Hello again, been a while…

Me and the boy had a weekend of Dreamcast gaming, and after a few power-ons, having to reset the date and time – every time – due to the dead battery was beginning to annoy.

I’ve been here before. Less than 3 months ago, I’m sure, after I got my SLG3000 and tried out the scanlines, realised the internal rechargeable battery was dead. No problem, I have about 30 CR2032s kicking around. A quick google soon but that plan to bed. The internal Dreamcast battery is a rechargeable coin battery. A CR2032 is no good, as the DC will output a charge to the battery, and terrible things could happen. I don’t know what, exactly, but didn’t fancy finding out.

More googling for a rechargeable battery shows they can be an arse to get hold of. Minimum orders of 100x, minimum trade orders of £50 or more etc., so I settled on a more practical solution.

You can solder two rechargeable AAs together (+ to – ) with a short piece of wire, then the other end’s + and – to the same terminals on the PCB. I had a few older AAs lying around, that could hold a charge, but were a few years old, soldered together and wrapped them in electrician’s tape. I removed the three pronged coin battery and legs, then soldered some bell wire into two of the holes on the PCB.

Worked first time.

And I am not the most skilled with a soldering iron.

I did have to move the location of the AAs from the pic shown below, as the case wouldn’t fit back on. I ended up putting them running length ways just to the left of the GD-Rom drive apex.

So maybe it’s over a month, I’ve not kept count. What do I think of it? How have I ended up using it? Pros? Cons? Read on!

My mate Robbo was heading to Las Vegas about a month before the UK launch date of the iPad, and he was toying with the idea of picking one up. “Grab us one, kidda, I’ll sort you out when you’re back.” I says, and he did.

Pretty much everyone’s first question was “What on earth are you gonna use it for?” (except the wife, her’s was more along the lines of cost and current computer count in the house–5), to which I didn’t have a good answer. I have an iPhone and MacBook Pro, but being a nerd, an iPad was a prequisite.

Out of the box, it was a thing of beauty. Typical Apple packaging means you’re in love with the inanimate object before it’s dropped it’s negligé. Weighty, solid, beautiful screen, bezel of a good size for holding and intuitive controls meant it felt like you’d already known about this new thing for a while.

The screen is fantastic, the battery life astounding and the multitude of ways I’ve been using it––equally impressive.

At first I was almost reticent to try and use it whenever, and the fact that the iPhone is always in my pocket meant it was the first gadget I’d reach for. However, over the weeks, I’ve got more used to typing on the flat glass untactile keyboard, and actually quiet like it. The screen makes reading for any extended period a breeze, and I caught myself thinking it was more akin to reading a newspaper whilst on the throne.

The boy loves it. He’s familiar with the iPhone, so when he picked it up and had a go first time I didn’t have to show him *anything*. He ended up in Safari on Vimeo, watching a bunch of my videos, which was amazing as he’d never actually used a web page before that moment. As you can see in the video, it was just purely intuitive. You can hear my amazement!

The amount of games I have for him (and me) on the iPhone means we hit the ground running with loads of content on the iPad. When games are 59p, you don’t mind taking a punt on them, and we’ve got some crackers for him. Clicky Sticky is a current fav, creating his own scenes with aeroplanes and stuff. In fact, quiet often I’m relegated to the iPhone as he runs off with the iPad!

Travel
The other week I went down to London for the D&AD Awards ceremony, which was an honour, and I decided to not take a laptop, just the iPad. First time without the trusty laptop interface to the online world. Would I cope? The train ride down was great. Logged on to wifi, emailing, surfing, chatting, listening to music, watched an episode of Lost. A couple of Oriental ladies were very interested so chatted to them for a bit and let them play with it while I went to the toilet. Loads of glances, and some crap joking from the Scottish rail staff about robbing it. Err yeah, another beer please!

#protip: a banana makes an excellent iPad stand. Non-slip, tilts the iPad a great typing angle, biodegradable and provides a tasty treat when you’ve finished work!

