Gizmodo: Question of the Day

Question of the Day: How Much Was Your Electricity Bill Last Month?

Sean Fallon — Thu, 08 May 2008 19:30:00 EDT

A lot of factors come in to play when it comes to how much people spend on electricity each month, but given the movement towards towards eco-friendliness and the poor state of the economy, it seems like an interesting question. Plus, most of us are probably running a fair amount of gadgets around the house which can bring those bills up in a hurry. Electricity usage can fluctuate wildly throughout the year, so to keep things simple I have narrowed the question down to a single month. So, how much did you spend on electricity in April?

Question of the Day: Which Company Has The Worst Computer Tech Support?

Sean Fallon — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT

If you have ever dealt with tech support for a computer issue, chances are you have a story or two that recounts a very frustrating experience. With much of the tech support industry working overseas and the seemingly infinite amount of things that could go wrong, it really should come as no surprise when things don't run smoothly. That having been said, which of the following computer companies has the worst tech support? Feel free to recount your experiences in the comments—and check out who Consumer Reports ranked as #1 this year.

If you are looking to see how the experts ranked tech support, Consumer Reports has just released their list of the top performers based on reader's experience with 10,000 computer fixes. [Consumer Reports]

Question of the Day: Will Robotic Pets Ever Replace The Real Thing?

Sean Fallon — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT

We have seen creepy robotic cats, dogs and even parrots. It may seem ridiculous to think that these types of toys will ever make the jump from novelty to full-fledged replacements for our beloved pets, but lets face it—you're lazy. Think about a future without walking dogs, scooping poop or the emotional pain that comes with owning a cat that doesn't care whether you live or die. One day it may truly become possible to own the perfect robotic pet. So, the question is do you think these robo-pets will ever replace your fuzzy best friends?

Is Iron Man the Best Superhero Movie Ever?

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 02 May 2008 21:00:00 EDT

Many of you have probably seen Iron Man already. Jason saw it on Wednesday and thought it was the best superhero movie this side of Batman Begins (but we all know Jason is a Bruce Wayne fanboy.) Brian agreed in his review. But we want your opinion: has Iron Man survived the jump from trailer to full-lenght movie, keeping its predicted status of best superhero movie ever? Your answers after the jump.

Question of the Day: Leave Your Computer On Or Turn It Off?

Sean Fallon — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EDT

Eco-friendly is the a word thrown around a lot these days, and an ever-increasing number of people are going out of their way to conserve power. Combine that with a desire to increase the longevity of our hardware and you have the basis for a question that has been floating around forever: do you leave your computer on or turn it off when not in use?

Most consumer drives aren't rated for 24/7 use, and even if your drives are set to sleep, you're going to wear out fan bearings and suck dust into the case. Then again, those torrents aren't going to download themselves.

Question of the Day: How Big is Your Monitor?

Sean Fallon — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:20:00 EDT

We already asked about the size of your TV, so it is only fitting that we do a follow-up focusing on computer monitors. The choices after the break offer a basic range that should accommodate owners of most laptops, LCDs and CRTs. Just pick the number that is closest to the measurement of your viewable area (rounding up if necessary). That having been said, if you own a CRT, keep in mind that the two types of monitors are measured differently. Make sure your figure does not include the screen frame. UPDATE: TV monitor option added.

Question of the Day: Hotel Porn Or Bring-It-Yourself Porn?

Jason Chen — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Today's Gizmodo writers' conversation inevitably turned, as it always does, toward pornography. Jesus brought up the very interesting observation that in this day and age, with iPods and portable media players and laptops and portable hard drives, what kind of person still orders hotel porn? It's expensive, slightly embarrassing ("Ma'am, I have never even heard of Dirt Pipe Milkshakes"), and unhygienic (think of who touched those remotes before you). So we pose the question to you, our faithful readers. Do you enjoy hotel porn, or do you bring a sack lunch?

Question of the Day: How Much Time Do You Spend on The Computer?

Sean Fallon — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:30:00 EDT

There is no doubt that many of us spend entirely too much time sitting in front of a computer each day. Naturally, this problem is even more acute for people who rely heavily on computers as part of their jobs. That having been said, the question is simple: how much time do you spend on a computer each day (on average)? Think of it as an Ironman competition for nerds.

Question of the Day: How Many iPods Have You Owned?

