Week 7 (15-21.06.2015) How to: Improve sound quality!

How to: Improve sound quality!

At home, on the bus or in a car, we all listen to music from different sources using different equipment. We listen to different kinds of music, but most of us can't live without it. What can we do to listen to better quality music, which is more alive?

What I’d like to present to you is a short tutorial about making music sound better. I hope that it will be useful for some of you.

At home:

If the source of your music is a PC make sure that you have also an external DAC with a headphone amplifier (ex. Nuforce uDAC).

What is DAC? It is a microchip that changes digital bits into electric waves (check out Wikipidia for more details).

Why external? Because the ones that reside in the PC's audio card or mp3 device are cheap crap.

Source: http://www.nuforce.pl/

Make sure that you play music from a lossless source like FLAC, lossless WMA or at least 320kbps MP3.

You can also subscribe a premium account on WiMP, Spotify or Deezer services to stream high quality music from an Internet server.

On the way

Do a research about headphones, choose a closed back instead of open type and do not use in-ear monitors – they can damage your ears. 

The source is always important! If you buy headphones with a 1,25" speaker inside, a built-in amplifier in mp3 player could have problems with generating enough current to supply your device.

If you want to stay with your smartphone as a music player, the best solution could be to find a bluetooth headphones. They have a great advantage over standard wire ones. An audio signal from the  smartphone is transported digitaly via bluetooth to headphones, where it is converted into an analog signal. It means that bluetooth headset has its own DAC, so if you buy a good one, you can enjoy hi-end sound quality from a crappy smartphone.

Source: http://en-de.sennheiser.com/

In a car

Sound deaden doors of your car. It will kill all buzzes and rattles and build a proper sound chamber. Before you start you should check your doors’ dissembling instruction – examples can be found on many car forums. To have an idea of what it looks like check this video:

It seems to be a lot of work but results are amazing: you can improve sound quality of your car-audio set. But you have to spend a few hours of time or pay for professional car-audio service.

I've been doing it since my first car and I was always more that satisfied from results.

General advice: every element in the audio path is important, from power supply to speakers. Cables as well;)

Summing up, it is a good idea to think what we can do to make our life better, sometimes a small change can cause a great effect. If you know what you want to change just Google it ;)

This article is based on my own experience and knowledge, so if you find any logical or technical mistakes please let me know :)

Do you have any other ideas to make your audio system sounds better?
Please share it with us!

Week 7 (15-21.06.2015) SUMO

http://www.judo-jiujitsu.com/index.php?id=90&nr_strony=15

            Sumo(相撲) is a Japanese style of wrestling that originated in Edo period around 1684. At the beginning sumo was made to entertain the Shinto deities. Originally rikishi(Japanese wrestlers) were samurais. If you had had an opportunity to see any of the fights, you should have seen the famous ritual of purification of the ring with salt. Japanese people are very religious and this ritual came from Shinto tradition as well.

            Rules in this sport are very simple,  the wrestler who first exits the ring or touches the ground loses. Dohyo is a big ring which is made of clay and sand. Matches are very fast and most of the time they last no longer than a few seconds. Longer matches are rare because competitors exhaust very fast. They should, right? Most of them weigh over 160 kg. In Sumo championships you can fight with an opponent 100 kg heavier than you. There are no weight restrictions. As sumo is a part of the Japanese tradition, women can’t fight, they can only assist outside of the ring. Tournaments take place only in Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka and Nagoya. 

http://www.travelience.com/blog/sumo-tournament-schedule-on-2013-2014/

            Sumo wrestlers are heavy. Most Yokozuna(grand champion) are over 180 kg. It’s hard to believe but current champions are foreigners. Last Japanese Yokozuna was in 2003. A funny thing is that in sumo you can have more than one grand champion at a time. They are categorized and first one is from west and second one is from east. You can watch highlights from 2012 championships in Tokyo here.

Yokozuna http://galleryhip.com/yokozuna-sumo.html

            How to be a sumo wrestler? First of all eat a lot. Second of all you have to be tall. One of the current champs is 193 cm tall. Third of all, find a good stable, yes a stable. Sumo trainers are called stable masters. A typical sumo wrestler eats around 18 to 20 k kcalories per day. Compare it to around 2,5k that a  typical male should eat every day. Wow, 20k kcalories is a lot. Wrestlers don’t eat breakfast, but they eat almost 10k kcalories for lunch… I know it’s hard to believe, but they really do. The main dish that wrestlers eat is chankonabe that’s made from fish, meat, tofu and vegetables and a lot of noodles. You can’t miss the main ingredient, around ten bowls of rice and even more beer.

