Arielistix Mash-Up!

My New HP Pavilion g6

2011-12-04T14:33:00.001-05:00

** please note: the following is NOT intended as a product review. this is simply an attempt to share my experience of a new gadget. thank you. **

i have a new member of my digital family. no it’s not the powerhouse MacBook Pro that i wanted. nor is it the even more powerful Thunderbolt equipped iMac either, or the modest discless Mac Mini with the specs all maxed out (as i would have wanted).

no people, this new addition doesn’t run on Mac OSX. It runs Microsoft Windows 7. it doesn’t even have an Intel i(whatever) processor, but an AMD A4 Vision. what it does have is 4GB of memory, a 500GB HDD, and 15.6” screen. it’s got a bluetooth 4.0 adapter, an HDMI connector, and an SD card reader.

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Jambox by Jawbone

2011-12-03T17:16:00.001-05:00

** please note: the following is NOT intended as a product review. this is simply an attempt to share my experience of a new gadget. thank you. **

back in 2005 i purchased the JBL OnTour portable speakers, and since then they have been the only speakers that i have used for my iPod, iPhone, and Mac Mini. these, i have to say, have been the best sounding speakers i have ever heard coming from a portable set like these. i’ve taken them to work to enjoy some tunes, and its has traveled with me to North Carolina. its mostly resides under my 23” Cinema Display connected to my Mac Mini as part of my desktop setup.

but recently i have replaced it with something different. mostly due to the fact that portable speakers now-a-days offer so much more than just great sounds. many of them are powered with a rechargeable a battery. they have built-in microphones. they work wirelessly over bluetooth. the replacement is the Jambox by Jawbone.

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Steve Jobs: What he meant to me.

2011-10-06T21:52:00.001-04:00

i don't know Steve Jobs personally. i never met him at an Apple event, or store opening. He's not the first person i think about when i wake up in the morning, or the last thought as i fall into R.E.M. sleep. he's was at most times a figure taken for granted; as long as he was around Apple would continue to make products that affect my life and - to some extend - my thinking.

Jesus Christ Superstar

2011-04-09T13:37:00.007-04:00

one day back in November 2010, my work buddy John (of Musically Reclined, and no stranger to theater) persuaded me to head down to the Stadium Theater in Woonsocket R.I. to audition for a role for a Theater Works production of Jesus Christ Superstar. to be completely honest i was aware of the 1973 movie, but never familiar with any of the songs from the musical (at least that i know of). however, that same day i went down there, filled out a form, had a head shot taken, and received a white adhesive label written with the number 37.

Vimeo App

2011-04-08T20:00:00.006-04:00

last week i downloaded the new Vimeo iPhone app just after reading about it on Lifehacker.com. i was a little skeptical cause i'm still rolling with my 3GS. but it was free, so what would be the harm. i gotta say that it's not bad.

it crashed on me a few times. and 1 was a little frustrated every time i tried to add a pic shot in portrait mode it would somehow appear turned 90 degrees to the right. i figured out i'd have to save the project every time i added something to the timeline. so after overcoming the frustration with the app crashing i managed to piece together a short video consisting of a photo and two video clips of me and my buddy jimmy climbing an indoor rock wall. i was able to add some text, however adjusting the volume levels after adding a music track was probably too much my 3GS to handle. it would consistently crash doing that.

as for the video...
my buddy Jimmy and i decided to do a little indoor rock climbing at the Lifetime Fitness center in Cary N.C.. i was about 4 feet away from reach the top. my only excuse is my 30 minutes of high cardio on an elliptical machine prior to talking the wall. it's all good fun, however. i must admit i was very concerned (and perhaps a little scared) that the safety line wasn't going to hold me if i fell. there was quite a bit of panic in that last moment just before my fingers gave out. good times.

camera work by my buddies Dennis, Jimmy, and myself.

back to the app...
despite the crashes i have to say that the app worked very well. and i'm willing to put up with it cause 1) it's free, and 2) it works on my phone.

hopefully i can make more use of it later on down the line. perhaps Vimeo will release an update that will address the crashes on my 3GS, and add some nice features that will rival that of Apple's iMovie for iPhone. one can only hope. thanks Vimeo!

peace,
@riel

Pandora App, What's missing

2011-04-02T19:02:00.003-04:00

Pandora is another app deserving of being among my top 5. i probably use this app more often than any other. i have created so many radio stations which include artists from New Edition to Squarepusher; Expose to Run DMC; Imogen Heap to Daft Punk.

lately i have gotten hooked into Steely Dan. a lot of the songs Pandora has been playing base on that have been songs i've heard so many times over growing up, and some i've have never heard of before. despite that i'm really digging it.

this app keeps me company while driving to work and back, when i'm grocery shopping, or just relaxing at home.

here's the problem; i have created a lot of radio stations, but the app - or perhaps the service itself - only allows me one QuickMix. A QuickMix is a way to combine multiple radio stations so that you can get enjoy a greater range of music selections.

if Pandora and i were to sit together over coffee and talk about what i think is missing in the app and/or service there's only one thing i would request for, multiple QuickMix's.

i think it would be great to organize different radio stations into playlists or QuickMix's. i could name each QuickMix. there would be a section just for QuickMix's for easy access. you can edit them allowing you to add new stations to them.

still - absent being able to do that - it's my among my most used app. and well deserving of being among my top 5 app.

peace,
@riel

NetFlix App, Whats missing.

2011-04-02T17:45:00.003-04:00

the Netflix app for my iPhone is within the top 5 apps i use regularly. the fact that i can watch movies or tv shows when eating a quick meal at a restaurant, or waiting for a doctors appointment, or my flight at the airport is among the best ways to kill time. the app itself is very easy to use. the app simplifies the process by limit you to only parts of the service that applies to the streaming video. the video quality has yet to disappoint. and Netflix is mindful of their customer's experience with their product and services. every so often i get an email from them inquiring about the video quality and playback of the what i just finished watching.

i have no doubt that Netflix is always looking to improve the user experience for their customers. if Netflix were to sit down with me over coffee and ask what i think is missing in their mobile app and/or service i"d tell the following:

1. multiple instant queues

this would be nice to have so that i can organize several queues by movies vs TV shows, or comedy vs sci-fi.

2. create and organize playlists

this would be especially nice so that i can put together a series of tv shows available and let the player run through them without having to be prompted to move on to the next show. this may pit them even deeper against Hulu.com, but that's competition for you.

all in all i'm very pleased to have Netflix's mobile app on my iphone. since i downloaded it i've managed to enjoy dozens of TV series such as Futurama and The IT Crowd, and movies such as MST3K. the streaming over 3G is prompt, and the video quality is more than adequate. and because of my frequent use it's deserving of being in my top 5.

peace,
@riel

John & Mark covers "Jessie" (video)

2010-11-08T01:20:00.000-05:00

lately i've been fortunate with a opportunity to assist as a photographer and videographer on a music venture by two co-workers of mine. John Lobe (vocals) and Mark Benton (keys) have formed a new and budding two-man band specializing in easy listening music for the older crowd. so far I've recorded them at The Rose Garden in Upton (twice), FireFlies in Framingham, during the Westborough Festival, Borders Bookstore in Shrewsbury, and during rehearsal sessions. most of those footages will be seen on the group's band site.

but i have posted a video on Vimeo i edited during one of their rehearsal session. this video is special to me, because it's the first time i ever edited anything like this. a simple linear editing process using footage shot from two different angles.

camera #1, front - JVC Everio 30GB HDD, wide screen mode
camera #2, right - Sony DSC-H9 in standard mode

keep in ming that i'm still working with my 2008 Mac Mini. and working with this little-train-that-could wasn't easy. things are little different now that i'm running Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4) under Snow Leopard 10.6.4. my 2GHz Core 2 Duo w/ 2GB of 667 memory is barely enough to edit a single video source within FCE4. but two?

to make this simple music video required a some prep. first off after extracting the videos from my cameras i had to convert both video sources into readable MPEG2 files, and extract the audio tracks using MPEG Streamclip.

i dumped both video and audio files into a FCE4 project and began the lengthy process of syncing everything together. i wasn't going to use both audio tracks, just the one from the JVC camcorder, as it was the better of the two audios. but both were needed in order to help with the syncing of the two videos. probably not the most efficient way to go about this, but my little mac can't handle the video scrubbing very well. so using the both audio tracks (lined up with their respected video tracks) helped a great deal.

once both video tracks were synced up and match to the main audio track, the next step was to determine how to pan from one video track to the next. after listening to the song and trying to identify certain cues, i ended up with the final edit.

filters were added to both video tracks to help with the brightness, contrast, gamma, and de-interlacing. these took a while to find a satisfactory adjustment, because of the under-powered nature of Mac Mini. actually it wouldn't be so bad if the mini had a real GPU with (and here's the key now) dedicated video memory. but i digress.

after exporting the final cut to an MPEG4, i imported the video into Handbrake. i love this app. it takes all the imperfection found from the original source videos, and the compression process from FCE4 and cleans it up real nicely. because of the poor low-light performance of both cameras at the time of recoding, the source videos were very grainy. Handbrake helped to fix of all - if not most - of that and produced a great quality video playback.

the video sources may not have been the best - i know, it looks 80's-public-access-channel cheesy - but the focus here was on the editing. all in all i'm quite pleased with the final cut. i hope to do more work like this in the future, but first off i gotta get an iMac - i know i keep saying that - along with better camcorders. damn it! why must my hobbies be so expensive?!!!

peace,
@riel

Mac OS Lion, And Other Stuff.

2010-10-20T23:28:00.000-04:00

i can't believe i gotta wait until next year to get this really cool update. And though my prediction was an epic failure i wasn't completely off. at least in a matter of speaking.

An app store for the Mac
iOS, or at least some resemblance of iOS's design and behavior in the Mac OS.

iLife '11 looks pretty decent as well. probably will have to wait until i get a new Mac before i truly work out my feelings for it.

the new MacBook Air looks nice. if i was willing and able to spend the cash on it, i probably would for general purposes. it's a bit over-priced just to have a light-wieght and compact nettop, but i think it's worth it.

well at least the wait is over. now the only thing we have to look forward to is Apple's WWDC next year to get more details on new Mac OS.

peace,
@riel

B.ll Sh.t Apple Predictions: MacBook Air

2010-10-15T22:59:00.001-04:00

i had a very spirited conversation with my best friend about what may be expected from the upcoming Apple event. specifically what may become of the MacBook Air (MBA) product if Steve Jobs announces a new one.

my b.ll sh.t prediction is that the Apple will forgo using Intel chips and start using the Apple A4 processor. same one found in current iPad product. in addition to that making the MBA the first Apple laptop to run iOS. this to me this makes perfect sense on so may levels.

first of all, the potential to continuously promote their Apple A4 processor. the A4 is already found in the iPhone, iTouch, iPad, and now the new Apple TV. with respect to the MBA: just think of the iPad with a hardwire keyboard in a clamshell design. no more having to buy custom Intel Core 2 Duo chips. in fact all Apple would have to do is just redesign the logic board from the iPad to fit into MBA.

second of all, why the iOS?. the next MBA is reported to have a reduction of the screen size down to 11.6 inches. just shy of the size of the iPad. why is that significant? cause Apple doesn't see their Mac OS in it's native form as a one-size-fits-all solution for all their products. continuing to use the Mac OS was important to the iPhone, but it needed to be scaled down to fit on a device with limited storage. in addition to that it needed to have the UI redesigned in order to be accommodated on a 4 inch screen while supporting the fingers and thumbs as the primary input devices. and even though the iPad's screen is substantially larger than the iPhone's, iOS continues to work well on it while allowing Apple to expand their micro OS's potential. in addition to that opening up the App Store to another product.

lets presume that the upcoming MBA doesn't have a touch screen like the iPad. how would a user interface with it using iOS 4? one basic interaction would be with the track pad. with the established hand gestures already found on the MacBook/MBPro, a user could use those same gestures to swipe from one desktop page to the next, bring up the multitask bar, or pinch & zoom. basic functions. nothing too special. of course it would just be cooler if the MBA did have a touch screen.

in terms of the kinds of 3rd party apps that would run on it, i would imagine that developers would have to include additional support for the MBA on their already existing apps. or, perhaps, develop unique apps just for the MBA just as there are unique apps for the iPad in the App store.

speaking of the App Store, this opens it up to a new device, and gives the developers something exciting and unique to develop for. especially when developers could offers their wares for free courtesy of Apple's iAd service - another service that benefits Apple's bottom line

with WiFi connectivity to be expected, the MBA could be the first MacBook to have a 3G wireless subscription service (a la AT&T) just like the iPad. if the MBA includes a front-facing camera, think about the iPhone's Face Time on it.

now let take this a step further. what if this prediction the MBA becomes true? the way i see it Apple may use the MBA as an experiment to see how well the masses respond to the iOS on Mac hardware. let's assume users love this idea, and the iOS UI becomes more liked than the current Mac OS UI. it would seem to me that Apple may one day release a Mac OS resembling that of the iOS.

of course i'm just talking unpredictable b.ll sh.t here. when it comes to predicting what Apple may release, i'm so far off. still, fun to think about it.

peace,
@riel

Mac OS 10.7 (Lion?)

2010-10-14T15:55:00.001-04:00

earlier Gizmodo posted an entry revealing a new design patten for the iMac allowing it to be position so that the display panel can be used as a touch surface.

this week Gizmodo posted an entry detailing the next Mac OS - 10.7 (Lion?). the new gimmick with the OS? mutli-touch capability. i'm not entirely sure how i feel about this, but a new OS is always good news. and not since Tiger has Apple promoted a better feline. both of my Mac Minis came with Tiger, and based on promotional images it's quite possible my next Mac may run this new "Lion" OS.