Taking the iPad to the gym has made me a few more friends too. Since I’d had it there before the UK launch, there were a few points and stares, but one guy came over and started chatting. He turned out to be a security analysts and consultant, who loves Apple hardware. Great geeky conversation ensued!

Around the house, these last weeks the iPad has been indispensable for watching the World Cup while moving around the house! Streaming via TVCatchUp has been great. Not perfect, but to wander from room to room and have the footy in hand, supoib!

In summation, I’ve found the iPad to excel when it comes to consuming media. I sit at a desk all day, and most nights, creating stuff. The iPad is a chance to kick back and look at all the wonderful things on the internet, providing they’re not in Flash…

In the living room, when the wife is watching tele, the iPad presents less of a barrier for conversation than a laptop. If we’re sat in there and I reach for the iPad to wiki or IMDB something, it doesn’t put up the same fence as a laptop, which kinda says “I’m busy, don’t interrupt.” I feel the iPad is a lot more informal, and less intrusive.

It’s a fantastic bit of kit, and while it will have it’s detractors, I’m loving every minute with it. And so is Eloy!

There’s an uproar at the moment on the interwebs. You may have heard about it.

The iPad will not support Flash.

Just like the iPhone before it, the Flash plug-in cannot and will not run in the iPad’s browser. Apple say it’s because the Flash plug-in is the single biggest cause of Safari crashes. I can’t say I’d blame them for being pissed. The window to the internet on your default install can be crippled by a third party proprietary plug-in. Not cool.

So, because Apple have a closed platform in the iPhone and iPad they can choose who plays ball.

A lot of web folks are predicting the end of Flash. It’s on it’s way out. along with HTML5 putting the boot in and promising to handle streaming video (possibly Flash’s biggest single use online) with acceptable CPU levels on a Mac, there will be a decrease in the plug-in, whilst this may be true, I don’t see a funeral anytime soon.

If you also look at who’s screaming til they’re blue in the face, we see something interesting. It’s mostly (if not all) Mac using standards authors who’re quick to announce Flash’s passing. Mac users. A minority group who’ve been consistently bummed by Adobe and their plug-in technology for over a decade. We’ve been second-hand citizens for years with both the Flash authoring app and the web plug-ins. I know people who, years ago, turned from Mac to PC, because their core skill was Flash, and that was an utter cluster-fuck on a Mac.

Even today, watching a 2.something GHz Mac CPU tilting at 50% when running a YouTube video isn’t fucking funny. It’s obscene, and a slur to all Mac users. Adobe should not be surprised the oppressed masses are now turning.

But really, that’s just the technology, what about the software and possibilities it presents?

I have a long history with Flash, which has to some extent tailed off in the recent years. I remember being completely confused by FutureSplash, before it was acquired by Macromedia. I saw my whole world change with the introduction of ActionScript, not the clicking of option boxes, and the fear that I might not “get it”.  I was invited to the launch of Flash 5 with Subnet, in London with a handful of other companies such as Kerb and Razorfish, teams of young talent who’d been reared on video games and enjoyed creating something new. I’ve written chapters and articles, tech reviewed, demoed and taught Flash. I know it pretty well.

If Flash goes, we’ll lose important things on the web. Diversity, experimentation, inspiration and art. Flash is the single quickest way for a designer to do something quirky, with audio and animation, to tell a story or create an experience, then publish it to the internet. While I’m not Flash’s biggest fan, I still think it has it’s place, and more so now that it’s being used to create elements of a site rather than doing whole sites within Flash.

I don’t think Flash will die, and really I hope it doesn’t, because the bar for entry into web authoring for young designers and coders may be raised so high, and focussed so narrow, it will stop a lot of abstract and creative talent getting involved.

So just be careful what you wish for.

Emulation has been something I’ve been interested in for years… getting super excited about trying to run Sega Megadrive games on a 7200/90 PowerMac when I first learned about emulation. This was all quickly killed by the frustration of seeing the game stutter and jerk about like about like a bad strobe attack.

It took many years for things to improve, but even then I felt cheated, using a £1,200 laptop to play a 20 year old game that I had in the attic that would run without the problems… but with recent handhelds, thankfully, there’s been a better way.

