Google+ Review and Invites

Google+ has been around for "field testing" for just over a month.  There is tremendous buzz about the social networking product (unlike Google's last attempt at a Facebook killer, Google Buzz, which crashed and burned after a privacy backlash).  Google+ is up over 25 million users already, a staggering growth rate, but still far from the massive user bases of Facebook and Twitter, both of which it challenges in aspects of its functionality.  All this, it is still a closed, invite-only beta.

If you haven't gotten an invite yet, here's a link to sign up for the first 150 readers to click it:

https://plus.google.com/_/notifications/ngemlink?path=%2F%3Fgpinv%3D4ZZL4MQWqug%3AObznSkvj69M

If you do follow the link, please make sure to give me a +1!


On to the review - Google+ could definitely be the Facebook killer.  The interface is clean, without the games, surveys, quizzes and advertising which have come to dominate Facebook.  Sharing information, status updates, photos and video is a snap.  Google wraps in its Picasa and Youtube properties and provides pretty much unlimited space to save your photos and videos.

MLB.tv Blackout - Truth in Advertising At Last!

A while back I wrote a post about Major Leage Baseball's archaic blackout policies which disallow fans from watching their own home team over streaming services.  One of the mnost annoying things was the marketing from Major Leaguye Baseball which promised fans the ability to "Watch Baseball Everywhere".  It looks like MLB has finally gotten the message:

Of course, thousands of unhappy subscribers and complaints may have had something to do with it.

MLBTV - Truth in Advertising At Last!

A while back I wrote a post about Major Leage Baseball's archaic blackout policies which disallow fans from watching their own home team over streaming services.  One of the mnost annoying things was the marketing from Major Leaguye Baseball which promised fans the ability to "Watch Baseball Everywhere".  It looks like MLB has finally gotten the message:

Of course, thousands of unhappy subscribers and complaints may have had something to do with it.

Podcasts 101 - How to Subcribe and Listen to Podcasts in iTunes

I listen to podcasts on a daily basis and they have pretty much replaced talk radio for me. The ability to listen to shows on specific topics that you are interested in is amazing.  There are podcasts on finance, technology, sports teams, TV shows, movies, sciences, humor - just about anything you can think of. Most of them are free, as well!

I find that when I mention in conversation that I heard something on a podcast, I get a blank stare most of the time.  Simply put, podcasts are audio and in some cases video shows which are posted with an RSS subcription feed, so that you automatically get the new episodes as they become available.

Podcasts have yet to completely hit the mainstream, even though programs such as iTunes make it easy to find, subscribe to and listen to them.  There are audio-only podcasts, as well as video podcasts.  I prefer audio for use in the car, where its probably better not to have the distraction of video.  Here's a quick guide to get started:

1. Open iTunes and click on "iTunes Store" in the left navigation panel:

Fringe Video from Comic-Con - Peter Auditions

The season finale of Fringe left us (Spoilers!) facing two realities without Peter Bishop.  Fringe without Peter would be like Dawson's Creek without Pacey!

Luckily, it looks like producers are auditioning a wide variety of possible replacements, and check out the final few seconds for what could be a total mind-blower (or just a throw-away Comic-Con gag):

Plex Media Server - Review

Plex Media Center is a set of server and client applications that allow you to organize and play your media from a Mac or PC (with Linux Server Support on the way).  On the client side, there are options not just for Macs and PC's, but for Apple IOS and Android Mobile devices as well.  Plex even includes support for devices such as LG Smart TV's and Roku Streaming Media Players.  With an active development community, Plex is constantly adding features, updates and support for additional services.



While there are many other applications which provide similar functionality, such as Boxee, Plex has a very slick interface and great support across a variety of platforms.  Plex began as a development fork of the Xbox Media Center, and is now supported by a corporation behind the development which includes a freeware/open-source development community as well as some sections which are proprietary and closed-sourced.

Plex provides a great "10 foot experience" when viewed on a television.  The interface for movies, TV and music includes information gathered from the Internet to provide a detailed summary and graphics to identify your selection.

