It is are second BIRTHDAY today. ![secondbirthday-240x300[1]](http://www.thoughtscubed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/secondbirthday-240x3001.jpg "secondbirthday-240x300[1]")
We have been posting, about all kinds of topics, for two years. There have been a lot of posts on alternative energy, and electric cars. I was very surprised to finding the large number of manufactures that are working on ALL electric automobiles.
What does the next year hold in store for us, know one knows. Will there be more post on electric cars, or will our interest stray off into other areas?
![images[1]](http://www.thoughtscubed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/images1.jpg "images[1]")
Is Google Wave what e-mail should be? What category does Google Wave fit anyway? What is Google Wave exactly? Does it do too much?
It looks to me as Google is pushing for a complete paradigm change in the internet communication sea. At first glance, Google Wave, does E-mail, Instant messaging, pulse Collaboration. But then you start to peel back the layers and there is so much more. You could use Google Wave to Tweet, blog, share photos albums, project documentation, play games and the list keeps going on and on….
So will the world’s tides be shifted by the Google Wave. The first problem is Google Wave requires a forklift replacement of the old way of doing things on the internet today. Namely it replaces IM and E-mail as we know them to day, for the better in my opinion. After all that was the geniuses of the Google Wave project the mission was “What would e-mail be like, if it were created today, not 40 years ago?”
So you might see early adopters start using Google Wave in a Corporate or business setting. Google Wave could increase productive by offering faster communication and better collaboration between staff. Will the corporate world want all that data stored in the Google cloud? Or will they install their own Federation copy of Google Wave?
So will we be using Google Wave in a year or two? Or will the Google Wave project lead to something else that is better and easier to implement? Or will Google Wave be a wash out?
![chromevswin1-300x90[1]](http://www.thoughtscubed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/chromevswin1-300x901.jpg "chromevswin1-300x90[1]")
Google announces Chrome OS 7/7/09. Just as we perdicted in our post of September 2008 Google Chrome shine or safety. Google posted this entry on the Chrome blog: Introducing the Google Chrome OS.
So the to titans are going to battle it out. The question is: Will Google be able to survive in the Operating System arena. Microsoft has struggled for years to gain a foot hold in the search space. Microsoft has pored Millions in to search and have made very little progress. Should the titans stay with what they know and where that make money?
Google is going to spend million of dollars to develop the Linux based Operating system then theyare going to give it a way. There has got to be more to this business model?
OK as promised the speakers! The most unique speakers are the Audioengine A5 speakers that I will be using inside the house. For the outside I will be using Polk Audio Polk Audio Atrium 45p Self-Powered Loudspeakers.
You have two options when doing multi room audio. One option is to use a central multi room amplifier, or option two is to use self-powered speakers. A central amplifier can get expensive and complicated real fast. So to keep things simple I choose to use self-powered speakers.
Self-powered speakers also keep the wiring simple. You also have the choice to go wireless when using the Apple Airport express. If you decide to use wire you can use your existing Ethernet wire. The Audioengine speakers have a unique setup that allows you to plug the Apple AirPort Express right into the back of the speaker, for 110v power. Audioengine provides a short audio cable to connect the Airport express to the Audioengine speakers. The cable is just the right length. No extra cable to bundle up. Keeps the installation nice a neat. So, if you are using a wireless Ethernet connect you will only need one A/C power connection to the speakers.
- 75 watts peak per channe l
- auto power on and off
- power outlet for Apples Airport
- 25 watts per channel
- case is build to Military specks
- blue Polymer Woofers
But you say you do not like using Apples iTunes. There is a software application called Airfoil for Windows that will solve your phobia with Apples iTunes, and still give you access to multiple Apples airport express locations. More on that topic next time.
Top 10 Computer Geeks tips:
![geek_tips[1]](http://thoughtscubed.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/geek_tips1-300x225.jpg "geek_tips[1]")
1. Make backups of all the stuff you cannot afford too loose. That includes your photos and music library.
2. IF it does not work re-boot. The majority of problems can be overcome by a simple reboot.
3. Save, save and save again. Do not expect me to be able to recover the project you been working on all day when windows hangs up. So when your working on a big project save it.
4. When saving your work create a separate version each time you save your work. This will allow you several restarting points if you screw up the file or if the one file you have is unreadable.
