Nextar Q4-04 GPS

“…4.3 inch display…A built in speaker to the rear…A map of the 50 U.S. States is included on a 2GB SD Card which must be installed to navigate…
“…The Battery Life on the Q4-04 will give users about 2 and a half hours of use with a fully charged battery…and can be recharged fully after about 3 and a half hours. A USB cable, Wall Charger and Car charger is included…”
The only way to know the status of the charge is to turn the unit on; there is no external indicator of the status of the battery.
“…included mounting cradle which can then attach with a snap in to a rubber glass connector mounting bracket or dashboard mount disc attached to the mounting bracket…a nice mesh pouch is included to protect the unit…

“…A slide On Off switch at the back of the unit…the ability to play MP3 and WMA audio off a SD card as well as a photo slide show off an SD Card…A headphone jack…pricing at under $150…”
A stylus that slips into the body of the unit is included…but it would fall out of the unit we had.
I wish it had a “notepad” function so I could use the stylus to make notes.

SteelSeries mousepads

There were very rare times in my life where I had come close to finding wonderful mousepads: fast, flat, and large enough for me. Some that were fast…that did not seem to force me to drag my mouse around…were not large enough and I would run out of mousepad before the cursor would get to where I wanted it to go.
For this review I am using a Logitech MX400 Performance Laser Mouse. (It is my inexpensive default mouse of choice.)
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15 x 11 inches
0.2 inches thick
After removing the mousepad from the packaging I was very surprised to find that it is stiff and flat. (I expected it to be as flexible as a piece of cloth.)
It has five different layers:
the bottom layer has small, soft, non-slip rubber elements…
the next layer is a hard, plastic compound to hold the shape of the mousepad…
the middle layer is soft rubber foam, to soften the experience of the mousepad…
plastic-coated cloth is on top of that…
followed by a thin plastic coating.
And, boy, is this mousepad fast! ‘Nuff said…it’s fast…very fast.
Though most other mousepads I’ve used don’t seem to have enough area, this one seems to be more than twice the width I need. I’m not complaining…
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Next I tried the SteelSeries SX.
It’s considered to be a “medium-sized” mousepad: 12.6 x 10.6 x 0.08 inches…
The rubber base absorbs noise and vibrations, and it’s made of fiber polished aluminum with an anodized oxide coating.
After removing this one from it’s packaging, I had that “Christmassy-like” feeling as I grunted with joy. This mousepad is metal, and the bottom is rubber. I imagine it will always be much slicker and faster than the 5L.
A polishing cloth is provided…and what appears to be feet that you can add to the bottom of a mouse (so it will slide better).
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The SteelSeries 4D measures 11 x 10 inches with a thickness of 0.04 inches, and is double-sided for low and high sensitivity gamers. It’s compatible with an optical, laser, and ball mouse.
A non-slip rubber base…as thin as netting (membrane thin, if you will)…is provided. Also included are feet that are attachable to a mouse.
When I opened the package, the thinness caught me off-guard…I wasn’t prepared for it to be “so much of nothing”.
I was worried that, because of its dimensions, there wouldn’t be enough mousepad for me to like…but I do: I have yet to run out of real estate.
And, it’s speedy side is just as fast as…if not faster than…the SX.
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There are many options in the QcK line…
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SteelSeries iron.lady QcK (pink)
SteelSeries iron.lady QcK heavy (white)
SteelSeries iron.lady QcK highlights:
– M-sized cloth mouse pad
– 11.6 x 8.3 x 0.08 inches
The iron.lady QcK is made of a high quality cloth material, providing a precise and consistent glide…The mouse pad is available in pink and white and features iron.lady branding.
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SteelSeries QcK mass highlights:
– M-sized cloth mouse pad
– Heavy thickness eliminates uneven surfaces
– 11.2 x 12.6 x 0.2 inches
SteelSeries QcK mass is a super thick mouse pad made of a high quality cloth material…
…This mouse pad features extremely heavy thickness which results in a very unique feeling. While the mouse pad is much more soft and comfortable to touch, the height is also fairly massive…Other mouse pads from SteelSeries are very thin, aiming to provide a high quality gaming surface, as close as possible to level of the tabletop it’s used on.
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The SteelSeries QcK-line of mousepads are made of high quality cloth material, providing a precise and consistent glide. All mousepads feature a specially designed non-slip rubber base which prevents the pads from sliding, no matter what surface the mousepad is placed on.
SteelSeries QcK mini highlights:
– S-sized cloth mouse pad
– 9.8 x 8.3 inches, thickness 0.08 inches
SteelSeries QcK heavy highlights:
– XXL-sized cloth mouse pad
– Heavy thickness eliminates uneven surfaces
– 17.7 x 15.7 inches, thickness 023 inches
SteelSeries QcK+ highlights:
– XXL-sized cloth mouse pad
– 17.7 x 15.7 inches, thickness 0.08 inches
SteelSeries QcK highlights:
– M-sized cloth mouse pad
– 12.6 x 11.2 inches, thickness 0.08 inches
The mousepad I tried measures 12.5 by 10.5 inches (the “basic” model). It, literally, is a cloth: I unrolled it from its packaging.
I had greatly lowered my expectations for this model…and I was wrong. I had planned on telling you about experiencing drag between the mouse and the mousepad, but I cannot: if there is any, I don’t notice it.
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Before you purchase a mousepad…of course…consider the size of the area you plan to use it. If you plan on taking the mousepad with you from place to place, it will need to fit in a bad (backpack, portfolio, etcetera).

