Jawbone Review

Image care of blog.treonauts.com

About 6 months ago I scrapped my Jabra BT200 bluetooth headset because of poor call quality, poor battery life, and frustration related to the connection process each time I cranked up bluetooth on my phone. I had the Jabra for almost 2 years and considered it extremely comfortable and easy to use. It was fairly unassuming in a world of people who seem to love to flaunt their bluetooth headset and their inability to TAKE IT OUT OF THEIR EAR AND PUT IT IN THEIR POCKET. sorry. I thought handsfree was for driving or multi-tasking...not walking in the mall or eating at a restaurant.

I did some web searching for quality reviews of headsets and stumbled upon the following: http://blog.treonauts.com/2007/03/treo_bluetooth_.html review of the jawbone. First I must state that the Jawbone is made by Aliph at http://www.jawbone.com/. The makers have gone to great lengths to create a headset that is easy to use, stylish, and one of the best noise reduction bluetooth units on te market. I will first send you to this video so that you fully understand what I am raving about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-VIdnrij7M. I have tested this unit with a vacuum cleaner on, right beside me and the headset is so successful in cancelling noise and improving the sound of your voice that my mother could hear me clearly and I could barely hear her over the vacuum cleaner.

I realize I am not doing a good job at reviewing this headset, however I think the attached links speak for themselves. Personally, with the included ear accessories, the unit is very comfortable. The wrap around piece is poorly made and breaks easy. Both my father and my ear pieces broke through light use. I will note that typically I can wear the headset with few issues. I cannot swing my head side to side or up/down without the ear hook thing but typically does well in driving and walking conditions. Aliph has come out with a new model which is smaller than the unit I purchased. The units use very low profile, hidden buttons to turn the unit on/pair/mute/volume/noise cancelling. The charger is USB or plugs into a wall jack and is lightweight and easy to take on trips with you. It charges quickly and holds a charge for adequate talk/standby time. See Andrew's Treonaut review for more details.

I strongly recommend you look into this product if you are in the market for a bluetooth headset. Don't forget you can get it almost half off on eBay. For weight, looks, and funtionality (and the fact that my dad can use it successfully), the headset is a great buy.

Leo and the TWiT Army!

I need to formally endorse Leo Laporte here on the blog.  For those who don't know him, he has been in TV, radio, and print for years in the world of tech.  He currently has two websites...www.leoville.com and www.twit.tv.  Leoville is much more tuned to his lower tech listeners and twit.tv is his netcast/netcast network.  

He once worked for ZDTV, soon to be TechTV where I came across him on the Screen Savers.  TechTV fell apart unfortunately after being bought by G4.  I actually wished I could work for TechTV and too bad I wasn't ambitious enough.  Currently TWiT is working to revive the old TechTV mantra.  Between Revision3.com and TWiT.tv, we will get there soon enough.  The two sites consist of a great collection of geeks, dorks, nerds, hackers, and cool folks put a plethera of outstanding and crappy video and audio netcasts/vidcasts.

Also go to Leoville.com and check out Leo's cool live stream when he is doing a show.  He has just built up a new studio, just as Revision3 did recently, and is prepping to go a bit more professional.  This is going to be the new media soon, and I hope Leo and the TWiT army reap the benefits.  

Sorry...have to go.  Will add more later.

Tuckers? It really should be called Suckers

To be honest, I really thought this place was going to be great.

When TK's brother got married, the spread they had there was great. When he mentioned that we were going to the restaurant section of where his brother had his wedding, after a smart-assed comment, I thought, Holy crap, the food is expensive, but it's going to be really good. I still have foodie dreams about their portabella pastries.

I checked on the internet, and it looked like this place was going to be a typical, high-end Dallas foodie place, with really complex but wonderful dishes. I got there late, and sampled a bit of the wine ($23 a bottle, REALLY?) and convinced TK that we should get a goat-cheese with roasted pine nuts appetizer.

I should have known we were in trouble when it came out. It wasn't that good, and TK and I were the only people at the table that were eating it. I decided to forgo the quail and go for something easier, which was the Kobe Beef Hamburger (at $16 a pop, I thought, what the hell? It'll be good, it's Kobe beef, and it's cheaper than some hamburgers that I've gotten at Twisted Root).

