Thought and Freedom

Police will remain accountable says judge.

With the advent of the cell phone camera, our world has changed. We’ve all heard stories of authority figures abusing power, only to be exposed by a cell phone camera. It seems the Massachusetts establishment wanted nothing of the sort.

The state passed a law banning the filming of police officers while on duty. Of course, “public safety” was their first concern (it was not about keeping their buddies’ secretes safe, really).

Fortunately, a federal appeals court saw through their games and struck down the law. The judge noted that “Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting “the free discussion of governmental affairs.”

Good job to that judge! Way to keep those with power accountable!

When I first saw Roboquad, I knew this was the coolest robot ever. Now, thanks to the folks at RobotsRule.com, Roboquad just got better.

They have designed a system of controlling your pet robot by voice, through the internet, using Skype. To make it an even better house spying machine, they attached a wireless camera to the head of Roboquad.

This video is not only a great introduction to Roboquad. Along the way, you will meet some of the other great WowWee Robots including RoboPanda and the famous RoboSapian.

On the same note, I would recommend any of the Robot gifts from WowWee for that Christmas gift for that guy or girl who has everything.

I would have to say that if there was any accessory that would make my desk complete, it would be the “Laser Guided USB Missile Launcher.”

I have been eying these fantastic inventions for office warfare for a while now, and I just can’t get over how cool this is.

Just imagine shooting your USB missiles over cube walls, knowing that there may be an imminent return attack by the across-the-cube-wall dwellers.

So, take a break from programming, accounting, actuarial stuff, or whatever it is you do, and participate in some good old fashion office war games with a USB Laser Guided missile launcher.

For those hacker types out there, it gets even better. Now you can find the Striker II API at Ninjagizmos.com and really take control of that IOBM (Inter Office Ballistic Missile).

P.S. This would make a great Christmas gift for that husband, son, brother, or blogger in your life

Apple is once again raising the bar on the Portable Listening Device / Phone Market. They just announced a new IPhone that will run their famous OS X operating system along with Safari Internet Browser.

This new device has all the features of a wide screen video Ipod, a mobile phone, and a wireless internet appliance.

I can only imagine how expensive this will be! But I am sure it will be incredibly popular with their current Ipod user base.

With the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, now in full swing, we can expect to see some exciting new products on the market in the near future.

One product that was introduced today was SanDisk’s new Sansa Connect. It not only has the standard MP3 Features, but also includes wireless internet abilities.

After reading an article by Grahm Skee on AnythingButIpod.com you come away feeling pretty good about the product:

“At the time of release there will be four main WiFi features. The primary use is wireless connection to music subscription services. But unlike the MusicGremlin, you will have a choice of providers. You will also be able to connect to Internet radio though Zing for free. WiFi is also planned to connect to Flickr to display your photos. Finally, you will be able to share… sorry, no files… just music file metadata. But this data will at least be tied in to a social network where you create buddy lists and join social groups that share your musical tastes. “

I am especially excited about the ability to use internet Radio. This will add a whole new dynamic to portable listening devices. It puts up some tough competition against the IPod and Zune by adding these impressive new features. Maybe one day more music devices will follow and all radio will be played through a WiFi connection!

A couple months ago I wrote an article about the Nokia 770. It ran a Debian Linux Operating System that had been modified for the pocket size device.

Just recently announced was a new model in the Nokia Linux Tablet Line. It is the Nokia N800 Tablet. This new model sports an easier to use installer (the old install protocol was not received well by customers).

It also supports at least 4 GB memory cards with two available SD slots. For those of us with smaller devices, we will likely envy the 800 by 600 resolution on a 4.1 inch screen.
However, with only a 320 Mhz processor, it falls in the average category on that spec.

It looks like it was for sale in Europe, and will shortly be for sale in the U.S.

What looks like a decent deal, gets even better if you helped develop software for the Nokia 770. They are offering these special developers a deal of only 99 Euros!

Well, I love my PDA, but maybe someday I will get a Nokia when this one wears out.

I ran into an interesting question on CNet today. The question was regarding the speed of decay of a CD/DVD. I found the answer(s) to be very educational.

The format of that particular part of the website is one in which a person can ask a question, and users of the site provide answers. Then the question maker chooses the “best” answer.

The chosen answer was very educational. He pointed out that burned CDs and Pressed CDs are very different. A pressed CD uses a dye that is sensitive to a laser’s light to create dark spots on the CD. A pressed CD, on the other hand, is made from an aluminum layer inside the disk that has holes poked into it. This fundamental difference can lead to a much longer life for factory CDs. The dye in a CD-R can fade or run over time, which can distort the data on the disk.

The jury is still out on how long you can expect CDs to last. However, there were some fairly good ways you can keep your data much safer on your CD-R or DVD -R/+R.

1. Burning your disks slower. DiscRead.com suggests that burning a disc at a slower rate could prevent possible errors that could happen. CNet also said that this can help your laser make a better burn mark in the dye of the disk.
2. Use a good brand. Linux Kid over at LX forums is right in suggesting that you don’t use Memorex. Probably half of the Memorex DVDs that I have used, turned out to have errors. Verbatim is probably the most respected brand of media, but find one that works and stick with it. You will have much higher success with something that has worked in the past.
3. Use good equipment. It may be tempting to use that old DVD burner that you got from your brother’s best friend’s uncle, but just because it was free does not mean it will for sure do the job. I love free stuff and use free stuff all the time, but make sure that you are using good equipment. BurnWorld.net suggests that you download the DVD burner and Blank Media Compatibility Chart to ensure that your burner and media are the kind that will give you consistent successful burns.
4. Verify your disc. Jon from eCoustics.com suggests that if your data is important, you verify it. Remember that your burner is working very quickly to get the job done. It may very well miss a spot on the disc when it is burning.
5. Be a careful labeler. At FreeInfoz.com, it is suggested that you use caution with your labeling. This is good advice, as using ink or adhesives on a cheap DVD can cause time-released damage to your data. It will seep through, permanently damaging the data on the other side.
6. Do not fill the disk. DVDs will generally fail from the outside in. The outside will be more likely to have problems and therefore should not be considered reliable. If you can stick to about 4 Gb of data per disc, you will save yourself some headaches down the road.

It has been a little less than a month since the Wii and the PlayStation 3 were released. My initial reaction was that I would definitely choose the PlayStation if I were to buy a game system. After seeing the systems now, I would have to revise my preferences. Now, I consider the Wii the better system.

That is why I was surprised when I heard Nintendo was “recalling” the Wii due to a defect. Well, it turns out that the defect is a minor one. It stems from problems with the controller strap. Once in a while, these straps break, sending the Wii Controllers flying across the room (for those of you who don’t know, the Wii’s controls are motion sensitive, so you play a game by moving the controllers around).
You can see some good videos about the Wii Controllers online. Many users have documented their case in the form of these videos.

Nintendo was quick to respond and send replacements for all the faulty straps. All Wii Systems that are sold now have the new improved tethers.

According to hoodathunk, about 3.2 million systems were recalled! Of course, Nintendo has done the best thing they could by quickly fixing the problem and offering a solution to previous purchasers. They have demonstrated their ability to be friendly to their customers and listen to their needs. So, that 3.2 million in sales is bound to go much higher. Wii to go, Nintendo!

I just got my GPS this weekend. I am so very excited. It will make driving a lot more fun. I was really amazed by how small it was.

I have the version that hooks up to my laptop. I can’t wait to take it somewhere. I might just go for a drive tonight just for fun.

I have always wanted to try a GPS out on my way to Prior Lake, from here in Minneota. It will be great to be able to do so next week. I just need to remember to keep my eyes on the road!