January 2011 - Posts

GrowlVoice - Instant Google Voice Notifications for your Mac Desktop
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 12:00 PM

I have been using Google Voice for some time now. I have been waiting patiently for Google to come out with some kind of desktop client that will allow you to place calls, send/receive SMS, and listen to voicemails right from your desktop. The closest thing we have to this is the Gmail implementation of Google Voice and some lack luster Google Voice applications that don't really get the job done.

One of the major problems with these apps is that they don't offer instant notification of sms, missed calls and voicemails. They simple check Google for any new message and when they find them report it. That's great, but I want it to be instant. GrowlVoice delivers just that but not much else. The app does connect with Growl but it also has built-in notifications if you don't have growl and don't want to use it. 

When the notifications popup you can click them, which takes you to your browser where you can reply to the SMS or listen to the voicemail etc. The app does not let you respond from your desktop which would be nice, but at least it notifies you of new messages instantly rather than when it feels like it. The app is in the Mac App Store and is available for $4.99. 

GrowlVoice 

by willburns1 | with no comments

Apptivate - Launch Applications or Run Scripts using Keyboard Shortcuts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 11:17 AM

There are a lot of shortcut applications out there for your Mac. All of them have their own unique qualities and features that make them unique and Apptivate is no exception. Apptivate is a little application that lives in your menubar. It's purpose is simple, you can create global keyboard shortcuts for applications and scripts and then launch then using those shortcuts. You can also use the shortcut to hide the application you just launched or hold the buttons down to let you take a quick peak in the app. It will then hide the app when you let go of the keys. 

Apptivate is a great little app and is great of you are a keyboard shortcut junky like me. If you want a application launcher that does't require shortcuts then perhaps you would do will with an application like Alfred or Quicksilver. Apptivate is in the Mac App Store and sells for $2.99. 

Apptivate

by willburns1 | with no comments

Caribou Coffee Bus Stop Looks Like a Oven and Even Keeps you Warm
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 10:48 AM

Caribou Coffee is a great establishment. They have some great coffees and this little bit of advertisement is genius. They have made this bus stop in Minneapolis look just like an oven advertising their new sandwiches. The coolest part is the heating elements on the top isn't just decoration but actually works keeping people waiting for the bus nice and warm. Pretty Cool HUH!

OhGizmo

by willburns1 | with no comments

How to cook BBQ without a grill? Don't have a Grill? Too Cold Outside?
Monday, January 17, 2011 12:57 PM

I am a huge fan of BBQ. I love all kinds of Bar-B-Que like pulled pork and beef, all the different kinds of ribs, steaks, chicken, and turkey you name it I love to eat it. The only problem is I don't have a proper grill to cook this stuff on. I also lived in an apartment where you had to grill in the parking lot which isn't fun especially when you're by yourself. I'm from the south so we BBQ during all the seasons, so when I moved north I started to go through BBQ withdraw because it's too cold to cook outside. The solution for both is simple, cook up some Bar-B-Que in your kitchen! 

You would be surprised at the quality of BBQ you can make in your kitchen. I'm sure the BBQ guys are laughing at me while they think about their large grills, smoking chips and natural wood charcoals, but the fact of the matter is you can reproduce the BBQ effect without a grill. Yes, there are some drawbacks, like the lack of the ability to use wood chips which makes for a great smokey flavor, but you also have some perks of using your kitchen, like the ability to monitor temperature better with the oven. So with a little know how and prep you can produce some delicious BBQ right in your kitchen. 

Basics Tools

In order to do some of these recipes you could use a broiler pan, a pan that has a grill on the inside to elevate the meat out of the juices. You don't always want your meat sitting in it's own liquid. When it's on grill is usually doesn't, so having one of these is handy. Also I would recommend buying a digital thermometer with the probe. This make checking for doneness easy and can help you regulate the temperature of the oven as well. 

BBQ Favorites in the Oven 

Pulled or Chopped Pork/Beef

I love pulled pork! It's a staple at most BBQ places and I love making my own. You can accomplish this in the oven pretty easily and achieve a lot of flavor. I found a good recipe over at kevinandamanda.com that has a great step by step recipe for pulled pork. It has a brine which is always good and a rub recipe that it pretty standard but looks really good and easy. Also try Alton Brown's recipe. This one I have tried and it's great and take a close look at the brine recipe it's pretty awesome. You can use your broiler pan in this one and your meat thermometer. 