When I finally got my burger, it was raw in the middle. And I don't mean raw like it was undercooked. I mean raw like steak tartar raw. I tried to power through it, but I'm a man who likes his meat cooked, usually overdone rather than under. I got halfway through, and had to give up.

A little note about myself. I don't EVER send food back. I don't care how nice the place is, I've had friends who worked in restaurants, I've seen Waiting, and I read Waiter Rant. I DON'T EVER SEND FOOD BACK. I might bitch and complain, but I'll never send the food back, only to have it come back to me, out of my sight for a few minutes. They could have stink-palmed it, for all I know.

If the food was a problem, that would be one thing. But the service was awful too. At one point, our waiter walked over to where we were, waiting for him to bring us the check, looked at us, saw that we were done with no plates and empty water glasses, and walked away. Without asking if we needed anything. In a place that's $35 a plate, that's unacceptable. Yes, I still tipped over 15%. Why? Because I'm retarded and I feel bad for waiters. Why? I have no idea. They make way more money than I do.

All in all, I won't be going back to Tuckers anytime soon. I'd rather go to Snuffers, which sounds the same, but has excellent food. Their marinated chicken strips are the best ever, and they have the best...THE BEST...cheese fries in the world. Try them out.

I think everyone else at the table had a good meal, but I spent the rest of the night with stomach aches, not able to sleep, and got to watch my entire meal in reverse the next morning. It's safe to say, Tuckers is not on my top ten lists. Now, I wish I had argued more for Sushi Zushi.

Poof Drops?

For those who need to cover up the stink while on the pooper...check out poof drops. I am not sure if this is real, but they definitely should hook up with the "beano" folks and sells these in a two pack. Crazy stuff. What the heck is Japanese Mint anyways?

JUNO: Movie Review

Last week I saw Juno for the second time. The first encounter with the movie was not an enjoyable experience. I think I was not in the mood for a drama/dark comedy and it hit me in the face fairly hard. I really have to be prepared for a movie to truly enjoy it. Sometimes if a movie is made so well then no matter what I am expecting, I will appreciate it's artistic qualities. With that said, this is a entertaining movie. I won't get into all of the details, but will hit on the high points.

The music was effectively selected for this flick because all of the characters are not run of the mill Hollywood written types. Nor are they cast by terribly pretty people...except Jennifer Garner. She is an attractive woman. The music is off center, and float well behind the surface of the scene they are placed in. They don't drive the scenes but compliment the storyline. The Moldy Peaches have a few songs throughout this movie. I will be honest - I am not a fan of them. Sometimes deviation from mainstream media is just that - deviation. I am not a supporter that all expression is art.

The cast of characters are fantastic overall. From Jason Bateman to Michael Cera to Ellen Page to Allison Janney. They all perform well in their roles and give you a true sense you are living beside them and around them. Ellen Page's character is a tough sell given that she is so young and so mature. I have met so many kids that consider themselves mature, but never come across this well. I have a hard time believing any kid could react to being pregnant as she does. I realize movies require suspension of disbelief, but this one was a bit tougher to swallow than most.

Still, much funnier and impressive the second time around. I knew the characters more the second round and appreciated the relationships and interactions that occured throughout the film. Diablo Cody and Jason Reitman did a great job delivering a story and film that deserves the positive response they have received so far.

Once you go Mac, you never go back

I have gone and done the inevitable. I purchased an iMac. I have to admit, when they went to the Intel chip and I realized for any legacy Windows needs I could just dual boot, I was sold. My old Dell was about 6 years old and after the final reformat and install, it was not coming back to life. Windows and all of the software I chose to install on it just couldn't cut it on the 1.6 GHz Pentium 4. Mind you, that was the first foray into the Pentium world, so to say that I am an early adopter is a bit of a misnomer. I used to build my own systems but went to a Dell for an assumed level of compatibility and less hardware conflicts.

