Larry's Tech Talk
EFF-EMM, No Static at All
28/08/11 20:21
What a crazy week! First we had an earthquake. That was a first for me. Then Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple Computer. Then a hurricane the size of Texas blew up the east coast. And that was all in the same week.
The hurricane was so vast and dangerous that Queen Anne’s county ordered businesses closed and mandatory evacuations in certain areas. That was a first for me too. I was really surprised when the mayor of New York City closed the city and shut NYCs mass transit down. Don’t mess with Mother Nature I guess.
So if you did stay in your own home, you probably looked forward to a family night with home entertainment. Except what if the electric power went out? I have to admit that my electronic component rack is pretty obnoxious. But without electricity, it’s all worthless! I haven’t invested in a generator because Delmarva Power does a great job in my neighborhood. But the few hours that we are without power everything shuts down. Except FM radio that is!
I remember back in the 70s a friend of mine bought a new car that had an am/fm radio. We didn’t know what FM was all about at the time, maybe just a new set of stations to listen to? Then we stumbled across an FM station from Bethesda that played album music. That was cool, but the real difference was the sound quality when compared to AM radio. This was the post Woodstock era, and a major music renaissance was taking place. The typical AM radio format was to play 1-3 minutes songs and then go to commercial. Maybe that’s one reason The Beatles were so popular. Their songs fit the AM radio format perfectly.
Then a group named Led Zeppelin recorded an 8 minute song we all know as “Stairway to Heaven”. Led Zep’s management told the band it was a ridiculous idea because radio stations wouldn’t play an 8 minute song. But FM radio was on the rise and renegade stations like the one in Bethesda wanted to set themselves apart from the norm. Of course Stairway to Heaven was a huge hit and sounded fabulous on FM.
DJs named John Hall, Damian, and Cerphe played music from groups like The Allman Brothers Band, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, and Jimi Hendrix. This wasn’t your 1-3 minute AM radio music. Those guys played album rock n roll jams. And it sounded great!
Howard Stern calls FM radio “terrestrial radio”. The FCC enforces censorship and strict territories. FM radio has huge competition now with Satellite Radio, Internet radio, iPods, and services like Pandora that we can listen to at home or in our cars. But somehow FM hangs on. And if your power goes out while you’re waiting for a hurricane to pass, an FM radio will work just fine. Maybe keep a few extra batteries on hand and you will be set.
Remember that Steely Dan tune?
“nothing but blues and Elvis
and somebody else’s favorite song
FM, No Static at All”
The hurricane was so vast and dangerous that Queen Anne’s county ordered businesses closed and mandatory evacuations in certain areas. That was a first for me too. I was really surprised when the mayor of New York City closed the city and shut NYCs mass transit down. Don’t mess with Mother Nature I guess.
So if you did stay in your own home, you probably looked forward to a family night with home entertainment. Except what if the electric power went out? I have to admit that my electronic component rack is pretty obnoxious. But without electricity, it’s all worthless! I haven’t invested in a generator because Delmarva Power does a great job in my neighborhood. But the few hours that we are without power everything shuts down. Except FM radio that is!
I remember back in the 70s a friend of mine bought a new car that had an am/fm radio. We didn’t know what FM was all about at the time, maybe just a new set of stations to listen to? Then we stumbled across an FM station from Bethesda that played album music. That was cool, but the real difference was the sound quality when compared to AM radio. This was the post Woodstock era, and a major music renaissance was taking place. The typical AM radio format was to play 1-3 minutes songs and then go to commercial. Maybe that’s one reason The Beatles were so popular. Their songs fit the AM radio format perfectly.
Then a group named Led Zeppelin recorded an 8 minute song we all know as “Stairway to Heaven”. Led Zep’s management told the band it was a ridiculous idea because radio stations wouldn’t play an 8 minute song. But FM radio was on the rise and renegade stations like the one in Bethesda wanted to set themselves apart from the norm. Of course Stairway to Heaven was a huge hit and sounded fabulous on FM.
DJs named John Hall, Damian, and Cerphe played music from groups like The Allman Brothers Band, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, and Jimi Hendrix. This wasn’t your 1-3 minute AM radio music. Those guys played album rock n roll jams. And it sounded great!
