Sirius vs XM – What one to choose?
Feb 6th
So I have recently took the plunge into satellite radio. What tempted me was my love for gadgets and impulse buying (not the two best things to have when working in a retail store 
). So I ended up picking up an XM onyx because of the price and color display. I got home and installed the antenna and then attempted to mount the Onyx on my dashboard. Now they give you a “vent mount” and a stick on “dash mount”. Neither worked well on my dash. My vents are round and my dash is curved. So anyways I finally find a way to mount it and get it all hooked up. The sound quality is crystal clear and all the frequencies are there. I am hooked instantly. The content they offer and the quality of the audio is great!
I later am reading online and come to find that Sirius makes a add-on for my JVC KD-S100 head-unit. So I pickup one off eBay for about $45. The first one I get was DOA but the supplier had one out to me the next day. So I get it all installed and call XM. Lo and behold that even though that the Sirius AND XM logos are on the boxes for the tuner AND the programming is practically the same the satellites and companies are separate. So no biggie. I close my XM account and call Sirius and set theirs up. The XM account support was terrible. I was very nice to them and up front just telling them that I was going from a dash unit to a add-on. They were VERY pushy to try and keep my account open. I called Sirius and they had me up and running in less than 5 minutes. They were very polite and not pushy about what plan I was getting. I knew what I wanted and they offered one and when I declined they didn’t keep asking.
I’ve had the Sirius installed for a month now and I am quite happy with it. The sound quality is great and the programming is still entertaining. I have thought of replacing the satellite signal with the Sirius XM streaming app on my iPhone but I was using it for a week in my van while my Vibe was in the garage drying the tints.
During that week the streaming music quality would start off ok and then drop off to nothing at random. After using it for a week I decided to stick with the dedicated satellite signal.
So basically if you like high quality music and commercial free radio and have $10 a month to spare then check out Sirius radio!
StarTech.com making cheap made in china parts expensive
Feb 3rd
If working in retail has taught me anything it is that presentation is everything. For example we carry a brand called “Sabrent” and a more known brand called “Vantec”. I am going to use a PCI SATA/eSATA card as an example. The generic “Sabrent” brand costs about $14.99 where the “Vantec” that has 1 LESS port costs about $24.99. Why is that? Well one they both have the SAME chipset. Secondly the packaging looks better on the Vantec brand. Because of this a consumer feels better and is under the assumption that they are getting a better quality when in fact its the same thing.
What got me to write this article was that a friend of mien was trying to tell me that StarTech.com is the best thing since sliced bread. Well below I have the SAME EXACT product from StarTech.com and from NewEgg.com. Both have the same chipset and even have the same PCB. I took these screenshots at 3:30pm on 2/3/2010 CST. Have a look for yourself.
If you have shopped at NewEgg.com you would know that Rosewill is NewEgg’s “house” brand (think of BestBuy’s Dynex or CompUSA’s Ultra). They are basically cheaply made products from China that they buy for next to nothing and then slap their label on them. What does this have to do with StarTech.com? Everything! That is their WHOLE business. All they do is buy up cheap products from China and brand them to hell. They make very pretty packaging for the product and even printed CD’s. When you buy from them all you are paying for is markup. If you have been online for more than a month you probably have heard of eBay or NewEgg. I don’t get the hype about StarTech.com but I guess I just know better and now you do too.
Overview of Vibe Supercharger Project
Feb 2nd
UPDATE: This has been canceled/suspended due to issues locating parts (as the article says). I am just going to add racing headers and leave it for now. I may revisit the project at a later time.
