The Tan Rabbits Tale

Time with your Family

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:53:00 +0000

Christmas is coming soon and so is more time spent with your family. I know, I know. Your hear that phrase and some guys and gals have to find an excuse. I have to..., I am needed for..., I made plans with... If you have ever listened to anyone's advice, this is one of those. Spent more time with your family. Not just at Christmas but all the time. If you don't, you will miss out. I enjoyed some extra time with my family lately. Some Christmas shopping and movie time with my honey, some basketball time with my oldest and middle child, and some cartoon time with my youngest. I have to admit, I don't do that as much as I should. Everyone has things they have to do and responsibilities. I am not saying to drop everything, but I m saying to make some time for the people most important to you. I went with my family to the Koziars Christmas village recently. It was a 2 hour drive and we got lost but we had fun. We saw displays I had never seen before. Christmas was captured in hand made displays and in the spirit of many who where there. We even got to share some hot chocolate, yummy cookies and warm oh so soft pretzels. I will remember most of all the smiles on my family's faces from the first photo till the last wave goodbye of the village. Those are the moments that are priceless and can never be repeated the same way again.

I wrote this post almost a month ago. I tried to follow my own advice and spent more time with the family and friends and this post had to wait. I don't feel bad that it was not posted before Christmas passed, but I do feel happy that in this New Year I remember all the good things of last year, and there is plenty of that.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

Walking around on Halloween

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 23:30:00 +0000

Halloween came and went so fast. Getting ready for that night meant alot to my girls. After much costume searching, we were ready. That night the kids were uniquely dressed. We walked around dressed as a Sassy pirate, the Queen of Hearts, and Harley Quinn - the Jokers crazy side kick. My honey did not dress up this year since her back is still bothering her, although she still looked cute. I finished my costume and walked around as the Rocketeer. Yes, the Rocketeer from the Disney movie of the same name. I spent two months on this costume and boy did I learn a lot.

It all started as an idea. I was talking to my honey and she gave me the idea to make it. She thinks I can make just about anything so I figured, why not go for it. I used my iPad and started to draw and draw. A few days later I had my sketch and a few more days later I had my build drawing. Before starting I got the OK from the creative department, my girls. They loved the idea and if it was up to them, I was supposed to make it fly. I loved their enthusiasm and it got me pumped..

I was able to make the rocket and head piece with PVC piping, paper mâché, gorilla glue, construction adhesive, Plexiglas, glowing fans, batteries, paint and also a helmet. I started out making the rockets. It took some time so that I could get that coned out look on them. I then shaped it out to be a backpack with some more piping and Plexiglas. With the shape in place I formed out the center and other spots to put in some glowing fans. Fans in place and the jet pack solid, I could now put in the wiring and shape capacitors on the outside. It was coming together nicely and it felt good. Throughout this whole time, I looked for a used helmet but that was easier said than done. I wound up getting a new one that I could modify, the costume would not be complete without a good helmet. Next was the painting and my honey suggested Krylon spray paint. That paint is great for crafts and plastic. Needless to say i finished on Halloween day and could not wait to go out with the kids and help them score some candy. We got so into the Halloween spirit that I forgot to put on my costume tan pants and went in jeans. I have to say, three full bags and a backpack of candy later, we were happy. I got such a kick out of stopping and showing my costume off and putting on that blue Rocketeer glow out of the center fan. I even got some candy for myself, it wasn't much but it felt good. Check out the pics and let me know your thoughts.

They backpack has 3 glowing fans and are activated by a control switch in the right palm.

The helmet is a full face helmet with the addition of a custom made fin.

I want a Tank

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 12:25:00 +0000

Why should that be a problem. I want a tank. Not a full size tank but the Desktop size Tankbot sold by Desk Pets International. They are small, hold a rechargible battery that will be charged by USB and you can control it via your Iphone or Andriod phone. I have seen these before at an expo and it was hard to buy them then but soon they will be available at Radio Shack and Toys R Us. Check out the video below to see it in action. I myself want the Yellow one, or the Red one.

