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May 31, 2005
May 30, 2005
iPodding the Celica, Part III
I decided today where I wanted to place the iPod. After a long night of thinking about the alternatives, I decided on the glove compartment.
There's a couple of reasons for this:
- Having it hooked up into the Pioneer iPod cable locks out the functionality for the Click Wheel controls.
- You really don't want the iPod baking in the front seat when your car sits out in the parking lot.
- Passing through a cable from the console to the glove compartment is easy. No messy holes, cutting or drilling.
- If it's good enough for BMW, it's good enough for me.
Features I like about the CD-IB100:
- It's small and compact, allowing you to install it anywhere.
- Installation is fairly easy and straightforward.
- Acts as an iPod charger.
- Allows iPod to be controlled through the stereo.
- Sound Quality is phenomenal.
- Headunit compatibility an issue. For most Pioneer Players, it will act as an external unit and only display 8 characters.
- Documentation could be more in-depth.
- Headunit controls need a lot of work to be as fast and intuitive as the Apple iPod controls.
- Because Adapter acts like an external CD changer, one cannot browse the music list -- moving up or down songs will stop the playing of the music and go to the next track selected.
- iPod Click Wheel controls should not be locked while plugged in.
- Cost is an issue. At a retail price of $140, it really ought to do more.
How-To: iPodding the Celica, Part II
This section covers the bulk of the installation process for the Pioneer CD-IB100 iPod Adapter into a 2000-2005 Toyota Celica.
If you have questions, ask by leaving a comment. (If you want an e-mail reply, please leave your e-mail address - email addresses are not displayed, so no need to worry)
- Things you will need
- Removal of the Center Console
- Connecting IP-Bus
- Connecting Power
- Connecting the CD-IB100
- Testing the CD-IB100
- Mounting the CD-IB100
If you have questions, ask by leaving a comment. (If you want an e-mail reply, please leave your e-mail address - email addresses are not displayed, so no need to worry)
PDF copy of the CD-IB100 manual
WARNING: Disconnect the (-) side of the battery to prevent any shorts. This should be the first thing you do before starting anything below!
I mounted the iPod box on the driver's side, simply because it was the most accessible and easy to get to place on the Celica and wouldn't involve any cutting or drilling. My center console is already packed, so it seemed the most logical place to mount it.
Removal of the Center Console
The first piece is towards the gear shift/power windows and includes the cigarette lighter and ashtray. Since I have an automatic, these instructions are for an automatic, but manual instructions should be similar.
When you're done reassembling the interior, then you can reconnect up the (-) terminal of your car battery. It'll take probably around 30 minutes to reassemble everything.
I would say on average plan about 3-4 hours if this is your first install, less if you're familiar with disassembling your car's interior.
Removing the plastic covering on the driver's side
Since we need to hook the IP-Bus adapter from the iPod Adapter into the back of our Pioneer stereo, we'll first need to remove the center console plastic. The proper way is going from the bottom to the top. The console is made up of two pieces which we will remove.
The second piece is the clock/ac/stereo covering. To remove this pieces, we must first take out the knobs and the switch for the AC controls.
Removing the Pioneer Headunit
We won't be disconnecting the whole thing, we just want to get enough access to it to get to the IP-Bus cable and get access to the wires to feed power into the iPod adapter.
Connecting Power
This was, by far the scariest portion of the install. I've never done any electrical work before, and the thought of destroying all the electronics in my car kept me on pins and needles for about two hours while I figured out how I was going to do these steps.
At this point, there are quite a few options on how you want to reconnect the wires. I used the butt connector method since it was the easiest. They are available at your local Radio Shack.
Connecting the CD-IB100 iPod Adapter
Testing the IB-CD100 iPod Adapter
Before we seal everything back up, it's a good idea to test to make sure it works.
If it works, then you're mostly done. Turn your car off, and disconnect the (-) end of your battery.
Mounting the iPod Adapter
As I mentioned before, I mounted the CD-IB100 on the driver's side. There are other places to mount it, but I chose that place because it makes it easy to get to. You can mount it anywhere you want, however.
How-To: iPodding the Celica, Part I
My big project this weekend was installing the Pioneer CD-IB100 iPod Adapter [flickr photoset] into my 2001 Toyota Celica.
A much more detailed writeup of my notes and comparison of other iPod options is in the extended entry. Part II will be the step by step instructions of the install.
Introduction
Two years ago, I decided that I really wanted a GPS installed in my car. After much research, I ended up with a choice between two options: A permanently mounted GPS system with display, or a removable handheld PDA-like unit. I went with the permanent mount, replacing my car's stock stereo with the Pioneer AVH-6500 DVD Player/LCD Screen and the Pioneer AVIC-9 GPS.
