Rants From Nick

BSS in Detroit

2008-07-04T20:41:00.000-04:00

Mona baby

2008-06-08T00:33:00.000-04:00

RWC

2008-05-29T01:25:00.001-04:00

New shoes

2008-05-25T20:01:00.001-04:00

Pac Heights

2008-05-25T20:00:00.001-04:00

Birds @ Caltrain SF

2008-05-01T01:27:00.000-04:00

Diggnation SF

2008-05-01T01:12:00.000-04:00

Diggnation live from SF

2008-04-30T23:42:00.000-04:00

Leaving Raleigh

2008-03-22T22:34:00.000-04:00

Chinatown

2008-02-04T22:30:00.001-05:00

SF

2008-02-04T22:24:00.001-05:00

Out of here

2007-12-12T18:37:00.001-05:00

I really need to travel. As you can sort of see...I don't really update my blog a whole lot, but I am 100% more likely to update it when I am traveling. Or at least when I am in a rest stop bathroom with "glow in the dark" condoms. Maybe its just over exposure to the internet. Having a corporate desk job, the internet is always a click away. All day, all night, all the effing time. It's cool when there are things going on, or I just don't want to work, but there is always a new gadget or social tragedy to read up on. That's why I need to travel. Oh well, the holidays are almost here, and I will be in for another road trip to MI to see family.

Other than that, I cannot wait for the Triangle to run out of water. Literally. It is going to be mayhem.

Savannah cont.

2007-11-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Savannah, GA

2007-11-11T08:55:00.001-05:00

A view from the waterfront in Savannah.

Yeah. Funny.

2007-10-24T17:36:00.000-04:00

The Office (U.S.A.)

2007-10-18T21:56:00.000-04:00

I am convinced that the U.S.A. ruins nearly all that it touches. Just look at any chain restaurant that pretends to be "authentic," (if you need examples, leave a comment). Or The Office (U.S.A.). Give me a break, the damn show would be funny if they just took Ricky Gervais' scripts from The Office (UK) and had American actors use "Northern American" accents. I guess I am not alone in my sentiments, but it does seem to have a prime time slot for weeknight disengaging entertainment. Ugh.

Lincoln

2007-10-18T15:48:00.001-04:00

Zappa

2007-10-09T18:40:00.000-04:00

Stumbled across this video the other day on YouTube. Enjoy. Makes me kind of feel the same way as watching True Stories.

Angry since 2005

2007-10-03T22:15:00.000-04:00

If you need a refresher, keep up the hate. I know some people have forgotten. Examples here, here and here. That last one will install a rootkit on your windows PC. Call me when the PS3 is worth a damn.

True Stories: Talking Heads

2007-09-30T18:21:00.000-04:00

If you want to experience a bit of David Byrne in 1986, get your hands on a copy of "True Stories: Talking Heads" (the movie). If you have Netflix, it's in the Watch Instantly selection. If you are uneasy about humanity today, just imagine feeling that way since '86. It is written in a musical style that I really like, a sad love story, and great commentary from David Byrne himself. Needless to say, this movie is already one of my favorites of all time. Watch it. Let me know what you think.

Welcome to the South

2007-09-29T16:10:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure about you, but this just doesn't look like justice. I guess if this guy wasn't "retarded" he could have stood trial. Instead, he has just sat in jail for 14 years. So much for the pursuit of happiness.

The "Completed" Media Center

2007-09-29T11:10:00.000-04:00

As you know from previous posts, and the overall buzz of this on the internet, Apple gave me $100 dollars to spend on more Apple stuff. I guess that was enough to push me to invest in another mac. Now there is a Mac mini connected to the 1080p HDTV in the livingroom. And boy is it awesome. I'll answer the first question that I wanted to know for a while. Does this thing play 1080p H.264 video? The answer. Yes. But keep in mind we got the 2.0GHz Core 2 Duo model with 2GB of RAM. It is now the heart of my entertainment center, pretty much does everything I needed, records my vinyl collection, holds the lossless music for the livingroom, streams my large library of mp3's from the den (which is managed separately for my iPod, and iPhone). Also, I am running XP on the mini, so I can watch instantly with Netflix. I don't have a tuner to turn it into a DVR yet, but I haven't been too tempted by any shows on OTA HD to really care to record it. But I have heard good things about Elgato's stuff. Maybe I'll turn into a TV fan someday, but for now, Netflix fits the bill.

There is a pretty decent selection of 720p and 1080p free video available for download now, especially since Apple doesn't force you to wait for quicktime to download the movie while you wait with the app open anymore. If you navigate to the iTunes music store "movies" section, scroll down to "Theatrical Trailers" in on the bottom left pane. Image below for better clarity of my description.

They have a good selection of HD trailers that download as Video Podcasts, and I like it.

Another good video aggregator (actually way better in my opinion as far as video for viewing on your PC) is Miro. Great interface, easy to manage media (aside from how separated it is from Front Row, maybe a different post though), and a great selection of RSS feeds with tons of great content. HD content is easily browsable from the Miro Guide, unlike iTunes where I feel like they don't really want people to find the HD stuff.

To conclude, Linux is out of my house, not because I don't like it, just because it doesn't do what I need to do. I have a few old computers that could be used for single tasks with linux, but that's about it.

Leave a comment if you have any ideas/suggestions or things you do with your own.

Old, bald and M$FT

2007-09-21T23:22:00.001-04:00

I am having trouble thinking of anyone in such a high paid, cushy position as this dude in the photo above. With enough cash at hand to choke China, and with as little brains as a donkey, this guy is hanging by a thread. He even predicted the failure of the iPhone. I haven't heard much from him since this interview. Ugh, old dudes in the tech industry, get a clue.

