In praise of the flash drive

My latest enjoyment comes from the digital combination of Firefox Portable, flash drives to run it from, and browserables. By browserables, I mean Gmail (and all of it's offshoots), Pandora, Hulu, etc... Browserables are what makes the web browser probably the most powerful piece of software ever written.

From my flash stick and my Firefox Portable 3.1 Beta 2 I can stay entertained with music, video, things to read.

Moving on - mobile news is also getting my attention lately. On my iPod Touch I use The USA Today app, The NY Times app (SLOW TO UPDATE!) and I download NBC Nightly News video podcast, Common Sense with Dan Carlin, Hardcore History with Dan Carlin, NPR's Most Emailed Stories, BBC's Newspod, and The Dawn and Drew Show.

Thought for Apple and others - a way to subscribe to a show for free (with commercials or whatever) that deletes itself after a specified time. Allows for both portable viewing and the ability for the show to sell itself later.

I wish there were a way to cheaply (ie - free) download The Colbert Report and The Daily Show. I know - hulu (the links I put here) has them, but I am talking for the iPod Touch. I WANT A HULU PLAYER FOR THE TOUCH!

The NY Times also has a reader - I used the 30 day trial version about a year ago and liked (except for the $14.99 a month fee for after the 30 days). They now offer that reader in a limited edition for free. same thing, but limiting the content a bit. I like - loaded onto the laptop. Wish there was a way to load it onto my flash drive.

Again with the Random

The image to the left is done by my son - a part of a project he is working on. It is a fairly faithful representation of our local county library. I went to the library today to try to hook up to their wifi, just to do it. I figured I'd download some video podcasts on their fat pipe. Unfortunately, the pipe wasn't that fat. Thanks to the boy for letting me use his art.

I have been getting into Pandora allot lately. I have the iPod Touch app for Pandora loaded, and I sometimes bring it up on the computer, as well. I love how it plays music similar to the "seeds" you give it. Wish there was a way to listen to it all the time... I can listen around the house and out in the yard while walking Homer. Very enjoyable. Especially the bluegrass.

Bought the Wikipanion+ app for the Touch. I was using the free one, but this allows saving pages to read later (if I ever figure it out).

Getting into the buddies (store brands) more and more at the store. Going to try some beans tonight with some sausage dogs and potato salad. Should be good.

Bought a 20oz reusable "shaker" bottle with the intent to use it with those little packets of sugar free powdered drinks. Lets see if I keep with it. I hate buying drinks at work - can't get 20oz at the store and when you make the powders with a smaller bottle they suk.

Ender

Reading the Ender series by Orson Scott Card. Cool, so far.

The iBlogger app is cool. In a future update I should be able to add pics.

Girlscout cookies are in. Mmmm.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

Rockin...

The Solomon Burke - "Don't Give Up On Me"...

OLPC and the Touch

There is a billboard in town that advertises Amazon's One Laptop Per Child Give One Get One store. Cool.

Yesterday I went wild on the iTunes App Store - nailed iBlogger (a blog app - used it in the last post), RSS Player (an RSS based podcast downloader with subscriptions instead of having to download each individual podcast), and iChess (a cheap chess game - I suk at chess, but I like playing it). Noticed MANY of the apps are dropping in price or on sale - if you are looking for apps you might want to keep checking back, as prices change.

Looking for good podcasts now. So far, I like NBC Nightly News (video), Diggnation (video), BBC's Newspod (audio), NPR's Most Emailed Stories (audio), The Dawn and Drew Show (mixed audio and video), and This American Life (audio). It's cool to be able to just check for new podcasts and then download them. MUCH easier, and no computer required. I figure when I get up in the AM I can get things downloading (while hooked up to power, still) and then when I get done I everything will be loaded up and ready to roll.

I posted earlier about adding a few online goodies to my cellphone - and subsequently killing them a short time later because they weren't that cool. Anywho, since that time I noticed my battery doesn't last long and every now and again I get a "data transferring" icon and if I go to "data calls" it keeps dialing up a three digit number and transferring anywhere from 8 to 14 kb of data every 3 or 4 hours. Hmmm... Talked with the cell phone support people and then deleted the apps from the phone. It stopped. Also seems faster, as I killed some that were already on the thing. Here's hoping I don't get a honking huge cell bill from that.

The daughter and her crowd was here over the weekend, so we enjoyed some grandkids and the like - they brought some battery powered 4 wheelers, which was fun watching the little one roll. His had knobby tires and he took it through the remnants of my father-in-law's garden. Didn't get stuck, either. They also had some Lincoln Logs - I sorta built a barn with the oldest grandkid. Good times.

From the iPod Touch

No pic posts from this app, but nailed iBlogger and am posting with it. Cool app so far. Also nailed RSS Player, which allows you to download RSS feeds of podcasts and the like by subscription, and then check for and download new all at once and then play them. Working well.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

Strumming...

Had an AWESOME conversation with the oldest sister tonight, and enjoyed much. Also drank a 12 pack of Milwaukee's Best Ice, so could be feeling that. Live in the RFN, ya'll!

On the reruns of One Tree Hill available on Soap Net it looks like shit gets interesting... I only saw season 1 and allot of the later stuff is big-deep into relationship issues that I haven't seen yet.

Ripping The OC to iPod and enjoying immensely.

Had chikin on the grill tonight and enjoyed it. Ribs tomorrow, sir - and things are as they are.

3D - It Still Suks...

...Just not as bad as it used to. This is Homer wearing his 3D glasses for the 3D episode of Chuck that aired tonight. If you missed it they will have it online. I liked it, but could honestly only handle the glasses for about the first 25 minutes of the show (and I was even zipping through the commercials - gotta love a DVR!). Homie wore his throughout. Then he licked his feet for awhile.