Ask Jason Personal Tech

Is Your Name Alan?

2009-10-02T03:13:00.000+01:00

Well its both an amazing fact and a sad one — only 12 humans have ever walked on the moon, or any other body than the Earth before. And all 12 have been American Men. All have been white/Caucasian. The lucky ones have been:
Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Pete Conrad, Alan Bean, Alan Shepard, Edgar Mitchell, David Scott, James Irwin, John W. Young, Charles Duke, Eugene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt

An how weird is it that two are named Alan?

Question: Will Refrigerants Kill the Environment?

2009-10-02T03:09:00.002+01:00

Refrigerants have come under a lot of fire lately -- from full scale fridges to bar faucets cooling fridges, the current popular refrigerant freon is bad for the ozone layer. Although the latest fridges use the safe HFC-134a, there are millions and millions of older models out there which are dangerous with the freon stuff. Have you heard about this potential trouble? If so, leave a comment.

Bye Bye Cars (and Trucks): Vehicles Which Are Going, Going, Gone

2009-10-02T03:08:00.000+01:00

Thanks to CNN Money for listing some future disappearing acts for American cars.
Starting with Chrysler, here are the vehicles which have silently disappeared or fill go away in the coming years. The Chrysler Pacifica crossover, the Dodge Magnum wagon and the PT Cruiser. Add to that the end of the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen.

As far as GM, we see a more wide reaching loss including several key brands:

Hummer - Gone 2010
Saturn - Gone 2011
Saab - Gone 2010

Question: How Will Tech Revolutionalize Insurance?

2009-10-02T03:04:00.003+01:00

It may not be obvious but I see technology revolutionizing the insurance industry in the future. I'm talking about every kind of motor vehicle insurance from car insurance to rv insurance to motorcycle insurance. How? Easy -- on board GPS and other black box like devices will allow insurance companies to know whether the driver drives fast, recklessly, or more than they say they do. Why would anyone agree to this? Lower premiums!

Solar Power Mini Applications

2009-10-02T03:04:00.001+01:00

OK, maybe you can blanket your house or car with enough solar panels to really take care of all your energy needs. The technology really isn’t there yet. But what about instead of this all-at-once solution, we start to see mini-solar power applications. Need an example? Well how about a cover for your cell phone with solar panels? It could charge your phone and keep you from having to plug it in to the grid? And how about jacket with solar film on it which captures power for future use?

Question: Is the Condo Boom Dead?

2009-10-02T03:00:00.004+01:00

Have you seen the glut of condo deals in your local town? I mean, you don't have to live in Miami or Atlanta to see the glut in condos. What is going on? Well its a combination of over building and also the option alternatives, like cheap hotels in Miami. Who is buying a condo these days? Here's the real issue -- when a condo development is only 10% occupied and the recession is on, why would anyone else buy a condo there? The risk is too great that the condo will never be sold out and then your property value is gone.

Gas Prices Go Back up… Buy a Volt!

2009-10-02T03:00:00.001+01:00

Let’s face it — gas prices are going back up. You better get on the waiting list now for a new Chevy Volt. The Chevy Volt is the all new electric car GM is introducing next year. But with the company’s current financial condition, will they pull the plug? I mean, it costs a lot of money to introduce a new product to market and the Volt won’t be cheap. Let’s hope that GM will continue to push the envelope on this one and make the car a reality.

Question: What is Zeno?

2009-10-02T02:57:00.004+01:00

Have you seen this Zeno personal device at the store? Its advertised as the best acne treatment and as the world’s most effective, safe and easy-to-use, over-the-counter blemish device. How does it work? Well it heats up your skin in the area of the blemish for a very brief amount of time, but just long enough to ki8ll all the bacteria causing the blemish. Now that's interesting science -- does it work? If any of you have tried it, please leave a comment below.

What Will Sony Do to Win?

