Cocktail Confessions

(iGrill Probe)

With Father’s Day almost here, I’d like to think there are plenty of wives, daughters, and girlfriends putting some serious thought into their man’s gift.  But if you have any semblance of the life and relationships I do, that’s wishful thinking.  I’m sure my step-daughter will forget me on father’s day as she did on my birthday, and my wife will probably get me the standard bottle of Maker’s Mark…if I’m lucky (she didn’t get me anything for my birthday either). 

Yeah, that little bit of information may seem bitter and trite coming from me, but in all honesty (since this is Cocktail Confessions), I AM STILL bitter about that.  Lord knows I try my hardest to put some thought into their gifts for their special days, but hey, I still believe in family and traditional roles…so call me stupid.

ANYWAY…..it’s been a while since I talked about gadgets around here as well, so I got something that may be right up your mans alley, especially if he’s a techie as well.  It’s called iGrill, the progeny of taking an iOS App (read: iPad, iTouch, iPhone) and mating it with our favorite backyard sport of grilling. (*Android users will have to be patient…it was supposedly going to hit 2nd quarter 2011 and so far it hasn’t).

Starting at $99 (which includes a thermometer, probe and the ‘app’ itself), and coming in either white or black options, iGrill works via long range (200+ ft) Bluetooth technology. In a nutshell you stick your probe into your meat which is connected to the Bluetooh thermometer, and wirelessly monitor your BBQ or Grill via your iPad, iPhone, or iTouch.

Now via your electonic device you can monitor upwards of two seperate probes, review recipes and tips, use it as a kitchen timer, monitor by temperature (upwards of 400 degrees), and more.  Thier website even has a section called iGrill University which has some cool tricks of the trade that are applicable year round.

(My wireless probe - $35)

All in all, it’s a pretty cool idea if you don’t already own a traditional wireless temp probe (I actually do) and like cool techie animations and detail to wow your friends, but the price is a bit steep in my opinion. 

My own remote basically does the same thing but only cost me about $35.  The only really new thing they introduce here is a slick front end GUI and the ability to monitor two probes at once, (but if you’re an Apple fan…you’re already used to paying top dollar for stuff you can buy at half price anyway).  Still, I won’t deny, when it come sout for Android….I may take a second look.

Couple of things to note here:

1. Became a member of Yelp in the OC sector.  I can write a few reviews on the fly when I’m out and about.  So look me up there under my name Jayson O.
2. Removed the Calendar (aka Club Nights) section in the upper left hand margin.  It seemed to stop working some time back, and didn’t really serve much of a purpose anyway and I’m to lazy to fix it right now.
3. Removed the old text box with my Twitter account: AloneDisciple.
4. Added new Tweet Speak box in the left hand margin, that not only has my account name (@AloneDisciple) but lists the last few ‘Tweets’ I made.  I’m doing this on a trial basis.  Not sure if it will stay like that or not.

Trying another experiment here.

Even though I really liked the WP to Twitter plugin, I’ve been experiencing some odd, unexplained, and indecipherable formatting issues when trying to post to Twitter.  The ‘shortcode’ was always getting fouled up to one degree or another here when using the #url# fast code when publishing a new post.

Even though I re-registered my application with Twitter (successfully per the app no less), refreshed the API key, seemed to have ‘passing’ tests behind the scenes, as soon as I published live, the shortcode errored out.  After spending a lot of time going line by line, and various combinations of URL’s, API keys, and format tweaks and saves, the results would always end the same: in error.

So I downloaded a new plugin called ‘Tweetable’ and followed their instructions very closely for activation. I also deactivated ‘WP to Twitter’, and everything seems good to go on the back end.  So this entry is more a test run and I’m crossing my fingers.

For those that are interested, it is version 1.1.8 and it seems pretty robust.  It actually adds a few pages to WordPress which seem pretty intuitive and you’re able to track those Tweets you follow within WordPress itself and also you can post your own Tweets directly within as well.  That’s a pretty neat feature that seems to take the next logical step that WP to Twitter didn’t.  So hopefully this will work out.

