Geoffrey Morrison

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Tech2
Review: Bill Janovitz's Walt Whitman Mall
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Apr 12, 2013  |  0 comments

"The book is not a direct influence. That is to say that it did not spur me on to write any sort of song cycle or (gasp!) concept album. Rather, I found myself writing a lot of songs with a sense of a specific space, my hometown of Huntington, Long Island, New York."

So explains Bill Janovitz and about his new album, Walt Whitman Mall, and it seems as apt a description as I can think of.

Oh, and it's also really good. He didn't say that part (obviously).

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Tech2
Parrot Asteroid Smart Review, Part 1: The Install
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Apr 16, 2013  |  0 comments

I love my car. My car is old. Eleven years old this week, actually. When I bought it, in-dash cassette players were on their way out, and CD players were all but standard. Mine even had the upgraded "Audiophile" system, which had an in-dash 6-disc changer.

The stupidity of a in-dash CD changer aside, the one thing my car didn't have was any ability to add an external source. None. So imagine my annoyance, my near-decade-long annoyance at not being able to play my iPod in my car.

Well with one fell swoop, not only can I play my iPod, I can voice dial, hands free talk, stream music from my phone, navigate via GPS, and do all the other fancy things people who buy new cars can do. I got (Asteroid) Smart.

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Tech2
BAFX OBD II Bluetooth Adapter and Torque App
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Apr 25, 2013  |  0 comments

With no small amount of irony, about a week after I installed the ultra-high-tech Parrot Asteroid Smart, my SVT lit its engine warning light.

I know the sound and feel of my car really well, and it sounded and felt fine. Since a dealer would want $75 just to tell me what's wrong, I figured it was time to invest in an OBD II scanner. This device plugs into the OBD II port that every post-1996 car has, and gives you a code to tell you what's wrong (along with a lot of other data).

But wait! Now you can get a "scanner" that talks to your tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth! Now that's some app awesomeness.

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Song From My Soundtrack
Val Kolton on "Need You Tonight/Mediate" by INXS
Geoffrey Morrison  |  May 04, 2013  |  0 comments

Val Kolton is the CEO and founder of the headphone and portable audio company V-MODA.  As a DJ and producer, he has toured the globe playing among the top DJs and musicians as well as held the residency at Hollywood's most elite clubs. Here he picks a Song from his Soundtrack.

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Tech2
LED vs CFL Bulbs: Color Temp, light spectrum, and more
Geoffrey Morrison  |  May 06, 2013  |  1 comments

This is one of the nerdier posts I've done, but since I'm unabashedly a nerd, and I hope many of you are too, I figured it would work.

You see, I love LEDs. I think they're fascinating in how they work, what they can do, and so on. As you'd expect, I'm slowly replacing the CFL bulbs in my house with LEDs.

The thing is, not all LED bulbs are equal, and one of the biggest drawbacks is that not all offer the "warmth" in color temperature most of us love in incandescents.  So I put a few different LEDs on my test bench, measuring them sort of how I measure TVs, to see how they do.

Curious? Well I was, hopefully you will be too.

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Tech2
The kit I carried
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 07, 2013  |  1 comments

I've been travelling a bunch this year, with two big trips to Europe and China. Like my 10 Tips to the Travelling Techy last year, I brought along a bunch of gear, some good, some bad, some invaluable. I guess you could call this 10 Tips to the Travelling Techy 2, except it's eight.

So if you're planning any trips this summer, check out this list of some tech gear to bring.

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Audio Video News
E3 2013 Highlights
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 12, 2013  |  0 comments

I'm the wrong person to cover E3. I loathe it. True, I'm a gamer of the 1st degree, but being a E3 has nothing to with being a gamer. It has everything to do with the shouty, misogynistic, terrified-of-the-new, big-business industry of gaming.

Also, I fraking hate crowds of aimlessly wandering people. Haaaaaaaate.

That said, this year was less horrible than year's past. Here are some pictures and highlights. 

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Tech2
Some tips and tricks for the ultimate of sports-watching marathons
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 20, 2013  |  0 comments

I watch one sporting event each year (OK, two if you count the sportball game between the commercials of the "Superbowl"). This one event takes place in a tiny village in western France. An epic battle of men and machines, of endurance and stamina, of danger and skill, fought against weather, distance, and time.

I of course speak of le mythique, le légendaire, le grand Circuit de la Sarthe et les Vingt-Quatre Heures du Mans.

Or simply,

Le Mans

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HDTV Tech
New Display Measurement: Input Lag
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 23, 2013  |  0 comments

Starting with the September issue (and now, online), we're adding a new measurement to our objective TV/projector tests. It's called "input lag" and while it's not as important as contrast ratio or color accuracy (which we already test for), it's an important metric for gamers, and anyone who notices issues with "lip sync."

So here's what it is, how we test for it, and what, if anything, you can do about it.

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Tech2
Computer Game Concept Art
Geoffrey Morrison  |  Jun 25, 2013  |  0 comments

Most video games, especially the big-name, high-budget ones, are created by a huge team of people. Some are in charge of how the game plays, others design the levels, others still do the sound.

Before the nuts and bytes get tightened, most games start with an idea. To give the entire team a visual representation of what the "look" of the game is going to be, most companies hire a concept artist, just like movies do.

This concept art can give the game a direction, but on their own, they can be fascinating visual adventures in their own right. Here's some brilliant art from some recent games, and some info on the incredibly talented artists behind them.

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