Andrew R Blog

Been a while since last Blog (Tech Update)

2013-04-29T22:10:00.003+10:00

Well its been a while since my last blog, as I have been busy gaining certs in the IT industry. It is quite an exciting time for IT and I have really been enjoying my ipad mini of late. I was fortunate to get the ipad mini the first day it came out and I haven't been disappointed. I just love the fact that I can use this device anywhere, I can study outside, either by reading pdf's, watching videos or doing practise tests whilst getting a tan & some vitamin D at the same time. I'm quite impressed with the headphone AMP on the ipad mini and it runs my Sennheiser HD 439's really well. I also have bought a usb adapter for the mini to get an extra Audiophile experience by running a USB Headphone Amplifier DAC. It sounds great with no jitter, I just wish their was a power pass through.

The other major equipment I have got is the Nokia Lumia 800 which I am getting more impressed with everyday. The reliability is exceptional and really enjoy the GPS feature. Smartphones are mature and what I love is MINITURIZATION.

This is why these iwatch rumours are so exciting...

Anyway at the moment I have cable problems---My thunderbolt drives keep crapping out, I think it is the E-sata cables and my optical cable for my Dac is causing some artifacts...

Frustrating Bluetooth Issues with Windows 8

2012-08-22T15:55:00.004+10:00

It has been a while since my last blog....

I have been using tumblr alot lately for my early 80s blog. What I like about tumbr, is that i can produce posts quickly, I can just put pics up and a couple of sentences.. I have been tagging all these early 80s pics in tumblr and it reminds me of the semantic web...pics contains more than a thousand words.....

more on that later...

The only things of note is the frustating bluetooth issue of Windows 8 RC. I have noticed that the RC version has enmeshed the bluetooth a whole lot more with metro than the beta and this seems to be causing issue with my Sennheiser B/T headphones. Everytime I have to restart the laptop, it loses the connection with the B/T headdphones and I have to remove it and readd them. Sometimes it gets stuck on the removing of b/t headphones and occasionally the mouse suffers this problem too. The headphones work fine in Windows 7, iphone and mac. It seems to be a metro problem and perhaps is a problem of the dual metro/windows interface..

Addendum

Just had a blue screen on Win8 RC for the first time with the bluetooth problem...I was using my Win8 RC laptop trying to get the headphones to work and out of the blue crashed and restarted.

Okay My mac crashes to with Oracle's virtual box, it will just restart out of the blue, but I think virtual box is more understandable crashing than bluetooth...

Windows 8 Release Preview

2012-06-02T11:08:00.003+10:00

Windows 8 Release Preview (64 Bit)

Okay so this review is quite late for Windows 8, but the Release preview has just come out.The thing is I had installed Windows 8 CP using Virtual Box on the Mac and had found it was quite a frustrating experience. You really need to install this as a proper OS rather than a VM, and I also don't recommend using Metro for desktops.

So just recently, my KMS license of Windows 7 PRO ran out on my 6 month old Acer 522 Netbook featuring an AMD APU that can utilise 4 gigs of ram and has superior graphics to the Intel Atom.
So I had the options of going back to Windows 7 starter and lose 2 gigs of ram as well as a really watered down OS; pay $200 for Windows 7 Home Premium; install Ubuntu 12 or install Windows 8 until January next year.

Before I go on with my choice of Windows 8, I am really disappointed with what Microsoft did to the netbook market; by replacing XP with the crippled and much maligned Windows 7 Starter. To have to spend another $200 to utilise a proper OS (the upgrade cost to Windows 7 Home Premium) is a really poor money grabbing debacle, particularly when Mac users only pay $29 for a full upgrade to the next OS. This is something that Microsoft has to have a clear look at with their OS and not to sell so many SKU's at ridiculous prices.

Okay so I chose Windows 8 because it is free and Ubuntu had too many problems with sleep and graphics issues on my netbook. Usually when I install an OS I would format the HD and clean install. I was lazy previously and decided to upgrade to Win 8 CP over the top.The install took a lot longer than what I am used to, but then I didn't have to reinstall apps and copy files over (copying 500GB of music is never fun).It worked perfectly. The second time round I decided to do a clean install and upgrade to 64 bit. Everything worked perfectly after install, no need to find drivers. The release preview is much smoother and far more polished than the CP and I have been very impressed.

I was pleasantly surprised how smooth Windows 8 ran and how quickly it boots up. I was greeted with the Metro screen and was disappointed that apps won't work because my screen is 1280x700. Metro is designed for a 4:3 ipad type screen that has slightly more pixels with the width of x768. So because I was 48 pixels short in width I can't use Metro Apps. It just seems to me that Microsoft is too Apple concious, and that they are restricting their OS excessively, whereas the whole reason I believe Microsoft became popular, was that it is more open to different formats, sizes and shapes!!

The Windows ORB & Windows Shortcuts

I was a big user of the ORB but as I also am a big shortcut user (which is one of the reasons why I like Windows), and I had a feeling that I don't really need the ORB. That so far has been true. All the Windows Key shortcuts have been changed which is frustrating, but I quite like the new Windows Key X shortcut as it give some great admin features, and the menu pops up to where the ORB used to be. For search I have to use Windows Key Q which takes me to the Metro interface. Most of the time I use the desktop interface which involves pressing the windows key after I log in (the windows key can swap between the metro and the traditional desktop).

The doubling of Metro and traditional desktop

Sometimes I notice there is a doubling of the interface between Metro and the traditional desktop such as bluetooth devices. This has caused some issues as on occasion my bluetooth headphones haven't worked and I have tried removing and rea-dding the device and it has been confused. I had to uninstall the bluetooth driver and reinstall it to get it to work again, and I noticed that there are 2 places to add and remove bluetooth devices, which must be why the bluetooth is buggy. So far this issue seems to have been fixed with the Release Preview. Although it is annoying and disjointing as long as it works smoothly this shouldn't really be much of an issue.

WRAPUP

You get this feeling that Metro is sort of tacked on to Windows 7 and that they have removed the ORB to make a statement that they are fresh new & innovative. I feel that the removing the start/orb is alienating to the existing customer base, and I can't see the enterprise moving to the new OS. There are a few really good improvements to Windows 8 such as fast boot times and reimaging the OS from scratch, but they are even a smaller leap than Vista to Win7!! Some tech journalists have commented that they are deliberately forcing Metro on the desktop to get developers to write for the platform. I really think you should be able to disable Metro if you don't want it as it doesn't really make sense on the desktop. I think Microsoft is to worried about Apple and the OS reflects this, it is more reactionary than innovative and they are making moves of desperation rather than anything that is well thought out. I will most likely go to Ubuntu next year as hopefully the sleep issues and graphics will have been sorted out by then. The upgrade costs for Microsoft OS are way too expensive, which is particularly upsetting, as I have mentioned before with the crippling of Windows starter.

The key to the new OS is to use windows key shortcuts and pin your most used apps to the taskbar and you can search for apps by using Windows key and Q. The problem with this is that most users are used to their way of working, particularly with heavy mouse use, rather than more efficient keyboard shortcuts. Also as Microsoft is pushing Metro, most users will be unaware of the best way to use the OS for their productivity and will find metro disjointing. There is also a learning curve for the shortcuts as they have changed which will frustate users in the enterprise.

Even though the OS is very smooth, polished and pleasant to use unlike the diabolical Vista; you can't help but think there is something odd going on. That to me is Ballmer's obsession with the ipad. Is it normal to use a 80 inch tablet as your sole device like Ballmer does? Hell No. He needs to think outside of chasing the ipad market.

We need a whole lot of different devices for different tasks. I use the ipod nano for example when I go running; the problem with the Ballmer mindset is that it is very narrow, which is why Microsoft fails to be an innovator.

Installing a SSD drive in a Mac Mini 2011

2012-05-13T18:59:00.000+10:00

Well it had been time to plunk down $$$ for a SSD for my Mac Mini. This all came about when I did a disk check of the standard Mac Mini supplied 5400rpm 500G using Black Magic Disk Speed Test. To my dismay the disk performed worse than expected with read & write speeds barely faster than USB 2 @ 45MB/s. (USB 2 will max out at 35MBS). My cheap Acer 522 netbook had a faster HD with a mid 50 second MB/s speed result. The other clue to the poor performance was a bit of beach-balling, which gave me the irrits!

http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/blackmagic-disk-speed-test/id425264550?mt=12

My Mac Mini 2011

There is a wide choice of SSD's available for the Mac, which makes the decision of what SSD to buy a bit of a chore. Research is required! Here you will find a list below of what drives to look at:

OCZ Vertex
Samsung 830
Crucial M4
Sandisk Extreme
Intel SSD 520 or 330

There are various sites that have different benchmarks such as Annandtech, storage review etc. and most drives seem to be fairly similar; particularly when they use the Sandforce SF-2281 chipset.

