13 posts tagged “technology”
I am writing this because I had trouble finding this information. Every forum thread, support page and tech tips site I found on Google was terrible.
a) The Microsoft Xbox 360's wireless adaptor *is* compatible with the Apple Time Capsule
b) You do not need *any* other equipment to get them to talk to each other
Here, in a nutshell, are the settings you need for your Xbox 360 to successfully find and talk to your Time Capsule. These instructions assume you know how to use the Airport Utility (Apple's support site).
In Airport > Wireless...
- Radio mode: 802.11n (802.11b/g compatible)
- Wireless security: WPA/WPA2 Personal
In Internet > Internet Connection...
- Connection Sharing: Share a public IP address
In Internet > NAT...
- Enable NAT Port Mapping Protocol: Yes
Assuming everything else is set up correctly (i.e. you can get online with other devices attached to your Time Capsule), your Xbox 360 should now connect, too.
What do you love most about your job?
1. Problem solving. Although it's all in the field of nerdy computer things, I do like being given a problem then working out the best way to solve it. Or the best way with the time available, which are not always the same thing.
2. People. I work with several people who I love dearly and learn a lot from.
3. Learning. In the space of less than two years, I have learned a LOT and keep learning. It's great, and I attribute that to both the people I work with (especially my mentor, Eduardo, whose coding style is so easy to follow) and the fact that the company is too small for pre-defined roles to really stick on any given project. I was hired to do CSS and JavaScript, but spread out into SQL Server, ASP.Net, XML and other technologies just because I could and extra hands were needed.
Parties, dinners, pageants and more. How does technology help you survive the hustle and bustle of the holidays?
Sponsored by Best Buy.
If I get invited somewhere I've never been, Google Maps on my iPhone shows me the way. If I get bored, Facebook and NetNewsWire on my iPhone give me something to do. If I want to take a photo, my iPhone lets me snap one without carrying several devices. iPhone iPhone iPhone. Sorry, but that, my laptop and my Xbox 360 are my favourite widgets right now.
Why are you loyal to certain brands/stores? What keeps you coming back?
Sponsored by Microsoft Small Business.
I would say Apple gets more of my money than anyone else. It almost wasn't to be.
I used my first Mac back in 1996 - I think it was a Performa 6300 - for work and wasn't all that impressed. The classic Mac OS (version 7 I think was the latest one) was extremely slow, I think we only used it for Photoshop, Illustrator and Quark Express.
When the iPod got popular, I refused to buy into it. Partially because what is popular in consumer electronics isn't always what is best, and also because at the time I used a PC for which Creative's software integration was second to none. I got their Zen Jukebox Xtra.
It was around the same time that, recording my own songs as a hobby, I started hearing about Mac exclusives Garageband and Logic Express being worth my attention. Not wanting to spend too much on a system I may not use, I went for the low end Mac mini system.
It was this that kick-started my love affair with Apple.
My Zen Jukebox Xtra started to show a few weird behavioural traits as I filled it - it, being hard drive based, skipped and went crazy if I walked too fast. I decided to get a flash memory MP3 player for my daily commute, and now using a Mac, an iPod Nano was the best choice. Plus Jess had one and loved it.
I have bought...
- A 1.42GHz PPC Mac mini
- A 4GB iPod Nano
- A 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo MacBook Pro
- An 80GB iPod Classic
- A 16GB iPhone 3G
- A 500GB Time Capsule
- Numerous accessories and programs
... and been extremely happy with all of them. They might cost slightly more than their rivals in some cases, but the build quality of their hardware is superb, and their software is designed for people who don't want to dick around during set up or hunt for options in obscure menus to do simple things.
I do think the "They just work" mantra is a little inaccurate, as I have still had issues, but having used every version of Windows since 3.1, as well as different distributions of Linux, I feel I have a good grounds for comparison when I say Mac OS X is the best consumer OS out there.
Other than Apple, my spending habits are as you'd expect of a 28 year old guy with a decent job and no kids - my clothes all come from GAP, Old Navy and band merchandise stands; I drink Starbucks; I eat a lot of Subway and Chipotle; I get a lot of my entertainment items from Amazon.com. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake.
Just over a week since we waited in line to order them, Jess and I finally got our iPhone 3Gs. Or rather, I went and got them while she got her hair cut as I was so impatient.
Within the space of half an hour, the sales assistant at the AT&T store had set up our account, transfered our numbers from T-Mobile and activated the phones, then I was out the door and shuffling home as fast as I could to play with mine.
I think I was playing for like five hours, before taking a nap.
For all the hype, for all the waiting, I am actually impressed. It effectively renders FOUR of my existing devices obsolete. It plays music every bit as well as my iPod (being, essentially, the latest generation). It can make calls, send text messages, take photos and do almost everything a phone can (MMS remains oddly absent). I can play games that look better than anything on my Nintendo DS, albeit with more limited control options. And, oddly, I feel it's going to reduce my time on my laptop, too - between the built-in apps and those you can already download from the new app store, I can surf, email, blog, manage photos, watch YouTube videos and generally piddle away time.