2009-10-02T02:57:00.001+01:00

Did you know that the Sony PlayStation 3 is still selling for a loss. Yes, its true! For every PS3 Sony sells, its actually losing money. According to the Wall Street Journal, it now costs Sony about $448.73 to build a new PS3. That’s more than its $399 selling price. But even crazier is that a few years ago (with the 1st generation model) it cost upwards of $690.23 for each unit. Why would Sony sell PS3s for a loss? Here are some reasons:

It is competing with rich Microsoft (who can afford losses) and cheap Nintendo and needs to be competitive.
Sony makes a profit still on the games, so its a case of the loss leader.
Sony wanted to get the Blu-Ray player popular and include it as built-in functionality.

Question: Do You Have an Exterior TV?

2009-09-30T03:01:00.002+01:00

Do you have a tv outside of your house? I mean, do you have one on your patio or deck or in a screened in room? You'd be surprised how many people who have outdoor living areas install flat screen TVs to watch. It is quite a strange piece of outdoor furniture but a small wall mounted TV could be just the perfect accessory in your outdoor living situation. Just make sure to keep those TVs safe from water -- have them under a cover overhead or in a protective case.

Question: Is the New iPod Shuffle a Dud?

2009-09-30T02:57:00.002+01:00

The iPod Shuffle was first announced on January 11, 2005 with the latest and current third generation model being introduced on March 11, 2009. But is the new Shuffle selling well? It couldn't get much smaller but somehow Apple did it but at a sacrifice of the volume controls. They moved the volume controls to the ear buds until they gave in and added an external adapter so people could use other ear buds. Did you buy a 3rd gen iPod Shuffle? If you did, do you really like it or is it just so?

Question: When Will Apple Open iTunes?

2009-09-30T02:45:00.002+01:00

Not Open the store... they did that years ago. No, open the product for other MP3 players other than the iPod. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to plug-in a non-iPod to your PC and sync it with iTunes? I mean, music to me is like a fat burner -- I listen to it when I run and when I workout. It would be nice to be able to use my other MP3 players to load my MP3s and b able to listen to them more often and in more places.

Question: What is Rotoscoping?

2009-08-15T01:05:00.001+01:00

Rotoscoping is an old animation technique where animators trace over live-action film movement frame by frame and turn it into animated films. Its the technique we all saw in that A-Ha video for Take On Me. Recently it has been used in a little known movie called A Scanner Darkly starring Keanu Reeves. Google this term and check out some cool videos using it.

Question: What is a Razor?

2009-08-15T01:02:00.002+01:00

A Razor scooter is a piece of equipment which came out about a decade ago. Its a compact aluminum Kick scooter made by the RazorUSA, based in Cerritos, California. The razor is popular among college students for cruising around campus and amount beach people around panama city rentals. Why is it so popular? Its light weight and ultra portable, but when you unfold it, you can travel along at speed several times that of walking or even running.

Question: How Much Data is Out There?

2009-08-15T01:00:00.001+01:00

Here are some examples of the use of terabytes to describe data sizes in different fields of technology, science and arts

Library data - The U.S. Library of Congress Web Capture team has claimed that "As of May 2009, the Library has collected almost 100 terabytes of data".
Online data bases - Ancestry.com claims approximately 600 TB of genealogical data with the inclusion of US Census data from 1790 to 1930.
Computer hardware - Hitachi introduced the world's first one terabyte hard disk drive in 2007.
Internet traffic - In 1993, total Internet traffic amounted to approx. 100 TB for the year. As of June 2008^[update], Cisco Systems estimated Internet traffic at 160 TB/s (which assuming to be statistically constant comes to 5 Zettabytes for the year).^[5]
Social networks - As of May 2009, Yahoo! Groups had "40 terabytes of data to index"
Video - Released in 2009, the 3D animated film Monsters vs Aliens used 100 TB of storage during development

Question: Which Vacation Websites Do You Use?

2009-08-10T03:18:00.002+01:00

The Internet can be a very helpful tool when planning just about anything, but when it comes to planning vacation, the Internet can not only save you money but also expand your horizons. For example, I know all about Daytona Beach and Atlanta. I've been there many times and know what there is to do. But where else around me is a good vacation spot? Who knows? This is where city-specific websites provide useful information about vacation spots. From Gatlinburg vacations to St. Louis vacations, there are websites for virtually every major American city which provides local info and deals.

Question: Why Do I Need a PS3 Remote?

