Friday, February 12, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Check the Ingredients! Or Should I Say Additives...
by Charles G. Prescott
Have you ever actualy tried to read the ingredients label on the food put on your dinner table? I have and still don't understand it. You might say.."Well nobody does." But I had 6 classes (2 standard and 4 advanced) in Chemistry in college and although I have a decent understanding of the "chemical composition" of the additives, I
have no clue what purpose they serve. Ah... but there is a very easy way to find out. Just add the "What Addivives?" app and you too can "audit" the additives. Some are extremely common and harmless, others are just scary. I won't give examples of additives, but let's just say that hot dogs are the least of your worries when compared to some sweets. Give it a shot and comment on what was the worst thing you found in the cubbard. Ignorance is bliss, but poisoning oneself on additives is crazy.
Have you ever actualy tried to read the ingredients label on the food put on your dinner table? I have and still don't understand it. You might say.."Well nobody does." But I had 6 classes (2 standard and 4 advanced) in Chemistry in college and although I have a decent understanding of the "chemical composition" of the additives, I
have no clue what purpose they serve. Ah... but there is a very easy way to find out. Just add the "What Addivives?" app and you too can "audit" the additives. Some are extremely common and harmless, others are just scary. I won't give examples of additives, but let's just say that hot dogs are the least of your worries when compared to some sweets. Give it a shot and comment on what was the worst thing you found in the cubbard. Ignorance is bliss, but poisoning oneself on additives is crazy.Just for the record.. the classes were General Chemistry I, General Chemistry II, Organic Chemistry I, Inorganic Chemistry, Quantum Chemistry, Chemical Thermodynmics (aka Physical Chemistry).
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Why pay for WiFi? Tether!!
by Charles G. Prescott
Let’s make this quick and easy to understand…. Your computer at home that is connected to the internet in one of 2 ways. You are either going through a DSL (copper phone line), or Coaxial Cable. Both have their plusses and minuses with regard to speed and reliability, but one thing is certain… when a tree falls on the lines, or and ice storm hits, your computer/laptop will go offline. If you want to use your laptop outside your house, you need a WiFi server to access. Until now… You see, your smart phone (and it is pretty smart) is always able to connect to the internet because it is on the wireless 3G and perhaps 4G network. Now the question is, “how do I run my internet for my laptop, through my cell phone?” The word you are looking for is “Tethering.” Essentially what you are doing when you tether is turning your cell phone in to a 3G modem for your laptop/desktop. PdaNet software makes this extremely simple. I got mine to work in 5 minutes and it is not as slow as I though it would be. My favorite place to tether is anywhere that some idiot thinks you should pay for WiFi service. (Example.. starbucks, airports, hotels, etc.) Where is your favorite place to tether??
Let’s make this quick and easy to understand…. Your computer at home that is connected to the internet in one of 2 ways. You are either going through a DSL (copper phone line), or Coaxial Cable. Both have their plusses and minuses with regard to speed and reliability, but one thing is certain… when a tree falls on the lines, or and ice storm hits, your computer/laptop will go offline. If you want to use your laptop outside your house, you need a WiFi server to access. Until now… You see, your smart phone (and it is pretty smart) is always able to connect to the internet because it is on the wireless 3G and perhaps 4G network. Now the question is, “how do I run my internet for my laptop, through my cell phone?” The word you are looking for is “Tethering.” Essentially what you are doing when you tether is turning your cell phone in to a 3G modem for your laptop/desktop. PdaNet software makes this extremely simple. I got mine to work in 5 minutes and it is not as slow as I though it would be. My favorite place to tether is anywhere that some idiot thinks you should pay for WiFi service. (Example.. starbucks, airports, hotels, etc.) Where is your favorite place to tether??
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
HP48!! The Second Coming...
The name says it all. It is an HP48 emulator (all the buttons work). If you had the TI-85 tough luck… everyone knows that the HP48 was better (I had one). While attending Worcester Polytechnic Institute and majoring in Chemical Engineering, my HP never left my side. This was right before laptops had come into their own (no cell phones either) and everyone had a scientific calculator. The entire school could be broken up into 2 groups… The HP’s and TI’s.
