Rainn is one of three judges in the inaugural Twitter-themed Nikon Festival, in which people submit 140-second videos in the hopes of winning a $100,000 prize. Here's Rainn's own video—not a contest entry, naturally—which he made using just an entry-level DSLR:

In your 140-second film, you scatter pancakes on the ground in the shape of an eye, taunt a rocking horse, and play yourself in ping-pong. Were you worried about making a film that's such transparent Oscar-bait?

I was, I was a little bit. You know, there's kind of a formula for winning an Oscar and I pretty much followed it to a tee. The only things I left out were someone dying of a debilitating illness and a lot of, like, tracking shots at an airport.

You're an actor, writer and Twitterer, so it seems like this festival is a pretty good fit—but what about this particular festival most appealed to you?

One thing I'm all for, in all seriousness, is, in this age of minutia, where anyone can post their domes on their websites or on YouTube, where digital cameras take high-def video, is to democratize the filmmaking art. Instead of filmmaking being this realm of people who went to top film schools and knew the right people, now it's open to everyone. All you need is a camera that you can buy at your local Best Buy, a good idea and some visual talent for storytelling, and you can win a real prize.

Hypothetical question: What would you say is a reasonable amount of money to slip a judge in, say, a digital short film festival, to ensure a win? Purely hypothetical, remember.

I can guarantee anyone a win for $99,000. You could walk away with $1,000. American. Just slip me 99 grand and it's yours.

You've achieved pretty amazing success in the past few years, with a breakout role on a hit sitcom, the leading role in a movie, and a bunch of memorable cameos. Were you upset when MTV chose iJustine over you to be the official Twitter correspondent of the 2009 Video Music Awards?

Upset is the understatement of the century. I was devastated. My world was rocked. I have more Twitter followers, I'm better known, and I have a MUCH better body.

Your spirituality-discussion website is called SoulPancake, and pancakes are also featured in your 140-second film. What can you tell us about your relationship with pancakes?

You know, I'm trying to get over a primal wound. When I was a child, I was raped by a pancake.

My followup question was if you had any favorite pancake recipes you want to share, but now it seems like kind of a sore topic.

Yeah, very sore. But I'd have to go with the walnut-cranberry.

That's a good one.

Pumpkin. Lemon.

So…

Caramel... Pancakes.

Your 140-second film is really well shot and fun to look at—did you direct it yourself?

I directed it in collaboration with a friend of mine, Joshua Homnick. We've collaborated on a bunch of things; we're actually working on a new media project for Microsoft Zune and Xbox. [Joshua is] a great filmmaker, photographer, and editor; I couldn't have done it without him.

Are you interested in maybe directing an episode of The Office, like Steve Carell did?

Yeah. John Krasinski directs one in the spring and supposedly I'll be directing one pretty soon. So get ready for that. I'm gonna put Carell through his paces. I'm gonna be like, "Man, uh-uh, not good enough. Not funny enough. Try again, make me laugh. Cut! What are you thinking, Carell? Come on, magic man, show me what you got!"

Do you think Dwight would read Gizmodo? I ask because it sometimes seems like some of our commenters are channeling him.

Dwight would definitely be on Gizmodo, but he'd be the guy on the comment board who always writes "first." He'd always be in a race to write first. He'd be "The First Guy."

After seeing the joy that Dwight took in his Christmas present this year, a nutcracker he built himself, I'm curious: What would Dwight's favorite gadgets be? Are any of them from this century?

That's an excellent question. I think Dwight would enjoy updating industrial gadgets from the last century for the modern world. For instance, he might have, like, a deer sausage grinder, but solar powered.

Also, if you hate the gallery format as much as you hate your boss, smash on your mouse or trackpad here.