How I feel.

2007-09-20T22:43:00.000-04:00

I hate Mike Love. It's just every once in a while I get upset about his influence on music, and tonight is one of them. Every time I think about what the world could have been like if SMiLE had been released in the 1960s rather than the 2000s, I just get dissapointed. Oh well.

If I ever hear Kokomo, I bawl my eyes out.

iPod Touch Review

2007-09-15T11:36:00.001-04:00

The iPod Touch is here, and for some, exactly what they were waiting for. From my perspective, it is a bit of a let down though, especially compared to the iPhone. Ok, for starters, 16GB is small. Not bad. Just small. A HDD version? The iPod classic is a large device, and really lacks any appeal other than a huge HDD. But this isn't really the big problem with the Touch.

The big problem with the iPod Touch is the lack of an external speaker. Seriously, wtf. Yeah, maybe the device would have been 1mm thicker, or whatever the reason, this is a HUGE shortcoming. You have YouTube, Music, Videos in your pocket and the only way to show them to someone is to let them jam your earbuds into their ears. Gross. Lame. I'm sure this will probably be fixed in future models, but maybe not. Maybe iPod's were never meant to have speakers. Maybe iPod isn't meant to be used by people who want to share with others. I can't even tell you how often I have pulled up a video, song or whatever to show someone or let them HEAR something on my iPhone.

This shortcoming, along with the small storage capacity and no tactile volume controls, makes the iPod Touch a crappy choice between holding ALL of your music and video with a small screen to watch it on, or a small peared down version of your music and video with a beautiful screen that ONLY YOU can really enjoy (unless you carry large headphones everywhere with you, or don't mind other people's earwax).

Just a disclaimer to anyone who might take this seriously, I have yet to touch the Touch.

Apple is crazy, and awesome.

2007-09-08T15:18:00.000-04:00

Unbelievably, Apple listened to all the whiny complaints from iPhone early adopters such as myself. Apparently, they didn't take my explicit advice, but actually surpassed it. $100 Apple dollars. I cannot think of another occasion in the tech industry where this has happened. Prices always go down. But as I said previously, there seemed to be no incentives to early adoption, especially since so much was promised to be delivered in future software updates.

In other iPhone news: there has been a lot of buzz about free ringtones. Its true, and friggin easy to get them on your phone. Engadget has covered it the best here. Apple even patched iTunes in the last 24 hours to do what seemed like stop this workaround, but its been worked around again. All I have to do is make 100 free ringtones, and I have made the rest of my early adopter tax back. WOOHOO.

iPhone Story

2007-09-05T22:40:00.000-04:00

This is the letter I left with Apple today, when I saw their "Share your iPhone Story" section on apple.com

I purchased the iPhone on the day it was launched: I was very excited. Above all, it has been the best cell phone, internet device, PDA, iPod that I have ever owned. I was also very interested in what would be next as far as new features and applications delivered through iTunes software updates.

However, I am a bit disappointed now that the only real new features (iTunes Wifi Store, and Ringtones) have been announced only to a $200 price drop! As far as I see it, I have had the privilege to use this fantastic device for the past 69 days, but it seems a rather stiff "early adopter tax" granted that no new apps or features were delivered until this announcement. I understand Apple stands to make a profit on the products they sell, but this seems a bit out of the ordinary. It seems even Wall Street took this price drop the wrong way (AAPL is -5.13% in the wake of this announcement), even though the sales figures tell a much different story.

As a long term customer, I am accustomed to product refreshes, and price drops (I purchased the iMac G5 iSight only to see the iMac Core Duo released soon after), but this feels different. Even seeing this "iPhone Story" section today, rather than yesterday, prompted me to write a complaint, rather than a glowing review and even an insightful story about the devices functionality that would improve the product.

My thoughts of what a fair "gift" to iPhone early adopters are probably out of place, but I have planned to own my iPhone through the 2 year service contract with AT&T (as I'm sure is echoed by most of us early adopters). In light of that, I feel that giving a complementary Apple Care Plan to early adopters would be the best gift. I feel it is a win-win from both sides. I have my perfect phone for 2 years worry free, and it remains in the public eye (free advertising) for Apple for those 2 years. Additionally, this could be done silently or publicly by Apple, and would be communicated by word of mouth by the users who received this "gift".

Please feel free to contact me about my story, I would like to discuss.

Modified VNC client lets you VNC from your iPhone

2007-07-16T09:37:00.001-04:00

With the hacking of the iPhone heating up, a number of applications that let you control your Mac or PC from your iPhone have popped up, and look quite promising.

read more | digg story

Media Solution #2

2007-05-28T22:00:00.000-04:00

Since last time, I have learned a bit more, and refined what I have started.

It turns out that the front USB port on my DVD player can accept any FAT32 formatted volume, including a large HDD. It works pretty well to dump video files onto my 2GB memory stick or the HDD for viewing.

I found a better way to DAAP from linux, even with Apple Lossless. Reading this how-to I found a good way to run mt-daap on Ubuntu without running a frontend like Banshee or Rhythmbox. This way iTunes buffers the stream, as directly playing the files over the network in the previous setup wirelessly was skippy too often. Only part that threw me off was configuring the firewall in Ubuntu. I am now using Firestarter, but even when I configure it to what seems to be correctly, it only lets avahi (bonjour) broadcast over my LAN if the firewall is completely off.

Maybe someone has a suggestion?

My media solution until I really do it up.

2007-04-21T19:36:00.000-04:00

I have been alluding to this post for a while, and finally I have something to share that I am at least semi proud of to pipe media into my living room.

