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I subscribe to quite a few podcasts. Since I have virtually no commute time, I only get caught up listening to everything on my iPod when I go on a long trip every few months. I’ve found that the default setup for listening to podcasts doesn’t work very well for this type of listening. Out of the box iTunes and the iPod work well if you are listening to all of your subscriptions a few times each week. If you only listen once each month the podcasts can be hard to manage. Here are two tips that will help manage your podcasts in iTunes. (more…)

Technology is once again changing the face of personal entertainment. Not long ago, the only place one could go to experience epic stories brought to life on a big screen with heart pounding acoustics was the local movie theater. Today, with the growing commonality of big screen TVs utilizing new technologies such as plasma and LCD projection, as well as home theater surround-sound systems, one can experience this in the comfort of home. (more…)

Vonage offers an interface that allows you to setup calls using a simple web urls that make calls to https://secure.click2callu.com. There is software that makes use of this interface like the add in for Outlook that lets you click on a number and dial it. In this article we are going to look at how this works behind the scenes and make a simple address book where you can click on a number to have it dialed. (more…)

Long ago, software companies enforced copy protection by requiring that the original product CD be inserted with each usage. When copying CDs in their entirety became commonplace, the software giants turned to other methods, mostly centered around internet-based authentication. However, when I installed several games for my son on our new computer, I found that the old practice still persisted. Several games made by different manufacturers all required that the CD be inserted to run them. Since he is too young to be handling CDs, I was motivated to find a solution to this problem. (more…)

A farmer and his wife visited the fair each year. One of the attractions was a pilot who would give passengers a short ride in his bi-plane for five dollars. The farmer wanted to ride the plane, but every year his wife would say, “five dollars is five dollars”. After 7 years, the pilot offered the farmer a deal. He said, “If you and your wife can go the entire ride without making a sound I’ll give the the ride for free.” The farmer and his wife were delighted with this offer and climbed aboard.

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In the past I’ve been stuck using Nextel for mobile internet access. Nextel service seems to work ok, but it is very slow, has limited coverage, costs $79 per month, doesn’t support Bluetooth, requires third-party software to work with OS X. So when I had an opportunity to switch to a different carrier I went with T-mobile because they have Bluetooth phones and because they offer unlimited internet access for $20 per month when added to an existing cell phone plan. (more…)

The other day I was talking with my mechanic about cell phones and asking him how he liked his Treo. In the conversation it came up that he had a Blackberry 7100 sitting in the drawer and would be willing to sell it, so I decided to buy it and try it out. I was particularly interested in using the device for it’s email capabilities. Currently I use a Sony Ericson T610 which is a nice small phone with Bluetooth. The thing I like about the T610 is the fact it works with OS X on a Mac. I can easily sync my contacts and calendar using Bluetooth and when traveling it works as a digital modem allowing me to check my email without dealing with any wires. However the T610 is very hard to use for sending email or browsing the web from the device itself, so I was curious if the Blackberry would be any easier with it’s funky two letters on each key keyboard. (more…)