Marky Guitar

Winter blues

2012-02-04T08:02:00.000-08:00

I guess that we are now officially well within winter. She's a cruel beast, coating everything with her icy tongue. Yet there is comfort within her grasp for it will not be too long before her grip loosens and we will be able to move from the harsh mistress to that of spring, who will begin to spread her warmth bringing new opportunities for us to explore.

Me, my wife & an advantage card

2012-01-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

I’ve had a few days off this week and have had to go to Boots with my wife. I’m mid 30’s and not getting any younger and used to defend the wrinkle attack with whatever was in the soap dish. A couple of years ago (well when I was 30 to be precise) I started using a moisturiser after I shaved and a special “pre-shave” soap and became a disciple of Men’s Health. After trying loads of different things I now use “No7 for Men” from Boots and, after receiving some vouchers for Christmas went to stock-up for the New Year. My wife also had some vouchers so off we went to the local store where I witnessed witchcraft performed before my very eyes.

Most men collect loyalty points in some way. I have a Starbucks card and get free syrups etc with my brews, I have a cash-back Amex card which gets me a couple of percent back on all purchases. I also take sports supplements and www.discountsupplements.com and www.affordablesupplements.com offer loyalty schemes so I am aware of point collecting and buying certain things at certain times where you will gain extra points but she took it to another level.

I needed a new eye cream, a facial scrub, a shaving gel and an aftershave moisturiser and they happened to be on 3 for 2. So I got 1 free item and I was happy with that. My wife, who is much more experienced with these sorts of things encouraged me to get 2 more things for another free thing. I was running low on my wake-up face-wash and my usual daily moisturiser so I threw them in the basket and that was enough for me. 2 free things, about £15 – sweet!

We go to the checkout for a lesson in witchcraft, performed with an advantage card and some scrappy pieces of paper. She split the basket in the queue and put some toothpaste and shower gel though to spend over £5 to get a £5 voucher for number 7. She paid the lady and then followed-up with the 3 most expensive No. 7 things for an £8 free item plus a fiver off and some coupons for double points, maximising her coupon opportunity. That also earned us another No. 7 voucher which was spent in a 3rd transaction earning us a £7 free item plus that £5 off too. Plus a host of Advantage points and lots of eye-rolling by the checkout lady. I went for a coffee and my wife went to pick some No. 7 items for herself to pay with “her points”. Overall though she doubled my potential £15 saving when you include the extra £5 No. 7 voucher she spend on herself. Clever marketing exploited by a professional.

Keep it on the pitch!

2012-01-04T15:32:00.000-08:00

People who follow my twitter account (www.twitter.com/markyguitar) will know that I am a devoted Liverpool FC fan. I love my club and don't think I have written about them here before so it has taken an extraordinary event for me to blog about them. That event is the racism row that has hung over the club since the Manchester United game a couple of months ago.

I have read the FA findings, where they have charged Luis Suarez for racism toward Patrice Evra, and I agree that the word Suarez used may not be offensive in different countries but I feel the whole problem here is not what he said, but where he said it. It was said in the UK, and to say something that may be deemed offensive at a place of work, even if it was not intended to cause any, is not appropriate by anybody whatever they do for a living. IMO this includes telling another player "say it to me again, I'm going to punch you" which goes without punishment. I am for the FA punishing this type of behaviour, but they must do so with consistency going forward, whilst maintaining an appropriate balance. Time will tell if they can manage it.

In my opinion Liverpool FC have done the right thing by not appealing the FA decision. I think it was a difficult decision for the club, but do not feel we could of won an appeal at any level and the right thing to do was to draw a line under the whole affair and move forward. The club have a multi-cultural following and needed to do right by all fans everywhere. No doubt it will be seen as a "one-up" by supporters of rival team fans everywhere, and that is the sad thing here - the only place to get "one-up" on a rival team should be on the pitch. Lets not go the way of Formula 1, football is better than that!

Silence is golden!

2011-12-30T04:37:00.001-08:00

Underneath the Christmas tree Santa had left me some Bose Quiet Comfort 15 headphones. They feature the renowned Bose noise cancelling technology – surely it’s just a gimmick? I think that Santa choose these headphones for me as I am at the age where I prefer an over-the-ear fit for long listening sessions, partly for comfort and partly because I have trouble with infections in my left ear and I worry about sticking something in my ear canal long-term (hence the reason my in the ear gym headphones are anti-bacterial and are sanitised after every workout!). The headphones are the most expense I own coming in at about £280.

In the box I found a case, headphones, instructions, an apple cable with mic and controls, a regular cable and a AAA battery. It’s a shame you can’t choose not to have the apple cable for a cash saving – it’s useless to me as the microphone does not work with my Lumia 800 at the moment (and if you want one comment me!).

