Don't you just hate beign stupid?

For a while now I've been thinking about how to listen to my iPod through speakers. I've thought about the Bose SoundDock (too expensive) and the Apple iPod speakers thing (way too expensive) and then one day it occured to me; just plug the iPod into my surround sound stereo connected to the television.

I connected up an RCA to mini-plug cable in the back of the amplifier, and plugged it into the headphone jack of the iPod, and stuck the iPod in it's charging cradle next to the stereo.

It worked okay; but I had to crank up the amp to get good volume due to the headphone output being lower than line output, and the stereo isn't the biggest and best; fine for movies, but it seems to lack something for music...

Anyway, I had that set up for the last week, and was generally happy with it. This evening I was moving the cradle from the computer back to beside the stereo - the cradle works both as a charger and as the connector to the computer when updating the iPod - when I noticed on the back of the cradle a little mini-plug labelled "line-out."

Well duh! The stereo works much better with that!

Goodbye Film

Canon announced that they have ceased development of new film camers (both SLRs and point-and-shoots.)

This probably shouldn't be a surprise. Nearly everyone seems to have a digital camera these days, and I was just down at the local Camera store and noticed that they were pulling out there film processing room.

Kodak is also falling on hard times.

Will anyone be using film five years from now?

Translation of Adobe PR

This is hilarious. A Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Portions of Adobe’s ‘FAQ’ Regarding Their Acquisition of Macromedia.

I originally came across this ages ago and thought is was hilarious; but then I kept losing it, and it's not easy to find on the web.

Having found it again, I thought I better post it so I won't lose it again.

Here's a couple of highlights:

How many employees does Macromedia have?

Macromedia has approximately 1,450 employees worldwide.

Please note use of present tense.


Do you anticipate a reduction in force as a result of this transaction?

When two successful growing companies join together, the result is a combined organization that creates new and exciting opportunities. The combination will lead to powerful new areas of innovation, new products and solutions, and an acceleration of our respective growth agendas. At the same time, there will be some duplication of employee functions between the two companies, and upon the close of the transaction, we anticipate some level of reduction in force. While we anticipate the integration team will identify opportunities for cost savings, the primary motivation for this acquisition is to continue to expand and grow our businesses into new markets.

Yes.


Will all the reductions in employees come from one company or the other, or both companies?

Any potential reductions will be carefully considered and are likely to impact both organizations.

Have we mentioned that PDF is an excellent format for distributing résumés?

Exciteable

I was all excited about this device that you plug your iPod into and you can connect speakers to and it puts out 15 watts of power....and then it occured to me; I already have the cables to connect the iPod to the stereo I already have! :-( Sometimes I get too excited by a good looking gadget

Great deal on a battle tank!

I love dealmac.com as a source for deals and interesting things. Today they had a writeup for a battletank that's sold on Amazon that reads:

NAO Design via Amazon.com still has the JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank for $19,999.95. With shipping at $14.99, we couldn't find a similar battle tank for less elsewhere.

But it only has a 6-horsepower engine and a 40 mph top speed (down hill, I'm guessing) so I don't think it's much use except for a sci-fi movie prop; better off getting a bullet-proof Mercedes.

BBC interviews cab driver instead of IT expert

The BBC were going to interview Guy Kewney, an IT journalist, about the Apple vs. Apple suit. Instead, they interviewed his cab driver.

Seems that somehow they got them confused (though one is white, and the other black.) The cab driver looks shocked when he realizes that they think he is someone else, but then gamely talks his way through the interview!

First outsourcing to India, and now this! Are no IT jobs safe?

Sony BRAVIA ad

Sony's recent ad featuring thousands of balls bouncing down the streets of San Francisco weren't a CGI effect. They literally bounced 250,000 rubber balls down the streets; firing them out of guns and dumping them from front-end loaders.

You can see making off videos at their site.

I Forgot My Account Info

Which just sucks, as it took me a long while to remember what I used to create this blog!

Don't you just hate having to deal with multiple passwords and stuff??!