First Time Mac Owner
I chose to purchase a refurbished iMac from the Apple Store because I did not need a new model, nor did I need to upgrade any of the components just yet. I presume I will go and get some additional RAM in the future, but not yet. I purchased the 24" LCD, 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Extreme. Another first in my computer purchasing history is that I have never purchased the best computer on the market (in its class). I typically figure that I don't need the fastest and greatest computer, but this round I chose otherwise. I wanted the 24" screen, which is a fantastic display, and the additional computing power to last me a bit longer before it becomes obsolete. I also purchased a refurbished AirPort Extreme router/print/data server. Figured it would link up easily with the iMac and allow my external hard drive and printer to be used by everyone in the house.

For those who don't know about the refurbished section of the Apple Store, go to www.apple.com/store and look down to the bottom left of the page. There is also links to purchase as a government employee or student. You can receive up to 10% off all products through this route.

The computer came yesterday in a non-descript cardboard package, weighing in at around 30 lbs or so. Easy to lift, easy to unpack. The iMac is an all-in-one, literally. It only has a power cord, a keyboard, and a mouse. They give you a manual and some disks, but they take up minimal space in the box. I plugged it all together, turned it on, and was off. There were a few settings regarding where you are in the world and what language you speak, and then Apple takes you into a fantastic welcome video. It is an animation through space and says "welcome" in probably 20+ languages. It was fantastic. A sight for the eyes. Apple exceeds in making me as a user feel like part of a community. I must disclose that I have three iPods (3G 15 Gig, 5G 30 Gig, and a 1G 1Gig Shuffle) and my wife has a Mini and a Shuffle as well. They are works of electronic art.

One important note when starting to use a Mac compared to Windows. Macs are Unix based and does a much better job of allowing users to run as non-Admins. Set up your Mac and install all of your desired programs as Admin (the mode that you start as), and then go to User Accounts and add yourself and family members without Admin rights. This will help minimize malware and viruses gaining full access to your computer as easily.

I first installed the software that came with the AirPort Extreme and used it to wirelessly connect to the internet. Very simple indeed. You just go into Applications, Utilities, AirPort Utility and run through the settings. For those who are not so network savvy - MAKE SURE YOU SET UP SECURITY ON YOUR ROUTER. Too many people fail to do this and think it is too complicated. It is not complicated at all. Just follow the steps in your router's manual. My iMac was now securely connected to the internet via the AirPort Extreme, and on came the updates. It took about 3 hours to download all of the updates for the preinstalled software. No worries there. Part of installing or using a new OS. During the update, I went and immediately downloaded Firefox at www.firefox.com. This browser is more secure than Safari and allows for really cool add-ins. I then googled top 10 Mac apps and found the following webistes:
http://paulstamatiou.com/2005/12/19/10-apps-every-new-mac-user-should-download
http://lifehacker.com/software/mac-os-x/keiths-top-10-mac-applications-124876.php
http://gigaom.com/2005/09/03/10macapps/
Out of these sites I recommend most Adium. It is a sleek instant messenger tool that can load your accounts from pretty much any chat software. I don't think it integrates into iChat but that is no biggie. I also recommend BitTorrent and OpenOffice. OpenOffice is a great, and free, open source alternative to Microsoft Office.

Installing software is a bit unusual....at least for a PC user. You download the software as a dmg file. You download the file, run it, and then it pops up this odd graphic. You take the icon within the graphic, and drop it into your Applications folder. From there you can drag it onto your Dashboard, the useful "start menu" replacement. I guess it is more of a Quick Launch toolbar for windows users, but much more aesthetic.

I will post more details as times goes on and I come across good websites or tricks for new Mac users.

Tappan Frigidaire TMS083E1W0 Microwave Oven Review

(No, I don't know what that orange grime on the bottom is)

My microwave oven has been with me since I first went to college, the first time. It was new then, but it didn't stay new very long. When it first came out of the box, it was dropped, and thus the dent on the top, that you can still see there today. However, that didn't stop this little Wal-Mart purchase from feeding me for the next 11, yes ELEVEN years. This microwave has moved with me everywhere I've lived in the past decade plus one, from out of the dorms and into a duplex with two other guys. After college, it went into storage for a year, but as soon as I moved to Dallas, this little baby went with me, in the first trip, as I moved into an abandoned chiropractor's office, then into my two bedroom apartment, into a three bedroom town-home, into a shared domicile with the ex, then into the single man's Shangri La that it finds itself in at the moment. And never once has it not given me well cooked food and the correct time.