Oct 20 is the next Apple event that will reveal more details about this, and perhaps a few other product announcements. i'll be checking out the coverage, and probably have a lengthy discussion afterwards with my best friend over it.

i hope to give my thoughts about it sometime after the event.

peace,
@riel

My blog tools: iPhone + BT Keyboard

2010-10-12T13:45:00.002-04:00

the last couple of blog posts (including this one) have been written on this set-up. nothing more than my iPhone 3GS and my Apple's bluetooth keyboard. and i love it.

i bought the Apple wireless keyboard along with the Apple Mighty Mouse when i purchased my second mac mini (the 2GHz Core 2 Duo), but i wasn't going to use them with the new mac. instead they were slated to be part of my TV PC setup in the living room with my first mac mini (1.66 GHz Core Duo) repurposed as my media center. but since Apple added the Bluetooth keyboard support to iOS 4 (a benefit reserved mainly for the iPad), it's become somewhat of a nifty novelty to be able to the type on my phone using this. i can control the screen's brightness and the volume control from the keyboard as well and use traditional cut & paste shortcuts.

my iPhone 3GS is powerful enough to run iOS 4 along with other apps i tend to run. as i type this on the Notes app i'm listening to audio being streamed via Safari/Quicktime along with Twitter, BejiveIM, and Mail app at this time.

it is a unique alternative and experience to using a laptop. admittedly the screen is a little tight to see the text - which can be fixed by going into in the accessibility panel and changing the font size to 24pt - but all i really need is to be able to quickly type out my thoughts. and the wireless keyboard makes the experience a little more effective than typing on the on-screen keyboard.

don't get me wrong, i still want a Macbook Pro. unfortunately i'm not in position to afford one just yet - especially one with the hardware config i want. still this is more portable than a nettop, laptop, or iPad. and more convenient and lighter to carry around. and unlike a MacBook or iPad i can make or take phone calls. i've taken this out public at coffee shops and restaurants. so far i've gotten a few compliments, but mostly curious eyes.

i have to give it to Apple for coming up with some really cools gadgets.

peace,

@riel

I had the weirdest dream the other morning...

2010-10-11T19:13:00.001-04:00

i had the weirdest dream the other morning, and for whatever reason i felt compelled to write about it. this dream couldn't have lasted for more than 3 minutes, but it seemed as if the entire sequence could have lasted 30 minutes on if it were filmed. mind you, this dream came to me between hitting-the-snooze-button sessions.

i'm not sure how to begin this, but here it goes...

it starts out with me driving a car on a remote road.
suddenly i get pulled over.
somehow i find myself on my knees upright in the right rear-seat.
there are well dressed people standing outside my car.
three men, one woman.
one of the men is searching my car's trunk for something.
another climbs in the driver's seat.
the third is holding a gun in to my face.
the man with the gun is yelling at me asking "where is it?"
confused - i'm not sure what the hell he's talking about.
the man with the gun is become really aggressive.
the man in the driver's seat looks somewhat conflicted as to whether or not they got the right guy.
the man with the gun becomes impatient
he pulls the trigger twice.
the bullets pierces my chest.
i don't fall back.
suddenly i feel a tremendous amount of heat radiating from my chest.
i don't see blood, yet i feel wet and cool on my back.
i start feeling week in my legs.
breathing is becoming difficult.
i look over to the man in the driver's seat.
he is shaking his head slightly with a look in his face as if saying "why the hell did you do that for?"
i look back out through the window.
the woman is standing behind the man with the gun.
she's appears to be keeping a lookout.
the man searching through my car's trunk states "it's not here."
my legs finally give way.
i fall backwards as my vision goes dark.
next thing i wake up in my bed.

what do you think it's all about? it seems like a scene from a TV show or movie that i've seen before.

obviously weird and violent - the first of it's kind on my blog - but it's given me the idea to write short story based on the given details. a good way to spend my vacation, i suppose.

peace,
@riel

I'm not on Facebook.

2010-10-10T08:28:00.007-04:00

this is another dated posting i pulled out of my draft box, but recently i watched the movie "The Social Network" - which i highly recommend to everyone - and felt this would be a good time to revise and post this.

its been reported by many sources that Facebook has over 500 million users on their service and counting. however i'm not among the masses that have been swept up by the phenomenon that is this social network giant. and i have my reasons. so many of the people in my life - family, friends, acquaintances - have inquired about friending me on Facebook, and i have had to quaintly explain that i'm not service as a simple form of protest.

why do i protest being part of a social network as big as Facebook with benefits such as:

keeping in touch with the people so close to me
meeting old friends from years ago
making new friends
playing games and competing with other over the web

simply put: the people who i love, care, and/or concern over i stay in touch personally. and i already have all the tools i need or could want to maintain that connection. let me count the ways.

mobile phone (voice/text)
email
instant message
Skype
Twitter
Blogger
Youtube
Vimeo

admittedly my social network is rather decentralized. however, i prefer it that way. there are no exclusivities in many of the services i subscribe to. my friends are not required to have the same cell phone provider as i do to call or text me, nor have the same ISP as i do to send me an email. neither are they required to be members of Twitter, Vimeo, YouTube, or Blogger to enjoy any my contents. but to access their profile page on Facebook - just to check it out - does require me to join. not fair.

as for reacquainting myself with friends long ago, my view is this: past relationships are now a chapter in my life that came and went. its a bit of a sad truth, but if a friendship is solid enough to last then a service like Facebook is not required.

another part of why i protest joining Facebook has something to do with my time spent as a user of MySpace years ago. i was freshly divorced and looking to expand my friend base by including some internet pen-pals. MySpace seemed like a good place to meet new people. i never accumulate many friends on it. the only ones friended were people i knew personally. whenever i did receive a friend requests they were from people (mostly girls) who had hundreds or thousands of friends on their list - which meant i would have been nothing more than a number to them. also got friend requests from a few budding musicians, comedians, and web-cam porn stars. i came to conclude that MySpace was nothing more than a popularity contest. no real potential to make friends. i became disillusioned with the whole experience. i figured Facebook would be no different.

continuing my reasons for my protest was a moment where i sent someone a well crafted personal email expressing my appreciation over an event that was taking place in Worcester. this person was a city official that, along with many others, were coordinating an event to commemorate the contributions U.S. Army soldiers from Puerto Rico have made. what i got in return was a form letter from her Facebook account explaining how much better it would be for me to join to stay in touch. so... i take the time to write an email, and this is what i get in return? that really pissed me off!

the lack of enabled privacy settings on Facebook is also among my strongest protests. i've never been much of an early adopter when it came to technology. i like to sit back and see how others who have taken the plunge express their views on it. with Facebook there was a time when i considered joining, but i held off. good thing; lately there have been many reports of the lack of privacy settings enabled by default after creating an account on Facebook. because Facebook by design and intent is a social networking site, by default all (if not many) privacy settings are turned off. the motive behind this is to promote the notion that all Facebook users should desire their personal information to be open to the world no matter how private or public that information is. so there is no need to change the privacy settings ever. after all, the mission statement of Facebook is "Making the world more open and connected." yet this ideology is costing Facebook many users that are waking up to this revelation, and leaving.

another strong protest of mine is the lack of a user's accessibility to out right delete their Facebook account quickly and safely. if a user wishes to delete their account with Facebook, it takes an act of Congress to do so. a user has to really go out of their way to remove their profile from Facebook. to comically illustrate the frustration in deleting a Facebook account South Park's Stan Marsh had to enter into the Tron-like universe of Facebook and defeat his account in a game of Yahtzee. the kicker is even if you do manage to "delete" you account, it's not gone for good. it's just been made inaccessible to other users. however, all of the user's personal data remains on Facebook's servers. why? because all that data a user provides on the Facebook service - be it texts, photos, videos, statuses, etc. - becomes property of Facebook. it is part of the agreement between the user and Facebook as outlined in the Terms of Service which grants Facebook complete ownership of that user's data. that doesn't sit well with me.

lastly, but not my final protest, is that having a Facebook account would another web service i'd have to spend time managing.

to speak of the company itself, Facebook is worth billions of U.S. dollars($), but it doesn't generate any revenues. that doesn't stop investors and business partners from pouring cash into it. what's allows Facebook's financial success is the philosophy that personal information freely provided by their users is more valuable than revenue generated from advertisements. Facebook collects as much data as users are willing to give about themselves which in turns helps their business partners better understand trends of behavior. and, granted, Facebook is not alone. there are other sites such as Twitter and Google (with some exception as Google does generate some of their revenue from advertisement, but not all) that work the same way. they don't make money, yet they are worth billions. again it's all about data collecting, organizing, and analyzing.

all this being said, i do recognize the incredible impact that Facebook has made in our world, both good and bad. it have escalated itself to level of great importance that cannot be ignored, and a powerful tool of communication. there may come a time when Facebook could take over the entire communication sector. instead of AT&T or Verizon, it could be Facebook that powers future mobile devices. so in a continuous effort to live my with the least amount of hypocrisy i will say this: as long i draw a breath upon this e@rth the possibility and probability of joining Facebook is there, but i'm going to hold out as much as i can.

peace,
@riel

Why I won't be buying an iPad... any time soon.

2010-08-19T19:45:00.003-04:00

this blog post is way over due, and the subject matter outdated, but in an effort to get back to writing i decided to go ahead publish my thoughts about Apple's new iPad, and why i'm not getting one. simply put i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. i can't even find a way to shoe-horn this thing into it either. but that's a personal matter.

still i can't help but wonder what Apple was thinking when they decided to release this product. they touted it as a universal device best suited for eBook reading, Internet surfing, gaming. and so forth. but when i think deeper into it, it seems to fail in comparison to devices that are designed specifically to address these areas of digital life. Apple uses words like "magical", "wonderful", and "boom!" to describe how awesome the iPad is. however during the introduction event of he iPad I could not help but wonder if anyone in the audience was actually impressed let alone marveled. after all it turned out to be a larger iPod Touch. and despite the mediocre functions of the iPad it has gone to sell millions worldwide. my curiosity can only assume those who have bought it have a far better or unique use for it than the average user.

here are some of the applications the iPad address and the reasons i feel they don't.

Reason 1, eBook reader:
one of the selling points of apple's iPad is that it servers as an eBook reader. however when i think of the ideal eBook reader the kindle comes to mind. it's a thin device weighing in the ounces. it's large enough to accommodate the text of a typical book. it's black and white like most printed pages. it's ambient reflective background simulate as close to paper as much as possible so it's easy on the eyes thanks to it's E-Ink technology. and as a big bonus it's so good on the battery that a single charge can last it up too 300 hours.

the iPad fails in every aspect listed above. it weighs in at 1.6 pounds. and though that may not seem much, after 20 minutes it does start to put a strain on the wrist when maintaining it upright. the screen size as adequate for accommodating text of a typical book, but the LCD screen couple with a LED backlight can cause a bit of strain the eyes. lastly because the iPad is not a dedicated eBook reader but rather a general purpose device with a function to display eBooks, battery life is terrible; only 10 hours before it needs a charge.

best use of the iPad as an ebook reader is short term; perhaps 20 minutes at most. most avid readers (at least the ones i know personally) typically spend an hour reading text.

Reason 2, gaming platform:
the Nintendo gameboy, Sony PSP, hell, even the iPhone (to some extent) are typically the devices that avid gamers prefer when it comes to portable games. they are light weight, fast, contains an extensive library of games, and with exception to the iPhone, are equip with physical controllers that help add to the sensation of the game's experience.

games are being published for IPad. most of them were originally made for the iPhone/iTouch that have been adapted for a bigger screen. the problem is trying to handle the iPad while playing some of these games. i'm not entirely sure what kinds of games are being sold that would be best for the iPad, but i can't imaging that the arcade crowd is jumping on this. i downloaded Street Fighter IV on my iPhone, and though i hate the fact the 20% of my screen is taken up by my thumbs, I continue to enjoy it. to play this game on an iPad would seem clumsy considering the dimensions of this device. on top of that there's the reoccurring issue with the weight previously mentioned.

then only kinds of games that i can see passable on this platform are board games, and some puzzle games that may not required the iPad to be held up-right. in fact the one genre of games that would be quite impressive are the strategy role-playing games such as Final Fantasy, or even better World-of-Warcraft. you wouldn't need to hold the iPad upright; just lay it down on the table and use the the multi-touch feature to play the game.

Reason 3, portability/versatility:
it's portability becomes an issue with me as it's not as small to fit into my pocket like the iPhone, and not as versatile as a notebook.

let say i'm in some coffee shop (i know, it's always some trendy coffee shop) i can't whip out my iPad and start surfing the web with one hand while drinking my caramel latte (mmmmm, caramel ) with the other. nope, I'll stick to my iPhone, thanks.

let say i'm working on a blog post. to type on an iPad would require me to position it at a slight angle just to type. with the virtual keyboard and the screen on the same plane one of two things suffers: 1) your wrist due to the weird angle, or 2) your eye sight from the glare off the glass. it may be possible to suffer both. one solution is use a Bluetooth keyboard.... screw that! just use a laptop. at the very least the screen won't need to be held up with you hands.

Reason 4, an internet device:
this is by far the the most impractical reason. when is comes to the internet it only comes in two sizes; large (rather the full rendered web page) and small (the mobile version of the large size). that's what makes the notebook and mobile phone devices perfectly suited for this task. on top of that to sit and hold onto the iPad to read a web page... well see Reason 1 and 3. in contrast the iPhone (despite its screen size) can be palmed, and though navigating a web page with a thumb does require some practice, at least it's completely efficient.

Is there anything the iPad is good for?
the iPad suffers the same problem as most tablet computing devices; it's a niche device. however, I do believe the iPad can serve several functions. consider the following:

Any job that utilizes a clipboard:
take as an example a hospital setting where the ipad can be used in place of paper medical charts. the doctor walks into a room and the patient's charts appear instantly on the device.

Visual creation:
an electronic easel is an ideally suited application for the iPad. i've seen video of artists draw incredible works of art right on the iPad. very impressive.