For the Annoying Culture Vulture Boss:
The Office - The Complete Collection BBC Edition: OK, you get your boss the American version of The Office and he gets the joke. He's a dolt, just like Michael Scott! Ha ha ha. But by giving your boss the British version of the seminal workplace sitcom and likening him to David Brent, you're sending a much more cutting message: while he may achieve some measure of success in his work and might occasionally amuse his employees, he is, deep down, a sad, contemptible man. $19 [Amazon]

For The Cutting Edge Technologist Boss:
Invitation to Google Wave: For the boss who demands that his employees stay on the web's cutting edge, nothing could be more frustrating than getting an invite to Google Wave. He'll love being privy to Google's exclusive, featured-packed new service, until he finds out after hours of frustrated clicking that he has no idea how to use it. Little does he know, no one does. $0 [Google]

For The Boss Who Thinks It's Your Job To Make His Coffee:
Nescafe Dolce Gusto: If your boss thinks personal coffee assistant is part of your job description, there's no better gift to give her than a Nescafe single-serving Dolce Gusto coffee machine. They will openly appreciate the thoughtful gesture, as well as the machine's undeniably appealing design, and you will quietly appreciate the fact that you have condemned them to drinking miserable Nescafe coffee for the next calendar year. $149 [Nescafe]

For The Materialistic Boss:
Contribute to Charity in His or Her Name: No one can outwardly express dissatisfaction with a donation to charity. So while your boss thanks you for the thoughtful donation in his name, you can take pleasure in knowing that under the surface he is seething with anger that he got a child in a developing country his or her first pair of shoes instead of receiving a new tie for his collection. Any amount [Charity Watch]

For The Boss Who Is Obsessed With Twitter:
Tweet Peek: DO NOT BUY. As much as you might despise your boss, and as fun as it might be to saddle him with a gadget that has the sole purpose of sending Tweets, we really can't justify suggesting spending your money on this ridiculous thing. [TwitterPeak]

For the Boss Who Can't Stand Being Late:
Fossil Palindrome Too Watch: On the surface, you're giving your boss the generous gift of a stylish new designer watch from well-known watchmaker Fossil. In reality, you're ensuring his infinite frustration as he is late yet again for his meeting with head office because he couldn't figure out whether he was supposed to be reading from the "tick" or the "x" on the left or the right dial. $150 [Fossil]

For the Boozehound Boss Who Can't Just Have One:
Pernod Absinthe Kit: One surefire way to get that slave driving boss off your back is to get a few drinks in him, and for that there is no better gift than a Pernod absinthe kit. By inviting the Green Fairy to the office you are sure to minimize productivity while maximizing potential boss embarrassment. $65 [Pernod]

For the Hipster Boss Who Loves Music and Fashion Equally:
Sonic Fabric Necktie: In a way, by giving your boss the Sonic Fabric Necktie, a playable tie recycled from old cassettes, you're giving them two gifts: that of music and that of fashion. But in another way you're giving them no gifts: playback is only possible via a modified tape player and the tie itself is bound to unravel after the first Windsor. $120 [Supermarket]

Ever slight a boss with a gift? Ever get slighted? Share your story in the comments

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.

Let's look at the best-case scenario: The A70z all-in-one. It's thoroughly unremarkable in specs, offering a 19-inch LCD (isn't that kind of small these days? Not that the iMac's insane 27-inch model should be the benchmark, but still...), up to a Core 2 Duo processor, and up to 500GB storage in a decent-looking if not particularly noteworthy package (pictured above). It also boasts of a fast startup and shutdown time and is only 2.4 inches thick (the new iMac is about an inch thick, for reference, though of course it costs several times more). The A70z will start at $500, which sounds pretty cheap, but the base model is likely to include a Celeron proc and a much lower-capacity HDD, for starters, so don't get too excited. The Acer Z5610, for example, costs $800 to start (not that far from an A70z with similar specs) in a much more slick package.

Winning second place (out of two) is the A58e tower. Clearly a $350 business-oriented tower desktop that boasts of "up to 320GB of data storage, up to 2GB of memory and a DVD burner" isn't exactly up our alley—but just as music critics must cover the latest Coldplay album, so must we bite the bullet and mention this snoozefest of a computer. Keep in mind that these prices aren't actually that low: Dell's base package Vostro desktop tower starts at only $300, with similar specs.