And in case you want to know, the applications downloaded so far...
- AIM
- Aqua Forest
- De Blob
- Facebook
- Last.fm
- MySpace Mobile
- NetNewsWire
- Remote
- Super Monkey Ball
Things that annoy me excessively...
1. Referring to a Bluetooth-based wireless headset for mobile phones as "a Bluetooth". I know Bluetooth is a brand name (named after an old king; its real name is along the lines of IEEE 802.15.1 or something equally catchy), but seriously.
2. Saying or writing "should of" instead of "should have". Grr.
3. The United States Postal Service. I have had so many issues with them since I moved here. The most recent: it has so far taken six days for two CDs to travel around 12 miles (having already taken ages for Amazon to ship in the first place).
I need a nap.
You'd think someone who has been involved in online for longer than most of its main users have been alive would be more embracing of the digital distribution of music. Oddly, for as much of a technophile I am, the idea of acquiring my music from the internet makes me retch.
But of course, I am very contrary. I dismiss the "vinyl is better" set as deluded luddites, but I cannot give up physical media because of my fetishist's love of packaging. Ruffling through a well-designed booklet is as important to me as that first listen of a new album.
Anyway, today we were bumming around outside due to the characteristic good weather and happened upon a trendy t-shirt shop. While looking at their designs, a great remix of a Thom Yorke solo song, 'Atoms For Peace', came on the store's sound system. I made a mental note to look it up when I got home.
I did a search and found out it was a remix by Fourtet, with the first link being to a site called eMusic. It turns out, eMusic is a rival service to iTunes. For $10 a month, you get to download 30 songs in unprotected MP3 format and keep them - even if you cancel your membership (there are more expensive plans and booster packs too). Additionally, during the trial period, you could download a further 50 free songs and keep them if you decided it wasn't for you.
Their catalogue is mostly made up of music from independent labels (Thom Yorke released his solo material on XL Recordings) but they have a lot of artists I like or want to listen to, so I've signed up for the trial.
While I don't think I could ever move over to iTunes - with its barely-cheaper-than-CDs pricing, restrictive DRM and their insistance on pushing the rubbish AAC format - I could easily add eMusic to my normal CD consumption for checking out bands I normally wouldn't hear about.
Link:
What a week.
Tuesday marked the one year anniversary of my getting on a plane at Heathrow with two big bags, a guitar and a smaller bag and stepping off at O'Hare to begin my new life in America.
I still remember that day. I could barely sleep - partially because I was on the floor at my parents' house, and partly because I was so nervous. My mum refused to come as she didn't want to cry in public, so it was just me and one of my two dads in the car.
I don't remember the flight, but I do remember getting off, getting through customs with my shiny new visa and meeting Jess. We got a cab back to our place - a place I had never seen before as Jess had only just moved in a few months prior.
Since then, it's been a busy year: we got married (twice... sort of); I got a job that has kept me plenty busy; we've had ups and downs with US Immigration; we've been to gigs and movies and restaurants; I've made new friends and somehow kept in touch with old ones. I won't feel fully settled in until I get my green card, but it wasn't as hard as it could have been.
And from one anniversary to another as yesterday as the anniversary of my being born. 28 years old... Jebus. Although I was at work and busy, it was a good birthday. I got money, vouchers and presents up the wazoo; I got to eat Indian food (double nice as Jess hates it) and a tasty, giant banana cupcake; I went for a nice lunch with Leslie and Jason at work. I feel spoiled, but old.
Today is the piece de resistance. A project that started back in November; that has caused plenty of long days, late nights and weekends; that has seen myself and several co-workers amassing wrinkles, grey hairs and scruffy facial hair... this project that has been our lives finally launches today. It's a huge deal: we launch the latest version of our platform, written from scratch, with a massive site for Comcast - one of the biggest cable TV companies in the US - and a smaller one for Bresnan. Right now, we're just finishing the final preparations after a couple of test runs before our five hour launch at 6pm.
If we get through this, we can get through anything.
What was your major or field of study in college? Did you wind up working in that field or using that degree? If not, what field have you wound up in?
Submitted by sneuf.
I didn't go to college. Or university. Or whatever you want to call it. I did a month of sixth form college at age 16 then left education to work. I'm possibly one of the least qualified people I know, but I've been working in the internet since long before many people had access to it in the UK.
I think I've done well because...
a) If I'm interested in something, I soak it up like a sponge (see also: pointless trivia about alternative music)
b) While I am lazy when a bunch of dreary forty year olds are prodding me through a course book, I am a lot more attentive when not-so-dreary people of indeterminate age are paying me
c) My small, girly hands - while ill-suited to manual labour, smarmily shaking hands with douchebags, etc. - are perfect for typing
Which are your favorite sites for shopping online?
Amazon.com. While I was annoyed when they swallowed CDNow.com, removing all of their cool features and the Kindle makes me very suspicious, they have maintained their position of dominance by doing everything right and innovating constantly.
