I WANT.

I just downloaded an application called Dragon Dictation. So, what it is is an application that allows you to simply speak what you want to type and it automatically writes it out for you. In fact, I’m actually writing this blog post with the dictation program just see how well it works, and so far so good. My only concern with this application is that it seems to require a network connection in order for it to decipher what it is that you’re trying to say. I guess that’s okay though. However, the one thing that would make this application extremely awesome is if it were integrated into every other application that you would normally type in, but that’s probably not something that’s possible unless Apple allows it.

Well, I guess that’s it for now. So far so good. It’s free. So get it!

found these beautifully machined knobs at Mar Vac Electronics. the original ones were flimsy plastic – i had already kicked one off. Maxon made some pretty nice pedals back in the day (i think their pedals are still nice, but i haven’t tried them) but used unusually weak parts for some components. to make it worse, these parts are impossible to find. i already had to have special 1/4″ jacks sent from Maxon in Japan (!) to replace one that had cracked. replacing these knobs weren’t easy either. the shaft wasn’t a full 1/4″ cylinder. it was a freakin’ 1/4″ shaft cut in half! after finding some plastic material to fill in the gaps i was able to get these knobs on successfully. happy with the results!

back in january i reviewed a small handful of iphone (3G) cases – Case-Mate’s Vroom being one of them. a few months ago they sent me their updated Vroom case for free, along with a little tin of mints. not sure if it was a PR move or not, but if it was i guess i’ll say a few things about the updated design.

the good:
the case maintained it’s cool tire tread look. coverage is as complete as can be with cut-outs for the hold switch, headphone jack, data/power jack, and of course the screen (screen protector film included). in comparison to the original, the new one was smoother to the touch, which made it less prone to attract lint and dust. another major plus is that the edge of the case now covers the chrome bezel of the iphone.

the not-so-good:
this case is said to be 100% rubber, however, i have my doubts about that. while i believe the original was 100% rubber, i think the new one is a thick silicon. what gives it away is the fact that it’s a little more stretchy the the old one. the rubber case was much stiffer. this change in material causes the case to be a little challenged at staying in place*. really, it’s not something that a quick adjustment won’t fix…but it’s the fact that you have to do that all the time that makes it a bit of a bummer.

very cool aesthetic factor and very precisely fabricated. silicon material, while being better at repelling dust and lint, causes the case to underperform at staying put around the iphone.

on a scale from 1 – 10 i give it a 7.

*something i may try: a few strips of double-sided tape (non-permanent) on the inside of the case to add some tackiness!

so far this is the best iphone bike mount i’ve come across. the other’s i’ve seen are too bulky! but for $30, i’m not sure i want it that bad. but it’d be a nice thing to have on a long bike ride.
http://www.ibikemount.com

so it seems like this is Microsoft’s next offering for their Zune players (confirmed by a small handful of reliable sources). honestly, i think it looks pretty nice. no word on specs yet, but from the looks of it, it’s gotta be a touch-screen device. and the skinny thing that looks like a button might be similar to the ipod touch/iphone’s home button.

i have the first-gen zune and i actually think it’s still a nice solid music player with a very nice UI. i wonder what this new Zune can do…

man has been fascinated by flight for as long as history can tell.
i am a man.

if you’re into R/C’s and helicopters, you gotta get yourself one of these bad boys. just search ebay for “syma s010″ and you’ll find the one i have in the picture. 30 bucks a pop! this is the best one in the $30 range. lots of fun but at the same time very therapeutic.

i found a nice work-around for replacing the felt marker font with helvetica on iphone’s notes application.

first do this:
settings > general > keyboard > international keyboards > japanese
enable QWERTY 
*the above steps only need to be done once 

now, leave settings and open the notes application.
start a new note file and click on the little globe on the left of the space bar to enable the int’l keyboard. type a (any) character and then click the globe again to revert  back to the default english keyboard. everything inputted after this should show in the helvetica font. you’ll need to do this for every new note. 

it sounds like a lot but it really isn’t – it’s just a lot to type out in order to explain how it’s done. 

so, just a few quick clicks and you’ll disable that ugly felt marker font!

this is my casio compact digital point-and-shoot camera. all I really want to say is that this is all around a great camera. why say this all of a sudden??? well last night I was looking back at all the pictures I had taken with it and it was just fun to see all the experiences I had been through. i was curious to see how far the earliest picture dated back, and to my surprise i’ve had this camera for close to 2 years now. it’s still chugging along quite strong and takes super long (and good quality) videos and pretty decent images (if you know how to set it).

this camera should last me ’til the end of 2009 or longer. i just haven’t felt the need to upgrade. many new features in recent years were just useless bells and whistles aimed at camera tech-tarded consumers (ie, face detection). i mean, i can recognize faces pretty well on my own. but what i’d really like in my next camera is high-speed shutter speed/video capture, HD video, and  optical image stabilization.

this (or something like it) might be next: EX-FC100

why exilims? i don’t know, i just like ‘em.