Tag: gadgets

August 10, 2014
I’ve had a Tenori-On for a couple of years, now: the cheap “Orange” one, made of plastic; not the metal framed “White” version.

After an initial period when I couldn’t put it down, I soon found myself disappointed that the volume of the device was too low for any kind of performance without additional amplification. There was also the fact that the Orange version could only be powered from a mains adapter, lacking the White’s battery compartment. (I believe this was purely to justify the price difference between the White and Orange – aside from the cosmetics and the lack of battery power, the two are identical in function and sound).

November 23, 2013
I wrote in September about getting Multicast working, this being required for TV over IP channels.

Having proved it worked, I then forgot about it, as the only such channel I can currently get is Sky, which I am not interested in. I just wanted to ensure my kit could handle it should other channels come along in the future.

September 6, 2013
Here and here I spoke about Multicast, and needing a new router to make it work.

The new router arrived in July, but initial attempt to get VPN working to my office with a suitable encryption failed. All I had to do was tinker with it, but I didn’t have time, and couldn’t afford for my work VPN to be down.

September 1, 2013
Last weekend, my old Hotpoint washing machine broke down. As I have had it for a good few years, and as it seemed to be eating more money, I decided to spring for a new machine. After a bit of research I settled on an AEG Washer/Dryer – with a condenser-dryer, so no need for venting.

As noted elsewhere, I had a few issues with the installation. I won’t go into details here, but it caused me to be fairly negative about the whole experience. However, that got in the way of the really important question, which is – what is the machine like?

September 1, 2013
July 27, 2013
July 23, 2013
I have been with TalkTalk for some time, but on their business service, rather than their domestic one. This meant I missed the boat a year ago, when they handed out free YouView boxes – I bought mine instead.

But this year, they announced that they were merging accounts, and I became a TalkTalk Plus customer last week. I promptly applied for my free box, and after some conflicting information (which I won’t go into here), it arrived along with a new ADSL router.

April 29, 2013
March 16, 2013
Just had a fairly fraught trip from Peterborough to Glasgow and back, where – in addition to bad weather – my TomTom (Go Live 1005 World Edition) refused to see any satellites whatsoever.

I tried various things, numerous times, including a reboot and a complete factory reset, but it stayed perpetually searching. while my phone and tablet both were picking up satellites galore. In the end, the phone got me through the trip, using Google Navigation. This meant my (work) phone took a small hit on mobile data, but as it was a work trip anyway, that’s not an issue.

March 1, 2013
Some of you more experienced guitarists may have come across this already (the really experienced guitarists may not need it!); but I recently acquired a Flexi-Capo, and I am having a lot of fun with it.

It does the same kind of job as a cut capo, but is more flexible. When clamped to the fretboard, it has individual fingers that depress the strings you want.

February 16, 2013
A couple of weeks back, I posted about ordering some prescription RealD compatible glasses from Optics3D. RealD is the format used by many cinemas and most, if not all, makes of passive 3D TV.

They arrived today, and I am impressed. First of all, the obvious – they fit me, and they have got my prescription right. I wasn’t too worried about the prescription, to be honest; but unlike “normal” specs, these frames are one size fit all. But they are just fine.

January 30, 2013
Once expensive, prescription lens 3D Glasses are now fairly reasonable – I have just purchased a basic pair (RealD 3D only), for 50 quid, from Optics3D. RealD is what my local cinema uses, and is also compatible with my passive screen 3D TV.

This probably seems a lot of cash to those on a budget, but not compared to my spend on 3D so far. I am now fairly committed to the format, so I thought I may as well be comfortable. While my cheap RealD 3D clipons are more convenient than glasses worn over my specs, they are still slightly over-balanced.