Gadgets Club » Featured

Electronics Are Great

admin — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:40:44 +0000

Stereotypes are a fact of life. They exist for everyone. One major stereotype of men is that all they ever think about is sex. There is some truth to this of course but I think I found something guys like even better, electronics. When I say guys I am referring to straight men, I have no idea if gay men have the same interest, or if they always think about sex like straight men do.

Sex will always be on the mind of most men. My friend’s grandfather always hit on my wife until his recent passing and he was almost 80. But even more powerful than the attraction to women is the attraction to cars and electronics. If you asked a guy what his ultimate dream is he would probably say to be with a beautiful women in his car while watching a movie on his new high-powered car audio/video system. When I see a Best Buy or Circuit City it is like a magnet is pulling me into the store. Once in the store I don’t know what to look at first. Do I go to the computers or do I rush to the HDTV section and blast a model TV that is hooked up to a $3000 Bose home theater system?

I have previously written an article called: Cars: Passion or Addiction? I have also recently write an article about HDTV’s. In the article on HDTV I mention that I bought a new TV when my daughter was born. I have over $5000 in my living room for my home theater system between my TV and the home theater system, DVD player, etc… My wife thinks I am nuts. She thinks the 27” Sony Trinitron we bought 8 years ago was perfectly fine. And it is, we now have it up in our bedroom. But, how can you watch a TV show and be able to count the hairs on someone’s head because the picture is so clear and not think it is the best thing?

This TV can be hooked up to my digital cameras (note that is plural), my computer, my camcorder and probably some stuff I don’t even know of. I think if I put two slices of bread on it the thing will make toast. Is any of this REALLY necessary? Of course not. But it is not necessary to have a car with a few hundred horsepower either. It isn’t necessary for my daughter to have half of the toys she has. It isn’t necessary for the government to spend $500 billion more than it takes in each year either. Our country is made of people who overindulge themselves.

I got a little off subject there for a bit. My whole point is, this 42” HDTV and the home theater system are not needed. My 2 digital cameras are not necessary. My laptop and desktop computers are not needed. I could do fine with just one. My desktop computer will record TV shows on it so I don’t need a DVD recorder but nothing on TV is worth recording in my opinion so do I need a computer than can do that?

How I know that electronics are better than sex is because with all the stuff I have described to you, all I can think about lately is what I can buy next. I couldn’t possibly fit a bigger TV in my living room without overpowering the room. With my work laptop I have access to 3 computers in my house, I clearly do not need another one of those. I have a digital camera for me and my wife. So why can’t I get this off my mind.

It is funny to compare all the differences between men and women. We think about sex, cars, and electronics. They think about babies, decorating the house, and probably clothes or something like that. As I wrote this article things became more clear to me. I have now uncovered the question guys have always been after, how to get the women in our lives more into sex. The answer is simple, while we are in our cars thinking about how to get our girls in the mood while watching a movie on our in-dash DVD player we can drive our wife/girlfriend to her favorite clothes store, while talking about decorating the kitchen and asking her when she wants to have kids. Before you know it the windows will be all steamed up.

On second thought, I’d rather just drive myself to Best Buy to wander around the aisles and look to buy something I really don’t need.

Disposing of electronics

admin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 21:43:42 +0000

Client electronics are the equipments that you use around the house for example the television, phones, computers etc. Most client electronics are truly useful when these are in functioning problem. But once they may be broken or replaced, they become a menace for the society. These customer electronics consist of mercury, PCB and numerous other dangerous substances which need to have for being disposed or recycled adequately. You'll find specific rules that need to be followed for appropriate disposal. Each client needs to be educated on how to dispose their electronic waste materials or the e-waste. The government need to enforce them on all manufactures and also take preventive measures to help keep our society safe. When these Electronic wastes are segregated correctly, most in the raw supplies might be recycled. Shoppers are advised to call the appropriate individuals for that disposal of their e-waste.