The headphones are fairly light, very comfy and the cans will cover all but the largest of ears. The adjusters are solid and they look cool (well as cool as over the ear headphones can look - I had to return the Nokia Purity HD by monster headphones as they looked cheap and a bit silly). When you pop them on your head the fit means that they block out some background noise, but I could still hear the washing machine spinning. I pluggedd them into my Lumia and put on Adele’s “Someone Like You” which is my favourite reference tune at the moment. I was shocked to hear nothing. In a bad way. It turns out the headphones will not play passively and have to be switched on to work. This model uses a single AAA battery for 40hours of play time. I guess that Santa must have preferred it over the rechargeable option as he must of planned for me to use them when I am away from home and don’t need to carry yet another charger with me.

With a flick of the switch on the right can the washing machine, which was on a drying cycle, disappeared. Awesome! The TV also vanished and it really does work. I understand that there are 4 microphones (2 external and 2 internal) that asses the environment and

how much is leaking in before countering it with magic anti-noise. So how does this wizardry affect the sound then?

Well, it doesn’t. And that’s good news. The “tri-port” technology produces open, neutral sounding music. It’s not too bass heavy, not to mid heavy but just-right for my ears. Some may class the bass as lacking, and it is compared to a pair of Beats, which, IMO make crappy ripped MP3’s sound a bit better but do nothing for non urban / dance music. And, like big butts and woollen jumpers this is the fashion at the moment but it doesn’t mean it’s right for all, and that it won’t change in the future (as it will!). Acoustic tracks excel, and different layers are well represented. I had no idea Blur used so many vocal overdubs until now! The bass is there if you want it BTW, but there in a nice, non over-powering way. My music is ripped at 320K in MP3 format and sounded brilliantly detailed. Music downloaded or streamed via ZunePass and they sound good, though missing a little detail (both on my mobile and PC). Lossless audio (or listening to a CD) they sounded a little warmer, which I have seen with other headphones too. Music ripped at a lower bitrate did, as you would expect, sound a little poorer and muddy. Films sounded great on my Xoom, with speech sounding clear and easily distinguishable from the rest of the soundtrack.

As an added bonus when there is no input and the cans are switched on the noise cancelling continues to work (although there is a little hissing audible). This is a neat way to filter out background noise for “quiet” reading or snoozing in places you would not normally be able to (like under the desk in the office).

After using these for a little while now one huge advantage is that, unlike previous headphones I have owned (with the exception of to Ponek 112’s) you do not need to have the volume up to hear the music.

Lumia lights up my comms

2011-12-21T04:28:00.001-08:00

I have been living with a Nokia Lumia 800 for the past few weeks and wanted to share my thoughts on the phone, and the operating system which is my first full move form Android for 2 years.

The Phone

I am not going to harp on about the tech specs. In the box there is the phone, a micro USB to USB cable, a USB charger, a silicon back cover and a set of headphones with mic. The phone is made from a sleek single piece of polycarbonate and feels great in the hand, with a perfect balance and just enough weight to tell me its a premium product. It has a wonderful screen with deep blacks and bright whites – what more can a guy want. The screen has great resolution and does not attract fingerprints half as bad as my Xoom or previous phone. The touch is very responsive and all hardware buttons are solid and have a great positive response. The loudspeaker is loud and possesses great quality. Call quality is excellent and the phone holds a signal far better than my previous phone. For example in my office my old phone would struggle to get a signal at my desk and the Lumia is rock solid, no doubt helped by the polycarbonate case. The only downside is that the straight edge can become uncomfortable on long calls, a challenge faced by many modern phones. Battery life is a daily charge, but my phone does not suffer from the early problems reported elsewhere on the internet. I have it connected to the Three network in the UK, which in my area is exclusively 3G so I guess there is no way I can get 4 or 5 days out of my battery! The camera is good, has a dedicated 2-point button and the option to focus on an area by touching them if required. The phone is a great showcase for the most interesting part for me, WindowsPhone7.5, aka “Mango”.

Sweet Mango

I signed in with an existing, unmaintained Windows Live account and was worried about my reliance

