Recording sound intended for a later broadcast online can be tricky and those who tried it know that the cheap little digital recorders sold around $100 just don’t deliver the minimum quality they expect.

Fortunately, you won’t need to break your piggy bank to get your hands on a handy recording device which will make you sound like a real pro.

Samson’s Zoom H4 Handy Recorder delivers awesome sounding results wether you’re recording live performances, podcasts, classes (or workshops), rehearsals or even songwriting sessions. This little device weighing only 6.7 ounces (190 grams) features more recording tools than any other device of its category, on the market.

Looking beyond its fine exterior looks, the built-in studio effects include compression, limiting and mic modeling. Those who need it can use XLR and 1/4-inch inputs for external mics, guitars, bass and keyboards but onboard, you’ll find Zoom’s remarkable microphone, guitar and bass modeling capabilities, reproducing the tone of the most famous mics and amps ever made.

The audio can be recorded as either .wav or .mp3 files and moved to your computer, through USB, for easy editing, mixing and mastering. The H4 comes with Cubase LE (for both PC and Mac) but you can use any other sound editing software which fits your needs. Lets add that the Zoom H4 runs on either two AA batteries or a DC power supply.

That’s a lot of horsepower for such a small form-factor and a complete package, including headphones, a tripod and an 8GB SD Card memory module can be purchased for around $300.

A special note goes out to the bloggers who need to carry out interviews. The H4‘s capabilities are much better than the older H2 and it’s well worth the upgrade. The H4′s stereo sound recording will amaze your end-users who will be under the impression that you’re a real pro, soundwise.

Tags: samson, h4, h2, h4 handy recorder, h4 portable recorder, stereo recorder, quality recorder, high-quality sound recording, mobile sound recording, device to record pro-quality sound, pro-quality sound device, zoom h4, zoom h2, excellent sound quality, professional, mobile field recording

Our modern life is all about data -and- our computer’s main hard drive isn’t enough to hold it all.

Furthermore, most of us have more than one computer per household so sharing data can become something of a challenge without a network-attached storage (NAS) device that basically makes centralized data available to all connected computers (clients).

This being said, not all NAS devices are created equal and since you’re probably not inclined onto spending your money on the wrong device, you’ll be happy to know a company named Synology all but reinvented what a NAS should do for you, the end user.

Let’s look at their smallest NAS appliance, the DS207+ which is a high performance “networked hard drive enclosure” that goes beyond simple network storage. It stores your data (and it does that very well) but it can also replace traditional PC servers and act as a stand-alone file server, web host, back up for your home/office data and get this, it’s fully compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux networks so everybody in the house will be happy.

To achieve all this, the DS207+ comes with its own 500 MHz processor accompanied by 128 MB of RAM memory but you’ll need to supply (up to) two hard drives, on your own. It’s probably better that way since you can make the device as spacey as you need it to be.

With a 1,000 Mbps ethernet transfer rate, your data and built-in network services will fly. Among the services you’ll eventually want to use are FTP, HTTP (using Apache, with PHP and MySQL Server), SMB, AFP, CIFS, Windows ADS and even and iTunes server!

The AJAX-based web interface is a snap to master so you’ll be productive in no time, especially compared to other NAS devices which don’t have such a quality interface to play with. The fan could’ve been quieter but it’s not a deal breaker. This RAID 0/1-capable NAS device is generally performs very well and looks nice.

If you’re new to NAS devices, this is a bit pricier than the “low cost” alternatives but at around $300 for the DS207+ and 200$ for two 1 GB hard drives, it’s not enough to break your bank, especially considering all the bells and whistles that come “standard” with it.

Tags: synology, ds207+, nas, network hard drive, hd, external hard drive, back up data, home office data, extra hard drive, raid hd, raid 0, raid 1, web server, networked data sharing

Some resorts have it all in terms of luxury but some, for various reasons, lack in intimacy so if that’s what your looking for, without compromising on the luxury factor, you should consider The Caves, in Negril, Jamaica.

Island Outpost’s resort has been designed by Greer-Ann and Bertram Saulter to deliver an organic interpretation of romance — and intimacy.

The ten handcrafted cottages are planted in a garden, on the edge of the sea making it a fine choice for guests who value spirituality, romance, privacy and verdant beauty.

The Caves’ two seafront acres hide many secrets such as sundecks and nooks and even grottos, in the cliff itself. One of these grottos is designed for dining. Just imagine the lit candles and the whole place strewn with flowers. This original offering should please even the most demanding couples looking to spend unforgettable moments together.