Starting with the tasks I hope(d) to perform:
1. Listen to my entire library of lossless/lossy music in the living room.
2. Computer/internet in the living room for photos, video, a good way to access music (itunes) and other stuff, like writing this post.
3. HDTV, Upscale DVD, compressed video.
4. Eliminate Windows from all parts of the system (taken most of the focus lately).

To start, here is a shot of the living room...Wii, PS2 with Guitar Hero controller on the floor, Philips Upscale DVD player with HDMI out, Samsung LN-S4095D 40" 1080p LCD flat panel HDTV, iBook G4 800Mhz running in clamshell mode outputting 1920x1080, an old Onkyo receiver connected utilizing all 2 audio inputs from the TV and the Philips turntable, and finally, Bose 301 bookshelf speakers.

The main audio hub of this setup is the HDTV, taking sound from all connected source (Wii, PS2, DVD, iBook) and going analog to the receiver. An easy way to upgrade this setup would be a new receiver with digital audio inputs, as the HDTV receives and outputs digital audio. The Upscale DVD player is connected via HDMI, Wii and PS2 over component, iBook by d-sub (VGA).

So, to satisfy point number 1 above, I set up a file server that I keep in a closet, and run headless via VNC. To start, this had been a Windows box running iTunes, and served as the main ripper/burner for new CDs entering the house. All of the music kept on this system was encoded in Apple Lossless, and was shared via iTunes DAAP. This kept my mp3/mp4 collection on my iMac separately managed for my iPod and generally makes everything easier to manage. Lately, I got the idea to just share the folder containing all the music in my lossless iTunes library over my network, and add the files to my iBooks iTunes music library. This provides a much more seamless experience, and gives you nice album art coverflow (which you cant do with DAAP shares.)

As I stated, I wanted to eliminate Windows from this system. Finally, it seems I can. With the recent release of Ubuntu 7.04, I downloaded it and loaded it on my main server directly (usually wouldn't do that, but Windows had already shit the bed and needed to be reloaded either way), and with minimal googling had the system up and reading and writing to the NTFS volume loaded with all of my Apple Lossless files (I was NOT going to rip my collection again) and sharing either as SMB or NFS in a few clicks. Honestly, this post will probably turn into more of a free comercial for Ubuntu, which is friggin awesome, especially Feisty. I have been playing with Ubuntu since Dapper, and it has always impressed me as being a general purpose Windows replacement. Now it finally is (as far as my needs are concerned aside from work). Also, since I have this computer running all the time in the closet, I use it for bit torrent, as well as additional NAS.

As far as the iBook goes, it is slow and steady. It can't do cool stuff like Google Earth at 1920x1080 without serious problems. But it can run iTunes and browse the web/You Tube pretty well (the Wii is better/faster in some regards). I really want to be able to use iTunes or Democracy to aggregate and watch video blogs, but for now, video is left to the Philips player.

Using a wireless keyboard and mouse (non bluetooth) is a bit laborious but they work. This job should really be done with a Mac mini, but I am still holding out until they can play 1080p quicktime (at least 2.0Ghz core duo per apple.com).

As I said, video is left to the Philips player. It can play any avi, mpeg, divx video, display jpegs, play mp3 and has a front usb port for jump drives filled with music or pictures. It upscales to 1080i, which looks great, although there have been some DVDs that have looked crappy.

Room for improvement:
1. Wire ethernet to the TV side computer so that I can access video_TS folders using Matinee or buy an external HDD to house the large files.
2. Buy a faster TV side computer that can actually play HD video, front row, DVR?

For now, its a pretty good solution that takes care of most of my needs. It seems that the best solution (until I wire the house or go 802.11n) is cheap CD and DVD media for video, because streaming over 802.11g doesn't work. All told, music is flaky sometimes too, since it is not buffered.

I hope this sparks some ideas to help your media center. Drop a line if you have found anything interesting in your own.

PS3?

2006-12-30T20:24:00.000-05:00

OK. I have to admit I am not Sony's number 1 Fan. But honestly, what is with all of the bad press the PS3 is getting lately? I didn't believe all of the commentary on Digg. Its hard to believe that such a crazy piece of hardware that is being sold for probably $300 below cost is sitting on store shelves. I mean, seriously, can't you do fun geeky things with it, run linux and crap? Its the cheapest Blu-Ray player on the market if anything. Well, I am a believer that either the bad press convinced people, or that maybe Sony missed the mark with the PS3. Just look at this photo I took at my local Target this evening.

Cut

2006-10-07T18:44:00.000-04:00

Becky chopped my hair off this evening. I was sick of the curls, and it was about time I did something about it.

Life is busy.

2006-10-07T14:40:00.000-04:00

Realizing that I have had time to work for roughly 1800+ hours since I have moved to Raleigh...I haven't had time for a lot of other things. And that 1800 hours doesn't even account for time spent at home attempting to communicate with colleagues in China. Well, at least I got over there in leisure, because my next real chance of travel to China is most likely business. What is nuts about my feelings of no time is that I have basic to low responsibility by most standards. I have to pay bills, show up to work and mow the lawn...sometimes feed a cat. I dread the days when I am actually busy. Pretty much hang up the guitar, keyboard, paintbrushes, video games and little tech hobbies.

It takes me a while to change, although my life seems to be changing the most it ever has during this time. I finally am not living out of a bag, or a box of clothes on the floor.

While writing this, I have decided to start one of three, or all three of the following projects:

-document my summer travels (good thing I have pictures, because I have not written much about the trips)

-restart the podcast

-start some how-to's involving my pursuit of a good solution for serving up media in the house. So far, I have a pretty decent setup that I am mostly happy with, but it is far from perfect or fully functional.

