My Gear

Garmin Streetpilot C550

2006-10-29T04:56:17Z

I previously owned a Garmin Streetpilot C330. It served me well for over a year getting me to wherever I needed to go. But now out comes the Garmin Streetpilot C550. This one is much better!

Not only does it do GPS directions, it also has a MP3 player in it and, most importantly, a bluetooth speakerphone! As soon as I turn it on, the bluetooth speakerphone connects to my mobile phone and it's working. Through the GUI of the Garmin, I can access the phonebook and call history as well as directly dialing through its dial pad.

It's speakerphone is one of the best I've used. It is clear and loud, and the mike picks up my voice very well. A great implementation!

Buy it from amazon.com

Verizon Broadband with Curitel PC Card

2006-10-03T04:54:40Z

Funny that free WIFI is supposed to get everyone online, but yet when everyone jumps on, it slows to a crawl. Then, since free WIFI is everywhere, all the paid services get tossed out of the cafes since they don't want to deal with that. Add to that, some free WIFI services make you watch ads in every browser window and they proxy serve every website, which makes the sites even slower to respond.

Frustration sets in. I run down to the local Cingular store and they have this awful Sierra WIreless card. Oh, I'm sure it works great, but I hate the removable antenna because I'm sure to lose it. And they don't have any builtin antenna models in stock. By the way, their plan is 2 years for contract and $80/month. Kinda pricey, but I want to compare! So next I run to the local Verizon store and their card has no external antenna AND it's faster than Cingular AND I only have to sign a 1 year contract! SOLD!

I test the card at home, at my favorite Starbucks, and at SJC. It works great at all the places! It's expensive, but hell I must be online everywhere.

Too cool. I can do all the simple things AND streaming YouTube videos also works great. I love it!

Polycom Communicator

2006-09-21T04:52:52Z

Someone else showed up to a meeting one day with one of these and we conferenced in someone remotely via Skype from Europe. WOW.

It's the best speakerphone I've ever used! Made by Polycom, the experts in conference room speakerphone technology, the Polycom Communicator is a portable speakerphone for the PC which connects via USB. It works seamlessly with Skype and now you can conference in someone via internet connection so easily! You can also plug in a headphone for privacy. The USB cord itself conveniently wraps around a post under the single leg, which closes on the wrapped cord for transport. It also comes with a zippered bag to protect it.

Perfect for remote meetings!

Buy it from amazon.com

Sony DSC-W100 Digital Camera

2006-07-27T04:51:01Z

I am a big fan of Sony digital cameras. I have a Sony laptop which has a built-in memory stick slot and allows me to download pictures easily wherever I am. Before this camera, I had a Sony DSC-W1 which I absolutely loved. It had 5 MP and was extremely good in low light and took great pictures. Unfortunately, it was also a bit bulky. It was, however, black and looked very stylish.

Then Sony just came out with the DSC-W100. This camera is even better! It shoots at 8 MP, and has an even better low light capability pumping the ISO to 1250 so that you don't have to use flash. It also has much better noise reduction in low light too.

The package is much thinner now too. A relief from the DSC-W1! But they did not skimp on the lens which is about the same size (but definitely better) than the one on the DSC-W1. Thus, this camera does not suffer from the problems other thin cameras have, which is very poor performance in low light due to a smaller CCD.

Be warned: this camera has now switched to Memory Stick DUO for compactness, and a custom battery (versus the rechargeable AAs in the DSC-W1). But all in all, it's worth it for a thinner camera.

I took this camera with me to Europe and shot all over at Ironman Austria. Hats off to Sony for creating yet another great camera!

Buy it from amazon.com

Plantronics Discovery 640 Bluetooth Headset

2006-07-10T04:49:26Z

I had a Motorola Bluetooth headset previously and thought it worked pretty well, but for some reason sometimes the volume was so low I could barely hear the person I was talking to. It's probably a combination of ambient noise leaking into the headset, the headset's upper volume, and the fact that I'm getting old and my hearing ain't what it used to be.

So I went to a Cingular store and found this nice Plantronics Discovery 640 Bluetooth Headset. It's pretty small, stylish and also hooks over my ear although you can use it without the hook. The best part about it is the rubber earpiece which points directly into my ear canal. By driving more sound directly into the ear, I can finally more clearly hear whomever I'm talking to. What a relief.

It also comes with some funky charging accessories. One nice thing is that it comes with a bunch of adapters to use many different brand AC adapters, like my old Motorola one. So now when I travel, I don't have to carry another adapter! Nice for Plantronics to provide this feature. Buy it from amazon.com

Sony MDR-NC50 Noise Canceling Headphones

2006-06-15T04:47:48Z

Before I bought these headphones, I had a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones. I thought they cancelled noise poretty well, but the frequency response really stunk.

