RockBuds earbud giveaway is coming

Need some "buds" for your ears?  How about some earbuds...to be specific:  "RockBuds"!

Rock Band

(The set I have in my ears at this moment is pictured above...)

"...These buds feature a built-in retractable device that’s not only tricked out with stylish designs, but serves a functional purpose too! The retractor allows the cord length to expand and retract to 5 stopping points... shorter for use on an armband and longer to reach an iPod on a belt. (The clip prevents cords from bouncing around). This compact retractable device also prevents cords from tangling when not in use.."

Wings Like Eagles

The plug on it is a standard 3.5 mm...it fits iPods, iPhones, MP3 players, Walkmen, computers headphone ports, etcetera.  Three silicon tips...small, medium, and extra-large...are included.

Rock Star

[NOTE:  I'm currently on MST/PDT...]

On Tuesday (Nov 1), after 12 PM EST...on this blog...I will post how you can win a set.

For more free products and giveaways, go to http://www.facebook.com/chicbuds

A mouse made for DJs....

DJ-Tech has created a mouse specifically for use by DJs.  At first,  I wasn't sure this product needed to exist.  But, I now know it does.

DJs using computers need to a mouse designed for the environment they will be in, and the mouse needs to be an instrument with certain particulars that will not hamper their performance.

I was sent a DJ-Tech DJ Mouse (Deckadance), and love it.  It has a nice weight to it...enough that makes me feel that when I am in control of it, I am sure my movements will be precise.  (I was unable to weigh it...since the "DJ Mouse Traktor Edition" states it weighs 120 grams, I assume the one I received is the same weight).

To aid in low-light situations, like nightclubs, three controls on the mouse are lit:  the vertical wheel, the jog wheel, and the "scratch" button.  The vertical wheel is rubber for comfort, wider than normal, and has raised bumps for accuracy when scrolling.  The vertical and jog wheels also have button functionality (for pressing and "clicking").

I did not spend time with the software because it has too many features for me to cover in one article.

I am impressed by the hardware, and wish there were drivers so I can customize the mouse for use without the Deckadance software.  I want to be able to use this as my primary mouse, and assign specific functions to the controls.

The mousepad they provide is the right size for use in areas that can be crowded with other equipment around:  7 by 8.5 inches.  (The mouse uses an optical sensor at 800 DPI.)

Deckadance software was included with the DJ-Tech DJ Mouse, but there is a DJ Mouse Traktor Edition...

which includes software from Native Instruments.

Videos of the mouse and software in use can be viewed at:

http://youtu.be/PgLH45il9iw

http://youtu.be/OSzS5Wlsocs

http://youtu.be/Ove4zoBVT9s

http://youtu.be/quOjhnJJ0tY

Take note that one of my computers which can boot to USB drives and devices would not boot to the internal hard drive if the mouse was attached when I powered-on the computer.

Is Compaq is too damn compact?...

I just received a call from a computer repair shop that I've been assisting at...

"Hey...I just opened this tower of the new computer that the customer left...there's nothing in it..."

What?  The tower of a one day old, brand new Compaq CQ2010 contains almost...nothing.  The day before, I went into the Base Exchange ("BX") on an Air Force base with an older couple to try to help them choose a new computer.  From what they told me about how they use computers, I saw no reason to not suggest purchasing the least expensive computer that was available.  Which was the Compaq for $299.  And now, I know why the older woman had no problem lifting it...

Take a look at the specifications here.

And now...the motherboard:

Manufacturer: Pegatron
Form factor: Mini-ITX form factor: 17 cm (6.7 inches) x 20 cm (7.9 inches)
Chipset: AMD Hudson-D1 FCH
Memory sockets: 2 x DDR3
Front side bus speeds: 4 lanes, 2.5 GT/s per lane UMI (Unified Media Interface)
Processor socket: Not applicable because the processor is soldered down to the motherboard

Notice anything missing?

(Answer:  PCI slots.)

The technician who opened they case said the motherboard is about as large as those found in netbooks.

And, take a close look at the power input port:  "DC input power".  Just like they use for portable/notebook computers.

Buyer beware.

"Connect computers over the internet via USB"

"iTwin is like the two ends of a cable, without the cable."

Well...for me, it's like Dropbox, but it uses two USB devices as physical keys to portals with which you connect through...they are not physically connected, yet they are connected via the internet.  (And there is no 2 gigabyte storage limit for accounts that are free.)

The "local" computer is to be "the one at which you are sitting"...however, I rather consider it to be the one that is the "source" or "primary" computer.

The "remote" computer is...the other one.

With the two dongles physically connected together, as they come out of the box, I connected them to a USB port.  I opened My Computer to find a drive letter labeled "iTwin".  And after double-clicking on it to launch the drive, the installation procedure began.

