Radio/TV Supplemental
Jared’s 2015 Holiday Gift Guide!
Back by popular demand – Jared’s favorite holidays toys for 2015.
Some are new releases – some are classics and some are just great gift giving opportunities.
Jared’s 2014 Holiday Gift Guide!
Back by popular demand – Jared’s favorite holidays toys for 2014.
Some are new releases – some are classics and some are just great gift giving opportunities.
Descriptions coming soon – I will try and indicate along the way if I own the item (or one similar). Enjoy!
Brainwave Emotion Controlled Cat Ears
Toys that Move
Bone Inductions Headphones
3Doodler
Muppet Whatnot
http://www.fao.com/whatnots/builder.jsp
Crafting
Retro Gaming
Food Technology
Building Toys
Board(ish) Games
Media Subscriptions
A gift that keeps on giving is a media subscription!
Everyone who gets it loves their Netflix – tons of movies and TV shows and it even allows multiple people per account:
https://signup.netflix.com/Gift
Hulu is great for current TV but you get a lot more (including the ability to stream to a device) with Hulu+. Please note – even with Hulu+ you have to watch commercials:
https://secure.hulu.com/plus/gifting
Amazon Prime has a variety of TV shows and movies (no commercials) but it doesn’t include everything that Amazon streams. It does come with free 2 night shipping and a very discounted overnight shipping on a lot of Amazon shopping so it is a great service:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prime/pipeline/prime_gifting_landing/
Playstation Plus
TV Toys
Camera Fun
High End Toys
I love my toys – and these are the crazy big ones – and I own all three. The DJI Phantom is the fun and easy to use quadcopter that really packs a punch. Goes very well with a GoPro camera. If you want to start in the 3D printing world – I say jump in with a Makerbot Replicator 2 (sure the 2x has more features – but it is harder to use) – and the Makerbot Digitizer which keeps getting better and better – the new software allows for multiple passes and is the perfect compliment to any 3D printer.
There ya go – my top tech suggestions for 2014! Did I miss anything – email me and I might just add it to the list – Jaredx2@gmail.com!
Jared’s 2013 Holiday Gift Guide
Back by popular demand – my favorite holidays toys for 2013. Some are new releases – some are classics and just great gift giving opportunities. I try and indicate along the way if I own the item (or one similar). Enjoy!
The Robotic Pet
So 2013 is the year of the Robotic pet and I own all of them. The Zoomer Pet Dalmatian – is very interesting – recharges via USB – responds to voice commands and moves very organically. As robotic pets go this is pretty fun. The cats don’t approve because it is like a real animal. The Tekno Robotic Puppy – is very different than the Zoomer and probably for a younger audience. Uses batteries and feel much more robotic. It can do an amazing flip and has an app for control of many features. So you really have to decide if you want more of dog or an RC toy. And while 2012 brought us the New Furby – 2013 has brought the even newer Furby Boom! They are fun – crazy – chaotic and now they sort of even have an off switch – if you hold the tail yanked they fall asleep. They come in many flavors so you need to find the right one – the smart phone app takes it into an entire new realm of toy.
Portable Gaming
For portable gaming I am a big fan of the Nintendo 3DS XL. It is fun, flexible, big enough to see and also has the cool 3D without the glasses thing going on (which you can turn off). I have played with it but do not own one (it’s on my wishlist). And it really is for all ages. However, new for 2013 is the NVIDIA Shield (I have one). This is a 16GB Android Tablet with a 5″ 720p horizontal display with a built in controller for all your hardcore gaming needs. There aren’t a lot of games for it – yet – but it also allows gamers to stream their desktop video games to this device using an NVIDIA video card. If you are a PC gamer this is a must item to check out!
Console Games
Good luck getting your hands on either the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4 – the hottest new consoles for 2013. They are more than just for gaming and are really your one stop for all media. Of course the Ninetndo Wii-U is easier to find – because no one wants one – sorry Ninentdo. But don’t fret – the ultimate in video game technology is cheap and fun and ready for purchase – The X-Arcade Tankstick. It has 2 joysticks, buttons, and a trackball that plugs into your computer (or with optional accessories ANY console). To give you a real arcade gaming feel. Don’t own one yet – but I want one!