I own a 2005 Pontiac Vibe that I purchased last year at the end of June 2009. I have since added a Cosmo CAI and a Magnaflow Exhaust system. My next thing to do is install the TRD Supercharger and an aftermarket ECU to tune the car once the supercharger is installed. The only problem is that Toyota stopped producing the Supercharger and the 2005 Vibe has a drive by wire throttle system whereas the 2003-2004’s came with a cable controlled throttle. So here is what I am going to need to complete this project:
TRD Supercharger Blower ◄
5th Injector for TRD SC ◄
G-Reddy Emanage ◄
Boomslang Harness ◄
Wideband Air/Fuel Gauge ◄
Boost Gauge ◄
Throttle-body Adapter Plate
Optional:
Aftermarket Header
So the things on the list with the “◄” next to them I have already located them. I found out that because of the difference in the mounting of the throttle-body between the 2003-2004 and the 2005-2008 makes it impossible to directly mount the 2005-2008 throttle-body to the supercharger without an adapter. The only problem is that the guy who used to custom make them is nowhere to be found and the few people who do have them are not willing to give them up. So I am trying to figure out how to make one or possibly modify a throttle-body spacer to work. Until then the project is on hold.
Why Windows 7 seems far better than Vista
Jan 29th
There has been much buzz about the new Windows 7 Operating System from Microsoft not only in the tech community but also the general public. IT is supposed to be the “holy grail” of Windows operating systems and is supposed to remedy all the issues that Windows Vista was plagued with. Windows 7 comes with a few new visual effects and enhancements that Windows Vista didn’t have. Most of the features are designed to enhance productivity such as the window snapping at the top and sides of the screen and a better management of multiple windows open within the same programs. The kernel has some modifications to enhance stability and performance. All in all due to Microsoft’s ad campaigns the launch of Windows 7 was pretty widely accepted.
Every day I still hear horror stories and complaints about Windows Vista with it being slow, buggy, and unstable. Granted when Windows XP came out it was very unstable and the Windows 2000 fan-boys swore to stick to their OS just like the Windows XP fan-boys stuck to their OS when Windows Vista came out. But no one remembers the failure of Windows XP when it was first released like when Windows Vista was released. This could be due to Apple’s snide and spiteful ad campaigns or just bad press in general but the fact of the matter is that Windows 7 had a huge head start on Vista.
One of the major complaints that people had with Windows Vista was the hardware support. When Joe average computer user went to buy a new computer that came pre-loaded with Windows Vista instead of Windows XP he found that his printer and scanner from 1994 did not work with the modern operating system. So instead of blaming the manufacturers of the products they immediately blamed it on the operating system itself.
Now Windows Vista has been out for almost 4 years already. Most people don’t realize that. The good thing that came
out of Vista being released in 32bit and 64bit is that it pushed hardware and software manufacturers to start releasing support (like drivers and patches) for the 64bit operating systems. Now since the NT7 kernel that Windows 7 is based on has a very similar hardware stack that Vista’s NT6 kernel has most of the drivers that were designed to run on Windows Vista ran and installed fine on Windows 7. This made Windows 7 seem like it had better hardware support than Vista due to the legwork that manufacturers had already done because of Vista’s launch 4 years ago.
I am not saying that Windows 7 is not a better operating system than Windows Vista because it is better. Windows 7 scales far better on lower end computer systems such as net-books or that Pentium 4 computer that grandma and grandpa have. This is due to the major kernel and feature overhaul that went on with Windows 7. If you remember shortly, lets say 6 months, after Windows Vista was released there was already talk of Windows 7 coming out in a few years. Microsoft better prepared and tested Windows 7 since they had the buffer time of the Windows Vista lifetime.
I personally have no problems with Vista. It could also have something to do with making sure my systems are fully stacked with powerful CPU’s and plenty of RAM to run the most unruly of operating systems. I have since converted both my systems to Windows 7 and don’t miss Vista that much since 7 is a little bit faster but then again I thought the same about Vista. 
Computers and the “Magic” Behind them
Jan 29th
If you ask the average person about their computer and what it does they will probably respond with something like it lets me talk to my friends or go on the internet. All that they know is they push the power button and the screen displays what they want to see. They don’t know how it happens or why. They just know that every time they push that button it does it. Some people may even go as far to say that it’s “magic”. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
A computer is a rather simple device. A computers primary job is to accept input from the user and output the results. Computers are really quite stupid in comparison to humans. As a human we have this thing called free will. We have the ability to make our own decisions, good or bad. Just because someone tells us to do something we can respond one of two ways. We can either honor the request and carry it out or just outright refuse it. Computers do not have this ability. They do whatever the user tells them to do. When you type in a website into your web browser someone somewhere has programmed that web browser to accept certain parameters and behave accordingly.
