netwalker.nl

Sebastian Krauss has been working on a small remote control utility for iTunes using a Bluetooth connection and a mobile phone. The program is called Harald, which might seem unusual but it makes sense, since it is not only my first name but also the first name of a Danish and Norwegian King – Harald Bluetooth Gormson. Harald is a client/server application. The client is a small (60kb) java application for your mobile phone and will probably run on most phones with java support. I tried it with my Nokia N70 and most of the functions worked fine. Harald requires at least Mac OS 10.4 or higher and a mobile phone which supports MIDP2 as well as JSR82. The current release 0.4 0.4.1. is still very experimental (I had a kernel panic when I tried it out) and not ready for release on sites like Versiontracker and MacUpdate. Sebastian’s web-page is only available in German but the application is works in English, so just click on the Harald download link, unpack the zip file and start the application.

A similar, well known and established program with support for more applications (EyeTV, VLC, Keynote,…), which also runs on Windows, is Salling Clicker.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(0)

On Sunday I went to Amsterdam to take pictures at the Summer Breeze Latin Festival 2006 in Amsterdam, a yearly festival at the Openluchttheater in the Vondelpark.

This was the first time I used the Nikon D200 at an event like this. The Nikkor AF-S DX 18-200mm lens turned out to be great for this occasion, allowing both detailed close-up shots as well as wide-angle scenes of the crowd and stage. In total I shot more than 550 images and for the first time ran out of battery close to the end because I used the internal flash as fill-in very often. Next time I will use my external Metz flash and I also bought a 2nd Nikon battery today.

Summer Breeze Latin Festival 2006 images @ Flickr

Technorati Tags: latin, music, vondelpark

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(0)

Yesterday, Slimdevices indroduced a rack-sized network music player that includes professional quality connectors and front-panel controls, aimed at the high-end audio community.

Feel Your Music—The new TransNav™ controller uses dynamic tactile feedback to provide fast access to any song even in the largest music collection. The sleek, backlit, infrared remote and dual fluorescent displays make it easy to use from anywhere in the room.

Quality Connectors—Transporter’s back panel features a complete set of professional-grade connectors, including both balanced and unbalanced signals for its analog and digital interfaces.

Astounding Analog—The AK4396 “Miracle DAC” was chosen for its high dynamic range and low distortion. Its low out-of-band noise allows for the use of low-order output filters with higher cutoffs, resulting in preservation of phase and reduced distortion in the audible band. This extraordinary accuracy at higher frequencies allows Transporter to resolve the exact staging of instruments and the finest details of any recording. In addition, Transporter’s digital inputs allow its built-in DAC to be used with other sources.

Accurate Digital—Transporter’s digital path is not only “bit perfect”, but also extremely accurate in timing precision. Clock signals in Transporter are handled not as ones and zeroes, but as precision analog signals. Specialized crystal oscillators, careful clock management, and linear-regulated logic supplies ensure the lowest possible jitter throughout the system.

Clean Power—Transporter’s DAC and output amplifiers are powered by Super Regulators, based on the legendary design by Walt Jung. These regulators offer lower output impedance, faster response, and better noise rejection than standard three-terminal regulators. The result is an incredibly natural sound, with a pitch-black background and a shocking level of detail.

Full specs

The price of $1999.00 includes a regular 3rd generation Squeezebox.

For years I have been using a Squeezebox (1st and 2nd generation) at home and I am pleased to see this new device from Slimdevices. There are now many cheap network music players on the market and Slimdevices as a small company won’t be able to compete with large manufacturers like Linksys, so it looks like a clever move to target this new player at the high end market.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(0)

The EFF proudly presents:

Hollywood wants Congress to give it new super powers over your TV, radio, and computer. Find out more in this animation, and write to stop the Broadcast Flag, Audio Flag, and Analog Hole laws.

If the EFF server is too slow, you can also download the files directly from this archive.org server:
The_Corruptibles-xvid.avi
The_Corruptibles.m4v
The_Corruptibles.swf

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(0)

The settlement process has begun in EFF’s class action lawsuit
against Sony BMG for the flawed digital rights management (DRM)
that Sony BMG released in millions of CDs over the last several years.
Music fans who bought the affected CDs can submit claims for clean music.
Many customers are also eligible for extra downloads or a small cash settlement.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(0)

Via flickr I found this blog and a posting about a hilarious video.

Metal mayhem hilarious 1-minute video

This is hilarious and will only take a minute. VIDEO LINK
This clip was extracted from a concert video of Exodus, Slayer and Venom terrorizing disco club Studio 54.

Technorati Tags: music, humor

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(0)

I got my iPod Photo 60GB today. In an act of desperation (dead iPod Mini, dead external Seagate 2.5″ drive) I needed a replacement for both and since the new H&B CA-5555i car mp3 receiver seems to connect well with iPods, I decided to order one of the last iPod Photos. I didn’t want the newer iPod Video, which is much more expensive. I don’t have any interest in the video function. The photo capabilities of the iPod Photo on the other hand can be useful, so I also bought the iPod Camera Connector, so that I can empty some of our digital cameras if needed. I tried it with our Canon EOS 350D and it worked flawlessly. The FujiFilm S2Pro is unfortunately not being supported.
Strange is only the plug of the power supply which absolutely does not fit into our outlets here in the Netherlands – because it is a UK plug. Don’t understand, why a Dutch dealer is selling it like this but luckily I can use my old iPod Mini power supply and cables (including the firewire cable!), as well as the AC plugs from our PowerBooks (just the plug, not the power supply!).

Technorati Tags: ipod, apple

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(2)

Do you use the Apple iTunes Music Store and did you actually read the terms and conditions? I did and they are one reason why I am not using the iTMS. Now a Norwegian consumer rights organizations filed a complaint regarding the terms of service.

When you purchase music from iTunes they give themselves the right to single-handedly change your rights at any given later date. For this and other reasons the Consumer Council of Norway has delivered a formal complaint to the Consumer Ombudsman where we ask them to look into several violations of The Marketing Control Act.

Technorati Tags: apple, drm, iTunes

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(0)

Netlabelism is a new website by MUP dedicated to netlabels. Their main goal is to promote netlabels and the music they offer under the Creative commens license via 2 top 25 (weekly updated), parties, radio and concerts. MUP is a Belgian non-profit organisation, based in Leuven.

Technorati Tags: netlabel

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Comments(0)