Thomas Holloway’s Neighborhood

I began looking for battery extender for my iPhone. Initially I wanted a battery extender that can charge the iPhone 3G and 3GS, as well as possibly the Kindle. This means the ability to attach different cables to the battery. Also the 'green' side of me wanted a solar charging battery so that it'd be possible to charge the battery up using solar energy alone. Unfortunately after perusing iLounge's extensive list of battery extender reviews, it was pretty obvious that there weren't any battery out there that would satisfy my initial list of requirements. The closest one is the IceTECH Solar i9005. With its large solar panel, large battery capacity (2500 mAh), and large collection of connector tips, it would be ideal. The only issue is it doesn't currently support the iPhone 3GS, as Apple in its infinite wisdom has changed something with regard to charging on the 3GS.

So the search was back to regular battery extender. There are plenty of options out there but none of them really excite me. At least not at the price they are charging for. That is until I came across MonoPrice's iPhone backup battery. With a rather large capacity (2200 mAh *) and very affordable price (~$15, depending on quantity purchased), it is perfect.

It arrived two weeks ago and I have so far used it twice. From about 10-15% charge in the iPhone, it would take about two hours to fully charge the phone from the backup battery. During that time, I was able to continue to use the iPhone with podcast playing in the background while online twittering and browsing. The only thing that is annoying is the 'cyclon'-like blue LEDs in the front which move from left to right during the charging process (both from main to battery, and battery to phone). They are very bright and very distracting while using the phone with the battery attached, especially in a dark backseat of a taxi! To charge the backup battery, simply plug the iPhone cable to the bottom of the battery and charge it just like the phone. Unfortunately the battery does not pass the data through to the phone so you can't sync with iTunes while charging both the phone and the battery.

But overall, the MonoPrice iPhone backup battery is priced just right and perform as advertised. High recommended if you are looking for a simple backup battery for your iPhone.

* For comparison, iPhone 3G battery capacity is 1150 mAh which means the MonoPrice battery can potentially charge the iPhone from 10-15% charge to full twice!

It seems to me that Harper Simon tries his best to not be associated with his father, going so far as saying that he didn't learn how to play music from his dad. Even the way he dresses, the type of music he's making (note: not acoustic harmonizing folk, but more like alt-country). It's a shame really, Simon sings just like his dad on the acoustic songs, and I wish he would sing more folk. I suppose he's got to find his own calling, right?

Harper Simon singing "A Message to You, Rudy"

Most of the set for Simon was pretty mellow. The most rockiest song was a song I wasn't familiar with. I thought I heard that the song was written by "Tom Berlin Verlaine" (edit: see updated message below), but I could be wrong. Shortly after "Berkeley Girl", the guitar tuner guy came on stage to switch electric with an acoustic guitar.

Songs range from borderline country music to Dylan-type folk. The later is especially true when one of the band member breaks out the harmonica.

They ended their set with "Wishes and Stars", my favorite song from Harper that I've heard. Instead of doing that fake-leaving-the-stage, they just stayed on stage and played some encores. The last song is a cover of "A Message to You, Rudy", who you & I probably know as a ska song by the Specials (but it's originally by Dandy Livingstone).

So this was the last night of their national tour. It sounds like they've been very tired, some even looked relieved, but they were certainly very happy to be playing in front of an audience. The band admitted that this was one of the better crowds, considering that they've played a few shows to "five people".

Trivia: Touring drummer Russell Simins, best known for being in Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, is from Minnesota.

UPDATED 11/26/2009 19:42:54:

ArtsOrbit wrote: Nov 24, 2009 9:59 PM

@weheartmusic H. Simon's reference was to Tom Verlaine: the song was Television's "See No Evil." Agreed that H.S. is best with folk music!

This is perfect for the upcoming Black Friday: I've filmed my W♥M Holiday Gift Guide 2009. These are the stuff that I want and/or own.  Other like-mind geeks out there here's where you can find these awesome stuff.


Music: Superdrag - 4-Track Rock !!! 1992-1995 + Complete "Bender" Sessions, Putumayo Presents - Jazz Around the World
Toys: Red Hulk, Grey Hulk, Green Hulk (all are from Marvel Universe 3 ¾" Series)
Games: Dragon Age Collector Edition
Books: Ghost World: The Special Edition (Hardcover), Adrian Tomine's "Summer Blonde" ($5!)
Movies: Star Trek Target Exclusive DVD. Bluray version not available on the crappy target.com website. I would also like to formally lodge a complaint about target search: it sucks. Also: Shaw Brothers Metal Tin: Epic Heroes (4 DVDs and T-Shirt Offer) , this tin case is a great gift for the Martial Arts fan. I already own two of the movies on this collection, but bought this anyway.

So, as you know, I'm a bit of a geek when it comes to pop culture stuff, quite interested in collecting all of the Shaw Brother's movies on DVD. If you like that sort of thing, I'm maintaining a checklist of sorts at movies.weheartmusic.com. They're mostly only being released as DVDs, the only Shaw Brothers to get released as a bluray in the US market is Opium and the Kung Fu Master, and it's brilliant. Image quality is amazing for a 1984 film - much better than some of the dodgy bluray releases (I'm looking at you, Anchor Bay).

I have also been playing Dragon Age, quite slow-moving, but I love it. The best version to get is the PC version, surprisingly. First of all it's about $10 cheaper than the Xbox or PS3 version, and it looks fantastic compared to those console version. Plus you can zoom out for that top-view like those Baldur's Gate games. Love it.

The collector's version comes with some useless junk: in-game items (I hate these digital "extras") and cloth map. The best thing out of this collection is the soundtrack and "making of" DVD. I did watch the DVD features, they're professionally produced. Take the time to watch the strategy feature, there's some great insights on how to create your characters and what's the best weapons & armors in the game.

The soundtrack is composed by Inon Zur, who also previously did soundtrack work for Bioware's Baldur's Gate II and Icewind Dale II. Dragon Age soundtrack has the typical epic orchestral instrumentals, however there are a few songs on the album that features Gaelic-type singing by Aubrey Ashburn (particularly on "Lelianna's Song", "I Am The One", and the main theme song). From Ashburn's description on the DVD interview, it looks like the song writing process had quite a fast turn-around time.

There is one song on the soundtrack that I do not believe actually appears in the game, DJ Killa's remix of "I Am the One". Keep in mind that I haven't finish the game, so the song may be in the game... I was told that 30 Seconds to Mars also has a song on Dragon Age, but I've yet to encounter that either.