The United states alone offer about 3 million tons of e-waste. Because of the difficulty plus the price, all these e-waste are exported towards developing countries. The recycling procedure is done by separating the plastic, glass, circuit boards and also the toxic resources. I am shocked to learn that the 80% of toxic components are burnt or destroyed inside developing countries. The workers involved in those activities are kids who are deprived of their education. The other 10% is sent towards the US prison where the prisoners are made to work inside hazardous surroundings. Only 10% from the elements are recycles adequately. Most shoppers aren't aware about this kind of details.

Most in the client electronics just like the refrigerators, air conditioners and television contains refrigerants, coolants, mercury etc which leads towards emission of greenhouse gases. These greenhouse gases are the primary reason for that depletion in the ozone layer. The ozone layer protects the Earth's atmosphere from the damaging rays for instance the ultra violet rays. These rays cause the serious case of skin cancer. The Carcinogenic substances which have been existing in quite a few on the e-waste contain polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).The Capacitors, resistors, transistors and wires are insulated with elements which are coated with polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The equipments which are manufactured prior to 1977 might also contain harmful amount of polychlorinated biphenyls which are definitely quite harmful. The cathode ray tubes which are existing in our monitor, television and laptops are huge in quantity. They may be extremely tough and pricey to recycle. You will discover nearly 38 distinct chemical elements existing inside e-waste. The plastic which is employed to make the customer goods contains flame retardant. When these devices are disposed, the flame retardants which is existing from the plastic leach on towards the soil.

The waste materials electrical and economic directive (WEEE) is often a European initiative. This directive states that every single manufacturer ought to have the infrastructures and procedures to collect the old equipment upon the request in the shoppers for totally free of charge. Every of these devices ought to be collected, packed and recycles inside suitable manner. The recycled material must be reused for the maximum efficiency feasible.

Whenever you acquire new client electronics, either donate or sell your old ones if they're in very good functioning problem. There are numerous public schools and orphanages which have been in will need of a lot more resources. If you're going to exchange your old equipments for new ones, try and discover out what they intent on doing with it. Locate out how they recycle them. As a buyer, it's your responsibility being informed of this kind of items.

Avoid purchasing new equipments unnecessarily. Standard program from the client electronics helps inside the right maintenance in the product. Handle equipments the way that is certainly given on the manual. Handle all support difficulties with authorized program centers. They may be a little a lot more high-priced than the normal support centers but they will only have the original parts necessary for your equipment, they would last longer. The local assistance centers have persons scamming the people with fake parts and occasionally over pricing the basic charges.

Each customer should show additional respect towards the planet we live in. Never purchase items that usually are not essential. There are numerous surroundings friendly alternatives for each difficulty. All the waste materials that is certainly accumulated as a result of improper disposal of buyer electronics leads to quite a few disastrous results for example extinction of animals and unsafe to us humans. When individuals are additional conscious about our natural environment, they would certainly take additional initiative to maintain our natural environment clean and hazard cost-free.

MusicDock, Listen to Satellite Radio On Your Mobile Device

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 09:08:18 +0000

MusicDock is a online service that turns your Windows Media 9 or higher-compatable mobile device, like the Treo 700w, into a satellite radio receiver. Once logged into your satellite radio account (both XM and Sirius let you stream their signal online for free), the MusicDock acts as a middle man, playing back the sweet sounds of XM's Frank the Frowner and Sirius' Martha Stewart, reminding you just how inept you are at cooking and, um, living.

MusicDock is free (for now at least). Palm OS devices aren't invited. – Nicholas Deleon

MusicDock Home PAge [MusicDock]

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Going Digital: Training Wheels for DigiCam Noobs

Fri, 11 Aug 2006 10:08:10 +0000

We show you so many digital cameras and camcorders here on the Giz, you must be getting bleary-eyed just trying to sort through all the choices. Coming to your aid is Going Digital, a book by technology columnist and radio host Alex Goldfayn that helps you noobs navigate through that thicket of info and specs, getting to the meat of what you need to know to buy digital cameras and put together decent digital photos and home movies.

Besides giving you great buying advice, Goldfayn delivers boatloads of tips showing you how to bring those photos out of the musky dusty corners of your hard disk (or shoebox) and out into the open for all to see.

