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Items of Note:
All episodes of The Geekcast are now live! I’ve uploaded and linked all episodes of the show through the new site and now every episode of the show is available to download. In addition, a new ‘related episode’ feature has been added to the site as well. Just click on the blog entry for the episode you’re interested in and related episodes will be presented on the right!
Are you enjoying our weekly short ‘Geek Out’ episodes? Let us know!
We have begun our live-streaming of the show! You can now watch Aaron and Gozer record the show and also participate in a chat room with us! This will allow you to view the show live and see how the magic happens. Even better, it will let you interact with us as we record which may be a lot of fun. We’ve never done this before, so there are bound to be hiccups and glitches, but if you bear with us, this could be really cool. We currently record on Wednesday evenings and start between 7:30 and 8:00 pm Eastern and we go for about 60-90 minutes.
Check out our YouTube channel and my GB is hiring video. Also check out ghostbustersnews.com, it seems to be more of a fan based website than ghostbustersishiring.com, they also posted my video so they’re cool.
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Geek This Week:
Aaron:
I’ve needed a new pair of sneakers for a while now and I decided to order from Zappos. A few months ago they gave out free VIP accounts, which gives you free overnight shipping for life. This is a fantastic deal and I wanted to give their legendary customer service a try. I ordered a pair of Nike LunarTrainer+ Sneakers, which are top of the line running sneakers. One motivation for this was to use the new Nike+ system, which we’ll talk about a little later in the show. The experience was great! They shipped on-time, responded to me mentioning them on Twitter and made it a painless shopping experience. Overall, they were awesome!!
Got my HK Drive+Play working…..FINALLY!! I found on a message board that someone else had an iPhone 3GS and a Harman Kardon Drive+Play unit but he didn’t have the same problems I’ve been having. I sent him an e-mail and after talking a couple of times, I narrowed the issue down not to an incompatibility but something wrong with my particular D+P unit. I happened to have a second ‘main brain’ unit, so I swapped it out and I’m in business! As soon as Apple rolls out iPhone OS 3.1 where bluetooth-enabled voice dialing is available, I will be 100% set with my in-car setup.
Gozer:
Hung out with Shhtaa Wars Dan, went to toy r us, a sushi buffet where i had some shark fin soup and then went back to rap about shark fin soup in garage band. Also did a bunch of disney afternoon songs with auto tune. Woulda thought we were drunk cuz we were acting like total asses and being completely incoherent. Watched GB BluRay and the refurbishing of ecto 1.
ScottSigler.com Varient Frequencies turned me on to his stories. I started with earthcore which was written in 2005. I am about 3/4 of the way listening to it. It’s about this corporation called earthcore that pursues this supposed platinum find like no one has ever seen before. Of course nothing goes as planned because they are not alone in the wawa mountains of Utah. Best thing about this audiobook is…it’s free. He boasts it as the first podcast novel. He also has a couple of other free audio books on itunes. Check em’ out!
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Tech and Gaming News:
Embedded Linux company boasts 1-second boot
MontaVista, an embedded Linux company based in Santa Clara, Calif., said Tuesday its latest system is able to boot in one second and released a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-l_DSZe8_F8) that shows a vehicle dashboard system going from cold boot into a “fully operational” state in that time. The one-second timing may not be directly translatable to a desktop Linux OS environment, however, because booting a full-fledged OS requires additional drivers and processes to be launched.
Intel’s Netbook Linux OS, Moblin, is also eyeing fast boot times. The chipmaker recently partnered with Phoenix Technologies, which produces a fast-boot technology called HyperSpace, promising to bring the technology to the Moblin project. The software consists of a stripped down Linux environment with a browser and Wi-Fi software, meant to go from bootup to the Web quickly. According to reports, Moblin integrating HyperSpace should be able to go from off to the Web in less than 10 seconds. Competitor Canonical has also said its latest release Ubuntu 9.04 is focused on booting faster.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10287083-92.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0
Mitsubishi TVs to come with free Vudu boxes as of July 16th
Getting a free DVD or Blu-ray player with an HDTV purchase is nothing new, but Mitsubishi’s taking things to the next level: starting July 16th, authorized retailers will throw in a free Vudu box and $50 service credit with every Mitsu TV. Right, we know it’s only a $150 box, but remember Vudu is really the only player out there offering 1080p HDX video rentals right now, and it also supports Pandora, Flickr, YouTube and local streaming, so bundling the box is a pretty easy way for Mitsubishi to jump into the connected TV market without having to reinvent the wheel.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/07/15/mitsubishi-tvs-to-come-with-free-vudu-boxes-as-of-july-16th/
Google Voice coming to Android, BlackBerry
Google is ready to bring Google Voice to a place where it really makes the most sense: the smartphone.
