iPad2 vs Retina Display on New iPad

For some people, there's no reason to spend the money to get a new 3rd-gen iPad. The iPad2 is a great machine, it works great and has a lovely interface. And for some people, they wouldn't really notice the difference in the screen.


I am not one of those people. The Retina Display on the new iPad is gorgeous. And since there's more pixels in its 9.7 in. display than in my "high-def" TV in the living room, everything, from photos to text to icons in the App Store, are super crisp. The screen is brighter, and it may just be a figment of my imagination, but seems to look better at more extreme angles than the iPad2.


Below are just a couple comparison shots of the iPad2 versus the new iPad that I took this evening. While you can easily tell in the pictures, the difference is most striking when you're actually using both. With the new iPad, everything is amazingly crisp, and as something of a typography geek, I love how text displays on the new iPad. Now that I have a direct comparison, I'm glad I waited for the new iPad. Check out the photos and let me know if you agree.

Left: iPad2, Right: iPad 3rd Gen

Top: iPad 2
Notice the haloing in the gradient on the iPad2, whereas it's perfectly smooth on the 3rd generation.

Perhaps a little harder to tell in this picture, but Flipboard is stunning on the 3rd Generation iPad (right) compared to the 2nd Gen (on the left).

Review: Audio-Technica ATH-CK6A High-Fidelity Binaural In-Ear Headphones

Audio-Technica ATH-CK6A High-Fidelity Earbuds

Specifications
Driver Diameter: 10.7mm
Frequency Response: 15 - 28,000 Hz
Maximum Input Power: 200mW
Sensitivity: 100 dB/wM at 1kHz
Impedance: 16 ohms
Weight: 0.12 oz without cable
Cable: 4 ft, Y-type
Connector: 3.5mm mini stereo, gold-plated, iPhone compatible
Accessories Included: interchangeable earpieces (S, M, L); Interchangeable loop supports (3 types); pouch



I’m not exactly an audiophile but I do consider myself perhaps more aware of headphone quality than the average person using the default earbuds that came with their iPod. 

There are three main things that I consider when looking for a pair of headphones: nice design; good comfort and fit; and of course high-fidelity sounds, which means they’ll have clear and accurate sound with any kind of audio from talk to classical music to action movies, and at a wide range of volumes.

Currently, my favorite set of headphones Phillips over the ear earbud style which have really good frequency response and they're nice and comfortable I can wear them all day, which is really important for me as I listen to music for the better part of every workday. So I figured these Audio-Technica headphones had a lot to live up to, and I was particularly excited about this review because judging by the specs on the web page, these were high-quality earbuds.

The ATH-CK6As come with three sets of loop supports and three different sizes of earpieces so you can get just the fit you want. A drawstring bag is also included to keep the ‘phones in. One thing that drew me to these was the advertised wide frequency range of 15-28,000 Hz and the rare-earth speaker drivers, rare for any set of headphones, much less small earbuds like these. Basically it means that since the average human hearing range is around 20-20,000 Hz, these headphones will let you hear everything recorded that you’re physically capable of hearing. In simple language, this means you’ll be able to really hear both the deep notes as well as the mid and high ranges without distortion.

The headphones themselves are very lightweight. The ear loop pieces that were already installed were just right for me, but I switched the ear covers to the smaller sizes to make it fit right for me, so I appreciate having the options available to me.

Once I had the attachments to my liking, the earphones fit nice and tight inside my ears, which makes for good clarity of sound as well as blocking outside noise.

For this review I tested three different genres of music in order to exploit the full potential of these headphones.

First up was Josh Groban’s Si Volvieras a Mi. The vocals in the mid-range were nice and clear, and the instruments were full and rich. I felt like I was really getting the whole experience of the music. Also, important for earbuds is that it doesn't sound like any music is leaking out, and with the right fit, the Audio-Technica’s seemed to direct everything right down my ear canal, which made the music sound great.

For rock music, it's hard to beat Breathe Into Me by RED. The guitars came through nice and full, vocals were clear, and the bass was spot on. Tweaking the equalizer settings on the audio device (I used an iPad for this review), I was able to experience let the advertised high fidelity of the ATH-CK6As shine through.

