Dodge EV Concept. Electric.
Honda Insight. Gasoline-electric hybrid.
Mini E. Electric.
The LA Auto Show takes place November 21-30 at the LA Convention Center.
NaBloPoMo 16
Monthly Archives: November 2008
Ring of Fire
Four or five counties in Southern California are on fire. A little unusual this late into the year.
NaBloPoMo 15
PS3 vs. Standalone BDP, or the other Profile 2.0
For the longest time, buying a PS3 was the cheapest way to get a Blu-Ray disc player. $600 for the movie-playing game console vs. $1000 for a standalone player. The PS3 also compared favorably in terms of startup time, disc load time, etc. Now that standalone players have dropped below $300, does the PS3 still make sense as an alternative?
ars technica: New Blu-ray 2.0 spec makes PS3 the most future-proof player
… Sony finally gets to play its trump card: the PlayStation 3, which has clearly emerged as one of the best Blu-ray players on the market—and is likely to remain so for some time. Why? Because the first player now becomes the most versatile, sporting a future-proof Blu-ray setup.
…
HD DVD players have included networking as standard since the beginning, but Blu-ray has not, and the evolving standard may become a large problem for early adopters. The 2.0 profile actually changes the minimum requirements for full compatibility. In other words, there is only one player currently on the market that will be 2.0 compatible: the PlayStation 3, which, with its upgradeable hard drive, Ethernet port, and powerful graphics capabilities, will be able to adapt to any and all future updates. This is quite the slap in the face to consumers who paid several hundred dollars for players that won’t able to be updated to take advantage of the 1.1 profile, much less the upcoming 2.0.
To me, this makes a strong case for getting the PS3. Still, some people will be hesitant to shell out $400 for a PS3 when they can pick up a decent Sony or Samsung BDP for $250. That’s where the Sony card and the SonyStyle store come in:
- Go to SonyStyle, add a PS3 to your cart, and start to go through the checkout process.
- On the payment page, check for the rebate offer for SonyStyle purchases using a Sony card (new card members only). I think it’s currently $100 off a $300 purchase. If it’s there, sign up for the card. If not, mull over your decision until after the holidays.
- Complete checkout and find the rebate on your first statement from the Sony card.
A few weeks ago the rebate was $150, so you might want to play the waiting game to see if Sony brings it back. Enjoy!
NaBloPoMo 14
No bailout for the automotive industry
I could care less if the Big Three were to disappear overnight. For decades they’ve existed as marketing and financial bureaucracies–not car companies, putting out shitty products propped up by nostalgia, misguided patriotism, cheap fuel, and cheap money. In the meantime, their foreign competitors have innovated, diversified, and invested wisely, building their brands over years, if not decades. The American automotive industry seems to be institutionally incapable of learning anything; it’s time to stand back and watch those institutions implode. This doesn’t mean we won’t have an automotive industry; it just means that new companies will have a chance to grow and innovate without being overshadowed by these soulless monstrosities.
However, I’d be perfectly happy to have the Feds relieve them, and American businesses in general, of the twin clusterfucks we know as defined benefit retirement plans and employer-based health insurance.
NaBloPoMo 13
Speedy browsing
If you’re reading this, you probably do a lot of web browsing. Imagine how much more you could see if your browser were faster. Here are a few things you could get to speed things up:
Firefox 3 features dramatic speed improvements over version 2, as well as better handling of embedded Flash files. While Google Chrome is mind-blowingly faster than FF3, I still stick with Firefox for its add-ons, like ColorZilla, Web Developer Toolbar, MeasureIt, FireBug, and…
This Firefox add-on lets you choose not to show Flash objects embedded on the page. Ever get annoyed by Flash ads, music and video players, and games slowing you down? This is the add-on for you.
This Windows utility isn’t exactly related to speedy browsing, but it’s a fast and easy way to clear temp files, browser cache, and other things you don’t need filling up your hard drive. I run it once every 1-2 months and clear out several hundred megabytes worth of accumulated crap.
NaBloPoMo 12