Blog Post
Got a common document repository? Have it organised into a hierarchy? Here is my official list of words that you should never use for nodes in that hierarchy.
[Read more →]Getting Double-Blind
So in my discussion about headcycles I alluded to the possibility of detecting audio compression flaws with my fancy new equipment. By this I mean artifacts that are introduced as a result of the lossy process that squeezes audio into MP3s, AACs and so forth. I decided to conduct a double-blind test on myself to test that hypothesis.
[Read more →]Just Call 1-800-DONT-BLOG
Some timely and sensible comments from Peter Marks on Radio National breakfast this morning, concerning the 2Clix / Whirlpool stoush. He made the point that the best way for companies to respond to adverse criticism online is simply to engage in a discussion.
[Read more →]Strapping a Motorcycle to Your Head
A wise man once told me that he deliberately avoided cultivating expensive tastes, because they are ultimately unsatisfying unless you are uncommonly wealthy. I think this is probably good advice in general, and particularly good advice for cars, wine, cameras, and home A/V equipment. But for headphones, not so much. Sure, you get the urge to upgrade, but you won’t end up mortgaging your house to do so. Although you can of course go overboard if you want to, the point of diminishing returns can be reached relatively cheaply.
Dan likes to make the analogy with motorcycles. They perform better than cars, but at a fraction of the price. This is true also of headphones versus a full-blown home Hi-Fi system. However, unlike motorcycles, headphones are more practical than their full-priced competitors. You can even carry them around!
After mildly disagreeing with Dan, I'm going to spend the rest of the article quoting and linking to him. It's a net positive, really!
The only thing you really lose with the headphone experience is that whole-body listening sensation. You don’t get to feel that thump in your chest on really deep bass hits. Instead it’s all in your head. Which is by no means unpleasant, just slightly different to a live performance or even a good Hi-Fi system.
In case it’s not painfully obvious, this post is about headphones. It contains some recommendations and advice about specific types and models, but mainly the message I want to get across is that headphones are an inexpensive and invaluable conduit to musical satisfaction. For a few hundred measly bucks you can experience something close to musical perfection. Without even bothering the neighbours. (Although you can do that too, just by singing along…)
[Read more →]Pump Up The Pixel Density
Pixel density independence (or whatever it’s called) is not very prominent in the list of features touted for the upcoming Leopard operating system, but apparently it is coming. With Tiger we saw some signs of progress, and hopefully Apple will make it a reality with Leopard. I rate this a very important feature, one worthy of far more pimpage from Apple.
[Read more →]Will The Real Football Please Stand Up?
A recurring source of amusement is the number of sports whose followers all claim ownership to the term “football”. Wikipedia lumps them all together in one big, NPOV, article. As if they all had a legitimate claim to being called football. Naturally such neutrality will not stand.
[Read more →]Take My Notes. Please.
Oh yes, I’m writing a blog article about the importance of note taking. That’s right, note taking.
Why? It’s a skill that I have been working hard on recently, and so at meetings I often find myself the only person who is doing it. This article is an attempt to evangelise note taking, a possibly dying art amongst all you young whippersnappers with your fancy tablet PCs and your screencasts and whatnot. Why in my day …
[Read more →]Blog Tinkering
Some blog updates, the details of which will no doubt enthrall and excite very few of you.
[Read more →]Giving In To The Social Networking Craze
So with the change of job, I’m eager to keep in touch with all (well, some) of my former colleagues. In the past this has taken the form of sporadic individual emails of decreasing frequency. So, I’m experimenting with the latest craze, social networking sites. Some very early impressions follow.
[Read more →]Powered by Jekyll using an adaptation of the wordpress DePo Clean Theme 