A few changes made today and I’m not sure of all the ramifications just yet.  I did notice that my WordPress to Twitter plugin stopped working a few days back, and it appears that is because the plugin now needs OAuth to authenticate communications between Twitter and WordPress.  Still would like to find a better plugin for this, but it works pretty well….when working.

I also noted a few other plugins also had updates available as did WordPress itself.  So….

• WordPress 2.9.2 to new version 3.0.1
• Askimet Antispam 2.1.0 to new version 2.4.0.  Hopefully this will cut down on the bogus crap I get all the time.
• WP to Twitter: upgraded to new version 2.2.1, BUT currently it is not working.  I need to go back and sign up with the new OAuth regsitratuion servers, get new API keys, blah, blah, blah.  Maybe sometime this weekend I’ll work on it.  I’m surprised there wasn’t more buzz or heads up on this.  It’s kinda a big deal.
• NextGEN Gallery to new version 1.6.1.  I have no idea what changes were made here.  Need to go and read changelog later.
• Bluebrry Powerpress to new version 1.0.9.  Would be something i suppose if I started podcasting again….but have been lazy to do such as of late.

Ahhhh….two of my favorite things are coming together this October 3rd at the Fiesta Gardens just outside Austin, Texas.  The marriage of good ole smokey Texas style BBQ and the sounds of fidgeting pocket protectors of all us techno weenies who are proponets of Google technologies, namely the Android OS.  Unfortunately, and to my utter dismay I will not be attending.

I didn’t want to doctor up their own advertisment too much, so here’s the cut and paste promotion from the dudes over at Android and Me:

This October marks the two year release of the G1, the first Android device many of us came to know and love. Soon, it will also mark one of the largest, wildest, most beef-fueled, community-organized gatherings of Android fans ever attempted. The Big TX Android BBQ will be thrown on October 3rd, at the Fiesta Gardens in Austin, Tx. The event is being hosted by the likes of Android Swag, Android Guys, @thedroidguy, @bigkeivan, and of course, Android and Me. 

For a measly $25 (until Aug 15) you get all-you-can-eat BBQ, a totally rad free tee (designed by our own Angie Strickland), all the Android fellowship you can handle, and maybe some special guests. Aaron from Android Swag has been wheeling and dealing trying to land solid entertainment and guests for the BBQ but so far has been keeping his surprises close to his chest. 

To make it as easy as possible to attend, Aaron even lined up a discount code for those flying Continental. Using the code ZJE9896123 will get you a cool 10% off flights and we are still working on lining up some hotel (or even some camping) discounts for people who want to spend a few days here in Austin.

For more attendance info, go ahead and check out the offical site here.

If any of you do attend, I’d love to see some pics.  Feel free to send them to me here: cocktails1@hotmail.com and I’ll post them and give you credit as well (.jpg format please).

Oh, and by the way, there is official rumor that the long awaited Adobe Flash 10.1 will be available sometime today (Aug. 24th) for Android based smart phones.  You may have to do a search over at the Android Market Place for “Flash 10.1″, but it seems our wait is just about over.  But don’t yell at me if it is delayed a day or two,…they’ve done it before, but this time looks like it is legit.

Okay, kinda a mish-mash here of quick things:

My next Droid may not be the Droid X or Droid 2 afterall.  With Droid 2 coming in the next 2 weeks (and a $199 price tag to boot), I was seriously considering an upgrade to my smartphone.  My Droid turns 1 in November.  However, those chaps over at Android and Me are hinting that a new ‘rumor’ may infact be the unofficial leak of the Droid Pro.  So, what are the hilights of the Droid Pro? I’m glad you asked:  Could be boasting a new 1.3GHz CPU (fastest yet), a 4 inch screen, and global roaming (taking advantage of the LTE Verizon network perhaps?)!  No other details at this time, other than it may be debuting in November, 2010.  I’ll share more as more info becomes available.

It’s also being reported that Netflix has signed a deal with EPIX, Lionsgate, and Paramount meaning that very shortly a whole new library of movies and television shows will be available via Netflix streaming.  I use this feature on my XBox 360 all the time.  I’ve recently been watching Sparticus, Weeds, Dexter, and many other shows through my Xbox and loving it. 

