In a summer where ‘double dip’ refers to the economy as much as to an ice cream treat, and with gas prices at the pump only one of dozens of higher costs associated with increasing oil prices, the need to lessen our dependance on foreign oil is acute. To that end, the environmental group Environment America has launched a campaign called Get Off Oil, and has a Facebook and Twitter presence dedicated to the cause. The focus, according to their Twitter feed, is: Why get off oil? Cleaner environment, less vulnerable to instability in the Middle East, save $$, increased tech jobs. Safer, richer and happier Americans. As part of their… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Winnie the Pooh iBook on the iPad–not bad, but could be soooo much better With the explosive growth of the eBook market, one would think that the design of eBook reader apps would, by now, be well-advanced.  Lots of cool options, good readability, and all kinds of thought put into their design. One would be wrong. Initial background info:  I have been writing information to be distributed online for nearly 20 years now–since 1992, to be exact.  This is my life, my work, my calling–it is more than an avocation.  I think about the best way to deliver information online all the time.  I’ve initiated polls.  I’ve read research.  I’ve talked to dozens of experts… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

  I just spent more than I ever imagined to get a week’s worth of Slix socks, undershirts and briefs and I’m glad I did. They are, by far, the most comfortable undergarments I have ever worn and are worth every penny. Let me back up a bit and explain. Last January I was getting ready for my SCOTTEVEST No Baggage Challenge for Charity to benefit the Haiti Plunge. I knew I needed things that would be super comfortable, wash easily and dry fast since I was only bringing one change of clothing for the entire week. I hunted around and found that a number of travel writers raved about Slix. I was… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

One of the leading task management apps for the iPhone and iPad is Todo from Appigo. Todo is as gorgeous as it is functional and, thanks to Appigo’s commitment to their products and their customers, the app has steadily improved since its initial release in 2008. Today Appigo announced a new version of Todo that adds Dropbox synchronization as an option for keeping data in sync across multiple devices. In addition, the new version has built-in automatic background synchronization so that synchronization now happens automatically without the need to tap a sync button. “We’re excited to show off Todo’s new Dropbox sync. A lot of people have asked for it, and we think they’re… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

  We are getting to the end of our Vonage Time to Call iPad 2 Giveaway. The contest ends tomorrow, Thursday the 18th, so there is still time to enter …  But not much. Want a chance to win an iPad 2? Jump over to the initial post, read the rules and enter. It’s that simple.  Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I collect thumb drives.  At least it seems that way, as I have a whole bag of them.  One of these days I’d like to replace all of the smaller ones with one larger one or a few larger ones.  This 8 GB SanDisk Ultra flash drive is my second 8 GB flash drive and one of my favorites.  Let’s take a look at its features. Speedy – Faster file transfer speeds Stylish – Attractive slider design houses your data in style Secure – Store your private files in a password-protected and encrypted vault on the USB flash drive Added Protection – Secure online backup (up to 2 GB*) offered by SanDisk’s online backup Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This six game collection includes two brand new Pac-Man and Galaga games specifically tailored for the Nintendo 3DS as well as the famous classics.

Image Courtesy of Demotivation I recently remarked about how and why I didn’t buy a HP TouchPad during the recent mega-sale at Staples and elsewhere. As I mentioned then, Dan had also looked at the TouchPad when it was released and described it as “a bit too laggy for my taste”. Since then he posted about the upcoming AT&T 3G model with a faster processor, and said the main reason he didn’t get one during the big sale was his local store didn’t have any. My post also drew comments from others less than thrilled with the TouchPad. Turns out we are far from alone – just before the Staples deal… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The depth and breadth of music featured on Saturday Night Live in its first decade is stunning – from Frank Zappa to Miles Davis to Gil Scott Heron and many more, there was seemingly no boundary the show wouldn’t cross. They proved that for sure in May of 1978 when they featured their first extraterrestrial artist – Sun Ra! Jazz musicians are now viewed as being anti-technology, but that wasn’t always so – Quincy Jones recorded the first synthesizer in 1964, Pat Metheny was a pioneer of guitar synthesizers, and in 1956 Sun Ra recorded the first electronic piano recording. It was just the first of many excursions for the man born Herman… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I have been an Android user since 2009, and have no intent on switching. But let’s be honest – in many ways the OS mirrors DOS and Windows. For example, on my original Droid, the split between the internal storage and SD card was absurd – I would have 14GB of memory on my SD card, but get ‘low memory’ warnings trying to install a 2MB app because nothing would let itself be installed in ‘HIMEM.SYS’. Another Windows-like behavior? The Add/Remove Control Panel – or, the ‘Manage Applications’ system item. This is the place you go to move apps to and from the SD card (when allowed), clear data, stop services, or… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Summer is here, which means it is time for the THIRD week of yet another GamersGate Summer Sale! The front page claims ’457 offers’, but when I checked this morning the list totaled more than 600 sale items! Here are just a few of the things on sale – all of which are at least 75% off! Saints Row 2 (PC) , $3.74*, SAVE: 75% BioShock 2 (PC) , $7.98*, SAVE: 84% Hearts of Iron III (PC) , $4.99*, SAVE: 75% Red Faction Guerrilla (PC) , $4.99*, SAVE: 75% Trine (PC) , $1.99*, SAVE: 90% Tomb Raider: Underworld (PC) , $4.99*, SAVE: 75% Red Shark (PC) Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Are you the type that misplaces things like keys, your car remote or your purse?  Then the Cobra Tag may be for you.  Cobra Tag is a Bluetooth device that works in conjunction with your phone.  Once set up, if you walk away from the item your phone will alert you that you forgot your keys. What if that item is your phone?  Cobra Tag has that covered too.  If you walk away from your phone AND have the tag, then the tag itself will alert you that you left your phone behind.  The app works on Blackberry and Android devices.  No word yet on iPhone availability, or on how they plan to fix the problem when you leave both your… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

While Nintendo has had tremendous success in the handheld gaming market, pretty much owning the category since introducing the Game Boy back in 1989 … they have not fared as well in the new world order defined by smartphones! The result has been lower than expected sales and a price cut for the new 3DS system. The hope on the part of many is that the lower price, along with games such as Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and a fall release slate filled with anticipated titles will help propel the system into a successful holiday season. In spite of lagging sales, the 3DS has loads of fans, including the… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

If you have kids in the tween to teen years, you likely experience the ‘world according to YouTube’. It has been shown before that YouTube is a leader in how kids see and interpret the world – they listen to music on YouTube, watch movies through clips, get comedy and trends there, and experience new content before it hits anywhere else. Anyway, one of big things that kids love on YouTube are micro-episodes – shorts that are a couple of minutes long and generally a bit off-kilter in terms of content. A couple of classic and well-known examples are Charlie Bit My Finger and Charlie the Unicorn. (What is… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

It is always interesting to see a ‘local flavor’ story, a positive human interest story with no downside. These stories remind us that there is good in the world, that in spite of recession and war and political strife and violence and natural disasters, there remains the possibility for the small and simpler pleasures often though to be the purview of forgotten times. And when one of those stories touches close to home, all the better. Such is the case in a story being featured on CNN, Good Morning America and other places – the story of a man who traveled 1400 miles and bought 150 pizzas! Growing up in the suburban… Continue reading on Gear Diary …