Either way, there is going to be new stuff up here in the future...

From Italy to Raleigh

2006-08-19T18:29:00.000-04:00

IMG_2188.jpg
Originally uploaded by nicholas adair.

I can now say I am possibly the worst blogger ever. I traveled around the world this summer, and only posted twice. For now, I have started a Flickr Pro account and uploaded all of my photos from Italy. I may even label them as to what/who is in the pictures, but for now they are organized into photosets by city. Anyway, enough excuses, and I am going to try and document the trips a little better, in blog form.

PS. I am now in Raleigh with Beck, and now you have an excuse to come to the south.

China must be big!

2006-06-28T09:12:00.000-04:00

This is the ultra big mac that is served at the McDonalds in Shanghai. I figured this would have hit the states first, but it looks like China wins. This place is pretty nuts, possibly checking out the bar scene and nightlife tonight. This will be fun.

Shanghai: Day 1

2006-06-27T14:00:00.000-04:00

I am lying in bed in Shanghai, and still wheezing from the smog. This city is amazing, but damn is it harsh. I spent the day recovering from the jet lag of flying to the US from Italy, and then flying to China in less than 24 hours. Let my give the backstory. I won a paper competition, which you probably know from previous posts. The prize was an all expenses trip to Italy to check out the packaging machinery companies and culture there. Let me just tell you, Italy is one of the coolest places on this planet. Everything about the country is amazing. If you have even an inkling of desire to visit Italy, just go, now. It wouldn’t have been that hard to fend for myself with my horrible Italian, and the sights are just about enough to make you cry. While writing, I realized all you really need to do is listen to Viva Hate, Morrissey’s first solo album, and the world is in harmony. Now, back to the matter at hand (Ill get back to Italy with some pictures when I can, right now Shanghai is in my lungs).

Shanghai is really an intriguing city. It is very strange here. Almost cold, although the climate is anything but. The language barrier is awful, but most know tidbits of English, and I feel like a stupid American not knowing Mandarin, even though its really not necessary. I felt worse in Italy. Here people mostly speak English to you if you are white. In Italy I was routinely mistaken, and had to humbly replay that I was “Americano” and then get the ugly language from the Italians. Their language really is beautiful. English, especially American English is ugly, no if’s and’s or but’s. Yeah, and other common words are horrible compared to Si, Grazie, and Prego. Oh well, that’s just a rant. Shanghai is amazing. It is really a unique place, and such a multicultural space (almost feels like an experiment). I just finished watching the Brazil vs. Ghana world cup match at a local restaurant, and it was pretty awesome. It may sound silly, but watching a soccer match in Mandarin sounds a lot like German (the games were played in Italian and German in Italy). Back to music, I missed a friggin free concert with Depeche Mode and Morrissey by a day in Milan when in Italy. We were on a tight schedule of tours and city tours, so it really was impossible to stray, but damn that would have been cool.

Alright, thats it for tonight, I'll let you know a bit more tomorrow. (Ill also let you know the secret about Italy and the internet) Ciao.

Debunking the RFID Virus

2006-04-04T20:21:00.000-04:00

"A rebuttal to the recent paper on radio frequency identification (RFID) vulnerability"

"The "RFID Virus" is absolutely laughable."

It is amazing the amount of unfounded paranoia surrounding RFID...a good read.

read more | digg story

Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against Music Industry

2006-03-14T14:07:00.000-05:00

It's finally happened, people have gotten fed up enough that proper legal action is being taken. The suit covers price fixing...it also alleges that major labels were conspiring to first take down Napster and then build online music services that purposely stunted their service to drive people away from the idea of online music...

Maybe this will change something. I feel that people aren't as worried as they should be about the future of media, and hopefully this will change some of the RIAA's practices. Interesting read.

read more | digg story

SpotlightIndexer

2006-02-22T12:10:00.000-05:00

For those of you that use Tiger (OSX 10.4), here's a cool free tool to add more power to its search capabilities.

read more | digg story

Loose Change - 2nd Edition

2006-02-16T19:32:00.000-05:00

Loose Change - 2nd Edition

This is a must see free documentary about 911. Share it with your friends, or your enemies. And for the love of crap, lets try to get these villians out of office!

See video here

Good news!

2006-02-14T14:18:00.000-05:00

The best few words I have e-heard today:

"Hate to tell you this, but you have to go to Italy this June..."

If this means what I think it means, a paper I wrote about RFID was selected as a winner of a contest that sends me to Italy to drink some wine and look at some packaging facilites...FREE.

I'll keep you posted.

RFID enabled robots help shoppers in Japan

2006-02-13T22:26:00.000-05:00

RFID tagged robots help shoppers carry their bags and provide shopping information while using sensors to avoid other shoppers (and robots presumably)

This is pretty nuts...and probably will not happen in the US. People seem to be too caught up in giving up their privacy while shopping, even though they willingly give all of their shopping habits to credit card companies and even the store itself by using a bonus or club card. Anyway, I like the idea of being able to use a camera mounted on a robot to interact with a sales clerk from my desk...

read more | digg story

Homeland Security opening private mail

2006-02-03T12:07:00.000-05:00

Last month Goodman, an 81-year-old retired University of Kansas history professor, received a letter from his friend in the Philippines that had been opened and resealed with a strip of dark green tape bearing the words "by Border Protection" and carrying the official seal of the Department of Homeland Security.

Kiss that thought of Freedom goodbye!

read more | digg story

The End of the Internet?

