ismael chang ghalimi

RED

One of the most amazing pieces of technology to become available this year is the RED digital camera. This beast of a camera delivers 12M pixels at up to 60fps, and records RAW, or 2x over-sampled HD in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2. If you’re not into digital videography, this won’t mean much to you, but if you are, you know that this is as close as it gets to Nirvana. I had lunch with one of their investors today, and got to learn a little bit more about the workflow that such a piece of recording equipment will make possible. Pretty darn cool…

Suunto X9i

During the past couple of weeks, I have been using a Sony GPS-CS1 to log my flights, but found it a little bit cumbersome. First, you have to take it out of your flight bag and find a place for it in the cramped cockpit. Second, you have to recharge its battery on a regular basis, which I tend to forget, making the device utterly useless. So I have been looking for a better solution, and recently set my sight on the Suunto X9i. This wristwatch incorporates an altimeter, a barometer, a compass, a GPS, and a chronograph. It connects to your PC through a USB cable, and you can directly upload tracks onto Google Earth. Time to save some money…

PaperIQ

Back in April 2001, I read a fascinating article written by Steve Silberman for Wired Magazine. It described a new technology developed by a Swedish company called Anoto. The technology allowed hand writing to be digitized by a micro-camera embedded into the tip of a pen when using paper layered with barely visible patterns. I played with an early version developed by Nokia, but the pen was too bulky to be used on a daily basis, so I decided to wait for the technology to mature a little bit more. Recently, I came across PaperIQ, a British company that integrated a pen developed by Maxell with the BlackBerry Pearl. I have been using the system for a couple of weeks now, and I am really impressed. I use it to take notes on EASYBOOK notebooks made by OXFORD, upload my notes to my BlackBerry Pearl over Bluetooth by simply tapping onto a sticker affixed on the back of the notebook, and send them via email after they got automatically converted into text by PaperIQ’s online service. Life-like copies are also made available on PaperIQ’s website in PDF format. Overall, the technology works, and the workflow is almost perfect. Really cool…

BlackBerry Pearl

In my never-ending quest for the best mobile phone, I recently switched to the BlackBerry Pearl, and I must say that I am very impressed. The device is so small and lightweight that I can carry it in my pants’ pocket without feeling it. Initially, I was worried that the trackball would not be as effective as the good old trackwheel, but after five minutes of use, I realized that it’s actually better, for it can control both vertical and horizontal navigation. I am still concerned that it will stop working over time, as did the one on my Apple Mighty Mouse, but only time will tell. The SureType keyboard is not as fast as the full keyboard found on previous BlackBerry devices, but its predictive software is smart enough to make it work, and I do not type long emails from my phone anyway. Overall, I think the Pearl is the best mobile device I have ever owned. At this point, I can only hope that Apple’s upcoming phone will be even better.

Sony Reader

When I have to fly to the East Coast or to Europe, I like to take a couple of books with me, in case the in-flight entertainment system does not offer any decent flick, or I find myself too lazy to get any work done. Problem is, books made of paper tend to be heavy, and the more you travel, the less you want to carry. Sony recently came up with an elegant solution to this problem, in the form of an electronic book reader based on the amazing E Ink technology I wrote about back in August. I recently received my Sony Reader, and I am pleased to report that it is working as advertised. The screen is very sharp, and the battery life absolutely incredible (7,500 page flips). I usually get my electronic books or abstracts from the Project Gutenberg and Soundview Executive Book Summaries. I also tried to use the reader for instrument approach plates that I downloaded in PDF format from the National Aeronautical Charting Office, but the resolution is not quite sharp enough to use it as primary resource during approraches. I might have to go for the eFlyBook instead. It has a larger screen, and much better input controls. It’s also a lot more expensive. The generic iLiad the eFlyBook is based upon might be a good alternative. I need to think about it some more…

nTAG

Following my recent re-discovery of the ultra cool E Ink technology, I have been researching possible applications for conference name tags. I came across nTAG, which does pretty much exactly what I had in mind. If the rental price is right, I might use it for the Office 2.0 Conference that I am organizing in October. Ultimate geek factor!

eFlyBook

Four years ago, I saw a demonstration for one of the very first electronic paper displays developed by E Ink Corporation. Recently, the technology was licensed by iRex Technologies BV, a spin-off from Royal Philips Electronics, in order to develop the iLiad electronic reader. And today, the reader has been adopted by ARINC in order to develop the eFlyBook, a portable electronic device that contains all of the U.S. digitized terminal procedures, IFR high and low altitude enroute charts, U.S. airport facility directory, the FAR/AIM, and can display other user installed eDocs. Through the use of E Ink’s technology, the eFlyBook remains readable even in direct sunlight, and offers more than 20 hours of battery life.

Canon XH A1

Canon just announced the XH A1 high definition camcorder, a prosumer version of the superb XL H1 May and I fist saw in Japan last Winter. The XH A1 is equipped with the Canon 20x HD zoom lens with Professional L Series Fluorite, but contrary to the XL H1, the lens cannot be replaced with another one. Both support tapeless recording with the FireStore FS-4 Portable DTE Recorder.

Sony HDR-SR1

Sony just released the HDR-SR1 camcorder, the first to record high-definition video directly to a hard disk drive. The built-in 30GB drive can record 4 hours with maximum resolution. Do I need a camcorder? You bet I do! Geek envy…

GPSMAP 496

Garmin just released the successor to the hugely successful GPSMAP 396, the GPSMAP 496. Among other things, it includes detailed taxiway diagrams and position information for over 650 U.S. airports, detailed listings of over 7,400 U.S. airports, preloaded automotive street mapping for all of North America, enhanced terrain and aviation databases (including private airports), and faster 5Hz GPS updating of map data and “panel page”, giving a smoother, nearly real-time presentation of turn coordinator and HSI. I want one!

