Category Archives: Tech News
My VR Office Experiment: Day 7

Day 7 in the Virtual Office! Total Time in VR: 5 hours and 24 minutes (across 10 VR sessions) Use Cases: Team Meetings (54 min), Focus Time (1 hr 29 …
My VR Office Experiment: Day 7
My VR Office Experiment: Week 1 Wrap-Up

I am working on setting up a YouTube channel for future wrap-up videos, but for this first week my “Weekly Wrap-Up” can be found via Vimeo. The first…
My VR Office Experiment: Week 1 Wrap-Up
Podcasts of Note: 7 to get you started
I have many friends who absolutely LOVE podcasts. They always have recommendations, and are always curious why I haven’t gotten on the “podcast train”. I listen to NPR most of the time anyway. Why not have curated shows around my interests? I have one friend, a game enthusiast, who listens to many podcasts dedicated to his niche obsession. I’m sure there are plenty of podcasts for someone like me. But I always hesitated because like Twitter and Snapchat, to dive in seemed daunting. Where do you start? How do you know which ones are good? How do you keep things organized? It was easier to blast the FM dial and keep it simple.
But then my cousin started a podcast, and on Facebook asked people to check it out. When I did I found that I enjoyed the format (especially his short 6 minute motivational podcast) and suddenly I dove in. But I didn’t dive in so far as to get out of control. True, I now follow roughly 20 podcasts, but I could have stopped at a smaller subset and been perfectly happy with it. So now I have some answers to my questions. The biggest being “Where do you start?” Followed by “How to Keep Things Organized?” Let me recommend 7 podcasts. I will give you a few sentences to sum up each. Then I’ll recommend a couple apps for organization, should you decide to jump into the crazy world of podcasts. I don’t regret that I finally did. And it’s not nearly as daunting as Twitter (at least for me).
7 PODCASTS TO GET YOU STARTED
1.Your Motivational High 5 – short format for quick motivation. Phil, my cousin, has a great voice and sound advice. He pulls in others to share their stories, and 5 minutes at a time, he’s helping his listeners re-organize their thought processes around healthy approaches to living a full, rich life.
2. Stuff You Should Know – Two hilarious guys share their love of learning. From Evel Knievel to How Night Terrors Work, these guys have mad researching skills and are a blast to listen to.
3. Serial – Two seasons are in the can for this episodic examination of criminal cases. First it was a murder case, which resulted in a new trial for the subject, and then the Bowe Bergdahl case, of the soldier who abandoned his post. Well paced, well researched, well worth your time.
4. Someone Knows Something – Similar to Serial, this first season
examines a 30 year old cold case in Canada, involving the disappearance of a little boy. A cool view into the minds of investigators and an insightful look into different perspectives and the challenges of age and memory.
5. Vergecast – For a techie like me, the Vergecast is top of my list. A bunch of geeks around a mic once a week (roughly) talking about the tech of the day. Feels like a place I could call home.
6. Brains On! – For the kiddos. This podcast produced at the University of Minnesota brings cool science stuff to the inquisitive child’s mind. “How Do Airplanes Fly?”, and “Why are No Two Snowflakes the Same?”. I, for one, was fascinated by the “Science of Baking”. They are short, and full of cool stuff for kids.
7. On Being – For those in search of some contemplation, Krista Tippett offers some amazing interviews with great minds. Famous Names, and not so famous names are included, but all will make you think deeper about life in general. Check out the Thich Nhat Hanh one for starters!
BONUS: I would be remiss to not include one last podcast. “Spoilers” is the creation of a co-worker of mine. Their format is basically a bunch of buddies sitting around talking about a specific movie. Sometimes it’s current releases (Killing Joke and Swiss Army Man), other times it’s old classics (Alien and Time Bandits!) At times chaotic, it only reflects the fun of hanging with friends and talking movies. Check it out.
