TechToyz: The Intersection of Technology and Life

CES 2008

The dates are set for the next CES . I was going to skip the 2008 show and go to MacWorld ,but I think we will go to Las Vegas instead.

Blackrimglasses

I found a cool blog the other day. Ethan Kaplan has a blog called Blackrimglasses . Ethan is running a series of tech overviews of "his world" of technology. I though I was a geek with great toys. I'm an amateur compared to him. I'm learning from his overviews. Take a look:

Part 1: The Environment

• Part 2: The Applications

• Part 3: Communications

Google Earth...On the Mac

Finally, Google Earth is available for the Mac platform. I downloaded it and did a test run. So far, it seems to work as well on my Powerbook as it does on my Dell laptop. Better late than never.

Bacon Brothers at CES

The Bacon Brothers, Kevin and Michael, were in the XM radio booth at CES. XM seemed to take a more low-key approach to entertainment this year. I think the crowds around their booth the last couple of years irritated the companies around them.

The Bacon Brothers did an acoustic set that was outstanding. They sounded great, answered some questions and signed autographs. I have a couple of their songs on my iPod that I bought from Apple's iTunes Store. When I get back, I'm going to grab their new CD. It sounds like it will be a very good CD.

Mac mini Memory Upgrade

I ordered the 1Gb memory from NewEgg for my Mac mini. The 256Mb configuration was reasonable if you were not doing much. A 512Mb upgrade might have been sufficient, but the NewEgg price was pretty reasonable, plus I'm used to using my Powerbook that has 1.5Gb of memory.

The additional memory was easy to install. Kevin Rose has some good pics of the process. It was more difficult to get the cover back on correctly. So far, the mini has been a nice machine. I'm using it on my AirPort Extreme network and performance has been very good.

iPod Shuffle

My new Ipod Shuffle had it's maiden voyage today. The setup last night was the usual painless install. I bought the 512MB version. I usually subscribe to the "bigger is better" theory, but the 512MB model was available sooner and should be plenty of space for my needs. I'll be using it for my bike riding and when I go to the gym. It is MUCH smaller and lighter than my 1st Gen iPod. I hope it proves to be just as durable.

I do need to reconfigure the Shuffle settings. I'm sort of a control freak. (yeah, a big surprise for those that know me :) ) I don't like the random play or shuffle. I want the books, songs and podcasts to play in the order I want them to play. A quick look at the instructions (RTFM) showed me how to remedy the configuration.

Now, when is that new iPod mini coming out?!

MAC Mini

My new Mac mini arrived earlier this week.  Tonight was the big night to open the box and get started.  I saw the mini at MacWorld last month in San Fran, but I didn't realize how small this thing really is! When it's on your desk, you realize it is really small. As usual, the Apple setup is painless. I connected the mini to my Powerbook and moved 30GB of documents, files, music and podcasts.  Right now, I have about 7 programs open. Some with multiple windows open. It works fine, but I can tell I'll need the memory upgrade. Guess I'll order that in a day or two.

My new iPod Shuffle came in today. It's charging now. I'll try it out tomorrow and let you know how I like it.