Play N Trade giving away $6000 in “Christmas in July” prizes

Jun 25, 2010 by Dan Taylor    1 Comment     Posted under: Games, Technology

Christmas in July. Who doesn’t love a little mid summer gaming goodness? But playing the same old games on the same old gear only goes so far. Thanks to video games retailer Play N Trade your summer could shape up to be an EPIC win.

In their “Christmas in July” giveaway, Play N Trade is giving 16 lucky winners a randomly selected video game. However, it’s not just Play N Trade that’s in with the goods. There’s a $4,400 Origin Genesis PC up for grabs. If you’re not familiar with Origin, think back a few years to Alienware pre-Dell phase. Remember how sweet those machines were? Well the team at Origin IS the original Alienware team.

Logitech has jumped on board as well with 3 gaming bundles including a G15 gaming keyboard, G500 gaming mouse, and the G35 surround sound headset worth $300 each. Last, but certainly not least, 2 winners will receive a Logitech G13 advanced game board, retail value $80.

The available titles that Play N Trade will be giving away:

• PS3 UFC 2010
• NDS Book Worm
• PC Borderlands
• PC Dragon Age Awakening
• PC Shrek Forever After
• PC Brothers in Arms Hell’s Highway
• PC Assassin’s Creed
• PC FarCry 2
• PC Rainbow Six Vegas 2
• PC Code of Honor 2
• PC Art of Murder: Hunt for the Puppeteer
• PC Art of Murder: FBI Confidential
• PC Chronicles of Mystery
• PC Zuma’s Revenge
• PC Plants vs Zombies
• PC Escape Rosecliff Island

“The Christmas in July giveaway is something we are very pleased to offer,” says Play N Trade CEO, Larry Plotnick. “After experiencing increased sales growth and unprecedented support from gamers nationwide during the past few years, we think it’s only natural for us to reciprocate with an exciting giveaway.”

The contest runs through July 27, 2010 and is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada. Additionally, Play N Trade will be running in store discounts on various games and peripherals throughout the month of July.

The Play N Trade “Christmas in July” giveaway is being held in cooperation from popular gaming site Avault.com, and includes sponsorship of The Avault Podcast, Stevie FTW and The Evil Ed Podcast, as well as a number of other prominent video game media properties.

To enter The Play N Trade “Christmas in July” giveaway, head on over to avault.com/christmas, give ‘em your deets, and say your prayers until July 28th. And no worries, they’re not there to collect your email address. As per the Terms and Conditions:

The operating company does not maintain any mailing lists, will not send you unsolicited emails, and takes reasonable measures to keep the information disclosed secure.

Wow … better than EA or Sony.

Two Thirds of Americans believe society uncivil

Jun 25, 2010 by Dan Taylor    3 Comments    Posted under: News

66 percent of all Americans believe there to be a general lack of civility. Moreover, 72 percent think that bad behavior has gotten worse in recent years. 75 percent of those surveyed think that the financial crisis and recession have lessened the level of American civility.

One thing is clear, most Americans believe that their friends and family are not uncivil, but the majority of the public views those outside this circle as being uncivil. Particularly hard hit in the survey were politics, high schools, talk radio, motorways, and Hollywood and professional sports.

72 percent of Americans think the government has got it all wrong. This overall opinion has appears to be having an impact on participation and interest in the political process. Nearly half of all Americans are simply no longer interested in politics, with 63 percent indicating that the general tone and level of civility (or lack thereof) as a major factor in their decision to tune out. 46 percent are no longer interested in opinion and editorials in the media, 45 percent citing incivility as the driving force.

When it comes down to the naming of names, 71 percent of Democrats surveyed said that they thought Republicans were uncivil. 74 percent of all Republicans viewed Democrats as uncivil. Political independents view Republicans more uncivil than Democrats, although independents think that both parties are more uncivil than civil (58 and 50 percent, respectively).

“Our research provides hard evidence that constituents and consumers alike are fed up with the polarization of our political system and the uncivil tone of our country as a whole,” said Jack Leslie, Chairman of Weber Shandwick. “As a result, Americans are tuning out and turning away from news, information and informed opinions that make up the very foundation of American democracy.”