2006-02-02T19:25:00.000-05:00

"Industry planners are mulling new subscription plans that would further limit the online experience, establishing "platinum," "gold" and "silver" levels of Internet access that would set limits on the number of downloads, media streams or even e-mail messages that could be sent or received."

If I wasn't already scared by the monopolistic control these the phone and cable companies have on keeping us using copper wire and coax... This would be absolutely horrible. Basically all the bright, sunny images I have of the future would turn into the most sick and sadistic marketing campain. Ugh, i'm getting chills.

Power elite and government officials, please do not do this. People, do not let this happen!

read more | digg story

BMG...again

2006-01-30T22:40:00.000-05:00

Australian IT - Apple chops music giants' profits (, JANUARY 31, 2006): "'Music has become a disposable item,' BMG Music Publishing chairman and chief executive Nicholas Firth says."

This is exactly what is wrong with BMG. This is why BMG is not getting it, and pretty much all other record labels. This is why they tried to spy on you with root-kit DRM. They have no clue what people want. Nobody wants a subscription service to listen to download whatever crap your label has. Its all crap. What people want is to be able to browse a vast collection of music, and buy a la carte. Period. They also don't want to be tied into paying per month for a service. Don't we all have enough bills to remember and crap that keeps showing up on our credit cards? Wouldn't we rather own music rather than view it as a "disposable item"? Its frigging disgusting to hear a record company say that. Hopefully its the end for them, and the RIAA.

At the same time, I do see what my buddy Nicholas Firth has to say has some truth to it. Half the crap (if not more) that BMG publishes probably is disposable. After all, why would a record company want to sell you a recording you would want to listen to more than once? Bad buisiness.

I would rather not get into what the masses listen to, but it sure as hell is evident HOW they are listening to it. At least half of the students at MSU are walking advertisements of that fact.

Episode 6: Podsafe Music Network!

2006-01-21T14:35:00.000-05:00

Episode 6 setup
Originally uploaded by adairnic.

Episode 6 is now available. This show is a solo attempt at podcast DJing. There are a couple of tracks from the Podsafe Music Network.

The first track @ 1:02 is
Golden Pastime

The second track @ 5:30 is
Pilotdrift

Hope you enjoy, please subscribe using your favorite aggregator.

Episode 5!

2006-01-15T00:07:00.000-05:00

Episode 5 is here. Finally. Geeze Nick, took you long enough to figure out .xml, you say. Well, that is beside the point. We discuss some topics that need web augmentation, so here are the links that we promised:
The Donner Party didn't do it

Mozart's Musical Diary

Please Subscribe!

Mike at Cobo

2006-01-14T21:49:00.000-05:00

Mike at Cobo
Originally uploaded by adairnic.

I caught Mike being a good citizen, red handed. Good to see that protesting spirit. If you can make it, check out the North American Auto Show at Cobo Hall in Detroit. Stay tuned for Episode 5 of the Rants from Nick Show.

Are the Intel Macs really 2-4x faster?

2006-01-11T21:13:00.000-05:00

Enterprise Mac | InfoWorld | The Mac performance shell game | January 10, 2006 11:25 AM | By Tom Yager: "In short, Apple used multiprocessor benchmarks to skew the performance advantage that its Intel-based machines enjoy compared to single-core PowerPC G4 and G5. Apple used the industry-standard SPEC suite components SPECint2000 and SPECfp2000, but here's the catch: Apple used SPECint_rate2000 and SPECfp_rate2000. Both tests spawn multiple parallel benchmark processes and are specifically intended for comparing multiprocessor systems. Single CPU, or single-core machines do positively lousy on SPEC*_rate2000 tests. That's predictable and universally understood. Add a second CPU or a second core and, as you would expect, SPEC*_rate2000 performance on any multiprocessor-optimized test skyrockets compared to a single-processor box."

This guy obviously knows more than I do, but it seems that his information is correct. Doesn't seem like Apple was comparing apples to apples (pun intended).

Google Earth for the Mac

2006-01-11T00:36:00.000-05:00

Google Earth - Home: "January 10, 2006 - Google Earth now available for the Mac"

This brightened up my day. I have been waiting for what seems like a year for Google to release this. And it is awesome. Just click the "Colorado River View" on the left bar, friggin' incredible.

CoverFlow

2006-01-09T18:05:00.000-05:00

CoverFlow: "Dont know about you, but I find browsing a list of album names somewhat uninspiring, to say the least. One of the big appeals of a physical album is the beautiful packaging and aesthetic appeal, something thats sorely missed with the digital equivalent."

This is one of the coolest things I have found to assist iTunes on the Mac lately. All of your album covers whiz past you, double click to start playing the album. It is almost nostalgic, because the only time I see album art anymore is my vinyl collection. This is an awesome interactive album selection tool. Download it.

UPDATE: This is a Tiger-only app, so maybe another reason to upgrade...

del.icio.us

2005-12-23T22:39:00.000-05:00

If you haven't heard yet, you have now. del.icio.us is a cool site that holds your bookmarks, and is also a great way to share them with friends. Just sign up, and start adding the sites that you think are interesting, or would like to share. Firefox extensions make it even easier to use. (Flock is a browser in the making that will encorporate its entire bookmarking system into del.icio.us). Just a couple cool things I wanted to share, call it an early Christmas present.

look me up, I am adairnic on del.icio.us.

Fall, too bad its gone

2005-12-14T11:55:00.000-05:00

IMG_1538.JPG
Originally uploaded by adairnic.

On a lighter note, MSU's campus is beautiful for a couple months of the year. An example.

Is this True?

2005-12-14T11:22:00.000-05:00

“I don’t give a goddamn,” Bush retorted. “I’m the President and the Commander-in-Chief. Do it my way.”