Music creation:
people talented in the ways of music have used the iPad as an electronic instrument, part of their DJ'ing equipment, mixer. i mean there's all kinds app out their to help make music.

in an effort to live my life with the least amount of hypocrisy i will say this: i will not discount the possibility of owning iPad completely. as i said before i haven't found how to fit this into my current digital life. after all despite the stated reasons, it is a pretty neat device, but completely useless to me at this time.

peace,
@riel

3D Movie Scam

2010-02-02T17:32:00.003-05:00

when Avatar came out, like most movie goers, the first time watching it was in 3D. not in IMAX, but in a typical movie theater where 3D was available via a pair of 3D glasses by RealD 3D. the price of watching this visual masterpiece? $14.50! later i watched it again at Jordan's IMAX in Natick with the experience being infinitely superior. price? $12. Why is IMAX cheaper?

the stupidity in all of this is the fact that in a movie complex (here in MA) you pay $10.50 for a movie. but for an extra $4 you get the movie in 3D along with the 3D glasses. at the end of the movie, when you leave the theater room, there's a bin just outside with a pile of used 3D glasses thrown in. the sign on it asked to return the glasses - the 3D glasses you paid for - by encouraging you to "re-cycle" them.

do you see the scam here? after charging you $14.50 the multiplex takes the glasses you threw away - excuse me, re-cycled - then sell it to another patron, and start the scam all over again.

it's a good scam, don't get me wrong.

in contrast at IMAX you pay $12 for a movie. you get the 3D glasses before you take your seat. then you return the 3D glasses to a friendly employee at the end of the movie.

i (and perhaps you) would think patrons would be encouraged to keep the 3D glasses they get at the multiplex, and get some kind of discount for the next 3D presentation so they're not paying the full $14.50. man, at least take $2 off the price of the ticket. or how about charging us $12 for the movie, and $2 for the 3D glasses if needed? in this economy any chance to save a few bucks is a welcome.

ever wonder how much energy is wasted to "re-cycle" those used 3D glasses whether they are simple disinfected before they are repackaged for resale, or melted down to make news ones?

the last time i saw Avatar in 3D at a multiplex, i decided to keep my 3D glasses. why not? i paid for them. plus i like wearing them better than the ones you get from IMAX. i'll bring them along with me for the next 3D movie i watch in IMAX where the experience is infinitely superior, and the price cheaper.

peace,
@riel

From Global-Flat To Cambridge-Flat To Video

2009-11-05T11:32:00.002-05:00

for a little while i've been a member of global-flat.com. it's a site dedicated to BMX riders who practice the discipline of flatland freestyling. as you may know, i too practice this discipline, and i've been fortunate to meet with some very good people from Mass on this site.

on Oct. 25 i hooked up with a bunch of guys from the Boston area. they congregate in a street hockey rink in Cambridge right on Charles St. upon my arrival i first met Rick. we first corresponded over global-flat.com. he told me that he too was a 35 y/o getting back into flatland freestyle. though married, and with children, he has made an effort to get back into a sport that he enjoyed once as a teenager. so we had a couple of things in common sans the marriage and children.

later in day more riders began to show up, and the scene was becoming more active with rider pulling off all kinds of spinning moves. initially all i could do was watch and envy at their skills, hoping that one day i could do all that.

i got to know some of them and found out they too were in their 30's, and though there were a few in their 20's, it kind of solidified my impression that, at least within the states, flatland freestyle was being practice mostly by the older crowd who lived through the glory days of BMX during its roots in the late 70's and 80's.

conversely, on an international scale, flatland freestyle is dominated by a younger crowd.

it's funny when you meet people who share the same interests as you. there's this phenomenon that occurs where you seem to do better at executing moves in the presence of others than alone. or perhaps it's just me trying to impress them, and i just got lucky. either way i felt as if anything can be possible so long as i practice with a peer group.

for example, i've been trying to nail down a pedal kick tail-whip (non-foot jam style). on rare occasions alone i'd get it, but it's mostly a miss. but in front of these guys i was able to get it down no problem. it even seemed like an effortless move. last night i tried several attempts of them in my "backyard", and damn it if i couldn't get it at all. what happened?

well, back to my story...

so i brought along my camera in case i had the inclination of recording my experience there. the guys seemed pretty cool with me taking some videos of them. so i started shooting manually, following them around trying to get some good angle shots. these were nothing but random videos that were taken of any riders as they rode by me. a few times i mounted the camera on a tripod provided by another rider name Rich (the second rider to show up at the rink). this way i could be in some of the footage.

after spending 5 hours with these guys, i decided to retire, go home, and review all of the videos taken that day. i recorded about 5GB of MPEG1 video, 640x480 @ 3000kps on my Sony DSC-H9. what was i going to do with all this footage? put it to music, of course. i told the guys that i would most likely make a music video out of them, and post it on Vimeo and YouTube. no one objected to the idea.

so i spent that week importing all these videos into a Final Cut Xpr project, picking and choosing which clips of footage i liked best. tried to keep all the riders well represented throughout the project while at the same time maintaining the actual time line of recorded events. i added a few scenes of myself, but mostly focused on the more experienced riders.

once i had initially selected all of my clips, i began to think about the music i wanted to use. like most of of my projects i was going to pick one song and use that, but i didn't have anything that would cover the 8 minute run-time. so instead i decided to use multiple samples of songs about 1~2 minutes in length. i'd mix up the tempo and style using Drum n' Base, down-tempo, and hip-hop tunes. i chose six song from my iTunes library i felt worked well in in certain portions of the video. the end result was a nice mix that, not only would keep the viewer entertained, but seemed to play well with the video.

later i started to notice moments in the video where some unintentional choreography took place between the riders and the songs. this gave some ideas, and decided to rework the video to get more of this incorporated.

i don't know why i never though of this before. that was one of my intended design for my AMV, Dyson's Revelation.

so i continued with the process where it started to take me into a different direction. more editing was done, and more thought went into the presentation.

in the end i took it about as far as i was willing to go. this video project almost became an obsession. i wanted (almost needed) to complete it by the end of the week; no more. it took some good time away that could have been spent riding. especially now that time is becoming so precious cause the air is getting colder, and i don't have a place to go ride during winter season when the snow starts to fall.

i've posted the video on both Vimeo and YouTube. so far the responses have been positive. and though this project took time away from riding, it was a lot of fun to work on. it left me thinking that i'd like to do more of these kinds of videos. perhaps i will, if the guys let me. and who knows, in time i may get better and have a nice featured moment in one where i'm doing more than a mere pedal kick tail-whip.

all-in-all meeting these guys was a good experience. one i hope will continue as i practice the discipline of flatland freestyling. global-flat.com is a great place to meet other riders in your neighborhood.

peace,
@riel

iApp Post: Flash for Free, FilterFX

2009-10-11T13:02:00.001-04:00

normally i would post something like this on my twitter feed, but this iPhone app, i felt, could use a little more attention seeing is how useful is has been, and, therefor, give my personal recommendation.

FreeTheApps has released a handful of free apps for the iPhone that adds some useful functions for your photo taking needs.

the first is Flash for Free. this app helps to increase the clarity of any photo from the camera roll by providing 9 levels of brightness.

the second is FilterFX. this gives the user the ability to add some fun filters to any photos. the app includes the following filters:

Vivid
Cool
Warm
Vignette Black
Vignette White
Black & White
Sepia
Vintage
Soften

check out some sample photos. the original taken on the deck of the USS Massachusetts using my iPhone 3G [S]. the rest were processed using FlashforFree and FilterFX. turn on the captions to see which filters were used, or go to the photo gallery to see them in detail.

these are just two of the apps available from FreeThe Apps, and there are several more. go check them out, and enjoy.

peace,
@riel

Flatland Session #2: A Casual Day

2009-09-27T02:10:00.073-04:00

hey folks!

here is my premier video on Vimeo. it's the second installation of my Flatland Sessions

[Vimeo detail]
this video was captured on the 4th of August, 2009. it serves as a follow-up from my last video to show off my progress. it's a casual session i decided to record using my brand new iPhone 3G [S]. the video was just an excuse to play with my iPhone, so i'm not putting a great deal of effort here. however, i've gotten a little better. more time practicing would've been spent if it weren't for all this rain we've gotten over the summer up here in Massachusetts.
DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADJUST YOUR SET!
throughout the video you'll notice weird color shifts. in combination with the music i've chosen, this is an attempt to mellow out the mood of the video. just something i thought i'd throw in to help spruce up an otherwise boring video.
[end]

unlike the first captured flatland session where i condensed the length of the video by utilizing Fade In Fade Out Dissolve, i decided to leave this video intact and instead focus on using some kind of neat visual effect over a mellowed-out down-tempo tune.

one reason for not chopping it up, was because, where as the first session was captured in 720x480 resolution; the video resolution capture on the iPhone is 640x480 (the horizontal field of view is narrower). this posed a problem as i was riding in and out of the frame more often than before. also the video was shot from the ground and not from a tripod. i felt this too had a limiting affect of the field of view. in order to stay within the frame longer i had to be farther away from the camera.

another reason was the audio. unlike the first where i completely removed the audio in favor of a background music, i decided to leave the original audio in. i have yet to figure out how to mix the audio correctly in Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4) as it separates the audio from the video into its own track.

a third reason was simply time. the video for Session #1 contained over 40 minutes of stock footage from multiple angles. so i had a "40 minute" reason to shorten it down and highlight the important parts. in Session #2 only 00:11:50 of stock from one angle was taken. it didn't seem worth the effort just to shave off two minutes.

i did attempt to condense it, but did not worked out very well. still, i think final cut turned out just fine. in fact the end result came out looking really sharp for a VGA quality video compare to that from the original iPhone video, which contained a lot of grainy digital noise due to the low light conditions. the end-quality of the video was thanks to the process of taking the final video exported from FCE4 as an MPEG4 (@ 9000kbs), converting it into a DVD/MPEG2 video (@ 7000kbs) using Burn.app, then cleaning and polishing it up - using some pretty hefty video enhancements - by running the MPEG2 video through Handbrake, and back out to an MPEG4 video (@ 3000kbs). with all these conversions you'd think there be a loss of quality. well, there is, but you can't really tell, because 1) without the original stock there's no basis for comparison so you don't know what to look for, and 2) even if you could tell the loss of detail is way in the background.

unfortunately, because of YouTube's rule regarding video runtime - they limit it to no more than 10 minutes per video - i couldn't keep both sessions under the same roof, and , therefore, i had to find another home. Vimeo was perfect. so long as i keep my uploads to 500MB per week, my videos can be as long as i want. and the quality of videos on Vimeo are always good. i was really stoked when i saw how sharp my video came out. plus if you like the video, you have the option of downloading a copy for yourself. however, you have a week from the date of publish to do that, and you'll need to be a member.

feel free to stop by at the actual site and leave a comment.

peace,
@riel

Memories of Mountain Park, Holyoke

2009-08-30T21:34:00.066-04:00

"This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down."

this quote is from the book "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien. it's a riddle posed by Gullom to Frodo, who responded frantically with "I need more time!" TIME being the answer.

I open this blog entry with this because over the summer - during a week vacation in the month of august - I made a pilgrimage to Holyoke, MA to bask in the presence of a childhood memory taken away by the hands of TIME. that memory was an amusement park called Mountain Park.

Mountain Park (MP) [1, 2] was once situated on the side of Mount Tom, Holyoke. it opened in 1890, and it had been there nearly 100 years. but due to financial difficulties, and perhaps a lack of interest in keeping the park operational, then owner, Jay Collins, decided to shut MP down in 1987. that was my freshman year of high school. not once did it ever occur in my mind to think that it would ever be closed for good. in fact the decision to close was quite fast and without any warning.

during the mid to late '80s MP wasn't the most elaborate amusement park around compared to other amusement parks like Whalom Park, Canobie Lake Park, Rocky Point, and Riverside (known today as Six Flags New England). but it wasn't without its charm. MP was decorated with aging art and decor from the early life of the park (circa 1897) to designs from the late '70s ~ early '80s.

the park's carousel - dated from the earliest years of MP - carried with it beautiful artworks that would serve just as well as framed paintings in a museum.

after the closing of MP, the carousel did survive extinction. it was moved to the town center of Holyoke where it operates to this day as one of the oldest carousels in the U.S. now known as The Holyoke Merry-Go-Round.

most of the coolest (and darkest) artworks, during the later years of MP, were found on two specific rides; the Pirate's Den, and the Dinosaurs Den.

these rides are (or were) called "dark rides"; a completely enclosed passive coaster ride that moves slowly along a track from one darken room to the next, bumping through double doors, taking left or rights turns. the riders would observe spooky animatronics and visual effects over haunting soundtracks.

i grew up always having an over-active imagination. the hellish and dark images depicted on the outside of the buildings that housed these rides were enough to keep me from riding, but not enough to keep me from standing outside fixated on the artwork with my curiosity wondering what i would see inside.

both the Pirate's Den, and the Dinosaurs Den were two of three rides i never rode until the final days of the park. in the summer of 1986 when i was 12 years old, i finally decided to ride them both. i remember feeling pretty anxious simply because i didn't know what to expect during the rides. it turned out to be quite fun, and i can't remember how many times i went back on each ride.

another ride i waited too late to truly enjoy was the main roller coaster, the Mountain Park Flyer [1, 2].

a wooden roller coaster that stretched alongside of the park. as a kid i had a fear of heights that kept me off the Flyer, but in the end i managed to get over it. getting on the Flyer that first time would begin of my love of roller coasters.

most of the rides in MP were pretty standard rides you'd find anywhere else, even today. recently i visited Canobie Lake Park, and was surprised to see a hand-full of the same kinds of rides that i remembered as a kid at MP still employed today.

though MP is gone, it seems that it may make something of a come-back. Eric Suher, a native of Holyoke, and owner of the Iron Horse Music Hall, the Pearl Street Nightclub and the Calvin Theater in Northampton, bought the property of MP and wants to "bring Mountain Park back to what we remember it being." i'm not sure exactly what that means, but the current plan is to hold outdoor concert venues [1, 2] there. i guess time will tell as to whether or not this memorable mountain site will ever be rebuilt to its old glory, though i'm sure it won't have the same charm i remembered as a kid.

the land where MP once stood - what little trace of the amusement park that once existed - has now been cleared and renovated to accommodate these concert venues. but before the bulldozers and the hardhats, all that remained of MP was nothing more than a desolate land [1, 2]. a ghost town with the remnants of corroded lumber and rusted steal beams of building structures hardly recognizable. vegetation's growing with the dominating force of nature within areas where concrete once paved the way from one enjoyment to the next. the tall iconic skeletal frame of the Flyer torn down succumbing to the will of gravity as its coaster carts once did.

my pilgrimage to the land of MP was short lived due to the construction activity. but from the little i was able to see the only thing that was left was a sign posted on one of the utility poles at the parking entrance. it was difficult to read the faded words "The Great Slide Show". the paint had very little life left.

"This thing all things devours:
Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;
Gnaws iron, bites steel;
Grinds hard stones to meal;
Slays king, ruins town,
And beats high mountain down."

this quote is from the book "The Hobbit" by JRR Tolkien. it's a riddle posed by Gullom to Frodo, who responded frantically with "I need more time!"

