Tretakoff Musings
Thursday, October 04, 2007
I'm Not Dead
It only looks that way. Work has been brutal, but the end is nigh: I have hired two new staff members, and one has already started. With trips to Chicago and NY coming up, the extra help could not have come at a better time. I've also been logging a lot of biking and other fun exercise, so blogging (and calls to my mother, father and friends) have suffered. I've been reduced to Facebook status updates and occasional snippets...but hopefully, I'll be back in a regular publishing groove soon.
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!
I owe a big post on Plaxo, as they worked through my issues to get me fully working. And man, is it sweet. Look for it shortly. I also need to point out the best PC deals ever in the Dell Outlet; top of the line PC's for under $400. Plus my recent solution for podcasts on the Treo, syncing with iTunes. And that's not mentioning my recent transition to Skype. And finally, a review of Madden 08 on the Wii: the results will surprise you.
For now, I leave you with an image of the coolest steampunk PC mod ever, courtesy of Brass Goggles. Look for the above posts soon!Labels: blogs, Facebook, games, lifehacks, Madden, Plaxo, steampunk, VOIP, Wii, work
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Coffee is the new Data
Ok, so what the heck is with this trend to deliver data via alternative indicators? For example, Ambient Devices makes the Orb, which changes shade of color to determine weather, stock trends, etc. We've all heard the little chirp of the IM client as a message comes in (like you couldn't see the window spawn). But this one takes the cake...er, cup.
News Brews brings the world of RSS feeds, dynamic data monitoring and on demand computing together with...a cup of coffee. Yep, the system monitors RSS feeds for the mention of certain countries and dynamically, once a minute, changes the brew of coffee it makes, in response. As TechDigest says,
Has to be seen (tasted?) to be believed. Check the website for a nice video pitch.
News Brews brings the world of RSS feeds, dynamic data monitoring and on demand computing together with...a cup of coffee. Yep, the system monitors RSS feeds for the mention of certain countries and dynamically, once a minute, changes the brew of coffee it makes, in response. As TechDigest says,"The concept behind News Brews is, why read the news when you can just drink it? The steampunk-style machine contains a wide geographical assortment of coffee beans, and generates a custom blend every minute depending on what coffee-origin-country is in the RSS fees. If Ethiopia scans at 33%, Kenya at 50% and Costa Rica at 17%, you'll get coffee that's half Kenya, with an Ethiopian buttress and a Costa Rican topper. Your tongue will, theoretically, know the difference."
Has to be seen (tasted?) to be believed. Check the website for a nice video pitch.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Ah, the Satisfaction of Recognition
Always nice to occasionally remember the biggest charm of the Web is to encounter people with like philosophies that you might not have ever encountered. Case in point, I blogged about Brass Goggles in the past, a British blog devoted to all things steampunk (think Jules Verne). I've enjoyed reading it, and dropped the blogger a line to let them know about a steampunk Yahoo Widget, Steam Gage.
Imagine my joy to see that the wonderful blogger added a whole entry on my submission, and thanked "Mr. Tretakoff" for the information! My thanks to Brass Goggles for immortalizing me as such. I am honored.
Always nice to occasionally remember the biggest charm of the Web is to encounter people with like philosophies that you might not have ever encountered. Case in point, I blogged about Brass Goggles in the past, a British blog devoted to all things steampunk (think Jules Verne). I've enjoyed reading it, and dropped the blogger a line to let them know about a steampunk Yahoo Widget, Steam Gage.Imagine my joy to see that the wonderful blogger added a whole entry on my submission, and thanked "Mr. Tretakoff" for the information! My thanks to Brass Goggles for immortalizing me as such. I am honored.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Digital Data, Analog Style
I've always been much more satisfied with analog displays than digital. They are somehow more alive, more vibrant than the cold displays of numbers on most LCDs or LEDs; give me a Nixie Tube any time over any of those. Certainly, my wishlist has always held a valued spot for the Ambient Office Dashboard, with it's delightfully analog gauges and punch card programmability, but it's a mere pretender to the throne when compared with The Device.
The Device (it's full name is The Device Patented Process Indicator) is all I have ever imagined for a desktop widget of the first order. With 2 analog dials, a glowing beaker of liquid, and a bezeled red light, you can use the software to decide what 4 things you want to watch on each. Stock prices? Temperatures? Blog page loads? take your pick and take in all the information at a glance, in magnificent style.
Courtesy of a link from Brass Goggles, The Device is almost on sale. As soon as it is, count on me as a very happy early analog adopter.
