Thunderbolt Docks: A long way off still?

I recently purchased a new Mac Mini for use as my desktop computer in the office. One of the appeals was the high-speed Thunderbolt port. This port is faster than USB 3.0 (of which the mac mini has 0 ports :( ) and can daisy chain etc, overall it would be quite useful for audio and video editing.

I was recently reading Anandtech’s article dicussing the possibilities of a thunderbolt docking station. Currently only the $999 Apple display has that feature. You can read more about the upcoming thunderbolt docks here, but the basic gist for users is as follows:

MacBook Air users may be able to justify spending $249/$399 on a Thunderbolt dock because their connectivity is limited to two USB 2.0 ports and Thunderbolt, and a dock would add ports such as FireWire 800 and Gigabit Ethernet. However, it’s good to keep in mind that Ivy Bridge and UM77 chipset will bring native USB 3.0 support to MacBook Air as well, hence it may be more affordable to sell your current MacBook Air and buy a new one than to keep the old one and buy a Thunderbolt dock.

Wait, what? It would be cheaper to sell your old one, and buy a new one than to buy a Thunderbolt dock!?

So obviously these docks are carrying some sort of a premium. I can live without USB 3 (I think?) but this means I will require a thunderbolt equiped hard disk. And these aren’t cheap either.

There are a few options by LaCie around $200 (a 120gb SSD Drive) or $250 (a 1tb platter disk) and a similarly priced range of drives manufactured by WD, either way you’re looking at a $300 product.

I can either use a $30 usb 3 drive enclosure (with a disk I already own) along with a $249 dock, or I can get a $275 Thunderbolt disk (the benefit being I would get an additional hard disk to store stuff).

My grandfather was famously quoted throughout my life as saying:

What deal?! The best kind of deal is the one you don’t have to pay for!

And while this frustrated me as a child I can’t help but hear myself saying these same words with regards to Thunderbolt.

SO, basically there’s a thunderbolt conspiracy to keep the cables cost < $40 and it would be logical to assume that the same people are setting the market for the chips required in the thunderbolt / USB 3 to SATA causing every manufacturer to have a similarly high price (after taking into consideration profit margins)

I will be waiting for a bit more before purchasing any docks or drives. I think the best bet will be a thunderbolt equipped drive for high-speed near-line storage.

Now taking donations ;-)

Edited: October 17th, 2012

iCloud transition extended for mobileme troopers

If you, like me, were a subscriber to the paid MobileMe service when Apple switched to their free iCloud service you probably already know what I am about to write about.

Users of the original MobileMe service will have their extra-large iCloud space extended for another year.

Earlier last week I got an email that said the following:

When you moved your MobileMe account to iCloud, we provided you with a complimentary storage upgrade beyond the standard 5GB that comes with an iCloud account to help you with the transition. Originally, this storage upgrade was set to expire on September 30, 2012.

As a thank you to our former MobileMe members, we will continue to provide you with this complimentary storage upgrade at no charge, for an additional year, until September 30, 2013. No action is required on your part. For complete details, please read this article.

Thank you again for using iCloud,

iCloud Team

Am I happy about this? I’m not certain. I do not particularly need the space. I currently have half a gig remaining if I was only on their free service. I’m afraid that I will start using more than the free threshold and be stuck paying for additional storage in the cloud. The future will be less free.

iCloud threshold 20.47 of 25 GB used, just below the free threshold

Edited: October 12th, 2012

Music Mondays: Only You Can Make Me Happy

Wonderful little song that I heard this week.

Edited: October 1st, 2012

WordPress 3.3

In case you were considering holding off the upgrade to WordPress 3.3, take my advice, don’t. For a free update I have no complaints.

So responsive in my use (Safari on a macbok pro), super fast updates, I’ve never seen performance on my website like this before!

If only there were some sort of simple plugin to cache links before they die to and archive the stuff you link to in case of failure . . . maybe there is, who knows?!

Edited: December 16th, 2011

Breakz 5 – A Great, Natural Solution to RSI and Carpal Tunnel

Hey there everyone, I don’t often review software,
but I have been using this program to combat RSI for a couple years.

