measure

I've met a lot of audio designers in my time, and all of the best ones have one thing in common, they have great "ears." They know what good sound sounds like. The opposite camp is populated with engineers that rely exclusively on measurements to "prove" their designs are better. To my way of thinking, the second group rarely makes great sounding products. Audio is too complex to be analyzed with just numbers alone.

Nowadays I'm meeting more digital audio engineers specializing in designing room and speaker correction software. They are usually very nice … Read more

CPU Speed Professional tests your PC's processor and compares its results against other users' CPUs and systems via an online rankings site. This free tool stresses your CPU with a variety of tests designed to reveal strengths and weaknesses, but it doesn't hurt or change anything. It's basically foolproof to use and compatible with both Intel and AMD processors.

This software's user interface resembles a car's analog instrument cluster, with tachometer-style displays for both % CPU and MHz. A menu offered controls for initiating the scan and viewing and sharing the results. We ran the test, … Read more

Sometimes good things come in not-very-fancy packages. That's definitely the case with Conversion Calculator. It's not much to look at, but it may well be the most comprehensive conversion calculator we've ever seen.

The program's interface is quite plain; it's not particularly attractive, but it is intuitive. There are spaces for your source value and the conversion, a number pad (with keys for entering negatives and fractions), and two absolutely huge dropdown menus that contain the various units that the program can convert. We encountered quite a few units we'd never even heard of, … Read more

The Moron Test is a smart and snarky game that taunts you with trick questions, memory tests, Simon Says-type instructions, and other brain teasers. The Moron Test doesn't require any specialized knowledge--just patience, attention to detail, and a little bit of creative thinking. A timer tracks your progress through successive levels (from "Bonehead" and "Average Mammal" on up to "Genius"), and any incorrect answer triggers a hearty "FAIL!" and sends you either back to the beginning or to the game's halfway checkpoint.

Overall, this is a fun (if somewhat limited) … Read more

Introducing a great new headphone resource: Inner Fidelity, created by audiophile and technician Tyll Hertsens. When I met Hertsens about 10 years ago he quickly became my prime source for information about headphones. Now with his new Web site, everyone has access to Hertsen's knowledge base.

He made a big splash with one of the site's first reviews, the Beats by Dr. Dre Solo headphones, and let's just say Hertsens didn't love them. You won't have to read between the lines to learn how Hertsens feels about a set of headphones. He also did a … Read more

The iPad 2 came out today and though I've only laid eyes on it for a few seconds (Donald Bell has been running around the office taking pictures and adding to his ongoing review), I'm definitely impressed with what I've seen so far. Apparently if you're looking to get one too, you'll need to be ready for long lines at the Apple store and an even longer wait if you order online, according to Josh Lowensohn.

Several developers have already updated their applications to take advantage of the iPad 2's upgraded processing power, which can be seen in Infinity Blade, Dead Space, and a few other top-name apps. Real Racing 2 HD also landed today, and looks great on the original iPad, but I have yet to see it in all its glory on the iPad 2.

As you have probably already heard, Apple has released a few apps of its own optimized for the iPad 2, including iMovie and GarageBand. I'll be writing reviews and shooting First Look videos for these early next week, so definitely check back for more info.

This week's apps offer a unique way to measure any object and a 2D snowboard racing game that's challenging, but great fun.… Read more

With GPS devices popping up in everything from cars to cell phones these days, getting lost is getting harder. But what are the GPS-dependent to do when a blocked satellite signal confuses their wanderings (besides panic and curl up in the fetal position)?

Researchers from North Carolina State University and Carnegie Mellon University think they've come up with a solution: a shoe radar system that likely will never make it onto the average Joe's sneaker but could have implications for the military and those who work in mines, tunnels, and other remote or high-risk environments.

The prototype system involves a portable radar sensor that attaches to a shoe's heel and also hooks up to a small navigation computer that tracks the distance between your heel and the ground. If that distance doesn't change over a set period of time, the computer figures your foot is stationary.

The low-power system works in conjunction with an inertial measurement unit, or IMU, an electronic device that measures acceleration and deceleration to determine speed and distance traveled. IMUs are frequently used to supplement GPS devices once a satellite signal drops (if you entered a remote canyon, you could use the IMU to retrace your steps to the last known GPS location and find your way back out).

But IMUs can be faulty, as minor errors can accumulate, leading to an increasing difference between where the system thinks it's located, and where it's actually positioned. … Read more

With Apple's recent release of the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 4.2.1, still warm on everyone's plate, the iPhone Dev Team has successfully jailbroken the update.

Thanks to a combination of past hacks (pwnage2, arm7_go, 24kpwn, and limera1n), the iPhone Dev Team was able to crack through the iOS 4.2.1 update, bringing people the capability to use jailbroken apps, games, and utilities on their iOS devices.

For those of you with an iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, or second-generation iPod Touch, the jailbreak method will remain just as simple. New iPod Touch … Read more

I can't think of how many recipes I have that require me to heat up milk or melt butter before mixing in other ingredients. Being able to handle such tasks directly in the measuring cup I've already placed ingredients into makes the cooking process go that much faster. The Stove-Safe Measuring Cup can handle stovetop and oven temperatures, letting you not only measure and heat in one container but even cook. This measuring cup can also safely be used in the microwave and can take a ride through the dishwasher with no problems. If, for instance, you wanted … Read more