Surf-Bits Link Blog

Late Night with Mr. X (2-28-05)

Late Night with Mr. X & Just Julie for February 28, 2005 has been posted! Just Julie returns to studio X1 with a quote of the day & more madcapped fun! Hear the “Podcast Clip O’ The Day” from the Kenn & Squip show…We did another “Share Your iPod Earphones” message…Hear Mr. X’s “Skype Cold Call” to a local hotel inquiring about available rooms for a mythical Podcast convention. Hear Skype calls from Tim from Surfbits.com and more random strangers…To top it all off, hear the ever-hated Evening News with Mr. X and Just Julie.

SciFi.com offers free Battlestar Galactica download  “SciFi Channel are offering the first episode in the remake of Battlestar Galactica free from their site, ad-less, uncut, and with deleted scenes. Not bad!” Link to show home page, and direct link to streaming video for episode “33″ in entirety.

MXL microphones, a division of Marshall Electronics and a leader in high quality, affordable microphones for the audio professional, proudly introduces its new Desktop Recording Kit (DRK)—a professional cardioid condenser microphone, complete with a desktop microphone stand, microphone clip, XLR cable, XLR to Mini-Plug adapter cable, 3.5mm Mini-Plug to ¼ inch adapter, and power source. Designed specifically for the computer enthusiast seeking the highest quality audio for vocal recording, capturing musical instruments, adding dialog to presentations, computer multimedia, and related tasks, the Desktop Recording Kit is a comprehensive solution that makes recording pristine audio effortless.

The MXL Desktop Recording Kit includes all the necessary accessories to ensure seamless integration into a wide assortment of recording environments. With its XLR cable, the DRK microphone will connect to professional microphone preamplifiers, mixing consoles, or computer audio interfaces. The included XLR to Mini-Plug adapter cable enables easy connection to computer sound cards or other consumer audio equipment that utilize 3.5mm Mini-Plugs. And with the included 3.5mm Mini-Plug to ¼ inch adapter, the DRK microphone will interface perfectly with self-contained recording studios that commonly use the ¼ inch phone plug standard. The microphone is completely self-powered, so there is no need for costly preamplifiers or external power supplies. Combined with a sturdy, compact desktop microphone stand and clip, the MXL Desktop Recording Kit is “the right tool for the job” when it comes to computer audio.

With a suggested retail price of $149.95, the MXL Desktop Recording Kit can be found online, at leading computer resellers, and at fine independent music retail establishments.

Smith Barney reacted to the rumor that Apple would purchase TIVO. They feel that comments made by Apple make it highly unlikely. The research firm said:

“Based on Apple’s commentary, we believe a deal is highly unlikely. Specifically, Apple had two points that lead us to discount the current reports. First, it appears as though Apple wants to stay focused on selling select proven products (e.g. iPod) rather than gambling on unknown initiatives. Second, Apple indicated that the DVR market seems to be a commodity whereby all players will eventually have similar hardware and software longer term, which means that the DVR market really boils down to marketing and branding. Apple clearly already has a strong brand and would not gain much from acquiring TiVo. If Apple were to get into the DVR market, we believe they would build a proprietary product.”.

I agree, who needs TIVO when you can build your own if that’s what you want.

Apple’s newest iPod photo and iPod mini come with only a USB 2.0 cable, so customers with computers that lack USB 2.0 ports will need a FireWire 400 cable for fast music and file transfers. Griffin’s Dock400 cable is the perfect solution.

What does Spam filters have to do with Bio-Med researchers around the world? It looks like Software scientists at Microsoft are testing their spam blocking techniques to see if these ideas can be used to find a vaccine for HIV. Today this alliance will be announcing a plan to use “ machine learning” or “data mining” computational techniques to decipher HIV’s wildly creative genetic ability to constantly change and disguise itself from immune system detection and deletion.