Speaking of XBox, I’m not overly “wow”-ed by yet by the newly announced MS Kinect.  It’s listed at a street price of $149 and will launch with 11 titles.  I just read a synopsis of the titles in the Sep ’10 issue of OXM, and none of them really stand out for me.  This may be one of those things where I’ll have to wait and see the reviews and reception of the titles first before I’m an andopter of the peripheral at all.

I still have a video I need to edit and post here on preparing a beef brisket, and I still have 2-3 podcast episodes saved on my hard drive I also need to edit and post as well.  I really need a day off in my normal life to work on this.

So I came across a new app today for my Droid phone.  Well, it’s ‘new’ to me, but I am to understand this app has actually been out a while now.

Iheartradio is a ‘free’ application you can download from the Android Marketplace and allows you to stream live clearchannel stations directly to your smartphone.  Since I live in the Los Angeles market, that means I can turn my phone into a virtual AM/FM tuner and get hundreds of stations, not just here, but all over North America.

It’s really great for those that like AM radio.  It streams stations directly from the source and it sounds just like a podcast of FM station, meaning, it’s crystal clear and sounds so much better than what yoru car radio can supply.  So within just seconds of downloading and installation, I am currently listening to the John and Ken show, from KFI, AM640!!

Awesome!

Well, for right now I’m holding off on getting a new Droid phone.  As much as I would like to get the Droid X, my current Motorola Droid (gen 1) is only 9 months old and I can’t justify in my mind spending the money on a new flavor just to say I have the latest and greatest.  I’d personally feel more grateful internally if I can last a whole year before I actually upgrade, and I may even get lucky and get the Droid X at a slightly cheaper price anyway.

But as these things go, I suppose as soon as I get the Droid X, a new Android phone will be announced that will even be better.  On the bright side, the long awaited update, Froyo (aka 2.2), is supposed to drop OTC this week which mean Flash is just around the corner.

And despite all those people that have the iPhone, a report was issued today stating that in North America, out of all the smart phones, that the Android OS is the most widely distributed.

Doesn’t Lady Gaga look like Marilyn Manson?  I don’t know why, but in this pick I can’t help but think that she does.  I don’t think she’s all that great looking, but she has a new spread in Vanity Fair this month, and it’s the best I’ve ever seen her (BTW: this isn’t one of the pics).  Me thinks she had plastic surgery in the past…..in the nose region.

Had a wonderful smoked brisket this weekend.  It was a lot of work, but my friends seemed to enjoy it pretty well and gave me accolades for my efforts.  It’s definitely a social thing though, and would benefit a group of guys hanging around sharing a case of beer and stories all day than doing it solo.  I took plenty of video’s and pictures of the process, and I hope to have those up soon here and on YouTube.

Speaking of which, my friend Brian made an excellent potato salad with blue cheese, chipotle, and smoked paprika amongst other ingredients and it was delicious.  He said he’d give me the recipe and I’ll post here in the future as well.

Er, why does Lindsay Lohan get released after 14 days of her 90 day sentence?  If it were any Joe Blow or Jane Doe, we’d serve the full time.  Pisses me off, this double-standard crap that so-called spoiled celebrities get to take advantage of.  It’s crap on all levels.

Worked on a HO structure model this Sunday during my personal down time.  I love my hobby of model building for trains.  It’s fun and relaxing, although it can be a long and arduous process.  Wish I had a bit more money so I could start my benchwork for my layout.

Started a new book: “The Art of Racing in the Rain”.  It’s a novel whose story is told through the eyes and soul of a 13 year old yellow Labrador.  Very touching and moving.  Dare I say I’ve already been moved to tears after the opening chapter?  I’ve been reading more books lately based on animals and have been enjoying them immensely.  I just finished ‘Dog Town’, based on true account of the Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah.

Finally, I really need to start my diet as of yesterday.  I have approx 2.5 months to drop close to 15 lbs for a wedding in which I am the best man.  I had an excellent meal and beer fest this past Saturday, so the last two days I’m just drinking water, coffee, and ice tea.