Finally, here are two “podcast apps” that will not only keep your stuff organized, but will help you find the podcasts I’ve mentioned, and find new ones too.
- Podcasts – native application on all iPhones and iPads
- Pocket Casts – this is my chosen app. It costs a few bucks but has a great interface to keep it all organized.
That’s how I started. I just downloaded some of the most popular podcasts and found topics that interested me. And I’ve been listening ever since.
Hop on board and enjoy the world of podcasts!!
New Reviews Coming Soon…
There has been a hiatus for the past several months due to illness and an intense travel schedule for me. As we move into the second half of the Summer I intend to return to the blog again with new reviews. I have two new types of reviews to share, which the intention of making them shorter (Elevator Reviews) and more diverse (Inter-Reviews), where I gather review data through interviewing other experts in the world of consumer tech. So stay tuned for more in the coming weeks and months. Things like HTC Vive, mid-tier Smartphones (i.e. Affordable smartphones), and even more to come. And FiTech is not dead. The illness made that go on the back burner. The plan will return as well in the coming months.
Looking forward to more reviews written for the casual consumer!!
FiTech – Using technology for wellness
It might be a little late for New Year’s Resolutions for 2016, but when the “get fit” bug hits you, it’s best to just seize the moment. I’ve had more “it’s time to get fit” moments than I care to reveal. I imagine most can relate to it. You have a bad test result at the doctor, you feel self-conscious at the beach, you just hit that wall where you want to change your health. You want to lose weight. You want to have more energy. You just want to feel better. So you sign up for a gym membership, buy a
treadmill, and load the grocery cart with fruits and vegetables. And we all know how that ends. The membership keeps getting paid, but you haven’t gone in 6 months. The treadmill becomes a great place to hang laundry, and the fruits and vegetables go back to boxes and cans of processed “food stuff”. Hopefully with each “get fit” moment a few good habits remain after the membership is cancelled. But for me that’s the most I’ve ever been able to accomplish. I’m in another such moment, and I decided to seize this moment as a tech opportunity.
From the beginning of “Have a Cup of T(ech)” the mantra has been that tech should enhance your life. Tech should make things easier. If it isn’t, then the tech is a fail and should be discarded. I’ve never turned my geeky eye on fitness tech, aside from my old FitBits. So I’m starting a new category on the tech blog focused entirely on fitness technology. I’m calling it “FiTech”. This category will cover reviews of devices like those popular FitBits (the Alta just released!). I will also look at fitness apps, health apps, nutrition tools. Each post will be looking for ways for technology to make getting fit easier. To make nutrition less of a chore. To make wellness more attainable.
The first major initiative will begin this coming week with something I’m calling “Project 37”. This will be a weekly post on the blog, where I check in on my progress using two specific apps. One is “Three Minute Mindfulness” and the other is “Seven Minute Workouts”. I’ve picked these two after pretty extensive searching. I’ve invested $9 up front for these apps to see if they can go where no app has gone before: prolonged fitness and long-term health improvements. Perhaps you’ll join me. Look for a post later this week with all the details. And watch for more “FiTech” posts as well. I’m excited to see where this will go! The idea of technology improving our physical and mental well-being is full of potential! So let’s begin!
Podcast of Note – “Your Motivational High 5”
I’m new to the world of podcasts. I am a music-head and so when I’m cruising around in my car, I listen to my endless music collection (thanks Spotify). But I have friends who absolutely love podcasts. They can’t say enough good things about them. So around the holidays I grabbed a recommended podcast app for my iPhone (Pocket Casts), and grabbed a handful of the most popular podcast in the store.
And I’ve never looked back. Whether it’s keeping up with tech news on the “Vergecast” or learning new things on “Stuff You Should Know“, I have found entertainment in a whole new way. In my “blog post hopper” I have a draft called “Introduction to Podcasts – we’ll get through this together!”. I plan to post that somewhere down the road. I’m even kicking around the idea of a podcast for “Two Lumps of Tech”. But before I do that I want to just highlight a few podcasts that make the dive into this freaky world worth it. I’m starting this week with a brand new podcast. This baby is only a couple weeks old. Its fast paced 5 minute approach is a great example of a micro-podcast, and it is my makes first “Podcast of Note”.
