I love my new Siemens SL56. After screwing around with camera phones for a while and being unhappy with them (because they take crappy pictures, it is hard to do anything useful with the pictures, and the extra functionality just gums up the interface of the phone), I dropped back to a device that just tries to be a good phone. And this is a good phone – the user interface is the best I have used for a while. Easy assignment of speed dial numbers; speed dial can work for phone calls or websites; one button keyboard lock; good functionality even when closed. And fits anywhere. I don’t find the small keyboard to be a problem. Cnet review, Howard Chui review, user reviews up on PhoneScoop.

Not going to be posting much here. heads down on halloween. struggling last night with interfacing pneumatic valves to my dmx control system. tried a gilderfluke part to convert dmx input to analog output but it seems quite finicky about dmx input. Looking at maybe using a Dove Systems MTX-DE8 8 Channel DMX to Analog Decoder which is maybe where I should have started in the first place, since I have a lot of Dove dimmers and they have been rock solid for me. The good folks at PNTA are helping me sort it all out – great folks for gear here in town.

Seven New Grand Challenges for Computer Science

Wi-Fi Networking News: More Wi-Fi for RVers – well this is exciting news.

At the risk of offending RVers: What do U-of-Michigan grads and tornados have in common?

Sooner or later, they both end up in a trailer park.

The Review of Network Economics, The Archives – wow this looks like a fascinating journal. The “Introduction to the Economics of Payment Card Networks” alone looks like an interesting read.

Cool Cubit Cases from michaelw (who consistently points to interesting things). I am baffled that all desktop pcs have not moved to the mini-itx formfactor.

Well I have to give Macromedia credit, it is a ballsy move to launch a whole new kind of internet application browser – Macromedia - Central. The first app, the Weather app, seems to be slow, but I am impressed with the effort.

Comparison of Features and Rates of Current U.S.-based VoIP providers :: Voxilla.com :: A user’s guide to the communications revolution

Good call to action at Due Diligence – let’s not sit around whining about the state of the music industry – let’s hasten its decay! I’ll add another point – if you must buy cds, buy them used, don’t send more money to the music companies.

From Joe Beda’s EightyPercent.Net: “If I can write 80% of a piece of software in a weekend, there is no business model for that software.” Good counsel, I’d like to see more young entrepreneurs grok this.

The Shifted Librarian has a good reference on the growing importance of IM, particularly to the younger generation. Isn’t it AOL’s hugest strategic error – that they decided to give away AIM? It is the only thing we really need on our broadband connection and it is free. If I was AOL, I’d bite the bullet now and start charging for AIM (free for kids, nominal fee for college students, full price for adults). Sure you might drive some users away – but you are losing your user base anyway, might as well try some active measures rather than just letting them passively disappear.

I am sure there are cheaper ways to build a voice transformer – PC-based software, homebrew circuits – but I got a Roland VT-1 and I love this box. I predict it has the greatest impact of any single addition to my halloween haunt this year – I am going to place the output inside the scary tree i built. I’m combining it with some good Bose outdoor speakers so that I get really good fidelity with low noise out of the system. Really worth playing around with, a trial last night had our dogs cowering in the corner of the yard.

Sports: Mike Lucas: Stage is now set for THE game (captimes.com)

My neighbor, let’s call him Norton, has had the audacity to put his props out in his yard. This is an affront on several levels. One, I am the recognized King of Halloween in my neighborhood, and no one puts out props before me. Two, he didn’t inform me of his plans. Three, he had the temerity to build and deploy a coffin, which he must have known I was doing. Four, he set out his props on a Monday night – this is a clear breach of protocol, props go out on the weekend at or around the 15th.

Vengeance will be mine.