Category Archives: Gadgets

Suboptimal iPhone “Sync” and “Back Up”

Posted on August 16, 2008 by Eric

Over the past week I purchased several iPhone applications through the App Store, including Super Monkey Ball, a Rotary Dialer, and a few others.  I also downloaded some free applications. Today I connected the iPhone to the Mac Mini for … Continue reading →

Posted in Gadgets, Mac OS X, The Suboptimal Way | 3 Comments

Suboptimal Retail Experience — Apple iPhone 3G Sales Tax Overcharge

Posted on August 10, 2008 by Eric

I went to the Apple store at Valley Fair mall in Santa Clara CA yesterday afternoon to get an iPhone 3G. My mother paid for half of it as my graduation present. Only after I got home did I discover … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer satisfaction, Gadgets, Hardware, Taxes, The Suboptimal Way | 16 Comments

AT&T doublespeak

Posted on July 11, 2008 by Eric

The local AT&T stores sold out of the iPhone 3G by around 9 AM. The salespeople are telling customers that they can order and pay for an iPhone today, and they will get it by “direct fulfillment”, which they explain … Continue reading →

Posted in Customer satisfaction, Gadgets, Hardware | Leave a comment

Dealing with suboptimal urban wildlife

Posted on May 22, 2008 by Eric

The birds nesting in the trees near my bedroom window wake me up earlier than I’d like in the morning, and at night they keep me awake, singing past 2 AM. I’ve taken to sleeping with earplugs, but then my … Continue reading →

Posted in Gadgets, Health, The Suboptimal Way | 1 Comment

Sorry, your world won’t be delivered today

Posted on January 31, 2008 by Eric

AT&T’s EDGE network is down in the midwest U.S. today.  They seem to think that it might be back today, or might take until February 5. In the old days, back when there was just The Phone Company, they maintained … Continue reading →

Posted in Blog/website/news comments, Computing, Gadgets | Leave a comment

Sony tells it like it is

Posted on October 2, 2007 by Eric

If you buy a Sony PRS-500 Portable Reader System (PRS-500), you can get 100 classic books “free” as ebooks. These are books that are in the public domain, so Sony doesn’t have to pay royalties on them, though Sony slaps … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Gadgets, Legal & Political | 2 Comments

Yellow wind-up car seen on Lawrence Expressway

Posted on May 26, 2007 by Eric

A few weeks ago in Sunnyvale, I was stopped at a traffic light on Lawrence Expressway, and slightly ahead of me in the next lane to the right was a small yellow car. It had a giant wind-up key sticking … Continue reading →

Posted in Gadgets | 1 Comment

Speaking of nerdgasms…

Posted on April 28, 2007 by Eric

I bought my mother a Canon PowerShot A460 camera, and she really likes it.  It’s a fairly compact 5 megapixel camera, and quite inexpensive. I’ve had a PowerShot G2 for about five years now, and it’s about time to replace … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Gadgets | Leave a comment

Nerdgasm

Posted on April 27, 2007 by Eric

nerdgasm /nûrd-gasm/, noun, a feeling of euphoria brought on by exposure to a new piece of tech gear or software. Seen in Boing Boing post by Cory Doctorow, referring to student reactions to the Neuros OSD set-top box: I’ve had … Continue reading →

Posted in Gadgets, Portmanteaus, Neologisms, and Sniglets | Leave a comment

Just when you think you’ve seen everything…

Posted on February 27, 2007 by Eric

Someone invents this. Charles H. Duell, commissioner of patents in 1899, is apparently misquoted as having said that “everything that could be invented has been invented.” However, maybe everything that should be invented already has been.

Posted in Blog/website/news comments, Gadgets | Leave a comment