Steak in the Oven

Alton Brown has the best method for cooking a steak in an oven. He has two that I want you to look at the first is for a Sirloin Steak and the other is for a pan seared rip eye steak. In both these you put your oven on broil and cook the steak every close to the top. You can use your broiler pan for this one as well or just use the method Alton suggests. If you want to use your thermometer on this one here are the temperature doneness and descriptions for Steaks. 

Rare — (52 °C [125 °F] core temperature) The outside is grey-brown, and the middle of the steak is red and slightly warm.

Medium rare — (55 °C [130 °F] core temperature) The steak will have a fully red, warm center. This is the standard degree of cooking at most steakhouses, unless specified otherwise.

Medium — (60 °C [140 °F] core temperature) The middle of the steak is hot and red with pink surrounding the center. The outside is grey-brown.

Medium well done — (65 °C [150 °F] core temperature) The meat is light pink surrounding the center.

Well done — (71 °C [160 °F] and above core temperature) The meat is grey-brown throughout and slightly charred.

Overcook — (much more than 71 °C [160 °F] core temperature) The meat is dark throughout and slightly bitter.

Ribs in the Oven 

There's nothing quite like a braised short ribs done in the oven. In fact I kind of prefer ribs done in the oven rather than the grill. Here is a great recipe for slow braised short ribs. Also this recipe for Bbq Braised Beef Ribs is great, but it calls to move then to the grill after getting them started, so if you don't have a grill you can't do this one. Can't forget about the baby back ribs.

Give Me More 

Okay well that's enough to get you started. There are tons of ways to cook all your favorite BBQ in your kitchen you just have to know how to pull it off. I might be adding more recipes as I try them to this collection of BBQ recipes done in the kitchen. 

by willburns1 | with no comments

Facebook Now Gives Applications Access to your Phone Number and Address
Monday, January 17, 2011 9:59 AM

Facebook and their privacy setting has been an issue of debate for some time now. It has always been confusing and they continue to give away more information than we, the public, feel comfortable with, all in the name of making money on advertising. 

Well Facebook is at it again adding the ability for applications to request access to a user's phone number and address. Users can of course reject access permission to their phone number and home address but that's assuming people look at what information they are granting access to when install a Facebook application.  

Spammers and identity thieves that use malicious and spammy Facebook applications to harvest information from people can now, assuming people are stupid enough to give them access, have access to your home address as well as your phone number. 

This, in my opinion, is a really bad idea. If you were to give permission to the wrong app developer instead of getting a bunch of spam messages on your wall and your friends walls you just might begin getting spam SMS messages right to your phone, which would really suck. 

All in all it's not that big of a deal for people who don't fall for those, "check out this crazy video"

spam applications and watch what application have access to when granting them permission to their profile. The biggest problem is for people who don't watch what they do just might get their identity stolen, or get spammed on a whole new level. 

I don't know why Facebook has done this or why they don't make it a bigger deal on the dialog box where you grant an application permission. Seems it should be in big bold letters or in red saying you are about to give this app sensitive information! Not sure why people would have their address on Facebook, but I do have my Google Voice number on my profile. I guess the lesson is if you're worried about it then simply take that information off your profile and no application can have access anyway.

by willburns1 | with no comments

Skifta - Stream Media to your Android or TV from Anywhere!
Friday, January 14, 2011 1:28 PM

I normally don't write about Android apps, not because I don't like them or the phone but simply because they never really impress me that much. I have been wanting something like this for the iPhone for a while, so correct me if I'm wrong, but there's nothing like it for the iPhone.

Skifta is a cross-platform application that runs on your Windows, Mac, and Linux computer. The application then steams your music, pictures, and even video right to your phone over your phone's internet connection. You can then stream the media to other devices like TV's and Stereos that are DLNA-compatible device such as the PS3 and XBMC boxes, among other devices.

