Karl with a C's Tech Blog

Best of Youtube

2009-02-17T10:58:00.002-05:00

Hello readers! I know of one of the best video website out there! It's called Youtube... whats that?... you heard of that?... OK, well I bet you haven't heard about bestofyoutube.com. Well it is the best videos of Youtube all packed into one website and a podcast. If you are like me you search for videos on Youtube that are most compelling to you such as a really funny one or an amazing one. Best of Youtube takes away the tedious searching and gives you all of the greatest videos at the click of a mouse. Go check it out now and have fun!

Best of Youtube

TVs, Screens & Monitors, Oh My!

2009-02-04T23:59:00.000-05:00

TVs, screens and monitors have come a LONG way! When the first screen was produced it was nothing like the fancy HD, LCD, Digital stuff we have now. Back in the day when the first screen was made they were small and very bad quality. They went from tube TVs to rear projection to Plasma and LCD. Now almost everyone has a TV and "big screen" TVs are not as uncommon as they were a few years ago. It is amazing how these technologies evolve so quickly.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with all of the ever changing terminology that goes with TV screens; I will break down most of the more commonly used terms and acronyms.

LCD - Stands for "Liquid Crystal Display". It's pretty simple to figure out that it is made of liquid crystals. This is the most expensive and best quality display type on the market. (for now)
Plasma - Somewhat similar to LCD's, these are also in the "wall mountable" category because they are quite thin and light weight. The technology used is very scientific. Tiny cells in the screen are mixed with some noble gasses which in turn electrically changes the cells into Plasma which excites phosphors to emit the light. These are the second most expensive and second best quality displays on the market.

DLP Projection TVs - Digital Light Processing is a trademark of TI / Texas Instruments and there are two variations of this technology. One is rear projection DLP which is the standard TV-style screen where light is projected from the rear onto a screen which you see. The other variation is front projection which is your standard projector projecting light onto a wall or screen from your point of view.

That is just a very basic overview of some of the main technologies of TV's, screens and monitors. For more elaboration on the technologies follow these links to some Wikipedia articles:

Now that you are more familiar with the technology that is on the market for TV's, screens and monitors, it's time for me to blow your mind! (don't worry, it won't hurt) There is a new technology coming up from the test labs fast! Oh yeah, this is the kind of stuff that makes the real tech connoisseurs shake with excitement.
The new technology is a breakthrough in my books. It is called OLED. It stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. Can a TV look good with LED technology? We have all seen LED's and they are not the brightest lights but people use them because they use very little energy. The good thing about this new OLED technology is that it is beautiful and bright and it keeps the low power consumption! Using LED's means that there is no need for a backlight on the display. Backlights use a lot of the overall power of a display so getting rid of this will lower your power bill and be easier on the environment.
But what about the "organic" part? What that means is that the LED's emissive electroluminescent layer is composed of a film of organic compounds. The layer usually contains a polymer substance that allows suitable organic compounds to be deposited. Another pro to using OLED technology is how tiny and lightweight it can be produced.
There are so many cool facts and rumors about the new wonder in the display world. Some of these screens have been rumored to be only about three millimeters in depth! There are even flexible displays although there is not that much information on this yet. The only problem keeping some of these brilliant displays off the shelves is that they do not have a very long life-span. I don't know all the details but it is definitely a good reason to keep it in the labs a little longer.
There is a lot of hype surrounding this new technology and many big-name companies have gotten into the action. These companies include Sony, Samsung, Toshiba, and many others. Sony seems to be leading the way with the technology with a slight edge on Samsung and Toshiba in regards to who has the best current technologies in the OLED field. Based on the current state of the technology I predict that OLED will be the standard in quality displays around the world by the third quarter of 2012 and it will be a rather sharp increase in OLED sales in the time from mid-late 2010 to mid 2011.
For more information on OLED technology follow these links to some informative websites:

Thank you for reading and as always, let the power of technology progress!

Smosh Videos (Another Great Sketch Comedy Link)

2009-02-04T18:10:00.005-05:00

Ah, sketch comedy, Some love it and some find it juvenile and sometimes very inappropriate. I say everyone is entitled to their own opinion (even when it's wrong!). This sketch comedy group is awesome with a capital AWE! Yes it is juvenile but that's what makes it so great! Their videos are really targeting teens as their main audience and they have done more than a satisfactory job in reaching that goal. These guys have the number 3 most subscribed Youtube channel which was previously number 1! Yes, they mean business when they say SMOSH! I encourage anyone who hasn't already to check out Smosh Videos on their website and Youtube channel. What are you waiting for? GO NOW!

