Random observations, teachings and musings of a well trained cubicle superhero.
http://j1.ca
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Futurama Fireworks at Cavalcade of Lights
This guy basically got the rest of the show where mine leaves off
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Solid Steel 1998-2008 : 20 Years Of The Broadest Beats
Solid Steel 1998-2008
2008 marks the 20th anniversary of Solid Steel's first appearance on the airwaves and this audio DVD contains a few highlights from the archive.
Matt Black and Jonathan More started out on London's pirate KISS FM radio station with separate shows but then joined forces to present Solid Steel in 1988, a few years before the station finally went legal.
In the early 90's they were joined on a regular basis by PC, shortly followed by Strictly Kev, for the two hour mix marathons.
DK jumped on board in 1997, quickly rising to become producer and in 2000 the show enjoyed a spell on BBC London. In 2004 J Mountain joined the ranks and the show continued airing a diverse selection of guest mixes along with the occasional special interview.
Solid Steel has spread it's wings, going on to broadcast in over 30 stations around the world, spawned a mix CD series and club nights.In today's ready-to-go world of mp3 players, internet streaming and podcasts it's easy to forget that the show wasn't always easy to come by and, for the first ten years, was only broadcast in and around London.
Fans of the show taped it on cassette and some of these found their way onto the web in the last decade, the equivalent of musical gold dust. Those days are now largely over but the Solid Steel podcast has already reached over a million downloads.We have dug deep and here we bring you a selection of shows, from the earliest find on cassette, (from '88 along with 'authentic' tape hiss), to DATs, videos and CDRs throughout the 90's and the odd mp3 right up to 2008. You'll hear straight studio mixes, interviews and a few full shows with jingles, ad breaks and the occasional bit of studio banter.
This is just a taste of what Solid Steel has been bringing you over the last 2 decades and we'd like to thank all our listeners and guests for your support and look forward to beaming the show straight into your heads in another 20 years times
Disc content: over 40 hours of mp3s + a pdf booklet full of info about each show featured.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Happy Birthday to me...
Monday, November 17, 2008
Burrito Boyz Sells Peter St Location??
Walked by there this morning and it no longer says Burrito Boys.
It just says Burrito's. With an apostrophe. It's owned by someone, or something named Burrito.
Update: Apparently the ownership of the original Burrito Boyz has split. Inside it looks exactly the same, and they say that the ingredients, preparation and everything else will stay exactly the same.
Maybe the owners are a little frightened about he competition from Smoke's Poutinerie
Here's the before shot:
Friday, November 14, 2008
Girl Talk Nov13, Metropolis Montreal
Friday, November 07, 2008
Tonight:
BIG LEAGUE CHU
Hosted by: Megz!, Travis Robinson, Miss Marta & Mickey D
Cover: $10, a 19+ Event
For Reservations and Bottle Service ($100 bottles every week!), e-mail: vip@republiknightclub.com
Republik Nightclub (QUBE VIP Room)
261 Richmond St W, Toronto
BIG LEAGUE CHU
Hosted by: Megz!, Travis Robinson, Miss Marta & Mickey D
Cover: $10, a 19+ Event
For Reservations and Bottle Service ($100 bottles every week!), e-mail: vip@republiknightclub.com
Republik Nightclub (QUBE VIP Room)
261 Richmond St W, Toronto
BO!
Taisuke at RedBull Break comp.
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Love the one you're with - Upgrades for the gear you've got
Get the most out of the gear you already have.Jay, a.k.a. "The Cubicle Superhero", is a self-professed tech junkie with a passion for music and culture
Sometimes, we at Tech Mates spend so much time focusing on the latest and greatest consumer technology that we take what we have for granted. This week, we're covering a few tweaks, hacks and upgrades for the gear we've already got.
So long, Lappy
In my case, the old adage rang true: you don't know what you have until it's gone.
No, we're not talking about ex-girlfriends or scratched LPs; we're talking neglected tech. After years of famously rough treatment, my laptop finally ascended to computer heaven (which I imagine runs Ubuntu).
One of the features I didn't fully appreciate was a little video 'out' port that let me plug it directly into my TV without much fuss. You see, sometimes, the Cubicle Superhero overcomplicates things (see ex-GF comment above).
I waded deep into researching the principles of computer video scan rates, USB conversion devices, aspect ratio, modulation, adapters and connection types. It quite honestly took me about a week to recognize what I already had sitting in front of me.
The fix under my nose
Laptops and desktops all have monitor 'out' ports, and, amazingly, my HD television has an input! In fact, it also has an HDMI 'in' port to connect high-definition signals, such as up-converting DVD players or a Rogers HD digital box.
After all that searching, all I needed was $5 of cable before I found myself looking at my computer in a higher definition than I ever experienced while using a yellow 'video out' RCA cable. Amazing!
For those of you who don't have a VGA port on your television, I'll save you my hours of research. The AverMedia iMicro is a highly rated product that converts your computer's monitor feed into Svideo without a need for drivers.
There's also the more affordable AverKey Lite, which requires no external power, meaning that it's content to sap juice from any available USB port. There are many similar products, and most fall into the $100-$150 range. Don't forget to keep your receipt and check return policies.
I'm a speed freak
Internet speed is the true measure of one's nerd worthiness. Every week, thousands of blog posts and articles are produced, professing to have the magic cure for your slow-connection blues.
I got in early, and it's probably been over six years since I installed my overpriced wireless router. Much like how your computer performed live updates to its antivirus program or Windows updates to the operating system, routers too have an update function.