I ended up choosing the Intel 330 because of the size, 180GB is perfect for me, as 120GB was too small and 240GB was too expensive. All the other manufacturers offer either 120GB or 240GB and as I currently use 110GB of space, 180GB was perfect (120GB is pushing it particularly if you consider I might expand and also for garbage collection and/nor TRIM).

Intel has just released the SSD 330 series, which is a cheaper version of the consumer pro 520.

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/solid-state-drives/solid-state-drives-330-series.html

Intel SSD 330

http://www.storagereview.com/intel_ssd_330_review

I had decided to save $60 over the 520 and purchase the 330 180GB @ $235AU (which is almost 1$ a gig) and accept a slight hit in performance and 2 years less on warranty (The 520 is 5 years whereas the 330 is 3 years). The warranty difference doesn't concern me too much, as I plan on replacing it in 3 years time with hopefully an affordable 1TB SSD.

Now I have read on a few forums to go for the Crucial because you can update the firmware and no other vendor can; but with the Intel you can update the firmware on a Mac using an ISO image rather than a application (Which is a better way to do it anyway). The current firmware hasn't been updated for a while so it is not as if you need to do upgrade the firmware that often anyway.

One regret is that the 330 series is a tight fit in the Mac mini as the 330 is 9mm thick rather than 7.5mm. I got it in, but it might have been easier with the 520, as I had to use the logic board removal tool. Also, screwing it in wasn't the most perfect way either having to use a 60 degree angle, but as I won't be moving the mini much and it is SSD, it really doesn't matter that much (unless you are a purist).

I really recommend getting the ifix-it dual drive kit, which has a great set of tools and can also allow you to have two drives (I am concerned about having two drives because of heat and as I already have an external drive dock that can use 2.5 or 3.5 drives over Sata or FW800, I don't really need to use a second).

http://www.ifixit.com/Apple-Parts/Mac-Mini-Dual-Hard-Drive-Kit/IF171-005

Mac Mini Dual Drive Kit

TIPS FOR INSTALLING A HARD DRIVE IN A MAC MINI 2011

It certainly is a lot more difficult replacing a HD in a Mac mini than with a laptop or Desktop.

I have heard of people destroying the logic board when removing the IR connector.

http://forums.macrumors.com/archive/index.php/t-1322255.html

It is not for the faint of heart. Everything is tiny in the Mac Mini and I have long hands. I had broken one side of the RAM clip before (this didn't affect the RAM) when upgrading to 8GB and felt very nervous when upgrading.

ifixit has great pictorial instructions which I used on my ipod touch using the ifixit app.

http://www.ifixit.com/Apple-Parts/Mac-Mini-Dual-Hard-Drive-Kit/IF171-005

I also recommend this picture for when you remove the IR sensor. This is where the spudger comes in handy.

The other tip I have is in regards to the Fan. I had re-connected it, but didn't test to see if it was working and had been using my Mini for an hour or so, when I realised it wasn't on. My Mac Mini was so HOT!!!!!! When I checked the Mini it seemed to be connected properly, but wasn't spinning. I pressed lightly on the connector with the spudger and voila.

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1270544

Once the SSD was installed, all I did was press option on the keyboard to boot from a recovery USB and use Time Machine to restore. It took a little over an hour to restore and that was using a slow USB2 drive. If I used my faster drive on the firewire 800 port it would have taken half that time. Make sure you create a Lion recovery USB first before you take out the HD. Use this link below to create a USB recovery disk.

http://support.apple.com/kb/DL1433

End Result

So far I am extremely happy with the SSD. No more beach balls, and so far after a weekend the 330 has performed flawlessly. Here are the bench mark results.

Intel SSD 330 in a Mac Mini 2011 i5 2.5GHZ

As you can see the read results are a phenemonal 445 GB/s (as compared with 45MB/s with the standard 5400 rpm 500GB stock drive). The write speed is where you can see inferior value the drive has compared with the 520 series @ 205 mb/s but as I will be writing more on an external drive 3.5", this will not be as much of a concern. My main use of the drive is for the OS and apps and I will try to write on it as least as possible, as this is the way to wear the drive out. For a $235 upgrade this certainly is a huge boost in performance, with apps opening and closing in seconds and ultra fast booting and shutdowns.

To TRIM or Not to TRIM

There is a fierce debate as to whether to have Trim on or not for sandforce based 3rd party drives in Macs. Mac OS X does not provide Trim support for 3rd party drives. There is a free tool (an unsupported hack) that you can get, but as it is a beta and a hack, there are reports of it being unreliable.

Trim Enabler
http://www.groths.org/?p=690

Others say that as sandforce drives have garbage collection you don't need Trim anyway.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5453/trim-enabler-20-for-os-x-lion-released
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3194668?start=0&tstart=0

Hopefully ML will have Trim support for 3rd party drives. In the meantime I will investigate Trim Enabler further on the Mac and report back.

Boy's Don't Cry, The Cure & Philip K Dick WTF?

2012-03-17T21:36:00.000+11:00

Okay this isn't going to appeal to many people but so what, this is my blog!

If you haven't heard of Phillip K Dick then you should, because he is a big name in a lot of Hollywood movies. I was first initiated to Phillip K Dick when I first saw Blade Runner and was blown away by Vangelis' majestic sci-fi-analogue-synthesis and the accompanying euphoric-dystopian visions of Mr Scott & CO. Some of the opening scenes of flying cars, in the futuristic Mega-opolis of LA 2019, really blew me away, when I first saw it on VCR in the 90s.

Now as my interest in Sci-Fi movies has grown and I have became more interested in the story lines; I have become an avid reader of Phillip Dick's work over the years. Ubik is magnificent!

So what has this all got to do with Boy's Don't Cry by the Cure?

Well as a teenager I was a big fan of The Cure and I used to collect all their records and music articles I found in specialist music stores throughout Melbourne. As an aspiring musician I really appreciated the electronic effects used by the band in the early 80s albums starting with 17 Seconds released in 1980. The electronic side of things got me interested in synths and to artists such as Vangelis, and I enjoyed spending time in my music studio playing various synths, fx, guitars accompanied to my vocals.

Having read the biographies and history of The Cure (such as Ten Imaginary Years, Picturesofyou.us site, Wiki) has made me understand the Band quite well! So I find their history quite interesting as they started out as teen punk boy band (picked up by German label Hansa to become a Teen Pin-Up Boy Band that sung PUNK covers), to a post-punky band that became New Wave and to what we now know as goth!

Teen Punk Band Easy Cure 1977 UK (Peter O' Toole in this pic 2nd from the right had left before Hansa's signing)

Check out some awesome 1970s punky tracks by Easy Cure

See The Children (A sort of punk child molester's anthem LOL very funny) 1st demo 1977
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCIYH8bF77Q&feature=related

I Just Need Myself Easy Cure 1st Demo 1977
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YfMbGLEoYo

The Cure's big Hit A Forest in 1980 (Which is considered a signature song from the band) is quite otherworldly! The analogue phase and flanger effects it uses are breathtaking and was even reviewed as a DR WHO sounding song!! The song is also notable for securing the band its first slot on BBC's Top of the Pops.

I also love these tech inspired early 80s vids too. There is something TRON and futuristic about TV in 1980 and 1981, I also think of Blakes 7 too!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6s7TIwcRU8

The following PIC in an article from a 1980s Australian music column that has always fascinated me and looks Science-Fictiony even though the band isn't. (Although Robert Smith did say in a Dutch article in June 1980 that there’s one piece of music that had a big influence on Seventeen Seconds, it’s sounds rather elitist, but it’s a piece by Khatchaturian, a classical composer. It’s on the soundtrack of 2001, you know, by Stanley Kubrick … it’s two violins and a cello, I played it continuously hundred times a week’).

http://www.picturesofyou.us/80/80-6-4-oor-muziekkrant.htm

So what has this all got to do with Phillip Dick. Well I particularly like the way he bridged the genres of alternate history and science fiction and used parallel universes. Donnie Darko (of the parallel universe genre) is one of my fav films and I like that sort of esoteric stuff.