For those of you who don’t know HP= Hewlett Packard and TI= Texas Instruments. Everytime we sat down to do homework as a group (regardless of the class), invarably a debate over which calculator was superior would ensue. The fact is I am done with exams, and I really don’t do too many high math calculations these days thanks to computers, but I still prefer my HP over a simple calculator due to force of habit. Anyone who used one in school understands this and will use this app too. Monday, February 8, 2010
Imperfect Pitch? Not a Problem…
by Charles G. Prescott
www.cohortor.org/gstrings
Let your mind go blank for a second here….. ok now think “gStrings.” Now get your mind out of the gutter, we are talking about a “chromatic tuner application” not ladies underwear (That’s my other blog… shhhh don’t tell my wife…come to think of it, don’t tell her about this one either). This app will let you tune any musical instrument, such as the violin, guitar, piano, or wind instruments. (How the @#$%& do you tune a wind instrument??) Best of all it’s free and available for download through the android market.
So I know that my cheap Everett piano is out of tune because I happen to have perfect pitch and can hear it. An example of this is the “a” note located above middle “c.” The picture to the left shows that the needle should point to 440Hz which is the natural frequency of this note’s primary harmonic (it’s definitely flat) So, to test the app, I went with my daughter to piano lessons where the teacher has a well tuned Steinway baby grand piano. Long story short, the needle pointed on tune on every key. This means I need to get my piano tuned. Not that I didn’t know this, but now I have a way of checking it to make sure the guy did it correctly… and so do you.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Always be a Local...
by Charles G. Prescott on Sunday February 7, 2010
http://www.aloqa.com/
The name is pronounced like "aloha" but with a "k" instead of an "h." Say it with me... "Al-oh-kuh." Get used to saying it, because you are going to be using it more and more. It's an "all in one" application which means it does a bunch of things. Here is how I have been using it. I am a huge coffee drinker (this is no secret), and when I need a cup, I NEED IT!! But that's ok... ALOQA (say it with me... Al-oh-ka) can help. Click on the app and there is an icon (they call it a channel) that says... COFFEE!! Click it and it shows channels for the local chains (Starbucks, DD, Peets, Caribou, etc.) as well as Yelp Coffee and how many there are of each. It all works off the GPS. Now I know that this is nothing new or amazing in the world of smart phones, but wait there's more First, it's more accurate than the other apps I've tried ("Find this" "Find that") it actually locates Starbucks located in other stores like Target Second, you can set it up to alert you automatically when you are near one The brilliant part is that this applies to all the channels (Restaurants, Clubs, ATMS, Fast Food, etc). There is one channel though that I will touch upon as I feel it deserves high marks. The channel is called "Great Dad" and is listed as family fun. Click the channel and now you have access to all the local family friendly attractions. (Landmarks, Museums, Parks... you name it.)Of course you need to try it for yourself, but I think it's definitely a keeper.
http://www.aloqa.com/
The name is pronounced like "aloha" but with a "k" instead of an "h." Say it with me... "Al-oh-kuh." Get used to saying it, because you are going to be using it more and more. It's an "all in one" application which means it does a bunch of things. Here is how I have been using it. I am a huge coffee drinker (this is no secret), and when I need a cup, I NEED IT!! But that's ok... ALOQA (say it with me... Al-oh-ka) can help. Click on the app and there is an icon (they call it a channel) that says... COFFEE!! Click it and it shows channels for the local chains (Starbucks, DD, Peets, Caribou, etc.) as well as Yelp Coffee and how many there are of each. It all works off the GPS. Now I know that this is nothing new or amazing in the world of smart phones, but wait there's more First, it's more accurate than the other apps I've tried ("Find this" "Find that") it actually locates Starbucks located in other stores like Target Second, you can set it up to alert you automatically when you are near one The brilliant part is that this applies to all the channels (Restaurants, Clubs, ATMS, Fast Food, etc). There is one channel though that I will touch upon as I feel it deserves high marks. The channel is called "Great Dad" and is listed as family fun. Click the channel and now you have access to all the local family friendly attractions. (Landmarks, Museums, Parks... you name it.)Of course you need to try it for yourself, but I think it's definitely a keeper.
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