Chankonabe from http://www.essential-japan-guide.com/chankonabe/

            You can read more about their daily routine and food at https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/want-see-current-world-sumo-wrestling-champion-eats-130244686.html .

https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/world-of-sport/want-see-current-world-sumo-wrestling-champion-eats-130244686.html

            If you are curious I encourage you to read about controversies around sumo. Recently one could hear about  match-fixing in sumo. When I read about it, I couldn’t believe it because Japanese people really respect rules and are very humble. Yakuza was probably involved in it. A lot of wrestlers and stable masters were suspended and officially expelled from JSA(Japan Sumo Association). You can read more here : http://www.theguardian.com/world/2010/jul/04/sumo-threatened-by-scandal-and-crime

Week 6 (1-7.06.2015) - Czech reality show recreates life under Nazi occupation.

"Three generations of one family endure daily hardship typical of second world war for show, which has sparked criticism"

​I would like to ​present to you the new Czech reality show named "Holiday in the Protectorate"​. 

This reality show presents a modern family pretending to live under the Nazi occupation.

At first I'd like to remind you some historical facts.

​On ​16 March 1939 Czech lands were taken over by Nazi Germany: the Third Reich Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was created. 

Meanwhile Slovakia declared the independence as a German ally.During the Nazi occupation the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia cooperated with the occupants​.​ ​New Czech government, Czech police and​ Czech educational institutions were formed.​

Small armed forces served only ​to protect strategically important buildings and lines of communication.

However, at the same time in London Czech government in exile was ​formed​.

​There was also an anti-fascist resistance movement (mainly communist) acting in the occupied territories.

During the years 1938-1945 (​according to various sources​)​ from 325 000​ to 365 ​000 people were killed: approximately 277 000​ Jews and​ 7500 Gypsies. 

This numbers​ does not include about 199 000 Sudeten Germans who died during the war.

Czechs were resettled from the Sudeten region to the Protectorate where ​they were second-class citizens, that was reflected in almost all fields of everyday life.

During the war also approx. 30 000​ Czechoslovak communists were killed.

​The fact that the history of the Second World War was for Czechs a truly dramatic experience​, is not negotiable​.​

Today, 70 years later, the world has changed: we have internet, smartphones and reality shows...

Marketers were looking for a catchy theme that could be shown in a reality show, and they have found one.

​In the show a three generation family is presented: they are taken out of their natural modern reality and ​​set into the times of ​the Second World War.

Costume and set designers try to make things look authentic. 

There is a village and horses, the children are deprived of smart phones, the water is taken from the well, Generally we see the passion of people living without electricity or any other modern utilities.  

“I spent a long time looking for a concept that would allow me to show life in another era while ensuring the highest level of authenticity,” said the director, Zora Cejnkova. 

Czech media are very critical of this very controversial idea and I agree with this criticism.

The dramatic reality of the Second World War is here used as a canvas for ​a sort of ​fairy tale. 

Today's Europe is struggling with the financial crisis and problems with the assimilation of various national and religious minorities. More often power is in the hands of right-wing conservative politicians, who are ​making promises​ to 

​close the borders for the ​immigrants and restrain social ​policy. 

Does that ring a bell?

History can repeat itself and the worst thing we can do now is trivialize it by pretending that it could never happen again.

A columnist of the Times of Israel wrote: “Fortunately for the family they will not be treated like 82,309 Jews who lived in the Protectorate and were deported by the Nazis to concentration and death camps or killed by Czech collaborators”. 

What do you think, do such TV shows help to understand the history or make an unrealistic theatrical performance of it?

​ 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czech_Republic#History

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/may/24/czech-reality-show-nazi-occupation-holiday-protectorate

​

pictures:

http://histmag.org/grafika/articles5/niemcy-sudeccy/niemcysudeccy4.jpg

http://www.kamilbazelak.pl/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/rze%C5%BA-wo%C5%82y%C5%84ska...jpg

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/03308/Dovolen_-v-Protekt_3308637b.jpg

Week 6 (1-7.06.2015) - Self-Organized vs. All Inclusive Holiday Packages

Self-Organized vs. All Inclusive Holiday Packages

Source: http://keepdestination.blogspot.com/

 

The summer is coming so a lot of us are just starting thinking about a holiday destination. That is why I would like to introduce you to my presentation about self-organized vs. all inclusive holiday packages. In my opinion it`s right time to begin discussion which choice of holiday will bring us more benefits. I will identify core advantages and disadvantages in both approaches to planning your holiday time.