The apps setup is pretty simple as well. All you have to do is select the media's source, then what source you are going to plat it on, and then select what to play. It's that simple. The biggest downside the the app is that it doesn't trans-code the video on the fly so the source media will have to be compatible with the phone's standards. The app is still in beta so you might experience a little wonkyness, but from what I have read it works pretty well. Still not bad for a free app download for your Android device.

Skifta

by willburns1 | 1 comment(s)

Posterous Adds Photo Slideshows to it's Offerings!
Friday, January 14, 2011 12:57 PM

Posterous has got be my favorite simplified blog engine. You can post to it in so many ways including through your email. It does so much to make blogging easy for everyone, like URLs that auto link as well as auto embedding video links. It's the easiest way to blog from just about any device.

Now instead of just auto sizing and putting your photos into a slideshow, that you can only click through, Posterous has added a cool new full window slideshow feature that shows off your images much better. It allows you to play through the images complete with auto transitions as well as flip through them with the arrow buttons.

The new feature is available site wide to sites, posts and groups. It makes posting photos to Posterous a lot more enjoyable. Since posting photos is often times people's favorite thing about having a blog it's great to have a fresh new way of viewing them.

Posterous Blog

by willburns1 | 2 comment(s)

What to do with Dirty Wet Snow Boots and Shoes in the Winter?
Thursday, January 13, 2011 1:13 PM

I'm new to the north and the whole snow all the time cold weather deal. I grew up in the south, Alabama, Georgia, Florida area and that being the case am not use to snow and the chores that come along with it. Primarily shoveling snow and having to change shoes all the time. Shoes that go outside have snow and dirt on them and so causing you to change them when entering your house. So what to do with your wet and snowy boots and shoes?

I was thinking about this because my wife wants me put my shoes in the kitchen where there are no wood floors. Well the kitchen is not next to the front door which means I would have to retrieve and deliver my boot back and forth every time a leave the house. Annoying in my mind so the solution.

I was looking for something to put my boots on so they could dry and also not get the wood floors wet. Traditional shoe racks won't help because the water can still drip to the floor. What a really needed was a plastic tube or plastic tray to place the wet boots on for safe storage until my next outdoor adventure. So while playing with wording of my searches found these boot trays on Amazon that can get the job done and will allow me to leave my boots at the door and not have to place them in the kitchen, the best of both worlds. 

I think these look better than a plastic tub or something of the like. It's both practical and convenient and you can pick them up over on Amazon for around $10.

Boot Trays Over at Amazon

by willburns1 | with no comments

DJtxt - SMS Generated Playlist from Party Guest SMS
Thursday, January 13, 2011 11:59 AM

When having a party it's great to play music that you think everyone is going to enjoy. So why not let your party guests choose what music to play? With DJtxt you can do just that. DJtxt allows party guests to add music to the playlist simply by texting an artist and song title.

Here is how it works.

1. First you have to add a bookmarklet to your addressbar by going to djtxt.me and dragging it to your menu bar.
2. Then Open Grooveshark and click on the newly added Bookmarklet.
   
3. Your guest can then register by following the directions on the screen.
   
4. After registering all they have to do is text the artist and title of a song to add it the playlist.

It's that simple. Should get people excited about what's playing when they get to decide the music. If your friends are big into music as well as texting this is perfect for them. I think this would go over really well at a large party with many people adding songs.

I wish there was a way to add music manually as well as through the sms messages. It would also be great, if there were no song suggested, it would play music from one of Grooveshark's radio stations that you could specify. That way suggested songs would play but if there were none there would at least be something to listen to.  It would be even better if the application was built into Grooveshark with their interface and options.

Give it a try at your next party.

DJtxt.me

by willburns1 | with no comments

iOS 4.3 Brings New Multi-Touch Gestures to iPad
Thursday, January 13, 2011 11:24 AM

The new iOS as revealed to the developers at CES, has a couple tricks up it's sleeve. One of which I mentioned yesterday with the addition of the HotSpot feature, which AT&T will probably not allow their customers to use this feature and if they do will probably charge an arm and a leg for, because AT&T hates fun and sharing. :) Another feature in the iOS 4.3 update that's just for the iPad is the addition of some new multi-touch gestures.

