Nike+ iPod vs. Nike+ GPS

Nike+ iPod Sensor

I recently took up running and like every new runner I needed some motivation to keep me going.  Enter Nike+ iPod.  Nike+ iPod can be used with just about any iPod, and if you happen to have an iPhone or an iPod Touch then all you need is the transmitter since the sensor is built-in.

I had an iPhone, so all I needed was the Nike+ transmitter.  And after I bought the Nike+ transmitter, I realized that there is a $1.99 Nike+ GPS app that works with the iPhone with no transmitter required.  Did I just waste $20.00 on the Nike+ transmitter when I could have simply purchased a $1.99 app.  Well, yes and no.  Nike+ iPod and Nike+ GPS are two entirely different animals that serve similar purposes.

Replacing Cable TV with Internet TV

Television

There have recently been a ton of stories about existing devices that can be used in place of cable: Apple TV, Roku, etc.  But these devices lack extensibility and they come with relatively few features.  Sure, you can get NetFlix on either Roku or Apple TV.  But is NetFlix enough to give up cable TV?  Not for me.  I want NetFlix, but I also want Hulu-style TV and my existing videos, music and pictures.  I want an HTPC and that's exactly what I got.  You can have one too and this post will tell you how.

Moving to the Cloud: Amazon S3

Amazon Web Services

Amazon S3 is Amazon's cloud storage solution.  It's is accessible over the Internet through a web browser via Amazon's Management Console or via a web page (if you enable it) or through some of the S3 clients out there.  There is also an command line API for Amazon S3 that can be used on your local computer or it can be installed on an Amazon EC2 instance for easy transfer to and from S3.  And the best part is, it's pretty inexpensive for 'unlimited' storage.  This post is all about S3: what it does and how you can use it.