Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, September 10, 2007

Record Industry Proves Again How Much They’ve Lost The Plot

from TechCrunch by Duncan Riley

Warning: this is so stupid you might need to be sitting down.

The latest brainwave from an industry that continues to bleed revenue is the Ringle: a product that combines the single format with ringtones.

Each ringle will contain three songs: one popular track, a remix, an older track from the same artist and a ringtone. Distribution method for the Ringle: a CD with a slip-sleeve cover.

Reuters reports that the idea is that if consumers can download any ringtones they want, why not let them buy them on CD.

Sony BMG Music and Universal Music Group will release 50 and 20 titles respectively in October and November. The CD’s will sell for either $5.98 or $6.98. Distributors will include BestBuy, Wal-Mart, Target and Amazon.

I’m nearly speechless. The CD Single is dead and the Record Industry believes that people will spend near $7 on buying a Ringtone and single on a CD. I think the multitude of Ringtone sellers and even Apple has nothing to worry about.

(image credit: icanhascheeseburger)

Sony CMOS News: New Sony CMOS Sensor Set To Revolutionize Videography And Photography

from Gizmodo by Haroon Malik

At present, capturing still images at a high resolution cannot be done by freezing and cutting video recorded content at specific frames. If this is attempted a blurry image, or one with low-resolution shall result. Sony has plans to launch a new CMOS sensor that will make the above circumstance a thing of the past. A prototype of the new sensor, shooting at 60fps, was able to render staggering 6MP still images.

Even though the barbarian that is the Casio Exilim has managed to pull off a similar feat, this development ensures that CMOS sensors could eventually become the preferred technology in cameras/video cameras, as the two slowly become integrated. This endeavor has the ability to make a massive impact on the industry. Professionals will no longer have to concern themselves with one art form over the other; instead, the distinction between still images and video capture are set to blend into one seamless continuum. Though this is unlikely to make the camera obsolete entirely, we do not think that is the goal. Giving people more options that are usable are the main desires of such advancing technologies, and this promises nothing less. We have our eyes well and truly peeled for when this advancement hits the mainstream. At present, both Sony and Casio seem to be dithering around the prototype stage, even if Casio have a sexy looking case for that tasty CMOS number, who will hit first with a working model is anyone's guess. [Product Page via TFOT].

Conspiracy!: RFID Chips May Cause Tumors

from Gizmodo by Mark Wilson

We guess some technology is just too bad to be true. Because despite being approved by the FDA back in 2005, RFID chips were shown to cause animal tumors—in a number of studies—back in the mid 90s. So are the studies bunk? Not necessarily, because the AP has consulted "leading cancer specialists" who feel the findings are a red flag. But the plot thickens...

In 2005, two weeks following the approval of VeriChip Corp's RFID chips, FDA overseer Tommy Thompson left the FDA. And five months later he ended up on the board of VeriChip Corp. Coincidence? Honestly, we're not sure.

While most of us fear the Big Brother aspects of RFID, the positive medical prospects are quite promising. You know, if they don't cause gigantic tumors in the 2,000 people who currently have implants. [AP via engadget]

Worm Supercomputer: World's Biggest Supercomputer is a Virus?

from Gizmodo by Matthew Sparkes

The Storm Worm Botnet currently infects between one and ten million computers worldwide, which means that it has access to a huge amount of processing power and somewhere between 1 and 10 Petabytes of RAM. This apparently makes it one of the most powerful computers in the world, with more computing power than the ten fastest supercomputers in the world combined.

These interesting, but admittedly vague and flaky estimates come from computer Scientist, Peter Gutman. Although you can pick at the numbers quite easily, the guy makes a very interesting point. While projects like Seti@Home can harness a lot of computing power, a virus or worm that doesn't need to ask permission from a user could conceivably be vastly more powerful. Imagine the potential if virus writers found more interesting things to do with those cycles than send spam.

