be sliding all over the place and get wrinkled anyways.
Then I remembered that whenever I used a professional moving company, they would wrap everything in plastic wrap. (They’d probably wrap my dog if I had one and wasn’t looking 
It dawned on me that plastic wrap would solve all of the limitations of using trash bags. One, you could wrap just about any amount of hanging clothes; two, it will accomorate any length; and three, plastic wrap would not be as slippery as trash bags (in fact, it can be down-right sticky).
I used Zip Ties to hold the top of the hangers together. The instructables.com article has a suggestion to use masking tape, but I felt that it would leave a residue. One of the comments suggested Zip Ties and that worked like a charm.
Obviously, if I was going to use a moving company, I would spring for wardrobe boxes, but for this situation, plastic wrap was perfect, simple and cheap!
Old school phone handset rocks on iPhone!
Ok, I know this set-up looks stupidier than heck, but I never realized how much I missed old-style phone handsets. We’ve gotten so far away from that with our flat cellphones. Even newer land-line phones are moving in that direction. However, if you haven’t noticed, your face isn’t flat!
You can comfortably hold the Moshi Moshi Retro POP Handset to your head with your shoulder–try doing THAT with your iPhone!–and the sound is nice and clear. Of course, it’s not for carrying around, but I highly recommend it, if you use your cell phone a lot at your home. Only $30 on Amazon. Works great with my iPhone 4.
Migrating iTunes from Windows XP to Mac OS X
I decided that I wanted to move iTunes from my Windows XP desktop to my new MacBook Air. You’d think that Apple would have “a button” to do that. You’d be wrong. There are many how-to blog posts that talk about how to copy over the files. I tried a few, but none seemed to be very straight forward. Playlists and Apps seemed to be the major stumbling block.
Anyways, I found a third-party application called CopyTrans TuneSwift which worked like a charm. For only $15 bucks, it was worth every penny. It basically creates an archive of your iTunes library on the Windows side and provides a OSX utility that unarchives things on the Mac side. The instructions want you to use an external drive, but it worked fine using a shared network folder. The basic steps are:
1. Run CopyTrans TuneSwift
2. Click the Transfer button
3. Click the I want to transfer my iTunes Library to Mac button.
4. Set the target folder (removable storage or network share) and click Start Transfer button. This takes a LONG TIME since it is archiving all the media files.
5. When the archiving step is complete a web page will open that provides a link to the Mac restore application, which you download and run on the Mac (obviously). This takes a LONG TIME too…
6. When the library is restored, you run iTunes BUT you are supposed to hold the Option key down which allows you to select the new iTunes library. Now, I think I messed up on this step, but iTunes seemed to use the new library anyways.
7. That’s it.
Everything came over as expected and my iPhone 4, iPad (first gen) and iPad 2, all connected and synced with no issues.
The one exception is Photos and it’s mainly because Apple treats them differently that audio and video media. If you’ve ever tried to get pictures over to an iOS device, you know what I’m talking about–pictures are the bastard children of iTunes for some unknown reason. Fortunately, it’s not a big hassle to get your photos over too. I created a folder on my Mac under Pictures called My Photos and copied all my photos from the Windows iTunes folder. Then, I set the iOS device to Sync Photos and pointed it to the My Photos folder. (Initially, I tried using the iPhotos folder, but it just seemed too heavy-handed. I may use that in the future once I get more comfortable with it.)
Hope this helps you!
The Best iPad 2 Case!
The AYL 5-in-1 Leather Case Folio is an awesome case for the iPad 2. It’s nearly identical to the Yoobao case I have for my first gen iPad. (I believe that AYL and Yoobao are one in the same company, but it’s only a guess.) The case doesn’t add a whole lot of bulk and clips to the sides so you don’t have issues when you need to interact with the screen right near the edges. The current version also has the magnet embedded so the iPad 2 turns on and off as you open and close the case, just like the Apple folio case.
The materials seem to be high quality and the various slots let you angle your case just how you like it. The iPad does slip out of the slots from time to time, but it’s a pretty elegant solution for such a slim case. For only $29 on Amazon, it’s a great buy!