HIV is constantly mutating, but researches feel it shows a pattern somewhat similar to how spammers mutate their e-mails to avoid detection. What works for detecting and filtering spam may be the same technique used to find the secret of HIV mutation and someday find a vaccine. The Seattle Post Intelligencer has an excellent article and graphics that will show you more of the concept. We can only pray that something of benefit will come from this project.

WiebeTech announces a FireWire 800/400 PCI-X Host Adapter Card that provides high power support for external Bus Powered FireWire drives. The new board carries a product code of FWH-8-HP, and sells for $179.95. WiebeTech is also announcing availability of a high power supply for its existing FireWire Cardbus adapter. This new high power adapter (called PWR5) allows attachment of 3.5 inch bus powered drives to the Cardbus adapter.

WiebeTech is now taking orders for the new Bus Powered Forensic ComboDock™, which allows easy write-blocked field access to 3.5″ IDE and SATA drives through FireWire 800 (400 compatible). The product will be shipping in early March.The product allows drives to be powered using FireWire Bus Power, eliminating the need to snake an AC adapter cable to the Forensic ComboDock. The write-block feature allows data to be read from drives without risk of data being written back to the drives.

Keyspan has expanded its popular ZIP LINQ line of retractable cables with retractable USB 2.0 and Ethernet cables. Just inches long, the cables expand up to 59 inches. Both will retail at $14.99.
http://www.keyspan.com/cables/homepage.USB.spml/
http://www.keyspan.com/products/cables/K-ZIP-DATA-RJN5/

Mr. X’s Morning Commute: PoddumFeeder in the news! 
Surf-Bits was mentioned in the Mr. X Morning Commute Podcast after we reviewed PoddumFeeder from If Then Software.

WiebeTech is now shipping a 200GB 7200RPM UltraGB+™ portable drive enclosure that is accessible through a FireWire 800 interface (400 compatible). UltraGB+ is bus powered, allowing users to access massive amounts of data without carrying an AC adapter. First announced in January at MacWorld, all versions of UltraGB+ are now shipping, including this new 200GB version. UltraGB+ is the world’s highest capacity, bus powered FireWire 800/400 drive.

A class action lawsuit was filed against Apple this week on behalf of consumers and resellers of the company’s products. The suit, filed in California Superior Court in San Francisco, seeks to include in the consumer class any person in the U.S. who purchased Apple products or repair services since Jan. 1, 1995. “The plaintiffs allege that Apple failed to fully honor service contracts and warranties, didn’t get repair and service businesses properly licensed, stole trade secrets from its own resellers, and sold used computer equipment as new,” reports Forbes. “They are charging Apple with Unlawful Business Practices, Misappropriation of Trade Secrets, Breach of Contract, and violations of the Consumers Legal Remedies Act and the Song Beverly [Consumer Warranty] Act.”

Here is a young girl that switched from a Mac to a PC.. (QT movie)

http://www.wickedlysmart.com/skyler/SkylerSwticherQT2.mov

February 17, 2005 — The Omni Group today released OmniOutliner 3.0.1 and OmniOutliner 3.0.1 Professional, free updates to the outlining and organizational applications for Mac OS X. The 3.0.1 updates bring stability and performance improvements, enhanced importing and exporting, as well as minor interface and usability changes. A Japanese localization is also included with this release.

PRICING INFO:
OmniOutliner 3 is $39.95, and OmniOutliner 3 Professional is $69.95.
Upgrades from OmniOutliner 2.x to version 3 are $19.95, and upgrades from 2.x to OmniOutliner 3 Professional are $49.95.

In its first Mac review, Tom’s Hardware Guide compares the Mac Mini to Small Form-Factor Windows PCs, concluding:
Compared to the well-known SFF PCs, Apple’s Mac Mini stands out with its exceptional design. The choice of color, form and materials literally puts the Mini into a class of its own. The high build quality and overall charm are also points in its favor, especially compared to other SFF PCs. Its very compact dimensions, its near-silent operation and the low power draw of roughly 20 W make its rivals from the Windows world look like amateurs.