Will the first person to find extraterrestrial signals be an amateur hacker, rather than Seti? Could complex protein folding solutions be found by bored crackers? And would the benevolent act of finding a cure for a genetic illness outweigh the malevolent act of creating the worm that rounded up the processing cycles needed to do it? [Uber Review]

Saturday, September 08, 2007

some of the MOST AWESOME HDR photos that I have seen

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcnbits/ and a slideshow/grid of her work http://picturesandbox.com/lightbox_install/7jhs7u27

Varenna HDR from 3 exposures handheld (I never use tripod :) 82mm - 1/500seg - f/5,3 - ISO 100 Nikon D80 with 18-200 VR

MusicSamplr.com - Firefox, browser of choice

http://musicsamplr.com

Stuff We Like: Power Your Gadgets From An Airplane Headphone Jack

from Lifehacker by Kyle Pott

The Inflight USB Power Unit connects directly to the headphone jack found in the armrests of most commercial airplane seats and passes power to your gadgets via a USB connection. It would be convenient as hell to have outlets at every seat instead of headphone jacks, but now you can get the best of both worlds. The unit won't power anything as big as your laptop, but should be able to supply a charge to any device that natively supports USB charging (like your iPod, cell phone, or PSP). The basic Inflight USB Power Unit will set you back $35, and you can optionally purchase iPod and mini B connectors. Anyone planning on adding this to their Go Bag?

Inflight USB Power Unit [Inflight Power Recharger Cables via Windows Fanatics]

How To: Add a Web Interface to Your Homemade DVR

from Lifehacker by Kyle Pott

When it comes to recording your favorite shows, you made the smart move and decided to roll your own DVR with SageTV instead of buying TiVo or paying recurring monthly fees to rent a DVR from your cable provider. Besides automatically pushing your recordings onto your iPod, you can put other DVRs to shame by adding a web interface to SageTV. With SageTV's Web UI you can schedule and manage recordings, set your favorites, access your recordings and even stream live TV over the web. Let's get to it!

Install your tuner card and SageTV Last year, Adam gave you the skinny on how to install a TV card and start kicking homebrew DVR ass with SageTV. If you haven't already, you'll need to follow the exact same process to get started with SageTV before you install the web interface. SageTV will cost you $80 and comes with a 15-day free trial if you want to make sure everything works before purchasing. For those of you who already dropped the ducats on SageTV, it's about to become the best $80 you've ever spent on a piece of software.

Download and install the web interface The SageTV web interface is a run-of-the-mill Windows executable that you can download from Sourceforge and is very simple to install. The only setup required is to choose a username and password. I have found on more than one occasion that I wanted to share my username and password with friends and family so they could check it out—or even so they can schedule recordings of their own. (I recommend choosing a username and password that you'd be comfortable sharing, but that's your prerogative.)

On the "Installation Options" screen, leave all of the defaults enabled and choose "Install." When the installation completes, make sure SageTV is running and pull up http://localhost:8080/sage/Home in your browser of choice. After entering your username and password you'll be greeted with your sparkling new web interface for SageTV.

Open a port on your router In order to access your web interface from outside your home network, you're going to need to enable port-forwarding for port 8080 on your router. Port forwarding will differ from router to router, but typically you should add an entry that looks similar to mine below. Be sure you to substitute your own IP address for the computer hosting the web interface (your homebrewed DVR).

Assign a domain name As long as you're going to access the web interface from outside your home network, you can go ahead and assign a domain name so you don't have to track and remember your computer's external IP address whenever you want to log in. Remember that the Web UI installs itself into subdirectories on port 8080. So after you assign a domain name you'll need to point your browser to http://yourdomain:8080/sage/Home.

Schedule recordings Scheduling recordings over the internet with the Web UI is a breeze. The Web UI syncs with your existing SageTV program listings so you can peruse listings and schedule recordings with one-click. The Web UI has many different views you can choose from. In my opinion, the most intuitive is the "EPG Grid View" (see below), which can be found under the "Program Guide" drop down.

