Owen's X10 Blog

So I got one. Yep – Mr. Gadget, as a friend calls me, got another device to make life easier. X10 gave me a Video Calling System so I could test it out and tell everyone I know about it.

Video Calling, huh, what’s that? I can hear you now sitting in your stiff office chair or worn out Ikea chair at home. Several years ago my grandfather invested in a video calling phone from, I think, AT&T. It looked very cool – very Jetson’s like, but no one else had one. So it turned out to be a clunky normal phone with a useless screen. Time has passed and everyone is gradually upgrading to broadband internet and turning in Newspapers for E-Newsletters.

My grandma fires up her brand new E-Machine at 5am and sends out her daily emails. She then jumps on Msn Live Messenger to see if any cousins, grandkids, or friends in foreign countries have anything to say to her. “Did you ring my bell?” she asks me as I sign on. It took her a while to realize the dinging bell she was hearing was just a messenger contact signing on – while not actually trying to get a hold of her. She eventually got the hang of it and to my amazement she uses it quite a lot. I have to ease her into new ideas when it comes to the internet and her computer, but I am thinking of a way to tell her about video calling. She already uses a compatible messenger to chat, so all that I need to do is get her a Video Calling System and go through the easy one time setup process. It only takes me 5 minutes. After that it’s as simple as a click of a button during her chats. Just click on share webcam and she can let her friends see her brilliant smile, and hear her unique laugh. She’s often alone in her big house. The house her husband built; the house they raised their kids – my mother. Being able to communicate face to face could be so important to her. I’ll get it done for her.

I didn’t even tell my sister I had received the cam before I sent her an invitation to view my webcam. She was surprised, but even more surprised to see me so clearly over the internet. Sometimes if I get a cell phone call from her I turn on the cam so she can see me as I come and go. I like to walk around when I talk on the phone – very odd. I almost always get up when my phone rings. Brings a new meaning to the word Mobile Phone I guess.
Oh yeah - did you want one - well check out The X10 Video Calling Website for more information and purchasing options.

Posted by Owen Robinson at 06:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

This has to be one of the strangest demographics the world has ever dedicated a day to. Apparently it’s International Talk like a Pirate Day. I haven’t heard any accents around the office this morning so I’m guessing no one else had any clue. Who decides these things anyway? Just a second lemme see if the Wikipedia has any answers for me…

International Talk Like a Pirate Day is a parodic holiday invented in 1995 by two Americans, John Baur ("Ol' Chum Bucket") and Mark Summers ("Cap'n Slappy"), who proclaimed September 19 each year as the day when everyone in the world should talk like pirates. For example, instead of "hello," an observer of this holiday would greet his mates with "Ahoy, me hearty!"

So wiki knew. It sill makes very little sense to me as it relates to the world dedicating a day to it. I will say I’ll be delighted if it ever catches on fully. Imagine a day where the secretary greets you with an Ahoy, and your boss tells you of great treasure buried somewhere near the break room. It’d be nice for the serious world of deadlines and business suits to take a minute to be silly. I’ve never fully taken to pirate talk, so maybe today will be a good day to break it out. I think I’ll keep it quiet at first just dropping a few pirate words into sentences here and there. “So Carrie, what do you think of the new webcam, Yo Ho ho?” It’ll be quite a show seeing reactions all day long. Our work on the video calling system is still in full gear.

Maybe when I get home tonight I’ll try out some of my favorite sayings from the day on my family. There just getting used seeing my face live on their computer screen as we chat over little things. I remember my grandfather having a video calling phone over five years ago. It seemed cool but I never really saw it in action because no one else had the phone so there wasn’t anyone to call. With the expansion and availability of high-speed internet growing, the ability of communicating over the internet is even better. Even my grandma has DSL and uses MSN messenger all day. Many people are unaware that with just about every major messenger there is the ability to use video calling. All you need is a camera. And that’s what we are bringing you soon. The best camera for video calling on the internet.

Posted by Owen Robinson at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

So in my efforts to become a superstar in my quiet music…career…hobby…err…thing I do when not creating headers or editing code, I’ve stumbled upon a new use for some of my X10 Gear. I can basically turn any ordinary afternoon into a live concert by me. So here’s what I do – I take my mini mixing board, guitar, and mic to the nearest stereo. Oops I forgot to mention the Video/Audio Sender. I hook the mixing board up to the Video/Audio Sender and then connect the Receiver to a stereo. Now I can amplify my wonderful songs about websites and other X10 goodness as loud as I want and where I want.

I even stopped by my parent’s house the other night to show them how incredible I am. I stopped short of giving them notice that they would be witnessing greatness in their living room that night. I hooked my gear up in the basement and then the receiver to stereo setup in the den where they were both reading. I mic’ed up and plugged in I should have used my webcam to see the expression on their faces when they heard the explosion of arpeggios and lead guitar. Halfway through my song about the MiniTimer they figured out where the racket was coming from and unplugged me from the stereo. I’m sure it was only to keep the neighbors from complaining because I think I heard my mom yelling for an encore – it was either that or she really wanted me to stop. I prefer to think she’s still my biggest fan – who’d drive the tour bus without her?