All Inclusive Holidays

Source: http://www.caribbeannewsdigital.com/

First of all, let me present my point of view about all inclusive holidays. It`s a really good move to go to a travel agency and buy your dream trip if you don’t have enough time to plan it by yourself. Holiday packages could give you everything you need to pack your baggage and have free mind of other things. If you choose this way of spending holidays you have to only decide on your destination and look over the catalogue to find a good hotel. After payment, you don’t have to take care of transfer, insurance, accommodation and nourishment. Everything seems to be great but we can’t forget about some disadvantages. What would happen if your travel agency went bankrupt? You would lose all your money if you didn’t buy extended insurance coverage. Moreover, there is a risk that we could be unable to travel. Ok – let’s assume that we are already there. When we want to eat something using all inclusive package we have to stay in a long queue to get poor quality dishes. From my experience this kind of food is really distant from local traditional dishes and you have to fight for it and for a table in the majority of cases. In addition, all inclusive package limits your possibilities to try local cuisine at various  restaurants. Of course, you can choose some optional excursion and explore interesting places.  After a few days of doing nothing beside a hotel`s swimming pool it’s time to come back to home. Have you already charged your batteries?

Self-Organized Holidays

Source: http://vlsproductions.com/

This way of planning holidays makes you prepare more things than only purchasing package tour and packing your luggage. You should organize all aspects of you holiday by yourself -from the kind of transportation to buying insurance etc. Of course, you have to spend some time organizing it but look at how much satisfaction it brings. You are independent and free of some unexpected events. When you chose to travel by car, for instance, to some European country you have a chance to visit interesting cities en route. When you have arrived at your place of destination you may do everything you want to. In many cases you don’t have to book accommodation before you start your journey. This excludes buying a pig in a poke. All local restaurants are open for you and offer real local’s dishes. You could change your location whenever you want to. There aren’t guidelines and you can do exactly what you need and want to. This is a real adventure and you will get a change to see its real beauty

Which way is better?

Source: http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/

I`m presenting those examples directly from my experience. I have been in many places with tour operators and it has been all inclusive package as well. I have also planned a lot of trips by myself. When I compare both ways of spending your holidays I must admit that I am tired of all inclusive ones. Twice I have organized trips to Croatia. This showed me advantages of self-organized journeys. Of course both approaches have their own benefits and limitations but I am a young person and I really like challenges. After reading this article you`ve already know what I prefer but I really want to hear your opinion? Share with us your experiences please.

Week 6 (1-7.06.2015) Windows Phone vs. the Rest of the World

Windows Phone vs. the Rest of the World

…and you, in-between.

War!

The time of rapid growth of these three platforms came to an end. Currently, these systems have reached the average age of the product life cycle. This marks the end of jokes, the end of all rumors and speculation. IOS and Windows Phone (starting from version 7) have been on the market for five years while the Android one has been already for 7. This means we all have strong arguments to be for or against each platform. 

Source:

http://geekaphone.com/compare/Apple-iPhone-6-vs-Nokia-Lumia-930-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-S6

Market share

The following diagram shows the share of all mobile platforms on the market. Statistics for January 2015.

It clearly shows that there are only 2 leading platforms, which are iOS and Android. But what about other platforms? As we all know, Blackberry went bankrupt in recent years. The Symbian platform is outdated and in its product life cycle it’s at the end of its natural death. What about Windows Phone with only 2,25%?

Source:

http://www.windows8core.com/windows-phone-losses-03-global-market-share-january-2015-increase-android/

What’s with Microsoft?

Source:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/55/Microsoft_logo_(2012)_modified.svg/766px-Microsoft_logo_(2012)_modified.svg.png

Having conducted an interview with several people from Microsoft Poland, I can say the key values of  MS  differ from other companies like Apple or Google. Microsoft has a very stable economic situation and does not need to follow the rules of the current war between mobile platforms, which is controlled by Apple and Google Samsung follows suit . Microsoft has a new motto "cloud first, mobile first world", but they already are in a leading position. Why?

Source:

https://www.srgresearch.com/media/uploads/CIS_Q414_final.jpg

Microsoft over the past years has built a powerful empire in three categories:

1) developer platform - a unified core of all of MS products, which allows scaling of solutions to any device

2) The Office - transferred services in the cloud and created Office365

3) Windows Desktop - log on to all the services with one account @ live.com

Microsoft's execution of the strategic plan is about to finish. All systems and services from Microsoft have moved into the cloud and the last piece of the puzzle is to be finalized. Windows Phone in fact is not a separate product and it must be treated as part of Windows desktop. So where is the truth hidden? Just look at the market share of desktop-class operating systems.

Source:

http://connectwww.com

The answer is Microsoft is a winner by default. They don’t have to be pro-active in the fields where Apple and Google are trying their best. While we all use Windows for a desktop, by default we are ready for the Windows’ Phone platform and I am really waiting for its new version. This will be one huge release of many new products from Microsoft. All-in-one.

By then I will use iOS as a platform for my private needs and Windows Phone for business solutions.

PS Please comment in relation to the market.