SMOSH VIDEOS WEBSITE
SMOSH YOUTUBE CHANNEL

My Gaming Blog

2009-01-20T20:15:00.005-05:00

Hello everyone. I would like to announce the creation of my new "Gaming" blog! It is mostly about PS3 but I am sure other console users will appreciate it too. Like this blog it is still very much a work in progress but it is still worth checking out! Here is the link to my new gaming blog:

Karl with a C on PS3

I hope you enjoy!
And as always let the power of technology progress

Good Neighbor (Great Comedy Link)

2009-01-20T14:37:00.013-05:00

Check these guys out! They are probably the funniest individual internet comedy group I have ever come across. Most of their videos are funnier than most comedy TV shows. Even Stephen Spielberg has recognized them for their skit called "Unbelievable Dinner". The skits are very well done and all made me laugh out loud. They are really worth checking out! See them here:

good neighbor stuff

Radio/Personal Music and Your Options

2009-01-11T22:53:00.020-05:00

Who here listens to their Am/Fm radios a lot? That's what I thought. Everyone likes to listen to a little radio once in a while, whether it be in the car, at home, or at work, radio has become somewhat of an essential in some of our lives.

Unfortunately there are some problems that come with our good 'ol Am/Fm radios. One problem with Am/Fm radio is the fact that a really good song only comes on the radio once in a while. Who wants to listen to unpleasant music while waiting for something good to play? Not me! But this is yet a minor inconvenience compared to the advertising. Yes, all those annoying, obnoxious radio commercials! We all hate them but we deal with it because what else are we going to do?

Well I'll tell you what we will do; We have more options in today's rapidly growing technological world. Now, there is even satellite radio! But there is a big problem with satellite radio. Yes, IT COSTS MONEY! Money that we really don't want to spend. (and most of us don't possess)

However, there are alternatives to satellite and standard broadcast radio. Yes, you read that correctly. What are these alternatives, you ask? Well one option is an iPod. While it may not be in the broadcasting category it does however work incredibly well as a personal music device for wherever you are. Again, we are faced with that problem again. Yup, that'll cost you a little coin too.

But there is another option! Oh, and this is my favorite (iPods are my second choice). It is the beautiful sensation known as internet radio! Radio from the internet? You may ask. Why yes, and it works quite well too. You may also ask where to obtain said "internet radio." From the internet of course! There are many websites that offer FREE (I love that word too) internet for the masses (I will list some at the end of this post). Although some stations ask for payment, and I do encourage the investment, most are 100% FREE! The thing with internet radio is that it is on your computer. While this is very convenient for those of us who work with a computer but does everyone else have to suffer with no internet radio?

NO! There are solutions! One is the gaming wonder: the PSP (PlayStation Portable). If you are lucky enough to own one of these and have wireless internet available to you are in luck. The PSP now has an integrated internet radio browser built right in and I must say that it works nicely.

Another option is an iPhone/iPod Touch. These devices have web browsers and web browser + internet connection = free internet radio! I have not tested this on an actual ipod Touch or iPhone but it should work. Finally my last advice is a new technology which provides thousands of internet radio stations for your car! The service is from Blaupunkt and miRoamer. Never heard of them. Neither have I. But this really looks promising! Check it out! (Gizmodo link below)

LINKS

A great internet radio site: live365
iTunes also has excellent internet radio: Tutorial
PSP internet radio: Information
iPhone/iPod Touch Internet radio: Option 1 - Option 2 (there are more)
Another great internet radio site: Pandora (I believe this is currently only available in the US) :(
iPods (Purchasing): Apple
New internet radio car player: via: Gizmodo
One more exceptional internet radio site: SHOUTcast

Thanks to everyone who read this and found it useful. If you have any comments, please post and I will do my best to get back to you ASAP. If you are wondering why I did not post any links to Satellite radio providers, it is because I believe that they are a waste of money because of the other (free) options. I also encourage you to search for more free internet radio websites on Google. Good luck and may the power of technology progress!

,Karl with a C

Youtube

2008-08-07T10:10:00.003-04:00

Youtube is an amazing invention and I love it! Youtube is great because it allows people to make their videos public without being a celebrity. You can even become a celebrity just by making a good enough video on Youtube! For example; the Numa Numa kid. You can even create an account and make Youtube into a social experience. I only have two videos on Youtube and they aren't very good but I enjoy watching other videos and commenting on them. I hope to make a new Youtube video in the near future. You can view my Youtube channel here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/cstreitercow

Welcome to my new blog

2008-08-07T10:06:00.000-04:00

Hello and welcome to my new blog!