TIME being the answer.

the very TIME that faded Mountain Park into our memories. :(

peace,
@riel

Worcester's "Art in the Park" at Elm Park

2009-08-06T01:03:00.001-04:00

so i was riding through Worcester and stopped by Elm Park where a public exhibition of various artworks were on display throughout the park grounds. it's part of the "Art in the Park" presented by the Worcester Cultural Commission, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, and the City of Worcester. they've been doing this for the past several years.

i decided to stop by and take some pics and videos.

i think there was one other display i may have missed. perhaps if i find my way there again i'll take pics of the remaining exhibits.

enjoy,
@riel

My Car Set-Up

2009-08-01T12:43:00.001-04:00

just wanted to quickly share with you my car set-up of both my TomTom and iPhone sipping energon from a Belkin Dual USB charger.

what's really impressive is how fast the Belkin's QuickCharge USB port juices up my iPhone. during the course of a 40 minute drive the charger brought my iPhone's battery from 30% to near 60%.

it comes included with two USB cables; one with an iPod dock connector, the other with a mini USB. the iPod dock cable is of a thicker gauge. i'm guessing this is because the QuickCharge USB port provides a higher amount of current. it's also a fully functioning data cable so you can plug this into your Mac or PC.

the competing charger i almost got was Griffin's PowerJolt Dual Universal. but i much prefer Belkin's design approach with the USB ports off to the side.

now i can operate both devices and keep them charged. though, i am very impressed with my iPhone's GPS functionality, i still prefer the accuracy of my TomTom. also the iPhone currently lacks the ability of multi-tasking with third-party apps like Pandora or Slacker Radio while using Maps. so with this setup i can have both. plus i just found a neat way to integrate my TomTom into my car's dashboard. no worry's; it's only covering up the RPM gauge. besides, who really pays attention to that?

the only thing not pictured here is Griffin's DirectDeck Universal Cassette Adapter which was running within my cassette deck at the time.

peace,
@riel

iPhone Video Test Shots

2009-07-29T22:05:00.000-04:00

here are a few video test shots i tool using my iPhone's video capture feature.

enjoy,
@riel

My New iPhone 3G [S]

2009-07-29T21:33:00.000-04:00

well, i finally got one! it's taken Apple three generations to make an iPhone good enough to satisfy what i wanted, but it's here and running great. :)

i ordered my iPhone 3G [S] from an AT&T retail store. the advantage of this was not having to pay a $36 activation fee that apparently one would have to pay at the Apple store. i'm unclear as to why, but there it is. activation from the AT&T is a courtesy.

the downside? i had to wait a week before getting it, and when it did arrive i didn't get the pleasure of opening the jewelry box containing my brand new iPhone. it was a bit of a bummer, but i understood the store associate needed to process the device to activate it.

no matter - i would be spending a great deal of my life with it. at least for the next two years until Apple release a new iteration of it. hopefully something with an 720p HD optic sensor with image stabilization, and an AMOLED screen panel.

since the day i got it i've encased it in a clear plastic case by Case-Mate, applied an anti-glare screen protector by Power Support, and downloaded a number of apps (see my twitter feed filed under "iApps post").

i've taken it out on some local road trips to tried out the 3G internet access, the digital compass, the camera, the maps app (GPS), mail app... pretty much everything it features, but the kitchen sink.

after making use of it of the past several weeks i have to say that i'm very impressed with it.

peace,
@riel

My New Toy: iPhone 3G[S].

2009-06-09T17:48:00.000-04:00

i've had some time to digest the news of the latest iteration of Apple's new iPhone 3G[S]. after following the live feed from Gizmodo, and watching the keynote broadcast of the event last night, i gained a secured feeling that perhaps this is a good time to jump on the iPhone bandwagon. i don't think this new iPhone is the best it can be, but it's much better than previous iterations, and therefor good enough.

i posted on my Twitter feed quick impressions of some of the features and specs that were updated such as the extended battery life, and the 32GB of storage; two of the biggest selling points for me. everything else were novelties that will help enhanced the enjoyment and experience of the mobile device during the everyday use.

as i'm looking to converge my iPod with my cell, my intent with the 32GB of storage is to fill it with mostly music, TV shows, and some videos i've edited. in addition to storing more music and videos, the iPhone 3G[S] camera takes 3 megapixel photos, and can also capture & edit video. both of these features can eat a good deal of storage.

the extended battery life is always a welcome. anything that allows me to get through a day without having to worry about the battery going dead is good news.

Talk time:

Up to 5 hours on 3G (no change)
Up to 12 hours on 2G

Standby time:

Up to 300 hours (no change)

Internet use:

Up to 5 hours on 3G
Up to 9 hours on Wi-Fi

Audio playback:

Up to 30 hours on audio

Video playback:

Up to 10 hours of video

i think where i hold some disappointment is the advancement in technology that Apple did not incorporated into the iPhone, such as an OLED display panel instead of a LCD. substantial battery life could have been furthered with this technology. a case redesign would have been nice to distinguish the third gen from the second gen. and... no, i guess that's it. i would have like to have seen Apple utilize a 720p optic sensor for video capturing, but i suppose a sensor that small doesn't exist yet.

my only reservation is the network it runs on. i've heard mixed feelings about AT&T regarding their cell coverage, or data plans. most love the phone but hate the service, because it doesn't allow customers to take full advantage of what the phone can do.

at this moment i don't think i need much from the iPhone 3G[S] and AT&T. as long as i have connection to my cell & data plan, features such as basic web, email, and instant message services are all i require for now. at least until i can figure out what else i want from the iPhone 3G[S].

i may take the "wait-and-see" approach; just take a step back for now, and see how early adopters feel about the new revised phone. i'm sure the feelings will most likely be a positive one.

all-in-all i feel relatively good about this new iPhone. i can't wait! :)

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: LEDs & BMX

2009-06-08T12:05:00.001-04:00

another frequently visited gadget site, Boing Boing Gadget, has an entry describing a neat little accessory that attaches to the wheel of any bike. at an idle state it's just a row of bright LED lights flashing is an unsorted manner. that is until the wheel begins to spin. then something magical happens. an image appears. these images manifest in various patterns of light and colors, or even a 2D or 3D image. there are two devices; one is called "Video Pro", and the other is "Monkey Light" by MonkeyLectronic (clever, huh?). it's a row LEDs that when spun within a bike wheel the can create some visually appealing effects. check out the video below.

34 second into it you'll see a flatland rider pulling off some nice moves while making good use of the Monkey Light device. this looks like a great way to get some attention from a crowd during a street performance. i doubt, however, this would be acceptable during an actual competition. i can see how something like this would be too distracting and even annoying. still, it's a nice way to add some pizzazz to your routine.

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: BMX & QWERTY Keys.

2009-06-02T16:44:00.000-04:00

this is unbelievable! two posting of the same theme. who would have predicted it?

anyway...

one of my most visited gadget site, Gizmodo, has an entry posted regarding a line of BMX handlebar grips by Odyssey that resemble a QWERTY keyboard. Gizmodo is not the originating source, but the Gadget Lab over at WIRED.com.

the grip design looks to be that of a QWERTY keyboard fashion, but upon closer look at one of the rows of keys it spells out the name "Aaron Ross", a rider for Odyssey. the row just above it spells out the company's name.

it should come as no surprise that tech geekery and BMX goes hand-in-hand, but like this? this is completely unexpected. next thing we'll see is BMX frame with a printed circuit board design painted on it. i'd like to see that.

peace,
@riel

My First Linux Script.

2009-06-02T16:39:00.001-04:00

from the days of DOS, Win95, and Win98 i was very curious about DOS batch scripting and automation. it's neat that you write a list of instructions for the computer execute. even setup a simple text-based menu driven interface using runlevels. DOS batch scripting was pretty powerful for automation back in the days, and the batch scripts i wrote were minimum 3 pages, maximum 10 pages long.

as the years went by a co-worker introduced me to AutoIt - a windows oriented scripting language similar to Microsoft's VB. and thus continued my fascination with scripting and automation.

this past semester i took a Linux class. one of the lesson covered was BASH shell scripting using the vi editor. most of my understanding about scripting came from prior experience of using AutoIt. the only difference was the syntax structure of the language.

one of the final labs for the class was to write a shell script where the user is asked to enter their name, the month born, and the year born. the output of the script was the acknowledgment of the user's name, and the calculate age based on the month and year. also there needed to be a loop to re-run the process until the user quits.

i submitted a scrip that covered all the requirements specified by the lab. it even contained multiple loops; after each question given is answered by the user, the script responds with confirmation before moving on to the next step.

you may download the script here.

all-in-all it was pretty neat, and well written for a newb. though i'm sure most of you Linux gurus could accomplish the same goal with only 4 lines of code. however it was my first attempt, and with Linux becoming a force to be reckoned with, hopefully it won't be my last.

peace,
@riel

Geek Combo: OLED & BMX.

2009-06-01T12:18:00.001-04:00

the following YouTube video combines two of my favorite things in the world.

first, the video is demonstrating a technology called OLED. a new type of display where the individual pixels (the little dots that make up the picture) are self illuminating. that is to say that they do not require a backlight, and therefor require less power than an LCD display of the same size. the future may have this new tech as the standard display panel for all TV's, laptops, cell phones & other small gadgets, and perhaps outdoor signs.

second, what is that being displayed 10 seconds into the video? why, it looks to be a BMX rider pulling off some half-pipe moves.

nice.

peace,
@riel

The Screwdriver: My Motive, My Opportunity.

2009-06-01T11:05:00.001-04:00

when i was a kid i used to break my toys to see how they worked inside.

all of my G.I Joe and Transformers toys would last for about a couple of months before i started to take them apart.
i remember owning one of the earliest video game systems. it was a TV game console that resembled like a late 80's cell phone. it had games on it like Tennis (Pong). i was fascinated with the knobs and switches so i took it apart.
my dad came home with a CB Ham radio. in minutes i was on taking to a truck driver. four hours later i tore it apart curious about the insides.
i took apart my Atari 2600. luckily i was able to put it back together again, and work. i wasn't going to mess with that.
one of my early BMX bikes was constantly being taken apart and put back together just to enjoy the pure mechanics of the process.
i added speakers to a clock radio in my room.
from Radio Shaq i bought mini lights and switches to illuminate a storage cabinet i attached it to.
i wire up the cable box to all the TV's in the apartment using a selector switch.
i used to own an early Sony MD deck until the disc drive got stuck. i opened it up and temporarily got to work again.
i've taken apart all of my computers to study the board layout.

above are just a few examples i can remember off the top of my head.

i blame my curiosity as it consequently caused many of my toys to not fully recover, or at all. however it is not without it's conspirator.

the screwdriver was my motive, and opportunity. it allowed me to explore the insides of my curiosities. it helped me to get through the shells, the barriers to the wonders of electronics, wires, and mechanisms. it was the one toy i could never get inside.

peace,
@riel

Griffin iTrip & PowerJolt Dual, iPhone 3rd Gen.

2009-05-28T19:27:00.007-04:00

thanks to my folks for their recent gift of the TomTom (TT), i find myself having to think of future changes to a few things within my car to accommodate my toys. you see my car only has one 12V outlet. it seems that my iPod, and now my TT will have to fight over this outlet.

or...

thanks to Griffin Technology they have part of the solution that may just be the answer to my trivial dilemma. the first is Griffin's iTrip. this is an FM transmitter that attaches to the dock connector of all current iPods including the iPod Touch. what's convenient about it - aside from the FM transmitter - is the conversion of the iPod dock into the universally acceptable USB connector for charging.

at this point i can make due using the TT's USB car plug to charge both the TT and iPod/iPhone simply by swapping the cable between the two devices to charge up the battery. however, in the event i find myself needing to charge both simultaneously the second solution is Griffin's PowerJolt Dual Universal, a 12 volt adapter designed to provide two 5 volt USB ports to charge any USB powered devices. one for the TT, and one for the iTrip attached to my iPod.

i have a Motorola RAZR cell, and from time to time i have run out of charge while on the road. however, i don't charge my RAZR in the car, because Motorola requires me to have a proprietary car charger; even though the RAZR is powered via a USB connector. simply connecting any USB charger will result in the RAZR reporting unauthorized charger. Motorola sucks ass. this is why i'm looking forward to dumping the RAZR, and replacing it with an iPhone. that plus the convenience of having both my cell and iPod in one device.

so the other part of the solution to my trivial dilemma is converging my cell with my iPod. hence the iPhone. though, not noted on their site, i suspect that the iTrip will work with an iPhone. this is based on the fact that the iPod Touch and iPhone are (for the most part) identical, and, therefore, should work fine. my desire is to jump on the iPhone bandwagon once the 3rd generation is released; assuming that Apple decides to increase the storage capacity to 32GB. which is more than enough storage for just my favorite tunes, pics, and videos.

in an effort to advise me on further convergence i know that someone can argue, "the iPhone can work as a GPS. no need for the TT." yeah, well, it doesn't. that is to say that it's positioning system does not work with a satellite, but triangulation system dependent on cell phone towers. so it's not that accurate or dependable unless you're in a heavily populated metropolitan area. i don't think it works very well if you go on a road trip across the county.

anyway, this is just me being a gadgeteer. i just love how this stuff works together.

peace,
@riel

A TomTom for my Birthday. Thanks Mom and Dad.

2009-05-28T18:40:00.001-04:00

my parents are full of surprises. in recent years for Christmas or on my birthday they have always asked what i would like as a gift. i never ask for much except for their company, and (of course) food. but my folks being who they are (my folks) always came up with some gift to give me such as socks. this past Christmas they got me some after-shave splash by Adidas. my folks are modest people with little means to get me anything impressive for these occasions. i always accept their gifts with full thanksgiving along with their blessings. but this year my folks went way above expectations for my birthday. they almost convinced me that i was getting more after-shave, but after the first tearing the wrapping paper i began to sense some deception.

in my hands - after fully disrobing the box of its festive paper - was a TomTom XL 340-S navigation device. i was so stoked! first of all that my parent would ever get this kind of gift. they explained to me that it would be good for me to have one of my own instead of having to ask my brother the use of his Garmin. second the fact they they got me the top model from the XL 300 series. it just goes to show how much they know me.

this thing is so cool. 4.5" touch screen, voice assisted navigation... it does pretty much what most navi-gps's do. it takes on a simplistic look with nothing more than the USB connection for power and data transfer when connected to a PC to update the map. the absence of useless "bells and whistles" are fine by me; i don't care much for some models that utilizes SD card slots for MP3 or video playback. kinda defeats the purpose of what a navi-gps was devised to do.

there's a Windows app i'm, supposed to install in order to update the maps stored within the unit. i've yet to do that, but i will soon enough. my dad was a little concerned that the map installed wouldn't cover Puerto Rico (PR). on the box it clearly states US, Canada, Mexico. apparently some of the units at the store make the point to specify coverage over the tiny island; not this one. but after checking out the map my dad was pleased to see that PR was well covered.

my only concern is the power requirements to run this thing. i'm already using the 12V plug to operate my iPod's Kensington charger/FM transmitter. i have figured out a solution - i'll reveal it later - but until the need arises i'll simply keep the 340-S tucked away. besides, it has a built-in battery that will run for 3 hours according to the specs, and i doubt i have anywhere to go that requires more than a three hour round trip.

thanks Mom and Dad, i love you both very much.

peace,
@riel

Anime Boston 2009, A Go!

