2005 December

When we tested the S400 or IXUS 400 in October 2003 we mentioned that we had lost count on the number of Digital Elphs in existence at that time. Two years on, it is clear that it is not a question of how many more Elphs Canon will release but when the next one will […]

One of the most complicated aspects of podcasting is getting great sounding recordings of people over phone lines or through a remote VoIP connection. Battling latency is a constant possibility with VoIP and landline services vary from house to house, to the point you may end up with some callers sounding great and others sounding […]

I just ran across the coolest Web service I’ve seen in ages. GotVoice automatically checks any landline or cell phone voicemail. I’m notorious for not checking my voicemail on my cell phone because I hate logging in. I use Vonage as my landline equivalent, which emails me new messages to my inbox never requiring me […]

The Xbox 360 remains the holiday season’s most elusive gift. If you’ve got one already, you know why. The games look and play better than any previous console. Integration with Windows Media Center is phenomenal, although you don’t need a Media Center to stream music and browse your digital photos, Windows Media Connect will handle […]

Over the course of the year I’ve made a ton of posts to the Lockergnome Media Center Channel. Some are warmly received, others achieve only passing interest. In theory, the cream rises to the top and the best stuff is what everyone is reading. In a very unscientific fashion, I’ve determined that of all the […]

I’m starting to see more instances of RMVB format files in places where DivX and XviD long dominated the download distribution space. Particularly among Anime and Chinese language movie sites, RMVB is replacing DivX as a low-bitrate small file size alternative to DivX, because it looks better and because the file sizes are smaller. Considering […]

While the vast majority of video recording is now digital, there are still plenty of recordings stored in analog formats and I know a handful of people who refuse to give up their Hi8 camcorder in favor of DV. If you still record in analog, or simply want to transfer your analog recordings to a […]

I recently spent some time testing one of Sony’s Handycam DVD models to see what the recording and editing experience is like from a user perspective. Recording isn’t much different than recording with a MiniDV camcorder. The editing experience leaves much to be desired. The Handycam units store video in a VOB file format, ready […]

I love chick harmonies! And I love this album, Here We Go Again, Patty & Abigail’s debut disk on Play Like A Girl Records. Lyrically-driven, the songs on this album are a blend of pop, soft rock, blues, and alt. country. My pick hit is “Time To Fall,” a yearning ballad replete with soulful violin […]