Living in San Diego, you spend a lot of time at the beach. There, it's a tragedy to have no outlets to recharge things, while you have a lot of sun available. Ideally, you would use a solar charger to recharge all your devices while they are being used.
There are lots of chargers on the market. Solio makes very popular ones, but they are by far not the only vendor. Basically, all of them in one way or the other allow you to connect a variety of devices to a solar panel that outputs the correct power (voltage).
When buying a charger, you should look mainly for one thing: that the output is USB. Dedicated plugs are nice, but ultimately you'll end up connecting most devices via USB, so something that requires an adapter to get to USB requires you to carry something extra (Solio, for instance, mysteriously has output that looks like USB, but isn't. You need an adapter to translate to USB, which is really stupid. I assume it's done to have something else to make you lose and buy.
The devices, though, are a little more challenging, since there is more than one thing you have to look at.
2010-09-14
2010-08-22
A Tale of Broken Packages
Now, you are probably going to think this is about mishaps with a shipping company. Boohoo! My UPS package arrived damaged... Sad Face... None of that: UPS is reliable as ever, as are the other shipping companies (FedEx, DHL, USPS, what have you). No, the packages I am talking about are Linux/Ubuntu packages.
One of the major advantages of using a distro like Ubuntu is that someone else figures out what works with what and makes packages available for you to download and install semi-automatically. It's really easy and a lot more fun than the super-crappy way you install software on Windows. Instead of downloading an installer that tells you to shut down all applications before starting and then goes through a hundred screens of questions that you really don't care about (Where do you want the software installed? Do you want the software to report usage statistics?), in Ubuntu you just say, "I want Amarok," and there it is.
Sure, the whole system could use improvements. For instance, it would be more than just nice to add user ratings to the packages, so that you can see which one of the zillion alternatives is rated best. Also, it would be nice to know the size of the download before you get started. Finally, it would be great if there was a meta-server that lists major available repositories, and you'd just check the box next to the ones you'd like.
What I am going to be complaining about here, though, is more basic. I expect the download of a piece of software to give me a package that (a) doesn't break my system, (b) doesn't cause security problems, and (c) does something useful. While (a) and (b) have not been violated yet, I just got a package that clearly violates (c) big time.
One of the major advantages of using a distro like Ubuntu is that someone else figures out what works with what and makes packages available for you to download and install semi-automatically. It's really easy and a lot more fun than the super-crappy way you install software on Windows. Instead of downloading an installer that tells you to shut down all applications before starting and then goes through a hundred screens of questions that you really don't care about (Where do you want the software installed? Do you want the software to report usage statistics?), in Ubuntu you just say, "I want Amarok," and there it is.
Sure, the whole system could use improvements. For instance, it would be more than just nice to add user ratings to the packages, so that you can see which one of the zillion alternatives is rated best. Also, it would be nice to know the size of the download before you get started. Finally, it would be great if there was a meta-server that lists major available repositories, and you'd just check the box next to the ones you'd like.
What I am going to be complaining about here, though, is more basic. I expect the download of a piece of software to give me a package that (a) doesn't break my system, (b) doesn't cause security problems, and (c) does something useful. While (a) and (b) have not been violated yet, I just got a package that clearly violates (c) big time.
2010-07-16
Rethinking Traditions
A confession: I don't like signing emails. I find it stupid. You know the message is from me, after all your email client tells you that before you open it. What's the point of salutation and signing? What does, Sincerely, Cinserely tell you that you didn't already know?
Turns out there was a good reason for the signing. That's from the days of snail mail and before there was such a thing as a typewriter: the presence of a signature was the only certain way to know who wrote you a letter. I remember the days when you'd get one, and you'd turn it over to read who sent it. If I had known I would feel old just for admitting I had ever read a hand-written letter, I would have believed everything science fiction told me.
But now I write emails, and I got used to doing a lot of things that you couldn't really do with paper. For instance, I reply inline - breaking up long messages and replying to a question right beneath it. Or I make creative use of the Subject: header. Of BCC: myself to have a record of sending the message.
More often than not, I won't sign an email. It's not that I forget, and it's not that I am too lazy. It's that I find that a truly pointless activity. I will typically close my message with a friendly greeting to the family or coworkers, or a wish for something fun, but rarely sign. It's a tradition we keep on, just because we don't think about it.
Turns out there was a good reason for the signing. That's from the days of snail mail and before there was such a thing as a typewriter: the presence of a signature was the only certain way to know who wrote you a letter. I remember the days when you'd get one, and you'd turn it over to read who sent it. If I had known I would feel old just for admitting I had ever read a hand-written letter, I would have believed everything science fiction told me.
But now I write emails, and I got used to doing a lot of things that you couldn't really do with paper. For instance, I reply inline - breaking up long messages and replying to a question right beneath it. Or I make creative use of the Subject: header. Of BCC: myself to have a record of sending the message.
More often than not, I won't sign an email. It's not that I forget, and it's not that I am too lazy. It's that I find that a truly pointless activity. I will typically close my message with a friendly greeting to the family or coworkers, or a wish for something fun, but rarely sign. It's a tradition we keep on, just because we don't think about it.
2010-07-14
Is USB the New Outlet?
I just got a refurbished Garmin Edge 705 (review to follow) along with a bunch of craptastic free sample gadget from China. The thing they had in common? Instead of having dedicated chargers, they all came with an AC/DC converter to USB.
It used to be that you were flooded with dozens of different chargers. After a while, you'd forget which charger belonged to which gadget and you had to label them. Every time you'd move, then, you'd have this monstrous mess of chargers that you couldn't get rid of, because you had long forgotten what gadgets they belonged to.
There were craptastic adaptable chargers with dip switches for current and voltage and different tips. You constantly risked destroying your gadget by choosing the wrong voltage, so they were really just an item of last resort. It was a nightmare.
