i have had my 1st generation ipod shuffle since they came out. even though it is still making tunes happen, it is only a matter of time before the thing stops working. i like the idea of a small music device with limited capacity. i am always into something new so it great to switch it up often – i don’t need 50,000 songs in my pocket or whatever.

i was really into the 2nd generation shuffles, even though i never got one (mine still works). a couple of days ago apple introduced the 3rd generation shuffles and yesterday i decided to take some time to check out how it works. and all i can say is wtf apple? here’s the skinny:

the shuffle has no controls. they decided to put the controls on the headphones. you know, the same headphones that make your ears hurt if you have them in for longer than an hour with little to no base response. the headphones that tell everyone in the world that you are using an ipod. the headphones that if you loose will render your shuffle useless.

but wait! it gets better! they now have this new proprietary technology that they have dubbed voiceover which tells you what song or playlist you are listening to while you use your headphones to navigate your tunes. two things about voiceover:

1. who came up with that name? did it not occur to these guys that there might be a few other things in this world that refer to voiceover and that it might lead to confusion in the future (great point brino)? or is it something that just needed a name but no-one is really going to talk about it as if it matters?
2. wtf is the deal with the robo voices? this had me up in arms. fail apple, fail. if you are going to push a new technology that is going to talk through the first through seconds of my favorite songs to remind me of what i am listening to – please make it pleasant. yes, a computer talking that sounded just like a computer talking was amazing about 20 years ago but hot damn didn’t your team manage to standardize touch screen mobile devices? imo that voice should sound like an angel. i should be able to choose if i want britney herself to introduce her songs. not robbie the robot. don’t fret, all you need to get it to go away is to loose your headphones. oh, and i like how in the guided tour they play this is what it sounds like if you use a mac… now this is what it sounds like if you use a pc… then the chick goes back to again, this is what it sounds like on a mac – as if she is emphasizing an amazing difference between the two crappy robo-voices.

ok, rant over. i love my shuffle and i do love apple. their machines are far superior – i just think that sometimes they make moves that are not in the best interest of the general population. like pulling firewire 400 from their new notebooks!?! my favorite part of my ipod though is my bose headphones. buy a pair – they changed my life. i don’t care what a little device can do… if it sounds like shit, it sounds like shit.

bose in-ear headphones // $99 // buy here

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so i keep hearing about how microsoft is doing really really effin’ bad right – and i personally think it has to do with them doing weird meaningless shit… i mean shit that even if it makes no logical sense they will still persist in hopes of transforming your brain shit. and just when i didn’t think they could do anything weirder my friend dave* sent me this video. there literally has been confusion on forums asking is this for reals?

this video made me feel like a darsh for watching it in its entirety. and even more when i watched it 2 more times. like putting cigarettes out on your arm sort of torture.

…yes, it is for real: click here to check it out

…and yes someone has already made a parody that made me laugh so hard i had to pause it multiple times.

warning… it is a little tasteless… (…)(…)

i love how they point out that microsoft used a macbook pro for the computer in the beginning and covered up the apple logo with stickers. i am not sure if that was their way of saying ha! or they messed up. either way this commercial is wack. you can find many more on youtube.

* i would give dave a link but he doesn’t have a blog

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tracy got this little gadget for me for x-mas so i can start to capture more video… especially when something extremely interesting or magical takes place.

take the video above for example. this was taken at about 10pm last night in north portland. i thought it was so magical that i decided to hire a guy who works for pixar to add a special effect of a shooting star. watch closely and see if you notice it.

the camera is cool. it is fairly small and is meant to be a simple grab and go. it has essentially no features other than capturing moments on video. it is said to be HD but i don’t even really know what that means. yes they say it’s high definition but i doubt horhe lucas is going to call to ask to borrow my vado anytime soon.

vado hd: winner of the stalkers choice award

it is a gadget that will be outdated in about 8 months but if i get used to using it i will carry it until it breaks. there is an underwater case you can get for like $30 and it is on my list. you can learn more about these things at myvado.com

another camera like this that also rocks is the Flip HD – flip hd

i can’t promise i am going to push out more video – i know very little about video shit. it seems every time i decide to get started on some simple editing i have to encode my files like 3 times. i’m a n00b.

here is a picture as the manufacturer intended:

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i swear by all that is good and decent i had this idea a few years back. i knew it had to be possible. when i come home and drop off my cell phone on the counter or dresser or whatever i want it to just start charging based on what i put it on. i hate cords!

the dorky named powermat apparently is supposed to do just that. you put your shit on it and it charges. with no cords needed (beyond the cord plugging in the powermat that is).

while it looks inviting i started to poke around the guts of the site to discover that in order to get certain devices to charge they have to be either attached to some proprietary devices or some housing of some sort. i am not sure if that is a deal breaker but if it only shaves off 10 seconds from plugging your shit in then wtf?

i guess what it really comes down to is price – the site doesn’t have prices yet since they are not going to be available until the end of the year. however i can’t imagine such a device will be cheap. if it is, i will buy half a dozen. but i am guessing they are going to be like $300. we’ll see.

powermat to the rescue.