Sean Fallon — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:10:00 EDT

Yesterday's question involved how much digital music you currently own—if you took part you may have noticed that the distribution was fairly even, but there are plenty of people out there with seriously large collections. That got me thinking about where all this music is being stored—iPods in particular. As my own feeble collection has grown, and my desire for better hardware has increased, I have upgraded my iPod a grand total of 3 times. My guess is that figure is probably pretty average (or even low) when compared to a serious music fanatic. So, my question to you is: how many iPods have you owned?

Question of the Day: How Big is Your Digital Music Collection?

Sean Fallon — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:00:49 EDT

I get tired of music quick, and I'm not much of an archiver, so I don't need a lot of hard drive space or a high capacity MP3 player to store my music. However, there are plenty of folks out there that have taken to collecting digital music with the same voracity as people once did with CDs and vinyl. Fortunately, these days a music collection doesn't require you to add on to your home. So, the question is: how big is your digital music collection?

If OSX Was Available on Non-Proprietary Hardware, Would You Ditch Windows, Macs?

Sean Fallon — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EDT

This is a question that has been on my mind for years now, and with the whole Pystar fiasco making headlines recently, the subject has been on the brain once again. I have always wondered how much market share OSX would gain over Windows if Apple opened it up to non-proprietary hardware. It seems unlikely at this point, but if it did happen would you ditch Windows? And if you already own a Mac, would you choose to install OSX on different hardware?

Question of the Day: How Big is Your TV?

Sean Fallon — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:50:00 EDT

If you are among those fortunate enough to come home to a big, beautiful TV every night—don't take it for granted. The beginnings of our obsession with large televisions were, in a word, humble. If this were the '50s you would be walking to work naked in the snow only to unwind at night in front of a puny 16- or 17-inch TV (at best) with a crappy picture and only a few channels—and you would have loved it. The folks at Electronic House have put together a history of our obsession with big TVs, and that got me thinking—how big is your TV?

Did you place your vote? I hope you are doing better than our friend Michael Scott:

For a little tv history check out our Trinitron Timeline and the history of big tvs from Electronic House [Electronic House]

Question of the Day: Will You Spend Your Tax Refund On Gadgets?

Sean Fallon — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EDT

The economy is going down the toilet, so you get to stick your hand in Uncle Sam's pockets to "stimulate growth." America needs you to go out and spend, spend spend! So the question is will you heed the call? Will you be a patriotic consumer and rush out to buy a gadget you have your eyes on, will you piddle it away on a non-gadget related item, or will you save it like a wuss?

Should Congress Ban Cellphone Calls on US Flights?

Sean Fallon — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:30:00 EDT

Europe may be ok with passengers making in-flight calls on their cellphones, but at least a few members of Congress have the foresight to see how this situation could become problematic in the US. A new bill has been introduced that promises to ban cellphone calls on US flights, but not text messaging and web surfing. The bill has yet to be passed, but the question is: Do you support a ban?

[PC Mag]

Question of the Day: Do You Prefer AMD or Intel CPUs?

Sean Fallon — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 19:50:07 EDT

The age-old battle between Intel and AMD is resurrected every year as the two duke it out for control of your computer. Back in the day, when I was broke and into building PCs, I often opted for AMD because of budget restrictions. After I graduated, performance was the objective which, at the time, meant a switch to Intel was in order. I took a case by case approach to the debate between Intel and AMD, but many PC builders out there have fierce loyalties to one side or the other despite their ups and downs. So the question is: Do you prefer AMD or Intel processors?

Question of the Day: Does Typing Make Your Handwriting Worse?

Sean Fallon — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 20:20:00 EDT

Thanks to a first grade teacher who had a boot camp approach to handwriting, my cursive remains elegant despite the fact that I haven't written as much as a letter in at least 5 years. However, it has come to my attention that in an age of email, text messages and electronic documents, handwriting skill can deteriorate when unused. So, the question is: has typing made your handwriting worse?

What Kind of Geek are You?

Addy Dugdale — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:00:00 EDT

Wired has done a handy cut-out-and-keep guide to spotting geeks. Third from the right is gadget geek, who apparently "writes ferocious comments on Giz" (FIRST! and Will It Blend? are not examples of ferocious comments, before you ask.) James Chiang's fabulous photo just begs the question, however: What kind of geek are you?