Food Technology
I don’t need it but I want it – (and probably won’t use it) but the SodaStream thing seems fun (and also messy) – I don’t want to use their syrups – I want to make my own. I own this Cotton Candy machine and it is crazy fun – it is a party in a box! You can even use hard candy to create the cotton candy with and I have used Werther’s Originals, Root Beer Barrels, Lifesavers and more. Great for all ages a MUST have for the holidays! The Zoku Quick Pop maker just allows you to quick freeze any liquid in 7 minutes – a fun summer kitchen toy – oh wait it’s winter. Well still I want one. And how about going on a ‘flavor tripping’ part with some Miracle Berry Fruit tablets – they make sour things sweet! Just a bit of fun.
Media Subscriptions
A gift that keeps on giving is a media subscription!
Everyone who gets it loves their Netflix – tons of movies and TV shows and it even allows multiple people per account:
https://signup.netflix.com/Gift
Hulu is great for current TV but you get a lot more (including the ability to stream to a device) with Hulu+. Please note – even with Hulu+ you have to watch commercials:
https://secure.hulu.com/plus/gifting
Amazon Prime has a variety of TV shows and movies (no commercials) but it doesn’t include everything that Amazon streams. It does come with free 2 night shipping and a very discounted overnight shipping on a lot of Amazon shopping so it is a great service:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prime/pipeline/prime_gifting_landing/
TV Toys
I love TV. All of these devices do the same thing but slightly differently. They stream movies to your TV. All three work with Netflix and Hulu+ but… The Roku allows for other channels like HBO and VUDU (if you use those services). Chromecast streams from a connected device so you need a tablet or computer (which usually isn’t a problem). And Apple TV kinda does both – works stand alone for Netflix and Hulu+ (and iTunes) but also can stream/clone your iPad or Macbook. If you are a Macbook user this is awesome – press a button and your TV is your computer. Remember – a lot of smart TVs already have this functionality so ask yourself what you need and what you are getting. All three are cool.
Smart Watches
Don’t be fooled – smart watches are not ready for prime time yet – but… for $150 the Pebble Watch is a nice add on to your smart phone.
Camera Fun
Digital cameras are everywhere and cheap. So instead of suggesting the best digital camera I wanted to share some fun ones that I own and use. The Lytro is the camera where you focus AFTER you take the picture. You don’t buy it to print – you buy it to post nifty interactive photos online. The software keeps improving and it really is a fun toy. The Pivothead Durango is a great set of wraparound sunglasses with an HD video camera and a 8MP still camera built in. I had prescription lenses put in mine – love it – travel all over the world in them. And of course the darling of mini video cameras is the GoPro – high resolution – high frame rates – lots of ways of wearing it (check out the chest or helmet attachments) – it is for more than just extreme sports. Comes with a remote but you can also control from your smart phone.
Tablets
This year isn’t just about tablets – it is about the smaller 7″ tablets with high resolution displays. I love the iPad Mini but you can’t go wrong with a Kindle Fire HD or even the Nexus 7. Don’t just shop by price – shop by function: which software will you want to run and will it run on that device?
Crazy Big Presents
I love my toys – and these are the crazy big ones – and I own all three. The DJI Phantom is the fun and easy to use quadcopter that really packs a punch. Goes very well with a GoPro camera. If you want to start in the 3D printing world – I say jump in with a Makerbot Replicator 2 (sure the 2x has more features – but it is harder to use) – and the Makerbot Digitizer which keeps getting better and better – the new software allows for multiple passes and is the perfect compliment to any 3D printer.
There ya go – my top tech suggestions for 2013! Did I miss anything – email me and I might just add it to the list – Jaredx2@gmail.com!
What to do with all those photos?
I recently was on Applause with Dee Perry (link coming soon) talking about what to do with all those photos you took over the holidays.
This is a quick recap with some helpful links.
Edit Your Photos!
First, you have too many photos – it’s great that you took so many but now its time to separate the good from the bad.
If they are blurry they are garbage – you aren’t going to unblur them – just get over it and move on.
You don’t need expensive software to edit the individual photos – there are plenty of free online photo editors out there like http://pixlr.com/.
A few pointers:
Rotate! With a little practice you can straighten most photos.
Crop! I always tell people that inside of every photo is a better photo and its your job to find it.
Also, special FX does not equal art. Yeah it can be fun but is it really making something good or just something “different”.
Digital Picture Frames
Digital picture frames are more than just good presents! Get one for yourself to display your own photos!
Post Them Online
Don’t email your photos, instead create a gallery or a slideshow on a site like Flickr.
Create Prints and Canvas
ImageKind is a great service where you can have your pictures printed on canvas or art paper and even matted and framed. They are not the cheapest service but they create real quality results.
Create Stuff
CafePress allows you to turn any picture into – well almost anything – clothes – mugs – clocks – iPhone cases – you won’t believe all the stuff they let you turn your pictures into!
Create Photo Books
Photo Books are a lot of fun – and much easier to create than you might imagine! All you need to do is upload the pictures to the website and make a few choices. I am listing three different book making companies. SnapFish is good for short photo books (and other things too). If you want very large photo books you can use Blurb – they are a great company if you want more pages, larger format, or high end paper. LuLu is another company for making Photo Books but also cookbooks and even that novel you are secretly writing.
My Cappadocia Examples
Throughout the episode I showed various samples from my day in Cappadocia (and you don’t have to purchase anything I am just showing you my examples in context).
This is my Cappadocia Flickr Slideshow
This is my ImageKind store for my Cappadocia images on print or canvas
This is my CafePress store with stuff that can be made with my photo of Uchisar Castle
While I showed a book made by SnapFish I have a much larger format version of my Cappadocia book sold at Blurb
If you like my photos you can see more of them on Etsy
I hope this gives you some ideas – go out there and have fun taking your photos to the next level!
Jared
Jared’s Ultimate Top Tech Holiday Gift Guide
Jared’s Ultimate Top Tech Holiday Gift Guide 2011
After my last few holiday toys blog posts – I was asked to narrow it down and tell you what I really think is hot this year or that I really want.
So here ya go – enjoy!
FYI – my personal Amazon Wishlist is more a reflection on what I watch and read.
Also it’s not high-tech but be sure to check out Rose Iron Works they are open Sunday 12/18/2012 from 1pm-4pm!
| The Kindle Fire is redefining what a tablet can be. A tablet ‘reader’ which really sets itself apart by knowing what it is and how people can use it. Its cheap – only $200 – its small – much smaller than the iPad but big enough to still be functional. It doesn’t have a lot of room but it streams video great (Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix). Most importantly Amazon has done the Apple thing of controlling the device – the app store is cleaner and the interface is slicker than your average Android Tablet. I own an iPad and I think this is going to find a permanent place in my arsenal of toys. | |
| Don’t just get one set! My friends do amazing things with them and make these crazy big creations. If you are tactile – this is the toy for you! | |
| It’s science meets food! The kit comes with chemicals (ingredients), tools, and a DVD to teach you how to amaze your friends (and yourself). | |
| I want this one and I already own a cotton candy machine. What makes this one special? It doesn’t require special sugars! You just add your favorite hard candy and it melts them and spins the sugar. I have so many crazy ideas for it – and it even works with sugar-free candies! | |
| So first go and get Atari’s Greatest Hits for your iPad (don’t pick and choose the games just get the entire thing). Pop your iPad into the case and your have you own desktop Arcade. Sure its an amusement – but what a great diversion! | |
| It turns your iPhone or iPod Touch into a 3D viewer and game thing. My favorite app is Sector 17 – uses the gyroscope – I suggest a nice swivel desk chair to play it in! | |
| The ultimate is ‘wow what you are a real geek’ toy! I have a previous version of this device and its just a surreal experience every time – and now its iPad compatible! | |
| Personal cutters are all the rage – great for scrap booking but all sorts of artists and creative sorts. This is one of the best reviewed model out there – not only does it cut but you can draw and engrave with it as well! | |
| So maybe you don’t want to cut paper – this device let’s you cut food! It cuts decorative shapes out of gum paste, fondant, frosting sheets, and more! | |
| This is on my must buy list! Plug it into an HD (or SD) TV and it plays your images and video files – quick and dirty! This will free up my computer when I want to play a digital file from my computer. Even takes 2 USB drives at the same time. | |
| This one is just silly – a magic want remote control! Program it to one of 13 different gestures. I would buy 2 so you can have true dueling remotes! |
The Runner’s Up
I do have a few other shout-outs but I couldn’t put them on my main list.
First is Amazon Prime – I LOVE Amazon Prime. Free 2 day shipping, discounted overnight shipping, one free Kindle Book rental a month and a ton – and I mean a ton – of free movies and TV shows for live streaming on your computer or Kindle Fire (but not iPad). If its so good – why isn’t it on my list? You can’t gift it! You can’t even pay for it with a gift card. All you can do is tell people about it. You’ve been told!
The Sony Personal Viewer – they say its the best 3D headset made in years! You just can’t get your hands on one until January (and my guess is that’s iffy). However I really really want one.
Speaking of things I really really want. The Thing-O-Matic 3D Printer is a toy lovers toy. It makes things. Its pretty hardcore though. You have to assemble it and download (or make your own) models for it. Its not too expensive (as 3D printers go – as toys go maybe) – but it has a 4 to 5 week lead time.