As a producer, I am often sitting in front of the computer in the studio for many hours without a break. Some days I work many hours on the computer in a row, and other days my work is quite varied so I need a solution to keep an eye on my ergonomics while I get lost in my workflow. Enter Breakz, my Personal Ergonomic Assistant.

Breakz 5 used to be called MacBreakz and it is basically a program that reminds me to take regular breaks. While this may seem superfluous since I could just set a timer, the software actually monitors what sort of activity I am doing. This means that if I take a short break it will remove this from the time-to-next-break.

I have found that the program really suits my style since it monitors my keyboard and mouse use and suggests rest time regularly. It also suggests some great stretches that I can do any time.

Check out this software below:
Download the latest version of Breakz from the App Store
icon

Edited: November 4th, 2011

Yes to Lulz or No!?

 

With all the news of hackers, government scandals and widespread corruption, two of the worlds most infamous underground groups, Anonymous and Lulz, announced an official statement.

I’m not completely sure how I feel about this gang; they’re sort of like a new, digital form of ancient pirates. On the other hand, despite their renegade behaviour, it is a natural revolution against government tyranny and corruption as any other revolution has been throughout history. The only difference now is that the computer technology is more vulnerable to attack and more vital to our lives.

The main part of the statement posted is as follows:

Let us tell you what WE find unacceptable:

* Governments lying to their citizens and inducing fear and terror to keep   them in control by dismantling their freedom piece by piece.

* Corporations aiding and conspiring with said governments while taking   advantage at the same time by collecting billions of funds for   federal contracts we all know they can’t fulfil.

* Lobby conglomerates who only follow their agenda to push the profits   higher, while at the same time being deeply involved in governments around   the world with the only goal to infiltrate and corrupt them enough so the status quo will never change.

These governments and corporations are our enemy. And we will continue to fight them, with all methods we have at our disposal, and that certainly includes breaking into their websites and exposing their lies.

We are not scared any more. Your threats to arrest us are meaningless to us as you cannot arrest an idea. Any attempt to do so will make your citizens more angry until they will roar in one gigantic choir. It is our mission to help these people and there is nothing – absolutely nothing – you can possibly to do make us stop.

From the full release linked below:

We are not scared any more. Your threats to arrest us are meaningless to us as you cannot arrest an idea. Any attempt to do so will make your citizens more angry until they will roar in one gigantic choir. It is our mission to help these people and there is nothing – absolutely nothing – you can possibly to do make us stop.

 

Read the full statement here.

Edited: July 23rd, 2011

Copyright Informational Podcast

Just listened to this great podcast on Copyright information and derivative song vs cover song licensing.

CD Baby Copyright Information Podcast

Edited: January 7th, 2011

100 Posts

We are getting more consistent, especially after a recent vacation to San Diego to work on my magic.

But we have reached over 100 posts this month, hooray!

Edited: April 10th, 2010

Rogers/Fido, Bell and Telus won’t deny but won’t confirm iPad on their networks

Canadian cell phone providers are sitting on the fence as to the status of the iPad on their networks. Bell, Rogers and Telus were being very careful not to deny that they would offer 3G for the iPad but stopped short of committing to special service. So far, Apple has only publicly struck a deal with AT&T.
“It’s our policy not to comment on products before we’ve announced that we will carry them,” Rogers spokesman Keith McArthur said. Bell and Telus spokespeople had similar responses.

All three carriers will technically support the iPad’s 3G immediately since is unlocked, but they will require a data-only plan that could potentially be much more expensive than the special AT&T plan: a base Rogers plan provides 500MB of data but costs $30, or nearly twice the price of the $15, 250MB plan in the US. No Canadian carriers outside of Wind Mobile, whose 3G won’t work with the iPad, currently offer an unlimited plan and usually provide a maximum of 5GB.

Rogers in the past has offered a 6GB/$30 plan for iPhone adoptees, but it remains to be seen if the iPad will get a similar deal or if other carriers will follow suit.

Edited: April 2nd, 2010

All Creative Work Is Derivative – Music Video

This video uses stop motion animations of ancient sculptures to show how culture has always been free and in fact only exists by building on the ideas that already existed.

Edited: March 15th, 2010