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Monday, April 1, 2013

Join me at our new address

First of all, thank you for reading. I have made a decision to move my review-based blog posts to a new address: thevoicereviews.blogspot.com

Thank you

Monday, October 3, 2011

Pick of the week: Tildee

Tildee is a brilliant concept! Make it easy for people to create tutorials they can share online; in essence, make it easier to teach the things you know to others and make it even easier to learn the things others know! With a simple and elegant interface, Tildee allows anyone to easily create tutorial and other step by step documentation; interestingly, you don't even need to be registered to use the tool! Every tutorial created generates a short and unique URL that is easy to share.

If Instructables is a little too much for you, check out Tildee and start showing what you know today!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Online Tool Review: CSSLoad.net

Creating loading animations is a little tedious. Most developers solve this issue by keeping a small library of basic animations, which they reuse at will. Now, it is possible to easily create CSS spinners and bars for AJAX and JQuery by using the great tools at CSSLoad.net. You can easily set up to two colours, width, height and animation speed from a selection of templates and quickly build a loading animation, then get the code.

Brilliant little tool, worth checking out! I think a lot of web-apps could learn from the great layout and easy functionality of CSSLoad.net.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Sugru

Lately, I discovered a fantastic new product called Sugru. Sugru is a silicone putty that cures in about 24 hours, allowing the user to create/hack/modify/improve just about anything they can think of or get their hands on!


Sugru cures at room temperature, is self-adhesive, has a very wide temperature range, waterproof, flexible and dishwasher proof! It comes in several colours as well, including black/white/green/orange/blue. Try it out for yourself, you'll be hooked!

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Online Tools review: Poistr

One of the sci-fi concepts that's often appealed to me is the idea of "augmented reality", which in essence is simply a layer of information data overlaid on a real-time image. The most obvious application of this technology has currently been military, as can be seen in most modern fighter jet HUD, such as the image of an F16 HUD below.


There has been some progress in the civilian world, especially in the automotive industry, where some manufacturers have taken to providing HUD options in some of the higher end vehicles. But progress has been delayed as various lobbying groups put pressure on governments to study this technology further.

On another front though, the mobile communication industry is set to begin more widespread use of "Augmented Reality" through the use of more and more powerful smartphones and their ever-present cameras. And sites like Poistr are set to ride this wave, but making it easy for anyone to create "layers" of data information that can be assigned over a real-time view and shared with the world. Available for iPhone/iPod Touch and Android, the Augmented Reality Browser allows users to view these layers in real-time. Currently in beta, Poistr offers ease of use, a concept that I believe is key in the widespread use of this technology.

A brilliant concept in my opinion! Visit Poistr now and start creating your own augmented reality!

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Goodfella Safety Razor

I've decided to switch to a more classic method of shaving, in the hope of finding once and for all, the perfect shaving method! You might think I'm a little daft to be thinking of something like this, but let me tell you that any activity to which I will dedicate almost 175 complete days to over my lifetime (yes, that's 10 minutes a day for 70 years, assuming I live to be 85!) should be done well! I purchased a Goodfella DE Safety razor in chrome.
The Goodfella is made by hand in New Zealand and is extremely well constructed of high quality material. The stainless steel handle is machined while the head is cast and finished. It is smaller than would appear in pictures, with a handle diameter of 10mm and a total handle length of 70mm. But it's weight of 57g (almost 2oz.) is heavier than expected and provides a well balanced shaving instrument. The head is an open comb design, which is usually not recommended for beginners, but this specific model provides a very gentle shave.



As with any DE razor, all you need to do is take a little more time shaving, but in exchange, you get a much better shave with far less irritation, at a much lower total cost. The last point is not lost on many men, I am sure! Some of these fancy 5 blade (and I am expecting a six blade design any time now!) cartridges cost a bloody fortune; incidentally, I learned the other day that razor blade cartridges are the most shoplifted item in North America!!

The razor arrived with a package of 5 Derby Extra blades, which is a nice touch! These blades have been extensively tested by the manufacturer as an excellent match for the shaving action of this razor.
I've got a selection of blades that I will be using with this razor and will report on my research in the near future. The Goodfella DE Safety razor is a well crafted piece of gear and provides a clean, satisfying shave! Well worth every penny!

On a separate note, I made my purchase through Fendrihan, who provided excellent service and quick delivery apart from the fact that they have an extremely extensive inventory of razors, brushes, soaps, accessories and more. Worth visiting!

Monday, September 26, 2011

Pick of the week: Moki.tv

This week's Pick of the week is an entertainment selection, which I don't do very often. But I was quite impressed by Moki.tv. In essence, Moki.tv is an aggregator of various free and paid entertainment providers, such as Netflix, Hulu, iTunes and more and allows you to track what's available on all of these sources from a single location.

Add to this a great, intelligent recommendation system that starts to provide choices with as little as 10 user provided ratings, and you have a great entertainment solution for today!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Deuter Futura 28 day pack

I was in the market for a new day pack for a while and being the picky shopper that I am, I wanted to make sure that I was getting the most value for my money. I looked around for quite a while before settling on the Deuter Futura 28.


There are numerous features that I found truly well designed and worth mentioning, including the best part, the ventilated back.

The entire bag is essentially suspended off the wearer's back and covered in ventilated mesh to let the air flow. I can vouch for the comfort level of this bag in hot weather. Other interesting features include the attached silicone nylon rain cover, the water bladder compatibility, the zipped internal divider and a host of smaller features. The bag is incredibly well made, with quality fabrics and sewing throughout.

Of course, it is not a heavy duty bag in any sense of the definition. This is a lightweight, day hiking bag with several technical features. If you need a bombproof bag, you'll have to look elsewhere and it will be heavier and warmer to wear, guaranteed. Otherwise, take a look at this line of bags by Deuter and hike in comfort!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Philips Nose & Ear trimmer

I know, I'm actually getting to that age where I can safely say that I need to trim nose hair on a regular basis! I figure it's one of those things that fathers casually forget to point out to their growing boys... "One day son, hair will be growing faster out of your nostrils and ears than on top of your head!"

After trying to figure out how I could do the job with a pair of scissors without the amateur lobotomy it promised, I looked around for a better solution. There is just something a little scary about the rotary cutters I'd seen in several shops. No way I'm sticking THAT up my nose! Then I found the Philips Nose & Ear trimmer.
This trimmer is powered by a single AA battery, is fully waterproof and designed for safety. The head is designed to only allow hairs to fit into the cutters.


Having used this great little trimmer for the last couple weeks, I can tell you from personal experience that it is painless, quick and very effective. Laugh all you want, gentlemen, but pick this one up when no one is looking and save yourself the home neurosurgery!