So an Alternate History of The Cure?

Well yes, their 1st album sounded dramatically different from their later stuff and I always liked it a lot. I thought Dempsey's melodic bass was superb and 10:15 Saturday Nite was immediately memorable when I first heard it (drip drip drip!). Subway Song is a classic stalker thriller!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NERzLlHo-D0

Even though the band did not like the studio production of the album I always really liked it. Chris Parry a former drummer produced the album and I thought he did an amazing job. I enjoyed the sparseness, crisp drum sound, jangly guitars, Robert's shrieking vocals and Dempsey's melodic bass (he was only in the band for the first album).Three Imaginary Boys 1979 has always impressed me. The album is particularly amazing considering it was their debut, but most fans I would say would overlook this album, as The cure are more known for their Goth sound and makeup.

Now I know that 17 seconds, Faith and Pornography are great albums and Simon Gallup's rocky-punky playing of his Fender Precision bass is so cool, but let's say (in an alternative universe) they didn't change their sound (like Greenday) and remained post-punk with Dempsey and his Guild B301 Bass !!!

Boy's Don't Cry was the catalyst for Robert's Goth Character. Boy's Don't Cry was meant to be a success but was a commercial failure (which is a shame as it is a good song). Out went Dempsey & his eloquenty played Guild B301 Bass and The Cure's 78-79 sound!

Boys Don’t Cry’ came on like it was a simple stab at the charts worthy of The Undertones at their most gloriously naive. How did he react to its lack of success?

"It’s like commentators in cricket", he laughs, "They always say, ‘Oh, he’s doing really well’ and then he gets bowled out. We were advised not to bring it out because of the fact that it was a pop single and it would be much better if we brought out something that was less commercial but more ‘artistically viable’. ‘Boys Don’t Cry’, ’10.15’ and ‘Accuracy’ have always been my favorite songs out of all that initial lot. I’m glad it didn’t make it in a way because then the people who’d been saying we shouldn’t put it out would then have turned round and said you’ve gotta give us another one like that one."

September 8. 1979 Sounds (UK)

What If Boy's Don't Cry became a hit, and therefore Dempsey never got sacked from the band and The Cure remained clean-cut and post punky! No Fat Bob with weird hair and makeup, just a normal Bob Smith from a clean cut post-punky band! Food for thought!

mmm I love this, Fender Jazzmaster with a Roland JC120!

Check out my version of Boy's Don't Cry using the PS3 Singstar Game. I used the optical out of the PS3 to record the track without vocals from singstar into the Mac using Adobe Audition (although you can hear Robert's Ghosting in the background).

http://theskivvys.podbean.com/2012/03/15/boys-dont-cry/

Podcast Powered By Podbean

I sung Boy's Don't Cry using an AKG Perception 220 mic(which is cheap) and a Roland UA55 Quad Capture & Adobe Audition. I used a pair of Sennheiser HD650, even though they are Open Headphones; I hate using closed headphones for singing, so there is a little leakage, but the performance is more important than a slightly better sound quality.

I recorded in one take and did one small 5 second overdub. I decided not to use the compressor on the Quadcapture and instead used the multi-band compressor in Adobe Audition as well as studio reverb and the vocal enhancer effect.

I deliberately sung like a BOY for the track and am surprised that I can make my voice sound like I am 16!!!!!!!!! In the original track sung by Robert Smith it can be quite deadpan, whiney, angry & angst ridden (which I like and is what really became the Cure sound). So I decided to make the singing sound more cute and upbeat to appeal to the pop mainstream that the track was intended for! Now I am not saying my singing is better as it is not a competition, but I am envisioning the alternate universe where Boy's Don't Cry was a hit for a more pop mainstream market! The Cure a post-punky teenage pop boy band!!!!!!!!!!!!

Analysis of the Studio Equipment

I was quite impressed with the Roland Quadcapture UA 55 although I am having intermittent power cuts and will need to return it under warranty. It would be nice to have studio reverb as an option for live performances. I didn't find latency a problem because you can use the direct monitor with the unit. There is a bit of hiss & noise and am not sure if that is because it is a defective unit. The headphone Amp isn't the greatest but would you expect for such a great value product $300 AU. I can use the digital out into a dedicated DAC/headphone AMP that I have where I can enjoy the beauty of Class A amplification and something that can drive my massive HD 650 Sennheiser headphones!

I like the AKG 220 mic but obviously it is low end and does not really compare to a really PRO MIC (from what I can hear in studio recordings) . I don't know if it is me or the MIC but at times there is this vibrato type sound that I can't stand in my vocals!

I didn't like the reverb sound much in Adobe Audition and it seems to miss some depth. I certainly enjoyed the DSP I had on the Yamaha Promix01 and I guess nothing compares to a dedicated DSP chip.

thoughts on adversity and bullying in the workplace

2012-02-21T22:51:00.002+11:00

Just a blog about some thoughts on luck & adversity...

I have been reading about adversity lately, & upon my readings I have discovered this:

http://bethagnew.blogspot.com.au/

Hard Times come about for three reasons:

1. The result of choices we make;
2. The result of choices others make; and
3. The result of day-to-day circumstances.

Sometimes things just don't work as it is out of your control. My life has included many disappointments that have always been outside my control.

Just like catching a bad illness, every-time I have a good job that seems to be going somewhere, there has been a jealous manager to get me quickly kicked out.

There is nothing you can do with jealous managers, if you are a good at your job and a threat, they will get you out quick, and this happens to a lot of people. I am not alone here. It is common to put blame on yourself, but this last time it is really hard to say that was the case.

I have read many forums and websites and this is all too common a practise. It makes sense that there is endemic bullying in the workplace, as a lot of it is about people exploiting others and profiting from their misfortune. An insecure manager has already realised he doesn't deserve to be in the company and is a liability. He will use the staff below him to earn his living. A parasite.

The other option I can endure would be to have a "just good enough" work ethic, but that is not part of me.

The key here is how to cope with this adversity.

I have taken up running to see how good I really am. Maybe I have over-estimated myself and am in fact mediocre. With running I have full control (except for illness not brought on by a bad diet and drinking.) I can train, watch my diet and read up on how to be better. So at the moment I can run 4kms in 16 minutes. Yeah it is good, but isn't going to win myself races. I do have a sinus condition that affects my performance but it is not stopping me. I am trying to find solutions by giving up dairy, trying honey and other supplements.

So what has running got to do with bullying in the workplace?

For me it is about control. My experience in the workplace is that everything is out of your control. Whenever you do a good job that customers rave on about it is ignored by management. If you take initiative & make your own decisions and the customers rave on about about exceptional service, management step in and start to make threats (as only they want to be seen as giving exceptional service through delegating to their sub-ordinates). With running I can control the outcome, whereas in the workplace everything is out of my control, especially with the abundance of incompetent and insecure management that use their sub-ordinates as scapegoats, a common theme we have in today's world.

The invisible hand of the NWO on Australia Day 2012

2012-02-10T14:19:00.002+11:00

Hi,

This is a belated post because I have been nervous about blogging my political beliefs since I have become politically aware.

On Australia Day 2012 we witnessed the invisible hand of the New World Order against the Aboriginal People of Australia. The NWO created a "Hate Day" against the indigenous population on Australia Day. Since my political awakening, when I gained first-hand of knowledge of a false flag government event, I have been able to see the invisible hand of the New World Order. Although the masonic buillding the Shrine of Rememberance in Melbourne had always aroused my curiosity with its ancient "ziggurat and babylonian architecture", I was blinded by the truth, until I opened my eyes and saw the suffering of most peoples around me. I was sucked in by the propaganda of "accidental reality" when our lives have been manipulated and coerced by Social Engineers thru propaganda in media, schools, universities and the workplace. Remember the most dangerous enemy is invisible or outside our ignorant peripheral vision.

The Masonic Temple "Shrine of Remembrance" that celebrates the Great Global Wars.
Is child sacrifice from the Aztecs practised here?

I was a sheeple like everyone else, being fleeced from the False Good Shepherd (Government).

Why would the Government consipire against the Aboriginal People on Australia Day when it represents a day for all people around the world to celebrate their immigration to Australia.