“Mr. President,” one aide in the meeting said. “There is a valid case that the provisions in this law undermine the Constitution.”“Stop throwing the Constitution in my face,” Bush screamed back. “It’s just a goddamned piece of paper!”

I’ve talked to three people present for the meeting that day and they all confirm that the President of the United States called the Constitution “a goddamned piece of paper.”

Capitol Hill Blue: Bush on the Constitution: 'It's just a goddamned piece of paper'

If this is true, no wonder Bush has been getting so frustrated lately. (Just google "bush frustrated" for an idea). I guess I can see where the guy is coming from, I mean, its a real pain in the neck when things get in your way. Usually what I do when I don't get my way is throw a tantrum and yell about it to try to illegitimize the obstacle that is keeping me from what I want, just like a little boy. Hmm, looks like Bushie and I have a lot more in common than I thought...

I forgot, stupid me

2005-12-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

Cheney called Democrats “opportunists” who were peddling “cynical and pernicious falsehoods” to gain political advantage while U.S. soldiers died in Iraq.“Some of the most irresponsible comments have, of course, come from politicians who actually voted in favor of authorizing force against Saddam Hussein,” Cheney told the Frontiers of Freedom Institute, a conservative policy group.

Cheney calls war critics 'opportunists' - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

I forgot, Cheney beleives that other people want to make hideous amounts of money on a false war too. Maybe even just get in his way. Isn't that what he means by "opportunists"?

Now they made a mistake?

2005-12-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

Condoleezza Rice began her tour of Europe yesterday with a rare public admission that the US had made "mistakes" in the war on terror.Speaking after a meeting with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, Ms Rice again insisted that the US did not "condone" torture. "It is against US law," she said. But she appeared to concede for the first time that the Bush administration's uncompromising policy of "rendition" against terrorist suspects had sometimes gone wrong.

"We recognise that any policy will sometimes result in errors," the US secretary of state said. She added: "When this happens we will do everything we can to rectify it."

Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | Rice admits US mistakes in war on terror after wave of criticism across Europe

So, NOW is a good time to admit errors? Keep it to yourself. I really don't think thats going to win Europes trust. I thought that we were keeping troops in Iraq because they were right to be there in the first place. Hmm, guess its a different reason.

Sony DRM uses MORE Open Source Code without permission?

2005-12-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

With what started as a really bad decision of installing hidden software with audio cds, Sony decided they needed to rip off some files from the open source LAME encoder too. It looks like they are just plain greedy now. They have also included a hack which disables Apple's FairPlay DRM, only so that they could use it? Unfortunately, that code is also open source, and they are again in violation of the GPL. Go figure.

"Among the strangest revelations was that XCP itself infringes on the copyrights to several open source software projects. In one case, Sam Hocevar found conclusive evidence that part of XCP’s code was copied from a program called DRMS, which he co-authored with DVD Jon and released under the terms of the GPL open source license. What made this finding particularly curious is that the purpose of DRMS is to break the copy protection on songs sold in Apple’s iTunes Music Store. Why would XCP rip off code intended to defeat another vendor’s DRM?

It looks like the people at First4Internet wanted to create their own iPod compatibility system, but rather than take the time to reverse engineer FairPlay themselves, they copied critical pieces of code from DRMS in violation of the GPL license."

Freedom to Tinker » Blog Archive » Hidden Feature in Sony DRM Uses Open Source Code to Add Apple DRM

Depressing...I kinda wanted to buy a PS3 whenever they are supposed to launch...oh well, things change. I was also going to recommend a Sony digital camera to my dad, probably not.

Missing the Mountains

2005-12-05T18:12:00.000-05:00

With the daily blowing snow and perpetual cloudcover of East Lansing as of late, I am becoming depressed. Memories of beautiful scenery and happy times in the mountains of NC are merely fleeting memories lately. Looking back into my photos from this past year, these really stuck out as the reason I am missing North Carolina.

Episode 5 delayed...

2005-11-20T01:58:00.000-05:00

2 Term Papers in progress since episode 4, SUCKS! If Becky and I were pro's we wouldn't be bothered by such trivial matters as homework. Maybe by Mortal Kombat, but not homework or term papers. Anyway, enough excuses, there should be one tomorrow for all of you loyal subscribers.

The Rants From Nick Show #4

2005-11-10T22:40:00.000-05:00

Episode 4 is now available for download. Becky joins me again for some rants about fast food, corporate America and Sony. Also, I "wrote" a new song for the outro, hope you enjoy it JB. Please subscribe!

P.S. I finally fixed my feed, so please resubscribe if you are already a loyal subscriber. All of the episodes are now available.

Guess I wasn't the only one...

2005-11-10T18:20:00.000-05:00

Checking back to MDN, and they have now posted a link to a petition because the Sony/BMG root kit apparently affects Macs as well. Not to be fanatical, but it just doesn't seem like Sony was being very responsible here.

Boycott Sony

Boycott Sony/BMG

2005-11-10T16:08:00.000-05:00

In case you haven't heard, please make a statement, and do NOT buy any audio CDs from Sony/BMG. It has been found that their methods of copy protection include installing a "root kit" application that hides itself and reports to Sony when you listen, and also compromises your security as well as reduces your system stability. Fortunately for myself as a Mac user, this problem only affects people running windows (sorry guys). At this point you can get information about this just about anywhere on the net, here are some links I thought interesting:

"Stinkz"

Sony DRM installs a Rootkit

Removing Sony's CD 'rootkit' kills Windows

You decide, but I am certainly not going to purchase anything else from this company...maybe not even the PS3. Seriously, at least their PS3 will be a closed system that I wouldn't be using for my personal files and information, but gimme a break Sony.

