More results...
So what if it is 1D short of being a 3D printer? HP still makes a great product when it comes to their line of printers.
The OfficeJet is a wonderful addition to any Mac environment due to its AirPrint capabilities.
This week, we are offering a $20 savings on the HP OfficeJet 6600 H711G Multifunction Wireless Inkjet Printer.
3D Printers have really gone down the road towards one of the neatest pieces of Star Trek tech (in my opinion) known as the replicator. This device can basically make anything, and I mean anything, appear in a briefcase-sized opening in any wall on any ship in the Star Trek universe.
Would you like a cup of tea, Earl Grey, hot? No problem. New gun? No sweat. That is pretty nifty if you ask me.
I’ve always found it interesting that the replicator’s capabilities varied based on the needs of the plot. For example, it often for some reason could not produce the single thing people needed to solve their problems, forcing Kirk or Riker to romance some alien to save the day instead. Alas, that is Hollywood.
Anyway, at this point there is a device called a 3D printer that can make increasingly sophisticated things by printing very thin layers of plastic one on top of another. I hadn’t realized how sophisticated the process had become until I heard that somebody had printed out a working lower receiver for an AR-15 assault rifle and had fired rounds from it…holy moly.
After that, I heard a much less depressing story about something called self-sculpting sand. Basically this stuff is small, magnetized cubes roughly 10mm per side with microprocessors inside that can as a group map a 3D object and then recreate that object by linking together.
At some point, I’m expecting nano-tech to be able to make them incredibly tiny. Imagine needing a part for a machine, dumping it in a bag of dust, and an hour or so later, pulling a perfect replica out.
You can view the original article I found about this self-sculpting sand “*here.*”:http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/smart-robotic-sand-0402.html
Have you ever worried about what’s going to happen to your digital life when you die? I haven’t, but Google has. They have released a new service for Google users that allows you to plan your digital estate called Inactive Account Manager.
Here’s what you do: Set your Google account to be either deleted after three, six, nine or twelve months of inactivity, or have all your data and login information sent to a trusted family member or friend. Data sent to a trusted contact can be set to some or all Google services: Google+, Blogger, Contacts, Google Voice, Circles, Drive, Gmail, Picasa and YouTube.
To set up your digital afterlife, go to your Google account page by clicking your user name, then *Account* in the top right hand corner. On the main page, click *Learn more and go to setup* under Inactive Account Manager in Account Management.
Once at the setup screen, you can determine how you would like your account managed. I know that this isn’t particularly technical, but I find it interesting as an example of a place that I’m sure none of us thought we’d be ten years ago.
Here is a link to a more in-depth article:
“*http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2013/04/plan-your-digital-afterlife-with.html*”:http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/2013/04/plan-your-digital-afterlife-with.html
Kings of industrial design, Apple utilizes every last bit of available space in their machines. Often overlooked is a very functional piece of the notebook computer, in that it allows it to fold. But the hinge also handles a lot more you may not have known about.
In modern unibody MacBook Pros, that black plastic covers many important pieces other than just hinge hardware.
On the left side is the cable that handles all the video sent to the display. It twists through the hinge assembly before running into the LCD.
On the right, it’s more varied. You have the internal USB cable for the camera and LED. The antenna cables run through here for the Wi-Fi card. The Wi-Fi card resides inside the hinge on many models — it’s quite small. The cable that powers the display backlight (which causes the LCD to illuminate) also runs through the right side.
These cables are protected against abrasion with special covers. They get twisted back and forth all the time as the display is moved.
This assembly stands up to a lot of abuse, day in and day out. But the hinges do loosen, and cables can pinch. Liquid spilled on the hinge area can cause issues, as with most elsewhere in the machine.
The most avoidable hinge problem is loose hinges caused by lifting the machine by the display, or knocking the display from side-to-side. Too much weight on the display, like some snap-on cases, may also cause the hinges to loosen. Overall, the hinge is robust and engineered well. Even on old and heavily used machines, they remain very smooth and reliable.