In fact "Australia Day" is double speak for "immigrant day". If you read any of the propaganda media on "Australia Day" you will notice that even though Australia is typically a day for Christian Anglo Saxons with the Union Jack Flag proudly waving and for drinking European beer and eating pork and red meats; the news contrasts this with non-stop propaganda talk about immigrants and how wonderful they are and how it is wonderful that we live in a "gloablised" society.

A nation of immigrants the propaganda media promotes is an oxymoron.

A nation may refer to a community of people who share a common language, culture, ethnicity, descent, and/or history.

They are of course changing this definition to suit their political beliefs.

The indigenous people of Australia are a tiny minority so why do they represent a threat to the political structure of Australia?

It is because of their nationalism. Nationalism opposes Globalism, and the New World Order needs to stomp on people who believe in Nationalism.

Once you understand the

Hegelian dialectic

you will know that the NWO controls the Australian Labour Party & Australian Liberal Party. They pretend to give 2 different opionions so the masses think they have a choice and have freedom. People generally think of good and bad so they think they are actually choosing what they want. What they don't realise is that the Australian Labor and Liberal Party, both promote Mass 3rd world immigration into 1st world countries and the exodus of jobs overseas so that all nations will be poor and a communist/capitalist Chinese style World Govt. (UN) can take over. The 2 main parties of Australia are almost identical twins.

Once you realise Tony Abbot and Julia Gillard work for the same team because of the Hegelian Dialect (the NWO aren't stupid, don't under-estimate the cunning sly deviousness of the global elite), you can then understand their collusion on Australia Day 2012. They (Gillard Tony Abbot) might pretend to be enemies in the media but it is obviously fake.

So what is this all about then.

Well it is about the government conspiring and political propagandizing an indigenous minority whilst promoting 3rd world majorities on Australia Day 2012 so they can bring the Global-Chinese model of slavery to the world to serve the Global Elite. Hate Day against the indigenous by our Political Elite on Australia Day.

The next time you buy plastic Chinese junk from the supermarket that might poison your kids with Lead Poison, think---

iPod Nano Bluetooth Watch Review

2011-12-21T19:59:00.001+11:00

As I have mentioned in the last post, I purchased an ipod nano after Steve Jobs death, a sort of commemoration of sorts. I am using the nano for running, as the ipod touch or iphone was too big (even with the arm band) and I also needed a radio. I don't need a GPS when i run, cos i always run the same route. I have already measured the distance with GPS on my iphone; so I can simply input the distance onto my nano.

I have found that if I am walking with the nano, the best way to use the touch screen is to use it as a watch. Using corded headphones with the nano as a watch is very uncomfortable, hence my splurge on the Sennheiser btd300i bluetooth module & iwatch z watch band.

Sennheiser btd300i

The module is bigger than other ipod bluetooth modules you can get, but I was after the bluetooth streaming protocol APT X rather than A2DP (being the audiophile I am).

THE GEAR

I have 2 pairs of headphones I can use with the nano & btd300i. The first is the "closed" Sennheiser 210BT that uses the APT X protocol. (There are only 2 models available with APTX; the PX210BT & PX310BT headphones. The PX310BT are larger over the ear headphones, but I wanted something a little lighter for mobility).

I also have the mm100 open neck headphones (I use these with the iphone so I can answer calls, plus they are good when I ride the bike, but not so good when I am lying down! These dont use APT X)

The Sennheiser MM100 (Don't let the cheap look fool you!)

IMPRESSIONS

The sound is fantastic, you have to use EQ as the PX210BT is midrangey. I find electronic or rock preset is the best. I am surprised how good it sounds, it is indistinguishable from using a cord. The other thing I like about the PX210BT is that you can also use a cord & easily attach and detach the cord, so if you break it, you can easily replace it (something I would do a lot with the PX100). The mm100 also sounds very good and it is surprising how it sounds better than using bluetooth from an iphone or the mac!

DISAPPOINTMENTS

Unfortunately there are a few things I am disappointed with. First off, the PX210 BT aren't loud enough, I suppose it is good for your hearing, but I would like to turn it up to really rock out.

Second thing is on a windy day there are drop outs, it really should be smooth all the time.

Thirdly, the btd300i chews battery, I only get an hour using the nano, as compared with 8 hours using buds!

Lastly, I wish the ipod nano could listen to the radio without having to plug in corded headphones.

WRAP UP

It really is enjoyable to walk around with a nano watch and listen to my favorite podcast by Tiesto and see the song pic change on the screen of a watch! It really is the future, an iphone this small would be great with mm400 headphones! Do we really need to have an iphone when we walk around or ride a bike. I can understand you need an iphone in the car or when you go out, but on most occasions I dont need to surf a website when away from my PC. Perhaps with Siri we won't even need to that so often and a watch phone could be enough. I can also imagine a bluetooth camera/video clip that could communicate with your watch phone!

The whole computing experience is certainly changing. Next blog I will talk about the irig mic and the vocalive software you use it with on an ipod/iphone/ipad. A recording studio in a phone!

2011-11-25T17:43:00.001+11:00

Summer TECH Update

It has a been a while since my latest blog as I have been busy studying Cisco Certs and MS MCITP Certs (lookout Windows Server 8) for the new year and have been busy with my profession in IT. Recently I have been testing an ipad 2 and have enjoyed the experience but have not seen it as worthwhile investing in personally. I found the ipad2 a little bulky and also not too easy to watch movies in bed, something that I can do more comfortably and easily with my netbook using VLC. I would also like a higher resolution screen and I miss having usb ports to add devices such as a Roland Quad Capture'or TV Tuner etc. ***Instead I purchased an ipod nano for my running! ***

IPOD NANO WATCH (With BT?)

I have found the ipod nano watch to be annoying with cabled headphones so I have purchased a Sennheiser bluetooth adapter. More on this next blog because the sound is amazingly audiophile from this thing! The only problem is I can't get the radio with bluetooth headphones.

EBOOK READERS

I do a lot of reading in PDF's and want to read outside so I wanna use e-ink tech rather than the TFT tech in an ipad.This leads me to ereaders and I have researched them thoroughly but just don't see it being right for me at the moment. Amazon's can't do pdf reflow and the Sony TRS seems to have a slow processor. Kobo might be a possibility but am not sure of the PDF reflow capabilites. I will put this on hold.

MAC OS X LION (The Vista of Mac OS X?)

Now I am a full time Mac user again and am quite enjoying Lion; 8GB certainly helps with any sluggishness. I would like to use 16GB of ram but the cost is $600 as compared to $80 for 8GB so this is also on hold. I am currently using Oracle's Virtual Box to run Windows and I love seamless mode, I can have windows and Mac running in the same screen! I am having some crashes and problems here and there which is unusual for Mac OS X (More on this later). As I use Adobe CS 5.5 there have been some extra issues with Mac OS X Lion. I have had to unhide the user preferences which is annoyingly hidden within Lion and have needed to adjust this with frequent problems with Adobe Audition.

These links will help you if you are having any problems with Adobe Audition or any other Adobe Apps and Mac OS X lion.

http://www.jasonchen.org/log/2011/07/unhide-library-foldermac-osx-lion/

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/883608#3828648

AUDIO RECORDING

I have also been back into recording and recently got an irig mic for the ipod touch and vocalive. I have also got myself a Roland quad capture. More from me soon about these amazing devices.

Latest Tech Thoughts Spring 2011

2011-09-11T14:12:00.002+10:00

Tech Thoughts Spring 2011 (Australia)

It has been a whilst since my last blog and I have been patiently waiting for IOS 5 and the new ipods/iphone. I have also been thinking about getting a Garmin GPS watch and an Apple Time Capsule. I have always been interested in digital devices rather than having computers. This is what I believe is part of Apple’s recent success, keeping an OS (IOS) more streamlined and simple, so that it works like a fast responsive machine that turns on instantly; rather than sluggish error prone computers, we have all become used to.

GARMIN WATCH GPS FOR RUNNING

This is a hard decision as Garmin GPS watches are awesome but quite expensive, depending on the model. I am currently using an ipod touch when running but this is such a bulky solution. For music I can use my ipod shuffle when running with a Garmin watch (but I will miss out on the Nike coach when I reach personal targets!!!!). The other bonus is I can use it whilst riding as well; unlike the pedometer with the nano.