Now I've decided that I want to be able to listen to my iPod in the car. There are a plethora of options for installing an iPod in vehicles, but the main ones that I see everyone use is:
- FM Transmitter
I've heard the sound quality is pretty bad on these, and since I live in the Bay Area, there's not a lot of free radio frequencies that stays usable throughout my 30 mile commute. - Cassette Adapter
Since I replaced my stock stereo, I've lost the ability to use cassettes within the car. This is not a big deal, although it does mean the cheapest, quickest and most universal option isn't available to me.
- iPod is powered by the car's battery.
Most iPod adapters run off either the cigarette lighter power or from the iPod's internal battery. You can also buy an external battery pack. - Cables aren't all over the car interior.
My other option was to simply wire RCA audio cables to headphone jack and go through the DVD Player Breakout box. This is something I may do if I ever wire in an iPod Photo. However, since I need to pull apart the interior anyways to get to the breakout box, why not do it the professional way? I already have a bunch of cables littering the car due to the radar detector (I'll clean it up one of these days). - Audio quality is better.
There's probably a difference. Not sure if my ears can discern the difference. I can test this pretty easily by plugging in RCAs to the breakout box.
- A more time consuming install.
It would definitely be quicker to simply buy a couple of adapters and plug it in. - A little bit more expensive.
The Pioneer iPod adapter cost me $120. FM Transmitters and Cigarette Lighter adapters are much cheaper. I've seen some ligher adapters under 20 bucks. - It's without a doubt faster to use iPod navigation than it is to use the adapter's interface. Since essentially what these car auto kits do is trick the stereo into thinking there's a CD changer hooked up into it, the interface doesn't have the capability to display a list of tracks and only displays one at a time.
May 28, 2005
Graduation Day
Today was my sister's graduation ceremony. I remember as a kid, watching the Cosby Show and seeing Theo graduate from college. The joke of that episode was that the school was so big that they had no moment of personal accomplish for Theo, no walk to the stage, just the simple act of "candidates rise", turn your tassels from one side to the other, "you're now graduated". That was my sister's graduation ceremony. Since she's getting a Master's, there's a little more than just standing up, and having your tassel turn from one side to the other -- the grad students stand up, and get "hooded" by the professors and then sit down. Before that moment is 1 1/2 hours of speeches by faculty and guest speakers (which I could sleep through). My point? Graduation ceremonies like the one depicted in The Cosby Show do exist, and they aren't myth.
I've also come to realize that Berkeley is ridiculously stingy about students entering the School of Business -- during my time there, they let only 125 students in per academic year -- while at SJSU they had more than 1000 graduate from that department.
Afterwards, we went out for dim sum, where I discovered my parents are incredibly demanding restaurant patrons. I also figured out that my bottomless pit of a stomach comes from my mother and my sense of taste comes from my father.
Meanwhile, my other sister is touring across Europe -- she just sent us an email from an internet cafe in Amsterdam and will be on her way to Switzerland tomorrow.
I love my parents, but at the same time, I can hardly wait for them to leave so that my sister and I can return to our normal lives...
links for 2005-05-28
May 26, 2005
Congratulations
Congratulations go to my sister, who just finished her Master's in Instructional Technology (Instructional Design and Media) at San Jose State.
I just came back from my sister's program banquet, where she also received a special award for Outstanding Student Portfolio.
Next Generation Game Systems
Post-E3, some good info seems to be trickling in about these upcoming systems. What intrigues me the most seems to be the Technical Specs of the XBox 360 and Sony Playstation 3 -- they both use IBM Cell Processors running at 3.2Ghz, and come with specialized GPUs for processing the graphics. Hardware-wise, I'd say that the XBox 360 has an advantage over the PS3, and that gave developers would do well to place their bets on the XBox 360 as the platform to work on. It's hard to believe that these game consoles are so mindblowingly powerful and still cost less than a comparably equipped gamer PC.
Playstation 3 - Technical Specs Overview
XBox 360: Procedural Synthesis and Dynamic Worlds
Nintendo Revolution
XBox 360 vs Xbox
links for 2005-05-26
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HotOrNot for Bunnies
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Ingenious. An Umbrella built onto a lightsaber handle.
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"The children. They've stolen their children!" - Indiana Jones
May 25, 2005
Toyota and Pioneer iPod your Scion tC
According to iPodLounge,
Toyota today announced that the 2006 Scion tC will receive the option of a Pioneer iPod adapter
. Total cost, including installation comes to be $260, about $10 more than BMW's iPod option.
th I was actually doing some thinking this morning regarding my Celica iPod project. I already have a Pioneer headunit, so it should just be the matter of purchasing the Pioneer-iPod Adapter and installing it. The most difficult part of the install will be the mount for the iPod, which I haven't solved yet. Right now I've got a zany idea about an iPod dock, but I'll have to wait until I can get some measurements.
