Ray Aguilera

Stuff I Learned Reading The Mar/10 Issue of Spin

Ray Aguilera — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:46:57 +0000

Despite the fact that readers picked Pearl Jam as 2009 Artist of the Year, Spin is an OK read.
Courtney Love doesn’t do drugs.
DJ Yella, formerly of N.W.A., directs porn movies.
I’ve bought many expensive sandwiches from Jim Sellers, former Stabbing Westward bassist.
Jesse Sandoval, ousted Shins drummer, owns a food cart in Portland.
I should buy stuff from Fungi Perfecti. Some homegrown shitakes would be ultra-rad. I wonder if the dog would try to eat them.

Hello World

Ray Aguilera — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:59:05 +0000

Ray Aguilera is a writer & editor in the San Francisco Bay Area.

To get in touch, use the Contact link above.

iHome iP1

Ray Aguilera — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:48:02 +0000

We’re amazed how many iPod speaker docks these days still won’t play nicely with the iPhone–it’s been two-and-a-half years, people! Which is one of the reasons we’re so excited about iHome’s iP1. Besides being iPhone-friendly, it also looks great, a piece we wouldn’t mind having in our living room. The sound is a step up as well, which is fitting since the iP1 is the first in iHome’s new Studio Series line. And here’s the kicker–the iP1 features some high-tech circuitry that makes it rock even harder at the touch of a button: the Bongiovi button (more on that in a bit).

The iP1 features a pair of 4-inch woofers and 1-inch dome tweeters mounted on a smoky acrylic face. Besides the dock connector, which sports Power, Volume Up/Down, and the aforementioned Bongiovi button, the unit is free of any extra bells or whistles, giving it a clean, elegant look. At about 16.25 inches wide and 7 inches high, the iP1 can fit just about anywhere. In addition to the dock connector, there’s a line-in jack on the back, for use with practically any audio source. And if you’ve got video stored on your iPod, the iP1 will let you output it to your television, courtesy of the component video outs.

Mac|Life: Nov/09

Verizon MiFi

Ray Aguilera — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:31:55 +0000

Depending on where you live and work, it can seem like the Internet is everywhere. But sadly, a good Wi-Fi signal can be lacking when you need it most–and the days of open home–Wi-Fi networks are mostly gone, as even your mom has figured out how to lock down her network. But with Verizon’s MiFi in your pocket, you can access the Internet from just about anywhere.

At 3.5- by 2.3-inches, the MiFi is about the size of a credit card. It’s less than a half-inch thick and weighs 2 ounces, so it’s easy to carry everywhere. It’s essentially a Wi-Fi access point that connects to Verizon’s 3G network, and it has a few other tricks up its sleeve.

Mac|Life: Nov/09

NaNoWriMo 2009

Ray Aguilera — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 05:39:43 +0000

Uh oh, I’ve gone and done it. I signed myself up for National Novel Writing Month. For the uninitiated, NaNoWriMo is bunch of crazed word-geeks attempting to spend the month of November writing a novel. There are no prizes, very few rules, and probably not much in the way of fame or glory. Sleepless nights and carpal tunnel are way more likely.

So why do it? Because.

That seems like as good a reason as any. Plus I know loads of people that say they want to write a novel, and zero people that have actually done it.

The goal is to produce a 50,000-word* novel in 30 days. For you math people, that works out to 1666.666 words a day. For 30 days. In a row. Yeah, it’s going to be hard. I’m a bit intimidated, actually. As of today, I have only the vaguest idea of what my novel will be about–although I do plan to spend some quality time in the coming days sketching out some ideas and putting together an outline. And if you’re ~~stupid~~ brave enough to try NaNoWriMo for yourself, give a holler. Misery loves company.

_
* Yeah, I know. 50K is more like a novella than a proper novel. But, ummm… how many words is your novel? Yeah, OK then.