The Tech Loft

One of the cool things about owning an OUYA Android gaming console, is that you can side load apps AND the fact that the creators of OUYA encourage hacking the box. I think that’s one of the reasons I decided to support and donate to the OUYA Kickstarter a year ago. Well, a year has pasted and I received my OUYA console near the end of May. So what we’ll do now is install XBMC on OUYA. XBMC will not be found on OUYA’s game ‘store’, it’ll have to installed by downloading it from a website first. I have run through the download and install instructions on my video below, which can be found on my YouTube Channel along with over 200 other videos I have created and posted. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xj81EIjSgWQ DIRECTIONS TO INSTALL XBMC ON OUYA Navigate to MAKE –> SOFTWARE –> BROWSER Navigate to the website ‘ http://goo.gl/gkdvk ‘. Downloading will begin automatically. The file is about 50Mb. Once downloading has complet...

WHEN 27″ ISN’T ENOUGH Lately, my YouTube video ‘Connect your pc to a HDTV’ has been getting a lot of attention. Over that past several months, it’s been one of my most viewed videos. So I decided to post an article on the subject of how to connect your pc to a hdtv. I guess 27″ computer monitors aren’t big enough for some folks, LOL! Hopefully you find my post to connect a pc to a HDTV helpful! MY PC AND TELEVISION GEAR This article is being written base in my experience with my own computer and hdtv. My computer has a custom rig, nothing special. At the time I recorded the video, I had an Asus EN8400GS SILENT/DI/512MD2(LP) nVidia 8400GS Chipset 512MB video card which supports DVI and HDMI out running on Windows 7. My television was (which I still currently own) a Samsung 42″ Plasma 430 Series (2010). CABLE CONNECTING When I connected my video card to the HDMI connector on my hdtv, the cable I used was a DVI to HDMI cable. On the back of m...

THE SHUFFLE ISSUE IN IPODS So I really don’t think I’m the only one experiencing the ‘shuffle’ issue. When listening to a playlist from my iPhone (or any iOS device), shuffle songs from a playlist play back in the same order. To a point where you can predict the next track on a 80 song playlist. You playlist is no longer a shuffled playlist but just a playlist. I have seen this issue reoccur on my iPod Video 5G, iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4s and iPhone 5. Yeah, I’ve gone through quite a few iOS devices. RESHUFFLE YOUR IPOD PLAYLIST From what I have found out, when you select to shuffle a playlist, the actual shuffling of songs is calculated ONCE and from every replay of the playlist, the songs will play in the sequenced order over and over. In order to reshuffle your songs, you’d have to UNSHUFFLE and then select to SHUFFLE your songs. This action apparently recreates the random traversal path through your playlist (or entire library). It re-seeds the random ...

MY KINGDOM FOR STRONG WIFI STRENGTH WiFi coverage in my home is not the greatest. I keep my router in the basement where all my telecommunications lines enter the house. WiFi signal strength in the basement and main floor is okay, but coverage in the master bedroom (opposite end, top floor) is weak at best. My quest for wifi signal strength improvement continues with my purchase of D-Link’s AmpliFi WiFi Booster DAP-1525. The AmpliFi WiFi Booster was brought to my attention from Dell’s Deal of the Day promotion. The AmpliFi Booster was almost discounted by 50% so I decided to give it a try. THE UNBOXING httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZibOBYvM9YY MY REVIEW D-Link’s AmpliFi WiFi Booster works in one of two ways (not both), Access Point mode and Media Extender mode. In Access Point mode, the AmpliFi Booster will require a direct link (not wireless) to your existing router and allowing wireless devices connect to the Booster. In Access Point mode, none of the ports on the ...

OUYA IS HERE, LOOK AT ME OUYA , the open source Android console has been unfairly targeted at this year’s E3 2013. After reading the article posted by IGN, it appears that attempts were made to BLOCK OUYA ‘s display from E3 attendees. Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the company which owns and operates the E3 Expo went as far as calling the police to shut down OUYA ‘s public presence. EARNING STREET CRED The incident escalated when Ouya organizers had their console on display across the street from the Los Angeles Convention Centre. ESA then rented out spaces on front of the Ouya displays and parked semi-trucks in which Ouya was blocked from view. Clearly, we see the start of Ouya unfairly targeted. ESCALATION Ouya then responded by renting out the spots in front of the semi-trucks and setup their banners and displays. Finally, ESA took action again and called the LAPD. The police showed up and asked to see Ouya ‘s permits. MY THOUGHTS My opinion on...

THANKS FOR THE VISIT First off, thanks for clicking the link that led you my post, “The $100 Startup Book Review”. You’re probably like me searching for a ‘Plan B’ or trying to become your own boss living your own dream. Well, that’s one of the reasons I picked up The $100 Startup ; that and the fact that the title was too hard to resist. EASY TO READ, HARD TO PUT DOWN The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau was a very good read. The book is well written, easy to understand and if you’re like me, won’t put it down until you’ve reach the end. I enjoyed reading The $100 Startup because it got me thinking and motivated to actually think about which one of my passions I could profit from. STEP BY STEP The $100 Startup was written in logical order; think about your passion, find out who would pay for your service of product, compile your work, setup your websi...

GAMING ACTION AS ENTERTAINMENT Like watching gaming videos on YouTube like ‘Lets play” and have considered creating and uploading your own ‘Let’s Play’ videos? I found the perfect hardware for you! After purchasing the  ELGATO GAME CAPTURE HD I must admit, it is a great piece of hardware. PLUG, PLAY AND CAPTURE The hardware is easy to install and use. Connect your gaming console to the capture device, then connect via USB to your computer and finally, a connection to your tv. Simple to setup. The biggest surprise of all, NO EXTERNAL POWER SUPPLY. The capture device must be receiving just enough power through USB as I have no other idea where the capture would get power from. SIMPLE SOFTWARE Easy to use software. The software is very easy to ease and works. Even though software is not included in the box, it must be downloaded from ELGATO’s website..possibly to insure that the latest version is installed. The software is clearly labeled and not only c...