Your Motivational High 5
First things first. I know the guy who just launched this podcast. He’s a family member though not one I know extremely well. After just a few episodes, I’m already getting a good picture of him. And it’s this picture that makes me want to share this podcast with you; not just because of my family connection. Phil Larson, the creator and host, is trying something out. He’s exploring different aspects of our lives and our psychology, in an effort to discover more about what gives us motivation. What holds us back? What gives us hope? He’s looking at the “narratives” in life that give us inspiration or take it away. Phil is asking himself lots of questions, and his stories are personal and honest. And by signing on to his podcast,”#YMH5″, he’s asking his listeners to ask these questions of themselves.
The category of “self help” is a crowded space. Everyone is offering something. Some of the advice comes from an authentic place, while in many cases self-help gurus are just out for the money. Maybe they help people along the way, but that’s not their end game. That is NOT the story of “Your Motivational High 5”. Phil has a good heart, and he wants good things for himself, his family, and his listeners. You can hear in his voice that he isn’t in this game for any other reason.
The approach couldn’t be simpler. Phil has a topic, following a common theme using the word “on” (i.e. “on hope”, “on risk”, “on conflict” etc). He speaks to this topic for a few short minutes, and then challenges listeners to look at their reflection and speak a sentence affirming things about themselves related to the topic. Is that a little cheesy? Sure. I don’t think that invalidates it though. If anything, for me, it just shows me more of the man behind the podcast. If you feel silly speaking to your mirror, or your iphone in “selfie mode” imagine speaking these words to a podcast audience. Phil has courage to put himself out there. To share his struggles and his journey. And I highly recommend you consider joining him, as I have already done.
Everyone can use a little motivation, and this great new podcast will only take 5 minutes of your day. But you might be surprised by how motivational those 5 minutes can be.
Here’s the info if you want check it out:
Check out the home page with various links HERE
Or get it from iTunes HERE
Follow on TWITTER at #YMH5
Follow on FACEBOOK HERE
First Impressions: Gear VR – Consumer Edition
In the spirit of my New Year’s Resolution to keep these posts “shorter”, I’m going to begin with a fast “first impressions” of the new Consumer Gear VR. I owned the “Innovator Edition” Gear VR briefly last Summer. This model was intended for developers and tech geeks like me. It was heavy, it was buggy, and the damn thing overheated so fast, it made it worthless for me. So I sent it back, and waiting patiently to see if they could resolve the issues with the “Consumer Edition”. Just before Thanksgiving I got my chance to find out.
The Hardware
Improvements abound! The new Gear VR is lighter on the head, has improved straps both on the side and over the top of the head (which is optional). The track pad now has indentation to assist in use (whereas before it was basically a tiny mouse pad on the side). The Consumer Edition also fits every current Samsung Galaxy smartphone (Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy Note5, and Galaxy Edge +). You simply toggle a switch to fit the larger phones. While the issues of le
ns fogging and overheating are not gone entirely, there is significant improvement (though I still run a fan in my face when doing long sessions to eliminate fogging and heat issues entirely).
The model continues to have the focus dial in the middle, which works nicely, and the plug to charge the phone while in use (though I haven’t had time to test this much). You an even wear glasses inside the headset! The device feels like a consumer product now, as it should.
The Cup Half Full
The best new thing to come to the Gear VR, in my opinion, is the inclusion of Netflix. Not only can you watch Netflix in the VR, but the software places you in a mountain chalet, sitting on a red couch in front of a massive TV screen. Look to your left and you can see the lights of the distant ski slopes. Super cool.
