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Showing posts from November, 2012

2012 Gift Guide: Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones

Sennheiser HD-280 PRO Headphones Podcasters and other New Media folk spend long hours with headphones on, so quality and comfort are import. Fellow podcaster, Tee Morris , pointed these out in a recent Facebook thread on podcasting equipment. Tee is a novelist , co-writer of Podcasting for Dummies and a pioneer podcaster, so I tend to take his advice whenever it is given. I am looking for a new, decent set of headphones myself and these might fit the bill. Gamers are another big user of headphones, even if they aren't using a full-blown gaming headset. I know my gamer teenager seems to be naturally sprouting headphones from his head most days. Better that, though, than driving me crazy with all sorts of gamer noise. (LAUGH) More 2012 Gift Guide Items: Do the Work by Steven Pressfield Bulb Planting Tools Blue Snowball Microphone Seagate Backup Plus 500 GB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive Logitech C920 HD Web Cam We Are All Weird by Seth Godin Sunset Western Garden Book - New Edi

On My Mac: Evernote

On My Mac is an on-going series highlighting the software (and sometimes, hardware) I use on my Mac nearly every day. Look for additional On My Mac…posts in the coming weeks! -- Douglas Evernote It has taken me quite a while to find a place for Evernote in my workflow, but lately I have been using it more and more. Basically, I would describe Evernote as an electronic and intelligent "shoebox" for storing all the data that you want to remember in the future, even if you aren't sure how you might use it. You can create separate notebooks for different projects, tag each item in any way you wish and even include audio and photo notes. One of my biggest uses for Evernote is automatically creating a local collection of every item I share via Pinterest, StumbleUpon and directly from the web. This local archive means I have links and info for everything, even it should happen to disappear online or I am working somewhere without an Internet connection. I like to have the comple

2012 Gift Guide: Logitech Harmony 650 Remote Control

Logitech Harmony 650 Remote Control It is hard to imagine sometimes just how complicated our home entertainment systems have become. We might have a television connected to DVD players, Roku or AppleTV streaming media devices, high-tech sound systems and more. Controlling all these devices can get crazy. I know that in my own, rather simple home setup, my wife has issues figuring out what to turn on when and how to select each input. Enter the programmable remote. The Logitech Harmony 650 allows you to control nearly all of your devices and even set up macros for your most common viewing situations. Click one button and the remote will turn on the TV, select the HDMI input for the AppleTV, and select the audio from the AppleTV. I know this would prevent many explanations of how to watch a rented iTunes video in  my house. (LAUGH) More 2012 Gift Guide Items: Do the Work by Steven Pressfield Bulb Planting Tools Blue Snowball Microphone Seagate Backup Plus 500 GB USB 3.0 Portable External

2012 Gift Guide: Chi-qoo Solar Power Pack Kit from Bootstrap Solar

Chi-qoo Solar Power Pack Kit from Bootstrap Solar How geeky do you want to be in your gifts? How about a solar panel charger for your gadgets that you assemble yourself. This 5W solar panel kit from Bootstrap solar is a gift twice over. First, your friend gets the cool factor of putting it together and then they get the geek factor of being able to charge their devices no matter where they are. From the Bootstrap Solar Web Site... Key Features Comparison 5W solar panel generates enough power to recharge an iPhone in as little as 2 hours Supports up to two solar panels, for a total of 10W A 6000mAh/22Wh battery, can hold 4-5x as much power as a smart phone's internal battery Two USB ports, outputs up to 1.5A.  Charge a smart phone in 1-1.5 hours! It all fits in a bamboo enclosure, which is renewable and sustainable. Comes as an easy to assemble DIY kit. All you need is some glue and a screw driver. FIY (fix-it-yourself). All replacement components are available for sale individually

On My iPhone/Android… - Google+ for all your G+ conversations and interaction

"On my iPhone…" is a new series from TechnologyIQ, sharing real world examples of how I use my iPhone, interesting apps and more! ** Available for your Android smartphone or tablet here Google+ Social media sites have their ebb and flow and so, along with my usual suspects of Twitter and Facebook, I have been spending a lot of time on Google+, Google's answer to social media. I find the longer messages that G+ allows are more conducive to conversations that Twitter's 140 characters and the easy ability to include photos and video is also a nice touch. The G+ apple allows me to stay in touch with G+ peeps directly from my iPhone when I am out and about.   Previously in "On my iPhone…": Waze social GPS traffic and more