The Rants from Nick Show #3

2005-11-05T10:10:00.000-05:00

The Rants from Nick Show is now available for download. Becky joins me for the first live dialogue. We rant about the Korner Kitchen, RFID and homework. Please subscribe!

Go Wings!

2005-11-04T22:21:00.000-05:00

Yeah...my dad very much enjoys the Red Wings. Another note, he was supposed to be in China by now. Turns out his passport was on its way and arrived in Chicago, but never made it. Did you steal it? Just kidding.

The Rants from Nick Show #2

2005-11-03T10:13:00.000-05:00

The second episode is now available. Please subscribe to my feed using,

I appologize for the short/nonexistent post for the cast, so I'll make it up with a picture. Please leave comments and let me know what you think.

The Rants From Nick Show #1

2005-11-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

I just published The Rants From Nick Show Episode #1. Should be up at iTunes shortly, or otherwise, you can subscribe to it using iPodder, iPodderX, or any other of your favorite podcast apps. I will figure out how to make this easier for you soon.

Feed: http://www.msu.edu/~adairnic/podcasts/podcast.xml

iTunes Link

mp3 at my homepage.

iPodder: haven't used it in a while, but I'm sure you can paste it somewhere.

Thanks for listening, please post comments.

natural thoughts

2005-10-31T18:57:00.000-05:00

natural thoughts
Originally uploaded by adairnic.

My follow up design for another litho print. Gettin addicted to graphic design.

by the way, all designed using the Open Source software I mentioned in a previous post, Inkscape and GIMP.

Shades of Democracy Podcast

2005-10-31T11:30:00.000-05:00

I recently stumbled upon this interesting talk radio podcast. Every episode is filled with interesting, indepth, uninterrupted, non-comercialized interviews. Additionally, they usually give good political based links to check out and insightful quotes from the past or present. Give it a listen.

Shades of Democracy

Mac Mobile users...

2005-10-31T11:11:00.000-05:00

I found a really cool battery monitor app a bit ago called CoconutBattery.

CoconutBattery

This app will tell you (I don't know with how much accuracy) how much of a charge your battery still holds, how many charge cycles your battery has been through, etc. Pretty cool, lets you save a snapshot so you can monitor how your battery is doing over time. Enjoy.

Eff.

2005-10-30T22:36:00.000-05:00

eff
Originally uploaded by adairnic.

For those of you who missed it...Frankenfinger.

Who knew packaging could be so hazardous? Well, I did (packaging kills people in some cases).

While I was enjoying my night, cracked a beer, and the metal cap cut right through my thumb. What a bummer.

Pretty much healed now, just a thick scar left (hope I didn't gross anyone out with the picture)

Sweeny Todd

2005-10-30T19:53:00.000-05:00

My aunt (Amy Smith) played the lead female in St. Dunstan's production of Sweeny Todd.

Sweeny Todd

I went to see it today, with parents, grandma and Becky. Great show! Of course, my aunt was the best ;). Pay the site a visit, and check out the show if you are in the Birmingham area!

Addicted

2005-10-28T15:45:00.000-04:00

IMG_0137
Originally uploaded by adairnic.

Camping supplies:

iBook...check

Lithography

2005-10-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

litho
Originally uploaded by adairnic.

This is my first attempt at one color lithography. Let me know what you think...there will be more soon. Trying to think of a new design.

Rap Lyrics

2005-10-27T19:39:00.000-04:00

My favorite rap lyric comes from Young Jeezy, Trap or Die,

"Got the Chevy same color Tropicana orange juice."

He brilliantly uses two brand names in one sentence, and even uses one brand to describe the color of another brand. What will they think of next.

PS. Are GM and Tropcana BOTH paying Young Jeezy?

For you mac or linux users...

2005-10-27T14:37:00.000-04:00

In my search for reasons to purchase Adobe CS2, I came across these excellent (free) replacements for Photoshop and Illustrator. The photoshop replacement is called GIMP (http://www.gimp.org/). It is a great photoshop alternative, offering some of the same look and feel. It doesn't have nearly all of the functionality, but its free. All you need to run in OSX is X11 available at http://www.apple.com/support/downloads/x11formacosx.html. As for an illustrator substitute, Inkscape (http://www.inkscape.org/) can create images fairly intuitively. Also free, also requires X11. If you run Linux, also not a problem (and they are probably included with most distros anyway).

Have fun!

Smoky Mountains

2005-10-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

Smoky Mountains
Originally uploaded by adairnic.

Boy, wish there were some way to teleport...

I like clouds (as in this picture) but every day? Is this some kind of torture?

Music...

2005-10-25T23:31:00.000-04:00

Some albums you should buy for the hell of it.

SMiLE

Brian Wilson

Jazz From Hell

Frank Zappa

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

The Flaming Lips

Try listening to Jazz from Hell while reading some Machiavelli...

if you don't have iTunes http://www.itunes.com/

The sound of an idiot box...

2005-10-19T00:59:00.000-04:00

What is it about the sound of a TV that is so aggravating? Is the sound really so complemented by the flashing images that it can just be horrible? I can hardly watch TV on my own motivation, I only watch it if I am with other people who are watching one, or in a bar or such place that has one or more on. For some reason it is much easier for me to tolerate radio broadcast, as it consists of only sound, therefore the it must sound appealing, and it must actually capture your imagination to keep you focused.

Another thing, for you solo TV viewers: Is TV really that inspiring that it causes you to laugh out loud for your own sake? I can understand wanting to communicate to a fellow watcher when something is funny, but you yourself know it is funny. I cannot think of many things more hideous than a person sitting in front of a screen laughing out loud. Laughter may be an involuntary action, but it is an involuntary communication.