The other things I’m loving about the new Gear VR are increased 360 photo library in the “Oculus 360 Photos” feature. Thousands of photos from around the world are provided. I missed getting to the top of Rockefeller Center when I was in New York recently, but with 360 photos I got to see the views, both during the day and at night. The Oculus Videos feature is also vastly enhanced with videos from Vimeo and even video rentals (though $24 is kinda steep for “The Martian in 3D” – that’s a purchase not a rental).
More games and experiences are being added at a fast pace, and I’ve even dropped some coin for a few games that have quickly become show pieces when I have people check out the VR. Be sure to check out Eve: Gunjack and Smash Hit!
The Cup Half Empty
Fogging and overheating issues do remain. That continues to be my main issue with the Gear VR. I’ve been told there are some scuba diving mask tricks to eliminate fogging in the lenses, I just haven’t tried that yet. A fan will fix the heat issue, but that kinda kills the “mobile” element. Now you’re strapped to the fan just like an Oculus Rift is strapped to a super-computer. Until I can watch a two hour movie on a plane without fogging and overheating, there’s work to do. But considering the processing power required to create these immersive 3D environments with a killer refresh rate, such heat is understandable. But I still get to complain! If you have issues with dizziness, you might want to test these out at your local electronic store before you pony up the dough. I find that I can stare at Netflix for hours, but if I play an immersive 3D game, I last about 20 minutes before I get sick to my stomach. It’s still super cool, but only in small doses.
Gizmag has a great article about improving the user experience. It was written for the Gear VR for Note 4, but all of the tips apply to the Consumer Gear VR as well.
I guess we should also add that only the four Samsung phones work with it. So if you are an iPhone user, you’re out of luck for now. Though you could always check out Google Cardboard if you want to check out a little Virtual Reality.
The Whole Cup Summed Up
I saved the best for last. Price. I paid $200 for my lackluster Innovator Edition Gear VR last JULY. Now one of these headsets will only set you back $99. That’s a great price, considering the amount of tech you’re getting. There are so many things to check out, and currently a lot of content is still free. If you have a current high end Samsung smartphone (see my list above) and a spare hundred bucks, I’d say this is a no-brainer. And if you do get the Gear VR, make sure you don’t keep it all to yourself. I’ve placed my headset on roughly 50 people so far, and I have to say I almost get more enjoyment watching people experience it than
actually doing it myself. There’s a moment where everyone looks around and starts smiling like an idiot. My friend recently strapped on the Gear VR after I told her about the “idiot smile” thing. She was skeptical. The tech would have to prove itself. Less then two minutes into the Jurassic World dinosaur experience, she broke into a huge grin, and she says to me “I’m doing it aren’t I? The idiot smile thing.” Yes, yes she was. So get on board, and you’ll soon be smiling too.
Here are a few additional reviews to consider:
The Verge – A Close-Up Look at Samsung’s new $99 Gear VR
GizMag – Gear VR Early Impressions
YouTube – To see the tech in action
The Tech of NYC – The Apps
The holiday season caught me up in a wave, and time went along with it. So a month after I spent a packed weekend in New York City, I am finally getting around to a quick review of the apps that I used to have a successful weekend in the Big Apple. I’ll say right away that my app plan didn’t go as expected, but everything worked out perfectly in the end. Some old apps showed new power, and some new apps proved duds. So first off here are the apps that I pre-loaded for the trip.
The Apps that I planned to use
I love app folders. I have hundreds, yes HUNDREDS, of apps on my iPhone, and folders keep me from going absolutely bonkers. Though if you find yourself searching for an app, here’s a TECH TIP. Just swipe down from the CENTER of the screen, and you’ll find a search bar at the top. Type the app name and you’re on your way! Ok, back to the apps.
I created a “New York City” folder to hold all of the “amazing” apps I planned to use. Here’s the breakdown.