I'm Mr T, you pantyhose suckas! [Wired]

Question of the Day: How Lazy are You With Mail-In Gadget Rebates?

Sean Fallon — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 18:30:00 EDT

Rebate sales are everywhere when it comes to consumer electronics. Some of them are shady for sure, but even for the legit ones, you still have to go though a bunch of bs to get your money back. For that reason, I would be willing to bet many of the consumers out there forfeit the savings because they were too lazy or forgetful to fill out forms and cut out UPC codes. So the question is, how lazy/forgetful are you with mail-in gadget rebates?

Question of the Day: How Many Remotes Do You Have?

Sean Fallon — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 18:20:00 EDT

There is no question that having a bunch of separate remotes is downright annoying, but it seems to be the norm in most households. In fact, I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of Americans have at least 2 or 3 remotes lying on their coffee table at this very moment. But let's open this question up a bit and expand it to the entire house. Not including game controllers, how many remotes to you have in your home?

Do You Have a Home Theater System? Was It Professionally Installed?

Sean Fallon — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:40:00 EDT

After hearing about Kevin Rose cheaping out on a home theater system, I started wondering what percentage of average folk have a setup in their own home. Then I remembered research that suggested as many as 50% of home theater buyers don't set up their rear surround speakers. So the question here is two-fold: do you have a home theater system and if so, was it professionally installed?

Question of the Day: Is the Recession Killing Your Gadget Budget?

matt buchanan — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 19:30:00 EDT

The economy sucks. Even if the government is still afraid of the "r word," real people know we're living in recession land. That means cutting back: Wal-Mart is even launching quasi-permanent recession sales. Usually, the first stuff to go is whatever doesn't go in our mouth or keep us dry—like gadgets. So here's the Q: Is the recession making you buy fewer or cheaper gadgets? Are you going to hold off on the 3G iPhone or a new DSLR until the economy (and your wallet) are looking a little more solid?

Do You Use Google Maps Mobile to Check Traffic Alongside Your GPS?

Brian Lam — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 19:16:56 EDT

That blurry GPS shot above is of the Dash Express with its IP-enabled mesh network of traffic monitoring. But most of you don't have such tech in your GPS, you've got something else without live traffic data. For those of you who have GPS devices without live traffic, do you use a phone with Google Maps Traffic to check live road conditions as you navigate with your car's GPS?

Question of the Day: Which Cellphone Style Do You Prefer?

Sean Fallon — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 20:50:00 EDT

With CTIA 2008 winding down, we have been inundated with phones of all shapes and sizes. Some cellphone styles are more popular than others, but each has its own distinct advantages and disadvantages. That having been said, which of the following cellphone styles do you prefer?

Question of the Day: How Much Do You Text Message?

Sean Fallon — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 18:00:00 EDT

With CTIA 2008 in full-swing and my cellphone chiming in constantly with text messages, I began to wonder about the phenomenon of text messaging as a whole. Sometimes it seems that it would make more sense to call or send an email, but that crap is for old people. There are definitely situations where sending someone a quick message is prefereable—especially if you can't stand talking to the person your are trying to contact. That having been said, how much do you text message?

Question of the Day: Do You Use a Bluetooth Headset?

Sean Fallon — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 19:45:00 EDT

With numerous states looking to regulate talking on your cellphone while driving, using a Bluetooth headset is one of your best alternatives. However, there are still plenty of tools out there who wander around with two free hands talking on these things at the top of their lungs (here is a tip for that by the way), as well as corded headset users and people who never use a headset of any kind. So, the question is: do you use a Bluetooth headset?

Question of the Day: Which Office Gadget Would You Love to Smash?

Sean Fallon — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT

The scene in Office Space where they take revenge on their printer really hit home for me because I used to have a paper jam piece of crap at an old job that I would have loved to smash. Chances are, you have a similar piece of equipment at your office that never works properly and is just begging to be put out of its misery. So, the question is: which of the following office gadgets would you love to destroy?

Question of the Day: Do Hourly Time Machine Backups Piss You Off?

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Lately I've been getting really annoyed at Time Machine. It's running over the network to a Time Capsule, so it's basically got free rein to backup whenever it damn well pleases, or specifically once per hour, at a time of its own choosing. The result is a sudden system and network slowdown when I'm in the middle of doing stuff. Yesterday, Time Machine caused me to perform a forced reboot—in the middle of a conference call.