"Lost" Mysteries Explained at San Diego Comic-Con 2011

"Lost" Producers Damon Lindelhoff and Carlton Cuse broke their self-imposed silence since the controversial end of the series when they crashed a "Lost: One Year Later" discussion panel at this years' Comic-Con.  They brought along a video to fill in some of the blanks fans have been most curious about, such as the Man In Black's name:

Bose Companion 3 Series II Speakers - Review

Bose speakers have an excellent reputation for sound quality and range, and this set is an excellent way to bring that sound to your computer, portable device or home media center.  The Companion 3 set includes a sub-woofer, known as the "Acoustimass Module", two compact full-range speakers and a "Multi-Function Control Pod".

Setup is a snap connect the remote and speakers to the Acoustimass Module, and a standard mini-jack cable to your computer or other audio source, plug in the power and you are ready to go.  The sound is incredible, with deep bass and clear mid and high-range - it really fills the room.  There is no comparison to standard computer speakers - these are definitely Bose.

Bitcoin - Anonymous, Peer-to-Peer Virtual Cash

There have been many attempts to establish a popular virtual currency system over the years.  Bitcoin is a recent one which seems to be gathering a lot of steam.  While digital currency and electronic payments are common, a replacement for real-world cash-like transactions has remained elusive and no standard has really caught on. 

Bitcoin meets many of the requirements of "e-cash" - it is secure, anonymous and completely decentralized and traded through a peer-to-peer network.  It is easy to use and allows private transactions between individuals.  Bitcoin is also most governments' worst nightmare - it is possible to conduct payments without any external trackable record - there is nothng to tax!

Bitcoin was developed by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2009, the realization of a paper he wrote, Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System.  It is also the name of an open-source client application which allows the exchange, storage and generation of Bitcoins, and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux platforms.

TrueCrypt - Free, Simple, and Powerful Encryption for Everyone

Just last week, there was a minor furor when Dropbox amended their terms of service to announce that any data stored on the cloud service could be revealed upon government request.  This is really no different from the existing policies and actions of many cloud providers, from Google to Amazon to Yahoo.  Add to that the constant pressure of hackers and occasional accidental reveal of account information and passwords, and it is surprising that we have entered an era where many users are trusting their data to be stored on servers beyond their immediate control.  Considering this environment, encryption can be a useful tool in safeguarding that data, and TrueCrypt puts the power of top-quality encryption into a very user-friendly format, for free.

TrueCrypt allows several different types of encryption - you can encrypt an entire volume, such as a USB Storage Thumb Drive, or an entire Hard Drive.  You can also encrypt a system drive, preventing unautorized users from even booting into the Operating System.  You can encrypt a volume within a normal drive, allowing you to create a secure "locker" for sensitive files. 

Friday Exposed - Rebecca Black Ripped Off Bob Dylan?

The parallels between Bob Dylan and Rebecca Black are obvious: Gifted storytellers with deep, expressive lyrics, anti-establishment non-conformists with the courage to express their art in an inimitable style, and the ability to convey the angst and dissatisfaction of the youth of an entire nation.

The similarity of critical reactions is striking as well - "they can't sing".

Sometimes "Low Tech" Is The Better Solution

For years, I have illustrated the fact that the simplest solution is often the best one with the story of how NASA spent millions of dollars to develop the "Space Pen", which would write in zero gravity.  Meanwhile, the frugal but wily Russian cosmonauts used a pencil.

Today I learned that this is an urban legend, and that the Space Pen was developed independently from NASA by a an pen manufacturer, Paul C. Fisher, in 1965. NASA did buy the pens when Fisher presented them, and while Russia did use pencils in early space missions, they ordered 100 Space Pens in 1969 and used them for all future missions. It seems that the flammable nature of wooden pencils and the loose lead of broken mechanical pencil points were considered risks which were solved by the Space Pen.

Left without my prime example of why "high tech" isn't always the best solution, I was lucky enough to come across a new testament to this fact: