21Apr 2010 by R&O No Comments

Apple’s Lost Phone

Internet, Of Interest, Technology
The story is that an Apple engineer named Gary Powell left his iPhone 4.0 prototype in the Gourmet Haus Staudt in Redwood City, California. It was 'found' and delivered (sold) to tech web site Gizmodo.com and they did the only thing nerds know how to do...they took it apart, took pictures and posted everything on their web site. Apple executives must have shit their collective pants after Steve Jobs began work on the iGuillotine for the Apple campus complete with an iBucket for the heads of those responsible. Apple is famous for their marketing secrecy and they create and culture the hype associated with their new product launches. And then there's the competition. There is probably a small factory in China building and selling the new iPhone just days after…
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26Mar 2010 by R&O No Comments

The Guitar Of My Dreams

Music, Observations, Of Interest, Technology
If you're a guitar player (like me) you're very aware of the Fender Stratocaster, Leo Fender's iconic guitar introduced in 1954 and since utilized and endorsed by top players around the world. The Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, SG and Flying V are the most recognizable guitars and coveted by amateur and professional musicians alike. Forget those dorky video games...nothing says Rock Star like one of these guitars running through a nasty big amp with the volume set to 11. So how can they improve on a design that's proven the test of time? Electronics of course. Leave the basic guitar as-is but add some amazing electronics to allow musicians to change tone or tuning at the flip of a switch. I purchased one of the first production run Gibson Les…
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16Mar 2010 by R&O 2 Comments

The Old Days

Of Interest, Technology
On July 25 1994 I visited International PC on Main Street in Vancouver to purchase 4 one megabyte memory modules for my old 386 computer. I purchased lots of hardware for my various computers in the 1990's including a very expensive tape backup drive, cases, CD drives, hard drives etc. and estimate I spent well over $10,000 on parts. I came across the receipt above stuffed away in an old hardware manual and thought it may be interesting to those that only been using a personal computer in the last decade or so. Haven't times changed.
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21Jan 2010 by R&O No Comments

My Digital Life

Observations, Technology
My life, for better or worse, is digital. For a guy raised on vinyl records, rotary phones and three channel TV, the changes to my life and lifestyle are immense. My music collection is stored on a hard drive and streamed wirelessly to anywhere in my house or played on my iPod Touch which can also control my computers and music system. My movies are stored on another hard drive and played on my wall-mounted flat screen TV from a digital multimedia player. My home phones are wireless and are available in most rooms of the house. My cell phone is connected to my car and tiny bluetooth earpiece allowing me to call anyone, anywhere using only voice commands. My wife chats with her mother in Europe every Sunday morning…
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