Top of the Rock
Rockefeller Center
New York eTips
NYC Tourist
NYC Essential Guide
NYC Subway
Central Park eTips
911 Memorial
My choices of applications were based in what I “planned” to do. I wanted to go to the top of Rockefeller Center (mainly because it was cheaper than the Empire State Building and closer to my hotel). So I got a couple Rockefeller apps. I planned to ride the subway at least a couple of stops, so there’s the NYC Subway app. Central Park was on my Agenda and “eTips” had a nice app highlighting a few bits. Finally, every tourist needs some tourism apps that are all encompassing. I grabbed 3 of them (New York eTips, NYC Tourist, and NYC Essential Guide). I ended up missing the Top of the Rock so those apps went unused. But I missed that trip because our team went down to the financial district to visit the 9/11 Memorial, and that’s where I ended up with my last app on the list, the 911 Memorial App, which proved to be one of the most interesting and powerful apps in the bundle. So how did I use these apps? Spoiler, my primary app wasn’t even on the original list.
The Apps that didn’t make the Cut
I browsed my tourism apps on the plane ride to JFK. I quickly discovered that the eTips guides for NYC and Central Park had only limited content before you had to pony up some dough. For a three day trip, I planned on spending my money on souvenirs not apps. So there went both eTips guides. NYC Tourist offers a nice map showing lots of locations, but it is incredibly busy. I did keep the app the first day, and used it a couple times (found the closed Carnegie Deli with it). But ultimately it went on the scrap pile too. That left me with just a handful of apps that really made the weekend work.
The Apps I Actually Used
My primary tourism app was “NYC Essential Guide”. This app does suffer from the “only a few things are free” issue that plagued all of my tourism apps, but one feature made this app worth it. It’s called “Top 25” which highlights 25 points of interest, including brief overviews, maps, reviews, and contact information. I can see a lot of potential in the “premium features” but I wasn’t spending nearly enough time to make that worth it. Maybe next time! The trip to the 911 Memorial was on the subway’s Red Line. I used my “NYC Subway” app to keep track of the stops and to know when to dash out the doors. TIP: if standing, lean against the train’s forward motion, or you’ll end up on your butt; it’s fast!” The final app I ended up with (aside from my final surprise) was the 911 Memorial app. I highly recommend a visit to this memorial. And plan to take the audio tour and keep your camera in your pocket. This is a somber experience, a sobering experience, and one not to be missed. Everyone I went with got the audio tour kit (with a tape player of sorts and headphones). I opted for the earbuds only, and added the audio tour via the free 911 app. The lady at the audio tour counter didn’t even charge me the $5 for the earbuds. We went into the memorial as a group of 10, but we came out slowly one by one, as we each were immersed in the experience of the memorial. If you can, go.
The old app worth its weight in gold!
Two words. Google Maps. We all know this app. We all have used it from time to time. If it’s to find a local restaurant, get turn-by-turn navigation, or simply check out cities around the globe down to street view; this is an app I always took for granted. But when I hit the pavement Sunday afternoon to begin my ambitious 10 mile hike around Midtown and Central Park, Google Maps was my guide. I spent some time before I left the hotel figuring out how many minutes it would take to get from location to location, to ensure I would make it back to catch my ride to the airport. I loaded my itinerary into my Evernote App, and I never touched the phone again (except to take pictures). My plan, built with Google Maps, went off without a hitch. I could totally see this being my go-to app when I’m in a new city (I get to test my theory in San Francisco in two days). An old favorite showing it still reigns as the king of maps!
The Whole Cup Summed Up
Apps are only as good as how seamless they work with your planned agenda. They are only good if they enhance your experience. If you are fighting the app, it’s not worth the time. I used some duds, and found some gems during my weekend in New York City. So the next time you head out on the road, be sure to find some apps, and build a folder to keep them straight. You’ll use some often, and quickly deleting others, and that’s okay. Just don’t forget, when in doubt, turn to Google Maps!
Happy Traveling