The questions are, is it worth getting a heart monitor and would it be better to wait for an ipod nano with this feature with GPS?. Will this ever happen on a Nano and if so how many years will it take?

APPLE TIME CAPSULE

The Time Capsule is tempting but I wish i could put my itunes library on there and play it directly to my ipod. That way I don’t have to have my laptop on to stream music to my airport express. The other issue is getting 5 ghz performance. This still isn’t available on portable devices such as ipods and netbooks. If I would get an 5ghz adapter for my netbook it would be expensive and bulky.

HD AUDIO

HD Audio is finally getting decent albums available on the web (rather than a whole lot of unheard jazz & classical artists!!!). I have finally bought my first album that is @ 24 bit 96k (Foreigner 4 from 1981). Disappointingly my 3 year old Dell laptop does not support this format over hdmi but my little Acer netbook with the AMD Fusion APU (that has a Radeon 6250) can support HD Audio over HDMI. I need this so I can use the hdmi output to a converter; spdif for my headphone amp or Roland M15a speakers.

***BTW Foreigner 4 sounds fantastic in HD Audio***

My Apple Airport or ipod/iphone does not support the format as they are only 16 bit 44k and these are all the problems you can encounter when upgrading to HD Audio.

The format certainly has more depth, spatiality & dynamics but can sound a little thin at times. I think thinness is just part of the digital format. With HD Audio I can no longer hear a telephone ringing in the background which is what seems to happen a lot with the red-book 16 bit 44k standard (although a decent DAC can help with this). HD audio also sounds live and full of musicality as compared with plain old 16 bit 44k.

BLURAY ON A NETBOOK

I am quite impressed that my little netbook Acer Aspire 522 can play blurays at 1080p. I wish the bluray standard could be standard in windows 7 as the Cyberlink power dvd app (which is the only app that works) is quite expensive.

NETBOOKS aren't Trendy Anymore

2011-07-11T19:47:00.006+10:00

So I have decided to get a netbook. Even though tablets are all the rage at the moment (such as the ipad), there are features in netbooks that aren't available with these devices such as VLC, hard drives & peripherals (such as a tv tuner). Also if I am lying in bed I don't want to be holding an ipad up. I have an ipod touch for quick stuff, such as checking email in bed or footy scores.

My netbook is a secondary laptop so I haven't got the mindset that I will be transcoding video and loading heaps of apps on it. I can use the dvd player from my other laptop, so a lot of these shortcomings aren't important. The DVD adds bulk and I want something light that I can take with me in ease. I will not even install Word on my netbook because Wordpad is fine. I will install the bare minimum as I want convenience. If I need to spell check, I can open the word web app or Word on my 15" laptop at home.I dont need to do editing on the road, I will leave that for a more powerful laptop or PC at home.

I also want something to quickly whip from under the bed and watch movies. A bulky 15" laptop doesn't do this, and I use my 15" laptop as a more permanent setup at home connected to an external monitor, 1.5TB hard drive etc.

I wanted the Atom Fusion APU for the impressive WEI 5 Graphics performance so the choice was between the Toshiba NB550d and the Acer Aspire 522. The Acer has a better screen res but no bluetooth. Toshiba has nice harmon kardon speakers, but to be honest I use headphones on the road and connect via my airport express at home, so laptop speakers aren't that important for me. What concerned me about the Toshiba was the screen res as it couldnt play 720p and also the inability to change hard drives as it was custom.

So even though the Toshiba NB550 looked nicer and had Wake On Lan and Bluetooth, the screen resoloution to me was more important. Also the battery life is better with the Acer and it comes with a nice case. I am disappointed the Acer didn't come with bluetooth & WOL but I can live without it. I did have visions of putting a 750g, 7400rpm hard drive into my netbook, and using my ipod touch to send magic packets to turn it on in the middle of the night. But you couldnt do that with the Toshy anyway as the hard drive is to small for all my music & custom sized that makes it difficult to change.

If I do listen to music with my MM100 Bluetooth Sennheiser headphones it will come from my iphone (it wont work with the Acer), at home I can use my more serious Sennheiser HD650 with the Airport Express.

So it is the Acer. I was very impressed with the performance even with only 1 gig of ram. The next day I put 4 gigs of ram in and Windows 7 Pro. Putting in ram wasn't as easy as it used to be, having to remove the keyboard and a whole heap of screws.

2 or 4 gigs certainly makes a difference. With 1 gig there were plenty of blue circles and pausing etc. Whilst watching Inception as a stream, there were moments of freezing etc. But once I had 4 gigs of ram streamed movies played seamlessly. I have been watching dvd's in bed, using VLC and accessing a wifi n network from my laptop in the room next door. I installed Airfoil and I can now stream the audio from my netbook to my airport express that is connected digitally to a DAC that is then connected to my yamaha 2.1 speakers.

You have to synchronise VLC so the audio matches the video. It is usually around 2 seconds, varies and can drift. But it is oh so worth it as there are no cables connected to the netbook when you watch a movie, and you get the full surround sound experience.It is killer. The screen is fantastic for watching movies. Even though it is only 10", the lightness of the netbook makes up for it, because a 15" laptop can be heavy whilst lying in bed . I hired Surrogates with Bruce Willis for $3 at the oovie vending machine at Safeway. I couldnt find it on bluray so had to settle with DVD. I chucked it into my other 15" laptop and ensured I shared the dvd drive. I simply opened the dvd from vlc over the wifi network. I then opened airfoil so I could stream the audio and used A/V sync in VLC with the airport express.

There are occasional stutters whilst watching the movie which I will outline below.
For some reason I can only get a 65MBS connection on my wifi n network with the Acer whereas with my Dell 15" I am getting 72MBS. The reason why it is half speed is that I run the n network on 2.4g so I can use the ipod touch with the Aiport Express. It comes in handy with the ipod touch as I can use airplay from it (particularly late at night). With 5 ghz I have a feeling I will get better performance. The network is only running at 20% but latency is the most important issue here. There is more interference with 2.4ghz and this might be affecting the streaming. I could copy over the DVD from the network to my Acer and then delete it after watching but that would be a pain. The other option I am considering is getting a SSD. This will help with performance boosting the HD WEI from 5.9 to 7.7. It would also help with the portability aspect. I dont know if I need 250 gigs, but I am thinking of using the Acer to record tv so am still unsure about getting a SSD It is a considerable expense that increases the price of the netbook.

I just checked the battery, I have used the laptop from 100% when I started writing this article. It is at 9 hours 22 minutes. The battery life is amazing. This is another reason why I prefer the Acer to the Toshiba.
The keyboard is a little cramped and I occasionally hit the up arrow on the track pad which can be annoying, but overall considering the size it does the job.

Singstar, Apple WWDC

2011-06-05T21:52:00.007+10:00

Singstar

A bit late to the game but I have recently purchased Singstar for the PS3 and the mics. Although I have had some fun, there are a few major flaws that upset the playing experience.

1. Latency issues. The game does not give accurate-enough latency times. You can only choose 10ms blocks and you really need to have more granular settings as the Audio & Video sync is somewhere inbetween 0-10ms for me.

2. Scoring. The singing steps ruins the singing experience. The notes you have to sing are far too long, longer than what is required to sing which ruins the fun and naturalness of the vocal performance. Quite often I am hanging onto notes and getting out of breath to get a good scoring performance. The other problem is that it doesn't always detect the right note, especially if it is a low note or a fast word. Sometimes the notes for scoring are a wrong note or the parts change singers without time to breathe and if you sing a different in-tune note because you might not have the vocal range, or for breathing, you are penalised. You are also penalised if you don't sing the note flat, no embellishments are allowed, even if the original track has it!!!!!!. There should be an abililty to adjust the steps and duration for the singing-scoring and then people could agree to the scoring system for the song online with the club feature.

Apple WWDC

I am so excited, we have heard all the Windows 8 stuff at D9 and Asus at Computex, but every1 is waiting for Apple.

I want to purchase a Time Capsule and Macbook Air, but have been waiting as new models are imminent.

The rumours of the Time Capsule sound amazing too, I want to be able to stream music to my ipod without having my computer on and the rumours I have heard, sound like that the Time Capsule will be able to do this. With an A5 processor, the Time Capsule should have plenty of power as a wireless Itunes Server. The other great news is that Wireless Sync might finally come of age with IOS 5.