upon the Google ecosystem before I bought the phone. I researched and knew it would work with Gmail, but I never realised just how well this would work. After adding my Google account hey presto, all of my contacts made there way down from the cloud and onto my phone. Just like that, just as easy as Android. I then added my social networks and all of my contacts appeared in the “People” tile. You can easily join multiple contacts to tidy things up and have the option to filter the people tile by account if required. For example you may want to mute your twitter contacts, just filter them out. You may not want to though as the People tile is more than contacts. Swipe to the right and there is a combined newsfeed, all in one place. The Messaging Tile is not just for texts either. You can swap between Facebook / Windows Live and texts in the same threads with the same people. It’s brilliantly simple and executed very well! The “Picutres” tile does not just contain your camera roll, but your contacts Facebook and Twitter pictures are there too – see the theme here? And onto e-mail. If you have multiple accounts you can choose to have separate boxes, with separate tiles if required or you can link your inboxes. As my Hotmail account is not used very often I have a linked inbox for my personal mail (which combines my Gmail and Hotmail messages). You can choose push mail, or timed pull mail. I have my Gmail set to push and my Hotmail set to 30min checks and my battery is just fine! Having both things in one place is very efficient and I’m sure it will pop up elsewhere in due course. The tiles constantly change and you will never see the same home-screen twice. One weird concept to get used to is the “Me” tile. This is your hub for your own social networks and notifications for Facebook comments / twitter mentions etc appear here. You can also post to social networks here and it allows you to post to more than one network at the same time if required. Again, simple but brilliantly effective. No apps required….unless you want them. Nokia Drive is a great (and dare I say, as it requires no network, a better) alternative to Google Navigation and Bing has grown up since I last played with it, enabling you to search by text, by voice, by songs or by photos from the homepage. The browser is fast but there is a lack of flash and I do miss it. I also miss WiFi tethering, although it is “coming soon” via a software update. The phone is very stable, and during the past 3 weeks I have had 1 forced reboot. That’s it, as simple as you want it to be. There is no need to jump into complex configuration menus (but they are there if you want them). Coming from Android this is a pleasant surprise. The screen is also very responsive and the keyboard seems to be configured for my fat fingers far better that Android or iOS efforts. There is a built in “battery saver” that you can configure to automatically come on when the battery hits a predetermined level until the next charge. Useful, and it saves manually turning of GPS and WiFi (and then forgetting to re-enable them the next day!).

Media & Apps

The phone comes with Nokia Music, which is a free streaming music app. You can download playlists for offline listening if required and its a nice selling point. Quality is better than other services I have tried such as LastFM. Music is handled via Zune which I was already using on my PC. It is, IMO (as a guy who spent last night updating his nephew’s iPhone to iOS 5) far slicker than iTunes. It syncs via WiFi on your home network when charging which is handy, but I decided to jump into the eco-system with two size 10’s and subscribe to ZunePass which integrates with my PC, Phone and XBOX. The music player is easy to navigate and is loud enough to satisfy me (and I like my tunes loud and I am usually disappointed with volume!). The lock screen controls are simple and the volume controls work with the phone locked. You can also use the button on the supplied headset to pause and skip tracks. The Video playback is good and the screen has a chance to show off its “blacker than black” blacks! XBOX integration is there and the XBOX tile acts as the gaming hub. The XBOX extras app allows you to check who is online, send messages and mess with you avatar (though since I have had the phone it has also been released on iOS). Then there is the XBOX companion app that allows you to control your XBOX with your phone. This is especially satisfying when listening to music, watching videos or watching TV. Your phone provides you with supplementary information on the artist/director/series of what is playing if required – pretty neat. It is also a WindowsPhone exclusive. I also like collecting my XBOX achievements on my phone. Games run well but do seem a tad expensive. As this is a Windows based O/S we have MS Office. Not MS Office compatibility, but actual MS Office. It works well and when combined with Skydrive provides you with 25GB of storage and you can sync you PC via Windows Live Mesh, although I have the feeling it is there for the corporate users. The Marketplace is growing in content. There are still some huge omissions (G+ anybody?) and the paid apps tend to offer a free trial rather than a free ad-supported version and they tend to be a little bit pricier than other Marketplaces. Whilst on the SkyDrive theme you can upload whatever you like to it. Pictures taken on the phone will upload by default, similar to Picasa.

So if you are bored with icons, and can’t be bothered with endless launcher tweaks then I thoroughly recommend WindowsPhone in it’s current form. It’s metro interface is elegant, simple and intuitive. Microsoft have invested a lot of time and effort in the look and feel, so much so that the XBOX dashboard and the upcoming Windows8 release will all share the same look and feel. To me there is genuine innovation and it feels different from iOS and Android – progressively different!