It's useless to brand computers like these objectively "good" or "bad." The A58e and A70z don't need to have catchy names, or up-to-the-minute specs, or eye-catching designs or even prices that are all that low. They will be bought, and they will be used. They will churn out Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoints and TPS reports, and they will suffice for those duties. They will provide no joy, unless you are a goofy salesman who sends adorable emails back and forth with your office's frumpy-yet-cute receptionist, and even then it will take about four years before anything happens between you two, so maybe you should just get another job because this one is clearly sucking the life out of you. Yet, they will be bought.

These computers will also match your office's Mr. Coffee. (Note: Speculation.)

At any rate, the 70z is available from the end of November, and the A58e is available now. Press release below. [Lenovo]

Lenovo Introduces its First ThinkCentre All-in-One Desktop PC for Business

Combines Style, High Performance and Extreme Affordability

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – November 2, 2009: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today reshaped its ThinkCentre business desktop line by introducing its first all-in-one (AIO) desktop PC – the ThinkCentre A70z. Built for the needs of small and medium businesses (SMB) all the way up to large corporations, the AIO delivers a compelling alternative to the traditional desktop PC, starting at just $499. Despite the budget-friendly price tag, the high performance all in one comes with Intel Core2Duo processors and delivers blazing fast boot up time as one of Lenovo's Enhanced Experience certified PCs for Windows 7. The ThinkCentre A70z saves 70 percent more space, takes less time to set up and service and consumes less power than traditional desktops1. At the same time, the AIO adds a new touch of style and sophistication for today's modern office.

Lenovo today also introduced the ThinkCentre A58e tower desktop, bringing SMBs an affordable and reliable computing solution.

"We've heard from a number of IT managers in a variety of industries, from education, to finance to healthcare, and they've all told us they need desktops that conserve space, save on energy consumption and are easy to maintain and service," said Dilip Bhatia, executive director, Worldwide Desktop Marketing, Lenovo. "The new ThinkCentre A70z exceeds these needs – not only is it compact, super energy efficient and quick to service, but it's also high performance and extremely affordable."

Click here for a video demonstration of the ThinkCentre A70z.

Reshaping of Desktop Market

According to IDC, the commercial all-in-one PC segment is projected to grow 16 percent year to year worldwide in 2010 with most of the desktop market consisting of small to medium business, small office/home office users and consumers.2 This trend fits into the growing SMB PC market, which is forecasted to grow to more than 99 million PCs in 20113.

ThinkCentre A70z Saves Space, Time and Money

The compact ThinkCentre A70z includes a 19 inch, 16:10 widescreen LCD monitor packed into a 2.4 inch4 black frame that complements just about any office environment. On a desk, the AIO takes up 70 percent less space than a traditional desktop and monitor5. It can also be mounted flush against an office wall, supported with a radial stand or rested against a leg stand similar to how a picture frame works. The AIO's single power cable6 helps eliminate unsightly cable clutter that plagues office desk space, and the built-in handle on the back of the monitor makes transporting easy.

Saving on space doesn't mean skimping on performance though. The AIO features:

* Choices of Intel Core™ 2 Duo through Celeron® Dual Core processors for demanding performance
* Direct X10 support for enhanced games and high-end 3-D applications
* A DVD burner, six USB ports, two audio speakers and optional Wifi
* An optional high resolution webcam and built-in Skype application for voice over Internet protocol web calling with friends and colleagues
* Support for up to 500GB of data storage for lots of photos, music and work files

With simple set up, boot up as quickly as 35 seconds and up to 28 percent faster shut down time7 and easy access to the hard drive for servicing, the AIO helps save time all around, and businesses know that "time equals money." The affordable AIO also comes equipped at no extra cost with Lenovo's suite of ThinkVantage Technologies (TVTs). These value-added tools help businesses save money by speeding productivity and reducing downtime. Additionally, Lenovo's Power Manager TVT helps organizations save energy by remotely deploying power schemes and global settings. The all in one comes Energy Star 5.0 rated for high energy efficiency, but for more savings, using the Power Manager helps save approximately $65 per year over previous Lenovo desktop and monitor solutions8. To help reduce overall packaging material, the A70z ships with reusable protective bag. By using one box instead of two, material savings are equal to approximately 250 paper cups and 139 plastic packaging bags9.