Howard Stern calls FM radio “terrestrial radio”. The FCC enforces censorship and strict territories. FM radio has huge competition now with Satellite Radio, Internet radio, iPods, and services like Pandora that we can listen to at home or in our cars. But somehow FM hangs on. And if your power goes out while you’re waiting for a hurricane to pass, an FM radio will work just fine. Maybe keep a few extra batteries on hand and you will be set.
Remember that Steely Dan tune?
“nothing but blues and Elvis
and somebody else’s favorite song
FM, No Static at All”
It’s a Family Room Invasion!
23/08/11 20:33
The big news in the tech world last week came from software giant, Google. The announcement was that an agreement to acquire Motorola Mobility had been reached. I think I heard $12B to be the price tag. So, how might that affect us and what is a Google anyway?
Most of us know Google as the software giant online search engine. But Google does a lot more than just provide the world’s most popular search engine. They offer Google Apps, Google Ads, Google Maps, Google Earth, GMail, Google Docs, Google Calandar, and Google Chrome to name a few. Google also owns YouTube. Yeah Larry, most of us already know that. Tell us why a software company would want to buy a hardware company? OK dude, ever hear of the Droid operating system?
Probably known as the only serious competitor to the iPhone, Android PDAs (PDA is a cell phone on steroids) run Google’s “Droid” software operating system. Business partners like Dell, Acer, Samsung and Motorola have provided the hardware in the past. When the acquisition is completed, Google will be able to control both the hardware and software for its cell phone PDA products. Just like Apple does now. I wonder what Michael Dell, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are thinking? The tech world’s corporate lawyer’s heads must be spinning! Corporate acquisitions mean patent rights, and that can be huge in the world of high technology. Google is basically purchasing 17,000 patents by acquiring Motorola Mobility.
Yeah, but what’s a Google anyway? Google is a fairly new company, founded in 1998 and growing very fast to become the $30 billion company that it is today. Shortly after Google took the online search engine business by storm, Microsoft founder Bill Gates admitted that he completely underestimated how large that market segment could become. Microsoft’s Bing search engine doesn’t even begin to compete with Google.
So, is that it? A software giant will be able to make its own cell phones? Well, not really. There’s a bigger piece to this Motorola puzzle. If you live in Queen Anne’s County and subscribe to cable TV service, there is a Motorola set top box in your home right now. Motorola is the largest manufacturer of cable TV set top boxes. It supplies the two largest cable TV providers in the country, Comcast and Time Warner. By purchasing Motorola, Google is instantly in your Family Room.
If you read this column a few weeks ago, I wrote that Apple plans to offer an internet Video service to compete with Cable and Satellite TV sometime in the next 12 months.. Apple’s strategy to enter your home will be via its own internet flat panel TV. And now it looks like Google might be positioning itself for a shot at our entertainment dollar.
Google already knows what you search for. Could they use that information to determine what commercials you will see on TV?
How will all of this shake out? Your guess is as good as mine, but it sure seems like there are there are some big players trying to invade our Family Rooms.
Most of us know Google as the software giant online search engine. But Google does a lot more than just provide the world’s most popular search engine. They offer Google Apps, Google Ads, Google Maps, Google Earth, GMail, Google Docs, Google Calandar, and Google Chrome to name a few. Google also owns YouTube. Yeah Larry, most of us already know that. Tell us why a software company would want to buy a hardware company? OK dude, ever hear of the Droid operating system?
Probably known as the only serious competitor to the iPhone, Android PDAs (PDA is a cell phone on steroids) run Google’s “Droid” software operating system. Business partners like Dell, Acer, Samsung and Motorola have provided the hardware in the past. When the acquisition is completed, Google will be able to control both the hardware and software for its cell phone PDA products. Just like Apple does now. I wonder what Michael Dell, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are thinking? The tech world’s corporate lawyer’s heads must be spinning! Corporate acquisitions mean patent rights, and that can be huge in the world of high technology. Google is basically purchasing 17,000 patents by acquiring Motorola Mobility.
Yeah, but what’s a Google anyway? Google is a fairly new company, founded in 1998 and growing very fast to become the $30 billion company that it is today. Shortly after Google took the online search engine business by storm, Microsoft founder Bill Gates admitted that he completely underestimated how large that market segment could become. Microsoft’s Bing search engine doesn’t even begin to compete with Google.