The Aveda Mini-Spa looks out on deep blue ocean water and it’s a wonderful place to be with friends to reinvent the world. The high-ceilinged cottages are made of wood and stone while also being roofed in thatch. If you’ve never stayed in such amenities, you’ll likely find it quite enjoyable.

Set in lush indigenous tropical gardens, every cottage has its own name like Blue Dolphin, Butterfly, Blue Hole, Sea Turtle, Bird’s Nest, Sun Dancer, One Drop, Macka Tree, Moonshadow and Clandestino. It just adds to the uniqueness of this resort’s offering. Furthermore, all accommodations underwent a complete refurbishment in 2007, including air conditioning for all downstairs suites.

For the ultimate naturally ventilated private cliffside villas experience, in sunny Jamaica, The Caves delivers a distinctive take on the Caribbean life.

Tags: the caves, resort, island outport, negril, jamaica, cottages, deep blue ocean, accomodations, tropical gardens, cliffside villas, mini-spa, amenities

Back in June of 2007, we ran an article about the Marina Bay Sands which caught everyone’s imagination.

Now, we’re happy to report that the project is well on its way and on schedule.

Right now, this integrated resort’s construction is in full swing with deep pile foundation systems installed to most areas of the site while the excavation work, for basement structures, is also progressing.

The site’s aerial photos show two large circular reinforced concrete temporary coffer dams for the Hotel’s Towers 1 & 2 as well as the strutted basement for Tower 3 which is now clearly visible, adjacent to the ECP.

The third and largest circular excavation, closest to the bay, is the first of two coffer dams being excavated for the MICE building.

Furthermore, marine works are visible along the bay’s foreshore area to support the promenade substructure works while piling works occupy the remaining large land area adjacent to the bay for the arts science museum, casino, theatres and retail precincts.

As a reminder, here’s what the project will look like once it’s finished:

As you can see for yourself, Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands will likely be ready for 2009, as expected.

Tags: marina bay, sands, singapore, construction, towers, art science museum

Have you ever seen a Cessna Citation X, from up close?

If you decide to become a client with XOJET, you’ll be seeing a whole lot of them since that’s the only plane model the private aviator has (although it’s planning to buy the ultra-spacious Bombardier Challenger 300 model, starting next year).

Why would a private aviation service that’s the talk of the industry operate a single class of aircraft? To cut down costs — and it works, big time!

So you’re tired of waiting for hours on end for your plane to arrive and then take off? If you fly over 100 hours a year, XOJET may be the answer to the commercial airlines’ colossal time wasting habits.

Furthermore, flying with up to 11 other clients per aircraft is a whole different experiences than being crammed into a commercial flight with hundreds of other strangers. One could say it’s a lot more fun and the in-flight service is much easier to get a hold of.

While fractionals are inherently restrictive because they link users with a specific number of hours corresponding to the size of their share, if you’re still looking for more thoughful alternatives, you’ll be happy to learn that XOJET doesn’t sell shares, at all -and- they don’t allow more than 3 clients per jet (which yields more flexibility).

XOJET clients get a 20% overflight allowance built into their contracts and in the event they need more hours, they simply pay for them (extra) as they go along.

To this day, XOJET boasts an on-time departure rate that’s north of 99% which exemplifies, once more, the proverbial “other end of the rainbow” compared to commercial airlines. Clients are garanteed aircraft on just a 12 hours notice and top clients (flying 400 hours of more per year) are garanteed multiple aircrafts on a single day which comes in handy when, for instance, the CEO goes to New York and the CTO goes to San Francisco.

So all this brings us back to XOJET cutting down the cost, up to 40% compared to the runners up, because, over and above the aforementioned strategies, the private aviator charters unused flights so this brings in revenue to pay for ground and crew costs while significantly driving down the cost of “membership” for clients.

Apparently, a lot of people like the way XOJET thinks about the whole private aviation value proposition since the company is expected to double its 2006 revenues of 36M$.

Furthermore, the company recently announced the purchase of 2,5 billion dollars worth of new aircraft, which will bring its fleet to 127 planes, by 2012.

XOJET is proof that innovation in the air travel industry can make a huge difference, in this particular case, equally beneficial for the private aviator -and- its clients.

Tags: xojet, private aviation, charters, jets, airlines, aircraft, fractionals