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when i first saw the new google phone i was kinda let down. i am sure most people were since we are all used to the uber flashy iphone. even cnn did a story on the review of the new phone title google’s htc dream phone — that’s it? – read the review here

now i can’t say anything about the phone’s functionality since i haven’t used one but i can say that the thing is so underwhelming looking it is almost painful. i can see they were trying to go with a minimalist approach but imo it just looks like a cheap piece of plastic. but then again… i have yet to actually touch one.

i didn’t really get all that interested until i decided to check out the android open source project. i watched this video above and was totally into it. i consider myself a nerd but i don’t know half of what these guys are talking about – i was just super into the concept and the fresh perspective. i kept thinking while i was watching the dude with the dangling earring i wonder what that dude is like at a bar drinking a beer? – i would bet he would be a blast to hang with. but that’s just me. plus i have a thing for those excited to give their ideas away.

i wonder if that earring is bluetooth or a device that is communicating to a large spaceship far far away?

check out android here

in other news!

my pal chris kalani informed me this morning that my site was mentioned on a design blog giving me props for my wacky footer. w00t!

i think it is kinda funny since some of the other footers are technically amazing and mine is just a picture of me making a dumb face with a tag cloud floating – which includes favorites like: darsh, fat-kid and freaks.
click here to check it out

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came upon this last night. not sure how i feel about it.

seems like a cool idea, a calendar made up of plastic bubbles you can pop. much like those you find in packaging materials… bubble wrap if you will. it is a great novelty but i feel that those that enjoy popping bubble wrap usually cannot just pop one a day. i feel the joy is in creating the symphony of pops. am i wrong?

they run between $30 and $50 for different layouts and sizes. this may seem like a lot of dough for a strip of plastic but they are really big. or maybe the kid pictured below is really small?

i guess it is much like those holiday countdown calendars that have the chocolates behind the doors which represent dates. when i was a kid i wanted to rip the entire thing open at once and have my monthly feast in one sitting. if i had the bubble calendar, it would be destroyed within the first week i am sure. then it would be nothing more than another burden for mother nature.

you can check out the site here

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apparently they decided to mold their plastic into something less gross. i have always wondered why PC outfits haven’t made more sexy machines. i am guessing they might be harder to source parts for or service?

either way, dell came out with what they call the hybrid and it is actually pretty nice looking. it is really small which may be the reason you have to dig for the specs on their site.

i have never owned a dell – i used to build all my own machines before i discovered the ease of macs. and ever since i started using my macbook pro i have been looking at all the pc laptops out there and i still have yet to see one that doesn’t look cheap. the only pc laptops i recommend are ibm / lenovo.

and that is my nerdy post for the week. i swear.

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all the geeks out there no that a new iphone was announced yesterday and it will be shipping in july. for those that don’t know, steve jobs of apple announces new products twice a year at a thing called the wwdc which stands for worldwide developers conference. this time they introduced the newest, more badass, cheaper version of the iphone.

now, why i am a little bummed.

1. i hate phones in the first place: those that know me, my voicemail is almost always full and i never call back. my friend graeme keeps telling me that the blackberry is the shit for emails and such but dear god i long for ambiguity.
2. i refuse to downgrade: while the iphone may be a quantum leap from any other phone in the market it is still not a laptop. i would rather look awkward with my macbook pro strapped to my head and be able to cruise my apps like a mother fucker. once i experience a technology, especially in relation to speed, i cannot regress.
3. i am not really into ipods: i have a first generation ipod shuffle that was given to me. i really do love it but i have never been in a hurry to upgrade in any form. i like that all i have to do is stick it in the side of my machine and we are rocking. also, there is no interface which is also appealing to me for some reason. ignorance is bliss i guess.
4. social stigma: for some reason i feel that there is a social status being attached to these phones. usually that stuff is a big turn off for me. unlike fat chicks.
5. did i mention i hate phones?: god i hate my phone. especially when it rings.

ok, so before any of you iphone lovers fist me please know that i am not knocking the iphone. i am just saying why it isn’t for me. i am pumped apple is pushing the pace since no one else seems to be. my wife has an iphone and i am excited for her. it truly is an amazing piece of technology with a whole world of possibility.

the only reason i am interested in getting one is to develop new applications for it. that is super cool.

last thing. i was a little bummed that nothing pertaining specifically to computers was announced in detail at the wwdc. i thought this article on cnn was telling below. the entire article was about the iphone and the last line of the article speaks of the new os. wow such detail!

UPDATE!

my friend brino just informed me that the wwdc is only once a year and that macworld is where they introduce the new products. gawd… now i feel like a n00bshit.

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i also noticed at duty free that the marlboro cigarettes were pretty straight forward in their cancer warnings. it could only be more blatant if it said:
you will fucking die

¡¡¡fiesta!!!

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my friend mark seriously had this idea about 14 months ago. he explained how neat it would be if current headlines could be made into t-shirts on the fly so the next day you could be wearing the most current events. possibly even before people hear about them. like mr. diggles blog posts considered for the bible or mr. diggles writes about t-shirts and stuff – the gems really.

well, cnn is doing it. if you go to cnn.com you will see a new nifty t-shirt icon they have added to their latest headlines. click on the icon and you can order a tee. to be honest, i would have never guessed cnn would have implemented this. if it is around in 6 months then we will know it is working.

i am curious how they figure who makes the cut or not. as you can see above, not every headline is cool enough to turn into a t-shirt. or maybe it is a matter of taste? Polygamist ranch kids to get DNA tests didn’t make it, nor did 20 bodies found floating near Bahamas. hmmmm.

yes john karr, even you could have a t-shirt floating around out there.

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1. good job dude! what’s next?