Not what I want to hear
Canon and Lexar bugs cause lost pics on DSLRs
Since I have a 80x Pro Lexar CompactFlash Card and a 20D I guess I'll have to be careful, although since they don't elaborate, there's little I can do.
May 24, 2005
links for 2005-05-24
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Darth Vader redeemed by his son...
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If the Force is a Tool of Satan, does that make Lucas the Toolmaker?
May 23, 2005
links for 2005-05-23
May 22, 2005
Bad Highway Design
One of the things I notice during my daily workday commute is how horrible of an exchange 101 South to 85 South has become since they "improved" it. The 101 is mainly a 4 lane highway and briefly becomes a 6-lane highway for the purpose of the exchange. Lane 5 is an 101 to 85 South exit-only lane, and Lane 6 is the 101 S on ramp from Shoreline which if you stay in will take you onto the 85 S. So it's usually here that one witnesses all sorts of automobile acrobatics (and accidents) as cars try to get onto the 101 and away from 85 or off the 85 and onto 101. Now, all of this wouldn't be too bad if there was decent distances to perform these lane changes, but I'd say there's a little less than 100 feet to do these things in.
May 21, 2005
links for 2005-05-21
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I suspect that EA will insist on it being called: "SimEverything: Spore".
May 20, 2005
Necoro: The Robotic Cat
Battery Recall 2
May 19, 2005
Episode III: Round 2!
I just finished watching another viewing of Episode 3 with my co-workers, and I've come to the realization that how much one enjoys the movie is dependent on the mindset that one enters with.
A second viewing gives me an opportunity to separate the story from the technical details of film, and so I will present a spoiler free review in the extended.
If you walk in expecting Empire Strikes Back, you're going to be horribly disappointed. Revenge of the Sith is, however much more interesting than Episode I and Episode II, but still has the problems of bad dialogue and stiff acting. If you're blind to this as Lucas (or his film editor) is, then the movie is a fun to watch movie. If you can't see past the flat delivery and the trite script, the 2 and 1/2 hours that comprise Revenge of the Sith may as well be the Revenge of George Lucas.
Despite these failings, Revenge of the Sith is still better than 95% of the sludge that passes for science fiction films. That's not saying much when you compare to the big sci-fi films of the past year.
- I, Robot (2004)
- The Day After Tomorrow(2004)
- Aliens vs. Predator(2004)
- Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow(2004)
- The Chronicles of Riddick(2004)
- Thunderbirds (2004)
- Journey to the Center of the Earth (2004)
- Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
- Species III (2004)
Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
I just came back from watching a midnight showing of RotS (this entry is spoiler free), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thursday at work, I'll see it again, and I'll find out if it's as enjoyable in a repeat screening.
May 18, 2005
links for 2005-05-18
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This has to be the most ergonomically unfriendly controller I've ever seen
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The British tea market fell by 12 percent
May 17, 2005
E3 Pre-Show Announcements
Even though E3 hasn't officially started yet, the media machine is already rolling, with announcements of the Nintendo GameBoy Micro and the official specs for the Nintendo Revolution, XBox 360, and Playstation 3. Even Nokia joined the pre-E3 announcements game, stating that the N-Gage Platform is alive and kicking.
Why I'm not at E3
Tomorrow begins E3 in Los Angeles. E3 stands for the Electronic Entertainment Expo, which is the games industry's huge trade show that takes over the LA convention center for 3 days each May.
Having been to six E3's in the last 8 years, I decided that I could afford to skip this year's, even if so far, it does look like it will be one of the best, with the revealing of the 3 new next-generation consoles. Part of my reasoning for skipping the show this time around has to do with being jaded at what the games industry has become, and how E3 reflects that . While you do get to see a lot of great games in development and ready for the market, what you see a lot of the time are the same kinds of games.
Sequelitis and Copycat Games
I didn't join the games industry to make cookie cutter games, but more and more that is all that publishers are developing for the masses. As games get more expensive and as technology pushes the boundary between games and movies, publishers have become increasing risk-averse, and as a result, they are unwilling to invest money into a game that isn't a guaranteed best-seller. This, of course, explains why so many games are simply sequels instead of original game titles. At E3, one will find that the vast majority of games are sequels or games that could be sequels.
