Normally, Jess does these but today I have co-opted this section. As I was prrowing about considering what to do with my gobs of free time, I decided to delve deep into my own childhood. I watched the first episode which had just as much older children or adult-based humor as I remembered.
The show I am purring at is:
Ok, so I have been kinda stuck on something. Why do people just use their phones for everything? I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have an Android-based phone which does like, a frillion thingies. The only problem with this is the battery in my phone dies like, stupid quick if i use it as an MP3 player (possibly because of my gigahuge [ridiculously big] headphones).
Hellows everyone! Melly-Cat here with another cat-tastic review and opinion on the wonderful world of tech. This week, I have decided that I should prrow at computer speakers and give some hint to getting the most for your tuna snack monies.
First off, we have your normal, everyday small portable Logitech LS11 2.0 Stereo Speaker System. I start with these because it seems only natural to start small. They are tiny, sound decent and won’t break the bank. These are really great if you want something compact and reserved. If you’re looking for some thud or don’t overly like your neighbours, stay tuned.
Hellows and welcome to my segment on headphones. Now, some might be all squidy and think they know what a good pair of headphones is. Well, that is not the case more often than not. The most recent release of Dr. Dre Beats has spurred me into action… Prrow!
Seriously??? *Hiss Grrowr Scratch!*
Okay, so when buying headphones, first think: “Hey, what am I going to be doing while these are wedged into my ears or strapped to my head?” If you’re going to be running or bouncing around, over-the-ear headphones, though better, may not be the way to go. They have many wraparound sets that work great for that kind of thing and would make a suitable alternative.
So now that you know what style of headphones you are going to be looking at, the next important thing is price. Not everyone can drop a couple hundred or more on a set of headphones (and those peoples have my deepest condolences.)
And now we get to the specs. You really want to make sure you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck, so pay close attention to these. Typical specs are: Frequency Response, Impedance, Sound Pressure Level (SPL), THD (Total Harmonic Distortion) and Cable length. “What do these all mean?” you may ask yourself. Well, it’s actually kinda simple:
Frequency Response is simply the range of frequency that the drivers (the speakers inside the headphones) responds to. Now, most people cannot hear below 20 Hz or above 20 Khz. The first number is the lowest frequency which is where your bass notes are. It’s worth noting that below 20 Hz you might not hear but you can feel it; so if you like bass make sure they dip below 20 Hz. The second number is the highest frequency they will respond to. This is where your high notes are. Some people claim to be able to hear above the normal range, so if you fancy yourself an audiophile, make sure you’re not limiting yourself.
Next up: Impedance. Honestly, don’t fret too much about it. The effect it has on your average consumer is negligible.
The all-important SPL: This is your volume maximum. If you want it loud, pay special attention to this number and how it is measured.
Lastly, Harmonic Distortion. If you’re going on the ultra-cheap-gots-no-monies end of things, then you might wanna double check this; but if you’re willing to shell out a little more cash than what’s at the Buck Store, you shouldn’t have to worry.
There are many brand names out there and it’s easy to get lost in the array of cool designs but the cool thing is, in most headphones the plastic on them is kinda porous so it is easy to paint yourself so color is more or less irrelevant.
MINOU FAVS
Low Activity (not jogging) in no particular order:
Sennheiser 515: These have been my babies for many years. They have been slung over my purse everywhere I have gone, kept my ears warm during the harshest of Canadian winters and have drowned out my wife on a few needed occasions.
Only the best for my minou musics!
Sony XB1000: I want these sooo much… These are going to replace the HD515 set. 70mm driver… I mean, do I really need to say more? Plus, I am sure with all that padding they will be warm during the winter; after all they look like pillows strapped to your head.
Check out the padding on these babies! Meow!
Sony Noise Canceling Headphones: Ok. So I may be a little bit of a Sony fangirl, but hey. They do make a nice set of headphones and these with the noise canceling feature sound really nice.
Sorry honey, I couldn't hear you over my funky fresh feline jamz...
As for suggestions for high activity type of headphones, I wish I could help but I generally cannot stand the feel of something in my ears (so ear buds I couldn’t review) and the behind-the-neck headsets out there? I haven’t prrowed at them enough for me to feel right about making suggestions.
Well, I hope this helps everyone. I will be back next time with my review on speakers.
Keep on pawing things!
