japadamus.com » 2009

Archive for June, 2009

Jun 30 2009

Insert ‘made in China’ joke here

Published by japadamus under best of the internet

These pictures are stunning. Apparently a 13 story building in China that was under construction just tipped over. Yeah, just like that.

Luckily since the building was still under construction no one was hurt. And I guess at the end of the day it’s waaaay better the building took a spill now, before it was fully occupied.

But still you gotta wonder wtf is going on there in china. If they can train 8 year olds to master the uneven bars you’d think they’d throw in a geologist or two to make sure their buildings are on solid ground. [From Gizmodo]

No responses yet

Jun 29 2009

iPhone 3G S week one

Published by japadamus under tech, iPhone 3G

It’s been a week since I got the iPhone 3G S. Here are a few impressions:

-The video camera on the 3G S is great to have around. It’s not a great camera by any means…but it’s good enough. That combined with the fact that it’s always with you makes it really quite valuable.

-Searching is overall way better with 3.0 (and all iPhones can get this upgrade). Not only do you have the global search field, you can also easily search through your emails. And search is fast – since everything is indexed on your phone results pop up almost immediately.

-After a week I still have no desire to play with voice navigation. I mean, the iPhone interface is so quick and intuitive that using voice commands would actually be slower, in my opinion. I can see that this may be valuable to people that need complete hands-free operation, but even when I’m driving I’d rather just use a few flicks of my thumbs to get what I want.

-You get used to the increased speed on the 3G S pretty quickly. And it does make the 3G and 1G seem pretty slow by comparison. It’s like when you use a really old computer that takes a super long time to load simple programs like IE. That said, if you’re a 3G user everything opens fast enough – I didn’t have a huge problem with app load times on the 3G, for example. Only after I used the 3G S did the speed difference start to irritate me.

-Stereo bluetooth is a great feature. I love being able to put my phone down and walk around the house or office with bluetooth headsets. The range of the 3G S is not great, though.

Overall the 3G S does improve on the 3G in a lot of areas, but these improvements are not monumental. If you need to wait 6 months or so before you upgrade for the subsidized ATT price then there’s really no need to rush…unless you really need the video camera. If you are able to get the $299 upgrade price though you should really just sell the 3G on ebay for ~$300 and pick up the 3G S – it will cost you virtually nothing.

Comments Off

Jun 26 2009

A new company

Published by japadamus under tech

Palm is up 15% today following the company’s first quarterly report since the release of the Palm Pre. So far Palm has shipped 150,000 Pres – beating analyst expectations, but still nowhere near iPhone territory.

Palm also still posted a loss of $105 million, compared to a loss of $43 million last year. That’s a big loss for Palm, who was struggling to stay afloat last year, but it’s a smaller loss than expected.

You have to give Palm credit – the company’s stock bottomed at only a dollar late last year…and the Palm deathwatch was on. But the announcement of the Pre at CES in January totally turned the company around.

At $16, Palm is flying high. However, this price does seem to be a bit inflated with hype to me. 150,000 Pre shipments is good, and it will ensure that Palm will have financing going forward, but Palm still needs to follow through in subsequent quarters before we call this comeback complete.

No responses yet

Jun 23 2009

Uh oh…

Published by japadamus under best of the internet

Perhaps you’ve heard of Brando, purveyor of everything USB and gadgety (including some nice iPhone accessories). However, the Obama KFC chicken bucket-looking toilet paper container seems a little bit…well…controversial.

Although the product has been pulled from Brando’s website, apparently it was on sale to the public for some time.

It doesn’t help that Obama is dressed up in the Colonel’s uniform, either.

Comments Off

Jun 23 2009

Could not have said it better myself

Published by japadamus under best of the internet

No responses yet

Jun 23 2009

Woot! Off is ON!

Published by japadamus under Pakedamus

There is a Woot! Off going on now – sadly a tad too late for father’s day. There seems to be a digital TV focus this time, with two PC TV tuners sold so far.

Check it out!

No responses yet

Jun 22 2009

Out of storage

Published by japadamus under tech

I’ve been a Gmail user since June 2004. It’s hard to believe that five years ago we were still stuck with hotmail’s 10MB storage limit. And it’s peculiar that after five years Gmail is still in beta.

But this weekend I finally got near my storage limit for Gmail. It’s odd, because you kind of think that Gmail storage just endlessly grows, which it does, but at some point the growth in your inbox exceeds the new storage that Gmail gives you.