The biggest thing that annoys myself about the average computer user is that they blame everything that goes wrong on the computer itself. It never occurs to them that the problem is usually caused by poorly written software (Ex: Windows ) or user error (usually is the problem). So next time you think that your computer is the one causing all the issues just remember that it’s usually a PEBKAC issue.
iPhone 3G vs 3GS. Is it worth it?
Jan 27th
Back in October 2008 I took the plunge and purchased a 16GB Black iPhone 3G. I had some extra money and was getting tired of my AT&T Tilt and its many quirks that Windows Mobile 6.0 gave it. I was quite content with the features and portability of the iPhone 3G until a friend of mine was getting rid of his White 16GB 3GS for a very reasonable price so I figured why not? I couldn’t see paying full price for a little more speed and a compass or would I?
I primarily use my iPhone for making phone calls, texting, tweeting, watching videos, streaming music, appointments, and the occasional game or two. I do have the phone jailbroken so that I can tether, use themes, IRealSMS, and this nice app called SBSettings.
So I got the 3GS home and promptly did a backup of my 3G to my laptop and then restored the 3GS with my 3G backup. After the backup finished I jailbroke the 3GS and installed my jailbroken apps. The first thing that I noticed is the speed. With a slightly faster CPU and twice the amount of ram the 3GS has a clear gain over the 3G. Everything from loading my contact list to browsing the web on MobileSafari was blazing fast. My tethering bandwidth was even faster on the 3GS. I used to average about 200KB/s to 250KB/s at my house with the 3G. With the 3GS I was now pushing 400KB/s to 450KB/s. There was also a noticable speed boost in packet transfer. I was able to finally play Left 4 Dead on my laptop using my iPhone for the internet connection.
Aside from the speed boost there is also the compass. Now one might first think “big deal a compass”. The default compass app isn’t anything special but the developers of AppStore apps have done some really cool things with the compass and the accelerometer. For example the “UrbanSpoon” application has a cool feature called “Scope” where you can point the phone in a direction and you see where food places are on the screen through your camera. You can then tap on one to select it.
All in all the 3GS is a welcome improvement over the 3G and if you are getting one under contract it is a much better deal than the 3G was. I paid $300 for my 16GB 3G in October 2008. Now you can get the 16GB 3GS for a measly $200 under contract with AT&T. Just a note the cell service was the same between the 3G and 3GS. I still get a dropped call every now and then but it’s because how the iPhone handles going from a 3G cell tower to Edge towers. Can you fix that soon Apple? Please?
Is it worth the upgrade from the 3G to the 3GS? If you can get it for under $300 I would say yes. If its more than that and you want to save some coin then just keep on using your 3G.
Thoughts on Apple’s iPad
Jan 27th
So today Apple announced their “iPad”. It is the next generation tablet PC from Apple. There have been rumors circulating around the internet for a few years now on Apple releasing a Tablet type computer. Personally I see it as pointless as its pretty big with its 9.7″ touchscreen. It is basically an overly glorified iPod Touch or iPhone. The prices are far more than a netbook with the entry level 16GB version with Wifi starting at $499 and if you want 3G data capability then it will run you another $130 on top of the $499. If that wasn’t bad enough the 32GB is $599 and the 64GB is $699 for the Wifi only versions and again 3G data capability is another $130 on top of the regular price tag.
There are some nice features like its beautiful LED display and the fact that it can run iPhone and iTouch applications right out of the box. It has a proprietary Apple A4 1GHZ CPU. Apple is claiming a 10 hour battery life even when playing back video. There is also Bluetooth, Speaker, Wifi, Microphone, Compass, Accelerometer and a proprietary 30 pin dock connector.
Personally I think that the iPad is a waste of money. You can get a netbook that is far more powerful for about $150 less than the entry level iPad. Don’t expect to see me with one of these any time soon.
Hello world!
Dec 4th
As you might have noticed my site looks and feels a little different. This is because I am now using Wordpress to power my blog instead of Drupal. I will be adding more content in the coming weeks.
~Tim
