Category: Technology

What I think about technology, links to interesting articles about technology, or anything else remotely related to technology.

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Roady 2 PAS Received

Roady 2 PAS I had been looking for a way to listen to XM on my bike (it is legal in VA as long as BOTH ears are not covered) when I received a special offer to get it for $20 (normal price had been $149!). Cyndi said I could go ahead and order it, so I did. Well, I finally received my Roady2 PAS via UPS yesterday. I took it out of the package, and looked at it…it is a fairly ingenious design. I set it to charge last night. Today when I leave work, I'll take my Roady2 home and try it out. Once I use it for a few days, I'll let everyone know what I think.

BTW, the image to the left is from the Delphi website. I didn't think they would mind me using their image to plug their product!
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Stolen Sidekick

I was surfing tonight and came across this guy's page about a recently stolen sidekick.  I thought I would link to it just in case any of you were interested in reading about how dumb criminals can be.

Before you click the link, some of the language can be a bit harsh….so, now that you have been warned…..

Read more about the saga of the stolen sidekick

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Dazzle 150

Our pastor recently bought a Dazzle 150. This device is pretty neat. It let's you take video from an analog source (VCR, camera, etc…) and create digital mpeg2 (dvd format) video out of it. So far, I've digitized about 4 hours worth of video with it with no issues.

Here in the next few weeks, I hope to have a copy of some video I can put up on the web to show everyone. Until then, you'll just have to be patient.

The only gripe I have is the software. This software took at least an hour to install. An hour! It was nuts. And to top it off, there were two DVDs, but the labeling didn't tell you which one to do first! Arg!

Anyway, if you have any questions about the device, just ask.

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Cell Phone Service

As I mentioned before, Cyndi and I got a new cell phone plan and phones a couple of weeks ago. This past weekend, we went to my grandparents. Then, we went into the boonies way farther than that….no running water. We have to use an outhouse. It barely has electricity. This place is remote. Well, guess what worked? Yep…my cell phone. For anyone who knows how to do it, here is a picture of the info screen from my phone. I'd like to know whose tower I was using.

CellPhoneInfoScreen_Thumb.jpg

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Sub $100 Laptop

This is cool. Look at the snippets from the following news stories:

Nicholas Negroponte, chairman and founder of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Labs, has been outlining designs for a sub-$100 PC.

The laptop will be tough and foldable in different ways, with a hand crank for when there is no power supply.

Professor Negroponte came up with the idea for a cheap computer for all after visiting a Cambodian village.

…

The laptops will be encased in rubber to make them more durable, and their AC adaptors will also act as carrying straps.

The Linux-based machines are expected to have a 500MHz processor, with flash memory instead of a hard drive which has more delicate moving parts.

The laptop will be more rugged and flexible than ordinary ones They will have four USB ports, and will be able to connect to the net through wi-fi – wireless net technology – and will be able to share data easily.

It will also have a dual-mode display so that it can still be used in varying light conditions outside. It will be a colour display, but users will be able to switch easily to monochrome mode so that it can be viewed in bright sunlight, at four times normal resolution.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4292854.stm

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The $100 laptop computers that Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers want to get into the hands of Third World children would be durable, flexible and self-reliant.

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-hund29.html

This is just awesome! I'd buy one if I knew where to get it from. They ought to sell them for $150-$200 then funnel the profits back into their giveaway program.

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Sprint PCS Service

It has been several days since I posted about our new cell phones and service plans. So far, we have been very happy with the new phones. We had a queston about the no roaming option we have…I thought I would post how it works so anyone looking to get Sprint service could know.

As I posted my New Cell Phones and Plan post, our plan has roaming included. What this means is that even if our phones say roaming, we don't get charged. The question we had was how do those minutes get deducted from our plan? I assumed that it would come out of our anytime minute pool. Boy was I wrong.

Here is how it works: while roaming, the calls get applied just as if we weren't roaming. A call to a PCS phone would come out of our PCS to PCS minutes. A call at night or on the weekends would come out of those minutes. Only a call during the day would come out of our anytime minutes.

Go Sprint!

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New Cell Phones and Plan

Cyndi and I decided to get new cell phones and a new plan today. We are still with Sprint though. So far, these new phones appear to have fixed our reception problem at home.

Our phones are the VI-2300 by Sanyo:

Cyndi and I share 800 anytime minutes, nights and weekends start at 7pm, we have unlimited nights and weekends, no cost roaming (our phones work anywhere), and free sprint-to-sprint. All for $75/month.