Google over Bing?

“Our goal for this study was to gather users’ general impressions of the Google and Bing search engines, including overall functionality, presentation of content, and overall fit with user expectations and needs. We also wanted to see how much attention users paid to advertising space on the two sites.”
(from the report)
“Most users preferred the Bing visual design and thought that it was slightly better in terms of organization and refinement options.”
Overall reasons for preferring Google
• Familiarity
• Enhancements in Bing not enough to convert
• Already using other Google apps

"American Nerd: The Story of My People"

From Simon & Schuster I received a copy of “American Nerd: The Story of My People” by Benjamin Nugent, and I will treasure it forever.

In my following review, I’ll try to not give too much of the book away because it was very enjoyable to read…

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The first chapter establishes two types of nerds:
those who are by choice, behaviour, and/or interests…
and others who are forced into the classification by social labeling and catagorizing.

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After describing some basics of nerdiness, Nugent examines various types of nerds:

(page 128)
“…the nerd receives his calling from God or nature…the nerd is incapable of selling out.”

Those who appreciate medieval culture…

Fake nerds (and why they would choose to pretend to be)…

(page 142)
Asperger’s syndrome may cause behaviour that is deemed nerdiness…
[I have never been diagnosed for this, but from all I’ve read of it, it would explain a lot of my life. Some of my kids have been diagnosed with (some) autism…]

(An Author’s Note states that some names may have been changed to protect privacy.)
There’s a chapter (page 111) about a guy Nugent knew in high school, Darren, that proves that some choose nerdum to escape uncomfortableness in their life. (I can relate to Darren.)

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An interesting passage to me is found on page 20, in the second paragraph, where Nugent addresses our/nerds preferences for people to “say what you mean, mean what you say”. There are times in my life where I’ve been considered to be too literal: I hate the phrase, “wait a second”.

Rather than participate in social gaming, and needing to decipher signals that are being sent, we/nerds prefer obvious communication.

I remember the many “pick-up lines” I’ve never had…the closest I’ve ever been able to come to flirting is: “I’m going to bed…you are welcome to join me.”

(Page 53)

Nerds tend to be more rational and logical, than emotional; the general populace tends to be more spontanious and seek gratification before considering potential consequences and outcomes.

As stated on page 37, nerds prefer to focus on expertise and can prefer to be (in general) non-confrontational to social engagement.

When we do attempt to engage, where most flirt to show interest (as described on page 106): “…debate is something nerds to in order to meet other nerds they can hit on…”

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Historical figures who were probable nerds are proposed, and Nugent used some fictional characters to explain the evolution of “manliness” and its descriptive components.

When he compared “nerds” to “jocks” and referenced Skolnick and Urkel, I waited for Doc Savage (whom I consider to be a nerd and jock) to be mentioned. I was dissappointed…

He explains how the term “sissy” evolved, which should have been obvious, but I never thought about it.

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While expounding on nerdy characterizations on television he mentions the television show “Freaks and Geeks”, which I have never seen. I waited for a mention of “Square Pegs”, which I have seen and thought would be a similar comparison to his descriptions, but it was not. It left me wondering if he was aware of the show, or felt it did not apply…

(This book was written before The Big Bang Theory was on CBS.)

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His interpretation of ethnicities pleasantly surprised me. I had never taken into consideration that some traits are due to culture. There is a probable reason those of Jewish decent seemed to read at an early age (page 80), and why nerd culture appreciates Japanese techno-art (page 82).

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“American Nerd: The Story of My People” is available as an ebook.

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I strongly suggest you buy the book:

Add it to your collection because it’s a good read.

If you are a nerd, and/or know or love a nerd.

Maybe you will learn something about yourself and your peers…maybe others will learn about you…maybe there will be more understanding.

Buy the book, highlight the parts you feel appropriate, and (assuming the recipient can read) give the book to someone who doesn’t understand you, and you wish they did…or at least would try to understand you.

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I miss my slide rule…