:: Combsing Through the Minutia

We’re Moving!!!

stevencombs — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:36:49 +0000

Combsing Through the Minutia is changing homes and changing names. You can now find us at:

http://www.giveusoneminute.com

New look, new name, same attitude.

Web Sites Challenge the Textbook Goliaths

stevencombs — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:09:58 +0000

Students and Bookstore Managers should both read this Businessweek article. The competition is heating up and the days of “sticking it to the student” could soon be over. As an author myself, I know how expensive it is to publish a book, but I often found that the prices books were being sold for in college bookstores were too high. I also know, as an author, that I never saw any of this mark-up come back to me. The profits were pocketed by the bookstore and the publisher. That’s why my next book will be published through LuLu.

Web Sites Challenge the Textbook Goliaths:

Technorati Tags: books, bookstores, higher education

Where was this Prof when I was in school?

stevencombs — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 19:29:35 +0000

That old Atari 2600 would have gotten even more of a workout. Use the link below to read this very interesting article.

DailyTech – University Professor Advocates Video Games in Class

Technorati Tags: education, videgames, gaming

Flash Gordon reimagined on SciFi Channel

stevencombs — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 18:56:25 +0000

I’ve always loved the old serials with Buster Crabb and can’t wait to see what SciFi does with this franchise. I’ve always thought this series needed an update and the fact that it is going to be a weekly series could give some wonderful weekly cliffhangers. This would be a nice change from the normal season to season cliffhangers we have become accustomed to with most Sci Fi shows. Let’s hope that the developers realize that part of the charm of the old serials were the week to week cliffhangers.

My other hope is that they approach this with much the same why the approached the new Battlestar Galactica. Take the camp out of the original and give it more realistic setting and situations. I know Flash Gordon is anything but realistic, but a fresh and realistic approach could make this a very interesting and popular show. Can a remake of Buck Rogers be far behind?

Read the Sci Fi story here.

Technorati Tags: scifi, flashgordon, series

The ModBook: Amazing!

stevencombs — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 14:09:16 +0000

Apple’s iPhone was a huge hit at Macworld and it would seem to be hard for any company to steal some of the thunder from this announcement, however, take a look at the image below and then read the article for an amazing product and one I never would have imagined that Apple would have allowed. Would love to read your comments on this product.

More info on the $100 laptop; the XO

stevencombs — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 13:59:40 +0000

I’ve mentioned this computer quite a few times. Most of the posts were information about the hardware. The article below give us a better glimpse as to the capabilities that this laptop will provide to children in third-world countries. As the article also states, they may subsidize the cost by allow the public to purchase one. The caveat is that you will pay for two. You will keep one and the second will go to a child in a third-world country.

I personally think this is a great way to get these out to needy countries. I know there are many folks interested in purchasing their own $100 laptop and I bet they would still purchase them for $200. My concern was always that if these weren’t available to the general public, they would end up on the black market and the kids they were intended for would not receive them.

BBC NEWS | Technology | $100 laptop could sell to public

Technorati Tags: XO, $100Laptop, laptop

Check out the new Apple iPhone

stevencombs — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:01:37 +0000

Use the link below to see all the details on this product to be released in June. Amazing!

Apple – iPhone

Technorati Tags: iPhone, Apple, Macworld

Nokia releases N800

stevencombs — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 16:58:27 +0000

As my readers know, I love my Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. Well, Nokia released the new follow up the N800 during CES this week. As you can see in the image below, taken from the Nokia web site, it is a much sleeker device.

Features old and new are listed below, but I am very excited about the new OS, included camera, SD compatibility, increased speed, Skype and the hope of finally being able to view online video such as YouTube.

Technorati Tags: Nokia InternetTablet N800

Access the web on a portable internet tablet

* High-resolution widescreen display
* Opera 8 web browser
* Supports Flash 7

Internet communications

* Internet calling with integrated web camera
* Instant messaging
* E-mail client
* Full-screen, touch keyboard

Access to internet media at home and on-the-go

* High quality stereo speakers
* Media player
* UPnP
* Expandable mass memory

Dimensions

* Weight: 7.27 ounces
* Height: 2.95 in
* Width: 5.7 in
* Thickness: 0.5 in

Color

* Cool silver front cover with matt black at the back

Display

* High-resolution (800×480 pixels) touch screen with up to 65,536 colors

Operating temperature
This product can be used within an environment ranging between the following temperatures:

* 14 – 131 Fahrenheit

Memory functions

* 2 internal memory card slots supporting compatible SD, miniSD, microSD, MMC and RS-MMC. Compatible with cards up to 2 GB
* 128 MB miniSD memory card with adapter inbox

* Changes to product details are possible without prior notice. Application offering may vary. Dynamic memory means that the available memory is shared between dynamic memory functions. When any of these functions are used, there is less available memory for other functions which are also dependent on dynamic memory.