5. Do not forget your password. Passwords are secure, there are encryptions algorithms, systems and safeguards in place to make then nearly imposable to hack or recover a password.
6. If your hard drive fails and you did not do number one, you’re screwed. Data can sometimes be recovered but it is very expensive and time consuming.
7. Free down loads are not Free. You’re exposing your machine to the possibility of Virus, adware, spyware, Trojan horse etc…
8. Free software is not free. Some free software is a pain to install and configure. Don’t expect me to spend several hours installing and troubleshooting your free application software.
9. Just because you read it on the internet does not mean it is TRUE. Use your common sense and do a little research. Do not just blindly disseminate the false information to a 100 people via e-mail.
10. For fewer problems buy an apple computer.
For months we have all been waiting on Steve Moore to release the airremote. Airremote is a cool software app that turns your iPhone or iTouch into a WiFi remote. The iTouch software communicates with Global Caches GC-100. The GC-100 is an Ethernet device that can output IR remote and RS232 commands. So that makes all your A/V hardware networkable. The end result is you can use your iTouch as a universal remote that can not only control all your AV gear but also your lights, A/C and anything else that is part of your home automation. Plus you can use the Apple Remote application to control your iTunes.
Now there is a second contender for our disposable income the Apex Connect product. The Apex Connect product line will consist of a iPhone/iTouch application and a proprietary pice of hardware. I would rather use and industry standard device like the Global Cache but for now the Apex connect has a direct connection to Z-Wave and INSTEON. The Global Cache would use the RS-232 port to make these (Z-Wave and INSTEON) connection. The RS-232 port is just a more universal communication option. The current published specks of the Apex Connect does not included an RS-232 connection. In my opinion and big mistake on Apex’s part. But the hardware has not shipped yet.
The Software for the Apex Connect product is available in the Apple Application store, for FREE now and has been since December 2008 (March 2009 the app is gone). The catch is … the hardware in not shipping until at least March 2009 and could be as late as the second half of 2009.
![apex_connect_itouch[1]](http://www.thoughtscubed.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/apex_connect_itouch1.jpg "apex_connect_itouch[1]")
The problem now is, some of the reviewers do not get the concept and why the hardware in needed. So the software is getting bad reviews. How can you review something that is not even a product yet. Who really has the hardware , is the hardwae in beta testing ? If it is I would sure like to be testing it. I think most of these reviewers, or I should be saying opinion givers, think the software is for remote control of a MAC or PC. That is not the purpose of this application at all. The goal here is a WiFi Universal Remote that will control you Home theater, your TV , Your HVAC or your whole house. It has nothing to do with controlling you computer. When and if the Apex Connect makes it too market it will be a great product. But for now we are all just guessing as we do not have the full product in hand. Not yet……….
March 12, 2009 update. Looks like a few more compaines have come into the game. Just today 3/12/09 Global Caché announced a partner product called CF iViewer that will communicate via the iPhone. Exceptional Home Automation International, Inc has published an IPhone app call iLoveControl It might be for non- Global Caché hardware. Time will tell. Another product still under development is iMasterControl. Need to watch this one. This is going to be a fun market space to watch over the next few months.
On the Vudu website is this quote:
“Unlike other services that rely on large server farms to deliver content, as more VUDU Boxes are installed, the network will become even more efficient and require less of each box.”
So what does the mean? It means your Vudu set top box serves up content and uses your internet connection to deliver the content. Did you get that! That means you are providing the electricity, the hard drive space, and the network bandwidth so other Vudu owners can watch content.
Wow… did you know you were providing a service to other Vudu owners when you bought your Vudu set top box? This is call a peer-to-peer network. Other software out there, call BitTorrent, is used by hobbyist to share and download very large files. Peer-to-peer networking is also known as a bandwidth hogs. I would not want several Vudu users on the same provider in my network neighborhood.
Other services like Hulu, Sling and Netflix, use large distributed server farms to send out content. They pay for the hosting services to house the server farms not you. They pay for the badwidth to connect there server to the internet, not you.
So the Vudu service sound great upfront but is the price, Vudu using your resources, too high? Or will the dumb American consumer just march forward and not care?
In the Los Angeles area you need to get up early to go anywhere on the freeways. But in December when it is cold and still dark, at 5AM, hundreds of guys got up to see the Double D’s in December beauty pageant. For the last two December KROQ radio early morning KEVIN & BEAN SHOW host a pageant outside the Slidebar in Fullerton. This show airs from 5AM to 9AM for the morning commute.