2012 Gift Guide: Nest Learning Thermostat

Nest Learning Thermostat This falls under my " Man, this would be sooooo cool to have it is wasn't so expensive " rule of purchasing. Still, I am sure there are those among you who could make great use of the Nest to keep your house more comfortable and save money on your energy bills. The Nest thermostat not only learns what your heating and cooling preferences are, but also uses its WiFi connection to learn what the weather forecast is for each day and uses that to manage your house's temperature. Click through to read more about this amazing device.  More 2012 Gift Guide Items: Do the Work by Steven Pressfield Bulb Planting Tools Blue Snowball Microphone Seagate Backup Plus 500 GB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive Logitech C920 HD Web Cam We Are All Weird by Seth Godin Sunset Western Garden Book - New Edition for 2012 The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings Garden Mysteries by Anthony Eglin The Creative Habit/The Collaborative Habit by Twyla Tharp Moleskeine Journals P

2012 Gift Guide: Razer Gaming Mice

Razer Gaming Mice Once again turning to my teenage son, Joseph, for advice -- he points out that Razer mice are the sine quo non of gaming mice. "The mice are designed to conform to your hand and most of them have 5  to 12 customizable buttons that can be remapped depending on the game and the needs of the player." More 2012 Gift Guide Items: Do the Work by Steven Pressfield Bulb Planting Tools Blue Snowball Microphone Seagate Backup Plus 500 GB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive Logitech C920 HD Web Cam We Are All Weird by Seth Godin Sunset Western Garden Book - New Edition for 2012 The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings Garden Mysteries by Anthony Eglin The Creative Habit/The Collaborative Habit by Twyla Tharp Moleskeine Journals Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening (3rd Edition): Month by Month Podcasting for Dummies/Expert Podcasting Practices for Dummies Wacom Bamboo Splash Pen Tablet Radical Careering by Sally Hogshead The $64 Tomato Blue Yeti Microphone Bi

2012 Gift Guide: Dexim Visible Green Smart Charge & Sync Cable

Dexim Visible Green Smart Charge & Sync Cable The  Dexim Visible Green Smart Charge & Sync Cable  is a great little accessory for your iPod, iPhone and other devices. First, LEDs built into the wire itself show the current charging status at a glance, so you can monitor it even from a distance. More importantly, though, the Visible Green also saves you money. Unlike most chargers, the Visible Green will automatically stop charging your device, and using energy, as soon as the device is fully charged. Most other chargers continue to use power even when it isn't needed -- so-called vampire power -- and waste a great deal of electricity. You find versions of the Visible Green for iPhone, iPods and other smartphones that use the new mini-usb standard cable. More 2012 Gift Guide Items: Do the Work by Steven Pressfield Bulb Planting Tools Blue Snowball Microphone Seagate Backup Plus 500 GB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive Logitech C920 HD Web Cam We Are All Weird by Seth Godi

2012 Gift Guide: Cocoon GRID-IT Organizer Packs

Cocoon CPG20BK GRID-IT Organizer We all carry so many gadgets these days and this means organizing our stuff is more important than ever. The Cocoon GRID-IT line of products are customizable organizers that allow you to carry your iPod, chargers, phones and other tech stuff in style. Systems like this can also help you from leaving behind your charger and other small items. A quick glance at the organizer and any empty slots will quickly jump out at you. The GRID-IT can be used for more than technology though. If you have any collection of items that you carry around, and want to keep organized, this could be a great help to you. More 2012 Gift Guide Items: Do the Work by Steven Pressfield Bulb Planting Tools Blue Snowball Microphone Seagate Backup Plus 500 GB USB 3.0 Portable External Hard Drive Logitech C920 HD Web Cam We Are All Weird by Seth Godin Sunset Western Garden Book - New Edition for 2012 The Hobbit/The Lord of the Rings Garden Mysteries by Anthony Eglin The Creative Habit/

2012 Gift Guide: Olympus PEN E-P1 12 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera

Olympus PEN E-P1 12 MP Micro Four Thirds Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera I purchased this camera back in July of 2011 in preparation for a a family trip to Sicily. I knew I had made the right choice when people started commenting on the first photos I posted to my blogs. While their are more capable -- and more expensive -- cameras you can buy, the balance of price vs. quality in the EP-1 is great. The optics and depth of field alone dramatically improve the quality of your photos above a typical point-and-shoot camera. The Auto mode of the camera allows anyone to pick it up and use it, but with program modes, and even full manual, settings, you can begin to experiment with all the settings of the camera to take dramatic photos. I also use the camera to shoot video for my YouTube/Podcast series. It only shoots 720p video, not 1080p, but the superior optics make it the best 720p possible. You can see many example of the photos I have taken with the camera -- and videos, too -- by ch