The Smorgasbord

The pocket video camera market is slowing down. That does not mean that there are not great pocket cameras out there wait to found! In this article we will have 3 pocket video cameras. Whether you are shooting a birthday party or maybe even that hit low-budget movie you have always dreamed of, we will give the very best ones available.

1. Sanyo Xacti VPC-PD2BK – $99.99

This camera shoots full HD video, 10 megapixel pictures, has a flash and a 3 times optical zoom. The 2-inch screen is small but not a deal breaker when you include all of it’s other features. The camera supports for both SD and SDXC memory cards up to 64 GB, has digital image stabilization and high speed shooting . It’s compatible with both Macs (iMovie support) and PCs. The file transfer is a seperate USB cable.

2. Samsung HMX-U20 $99.95

With Full HD video recording, 14 megapixel still shots and a 3 times optical zoom, this Samsung is a top of the line pocket camera. It supports SD and SDHC memory cards, which means even on a budget storage should be affordable. It has a nice 2 in display and a USB arm. The body is quite curvy and thats not just for looks, it also makes sure your hand stays in a good position. This camera also supports time lapse recording which just adds to it functionality.

3. Creative Vado Under $80 on Amazon

Creative’s Vado is seriously pocket-friendly with demensions of only 3.9 inches by 2.2 inches. Touch-sensitive buttons are really nice and responsive. It’s two-inch display is big enough without feeling to small and the USB arm pops out of the side, so no need to carry an extra USB cable around. While the Vado does shoot in 720p, it’s stills are low res and are not a good option for someone looking to pull double duty with their pocket cam. It has 4GB of internal storage and decent battery life.

These are just of the few options for you Flip alternative seekers. There are many more great options for small, light and quick cameras.

In our modern world, we are used to terms like smartphone, wifi, Wii, and Xbox. But, what about smart chairs, tables, desks, or sofas? Recent technological developments have made it possible and practical to also add extra features to furniture that delight the technical and gadget-minded among us.

Furniture designers these days are building pieces that suit the way we live today. Often, that means one piece can serve multiple uses or transform into something totally different. These newest incarnations have capabilities far beyond what our parents ever dreamed, and new innovations are arriving daily. The newest science mixed with creativity will likely keep things fresh for a long time to come.

Some high-tech light-up sofas and loveseats appear to be regular sets- until the sun goes down; then these pieces glow from the inside, giving them a very modern touch. There are also rounded vinyl chairs called ‘pods’, which look like something from the Jetson’s cartoon show. These pods have room for you to fit comfortably surrounded, have speakers built into the top and sides, and a laptop stand in  front, for the ultimate in comfort for those who are connected for long periods every day. Other innovations include chairs made of open-cell type membranes that look like a large cube– until somebody sits in it, and it takes on a more standard chair-like form. In fact, high-density foam has made possible lots of new configurations– you can now find chairs designed to mimic the Tetris game, silver clouds, or blobs, should you so desire, and all of them are likely more comfortable than anything you have ever sat on before.

Good looks are one thing, but consumers today demand that and much more. They expect total comfort, and ergonomically correct furniture that prevents back, neck, and leg pain. Luckily, furniture manufacturers today are on the same page, and are delivering furniture that meets those expectations. They also have made it easier, and less expensive, for a consumer to personalize furniture. For instance, if your husband has a room dedicated to the Ohio State Buckeyes or the New York Yankees, ordering him pieces in the team colors is possible, and you can even have the team logo added to the furniture pieces, or get them personalized for him. What previously took a long time to do and was cost prohibitive is now quick and cheap, due to technical innovations, and furniture makers investing in the proper equipment to quickly be proactive with their customer’s wants and needs

Technology also has brought about some changes in the way designers look at furniture. For instance, you will see growing trends in more functional table surfaces to be utilized with sofas or recliners, as for a laptop computer. The buzz in the industry is all about comfort and function, and how to effectively meld the two.

Another good innovation in furniture is the recliner sofa. These sofas have lots of great features, like the ability to be reclined up to 180 degrees for great comfort while watching a movie, or even as a temporary bed for visitors. Some have cup holders and built-in tray tables. Easy to clean, water-resistant, and durable, a recliner sofa like this will last and look great for a long time.

Illiana is an avid follower of the cutting edge of interior design, and is a big fan of leather sleeper sofas. She’s been kind enough to provid this article on futuristic seating designs to us at no cost.

NPR reports a Stanford University professor has created a “Frankencamera” – which may well turn out to be the next generation of digital cameras. Imagine a camera that (like the iPhone) can have applications downloaded to it and installed (open source of course). Also, imagine a camera that can make the best of bad lighting situations. Take, for example, a shot of children playing in the dark shade of a tree on a very sunny day. Or kids chasing lightning bugs at dusk. The Frankencamera can take 2-3 rapid shots in succession for the different lighting conditions of the shot (foreground, background, etc) – and merge them all together in one final shot (that would be impossible with just one photo take). History will show that open devices that are customizable are not only highly sought after, but in the end more extensible and usable than the proprietary corporate crap that shoved down our throats time and time again.

Check out this YouTube video of the Frankencamera:

Sorry Sony (and Canon, and all the rest) – I want a Linux camera! According to Gartner, the (google backed Linux) Android phone will overtake the iPhone by 2012. This should be yet another sign that people WANT a Linux Digital camera.

I was looking back through some stuff today from some years back and came accross a “Mad Libs” book that I had from years ago. You know, sometimes with all the technical advances and gadgets we forgot how much fun we had with some of the simplest stuff for hours on end! I can remember getting Mad Libs books as a kid and we would sit around filling in the blanks for hours and just roll around on the floor for hours over the crazy stories we made up! It forced you to use your imagination and writing skills – and just made you laugh and laugh and laugh! I did a quick lookup and eBay, and sure enough – there are tons of them for sale either single or in lots!

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This “LCD Monitor Review” shows how much more affordable flat screen displays for your computer have become this year. The big old bulky CRT screens are gone forever it seems, and now the bigger flat display is better. I took my son to college last month, and we walked by the computer lab – and each and every screen was a 22″ dell monitor. I’ve read a few blog posts this week from bloggers about their new 22″ screens arriving in the mail, and I know one person at work that has dual 19″ monitors.

So I started looking around – and LCD screens are much cheaper now for the bigger sizes than I thought they were. What does that mean? You can get a 22″ flat display for your home computer under $200. Much like digital cameras, you get what you pay for. You can get a completely functional 22″ LCD that would work just fine for most people under $200 – like these ones made by Hanns G -

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Like I said – those are great monitors, but here’s the difference between those and a more name brand that’s a little more expensive. The Hanns G monitor has the same resolution (1680 x 1050), but the ‘dynamic contrast ratio’ is only 1000 to 1, and it has a 5ms response time.

Now I’ll show you a very popular LCD monitor – the Samsung T220 22″ LCD display.

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The Samsung has the same 1680 x 1050 resolution, but the dynamic contrast ratio is 20000 to 1, or 20 TIMES MORE than the Hanns G. It also has a 2ms response time, more than twice as fast as the Hanns G. So, when your shopping for a new LCD – don’t pay attention to just the price, if you want a sharper picture – pay attention to the quality specs as well!