Bought a Macbook Air to replace my…iPad?
As much as I love my iPad, it had become too much of a constant source of frustration. After much thought and agonizing, I drove to the Apple store and walked out with a brand-new Macbook Air.
iPad Frustrations
Mostly, its the lack of Flash support on the iPad and the way content providers treat it differently than a regular laptop. These two things keep me from being able to watch a lot of streaming content, and many websites still haven’t yet build mobile versions or embraced HTML5.
The second big issue I have with the iPad is just the limitation of inputting *and* editing text. It’s basically a pain in the rear. If you write a lot like I do, I know you feel my pain. I considered getting one of the iPad keyboards, but it just seemed to kludgy and unbalanced.
Another issue I’ve been having with the iPad as of late, is apps constantly crashing and disappearing, particularly Evernote. It’s been really sluggish too and rebooting seems to do nothing. I’m wondering if the CPU and RAM just aren’t up to multitasking of iOS 4, remember that was the biggest upgrade in the iPad 2.
Waiting for the new Airs
I’ve been eyeing the 11″ Macbook Air for some time and waited patiently for the new models to appear. I ended up upgrading all the way to 4GB RAM, 256GB HD and Core i7 CPU. I really only wanted the larger hard drive, but the physical Apple store doesn’t carry the version with the i5 CPU. Oh well, a little speed can’t hurt.
This is the first Mac I’ve ever owned and it’s a bit of a learning curve for a long-time Windows guy. Many things are similar and many things are not. Overall, however, I’d say I like it a lot. The cross-platform nature of Chrome really makes the transition easy for browser stuff.
Transitioning from Windows
I haven’t run into any showstoppers yet. I found Mac versions or equivalents for most of the programs I truly depend on. Here are some of my positives and negatives:
Positives:
- Small size and well-balanced. The iPad in its case is actually BIGGER than the Air! Seems heavier too. Weird.
- I love the trackpad gestures. Very smooth.
- It is VERY fast. A coldboot takes a little over 20 seconds and that includes typing in my lengthy password! No sluggishness like you normally encounter with standard hard drives.
- I normally don’t shutdown and just close the lid so it sleeps. Doesn’t noticably impact battery life.
- Chrome installed with all extensions, bookmarks, etc. Incredible!
- Magic Mouse (optional) is awesome
- Magnetic charger connector, compact AC adapter, and extension cord are cool. This is just indicative of how far Apple thinks a product through. The AC adapter is an after-thought for all other PC manufacturers. They just use what’s already in their inventory or what the lowest bidder will give them.
- Keyboard is useable size and keys are well-spaced. Back-lighting is great.
- Not a huge learning curve from Windows for me.
- Generally there are few OK buttons. You change a settings and it’s changed. Takes some getting used to, but saves a click.
- The Microsoft Remote Desktop client works great. Lets me have a Windows machine without going through the hassle of Bootcamp.
- Full web experience–compared to iPad’s limited one, at least in eyes of content providers
- The Windows system tray stuff is on the top-right of the screen and there is nothing at the bottom. I think I like it better.
- I don’t miss the sluggishness and constant crashing of iPad apps.
- Glad I waited for new Air models =)
Negatives:
- Delete key acts like a Windows Backspace key. You have to hold Fn key to get equivalent of Windows Delete key.
- I miss the middle click mouse button
- I tried swapping the Command and Control keys in the System Prefs to make it more Windows-like, but it just made it more confusing. (Not sure why there is even a Control key.)
- It took me a while to figure out that the menu for only the application in focus appears at the top of the screen. In Windows, each application has it’s menus at the top of it’s own window. I guess it makes sense since you can only interact with the program that’s in focus.
- It’s weird having the close/min/max window buttons in the top-left of windows.
- Generally everything runs in a window by default, as opposed to full screen.
- Still getting used to switching between applications
- Scrolling gesture is opposite direction of scrollbar drag. (I heard this was a change in Lion.)