Halloween and Custom Costumes

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:40:00 +0000

I want to be this and I want to be that is what you usually hear for Halloween. My 3 girls are each different and sometimes you get a princess, a frog, a dinosaur, a princess again, a super hero or just about anything else. My honey and I usually get dressed up with them. She has more creativity in her little finger than I have in my two hands. It is fun and exciting to see the kids just as excited for you on Halloween. We usually buy costumes right off the shelf, except for a time or two, but this year it is different for me. I am making my own costume and it is time consuming to say the least. I am learning that not all glue is the same, plastic doesn't always bend and there are more things to use for sculpting than plaster. I also found that there are some pieces that you just cannot go and buy used easily. It should not be that hard to buy an unwanted and used motorcycle helmet.. Really.. I don't want to give away what my costume will be just yet but I can say, if it were real, I would be on my way to the stars. Hint Hint..

The big G has been busy

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 22:14:00 +0000

Google was someone's dream. In time that dream has become a grand reality. Woorkup.com has visualized the 102 companies that were acquired over time by Google and it is an amazing list. Check it out here.

My IPAD 2 fun with a Pogo Stylus and Note Taker HD

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 16:28:00 +0000

I have had my IPAD 2 for several months now. I have less than 10GB left out of 32GB already having filled it with apps for productivity, entertainment, and leisure, you need a few minutes of down time at work and can sneak in a fun app. The best thing I have that simply enhances my use of the IPAD is a pogo sketch stylus. It has helped me write, draw, annotate, sketch and play better in several apps. Of the apps that I have used the stylus successfully more often, Note Taker HD is one of them. Note Taker HD is a note taking app the allows typed notes in addition to hand written notes. You can use your finger to create notes but it is much easier with the stylus. I was able to take a picture of a follow me trail from a book one of my kids have with the IPADs built in camera. It's one of those grids that you have to find the right path to get out. I imported the picture into Note Taker HD, and then my daughter could try it over and over on the IPAD, no pencil or eraser mess. They loved taking turns using the stylus instead of their fingers. When the were done I output there done trail to a PDF file for them to print later.
There are several stylus on the market but I found the pogo sketch to be better than others. It has a soft fuzzy tip that glides over the screen whereas others are rubber and tend to drag on the screen. The IPAD display also stayed cleaner and had much less smudges as well, that is a bonus. Check out the stylus yourself and let me now what you think.

Pogo Sketch by Tenone Design

I bought my Pogo from Microcenter. You can see their product link here. The Note Taker HD app was purchases through the Apple app store. You can check that out here.

The Illusive ASUS Transformer and Apple IPAD 2

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Tue, 31 May 2011 03:37:00 +0000

I have been trying to decide for some time to purchase a tablet to go along with my Dell net-book. I was considering the ACER ICONIA Tablet or the IPAD 2. I went a few times to Best Buy to take a look an no where could an ACER be found, although there were plenty of Motorola XOOM tablets at each store. I was able to see an IPAD 2 behind protective glass but no ACER tablets. Then I saw a commercial for an ASUS Transformer. After seeing what it could do, I really really wanted one. I waited for the day that they were announced and thought they will be in stores soon and I will be able to make a final decision. To this day, I have yet to see one in the store. They are in demand and the supply is so short that it will be sometime in August before one even makes it into a Best Buy, or so I have heard from a few people. I even tried ordering one from KMART only to be told at the last step, OUT OF STOCK. Doesn't look like KMART likes to update their on hand stock often. So off I went with a friend to the Apple store.

I had looked at the IPad2 before but with the idea of it being a cool gadget. Now I had the chance to actually use it and run it through some steps and I loved it. The apps on it were easy to use, the screen was responsive and it was really light. I asked if they had one in stock but they did not. With this experience in mind I headed to Target and Best Buy. I tried the XOOM and the ACER ICONIA there. I did not like the glare from the ACER's screen nor did I like the wierd response from the XOOM. After about an hour, I decided... I want an IPAD2.

For several days I called Best Buy and I finally got one. I could have ordered it online but it was the thrill of getting it at a store and having it in your hand. I have been using it for days now and there is no turning back. I will post more on my experience with it in the new future..

The Gift of Sound.. Priceless

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Mon, 31 May 2010 20:52:00 +0000

Imagine what it could be like not hearing a sound, not being able to communicate with your new born baby. It is hard enough not to understand what a new born wants and I could not imagine adding the complication of not being able to hear. Here is an article of an 8month old that has Cochlear Implants and they were turned on for the first time. Just look at the expression on Mom and Baby, you can feel the love and excitement from both of them....

Check here for the full article..

