RSS 2.0 (all entries)
iTunes (audio/video)
MySpace
Facebook
YouTube
Flickr
deli.cio.us
shawn (at) phantompower.org
August 14th, 2010
Almost two weeks ago, I decided to upgrade from my old iPhone 3G to the new iPhone 4. Here’s a few photos of the new phone.
Brand new iPhone 4, still in the box.
Read the rest of this page »
New iPhone 4 on the right, in comparison with the old iPhone 3G on the left.
May 23rd, 2010
it’s a Sunday audio blog. Here’s a picture of Jen’s new Mac Mini:
Here’s a picture of my new Telecaster:
Here’s a picture of my new (non-working) guitar amp:
Don’t forget to check out GeminiDragon.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 11:41 — 6.7MB)
April 23rd, 2010
A couple days ago, I wrote about my new computer monitor. At the time, I was discouraged with the new monitor, and I was struggling to get used to using it. Since then, I’ve done a lot of experimenting with different resolution settings and I’ve also tried out some programs designed for low-vision users (like me). And so far, I’d say my experience is improving. Right now, I’m using a feature built into OS X called Zoom. I’m zoomed in at a level of 1.7x, and I can see things well. There’s a trade-off, though. Since Zoom magnifies an area of the computer’s screen, I can’t have my entire work environment on screen at one time. I feel like it’s slowing down my productivity a bit. This may change over time, as I get more accustomed to using this setup. What I’d really like is some way to magnify text in just certain areas. For example, Firefox has a text zoom function. But it applies the same zoom factor to all text on a webpage. So if I’m looking at my GooglesReader, and I want to enlarge the text in the reader section only, I can’t. I have to enlarge the reader section, the headlines, the sidebars. Everything. In turn, this causes the reader section to “shrink” to the point where it can’t really display any content at all. Also, every time I open a new tab, I have to zoom the text again, as the zoom setting doesn’t carry over from one tab to another. I haven’t researched yet to see if there’s some kind of universal setting that could be applied to all text in Firefox. But even if there was, I’m still not sure it’s a good solution. So for now, I’ll keep going with the OS X Zoom feature and see how that goes. I’m also planning on installing a track light in this room, which should help to balance out the ambient light around me, and that’ll be easier on my eyes.
On a related note, I really am enjoying some of the benefits of this new monitor. Specifically, photos and videos are much clearer. And since they’re bigger, I can really see them. It’s given me a whole new sense of appreciation for these visual mediums, and that’s good.
So, I’m going to keep using the monitor through the rest of the weekend. And after using it for a few more days, I should be able to tell whether or not it’ll be worth keeping.
April 22nd, 2010
Last week, I ordered a new 25″ computer monitor. Today, the monitor arrived. I’ve spent most of the night setting it up, trying to get acclimated to it. My old monitor was only 19″. That’s a full half-foot smaller than this monitor. Also, my old monitor is the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, whereas the new one is 16:9. Overall, I have to admit that I’m a bit underwhelmed. I was hoping that this new monitor would really improve my experience with the computer. But the gains I’ve experienced so far have been minimal at best. I’m not sure why. Read the rest of this page »
April 3rd, 2010
Here’s an iPad parody video that Jen and I made. She did the voiceover and created the actual “yPad.” I took care of the video work. We collaborated on the backing music. This video has been posted to my new YouTube account. If you have a YouTube account, and you’ve enjoyed this video, please click over and subscribe.
March 14th, 2010
I think we’ve finally got that sewer gas problem under control. After moving some stuff around, I discovered this open drain pipe, hiding in the hallway:
We went to the hardware store later that day and picked up another Qwik Cap. Now the pipe is capped and so far, so good:
I seem to have come through my respiratory infection. Haven’t completely recovered, but feeling much better. Unfortunately, Jen’s come down with similar symptoms and she’s pretty sick. Guess that was inevitable. She’s holding off for now, but she may go and see a doctor if things don’t improve soon. We were invited to a party tonight but we had to cancel, which is disappointing. But, she’s in no shape to go anywhere right now. We spent the day at home. Watching TV and playing Viva Pinata. Read the rest of this page »
February 5th, 2010
We spent the New Year’s weekend moving things around. The plan was to take the stuff in the back room, and swap it with the stuff in the front room. I had the idea to do this last November, because I thought it’d be good to move the studio into its own space, and to make our living area a little more open and comfortable. We’ve been living with this new configuration now for about a month, and we like it. Read the rest of this page »
December 11th, 2009
I was walking somewhere this morning. As I crossed over what I thought was a clear corner between a parking lot and a sidewalk, something grabbed my right foot. I went down on to the concrete. It wasn’t a particularly hard fall, and I had managed to shift my weight on to my left side, which somehow helped to disperse the impact’s energy. And in that hurried moment just after the fall, as I was laying there on the wet ground (we’ve been having some actual weather this week), I watched in slow motion as my iPhone tumbled through the air, landing on its back, right next to me. I mentioned above that I had managed to fall on my left side. And I almost always carry my iPhone in my left coat pocket, and I almost always keep that pocket zippered up. But for some reason, this morning, I hadn’t zipped the pocket closed. A couple guys nearby, who witnessed the fall, asked if I was OK.
“Yeah,” I said. “I’m fine. But my phone’s not.” I could see that the iPhone had been damaged. I picked it up to get a closer look. Here’s what I saw: Read the rest of this page »
November 15th, 2009
I went for a walk this morning and did some recording. I talked a little about my weight loss efforts and a lot about nerdy stuff.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:24 — 13.4MB)
October 31st, 2009
We don’t have cable. Sure, it was part of the plan to get cable after we moved to California. But financial conditions conspired against us, and we’ve just never been able to afford it. Fortunately, not long after we got here, on-demand TV over the Internet was just starting to mature. Back in 2007, my sister gave us an old Medion computer she no longer needed. We were incredibly lucky that the computer’s video card included a composite video-out port so it could be connected directly to our TV. After adding a Wi-Fi card to the Medion, we were able to stream shows from sites like hulu (which was still in beta at the time). It worked well for awhile. But eventually, the video card stopped working with the TV. I gave the Medion away (to Andy Melton – I wonder if he’s still using it?) and, being an Apple enthusiast, decided to replace it with a used G4 tower. I performed some upgrades on the G4 to make it as powerful as possible. But its performance was always inconsistent. I blame it on the fact that the machine is just too old to handle streaming video over Wi-Fi. (I still have the G4 and have been trying to sell it.) From there, I moved on to using the PlayOn server software to stream online video to my XBox 360. And PlayOn isn’t a bad solution. But, like the G4, it tends to be inconsistent. Especially with hulu. (I really do like PlayOn, and I think it’s got great potential, and I’m not entirely giving up on it, yet.) Really, the best way to get online video on to a TV at this point is to have a good, fairly modern computer connected directly to the set. Late last summer, we purchased an ASUS EEE PC Netbook, as Jen was in the market for a laptop. It dawned on me a couple weeks ago that we could probably use the Netbook to do the video streaming. The challenge would lie in getting it connected. The Netbook has a standard VGA-out port, and our eight-year old Toshiba TV only has composite video and S-video inputs. Some type of signal conversion would be necessary to make it work. Some quick googling turned up a converter box on Amazon Read the rest of this page »