Moving on to hip-hop to see how good the low bass response was, I chose Get It In by PRo. I love a song with good bass, and, having installed subwoofers in all the vehicles I've had, I know what full deep bass sounds like and how it can really enable you to feel the music rather than simply hearing it. Therefore, I only consider a set of ‘phones "good" if it can sound like I have small subs in my ears. Once again, these phones came through in spades, with the super-low frequency response capability a treat for my ears. Moreover, the Audio-Technica earbuds stayed firmly planted in my ears, something that my Philips ‘phones only do as long as I don’t move or yawn or swallow. I’m looking forward to using these new earbuds for my next trip to the gym.

And speaking of having a good sound seal, I found that these do a good job of blocking outside noise as my wife just came up and asked me why I haven't been listening to her for the past few minutes. I couldn't even hear her!

With each music selection, all frequencies came through clearly, and even turned up to the point that it almost hurt my ears (something you need to be careful about with earbuds), I couldn't detect any distortion on either end of the range, which made me smile since it's nice to be surprised with a such high-fidelity sound in such a small package. I was dubious at first that these small light earpieces would have drivers that could handle the music I like to listen to, but the Audio-Technica ATH-CK6A headphones are winners in my book, especially considering the mid-range price.

In fact, my only real complaint is the alphanumeric naming system of these headphones, which will make it hard to remember when you want to tell your friends how awesome your new headphones are!

To wrap up, if you're looking for a high-quality pair of earbuds that don’t break the bank, these are a great choice. Sure, you can buy earbuds for $10, or use the ones that came with your mp3 player, but if you appreciate great sound at a decent price, these are for you. You could also spend at least three as much for other brands of headphones, but you’d be hard pressed to justify the price when these sound so good.


Check them out today on BuyDig.com.

The Fakeness is Overwhelming

I can't take the tastelessness anymore. Every time I'm out driving I see all these vehicles, some nice, some absolute junkers, that are apparently driven by absolutely taste-impaired individuals. I've seen this phenomenon on econoboxes, ricers, junkers, Camaros, minivans, trucks, you name it.


Perhaps you've seen it too....

OOOO!!! Fake stick-on body vents! Your G6 is SO COOL! 

That was bad enough, but then as I neared home, I saw an even more blatant lack of style. It was a PT Cruiser that had at least 12 of these fakey-vents all over the car, including the C-pillar (!), along with some super-awesome chrome flame stickers. I mean, COME ON PEOPLE! What are you thinking? Are you even thinking?

Do you honestly think that fake vents make your car look awesome? Who told you to do that to your car? Did aliens suck out your brain and replace it with silly-putty?

For all of you that have fallen prey to this atrocious faux-pas (emphasis on faux), let me clear this up. This is where these things belong:

That's right. On a BUICK! Not on your Pontiac G6, not on your PT Cruiser, not on your Explorer, Camaro, or nineteen-colors-of-primer-and-rust 92 Civic. In fact, if the vent didn't come from the factory, it shouldn't be on your car!

They are fine if they're functional, meaning that they actually contribute to moving air in some fashion. So if you have legitimate vents on your ride, more power to you. I do admit to thinking these things were interesting the first time I saw it, but then everyone started putting them on everything. (Remember that fad some years ago where everyone was putting those stupid lights in their windshield washer nozzles? Same principle here.) These are not an instant pass to coolness. If you think your car needs these vent sticker thingies to look cool, you're wrong. Either your car can stand on it's own and doesn't need them, or it's too trashy/plain/ugly for something stupid like this to help. Simply because it's chrome and you can afford it does not mean that it should go on your vehicle!

Finally, what drives me even more nuts is that it seems like the majority of those who think fake vent stickers make their car cooler, or faster, or whatever, are also the same people who have no concept of a straight line. How many of these have you seen where it looks like the person stuck them in the dead of night while being drunk to smithereens?

Please, for the continued sanity of those of us who have at least an inkling of design sense and an appreciation for aesthetics, stop with the stickers already!

Ludicrous Liberals

I absolutely cannot believe this man. He's now quoting Ronald Reagan in an effort to raise all our taxes, tell us that millionaires don't pay taxes, and convince people that Reagan was actual a socialist instead of one of the most conservative presidents we've had. Not only this, but he also said taxes are lower today than in Reagan's day. Maybe tax REVENUES, because people are already paying too high of taxes to bail out other companies and hence aren't spending, so the government's not getting as much.

