Over the course of the last months, I've made a couple of recommendations for universal remotes. There are several good ones out there, and many folks prefer the "hardware" of a universal remote with physical, tactile buttons that emulate, to one extent or another, the remotes we've all used over time. Universal remotes get rid of the "clutter" of multiple remotes to control different devices, and certainly have a place in a complex A/V system. A relatively recent trend has been to weld remote functions to the ubiquitous smartphone/tablet paradigm. I've had a Samsung remote application on my iPhone for some ... » Read more
The Fallow Way
Judy Collins once recorded a beautiful folk song called, "The Fallow Way". The message of the piece was that the natural cycle of all things includes what may be characterized as "down time". With the passing of the seasons, the land becomes "fallow" in the fall and winter, as nature rests and prepares for the explosion of life the following spring. As a country kid who grew up with agriculture, I learned that fallow time was actually very important. During the time, microbes in the soil work to increase fertility; root systems grow and expand, tapping new sources of nutrients; ... » Read more
Technology Solving Problems
One of my colleagues and friends has devoted a great deal of time studying the life and accomplishments of Thomas Edison. Edison was perhaps the greatest inventor of all time, and although gifted mentally, was not "brilliant" in the sense that Albert Einstein was brilliant. I think that many men and women have been born who have the raw mental horsepower of Thomas Edison, while only a few were as mentally gifted as Einstein. That said, Edison made great strides in research "method" which many scientists use variations of today. He was a determined researcher, knowing that the "answer was out ... » Read more
WOW!’s New Ultra TV
I've been waiting for some time to do an article on an exciting new product offering from WOW! It's called "Ultra TV", and has some pretty terrific features. This product has been in the development pipeline for well over a year, and represents a significant departure from traditional video offerings from WOW! and other providers. First of all, I'd like to give you a peek at the product through this video: Ultra TV Video Demo Pretty Cool, yes? That's the feature sets in a (rather entertaining) nutshell. I'd like to let you in on a bit of the "back room" process WOW! went ... » Read more
Consumer Electronics Show 2012
As I write this, the CES 2012 show is in full swing in Las Vegas. My other duties have precluded my attending this year, but there are a number of technologies that are "up and coming" that might be of interest to our readership: Gesture and Voice control of Electronic Devices--This seems to be a wave (ahem) of the future. Samsung showed off a gorgeous TV that used gesture and voice control rather than the conventional remote. Microsoft Kinect for Windows seems to be gaining some traction as well. Apple is rumored to be developing a television with a "Siri-like" interface. ... » Read more
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