Hello readers,
Looks like spring may be springing here finally, after one last seemingly spiteful snowstorm that took out any number of fresh green sprouts. I don’t care as long as I can work outside. Although being outside in winter gear in April certainly feels like a defeat. I usually tough it out just to be able to say I’ve put away my winter clothes, but not this year.
In other news, we have taken another step toward a real version of the Star Trek replicator. I wrote a little article about it below. Hope you enjoy that and this week’s other offerings.
Thanks for reading,
Liam
“*liam@smalldog.com*”:mailto:liam@smalldog.com
You asked and Hammerhead listened. Introducing the Capo Case for iPad mini! Our stock of Capo cases for the iPad mini has recently…
I am picking up the big U-Haul truck to start moving inventory down to the Rutland store this weekend. We will spend a lot of time getting set up and merchandised and then do unofficial “soft” openings for a few days to work out all the kinks.
We’re looking forward to the big Grand Opening on May 4th, and if you’re in the area, we hope to see you there!
Thank you for reading this issue of Kibbles & Bytes.
Your Kibbles & Bytes team,
_Don, Kali, Steph & Mike_
If you or someone you know is interested in switching to a Mac, but don’t want to drop the big bucks on a new machine just yet (or ever!), then this is the special for you.
This week, we are offering a *$100 savings* on our used 13-inch White MacBook from early 2009. It includes a 4GB RAM upgrade to keep things moving, and a 500GB LaCie Rugged Portable Hard Drive for extra storage space or for use as a trusty backup system.
For the longest time, customers have asked if the Otterbox cases we carried were waterproof, and sadly, we’d have to confirm that they were not. Thankfully, the new Armor series from Otterbox is, and is rated for up to 3 meters of water depth!
We have a limited quantity of the Armor Case for iPhone 5, so grab one for yourself or a water-loving friend this week, and you’ll get *free shipping.*
Last week, Don introduced the newest addition to the Hammerhead product line, the Capo Case for iPad mini, and mentioned how much he liked using it on his own iPad mini.
It converts for both typing and viewing comfortably, and its durable construction will give you the peace of mind you want for your trusted device. Plus, Don’s favorite color happens to be purple, so we’ve decided to offer *$10 off the purple-hued version of the Capo Case for iPad mini.*
I like to think of myself as an objective computer user. I try not to take sides in the age old battle of which operating system is better. However, as an employee of Small Dog, I tend to use Macs almost exclusively, and sometimes Apple surprises me with neat features that I didn’t know OS X had.
Did you know that you can share a Keynote presentation with a remote viewer via the Messages app?
I had no idea that this was a feature of Mountain Lion. In fact, I can recall using the 3rd party app GoToMeeting for a few Webinars in the past, but this new feature could, in some cases, eliminate the need for that.
If you want to share a presentation via Messages, there are a few things that need to happen beforehand. First, as the presenter, you need to have Keynote installed on your machine and a Keynote presentation you want to share. After that, you need to make sure that you and your viewers are using the same messaging service like iCloud or AIM.
Once you have the required stuff out of the way, you can start by inviting someone from your Buddy List to a video chat. To do this, select whomever you want to share your presentation with from your Buddy List and choose “Invite to Video Chat” from the “Buddies” menu. This will send an invitation to initiate a video chat and once the recipient accepts, you can move on.
To get the presentation rolling, locate your Keynote presentation file in Finder and drag it into the lower part of the video chat window. (Apple couldn’t have made this part any easier!) This will launch Keynote on your Mac, and you will see some presentation controls pop up.
To navigate through your presentation, simply click in the controller window to advance the slide. Alternatively, you can click on the arrows to step forward or backward. When you want to stop the presentation, just click the “X” in the controller window. After that, the window will go back to the normal video chat screen.
So there you go. Now you can give a remote presentation to anyone, anywhere, provided that they have the basic requirements I mentioned above. Give it a try and wow someone from across the room or across the country!