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America's next top president
Democrats Still Most Tech Savvy, Rent Digital Billboard to Text Message Sarah Palin at Rally
Need more evidence that Democrats are more grassroots tech savvy than their elephantine counterparts? At a Sarah Palin rally in LA on Saturday, the California Democratic party rented a digital billboard across the street which displayed questions for the veep candiate sent by text message. Granted, even if Palin did read them, she wouldn't be able to recall which ones she read specifically. But still, quite awesome—I hope both parties get creative with tech like this, it's a fantastic way to reach voters. [CA Dems via Online Video Watch via Textually] More »
YouTube
Three New Ways to Watch YouTube: Lights Out, Theater View and Super HD
Not just one, but three new ways to view YouTube today. The first two should be familiar to anyone who's used Hulu—lights out and theater mode. Lights out dims your whole screen except the video, while the latter also blows up the player and adds tacky/cool theater curtains on the side. Right now, they're only available for feature-length videos, but don't be surprised if they trickle down. The third, and definitely most exciting, is Super HD, which you should definitely check out, even though the selection is currently limited. [YouTube via Lifehacker, Mr Doob via core77]
Architecture
Michael Schumacher Tower to Take Over the World
Another day, another spectacular tower in Dubai: The Michael Schumacher World Champion Tower, a curvy building "inspired by the geometrical order of a snowflake and the aerodynamics of a Formula 1", will not only appear in Dubai but in six other cities around the world. According to the architects—who worked in Beijing's Water Cube—the design will allow for an easy construction process and an efficient use of energy, all while making the building change its look through the day. More »
Lighting
There have been other attempts at fusing a flashlight with a lamp, but 'Two Lamps' with its simple click-off rechargeable flashlight design offers up one of the most elegant solutions (similar to certain lantern camping flashlights, only probably wouldn't suck). The flashlight may not be powerful enough to burn paper, but it would be nice to avoid digging around in my cabinets and drawers when the lights go out. Unfortunately, it is only a concept at the moment. [LifeGoods via TrendsNow via DVICE]
Two Lamps One Flashlight
There have been other attempts at fusing a flashlight with a lamp, but 'Two Lamps' with its simple click-off rechargeable flashlight design offers up one of the most elegant solutions (similar to certain lantern camping flashlights, only probably wouldn't suck). The flashlight may not be powerful enough to burn paper, but it would be nice to avoid digging around in my cabinets and drawers when the lights go out. Unfortunately, it is only a concept at the moment. [LifeGoods via TrendsNow via DVICE]
Question of the Day
Whenever I give up the TV remote to someone else in the house, I am inevitably forced to suffer through The Bachelor or something that involves female friendship and bonding during difficult situations. It's torture—which is why the remote rarely leaves my side these days. Besides, I consider myself a fair remote ruler. I try to find stuff that we are both interested in watching. But what about you? Who controls the remote in your house?
More »
Question of the Day: Who Controls the Remote in Your House?
Whenever I give up the TV remote to someone else in the house, I am inevitably forced to suffer through The Bachelor or something that involves female friendship and bonding during difficult situations. It's torture—which is why the remote rarely leaves my side these days. Besides, I consider myself a fair remote ruler. I try to find stuff that we are both interested in watching. But what about you? Who controls the remote in your house?
