Uncategorized – Official TechtalkRadio Blog

make your own shirts…well, almost

S!ick — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 13:54:22 +0000

I’ve always been a slim guy…at least I think so. I don’t remember “off-the-rack” shirts ever fitting perfectly: they have always seemed to be too large around the torso and waist. The closest I have come is, when I lived in Denver, I invested in a bunch of shirts from the Brooks Brothers store that was there.

“Blank Label is empowering you to co-create your own dress shirt. Forget about shopping at your local retail stores to buy a dress shirt…that fits like a parachute…”

You have my attention…

“Customize the collar, cuff, placket, pockets, shoulders, buttons and more on your personalized dress shirt. Individualize it with a personalized monogram or a custom label…

“Make it a slim fit dress shirt meant to be untucked for Friday nights out, or a fitted dress shirt long enough to be tucked in for a serious day at work…make it your own. Designed by you, stitched by us.”

(That’s a good line: “Designed by you, stitched by us”…)

Some of their Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

“There are 100% cotton fabrics as well as polyester cotton blends, ranging from broadcloth, poplin, pinpoint and oxford.

“…All our dress shirts are individually made for you so we can pretty much do anything with it that you want, including making short sleeves. On the Sizing Page of the Dress Shirt Application, on the bottom right, look for the ‘[5] Measurements’ box. Please just state there ‘Short Sleeve’.

“Find yourself a measure tape, watch instructional videos, make sure the tape is perfectly horizontally straight and you’re measuring at precisely the right positions…

“We don’t encourage self-measuring. There are too many variables that could go wrong with you measuring yourself.

“…we cannot make sizes bigger than XXL with a 18.5 collar and 37-38 sleeve…”

You design/”co-create” your shirt on their website. I was amazed at the options:
forty types of fabric
collar (complete contrast, inner lining)
cuff (sleeve, complete contrast, inner cuff, single or double button, french/cufflinks)
placket (standard, french, covered)
shoulders (complete contrast, military/epaulet, double strip, clean shoulder)
pocket (complete contrast, double flaps, single notch, no pockets)
buttons (blue, red, brown, black, lavendar, standard)
monogram (collar, pocket, cuffs)
label (collar, placket)

It’s fun just to design a shirt so you can play with all of the options. When you’re done, URLs can be provided for you to share the design and the shirt!

Danny Wong of Blank Label sent a package to me:

“…Here’s a shirt from my personal collection…

“I have included return shipping inside the bag…”

Oh, well…so much for my birthday present from him…

I’m impressed by the quality of the shirt…to my surprise, he customized the inside of his sleeves…and, it appears we have similar measurements…

(Oh, calm down everyone: I plan on returning his shirt. I “plan” on it…today, I plan on it…)

http://www.blank-label.com/

new PS3 news

S!ick — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 16:31:59 +0000

September 1st, a new system software update (version 3) will be available for the PlayStation 3 (via “System Update” on the XMB/XrossMediaBar). It will add screens for “What’s New” in the PlayStation Store, and recently played games on the XMB.

The price of the 80 GB PS3 is now $299, and the 160 GB version is $399 because…

The newest PS3 will be in stores September 1 for $299 with a 120 GB hard drive. Per Sony, “…users will not be able to install other Operating Systems to the new PS3 system”.

Some new titles upcoming (from SCE Worldwide Studios) are:
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
EyePet
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time
Heavy Rain
God of War 3
MAG
ModNation Racer
and Gran Turismo 5.

"Second Skin", movie review

S!ick — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 08:32:00 +0000

I was given an opportunity to review “Second Skin”…

“Second Skin takes an intimate look at three sets of computer gamers whose lives have been transformed by online virtual worlds…From individuals struggling with addiction to couples who have fallen in love without meeting; from disabled players…Second Skin opens viewers’ eyes to a phenomenon that may permanently change the way human beings interact.”

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(In regards to the production values of the movie: I’ve never played World of Warcraft, and EverQuest, so I must assume that the graphical representations that are displayed of the games in the movie are the same as it is when played on a computer and console.)

One of the first things that caught my attention was the statement that: in (real) life, we can be considered to begin our journey…if you will…with nothing of value. In a virtual life, it doesn’t need to be that way. And, similar to outsourcing a school report, there have been opportunities to gain credit for work someone else has done when it comes to gaming. “Gold farming” is examined. It’s where you hire someone to do the work that will strengthen and enhance your account within a game.