TomTom NAVIGATOR 5

After getting lost one time too many for an important meeting, I have decided to get a portable GPS. And because my new phone runs the Pocket PC operating system and supports Bluetooth connections, I went for a TomTom NAVIGATOR 5. It’s extremely small, weights almost nothing, and has the best user interface you can get today. It is not certified yet for the Cingular 8125, but I had no problem installing it and getting where I wanted to go for dinner tonight. Outstanding! Many thanks to Dave and Hugues for recommending the brand.

Windows Laptop

Mac OS X is a fantastic operating system, but I cannot use it for accessing our corporate bank account at work, nor for synchronizing my contacts between Salesforce.com and my phone. My past experience with Virtual PC was enough to convince me than any solution other than a native one would be the shortest path to ultimate frustration, so I finally decided to get a Windows laptop, and because I might have to carry it alongside my MacBook Pro, I opted for something very light: the Sony VAIO VGN-TX790P. At 2.76 lbs with standard battery, it’s really hard to beat.

Mobile Blogging

This is my first post published with the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet. Using the stylus and virtual keyboard does not make for very fast typing, but the screen is nice and auto-completion works pretty well. Adding a built-in keyboard might be a good idea though.

LEGO

As a kid, my days were spent attending school, watching TV, and playing LEGO. There is no other toy that will foster a child’s creativity while teaching advanced mechanics principles, subtle arithmetics concepts, and real-world 3D geometry, all with a healthy dose of practical sense. As a grown up, I have played with the first a second generations LEGO MINDSTORMS, but ended being frustrated with the complex user interface. So when I read in Wired’s last issue that LEGO was coming up with a third generation called NXT, I got excited again. Just read the specs: NXT Intelligent Brick, USB & Bluetooth interfaces, 3 interactive servo motors, 4 sensors (ultrasound, sound, light and touch), intuitive programming software, and support for both PC and Mac. A LEGO hacker’s dream! May, when is my birthday again?

Propellerhead Studios

Tonight, we celebrated the birthday of a friend whose job is to design games for kids. He started his own firm called Propellerhed Studios, and already released three games that bring sophisticated technologies from mainstream consumer electronics to a new family of products for younger demographics. We visited the lab where he develops his prototypes. In perfect Silicon Valley style, the lab is set up in his garage and features a hodgepodge of electronics equipment, drilling and milling machines, robotic devices, and technical books. A mad scientist’s dream! May beat the crap out of me at Tek Stix, and we had fun looking at prototypes that did not yet make it to the market. Sorry, I cannot tell you more about them without signing a non-disclosure agreement. I cannot wait for us to move into a house a get a garage where I could continue building my own toys, such as the now infamous trunk. Pictures coming soon.

Technology Dependence

For our parents, the problem with technology was that it took them a long time to get used to new tools, such as video cassette recorders, computers, or cellphones. I think that our generation will have the reverse problem: we will adopt new technologies too fast and become highly dependent to them, too fast. Today, I got lost on highway 101 going to a meeting. Because one of our two cars has a GPS on board, I did not print any directions. Unfortunately, I was driving the other car… I guess I will have to be more prepared next time, or buy a TomTom. The car with the GPS also has an ultrasound proximity detector that tells you how far you are from obstacles when backing up. When I drive the other car, I tend to forget that it’s not equipped with the same technology, and as a result came close to crashing into other poles or cars as of late. Again, I got used to the new technology and the comfort that comes with it a little too fast. Is it time for less gadgets in our lives?

Mac Envy

Apple Computer unveiled their new MacBook Pro laptop yesterday, the first to be built using an Intel CPU, and because it’s a dual-core chip clocked at 1.83GHz, it’s supposedly 4 times faster than my three month old PowerBook G4. The magnetic power cord and built-in iSight camera are pretty darn cool too. Is it time for an upgrade yet?

Too Many Computers

Following our recent move into a larger apartment and Ellen’s advice, May and I decided to clean our office today. This kept us busy for most of the afternoon, not that our office is that big but because we have so many computers. On the last count, and not including any PDA or BlackBerry device, we now have nine computers: the PowerMac server, the Xserve RAID server, the Linux server, the Windows workstation, the HP Tablet PC, the two PowerBook laptops and a couple of Windows laptops. Hooking up all these to the network, the printer and the scanner was a pretty interesting exercise. Feeling good about our über-geekness, tonight we will watch Triumph of the Nerds, An Irrevent History of the PC Industry by Bob Cringely.

Migrated to WordPress

The weblog has been migrated to WordPress, which offers more flexibility than TypePad. It also provides better integration with Flickr, which will make it easier to share pictures in combination with Aperture (going live soon). Comments have been lost in the process, sorry.

Kyoto

Today we are staying at the Westin Miyako in Kyoto. This is definitely one of the best hotels I have been staying at. It stands perched on a hill overlooking the city and is surrounded by temples and shrines. Rooms are amazing and the bathroom gave us our first try at the famed TOTO Washlets. Without getting into details, all I can say is that I am sold. If you want to know more, CNET has a good review of their flagship model, the Washlet S300.

Once cleaned and rested, we headed to Moritaya. This restaurant has been operating since 1869 and offers the best shabu-shabu in town. They have private rooms, but a better option is to share one of the rooms that overlooks Kamo-gawa, Kyoto’s main river. Outstanding experience! Many thanks to Georg S. for making me discover this delicious Japanese dish.