ThinkCentre A58e Extends Desktop Value

Based on Intel Core™2 Duo or Celeron® processors, the ThinkCentre A58e tower equips users to get the most out of their workday with an assortment of features including support for Microsoft Windows 7, up to 320GB of data storage, up to 2GB of memory and a DVD burner. Implementing Lenovo's Power Manager, businesses can reduce electricity costs on their ThinkCentre A58e by up to 69 percent per year10. The ThinkCentre A58e combines the essential computing technologies for just about any day-to-day business task at an extremely affordable price.

Services Tailored to the SMB

Lenovo offers a variety of enhanced warranty options as well as its ThinkPlus Priority Support service plan on both new PCs. Priority Support features 24x7 priority call routing to advanced technical support as well as a host of administrative tools. ThinkPlus Priority Support frees up IT staff to address critical business needs while helping to reduce or eliminate the need for around the clock in-house IT support, which can translate into significant cost savings.

In addition both PCs give customers the option to download a free trial of Lenovo Online Backup, a secure, encrypted offsite storage solution for critical data and files. Lenovo Online Backup lets users automatically back up their files and then restore them anytime, from anywhere in the world, via an Internet connection. The free trial includes 5GB of storage for 90 days.

Pricing and Availability

The ThinkCentre A70z all-in-one will be available at the end of November with models starting at approximately $499. The ThinkCentre A58e desktop is available currently with models starting at approximately $349. Both desktops will be available through Lenovo business partners.

Yes, read that screenshot from my queue above and weep. In a month, there will be no more 30 Rock episodes (no more Heroes either), and the only Office eps will be early ones. Why the upheaval? You already guessed our most likely guess: Hulu.

As soon as the new seasons kick in, Hulu will be the place NBC will want people to go to catch up—remember, it's ad supported so traffic matters. And what better way to drive people there than to make the best content exclusive? It's just a case of the Sheinhardt Wig Company looking out for the Sheinhardt Wig Company.

Another network, CBS, appears to be yanking some CSI content even sooner, but NCIS looks stable. (I could do this all day, so give me a hand: Go ahead and check your own queues for verification, and report the status of your favorite Netflix VOD series down in comments.)

Sucks for you, Netflix, and for those of us who somehow had the impression that any content on Netflix VOD would be there forever. Now, Hulu, about those VOD widgets for TVs, Blu-ray players and game consoles...

They're putting their shows out online in a million different ways (you can even download 30 Rock, The Office, Conan and Leno direct to your desktop now) and more than happy to pipe 'em to you, as long as it's in a controlled sandbox of some sort. NBC Direct requires a walled-garden player install with loads of DRM, and they wanted copyright controls from Apple and Microsoft to give just two examples, not to mention Hulu. It's sorta surprising that the QuickTime feed for iPhone is unprotected, but theoretically it's restricted to two devices. You know, if they'd just relax a bit, overall, they'd be in a good place online. [Silicon Alley Insider, Thanks Peter!]

Also part of the announced deal are several free, ad-supported on-demand shows, such as "Friday Night Lights," along with content from Bravo, SCI FI, USA, Telemundo and mun2 on five new ad-supported channels available to MobiTV subscribers. But who cares about that when you can get this kind of awesomeness?

While over-the-air on demand has great potential, the 24-hour rental period is a deal-killer, unfortunately. $1.99 makes a great impulse buy if you're stuck on a train or in a doctor's office and missed Sylar impaling ******** on the ceiling the night before, but not if the content magically disappears a day later, especially when you can buy it from iTunes for your iPod to keep for the same price. Or for no price from BitTorrent. – Matt Buchanan

Press Release [MobiTV]

We'd have preferred the "real" version (the one with David Brent), if you know what we mean, great job nonetheless. – Jason Chen

Mii Office [Flickr]

"The Office" Signed iPod Nano [Via iLounge]

Thanks Ray!

–Brian Lam

Gaydar [The Office]

Part 2 [Google Video]