Monday, July 26, 2010

Antennas Provides a Better Look at Your Cell Coverage [Downloads]

 
 

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via Lifehacker by Kevin Purdy on 7/16/10

Android: With cell reception cycling through the news, one Android app deserves credit for giving a pretty darned accurate view of how connected your phone is. Antennas shows not only signal strength, but maps out your tower location(s). More »



 
 

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LAN Speed Test Measures the Speed of Your Home Network [Downloads]

 
 

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via Lifehacker by Adam Pash on 7/16/10

Windows only: You've probably tested your internet connection speed (I've always preferred Speakeasy's Speed Test) and have a pretty good idea of your broadband speed, but free Windows app LAN Speed Test measures the speed of data transfers on your home network. More »



 
 

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Gladinet Mounts Web Storage Apps as Virtual Drives

http://lifehacker.com/5100226/gladinet-mounts-web-storage-apps-as-virtual-drives

Five Best Book Recommendation Services

http://lifehacker.com/5595842/five-best-book-recommendation-services

Best Book Recommendation Service? [Hive Five Call For Contenders]

 
 

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via Lifehacker by Jason Fitzpatrick on 7/22/10

Nothing beats a good book on a relaxing summer day. The hard part is finding the right book so you end up loving it rather than wishing you'd skimmed it more carefully at the store. More »



 
 

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Friday, July 23, 2010

What Was The Smartest Purchase You Ever Made?

 
 

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via The Consumerist by Chris Morran on 7/12/10

Last week, we asked you to reveal those moments when realized you'd been making a big mistake as a consumer. Today, we want to lighten it up and talk about those times that make you most proud.

Maybe you're like me and it's that cast iron skillet you've had for over 20 years, and which just gets better with use (and proper care, of course). Or perhaps it's the car that's seen you through two marriages, four jobs and five presidents?

And then there are those things that might have cost a pretty penny but were well worth the expense. After all, in some cases you do get what you pay for.

So share your stories with the room about those purchases that have made you most proud.


 
 

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Thursday, July 22, 2010

I (Almost) Live in the Cloud

 
 

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via NYT > Technology by By JENNA WORTHAM on 7/20/10

Is it feasible to move our lives entirely into the cloud? I'm more than halfway there.


 
 

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Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Crazed Ice Creampreneur Keeps Inventing Horrific Flavors, People Keep Buying...

 
 

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via The Consumerist by Chris Walters on 7/6/10

If you were tricked into volunteering for a Big Brothers Big Sisters-style program, and you live in San Francisco, here's an easy way to get out of the job. Take your kid to the Humphry Slocombe ice cream shop in San Francisco's Mission District and order her some Coconut Candy Cap Caramel sorbet--the "candy cap" is mushroom! Or try the Salted Licorice, which Elizabeth Weil in the New York Times says her kids threw on the sidewalk. Or leave the kids at home and try the Secret Breakfast, which contains so much bourbon that "the scoop always runs soft."

The flavors are the invention of pastry chef Jake Godby, who by 2006 had had it up to here with the lame-ass regular desserts he was making at upscale restaurants. Now he experiments with ice cream, while still consulting with those restaurants to create unusual desserts for their menus. If you're in San Francisco and want an affordable way to try out a bit of culinary experimentation, you can do it by the scoop at Humphry Slocombe.

My favorite part of the article, which reads like a Wonkaland horror story, is this brief description of Godby. It also has provided me with my new excuse whenever I do something inappropriate: "That's the ice cream talking."

Godby nodded. He's not a talker. Vahey describes him as "pathologically shy." Godby did mention that the previous weekend in Sonoma, he walked by the dead body of a homeless man who'd been hit by a car. He knew this was a dark tale, and entirely out of sync with the expected portrait of the happy ice cream man selling ice cream to the happy children. But that was the point. Godby enjoyed the dissonance. The batch freezer whirred in the background. "That's the ice cream talking," he said, then sank into quiet again.

"I'll Take a Scoop of Prosciutto, Please" [New York Times]


 
 

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Friday, July 2, 2010

Onkyo's top of the line receivers get a HDMI 1.4a makeover this fall

 
 

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via Engadget by Richard Lawler on 6/30/10

Say hello to the high end of Onkyo's receiver line, now refreshed with the newest tech already featured in its lower end and midrange receivers earlier this year. Beyond the eight 3D-capable HDMI 1.4a inputs, DLNA 1.5 (Windows 7 Compatible) and streaming support that we've come to expect from any 2010 home theater equipment, the TX-NR3008 and TX-NR5008 receivers include THX Certification, 9.2 channel audio, two HDMI outputs, HQV Reon VX video processing and powered audio output for up to three different rooms. Still, the best information from the press release (after the break) is that the upgraded components haven't increased prices from last year -- the TX-NR3008 has an MSRP of $2,099 while the TX-NR5008 will add on upgraded transformers, capacitors and extra USB for $2,699 when both ship this August.

Continue reading Onkyo's top of the line receivers get a HDMI 1.4a makeover this fall

Onkyo's top of the line receivers get a HDMI 1.4a makeover this fall originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HD 101: IR blasters, HDMI-CEC, RS-232 and IP control

 
 

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via Engadget by Ben Drawbaugh on 6/30/10

IR blaster
You'd be hard pressed to find a TV without some sort of extra box attached to it these days -- and with each box comes another remote. The sad part is it doesn't have to be this way, nope, the necessary interaction between devices really isn't that complicated. The problem is the devices just aren't designed to work together, but that isn't because the industry hasn't tried. All the political reasons aside the technology to let your cable box carry on a two way conversation with your TV and other equipment does exist. So we're going to explain what's out there. If you've ever wondered how you can gain more control over your gear using everything from an IR blaster to sending TCP commands via IP, then read on.

Just getting into HD? Check out these other HD 101 features:
HD 101: Overscan and why all TVs do it
What is ATSC, PSIP, QAM, and 8-VSB?
How to use Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD with your PS3
Why there are black bars on HDTVs

Continue reading HD 101: IR blasters, HDMI-CEC, RS-232 and IP control

HD 101: IR blasters, HDMI-CEC, RS-232 and IP control originally appeared on Engadget HD on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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