Outside the political world, Americans are still hopping mad about the general incivility of the nation. Three quarters of Americans believe that companies that exhibit uncivil behavior should be boycotted. 56 percent of Americans have refrained from purchasing one company or another’s products based on their own perceived levels on corporate incivility. 55 percent have reevaluated their opinions of said company, while 49 percent indicated that they’ve advised friends and family against purchasing a company’s product.

And while the majority of Americans view their nation to be uncivil and are quick to point fingers in every direction, they still believe that there is hope to turn the tide. When asked who is responsible for improving civility, 87 percent answered “The American public.” 83 percent said political leaders, and 81, 79, and 76 percent indicated news media, businesses and places of worship.

The online survey was conducted by KRC Research and polled more than 1,000 Americans on how civility affect’s individual views of and participation in social media, politics, and buying behaviors. The executive summary of this survey is available here.

I have but one quote to offer to this news: “Be the change you want to see in the world.” – Mahatma Ghandi

More Americans trust Tech and Social Media over Traditional Media

Jun 25, 2010 by Dan Taylor    2 Comments    Posted under: Social Media

In a recent poll conducted by Zogby International Americans were asked to rate the news sources that they trusted most. At the very bottom of the list? Traditional Media.

Traditional Media scored lower than social media including Facebook and Twitter. Almost half of the 2,100 adults surveyed indicated that they trusted big tech firms such as Google, Apple, and Microsoft, 13 percent said they trust Facebook. Twitter scored an 8 percent on the trust scale, tying it with the same trust level American adults place in traditional media. Of the young adults surveyed (18-29), only 6 percent indicated that traditional media was their choice for trust.

John Zogby, President and CEO of Zogby International said that companies like Facebook and Twitter have not had the time to build a brand identity. I might argue that point. However, Google and Apple garner more of Americans’ trust as they’ve been around longer and have had the opportunity to build a brand and position themselves in the market.

Looking further into the Zogby survey with find that young adults have higher levels of trust in Facebook and Twitter with 20 percent and 15 percent, respectively.

When asked in a telephone interview with Reuters, Zogby commented that online privacy was tantamount to users, “I think to a great degree, its all about privacy.” And therein lies the irony. As more and more Americans begin to put more trust in Tech than Traditional Media, does the average consumer really know just what/where/and by whom their personal data is being displayed/read by?

Google has taken some heat as of late due to their Street View cars that collected private information on unencrypted WiFi networks while snapping pics for the online mapping software. WEP wha?

Likewise, young adult number one pick Facebook has recently changed their privacy policy do to a backlash from users and privacy watchdog groups when the Palo Alto firm decided to start releasing users’ data to ‘selected’ partners to ‘enrich’ the end users’ viewing (read:shopping) experience.

John Legend and The Roots want you to Wake Up!

Jun 25, 2010 by Dan Taylor    No Comments    Posted under: Music

Due out September 21st from Sony Music, John Legend and The Roots have joined forces and want you to Wake Up! The new offering will feature soulful music from the 60’s and 70’s with the underlying theme of awareness, engagement and consciousness.

Both John Legend and The Roots were inspired by the 2008 Presidential election campaign and felt a need to throw their collective hats in the ring. Initially, the collaboration began as a single but quickly evolved into a series of singles that the two have strung together into a full album. As all the songs on the upcoming album were programmed as singles, each one covers the message of change, hope and activism – and not just for today or tomorrow, but rather for the duration, no matter what the political climate may be.

The end result is an 11 track album with gospel, rock, reggae, and hip-hop influences. Some standouts from the upcoming release include the not so oft hear “Wholly Holy” by Marvin Gaye, and “Little Ghetto Boy” by Donny Hathaway, as well as Baby Huey and the Babysitters’ “Hard Times” and “Hand on in There” by Mike James Kirkland.

“These songs sound so relevant now,” Legend says. “On most of them, you wouldn’t change a lyric. ‘Wake Up Everybody’ (the album’s first single, featuring contributions from Melanie Fiona and Common) has four verses — the first one is a general statement, the second is about education, third is about health care, and the fourth is about making a better environment. No editing needed.”

