Oh, sweet!

This section just lists my appreciation for techie things that I like for one reason or another. It may be innovative, reminds me of something from Star Trek, or could simply be aesthetically-pleasing. If it's something I would like to have in my house for whatever reason, real or imagined, it goes on the list.


I wish...


Apple iPad
I'm generally not an early adopter, but two years ago I bought an iPod touch because I wanted a portable web browser and the iPhone experience without the AT&T contract. It was unfortunately too small to be useful for my needs so I returned it. When the iPad came out, I knew this wasn't an issue anymore and the fact that the App Store extends its capability exponentially, I decided the sticker price would be worth it.

Das Keyboard
I currently have three of these. One for home and two for work. It is simply the best keyboard I have ever used, minimalistic without unnecessary frills, and if you type enough it justifies its cost. I can't get enough of the clicks. It has made me a better typist (...not true, but I'd like to think so).

Multi-touch computing
When I was a little kid watching science fiction on daytime TV, I inspired to be an astronaut (or something along those lines), just so I could go out into space. I was disappointed to learn, however, that the space shuttle didn't fire energy weapons or move into warp. But Perceptive Pixel's interactive wall is a slice of the future that I want to see become everyday reality. Imagine these things deployed as a standard part of any new city building. My hands would roam everywhere.

Colonial Viper
It flies in space, it shoots things, and the flight controller has a Turbo button which apparently causes a large exhaust to fire from the rear engines. I'm so sold. The downside: the only way to make it a reality is to play Beyond the Red Line.

Jedi Starfighter
Just like the Viper above, it flies and shoots things ... plus the wings fold out. And it comes with a droid. I could use one of these as a commuter vehicle. An X-Wing or A-Wing will do also.

Tumbler
Unlike the previous two, this thing actually exists. Well, maybe not quite the way I'd want it to, obviously, but just imagine what it'd be like to drive this sucker down the street. Everyone would get out of your way. Plus, you can shoot things. Batman claims it has a gas mileage of 50 mpg. I'm a little skeptical about that one.

IronKey
A nifty little device. It's what every flash drive should be. The problem though is that you unlock the drive with a password ... and we all know how most people are with passwords. It's either their phone number, birthday, or the string "welcome." But if you forget it, try to guess the exact password, and fail 10 times in a row, the data goes completely bye-bye. Lesson: don't be fat fingering unless you want to self-DoS.

EVE Online
Not quite reality, but pretty much in the "good enough" territory. If I had to die somewhere, I'd probably go out in a blaze of glory in there. It's the stuff dreams are made of. I've never played the game and only seen the demos and trailers for it, but it instantly got my attention. That "Beauty Never Fades" track from Junkie XL probably had something to do with it too.

Serato ScratchLIVE
This thing pretty much revolutionized the hip-hop DJing industry. It introduced the ultimate in portability and flexibility to the work arsenal for anyone who does any amount of mixing and / or cutting. No longer do I have to blemish my original vinyl. As long as the software or the underlying operating system doesn't crash, the gig can go on forever with all the "records" I can carry to the club.

Technics SL-1200MK2
While the rest of the consumer electronics industry churns out cheap, lightweight, plastic-encased products, the gold-standard Technics turntable is a legend. You were über if you had the 1210s (proudly displayed in all the DMC battle videos with the large Technics sticker on the side). I got my first one back in '87 for $329 + tax and I still use it. Sure, you have other competitors these days, but nothing replicates the feel and timeless design of the original DJ classic. It's a museum piece.

ThinkPad
I've dealt with practically every major brand of business laptop. Compaqs, HPs, IBMs, Toshibas, and Dells. By far, my favorite are the ThinkPads. I started using them when the T20 first came out. I'm lucky enough to use two T60s and an X60 at work. Black is beautiful, and the design and feel of the ThinkPad is second-to-none. The support documentation is comprehensive, and the ThinkLight is the icing on the cake. It's the kind of laptop that motivates you to put on a suit and tie for some reason. That said, it sure took them a while to bring the Windows key to their keyboards.

ServoDrive BassTech 7
I've actually never owned this speaker. Furthermore, I've never even heard one. This is where the marketing material catches my attention because I can be extremely impressionable and naive sometimes. I've used JBL, Community, Cerwin-Vega, McCauley, and Klipsch ... and they all performed well within their niche. But just listen to the ServoDrive marketing speak:

"...exceptionally low harmonic distortion, true high-fidelity performance, virtually no output loss due to power compression, frequency response virtually flat to below 28Hz, extraordinarily efficient - low power requirement for full SPL output."

I'm so sold.