For some reason, he believes his grand government can spend our money better than we can, more productively than we can, and to better effect than we can. For an even crazier reason, people applaud when he says it, people who get their complete political view from the Washington Post and the Times. Thank you so much, Mr. Obama, yes, I can know see your socialist dream, and it's beautiful. If only there wasn't that stupid nagging fact that IT'S BEEN TRIED BEFORE AND IT DIDN'T WORK THEN EITHER AND IT'S NOT WORKING NOW!

Read this great article from Heritage.org to see just how different these two guys are, Obama's buddy-buddy talk notwithstanding.

Kawasaki Mean Streak Upgrades Round 1

This is the first of many hopeful rounds of upgrades to my 04 Mean Streak 1600. This is my first big bike, and it just keeps growing on me, especially after doing some things myself on it.

So, on to the goods. In this round, upgrades include:

• Rectifier relocated to the front (via Constrictor's 62 cent mod) and bag fitted in its place
• Rear fender brace covers moved closer to fender
• Removed reflectors and moved helmet locks up on the front frame brace
• Handmade license plate and turn signal brackets
• Anodized aluminum license plate bolts (Made in USA by ebay seller mlochridge)
• Blacked-out air cleaner covers and turn signals (using Dupli-Color's Shadow kit)
• Blacked-out turn signal lenses (using Nite-Shades)
• Added 5% tint to windshield
• Kuryakyn Shift Lever cover (thanks to my wife)
• Kuryakyn Bar End Weights
• Kuryakyn Scythe II Mirrors

License Plate and Turn Signal Brackets

I made these (with the help of my dad and his tools!) out of 16 gauge sheet steel from Lowe's. Hadn't ever done anything like this, so it was a learning experience. I had to scrap the first set I made since I was trying to make them nice and curvy using only a jigsaw (definitely not recommended!) If you have a bandsaw, this would be much faster and easier. So as you can see, I ended up going with straight cuts and then filing to smooth out, which worked fine. They're pretty ugly up close, but I didn't care since the point was to paint them black and have them hardly show at all. The only thing about the turn signal relocation was redoing the wiring of course, because I had to untape the entire harness and add wire extensions for the turn signals since the way it's set up at the factory wouldn't allow the lights to go very far. It saves a few inches of wire, which is why they do that, but I had several feet of small-gauge wire around that I just soldered in to extend the reach.

Painting stuff

This was interesting. After seeing the video on the Shadow paint kit on Dupli-color's site, I really wanted to use that, so I did, and I think it turned out pretty well on the turn signals and air cleaner covers, but it's definitely not the black chrome look I was hoping for. It's probably mostly the result of me being a novice painter with a rattle can, but I had a hard time getting it between either making it look like overspray and not covering, and spraying too much and it running. In shooting between these two, I ended up doing 3 coats and it came out much more black than black chrome. However, the turn signals do have a nice high gloss.

In contrast, the Nite-Shades was super easy and fast, just needed one coat, then let it dry for a good long time, and then shine it up with some Mother's carnauba wax. When the lights are off, it looks completely blacked-out, but with just one coat, the lights are still perfectly visible through the amber lens when on.

Kuryakyn Scythe II Mirrors

It took a while to decide to go with these mirrors, and I initially wanted the original Scythe I mirrors, but ended up going with these because I think they look just a bit cleaner while still having a bit of a wicked edge, which is what I'm going for. I just got them installed and absolutely love them.

License Plate Bolts

Just wanted to say a quick word about these. They're great quality and nice and light in black (you can also get them in chrome). The only thing is that the bolts are thicker than normal license plate bolts (in the US, anyway), so I had to drill out my license plate and my newly-painted brackets a bit so they'd fit, which peeved me a bit, but wasn't too hard. Just something to keep in mind.

Tinting the Windshield

I did this myself based on the write-up here from vee-strom.com. It looks fine from a distance, like over 10 feet, but being my first tint job, it's pretty terrible up close. I'll blame it on the compound curves on the Memphis Shades windshield. I wasn't sure how to make nice even final cuts, and despite using the applicator spray, it just wouldn't stick in some places. In the end, it looks like the edges were hacked with a dull knife rather than the razor blade I used, and there's still many bubbles and I probably scratched the tint. I may try again, or I might see if it can be tinted at a real shop, or I'll just get a new screen someday. I don't often ride with it, because it completely changes the look of the Mean Streak, and not in a good way in my opinion.