I set a "Friendly name" for the pair (such as "itwinnumber1").  After registering an eddress, a disable code was sent.  I can use it to terminate service between the two dongles, as in the instance I may have lost one of them.

Now, with the two halves paired, when they are plugged into computers they can find each other over the internet.

When the USB dongle is connected to the (local) computer, I have access to a window that I can copy files to...and when the other dongle is connected to a different ("remote") computer, I can access the files (from there) with AES-256 encryption.  Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) has been determined by the National Security Agency (NSA) to be secure enough for U.S. Government classified data and information...

A password can be set so, after the two dongles are connected to computers, it will be needed to access files (between both computers).  Per iTwin:  "If you forget your password, simply pair both halves of your iTwin, plug them into a computer and set a new password..."

I connected the remote dongle to a different computer...it installed, but needed me to log out of the user profile I was in for an update to be installed.

At the local computer, it recognized that the remote dongle was online.

A nice surprise feature is that:  "If you leave one half of iTwin connected to your computer at home, iTwin won't let your computer fall asleep..."

When it was sent to me, it was only compatible with Windows.  I recently viewed their website, and found there is a "free upgrade" so they can be used with the Apple Macintosh operating system.

In the Getting Started Guide, on page 7, it states:  "Drag & drop as many files & folders as you like into the iTwin 'local files' window..."

One thing that you need to know is that:  when I dragged a file into the windows for "local" files, and then deleted the file from it's original location...it was deleted from the iTwin window.

TechtalkRadio 07/16/2011

...this past weeks announcement from Netflix about raising rates, and how this could effect the service's subscriber base...Alternates are discussed along with YouTube, Amazon, Blockbuster and CinemaNow...Andy questions methods for burning Blu-ray discs, while wondering if re-installing the OS is better then a repair...

"Power 1490"/KJYK playlist

"Power 1490"/KJYK playlist, originally uploaded by S!ick.

1994 September 5

Black Radio Today...listening has declined

...Black Radio Today 2011...uses Arbitron audience estimates to develop a...profile of radio listening among Black consumers...

About 94% of Black consumers listened to radio every week.

Black radio’s decline in Time Spent Listening continued.
...All formats were down year-to-year except Religious, which gained 15 minutes per week, while Adult Contemporary and All News held steady.

{I'm not surprised.  I greatly doubt that Black radio is serving their communities and providing all of the public service they could. - S!ick}

Listening by older Black men increased.
...men aged 35 or above have tuned in during weekday middays, afternoons and evenings.

Urban Adult Contemporary continued as America’s favorite format among Black listeners for the fifth straight year.

Gospel was a Time Spent Listening powerhouse.
Gospel enjoyed the longest Time Spent Listening rates of all formats targeting Black listeners. It was No. 2 only to Urban AC among those 12-24 and in various adult demos. Its TSL decreased just 15 minutes per week overall, but gained among 18-34s—the only music format to do so.

================================

to letters@ebony.com
date Fri, Mar 18, 2011 at 5:26 AM
response to an "Achieve" article

regarding:
April edition
page 68
"The Death of Black Radio?"

I have never worked for Cathy Hughes or Radio One.  I HAVE worked for radio stations formatted for Black audiences, that were Black-owned...and am very hesitant to again do so.

I once worked at WYCB in Washington, a gospel station, and to my great surprise found the most "two-faced Christians" I have ever met.  When KDKO in Denver was Black-owned, it was unnecessarily stressful with expectations of staff to genuflect to management.

Working for a Black-owned radio station in Milwaukee that was mass-appeal formatted, "Churban/Rythmic", I did not make a lot of money...but the owner, Willie Davis, and the rest of management (that were at All-Pro Broadcasting) were very kind to me.  I will again work for him/them if ever given the opportunity.  But based on what I have heard about Radio One from those who have been employed by them (and are) does not give me great desire to seek a position with that organization.

Black people in Black radio are killing it.  We've abandoned what made it great by mimicking the mistakes and weaknesses of large radio broadcasting corporations.  Of course it's a business, but it should also be "a calling".

 

FCC Working Group on the Information Needs of Communities

...It effectively tells media companies that the government can’t do much to help them, and the companies had better start adapting.

One of the biggest trends that the FCC flags as important in the report is the loss of what it calls “accountability” journalism, in which news outlets on a local and/or national level cover the government and thereby act as a check on power...

And what does the FCC think can be done to fill it? Not much. As the report notes, it’s not clear how that kind of journalism — which doesn’t tend to attract much advertising interest — is supposed to pay for itself on an ongoing basis...

