just an asterisk

This isn’t news, but I’ve been having fun with it (and I’m a bit strapped for time these days).  My new TV came with streaming Netflix built in (as I mentioned in my last post).  But what does this really mean???  Well I’ll tell you – I can watch Netflix from my television, streaming it over the web on my home network.  The network setup was a pain in the butt, but once I got it working, I couldn’t believe that I’d lived without for so long.  To think of all the times I ordered pay-per-view when I could have just watched something for free!

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Recently, my wife and I purchased a new television.  It was fun to browse and explore all the new acronyms, but in truth my knowledge of televisions is a bit sub-par.  The thing was, I was pretty happy with my CRT (cathode ray tube – the technology behind the pervious generation of TVs and those big clunky monitors).  The problem, as is always the case with technology, was that I wanted more than my old box could deliver – HDTV (High Definition Television) was calling… I am not qualified (even after my shopping research) to give you the full scoop on HDTV.  All I can tell you is that HD TVs use a connector called HDMI and that each of these cables runs about $40 – which is just stupid as you need one for each device you want to attach… (editorial, yes, but does that mean it’s untrue?)

This is an error message I received today when trying to copy a game from one drive to another.  At first, it seems quite normal.  I just don’t have enough space on my drive.  Or do I?  Check a little closer at the highlighted text:

What?  Almost 6PB?  I have that much data on my external hard-drive? Read more »

If you’re trying to decide between the hot new Nexus One vs. the iPhone 3Gs, here’s the skinny on what sets them apart. Both phones sport the aesthetic appeal of that sleek “wow” factor sheen, but there are a few differences you should know about which may make one a better fit for your needs than the other. Read more »

I think the most common question that hits my inbox goes something like this – I’m shopping for a new laptop.  Are there any brands I should look out for?  Any that I should avoid?  What do you suggest?  I’ve written before about what you should look for, but never really about how to choose between brands.

Although this data is going to be old as soon as I post about it (for reference, the current date is Tuesday, November 17, 2009), a great study was just released by Square Trade.

Here is the link

For those unwilling to wade through it, here are some highlights:

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This could will happen to you at some point.  Perhaps you won’t get the jet engine hard drive like I did last night, but there are many variations: the blank screen, the system freezing every 10 minutes (ironically due to overheating), USB ports failing, rather important keys like the letter “a” just refusing to work… The list of possible hardware faults is endless.  So if it’s inevitable, what can you do to be prepared?  Although there’s probably no way to prepare you for everything, here is a list of things that I recommend.

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According to Wikipedia’s article on the blackberry, in “November 2006 Webster’s New World College Dictionary named “crackberry” the “New Word of the Year”” What about the Blackberry phone is like crack? What constitutes an appeal so addictive that after one hit you’re unable to put it down? Although I assure you that I can quit any time I want, I think we should all be aware of the narcotic in question: push email. Read more »

You’ve decided that your 15 pound laptop from 1999 is finally ready for the rubbish heap, but what kind of machine do you need?  What is your ideal computer?  Obviously, I can’t tell you that… It’s not that I  don’t want to, but your laptop choice is a very personal decision.  You are going to be spending a great deal of time together and frankly, the relationship can’t be one way: you are going to have to want to invest time in your laptop for your laptop to perform for you.  That said, the decision process doesn’t have to be difficult.  It can even be fun!

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I received a Kindle 2 for Christmas – or rather 2 and ½ months later, when Amazon announced its second reading device, updated my order and shipped. If you’ve never heard of the kindle, check out this quick video introduction.

There has been a flurry of articles recently by new kindle owners, desperate to reinforce the permanence of paper and to cynically point out that the new Kindle still isn’t perfect. The Just an Asterisk perspective? Well the first thing I downloaded to read was Malcolm Gladwell’s new book “Outliers”, in which he describes an outlaw that was “just dumb enough to be fearless, just bright enough to be dangerous and a dead shot”. I think we can describe the Kindle with the same terms. Read more »