July 2006 Archives

Spotted the theme yet?

Of course you have - here's another games-machine that I have enjoyed using over the years. Starting with simple 'Pong', then I remember 'Breakout' followed by the amazing 'Space Invaders'.

After that we were spoilt for choice. And the advent of games consoles meant there would always be a game ready to play.

But ..... there's nothing quite like standing at a full-size cabinet ..... I think I need one of them. 

What is this post about? I thought that the end of the summer term was a good time to start thinking about presents I would like for Christmas.

Another little extra gadget for the desktop - a USB-controlled rocket-launcher - I hope those I share the office with won't mind this one. 

What is this post about? I thought that the end of the summer term was a good time to start thinking about presents I would like for Christmas.

I have played pinball machines for almost as long as I have played table football - perhaps it is time I had one of these. The picture shows a model I remember playing a few times.

What is this post about? I thought that the end of the summer term was a good time to start thinking about presents I would like for Christmas.

Here's a nice little extra gadget - a four-port USB hub that doubles as a self-destruct button - wonder if it'll keep those blighters away from my laptop. 

What is this post about? I thought that the end of the summer term was a good time to start thinking about presents I would like for Christmas.

I've enjoyed playing table football for years - time I had one of my own. 

What is this post about? I thought that the end of the summer term was a good time to start thinking about presents I would like for Christmas.

Hearing only the tracks you have copied/saved/ripped/borrowed can sometimes get boring and it is nice to hear a selection of different music - perhaps even material you might not normally try.

Internet radio stations are one way to acieve some variety - but it is not always convenient to sit at your computer to listen to them - wi-fi radio devices are one answer and these are becoming more affordable and flexible.

The picture at the top is the Roku Soundbridge - it has no speakers but can easily be connected to a variety of devices - even one of the low-power FM transmitters mentioned in the previous post.

Below is a picture of the Acoustic Energy Wi-Fi Radio - it is a bit more expensive but does have its own speaker.

Another device you can find on sale is the Slim Devices Squeezebox.

No doubt there will be a lot more of these items on the market with ever more features. With luck they will help overcome the disappointment many people have with DAB radio.
 

There was some excellent news last week (Friday 14th) when Ofcom put out a release to say they were planning to legalise low-power FM transmitters.

Some of you may have one of them already - naughty, naughty, as they are actually illegal in the UK - but for those who don't here's a simple explanation:

• you plug your MP3 player headphones into them
• you choose the FM frequency you want to use
• you then tune in any nearby radio set
• your music then comes out of the radio

This is great to use in the car when travelling or just for getting your music wherever you are around the house. 

More info here at the BBC website. Products online at iTrip store, Griffin Technology and A1 Computer Shop (very cheap here). You can also search on Google for them.

The article in this link is about capturing fireworks better.

If you have recently added a High-Def TV to your household gadgetry then you might have started to notice a few minor niggles.

The ultra-sharp and clear pictures you were promised are not always there.

Popular Mechanics has a nice article pointing out a few of these problems, explaining what causes them and suggesting how to deal with them.

Happy Viewing.

The link to this article came from hd-tv weblog.

Remaining on the topic of size this week - this page has a series of pictures which show the relative size of our planet to other celestial objects.

The picture above is the first in the series and shows Earth as the largest object. Then in the rest we get to see larger and larger objects. By the end even our Sun has been made to look very small.

This page reminded me of another picture that shows how small the Earth really is in cosmic terms. "Pale Blue Dot" is a book written by Carl Sagan - I'll let you guess what the pale blue dot is for your self - and this page contains a short exceprt from it alongside an amazing picture.

The Retro Blog has a nice little article about this amazing product.

We live in an age where small devices are commonplace and easily affordable. That wasn't so back in the late 70's and Sinclair brought several products to the public that were new and innovative.

Sadly, while Clive Sinclair had some great ideas he was less capable when it came to managing his businesses.