So if you're one of the few who hasn't jumped into the digital photography fray yet, or if you're just starting out and are looking for some cogent advice on how to accelerate your techno-proficiency, it's a good read. Check out my full review after the jump. – Charlie White

Full book review: Going Digital by Alex Goldfayn [Consumer Electronics Net]

Going Digital at Amazon

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SuperTooth II hands-free speakerphone

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 20:08:26 +0000

Blue Ant's new hands-free speakerphone, the SuperTooth II, is currently being shipped worldwide. All you need to do to obtain a safe, hands-free environment while driving is to attach it onto the car's sun visor via the magnetic clip. The Bluetooth-enabled SuperTooth II is powered by a lithium-ion battery that offers up to 20 hours of talk time and an amazing 800 hours of standby time. This device offers full duplex capability that enables you to talk and hear someone talking simultaneously. Since the SuperTooth II can be ferried from one car to another easily, it makes it all the more easier to prevent theft. Pick one up today for $86.

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Coby TF-DVD8500 portable DVD player

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 21:08:18 +0000

Coby's new TF-DVD8500 portable DVD player comes with a generous 8.5" TFT display that remains at home either behind a headrest or in the air during a long haul flight. The TF-DVD8500 is compatible with a wide range of media and formats, including DVDs, CDs (including CD-R and CD-RW), MP3, and JPEG. The integrated stereo speakers will definitely be underutilized as most people prefer the privacy of a pair of headphones. Features include A/V out, A/V in, composite video and optical audio output.

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Bluetake i-Phono PLUS Bluetooth Headphones Reviewed (Verdict: Makes Colin Farrell Sad)

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 16:08:30 +0000

Our brother in nerd-dom Adam over at Lifehacker took the Bluetake i-Phono PLUS out for a test listen. The result? These are nothing you'd ever want to wear if you've still got use of your eyeballs.

While the functionality is decent, letting you listen to music, make phone calls and control playback, the low max-volume and the horrible design makes you think this was actually made by blind people. Which is a shame, since we hate for great features to be wasted on something nobody wants to wear.

Take it from Colin Farrell: "woof woof". He's not talking about Miami Vice. – Jason Chen

When Wireless Ain't All It's Cracked Up to Be [mp3.about.com]

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Buslink MC512 MP3 Player – Dock Included

Thu, 10 Aug 2006 17:08:01 +0000

An company bundling a speaker dock with its MP3 player is the equivalent of throwing away free money. But then again, Buslink's MC512 flash-based player won't separate itself from the pack with its features—FM radio and MP3/WMA playback—so why not throw in an extra dock?

The MC512 also has a voice recorder and 512MB of internal storage, plus it's Mac and Windows compatible. Better yet, it's only $99 on buy.com. Not a bad price for a player and a dock. – Jason Chen

Product Page [buy.com via Chip Chick via uber gizmo]

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Solar-powered motion sensing camera

Wed, 09 Aug 2006 01:08:08 +0000

Are you on the lookout for a security camera that requires minimal supervision? The solar-powered motion sensing camera fits the bill as it will not rack up your power bills, harnessing the power of the sun instead to perform its duty. You can program this camera to record a video or alert you whenever it detects any movement within its field of vision. The solar panel on top is able to store enough energy to keep it going throughout the night without exhausting its power reserves. The Solar Color PIR Camera & Receiver has a transmission range of up to 250 feet and boasts a 90° horizontal field-of-view and a 45° vertical field-of-view.

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Panasonic unveils new Toughbook

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 12:08:42 +0000

Panasonic has released a new Toughbook in the form of the CF-29. Targeting the public safety departments, this Toughbook comes built-in with Cingular's 3G BroadbandConnect service that enables high speed Internet surfing wherever there is coverage. Ideal for both military and commercial field environments, the CF-29 keeps you connected always, providing high-speed EDGE network coverage whenever you venture out of UMTS/HSDPA-based BroadbandConnect coverage areas. The CF-29 will be available in the U.S. at first, followed by a U.K. release within the next few months.

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