The new gestures involve 4 & 5 fingers and are as follows: pinch to the home screen, swipe up to reveal multitasking tray, swipe left/right to switch apps. This is great for iPad users because it means that multitasking and fast app switching just got a lot easier and more convenient. I only wish they were implementing this on the iPhone.

More on the iOS Update and what is says about the iPad 2

by willburns1 | 1 comment(s)

Inexpensive RC Helicopters for Beginners
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 12:51 PM

I recently received an RC Helicopter for Christmas, I know I'm a kid at heart, from ThinkGeek that has a digital video camera in it. I fired it up and flew it around and of course almost got it stuck on the roof. As technology gets better and better in these little toys it becomes easier to buy cheap and inexpensive RC Helicopters that actually deliver on performance and fun. I have been looking into the RC market to find what else is available and there is surprisingly a lot.

Now for the hardcore RC Heli fliers this article might seems silly. Let me explain. I don't want or need to sink hundreds of dollars into a RC toy. I just want something a little bit more than the typical mall kiosk RC Helicopter. I want something I can fly in my backyard or in the house, because I'm not going to drive somewhere to fly my helicopter. I also want something a little bit more advances, something that you have to fly outside and can do tricks. So if you are like me and want the fun without the money pit blues then here are some suggestions.

I found a cool site called xHeli. They seem to have some pretty good helicopters on the cheap but at the same time offer spare parts for most of their helicopters. This is the major down side to store bought helicopters, you can't buy parts for them, so when you break something your done. All of these are Ready To Fly kits that come with a controller and chargers.

Just For Fun Flier $33

For someone's first RC helicopter I would suggest Syma S107. It's a 3 channel co-axle heli that's inexpensive and has lots of spare parts you can purchase for it. You can fly it inside and outside and charge it using the controller or a power USB connection. This Heli costs only $32.95 which is a great deal especially since you can purchase all kinds of parts for it to keep it running longer. The Controller looks a much like a toy, but it's good for the money.

The Need For More $99

 Once you get the hang of flying a 3 channel heli perhaps you would want to step it up. The Walkera DragonFly 22E is a great 6 channel starter that is small enough to fly indoors, but big enough and strong enough to fly outdoors as well. It is also capable of doing tricks so you can satisfy the need to do more than just fly around. This one will set you back about $99 and it includes the controller, charger, and other accessories.

Bigger and More Powerful - $190
Still want more? Well the E-Razor 450 seems like a nice choice. It's a 6 channel heli and is a lot bigger than the other two and must be flown outside. It has a lot more power than the other two and is capable of doing stunts. It still won't put you in the poor house at $190 for everything, and seems to be well liked by RC enthusiast. 

Well there you have it. $200 on a toy is about as far as I'm willing to take it. I think for what you are getting it a pretty good deal and should be a lot of fun for you and your family.

by willburns1 | with no comments

Personal HotSpot Coming to All iPhones in March
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 10:36 AM

With the announcement of the iPhone coming to Verizon this February there were a couple surprises. One of which is the personal Hotspot feature which AT&T doesn't offer. The rumors are flying in from all corners of the web that it will be available on all iPhones in March as part of the iPhone iOS 4.3 update.

Just because the feature is available doesn't mean AT&T will let you use it. The feature will have to be supported by them and AT&T hasn't be very good about allowing such things. further more there is no telling what AT&T will charge you to use this feature just like the tethering feature which would cost you an extra $30 a month!

This is what I hope for AT&T and what would keep me a customer of theirs. I want the Hotspot feature for free and the unlimited data plan back. Verizon offers you both those things and even if the peak speeds are not as fast I could care less. I am hoping that AT&T will sweeten the deal when it comes to iPhone plans and feature to retain customers and be more competitive when the iPhone goes live on the Verizon network.

We will just have to wait and see.

More from BGR  

by willburns1 | with no comments

How do you know your mechanic isn't ripping you off?
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 12:43 PM

I know a little about cars, but for the most part I wouldn't attempt a repair on my own without considerable help. That being the case how do you know if your mechanic is ripping you off when you take your car in for repairs? There are a couple resources I have found that can help you ballpark an auto repair's cost.