If you’re a Star Wars nerd like me, you’ll get that reference.

Anyway, apologies for the lack of posts lately.  I actually have a review of El Cid of Los Angeles already written along with pictures and video clips, it’s just a matter of me uploading everything and doing some final edits.

In brief, here are a couple things in the meantime:

1. Work has been extremely slow as of late.  I’ve actually been watching paint dry and counting air molecules to pass the time.
2. Been enjoying new Bud Select 55, the low calorie beer, although I can’t seem to get a buzz from it.
3. Watching a lot of Netflix lately.  Love the streaming feature.  Watching Sparticus (Season 1) and Weeds (Season 3).  Tried watching Jack Black’s and Michale Cera’s “Year One”, but it is soooo bad.  Also started watching the first season of True Blood.
4. Gonna try and smoke a brisket this weekend with my new smoker.  Never did one before, but we all gotta start somewhere, so I’m thinking I may buy a brisket after work today and cook/smoke it for saturday.  I may buy a 6lb brisket from El Toro Meats to start with.  It’s $6.99 a pound, so a 5lb brisket is upwards of $35!
5. I know I’m lacking in the Big Brother updates.  I’m about 4 episodes behind as of this writing.  I’ve watched them all so far, so I need to do a brief synopsis later in a combined entry (maybe later today if I’m bored).

Check out this really cool ‘steampunk’ USB drive (pictured left).  It’s 8GB in size and it’s creator says the design was inspired by an old country sign….Er…okay…I don’t see it, but I love the end result anyway.  I just love this Jules Verne looking stuff.  It’s so much more interesting than all the other streamlined tech out there these days.  It’s a piece of art in my book.

The creator gives it an esitimated worth of $300, which for an original piece of alternate Americana technology, it’s tempting (if I had the extra money). *Image courtesy of ChipChick.

Lastly, although I’m really enjoying my new Kodak Playsport, it seems Panasonic just announced their own shoot-and-share handheld HD flash camcorder.  The TA1 currently has a pre-order (release date is tentatively Aug 17) price listing of $169, which is in line with all the others in this category, but has few things really stand out for me: 1) It’s Panasonic, and they make great stuff.  I think their plasma televisons, DVD players, and old school VCR’s are top notch, especially for their price, so I doubt you be assured the hardware is strong.  2) The stand alone camera is 8MP whereas all the otehrs in this category are 5MP.  3) It’s Skype enabled (how sweet is that?)  4)  And finally, someone has added a front facing LED ‘light’ used to help illuminate recording in low light conditions (double sweet!!).  Hopefully this additional features will prove to be worthy enough to be included in future incarnation by the other developers for the next generation of these hand held devices.  If so, I can see myself upgrading in about a year from now.

Yes, this is indeed a ‘real’ device.  I don’t have the time or effort or even the absurd level of creativity to have photo-shopped this myself.  However, our vertically challenged friends from the land of the rising sun continually surprise us in their masterful inventions of the inane have given the world it’s newest overpriced trinket: The Watermelon Cart,

Yes, for roughly 19,950 yen, or $231 for us yanks you to can buy an exclusive watermelon cooling crad to transport your melon from the store to your next beach bbq or family picnic.  Perhaps the tried and true method of USING YOUR ARMS has suddenly become passe or too hard?

No, just what these rich bastards with too much money in their pockety need, a portable baby cart for a fricken melon.  Thank goodness it is exclusively manufactured and sold only in Japan.  Can you imagine the guffaws and remarks one would get here if you were seen pusing around a single melon in a space aged design push cart with a dome?  But then again, I suppose the likes of the Housewives of Orange County (actually , Atlanta) would probably parade this around.  Can you imagine being the schmoe your wife has directed into performing the walk of shame dragging this contraption to the family reunion?  I’d never live it down.

You know the world is running out of things to invent and design when Japan, the proud creators of used panty vending machines, are now snubbing the faces of sub-saharan tribespeople with temperature controlled melon carts.