Get a fan, a camera and a good story.. now you have a mini Movie

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Wed, 12 May 2010 10:49:00 +0000

Fans most often have higher standards of what they would like to see in a movie. Take IRONMAN for instance. We want to see IRONMAN and Tony Stark do his thing his way, not so much the directors take on it. I think they did that with the first movie well. ( I have yet to see IRONMAN 2 but I hear it is good. ) Lets look at the HULK, the first big screen movie of it did not hit the mark. There were too many faults with the CG of the HULK and the story line was pretty bad. All they could do to try and save the HULK was a reboot in the follow up film.

Now check out a short fan film for Street Fighter below. It was done by fans with a low budget but with really good intentions. It looks like it has the makings of a potentially good movie or even a TV series. Maybe.. just maybe..

Andriod Market searches a bit easier with AppsStoreHQ

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:01:00 +0000

I have a Motorola CLIQ and I like Android. Outside of the battery getting drained quicker than my phone from years ago its not that bad, but then again it does sooo much more and I use it sooo much more. I have downloaded many apps and found some useful, and some not. Finding those apps hasn't always been easy. So I went looking for an easier way and came across AppsStoreHQ.

AppsStoreHQ has apps listed on the web that are in the Andriod Market. At first glance you will see it broken down to Category, Price Range, Rating and Relase Date. If you know that name of the app, just type it in the search box and let them do the rest. I did a search for an SMS app I use called Handcent and I found it right awy. I was able to read a small discription of it, see pictures if there were any posted, check out some user reviews and even scan a QRcode to get the app from the store. Don't take my word for it, go and check it out for yourself at AppsStoreHQ.com

Movies Aren't Just for sitting there any more

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 22:48:00 +0000

I have been to a lot of movies. We have gone to Theater's and Drive-Ins locally and out of state just for the sake of going sometimes. Most of the time you sit and react to what your seeing but that hasn't always been the case. There was a time where a few movies came out that the audience chose how it ended. It could involve a device near your seat and at a preset time in the movie, those with the device could vote on the ending. Now there is a movie called Last Call that does a little more than that. When you go to see this movie you are asked to register your cell phone for an anticipated call. During the Last Call movie, someone from the audience is called and interacts with the actor. It looks like much fun to be had.

Check out the video below and article from Jawbone.tv here

Bullet 1, Blackberry Zero... and the young maiden was spared

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 03:09:00 +0000

Story.. Man carries gun into restaurant, gun goes off, blackberry saves girlfriend. Yes, you read that right, a unsuspecting Blackberry gave up its life for its user. One more reason, guns should be respected and not just be left to sit an a jacket pocket.

Read more at PhoneArena on what not to bring to a restaurant.

Quess who has a new Career.. Barbie

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:51:00 +0000

If ever there was someone that has done it all, its Barbie. If you ask a young girl who a doll looks like, most of the time you will hear the name Barbie before any other. Many kids have seen different careers for her over the years and that has also brought out more imagination in them as well. Now Barbie has taken one more career leap, she is now a Computer Engineer. This new career shows her sporting a smart phone, Bluetooth headset and a laptop as her accessories. Normally I don't right about Toys, except for Transformers, but this one is different. My girls are techno savvy and know what a smart phone is, what Bluetooth is and would love to have their own laptops. So if Barbie is looking to relate to you girls again, she has hit the mark..

For the full story, check out the article here at Gizmodo

Toy Story 3... Pixar Does it again

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:21:00 +0000

Seeing the Toy Story movies are a wonderful experience. It makes it even better when I see it through the eyes of my kids. They laugh when its funny ~ never prompted by a laugh track ~ they cry when its sad ~ original tears followed by a hug for my wife and I ~ they enjoy a good Pixar ending. I can honestly say that I liked each movie for different reasons. The first brought me back to my childhood experiences and I shared that with the little ones. The second one had more excitement and adventure and I saw the kids revel in it more. This third one shows just as much promise as the others.. I don't want to say more but I am sure you'll see what I mean when you check out the trailer below.. Enjoy.. I am watching it again.

Toy Story 3 Trailer 2 in HD

Trailer Park Movies | MySpace Video

T-Mobile and faster 3G goodness for its users

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:53:00 +0000

New phone (NEXUS ONE) and new speeds at T-Mobile as they announce an upgrade to their network. The T-Mobile network is now running at 7.2Mbps peek up from 3.6Mbps. AT&T is upgrading too but they are not there yet.

I ran a speed test on my Moto Cliq and see I got 2.22Mbps download where I only got .2Mbps before. It might not be in the upper digit but it does feel much faster.

Check here for more info.