Then, I found these at the Apple Store in NYC. These work just as well in cancelling noise AND have a better frequency response!

Not only better functioning, but better in price - only $149.99! Maybe cheaper at Amazon if you click below....

Buy it from amazon.com

iGo Power Adapter

2006-06-15T04:45:55Z

I was in the LAX Brookstone and bought the iGo Power Adapter set. I bought adapters for my mobile phone, iPod, and bluetooth headset. I purchased this because sometimes I need power either at an airport lounge or on the plane. But bringing so many power adapters is a real drag.

Today I tried it out in my car. How cool! It is really light and everything packs into a little bag. I also bought the adapter which allows me to charge two things at once. That is a nice addition so that I can charge my laptop and another device at the same time.

A great little package for road warriors!

Buy it from amazon.com

Bones in Motion Cellphone GPS Tracking for Training

2006-06-06T04:43:58Z

I haven't tried this yet, but this is really cool that it's worth posting about. Bones in Motion is developing mobile phone apps to take advantage of the GPS capabilities of the mobile phone to track your location, speed, and elevation using only your mobile phone!

The only have Sprint and Nextel phones now, but I hope they bring up Cingular soon.

Check it out here at BIM Active.

Riedel Merlot Glasses

2006-01-05T04:42:16Z

OK so a wine snob might look at these glasses and puke.

I got them as a present because I have a tendency to break regular wine glasses with stems. I put them in the sink, and then I inadvertantly break them when I am washing them and/or other things.

With these glasses, at least they won't tip over. Wine still tastes great, although I have heard that holding the glass too long may warm the wine. Otherwise, very cool and less breakable....

Buy it from amazon.com

XBox 360 and Project Gotham Racing, King Kong

2006-01-01T04:38:49Z

I couldn't wait. I went on Ebay and bought my Xbox 360 a few weeks ago and paid double what I would have paid for a Standard unit. But it was worth it.

Clearly the graphics of the Xbox 360 are incredible. I play Project Gotham Racing incessantly, just to watch the scenery fly by my car as I race through major cities of the world.

Next in line is King Kong, an adventure game which follows the movie's storyline. Also very cool - to become King Kong is my goal which is what will happen a few more steps down into the island.

The hype is real - the graphics and gameplay are truly outstanding. Will it get overshadowed by the new Playstation III?

Buy the Premium Bundle with Project Gotham Racing from amazon.com

Fujitsu ScanSnap fi-5110EOX Sheet-Fed Scanner with Automatic Document Feeder

2005-12-31T02:11:02Z

This baby is my big step into the paperless life. Everything I get I throw into it and poof! out pops a PDF which I can keep on my PC.

All you need to do it load it into the sheet feeder and off it goes. One thing that I wish it would not do is jam on magazine pages. Must be the glossy coating...It would have been nice to be able to scan in magazine articles which are piling up on my desk.

But otherwise, a great way to stop having (and losing) important pieces of paper.

Buy it from amazon.com

Apple Video iPod 60 GB

2005-12-30T23:44:36Z

Well I had to have the newest iPod and bought a 60GB version. I had a 40GB iPod and it was getting filled up.

It's definitely very cool. Being thinner is always nice and now I've been loading it up with videos which I ripped from my DVD collection. By the way, to do that you need to use Mac the Ripper which does a great job of removing copy protection, and then Handbrake to turn the ripped DVD movie to an MP4 which is playable by the iPod.

Thankfully the video files don't take up a lot of space.

Apple's newest is definitely a must-have.

Buy it from amazon.com

Powercranks

2005-12-30T23:04:32Z

I've got this problem with unbalanced right/left legs. Then I heard about Powercranks.

Interesting concept. Each crank rotates independently. So you are forced to rotate each leg independently to keep them in sync with each other, ie. 180 degrees apart from each other. Normally, a fixed crank does this for you. But you need to exert muscular strength for that to happen here.

What does that do? It supposedly trains muscles that support bicycling motion throughout the whole cycle instead of mostly on the downward stroke. It also has been shown to improve running as well.

I hope to get on these as soon as possible. They are being mounted on my old P2K and I'm going to train on them asap. My hope is that not only will they improve my cycling, but also help my right quad cramping problem which has been plaguing me for 2 years now...

More info at Powercranks's website.