Anyway, I think it’s one of the best uses I’ve found for my X10 Gadgets yet. I’m available for parties and other special occasions. But do to my high demand around my parent’s house my rates have gone up. Look for me on MTV…or like a local cable access channel…ok ..www.youtube.com soon.

Uh oh, Marko’s glaring so I better get back to work. Later my fans, love you two.

!--Disclaimer--! Some of the incidents in this blog post may be half-truths, inaccurate, or completely made up. But I have tried it out and its pretty cool.

Posted by Owen Robinson at 03:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)

So our new project is really starting to take shape. I’m sure in no time I’ll be using it in my own home so I can get a more personal interaction with those I care about. I almost forgot to do my weekly Lola report. I have to pay homage to the music that gets my through the week, and the wireless music sender that lets me have a great deal of freedom in my listening. It’s been nice to be able to switch between the Lola Software and iTunes – I usually just put on the party mix option in iTunes and let Lola do the rest.

This week’s Report Elliot Smith and Everclear.

-Elliot Smith-

The Lola report this week features two different bands/artists that spent a great deal of time in Portland, Oregon. Elliot Smith is known for his deep introspective lyrics focusing on the addictions and other battles he faced in his life. Since he left us in 2003 many artists have paid tribute to the great music and artist that he was. His music reached its highest point when he worked on the soundtrack for Good Will Hunting. His solo career featured songs blending acoustic guitars with melancholy vocals tacked together with poignant lyrics. I know, I know – why would you want to listen to depressing music? That’s what your wondering to yourself. Well I seem to buy in to the idea that a lot of the greatest artists we have had were troubled in some way. But – beyond the subjects of his songs is the greatness of his melodies. Some songs make me think of the Beatles, while others are too uniquely his own for comparison.

The album I’ve had on my iPod all week is either/or. I think this album exemplifies his melodic talents more so than some of his others. It’s a good album to write to, or take a night drive. In one of Smith’s early bands Heatmiser he displayed the ability to push his voice and fall in line with the Portland grunge scene that was around in the early 90’s. Fans of his solo career might be surprised by the heavy guitars and drums surrounding such a usually gentle voice.

The Good: Melodies, Melodies, Melodies…
The Bad: His unfortunate death.
Best Song: Right now I’d have to say angeles.

-Everclear-

Let me clarify, early Everclear. I think it was eighth grade when I got my first copy of Sparkle and Fade. You might remember it for its popular song titled Santa Monica, “We can live beside the ocean…” So I played that CD quite a bit in the years that followed. I even enjoyed the follow up of that album, So Much for the Afterglow. I became a little disinterested in the albums that came after the first two. There’s a pop element to the songs that don’t work with what Everclear does best. The band revolves around Art Alexakis, who is the only remaining member since the original lineup split a year or two ago. Luckily for me I discovered a CD that was meant to be there Demo, which capitol later remastered and re-released. World of Noise was made on a tiny budget, but the sound is perfect - Heavy guitars with powerful distortion. I have found through exploring music I like, that often enjoy a bands 1st and 2nd albums more than any other because there is a rawness and straightforwardness to the music. It could be a hard listen for a lot of people, but if you like hard rock I’d suggest it.

The Good: Heavy Guitars, yes!
The Bad: Its not what it used to be
Best Song: Genius Hands

Its Friday and my friend Shelby’s Bday so lets get this work done and go out!

Posted by Owen Robinson at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

In the past few years I’ve noticed a change in the way I communicate with my friends and family. Most of the change revolves around the fact that everyone I know has a cell phone, even my mom. Clearly, a cell phone is a lot different from a typical house phone…but in more ways that you might think. In the past we’ve typically had one phone number per household. Now we have the landline and the cell lines. A cell phone has become part of the person who owns it. It’s become less of a telephone and more like an intercom. With people calling in whenever they have a passing thought they want you to know about. Don’t get me wrong I love mine, well love is a strong way of putting it – but I do appreciate the convenience it gives me.

Have you ever called someone’s cell and let it rang and rang all the while imagining them just hitting the ignore button, or choosing not to answer. I have had that feeling many times whether calling a sister or a good friend. I have even been on the opposite side where I just really didn’t feel like answering another call. Our old home phones give us legitimate reasons for missing calls and since we aren’t always there we receive less personal phone calls. That makes the ones we do get a little more special.
That’s what communicating with those you care about should be, special. I’ve been pondering this cell phone situation for a long time. We now have text messages, email, live voice chat, instant messaging, and cell phones. All of these things have made it easier to communicate with the world, but doesn’t a lot of it seem impersonal? I know of many instances of emails being misconstrued as having a cold or angry tone. Wouldn’t it be better if we could be face to face during these interactions?

That’s part of the equation we are working on here at X10. Bringing people together through convenient communication, while adding the personal factor of being able to see smiles, frowns, and tears. Isn’t physical communication an important part of understanding what someone is trying to convey. Without seeing them, they might be saying yes while their face and body language clearly are saying no.