Onstar + Chevy Volt + Smartphone = Cool Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 03:23:00 +0000

Onstar can be equipped on Chevrolet vehicles and it can help in sticky situations. Future Volt users will have on more assist in the form of an application for Android, iPhone and Blackberry platforms. This app will give them features like.. Charging Status, MPG display and Remote Starting capabilities. If you don't have a smart phone, you not going to be left out, there will be an mobile optimized site as well.

Check here and here for more information.

NEXUS ONE with a Keyboard...is this in our future

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 02:14:00 +0000

The is soo much talk about the NEXUS ONE. I for one have the Motorola CLIQ but the NEXUS ONE does look like something I could use, if it had a physical keyboard. Well, apparently it just might get one. Google Engineering VP talked of an enterprise version that could have a keyboard and longer battery life. .. and there could be more devices including a budget model.

Check here for more of the story and click here to see the NEXUS at google.

Happy New Year from the Tan Rabbit Crew..

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:53:00 +0000

Help us Wave away the old and make way for the new.

Google Browser Size helps you see what others see

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 17:09:00 +0000

Goggle has come out with another browser helping tool for Webpage creators and its called Browser Size. It is a browser window size tool that overlays over your site, or any site you chose, and gives you statisitics of the percentage of people seeing parts of your site. Its not the prettiest thing but it does subtract the toolbar and gauges what your users actually see.

Head on over to Browser Size and check it out against one of your favorite or most visited sites.

Andriod App Review of Evernote

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:36:00 +0000

Evernote is where your information can be stored and keeped safe and in one place. You write a note and that paper almost always gets misplaced. You try to put in on your cell and then when you need it, you don't have your phone. Sometimes you save that note on your home computer but now that your at the office, access to that machine is out of the picture. That is where evernote comes in. It allows you to save those items and as long as you have internet access, you have access to your notes online. I have used Evernote at work and now that it is in the Android Market, I plan on using it even more often.

I mainly used Evernote on the PC and it is a simple program to use. Type the note, take a screen shot and save it, thats all there is to it. The Android app allows you to take a snap shot, upload a file, take a text note or even an audio note. Evernote is free to use but it does come with limits

Monthly uploads of up to 40mb

Uploads can be of images, audio, ink and pdf files

Go premium and you get 500mb a month uploads, enhanced sercurity and more. You can check out the free and premium comparisons here.

So far I have not found a reason to dislike Evernote on my Andriod phone. I have used it on my Moto CLIQ without error and I plan to use it often.

If your the type of person that takes lots of notes and finds yourself using scrap paper and losing them from time to time to time, I suggest you give Evernote a try. It is gonna save you some time, if not lessen how often your looking for a lost note again.

Philly Still Trying for WIFI

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 01:58:00 +0000

The city of Philadelphia tried to blanket the city with WIFI. Earthlink was part of the WIFI initiative but then pulled out and a private investment group took what they had. Now the city wants that hardware at the tune of 2 million dollars. What plans does the city have with WIFI now, "make it available in targeted public places. " We should ask for what "targeted places" means before city dollars are spent.

Read here for more on the article.

IRON MAN 2

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 03:12:00 +0000

This exciting Part 2 comes out May 7th. This includes Tony Stark, Pepper Pots and another Bad Guy. Check out the trailer, it speaks for itself.

Free WIFI.. and this time it is at McDonalds

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:24:00 +0000

McDonald's is going to start offering free Wi-Fi at many locations instead of charging 3 bucks and hour. This will be available to the public really soon ( Starting in the new year .) They are also going to start offering more coffee and desserts seperately and not as some kind of combo meal. This could come in handy if your with your family as they use the PlayPlace and you have to work for a while..Look out Starbucks

Check out here for more if..

Transformers New Game

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:44:00 +0000

Transfomers have a game for the PC and Wii and now there is yet another one called Transformer War for Cybertron..Check out the trailer, it looks awesome.

Transformers: War for Cybertron is in development for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Windows PC, Wii;trade; and Nintendo DS;trade;, and is not yet rated by the ESRB.

How not to fix the DROID

noreply@blogger.com (Tan Rabbit) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 17:25:00 +0000

Ok, there are DROID users out there that have problems with the battery cover. You would think that if you go back to where you bought it they would tell you what your options are or give you another ( during the first 14 days at least. ) But Verizon has a new option and it's free of course. Allow me to introduce you to The Verizon Bandaid.. while supplies last

Check here for the users story.

UPDATE: Verizon is offering replacement covers. If you need one, keep checking at Verizons website because they are out of stock.