Category - Gear

Sea Change (Apples, Apples Everywhere)
Gear

Sea Change (Apples, Apples Everywhere)

Back in 2007, when Clyde and I took a cruise to Alaska, my Apple devices — at the time, an iPhone and a MacBook — puzzled everyone on board. Signing onto the ship’s wifi network actually required Internet Explorer for Windows. Even...

March 6, 2012
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2 min read
Gear

Getting Started with Sonos: What to Buy and Why

  Update (2/24/15): Sonos speakers no longer require the “bridge” — a special wireless router — and now work perfectly well over your home’s wifi signal alone. My recommendation, then, is to buy two Play 1 speakers...

January 20, 2012
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6,445 views
7 min read
Sony: Why Nickel and Dime Your Best Customers?
Gear

Sony: Why Nickel and Dime Your Best Customers?

In the minds of my father’s generation, the name “Sony” was synonymous with quality. And it’s true: there was a time when Sony ruled the roost. You had a Sony Walkman, or you had a knock-off. You had a Sony television … or...

November 26, 2011
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3 min read
Giving It Away
BooksGear

Giving It Away

Part of the joy of reading books? Giving them away. I have given away my personal copy of The War of Art four times. I didn’t go out and buy four copies, intending to give them as gifts. Instead, while carrying a personal copy with me, I met...

August 12, 2011
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3 min read
Exceeding Limits
BooksGearSoapbox

Exceeding Limits

So, last night, while sitting on the couch, I decided to curl up with a good book. I pulled out my trusty iPad, loaded the Kindle app, tapped The 90-Day Novel … … and got an error message: “You have exceeded the maximum number of devices...

August 11, 2011
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3 min read
Books without Borders
BooksGearSoapbox

Books without Borders

Online shopping, and the advent of e-readers, with their promise of any book, any time, anywhere, and cheaper pricing, have shoppers abandoning Borders and Barnes & Nobles bookstores as they did music stores a decade ago. (via the Wall Street...

February 12, 2011
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2 min read
Making Friends? There’s an App for That.
GearMomentsTravel

Making Friends? There’s an App for That.

During the two days we spent in Rome prior to our cruise, Clyde wasn’t feeling well enough to get out and about. I stayed with him in the hotel room most of the time — but at one point, after making sure he had everything he needed, I...

September 12, 2010
2 comments
19 views
3 min read
What Do You Use Your iPad For?
Gear

What Do You Use Your iPad For?

Last week, a co-worker spotted me in the hall and said, “I see you with your iPad all the time. What do you really use it for?”   As it turns out, my iPad and I had been the focus of a lunch table conversation. Beyond watching...

August 22, 2010
2 comments
28 views
3 min read