Bye bye Android (for phone)

2011-12-04T05:19:00.001-08:00

A couple of years ago I imported a Nexus One and I jumped into Android. In my review I talk about it being intuitive, but I am a geek and on talking to other users they always wanted me to show them how to do this and that, so it was not a intuitive as I thought. To this day it remains the only Nexus One I have ever seen in the wild. Hardware has not really moved on that much and I want something different but I am not sure what. I do know one thing - I'm not looking for another "stock" Android phone - there is simply no point to change a phone for the same experience on different hardware. Whilst I decide what to buy I needed to revert my Nexus One back to stock. I've been running CyanagenMod 7.1 for a while on it now but feared the learning curve would be too much for a non-techy with custom ROMs being little temperamental at times (and its obvious once you start playing about with them the best bits make their way to the official operating systems soon enough). So I downloaded the originally shipped ROM and flashed it. It was a reminder of how far Android has come over the past 2 years. Looking at it now Eclair looks dated, it was jumpy and buggy but at the time it was amazing. The phone then updated itself to Froyo, which was smoother and nearly there - I remember my sheer joy at Google Navigation etc. Then Gingerbread popped itself on there and it's a slick, fast experience. Except the stock media player which is a bit basic. And I am so annoyed that Google Music still isn't available in the UK!! I am grateful though that I have learnt the basics of the Android SDK which is still being used with my Xoom which I am keeping.

So now I need to decide what to replace it with. My RSS feeds are full of tech so I know the market fairly well. So I popped out to take a peek at other Android phones that are skinned such as phones with HTC sense (and nearly ended up with a Sensation XE with Beats), the Sony Xperia's, the new Motorola RAZR (which is an lovely piece of hardware) and even a Galaxy Nexus with ICS (ruled out as although it's good to be first it is expensive and there will be bugs - as seen with my Motorola Xoom and the N1). I left the stores feeling overwhelmed and puzzled at why each hardware manufacturer and/or carriers insists on skinning Android. If they don't like the stock music player why not provide an App the user can download rather than skinning the whole thing? OMG, have the tech press got it right highlighting the fragmentation issues? Well yes and no. IMO it is only a true fragmentation if the device cannot access the Android Market at all and is closed wall (I am looking at you Amazon Kindle Fire!!).

Microsoft have the right idea with Windows for PC's - let the manufacturer load the OS (for a license fee), let them add "enhancements" if they want to but let the user uninstall the bloatware if they want to without voiding the warranty (though of course most users do not do that). But the stock experience is rarely served up on any operating system apart from Apple's closed wall garden. It's a shame and aids to end-users annoyance with Android. I did seriously look at an iPhone 4S BTW but decided that iOS is so similar to Android these days not to bother. Icons are not the way to go.

What I found boring was that all of the phones I have looked at offer a similar specification, a similar price and a similar, boring icon based navigation experience. Android has its widgets, which are good but the screen on a phone is too small to make decent use of them (they are great on a tablet). I wanted something different. Something fresh. And I think I've found it.

to be continued....

Galaxy RAZR?

2011-10-21T00:16:00.000-07:00

I can't decide on my next phone - I have asked for help over at Xoom Forums - why not stop by and help me out?

Interval Training

2011-10-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to share some results I have had with interval training and why it is so good at helping to loose bodyfat and gain fitness.

Interval training is where you train at a high output for a short period of time, then a lower output for a short period of time before returning to a high output. It works so well as you may not be able to train at a constant 75% of your max output for 18mins, as your heart rate will increase but you will be able to train at 90% for 30seconds, with a minute at 60%, then repeating.

Determine your maximum output by completing your chosen cardio exercise flat-out, like the neighbourhood dog is chasing you. I will use a bike resistance level as an example, and we will only change the resistance. You can use speed / heart rate - it really doesn't matter.

The baseline:

Level 10, 90RPM (round numbers make the calcs easier!)

The output cycle:

Now shave off 10%, so my 90% is level 9, 90RPM (as my speed will not change).

The recovery cycle:

Now shave off 40%, so my 60% is level 6, 90RPM (as my speed will not change).

An example:

So, after warming up, complete 30secs at 90%, then 60secs at 60% and repeat. I do this 12 times. It takes 1min30sec per cycle, and you will work an an average output of 75%. Sure, you could just work out at a constant 75% but you will not build up your fitness as quickly, or activate your twitch fibres.

After a few sessions you will notice your recovery rate will get better. This is good! Once this starts happening increase your baseline (and your output and recovery cycles proportionally) so you are working harder . You can also decrease the recovery cycle time until it matches the output cycle time.

Happy exercising!

Day Job

2011-09-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

The alarm stirs me from another dream

It is vivid, and full of colour.

I get out of bed and ready for work

For a day like any other.

A thousand faces losing 8 hours.

Get to the cube, there's no time for talking,

A slave to the chip, blue is the colour

Its so confined I feel like walking

The hum of the air con dries my eyes

There is a world I seek that will come to me

The nine to five life tries to deny

But one day I know I will break free

I crave a release from this building

My eyes are open but my mind is closed

I don't hear all of your bitching

My work face is only superimposed

Autumn Staycation

2011-09-17T04:13:00.000-07:00

I am currently on staycation (not not back in work until the end of the month). This is mainly as I have holidays to take but I needed to have a little time to catch up on some jobs around the house as well as rest my mind from what has been a busy year so far.

