Overseas Chinese Web Guide

Category: Tech

  • Omron Pedometer v. Fitbit Tracker

    Last year, I picked up an Omron Pedometer to track my daily exercise. I really liked the Omron HJ-112 pedometer. The pedometer is still functioning after one year; however, I did have to change the battery once and the end clip did break. But, I ended up switching to a Fitbit.

    At first, I was carrying two pedometers with me. The Fitbit would consistent report a higher step count than the Omron. I’m not sure if the Omron is undercounting or the Fitbit is overcounting, but a discrepancy definitely exists.

    Battery. The battery in the Omron lasts for about six months. I’ve only changed it once since I purchased it last year. For the Fitbit, the battery needs to be recharged about once a week by placing the device on the base station. If you are taking an extended vacation, you will need a way to recharge your Fitbit unless you want to bring both your base station and computer to recharge. Win: Omron.

    Social Networking. With the Omron, I just compared stats on occasion with family members. How many steps do you have today? With the Fitbit, the tracker uploads your statistics whenever it is near a Fitbit base station. If multiple co-workers have a Fitbit base station at work, you can synchronize through their device by standing nearby. The Fitbit also promotes competition with a leaderboard that shows which friends have the most steps. Win: Fitbit.

    Dimensions. The Omron is noticeably larger than the Fitbit. The Fitbit is a very discrete clip that I routinely affix to my pocket. Not bulky at all. Win: Fitbit.

    Data. The Omron displays up to seven days of statistics on the device itself. The Fitbit only displays the current statistics; however, your prior workout data is available online. Win: Fitbit.

    Readability. The Omron display is visible indoors and outdoors, but it’s not backlight for those walking at night. The Fitbit is easily readable indoors. Outdoors, it’s great at night but poor during the day in the sun. If you only check after your walk, you should have no problems. However, if you you are one of those users that need to check your step count every 10 minutes when you are walking outdoors, you will feel very aggravated. 🙂 Win: Even.

    Overall, size and form factor trumps all others, so now I am wearing the Fitbit and have left the Omron pedometer sitting by itself on the shelf.

  • Google Books Ngram Viewer: Peking v. Beijing

    Google Books Ngram Viewer is an interesting application for looking up the frequency of phrases in books over time. For example, I recently ran a search from 1800-2000 for the different spellings of 北京: Peking, Beijing, Peiping and Beiping.

    As expected, Peking is the dominant English name for 北京. Peiping appeared at some point in the mid-1920s, but that spelling has since disappeared. Interestingly, the rise of Beijing coincides not with the founding of the PRC in 1949 but with the normalization of US-China relations in the mid-1970s. Beijing finally eclipsed Peking in the late 1980s.

  • Nikon D7000 Autofocus Problem

    Two months ago, I had ordered the Nikon D7000 shortly after it was announced. After a long wait, it finally arrived today, but only for a short visit. I was upgrading from a Nikon D50, so I was already familiar with Nikon DSLRs. The D7000 felt comfortable in my hands, much like the soon-to-be-retired Nikon D50. I had considered moving to FX and picking up a D700 instead, but I just couldn’t get past the increased weight.

    Anyways, after I browsed through the manual to configure the camera and started shooting, I discovered a problem. Even though the camera and lens were set to auto-focus, the camera would switch to manual focus on its own. I tried the D7000 with several other lenses and still came across the same issue. Sometimes it occurred while shooting. Other times after I played back my most recent shots. If I really wanted to shoot manually, I would have opted for a Leica. 😉 So, I’m feeling like a beta tester right now. I was really liking the D7000 up to that point. So, the camera goes back to Nikon for service. I doubt if I will be getting back the D7000 in time for Thanksgiving. The D50 is happy. It’ll be getting a few more weeks of attention and use now.

  • Paparazzi! Full Page Screenshots

    I’ve been using Paparazzi! for quite some time to take full page screenshots on a MacBook Pro. However, I recently started to encounter some problems with Paparazzi!. Specifically, Paparazzi! was no longer able to capture flash embedded on a webpage. After much grumbling, I even tested Web Snapper but experienced the same problem. Eventually, I traced the problem to the recent Adobe Flash Player 10.1 update. To get Paparazzi! working again, I had to uninstall Adobe Flash Player and downgrade to Adobe Flash Player 10.0. And, magically, Paparazzi! works again.

  • Mount Diablo State Park

    Mount Diablo State Park (CA State Parks, Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, Reserve America) is located in Contra Costa County near the communities of Alamo, Danville and San Ramon. A visitor center is located at the summit of Mount Diablo where you can absorb a 360° view of the surrounding region. I could see the Golden Gate Bridge from the summit with the naked eye. However, I did use an inexpensive set of binoculars to confirm the sighting. During my visit, the center was closed on account of employee illness. However, the observation deck was still open to public access during this time.

    The sunset, as viewed from the Juniper campground.

    The Juniper campground features a trail that ascends up the mountain. On a hot summer day, I had no interest in heading up that trail.

    The Juniper campground is quite large. The campsites varied in size and shade. Some sites were more exposed and had better views. However, even the interior sites with more trees were no match for the howling wind that swept through our campsite starting around 4 a.m. Hard to sleep while the tent is rattling around.

    The Juniper campground does have running water near each campsite. In addition, the bathrooms are located at the far end of the campground with toilets and hot showers.