So, is that it? A software giant will be able to make its own cell phones? Well, not really. There’s a bigger piece to this Motorola puzzle. If you live in Queen Anne’s County and subscribe to cable TV service, there is a Motorola set top box in your home right now. Motorola is the largest manufacturer of cable TV set top boxes. It supplies the two largest cable TV providers in the country, Comcast and Time Warner. By purchasing Motorola, Google is instantly in your Family Room.
If you read this column a few weeks ago, I wrote that Apple plans to offer an internet Video service to compete with Cable and Satellite TV sometime in the next 12 months.. Apple’s strategy to enter your home will be via its own internet flat panel TV. And now it looks like Google might be positioning itself for a shot at our entertainment dollar.
Google already knows what you search for. Could they use that information to determine what commercials you will see on TV?
How will all of this shake out? Your guess is as good as mine, but it sure seems like there are there are some big players trying to invade our Family Rooms.
He Missed The Tag!
16/08/11 22:34
I like to turn the news on when I wake up in the morning. Last week a story called “next gen 911” caught my attention. The news was really about taking advantage of the cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) that most of us carry around 24/7. Let’s take a look at some of the capabilities of today’s cell phone hardware.
Of course we make phone calls. We can take photos and even full motion videos. These devices store our contacts, phone numbers, email addresses, and music. If you don’t text, you’re missing out on a really convenient way to communicate. And if you’re not sure where you’re going, turn on the GPS feature. You can surf the internet, schedule your DVR to record a show, or even Skype live events taking place now. PDAs like the iPhone and the Droid have 1000s of apps available for download that turn our cell phones into digital “swiss army knives”. I know some people just want to talk on their phones (like Walt!), but these amazing hand-held devices have and will continue to change our lives.
OK Larry, so what is this “next gen 911” thing all about? Well, imagine if a 911 operator could actually see a photo or video or even watch live events taking place. So, if someone witnesses an emergency event, they could easily send a photo, or video to the 911 people seconds after or possibly even during an emergency situation. A doctor could see a patient before they arrived at the hospital. Police and EMS personnel could be informed visually while they were in route. And there would be a permanent record of the events.
Of course our 911 systems will need to be upgraded. But the source of the events doing the recording and transmitting will be the public’s cell phones. The networks are in place and people with cell phones are everywhere!
Or consider a non-emergency event. What if your little leaguer hits a fastball over the left fielder’s head? You didn’t bring you camera, but here he comes rounding third base. You get the PDA out of your pocket, hit the “record video” button. It’s going to be close at the plate! The umpire shouts...”YOU’RE OUT!” “Hey Ump! He missed the tag and I can prove it!”
Of course we make phone calls. We can take photos and even full motion videos. These devices store our contacts, phone numbers, email addresses, and music. If you don’t text, you’re missing out on a really convenient way to communicate. And if you’re not sure where you’re going, turn on the GPS feature. You can surf the internet, schedule your DVR to record a show, or even Skype live events taking place now. PDAs like the iPhone and the Droid have 1000s of apps available for download that turn our cell phones into digital “swiss army knives”. I know some people just want to talk on their phones (like Walt!), but these amazing hand-held devices have and will continue to change our lives.
OK Larry, so what is this “next gen 911” thing all about? Well, imagine if a 911 operator could actually see a photo or video or even watch live events taking place. So, if someone witnesses an emergency event, they could easily send a photo, or video to the 911 people seconds after or possibly even during an emergency situation. A doctor could see a patient before they arrived at the hospital. Police and EMS personnel could be informed visually while they were in route. And there would be a permanent record of the events.
Of course our 911 systems will need to be upgraded. But the source of the events doing the recording and transmitting will be the public’s cell phones. The networks are in place and people with cell phones are everywhere!
Or consider a non-emergency event. What if your little leaguer hits a fastball over the left fielder’s head? You didn’t bring you camera, but here he comes rounding third base. You get the PDA out of your pocket, hit the “record video” button. It’s going to be close at the plate! The umpire shouts...”YOU’RE OUT!” “Hey Ump! He missed the tag and I can prove it!”
Oh Lucy, you have some ‘splainin’ to do!
