The Gadgets Page

• RT @BWJones: Bionic implants in the morning: http://tinyurl.com/ntdjo7 #

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• Mac Mini Home Theater: Keyboard/mouse recommendations. Logitech diNovo Edge looks the best. http://tinyurl.com/lrkmwp #
• DIY iPhone dock using the box the phone came in and ALOT of hot glue. http://tinyurl.com/mkwlfl #
• I’m diggin’ on these iPhone cases. I like Carve, Mural and Shining. http://bit.ly/DeOvl #

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• Les Paul, inventor of tons of guitars and the multi-track recorder died yesterday. My heart is broken. 🙁 http://tinyurl.com/nmovr4 #

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I have a Sony DSC-F828 digital camera that I’ve been quite happy with. It’s a full-frame camera with a large, attached lens that was Sony’s premier camera before they acquired Konica-Minolta’s camera business. It’s not an SLR, but it’s fine for my needs, and with its 8MP imager it’s still quite a good camera. It takes Memory Stick (MS) and CardFlash (CF) mediate types.

But I know that modern cameras have useful features like Wi-Fi connectivity that allows you to automatically upload photos to your computer and to online sharing sites such as Facebook or Flickr. I’ve also gotten quite enamored of the Geo-tagging feature that my iPhone supports for photos. So I’ve been very tempted to update to a new camera for quite some time, even though I’ve been happy with my old Sony and I’ve got quite a few accessories for it. It would be expensive to replace, to say the least.

As I was browsing the isles at Fry’s Electronics, I saw an SD to CF adapter and a plan instantly gelled in my mind: If I could fit an SD card into my Sony, then I could use the Eye-Fi WiFi SD camera card to automatically upload and Geo-tag my photos. So I bought both the CF to SDHC card adapter ($20) and the Eye-Fi Explore 4GB ($100).

The Eye-Fi is a standard SD flash memory card made specifically for cameras that includes integrated WiFi and GPS. Basically, you set the card up using your computer to associate with your Wireless router, and then put the card in your camera. When you take pictures with the camera, the photos are uploaded automatically either to your computer or to Eye-Fi’s servers on the Internet. Eye-Fi’s servers, the photos can be transmitted back to your PC whenever it’s on, and also to online photo sharing websites.

The setup was a piece of cake—you just plug the Eye-Fi card into a USB slot, run the software contained on the card that shows up, answer a few questions and create an account, and then plug the card into your camera and take a picture. The software opens a website that walks you through the process completely, all the way through to receiving your first photo. It was really amazingly easy to setup.

The Eye-Fi also worked perfectly fine in the generic $20 SD to CF adapter I’d bought. My Sony camera recognized it with no issues even though it doesn’t normally take SD cards.

I’m really quite pleased with the Eye-Fi. For about $120, I saved the $1000 it would cost to replace a camera that I’m otherwise completely happy with. With a CF Adapter, the range of cameras that can utilize this amazing little card is dramatically increased. Before you spend the money on upgrading, consider this alternative and save yourself a bundle.

There are a hundred kinds of awesome in this photograph.

This is the description from BW Jones:

An image of a bionic brain implant chip taken through the microscope with my iPhone.

BW Jones is a scientist at the University of Utah:

Retinal neurophysiology scientist. My work involves disorders of retinal degeneration and how those diseases affect the intrinsic retinal circuitry including the implications for rescue of vision via gene therapy, and retinal bionic or biological implants.

Since he works with brain implants all the time, it’s probably not a big deal to see one in person, but for the rest of us, just seeing what they look like is awesome. The fact that he took the photo by sticking his iPhone up to a microscope, is ten kinds of awesome.

This old Buick was parked in our neighborhood the other day, so I had to snap some photos of it because it looks so good!

You can see ALL the photos here:

I love the design of the Ericofon.

It was designed by a team working for Ericsson back in the 1940’s. The design is so beautiful and unique that it is featured in the Museum of Modern Art.

Links about the Ericofon:

• Ericofon – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• MoMA | The Collection | L.M. Ericsson Telephone Company, company design, Hugo Blomberg, Ralph Lysell and Has Gösta Thames. Ericofon Telephone. 1949-54
• ericofon.com: Online museum and place to purchase original Ericofons that still work.
• Scandiphone at Amazon.com: Purchase a brand new phone based on the Ericofon.
• Ericofon – Google Images

It’s surprising to me that this phone was designed over sixty years ago. It is obvious that the “brick” cell phones were based on this design, so it was years ahead of its time.

• RT @BrookBuchanan Bank Will Allow Customers to Deposit Checks by iPhone http://bit.ly/FbFQr [Would end my need to drive to a bank/ATM!] #

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I love this old advertisement comparing the old Volkswagen bug to the bus.

It reads:

That’s about the size of it.

That special paint job is to make it perfectly clear that our Station Wagon is only nine inches longer than our Sedan. Yet it carries almost 1 ton of anything you like. [About twice as much as you can get into wagons that are 4 feet longer.]

Or eight solid citizens with luggage.

Or countless kids with kids stuff.

The things you never think about are worth thinking about, too. You never worry about freezing or boiling; the rear engine is air-cooled. You can expect about 24 miles per gallon and about 30,000 miles on your tires. And you can forget about going out of style next year; next year’s model will look the same.

The most expensive VW Station Wagon costs $2,655. It comes in red and white or grey and white or green and white.

And you won’t ever have to go around painting sedans on it to show how small it is. Just Park.

Right now, I really wish a company would adopt the Volkswagen company model. The cars are the same every year for decades, allowing me to fix my 2009 car as easily as the 2020 car. They brag about their gas mileage, small size and practicality, not their luxury, massive size or status symbol.

I froze and boiled in my old VW bug. It failed me on numerous occasions, dropping parts on the road as easily as birds drop feathers. I was grateful to have a new car when I finally stopped driving my old beetle, but it was a twenty year old car by then. I want a car company like Volkswagen used to be, because the new VW isn’t like it at all.

Advert via: vintage_ads:

Update 08-14-09: Here is another VW Bus ad that was good.

Check out this cool video of a new laser/audio technology.

Here is the team that put this together:

• Alvaro Cassinelli: concept, software and hardware development
• Daito Manabe: sound concept and sound generation
• Kuribara Yusaku: latest software development including contour tracking and interface
• Stephane Perrin: participated in early development of the smart laser scanner technology used for tracking.

They call it Sticky Light:

• Sticky Light

A laser spot bounces on a figure being drawn on paper, trying to escape the labyrinth of lines. There is no camera nor projector; this is an experience where the audience can touch and interact with a beam of pure light – and even play a pong game with bare hands. The quality of the laser light, and the fluidity of the motion makes for a very unique experience.

This project is in development right now, but wouldn’t it be a fun toy to have at a party? I can’t wait until we can buy one at the local Radio Shack!

Via: Email from reader, Daniel Vest