Specs:
I don't know what this bad boy can do besides cook food using microwaves, which to this day I still think is magic, but I do know that it entertained us many times when we would put blank CDs in it, turn it on for a few seconds, and watch the lightning storm inside. Don't forget about all those Peeps that got cooked in there as well. Have you ever seen what happens to marshmellow chickens when you microwave them? No? Then try it out at home.

Accessories (yes, it too came with accessories):
It comes with a turning wheel, so you don't have to turn food, which every microwave should have. (And now that I think about it, they probably all do now, but at the time this was cutting edge) It also has a glass plate for the turning wheel, which I'm proud to say is the ORIGINAL glass plate that came with it. After all the moves, that's one of the only things I've been able to hold onto. It also has a toaster oven on top of it, but that was a later customization that I put in myself.

Installation:
Unlike the before mentioned model, this bad boy was ready to use right out of the box. I took it out of the plastic and styrofoam, dropped it and dented it, plugged it in, and I was cooking HungryMan dinners in no time. And one thing that tylerkeen failed to mention in his review is that someone had to be standing underneath his microwave while he attempted to install it. You know who that person was? It was me.

Usage:
Unless you're a complete retard, you can operate this bad boy. It pretty much spells it right out there for you on the front. What it does have are some nifty little buttons for things like defrosting meat, cooking popcorn, changing power levels. In the ten plus one years I've had this thing, I can count on one hand the times I've used those buttons.

Pros (in no particular order):
This is a no-frills, do it all microwave oven. And it's still working after 11 years. That includes 4 years of college, 7 different roommates, and countless blank CDs! And after all those years of cooking microwaveable popcorn, it doesn't smell like popcorn! Anymore, at least! The only thing wrong with it, it's plain white, but after doing this review, I'm thinking of spicing it up a bit with maybe some flame detailing, or possibly some pinstripes. Or I might clean it.

Cons (in a particular order):
Well, I am disturbed that this microwave doesn't play music, let me watch TV shows on it, allow me to venture into Azeroth and fight evil, shoot digital pictures, keep my food from spoiling, or wash or dry my clothes. Luckily, I have an iPod, TV, computer, digital camera, refrigerator, and washer and dryer for all that. Now that I think about it, I have warmed up socks in there before.

In short, I've got to say that I honestly love my microwave, and I would want no other microwave besides it. Even if I moved into a place that a built-in model, I would still use my old trusty Tappan. And since researching this review, I've found that I can still get parts for it should it ever break down (knock on wood it doesn't). This might be something I can hand down to my kids someday. The only thing it doesn't do is toast bread for me, but that's why I've got the toaster oven. Which sits on top. So...it's kinda like an accessory.

I hope you've enjoyed this review. For those wanting to get their own Tappan Frigidaire TMS083E1W0 Microwave Oven, I'm sorry, but I don't think Tappan makes microwaves anymore. They're making heating and AC units now. Some other company makes the microwaves, but they're only for boats and RVs. Weird.

I'd love to hear from you, so please leave comments, unless they're something like "This review was gay." I hate those.

Whirlpool Velos Speedcook Oven Review

(pork grilling under the quartz and halogen bulbs...one uses infrared I think and doesn't produce visible light)

There are a handful of microwave ovens on the market that can not only microwave but conventionally bake. The Whirlpool Velos Speedcook Oven is one of them and happens to be a recent addition to my home. I cannot speak to the other advanced models out there but hope to offer a useful review for those in the Whirlpool market.

Specs:
The Velos is a 2 cubic foot microwave/oven that can cook a 15" frozen pizza without touching the sides! It might do a 16" pizza but may drag a bit as it turns. It has a touch screen and touch pad on the front, the G2Max Speedcook technology, 1200 Watts of microwave cooking power, 1500 Watts of grilling and convection power, and sensor cooking options. You read that correctly...grilling and convection. This unit has a heating element with fan as well as quartz and halogen bulbs for grilling. The Speedcook technology means that the bulbs and/or microwave and/or heating element work together to correctly and quickly grill/bake/cook your food. Also has TruCapture ventilation which has four fan speeds and can push up to 350 (I think) CFM of air. The lights below the unit have three settings as well as a nightlight feature. I think the nightlight feature is simple a single button push to go straight to the "low" setting. This unit also utilizes 3 true stages of microwave power. Most microwaves have two power settings: 100% on/100% off. Different power settings are simulated by increasing the delay between the off cycles. This unit actually has a three true power settings.