“When these songs were written, people were more spiritually in tune,” says Roots drummer/musical director Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. “It was fresh from the civil rights era and there was a feeling of hope that maybe, yes, someday we will all be free. In 2010, not so much.”

And it’s not just a cover album. Wake Up! does feature one John Legend original, “Shine”, which will also be featured in Academy Award winning director Davis Guggenheim’s upcoming documentary Waiting for Superman.

John Legend is a six time Grammy winner, with all three of his albums hitting number one on the Billboard R&B charts.

The Roots are most currently visible as the house band on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, have released nine studio albums and are cited as one of the premier live instruments meet hip hop performers.

iPad app coming to a Catholic altar near you soon

Jun 21, 2010 by Dan Taylor    1 Comment     Posted under: Technology

Reverend Paolo Padrini has a particularly difficult job. He’s a consultant to an organization that still believes men who love god can’t love women. His job is to consult the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Social Communications. In other words – God’s Facebook page admins.

All jokes aside, Padrini does score points for pulling an archaic organization kicking and screaming into the 21st century. He’s developed an iPad application that will allow priests to dispense with the Roman missal, and conduct mass directly from an iPad. The official Vatican approved application is slated for release in July, and will be available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Latin.

This, however, isn’t Padrini’s first Vatican themed app, as two years ago he was the driving force behind iBreviary, an app that brought the book of daily prayers used by priests to iPhones around the world. According to Padrini, the application has been downloaded over 200,000 times.

The new iPad focused app will not simply be an upscaling of iBreviary, but rather the complete missal – i.e. the Priest’s script. The initial offering will be text only, but future upgrades are already planned and include audio commentaries and suggested homily themes.

The 36 year old Padrini hails from Northern Italy and expects that priests who travel a great deal will find this newest offering indispensable. He noted that he recently celebrated a mass in a small parish where the missal was, “a small book, a bit dirty, old.”

“If I had had my iPad with me, it would’ve been better than this old, tiny book,” says Padrini.

Since receiving his first iPope Pod in 2006, Emperor Palpatine Pope Benedict XVI has sought to reach out to a younger generation through tools they readily consume: technology. Based on the success of the iBreviary application (being a priest, and Italian probably didn’t hurt), Padrini was recruited by the Vatican to oversee their pope2u.net youth outreach program in the new media realm.

Padrini stresses that this app, just like that of iBreviary is of his own initiative, and not officially endorsed by the Vatican.

That would be far too progressive.

Plastic Surgery? There’s an App for that.

Jun 20, 2010 by Dan Taylor    No Comments    Posted under: News

In the never-ending quest to ‘app’ize the world, developers’ creativity certainly seems to know no bounds. As of this past Friday, there’s now an iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch app that focuses on the up sides of facial plastic surgery.

Commissioned by Dr. Steven Denenberg of Omaha, Nebraska, the “Facial Plastic Surgery: Before and After,” app displays hundreds of before and after photos and communicates what’s involved in the facial plastic surgery process.

“The iPad is the next powerful communication tool,” Dr. Denenberg said. “Its gorgeous display lets us present huge photos, and its touch screen makes the app fun and easy to navigate.”

Harvard and Stanford trained Denenberg has been listed as one of America’s Top Doctors by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. consecutively since 2001. Denenberg has been recognized by Vogue and W magazines, and serves patients clients from over 50 countries around the world.

Now I’m not quite sure what makes this an ‘app’, as from what I’ve seen, it’s basically a glorified e-book. Which reminds me, if viewing hundreds of photos of what plastic can do for your looks isn’t enough for you, Denenberg’s app also includes a bonus 200 page e-book including photos of how plastic surgery operations are performed. Ghoulish fun included!

If the app included the ability to integrate high resolution photos of one’s self, and then using the touch screen interface, manipulate the image via the confines of what today’s plastic surgery can do – ok…win. But again, as it is right now, there’s plenty of pictures, but that’s about it.

Score one (more) for Dr. Denenberg, as he’s first-to-market with a plastic surgery app, as well as owning the perfect plastic surgery URL, FacialSurgery.com. I’m not sold on the effectiveness of the app, but clearly Dr. Denenberg and staff know how to drive traffic, and ultimately sales. Hats off to you sir.

Should you need a facelift are interested, Dr. Denenberg’s scary book of pictures can be found at App33.com.