Posted by Owen Robinson at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

In my pursuit to promote our teams X10 websites I’ve searched various web resources and directories for places to include our new sites. The most famous directory on the web, in my opinion, would have to be the DMOZ. A lot of major search engines use it for search inclusion. This directory is slightly different, in that it is edited by humans. They use their discretion to decide which sites will actually be included in the DMOZ directory. In a lot of SEO forums it has been noted of the difficulty of being included in the directory. This personal discretion and the fact that these editors have to manually review each site is taking too long and keeping sites from being listed.

On the DMOZ website they have a social contract written out explicitly including the fact that the Open Directory will remain without inclusion costs. I was shocked today to find out that some of the DMOZ editors might be charging web publishers for inclusion. Browsing the webproworld.com forum I came across a post about this very thing happening. An editor from the DMOZ contacted the owner of a submitted website. He explained to him that though not condoned, editors do take money in return for reviewing and including websites. He even went on to give this guy a breakdown in prices corresponding to wait time for inclusion. Check it out:

I doubt I will even attempt putting our new projects website in the directory. We’ve been spending so much time working on it that I wouldn’t want to waste any on the DMOZ. As soon as we have something to present to our X10 fans on the new product I promise I’ll post it here first.

Posted by Owen Robinson at 05:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

I have to take my music seriously now. Why’s that? Well I finally bought myself a guitar worthy of bragging about. My labor day began with a vibrating cell phone sliding across my desk at 7 am. Groggily I answered to my friend reminding me of Guitar Center’s annual early bird sale. I dragged my roommate out of bed and took the five minute drive to guitar center. I find it very distracting working 5 minutes from the Tukwila store, and living the same distance from the Tacoma store.

There were people in chairs – as if they’d been camping out there since 5 am. An employee greeted us with a few coupons and the specials list. I scanned the deals for anything eye catching, the only thing I was really impressed with was an electric guitar at 60% off. As soon as I walked through the door I saw that guitar already in someone else’s paws. It turned out to be one of the guys who had camped out. I figured he must have really wanted it so I stayed clear of grabbing it out of his hands. Instead I roamed around the place looking for something to catch my eye. A few things I wanted didn’t pan out so I went to poke around the acoustic guitar section. After playing a few favorite songs for my endearing guitar center fans I spotted a guitar I hadn’t seen in previous visits. Taylor makes a guitar called the “Big Baby”, named after its 15/16th scale size. Basically it’s a little big smaller than your typical acoustic guitar. I’ve been quietly playing with the idea of buying such a guitar for months, and as I play just about every night I figured now was the time. I keep you updated on it.

Saturday I watched the Cougars get slaughtered by an overpowering Auburn team. I’m afraid to say that I’m still not an Alex Brink Fan. He and Doba go hand in hand, in their personalities on the field. A quarterback should be a confident leader who can avoid being rattled by opponents. Gary Rodgers displayed some of that. We’ll see what comes of it.

Sunday I went fishing for salmon out in commencement bay. My two friends and I combined pulled up 10 salmon. Unfortunately not a single one of them were big enough to even consider breaking out the tin foil and lemon. It was still a blast having that much action out on the water.

And Monday, after my guitar outing it was off to bumbershoot. I am typically not impressed with bumbershoot lineups but 2006 was decent. My friends and I planned our attack – Rocky Votolato – Zach Galifinakis – Sparta – Atmosphere. We managed success in all but Zach. Theres a few gripes I have about bumbershoot, mainly the show attendance format. In order to get a spot for the headline show of the night you typically have to arrive around 11am for a reserve ticket. Then you have to run around all day lining up for show hoping you leave one show soon enough to meet the cut off for attending the next. Eh, I don’t really have a solution so I’ll stop my whining.

I’m back at work today ready to give my attention to our new project. We are still collecting data from our survey. Soon enough, I hope to be able to give you more information on our new product. I really think it will improve the daily interactions of those who use it. Don’t worry I won’t keep you in the dark much longer. Just give us a little more time to make it perfect and you’ll be able to enjoy it your own home.

Posted by Owen Robinson at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You may have noticed my blog frequency slowing down over the past few weeks. I can’t tell you exactly why, because it’s too much of a surprise and too soon to reveal something with this big of an impact.

Let’s just say I’ve been busy.

If you were here you’d see a blur, if you could slow it down it would be more recognizably me. The cycle has gone desk, meeting, testing, desk, more testing, focus group. It’s a special thing when we roll out things this large in scale. I am tired – I’ll admit that, but I think anyone would be in such a state given the amount of attention our new project is requiring. I fell asleep between bites of oatmeal this morning. Luckily, the thud of my head on the table woke me up in time to leave for work. As soon as I’m out the door it’s on my mind again, and the excitement returns. I know that if we give it to you, that you will love it.

This is so important I’m going to take time out of my precious Labor Day weekend to make even more progress. Don’t worry I’ll be back on Tuesday bright eyed and no longer sleep deprived. Maybe I’ll even grace you with another issue of the Lola Report!

p.s. You can help us. If you take a quick survey, and are chosen you will get $300 worth of X10 Gear and a chance to help us improve.
But you have to hurry Click Here because it won’t last long.

Posted by Owen Robinson at 05:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)