- Battery life isn’t even close to iPad. I probably get 2-3 hours
- Runs a little hot, but not uncomfortably so
- No physical button to toggle trackpad on/off, like on my HP laptop
- Application install seems kinda kludgy. Having to sometimes manually drag the files to the Applications folder seems weird. Too easy to delete an entire application by accident.
- Lack of VGA connector. Had to by an adapter.
- A few utilities missing, but nothing major.
Not an Apple Fanboy!
Ok, I KNOW there is huge potential (likelihood?) of me being accused of being an Apple Fan Boy, as I sit here with my Air, iPad and iPhone 4. Does the mere ownership automatically cause me to be tarred and feathered with that label? I think not. I appreciate, understand, and continue to own several Windows machines. It’s just that right now, at this moment in time, Apple is making the best products for what I need. If the pendulum swings a different way, I’ll switch.
Not Abandoning Windows
I’ll probably continue to use my Windows desktop as a server and run some special Windows-only programs on it, but I can see that the MB Air is now my go-to portable computer. I’m going to sell my Windows 7 laptop that I bought not too long ago because I’m just not going to use it. Comparing the two is like comparing one of those early cell phones with today’s smartphones. Really.
I am waiting with interest for the Windows Ultraportable laptops (e.g., Asus X21) due out later this year. Supposedly, they are (finally) Windows’ answer to the Air (C’mon! It’s been two years!). However, you just won’t see the tight OS integration you get with the Air–there is something to say about controlling the hardware and software from A to Z. Windows will get it eventually, but I think it’s years away.
A Nice Case
I bought the perfect case for the Air at eBags.com. The Air fits nice and snug in the zippered pouch. The zipper goes around one corner so it’s easy to slip it in and out. There is another zippered pocket that easily holds my Magic Mouse, AC cord extension and the VGA adapter. It has both a handle, which appears very sturdy, and a removable strap. I really couldn’t ask for more.
My iPad’s Fate
What will happen to my iPad? Well, I found that I still reached for it on my nightstand for those mid-sleep computer tasks. I’m just not awake enough to use a keyboard. (Yeah, I know this is probably not a good thing to have at my fingertips at night 
I ended up upgrading to an iPad 2 for the faster processor and memory. My original iPad is going to be used for mostly music I think. I could sell it, but it will be nice to have an extra one to just leave around an not worry about.
So Far So Good
Well, I’ve been using the Air for a solid week now and I have no regrets nor buyers remorse. I’m positive I made the right decision. I even have my Windows 7 laptop up on eBay.
Facebook’s days are numbered
I think that Facebook will slowly see a MySpace-like death. It will become a victim of it’s own popularity. The bottom line is that the ONLY reason Facebook is popular is because people have their friends on it. Take that away and there is no reason to go there.
Kids are what drove Facebook’s meteoric rise and they will cause it’s demise. Kids will move to their own next big thing or just grow up and use it less and less. The new generation of kids just getting their taste of social networking will latch onto a different platform and blaze their own trail. Now that parents and grandparents are on there, Facebook looses cool factor. The younger generations don’t want their parents’ and grandparents’ noses in their day-to-day lives. For the older generation it’s a novelty and they will just stop using it.
I’ve gone weeks without opening Facebook and didn’t miss it. I didn’t die. My life wasn’t changed. It’s fun, but not inherently important.
Facebook fanboys will pooh pooh my theory and rattle off logical reasons why Facebook is not the next MySpace (Farmville, apps, mobile). I respond by saying it’s not the feature set that changes the game. It’s who really drives the popularity (the kids) and why they visit (because their friends are there).
Businesses are successful long-term because they have the ability to control the supply of their TRUE product and there is a demand for it. Facebook cannot control their users’ groups of friends. Period. It may not be fast or easy, but the same exact friend groups can be created on any social networking site.
Apple, for example, really sells innovation, not computers or phones. Sure they have patents and copyrights to protect their devices, but it’s obvious that Android and Windows can eventually match performance and features. However, Apple in recent times has been just a step ahead of their competition. They control the supply of their true product: innovation. If Apple were to rest on their laurels or, more likely, take a wrong turn in major product development, demand would suffer; competitors would catch up. If it took too long for Apple to correct course, consumers might permanently jump ship to Android or Windows.