During the day I work with images, videos and other largish files, many of which get deleted and need no local backup. I let this slide earlier, thinking Steve J's keep-it-simple strategy made sense. But now I yearn for a backup program that at least lets me set blackout times (say, my usual working hours) where I don't have to deal with manually shutting down an in-progress backup. Or worse, having to reboot everything because the slow-down didn't go away. Before I try this Lifehacker freeware Time Machine tip that Chen has graciously bestowed upon me, I have to ask, am I the only one who feels this way? Or...

Question of the Day: Is Blu-Ray a Placeholder Format?

Sean Fallon — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 18:30:00 EDT

According to Laurie Fincham, Chief Scientist at THX, Blu-ray doesn't have much of a future. In fact, she was quoted as saying that "I think it's too late for Blu-ray," in a recent interview with Home Cinema Choice Magazine. The reason? She thinks that consumers are waiting for HD movies to become available on flash memory. While it is true that mankind probably doesn't need another spinning format, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that Blu-ray is taking off. In fact, a recent study suggests that it may be in as many as 30 million homes by the end of 2008. So, the question is, do you think Blu-ray will last, or is it merely a placeholder for HD digital video distribution?

[Home Cinema Choice via DVD Town and DVD Town]

Question of the Day: Do You Use Expensive Cable or Generic Cable?

Sean Fallon — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:15:00 EDT

The debate between expensive cable and generic cable has raged on for ages now, with the manufacturers of high-end products receiving quite a bashing for their high prices. So, even with all of the negative press about expensive cable being a waste of money, we have to ask: Do you use expensive cable or generic cable?

Question of the Day: Do You Have the Balls for Betas?

Sean Fallon — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 17:33:44 EDT

Beta software is not for the timid. Warnings like "proceed with caution" and "use at your own risk" often accompany these releases—and many are content to wait for a stable version fearing that they might do damage to their current installations or configurations. So, the question is: do you like to jump on the beta bandwagon or do you like to wait it out?

Question of the Day: How's SP1 Working Out For You?

Wilson Rothman — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 14:40:02 EDT

After over a year of waiting, you finally got that packet o' bits known as Windows Vista SP1. We're gonna guess you downloaded it almost immediately—that's what we did. So, tell us how about it. Share your experiences, good or bad, below. But first...

$5 a Month For Legal P2P: Would It Lure Pirates From the Dark Side?

Sean Fallon — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:30:38 EDT

With CD sales dwindling fast, DRM dead, and major artists starting to give their music away—it is clear that record labels need to do something drastic to lure pirates away from illegal downloading. As Wired and ArsTechnica point out, one of the ideas on the table is to generate a file sharing surcharge that would be collected by ISPs—something like $5 a month for unlimited downloads with the proceeds being doled out to artists based on the number of times their music was traded during the month. Seems a little too good to be true, but it does raise the question: would $5 unlimited P2P be enough to convert you from a life of piracy?

[Wired via Ars Technica]

Is Getting a Caked a Good Omen for a Gadget?

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 16:30:07 EDT

This bookake looks as disgusting as the real Amazon Kindle. Not because it's a bad cake. I'm sure it tastes great and the details are accurate. The problem is that, unfortunately, the chef didn't have a lot to start with. Brian says that all this baking is good for Kindle. It's all about what he calls "The Cake Factor":

Brian Lam's Cake Factor: no one makes a gadget cake unless they love the gadget, so this is a good sign for Kindle

A "good sign"? I completely disagree with him, and I have definitive proof:

I rest my case.

What do you think?

[Geeksugar]

Question of the Day: Which of These Companies Makes the Best Gadgets?

Sean Fallon — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:30:14 EDT

We all have our favorite gadgets, and you may even be partial to the offerings from a particular company because they have a track record of delivering quality goods. Obviously there are a ton of choices out there, but for the sake of argument we have narrowed it down to the the kind of businesses that have their hand in everything. Of course we are talking about companies like Sony, LG, Samsung, Philips, Sharp, Panasonic, Mitsubishi and Sanyo.

Question of the Day: Which of These Upcoming Geek Movies Do You Want to See Most?

Sean Fallon — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 17:55:23 EDT

This is going to be a great year for geek movies with plenty of action, comic book characters and highly anticipated sequels rounding out the lineup. If you are anything like me, you will see all of them—but if you could only catch one, which would it be? Batman, Indiana Jones, Iron Man, Hulk, Hellboy, or Wall•e?

