Hello. My name is Harry Wolff.

I am a web developer working at GetGlue.

I enjoy tweeting, taking pictures, and making movies.

This is where I write.

23andMe Genetic Testing

Posted on 06/11/2010 by Harry

I love new and cool technologies. This ranges from the supreme laziness afforded by an iRobot Dirt Dog to the awesome laziness afforded by a Segway. Yet these two gadgets pall in comparison to my somewhat fanatical interest in a (relatively) new company called 23andMe:

23andMe’s mission is to be the world’s trusted source of personal genetic information.

So exactly what does 23andMe offer? Personal genetic testing for health, disease, and ancestry. In brief they are a DNA testing laboratory that will give you a very thorough and complete breakdown of your own DNA. Sounds awesome to me.

I’ve been interested in trying out their services for a while however I cannot honestly rationalize their $500 price for something that I perceive as an awesome (and somewhat practical) luxury. Maybe I’ll give it to myself as a birthday present, or perhaps someone else will.

I recently found a very thorough breakdown and review of a blogger who bought and used 23andMe’s services. Go take a look at Paul’s write-up of his experience using 23andMe. Looks really cool to me, however it still looks to be a luxury purchase.

The future is coming sooner than I can imagine. I hope the next scientific development is personal body modifications. I would love to have claws like Wolverine. I would save so much on shaving costs.

What Apple Might Introduce on Monday

Posted on 06/04/2010 by Harry

On Monday Apple is holding their annual Worldwide Developers Conference. For the past three years Apple has announced a new version of the iPhone at this conference and this year is going to be no exception. However there may be a few other announcements, some that may excite people far more.

Here’s a neat list of what may be announced on Monday.

New iPhone – This doesn’t need any explanation as most people are already aware of what the current iPhone is and what it can do. The new iPhone will come with iPhone OS 4.0 and most probably a front-facing camera. Along with those two improvements there will probably be improved battery life and faster speeds.

iPhone for Verizon Wireless – The likelihood of Apple introducing an iPhone for Verizon Wireless is one that has been debated and hoped for since its introduction. However will this happen on Monday? If you’ve been following me then you would know that I think this year is probably the surest bet, however I have a sinking suspicion that Apple may announce the Verizon iPhone later this year. Patience is a virtue, iPhones are awesome.

Introduction of iTunes.com – Everyone knows about the iTunes Music Store. It’s a place where people can buy and download songs. However what Apple may introduce on Monday is ‘iTunes.com’, a new subscription-based way to purchase and listen to music. The announcement of this would not be a surprise due to Apple’s recent purchase and shut-downof Lala.com. Lala.com of course was a streaming music company. Seems to make sense.

New Mac mini – The Mac mini, Apple’s entry-level desktop computer, has not been updated in almost a year. For an Apple product a year is a long time and most assuredly a sign that change is coming. Couple that with recent news that Mac mini supplies are dwindling leads one to think things.

Updated Mac Pro – The Mac Pro, Apple’s flagship desktop, hasn’t been updated in over a year. This one is almost a shoe-in.

Updated MacBook Air – Same for the MacBook Air – hasn’t been updated in over a year. And with the way technology has improved since it was last updated I can only guess what may change.

MobileMe Service Becomes Free – MobileMe is currently a subscription based service offered by Apple that is somewhat similar to the cloud-offerings of Google. However its $99 dollar cost versus Google’s $0 cost for similar services is one that can’t be beat. Personally I am really hoping that this happens.

So there you have it! Come Monday, 1pm EST, we will begin to know what new products Apple will be selling. Rest assured I’ll have a post up detailing the news!

Have a good weekend!

Arcade Fire Announce New Album

Posted on 05/27/2010 by Harry

Arcade Fire has announced the title and date of their upcoming album. Called The Suburbs, it will be released August 3rd of this year (be sure to check out the source link for the cover-art) I’ve added it to my Music Release list page for easy referencing. Also two songs from the album have been released. You can listen to them by following this link.

Music Release List

Posted on 05/26/2010 by Harry

Hey, so, I realize that I’ve been making a lot of posts about music, mostly album reviews. I’ve been having a great time listening to these albums, writing the reviews and hearing feedback from you. However my ability to stay up-to-date and organized in terms of release dates has been sorely lacking.

There’s a lot of artists and musicians pumping out material on a daily basis and without some sort of organizing mechanism I know I’ll go bonkers trying to remember when a new album is being released. So I did what I always do in these situations: I got organized.

Have a look at the new page on my website, Music Release List. It’s a list of upcoming albums that is organized in a pretty swanky table. I’m going to update it with albums and artists that I like and with information as I find it. Share it with your friends too! I hope to make it a useful resource. Enjoy!