Rode NT1-A Microphone

Jun 6, 2010 by Dan Taylor    25 Comments    Posted under: Music, Technology, Video

Building on the Audio Technica AT2020 and AKG P220 entry level studio condenser microphone reviews, this time up we’re taking a look at the Rode NT1-A. Priced just over $200 ($229 – B&H, Adorama, etc.), the Rode NT1-A delivers a high end sheen that I’ve not yet experienced with the previous two microphones, while at the same time, keeping it’s signal to noise ratio remarkably low. The Rode NT1-A is roughly the same size as the AT2020 and P220, and features a large 1-inch gold plated capsule. And just like the other two, the Rode NT1-A is a condenser with a tight cardioid pattern.

As is standard with most of today’s condenser microphones, frequency range is from 20hz – 20khz. Now here’s where things start to get interesting. According to Rode, the Signal-to-Noise ratio is 88 db. Which is quite odd, as the AKG has an S/N ratio of 78db and the AT2020 74db. However, when viewing the bar graphs inside my recording software, the Rode NT1-A had the closest to ‘flat’ of all three of the mics. In other words, on paper, it may not be the quietest, but when put to the eyes and ears, you can’t hear a thing (which, in this case, is good). The Rode NT1-A features no pad or roll-off switches, but achieves a maximum SPL of 137 db SPL, giving it the lowest range of the three microphones.

And while both the Audio Technica AT2020 and AKG Perception 220 feel like solid, if almost heavy, microphones, the Rode NT1-A goes the completely opposite route. Upon first unboxing of this microphone, I almost dropped it, as I was expecting something much heavier. It has the look and sound of a vintage tube mic, but definitely not the same feel. Likewise, the AKG comes with a solid (if only heavy plastic and foam padding) case, that makes just about anyone feel like a pro. Rode, while they do include a spider mount and pop-filter, there’s no case anywhere to be seen. Not even a decent, padded pouch (i.e. the Shure SM58 bank bag). At the end of the day, Rode gives you a fancy dust cover with a draw string. Fair enough, I don’t expect to be doing any ‘on-location’ work with this microphone, but a case would have gone a long way to making me fall 100% in love with this mic.

Overall conclusion

The Rode NT1-A is an outstanding mic for studio, voiceover and podcast work. It’s high on tone quality and vintage sound, while being light on the wallet, especially for what it is. It is the most expensive of the three microphones I’ve tested thus far, but when put head to head with the AKG Perception 220, you’re really going to have to dig in with a set of closed-ear headphones to really hear the difference. Conversely, if you’re using the Rode NT1-A solely as a spoken word/voiceover/podcast microphone, it’s outstanding. Of the three, the AKG seems most suited to functioning as an amped instrument’s recording microphone, as it has the highest SPL, while at the same time, requiring the most amount of incoming volume. The Rode does stand head and shoulders above the other two in the sensitivity department though. The AT2020 and P220 are very capable of picking up sounds in the desired sonic pattern, but both require the speaker to sometimes ‘swallow’ the mic to get an upfront feel, whereas the Rode presents this feeling naturally.

Rode NT1-A specifications:

• Power – P48 (48V), P24 (24V) phantom supply
• Acoustic Principle – Pressure gradient
• Directional Pattern – Cardioid
• Frequency range – 20 Hz – 20 kHz
• Output impedance – 100?
• Signal noise ratio – >88 dB SPL (A – weighted per IEC651)
• Equivalent noise – 5 dB SPL (A – weighted per IEC651)
• Maximum SPL – 137dB SPL (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1K? load)
• Maximum output voltage – +13.7dBu (@ 1kHz, 1% THD into 1K? load)
• Sensitivity – -32 dB re 1 Volt/Pascal (25 mV @ 94 dB SPL) +/- 2 dB @ 1kHz
• Weight – 326gm
• Dimensions – 190mmH x 50mmW x 50mmD

Uncompressed .wav files:

Spoken Word:
Rode NT1-A Spoken Word Uncompressed

Singing:
Rode NT1-A Singing Uncompressed

Guitar:
Rode NT1-A Guitar Uncompressed

I make no claims about my singing voice and paltry guitar skills.