“Second Skin” explains why playing games can offer social possibilities. Especially for those who find it difficult to socialize. In life, we sometimes need to create an event which we can use to begin a relationship with someone. (I have always hated “dating”: I hate going to dinner and a movie for the only reason of spending time with someone. Some of the best times I’ve spent with a “date” have been when she was watching television, and I was relaxing and listening to music with my headphones on…doing what we want together, even if we’re not doing the same thing.) Games offer an opportunity to enter into a prepared scenario for interaction. And, it can be easier to “dump” someone you lose interest in…

Online, you can sometimes be who you want to be or wish you were: thinner, younger, male/female, etcetera. Doing so could help you offline, as it can give confidence from the experiences and practice in socializing.

In addition to accessing people and places that…for whatever reason…are out of reach, people can do things that they may never have an opportunity to. (I am reminded of simulation games that allow you fly airplanes and operate trains.) Through an avatar, those physically disabled can: go to dances, climb rocks, and participate in other things that they currently are unable to. In the movie we are introduced to a gamer and game developer who uses a wheelchair. Technology has, and can, remove barriers.

Another perspective considered is that, online, “the real you”…the person you are, but don’t show…could be displayed. In real life, people may consider you nice and peaceful…because you don’t break rules and violate laws. But, if you could get away with it, online you might behave differently. So when in a virtual world you allow your online persona to be the person you wish you were, and to do things you cannot in real life.

The online community is worldwide. And so are relationships. In my view, that means that the odds of being able to find someone with who you will be compatible with in some way (friendship and other) increase in your favor! So, this could be a good thing for those who aren’t like most…who aren’t like the norm. (Like me…)

Just a warning to heterosexual males: the movie states that the ratio of female gamers to male gamers…is 1 to 10.

Exclusive communities do exist, though. “The Syndicate” is one of them: “…The Syndicate is the most successful Virtual Community in the history of Online Gaming…we only actively recruit new members for our presences in two major MMOs which are the worlds of Ultima Online and World of Warcraft. The Syndicate isn’t just a guild…” That description does not do them justice. They seem “uppity”…”country-club uppitty”…

This movie does attempt to address issues from life to death. The story of one gamer involves his wife’s pregnancy, and their life after the birth of their children.

When covering the subject of video game addiction, there’s the story of a guy who was addicted to videogaming who committed suicide. But it seems that gaming alone did not contribute to his decision to commit suicide…it appears that he may have pursued an online relationship, and the person he was interested in was not interested in him. As happens in “real life”…

This movie reminded me of what I’ve been saying about other activities. People who are considered to have played video games too much, are very similar to those who watch hours and hours of television. I’ve never been able to understand those who appear to sit all day and all night, and watch ANYTHING that is on. Some of the gamers profiled in the movie were overweight, and I assume unhealthy. And I believe that a lot of “couch potatoes” are also. But, then again, with the majority of our national population gaining weight due to horrible diets, it might not just be gamers and television watchers.

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Watching “Second Skin” reminded me of similar documentary I had seen: “You Only Live Twice”…it was mostly about Second Life.

You can watch it at these links:

http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2007/s1873399.htm

and

http://www.sling.com/video/show/199064/11/You-Only-Live-Twice

Zoom: Handy Video/Audio Recorder Q3

Andy Taylor — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:48:00 +0000

ZOOM
Handy Video/Audio Recorder Q3

Is it really a handy audio and video recorder?

Well according to all reports and a review by the “GizWiz” it seems to work well enough for the price.

With this Q3 you should be able to do quick shooting with great stereo sound and descent video (640×480)with a digital zoom. For editiing is has a built in USB cord and also comes with a 2GB SD card (and will take up to a 32GB SDCH card.

Did I mention that it records in stereo! It has two condenser mics. These mics X/Y are directionals so that you can focus the mics on the sound sourse. It also has built in audio meters. You can also just record the audio without using the video side. and it all runs on two AA batteries.

Accessories include: windscreen, AV cable, soft carrying pouch, 2GB SD card and AA/LR6 trial batteries. Optional accessories are a Mic clip adaptor and an AC adaptor.

Snow Leopard Released

Andy Taylor — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 16:46:00 +0000

Snow Leopard Released

The latest in the Mac world – their new OS released.

From a few reports – it is nothing but basically a service pack.

From PCW – Snow Leopard Proves No Threat to Windows 7 – http://bit.ly/kzZJz

From Apple – The new Mac Os http://www.apple.com/macosx/

From CNNMoney: Snow Leopard’s low-key launch – http://bit.ly/Ygh9C

From All Things Digital: “Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard, the latest iteration of Apple’s operating system, arrived at market today–about a month earlier than originally anticipated. And while it doesn’t really deliver the GUI enhancements we’ve come to expect from Apple (AAPL) and some incompatibilities are riling people up” – http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090828/hello-kitty-a-snow-leopard-review-roundup/

Basically I watched Leo Laporte install a fresh copy of it and basically he stated that Apple really only release a service pack os called Snow Leopard.