Your TV Experience Is Changing

Posted on 05/25/2010 by Harry

Everyone seems to be talking about TV nowadays. Everywhere I turn I’m seeing new technologies being created to alter how people currently use and interact with their TV. I can’t say this is bad news – technology tends to improve what already exists.

Let’s take a look at what’s new in TV-land nowadays:

Hulu

If I had told you five years ago that you would be able to watch your favorite television shows for free and when you wanted you would have thought I was nuts. Yet how time has changed things.

Hulu has been around for just over two years (launched March 12, 2008) and it has drastically shifted the way people watch (or don’t watch) TV. Before Hulu you would have to stay in on weekends to see the new Saturday Night Live episode, or wait for it to re-air. Now you can watch the full episode online, when you want, and how you want.

Although Hulu still limits how you can watch its videos expect those limitations to be changed in the future. There have been rumblings of a paid Hulu-subscription being launched that would (hopefully, probably) include entire back-logs of seasons.

Boxee

A Tel Aviv startup that spun off from the XBMC project (Xbox Media Center), Boxee hopes to be the center of your TV experience. Although Boxee doesn’t allow for live TV it does pretty much everything else.

If you’re a fan of podcasts, videocasts, or web-shows then Boxee is for you. Through applications built for Boxee you can enjoy new episodes of Revolution4 podcasts, FunnyOrDie videos, or CollegeHumor.

And, if you already have a large collection of digital content Boxee makes the process ridiculously easy. Point your Boxee software to where your media is and you’ll be streaming it to TV in no time.

Google TV

Announced just last week, Google TV is Google’s take on augmenting the television watching experience.

Through the use of the Quick Search Bar you will be able to search the web while watching TV. By using a smart interface and staying out of the way of live TV, Google TV has the potential to bring about major changes in how we currently watch TV.

What’s Next?

The future is only going to get brighter as current technologies improve and new technologies are invented. Right now the software being made to improve TV seems highly competent and promising. What I’m looking for is a promising hardware solution. My AppleTV only gets me so far and I’m not looking to put a hole in my pocket.

Google TV Coming Soon

Posted on 05/24/2010 by Harry

This is fresh news from last week: Google announced an upcoming product called Google TV. It’s Google’s try to make TV better. Imagine watching a TV show and wanting to look up an actor name: you activate Google TV that hovers over your show and lets you search for the actor’s name and then go to his imdb.com page or Wikipedia page. Simple, fun, and hopefully useful. Check out Gizmodo’s thorough overview and then watch Google’s promotional video that’ll show you how awesome Google TV may be.

Verizon iPhone Coming This Year?

Posted on 05/11/2010 by Harry

Every year I clamor for the release of the iPhone for Verizon Wireless. In my opinion the iPhone is one of (if not) the best smartphone currently available. The only other phone that I feel comes close to the quality of the iPhone is either the Nexus One or HTC Inredible – both running the Android Operating System.

In case you missed the huge hullabaloo, Gizmodo (a tech blog), managed to get their hands on a prototype (but near-final) version of the next-generation iPhone. You can see their complete picture walk-through and analysis on their website. The windstorm of activity that followed this story is one that I don’t even want to attempt to summarize – but I’m going to anyways: Gizmodo paid to get exclusive access to this found next-gen iPhone and now whispers and rumors of legal action are swirling. Fun times for all.

Last year, before the iPhone 3GS was announced, I was hoping against hope that 2009 would be the year that Verizon got the iPhone. Not only do I love Verizon’s cellular reception (after all, the iPhone is a phone at the end of the day), but it also makes great economic sense for me. I’m currently on a family plan with Verizon and to go lone-wolf with AT&T for the iPhone would be an unnecessary burden on my wallet.

Continue reading →

3 MP3 Tuesday

Posted on 03/02/2010 by Harry

Not much to say here. I got three (3) new songs that I want to share. Let’s get on with it.

First up we got a new budding group calling themselves 1,2,3. They’re coming at you from Pittsburgh, PA and they got some sweet energy. Check them out on their MySpace page, but for now hear their slick tune “Confetti.”

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Next is a tune that’s a little slower than what you just heard, but it has just as much energy. Band’s named Local Natives (according to their wiki page they used to be called Cavil at Rest – choice name change) and they hail from Los Angeles, CA. A lot of voice is used in their songs and this one is no exception. Dig on Airplanes:

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Also check out their live performance on La Blogotheque.

Last and definitely not least is the chilled brother-sister duo Angus & Julia Stone. They come from down-under – specifically Sydney, Australia – and they got a very smooth groove. Get loving with their Paper Aeroplane:

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That does it for now. Kinda weird that two songs were about airplanes. But hey – if you want to celebrate that unusual occurrence you’re more than welcome throw around some Confetti.