2009-05-27T10:09:00.029-04:00

well another year for Anime Boston has come and gone. and i, for one, am glad i got to partake in the festivities and with my good friend stacey. first we managed to get through the registration line without too much stress, got our pass and swag bag, then we indulged in some lunch - what else, but Japanese - at Wagamama. after lunch we headed back into the con. our first stop was the dealer's room where we were overwhelled at how many more vernders there were this year than in past years all selling the same things, and few - if any - were selling hardly any video game music CD's.

what the hell? oh well.

following the dealer's room, we headed to the main event where a concert - perfromed by the Video Game Orchestra (VGO) - was taking place. we walked in while they were in the middle of playing the main theme to Chrono Trigger. following their performance, a female trio vocal group by the name Kalafina performed songs from their self-titled album.

stace and i left after three songs and made our way to the artist alley where stace wanted to check out the freelance artist. i personally founds a few pieces that i would have wanted, but i didn't have any cash available. i mean i had money to spend, but these guys weren't equiped to take plastic.

we left the convention and headed out to the food court of the Copley Mall to grab some dinner, and just take a breather.

we got back to the con just in time to attend the main event of the evening; the cos-player masquerade. the event was hosted by a "Justin Timberlake" look-a-like who did a well enough job entertaining the crowd with his comedic antics in the beginning, the end, and in between each cos-play walk-by and skits. the guy was charming and likable; a vast improvement from the hostess in past events.

as for the cos-players, my only comment is how dedicated these participants are when it comes to perfecting their costumes. talks about the attention to details. most of the skits performed were entertaining. some didn't make much sense to me, but then i don't follow anime that much anymore. i think the biggest kick i got was the homage to classic video games. seeing a cardboard cut-out of Pac-Man running across the stage was awesome.

following the masquerade was the announcements of the AMV contest winners. they replayed all the winning AMV's in every category. only one stood out for me that were very impressive, a little busy visually, but fun to watch. i came out of that with a re-found interest in continuing my AMV projects (which was taken a back seat).

the main event ended around 11:00pm. we decided to see what else to do. the only thing left was to visit the video game room and check out the games available to play. the video game rooms were in to separate locations. we spent a little over a half an hour in both rooms before we ultimately decided to call it quits and go home.

it was a long and tiresome day, but at least we got to attend and have some fun. i didn't get to take many pics of cos-player, but it's kinda hard to justify when i don't know what i'm taking a picture of, and little embarrassing when i have to ask what character they're dressed up as. but i did take an hour worth of videos of some of the main events. hopefully i'll get to post those and share in the experience. well, until next year.

peace,
@riel

Weapon Of Choice! - Extended Edition

2009-05-20T21:24:00.018-04:00

GT was one of those BMX companies during the 1980's that always captivated my attention because of the unique design they pioneered starting from a practical need. two icons of the BMX world, Bob Morales and Eddie Fiola are credited with the design of the original 1984 GT Performer, the first freestyle BMX by GT. Eddie wanted to mount the front caliper brakes behind the forks and to spin the handlebar a full 360 without obstruction from the front brakes. thus came the famous Performer's down-tube bend from the neck that allow enough clearing to do just that. this unique design did not stop there with GT.

the next iteration of the GT Performer was the Pro Freetyle Tour (a.k.a. Pro Performer). the 1987 design was more sophisticated than before featuring a second bend on the down-tube, and a "pass-through" channel through the down-tube for the rear break line. also was the fatter, bolder top-tube freestyle platform. the frame design was years ahead of itself, and , i feel, is more attractive than today's BMX bikes. it was ridden by my favorite and most influential professional freestyle factory rider Martin Aparijo. this was the bike i wanted back then, and still want to this day.

the closest i came to owning one was after purchasing the 1990 GT Agressor. it featured the double bend down-tube, but it was missing the freestyle platform to make way for a bash guard. it was a beautiful bike, and i regret ever selling it. however it wasn't as stylish as the Pro Freestyle Tour, and it lacked some of the pro-level features such as the 990 mounts for both the front and rear breaks.

today i am a proud owner of the long distant cousin to the Pro Freetyle Tour. my 1999 GT Tour 2 is a heavy beast with fat 4130 chrome-moly steel tubing running from the neck of the frame to the rear drop-outs. also made from chrome-moly are the forks, handlebars, crank arm, seat post, and axle extenders. it's gotta be at least 40lbs. it's among the last of it's kind built in the USA out of Santa Ana, California. it's 10 years old and it rides like it came right off the shelf from the bike shop where i got it, and - as if history couldn't repeat itself - it's design rivals that of today's BMX bikes.

here are some detailed photos i took of my GT Tour 2; a complete factory original with exceptions to the bar-ends and the GT Airbag tires. i do have them; i just just didn't want to damage the GT bar-ends any further, and the tires were pretty much worn.

so long as i'm allowed ride i hope to never part from it.

peace,
@riel

Microsoft Needs To Simplify

2009-05-14T13:21:00.012-04:00

up until now have written entries regarding my joys and pains of Apple and their computers. i have yet to write about Microsoft, and the truth is i have been a Windows user since the days of MS-DOS6.22/ Windows3.1 way back in 1993. since then i had made every effort to learn about computers; how they work, all of the hardware that makes up a computer, and using tech lingo such as, "you have to modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS file." remember that? actually that last part didn't come in handy until two years later when i started working for a multimedia retail store called Media Play. ah, those were the days.

over the years i have moved up from Windows 3.1 to 95 when i made the transition from a Packard Bell 486SX to an HP Pavillion with a Pentium 133MHz, from 95 to 98 when i made the trasition from the Pavillion to a Gateway with a Pent-3 running at 450MHz, and finally leap-frogging over Windows ME and upgrading to XP Pro with my Gateway.

anyway, the point is before i became Mac, i was Windows, and still am thanks to Parallels Desktop.

i never had any major issues with Microsoft except for one; their insistence of marketing multiple versions of Windows with every release. this wasn't such a big deal with XP. three simple and self-explained choices; Home Edition, Profession, and Media Center. but with Vista it became a little more complicated with 4 versions which broke down the Home version into Premium & Basic. instead of having a Media Center edition, Microsoft included media center functionality with the Home Premium version. and the Home Basic is just the core functioning O/S of Vista - stripped down - to address the lack of hardware support some user's systems didn't have for Home Premium and over. and it seems that Windows 7 will be broken down into these versions... again.

**sigh**

for tech geeks this isn't a major issue, because we can handle the unexpected; if any issues arise, we know where to find support and information. but the average user isn't a tech geek (not in the truest sense anyway). they are made up of consumers who expect technology to work as designed and function flawlessly, but it isn't always the case.

Microsoft has a history of "copying" Apple, with respect to the user interface. why don't they "copy" Apple's marketing approach to selling one version of their operating system? the "one size fits all" approach. sell the Ultimate edition only, and during the installation have a function to determine how much stuff can be installed based on the system's hardware profile. or simply sell the Professional edition and open up a Windows Market Place. allow user to pay and download extra features - much like the iPhone App Store - such as the media center or additional security functionality.

i don't blame switchers who complain about their troubled past with Windows, or any users who thinks Microsoft is too big for itself; so big in fact that it's ability to maintain a high level of product quality and customer satisfaction to their retail consumers is anything but high. case in point: Windows Mobile 6.5 not being completely ready prior to its release.

i will give Microsoft big props for allowing all users to play with Windows 7 as a release candidate for a year prior to the official release to work out any real-world bugs. it gives us users a chance to see what Windows can really be and do, and gives Microsoft plenty of feedback from user's experiences. this approach is very smart as it will give them time to correct as many issues as possible assuring a gold level release when the time comes.

i downloaded Windows 7 RC and began running it via Parallels Desktop, and i have to say Windows 7 is fast. real fast. so far my personal user experience with 7 is much better than Vista.

the only thing that would ruin this is another multi-version marketing approach that will do nothing but confuse the average consumer, who will scratch their heads and wonder which version to buy.

Microsoft, if you're reading this...

SIMPLIFY; SELL ONE VERSION OF WINDOWS 7!!!

trust me, users will love and/or appreciate you for it.

peace,
@riel

Anime Boston 2009

2009-05-13T21:43:00.004-04:00

anime boston is on the way, and i have to say that i'm kinda looking forward to it. it's been a while since i've attended, and after last year's fiasco with the registration line i decided to be forgiving and make another attempt. besides, it beats having to travel to another state to attend a con when you don't have the money to spare.i did not submit an AMV this year. partly due to a lack of motivation, but mostly because i don't have better equipment to do it with. i know i've bitched about not having a better machine, and perhaps some additional softwares, but it's all about progressing to the next level. i haven't abandoned the hobby, it's just taken a back seat for now. i'm still editing videos, they're just a little casual - perfect for my current setup. if or when i do get a new machine w/ better apps, or if i decide to suck it up and work with what i have, i'll begin work on the next AVM. until then i think i'll enjoy the this years entries and perhaps get some inspiration.

i'll be attending with my friend stacey, and only saturday. i was thinking of doing both friday and saturday, but at this moment i think i can only take just the one day for this year. i'm sure most of my time will be spent in the dealer's room looking for any Final Fantasy music, probably take in a few hours of the video room features, attend a few panel discussions, and finish the day with the main event.

i'll take along my camera for pics and vids. last time i was there i didn't take a whole lot. perhaps if i take enough video shots perhaps i'll edit something together.

well, i'll let you guys know how it went.

peace,
@riel

17 Years of Absence... I Have Returned.

2009-04-29T08:16:00.036-04:00

back when i was 12 years old (1986), i discovered the joys of bmx riding once i mastered the art of bunny-hopping. i was able to clear side-walks, small obstacles, or just simply hop in one place to see how high i could go. it seemed just a simple concept, and yet not many of the neighboring kids could do it. the most some could do was lift the front tire up. then, one day that summer, a group of guys rode through the neighborhood on these wicked cool bmx bikes pulling some amazing tricks. it was called flatland freestyle, and i was hooked. i tried to emulate those tricks, and as a result of constant stress on my bike's frame it cracked completely.

my dad realized how much i enjoyed bmx riding, so for my 13th birthday he bought me a Colombia Freestyle bmx from Toys R Us. i knew back then it wasn't a "real" freestyle bmx bike like GT or Haro, but my dad couldn't afford one of those. no matter. the bike was well equipped, and i was looking to start freestyling right away. so during my high school years i rode throughout my neighborhood and around town doing street and flatland tricks, i made a few new friends in the process, and always thought i'd never get out of it. i went so far as to upgrade from the Colombia Freestyle to a GT Aggressor in 1990 after saving $500 working at McDonald's after school, weekends, and during the summers.

but after graduating high school, joining the military, attending college (then dropping out), joining the workforce, getting married, and going back to school, i found myself with little time and/or little to no motivation to pursue my enjoyment of bmx. i did make an attempt to get back into it after selling the Aggressor and getting a GT Tour 2 in 1999, but it wasn't long after purchasing it the bike ended up in the basement collecting dust.

these days i'm still working full-time and attending school, but now i'm divorced and living on my own. this school semester will end in a matter of weeks. the summer approaches and i need an out-door activity to enjoy the coming of sunny days, and not spending them within the confines of my apartment. i have seen 80's films on bmx (Rad, BMX Bandits) and watched tons of videos on YouTube of old-school and todays bmx riders. it's these reasons i decided to return to bmx for nostalgia and as an activity.

at the risk of embarrassing myself, i have shot and edited a video of one of my practice sessions. i'm so rusty, but i have to start from somewhere. this video will serve as my base-line. i can only get better from here.

17 years of absence since my last good session, but i have returned, and i have a lot of catching up to do.

peace,
@riel

Trying out Blogo

2009-04-28T10:06:00.007-04:00

so i was looking to see what twitter clients were available that may extend it's functionality. i've noticed how other's twitter posting include links and even images. i can't seem to do this with web-based twitter client from Twitter.com, so i visited the site remembering that they posted apps and widgets.

this one particular app called Blogo caught my attention, because not only did it post on Twitter, but it was originally written to post on blogs. so i downloaded the trail just to check it out. i have to say that so far i like what it can do. i can connect to my Blogger account and create new post & re-edit older posts as well, add images & links without having to deal with HTML codes, and has a preview function so you can see what your blog entry will look like before you post it. i can even schedule postings, and there's even this full-screen function to allow you to focus your attention on your writings. oh yeah and it does Twitter postings as well.

it took a of bit trail-and-error just to set it up to my Blogger account, but now that i got it running it's pretty neat. it may just be worth the asking price of $25.

go check it out.

this entry edited using Blogo.

peace,
@riel

My New Playground: Green Hill Park Skatepark

2009-04-05T20:23:00.005-04:00

i recently found out that Green Hill Park has a skatepark. i never knew. apparently it's been there for the past 5 years. so i made the attempt to ride it this past sunday, but unfortunately i didn't get much out of it because the rear tire on my bike kept deflating. i brought with me a small hand-pump, but it wasn't working out all that well. i have brought my bike back it's retail home, Barney's Bicycle, for a quick tune-up and tire & tube replacements. i'm going with a pair of 100psi tire which should be good enough for jumping and flatland riding. looking forward to that update. hopefully i'll be ready by next week to ride again.

peace,
@riel

Weapon of Choice!