The embedded software that lives within your router and many other digital devices is called firmware. Six years ago, the fact that I was grumbling about the new Windows XP rather than complaining about Vista's 18 Mbps bandwidth now seems ludicrous. The firmware wasn't designed for it!
I highly recommend visiting your router manufacturer's website to see if they've posted an upgrade. Generally, the process is simple. Simply jack in your router using wired Ethernet, download a firmware update file, log in using your router's web interface, and find the firmware upload menu. You'll probably have to reenter your wireless settings and passwords, but the results should be immediate. Give your manufacturer's support line a call for more info.
Set your printer free!
Once your wireless router is all patched and ready for business, why not pull that printer out of your closet and put it somewhere a little more convenient?
As most of us move from one main computer to multiple laptops in the home, the idea of wireless printing starts to make more sense. The device that enables this feature for most modern USB-based printers is called a wireless print server, and for another $100-$150, this small device will connect your current printer to your wireless network.
Both D-Link and Linksys have highly rated units, although you should be aware that some users have reported issues with Windows Vista compatibility. See the website to determine if the software on the CD has been updated since the product's release.
One more for you snowbirds
Speaking of product releases, I know we've covered watching your computer feed on your TV, but what about watching TV on your TV? The new SlingCatcher allows you to watch and control your cable box on any TV, anywhere in the world.
While it's hardly the cheapest setup, since it requires installing a Slingbox at home too, it does provide access to all your Rogers programming, PVR recordings and favorites wherever you happen to be.
And the device does even more than just that. We've just started playing with it at Cube HQ, so stay tuned for more coverage in Tech Mates.
Get the most out of the gear you already have.
Sometimes, we at Tech Mates spend so much time focusing on the latest and greatest consumer technology that we take what we have for granted. This week, we're covering a few tweaks, hacks and upgrades for the gear we've already got.
So long, Lappy
In my case, the old adage rang true: you don't know what you have until it's gone.
No, we're not talking about ex-girlfriends or scratched LPs; we're talking neglected tech. After years of famously rough treatment, my laptop finally ascended to computer heaven (which I imagine runs Ubuntu).
One of the features I didn't fully appreciate was a little video 'out' port that let me plug it directly into my TV without much fuss. You see, sometimes, the Cubicle Superhero overcomplicates things (see ex-GF comment above).
I waded deep into researching the principles of computer video scan rates, USB conversion devices, aspect ratio, modulation, adapters and connection types. It quite honestly took me about a week to recognize what I already had sitting in front of me.
The fix under my nose
Laptops and desktops all have monitor 'out' ports, and, amazingly, my HD television has an input! In fact, it also has an HDMI 'in' port to connect high-definition signals, such as up-converting DVD players or a Rogers HD digital box.
After all that searching, all I needed was $5 of cable before I found myself looking at my computer in a higher definition than I ever experienced while using a yellow 'video out' RCA cable. Amazing!
For those of you who don't have a VGA port on your television, I'll save you my hours of research. The AverMedia iMicro is a highly rated product that converts your computer's monitor feed into Svideo without a need for drivers.
There's also the more affordable AverKey Lite, which requires no external power, meaning that it's content to sap juice from any available USB port. There are many similar products, and most fall into the $100-$150 range. Don't forget to keep your receipt and check return policies.
I'm a speed freak
Internet speed is the true measure of one's nerd worthiness. Every week, thousands of blog posts and articles are produced, professing to have the magic cure for your slow-connection blues.
Don't be tethered to your printer!
An article in The New York Times by columnist David Pogue touched on something I had neglected: my wireless router. Early adopters of wireless technology often suffered from aches and pains out of the box, and then proceed to write columns like these, or post furiously on message boards to share their fixes.I got in early, and it's probably been over six years since I installed my overpriced wireless router. Much like how your computer performed live updates to its antivirus program or Windows updates to the operating system, routers too have an update function.
The embedded software that lives within your router and many other digital devices is called firmware. Six years ago, the fact that I was grumbling about the new Windows XP rather than complaining about Vista's 18 Mbps bandwidth now seems ludicrous. The firmware wasn't designed for it!
I highly recommend visiting your router manufacturer's website to see if they've posted an upgrade. Generally, the process is simple. Simply jack in your router using wired Ethernet, download a firmware update file, log in using your router's web interface, and find the firmware upload menu. You'll probably have to reenter your wireless settings and passwords, but the results should be immediate. Give your manufacturer's support line a call for more info.
Set your printer free!
Once your wireless router is all patched and ready for business, why not pull that printer out of your closet and put it somewhere a little more convenient?
As most of us move from one main computer to multiple laptops in the home, the idea of wireless printing starts to make more sense. The device that enables this feature for most modern USB-based printers is called a wireless print server, and for another $100-$150, this small device will connect your current printer to your wireless network.
Both D-Link and Linksys have highly rated units, although you should be aware that some users have reported issues with Windows Vista compatibility. See the website to determine if the software on the CD has been updated since the product's release.
One more for you snowbirds
Speaking of product releases, I know we've covered watching your computer feed on your TV, but what about watching TV on your TV? The new SlingCatcher allows you to watch and control your cable box on any TV, anywhere in the world.
While it's hardly the cheapest setup, since it requires installing a Slingbox at home too, it does provide access to all your Rogers programming, PVR recordings and favorites wherever you happen to be.
And the device does even more than just that. We've just started playing with it at Cube HQ, so stay tuned for more coverage in Tech Mates.
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