TechnologyIQ

TASCAM iXZ Mic / Instrument input for iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch Want to turn your iPad or iPhone into a portable recording studio, the Tascam iXZ can do just that. This interface allows you to plug in standard XLR connector microphones, guitars or any other audio source and then record them using iPhone and iPad software of your choice. For those more advanced, it also provides Phantom power so you can use high-quality condenser miss, too. Mat Langley of the Robot Underpants podcast ( Content Advisory )  let me know about this device today after he picked one up for his iPad. Mat does a variety of shows and also uses his iPad to join Google+ hangouts and wanted/needed a way to get better audio into his iPad. I have asked for Mat to give us a review of this device sometime in the near future.

I came across this excellent infographic of Google Tips via PInterest.com today. We can all use a little help in improving our use of the Internet and Google is a great place to start. While these tools are unknown to most, using a few of these hints can take you from a page of worthless search results to exactly the item you are looking for. Find more great hints and tips at hackcollege.com Created by: HackCollege  

Cool Tools has a great article on these LED Strip Lights that can be used to illuminate under cabinet, toe kicks and just about anywhere you would want some accent lighting. The come in white and various colors and some even have programmable features that allow you to select any color you might like. They can a bit expensive, but it looks like advances int the technology have been steadily bringing the price down. I could see using these under my own kitchen cabinets to bring a bit better illumination to the countertops and a bit of style to the kitchen itself. From the Cool Tools blog... Flexible LED Strip Lights […] "The strips are about 1 cm wide and 2 mm thick. The strips come on a spool with a sticky tape side. You press the sticky side to the bottom of the cabinet (or the sides inside) and the strip gives a very diffuse effective and efficient light. They are so thin, you can't really see the light strip itself, only the glow. The strip is a circuit of LEDs in a row. T...

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MicW Professional Microphones I had 2 separate friends mention these iPhone/iPad compatible microphones in the last several days. Both saw them at the manufacturers display at the MacWorld Expo that was held in San Francisco this week. Portable devices are now capable of recording high quality audio, but sometimes you want a better mic, or more suitable microphone when out recording in the field. I haven't heard the quality of these mics, but my friends and the web site have certainly piqued my interest. I will see if I can get a demo model here at the Careers in New Media office so I can record some audio and share it with you. For now, here is an audio sample using the i436 mic (picture below) from the company's web site Download  i436 Violin Sample Other samples from MicW web site

Yesterday I posted about a web page that allows you to passively monitor your Twitter stream on your PC. Today is an iPhone/iPad app that does the same thing. Launch Trickle , log into your Twitter account, and your device becomes a Twitter wall displaying your timeline. Great for monitoring Twitter while doing something else. Trickle works in either portrait or landscape mode.   Screen Shot  

When I am working during the day, I often don't have time to closely monitor my Twitter stream. I still want to keep in touch with what is happening in the world, though, so when I found this web site, Dextr , I started using it almost every day. DEXTR - Display Enhancing & eXpanding Twitter Reader DEXTR is a Twitter client for your second screen. It's not complicated - it shows recent tweets, one at a time, large enough to read across a room. It should work well on any modern browser, including iPhone/iPad and Android devices. To get started, sign in below. You'll be redirected to Twitter to allow DEXTR read-only access to your account, and then redirected back here to begin using it. You can sign out at any time. DEXTR was made by the Really Interesting Group. You can run Dextr on any computer that supports a modern browser, so it could be a great use for that older laptop or PC you have stashed away in the closet or a screensaver-like display on a machine that is bus...

I started watching the class on iPad and iPhone App Development via iTunes U. iTunes U provides lots of great educational opportunities in a wide variety of areas including computer science, history, humanities, language, literature and business. You can check out the entire catalog at the iTunes U information page or directly in iTunes . I'll be highlighted other educational opportunities to build your career in the coming weeks. iPad and iPhone App Development (Fall 2011) Course Description Updated for iOS 5. Tools and APIs required to build applications for the iPhone and iPad platform using the iOS SDK. User interface designs for mobile devices and unique user interactions using multi-touch technologies. Object-oriented design using model-view-controller paradigm, memory management, Objective-C programming language. Other topics include: object-oriented database API, animation, multi-threading and performance considerations. Prerequisites: C language and programming experience...

A cool iPhone bumper that allows for some added functionality. It would due interesting to try one out to see how functional it is. I know that there are times, like when I am out walking, where begin able to stash some cash or a card would be very useful in case I wanted to pick up a coffee on my walk. Source: subtraction.com via Douglas on Pinterest

I found this recently on Pinterest.com . Anything that neatens the mess of chargers and wires we have to deal with is a big benefit in my mind. You could theme this in any way you wish to match your decor, too. Source: allyou.com via Samantha on Pinterest

I have had thoughts about such things in the past. Good to see someone making it a reality.

There is a host of information regarding SOPA/PIPA on the web today, during this "blackout" You can find more information on Wikipedia or Google . This post is my take on what needs to happen next. -- Douglas What truly needs to happen next is direct action against the sources of funding for the MPAA/RIAA. Without their funding they cannot be effect lobbyists for bills such as SOPA/PIPA (and surely more to come down the pike). It is time to starting working our way through the MPAA/RIAA membership lists and taking action to convince their members that associating themselves with the MPAA/RIAA is no longer a good deal, nor it is in their own best interest. Further, if people want to stop bills such as SOPA/PIPA being produced, we all need to stop supporting/funding these bills with our movie, television and music listening choices. It can be hard to face the fact, but we ourselves have funded the bills that we are now protesting against. "Follow the money" was Deep ...

What a great idea to get your "code on" in 2012! Not everyone NEEDS to program, but learning a bit more about what happens underneath the hood could open up some new opportunities for you. Code Year 120,469 people have decided to learn to code in 2012.Why not you? Make your New Year's resolution learning to code. Sign up on Code Year to get a new interactive programming lesson sent to you each week and you'll be building apps and web sites before you know it.

I had this discussion with someone just the other day. Good and thorough explanation. It is always important to understand what your devices are doing before taking an action recommended by others. The only reason I ever need to quit an app manually is if it is having trouble running after it was put into one of the background modes. Misconceptions About iOS Multitasking (Fraser Speirs) : Fraser Speirs : Misconceptions About iOS Multitasking — There is one iOS “tip” that I keep hearing and it is wrong. Worse, I keep hearing it from supposedly authoritative sources. I have even heard it from the lips of Apple “Geniuses” in stores. — Here is the advice - and remember it is wrong: … Wrong. Read the entire article