This week I have fully weeded both gardens (no mean feat as my front garden is all gravel and hadn't been done all year), fully power-washed the drive, cleaned the gutters and cleaned the conservatory roof. I've also ditched old clothes to the charity shop, visited family and helped around the house much more than usual.

Doing all of this work has allowed me to clean my mind, as the prior niggles I have had about the state of the drive, or the moss on the conservatory roof have now disappeared. On the whole these are pretty thankless tasks, but boy are they satisfying! Still on the list (a mental list - I am not that organised) are two cars to wax, a garage clearout, some winter planting and the not small task of servicing 6 guitars. That should get me ready for the dark nights!

GuitarFit - Back and Core Workout 1

2011-09-16T01:29:00.000-07:00

Rather than going session by session, week by week I have decided to change my tack a little and am going session-by-session. Once I have 3 or 4 sessions for each target area I will publish them as one e-book with a nice little chart or something showing the schedule I have used.

This would of been Week 1 / Day 3 but day 3 of any week is now my back and core day.

Link to workout - Back and Core - Day 3 - Workout 1

GuitarFit - Arms and Chest Workout 1

2011-08-30T13:07:00.000-07:00

This is my workout from Monday. It should take around an hour and burn over 900 calories. I completed it before work.

Chest and Arm s Workout 1

Enjoy!

Guitar Fit - Intro

2011-08-29T07:18:00.000-07:00

Now I am feeling better I have begun to hit the gym again. Great! Another gym bunny / meathead blog I here you cry? Nope, just a guy who wants to tone up a little and shed a few pounds. I thought I would share my fitness plans here, and I will post my workouts to a public google calendar and public documents. Every guitarist can do with stronger grip, arms and shoulders. A strong back and core will also helps, especially if you play Les Pauls :-)

I am aiming to devise a workout scheme that will work for me. I am targeting fat loss, flexibility and arm / shoulder / chest / back and core strength gains over the next few weeks.

I will use this blog, my twitter account and my G+ account to publish my plans - please feel free to use them and share them on your social networks too (but don't rip them off as your own!)

The idea behind the workouts are 45-60mins every other day. To keep my heart rate up and burn maximum calories there will be little rest in the sessions. I am a gym member and the gym is fully equipped but is more casual than body building, and is equipped with TechnoGym cardio and non cardio machines. I also have a Polar FT07 heart rate monitor and it is accurately set-up with my height and weight (taken at the beginning of each session) so the calorie burn is accurate.

Self service satisfaction

2011-08-29T06:40:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, through a lack of cash I used to complete all of the maintenance on my cars. It turns out that it was a great way to learn and I used to love tuning by my ears and a twist of the dizzy cap! Then complicated engines / brakes sensors etc came out, I was earning more cash and paid garages to look after my cars instead. When I bought my Smart I knew it had 1 service to go before the warranty ran out so I planned on doing all subsequent work myself.

My engine light come on a couple of weeks back and a mechanic friend popped it on his computer and it said that the pre-catalytic converter lambda sensor had a fault. Smart quoted me GBP180 for the part plus fitting so time to get my hands dirty. Back when I was maintaining my early cars there was no internet (it was 1996) so all maintenance was done via a Haynes manual and all parts were sourced locally. There is a great online site for all things Smart related (evilution) which identified the part number and I sourced the correct OEM replacement for just GBP56 delivered! I then got back into things, taking my car apart and gaining access to the part which, after lots of persuasion and some heat was soon removed. Whilst I was there I was able to check the exhaust out and removed some stones that were rattling away before reassembling and removing the code (again, via a computer but you could just as easily disconnect the battery for 5mins!). Job done, oily hands, dirt under fingernails and a feeling that saving over GBP200 delivers. I can't wait for servicing time!

Skill trading - fishing for the internet

2011-08-06T03:39:00.000-07:00

Over the past few weeks I have not been blogging or tweeting much as I've been struck down with a nasty chest infection. It's made me realise just how fine a line we exist on. We are still not at the bottom of it but should here more when I get the next round of x-rays.

In the meantime my Dad has suggested that I spend some time fly fishing with him. It sounds like a nice way for me to get some fresh air without being too energetic. I am more interested in the fact that I can learn a new skill, passed down from Father to Son whilst we have chance. I hope to kick his ass pulling in bigger fish too. In return he wants me to, in his own words, "teach him the internet" which will be interesting as my folks do not even have broadband or own a computer. My Dad's favourite question when he arrives at our house is "can you get the ........... on that?" which always makes me chuckle as I have tried to explain to him that everybody can access everything that is in the public domain on the internet!

I'm interested to see how things go - we have our first fishing trip planned in 2 weeks when I will be feeling stronger. In the meantime there's new kit to aquire, and I love going through new websites hunting out a bargain, though I'm not sure one of those vest with the pockets is really required!