I have a PSP with hacked firmware so I don’t need to carry about 6-7 UMDs with me when travelling to Spain, and have tried the Megadrive emulator, PicoDrive on that. Works ok, but still stutters and jumps at times.

I tried a GamePark GP2X. Getting better, open source community was pretty good, lots of emulators, ran on two standard AA batteries, was about the same size as a PSP in overall dimensions, looked and felt a bit cheap to be honest. Also only used a 2GB SD card, so it got cramped on there quick.

The GP2X was second in a series of small, portable, open source software powered PMPs, or Personal Media Player (I think), which has originated in the East in places like China and Korea. Following the GP2X was the Wiz and Dingoo, aiming to improve on the hardware and offering more options for media consumption.

After reading a lot of reviews, forums and watching of YouTube videos, I went for a Dingoo. As standard, it comes with 4GB built in memory, and a microSD slot, of which I’ve got a 2GB card in currently. It packs a 2.8″ screen, FM Radio, headphone socket, video out, standard button set up of 4 directions and 4 buttons, plus start/select and shoulder buttons, so it’s gagging for some SNES action.

The form factor is great, a nice small slab of plastic. Battery life is amazing, recharged by USB, and the unit doesn’t feel too cheap, they haven’t tried to be clever with the design. Flat face, available in black or white. Someone’s learning…

So onto the emulation. The standard pre-loaded emulators do a good job. Neo Geo, Megadrive, SNES and more are all available out of the box, you just need to add your own, legally owned, ROMs to via USB and you’re away. However, there’s been an amazing push by the open source hacking community to open the Dingoo up even further. This has lead to a whole Unix based OS, Dingux, that means a *lot* of emulators can be ported instantly. This is brilliant. For example, PicoDrive runs much faster, and doesn’t suffer from the same graphic tearing that the included Megadrive emulator does.

Yes, the Dingoo runs plenty of other emulators well, and I’ve played some of the JAMMA and Neo Geo games I used to own via MAME, but for me, I’m only really interested in Megadrive emulation at this moment, as that’s my favourite retro system, and the Dingoo seems made for it. Certainly saves me trekking to the loft and digging out the big plastic boxes containing all my old Megadrive games!

Looks like I have to make room for a permanent addition to the travel entourage!

I’ve just got back from a week in Spain, and this time, I didn’t take a netbook (as such).

About two weeks ago I got hold of a 13″ Macbook Pro, the new unibody enclosure laptop from Apple. I didn’t want another 15″ laptop as I ended up never taking it anywhere as it was so big. So when Apple finally dropped the 13″, I snapped it up.

Size is important. The 12″ G4 PowerBook was one of the best laptops Apple ever made. Fairly rugged (but bloody heavy!) it fit easily into a ruck sack and on your knees in confined places. It also didn’t feel like it’d snap if I bent over with it in a rucksack, unlike the old 15″ Macbook Pro I had!

The battery life is also excellent. Something I’d really liked about the Samsung was absurdly long battery times, so I suppose it’s a must have check-box now.

But what about the smaller screen res? Not that much of an issue to be honest, as I’ve kind of gotten used to the 10″ Samsung NC10 screen, and hey, if it matters so much when doing work, buy an external monitor!

The biggest benefit is that it just works, as you’d expect. I think I’ve had enough of titting about with limitations of the Hackintosh nature, and just want something reliable and… well, just Apple-like.

For the moment, the 13″ Macbook Pro is fantastic and I don’t think I’ll be spending too much time on the other netbooks, though the EEE is pretty much set up for wardriving and is great for that, sling it in the car and off we go!

I tossed out a question on Twitter that I’d been thinking about for a while.

What’s your favourite obsolete technology?

This had been playing on my mind for a bit, mostly from playing on the Sega Dreamcast, but also a stint on the original Tetris on an old Gameboy Pocket, but also thinking about my old Sony MiniDisc players, like the MD-R90, which I really miss.