I've always been much more satisfied with analog displays than digital. They are somehow more alive, more vibrant than the cold displays of numbers on most LCDs or LEDs; give me a Nixie Tube any time over any of those. Certainly, my wishlist has always held a valued spot for the Ambient Office Dashboard, with it's delightfully analog gauges and punch card programmability, but it's a mere pretender to the throne when compared with The Device.The Device (it's full name is The Device Patented Process Indicator) is all I have ever imagined for a desktop widget of the first order. With 2 analog dials, a glowing beaker of liquid, and a bezeled red light, you can use the software to decide what 4 things you want to watch on each. Stock prices? Temperatures? Blog page loads? take your pick and take in all the information at a glance, in magnificent style.
Courtesy of a link from Brass Goggles, The Device is almost on sale. As soon as it is, count on me as a very happy early analog adopter.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Steampunk Fans, Unite!
I'm an unabashed fan of alternative fiction, where visionary authors look at key times or key events and wonder "what if this turned out differently?" From the books of Harry Turtledove, to the more obscure such as Richard Dreyfuss (yes, that Richard Dreyfuss), as well as the movies that attempt this (though usually with some annoying subplot of time travel), I'm hooked.
One sub-genre that particularly gets my full attention is steampunk. In essence, the idea of many of our technical innovations today, powered by steam engines, usually set in the 1800's. Good examples are the works of Jules Verne, or Bruce Sterling/William Gibson's The Difference Engine. Unfortunately, when Hollywood tries it's hand at steampunk, it usually is abysmal. Take, for example, the painful-to-watch film version of the Wild Wild West, or the movie that drove Sean Connery into retirement, vowing never to appear on the silver screen again, the terrible adaptation of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Even anime, a safe haven for most steampunk, touted a crossover film, Steamboy, which was amazingly underwhelming.
It was only fitting, therefore, that an antiquated, obsolete technology that I hold on to for charmingly nostalgic reasons tipped me off to a new source of fascination for steampunk fans like me. This month's Wired Magazine had a short article on a blog for all things steampunk, Brass Goggles. Complete with the Victorian phrasing and clever commentary, as well as wonderful steampunk links, it's a treasure trove of steampunk information. Artisans who've built PC's to resemble Deco sculpture or steam engines; changing the sounds on your PC to sound all mechanical and steam hisses; even previews of upcoming animated features, Brass Goggles is now on my must-read list.
One observation: I do love Wired, and have found so many wonderful things from their pages, but I was truly surprised at their ubiquitous acceptance of Google. In their article on Brass Goggles, they did not publish an URL or point the reader to anywhere to find it. They just gave the name of the blog, and assumed people would Google it. It made sense, in retrospect, as the physical magazine needs to worry about layout, but it was the first I'd seen of this. By the way, I can't recommend a subscription to Wired enough: it's filled with amazingly diverse and interesting articles, usually with excellent depth and great writing. It's been a great companion in those places where laptops are a little too hot for many years. :-)
I'm an unabashed fan of alternative fiction, where visionary authors look at key times or key events and wonder "what if this turned out differently?" From the books of Harry Turtledove, to the more obscure such as Richard Dreyfuss (yes, that Richard Dreyfuss), as well as the movies that attempt this (though usually with some annoying subplot of time travel), I'm hooked.One sub-genre that particularly gets my full attention is steampunk. In essence, the idea of many of our technical innovations today, powered by steam engines, usually set in the 1800's. Good examples are the works of Jules Verne, or Bruce Sterling/William Gibson's The Difference Engine. Unfortunately, when Hollywood tries it's hand at steampunk, it usually is abysmal. Take, for example, the painful-to-watch film version of the Wild Wild West, or the movie that drove Sean Connery into retirement, vowing never to appear on the silver screen again, the terrible adaptation of Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Even anime, a safe haven for most steampunk, touted a crossover film, Steamboy, which was amazingly underwhelming.
It was only fitting, therefore, that an antiquated, obsolete technology that I hold on to for charmingly nostalgic reasons tipped me off to a new source of fascination for steampunk fans like me. This month's Wired Magazine had a short article on a blog for all things steampunk, Brass Goggles. Complete with the Victorian phrasing and clever commentary, as well as wonderful steampunk links, it's a treasure trove of steampunk information. Artisans who've built PC's to resemble Deco sculpture or steam engines; changing the sounds on your PC to sound all mechanical and steam hisses; even previews of upcoming animated features, Brass Goggles is now on my must-read list.One observation: I do love Wired, and have found so many wonderful things from their pages, but I was truly surprised at their ubiquitous acceptance of Google. In their article on Brass Goggles, they did not publish an URL or point the reader to anywhere to find it. They just gave the name of the blog, and assumed people would Google it. It made sense, in retrospect, as the physical magazine needs to worry about layout, but it was the first I'd seen of this. By the way, I can't recommend a subscription to Wired enough: it's filled with amazingly diverse and interesting articles, usually with excellent depth and great writing. It's been a great companion in those places where laptops are a little too hot for many years. :-)