07/08/11 22:36
This past Saturday would have been Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday. The news made me think of those funny episodes on her hit show, “I Love Lucy”. She was one of the first successful comediennes and just hilarious. And just like technology, entertainment culture evolves too. I don’t know if it was an FCC regulation or not, but remember the separate beds in the apartment? Compared to some of today’s sitcoms that was pretty uptight, but normal for the times. And if you’ve ever watched an old classic movie or show, at some point you had to think WOW, that was corny! Did we evolve on our own, or did technology have a role in changing our culture? Look at the difference between an episode of “Friends” and “I Love Lucy” and what we now consider the norm.
I am guessing that most homes purchased their first black and white television maybe back in the 1940’s? No kid, that was after the “dark ages”! Television was a great source of not only entertainment, but information. Now we have big, flat panel color 3D TVs, hundreds of channels, and an internet! My old laptop with a built-in dial up modem was really amazing. What could be better than that? Now we not only have high speed internet, we have wireless internet. You can drive down the road and if you have a 3G signal, play Pandora on your car’s sound system. Or surf the internet, and check your e-mail while you’re sitting at a local dock bar.
Wireless technology is not only convenient, it’s relatively inexpensive. Sure, wired connections are the best, but not always practical. You can purchase a wireless router for your home for less than $100 and probably connect to the internet from almost any room. If you don’t turn on security, your neighbors can probably connect also. We have wireless cell phones, wireless internet, and all of the associated services available without cables. OK Larry, how about wireless speakers?
I am asked that question at least weekly. And the answer is probably not. Wireless is not for all devices. But dude, we can connect to the world wirelessly, why can’t we have audio without wires? There is an exception or 2 to this which I will explain, but this is why. Humans don’t hear digital. We sense analog sound waves. All of our digital music and movies must be converted to analog for us to sense sound. Sure, you can get a signal from point A to point B, but sound requires amplification for humans to hear. And we know that amplifiers require power. There are subwoofers that are wireless, but a subwoofer is a large box with space for a built-in amp. And it also needs to be plugged into an electric outlet. How are you going to get an amp into that small cube speaker and get electricity to it?
There is at least one company that makes an outdoor speaker that is completely wireless. But, the batteries need to be re-charged every ten hours. And the cost is around $1000. So for the most part, speakers still need wires. If you’re building or renovating your home, don’t forget to have speaker wire installed before the drywall goes up.
Wireless technology is really nice and convenient and will continue to get better. But don’t expect wireless speakers to hit the scene anytime soon.
Lucy, you were GREAT! Happy Birthday!
I am guessing that most homes purchased their first black and white television maybe back in the 1940’s? No kid, that was after the “dark ages”! Television was a great source of not only entertainment, but information. Now we have big, flat panel color 3D TVs, hundreds of channels, and an internet! My old laptop with a built-in dial up modem was really amazing. What could be better than that? Now we not only have high speed internet, we have wireless internet. You can drive down the road and if you have a 3G signal, play Pandora on your car’s sound system. Or surf the internet, and check your e-mail while you’re sitting at a local dock bar.
Wireless technology is not only convenient, it’s relatively inexpensive. Sure, wired connections are the best, but not always practical. You can purchase a wireless router for your home for less than $100 and probably connect to the internet from almost any room. If you don’t turn on security, your neighbors can probably connect also. We have wireless cell phones, wireless internet, and all of the associated services available without cables. OK Larry, how about wireless speakers?
I am asked that question at least weekly. And the answer is probably not. Wireless is not for all devices. But dude, we can connect to the world wirelessly, why can’t we have audio without wires? There is an exception or 2 to this which I will explain, but this is why. Humans don’t hear digital. We sense analog sound waves. All of our digital music and movies must be converted to analog for us to sense sound. Sure, you can get a signal from point A to point B, but sound requires amplification for humans to hear. And we know that amplifiers require power. There are subwoofers that are wireless, but a subwoofer is a large box with space for a built-in amp. And it also needs to be plugged into an electric outlet. How are you going to get an amp into that small cube speaker and get electricity to it?
There is at least one company that makes an outdoor speaker that is completely wireless. But, the batteries need to be re-charged every ten hours. And the cost is around $1000. So for the most part, speakers still need wires. If you’re building or renovating your home, don’t forget to have speaker wire installed before the drywall goes up.
Wireless technology is really nice and convenient and will continue to get better. But don’t expect wireless speakers to hit the scene anytime soon.
Lucy, you were GREAT! Happy Birthday!
It’s a Knockout!
