Although Clear clearly wants buyers to sign up for monthly service, they also have “secret” on-demand 2-hour, daily, and weekly plans. Here’s how to get online cheap!
Cheap, No-Contract 4G Data: Clear’s Undocumented Daily- and Weekly-Pass Plans
January 23, 2012 By 7 Comments
How to Prepare Your AT&T Phone for Travel Abroad
January 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The difference between American and European mobile phone providers are vast, and the modern traveler is likely to run afoul if they are unprepared, running up a surprisingly large bill! Here’s a rundown of my standard techniques to prepare my American mobile phone for travel abroad.
What Is an XQD Card? The New Media for Pro Cameras!
January 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment
The CompactFlash Association announced a new media card format last month, and now Sony and Nikon have introduced the first media and digital cameras, respectively. But what exactly is an XQD memory card? Read on for the details.
When Incandescent Bulbs Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Have Incandescent Bulbs
January 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Although they are ridiculously inefficient, incandescent lightbulbs seem to have a huge number of fans. Despite the romance of the glowing filament, many governments are moving to ban the use of incandescent light bulbs in many applications. Here in the United States, the federal government intends to encourage the use of more efficient light bulbs but there is no outright ban.
Microsoft Adds Data Deduplication to NTFS in Windows 8
January 3, 2012 By 14 Comments
The next version of Microsoft Windows Server includes integrated data deduplication technology. Microsoft is positioning this as a boon for server virtualization and claims it has very little performance impact. But how exactly does Microsoft’s de-duplication technology work?
How I Eliminated Over 2 kW of Lighting at Home
January 3, 2012 By 7 Comments
The average home is incredibly inefficient, and nowhere is this more obvious than the ubiquitous electric lightbulb. Compact fluorescent (CFL) and LED lights are an order of magnitude more efficient at converting electricity to lumens rather than heat, but making the switch is not simple. The limitations, pricing, and sheer variety of lighting options are daunting.
My 2012 Project: Improving Energy Efficiency
January 3, 2012 By 2 Comments
I am in the process of upgrading my own home to make it more energy efficient. I do this mainly as an exercise of faith and science, since my electric and gas bills are not currently all that expensive. But I just can’t countenance burning 10 times more electricity than I need to, even if I can afford it. It’s also an exercise in geekiness, since today’s lighting alternatives and appliances have an undeniable techno-cool factor about them.
What’s the Point of a Warranty, Anyway?
December 22, 2011 By 3 Comments
The idea of a product warranty is fairly simple: a company “warrants” that, should their product fail in a specified period of time and circumstances, they will repair or replace it, telling the consumer what level of reliability they should expect. In short, a warranty is all about confidence. But when does a warranty become a confidence game?
Is the Sony NEX Camera System Excessively Proprietary?
December 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Advanced interchangeable lens camera systems like the NEX from Sony are never entirely open or closed. Rather, they incorporate standards where they must and innovate everywhere else. Let’s consider the main components of interchangeable lens camera, and identify which generally are proprietary and which are standardized.
The Myths of Standardization
December 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment
I certainly benefit from standardization of the world around me, and I welcome interoperability and interchangeability as well as the price and product selection advantages. But I am not blithely focused on standardization above all else. I will happily use a proprietary solution if the alternative is inelegant, ineffective, or insufficient.