As long as Apple continues to innovate in a popular way and avoids a major/long misstep, they will prosper. Since Facebook has no control over the actual network of friends, they are ultimately doomed.
I’ve shared this theory–and it is just a theory–with my 17-year old daughter and she can’t see a world without Facebook. However, rewind three or four years and she would have said the same thing about MySpace. I might have said the same thing about Yahoo, yet now I never use that. I might have said the same about Windows, but here I’m typing this on an iPad.
It will probably take years to see what happens. I think Zuckerberg is missing the boat by not going public. It just *feels* like Facebook has reached it’s top.
Posting to Facebook with a Thumbnail with an iOS Device
When you share a link using Facebook.com, it scans the page and lets you set a thumbnail image for the post. If you are on a webpage that you want to share, you can save a step if you have the Facebook Share Bookmarklet installed on your browser.
Basically, a bookmarklet is just a bookmark that executes JavaScript code instead of going to an URL. On a desktop PC browser, you can install it by just dragging the bookmarklet to your toolbar. However, it’s a little trickier to install on a mobile browser.
Fortunately this page has easy instructions on how to install the Facebook bookmarklet (and other services) on a mobile browser. Basically, you click the link for the bookmarklet you want, save as a bookmark, and then edit the URL to remove some unneeded code. It’s pretty simple.
Sharing from RSS Reader
I consume most of my Internet news from RSS feeds via Google Reader using the Reeder iPad app. Reeder’s Facebook share feature doesn’t add a thumbnail, so I use the ReadItLater service to save posts that I want to share later on Facebook. ReadItLater has a Facebook share feature, but sadly it also doesn’t add a thumbnail. As such, I would use the browser bookmarklet method. Cumbersome, but it worked.
Anyways, I just discovered the iPad app Mr. Reader and its Facebook sharing feature supports the thumbnail! Hooray! Since both are based on Google Reader, it was a painless switch from Reeder to Mr. Reader.
YouTube Video Thumbnails
For whatever reason, the thumbnail often doesn’t appear for sites that embed a YouTube video if you use the bookmarklet method. What you need to do is click on the video to open it up in YouTube. Usually, the iOS YouTube app will open since iOS doesn’t support Flash. If you tap the Share button, the app will compose an email. Change the www. to m. and just copy up to the video ID. Here’s an example: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8d-MTIJ7ZZQ The video will open in the mobile YouTube website and the Facebook Share button there will allow you to specify a thumbnail. It’s a little cumbersome, but not bad. Another way is to just copy the video URL as it appears, open Facebook.com in Safari, and share the link normally.
I hope this makes it easier to share things on Facebook. Have fun!
Slacker needs New Release station
I’ve been playing with Slacker a lot recently due to their free one-month Premium service. I blogged about it here. I am really liking the iPhone and iPad apps a lot, and I also like their playlists. However, with the introduction of their On Demand feature, where you can play specific songs, they *REALLY* need a New Release station. Something that will play the new albums released each week. Since this would be an album-based playlist as opposed to song-based, I suppose it doesn’t fit their “radio station” metaphor, but c’mon! don’t they want to promote that fact that you can listen to the latest album by so and so on their service? Pretty big omission IMHO. Rhapsody has this btw.
Is Apple’s Newsstand the same as Newsstand.com???
I wonder if there is any relationship between Newsstand.com and Apple’s announced Newsstand service. I haven’t seen anyone mention this, but Newsstand.com has been delivering newspapers digitally for a long time. I mentioned them in my PC Mag vs MaximumPC digital subscription clients post back in Feb 2009.
If there is no relationship, Newsstand.com must be pissed!
About
· Quote of the moment: “The Secret of Life is enjoying the passage of time. “ — James Taylor
· inaformerlife: musician, tech writer, 3D modeler/animator
· interests: MacBook Air, iPhone, iPad, subscription music, podcasts, Sonar X1, vDrums, gadgets, web dev, VB6, Lakers, getting a deal online, finding the perfect app
· new_toys: iPad, MacBook Air
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