Operating times*

* Standby time: up to 10 days
* Browsing time: up to 3 hours

* Operation times may vary depending on radio access technology used, configuration and usage.

Form and function

* High quality stereo speakers and microphone
* High-resolution widescreen display
* Integrated desk stand for on-table use

Internet Tablet OS 2007 edition

Key applications (additional applications available)

* Web Browser (Opera with Flash 7
* Internet calling with video
* Instant Messaging
* E-mail
* Media player
* Internet Radio
* RSS Feed Reader

Input methods

* Full screen finger keyboard
* On-screen keyboard
* Handwriting recognition

Display functions

* Zooming, full-screen and panning functionality

Utilities

* Application installer
* PDF viewer
* Sketch
* File manager
* Backup/restore
* Image viewer
* Notes
* Calculator

Supported file formats

* Audio: AAC, AMR, MP2, MP3, RA (Real Audio), WAV, WMA
* Image: BMP, GIF, ICO, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, SVG-tiny
* Video: 3GP, AVI, H.263, MPEG-1, MPEG-4, RV (Real Video)
* Internet radio playlists: M3U, PLS

* Media player does not necessarily support all features of a file format or all the variations of the file formats.

Connectivity

* Auto connection to saved Wi-Fi hotspots or through Bluetooth compatible phones
* WLAN: 802.11b/g
* Bluetooth specification: 2.022
o For Internet connection and file transfer via phone
o Profiles supported: File transfer, Dial-up Networking, Data Terminal Role, Generic Access, Serial Port, SIM Access, Object Push, File Transfer and Human Interface Device profiles
* USB 2.0 high speed device mode for PC connectivity

Language

* User Interface: American English, British English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese
* User’s Guide: American English, British English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Canadian French, Latin American Spanish, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Russian, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese, Arabic

Sales package contents

* Nokia N800 Internet Tablet (RX-34)
* Extra stylus
* Battery (BP-5L)
* 128MB MiniSD card with extender (MU-17)
* Stereo headset (HS-48)
* Travel charger (AC-4)
* Carrying case (CP-136)
* Data cable (DKE-2)
* Quick start guide
* Safety, warranty and other product information

Accessories

Available separately:

* Navigation kit for N800
* Wallet and case for N800
* Memory cards
* Mobile charger DC-4
* Charger adapter CA-44
* External Bluetooth keyboard
* Stereo headphones
* Extra stylus pack

* Internet features require connectivity through WLAN or compatible mobile phone.

Technorati Tags: Nokia InternetTablet N800

iRobot to be released during CES

stevencombs — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:43:33 +0000

Make Magazine is reporting that the folks that bring us the popular Roomba and Scooba home floor cleaning robots are going to use their technology and release an educational robot. It looks like both the Roomba and the Scooba with the floor cleaning technology removed. In their place are device options such as reticulating arms and cameras. Read more in the Make article (link below image).

MAKE: Blog: iRobot “Create” – Educational robot

Technorati Tags: iRobot, Roomba, robot, robotics

Macworld and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) begin today

stevencombs — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 15:26:26 +0000

Today is a big day for Apple and gadget fans. With both of these huge shows beginning today, we will begin seeing some interesting information within a few hours on the latest and greatest gadgets. CES‘ focus seems to be on digital convergence in the living room and on the road from the early reports I have read, but quite honestly, I am more excited about Macworld.

Here are the Macworld rumor roundups I am interested in and one confirmed item that I was just made aware of from our MacMall representative. Please remember that all of these are to be considered rumored until Steve Jobs makes the announcements during his Keynote speech tomorrow beginning at 9am CST in San Francisco.