I have wanted to get a Macbook Air but the 3 year old C2D has made me wait....If the Time Capsule has an Itunes Server, the 64 GB MBA model should be fine, as I have 400 gigs of music that can go on the capsule (which I don't need on the road).

iCloud doens't really interest me. I use Tune In for music which is already a cloud service for music anyway. I am not going to put 400GB of music in the cloud. This cloud stuff is a big Hype. I already use the cloud for podcasts, tune in music etc.

Will we get true multi-tasking in IOS5. I doubt it!!!!

Cheap Bedroom Audiophiling, Wireless & Bluetooth Audio Streaming, How to listen to AFL live Radio on your IOS device for $1.19 at home,Multiple Speakers, streaming dvd's to IOS, Netbooks & other tech

2011-05-23T21:36:00.018+10:00

AUDIO PLEASURES

I have really been impressed with my DAC (Firestone Libby) lately. I have resurrected my trusty 10 year old Yamaha YST MS30 2.1 bose-copy speakers for the bedroom. They are connected via my Firestone Libby headphone DAC and Airport Express via an optical cable. The Sub is under the bed and the tiny satellite speakers are on either side. The speakers are very non-obtrusive & almost invisible which is what I am after, yet they are quite powerful. They are loud enough for what I want (30W RMS), as I don't want to have music too loud, while I am falling asleep or listening to podcasts and football. Listening to Tiesto late at night with a SUB pumping under the bed and a spatial sounding DAC is mesmerising & DAC-Magical, even from these cheap speakers (it is nice to get a even sound from single speakers, Yamaha always give a good sound even if they are cheap, they have some great active crossover circuitry as well as excellent stereo imaging). The other enjoyable activity is playing Infinity Blade in bed and having the game-music & fx stream out using airplay, so I dont have any cables connected to my ipod touch 4G. Cables are major suckage when playing games on the ipod touch 4g in bed!!!!The sound is not interrupted whilst playing Infinity Blade, unlike the blue-tooth connection (but more from that later). Infinity Blade's soundtrack & FX does sound amazing BTW!

Ugly but cheap, practical, decent sounding & affordable--the Yamaha YST MS30

I am impressed with the spatial imaging and fullness of sound from the Firestone Libby DAC. The vocals really cut through clearly and there is plenty of room in the high end, so that I am perfectly happy with a flat EQ. Mid Range is sweet too with clear definition between instruments and an excellent reverberation trail. In fact I think the DAC is more important than spending $400 more on speakers and then using the crappy onboard DAC of either the ipod touch or Airport Express. All my complaints of a harsh static digital sound seem to go way with a good DAC. I always want to turn treble up using cheap dacs because they lack detail, and even then they need treble because cheap DACS have poor output stages. The only problem with the Libby is an audible 60hz hum, but it is only heard when there is no sound.

MULTIPLE SPEAKERS IN ITUNES

Because I have a separate wi-fi n network for audio than my internet, I don't get drop outs and I am able to use the multiple speaker option in itunes without any delay (for two sets of speakers). It sounds fantastic. I have tried setting up 3 sets of multiple speakers with an Apple TV, but there was a noticeable delay on the Apple TV which was the furthest away (possible 50-100ms but I haven't measured it), maybe a wifi N 5ghz would fix this, but as I use 2.4ghz N to be compatible with the ipod/iphone, I haven't really got a need. It would be nice to have an adjustable time difference between multi-sets of speakers, so hopefully the next version of itunes will have it. If the ipod touch/iphone could have a dual wifi chip @ 2.4 & 5 ghz then you could have a sonos type setup with adjustable time settings on each speaker as well.

Bluetooth Streaming Audio

Sometimes I have a need to use bluetooth with my speakers in the bedroom, when I want to save power from my airport express or save time from waiting for it to boot. Also sometimes I want to download something from the internet to the ipod and I want to listen to tune-in on my ipod touch 4G at the same time, when I can't access itunes via IOS remote to my laptop to my airport express (which is what I usually do).

So I decided to buy a Belkin bluetooth receiver but it sounds so crappy, that I really only use it for podcasts. I tried playing infinity blade but the sound would cut out all the time, and music sounds like a fish underwater or a bad skype call. My Sennheiser MM100 bluetooth headphones sound awesome and Bluetooth is acceptable in the car so I know it isnt the bluetooth format. Considering it cost just under half of a refurbished airport express it is a rip off. I have my doubts over Belkin as it markets itself as a premium brand, but is usually really cheap & crappy with a nice design & package. I often have a lot of cognitive dissonance with the brand.

The non-impressive Belkin B/T Receiver

Netbooks & WOL (Wake On Lan)

Sometimes I want to use a little laptop in bed rather than my ipod touch 4G and I don't want an ipad. I also want to have WOL so I can turn my laptop on from my ipod touch (using remote desktop & magic packets) in bed and stream music through to my airport express, as 750 gig of music won't fit on an "i device."

I have been looking at the Toshiba nb550d as it has WOL and features the new impressive AMD Fusion chip.

Unfortunately with netbooks, they only come with 1gig of ram, and by the time you upgrade the ram, HD and the version of windows, you might as well get a full functioning and more powerful laptop for a similar price. The Sony Vaio YB has the more impressive ZacateAMD fusion, which gives it more grunt than the Atom dual core for CPU intensive tasks (kills it of course in graphics). The other bonus with Sony is that it comes with 2 gigs of ram and full windows. So by the time you spec out the Toshiba it will not be much cheaper than the Sony which is a far better laptop!!!! Also the Toshy has poor battery life and I would like to have a MacBook Air type of battery length, so I can stream music at length whilst the netbook is in its laptop bag (that i havent taken out of!!).

The problem with the netbook market is that they are underpowered with Windows 7. Windows 7 is best with at least 4 gigs of ram. 1 gig doesn't cut it and Windows 7 starter is crippled. Netbooks should come with 2 gigs of ram and I think with the coming Intel Atom "Cedar Trail" it will be on its way.

So at the moment netbooks are best to be avoided. I really wanted a cheap laptop for $250 & 2 gigs of ram with WOL and none at the price even have WOL. You have to start spending the price of a cheap 15" laptop which is far more powerful. I am considering a Macbook Air, might as well get a good performing laptop with a good screen and battery life.

The Magically magic netbook MBA or Mac Book Air

MUST HAVE APP FOR IOS

Australian Rules Football has a live football radio stream on its website www.afl.com.au Unfortunately for IOS devices they have disabled their internet radio station so I can't listen to it with Tune-In. As there is no Adobe flash for IOS unless you jailbreak it, I have been unable to listen to live AFL radio. But I have discovered an app called Splash Top Remote that is completely awesome and only $1.19. It is the best Remote Desktop App going around for IOS.

http://www.splashtop.com/remote

It will stream whatever is on your laptop to your IOS device including sound. I have even been able to watch my DVD collection from VLC streamed over it. Now I can listen to live AFL without having to pay a fortune buying the IOS AFL app with a huge monthly prescription!!!!

Headphones Sennheiser HD 598

2011-05-10T20:31:00.005+10:00

It seems like these days I have become a Sennheiser & Apple fanboy to a high degree :-)

I really have a liking to these headphones...HD 598

The Senn 5XX have always had a reputation of being bland and boring and my HD555 certainly have that look. But the tacky look of the HD598 really appeals to me ;-)

The Boring & Bland HD555

The posts I have been reading about the HD 598 are by in large very positive. But as I recently purchased a set of HD 650 I will not tempt myself to listen to the HD598. In fact as a result I have been listening to my HD 555 again and they are great value fones. I have been enjoying the lightness and comfortability of the phones and the single cord. A great new feature of the 518/558/598 series is that you can replace the cord with something shorter for more portable listening. The HD650 are heavy & sacrifice some speed for that extra bass & detail. I have heard the HD 598 have a great soundstage. Recently I have just been using a set of Yamaha YST M8 for my headphone amp and it is surprisingly quite good (although lacks bass of a dedicated headphone amp). So I am entering a new phase of thought on headphone amping.

Creative Zen m300 ipod nano copy

2011-05-10T20:19:00.000+10:00

If you can't wait until September for the new ipod nano or have a feeling they won't introduce bluetooth with the next generation, there is the recently announced Creative Zen m300 coming in June that features bluetooth 2.1 EDR.