Will +1's take over the world?

2011-07-23T02:43:00.000-07:00

It's fairly safe to say that I have an online presence. I am an avid Twitter user and have a Facebook account as well as writing the occasional blog. So over the past few weeks I have been watching my inbox for a Google Plus invite. An invite finally arrived last week and guess what? I like it. It is not without it's shortcomings (for example the web version on my Xoom, a Google Honeycomb tablet, insists on taking me to the crummy mobile site by default) but there are some great features (circles is awesome, and instant upload rocks!). As it is in beta it should be refined over the next few months before being opened to the masses.

I think it is fairly safe to say I am an early adopter of new technologies and have been looking for a Facebook alternative for a while. Once I was live I decided to try out a little experiment to see what the "general" population thought of it. I sent over 40 of my Facebook friends a Google Plus invite. One has since signed up. Thats the battle Google will face with non-techie users. Google plus is up against a population who have invested a lot of time in Facebook and, as a result, do not want to move social networks. The huge chat/video calling advantages Google Plus offers have been mitigated by Facebook's Skype intergration.

It is, in my opinion a shame. Hangouts is a great feature. Sparks allows me to browse news feeds in one place. Circles allows me to only bother people who I think will be interested in what I am sharing. It's much more measured than the alternatives. Plus 1's are appearing everywhere. How long will you resist?

You can find me on Google Plus here.

Xoom Xoom on the Honeycomb road

2011-04-29T02:49:00.000-07:00

Its been a little while since i blogged...i've been a busy guy. All work and no play makes markyguitar a dull boy so iv'e splashed out on a Motorola Xoom. My Xoom is the 32gb wi-fi model. So why the wi-fi only? The quick answer is that my mobile contract includes all I can eat data (including tethered data) with tethering enabled via my Nexus One.

I'd thought that, as an existing Android user, I'd describe the user experience from the point of view of an existing google users point of view from the first power-up so here goes...

On first boot there is a tasty looking Honeycomb animation the you are prompted to sign into a wi-fi network. The keyboard is responsive and so big compared to my N1. Then sign in to your Google account. An interesting thing - the Xoom automatically went and downloaded all of my apps linked to my Google account. How cool is that? Well pretty cool, although it seemed to confuse YouTube a bit so I had to re-installed it form the market to make the new waterfall widget work. Then it went back to the old one...weird.

Honeycomb seems much more polished than I was expecting from the "buggy" reviews I read. Coming from Gingerbread the operating system seem intuitive to use, though I understand why Apple fans would take a while to get use to it. The concept is so different to iOS on the iPad. I imagine widgets would take a while to get used to - they update in real time, and many feature a waterfall of panels that cascade stories (you can also flick them up and down - pretty neat!). The Gmail app gets a complete makeover too, as does the calendar app. Both are joys to use and have handy, real time, widgets for you to keep an eye on updates. The notification implementation fewls familier to Android users, again the Apple users may struggle at first, but IMO it is worth the 48hour learning curve. The Honeycomb optimised apps are trickling though nicely, and I recommend checking out CNN App for Android, YouTube, Pulse News and games such as Samurai II: Vengeance THD and Cordy. Kindle also got an update and now has book art, though to buy you are still taken to the Amazon site. They are a showcase of things to come and are great ambassadors for the platform. Not optimised apps work too (on the whole), but as Flash is implemented in the browser they are not as critical as on Apple devices. BTW the browser is sheer joy to use. It is true tabbed browsing, syncs with Chrome and handles flash. It's replaced my netbook no worries. And written this blog via the usual web page on blogger.com! The Nvidia optimized games are a real surprise BTW, you really need to check them out.

Movies look sharp and HD video looks good, though that screen is ultra reflective and as its different technology from the iPads its viewing angle appears worse when comparing. The contrast though seems fine to me though, as do the speakers. The Xoom seems loud enough, though I noticed a distinct improvement when using the portfolio case.

The device has a premium solid finish, and compare to the same as the 1st gen iPad, though a little heavier. The thing that Apple owners don't seem to get is the screen on the Xoom. Its designed to be used in landscape mode, and makes great use of the screen real estate. Turn it to portrait and it may seem too tall, but with the keyboard displayed the usable screen is about the same size as an iPad without a screen.

IMO the screen is optimised for videos, and it does a great job. Get yourself a copy of MoboPlayer for AVI support and a great UI!

Juice wise, 9 hours on day one after a full charge before I got a 15% notification.

I've had my Xoom for a while now and recommend you remove the stabilizers and check one out.

Inner Peace

2011-03-06T02:22:00.000-08:00

Here's a song I wrote a couple of years back. I'm in the process of recording it again as the original demo was a little rough and ready. It's interesting how things change over time. Seeing the lyrics again has changed my feelings about it. Guess I'm in a different place to where I was back then. If you want to get involved you can contact me via @markyguitar.