So there is a mass sea of guys all drinking and watching nine girls prance around, on the outdoor stage, in their short skirts and bikinis (lots of goose bumps here). In the competition were Cassandra( 25) from Chino Hills, Roxanne(24) from Huntington Beach, Stacy(24) also from Huntington Beach( 23) from Costa Mesa , Janelle(22) of La Verne, Danielle,(21) from Covina, Camry(22) of Norco, Nicolette(23) of Covina, and Crystal(23) from Anaheim.
Cassandra was voted the winner. There were no judges and the voting was done on-line over the internet. Now this is an early morning radio show, that is position for the morning commute time slot.
So how does the voting work. You’re in your car! For one you cannot see the girls, as this is a radio program. So how do you know who to vote for? And two if you are voting on you handheld mobile device you’re breaking California law, as it is now against the law, in California, to use your mobile phone while driving.
Alright, your right, the whole pageant was webcasted live on the KROQ website. So if you had web access you could see the ladies. But that means…. you were late for work or…. Your messing around on the internet at work.
Some time when it sounds too good to be true there is got to be a catch. Several years ago we switched our phone service from Verizon to Vonage and saved about $200 a month on our phone bill. The only down side was the setup (getting the ATA installed, configured) and the quality of the calls was less then Verizon. But we were saving $2,400 a year. So it was worth the problems.
Then fast forward 4 years and we hear about MagicJack for only $20 per year. WOW only pay $20 for the whole year. How does that work. Well the first down side is you need to have a PC (desktop or laptop) running to get a phone call. So if you want 24 x 7 phone service then your computer need to be ON 24 x 7. OK! We already us a computer as a DVR so that is not big deal. So let do the free trial.
Just be careful when you sign up for the free trail you are prompted for all kinds of options. Big bold type in your face ads wanting you to up for 5 years and other stuff. Any of the options negate your free trial. So I was smart and avoided all the temptations.
The next problem, after a week of testing, was when we decide to go with the service and port our existing phone number to MagicJack. The FAQs say YES but but not now, we will in the upcoming months. That was eight month ago 1/2008. And here we are in fall 2008 and you can sitll not port your number to MagicJack. Hey we do not want to change our number. I like the phone number i have, it has been mine for 20 plus years. So does all of my friends, neighbor and family.
So now we want to return the free trail. So I want to uninstall the MagicJack software. Oh surprise there is NO uninstall. Who today, in 2008, does not have an uninstaller? Someone who wants too look at your system and serve up ads on your MagicJack control panel. Just check the “end user License agreement” it is full of all kinds of stuff that you should not agree to.
So the only way to remove the software is by hand, a good reference is here at uninstallmagicjack.com. What a pain to do this all by hand.
Then we try to sent the USB adaptor back using UPS to get a tracking number and proof of delivery and that’s right they only have a PO box (UPS will not deliver to a Po box). So now the only thing I can do is send it back US mail with a return receipt. We are waiting to see is the $49.00 ever hits my credit card.
Just a word to the wise…think long and hard before you jump on something like this. It is not worth the loss of privacy to have MagicJack watching who you call and what you do on you PC and then sell that info and delivering ads to your desktop. After all it is how MagicJack make more money to offset the low cost of the service.
It is just too high of a price to pay, and it wrong wrong wrong…
A 300 million dollar ad campaign to make us all feel good about windows? It would take a heavenly miracle to make us all feel better about Windows. I see several problems with the ad campaign.
First problem is me. Sorry I did not get the “Simple Life” parody of Bill and Jerry as BFF. Just blew completely by me. Maybe I would have got the parody if the ad was the full 4.5minutes that is posted on the internet. But only seeing 60 seconds at a time was not enough. Did not see the parody until I read about the ads in the news. I thought it was like a Target ad, just a little bit of mindless entertainment to build brand awareness. Oh well it must just be me, I must be one of the dumb Americans.
Second I guess Bill and Jerry were trying be funny. It just did not happen, the spot was not funny. Even Bills robot dance was not funny. The Apple spots are funny, but this was not.
In my option spend the 300 million dollars on designing better software. Oh I forgot we like software that crashes and is attacked by all kinds of virus and malware. But then again we are all just a bunch of Dumb Americans, because we keep buying windows!