I have been looking for a new OS to try on my netbook. Sure, it does run Windows 7, but it runs it kinda sluggishly. So, I thought: rather then upgrade the ram or something like that, why not just try to run a simpler OS? I of course consulted the Almighty Google for the answer to my quest. I had recently heard that Google had made its own OS. I decided to give it a spin after doing some further research. So, I prrowed at it and eventually discovered that there was a kernal constructed by someone over at Dell specifically for my Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook.
The process of getting it to work took a little time admittedly; mostly due to Minou Error… but hey. We have to makes mistakes to learn, right?
I managed to get it to run after a little bit. I messed around with it for a while and got a good feel for it.
Now, some of the features, like the WiFi, did not work. Likely due to the kernal not supporting the integrated WiFi. And so, into my box of cords I went (I literally have a box of random computer cords. It’s kinda largish and full of everything from ethernet cables to Toslink) and thus began my journey with the Chrome OS.
-It kinda has the feel of an Android cellphone with the app store
-Apps are easy to install
-There is a huge, gigantic list of apps
-The user interface is super simple
-Netflix wouldn’t run (again, likely due to the kernal)
-There was no easy way to play media; you can’t just find the file you want and click to play it
-It takes a while to get everything you want set up
Honestly? No. It’s just a simple matter of it feeling like the Google answer to the iPad. I mean, sure, in some people’s cases that might be nice, but I personally like either other Linux-based kernels or, I know I am going to catch flak for this, but yes. I like Windows 7. It’s simple, it’s familiar and I have had years to kinda customise my desktop. And, after a complete wipe, I can be back up and running in like, 2 hours. Although, I will say it was kinda fun to mess around with for a short period of time.
As promised, here I am to inform, advise and comment on Smart Tvs . Meow, some of you may already know what a smart TV is; you might have said “prrow?” and pulled it up on Wiki. This is for those of you who decided it was a better idea to continue to catnap or were distracted by other shiny things.
First, let’s start by kind of explaining what a smart TV is. Basically, it boils down to a TV with integrated computer parts. For instance, a processor, an operating system and other things. What these do is allow your TV to play media from network attached storage, USB drives and so on. Many also have the ability to access web content; for example Facebook and YouTube.
Is it worth it? Well, that depends. I mean, if you are already using your TV as a gigantic monitor and have your 5.1 surround sound system connected to your computer, then likely having a smart TV isn’t for you. However, if you do not have a computer to attach to your TV then you may consider it. Another thing to consider before buying a smart TV is simply this: Just how cheap are computers these days? I mean, if you can save a couple hundred monies on the TV and get yourself a cute little purse-sized Netbook with HDMI that you can connect to your TV for your viewing needs then why not?
Well that about concludes my comment on smart TVs!
Keep prrowing,
Melly the Minouneer (That’s French for “Techno-Cat“) here with your periodic techno babble and rantings. I was doing the usual rounds on my interwebz today checking on my gadgetry and other thingies when I stumbled upon this article from Tom’s Hardware. It generally talks about how flooding in Thailand has knocked out several production facilities which is in turn causing shortages in the projected demand for hard drives.
At first, I read the headline and was like “ZOMG NOOOZ! Why God, why, you evil squid!!! (squid being a term used to describe someone being needlessly difficult, stubborn or all around unpleasant)” but then I was all like “No. It’s not possible. Must read on.“ So I did. It turns out Thailand seriously needs to take a page from the Netherlands (use dykes, noobs! God…) Honestly, learn to control something as simple as water, folks. Like, really. It’s called a tap. It would seem, due to the scary amount of hard drive manufacturing facilities in Thailand, and the squidy flood screwing with the making of said hard drives, our little babies are going to be going up in price; supply and demand being what it is.
Now some people might be all like “Who cares? It’s just hard drives, there’s lots of them!” My response to that is, of course, a tilted head and a “Prrow?” Clearly, you do not understand the impact this could have.
Consider the following: It’s 2 am, you’re awake and you’re just now getting to installing your game because your people (significant other, that is, if you’re not a cat like me) were less than cooperative and didn’t let you get to it BEFORE 2 am. So, there you are, trying to install this stupidly huge, gigantic game. You finish the install but then the updates come (and you know they will) when your computer decides: oh hey! Guess what! Not enough hard drive space. Yeah. That can happen. Not cool. Now, normally, you would be all like “No worries, I will double my current hard drive space for like, $100. No big deal…” but then you get to the store and realize it’s now $150. You think “Oh Gods, no! I neededz that moniez for more tuna snackz!” Now, with that picture in mind, you understand the severity of the situation.
So, my little kitty minions, if you are running with less then 50% free hard drive space at the moment, stock up on externals while you still can ‘cause dark times come.