...media companies need to adapt to the new shape of the industry, and try to learn from alternative models and businesses. Probably the biggest move it recommends is that the government shift some of the $1 billion or so it spends on advertising its own services to smaller and/or alternative news sources, as a way of helping media outlets on the revenue side.

...the report more or less leaves media companies on their own to evolve and adapt without any help from the broadcast regulator...

http://gigaom.com/2011/06/10/fcc-to-media-dont-look-to-us-we-cant-help-you/

FCC report on media warns of decline in quality local news

Local TV is singled out in the report for not covering important issues enough. Alhough the number of hours of local news has increased over the last few years, too few stations "are investing in more reporting on critical local issues," the report said. Furthermore, the report said that although stations may be adding newscasts, they are doing it with fewer reporters.

Even with the additional newscasts, the stories often focus on crime and the reason for that has more to do with with how cheap it is to cover crime stories than it does viewer demand.

"As technology offered consumers new choices, it upended traditional news industry business models, resulting in massive job losses," the FCC said.

The result has been "gaps in coverage that even the fast-growing digital world has yet to fill." Although the digital media may someday can fill the void left by diminishing traditional media, "at this moment the media deficits in many communities are consequential."

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2011/06/fcc-report-on-media-warns-of-decline-in-quality-local-news-.html

FCC Report Recommends Moving Government National Ad Spending to Local

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/469464-FCC_Report_Recommends_Moving_Government_National_Ad_Spending_to_Local.php

http://www.fcc.gov/info-needs-communities

record on an iPod/iPhone from a guitar/mic/source

If you have an iPod, you might have the beginnings of a mini-recording studio available to you. And with another piece of equipment, the i-GX Guitar Effect Processor with iPod Player/Recorder, more options...

The Jammin i-GX will allow for playing a guitar while using an iPod for practicing. It will also record the session...to the iPod.

There is a 6.35 mm (1/4-inch) input port for a guitar, one (unbalanced) for a microphone, and one that allows for the unit to be connected to an amplifier. And there is a 3.5 mm (1.8-inch) stereo line-in auxiliary input port.

Input sensitivity
AUX (3.5mm stereo): 250 mV
iPOD: 500 mV
GUITAR(6.35mm Jack): 8mV
MIC(6.35mm Jack): 10mV

With a 3.5 mm (1/8-inch) stereo headphone output port, the audio can be monitored as the i-GX is used as a 4-channel mixer (with the iPod, guitar, microphone, and the auxillary input port).

The 24 bit/96 kHz effects processor includes:
5 amplification simulations (acoustic, clean, overdrive, distortion, and microphone)...
4 digital effects (chorus, flanger, phaser, and tremelo)...
and 2 ambience options (reverb and echo).

The "Compatibility Chart" included in the packaging noted some generations of iPods and iPhones:
iPods, from 3rd to 6th generations
Minis, 1st and 2nd
Shuffle, 1st and 2nd
Nano, 1st through the 4th
Touch, 1st and 2nd
and 3G and 3GS iPhones.

Certain features are supported by specific models: some units can be recharged by the i-GX, and record using the “Voice memo” application in the iPod.

And another tool that is built-in is a harmonic tuner (E/A/D/G/B/E).

The i-GX measures 147 mm (5 inches) × 162 mm (6 inches) x 58 mm (2 inches)...which is about as large as my open hand. And it weighs only 0.4 kg (14 ounces)...about as much as a "heavy" cellphone.

Four AAA batteries are needed to power the unit, but there is a port for the connection of a 9-volt (1 ampere) AC adapter.

http://www.jamminpro.net/products/guitar_effects/igx/index.html

http://www.jamminpro.net/minisite/igx/index.html

PURCHASE AT AMAZON.COM:
Jammin i-GX Guitar Effect Processor with iPod Player / Recorder

======================================


Other products available from Jammin Pro include the StudioMix 702 7 channel mixer...

It can record to USB flash drives up to 32 GB in size.  "Channel 1" has 1 XLR input, and 1 1/4-inch, mono input..."channel 2 and 3" are line level inputs...and "channel 4 and 5" have RCA inputs.

----------------------------------------------------

The Jammin Pro StudioPack 202 is a 3 piece bundle mini-studio to allow for recording performances to a computer.

The SoundBox 202 audio interface connnects to the USB port.  From the Quick Start Guide (that's included in the package), the supported configuration is to:  "Connect the Microphone...to Input 1 of SoundBox 202, or you can connect your guitar/bass to the input 2...at the same time."

The C-10 (condenser) microphone has a cardioid (heart-shaped) pattern.  A table stand, and large windscreen is provided.

And the comfortable HD-65 headphones have a 10 foot long cord.  They have become my "go to" headphones.