I got some great answers from my mates, another MiniDisc lover, the ZX Spectrum, VHS porn (thanks Rob!) and a LaserDisc system for Dragon’s Lair!

Hello again.

Since I’ve lost the use of my MacBook Pro for a week or two, I’ve had to fall back to the NC10 for every evening use. Before now, whilst having used it for an hour here or there, but usually a lot less, I’d not really built up a great picture of how good this little laptop really is.

Yes, it’s been a bit of a wait for drivers to be written to support the NC10 specifics, but that really is the last 2%. I’ve been doing some web design front end work, running TextMate, Espresso, CSSEdit, Safari, Transmi, Firefox, iTunes (natch) and even Photoshop in the mix with great success.

Yes, the little laptop would be sweating it’s nuts off at times, having only 2GB and all those apps open. And yes, the screen is a little short (for a stormtrooper) but it wasn’t enough to *not* do any work. I’ve not even tried the virtual desktops of Spaces yet, as I like my workspace cluttered. If you could see my real desk right now you’d understand…

Since the drivers for the audio hardware and the new trackpad drivers have come out, the Samsung NC10 has become a very usable pretender to the Apple throne. For £300, I have a system I can work on if needed, listen to music, watch movies, wardrive with, email, socialise and surf with very few drawbacks.

No. No I won’t be using this for an extended period of time. I’ll get my MacBook Pro back and enjoy the screen real estate, as it usually sits on the desk and doesn’t move too far. But the NC10 has done brilliantly to step up to the plate. I’ll be taking it to Canada with me next week.

The long battery life means I can watch at least 2 films on the plane if the inflight ones are crap, plus I can wardrive from the airport to Guelph, then have a small laptop on hand should I need to do more while there. It’s turning into an essential little piece of kit!

Like most nerds, I need more hard drive space. Right now, I bet you need more drive space too. If you’re reading this blog, odds on you’re a nerd, and nerds can’t get enough drive space.

So over the years, I’ve collected a few USB external drives, two hanging off the back of the media centre Mac Mini, and the third out the Airport Extreme. 1.75TB. Three separate hard drives. Three separate power supplies. And I need more space…

Dammit, I don’t want to buy *another* USB drive and add it to the collection, and I don’t want to have to swap in a bigger drive and spend a few days doing the data shuffle and risk forgetting some really important data. So what’s a nerd to do?

Enter the Drobo.

The Drobo is a big black box, with a smooth black plastic face with a few coloured lights. It has four SATA/eSATA drive bays, and you simply plug and play. Bang in at least two drives, and Drobo automates the formatting/initialising, allowing you to choose your maximum “imaginary” drive size. The larger the drive size you choose, the longer Drobo takes to boot, so it’s bit of a trade off. I chose 8TB, room for four 2TB drives!

If you fear that the Drobo is running low on space, you can drop in another drive at any time, and Drobo will do the rest. If all four bays are full, just take out the smallest drive and slap in a bigger one. While the Drobo is on… and connected… and copying data… WTF!!?

Yes, the Drobo is the closest thing to digital magic I’ve witnessed in my many years as a geek. You can take out a drive at any time, and all your data is still there and accessible. Drobo does this so if a drive dies, or is on it’s way out, you can swap in a new one and you don’t lose anything. The online demo will do it more justice than I can.

The data security is massive plus point for me, as I now have GBs of data I really can’t afford to lose. A full NIN lossless discography, lots of rare Cable demos and unreleased tracks… and err, pics of my first born and stuff.

Performance wise, I’m using it for storage rather than speed-intensive tasks. Having said that, iTunes runs fine and movies stream in Front Row and Boxee without a hitch. I’m using USB2 at the moment, as the Mac Mini doesn’t have a FW800 port. I have a FW400->FW800 lead, but am unsure if there will be a speed bump. While copying from one external USB to the Drobo, I was getting a sustained write speed of 20MB/sec, pretty sure that’s sufficient for most uses.

The drive is pretty quiet too. Though there is a belting big fan at he back, it doesn’t spin up often and the unit is well damped, with solid rubber feet and a good weight to it all.