Interesting, Google offers you paid storage options for your Gmail account. For $20 a year you get 10GB more of storage – I’d image that 10GB will last at least another five years.

If you really have a lot to store you can even upgrade to 400GB more storage for a less friendly $500 a year.

No responses yet

Jun 20 2009

How the iPhone 3G S is not so great for YouTube

Published by japadamus under tech

As I previously posted, the video taking capabilities of the iPhone 3G S are impressive. Seems good for video sharing sites like YouTube, right? More videos equals more views equals more $$. But I don’t think that equation will really pan out.

First of all, YouTube is a money loser for Google. Estimates of losses for the website have ranged from $100 million to $500 million. Not a great return for Google’s $1.65 billion investment.

Why such low returns?

My guess is that unlike search ads that are accurately targeted, YouTube ads are more of a shot in the dark. I mean, you can target ads based on the video title, description and perhaps author, but that’s about it. And unlike the Google search engine, people aren’t searching for something they don’t know about or want to buy on YouTube, necessarily. A lot of the time they are looking at their shithead friends dance around, or something.

Even the videos that may lead to purchases, like music videos or movie trailers, don’t have great ad potential on YouTube. I mean, people get their music from iTunes and their movies from Amazon or NetFlix, and they’re not gonna click on an ad to get there.

All this time though Google is paying for bandwidth and storage for these videos, and that’s expensive. That’s why YouTube was a money-losing venture to begin with.

I think the iPhone 3G S will exacerbate this problem. Videos shot on the 3G S will be of the shithead friend variety, rather than the money making opportunity variety, I’d imagine. And these will be uploaded en masse since it’s so easy to sync iPhones with a PC and upload.

So far it’s not as convenient to get a video on YouTube. Sure, you may have a digital camcorder, but then you have to connect your camcorder to your PC and upload – not a very natural process like syncing your iPhone. Webcams are great, but they’re tethered to your computer. And sure, they are cell phones will video cameras now, but they’re not widely available and again you get into the issue of transferring video to your PC and then to YouTube.

The iPhone 3G S solves all these issues, and as sales increase I think we’ll see increased losses for YouTube.

No responses yet

Jun 20 2009

The 3G S has arrived

Published by japadamus under tech, iPhone 3G

My iPhone 3G S arrived today, right on schedule (and not a day too soon as UPS originally predicted). I gotta say, the preorder route with delivery was the way to go. No waiting in lines, not dealing with Apple personnel…just a little box shipped to my office. It was easy enough to activate and I was up and running over my lunch break.

First impressions?

The video camera is a winner. TJFKAK has this little pocket video camera that is super convenient and easy to use, and I think the iPhone 3G S is just as convenient, if not more. I used it to take videos at the golf course today, and the quality is surprisingly good. The frame rate is high enough so I can analyze my swing, and the camera performed well even in low light environments.

The only thing that I don’t like about the video is that it records mov files, which require Quicktime. I don’t like Quicktime because the files are large and the interface isn’t great. Still, you can upload mov files to Youtube so that’s good enough for most people, I’d assume.

The speed increase is also nice. I opened apps side by side next to a regular 3G, and apps did open about twice as fast on the 3G S. I also noticed that web browsing was faster, which is a huge benefit.

One thing I don’t think I’ll be using, however, is voice navigation. I mean, it is a neat feature, but there really isn’t enough payoff for me. I was deterred after reading the instructions on how it works and I ended up not even trying it.

The compass works, well, like a compass should. Too bad there aren’t any turn-by-turn GPS apps available yet to make full use of the compass and GPS.

The increased storage is also a big plus. My 3G was always near the 16GB storage limit, so it is nice to have that added cushion…although videos will surely be taking up a lot of that space.

The verdict?

Well, I have to say it was tough to be without my iPhone for a week. Really, really tough. I hate that a device has become so central to my daily routine, but hey, it has.

Is it worth the upgrade? Well, it depends on how you use your iPhone. If you take a lot of videos and don’t really need a super high quality camera then the iPhone 3G S is perfect.

The speed increase is a nice improvement, but unless you’re really strapped for time this isn’t a huge deal. Sure, things open up more quickly on the 3G S, but you’re only really saving a few seconds with each app, if that.

Storage may be an issue for some iPhone users, but if its not, then the 3G S probably isn’t worth the upgrade. I know several people that just rotate songs in and out as needed, and I think that approach with work for most.

Anyone else making the upgrade?