Analog to Digital TV Transition: Are We Insensitive To Regular Folks? A Reader Responds

Jason Chen — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 18:00:01 EDT

Our stance on the analog to digital TV transition is that most people who can afford it should get a new TV, throwing their 1980s Magnavox set out like so much old trash. But are we insensitive to older folks and the less fortunate? A reader weighs in.

I really hate the condescending way your writers try to BULLY older people into buying a new TV instead of getting these boxes. First, many can't afford them, so they shouldn't be insulted for being poor - forget the fact that they probably don't have the internet either. It may take them 3-4 years to save for the TV. Second, I use my laptop computer to watch TV all the time, using a Hauppauge tuner, because my 58" HDTV can't seem to bring in some channels like 15, where the Maury Show and Judge Maria Lopez are my morning fare. I want a digital to analog converter box to hook up to the analog only tuner so I can continue to watch computer TV, because it's cheaper than a laptop digital tuner and nothing is wrong with my tuner to warrant junking it. Plus, we have a 53" projection TV in the bedroom and I can't afford to buy several expensive HDTV's when we basically only watch the late news back there, so a box IS the smarter choice for that TV, too, until prices go down. So tell your writers to THINK before they go insulting and bullying, because there are many good reasons people might need a converter box even with cable, as I have. Multiple TV homes might not want to spend a fortune just because some idiot calls them "grannies" for being a smart consumer. Wendy

What are you going to do when the transition hits? Get a new TV, or get a converter for your old set?

How Dirty and Gross Is Your Tech Gear?

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:00:38 EST

I was working on my 24-inch iMac today when I noticed my cursor moving a little bit erratically. I didn't know what was wrong. The computer is almost new, I haven't installed anything recently, and the mouse itself looked ok, as you can see in the photo above. Then I turned it around to discover the true meaning of the words disgoostingly grossirrific:

Obviously, the reason my table is so clean is because the mouse has been absorbing all the crap around—hair, dust, sweat and more hair—to form these four disgusting patches interconnected with head hair. Check the gallery for high definition pictures showing all the crap in painful detail.

After cleaning it, the mouse worked perfectly again, so my guess is that some of the hairs were getting in the way of the laser and making the cursor jump. This got me wondering: can anyone else's mouse be as disgusting as this? What about the rest of their tech gear?

And then I remembered the dead fly inside the clear plastic Apple Cinema Display 22. And the dust and hair inside the original translucent iMacs. And the rotten beigeness and crap on the keyboard of my original Compaq LTE laptop or the stains and ash on Addy's old Fukitsu (sic) mini-notebook.

The question for you today is: is your keyboard full of hair of dubious origins? Bitten nails perhaps? Any unidentifiable insect inside your box? How dirty and gross is your tech gear?

Send us your vomit-inducing photos to tips@gizmodo.com. We will do a gallery with them and post it (with prior warning, so that anyone of a faint disposition can avoid it like the plague.)

Question of the Day: Which Star Trek Technology Would You Like to See Most?

Sean Fallon — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:10:34 EST

We have all seen the futuristic sci fi movies and TV shows with their fancy technology, and the question we all ask ourselves at one point or another is "when are we going to get some of that?" Unfortunately, the answer is "not very soon" when it comes to most of the choices listed below. So the question is: which future technology would you like to see most? Teleportation, time travel, laser weapons, gadgets that can miraculously cure illness, robots that will do your bidding, or robots you can have sex with (a guy can dream can't he?)

Question of the Day: Which is Better? Satellite, Cable, Download, or Antenna?

Sean Fallon — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 18:40:46 EST

When it comes to television programming, there is no one service that does everything right. The number of channels, HD programming, and price are just a few of the weapons companies use to compete for your entertainment dollar. And then there are always downloading options from BitTorrent and the like. So, the question is, which one is really the best and why? Hell, I'll even throw in "Antenna" despite the fact that it is about to be phased out.

Question of the Day: What Do You Need More? A Cellphone or a Computer?

Sean Fallon — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:50:33 EST

Gadget addiction. It sounds stupid, but names like "Crackberry" exist for a reason. Think of all the shiny gadgets you own and ask yourself "could I do without?" More specifically, which gadget do you need more—a computer or a cellphone?