    Once the sun sets, the sky really lights up with all the stars aglow. Right before the trip, I purchased Star Walk for iPad to see whether the iPad could make astronomy any easier. Incredible! Of course, with the iPad Wi-Fi model, Star Walk could not determine the precise location. However, I was able to enter Walnut Creek, CA, which was not far away. Star Walk works pretty much as I had expected. When I lift the iPad up to the sky, I can see the various stars and constellations in front of me. However, not all objects displayed on Star Walk were visible to the naked eye, so there’s some interpretation involved. Star Walk was not a mirror image of the sky. As I panned across the sky, Star Walk would track my movement and display the relevant celestial objects in my view. Simply amazing. A lot more fun than reading a compass and manually looking up star charts.

  • Friends, Romans, Countrymen, Lend Me Your Knives

    Having a knife sharpener is the most impractical of practical kitchen appliances. You cannot prepare food without a sharp knife. From mincing to chopping to slicing to dicing, having a sharp knife makes these essential kitchen tasks an absolute joy.

    So, after unboxing the Chef’s Choice 1520 AngleSelect Diamond Home Electric Knife Sharpener, I proceeded to sharpen all the dull knives in both of our knife sets. After dutifully performing its task, I summarily dismissed the knife sharpener to its storage closet. Talk about no reward for a job well done. But, why waste counter space for an appliance that will not be used again for a few months? So, the knife sharpener was feeling a little lonely and wanted some sun, so I started asking around for knives to sharpen and boy did I get a challenge. I really should have taken a before and after pic.

    This time, I had a Chinese cleaver with a prominent nick. Wow. I knew this one was going to be a challenge. I re-read the instruction manual. Even though China is part of Asia, the manual indicated that Chinese cleavers should be sharpened as American/European style knives instead of Asian-style knives. After submitting the knife to a complete honing and polishing cycle, it was perfectly sharp. The nick was diminished, but still noticeable so I took the knife through a second honing and polishing cycle. This time, the nick disappeared. Success. I knew the Chef’s Choice Electric Knife Sharpener could put a sharp edge back on the knife, but wasn’t entirely sure about the nick. However, this worthy kitchen appliance passed the test. Good job. Not back in the storage closet you go.

  • Chef’s Choice 1520 AngleSelect Diamond Hone Electric Knife Sharpener

    I recently purchased a Chef’s Choice 1520 AngleSelect Diamond Hone Electric Knife Sharpener because some kitchen knives were flunking the ripe tomato test. Basically, if a knife could not cleanly slice through a ripe tomato, which presents the dual challenge of a moderately tough skin with a mushy interior, then it flunks the ripe tomato test.

    Quite a few knives flunked the test. At the top of the tomato photo, some knives were only able to leave an indentation. After I ran my knives through the sharpener, they were all able to slice through the poor tomato. Chef’s Choice certainly had cheaper knife sharpeners available, but I needed the 15/20 feature, which lets it sharpen both Asian knives, like a Santoku, as well as European knives.

    The sharpener has six slots: two to hone each side of an Asian-style knife, two to hone each side of an American/European-style knife, and two to polish each side of a knife.

  • iPad Coloring Apps

    Young children love to color. Sometimes, they inappropriately express their creativity by coloring on walls. Not good. So, as parents or teachers, we have to provide them with a proper outlet for channel their passion: coloring books. However, on a road trip, bringing along a set of crayons and coloring books can be cumbersome. So, does the iPad provide any adequate substitutes?

    I tested the 123 Color HD Talking Coloring Book for iPad and the Color & Draw for Kids iPad apps on a young audience. Both apps were easy for the kids to figure out. Although both apps are coloring apps, they operate differently. The off-line analogue to 123 Color is the color-by-numbers books that I remember from my childhood. Of course, the numbers and letters are only suggestions and the young artist can color using whatever color he or so desires. For younger children, these masterpieces usually end up monochromatic, but that is perfectly fine. 123 Color is also the easier of the two to operate since 123 Color operates more like a fill brush instead of a true paint brush. So, the hard work is picking out the correct color scheme instead of focusing on coloring within the lines. Color & Draw for Kids is a bit more complicated. You actually have to use your finger to paint. This app is fun in a different way from 123 Color. Of the two, the kids preferred 123 Color. Both apps only cost $1.99, so the risk that your kids will not fully appreciate one of the apps is minimal. I only wish that the apps operated for both iPhone and iPad so that the kid on the iPhone could also color while the other one was coloring on the iPad. Regardless of how great an app is, I am hesitant to buy one version for the iPhone and another for the iPad.

  • China Hotel Internet Access

    First, the good news. When I visited China, all the hotels i stayed in had in-room broadband internet access. Now, the bad news. Unfortunately, only the hotel in Nanjing had in-room wireless internet access. For the rest, online access came in the form of an ethernet cable. If I was lugging around a MacBook Pro, I would have been set. Instead, I was trying to travel light with only an iPhone and iPad, both without ethernet ports. So, I was left trying to find free wireless access points wherever I could find them, which usually meant hotel lobbies. I was able to find a wireless access point in most hotel lobbies, but there were a few that just left me completely off-line. Next time I travel outside the United States, I’ll bring along my Apple Airport Express so I can have my own in-room wireless internet access. I won’t make this mistake again.

  • iPhone Video Panorama App

    The Video Panorama application for the iPhone offers a simple method for generating panoramic photos. First, use the app to take a video across a panorama. The app then generates a panoramic photo presumably by stitching together still images from the video.

    When Video Panorama works, it generates a decent panoramic photo, such as the intersection, Suzhou garden and stone gate photo. However, the process is not entirely bug-free, as evidenced by the uneven horizon of the Shanghai Bund, the shifted exposure in the Nanjing bridge photo, as well as the curved roof line at the Yonghe Temple.

    Loved the simplicity of the app, but I need a way to work around the limitations.