Shipping in Spring of 2012 (we hope) is the Lytro camera – and while I really want one – its like giving a kid in Cleveland a bicycle for Christmas. Here is your present now wait a few months to enjoy it. When I know they are shipping and they really work – I will be first in line (well I guess second).
OK That’s my personal list of holiday tech toy favorites – enjoy!
Len added these from his list!
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25 Years of Sting – A second look…
This week I was asked by WKYC Channel 3’s Nicole Sellars to give some opinions about Sting’s new iPad app.
http://www.wkyc.com/news/article/217663/45/Stings-new-app-takes-fans-on-digital-journey
We talked about it for some time and not surprisingly the entire piece was just over a minute. I figured I might take a few minutes to go into greater detail.
The originally proposed question was: Do I think that apps will eventually replace music in the way that MP3s did the CD and the CD did tapes and records?
My answer: NO
In truth the app is not intended do that – if anything it replaces the book or liner notes which are terribly absent in the age of digital music.
In an era where the album is dead, “a-la-cart” music shopping isn’t just for a few singles but for all songs and it is not surprising that the ‘box set’ might appear to be even deader.
What Sting and company have done here is to give away an amazing promo piece – they give you the booklet and hope you buy the music.
I read on a website that they said they gave it away because they don’t know what it was worth – they will learn – because inside of the app is a link to sample, purchase, and download every Sting song and album.
The app is very polished and very respectable – it doesn’t feel like a giant sales pitch. And giant it is – its well over 400MB to download and the video files are not included in that. All of the video is only available via online streaming.
So what is in the app?
The app starts (after a nice little shout-out to Chevrolet and American Express) with a timeline that stretches from 1985 to the present.
Its a little deceptive. Sting doesn’t being in 1985 – just as a solo artist – its weird to see a Sting timeline without seeing a Police reference.
Anyways – everything is very visual – images slide up and down to the right and left. Nothing ‘tells’ you its a button but you soon figure out what leads where. For the most part its a mixture of images and video clips. Again the video clips stream – so your connection becomes a critical point for the apps performance. The pictures are nice but the hand written lyrics are really special. They could have been better though – they made the lyrics pages a stark black and white (to try and clean them up) and sometimes it feels like they are bad digital photoscopies – even worse you can’t zoom in and really get into them. Another annoying thing is that you don’t know you are at the end of a section until it doesn’t let you go any more. You can really get into a section and without an indication of where you are you want more and more and then… brick wall.
Scattered throughout are 360 degree object virtual reality photographs of his instruments. These are great if… if you can find them and if you can realize to slide from side to side to get them to spin instead of just clicking the zoom button (which makes you think they are simply zoomable photographs). I loved the video clip placed next to each instrument though to allow you to see them in context (and action).
The clips from the Sixtieth Birthday Concert are great though they really do feel more like excerpts of something bigger (the songs are whole) but it really is a tease.
Probably the most innovative section was the interactive map. This places hotspot of of his life over a Google map that you could explore and would lead you back into the other sections. Interesting but probably a little out there for most. And of course the music icon that allows you to demo and purchase all the songs.
Overall its a really good app. No question it is enjoyable and something you can really get lost in.
Will change the way I listen to music? No – of course not.
First – its an iPad app so its not even meant to live where I keep my music (my iPhone and iPod Touch). Second – even if it was all of Stings songs in one place – it probably would only appeal to people who ONLY want to listen to Sting all day (my brother). Will it change the way music is marketed? Sure. But Sting isn’t the first to do this – he is just the most famous – or probably more importantly doing it on this type of scale. You have to be Sting to have people want to read your liner notes before you buy the album. The bigger question is less one of content but of design. Assuming that the app is successful (how could it not be) and that people buy songs (of course they will) how will the industry follow this up?
If they just take this exact app and pop in U2 stuff for Sting – then it might feel stale – we demand both the content and design to be unique and Sting gets both because he is mainstreaming early.
How will the designs stay fresh without going crazy or becoming obnoxious – and what happens when a record executive says – why aren’t we charging for this?
Lastly, what is so different about this than a website? I mean its images, streaming video, some object VRm a Google map, and a bunch of links to the iTunes store.
This is where design comes in – if it felt like a website we would reject it – if it feels like a marketing pitch we reject it. And we want it in our hands on our mobile devices – everything on them feels just a little bit closer.
Overall Sting and company have done a brilliant job of balancing – giving as much as they are asking – and that’s what makes this a pretty spiffy app!
Now please please please can ELO make one next!
