The tech basically told me that over time, the felt that covers the CD drive will harden a bit. One way to soften it up is to clean it out with a bit of rubbing alcohol. He didn’t charge me for the time either, which is another plus!

When I got home, the CD got stuck again. Here’s the procedure I used to get it back out.

1. Turn off your computer
2. Dip a cotton swab in rubbing alcohol and rub it along the opening of the CD drive
3. Turn on the computer while holding the option key
4. Once the computer gives you the option of selecting your hard drive, eject the CD

Hope this helps!

I’ve tried many other Starbucks roasts, and I have to say that this is definitely my favorite. Slightly acidic, it has a delicate taste with hints of lemon, lending itself well, in my opinion, to both drip coffee and espresso.

Looking around online, it seems that most people dislike their new blonde roasts when brewed in store. If you tried their new coffee at their store and didn’t enjoy it, I suggest you reconsider, buy a bag, and brew your own cup. For me, this blend is going to be a staple in my pantry.

Make sure you bump the quality up to 720p.

It’s a great portrait lens, incredibly sharp and it can get such a shallow depth of field. Having said that, there’s been a little learning curve in using this lens. My only other lens is the 15-55 mm lens that came with the camera (the “kit lens”). This lens can zoom in and out, while my new 50 mm lens can’t zoom. Because of this, you’re forced to physically step towards or away from your subject. And, more often than not, I’ve found myself trying to step backwards, only to bump into a desk or a wall. Still, when the conditions are right, the lens produces great images.

I found ThePortraitArt through TotalBiscuit, a Starcraft 2 commentator. I’m not exactly sure why he’s singing Santa Baby, but he does a good job singing it.

Anyway, this guy has some serious skill. Here’s him drawing Halle Berry in soft pastel.

And one more, Matt Damon using a ballpoint pen.

Here’s the video that Day[9] linked from his twitter. This one’s about spirals and the Fibonacci sequence in nature.

And here are a few more that I’ve found interesting. This next one is about knots.

And this final one is about binary trees.

It’s family friendly, but that doesn’t stop it from being a great movie. The trailer paints it to be a lot more fantasy than it really is, but it’s also very steampunk in its train station setting with all the gears, clocks, and steam.

Asa Butterfield, who plays Hugo Cabret, is absolutely fantastic. For such a young actor, he’s incredibly believable and talented. The supporting roles are great too; Sacha Baron Cohen as Inspector Gustav portrays the clumsily awkward villain, but still remains likeable. There are also appearances by two former Harry Potter actors, Richard Griffiths (Mr. Dursley) and Frances de la Tour (Madame Maxime (the headmistress of Beauxbatons)). These two work at the train station and take part in a charming side story.

I highly recommend seeing this movie, especially in 3D. The added depth is used rather well and was never nauseating. So if you have a few hours to spare, check it out!

The video gives a very detailed explanation on how G. L. Charvat visualizes the wavefront of his coffee can radar system. By using a feedback loop and tying it with red and green LEDs in opposite configurations, he’s able to visualize the rises and falls of the electromagnetic wave. He mentions that the frequency of this radar is 2.4 GHz, which corresponds to a wavelength of 0.125 meters, or 12.5 centimeters. Cool stuff.

While my computer was in the back getting a makeover after taking a coffee bath a few days ago, I took it upon myself to sample the different headphones on the floor. Three headphones were available to me: Bose AE2i, Beats by Dr. Dre, and Incase Sonic.

The test was pretty simple, listen to three songs long enough to get a feel for the headphones. The three songs were Norah Jones’s “Don’t Know Why”, Opeth’s “Ghost of Perdition”, and Skrillex’s “Rock N’ Roll (Will Take You To The Mountain)”.

There’s a few things that I listen for in each of these tracks; in the Norah Jones track, it’s all about the brushes. Can you actually hear the individual swishes of each brush? Norah’s voice is secondary since it always sounds silky. In the Opeth track, it’s about the separation — guitar from the bass from the drums, all over Mikael’s growls. And finally the Skrillex track which is about balance. With such extremes in frequency range and volume, I think the track really exercises a pair of headphones.

Since I spent less than 5 minutes with each pair, this isn’t some in depth review, only bullet points of what I heard. That being said, let’s get into it.

First up was the Bose AE2i.

• Pros
• Lightweight
• Good sound stage
• Price: $179.95
• Cons
• Underwhelming bass

Next was the Beats by Dr. Dre.

• Pros
• Great padding on the ear cups
• Cons
• Heavy, muddy bass
• Price: $299.95

The last set of headphones was the Incase Sonic

• Pros
• Great separation
• Good sound stage
• Price: $199.95
• Cons
• Not much bass, but better than the Bose

In terms of comfort, the Beats were definitely the winners, but I couldn’t enjoy the wide range of music that I love with them, so they come in last for me. Overall, if you asked me to recommend one pair of headphones from the three, I’d have to go with the Incase Sonic. They’re very similar to the Bose, but with slightly better bass response. Still, I thought that the Bose were quality headphones, so if you like the brand, you can’t go wrong with the AE2is.