2009-03-31T23:24:00.003-04:00

it never occurred to me that all this posting of of my re-found interest of BMX freestyle that i never introduced my bike to the world. well, here it is;

my 1999 GT Tour 2. factory original. no aftermarket parts. and yes the seat post is reversed on purpose to move the nose of the seat closer the ends of the handle-bars to pull off Trackstands.

more pics to come.

peace,
@riel

Second Casualty

2009-03-28T23:34:00.026-04:00

honest, i'm not trying to make a habit of getting hurt, but these things happen when you attempt BMX freestyle.

this happy abrasion on my right shin is brought to me by my bike's studded pedal.

however this can be prevented. i went out to Dick's Sporting Goods to buy a set of shin-guards. although it wasn't an easy task. i wanted to get a set that i could slip on like a sock and keep under my pant legs. something simple and inconspicuous. unfortunately they don't sell shin-guards over at the bicycle department so i found myself over at the soccer isle. and after looking through dozens of them i found a set i think is going to work out well. it's simply called the Ultra Shin Guards by Shock Doctor. the set consists of two neoprene slips and two plastic shells that are inserted into the pouch of each slip. the profile is low enough that i can wear them under each pant leg.

i don't know why i never took the time to find these, but i got them now. i just have to wait until my left knee heels after almost hyper-extending it following a failed attempt at a Peg/Dork Wheelie.

peace,
@riel

I’m On Twitter.

2009-03-23T10:41:00.011-04:00

my friend sean planted this idea to get on board with twitter. my first thoughts about it was, why? it seemed like such a useless social web tool. all it is a condensed version of blogging. you’re only allowed to write small summaries of your thoughts or actions within 140 characters; but when you really look into it can serve the practical purpose of announcing updates to those who follow ones blog or YouTube channel. so i drunk the kool-aid and opened up an account for this reason. especially now that twitter announcements can be available on every mobile device or web page with the use of HTML codes.

let the twittering begin.

twitter.com/arielistix

peace,
@riel

New Kicks.

2009-03-23T00:38:00.017-04:00

i've been meaning to get a of pairs of shoes for work and play. i had my mind set on getting a pair of Vans cause i used to wear them during my younger years and i remember enjoying them. it started out during my BMX phase when i wanted to really get in to california freestyle culture. so i started buying a lot of Airwalk and Vision Street Wear apparels from the shop where i would get my bike parts.

i bought three pairs of Airwalks there and all three lasted less than eight months cause the soles would wear out fast. then i switch to a pair of Vans just to try something different. a year later and a half later i was still wearing them. i was so surprised that the soles were still intact that when they finally decided to give-up i bought another pair. same thing; they lasted for a year later and a half.

the following pair of shoes that ultimately replaced my Vans were my Dr. Martens. ten years later i'm still wearing my Martens cause they wont give up. during those ten years i did buy a pair of Nike running sneakers, and a pair of Adidas court sneakers to play hand-ball. i used my Adidas to BMX in the beginning. i dug them out recently to get back into BMX'ing, but there's not a lot of grip on them anymore. every time i attempt a fork glide, or an infinity roll, my Adidas would slip off the tires. this is what happened when i attempted that double tail-whip. on the second revolution my foot slipped off the front tire which led to my tragedy.

so i embarked on a mission to buy a pair of black Vans with the only criteria that they wouldn't be too loud or busy in design. i visited several stores and was almost successful. ultimately i found what wanted, and for $40 it looked so good i bought a pair of brown ones too.

simple and sweet. can't wait to start kickin' it.

peace,
@riel

Joseph Acaba, NASA Astronaut

2009-03-19T10:12:00.019-04:00

NASA shuttle Discovery STS-119 crew member and mission specialist
Joseph Acaba is the first American of Puerto Rican descent
to fly into space.

God-speed, Joseph.

@

First Casualties

2009-03-17T22:19:00.017-04:00

it's early in the season, but i'm taking advantage of the good weather to get some BMX time out there. it's still a bit cool out with temps in the 50's, but it beats riding in the heat with bugs flying in my face.

the following pic documents what happened when i took a chance to unsuccessfully pull a double tail-whip.

this happy contusion is a direct result of the getting nearly impaled from the blunt end of the handle-bar. i'm sure i'll really feel this in the morning.

also - on what i'm sure is completely unrelated, perhaps even coincidental - i started coughing up blood, but i'm sure that will go away soon.

no, but seriously, i can taste something like blood coming up my throat.

peace,
@riel

Getting (needlessly) picky with Apple.....: The Mac Mini, Part 2

2009-03-12T14:15:00.012-04:00

WHAT THE HELL, APPLE?!!!!

$599 and the Apple Remote is not included anymore?

you cheap bastards!

>:(

@

Getting (needlessly) picky with Apple.....: The Mac Mini, Part 1

2009-03-12T10:51:00.093-04:00

first off let me apologize for my absence. i have been not been updating my blog for quite some time due to the fact that i have started the spring semester at Quinsig - doing my best to keep up with my studies.

that said, i want to begin with the recent announcement of one of Apple’s latest products. by now the world knows about hardware updates made to the entire Mac line-up, including the Mac Mini (MM). being an owner of two MM’s, i was very impressed with the updates Apple made to the MM line-up such as:

faster front-side bus
higher capacity memory
faster Core 2 Duo
the addition of an extra USB port
a better graphics processor

to name a few.

it would seem that Apple made some real progress with the MM, except for one confusing thing; why did they include a mini DVI port connector along with the newer mini DisplayPort? that does not make any sense to me?

when the MM progressed from the Core Duo to the Core 2 Duo, it would have seemed like the best time to ditch the full size DVI connector in favor of the mini DVI port. this way they could have squeezed an extra USB or Firewire connector. the iMacs and Macbooks at the time included a mini DVI port, so why not the MM? well, it seems that Apple’s MM is late to the trend. the latest iteration - which contains the NVIDIA GeForce 9400M integrated video chipset - includes both the mini DVI port and the brand new mini DisplayPort. both ports are active allowing the MM capable of dual displays. which is really cool. yet for some reason having these two video ports together seems really tacky.

looking at it purely from a practical view, it does not make sense to pair up a newer display connector with an older version especially when Apple has been pushing for this mini DisplayPort as a industry standard. they have included the mini DisplayPort in all other products including the Mac Pro. none of these products - specifically the MacBooks and iMacs - utilizes the mini DVI anymore, or at all in the case of the Mac Pro. if Apple is successful in pushing the mini DisplayPort as a industry standard, that will mean future displays from other vendors will conform to it. and why shouldn't’t they? the mini DisplayPort is ideal for all notebooks and desktops alike. it’s less time spent having to screw anything down.

why include the mini DVI port with the new MM?

i don’t see any advantages of including the mini DVI port. from what i understand the mini DisplayPort can do everything that the mini DVI can do. in fact they are identical with respect to the digital signal scheme. the only difference is their physical appearance.

what about those adapters?

Apple manufactures adapters to connect a VGA or DVI monitor to the mini DVI port. they make similar ones that connect to the mini DisplayPort. so either way you're covered. but here's a slap in the face for users of the previous generation iMacs or MacBooks; what they don’t or have yet to manufacture is an adapter to connect a mini DisplayPort enabled monitor - such as the 24” LED Cinema Display - to the mini DVI port.

if you're covered either way, why remove the mini DVI port?

if there is currently no such adapter to connect a mini DisplayPort enabled monitor - such as the 24” LED Cinema Display - to the mini DVI port, then having dual mini DisplayPorts on the MM gives a user the added advantage of connecting - you guessed it - two mini DisplayPort enabled monitors. can you imagine driving two 24” LED Cinema Displays on a MM? i know that would be overkill, but having dual 24” does not make it any less sweet; just the opposite. if the MM is capable of handling them both, then why not? you’d think Apple would go with this if it could mean additional sales of their LED Cinema Display. plus if you look at the mock-up below, there’s enough real-estate back there for Apple to squeeze in another USB or Firewire 800.

why am i being so picky over this?

i guess it’s because i sometimes don’t get Apple’s reasoning over their design strategy, or the features they decide to add or take-away with every new revision of their products. in this particular case it's natural progression of technology; you know, going from 2GB to 4GB of memory, from DDR2 to DDR3, from 667 to 1066MHz FSB, from FW400 to FW800, etc. i figured Apple’s take on the MM to be all about progress; completely ditching all current standards in favor of something new and fresh, the latest and greatest.

bottom line?

if you’re going to make a point of promoting something as "new", why continue on with something old?

peace,

@riel

My New Flash Drive.

2009-01-20T22:46:00.021-05:00

i have this tiny 4GB flash drive by Sony called Micro Vault Tiny (MVT). and somehow i managed to fill this little guy with all kinds of personal, work, and school related files. in addition to files i have generated are a large collection of portable apps from PortableApps.com including OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Gimp, and Pidgin IM to name a few. it's a good little flash drive, but it's not very fast, and has the potential to get lost or forgotten fairly easily. also space is becoming an issue as i have very little left after numerous downloads of apps and linux iso's.

so what was i to do? i like having a tiny flash drive, but i needed something with a little more room for more junk, and something that i couldn't easily loose. luckily ThinkGeek.com had an effective solution; it's called the PICO drive from SuperTalent. this tiny flash drive packs 8GB of space in a tiny form factor for $29.99.

it's enclose in a metal casing with a chrome finish. it's got some heft to it compared to my MVT, but then the MVT is enclosed in thin plastic. admittedly the MVT is thinner than the PICO, but the PICO's metal casing with a loop (it came included with a chain) gives it some presence and security.

the speed factor with respect to the performance is not as impressive as one would think when you read the product description that the read/write is 200x speed, 30MB/second. my personal real-world experience is as follows, it's slightly faster than my MVT. mind you, Sony does not post any read/write specs with the MVT, so to compare the delta on-paper is a little difficult. it takes almost a minute to load Firefox Portable from the PICO over USB2.0. and even after it's loaded i still have to wait till all the add-ons get initialized; that's another 30 seconds. however the read/write performance is still, though slightly, greater than the MVT.

my only gripe with the PICO is that inserting it into a USB port is a bit of a tight fit. in fact i was a little taken back on how much force was required to insert this thing. on the first few tries, i became a bit afraid that i would damage one of the USB ports on my Mac Mini. it's not an easy feeling when you have to apply a little torque. my MVT was so thin that inserting it was really smooth but it's thinness laid room to intermittent connectivity issues (once inserted, if wiggled, you could disconnect it). the only redeeming value to the PICO's tight squeeze within a USB port is that once it's in. it's not going anywhere.

despite the performance or the tight squeeze, it defies all logic. much like the T.A.R.D.I.S. it's tiny on the outside, but very spacious on the inside with 8GB of storage... at least until the 16GB comes out... which in fact has. plus look how neat it looks with my cell phone charm chained to it.

peace,
@riel

So they finally got to me.

2009-01-05T21:07:00.013-05:00

part of my daily routine is to log into my YouTube accounts and check to see how my videos are doing. so what did i find the minute i logged into my aclion account? the following message:

Rejected
(blocked by content owner) | Matched third party content.

click on the pic below to see the screen capture.

so they finally got to me. but i wonder why they stopped there and not block any of the other related videos. perhaps it's because the title contained the name of a certain song by a certain 80's british pop-star.

in any case, the video had been blocked, but only on YouTube. apparently the video can still be accessed on my media site. so it's not completely gone.

i'll keep an update on this.

peace,
@riel

*** update *** Jan 20 2009 ***

i have chosen to mute the audio just to keep the video playing. if you happen to have the song, just play it along with the video.

Christmas LEDs in my room!

2008-12-31T01:09:00.058-05:00

please note this entry is NOT intended as a set of instructions to be mimic by anyone else. it is NOT advertised as a D.I.Y. (do it yourself) project. if you decide to mimic this project, and the end result is you becoming homeless cause your house burnt down, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE!!!! the intention of this entry is simply to share my experience of this project. nothing more.

LED technology has penetrated into the Christmas landscape with many vendors providing LED alternatives to the typical Christmas lights we are used to. LED lights have their advantages that can't be ignored. besides the fact they are energy efficient, the bulbs last much longer, and they can take more abuse than typical bulbs.

this year i decided to look into LED Christmas lights, not for decorating my tree (i didn't get one this year, but then i never bother to get one), to illuminate my room with. you see many years ago (actually just last year) i noticed a porch with these white LED Christmas light hanging above and providing a very soothing ambient lighting. i thought to myself that this could look pretty neat in my room. so this past monday i stopped by at a Target store which was having 50% off clearance sale on all Christmas related items. i bought the only white LED icicle lights they had available and a set of plastic clips to attach them to the wall. the brand i bought was a Philips LED White Dome Icicle lights. contains 70 bulbs per set. total wattage input per set is 4.8W at 0.04A.

when i came home to set them up i loved the result. the light emanating from the LEDs gave my room an eerie but cool ambiance. even better when i realized that they were dimmable with a sliding dimming switch.

then i decided to get another set to hang them on the other side on my room to balance the light out. i had visited a different Target store in the hopes of obtaining and purchasing one more box. when i got to Target, it took a while to locate another set. at first i thought it was too late, cause i didn't see any along with the other Christmas lights. then i found three boxes in another isle and decided to get all three. by this time the clearance sale was up to 75%. with the regular price of $14.99 the whole set cost my less than $13. at first all i needed was just one, so driving home i was thinking of what to do with other two. then it dawned on me - why not use them in my floor standing lamp. all i would need is the right attachment to convert the incandescent socket into a 120V outlet. so i stopped the Home Depot and got an incandescent socket extension and a small converter.

the idea was simple; remove the 40 watt bulb from my lamp, replace it with the incandescent socket extension, insert the 120V socket converter, and attach the LED lights to the lamp via the socket. check out the video below to see how everything came together.

so my little project worked out better than i expected. and the total wattage = 14.4W (19.2W if you count the set on the wall). the light output isn't as luminous as a typical incandescent or compact florescence bulb, but i wasn't trying for that kind of output. all i wanted was enough light to give my room a cool and calming ambiance. even though i used all three LED Christmas light sets, i may decide later to pull one set out and hang it up on the opposite end of my room as i originally planned. until then i'll enjoy this for now.

video info:

this video was shot using an XBOX Live Vision webcam
and software app Crazy Mirror v2.2

music info:

Song:
"Chrono Trigger" (track 01)
Album:
Chrono Trigger: The Brink of Time
(album and song copyrights are properties of Square-Enix)

peace,
@riel

Dropbox beta

2008-10-26T23:58:00.015-04:00

it's been a while since i've posted anything here. but that's what happens when you start the fall semester at school - your priorities change a bit. even my video projects have had to take a back seat to make room with things like reading, memorizing, comprehending, and writing papers. not bad things, but it comes with the territory of a higher education. in case you wondering, i'm pursuing an associates degree in computer systems engineering at my local community college, Quinsigamond, in order to make myself a little more marketable.

as a result i haven't done anything too geeky for a while. i was thinking of writing a commentary of the new unibody MacBook Pro's, as i have had a chance to check them out. perhaps this coming weekend i will.

the only geeky thing i have done is sign up on a file sharing site called Dropbox. for a while i've been looking for a way to share my content with the world. although i have uploaded Dyson's Revelation to AnimeMusicVideo.org i still need a place to host my other videos from home movies i've taken. Dropbox came well recommended by Robert Palmer of TUAW.com. i gave a shot, signed up, and for my first upload was, of course, Dyson's Revelation. so far i have to say that i like it very much. signing up was simple as hell. downloading and installing the app for MAC was easy as pie. the interface couldn't have been more comprehensive, and the ease of use was no different than using any other folder within my Finder. what's really great about Dropbox is how easy they can make your content available on the interweb via a hyperlink. now my media site under Video Downloads will feature links to publicly released videos. check it out. my only gripe is the 2GB storage limitations. perhaps in the future they'll increase a bit. for now it's good enough. i don't have that much to upload anyway.

once you signed up for an account in order to take full advantage of what Dropbox can do, you'd have to download and install an app (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux) that allows you easy access to your cloud drive. the app places a special public folder within the Mac's Finder or Window's Explorer. you can move files in and out of this special public folder just like you would with any folder. if you have multiple machines running the Dropbox apps, and all have the same log-in account, changes that are made to a file on one machine are reflected on all machines. it mimics closely that of Apple's .Mac (or MobileMe) sync features. another feature is the sharing aspect. with your permission other users of Dropbox can gain access to shared files to read and/or modify them.

so if you are looking for a good place to hosted your photos, videos, or fan-fics, give this place a shot. they have a good demo video that explains not only the operations of the service, but the practicality of it as well.

peace,
@riel

Dyson's Revelation available at AnimeMusicVideos.org

2008-09-15T06:53:00.011-04:00

just an F.Y.I., i have follow through of uploading Dyson's Revelation to the site AMV.org. below is the embedded link that will take you directly to the download site.

Video: Dyson's Revelation
Creator: @riel (Arielistix)

peace,
@riel

Dyson's Revelation, The Final Cut, The Final Word.

2008-08-13T13:14:00.023-04:00

a good deal of time, energy, effort, emotion, and money was spent to edit the final cut version of Dyson's Revelation, but i'm happy to say that, not only is it finished, it is ready to retire. i have entered my AMV in two contest - both Anime Boston 08', and Otakon 08' - and though it never made it to either finals, i'd like to believe those who attended the overflow video rooms did enjoy it.

i have uploaded the final cut to my alternate YouTube channel, Arielistix, which includes the new animated logo tagged in the beginning. with this addition, i have removed the version i submitted to the Anime Boston 2008 AMV contest from my YouTube channel aclion; no need to flood the site with multiple copies of the same video.

soon i will upload the video to my account in AnimeMusicVideo.org after i add the credits at the end. once this is complete it will mark the end of this chapter, but not the book (i know, its cheesy).

i have started on my new project. its not anime related, but it is something that i thought i'd try out. hopefully i'll have a rough cut ready within the next couple of months. i may decide instead to place it on hold and work on a anime related AMV in time for next years Anime Boston 2009 as the event will fall on the same week as my birthday, and i always take that week off from work. its not too far away so i better get planning. until then i hope you will and continue to enjoy the final cut of my first AMV,
Dyson's Revelation.

peace,
@riel

My New Media Studio Logo.

2008-08-06T23:35:00.023-04:00

every time i'm about to enjoy a new movie in theaters i have to sit through a whole bunch of these animated film studio logos that appear in the beginning of the movie. and with every new big bugdet movie that gets released they seem to tack on more of them. apparently movies now-a-days require more logistical support in order to film, produce, and post produce. one of the movies i recently watched, "Wanted", had 8 film studios to which 4 of them (i think), including the main studio, had animated logos that appeared just before the movie started. some of them are pretty cool to watched and some are visually useless, but no matter what they are ALL annoying to have to sit through when you just want to get started with the movie.

now i have been toying with the name Arielistix as my fantasy media production studio to give my content some kind of home. i mean to tag my videos and music with "by Ariel" is just plain boring. inspired by these annoying studio logos i decided to come up with my very own.

i was able to generate this using Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4). it took several layers including the audio track i generated in GarageBand. motion key-framing allowed all the movements, and the opacity transitions allowed me to fade the "@!" to 21.*

i know it seems kind of stupid, but once i started working on it i couldn't stop. actually i think it's pretty neat. perhaps someday i can turn my fantasy production studio into reality. if it happens, at least i'll have an animated logo to compete with the big boys and annoy someone else. ha ha!

peace,
@riel

* the characters "@" and "!" corresponds with the numbers "2" and "1" respectively on a typical querty keyboard. 21 is my favorite number.

Otakon 2008: A "No Go".

2008-08-06T19:59:00.003-04:00

last minute update - i wont be attending Otakon this year. i know it seems to close to bail, but due to some unfortunate circumstance the trip will not come to fruition. oh well, my AMV didn't make it as a finalist, so there's no real incentive to attend. to be honest i was mostly looking forward to leaving the state for a little while. sometimes it's not enough to just take time away from work.

fortunately i got another vacation coming up in october. i'm looking at florida for my destination. YOU HERE ME BILLY? I"M TALKING TO YOU!!!

peace,
@riel

Upbeat with Apple's GarageBand.

2008-07-27T15:53:00.009-04:00

here is the second tune i was working on.

right-click on the following below and use the "Save Link As..." option to download my tune,

AAC (.M4A)
MP3 (.MP3)

or head over to my media site ARIELISTIX Media!

peace,
@riel

Otakon 2008 AMV [no] Contest.

2008-07-23T07:47:00.006-04:00

it is with a heavy heart that i must inform to all of you that my AMV, Dyson's Revelation, did not make it as a finalist in this years Otakon AMV contest. follow this link to the result page.

well it was fun and a little nerve racking anticipating for the results - i must admit i had thought i had a really good shot at it - but now that the wait it over, i can just look forward to watching my AMV during the overflow. plus there's the rest of the con to enjoy. oh, and the dealer's room. **salivating**

mucho congrats to the winners, and for the rest of us lets keep contributing.

peace,
@riel

Introducing ARIELISTIX Media!

2008-07-22T23:28:00.011-04:00

i don't look at myself as a content creator, but i'm enjoying piecing together my video projects, not just AMVs, but home movies as well. and recently i was able to arrange a simple little tune within Apple's GarageBand. with all this i wanted a way to share all this goodness with my friends and perhaps the world as well. so being a google-ite, i found out about a service called Google Sites that allows users to put together a simple web site using some pretty common elements that typically make up a site. i was particularly interested in one element that will allow me to upload content so that others, who visit my site, may download them. so allow me to introduce ARIELISTIX Media! as of now the storage is limited to 100MB. so far all i have uploaded is my tune from GarageBand. i'm working on another simple tunage to upload. hopefully in the future Google will increase this space and i can uploaded some of my video projects.

here is the link to my site.

peace,
@riel

Chillin' with Apple's GarageBand

2008-07-18T17:42:00.015-04:00

so last night i was a little bored and decided (for some strange reason) to play around with Apple's GarageBand (GB) app. somehow i started with a project with a tempo setting of 128bpm and ended with this 89bpm chill piece. and i have to say that working with GB became a little addictive once the arrangement starting to take shape.

i'll write more about it later, until then enjoy.

right-click on the following below and use the "Save Link As..." option to download my tune.

AAC (.M4A)
MP3 (.MP3)

peace,
@riel

I'mma Rock Climbing!

2008-06-30T16:51:00.027-04:00

here's a video of my indoor rocking experience.

direct link to video here.

this was taken last year (2007-04-28) at Metro Rock located in Everret, MA. i was there with my friend sarita and company.

now i know i look pathetic only making it less than half way up, but in my defense the video was shot by the end of the day there. i had already climbed several times by then. so i was pretty tired and my forearms were feeling very much worn out.

hope to do it again real soon.

this video and photos were shot using a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H1 with a wide angle lens and a Sandisk 1GB Duo.

peace,
@riel

....Otakon has received the following video from you.

2008-06-13T22:41:00.015-04:00

***********************************************
Hi Ariel,

This email is to inform you that Otakon has received the following video from you:
ARIELISTIX - Dyson's Revelation

It has been tested and confirmed to be working fine. Good luck in the contest! There will be a post on AnimeMusicVideo.org and the Otakon forum shortly after July 18th, listing the finalists for the AMV contest.

While the exact schedule remains unknown, the AMV contest will play at least twice at the convention. Videos that do not make the final cut will be shown during overflow screenings throughout the weekend.

Thank you for your submission and best of luck!

~VicBond007
Otakon AMV Contest Coordinator

***********************************************

they have my entry - i got my confirmation.
now it's a waiting game to see if it makes it through to the finals.
wish me luck everyone.

peace,
@riel

It Is Finished!!!

2008-05-31T01:08:00.062-04:00

here it is; my entry to Otakon 2008 AMV contest - the second (and quite possibly final) edition to my Macross Plus AMV, "Dyson's Revelation". this edition feature some new enhancements to the existing video. along with the changes mentioned earlier, i managed to learn how to use to the Motion Keyframe feature in Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4) to add movements to the most of the still video sequences; which i think helps to add some much needed "flow" to the video. i mean there were scenes containing motion and some that were at a stand still. it kept bothering me that whenever the video transitioned from a motionless scene to one with movement, i felt like i was in a car that kept stopping and going, stopping and going, stopping and going.

my other problem was trying to get the video to the specification required by Otakon. they "STRONGLY encourage" all participants to enter their video as a 720x480 MPEG2 video with AC3 or mp2 audio. and though they are willing to convert the video for you if you can't, i didn't want to take any chances on my video looking bad. so i decided to tackle this myself. it took me over a week to get my video to conform to MPEG2. i did eventually find a solution; it is as follows:

01. exported my project from FCE4 as an uncompressed 10-bit 4:2:2 quicktime movie.

02. imported the quicktime movie into iDVD, authored a quick and simple DVD image, but saved it using the "Save As VIDEO_TS folder..." option.

03. opened the saved VIDEO_TS folder with Handbrake (HB) to remaster the video using it's deblocking & denoising features along with other advanced settings. the resulting video file would then be MPEG4, cleaned and polished.

04. used Burn.app to create the final MPEG2. set Burn.app to write video to DVD, then imported the MPEG4 file. Burn.app automatically converted the MPEG4 video to MPEG2.

with MPEG Streamclip i was able to confirm the specs on the final video using its "Show Stream Info" feature.

unfortunately FCE4 does not export video to MPEG2. i was hoping that MPEG Streamclip would easily convert MPEG4 video to MPEG2, but it doesn't work that way. i tried using FFmpegx to transcode it. it worked, but for some reason the resulting video didn't playback well enough. it was jumpy and contained weird anomalies like distortions and pixelations. i wasted a great deal of time re-encoding my video over and over again - hence why it took me over a week - until i figured out what the problem was; it turned out the MPEG4 video was encoded @ 23fps (frames per second) instead of 30fps. that was my fault. apparently i didn't force HB to encode the VIDEO_TS files to MPEG4 @ 30fps as one of its compression parameters.

a quick comment about FFmpegx: it took a while to get used to using the app due to its multitude of features and settings. at first use it seemed a little overwhelming. at every attempt to convert my MPEG4 to MPEG2 i experimented with different features enabled/disabled, and settings at different adjustments. and though in the end i went with using Burn.app, FFmpegx is a really good tool to have in my arsenal. i honestly like it, and will most likely make further use of it for future projects.

this was a rough road to travel on cause it led me to so many dead-ends. but this is a good thing for me. at least now i know how to over come this problem for my next project. in any case it'll be on its way to Edison, NJ soon enough. i just hope it make it by the 7th as that is the deadline.

i'll be attending Otakon 2008 with some friends. i'm looking forward to seeing my video on display. perhaps with the changes i have made it'll make a better impression this time around. if it doesn't make it as a finalist, i'm hoping that it'll still get showcased somewhere along the weekend. i plan on taking video of the crowd's reaction to my AMV. this is going to be sooooooo cool.

one more thing, i plan on posting this final edition of Dyson's Revelation on my alternate YouTube site Arielistix along with a video of the project through the eyes of FCE4. also seeing is that this is the final edition, i'm finally going to post my final video on AnimeMusicVideo.org, finally. it's long overdue.

peace,
@riel

Things to come - Dyson's Revelation, Part 2

2008-05-03T00:50:00.018-04:00

i have been having a problem with the opening scene to Dyson's Revelation. when the desert scene appears, as if looking out to the horizon, it transitions to the following scene - a view of the sky. the sky scene is in motion, but the desert scene isn't. it didn't feel right to start off from a stand still and move into motion. so i wondered how to add some motion to the desert scene.

here is the scene in its original edit.

now here it is again but with motion added to it.

this was accomplished in Final Cut Express 4 by blowing up the desert scene beyond the field of view. with the scene expanded i was able to pan the scene from left to right. if you look closely you'll notice how much of the desert ground is missing compare to the original edit. works really well with the transition to the scene of the sky.

peace,
@riel

DIY, Nike+ sensor, shrink tube

2008-04-28T19:27:00.046-04:00

the following is a do-it-yourself project using a Nike+ sensor and a heat shrink tube. because heat is involved, which could potential damaged the sensor, or worse burn you house down, and you plan to attempt this, please

PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

i am not responsible of your project's outcome. also despite the appearance of this project being performed on a computer desk, the project was actually performed on a hard, dry, non-flammable work surface.
you have been warned.

ok, now that's out of the way, i'm not sure if this has been done before, but i swear i came up with this on my own. at the very least i couldn't find anything like this on the interweb.

my best friend billy gave me a great Christmas gift to keep me running and motivated - the NIKE+ sensor kit and wrist remote. some of the coolest gadgets i have ever gotten. here is my problem - my running kicks aren't Nike+ compatible, and i'm not gonna dish out another $100 for a pair that is.

now i know there are solutions to this. iLounge.com has a few entries for little pouches you slip the sensor into then attach to you kicks. these pouches are priced pretty reasonably at $12+/-, but i came up with a solution that only cost me $1.50 at the Home Depot and has a very low profile look to it. the solution - shrink tube!

for this project you'll need the following:
1. 3/4" x 4" heat shrink tubing
2. a heat gun
3. a pair of scissors
4. the Nike+ sensor

step 1, insert the sensor into the shrink tube with the label side facing down on a hard, dry, non-flammable surface such as a hobby workbench, NOT a computer desk pictured here.

make sure the sensor is centered within the tube.

step 2: this next step PROCEED WITH CAUTION! apply heat from a heat gun. before some of you tech geeks call me out, i know - pictured here is a hair dryer. hair dryers do not produce enough heat to shrink these kinds of tubes effectively. just pretend its a heat gun as a visual aid.

anyway apply heat on all side except the bottom (this is important). make sure to apply the heat around the areas surrounding the sensor, not directly on the sensor. if you don't have a heat gun, you could use a cigarette lighter. in either case BE CAREFUL when applying the heat, or face damaging the sensor, or becoming homeless.

when you are complete you should see the shrink tube take the shape and contour of the sensor. the top side should have a plateau, and the bottom side should be as flat as possible.

step 3: now insert the shrink-tubed sensor between the laces of your running kicks with the contour side up. in this orientation the laces hug the sensor securely.

you may use your scissors to trim down a little of the excessive tubing on both ends. not too much or you'll loose its effectiveness. if your sneaks happen to have a center loop for the lace, tuck the bottom end of the tubing under the center loop for a more secure fit.

and there you have it. a Nike+ retro fitted sneaker for only a $1.50. looks pretty sharp and minimalistic too. enjoy your run.

peace,
@riel

Sean's Review of the Retro Reflect Chrome case.