Android and BlackBerry owners who are also Google Voice users will be able to use the service directly on their handsets starting Wednesday, said Vincent Paquet, senior product manager for Google Voice and a co-founder of GrandCentral, the product currently known as Google Voice. Google Voice, which is expected to be available at some point Wednesday, lets users assign a single number to ring their home, work, and cell phones, and also get voice mail messages as text transcriptions.
With the new applications, Google Voice users will be able to make calls from their smartphones with their Google Voice numbers displayed on the other end of the call, alleviating a common frustration with the service, Paquet said. They’ll also be able to get their transcribed voice mail inside the dedicated application rather than having to use their phone’s browser to see that text.
The obvious missing piece of the puzzle–Google Voice for the iPhone–is coming but isn’t quite ready, Paquet said. He said Apple and Google are working on getting an iPhone version out the door, but declined to comment on exactly what was holding up the process.
Android users will be able to find the app in the Android Market or on Google’s mobile site, but BlackBerry users will have to download the app from Google rather than from the BlackBerry App World.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10286763-2.html?tag=newsEditorsPicksArea.0
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Test a Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast
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How To: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast
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Ask A Geek: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast
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Hack: This segment will return on a future episode of The Geekcast
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The Geek’s View:
Nike+ with iPhone 3G S and Nike+ Sneakers
On May 23, 2006 Apple announced the Nike+ iPod system in conjunction with Nike. The idea for the product is simple: people work out with their iPod’s so why not integrate a way to track the workout. The kit is able to store information such as the elapsed time of the workout, the distance traveled, pace, or calories burned by the individual wearing the shoes, and display it on the screen or broadcast it through the headphones of an iPod.
The Nike+ system requires two or three items, depending on what music player you are using. The kit consists of two pieces: a piezoelectric accelerometer with a transmitter that is mounted under the inner sole of the shoe and a receiver that connects to the iPod. The second item (which of course Nike recommends) is a Nike+ model shoe with a special pocket in which to place the device. The receiver is only required if you are using an iPod Nano. The second generation iPod Touch and iPhone 3G S both have the reciever built-in so only the sensor for the shoe is needed. Nike has released the sensor for individual sale meaning that consumers no longer have to purchase the whole set.
One down side to the sensor is that the battery is fused to the unit and non-replaceable. You can buy a replacement but current reviews state the sensor’s battery only lasts around 4-6 months before needing to be replaced. These reports do not indicate how often it’s used to cause this lifespan. In addition, while the sensor is farely accurate out of the box, Nike does recommend that it be calibrated by walking a measured distance.
The Nike+ sneakers are normal sneakers excecpt they have a compartment for the sensor. The sensor is placed under the insole of the left shoe and it’s a perfect fit. Nike says it can be left in the sneaker when you’re not working out but because it is motion activated, extended use will drain the battery. There is a foam insert that goes in place of the sensor when not in use. When wearing the sneaker, there is no difference in feeling between a Nike+ sneaker and any other shoe.
Getting started with Nike+ is dead simple. On the iPod Touch or iPhone you simply need to enable to app in the Settings area. On the iPod Nano, a Nike+ option appears when the receiver is plugged in. Simply select the Nike+ item, choose a workout and select ‘Begin Workout’. At that point you’re ready to go. A Nike+ shoe is not required to use the system. After-market solutions are available to users who do not want to use shoes with built-in or hand-made pockets for the accelerometer, such as shoe pouches.
The system has some interesting features. You can use custom workout shortcuts to start your favorite workouts quickly. You can also try the open-ended workout or select one with time, distance, or calorie goals. The system lets you pick your favorite playlist, shuffle songs, or choose Nike-created Sport Music. You can even program a “PowerSong” to play when you need instant motivation. As you run, your iPod or iPhone 3GS tells you your time, distance, pace, and calories burned. And it gives you feedback at the halfway point and in the final lead-up to your goal. You can also see the details of your workout on your iPod or iPhone 3GS.
The Nike+ system will take your run when you’re finished, and sync your workout data automatically to nikeplus.com (soon changing to nikerunning.com). This allows you to see all your runs and stats. The site is being upgraded to be more social, with Facebook and Twitter status updating now integrated with your syncs. Each time a new workout is uploaded, you can share it with your social network. The site has other interesting features such as custom training programs, worldwide challenges, trophies and a user status based on how many total miles you’ve gone since starting with Nike+. Nike states their site boasts almost 2 million Nike+ members, and as of January 2009, Nike+ members have logged more than 100 million miles.
If you already work out with an iPod nano, touch or iPhone 3GS, the Nike+ system is fantastic and can really add excitement and motivation to working out. It allows you to have accurate statistics without using gym equipment and like all Apple products, the integration between hardware & software is perfect.
The Nike sensor runs about $20 while the kit can be found anywhere from $25 to $30. Nike+ sneakers come in many styles and are available in a wide range of price points.
Gozer reviews the new movie Bruno.
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