Okay, enough talk, here's some more pics. The first is a before shot.

Please Pray for Los Alamos!

Just 11 years after the devastating Cerro Grande fire that evacuated the town and burned hundreds of homes, the people of my hometown of Los Alamos were once again evacuated yesterday as the Las Conchas fire, which has no burned over 50,000 acres, creeps closer to the town.




Please pray that God sends rain, or that the winds shift and that Los Alamos and its residents are spared the heartache of another rebuild so soon. Pray for the firefighters who are in harms way doing all they can. Please pray.

Another Wrench in the Spokes

As I was reading through all the blogs I track the other day, I came across a cool article about this guy who made a fly-powered self-sustaining clock. It has a flypaper conveyor belt that traps flies and scrapes them off into a biocell filled with bacteria to break down the flies, releasing electrons, which are in turn used to power the clock and the motor that turns the conveyor belt.

The video explained that, understandably, the inspiration for this invention came from the carnivorous plants in nature that use bugs as fuel. And it got me to thinking that these plants are an excellent argument against Evolution. I mean, how would something like that come about by numerous small successive changes? I can't see any way. A Wikipedia article I read tries to explain the Evolution, but it skirts what I think is a major issue. This is basically a brain dump, and not a scientific article, but the logic is spot-on, so bear with me.

These plants grow in nitrogen-poor soil, and hence need supplements (bugs) in order to survive. Whereas plants like the Venus flytrap, pitcher plant, and sundew plant go about it in different ways, they all turn bugs into food. So how could something that's not a sentient being evolve from being a "simple" photosynthetic plant to a carnivorous one? If we assume that eons ago some stray seed fell into some nutrient-poor soil and started growing, what is most likely to happen? The plant eventually dies of course without all it needs to grow and thrive. It's a plant, it can't say, "Oh, this isn't a great spot to be in, I think I'll evolve something to help me survive!" But what really strikes me is that a fly (or beetle, or ant) is a completely different thing from a plant. How could the plant "decide" to go after bugs?

The only thing that is remotely plausible (as much as inter-species can be thought of as plausible instead of a joke) is that perhaps a plant in that situation would evolve to become parasitic, spreading out roots and taking nutrients from other plants. But this isn't what we have today. We have plants that get part of their energy from a completely different source, something completely outside "plantdom" if you will.

To expand on this line of thinking, I suppose a lazy thinker could be persuaded that a squirrel or muskrat could evolve into a beaver by virtue of living near the water, and that the squirrels with larger, flatter tails survived better in the water. I don't buy it, but for the sake of argument, let's say that's what happened. But what we don't have is a squirrel evolving to use a rock to carve out a little squirrel canoe from a stick, because the rock and the stick are just objects to the squirrel that he wouldn't think to use for purposes other than he does. Similarly, if we assume these plants had some kind of "knowledge" about bugs, it makes no sense that the plant would evolve anything to repurpose those bugs for its own use .

So coming back around to how this could possibly happen, let's break it down. Let's say we have a dandelion seed; it lands in a bad neighborhood that doesn't have the support it needs to grow. It dies. Ooo, not passing on anything there. Another seed lands in the same neighborhood later, a caterpillar crawls up a leaf, is taken by a bird, who clips the leaf, and some of the sticky leaf-blood seeps out. No biggie, but the plant later dies for lack of nutrition. Another seed, same story, gets clipped and everything. This time an ant walks by and gets stuck. Yay! We have a carnivorous plant, see? The ant? He dies. On the plant. Another one for Evolution! Hold on, don't sell the farm just yet. There's no mechanism for the plant to digest or metabolize the bug. The plant eventually dies in the nutrient-poor neighborhood. Sigh... Another seed, another bird, another slice, another ant... See how these things have to pile up multiple times? It's not like you just hit the jackpot once, you have to do it a million times. This is what mathematicians call practically impossible. The probability is so low that's it's not worth considering. Without the right plant in the right place, with the right attractive properties and the right processes and functions to metabolize and use bug juice, all you have is dead plants, not plants that keep getting stronger!

Rather than dandelion seeds landing where they can't survive and ending up evolving into a fascinating carnivorous plant, is it not much more likely that you just don't have dandelions in that area, and perhaps only plants that were designed to live there?