10 posts tagged “abby”

From the creator of the Leapfrog Flypen (Episode 14) and its improved successor Fly Fusion (Episode 386), Jim Marggraff, the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen takes the idea to a higher level (both in terms of capabilities and age), for use by any school or college students.

At the tip of the Smartpen is an infrared camera, and as you jot down notes on Livesccribe's special Dot Paper, the notes are "captured" and turned into digital copies (PDFs).  What actually happens is that the camera takes 72 shots per second of 36 dots on the dot-enabled paper each time.  The (x,y) coordinates of each capture are interpreted by software to rebuild the image of the notes.  So it is not handwriting recognition as such, but rather a recording of where ink is positioned.  Livescribe calls it DPS - Dot Positioning System.

Two microphones on the pen itself record the lecture and the software synchronises (or at least indexes) the recording with what you are writing or drawing on the Dot Paper.  A pair of earphones plug into the end of the pen.  At the backs of the earphones are also 2 additional microphones which can record "3D sound", so that when the recording is played back, you're taken back to the same environment, with all the sounds around you recorded.



The notes and audio recording are stored in flash memory inside the pen (1GB and 2GB models available), which you can transfer to a Windows XP or Vista machine (Mac support being developed) via the Smartpen Dock (which is also a USB charging cradle) and the bundled software.



As you go over your notes, tap on a word or drawing with the pen, and you will be taken straight to the part of the recording when the word or drawing was jotted down.  Recording and playback controls are on the Dot Paper itself, with "buttons" for Record, Play, Pause, Speed up, Bookmarking, etc.

You can also store or share your notes online, on your "My Livescribe Account" which comes with the Smartpen (250MB online storage).  To see some of the "notes" posted online, and to try out the "synchronised" recording (pencasts?), click here.

The Smartpen comes with 100 sheets of Dot Paper, 3 ink cartridges and 1 stylus cartridge.  The website says that beginning in the fall, Livescribe will enable users to print their own dot-enabled paper.

Further applications are being developed, an idea similar to the Fly Fusion modules.

Totally Costly
Dennis Demarco got a new Vista machine recently, but when he tried to play the Totally Mad 7-CD set, it wouldn't play on Vista.  Desperate to see his favourite Mad CDs, he went and got an XP machine.  Total cost of CDs in 1997: $17.  Total cost of computer to play the CDs in 2008, $430.

There is also a DVD version, called Absolutely Mad, but Dick thinks that the CD-set has better indexing.  See also Episode 214, and makememad.com.

A Younger President
Leo bemoans the fact that if Obama gets elected, it will be the first time in Leo's lifetime that a US president is younger than himself.

These photo frames from Brookstone plug into your laptop via USB, displaying 4" x 6" pictures (physical prints, not digital photos), and double up as a nice pair of speakers for your laptop.


Days Off
Leo's weekend is packed with recording podcasts, and his day off is Monday.  Dick also works over the weekend and takes Thursday off.  Dick will be taking the Circle Line Boat Tour to see the Waterfalls, the latest public art intallations in New York (see Episode 591).  Dick missed the last art installation at Rickefeller Center, a 65-foot tall erector set of a model building, called "What My Dad Gave Me".



An Adventure for Dane
Dane is going to visit Dick in New York, with a tour of the Mad Office, and probably a job interview with GizWiz Productions.

Poker Runs
Learn about Rocky Aoki, cigarette boats and poker runs from Dick and Leo.

Eye-Fi Adapter for CF
Andrew40, Brad Bisner and Shaun Bridgany have all written in about SD to CF adapters.  Leo was bemoaning the fact that he couldn't use the Eye-Fi Explore (Episode 608) because his DSLR used Compact Flash instead of SD, and they wonder if the Eye-Fi will work inside these converters.  Ryan Shrout of PC Perspective confirms from the chatroom that it does.  In fact Amazon offers the Eye-Fi card bundled with a SD to CF adapter.


Listen to Episode 626
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The Giz Wiz Home Page

Made by Eagle Creek and available at Magellan's, the Multi-Function Travel Clock tells the times of 16 cities around the world, is an alarm clock (with snooze function), calculator, currency converter, and even tells the temperature.

Brand New Monday Jingle
It's a brand new week and a brand new day and a brand new Monday Jingle, from Dan Lueders again, which has incorporated Leo's Monday ditty, their occasional slogan "The worse your life is, the better we sound" and even the Gravy Slogan.

Rock My Teeth
Patrick Warn from Georgia, Vermont writes about Rock My Teeth - a musical tooth-whitening system.  Attach the whitening kit to your iPod and the music, Professor Bocelli claims, helps line up the peroxide molecules to make it easier for them to penetrate through the enamel into the dentin to whiten the teeth.  Watch the video here.  Dick thinks the HydraBrush (Episodes 226, 480) - though Dick thinks it's called Turbo Brush - makes a lot more sense.

Cotati Accordion Festival
Dick is joing Leo at TWiTLive on Friday 20 June 2008, and Dick has had difficulty getting a room at the local hotels, because that weekend is the Cotati Accordion Festival.  Dick manages to book himself a 2-night package at the Metro Cafe and Hotel, one of Leo's favourites.  Kim from Wild Planet is going to demonstrate their Christmas toys and she'll come dressed as an elf.


Listen to Episode 566
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Neuros produced the MPEG4 Recorder 2 for converting videos into MPEG4 for playback on portable devices such as the iPod and PSP (Episode 49).  It has now come up with the Neuros OSD (OSD standing for Open Source Device, Linux-based) with far more functionalities.  It is a video recorder for all your videos, and a bit of a media centre.