No responses yet

Jun 19 2009

Whiskey stoooones

Published by japadamus under food

Here’s the deal, sometimes scotch tastes good cold. So, you put in ice. But, ice melts, leaving you with watered down scotch. Not so good.

How do you solve this age old dilemma? Whiskey stones.

Instead of using ice, just plop in a few chilled whiskey stones into your glass. They’re made of soapstone, which I’m assuming doesn’t have any negative tastes or chemicals. Best of all, stones don’t melt, so your scotch will be cold and un-watered down.

They’re $20 for 9, a bit pricey, but hey, definitely worthwhile to some.

Get them here.

Comments Off

Jun 18 2009

Correction: Sirius XM iPhone App is worthless

Published by japadamus under Sirius

I just wrote an enthusiastic post on Sirius XM’s new iPhone app. However, a few things have emerged since I posted.

First of all, the Sirius XM app will not provide access to Howard Stern’s two channels, or MLB/NFL play-by-play. My guess is that Howard is blocked due to explicit content by Apple, and there is some licensing issue that prevents play-by-play sports on the iPhone.

But in any case, the exclusion of these channels makes the Sirius XM app nearly useless to me.

Not only that, but Sirius is actually charging $3 a month for iPhone access. This is confusing to me, because iPhone users are not using the company’s satellites and are in a way trying to compensate for the poor reliability of satellite signals. So what charge users more?

In any case, I think the Sirus XM app has just shifted from a big boon for the company to an enormous flop. Oh well.

No responses yet

Jun 18 2009

Sirius XM iPhone App finally released

Published by japadamus under tech, Sirius, iPhone Apps

Yesterday Sirius XM finally released their iPhone App. And it’s about time.

I’ve mentioned this before, but I think the iPhone will be a huge driver for Sirius XM. Unlike satellite receivers that cut out in tunnels or in the city, or have to be carefully placed near a window, the iPhone uses a cell signal to connect to 120 channels of Sirius XM.

That gives you access wherever you have a cell signal – even in buildings, in the gym, etc. I think that changes the value proposition of Sirius entirely.

For $14 a month you get access to all Sirius channels, including Stern and sports channels. Sure, there are free streamers like Pandora out there, but Pandora doesn’t have radio stations – they have music. Sirius has actual shows with hosts, including Stern, among many others.

There is a 7 day free trial so you can test this out before you subscribe. The app itself is free, but it requires a Sirius XM subscription.

No responses yet

Jun 17 2009

iPhone 3G S on Hold

Published by japadamus under tech

Yesterday it was looking like iPhone 3G S preorders would be shipped prior to the June 19th release date. According to UPS tracking info, my phone left China on the 16th, and made its way to Hong Kong and Alaska with an expected ship date of June 18th. But it looks like Apple has diverted the iPhone shipments to Kentucky of all places to be on hold until the 19th. Bummer. Any one else get a similar report?

No responses yet

Jun 15 2009

Archos 9

Published by japadamus under tech

This is what I want – a thin computer with a huge screen, Internet, WiFi, enough storage to hold several seasons of TV shows and a long battery life. That will work for me in the gym and on the plane, and everywhere in between.

Well, the Archos 9 seems like that device. It has a huge 9 inch screen, yet it is less than a inch thick. It runs Windows 7 and has an 80GB hard drive and goodies like bluetooth, WiFI, and even a TV tuner (that unfortunately won’t work the in US though).

I dunno, the Archos 9 looks pretty good, and it’s reasonably priced for around $650. The only downsides I can see are a slow 1.2 GHz processor and the lack of a keyboard. It will be in the US this fall.

Comments Off

Jun 14 2009

I thought we were rid of Palin

Published by japadamus under politics, Bob Loblaw

If you’ve watched TV at all this week you’ve probably heard of the big controversy over David Letterman’s comments about Sarah Palin’s daughter. The line in question: "There was one awkward moment during the seventh inning stretch. Her (Palin’s) daughter was knocked up by Alex Rodriguez."

The problem was, Palin was at the Yankee’s game with her 14 year old daughter.

Palin immediately went on the offensive, calling on Letterman to apologize to women across the country, pointing to Letterman as a contributor to sexual offenses in the United States, and even implying that her 14 year old daughter is not safe around Letterman.

Letterman to his credit, issued an apology on his show (below). He also clarified that he was talking about Palin’s older daughter Bristol, not the 14 year old Willow.