So the Drobo’s replaced three external drives, and I found myself scoping out new drives and cannabalising USB drives to rip out the innards and feed the Drobo. The Drobo demanded more drive space!

The Drobo is a bit of an outlay, especially when you might have to buy new drives at the same time, but ultimately, I would pay anything to get back some of my data that the Drobo should now keep safe.

After Christmas, I spent two and a half weeks in Spain with my wife’s family. Having done this many a time, and having taken many different laptops with me, I generally know what I need from a laptop to keep me semi-sane.

One of the best laptops I’d taken in the past was the 12″ PowerBook, and believe me, if Apple made an Intel netbook approaching this small footprint form factor, I’d have one. But alas, that’s a different blog post waiting to happen. However, the 15″ MacBook Pro was a pain in the ass. No desk space to keep it on, unwieldly in size (even fearing warping it when bending over with it in a rucksack) and a battery boasting about 2 hrs, it was a little too much.

In the summer of 2008 I took my Asus EEE 701, running Linux Mint. The little machine was great. Durable, good battery etc, but after a week or so of it being my only computer, the small 7″ screen and cramped keyboard were starting to tell.

This Christmas, I took the Samsung NC10 with OSX installed. I did have a Linux Mint install on a 20GB partition, as a fall back in case I found some weirdness with the OSX86 install, but I’m really happy to report the NC10 was near perfect.

Battery life is incredible. When the battery menu bar indicator turned red, it meant I had over an hour left…whu!? The screen was big enough to play games and watch movies on, and the keyboard, while having one or two keys in odd positions, was really good, no cramping or anything.

Being a long time user of OSX, since the public beta, I know a mac inside out, and feel more at ease than using Linux of any flavour, despite how good Ubuntu/Linux Mint have become. OS X ran sweetly on the NC10, starting up in about 40 seconds and shutting down in less than 5, quicker than my MacBook Pro can wake and sleep, made power management a non-issue.

The only thing still missing is the ability to switch audio output to headphones, but that is very close to being completed apparently… which will make the little NC10 an absolute must for any OSX fans after a netbook.

So I’m due to go on holiday again soon, and while the Asus was excellent for my last trips to Spain, the cramped keyboard and small screen made it a bit painful as an only computer.

Looking to upgrade to something with a bigger screen, I started doing my hacker homework and searching for a netbook that’d run OSX pretty well. A lot of googling later, and the Samsung NC10 was a prime candidate.

Thanks to the hard work and patient instructions from a poster called Mysticus C* over on the InsanelyMac forums, he’s provided instructions, tools and ongoing updates to shoe-horn OSX on the NC10. And it’s bloody brilliant!

Installation isn’t too difficult, I use a £14 Xbox HD-DVD as a USB drive, which makes installing this and Ubuntu/Linux Mint a breeze, then using the supplied tools you can patch OSX up to 10.5.5 (Apparently the 10.5.6 update works too, if you re-run the patcher app from Bike Town). The system boots up *very* quickly, miles quicker than my MacBook Pro. The drivers for the screen are correct, running at 1024×600, USB devices work ok, the webcam is fine, swapping the Mini PCI-e card for a Dell 1390 makes the Airport work a treat.

There are a few problems at the moment. The headphone socket and microphones (internal and socket) aren’t recognised, but there’s a hack to switch outputs, and a lot of work is being done on these at the moment by the guys on the forums.

Sleep with a power lead attached doesn’t work yet, works ok on battery power though. This isn’t really a massive problem, as the system boots and shuts down sooo quickly, sleeping isn’t a big loss, but it’ll be nice to have it fixed.

At the moment the machine is partition to dual boot OSX and Linux Mint and I’m pleased to report that at no point did this netbook boot into Windows ;)

The Samsung NC10 is a great little laptop, nice big keyboard and screen and only an inch or so wider than the Asus 701. The battery life is excellent, 160GB drive, and of course it’s running OSX. Having Front Row while on an airplane to keep Eloy happy will be brilliant!

Apple, I’d much rather give you my money for a small form-factor netbook, but for the moment this’ll do, and do well.