March 20th
| Posted by
Dr. Macenstein
We’ve all seen it in movies a thousand times… A snail-loving scientist wonders if there is a way to bond protein to various elements in the periodic table and grow new materials, one thing leads to another, and then BAM! Skynet becomes self aware on August 29th 1997 2:14 am Eastern Time.
Well, if […]
March 14th
| Posted by
Dr. Macenstein
The idea of wirelessly streaming music from a remote home media server to a living room audio system has long been the “Holy Grail” for husbands who have been forced by their wives to move their bulky computers into the basement, and who have been told they cannot drill holes in walls and run […]
February 20th
| Posted by
Dr. Macenstein
I caught a little flack yesterday when I mentioned I don’t consider the iPod shuffle to be a “real” iPod. Many people correctly pointed out the term “iPod” is Apple’s to do with as they please, and they alone should be able to decide what does and does not qualify as an iPod. If […]
February 19th
| Posted by
Dr. Macenstein
Well, once again, a Tuesday morning has started with Apple’s “We’ll be back soon” Post-It note on their store, and ended without new MacBooks.
The “big” news today was a new 2 GB shuffle, a price drop on the 1 GB model, and a new Xsan. Kind of an odd combination of updates, assuming the […]
January 27th
| Posted by
Dr. Macenstein
Sure we all love the environment, but the iPod is just so cool… If only there were a way to listen to our iPods while killing the planet… more slowly…
Faithful Macenstein reader meggert turned us on to Bird-Electron EZ17-B iPod Recycling Speaker, the most “green” iPod speaker you can buy make yourself.
This unique […]
January 9th
| Posted by
Dr. Macenstein
Gizmodo has managed to find pictures of the legendary “Brazilian iPod shuffle popsicle“, long thought to be extinct until Unilever’s Kibon ice cream brand found 10,000 of the skittish creatures in some god-forsaken jungle, and decided to give them away as a promotion. Apparently, Apple had a hand in helping to certify the “Shuffle […]
October 4th
| Posted by
Dr. Macenstein
Banshee is about to release their JISS 330 and JISS 550 speakers for the iPod, and we managed to get a sneak peak.
The JISS 550 and its little brother the JISS 330 look remarkably similar to Banshee’s 5.0 surround sound speakers we reviewed back in July of 2006. We’ve found the Banshee’s “unique” styling […]
September 22nd
| Posted by
Dr. Macenstein
The Pure-Fi Anywhere is our new travel speaker of choice. At $149, it begins to push the limits of my portable speakers price range, but it includes a wealth of extras that make the price justifiable. I would say that for the $149 the Pure-Fi lists for, you are really getting $90-$100 sounding speakers, but you are getting them along with a remote, dock, built-in 10-hour rechargeable battery, international AC adapter, and travel case, along with a great compact, travel-friendly design. Travelers in need of a thoughtfully designed and great-sounding speaker should definitely give the Pure-Fi a look ( I mean a listen).

Price: $149
Pros: Good sound given and size, compact design, built-in rechargeable 10-hour battery, remote, international AC adapter, included traveling case
Cons: Might be $10-$15 too expensive, sound is a bit mid-rangey, requiring some EQ fiddling
September 15th
| Posted by
The Bride of Macenstein
Currently available only in black with pink trim, the HOODIE is a great workout garment for those of us who like to get our workouts over with before the sun comes up. The HOODIE’s pocket does a good job holding lighter-weight MP3 players such as the iPod shuffle, but users of full-sized iPod may want to stick with an additional jogging armband.
Price: $66.50
Pros: Comfortable, looks great, lightweight, has dual section zipper pocket for carrying various “essentials”, great hoodie-style workout outfit even without an iPod
Cons: Because of the lower pocket placement (compared to the Power Pouch), full-sized iPods can “bounce” against you during workout; maybe $6.51 too expensive