Still, Palin has milked this controversy for all it’s worth, participating in several interviews where she bashed Letterman. Although Dave apologized and is trying to make this issue go away…to, you know, protect Palin’s children…Palin continues to push the issue. To me it’s clear that this whole controversy is just another way for her to stretch her 15 minutes of fame…and no surprise, she’s doing it again by exploiting her kids.

But lets get a few things clear here first:

1. Letterman has already said he was talking about Bristol, not Willow. Sure, Palin was at the game with Willow, but guess what, no one looks that closely. It makes perfect sense to me that Letterman assumed that Palin was with Bristol, the daughter Palin has been dragging across the country ever since she was announced as the GOP VP candidate. Letterman clarified his point, and that should be that. Further arguments by Palin suggesting that Letterman was talking about Willow are just an attempt to stretch this whole thing out longer.

2. Palin pushed Bristol into the media to begin with, so she shouldn’t be surprised that she’s taking hits. It’s sickening to me how Palin uses her family for PR points. She marched Bristol on stage for teen pregnancy campaigns, and she milked her retarded kid for all it was worth. But the truth is that Bristol conveniently broke up her with fiancée after the campaign, making her just another irresponsible teenage whore. That’s what the joke was about, and that’s what Bristol deserves – she gotta take the bad with the good, that’s how the media works. If you can’t handle it THEN KEEP YOUR FUCKING KIDS OFF STAGE.

3. This whole episode highlights how Palin is not qualified at all to be the VP, much less the President. Palin threw fuel into the fire, even after Letterman apologized, then rudely snubbed his offer to appear on the Late Show – even suggesting that Letterman is himself a danger to kids. That is not what a political figure should do in times of controversy. Imagine if Palin threw a bitch fest like this in the time of a foreign relations crisis?

4. The better line would be, “There was one awkward moment during the seventh inning stretch when A-Rod fucked Trig Pallin. We all know A-Rod loves to fuck retards.”

Quite frankly this whole situation really irks me bad. I get why Letterman apologized, but I don’t think he needs to. He made a funny joke about Palin’s adult daughter getting irresponsibly fucked because Bristol was irresponsibly fucking someone in high school and didn’t have the brains to use any protection. End of story.

No responses yet

Amazon.com Widgets

Proposed

TKFKAK will be getting married in 0 days.
Recent Comments
- Küchen und Bäder, Wellness für Zuhause , Küchenmaschinen und mit Kochrezepten on Fry your food without the fat
- Digit Magzine on Thoughts on the primary
- TheDude on Who the hell is Sonny Ganaden?
- Suahiattack on Yaki onigiri at Costco
- El Jeffe on Disposable martinis at BevMo
Flickr Photos

www.flickr.com
Hulu

June 2009

M T W T F S S

« May Jul »

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 21

22 23 24 25 26 27 28

29 30
Categories
- advertising (8)
- American Idol (1)
- Anna Nicole Smith (1)
- Apple (31)
- Asian Porn (1)
- Barack Obama (11)
- basketball (11)
- best of the internet (97)
- Blogroll (1)
- blogs (14)
- Bob Loblaw (370)
- Chicago (3)
- civil rights leader’s family owned by segregationist’s (1)
- Dice-K (8)
- dining (18)
- ebay (2)
- fantasy football (29)
- food (106)
- food and dining (36)
- Football (76)
- funny (8)
- Generation Kill (1)
- google (7)
- Hawaii (17)
- health (10)
- hockey (14)
- Howard Stern (24)
- iPhone 3G (8)
- iPhone Apps (8)
- japanese food (29)
- Las Vegas (14)
- Lost (1)
- Markets (15)
- media (47)
- Midwest Lore (3)
- Missed Encounters (2)
- music (14)
- news (382)
- nightlife (3)
- Pakedamus (73)
- politics (43)
- Punahou (4)
- rant (29)
- recipe (6)
- religion (2)
- review (50)
- san francisco (6)
- science (4)
- shopping (51)
- Sirius (6)
- Sopranos (3)
- sports (43)
- Sushi (13)
- tech (99)
- The Wire (12)
- travel (23)
- tv (102)
- Tweets! (3)
- Uncategorized (56)
- vegan (2)
- vegetarian (7)

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« May				Jul »
1	2	3	4	5	6	7
8	9	10	11	12	13	14
15	16	17	18	19	20	21
22	23	24	25	26	27	28
29	30

Archive for June, 2009

Proposed

Recent Comments

Flickr Photos

Hulu

Categories