Also, to you TV marketing and advertising guys and gals that make songs to commercials: you must be geniuses, because I can't tell you the amount of brainwashed idiots I hear singing your stupid songs to their TV's. Bravo. At least you guys and gals can sleep well knowing that you "make a difference".

What does this mean?

2005-10-14T10:16:00.000-04:00

Last night I had a dream...must have been early morning since my last post. This dream was not my usual dream.

So I'm taking a nap in my dorm room (but the room is the mirror image of mine, bed on the other side), and Dave Grohl and Adam Curry show up. They want me to take this survey about something...I wish I could remember what. Anyway, we were talking about stuff when I realized that Dave had a new iPod like device. But this one changed its skin based on what music was playing. Basically, I remember playing with it, the buttons all changed color when you adjusted settings and I changed it to some reggae he had, and it started morphing into different green, red and yellow patterns. Pretty cool. I called it a "reggaepod" and they thought that was clever, but I had to tell them that I stole that from Drew, from the Dawn and Drew Show.

Wow, I have never really dreampt about "celebrities" like that before...except for the time that Madonna seduced me...

Banter about new iPod

2005-10-14T06:08:00.000-04:00

Ok, so the new iPod that plays video is here...

Why is everyone complaining? All I see on any blog is "I just bought an iPod with a color screen, does Apple want to alienate me as a customer!!", "Apple is making all of my stuff obsolete!" "I can't upgrade my iPod to video???" Even, "What about my iMac, can I use FrontRow with it?" "Do you think the remote works with old iMacs?" I don't know what people would do if they actually had brains. Apple Computer does not force anyone to buy any of their products. You may argue that iPod "forces" you to use iTunes music store. You are not forced to do anything, if you don't like iTunes, buy something else. iPod + iTunes is not just a marketing slogan, it is a product. Take the time to figure out what you are buying.

Also, as far as Apple updating their product lines too fast? Give me a break. If you are now upset because you have an old iPod, you probably should have waited until they made the one you want. If you don't still think it is magic to hold a large music library in your pocket, then you have been brainwashed. When I got my 3G 20GB iPod, it was the best portable music device on the market. Yes, there have been countless updates to the iPod lineup. I still use it everyday, it still performs just as it did when I bought it, and no, I'm not going to complain about any innovations that Apple has made to date. In its application still today, it is the best portable music device on the market. If you need support for photos, album art, video...your iPod is now available, buy it and shut up, or deal with the fact that you bought the wrong thing.

Or, just blame everything on someone else. Its their fault anyway right?

New Mac Stuff!!

2005-10-12T15:16:00.000-04:00

I am in a much better mood now, nearly no thoughts remain of Microsoft...

iMac G5. I was going to buy one to take back to school with me this year...but I had a hunch things were going to change fast with this system. It is beautiful, and really all anyone needs out of a computer. Now it really is all you need. That remote? Ingeneous, especially the remote menu system. Just as the iMac was marketed towards ipod owners, now it is a HUGE iPod.

New iPod. Not totally excited about this. As much as I look at my iPod screen (ok, to change songs, check the volume or time left) am I now going to walk down the street watching too? Or take it somewhere to show someone a show? Stick a bud in your ear and listen to this tv show. The iPod hasnt been a real "sharing" device.

I do have to admit that it is an awesome new design and price for a hdd based iPod. Don't get me wrong.

Microsoft?

2005-10-12T11:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is serious...

Microsoft makes software that somehow everyone has adopted as THE standard. As the "the computer" runs windows and you NEED Office to be compatible. However, everyone also assumes that computers always crash, always get viruses and are always afraid of something bad happening and killing all running applications. This assumption is one of the most depressing things about people, they continually pay for and deal with total mediocrity.

What started this stream is I use a Mac, and for some reason or another (compatibility) chose to use Microsoft Office. Most files I turn in for school must be in this format...bla bla bla, should be using OpenOffice.org. Anyway, the only program that regularly kills on my iBook is any part of Office (safari gets killed by web apps at times, but usually not a huge problem, it is not a content creation app). I don't know what Microsoft expects of their products, or customers. Hopefully in the next few years, there will be enough free and open software that is actually maintained by people who care (people who use the software) and get rid of this crap hole that Microsoft has started. Back to retyping some bs...

Tiger Kills HDDs?

2005-10-12T00:54:00.000-04:00

My first rant begins...

Has anyone had hdd trouble after upgrading from Panther to Tiger? In my case, I use an iBook G4 800MHz. Upgraded from Panther when Tiger launched, and my hdd died at the end of July. In just 2 months my hdd was dead. Now this may just be a coincidence...my mac was 1.5 years old, and being a laptop it was moved around a lot. But seriously, is 1.5 years a normal life expectancy for a mobile hdd, or did Tiger kill it? I have been running Tiger on the replacement hdd (thank you applecare, paid for itself here) since the end of July, no problems, everything has been great. The real kicker is that my girlfriend may be encountering the same problem...she upgraded from panther nearly 2 months ago, on her iBook G4 1GHz. She is starting to hear the same hdd noises that I heard in the weeks before failure...

Pray for the best, or is Tiger killing?

2005-10-11T03:24:00.000-04:00

My Dad has taken an assignment in China for 6 months starting sometime after the holidays. This is a very exciting time for him, and for the family. I am starting this blog to document his journey, and hopefully to get him started when he gets there. In addition, this will be my outlet for opinions on tech, music I am currently listening to/making and some of my reflections on current world events.

I know I know, I will have more news or a rant soon, and hopefully it inspires thought more than offends.