Inner Peace

Thanking you for a beautiful day

You’ve guided me and showed me the way

I looked for you in my heart

I found out it’s not too late to start

Before I found you my life was bleak

I thought I was stuck in trouble deep

You gave me hope for the future

And stop me from feeling insecure

Give me strength in the actions I take

Help me with the decisions I make

You can make my life complete

You build upon my inner peace

Never make decisions in haste

Sometimes it’s hard to trust your faith

Deep in my soul I’ve begun to believe

It came to me on a summers eve

Never stop learning

2011-02-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

I realise that there are people who know more than me on any subject than you think of. When I was younger I would feel confident about certain situations, but I may not of understood where my limitations were. That's a pretty dangerous situation to be in. I have been there countless times, and have made mistakes, misjudged the implications and as I result I've has to learn the (often harsh) lessons they have delivered. Work or play, as hard as they are to digest, the lessons learnt are what have allowed me to move forward, constantly adapting to the changing environment around me. If I could send a message to myself in the past it would be this - know your limitations, and don't be afraid to share them.

I've previously blogged about my reliance upon balance in a situation and the need I have to understand both sides of a situation before I feel confident to comment on the next move. This is the same for my limitations. By having at least an awareness of my limitations, I can begin to understand both my strengths and weaknesses, my pros and cons. As gym-time spent on the body shows, you can train your weak areas. You may even train them to the point where your previous strength becomes a relative weakness, but overall your body is stronger. It's an endless task which I feel is only just beginning. It will never end!

Nearly spring?

2011-01-23T08:11:00.000-08:00

Today I started to clean my yard and garden of the winter debris and noticed just how hard a winter we have had this year. There are chunks out of my driveway missing and cracked fence panels> struggled to to see any signs of life in the back garden. I cannot remember a winter quite as severe!

When I was power-washing my drive I wrote a quick poem.

Winters not ready to part her company just yet,
The days are brighter; the nights starting later,
The air is almost shed of the cold, damp wet,
Spring is almost here - the great vindicator!

I may add more verses as the spring clean progresses next week.

Computer Geek! Part 1 - Speccing my build

2011-01-12T14:12:00.000-08:00

I have had my studio for the best bit of 2 years now and have always done all of my recording on a powerful laptop. However, 2Gb of RAM and a measly 360GB hard drive seem at best inadequate now and the poor T7500 dual core processor has run a more or less flat chat since Pro Tools 8 came along. So I decided it was time to spec out a PC to be used exclusively in my studio,

I decided upon an intel i7 processor, ideally with >4GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. I ideally wanted an i7 that could use triple channel memory which menat a different type of i7 chip that used the Intel 1366 socket on a motherboard with the x58 chipset. This put a ready made system out of my price bracket given that I also had the expense of a monitor.

I decided to make a PC so went about the daunting task of speccing out my requirements. I decided I wanted Windows 7 64 bit (home premium was OK for my needs as networking limited to media sharing only) on a minimum of an intel i7 920 processor, 6GB triple channel DDR3 RAM and an nVidia 460 graphics card as PT is fairly graphics intensive. I also wanted 1TB of data on a least 2 separate physical drives. I already had a 1TB external HDD otherwise I would of been after 2TB in total. I made these decisions based on at least 2/3 headroom due to a life on current core parts of at least 3 years with RAM and HDD updated if required cheaply. If you need less then spec less.

When buying a PC you get the freedom to choose your components which can be daunting. When choosing your components you need to ask yourself a question. Will I over-clock my system? Over-clocking a PC can be thought of like tuning a car or motorbike. You replace stock parts with enhanced parts that can be configured to run together a little (or a lot) faster, like bolting a turbo onto your car. There are some great sites such as www.overclock.net with friendly, approachable members . I spec'd with over-clocking in mind and choose quiet components where possible due to studio environment.

This little series of blogs is intended to help you with your first build by discussing mine. I'm not going to go into detail about why I choose the components other than already mentioned. Just make sure you components will work with each other (mainly ensure your motherboard, processor and RAM are compatible). If you have questions contect me on overclock.net or via twitter.

After much deliberation I decided on: (continues after break)

Windows 7 64 bit home premium
ASUS x58 SaberTooth motherboard (on sale, o/c possible!)
Intel i7 950 (on sale, o/c possible!)
Akasa Nero 2 CPU cooler (o/c PC's need big coolers and big coolers mean quieter fans)
Corsair XMS3 6GB triple channel DDR3 1600Mhz RAM kit (on sale, o/c possible!)
ASUS GeForce GTX460 GPU (on sale and o/c possible!)
Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 500GB HDD x 2
Antec TruePower New Series 650W modular PSU (on sale!)
Thermaltake Element S windowed case (4 quiet fans mean cool temps)
Wireless N USB dongle
LiteOn DVD Writer
Trust gaming mouse
Emprex Gaming Keyboard
BenQ 22" widescreen LED monitor
DVI cable

I did not buy a soundcard as my external M-Audio Project Mix I/O fills that gap with my Alesis M1 active 520 monitor speakers.