2009-07-27T02:15:00.002+01:00

Well if all you want to do is play games on your PS3, then you probably don't have to worry about it. But if you want to watch Blu-Ray movies with the convenience and familiarity OF STANDALONE PLAYERS, then the PS3 remote is your need. Here's the good news, before you go out and buy the official one, you can actually use any Universal Blu-Ray remote to work with the PS3!

Question: Is Gaming Hurting My Health?

2009-07-27T02:12:00.003+01:00

Are you a little worried about the effect on gaming is having on your health. I mean, if you are player 30 hours a week and avoiding exercise, you could be in trouble. Well before you give up and start searching the web for a good life insurance quote, here's some simple advice: Get out more! The gym and the great outdoors can help turn things around. If you are having a little trouble breaking free, take your PSP to the gym with you and play it while you bike 10 miles on the recumbent bike!

Question: Can I Play 7-Players at Once with PS3?

2009-07-27T02:09:00.002+01:00

Sure, online you can play dozens of games with massive multiple. But if you want to do it old school and have all 7 of those people in your living room, then there are only a few games which support it. Here is a partial list:

3 on 3 NHL Arcade (6 players)
All-Pro Football 2K8
Bomberman Ultra
Buzz! Quiz TV (requires 2 dongles for 5-8 players)
FIFA 08, FIFA 09
FIFA Street 3
NBA 2K7, NBA 2K8, NBA 2K9
NHL 08, NHL 09
NHL 2K8, NHL 2K9
PixelJunk Racers
Pro Evolution Soccer 2008, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2008, WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009, WWE Legends of Wrestlemania

Question: Will the PS3 Ever Catch Up in Sales?

2009-07-27T01:42:00.002+01:00

The sales of Sony's PS3 has been the laggard in the seventh generation console wars. As of March 31, 2009, Sony has sold 22,730,000 PlayStation 3s. So is it a failure? Well maybe not -- it definitely has a lot of power and it should be available for many years to come as a leading graphics and processing powerhouse. As it gets older, the price will drop and more and more games will become available, perhaps creating a snowball effect.

Question: What is Wiiitis?

2009-07-27T01:40:00.001+01:00

Wiiitis? Never heard of it? Well I guess it is a good thing. Wiiitis is a term some people are using to refer to over-use injuries attributed to playing the Nintendo Wii. Playing too much Wii Sports Tennis and your elbow hurts? Well its not Tennis-elbow -- no, its Wiiitis. Do you have any Wii related harm?

Question: How Much is too Much Gaming?

2009-07-27T01:36:00.002+01:00

Feel like you are living on red bull, Cheetos and diet pills? Do you rarely see the sun and stay up all night long? Well you might be playing too much video games. There is no well accepted target because it has a lot to do with age, variety, other activities and health, but a good target would be 1-2 hours a day as an upper limit. Now of course many MMPORPG can spend up to 12 hours playing non-stop, but that should be the exception, not the rule.

Question: How Many XBox 360s have been Sold?

2009-07-27T01:31:00.001+01:00

As of May 28, 2009, Microsoft has sold an amazing 30,000,000 XBox 360s around the world. The most recent numbers are 30.2 million as of March 31, 2009. How does that compare with the Nintendo Wii? Well not very well -- the Nintendo Wii, which has only recently come our of perpetual back order, has sold 50.39 million units as of the same date (March 31, 2009). Will Microsoft give up on the 360 and come up with a next generation model?

Question: How Can Nanotech Help Your Skin?

2009-07-27T01:27:00.002+01:00

Silly question, right? Well skin care has been taken high tech thanks to nanotechnology. Microfiber is a fiber with less than 1 denier per filament and its advancement has lead to better skin cleaners. From the Biore strip to the microfiber facecloth, these advances lead to pulling more dirt and dead skin from your body and improves the overall affect of your skin.

Question: What is the G-1?

2009-07-17T04:47:00.000+01:00

Have you heard of the T-Mobile G1? Maybe you've heard it called by one of its other names... How about "Android" or "Google-phone"?

The T-Mobile G1 is the first phone to have the Google-sponsored Android operating platform on it. Android is the open source mobile computing platform developed to bring a higher level of connectivity and compatibility to the mobile phone market. Check it out!