Setting SageTV to record a show for an entire season is as simple as choosing the show, and clicking "Add Favorite." SageTV has a whole slew of management options like which channels you want to record the show on, how many episodes you want to save, whether you want the recordings to expire and much more. Download your recordings You can download and watch your recordings anywhere. Under the SageTV heading, select "Sage Recordings" to download and watch any of your recordings. Keep in mind, however, that these downloads will be rather large, so make sure you've got some time and a fast internet connection before you decide to download an hour-long show. If you don't need the show in full broadcast quality, streaming may be a better option.

Stream your recordings or live TV My favorite feature of the Web UI is the ability to create a playlist and stream live TV or your recordings. The one drawback to streaming is that you are limited by your upload speed. When you're on your local network you'll have no problem, however, when you leave the network you'll need to reduce your stream quality so the playback isn't choppy.

Extra help for the SageTV Web UI (should you need it) is available in the SageTV forums. Besides the satisfaction of completing a fun DIY project, a home grown DVR with a web UI gives you instant access to your favorite television shows no matter where you are in the world. Also sharing, burning and transferring your videos becomes that much easier since you don't need to physically interact with the computer running SageTV. For the total price of $80 you can't go wrong with SageTV and a free web UI.

Kyle Pott is Lifehacker's Contributing Editor who can't dream of returning to a world without SageTV and its Web UI. He has never ever purchased any third party applications for Windows except SageTV.

3G iPod nano review roundup

from Engadget by Nilay Patel

Well, that was fast -- just two days after Steve pulled one out of his pocket, reviews of the newest iPod nano are filtering in, and they seem to be overwhelmingly positive. Everyone seems to be digging the fatty's battery life, price, and diminutive size, but the overall proportions dictated by the 2-inch screen drew some complaints. That screen also received praise for its clarity and sharpness, but watching video on such a small device seems to invite some awkward neck angles -- shocking, we know. Overall, however, it looks like Apple's got another hit on its hands -- fatty pride, y'all.

Read -- PC World
Read -- CNET
Read -- ZDNet Australia

Featured Firefox Extension: Automate Repetitive Web Site Actions with CoScripter

from Lifehacker by Adam Pash

Windows/Mac/Linux (Firefox): Script repetitive web applications—like filling out forms and paying your bills—with the CoScripter Firefox extension. CoScripter is very similar to the previously mentioned iMacros extension but offers users a much friendlier interface for creating new macro scripts, meaning you shouldn't need any programming experience to create your own scripts (be sure to check out the video demo on the site for a good introduction). CoScripter is free to download (though it requires an unfortunately convoluted registration with IBM), works wherever Firefox does.

Solar Installer SolarCity Raises $21M

from Earth2Tech by Katie Fehrenbacher

We’re already feeling a bit sunburned from all the solar funding over the past few weeks. But serious folks, there’s even more that we’ve learned about. On Monday SolarCity, which provides solar systems for homes and businesses, plans to announce they have closed $21 million in their third round of funding, led by Draper Fisher Jurvetson, JP Morgan and Elon Musk. The Foster City, Calif.-based company has now raised over $31 million.

The cleantech industry might not want to talk about a clean tech bubble, but solar overindulgence? Seems so. Earlier this week solar concentrator company SolFocus raised $52 million, while solar financing company Tioga added $4 million. The week before solar photovoltaic company Solarcentury raised $27.2 million, solar cell developer Solexant raised $4.3 million, and Plextronics raised $20.6 million for its organic semiconductors, which can be used for thin film solar applications.

