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Archive for September, 2006
Petzl Tikka XP
Maybe I have a fascination with illumination. Captain Searcheye is still performing all duties admirably, but a bulky, heavy torch is not always suitable. Packing and carrying garbage bags to the entrance on a Monday evening for early morning Tuesday collection and Gotta find and pick up all the Lego that fell down into the darkest recesses of a dark garage episodes spring to mind. In those cases, two hands are better than one, but you need to see what you’re doing. The French have a solution, and the Petzl Tikka XP has become my gadget of choice.
Barring the cyclopian look, the head-mounted lamp is incredibly effective. Light where you’re currently looking, with sufficient brightness to reach a distance of almost 30m. The headband is comfortable and adjustable, as is the angle at which the lamp is directed. A single button activates the lamp and switches it off. Quick pushes of the power button change the brightness in three steps, from bright to medium to dim. The fourth setting is probably a remnant of old-style Paris discos: the lamp flashes, making a walk along a dark trail particularly exciting. A second button boosts the maximum power to the lamp to provide a few seconds of extra-bright light.
Obviously the power consumption depends on the selected lighting mode. Three AAA batteries are required, which should last at least 60 hours if the lamp is used at the brightest setting.
A wide-angle lens is provided as a sliding cover to the actual lamp. This provides the option of spot-lighting or generating a wide beam suitable for proximity lighting. The entire lamp assembly is suitable for all-weather use, and Petzl provide a range of spares and accessories.
I never considered this a useful gadget until I actually started using it. Having directed light where you need it and still being able to have both hands free is really useful.
20 questions
This is another one of those things to waste some time on the Internet. 20 questions is a good example of neural net technology. Its aim is to try and guess what you are thinking about.
For example: I’m thinking about an elephant – 20Q asks questions and provides possible answers, then tries to guess what I’m thinking about in 20 questions or less. In this case, it had the answer in 19:
19. I am guessing that it is an elephant?
18. Can it live out of water? Yes.
17. Is it fuzzy? No.
16. Will it eat almost anything? No.
15. Does it jump? No.
14. Does it have a horn? No.
13. Can it climb? No.
12. Is it very large? Yes.
11. Is it located in the sky? No.
10. Does it purr? No.
9. Is it brown? No.
8. Does it have a long neck? No.
7. Does it live in the forest? Sometimes.
6. Is it a scavenger? No.
5. Does it have arms? No.
4. Can it run fast? Probably.
3. Is it a wild animal? Yes.
2. Can it scratch? Probably.
1. It is classified as Animal.
Being an AI, it gives reasoning and tries to show you the error of your ways:
You were thinking of an elephant.
Can it scratch? You said Probably, I say No.
Can it run fast? You said Probably, I say Doubtful.
Does it live in the forest? You said Sometimes, I say No.
The more people play, the more accurate 20Q becomes, as the neural net is constantly learning and adapting.
Maybach Exelero
Prototyped by Fulda, the German tyre manufacturer, and Maybach, manufacturer of luxury cars, the Maybach Exelero was built solely for testing of high-speed tyres.
Weighing a mere 2500kg, the Exelero accelerates from a standing start to 100km/h in less than 5 seconds. The top speed achieved: just shy of the 310km/h mark.
iTunes 7
Apple’s updated iTunes 7 sports an updated icon – green has been changed to blue. Changes to the application seem to be primarily cosmetic: some icons have been moved around and the left-hand pane sports a cleaner look. Three buttons to the right of the track information display allow a quick change of the view of the currently selected playlist or library. A list, grouped or browse view is provided, of which the browse view is perhaps the most eye-catching. By dragging the scroll bar, the cover art is displayed in a rotating fashion, similar to flipping through a rack of albums.
The installation of the new version includes a new application: the Apple Software Updater. This is designed to allow new versions and updates to be installed in an easier fashion. Upon iTunes’ initial startup, Gapless playback information is updated for all media in the library. Gapless playback is a new feature supported by the newer iPod devices. This enhances the listening experience by blending seamlessly from one song or format to the next without interruption.
For those fortunate enough to have an Apple iTunes account, iTunes 7 provides a very useful feature: missing album art is downloaded automatically and added to the affected tracks. Even better, is the addition of the menu item Backup to disc…. This is something I’ve so far managed in a manual fashion. I’d hate to lose the content of my music library! The option allows the entire music collection to be backed up to CD’s or DVD’s. Once a complete backup has been created, the incremental backup option ensures only those items not backed up previously are secured. Most useful…perhaps also a means of moving media from one machine to another…
Obviously gearing towards the full media experience, iTunes is providing more and more support for video, with increased support and higher resolutions. The integration of the new iTV device will be an obvious next step.
This is a necessary upgrade for all those laying their hands on the new iPod models. For the rest of us, it provides some handy additional features.
10th scale madness
Alexander and I are investigating getting a 10th scale monster truck for the garden. Currently, the Traxxas E-Maxx fits the bill nicely. Browsing the Traxxas site, we checked out the video for the nitro-powered 4-TEC 3.3.
For a 10th scale racer, it has some mean power: top speed is claimed to be around about 70mph! Check out the video – this has to be seen to be believed!
Scary thing is, there are probably hop-ups available to make this monster to go even faster.
Apple – “It’s showtime”
I’ve just finished following the 12 September Apple event held for members of the press at the Apple headquarters. Steve Jobs has announced some new iPod models: the new video iPod with an 80GB drive can play for roughly 6 hours, has a much brighter screen and provides a variety of games for purchase from the iTunes store. Smaller nano and shuffle models, together with enhanced earphones and smaller chargers are available too. The new nanos are available in a variety of colours, similar to the older iPod mini.
Jobs has capitalized on his affiliation with Disney: films from Disney, Pixar, Touchstone, and Miramax are available for purchase and download in DVD quality from the iTunes store. Speaking of iTunes, the new version 7 should be available for download shortly after Jobs’ keynote is over.
A new product is the iTV (not its real name). The iTV will be available in the first half of 2007 and provides the missing functionality to integrate all the media from iTunes and stream it to a television set. The iTV provides various inputs and is operated with an Apple remote control.
Nothing really exciting. The iTV has some potential. It would be great to see iTunes purchases being made available more widely…you listening, Steve?
Update to the HTC Universal planned
5 years ago
The choice to go for the JAMin was primarily related to the form factor. I’d initially intended getting an imate JASJAR, but that device is too big to be used as a phone. It’s a great notebook replacement, especially since it combines a great screen, keyboard and 3G connectivity.
Various rumours are now making the rounds that HTC is already in the advanced stages of having a successor to the Universal (the imate JASJAR) ready. The OMNI, as it is presently known, will sport some great features: a faster processor, slimmer form factor and HSDPA connectivity.
The feature that is creating the greatest interest is the device’s purported support for Windows Mobile 5 AKU3 – this latest version of the mobile operating system is said to provide VGA output capability. This would be an excellent solution hook in as a car PC or as a mobile presentation platform. If the rumours are true, we may be seeing the OMNI as soon as early next year.
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