Tag Archives: Electronics

IEEE Gives a Look Behind Today’s Tech



IEEE, the commonly used abbreviation for the Institute for Electronics and Electrical Engineers, dropped by the TPN booth last month at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to chat a bit about what is going on with the organization right now.

IEEE.org looks at all aspects of today’s technology, but also helps to set standards for some of it.  You may have seen their logo on some products, but they have their hands on a lot more than you may realize, like 3D for instance.  They also offer a lot of conferences on a broad range of topics and a large digital library that is open to the public.  In addition, they also work with people to ensure the technical accuracy of papers and documentation before publication.

The video below  is a fascinating, but technical, look behind the scenes.  If you are interested by how this industry works, though, it’s worth checking out.

Interview by Todd Cochrane of Geek News Central for the TechPodcast Network.

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The Art Of The Sale



Since the advent of the VCR, the adage has been to look to the pornography industry to see what would happen – which formats would take off, what business models might work, etc., etc., etc. While the pornography industry did seem to be the first on the block to figure out how to make e-commerce work, do they still lead the way today when it comes to the future of video?

While there is a certain profession that perhaps lays claim to be the oldest, right up there with it is the art of the sale, and the pastime of shopping. The shopping experience itself if done well can be a pleasure.

QVC, HSN and other home shopping channels excel at making the shopping experience itself the content. They make no pretense – they are right up front with the fact that their channels are all about advertising.

Many people claim to hate ads, but I’d contend I that it’s really bad ads that most people despise. Advertising that is well done is informative and entertaining and can even be enjoyable. Watching QVC, HSN, ShopNBC, etc. product presentations (particularly electronics, gadgets and sometimes cooking) can for me easily fall into the guilty pleasure category. These people are masters at the art of the sale. Who doesn’t enjoy (or cannot learn from) watching a master ply his craft?

So how are the home shopping channels handling their all-important online presence? QVC and HSN both have iOS and Android apps that make it possible to watch their current live video streams, as well as easily search their catalogs, as well as place and track orders. The ShopNBC app is a fail in that it doesn’t allow you to watch the live video stream. I’d give the nod to QVC’s app as being the most advanced and usable overall.


Worth Avenue Group Insures Your Precious Toys



Warning this interview contains scenes of extreme violence as Jeffrey takes a hammer to an unsuspecting laptop and iPod Touch to demonstrate the Worth Avenue Group‘s insurance policies for electronic devices.

Unusually, in addition to coverage for accidental damage, their policies also include protection for virus infestations under their vandalism clause. However, read the small print on the Group’s website to see if the product is suitable for you.

Prices vary according to the device being protected, but examples would be around $60 for an iPhone, $30 for a laptop.

Interview by Jeffrey Powers of The Geekazine Podcast.

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Cash for Clunkers for your Computer?



A couple weeks ago I changed out my computer to a new Quad Core machine. I won’t go into details because I talked about it in a previous post called Changing out to a new computer. Nonetheless, I have been impressed with the new functionality and possible energy savings that I am getting. It does get me to wondering – should your computer be part of this “Cash for Clunkers” program?

The US did a C4C on automobiles that ended last week. Now the government is talking about allowing you rebates to change out appliances. Your refridgerator, washer, dryer and even heating – A/C units could be affected to rebates. Run on a slightly different system, you buy the appliance, then send in paperwork for the rebate. Disposal – I would guess – is your responsability.

I started thinking about the computer; It’s been sometimes referred to as an appliance. The old P166 takes a lot of power to run. Therefore, should a personal computer be a C4C?

The new machine I got was an AMD Phenom II – a Quad core machine. The Motherboard touts 140 Watt usage. Add hard drives and other items, you would want a power supply of about 450 Watts, even though usage may never take you to that amount of power. If I was to run 4 machines with that same power, they would hit about200-300 Watts each – depending on what I have installed in them. Then we have the heat factor: Let’s just say I might as well paint the wall blue and fill the room with sand because that room will be as warm as a Island day.

I have replaced 3 computers with 1. The power consumption is going to be a lot lower than before. I turn off my machines, but I know that a lot of people leave their machines running and hope that power save mode kicks in. Still, I like the idea of consolodating the machines down and saving power. By the way – I still have 2 other machines I use.

I have an old Apple G4. This machine has the PowerPC chip inside. When Apple moved to Intel, they touted that power and heat issues were part of the reasons why. Therefore, if you use a PowerPC G5 or Dual G5 to run your business, you might be really paying for a new machine just to keep that current computer running.

While we probably wont see a program for computers, you might want to consider upgrading that old machine in the basement. You might find that within a couple years that computer will pay for itself.And yes, the CRT should be replaced, too. You can find a 15″ or 17″ flat panel for as low as $30-$50 if you don’t want to buy new. I just bought a 15″ LCD monitor a few weeks ago at a garage sale for $5.


Post Zune Booth Visit Commentary from CES 2007



The folks at the Zune booth at the 2007 Consumer Electronics show would not go on the record. In fact I think the guy I talked to was aware of some of my previous commentary and was not happy about it.

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Zune


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Sony Ultra Flat Screen ProtoTypes at 2007 CES



Sony had some Prototype Ultra Flat screens at the 2007 Consumer Electronics show that were simply amazing

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Sony

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iLive Entertainment System at CES 2007



iLive Introduces new Entertainment System at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Shwo

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iLive Entertainment System


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