The ScooterBlog

Got an e-mail noting that Geeks.Com is having a sale … and in typical “must have it all” fashion, this would be the wish list … prolly a lot of duplicates in here, but still stuff that I think would be useful at least once! Obviously, I lack the $300 to make any of this useful, but hey, maybe someday.
Bluetooth and 802.11b/g USB Dongle
Cigarette Lighter Panel and Cup Holder for 5.25″ bay (no jokes!)
Blue Color Bluetooth Dongle for $10
AA Rechargeable Battery 4-Pack (2300 mah)
VOIP Skype-Compatible USB Phone for $20
4-Camera Surveillance System (no cameras) for $40
3.5″ Drive Enclosure with Audio/Video Playback for $130
USB Battery Charger for $5.50
802.11b PCMCIA Card with Router Capability for $8.50
WiFi Detector for $11
802.11g + Bluetooth Internal Card for $24
Serial + Parallel Card for $7.50
USB + Firewire HD Enclosure for $30
Cassette Tape to MP3 Converter for $85
PSP Memory Stick Duo Pro 512MB for $41
Basic DVD Recorder for $74
Hummer CD/MP3/FM/AM Player for $37
Basic 3.5″ HD Enclosure for $17
Battery Up-Size Converters for $3
PSP Emergency Charger for $6
PCMCIA TV Tuner for $50
Universal Power Adaptor for $25 (Works with my iBook!)
Luminiferous Message Board for $9
High-quality 3.5″ HD Enclosure for $23
USB 7.1 Ch. Internet Phone for $9

So I’ve thought about this more and more … if you’re not determined or worried about having CD quality or completely flawless sound for an application, what’s wrong with using FM Transmitters for wireless audio?

The idea came to me today when I saw this from Geeks.Com. It’s a FM Transmitter that they’re selling for $10, looks like at least average quality. I’ve seen similar type items out there in regular stores too at about the $20 range. I already take advantage of FM modulation for my XM Radio in my car, and likely will do so for my house too in the near future. When I saw this link though, it hit me … why shouldn’t people use FM Transmission for other wireless audio uses, or just to rid yourself of a wire or two?

It has one major advantage: affordability. Instead of buying special speakers or adapters to transmit the sound over a 900 MHz or 2.4 GHz band, you use the cheaper and already available FM bands and transmit music through that, and as long as the transmitter is of decent quality, it should work across rooms too through an apartment or small house.

There are disadvantages … you lack security, so don’t be listening to your private phone calls through this or anything you wouldn’t want your neighbor to anonymously hear, and you do revert to a FM quality sound. But in environments where you have an audio source and don’t want to run a long cable, and/or where you want to stream basic audio, this may be an option. There’s also the issue of powering the device … this transmitter features a mini-USB port, so you could in theory power it from the PC itself which is very nice, making it useful as a PC device.
I may try this in my bedroom. I have a boombox setup in a corner of the room to get it out of the way, and I’m thinking about bringing my PC upstairs in order to use it more until I move, it would sit in another corner of the room. I don’t want to run a 50-foot audio wire, nor do I desire the hassle of reaching back and getting to the AUX port of the stereo. This might just do the trick instead!

So I haven’t had a chance to post my random thoughts from the weekend anywhere for this past Saturday’s Halo 2 4v4 Tournament … to put it nicely, it was insane!

24 teams, 96 people, $1,800 in prizes, and a total of 13-1/2 hours of constant Halo 2 play. Which is probably more work then my XBox (which I brought in) has done in the last 2 months! In the end, StrongSide’s team won again, I think this is his third or fourth win in a row going back to last year, but he got challenged moreso then anytime I’ve seen previously too by the team of David Durham, Jordan Blackburn, Chris Arozarena and Aaron Elam (one of Strongside’s normal partners!). It made for some really good play, and a couple of really good videos (which I will possibly upload here, bandwidth considering!).

From administering the event, it could not have gone smoother. I had Ben, Pat Jeanneret, and Ryan there helping watch and score matches, and then the 4v4 went pretty smoothly all things considered. We needed a few more chairs (but also didn’t expect 96 players), and the worst acting kids were a couple of 12 year olds, one of which whom tried to steal a figure, and the other one whom whined that he was being bugged, UNTIL Jeanneret watched his match and found the true story, and then mouthed off to me and Matt so much to get banned from the store!

Proof positive that nothing is perfect, but this was about as close as it gets. I don’t know what we’re going to do for the next event. Some want a new venue, other of us are pondering raising the price again and limiting the number of teams, so it’s 6 of one and half a dozen of the other, but I know the next one will be just as good.