2008-04-28T07:16:00.014-04:00

my close friend Sean wrote up a small personal review of the Retro Reflect Chrome T2 case from Ivyskin.

Check it out here at his Blogspot Sneezing Weasel Heat.

I'm not Apple Obsessed!

2008-04-27T22:37:00.025-04:00

i know this is not as bad as some people, but my friends think i'm a little obsessed. can't help it, i like this stuff.

left to right:
01. Blue Tooth Wireless Keyboard, aluminum
02. Mighty Mouse,
03. Final Cut Express 4
04. Mac Mini Core 2 Duo, 2Ghz
05. Nike Amp+ Wrist remote *
06. Nike Amp+ sensor kit *
07. Time Capsule, 1TB
08. iPod Nano, 4GB
09. Airport Express accessory kit **
10. Airport Extreme ***

other boxes not pictured here:
Mac Mini Core Duo, 1.66Ghz
23" Cinema HD Display
iPod, 30GB, 3rd gen
iPod wired remote for 3rd gen

* thanks Billy
** i don't own an Airport Express, but the kit did come in handy
*** sold to my friend Sean.

Things to come - Dyson's Revelation, Part 1

2008-04-05T19:34:00.017-04:00

the following is NOT a review or tutorial of Apple's Final Cut Express 4.

i'm working on my second revision of "Dyson's Revelation" prior to my submission to the AMV contest held by Otakon this year, and i have learned, and still learning, some of the options offered in Apple's Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4). one of the coolest things i discovered was a simple effect called "Light Rays" which seems to give this glowing aura around the subject. observe, the following clips show the progression of this cool effect starting with the base stock video pulled off the DVD.

now here is the same clip but with the Light Rays filter added to it.

and again, but with a second Light Rays filter added. this one, however has a little movement to it. check out how the second light source moves as if it's behind the logo.

cool, ain't it?

A Few Thoughts On My Mini

2008-03-26T23:11:00.044-04:00

ok, the only thing aside from my enjoyment of anime, sci-fi movie, Final Fantasy, and Ralph Bakshi films (to name a few things), are gadgets. for the past couple of years i became somewhat enamor with my mac minis ever since i got the first one back in May 2006. so much so that i could not be satisfied using my 17" Gateway monitor featuring a Sony Triniton (near flat) CRT in the beginning. a month after buying my Core Duo 1.66Ghz, 1GB system i went out and got the 23" cinema display - a purchase worth more than my mini.

now i have always admired Apple's product from afar, but with this mac mini i would truly begin my love-affair with Apple. now, i'm not a mac-head by any stretch, but this little thing, with all the apps a user could ever need and want, was just the perfect little package. after learning of its technical specs (ever since the days of the PowerPC G4) i felt impressed how this squarely shaped laptop (without a keyboard, mouse, video display, and battery) can pull the necessary weight to run some pretty hefty media projects.

though the mac mini is marketed as a desktop CPU, underneath the hood lies the layout of a laptop. think about it. all the components inside are all laptop grade - the processor, hard drive, memory modules, the cd-rom, and the video processor are in line with Apple's MacBook (without a keyboard, mouse, video display, and battery of course). and yet amateur video editing can be accomplished with ease and simplicity.

to be fair, perhaps, the mini isn't a big deal. these days even budget laptops PCs you can pick up in Wal-Mart can perform video editing and other multi-media tasks on par with the mini. so there's more to it than the hardware aspect. after all, todays Macs are built using an Intel architecture, so ipso facto Macs are PCs despite the Apple logo.

both of my mac minis came with Mac OS 10.4, Tiger, and for some reason every app that operates under this O/S feels so much better than their MS Windows counterparts. for example, i run Handbrake on my minis to convert my DVD collections into movie files i store on my home file-server. Handbrake is about the coolest app to use and it runs so beautifully. i loaded Handbrake to my bother's new HP laptop that he got from Best Buy a week ago. thinking that the Windows version was just as easy to run, much like it does on the mac, i found that it didn't work right. at first i couldn't get it to read the DVD-rom. then, when i thought i figured it out, it caused the system to freeze. i don't pretend to know what happened, but there it is. now i'm sure there's a good reason why it didn't work, but who cares. it runs great on my mac, and my brother is just going to have to learn enjoy his movies off his DVDs.

during the course of editing "Dyson's Revelation" i used the installed iMovie HD 6. the rough cut of the video was so much better than i first imagined with respect to editing and piecing other aspects of the video together. the initial experience was rough, but after some time i learned of better techniques, and corrected the mistakes i was making. in the end the process became smoother and manageable allowing me to concentrate on the project itself.

i had hoped that someday i would graduate from working on iMovie to Final Cut Express 4 (FCE4), but before that would happen i felt it necessary to get a better system. in August 2007 i made a new purchase for a Core 2 Duo 2Ghz,2GB memory mac mini. following that on November i bought FCE4. to my surprise my 2Ghz mac mini ran FCE4 well enough to edit the final version of my video. however i have yet to fully experience FCE4 in with all of the settings set to high. i have had to cut down on the real-time playback feature in the canvas screen to 1/4 frame-rate, and the video quality to "Low". this made reviewing my video, prior to exporting it to a movie file, though do'able, rather annoying. i truly enjoy working with FCE4, but on a mac mini without a real GPU with its own dedicated video memory, it's just not enough.

if you're wondering what happened to my 1.66Ghz mini, it's enjoying a good life as my new media center in my living room attached to a beautiful 32", 720p, Sony Bravia LCD, and wirelessly connected to my home network thanks to my Airport Extreme.

so i'm looking on Apple's store site and checking out the macbook pros (MBP) under their refurb area, and i must say they have some pretty impressive deals on 2.4Gh with 2GB of memory, and an NVIDIA GPU equip with 256 MB of dedicated video memory for less than $1700. it looks like i'll have to work some O/T to get one, but it's about time i got a laptop, and if i'm going to get one it might as well be a MBP. like iMovie to FCE4, it's time to graduate to something better, and add it to my list of enjoyments.

peace,
@riel

A New Destination.

2008-03-25T18:24:00.008-04:00

it's kinda cool to achieve something that you never though you could, or that you has it in you to accomplish. and in the midst of your accomplishments you come to realize the fun and enjoyment you got, not from the finish product, but from the process you went through to get to the final product. it's like that saying, "it's not the destination, it's the journey." which is why i'm getting that moist feeling about engaging on my next video project.

this feeling has also transfered over to my PS2. it took me a long time to get one, but after my disappointment from Anime Boston (AB) this past weekend, i decided to treat myself to a new toy. after all, what the point of having Final Fantasy and Kingdom Heart games on the shelf and no system to play them on. but that's for another post.

getting back to the original track - one of the feelings i kept getting during the making of "Dyson's Revelation" was the feeling of wanting to share my video with my friends, and with perfect stranger on YouTube and AB. the comments i get helps to motivate me; get me excited to move forward with the next. it's too bad that i couldn't have been there to experience sharing it with a larger crowd of attendees.

my good friend stacey has made an interesting suggestion - why not submit the video to Otakon this year?

i haven't been to Otakon since 1998. stacey missed out on AB this year due to her new job working at a call center. but she seems to think she'll be able to attend Otakon this august.

anyway, in the interest and desire to attend an anime con, and to share my video with others, i have decided to make the effort to attend Otakon. i'll be submitting my video in the next couple of months, but not before i make a few improvements. i have learned a few interesting functions of Final Cut Express 4. some that may enhance the aesthetics of the video. though i think "Dyson's Revelation" is something to be judged on substance than style. i just don't have the talent and/or equipment to make it look mind-blowing like some of these pro-tool video editing jockies.

i may not win some AMV contest, or even be finalist, but to share with others my hard work, and feel proud about it is all i need to take next the journey.

peace,
@riel

Anime Boston 2008: A Bust!

2008-03-22T02:08:00.004-04:00

a very disappointing day for me. i got out bed, took a refreshing shower, got dressed, headed out to Boston for the con, picked up a McGriddle from Micky D's, and proceeded to Anime Boston (AB). when i got there it was about just before 11:00am; about the same time i arrived last year. back then it only took 2 hours on the registration line to get my badge w/ swag bag, and admittance to the con. this year i stood in line for almost 4 and 1/2 hours, and i was just past the half-way point of the line. i was able to get a hold of the weekend schedule and found that the AMV Drama overflow (the video room to show off all the entries that didn't make it into the contest) wasn't to be until Sunday. i left sometime around 4:30pm, and went home.

i left feeling pissed cause i was really hoping to see my video played, and i wasn't going to be around to see it. i would have stayed to watch the main event with the finalists, but most of my day was spent waiting to get registered. i wasn't going to spend $30 and enjoy only a 1/3 of the day. i spend that much time at the dealer's room alone. another thing that pissed me off was that Digital Disc was there; i was so looking forward to buying some Final Fantasy music.

i probably should have check the AB site more often, if they posted the schedule, i would have planned my weekend a little better. probably wouldn't have mattered. if i knew that the AMV Drama overflow was to held on Sunday, i still wouldn't have been able to make it.

there's always next year.

peace,
@riel

Anime Boston 2008: A Must!

2008-03-20T21:28:00.008-04:00

well tomorrow is the big day. Anime Boston(AB) 2008. my sole interest this year is going to be my entry of my amv, Macross Plus AMV - Dyson's Revelation. unfortunately my video did not make it to the finals. i was a little disappointed at first, but its not gonna stop me from heading out to AB. i'll be taking my camera there to snaps pics of all the cos-players, and take video of my amv being played in one of the video rooms along with all this years entries. i'm looking forward to the main event when AB will premier the amv finalists. unfortunately friday is the only day i'll be attending so i'm gonna try to make the most of it.

i have seen some of the entries on YouTube and must say that i can see why i was pushed off. most of these videos are awesome. it blows my mind how anyone can take stock video off a DVD and add special effects with great editing over music.

now i'm just a guy who took up editing video as a new hobby. my amv was first project, and hope it not to be my last. considering my lack of prior training and knowledge of this type of work, i think i did a pretty good job on it. at the very least i pick an high-flying anime and mashed it up with a good song that worked very well together.

it was weird during the rough-cut process how uncanny both of these medias fit. i only half-kid when i ask the question about Phil Collins predicting the coming of Marcoss Plus. originally i wanted to joke and dare ask a more relevant question as to whether or not Phil Collins is a closet Macross Plus fan-boy. i mean he says that the lyrics of the song "in the air tonight" came to him during the recording of his first solo album, but it's too coincidental after watching Macross Plus. i don't care if there is 10 years separating them.

i was hoping to blog my experience of my amv over the past 5 months when i started this blog, however, i have learned that blogging is really not my thing. and its too bad, cause over the course of the past 5 months i wanted to write a newbe's review of all the apps that helped make this amv possible; iMove HD 6, Handbrake, MPEG Streamclip, Quicktime Pro, and Final Cut Express 4. and perhaps i will as i have ideas of other amv's.

until i commit to my next project i first have to get a bigger external HDD. editing videos take up a lot of space for production and storage. also i really need to get a better system to edit my projects. my mac mini was under the "little train that could" mode. i'm surprised how well it manged Final Cut Express 4 with the use of a adequate video processor using shared memory. good thing i got mine built with 2GB. i'm thinking however getting a refurb MacBook Pro. now that the new MBP have come out with the fancy mutli-touch pad, the refurbs are at really great deals.

down below is the final cut version of my amv. enjoy

peace,
@riel

Oh, I can certainly feel it in the air.

2008-01-23T09:53:00.011-05:00

we are getting closer to Anime Boston (A.B.) 2008, and quite possible the big premier of my AMV. it’s been almost 9 months since i engaged on this project to make this AMV, and it’s been a great hobby to get into; so much so that i’m looking forward to the next project. i won’t go into any details about my next project until i know for sure that it has yet to be done by anyone else. but just in case, i did start it up. perhaps in the coming months i’ll have a rough cut ready to post on YouTube. until then, i’m continuously looking at my current AMV (Macross Plus AMV, In The Air Tonight) under a microscope – looking to see if there’s any required fine tuning, or perhaps scenes that could be altered. i’m not a perfectionist by any stretch, but if this AMV is to be uploaded to AnimeMusicVideo.org, i want it to be at its best. i still need to give it a title.

peace,
@riel