Accessories (yes, the unit comes with accessories):
The Velos comes with a few very handy accessories, all required to fully utilize the cooking options this unit provides. There is a short metal rack used for convection baking, a tall broiler rack for grilling, and a non-stick platter for baking cookies, brownies, or used to catch grease when grilling. Also included is a handy little grabber tool to lift the platter out of the microwave safely, and a Rubbermaid steaming tray, which is straightforward, yet very effective.


Installation:
The Velos is quite a large unit and is fairly heavy as well. I won't include the dimensions, but you can go to the whirlpool.com site or click the title above for the link. Installation is not for the light hearted. I chose to install mine with a vent behind the unit exhausting to the outside. It is also in the corner of the kitchen which gave us some room to lift the unit into place. It requires the typical installation (not my first microwave to install) of mounting a metal harness to the back wall with multiple screws. I strongly recommend finding multiple studs to mount this to or add VERY strong molybolts. You then drill two holes above the unit for the hanging screws and one for the cord. You lift the unit up and hang the back, botton corner onto the metal harness. Simply looking like this " |< " The unit should be at a 45 degree angle hanging from the wall. You should be able to see the front AND top of the unit. You then rotate the unit up slowly, while feeding the power cord up through it's hole, and then secure the two top bolts to complete the "hanging" of the unit. BTW, I took this for granted but it is necessary to do - make sure the front 3-4" of the unit protrude out from your cabinetry as the directions state. The two vents on the right and left are necessary for rotating air during the microwaving process.

Usage:
The touch screen/LCD is VERY simple to use and as the delivery man told us, "your neighbor will be able to read the time from their house". It is bright...but can be dimmed after two minutes. It defaults to showing a clock when not in use. There are options for "cook method", "food type", "favorites", "time/temp/power", "kids menu", and "settings". For example, if I push food type - vegetable - fresh vegetable - potato/sweet potato it will tell me to wrap my potato in a paper towel, poke it with a fork, and push start. The unit then senses how many potatoes there (which magic or something) and cooks until done. And I mean done. Perfectly. Takes about 12 minutes for two potatoes. I have never used the "kids menu" and cannot vouch for that option. I only use time/temp/power when heating a cup of water for tea or reheating something for a short period of time. The sensing option is very effective and has spoiled me. The reheat option is also very effective for full dinner plates.

I have cooked tuna steak, beef steak, salmon fillets, steamed all sorts of vegetables; baked bread, brownies, rolls; poached eggs; the list goes on and on. The steaming tray is probably used the most in our house since it is easy to use, quick to cook, and easy to clean. You can even stage cooking to cycle through various power cycles for different amounts of time to cook the perfect dish. Typically most cycles ask for a "keep warm" option when complete; letting you maintain a warm temperature until you are ready to eat.

Pros (in no particular order):

1. Comes in four color options, including stainless.
2. The ventilation system works very well as a vent hood and the light is also very effective for cooking over the stove or as a room light.
3. The unit has a non-stick surface on the interior which helps minimize clean up. The convection option helpfully bakes off any splatters the microwaving may have created.
4. Cooks 97% of all food perfectly when using the sensing function.
5. Easily acts as a smaller second oven for kitchens that do not have room for two full sized ovens. Bakes bread like a champ.
6. Cooks salmon almost better than I can on the grill.
7. Accessories are very useful.
   