Cervelo 2005 P2 SL 54 cm

2005-12-30T22:46:58Z

What a beaut! My previous bike was a P2K and I decided to keep to this model since I liked it so much. I retired my previous bike by putting Powercranks on it and it will sit on my trainer most of the time.

So what's different? Upgraded specs (see tables below) with Dura-Ace 10 Speed drive train, and now with an interesting black finish which is sans paint. Supposedly it saves .25 lbs of weight by not painting it. How interesting.

I swapped out the Vision Tech aero bars and put on some Profile Ironman adjustable bars. Soon I will bring it in for a fit to see if I can get some more efficiency out of the bike by adjusting the geometry.

78 Degree Seattube Angle (forward seatpost position)
Size	Wheel Size	Head Tube Angle	BB Drop	Top Tube	Head Tube Length	Front Center	Rear Center	Stand Over Height	Stack	Reach
48	650c	72°	43	490	110	568	368	716	461	389
51	700c	72.5°	60	510	90	586	380	746	482	405
54	700c	72.5°	60	530	120	609	380	776	512	418
56	700c	72.5°	60	545	140	626	380	795	531	429
58	700c	72.5°	60	560	160	643	380	815	550	440
61	700c	72.5°	60	574	190	659	380	840	577	448
Note 1:		The above headtube lengths are for integrated headsets. To compare to non-integrated headtubes, deduct 20mm from the above lengths to adjust for the stack height needed for non-integrated headsets.
Note 2:		All our TT/triathlon bikes have a dropped toptube and shortened headtube to enable the rider to position the aerobars low enough for a proper aero position. This means that a frame measures smaller from the bottom bracket to the top of the seattube than it actually is and than the size would indicate. So the size is a virtual measurement, and all it means is that if you ride a 54cm road bike you'll likely need a 54cm TT/triathlon bike as well. But since all manufacturers use different geometries, this doesn't always pan out exactly either.

75 Degree Seattube Angle (shallow seatpost position)
Size	Wheel Size	Head Tube Angle	BB Drop	Top Tube	Head Tube Length	Front Center	Rear Center	Stand Over Height	Stack	Reach
48	650c	72°	43	514	110	568	368	716	461	389
51	700c	72.5°	60	535	90	586	380	746	482	405
54	700c	72.5°	60	557	120	609	380	776	512	418
56	700c	72.5°	60	573	140	626	380	795	531	429
58	700c	72.5°	60	589	160	643	380	815	550	440
61	700c	72.5°	60	604	190	659	380	840	577	448
Note 1:		The above headtube lengths are for integrated headsets. To compare to non-integrated headtubes, deduct 20mm from the above lengths to adjust for the stack height needed for non-integrated headsets.
Note 2:		All our TT/triathlon bikes have a dropped toptube and shortened headtube to enable the rider to position the aerobars low enough for a proper aero position. This means that a frame measures smaller from the bottom bracket to the top of the seattube than it actually is and than the size would indicate. So the size is a virtual measurement, and all it means is that if you ride a 54cm road bike you'll likely need a 54cm TT/triathlon bike as well. But since all manufacturers use different geometries, this doesn't always pan out exactly either.

Components:

Part	Dura-Ace TT/Tri Kit
Fork	Wolf TT
Seatpost	Cervélo aero carbon - 2-position
Shift Levers	Shimano DuraAce Bar-ends
Front Derailleur	Shimano DuraAce
Rear Derailleur	Shimano DuraAce
Cassette	Shimano Ultegra 11-23
Chain	Shimano Ultegra
Brake Calipers	Cervélo Mach 2
Brake Levers	Dia Compe 188
Crankset	FSA SLK MegaExo
Bottom Bracket	FSA SLK MegaExo
Headset	Cane Creek IS-2 1-1/8"
Stem	Visiontech Sizemore
Basebars	Visiontech
Aerobars	Visiontech
Saddle	Cervélo TT special
Wheels	Velomax Vista
Tires	Vittoria Diamante Pro Lite
Specs may change without notice.

JVC Everio GZ-MG20U Video Camera

2005-12-27T00:17:46Z

I bought the 20GB model and love it!

When I plug it via USB to my Mac, it mounts as a hard drive. Now, instead of relying on software to do clip separation from a stream of video from tape, you have each clip as a separate file. You just drag and drop each clip into your favorite movie editting program afterwards.

The one thing I don't like about it is its low light sensitivity. There is a large amount of noise that gets into the video sooner than with other DV videocameras that I have used.

There is a small light mounted on the front which helps, but it doesn't throw light very far.

Otherwise, it's a very small compact videocamera that works pretty well.

Buy it from amazon.com