It makes use of the analogue hole to transfer the input video into digital form, on to your choice of external storage (such as a USB hdd, flash drive, memory cards or NAS).  Hook up the Neuros OSD between your video source and the TV (using RCA jacks), connect your storage to the Neuros OSD, and start recording into MPEG4.  You have a choice of 2 resolutions: 320x240 at 30fps for playback on portable devices, and 640x480 at 30fps for playback on TV and PC.


It is also a very capable playback device for audio, video and still photo, supporting many media formats, including mpeg4, mov, wmv, flv, avi (including Dvix and Xvid), mp3, ogg vorbis, wma, flac, jpg, bmp and gif.  You can choose your playback source from an USB-connected storage, or any memory card in the built-in card reader (supporting most major memory cards), or from any networked source via the ethernet port (such as your NAS or even the internet).


Its firmware is upgradable, and the software includes built-in automatic software update capability.  Because the device is based on open source software, Neuros also encourages open development of additional features for the OSD.  Comes with a remote control, an IR Blaster, and RCA cables (European models include SCART adapters).

Automatic Podcast Generator
Dick and Leo lament the missed opportunity of getting a push-button automatic podcast generator, while Leo was away in Tasmania, from Ludwik Trammer, DGW's official statistician, database compiler, RSS feeder, general factotum and all-round nice guy.

Missing Feature
Girl Geek Myra Joyce (who wrote in in Episode 495) referred to the letter read in Episode 526 about the Canon Pixma iP4300.  To her disappointment, the CD-label printing capability is enabled only in models shipped outside of the US (which could be enabled for US models but only with some dismantling and reassembly of the printer).

The Ultimate Toaster
Leo has come up with an idea for the ultimate toaster.  It can print any image you want on your toast.  A toast before it's even made and one destined for the Gadget Warehouse.

Listen to Episode 546
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The Giz Wiz Home Page

A gadget for the couch potato who is also a PC fan.  The diNovo Mini is a palm size keyboard, from Logitech, bluetooth 2.0-enabled, with rechargeable Lithium ion battery with AC adapter.  It's for those who use their TV as their computer monitor.  It has 2 modes.  One is for control of Windows Media Centre.  The other mode is for control of PC functions, so you can do IM, emails etc.  Compatible wtih PS3 too.

1000 Episodes
Avid listener FreeBSD loves DGW, congratulates Dick and Leo on the successful podcast, and hopes it goes on to 1000 episodes.  He also has a story to tell which would go well with the Scala Rider Teamset episode (Episode 369), about teenagers text messaging while driving.  He was sitting in Starbucks in Kingston, Ontario, when he heard a crash outside - a lady driver was text messaging while driving and rear-ended the car in front as she turned into the road outside Starbucks.

Episode 500
Dick and Leo are pretty tied up and Dick has not planned anything for Episode 500.  Leo suggests that listeners can send in questions to them, and if they answer correctly, listeners can send them crap.

Did you know?
18% of car accidents are caused by women putting on make-up while driving.

Listen to Episode 498
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Read Dick's Write-Up

After a listener wrote in about the magicJack in Episode 471, Dick is now able to review it.  It's a USB dongle which you can plug into any USB port of any computer, and you will be able to make regular telephone calls.  You can use the microphone on the computer, or connect a telephone jack to the back of the device.  Compatible with both PC and Mac.  It does require a paid subscription, but you can use it anywhere, not just your home, and you get your own telephone number.

BKFK
Lon Haber, who organises the website BKFK (By Kids For Kids), writes in about this website, where children can enter competitions to invent a gadget which will help the environment, or design other items.

Listen to Episode 486
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Read Dick's Write-Up

In all the extensive coverage of CES 2008, no one mentioned the Liquid Image Underwater Digital Camera Mask, Model 302.  But Dick does.  It's an underwater mask, with a built-in 5MP digital camera which takes video (640x480, 18-25 fps) as well.  16MB internal memory, with a microSD card slot, powered by 2 AAA batteries.  Photographic distance is up to 5 feet.  The Model 302 is for ages 8 to adult and can operate up to 30 meters underwater.  Model 300 is for ages 8 to 12, and Model 301 or ages 8 to adult.  These other models use a lower resolution CMOS, 3.1MP, and operate up to 5 meters underwater.  All models come with USB cable for downloading images and videos to your computer, with ArcSoft photo and video editing software.

SCUBA
Leo the wordsmith explains that "scuba" in scuba diving stands for "self-contained underwater breathing apparatus".

More Work for Dick and Leo
After Dick and Leo mentioned gadgets they didn't like in Episode 461, J/P suggests that Dick and Leo do a Throw Away Thursday (or Take Out The Trash Thursday) and have another jingle.  Together with Head-To-Head Wednesday suggested by Deak in Episode 481, that should complete the week of themes.

A recommendation by Scott Bourne, the AudioEngine 5 (A5) is a pair of speakers with built-in amplifiers, 5" Kevlar woofers and 20mm silk dome tweeters.  75W peak power per speaker.  The set is powered via the Left Speaker, which has a USB port (for power charging) and audio input on top for your iPod or other audio source.

At the back, it has an AC outlet for Apple's Airport Express (or other device), ideal for streaming music from iTunes on your computer to the speakers wirelessly.

Approximately 10" (H) x 7" (W) x 8" (D).  14 pounds for the left speaker and 9 pounds for the right.  Available in black or white.

Also available is the AudioEngine 2 (A2) which is designed for the desktop, smaller in size and less powerful, without the built-in iPod and Airport Express connectivity.

The Amazing Criswell ...
... the psychic weather man or woman and DGW listener, writes again (see Episode 176).  In Episode 438, Leo thought Election Day is the first Tuesday of November.  Criswell corrects Leo.  It's actually the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Listen to Episode 442
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Read Dick's Write-Up