Microsoft Introduces the Xbox One

Microsoft unveiled its next generation game and entertainment console today: Xbox One. An interesting change is that even though the Xbox One has a Blu-ray drive, you will only use game discs to install the game once onto your Xbox One. It will be interesting to watch to see how this change affects video game rentals (such as the video game rental services offered through RedBox and GameFly).

The Xbox One features an updated, boxy, yet sleek, design, a new controller, and features an updated Kinect device and voice controls. The Verge reports, "On the hardware side, Microsoft has included 8GB of RAM, a single custom 40-nanometer chip with an 8-core CPU and GPU system-on-a-chip, and a custom 500GB HDD. The system-on-a-chip is made by AMD and Microsoft designed its own HDD in-house."

   
(Source: The Verge)

Synology DS112 Review: A Solid Media Server and Network Attached Storage Device

I needed something to store and access backups of family photos and important files on my home network. We shoot a lot of family photos and videos, which we like to watch either from a notebook/tablet connected wirelessly, or on our TV through our PlayStation 3. I recently purchased a Synology DS112 network attached storage (NAS) device from B&H Photo for about $200 in February 2013. The DS112 is a very solid NAS device that performs very well as a media server (DLNA/UPnP), as well as a local network file share--although it is not perfect.

The Beach Boys Shred - I Get Around

The original was taken down. Here's another one, which probably won't last long: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYc4DT18EJg

Generate Retro Atari-Like Sounds with the Atari Punk Console

The "stepped tone generator," or Atari Punk Console (APC) as it has been dubbed, is a fun electronics project for anyone looking to get into electronics or build something fun. The APC generates adjustable, retro style, synth square waves, similar to the sounds of the classic Atari game console. Over the last few days, I have built my version of the Atari Punk Console using proto board, a project enclosure from Radio Shack, and other components ordered online. You can also buy APC kits with all of the parts included, and the schematics are widely available.

Atari Punk Console schematic courtesy of Jameco Electronics

It has volume control, and a switching 3.5mm audio output jack, which shuts off the internal speaker when plugged in. It is controlled with a basic on/off toggle switch, two 500k Ohm potentiometers, as well as a momentary pushbutton for more control, and is powered by a 9V battery. Once it was finished, I had to fight to get it back from my kids!

Good deal: 16GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive $5.99 Shipped

Best Buy has a 16GB USB 2.0 flash drive for $5.99 with free shipping.

MacBook Pro 13" (latest version) $962.54 on Amazon [u]

Amazon has the latest MacBook Pro 13" with a 2.5GHz Intel Core i5 processor (Ivy Bridge), 4GB RAM, and a 500GB HD for $1,034 $962.54. It's not the MacBook Pro with Retina display, nor the slimmer MacBook Air (neither of which are upgradeable), but I'm seriously considering jumping on this. I think that down the road I would upgrade the RAM to at least 8GB and throw a 256GB SSD SATA 3 drive in it. What do you think, folks?

Here are the specs:

Screen Size	13.3 inches
Max Screen Resolution	1280x800 pixels
Processor	2.5 GHz Intel Core i5
RAM	4 GB DDR3
Hard Drive	500 GB
Graphics Coprocessor	Intel HD Graphics 4000

Update: Best Buy is also offering the same $1,034 deal. While Amazon's price dropped from $1,034 to $962.54.

Update (11/23/12, 4:23 pm): The price on Amazon dipped to $962.54 briefly, then jumped back up to $1,034. Amazon's prices tend to fluctuate. Utilize CamelCamelCamel to set price alerts for a pre-determined price for a product on Amazon.

Sweet deal: OCZ 256GB SSD $130

Here's a sweet deal for an OCZ Agility 4 256GB internal solid state drive (SSD), SATA III, 6 Gbit/sec, 2.5" for $130 after rebate from TigerDirect. Breathe new life into that aging laptop for not very much money!

iPhone 5 screen distortion

I noticed something strange with my iPhone 5. When I apply light pressure to the screen, the image on the bottom left distorts. Anyone else seeing this? Might be time for a trip to the Genius Bar.

Coordinated Quadcopters Playing Catch

The engineering and genius that goes into making this happen is so awesome.

Glitchy/Crazy iPhone 5 Keyboard

My friend and his wife have this strange issue with their iPhone 5 (Sprint) keyboard. Whenever it prompts him to enter his password for iTunes or for the App Store, the keyboard looks glitchy and strange as shown in the video here:



My wife and I haven't seen this issue on our iPhone 5's yet. Apparently, this guy had the same problem on his Sprint iPhone 5, and someone at the genius bar told him to reinstall iOS 6, which apparently fixed the problem. I wonder if it's isolated to Sprint.

iPhone 5S Gag

Not sure where this came from, but my friend tweeted this and I thought it was hilarious.

Map of the global undersea fiber optic infrastructure

Greg's Cable Map is a fun and interesting site that shows the global infrastructure that links our world together via submarine fiber optic cables. The site shows the landing sites and different capacities of each line.