Rumored

iChat Mobile, the Apple mobile phone

iWork to include new spreadsheet application

iPod video

8 core MacBook Pro

Palm size computer (althought this could be a combination device with the iChat mobile)

30Gb .Mac iDisk standard for subscribers

Collaboration with Google (could be the way they are able to increase the .Mac account storage)

Confirmed?

Recently I placed a PO with MacMall for four new iSight cameras. This morning I received a phone call saying that this part was discontinued and that a new iSight camera was being released from Apple during Macworld. He released no details, but said if it was OK with me, he would ship the new product as soon as he was allowed. Of course I said “OH YEAH!”

It is sure to be an exciting day! Stay tuned and I recommend visiting the Engadget site through the day for the latest news on MacWorld.

technorati tags:Macworld, iSight, Gadgets, Apple

Howto: burn an .iso image on a MAC using Burn

stevencombs — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 17:13:27 +0000

I frequently have folks ask me how to take an .iso file and make a usable CD/DVD from the file. They generally all make the the same mistake, they copy the .iso image directly to media and press the burn button. I recorded this screencast to demonstrate the proper method using a MAC and the free Burn software. Short and simple, but effective.

Technorati Tags: burn .iso image CD

Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories – Build a Lego Trebuchet

stevencombs — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:09:27 +0000

Medieval Lego at it’s best. Enjoy and learn how to terrorize your Castle AFOLs!

Technorati Tags: LEGO

Learn a language with podcasts

stevencombs — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 22:27:38 +0000

Lifehacker strikes again today with another beneficial tip for the New Year. Be sure to read this one and learn how to learn a new language by listening to podcasts. I’ve said it over and over, the days of professional development activities and conference is over for me. All I need to know, I learn from podcasts!

Learn a language with podcasts

Technorati Tags: podcast, language

New Year’s weight loss hacks

stevencombs — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 13:16:30 +0000

Lifehacker posted this article to help us fat-bodies out there lose a little weight. I’ll have to admit, I gained a few pounds over the holiday season and needed some inspiration and tips. These fit the bill perfectly.
Read the entire article:

Technorati Tags: diet

ComicVine; the wiki for comic book lovers

stevencombs — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:33:09 +0000

Review or add information about comic book super-heroes. Just the site to visit when you need to know what powers obscure heros, such as Static, have as well as their origins. Fun for all fan boys!

ComicVine.com – Comic Book Encyclopedia, Database and Forums

Technorati Tags: Comics

Star Wars and the Rose Bowl Parade

stevencombs — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:24:13 +0000

This year marks the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars and they celebrated in conjunction with Yesterday’s Rose Bowl parade. If you missed the spectacular (as I did) you can view the floats below thanks once again to YouTube.

Technorati Tags: scifi, Star Wars

Ever wonder which was larger, the original Starship Enterprise or the Aircraft Carrier Enterprise?

stevencombs — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 15:04:27 +0000

Didn’t think so, but now that I have you thinking, check out this wonderful image of all the major Sci Fi space craft in scale on a single page. Now when your friend asks you if you know which is bigger a Babylon 5 Earth Alliance Nova Class or a Chig Battleship, you’ll know where to go to find the answer.

Screen capture an entire web page with Paparazzi!

stevencombs — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:18:05 +0000

Paparazzi! is a small free utility for Mac OS X that makes screenshots of webpages. What makes this application more useful than a quick screen capture is that it captures the entire web page as it will automatically scroll the page down, capture the sections and stitch the sections together to create one long image. It also removes the browser interface giving you a clean web page only image. Very handy for instructional material. MAC Only.

Get Paparazzi.

Technorati Tags: Apple, Freeware

iPod vending machine demonstration

stevencombs — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 14:02:49 +0000

This video is taken from a Macy’s department store and demonstrates the vending of iPODs. The machines takes credit so you won’t have to break open your piggy bank. Who would have thought the iPOD would become the next soda. An interesting first post for the New Year and maybe a foreshadowing of some of the other quirky tech news we’ll see in 2007.

Technorati Tags: Apple, iPOD

Make sure your Christmas photos are memorable

stevencombs — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 20:23:11 +0000

The digital Photography School just posted 16 good tips to help ensure your Christmas photos will make Santa and all his little elves proud.

16 Tips Digital Photography Tips for Christmas

Technorati Tags: Photo, Digital