More »
Depression 2.0
Yep, We're Screwed: National Debt Clock Runs Out of Numbers
It's official. We're hosed. The National Debt Clock near Times Square has just run out of spaces to add more zeroes to its running count of our national debt, thanks to the one-two punch of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout and the $100 billion used to prop up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac before that. If you haven't already read our guide to gadgets to get you through the Next Great Depression, how to make your current gadgets weather the storm or abandoned all hope, now's a good time to start. [WKYC]
iPhone Apps
MLB At Bat iPhone On Sale Because You Have to Re-Buy It Every Season
The MLB's must-buy At Bat iPhone app for baseball fanatics, which delivers live game info, video, more stats than you can swing a stick and other goodness, is currently on sale for $2.99, two bucks off of its usual $5 pricetag. But it's more of a bait-and-switch than a steal, because the app will expire at the end of the season, so you'll have to re-buy it at the start of the 2009 season. Not too surprising coming from the MLB, who's notoriously ticky about their content. At Bat is still a great app, but buyer definitley beware. [TUAW]
ick
World’s Deepest Fish Filmed For the First Time
This is a group of snailfish—the deepest living fish in existence—filmed alive for the first time in history in the name science and nausea. They live at depths of 4.6 miles (7,500 meters) or more, so scientists had to develop new camera technology capable of supporting a pressure of 8,000 tonnes per square metre—"the equivalent to that of 1600 elephants standing on the roof of a Mini car"—for a period of days. More »
Cellphones
Sonim XP3 "The World's Toughest Phone" Coming to the US
Sonim has gone to great lengths to convince European customers that its XP1 is the toughest phone on the market. They even went so far as to take the phone on tour and encourage spectators to try and beat it into submission. Now the company is planning on launching an updated version, the XP3, in the US complete with GSM, quad-band EDGE, GPS, Bluetooth, a 128x160 screen, a 3-megapixel camera and a flashlight mode (not to mention a seriously rugged design and a 3 year no-questions-asked guarantee). More »
Review
First Asus S101 Review (Verdict: What We Expected)
We don't know what kind of deal with the devil Mobile Computer made, but while most of us are excitedly posting the first real pictures of the Asus S101 netbook, MC is running their full review. After reading through the four page account of the experience, we can sum it up in these quick points: More »
Best Buy
Best Buy Thinks Girlier Stores Will Make Womenfolk Buy More Gadgets
Best Buy is remodeling some of its newer stores to make them "girlier," using input from female customers to redesign locations with flourishes like skylights and earth tones, hoping it'll bring in more of the ladies—presumably to buy more easy-to-use, pink gadgets. I'm all for nicer stores that are less like industrial warehouses packed with loads of crap and indifferent employees, but uh, do women actually buy into this sexist crap? Update: More dumb details here, like renaming "home theater" the "family room." [Blogging Stocks via Electronic House, Consumerist Image via bdjsb] More »
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4:53 PM on Tue Oct 7 2008
Nintendo DSi
Nintendo Points Are Non-Transferable Between the Wii and the DSi
By rebranding "Wii Points" into "Nintendo Points" you would think that a system would be in place to share points between the Wii and the upcoming DSi. But that is where you would be wrong. Simply put, the points are locked to a single system—they cannot be transferred. That is a real bummer—especially because I have a few hundred points that have been collecting dust on my Wii for months now. [Siliconera via Wiifanboy]
Blu-Ray
Blu-ray Report Card Calls Out Cheap and Lazy Movie Studios
The casual consumer has little idea what they're getting with a Blu-ray movie. Sometimes it's great, with restored picture and lots of brand new special features. Other times, it's just the same scratched up print and SD extras crapped out from DVD to Blu-ray. So Sound & Vision decided to name names and called out studios who have been half-assing Blu-ray releases to make a buck in the Blu-ray Report Card. More »
Review
HP Mediasmart Connect HD Video Streamer Lightning Review
The Gadget: HP's Mediasmart Connect, a networked receiver that plays back H.264, DivX, XviD, MPEG-2, WMV video, photos, and even connects to your Media Center to act like an extender. It's also expandable space-wise with HP's Pocket Media Drives, and supports 10/100 Ethernet and 802.11a/b/g/n. It comes in a glossy piano black finish which attracts dust and fingerprints as easily as an actual piano.
More »
Racing wheels
Fanatec RennSport Wheel Stand Hangs On Tight While You Drive Like a Maniac
Racing wheels have come a long way, featuring excellent accuracy and realistic force feedback. But they're still quite awkward, requiring a properly positioned table or precarious lap placement. The RennSport Wheel Stand by Fanatec solves these positioning problems, holding the wheel, pedals and even stick shift in the perfect, adjustable spot for each player. More »
Lego
The Zombie Apocalypse Is Less Terrifying in LEGO
The question is not IF there will be a zombie apocalypse, but whether or not said end of the world will occur before or after singularity and the robot uprising. Here, in the maudlin sculpture Zombie Apocafest 2008, we see the battle depicted in the only artistic medium that will survive when Man is literally blinded by his own arrogance, LEGO. This diorama was built by participants of the recent BrickCon 2008. May it serve as a warning to us all. [flickr via Brothers Brick]