01/08/11 22:37
A few weeks ago I wrote about the big news that Apple Computer will start making and selling flat panel TVs within the next 12 months. If you read that column, sorry, some of this will be redundant. But the news is not only HUGE, it’s worth repeating!
Back in the late 1990’s I really believed that Microsoft would put Steve Jobs’ little computer company out of business. That shows what I know! A week or so ago, Apple announced incredible earnings and has passed Microsoft in both earnings and revenues. “Down goes Frasier!” I think it was $39B in earnings for the quarter. Shut up kid, Joe Frasier was a great boxing champion!
As I’ve mentioned before, Apple didn’t get there with computer sales. It was the “i” devices, i.e. iPod, iPhone, and iPad that really saved the company and launched the revenue growth. But the real genius is not the devices, it is the iTunes service. Apple could have dropped iPods out of airplanes for free and still made tons of money from the iTunes online service. Let’s translate that to the upcoming Apple flat panel TVs. Sure Apple will care about the new TV sales, but the real genius will be the online video service.
Most of us know that we can download music and videos from iTunes to either an Apple Macintosh or a Windows based computer. But having all Apple hardware is really cool. Let’s add the new Apple flat panel TV to that equation. The result, Apple will sell tons of TV hardware and control the video service that comes into our homes via the internet. It might be called iTunes or something else. In addition Apple could include a TV model that includes a computer, in the same box with the TV. Maybe add a wireless keyboard and mouse? You would have a computer, a flat panel TV, a DVR, all of your music, photos and movies in one really sharp box.
Let’s throw another video service’s hat in the ring that will compete directly with cable and satellite tv. I don’t know what Apple will call it, but it’s currently being referred to as “IPTV”. In other words, tv content delivered to your home via the internet. Satellite tv service providers include Dish Network and DirecTV. We have Atlantic Broadband in QA County for cable tv. Other areas might have Comcast (Infinity) and the Verizon service known as FIOS for cable tv. In about a year, you will have another video choice from Apple.
Services like Netflix and hulu.com already stream video over the internet. And based on Apple’s success, the cable and satellite tv providers better get ready for a “knockout” competitor that slammed Microsoft and is still climbing. Of course you will need an internet connection, but most of us already have internet capability.
Apple is entering into a whole new marketplace and revenue stream. I think we’re about to witness a “knockout!”
Back in the late 1990’s I really believed that Microsoft would put Steve Jobs’ little computer company out of business. That shows what I know! A week or so ago, Apple announced incredible earnings and has passed Microsoft in both earnings and revenues. “Down goes Frasier!” I think it was $39B in earnings for the quarter. Shut up kid, Joe Frasier was a great boxing champion!
As I’ve mentioned before, Apple didn’t get there with computer sales. It was the “i” devices, i.e. iPod, iPhone, and iPad that really saved the company and launched the revenue growth. But the real genius is not the devices, it is the iTunes service. Apple could have dropped iPods out of airplanes for free and still made tons of money from the iTunes online service. Let’s translate that to the upcoming Apple flat panel TVs. Sure Apple will care about the new TV sales, but the real genius will be the online video service.
Most of us know that we can download music and videos from iTunes to either an Apple Macintosh or a Windows based computer. But having all Apple hardware is really cool. Let’s add the new Apple flat panel TV to that equation. The result, Apple will sell tons of TV hardware and control the video service that comes into our homes via the internet. It might be called iTunes or something else. In addition Apple could include a TV model that includes a computer, in the same box with the TV. Maybe add a wireless keyboard and mouse? You would have a computer, a flat panel TV, a DVR, all of your music, photos and movies in one really sharp box.
Let’s throw another video service’s hat in the ring that will compete directly with cable and satellite tv. I don’t know what Apple will call it, but it’s currently being referred to as “IPTV”. In other words, tv content delivered to your home via the internet. Satellite tv service providers include Dish Network and DirecTV. We have Atlantic Broadband in QA County for cable tv. Other areas might have Comcast (Infinity) and the Verizon service known as FIOS for cable tv. In about a year, you will have another video choice from Apple.
Services like Netflix and hulu.com already stream video over the internet. And based on Apple’s success, the cable and satellite tv providers better get ready for a “knockout” competitor that slammed Microsoft and is still climbing. Of course you will need an internet connection, but most of us already have internet capability.
Apple is entering into a whole new marketplace and revenue stream. I think we’re about to witness a “knockout!”