The Real Deal 162: Cult of the Flip
Rafe and Tom explore just why those mini Flip type cameras are so popular and whether you should use one.
Rafe and Tom explore just why those mini Flip type cameras are so popular and whether you should use one.
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Rafe’s story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/14/tech/real_technology/main5015128.shtml
What is the flip
What’s it do?
What’s it not do?
Why get it?
Options:
Canon SD780IS.
Casio EX-FC100
Comments on Cult of Flip
Tom and Rafe -
Regarding the Cult of Flip, please be sure to
mention, in addition to the standard alternatives (Kodak
Vi6 and Zx1, Vado, etc.), the less considered alternatives -
pocket digicams that shoot decent or even 720p video
(not the motion JPEG ones, the H.264 ones).
I recently completed my research for a “pocket
HD cam” and decided on the Canon Powershot SD780is – 720p
video in an ultrasmall form factor, H.264 format, optical
image stabilization, etc. At $100 more than the
Zx1 I was considering, a good alternative that also
takes spectacular photos!
Thanks – Matthew
Comments on Twitter episode
Hey guys, I have a new favourite portable twitter client: dabr.co.uk
It looks really good on my Nokia 5800, basically it gives me twitterfox on my phone (with search!).
-ANkh, the Computer Engineering Student in Ireland.
Comments on dynamic DNS
Hi guys,
For your show notes, you might want to mention that for a dynamic ip
address service, you need to have some type of local process that
connects to the dynamic ip address service to update your ip.
Some home network routers have an option that will handle this for
you, so all your computers can be off, but your IP address still
updates. Or you can install a client on your computer that will
update your IP address. This is useful if you have a laptop that you
connect to several networks.
Love the show,
Thanks,
@BigMikeInAustin
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First off, Tom, you said that dynamic DNS pairs an IP to your IP
address. Actually, it pairs a domain name to your IP address. You do
in fact get a real domain name, though the free ones are usually
yourdomain.free.com.
Also (and this ties in with your router discussion) most versions of
DD-WRT has dynamic DNS updating built in. Ironically, I got the crappy
WRT54G that does not support the Linux-based OS, but there is a hack
for the one I had that allows you to use the micro version.
Oddly, Even though DDWRT has DynDNS on the list of presets for DDNS
services, you have to put in additional options, which you can find on
the wiki.
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Dyndns.org is great, I use it for free. That is how I run ankh.is-a-geek.com, and niamh.kicks-ass.net for free (on the same server).
By the way when your telling someone about server options remember that linux is an inherently server friendly technology! I use (and would recommend) Ubuntu Server Edition.
I took me a while to figure it all out, but now that I know I could probably guide someone through basic set up in an afternoon.
Email me if want any help.
-ANkh, the Computer Engineering Student in Ireland.
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The router I use is the Asus WL-520GU. I like it because it has a USB port that can share a printer and I like that it can run the dd-wrt firmware.
It is possible that Rafe’s WRT54GL has a problem in the nvram. Nvram can be erased by following this procedure http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Hard_reset_or_30/30/30 Make sure you are running the latest version of the firmware. You could also try upgrading to a 3rd party firmware such as dd-wrt or tomato.
If you want to upgrade to an 802.11n router, good choices are the Linksys WRT350N and WRT600N.
Nathan
Comments
Sometimes I think it’s easier to understand my taxes than manufacturer’s claims for “bandwidth”, “data transfer rates”, “storage capacity”, etc.
Can’t we all just agree on bits or bytes for a unit of measurement for all these 0’s and 1’s us geeks love so much?
Is there a historical or technical reason why various situations (wireless/wired networks, cell phone carriers, ISP’s, disk/drive capacity, file size, etc.) sometimes use bits vs. bytes as a unit of measure?
Then again if we we still haven’t switched over to the metric system by 2009…. why should I be surprised about this…..
- Mark the Connector Engineer
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Hi
I live in France and here, there aren’t many free Wi-Fi hotspots around.
But I recently went to Spain with my school and I took my ipod touch and was surprised on how many Wi-Fi hotspots there are.
The town of Cadiz (where i was staying) has a WiFi Hotspot covering most of the town.
We also stopped of at Seville and I took out my iPod Touch and found a Hotspot!!!!
Conclusion: I managed to enjoy my e-mail and my Facebook, sitting in a plaza in the center of Seville in 35°C heat. Ahhhhh heaven!!!
Love the show
Nick from France
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Hey Buzz Crew,
I’m going to summarize as best as I can. A guy wanted to change the billing name on his iiNet DSL bill because his housemate (who’s name was on the bill) moved out. The account management webpage would let him change everything else about his account except his name (the fields were there, but were grayed out and couldn’t be changed). He called customer service and they told him they could change it, but it would cost $59.00. He went ahead and did it, but the next two bills were still addressed to his former housemate, and now he was out $59.00.
So he went back to the account management webpage and it occurred to him that he could use the Firebug plugin for Firefox to manually edit the html code for the name fields to show his name. and then submit the form. Sure enough, his name now appears correctly on his bill.
I just found this amusing and thought I’d pass it along. Love. The. Show.
http://thedailywtf.com/Articles/Connect-Betterer.aspx
-Greg (”emptythevoid” in the chat)
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Vic the Texas Rancher Pilot has an excellent explanation of why you should do everything your flight attendant tells you. The full version is in the comments section of episode 161. Here’s an excerpt:
While I can’t explain the technological specifics. I hope that an awareness of a general process will suffice. Please bear with us. That flight attendant that makes you turn off your Kindle is following the letter of the regulation because she is not trained to differentiate between high output devices and more benign, passive electronics. There is no training because currently there is no tested and approved standard.
So for now maybe you can follow the lead of Jonathan Coulton and enjoy your copy of Sky Mall in the first 10,000 feet of climb and last 10,000 feet of descent that are referred to as the sterile environment. Need a fake rock key holder anyone?
Respectfully,
Vic the Texas Rancher Pilot
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Next time: Questions!
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