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Newstips Electronic Editorial Bulletin Issue # 2010-06c
At home with the fathers of news
In this issue:
Antec advances its case with Dark Fleet innovations...
Definitively bass speaker decisions separate... Fixmo versus
speed expectations... Franklin does add Buzz to Discover
series... Paperless Boogie Board pad gets attracted to fridge...
Tiffen stick in a suitcase pays back in one trip... Special
Report: Sold out... Reviews: Wrayward Sunbrella, SkinMedica
Sunscreen, MD Solar Sciences Sunscreens, Aveeno Sunblock lotions,
NCH Record Pad Sound Recorder... plus our commentary on the
political side of Marty
Antec advances its case with Dark Fleet innovations
The new Antec Dark Fleet computer case family, out this month,
could easily get bought on looks alone, but other innovations
make it important beyond the BYO category. The unitized
"Fleet-Release" lets a single module embedding fans, fan controls
& filters front bay snaps into place click into place, tool-free,
over its front drive bay access. Other new fillips offer more
drive mounting flexibility, lower noise & better cooling. The
Dark Fleet launches with 4 models, one full-size & 3 mid-tower,
all scaled to handle today's full-length graphics cards. If you
build, ask Veronica to get you one; if you don't, as for pix &
info. Contact: Veronica Feldmeier, Antec Inc. (Fremont, CA)
510-770-2150 vfeldmeier@antec.com http://antec.com
Definitively bass speaker decisions separate
We've all seen ludicrously small speakers make ludicrously big
claims of bass response but you don't need much of an ear to hear
the difference a subwoofer makes. One way Definitive provides
such remarkable overall audio transparency in their speaker
systems is by not forcing them too far off the deep end. Head
online to see the 10 subwoofer models they offer, from the
compact ProSub 60 ($299) to their thunderously big signature
SuperCube Trinity ($2999). Reviews are possible; secure your
China. Contact: Paul DiComo, Definitive Technology (Owings Mills,
MD) 410-363-7148 paul.dicomo@definitivetech.com
http://DefinitiveTech.com
Fixmo versus speed expectations
You need to send or receive something on your BlackBerry; how
long will that take? Instead of playing the grownup version of
"Are we there yet" you could use one of the 10 built-in features
(more coming) of Fixmo Tools ($20 with a year of updates). Speed
Test lets you measure the speed of your 3G or EDGE or WiFi
networks, check out your log of previous tests & even (if you
want) e-mail the results. Your BlackBerry can do this trick once
you get in touch with Rick. Contact: Rick Segal, Fixmo (Toronto,
ON) 416-414-9726 rick@Fixmo.com http://Fixmo.com
Franklin does add Buzz to Discover series
The new reading enhancement products in the Franklin Discover
series (we already told you about the Firefly LED book lights &
the Spot LED-illuminated magnifiers) also include the new Buzz
line of reading timers. These count down from any time you
program, up to 1 second short of 20 hours, ending with both
visual & audible alarms & you can choose a lot of ways to carry
one (bookmark, sleeve, band, wire or bundle) thanks to its clever
magnetic mountings. Ask Aline. Contact: Aline Boutin, Franklin
Electronic Publishers (Burlington, NJ) 609-386-2500x4434
aline_boutin@franklin.com http://franklin.com
Paperless Boogie Board pad gets attracted to fridge
As the Brookstone orders for the Boogie Board ($25) paperless LCD
notepad keep rising (at last report, to 110,000), Kent's been
working on accessories. The first of these is a set of magnets
($2.50) that let you keep it handy on the fridge, a file cabinet
or a plate in your head. If you already have a Boogie Board to
review, ask Kevin for the magnets; if not, ask for both. It's
fun! Contact: Kevin Oswald, Kent Displays (Kent, OH)
330-673-8784x161 koswald@kentdisplays.com
http://KentDisplays.com
Tiffen stick in a suitcase pays back in one trip
For anybody who ever leaves home to shoot anything (still or
video, consumer or pro), a Tiffen Monopod Duo ($37) may literally
pay for itself before the trip is over. The monopod extends from
21" to 60", handles up to 7 pounds of gear but itself weighs just
a pound; it can be next to impossible to pack a hefty tripod
without the airline hitting you with hefty excess baggage fees,
which is where the payback plays out. The bonus is the SwitchGrip
handle that stows a ball-head mini tabletop tripod inside. It's
reviewable now; ask Hilary. Contact: Hilary Araujo, Tiffen
Company (Hauppauge, NY) 631-609-3216 haraujo@tiffen.com
http:/.tiffen.com
Special Report: Sold out
We don't have to tell you about the multiple overlapping
recessions in every industry that employs journalists, but we do
want to tell you about one very encouraging recent sign of
recovery. In talking to pals at a major market radio station
group, we asked if there had been any improvement in ad sales. To
our delight & surprise, they told us that right now, their ad
inventory is completely sold out. Since, we checked with a
same-market TV station & learned that they, too, had completely
sold out their ad inventory. We know that restored revenues have
to fill in lots of operational potholes before any of it reaches
the newsroom; we also know that historically, the attention of
management soon turns to competing for share through the
newsroom. That will be more of a ramp-up in print, where the size
of the editorial well can grow as ad pages grow. In radio, we
anticipate some restoration of lost positions among the
production staff first, then news. In TV, alas, a lot of the
cutbacks have become expectations, but we do expect to see the
need to compete at least putting some additional feet on the
street (maybe with a little more time to develop stories) at the
network level. At the local level, we anticipate fewer crash test
dummies at those desks in the background, a bigger emphasis on
field reporting & just maybe some reopening of bureaus.