I have recently become a convert to bluetooth with the Sennheiser mm100 that I use with my iphone and my espow watch phone. Bluetooth has finally come of age and with the popularity of podcasts such as Tiesto's club life and A State of Trance, the difference between bluetooth and cable is minimal, particularly in mobile contexts. I prefer the convenience of not having cables and I particularly enjoy the Sennheiser mm100 whilst riding my bike (this is the only neck bluetooth headphone I am aware of and therefore fits well with a bike helmet). My watch phone has bluetooth, but unfortunately has dropouts which does not occur from my ipod touch/iphone. The ipod touch or iphone is too large for bike riding and running and I am looking for something smaller hence an ipod nano with bluetooth. I have been using nike + lately but maybe it is a gimmick as it is quite inaccurate, particularly if you change your speed of running, so that feature perhaps is not so important as being built in (like it is with the ipod touch).

The problem with the Zen is lack of use with my existing itunes library. This is where Apple is quite smart by locking you into their ecosystem as I like to keep all my podcasts synced, as I listen to them across multiple devices.

Lack of Innovation

2011-04-25T10:57:00.000+10:00

I am not the only one to say this but there appears to be a lack of innovation in the consumer IT industry at the moment. I am surprised there isn't a PS4 or XBOX 720 being released soon. The PS2 was released six years after the original Playstation and yet they are announcing a 10 year cycle for the next generation. Where is the Sega Dreamcast when you need it!!! No-one is able to compete with Apple in the itunes, ipod & ipad space, yet these products could be improved upon.

There are too many me-toos companies, spending their time waiting for what apple does and then copying them. *note Samsung Lawsuit*

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/04/24/apple_looks_in_better_shape_than_it_is/

There are moves from Microsoft http://www.itproportal.com/2011/04/24/windows-phone-os-75-update-mango/

but they are taking a long time.

Helldesk

2011-04-19T16:03:00.006+10:00

Well I have been in & out of Helldesk jobs for the past few years and they have been tough. It is not that I am incapable of the work, it has been the behaviour of the people in the workplace that has been the stumbling block.

I feel emotionally drained and exhausted. Having recently come down with a MRSA I picked up working at schools I am now suffering a chronic illness. It just seems that everything has gone wrong. No matter how positive I try to be it just seems I am going thru ever more difficult stages.

Just seems like my life is a whole lot of fits & starts that go nowhere. All the things I ever wanted to do, I never got the chance to do. Everything just seems like a lot of random events that have no meaning or purpose. It is not like I have had a bad accident or cancer but just a whole lot of negative events happening silently in the background.

I have been reading motivational sites but they don't explain why accidents happen or chronic illnesses. Also there are 3 million people a day that earn less than $2 so there a lot of people with bad luck. I guess our society only focuses on the winners, who remembers who came 3rd or 4th in the 100 metres?

It is a fine balance on blaming your circumstances or blaming yourself. My mind has been going through all the circumstances and they have been quite tough. Not much room for error, and constantly at the mercy of those who really should not have any authority.

It makes me really understand that the current established society is no good. There is no justice and the policies are increasingly atrocious. As a result authors/personalities such as Alex Jones, David Icke, Zecharia Sitchin really have had my interest over the past few years; as there alternate versions of reality suit my predicament of a reality that has been sour at the behest of the merciless.

I guess that most people get caught up with their life & reality that they really don't think that it could be different or any better.

One of the errors of our society is the pressure of growth. Why is growth growth growth so important. Too much growth causes overcrowding and a burden of work, it depletes its surroundings. Balance is the key.

When you first look at a big city, the huge skyscrapers make an impression. But the deeper you look, the dome of pollution and the foul rivers of the city, gives you the true aspect of the death & destruction our modern societies cause.

.

Disintegration Review (Audiophile & Musician's Perspective)

2011-04-13T18:15:00.054+10:00

This was the first Cure album I bought at the time of its release in 1989.

It was a very successfully marketed product having an award winning film clip for Lullaby and The Cure also releasing for the first time, separate introductory singles (Lullaby & Fascination St.) in the UK & US. The Cure here desperately trying to catch the US market. But it wasn't until Lovesong was released as the third single, that the Cure had their first & most successful US hit, reaching #2 in the billboard hot 100.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lovesong_(The_Cure_song)

The Cure's marketing team worked into overdrive with this release, releasing a picture disc of the album, 2 Lullaby 12", many 7" & 12" of Pictures Of You with different covers and also releasing the Lovebox, featuring a tartan print and Lovesong 7" in a box (I used to own them all). This was right at the end of the Vinyl heyday!

I have not listened to Disintegration for a long time, in fact I didn't even own a digital copy as I had copies on tape & vinyl. After revisiting the album I have to say that this is The Cure's Magnum Opus. Even though I am a fan of their earliest work, there are some important key elements that make this album their best.

When I was a teenager I played electric bass, part of the attraction of the Cure for me was Michael Dempsey's Bass work on their first album Three Imaginary Boys released in 1979. Matthew was renowned for playing bass solo's and part of the Cure's early charm was that the electric bass played an important melodic and atmospheric role. 10:15 Saturday night released in 1978 (the B side of their first single), highlights this the most from their debut Album.

The Cure at the Reading Rock Festival in 1979 where they played with bands such as The Police, & Motorhead.

http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/reading-79.html
http://www.cureconnections.com/cure-chat/2065-reading-festival-24-august-1979-20-pictures.html

A review of The Cure in 1978 at the Hope & Anchor

http://www.picturesofyou.us/78/79-1-uk-nme%2012-78-%20hopeandanchor%20review.htm

A Bass forum talking about Mick Dempsey's Bass
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/new-bass-im-guild-heaven-80303/

When Simon Gallup on Bass joined in 1980 (more of a punk rocker than funkster such as Dempsey), the importance of Electric Bass stayed. The Bass Guitar might have changed from a Guild B301 to a Fender Precision Bass (more of a fit with Robert's Fender Jaguar!!!), but the Bass Solo remained in the 1980 release 17 Seconds, featuring on the track At Night.

Simon's black Fender also featured in important melodic hooks such as the track Secrets. But it was the bassline for A Forest that stood out, which has since become a Cure trademark.

The Bass guitar was an important instrument for The Cure. In fact the single Primary released in 1981 featured no guitars, with Rob Smith playing a black Fender Precision Bass as well as Simon Gallup. This can also be seen in their video on Countdown in Australia and Top of the Pops in the UK.

Why all of this talk with Electric Bass and early The Cure albums when reviewing Disintegration?

Because of this:

Fender Bass VI

Robert Smith playing his Fender Bass VI September 4th 1989

You first hear it @ 1:28 during the first track Plainsong.

As taken from wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Bass_VI

"The Fender Bass VI, originally known as the Fender VI, is a six-string electric bass or Scale Baritone Guitar by Fender.

The Fender VI was released in 1961, and followed the concept of the Danelectro 6-string bass released in 1956, having six strings tuned E-E, an octavebelow the Spanish guitar. Its other ancestor was the Fender Jazzmaster, with which it shared many styling and technical details. Its body and electronics so closely matched those of the Fender Jaguar, released the following year, that in all but name the Fender VI was a precursor to that model.

It departed from the concept of the Fender Precision Bass not only in having six strings, but also in having a shorter scale and thinner strings."

Notice that Robert Smith used a Fender Jaguar and Simon Gallup used a Fender Precision Bass during the first albums of the band.

The Fender Bass VI is used to great effect in Disintegration. As mentioned
http://theband.hiof.no/articles/fender_bass_vi.html, the baritone guitar tone gives a melancholic spooky sound when used as a lead guitar, that helps enforce the atmosphere of the album. The Fender Bass VI is the icing on the cake that gives the album that famous "Cure Atmospheric & Melancholic Sound."

It just isn't the atmosphere and sound that is important but the vocals and lyrics. Robert Smith is at his best here, from the classic scary goth single Lullaby to the curious/dark side of human nature with Fascination St, the mellow meloncholic Homesick or the ultra-emotional Prayers For Rain. I also suggest reading reviews elsewhere about this album (I particularly like Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic review who called it the "culmination of all the musical directions the Cure were pursuing over the course of the '80s." Other reviews will go into more general detail about the album, but my focus will be more from a musician & audiophile perspective.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/jqrj

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14288-disintegration-deluxe-edition/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disintegration_(The_Cure_album)

http://www.allmusic.com/album/disintegration-r4933

Roger O'Donnell on keyboards adds an important dimension to the album that had been missing since the 1980 release Seventeen Seconds. Thankfully there he doesn't use Synths with digital sampling too much as the early digital sampling synths sound quite awful.