Media Badges
It used to be that the majority of companies had a "open booth" policy, meaning everyone was free to come take a look at their game. In more recent years, more and more showings of games have become "closed booth". Of course, when they said closed booth, what they really meant was "we want people with Media Badges to see our game, and the rest of you can go to hell". With the rise of the internet, most of these showings have now become "By Appointment Only", since any kid with a game website can get a Media Badge now. On the plus side, since Media gets to view these games usually before attendees, I've actually found that the major websites cover the show pretty well, and much more indepth than I ever could.
Line-Waiting
One of the more recent trends at E3 is the small-venue theater-style presentation. Square was one of the first companies to do presentations in this style. Imagine a professional-grade home theater that seats 40 people. Now, imagine a presentation that takes 10 minutes to complete. Now, take into account that there are thousands of people at E3, and these booths become an exercise in line-waiting. Two years ago, the demonstration for Half-Life 2 was a 3 hour line.
Looping Movies
Every major company at the show has a booth with a huge TV, LCD, plasma, or LED movie screen showing a reel of their games (or rather their game cinematics) which loop repeatedly at deafening decibel levels. God help you if you happen to be next to Konami's booth (they have the hugest crowds typically for their cinematics) or EA (who have the loudest most sound obnoxious booth)
Tired Feet
After walking all day long at E3, lugging around a bag filled with literature from various companies, your feet and shoulders are sore and raw. With the exception of the small venue theaters, there are few occassions to sit down and rest.
There are, of course things that I will miss -- seeing the latest and greatest games, having the opportunity to dine in LA (not in the convention center), comparing notes on games after the show, getting free magazines and goodies, and playing Carcassonne in the hotel bar at night.
May 16, 2005
Bullitt
I'm sitting at home, watching the Steve McQueen classic "Bullitt", and it occurs to me that everything that seems old-fashioned in the movie was actually quite contemporary and modern when the movie was released in 1968. McQueen's San Francisco of 1968 is quite nearly unrecognizable to me.
37 years doesn't seem like a long time, but I find it fascinating that so much has changed. In the extended entry is a list of things that I found were modern for the time that you don't really see anymore.
- magnetic tape reels
- typewriters, and calculators with paper tape
- aluminum strip desk decoration.
- main credits and copyright mpaa logos at the beginning.
- phones have rotary dials
- The streets of San Francisco are much clearer, and have ample streetside parking
- people wear hats! and driving gloves!
- revolving doors to enter into the Mark Hopkins hotel.
- concierge checking the mail
- mailboxes behind concierge in hotel
- they had bobblehead dogs in the 60s!
- the trolleys aren't packed with tourists, and you don't see a camera.
- phone numbers appear to be only 5 digits long.
- John Ross' wallet has a little notebook in it, along with what appears to be a driver's license or social security card.
- Payphones appear to be everywhere.
- women wear rainbox striped hats to match their rainbow striped lady's suit.
- newspaper dispensers look more like newpaper racks.
- to ring someone in, you need to use the speakerbox, speakerboxes weren't connected to telephones.
- Is Steve McQueen wearing paisley pajamas?
- To unlock a door, you pulled a release handle.
- Blinds drop down rather than raise up.
- McQueen's partner reads a story about a mumps vaccine that just entered the market.
- women and men wear dead animal fur on their heads
- Hotel Daniels 226 Embarcadero Road... does it even exist anymore?
- The Hotel Daniels has an elevator with metal accordian style gate
- The pier hasn't changed a bit.
- the woman engineer has a spinning spiral thing.
- almanacs exist with charts and tables and precomputed values.
- Oh! It looks like I'm wrong. Phone numbers do have 7 digits.
- Sirens are different
- Newspaper Photographers show up en masse to shooting at 1 in the morning.
- Medical technology does not appear to have made enormous strides in dealing with gunshot/shotgun wounds
May 14, 2005
links for 2005-05-14
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Who needs a geneticist? Build your own DNA lab.
May 13, 2005
links for 2005-05-13
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I'm guessing the teen got a new one after the explosion.
May 12, 2005
Metal Gear Solid 3: Outtakes
Animators sometimes go a little nuts after working on cinematics, and when that happens, you get things like this:
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_1_snake_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_2_bomb_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_3_sokolov_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_4_hands_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_5_gokai_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_6_lastbattle_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_7_joy_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_8_sabra_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_9_mgs_e.swf
http://jpn01.konami.co.jp/movie/mgs3/movie_a_gekitotsu_e.swf
May 11, 2005
Speechless
Lightsabers
How Stuff Works: Lightsabers
"There are two ends to any lightsaber -- one end has the belt ring, while the other end houses the blade arc tip and blade emitter. NEVER point the blade emitter of a lightsaber toward your own body. NEVER look down the "barrel" of a lightsaber, even if you are "sure" it is in safe mode. If you accidentally activate the lightsaber, serious injury could result."