Special Report Bonus Review: Wrayward Sunbrella
We wanted to use this issue to put a brief focus on UV blocking
because (from a productivity perspective) dealing with sunburns
is a distraction at the desk that makes us each less efficient at
work. First up is the Wrayward Sunbrella fabric that performs UV
blocking as an awning or canopy material. In our large-swatch
tests, while it does not completely block UV shine-through, it
very dramatically reduces it (to approximately the same level as
an overcast Cleveland lake-effect winter day about an hour after
dawn). Bottom line: Wrayward Sunbrealla fabric performs effective
attenuation of potentially dangerous UV-band solar radiation ergo
shelter beneath it can be an effective deterrent to sunburn.
Special Report Bonus Review 2: SkinMedica Sunscreen
SkinMedica Environmental Sunscreen SPF 50+ presents a cocktail of
5 separate UV-blocking ingredients in an oil-free &
fragrance-free base; the base has a lot of aloe, which we think
is a good choice. It is the first product in a (toothpaste style)
squeeze tube we remember seeing that has "shake well"
instructions. It is somewhat water resistant, but you still want
to re-apply it after swimming or sweating or wiping yourself with
a towel. We did our testing (for this & other topical UV
treatments in this issue) on arms that earlier testing (from our
piece on D3 versus sunburn exposure levels) left with a mild sun
rash, meaning enhanced sensitivity to new UV exposure. SkinMedica
Environmental Sunscreen SPF 50+ proved effective at preventing
additional UV penetration at damaging levels.
Special Report Bonus Review 3: MD Solar Sciences Sunscreens
The broadest collection of topical UV protection products came
from MD Solar Sciences. These included an SPF40 Ultra-Sport stick
(5 ingredients, dominantly zinc oxide) very water resistant but
needs reapplication every 2 hours or sweating, wetting or drying
skin), an SPF40 Mineral Screen lotion (more titanium dioxide than
zinc oxide), an SPF 30+ Mineral Screen gel (won't clog pores, so
better for skin that fosters acne or rosacea), an SPF 50+ Ultra
Mineral Screen gel (bigger doses of those oxides) & an SPF 40 No
Touch Body Spray (a completely different formulation & a spray so
fine it feels like 3 seconds could cover a hippo; it's our
favorite in this test). All but the stick come with a Sol-Alert
card with a UV-sensitive strip (shifts from clear to light blue
to deep blue) plus a legend to help translate that into the UVI.
Bottom line: MD Solar Sciences Broad Spectrum UVA-UVB Sunscreen
products all tested effective at reducing exposure & the line
offers flexibility that makes it easy to choose what's
best-suited to your personal needs.
Special Report Bonus Review 4: Aveeno Sunblock Lotions
Aveeno provided us with 4 new Active Naturals sunblock lotions.
Their Positively Ageless Enviroblock face lotions come with SPF
70 or SPF 90; among their 5 active ingredients, the only
difference is how much octocrylene is present. Curiously, their
two Continuous Protection Photobarrier Complex sunblock lotions
with soy (SPF 100+ for face & SPF 85 for anywhere) provide those
respective levels of protection with identical dosages of active
ingredients; we'll guess that they assume better coverage of the
face than the body during application. None of these 4 varieties
will clog pores, so they won't aggravate skin prone to acne or
rosacea. Bottom line: Aveeno Active Naturals sunblock lotions
have all proven effective at reducing UVA/UVB exposure & all
accomplish that with skin-friendly formulations.
Special Report Bonus Review 5: NCH Record Pad Sound Recorder
Record Pad - a small audio recording utility - was on our list of
NCH software we wanted to review when a friend asked us to can a
segment for his radio show. Our mike & mixer now go through a
dedicated USB digitizer; we had to set the mixer's slider to -10
& cut the volume settings in Properties to 10 in order to get a
good capture with low background noise & avoid clipping for
normal talking, but we got there. The software did OK at the
capture & playback, giving us a choice of 3 audio file types with
encoding options, but again, is plagued by cheesy harangues in
its menu system & elsewhere to induce or trick you into buying
more stuff from them. We also note that (like their VRS product
that we use to auto-capture phone audio) this can be set up to
auto-capture audio above a trigger level, which can be useful for
recording meetings, audio-documenting verbal agreements or in
essence bugging the room you're in. Bottom line: NCH Record Pad
Sound Recorder does a good job of recording & makes it easy.
The political side of Marty
This is a full-disclosure moment. Novelty (our postal name) is
geopolitically located in Russell Township, where Marty ran
(unsuccessfully) for a seat on the Board of Trustees last year.
The announcement has gone out that he intends to run again in the
November, 2011 election. We will not be using the Bulletin to
make political statements, though this will give us an
opportunity to occasionally report on software and other products
that may be relevant to any politician running for every office.
You should also be aware of http://RussellToday,com, a news &
information (again, not political) Web site that Marty also
writes & publishes; there will be a separate Web site by early
next year where political messages will go. The odds of this
candidacy in any way affecting what we've always done together
are remote, but we do want to assure that we've disclosed it.
Contact: Martin Winston, Newstips (Novelty, OH) 440-338-8400;
marty@Newstips.com http://Newstips.com
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Newstips Bulletin [Novelty, OH] +1.440.338.8400 http://Newstips.com
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