Cons (in no particular order):

1. VERY PRICEY. Lists at $899 and $999 for all stainless.
2. Take almost 12 minutes to heat to 350 degrees for convection cooking. Not recommended for a straight one-to-one replacement of a toaster oven. Requires a 7 minute cool down period when the baking is complete and runs the fan during that time.
3. The "boost" fan speed is fairly loud (although I have always been sensitive to loud vent hood fans...probably just me).
4. The grilling process cooks beef just a little too long. It successfully cooks beef steaks "well". I cannot blame Whirlpool since they don't want someone getting sick on undercooked meat. I just prefer mine cooked medium and stop the unit a bit early.
5. The convection baking doesn't reduce cooking times like full size convection ovens.
6. Challenging to install.
7. Large and protrudes from cabinetry.
8. Comes with a lot of accessories you have to find space to store....although I guess you could just put them in the microwave to store.
9. When you are baking or grilling, the food can be fairly high from the ground. Mount as low as you possibly can to make it easier on the shorter family members to work with.
10. Will not toast bread...at least I haven't found out how yet.
    

I really do love this oven. It compliments my full size oven very well and performed best one time we had many friends over for a pot luck dinner. It ran for three hours cooking, heating, re-heating while the full sized oven was doing the same. It originally was to be a replacement for our toaster oven, because we used that to cook most of our meals, but doesn't offer the quick heat, bake, and eat cycle we were used to. The sensing function does take care of most of our cooking since it cooks food almost perfectly. Maybe I am just having a tough time accepting that fact that my microwave is now preparing most of my food for me.

All in all hope this review was helpful. Comment or ask questions as necessary.

Robot Chicken

RAMBO: Movie Review

Sometimes you just have to go against your better judgement and see a movie that will probably suck. This was just the circumstance.

The movie begins with scenes of the bloody and horrific oppression rained down upon the Burmese people by the Burmese government. Not sure if that information is true, but an oppressed population with the military in power makes for the basis of a good shoot em up. The following scene is by a river with John Rambo and a few of his presumably Thai snake charming buddies. They carefully search for snakes for the tourist trap they work for in the middle of the jungle. Very odd that there is a random snake charming tourist destination in the thai jungle but I guess stranger things have happened. Along comes a group of Christians sharing the Gospel and supplies to the Karen rebels in Burma.

Through some terrible dialog and poor character development, John is convinced by the lone female character to take the group upstream from Thailand into Burma by river. Somehow he is considered the expert in this field and word has spread back to America of his boating and stealthiness. Long story short the Christian group helps out a small tribe until the military just so happens to overtake this small community, kill 95% of them, and take four of the original seven or so Americans hostage.

Along comes the pastor of the sponsoring church in his sport coat to John's place of work in the FREAKING JUNGLE, and coaxes him to help a group of mercenaries to save the Americans. His guilt gets the best of him and he agrees. The mercenaries are a rag tag group led by a SAS jerkwad who talks a lot and "has seen that 1,000 mile stare before" (which John continuously gives the SAS fella without saying much at all on the boat ride).

The infiltration into the Burmese military's camp is pretty cool and the sniper with the 50 mm gun is a bad ass. Come to find out the leader of the military group is gay and likes little boys which is unfortunate. I think that is probably an unfortunate truth in many of the countries under civil war where young boys are captured and forced into military duty. All of the captives are freed with just a few soldiers gutted, blow away by the sniper rifle, and throat ripped out by John Rambo himself. Oh...I forgot to add that the soldiers all were watching hostage native women dance and then raped them all when they got drunk.

When all of the soldiers wake up in the morning they realize they have been snookered and head into the woods with dogs and guns. A great chase scene entails with Rambo's only weapon as a claymore. Works out well nonetheless...as you obviously though it would. No hero gets one bullet and makes it go to waste. Rambo is so cool he doesn't even get a bullet. He gets a freaking proximity mine. At last when you think the good guys are done for on the river by the getaway boat, John comes to the rescue and shoots the hell out of the bad guys.

The writing sucked, the acting was weak, and the action was better than average. I say wait for the dollar theatre or dinner theatre and TEAR IT UP! Save a buck or get drunk to make it count! All in all a typical shoot em up. They could have tried a little harder with the story, but I guess by now most POW/MIA/American's taken hostage for no good reason stories are already written.

I forgot to add, Sly Stallone needs to back off of the weights and 'roids. He is like Barry Bonds. He gets more ripped as he gets older. I don't think Rocky or the original Rambo series ever had him this ripped.