Notepad toaster burns handwritten messages into bread

from Boing Boing by Cory Doctorow

Designer Sasha Tseng (unlinkable Flash site here) has created this prototype toaster/notepad. Scribe your note on the tablet over the toaster, and it will burn the message into the bread. Link (via Cribcandy)

Friday, September 07, 2007

Gadgets: Cradlepoint CTR-350 Spreads the Broadband from Cellphone to Wi-Fi

Augustine: just what I wanted with my new iPod. My existing cell serves as WiFi hotspot for the iPod to connect to the internet and surf via Safari!

from Gizmodo by Charlie White

You never know when you might want to spread your connectivity love, and that's why this Cradlepoint CTR-350 travel router might be able to keep you and all your buddies online when nothing else will. If your broadband-enabled cellphone can connect, then this little black box can turn that connection into a Wi-Fi hotspot.

This baby lets your EV-DO cellphone turn into a modem for Wi-Fi, letting everybody tap into that signal. Plus, you can button that sucker down to be as secure as you want, using WEP and WPA encryption and its built-in firewall. And, if your phone supports charging-via-USB, it'll charge up that cellphone as you go. It's $149. [Cradlepoint]

Jobs’ Mea Culpa is Apple’s Victory

from GigaOM by Kevin Kelleher

Steve Jobs is sorry. He wants to give you $100 back for what you paid when you bought your iPhone too early. Provided, of course, you spend that $100 in one of his stores.

I disagree with Om on this. I get this feeling that this is exactly what Steve Jobs had planned all along? The chances are high that that extra $100 you would have saved, had the iPhone been appropriately priced to begin with, would have been spent outside an Apple (AAPL) store. Now it's staying in Apple's coffers. And Steve Jobs looks like a caring, responsive CEO who didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings.

So Apple wins again. Forget the news stories that say Apple cut its price because sales were sluggish. On Tuesday, iSuppli, a research firm, said nearly one in 50 mobile phones sold in the U.S. was an iPhone, and that Apple was on track to sell 4.5 million iPhones this year. Today, iSuppli reiterated that view:

The iPhone outsold all competing smart-phone and feature-phone models in the United States in July on an individual basis. iSuppli�s teardown research indicates that Apple was generating a robust hardware margin at its previous pricing, and will still be profitable at the new pricing.

I suspect the money Apple makes off the iPhone will be a wash: What it loses in the new discount it will easily make up in holiday-season volume. And it will end the year with an even higher market share in handsets.

But what about Apple's stock? It fell to $132.93 this morning from a high of $145.73 Tuesday, a drop of nearly 9%. Again, the press has been quick to assert that Wall Street was disappointed with Jobs' announcements yesterday, particularly the iPhone price cut. But look at the 5-day chart, and it's clear that Apple is actually up. It was a classic case of buying the pre-announcement hype and selling on the news. It may even offer a last-chance to buy in at this level.

aapl 5 day chart

Over at Barron's Tech Trader Daily, there is a nice summary of analyst's preliminary reactions to the iPhone news. Bottom line, analysts were taken aback by the timing and the degree of the iPhone discount, but overall they remained "fairly enthusiastic" and few dared to lower their ratings or price targets.

Apple does not take pride in disappointing investors, and it may be that this iPhone discount, coming sooner rather than later, is a way of signaling that iPhone sales have been strong enough that it can lower prices without missing targets.

Simple hackery enables free iTunes ringtones

from Engadget by Sean Cooper

Well, this is a handy (and well-timed) find! User Cleverboy over at Macrumors has discovered a simple trick to get your own music onto your iPhone using the just-released iTunes 7.4, and it'll cost you precisely nothing. To get this to work, we hear you only need to rename an AAC track to .M4R, then double click it and iTunes will automagically load it into iTunes for you. Next time you plug in your iPhone to sync up, just check off the song in the Ringtones tab and voila, instant tone gratification. Thanks, Apple -- free ringtones for the songs we already own or ripped from our own CDs, this is how it should have been from the get-go. On a happy note, Macrumor's forum users are reporting the magic works via both Apple and Windows flavors of iTunes, but feel free let us know how you all get on.

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