Instruments used on the album

http://www.impressionofsounds.com/equipment.html

1989

Robert Smith :National Val Pro 88 guitar
Ovation Custom Legend 12-string acoustic guitar
Dubreuille R.Smith Signature model (US tour only)
Fender Bass VI (black, previously white)
Boss pedals

Porl Thompson :
Gibson ES-175 Bigsby modified
Gibson ES-345 guitar
Coral sitar

Simon Gallup :
Washburn semi-acoustic custom bass
Musicman StingRay bass

Roger O'Donnell :
Roland JX-8P synth
Korg M1 synth
Fast Forward Designs MIDI Step pedals
Oberheim sample player

The intentional lo-fi nature of the mix gives the instant melancholy in your face feel.

*****STILL WORKING ON IT*****

Thunderbolt & Cable Clutter

2011-04-13T17:09:00.004+10:00

I am not sure what the benefit of thunderbolt is if you need this:

http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/11/04/12/intel_to_release_thunderbolt_developer_kit_this_quarter.html

Having a breakoutbox will still cause a bit of a mess, the ideal solution will be having thunderbolt ports on every device such as Monitor, Hard Drive, Dac etc. It has become ridiculous having three monitor standards such as HDMI, DVI and Display Port.

I am currently enjoying a bluetooth mouse, but no bluetooth keyboard as it was too expensive, anything with Bluetooth adds such a huge cost to a device.

I think having a really fast wifi for a hard drive would be better than using thunderbolt. Also if the iphone & ipod touch could sync over wifi, that would also reduce the cable clutter.

The Dev Dilemna

2011-04-13T12:45:00.005+10:00

Things are hotting up in consumer IT. Converging, diverging; it is all happening with tablets, HTPC's & smartphones driving the market.

Dev's have a wide plethora of software building to choose from:

APPLE IOS
ANDROID
VB.NET, SILVERLIGHT
HP PALM WEB OS
ADOBE FLASH, ADOBE AIR
HTML 5, CSS, JAVASCRIPT,PHP, PERL
JAVA
C++

Which platform should an upcoming Dev write for?

Recently I have worked for software development companies, one using ADOBE AIR and the other VB.NET. Both companies have been caught out with the Apple iPad and subsequently both companies have been unable to use their programs on that device.

Microsoft is rushing out to support the rapid growth of ARM based microprocessors as found in all iphones & ipads; with the up-coming Windows 8. Microsoft is also releasing IE 10 as fast as they can adding new web standards to compete with IOS and Google's Android/Chrome platform.

http://blogs.computerworld.com/18121/ie10_preview_download_now_beta_release_date_september

Will Microsoft provide the all in one solution??

Adobe Flash & Steve Jobs don't get along. Their heated dispute (over the fact that Apple IOS doesn't support it) has been well known throughout the media over the past year or so. Will Adobe be able to unify the web with Adobe Air?

There are many streams and pathways that an upcoming Dev can choose, but a Dev wants the ability to write software once, that will appear on a multitude of devices, with it being tailor-made for the device.

Josh Topolsky wrote on the 26th May 2010 for Engadget about the continuous client model.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/26/a-modest-proposal-the-continuous-client/

A continuous client experience will also be important for consumers. Apple Airplay is heading to this direction. But HP WEB OS is the only company making strides here, so that if for example you are watching a video on a device, you can move to another device and continue from there in a seamless way.

There are many streams a Dev can choose. At the minute Apple is leading the way with IOS but has the "walled garden" approach. Microsoft is lagging behind with its poor sales & adoption of Windows Mobile Phone 7 & Google Android is too fragmented. Adobe is also in an interesting position.

Web Development has been caught out with IOS, as the App store from Apple has taken away time from visiting Web sites, but will it make a return with HTML 5 and upcoming Web standards?

A Dev's Dilemna...

Techno-Utopia

2011-04-11T23:38:00.002+10:00

Whatever has happened to Techno-Utopia---

It hasn't come. Gridlock! Standstill!

I guess I have been wanting extra freedom and prosperity all my life, but it just hasn't come my way. I know I am not alone here.

Our business leaders and government leaders have led us astray. We live in an ever increasing violent, polluted & densely overpopulated urban mega-mega-lopolis. There has been no method to growth and as a result we are wasting our technological advancement.

If our leaders spent our energy wealth on exploring the heavens we might have resources elsewhere in the solar system. Instead we are increasingly spending more time with violent conflicts & increasing poverty.

It makes you wonder if all the technological advancement has been worth it all. Has it really improved life if it is causing more wars and poverty.

Stephen Hawking warned us in 2006

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6158855.stm

The Cloud

2011-04-07T19:13:00.000+10:00

Nothing has caused as much hyperbole as "The Cloud". But it is here. There isn't much to it. All it means is that data-centers are storing information that you need, rather than on your own Personal Device (ie. PC).

In a way it is a return to the old Mainframe/Terminal days=DataCentre/Personal Device.

My fav cloud App is Tune-In on the iphone. With this app I can listen to all the radio & internet stations around the world and record it if I want to. There is stuttering and the sound quality isn't as good as CD, but hey what a choice I have. Perhaps it truly isn't a cloud product but it is pretty close.

http://tunein.com/

Engadget

2011-04-07T18:46:00.008+10:00

I have been a huge fan of Engadget. http://www.engadget.com/

I have followed all the leading tech sites from cnet, gizmodo, revision3, Twit; but nothing is as entertaining and informative as Engadget has been.

But it is not just their posts that has made me a fan, but the Engadget Show & Podcasts with Josh Topolsky, Nilay Patel & Future Paul. The 3 really work well together, and they provide great humour and honest tech-journalism. Josh's insight into the tech industry; really points the way, with the direction that the industry needs to go.

Every week I couldn't wait to download their podcast.

But don't listen to me, go ahead & download their TV show now.....

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-engadget-show/id333047486

The three have left Engadget and their dispute with AOL has been much publicized over the internet.

I follow their new move to SB Media with interest and hope they will continue to podcast and broadcast their TV show in the same-way---

Read about it here:

http://joshuatopolsky.com/

Apple AV HDMI adapter

2011-04-07T12:23:00.003+10:00

I had to get one. Expensive at AU $40 but I have my needs.

Apple is simply the best consumer/digital company as far as music goes. I can now get digital audio out of my ipod touch 4g without needing to modify it. Using the HDMI from my ipod touch I can send audio thru my digitech 4 PORT hdmi with digital coax/optical toslink. Admittedly this is an expensive solution to get digital audio out, but hey audiophiles have no qualms about getting the best audio they can. Still $120 for the HDMI converter and $40 for the adapter is more than an Apple TV, which could do the same thing, but the audiophile purist demands as little jitter as possible, and a wifi connection just simply doesn't cut it.

It is disappointing that the video doesnt work properly thru the adapter, when using the Digitech 4 port HDMI. Apple doesn't support HDMI switchers/converters with the A/V adapter so I was a bit unhappy as my laptop and PS3 have no problem with the Digitech 4 port HDMI. The adapter does work plugging directly in to my monitor via DVI or the Samsung TV's I have tried.

I hope the next update can rectify this problem with HDMI switchers compatibility. For $40 Apple certainly is cashing in with the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ for a product that can't be fully utilised. The adapter is quite bulky too, so will be interesting to see if Apple will have a mini hdmi connector in future. As good as Apple is with music it can do better or I will move to a competitor that does it better.

What I Want?

Lossless Audio & HD audio from the itunes store with cheaper than CD prices

Dual Wifi cards (2.4ghz & 5ghz on the ipod/iphone (1 for internet and the other for streaming)

Adjustable video/audio sync like in VLC

ipod touch nano watch with GPS for jogging and cycling and bluetooth for my Sennhesier mm100

There are opportunities for the competition to better Apple but they keep on coming up with inferior products, which is frustrating as even though I own and am happy with plenty of Apple products, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

the night sky

2011-04-02T13:05:00.002+11:00

when I look out through the night sky, I see the freedom though the heavily polluted air. I know there is life out there enjoying a better world...