I bought them from www.aria.co.uk who I found the most competitive in the UK. Check out their daily specials for some great bargains.

Next time I'll talk about my first computer build. You can sneak peak it by checking out my overclock.net profile.

Happy Christmas to All!

2010-12-24T23:19:00.000-08:00

Wow, this December has been a really cold one so far. We have had snow on the ground for the past couple of weeks, which is pretty rare in my neck of the woods, especially considering that I live at sea level! This winter has broken national records and it has been -15deg C for the past few days. My poor smart is filthy as I don't want my drive like an ice-rink!

This year my wife and I once again decided to skip the presents (though she failed!!). Each year I am more and more disappointed at the growing commercialism of the Christmas holidays. To me Christmas is a time to relax with loved ones and reflect on the past whilst looking forward to the future. It seems to be more and more diluted as time passes.

This Christmas we are off to my folks for a spot of dinner. I am driving home in the evening so that we can relax in front of the fire, without dirty dishes and a few festive glasses of bourbon to ensure my insides stay warm.

Hope y'all have a great Christmas and a happy new year!

Marky

smart ForTwo 451 - disable traction control

2010-12-19T06:34:00.000-08:00

My driveway is on a very slight gradient. I have had a bit of trouble getting my smart off the drive in the recent weather. The traction control is a little too keen to cut power once the rear wheels starting spinning, i.e. when she is on snow trying to get off my drive!

To disable traction control on a UK standard smart ForTwo 451 you do not need to remove any fuses. Complete the below steps in sequence:

Press and hold the left and right buttons on either side of the instrument cluster (you need long fingers for this!)
Whilst they are still pressed turn the key to position 1
Whilst they are still pressed wait for the traction control warning light to flash at you
Whilst they are still pressed start the engine. The traction control light will continue flashing to remind you that traction control has been disabled. The ABS light will also remain on as ABS is disabled
You can now release both buttons and drive, remembering your safety systems are disabled!
As soon as the obstacle has been overcome turn the engine off and restart. This will switch the traction control and ABS back on
Disclaimer : you override safety systems at your own risk etc. etc.!

If possible reverse your car onto the drive, and consider keeping something in the boot to help with rear grip. My Dad always kept paving slabs in the rear of his rear-wheel drive cars during the coldest months because he said it kept him out of the trees! If you do this remember to adjust your headlight levels appropriately.

Happy winter!

Inspired Inspiration - Bare Bones Review

2010-11-21T10:37:00.000-08:00

I downloaded Bare Bones by Bryan Adams today as I have a love of stripped back acoustic music and a few tracks had made their way onto my last.fm channel and I wanted to listen to more. Initially intended as a gig-only souvenir, following the positive feedback it was released at the end of October. I downloaded it from Amazon and gave it a listen. Recorded live, Bare Bones can be described as a greatest hits of Adams back catalogue recorded acoustically, with a couple of covers thrown in for good measure. Adams plays up to the crowd and has shares and insight into the tracks which are, well insightful. My favourite is the way he talks about a cover of Heaven on YouTube, and how he was amazed it has had over 17million hits! He jokes he can't even find his.

I popped on my cans and started listening. I have a confession to make. I am a Bryan Adams fan, but have not listened to him for years. The album features country, blues and pop and I love the use of the humble piano with acoustic guitar. Like Jack Daniels and Cola, they enhance each other to create a refreshing relaxant.

Being in my 30s the and was inadvertently taken back to my teenage years. Whilst listening to new versions of songs I've heard countless times before I was surprised by how different they sounded. Different in a good way. Gone are the bells and whistles, so to speak, exposing a rawness that must of been a hoot for Adams to capture after so many years in the business.

Of note, the lyrics to times like Heaven, Everything I Do (I Do It For You), Summer of '69 and Please Forgive Me are much more powerful. I'm sure this is because, due to my ...ahem....life experiences since last listening to Adams, I am able to connect with the classics on a level I never imagined before, as I already thought I was connected to them! Turns out the connection was not as strong as I thought it was. The album is well worth a listen, recommended to all. Especially people in their early 30's.

Remember

2010-11-11T05:48:00.001-08:00

A quick poem at lunch.

It is worth their loss,
To ensue our freedom?
They gave up theirs,
So you can live yours.
They seen your life,
Remember them.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.3