Velvetron

If only I could afford to fill it: The Timbuk2 Steve Sleeve

Max — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:59:58 +0000

Whatever you think of the MacBook Air, you have to admit that producing one from a manila envelope was and is undeniably cool - trouble is, there’s not much reason to do so these days. Enter the Timbuk2 Steve Sleeve: Made from recycled PET (old plastic bottles!) on the outside with a biodegradable liner, this bag is definitely green. It’s sized to fit the Air snugly, so most notebooks won’t fit. Something like an Eee from Asus might, though - let us know if you’ve tried it.

If I had a MacBook Air to carry around, I’d carry it in this.

You’re Welcome, Steve Jobs.

Roy — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 05:25:26 +0000

This post is brought to you by the letter “H”.

“H” is for hiatus. It’s been awhile since I’ve posted and for that, I apologize. My last couple weeks have been busy with about 42.4% of that time spent calling every Apple store in the Los Angeles area daily for iPhone 3G availability. I’ve just never seen a product like this so hard to keep on shelves. I know that tech product shortages are nothing new, but everything about the iPhone makes it an odd device to still have 3 hour lines two weeks after launch. (more…)

More sweet SIGG bottles

Santi — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 04:02:28 +0000

Like Max, concerned about the accumulation of plastic rubbish and also BPA leaching into my water, I picked up two new sigg bottles. One as a gift, the other for myself. Pretty sweet lookin eh? The one that says “I am not plastic” is a special edition available from mysigg.com. But I just checked, and they have sold out! Boy, that gift just got about 1000 times cooler! These swiss made bottles are simply superb. Great paint and build quality. It really feels like something I’ll have for many years to come.

Anyhow, you can find other sigg bottles all over the net, at local brick-and-mortar stores, as well as at some grocery stores like Whole Foods.

Concept time: Making the world pretty one person at a time.

Max — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:53:52 +0000

Frog Design has piqued my interest with their “A Digital Escape” concept, which is a mask that makes you look like a robot, but more importantly makes the world look and smell however you wish it to. They suggest that it will be used to hide the damage we’ve already done to the planet, but I think there’s a demand for something like this already, especially the scent-manipulation part. This isn’t that strange an idea, if you consider how many people already personalize the sounds of the world using an iPod - why not sight and smell? I know that I’d like one of these, even if it made me look like a freaky cylon - though I think I’d use it more to augment my view of the world than replace it. I leave you with the view from inside the mask:

Images from Frog Design

Save some gas with carefully selected new tires…

Santi — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:32:05 +0000

Well, it was time for me to get some new tires. With gas prices being the way they are, I figured I’d try something to increase my fuel mileage. What I ended up doing was getting a tire that was slightly thinner, and slightly taller than the stock tires on my car. (more…)

No, it’s not kevlar: The Built Laptop Backpack

Max — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:36:15 +0000

I like backpacks, but I usually travel light. I had been using a bulky North Face number (the Recon), which was a great bag despite it’s habit of getting snagged on things, until I saw this minimalist bag from Built NY. Fashioned from neoprene, it’s nicely cushioned and stretches to accomodate more stuff. While a lone laptop fits in it quite snugly, the fabric will stretch to accomodate a large pile of stuff if you want - and it’ll shrink back down afterwards. There’s actually two main compartments: a top-loading slot for laptops and books, and a side loading slot for the accessories; the two are separated keep things organized but otherwise the same size. There’s also a little pocket in the left strap for phones, keys, etc. I’ve got one, and I love it - the thing is comfortable as hell, and it gets great reactions - mostly people ask if it’s body armor! If that’s the look you’re going for, you can flip it around to the front and people will stare. Actually, the last time I did that someone told me I looked like Jack Bauer.

The Built Laptop Bag runs about $80 from their website, but Amazon is selling them for $60 right now. Be aware that they are not adjustable, and thus there exists a large version for the titans among us. Color options are black, olive, and a wood-grain type pattern in black and grey. Go grab one before Amazon bumps up the price!

Stop with the Plastic: The Sigg Oval Bottle with Cup.

Max — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 23:14:59 +0000

Since I learned about the Pacific Trash Vortex I’ve drastically cut down on my bottled water consumption. Instead, I treated myself to this handsome metal bottle from Sigg that nestles into a stainless steel cup, and I’ve really been loving it. It’s oval shaped, so it’s a bit more pocket-friendly than a conventional bottle, and the black powder-coating is actually matte, which makes it look pretty badass. The cup and strap are totally removable, leaving you with a plain old Sigg Oval Bottle if you prefer that. Mostly I use the bottle alone, but I’ve been using the cup at home a lot. I keep getting asked if it’s a flask, actually - and it could be, because Sigg lines their bottles with a special coating to make sure that nothing from the metal gets into your beverage. (Acidic beverages, like lemon juice, will slowly dissolve metal) Sigg bottles are safe to transport anything people can drink, and are BPA free. Overall, I’m extremely happy with the bottle, and it’s 20 oz (0.6 L) capacity is a good compromise between portability and capacity. The $30 price struck me as high until I held the thing - the quality is top-notch, and chances are you’ll never need another water bottle. Which means less crap in our oceans, and I think we can all agree that’s a good thing.

The Day My Xbox 360 Was Resurrected

Max — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:04:06 +0000

Welcome to part two (of two) of my Xbox repair experience. See part one here.

6.19.2008 - My Xbox arrives unannounced. I become excited as I realize what is in the box, and the UPS guy backs away slowly.

(more…)

The Day My Xbox 360 Died

Max — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:47:35 +0000

My 360 hasn’t exactly been a model of high-tech gadgetry. In fact, it’s almost surprising it worked despite a number of scary ailments:
1) It liked to freeze and make clicking noises. This happened both at certain points (loading Treasury in GRAW) and randomly (about 1/2 the time during a Madden game).
2) The drive tray wouldn’t close by pushing the button - the tray itself needed to be pushed gently, so it began to close, then once it reversed itself and opened again you could push the button to close it.
3) On rare occasions, you might get a black screen and the infamous RRoD (Red Ring of Death), which would be fixed upon rebooting.

Needless to say, it’s days were numbered. Here is the story of the end:

5.29.2008 - My 360 dies.

(more…)

Get Smart: Would you believe … absolutely fun?

Santi — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:32:39 +0000

Get Smart has been getting some pretty mediocre reviews, but I really liked the movie. Maybe it’s because I have the comedic tastes of a 5 year old, or maybe it’s that I grew up watching Get Smart on Nick-at-Night. Possibly I have a huge crush on Anne Hathaway, and the fact that no matter what I see him in I always enjoy Steve Carell certainly helps, but I really found this to be an entertaining movie. It’s a simple movie. Simple comedy. Fairly impressive action scenes. Nothing more. But it accomplishes what I want summer blockbuster’s to accomplish: entertain me at a level comparable to that of my ticket price. If you’re looking for the best of Steve Carell’s comedic abilities, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a faithful recreation of the original Get Smart series, look elsewhere. But if you want to plop your butt into a nice air-conditioned theater this summer and have fun watching a simple action packed comedy, then this is your movie. I laughed my ass off and had a great time watching the movie, so it’s got my seal of approval!

By the way, if you haven’t ever seen the original series, you’re seriously missing out. I highly recommend heading to amazon.com to grab a few old episodes.