First let me clarify that the cost of an auto repair is a combination of labor and parts. Many common repairs have a standard completion time which is billed to the customer at the hourly rate of the repair shop, which differs depending on the shop. Most dealerships run about $80-$99 per hour with independent and chain garages running about $60-$70 per hour. Price on parts differ depending on whether the repair shop uses manufacturer parts or third party replacement parts. Dealerships are going to use the manufacturer's parts only which are often times more expensive. Independent and chain repair places might be able to save you some money by using third party replacement parts which are often times just as good if not better. The shop price of particular part is often times more expensive than retail, often times due to the fact the part has to be located and purchased by a parts runner.

Having said that there are some resources that you can use to discover if your mechanic is taking advantage of you. My favorite that I have found is AutoMD. The website is easy to use and has a lot of desirable features. You enter your make and model as well as other specifics of your vehicle. You then enter your zip code and the repairs being done. You are then presented with a breakdown of the repair costs if you did it yourself as well as through a repair shop. The labor price per hour is an average of the repair shops in your area which you can see on the right of the page on a map. AutoMD also provides a step by step pictured guide to making the repair yourself as well as a list of tools needed.

Another website that I liked was Autopal, which gives you an estimate of the labor cost and parts as well as a range of total repair estimate. What I really like about this website is the section where they outline the common misdiagnoses, best practices, and common symptoms. The best practices section has got to be my favorite, because repair shops always want to place all this other stuff when repair your car and the best practices lets you know if it's common to do so.

AutoPal and AutoMD both have iPhone apps so you can get estimates on the go from either or both. When I did a test repair of a alternator AutoMD said it would cost around $258 with AutoPal telling me it should cost anywhere from $275-$462, the major difference being the cost for the part. Both websites are helpful and can keep you from worrying about getting ripped off.

AutoMD and AutoPal

by willburns1 | 1 comment(s)

Verizon iPhone Official and Why You Shouldn't Buy it Just Yet!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 11:35 AM

So the wait is over, Verizon has the iPhone finally. It's about time is all I have to say, don't forget that Verizon was Apple's first choice of carrier and it was Verizon that said no. I'm sure they are kicking themselves over that but what was done was done. Verizon has the iPhone and here is the skinny.

• iPhone 4 on the CDMA network and not LTE which means it's not 4G.
  
• $200 for 16GB version with 2 year contract.
  
• Preorder available now (but you probably shouldn't) 
• New Antenna design, not sure if the death grip is fixed but probably.
  
• HotSpot application allows you to connect up to 5 devices to the internet.
  
• Unlimited data plan.
  

So all that sounds great right? You get Verizon's better network, unlimited data plan, and a Hotspot application that allows you to share your internet connection, something AT&T has yet to offer. So why shouldn't you attack that like a fat boy to cake?

Well because the new iPhone will most likely be coming out in June and will most likely be available in late June early July. You, the early adopter, are going to be stuck in a 2 year contract while everyone one else who waited are going to have the new one with that feature that you can't have and really want.

Apple is a creature of habit. They have released a new iPhone every June since 2008 and will most likely be doing that again. The new iPhone will most likely be available to both carriers at the same time so if you are thinking about switching carriers or upgrading to the iPhone wait 6 months and get the new one. It will be worth it trust me.
 

by willburns1 | with no comments

AppFresh - Update all your Mac Apps with one Application
Monday, January 10, 2011 12:59 PM

One of the biggest complaints about the new Mac App Store is that it doesn't recognize apps that you've installed from other places other than the App Store itself. Even though you can still update these apps the regular way, by launching the app and running the updater, it can be a pain to have to install an update for every application you haven't used in a while.

So the solution is to use an application like AppFresh. AppFresh uses several sources to find updates for all your application you have installed on your computer. Ones downloaded from the internet as well as ones purchased and downloaded from the Mac App Store.

So if you were one of those people that were really disappointed that the Mac App Store doesn't provide updates for all your Mac applications then an app like AppFresh is just what the doctor ordered. It's worth noting that the application is being released under development preview. So if you have problems with it or you want something a little bit more established you can try App Update or Macupdate.


AppFresh - Mac Software Updater

by willburns1 | 2 comment(s)