It used to be that you were flooded with dozens of different chargers. After a while, you'd forget which charger belonged to which gadget and you had to label them. Every time you'd move, then, you'd have this monstrous mess of chargers that you couldn't get rid of, because you had long forgotten what gadgets they belonged to.
There were craptastic adaptable chargers with dip switches for current and voltage and different tips. You constantly risked destroying your gadget by choosing the wrong voltage, so they were really just an item of last resort. It was a nightmare.
2010-07-09
YHIHF: Do Internet Shopping Companies Ship by Access?
It's been a few months now that I noticed something odd going on. Whenever I buy something on certain online shopping sites, nothing happens for a while. Then, when I log on to check what's happening with my order, mysteriously it ships on the same day.
It all started with this deal site. I ordered a refurbished computer, and while the site stated they were shipping within two days, after four I had no email confirmation, no tracking number, nothing. When I went to the site, it said it was undergoing construction, and that sent me into Scam Prevention Mode. I sent them an email demanding an update and alerted my credit card company.
Next morning, UPS faithfully delivered my computer. Overnight shipping. At that point, I thought they had just somehow messed up and wanted to make up for it.
Then I started noticing it with other sites. At first, it was an argument with a big online vendor: I checked their Super-Saver Shipping box for my new Acer laptop, and they sat on the order for a week. When I told them their policy was that free shipping allows them to perform a slow shipping, not a slow fulfillment process, they gave me drone talk for a while, but then made it happen. (Coincidentally, the laptop ended up arriving the day before I unexpectedly had to fly to Germany for a funeral.)
It all started with this deal site. I ordered a refurbished computer, and while the site stated they were shipping within two days, after four I had no email confirmation, no tracking number, nothing. When I went to the site, it said it was undergoing construction, and that sent me into Scam Prevention Mode. I sent them an email demanding an update and alerted my credit card company.
Next morning, UPS faithfully delivered my computer. Overnight shipping. At that point, I thought they had just somehow messed up and wanted to make up for it.
Then I started noticing it with other sites. At first, it was an argument with a big online vendor: I checked their Super-Saver Shipping box for my new Acer laptop, and they sat on the order for a week. When I told them their policy was that free shipping allows them to perform a slow shipping, not a slow fulfillment process, they gave me drone talk for a while, but then made it happen. (Coincidentally, the laptop ended up arriving the day before I unexpectedly had to fly to Germany for a funeral.)
2010-07-03
Comparing eBook Readers
The local Best Buy has a display with different eBook readers, so I got a chance to hold them all in hand and compare them. Nice way to entice customers, by the way!
Price wars are all the rage right now. The new Nook reader came out, and the price dropped to $149 (no 3G). Amazon followed suit and dropped the price of the Kindle to $189 (with 3G, compared with $199 for the nook 3G). Sony interestingly still sells ebook readers, and those were on display, too.
Admittedly, considering that the device is not the major buying factor for either Barnes & Noble or Amazon, the price of the device is still way too high. At the very least, the companies should offer discounts for buyers of the respective devices to cover their cost, since you are buying something that ties you to a particular vendor (still).
Of the devices on display, the Nook clearly had the upper hand. The Sony readers were quite nice, but the decision to put the touchscreen on top of the e-ink dims the latter considerably, giving the whole reading area a washed out, grey-ish look. The price is right, though, and Sony e-readers are not affected by the usual Sony price inflation.
Price wars are all the rage right now. The new Nook reader came out, and the price dropped to $149 (no 3G). Amazon followed suit and dropped the price of the Kindle to $189 (with 3G, compared with $199 for the nook 3G). Sony interestingly still sells ebook readers, and those were on display, too.
Admittedly, considering that the device is not the major buying factor for either Barnes & Noble or Amazon, the price of the device is still way too high. At the very least, the companies should offer discounts for buyers of the respective devices to cover their cost, since you are buying something that ties you to a particular vendor (still).
Of the devices on display, the Nook clearly had the upper hand. The Sony readers were quite nice, but the decision to put the touchscreen on top of the e-ink dims the latter considerably, giving the whole reading area a washed out, grey-ish look. The price is right, though, and Sony e-readers are not affected by the usual Sony price inflation.
2010-06-25
MeeGo to Become Default OS for Nokia Smartphones?
To my complete surprise, I found an article on Slashdot this morning, in which Reuters was quoted as saying that Nokia is going to ditch Symbian on the N series of phones. Instead of the trusted in-house OS, Nokia is moving their flagship product to MeeGo.
For those of you who don't know, MeeGo is the merger or Nokia's very on Maemo project and Intel's Moblin. All three projects have the same aim: to provide a full Linux distribution for mobile devices. Nokia's main aim is the smartphone market, while Intel started out thinking about MIDs and netbooks.
The move on Nokia's part is quite unexpected, since they just recently reiterated that Symbian would always be at the core of their smartphone offering. Symbian is great, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't want to develop for it. It's getting old in the tooth and requires a lot of work to get used to.
Now, what does that mean in the mobile landscape? Why would Nokia move in this direction? What does that all mean in context?
For those of you who don't know, MeeGo is the merger or Nokia's very on Maemo project and Intel's Moblin. All three projects have the same aim: to provide a full Linux distribution for mobile devices. Nokia's main aim is the smartphone market, while Intel started out thinking about MIDs and netbooks.
The move on Nokia's part is quite unexpected, since they just recently reiterated that Symbian would always be at the core of their smartphone offering. Symbian is great, don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't want to develop for it. It's getting old in the tooth and requires a lot of work to get used to.
Now, what does that mean in the mobile landscape? Why would Nokia move in this direction? What does that all mean in context?
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