Show #123

News

• OnLive Cloud Gaming Console
• Video Demo from GDC
• 1 milisecond lag
• VOD for gaming
• Future gaming
• Crysis Wars
• GRID
• Mirror's Edge
• Burnout Paradise
• Dell Having Troubles entering Phone Market
• Lackluster PC sales eating into its profit
• Phone OS really is the next-gen profit cow (see IPhone)
• It's more likely the hardware that is the profit cow
• Even Apple gives away the latest version of their OS to their users
• Right now it is because it lacks features other phones take for granted
• But they are setting the precident, and Android has promised even before iPhone to be the OS that is upgradable for free
• So getting the hardware that works, and maintains the functions and battery life you want will be the future of phones.
  
• Its really the hardwareOr has the boat been missed because
  
• PocketPC not glitzy enough, despite its utilitarian roots
• Will they buy Palm to get PRE?
• Twitter announces Pro account
  
• Facebook, Yahoo, Aim all jumping on Twitter craze
• Facebook was one of the first there
  
• Yahoo Updates is coming soon and will likely be integrated into Y!'s very popular e-mail service
  
• AOL Site Social
  
• Skype now #1 International Phone Provider
• International calls via Skype grew 41% in 2008
• That made Skype 8% of all of the International traffic combined last year
• IPhone Hits 17 million sales Landmark
  
• Sucker born each day
• Great device but it feeds the monopoly
• The devices do come locked to specific networks
• That is the work of the networks, not of Apple
• And lots of people have successfully unlocked their phones to use with other providers
• Article on why Carriers rule the market

Talk Points

• Alternatives to the Universal Remote
• The New Canon Digital Rebel 500D T1i
• 15.1MP up from 12 in XSi
• HD Video (no autofocus)
• 1080p @ 20fps (unusable)
• 720p @ 30fps
  
• 3.4fps burst shooting (170 JPEG buffer)
• Thanks to Canon for letting me play with it ($899 kit/$799 body)
  
• What would make the IPhone a perfect device? (This discussion at the top of the show during the iPhone segment)
  
• Slideout Qwerty keyboard
• Non-locked device
• No Data plan option

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Gamer's Corner (Conferences, New Developments, Game Reviews)

• Sony Charges Publishers for DLC Bandwidth
• Max Payne 3 in Winter 2009
• DRM Re-branded by Microsoft
  
• Steam counters with "Steamworks"

Intarweb Goldmine

• How many Hard Drives does it take to stop a .50 caliber round?

Show #122

News

• Apple Catches up to Industry with IPhone 3.0
• Cut and Paste
• Spotlight (Search)
• Support for MMS
• A2DP Stereo Bluetooth
• 1000+ new APIs (Turn-by-turn directions... etc)
• iPod Touch = $9.95 upgrade fee (bluetooth now available on the touch)
  
• Google Voice
• SMS Forwarding
• Google Contact Integration
• Unlimited Groups
• Still Free
• Integrated Calling Out
  
• Dell Unleashes Adamo
• MacBook Air Equiv
  
• IE8 the last IE version from Microsoft?
• WebKit instead?
• What is WebKit?
  
• Amazon doesn't want your Kindle to be more useful
• threatened the smackdown on a site offering instructions on how to trick the Kindle into reading other types of files.
  
• Russian guy figured it out, Amazon threatened DMCA, said he was circumventing processes
• kindlepid.py, allows e-books purchased legally from other stores to play nice with the Kindle
  
• Star Wars Live Action TV Series
• casting is already in motion
• Set between Revenge of the Sigh and A new Hope
• Focus on minor characters and help fill in the storyline
  
• Hopefully this is better than the cartoon movie that was released

Talk Points

• Try Before you Buy is here to stay, bittorrent could boost your sales
• Chris Zabriskie leaks all his albums to bittorrent before they get released
  
• Don't let the labels tell you otherwise
• Already in effect with different media
• Free CD's with full ebooks leads to Webscriptions.net

• Driving Tips with and without technology

Sponsor
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Gamer's Corner (Conferences, New Developments, Game Reviews)

• Pro WoW Player set to make half a million dollars
• $486,500
• $521,000+ is highest paid Starcraft player
  

Intarweb Goldmine

• $1500 Dollar Headphones, the opulence of audiophilia
• $11 Million Stimulus Funds Slated for Bridge on Microsoft Campus
• 36.5 Million dollar project
  
• Steve Wozniak doing the Cha-Cha (MY EYES!!!)

Show #121

News

• Tech Boom in Afghanistan
• Windows 7 IE Kill Switch
• MacBook Air Hinge Defect Not Covered By Warranty
  
• Control your IPod with Facial Expressions
• Twitter IPhone app Rejected because Twitter might have Naughty Words
• 10 Inch Touchscreens Order by Apple
• MetroPCS is offering $50 unlimited Blackberry plans
• Similar to services like

Steven's Twitter Feed

• The tiny new iPod Shuffle: It Now Talks
• Cool Things People Have Made with Twitter
• Using the cool Kill-A-Watt (of which we have one in the studio) Tweet-A-Watt
• Botanicalls $99 has a device that tells you when your plants need water
• Pay Washing Machines that Tell You Which Are Free
• Popcorn Robot That Takes Orders Via Twitter
  

Talk Points

• 20 Unforgettable Case Mods
  
• Is Twitter a "Poor Man's Email"

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Gamer's Corner (Conferences, New Developments, Game Reviews)

• Guitar Hero with a Real Guitar
• Yellow Dog Linux Distro, PS3, and Emulators

Intarweb Goldmine

• Chinese Establishing Military Space Station
• Don't tell the chinese that it's fatal to shoot a gun in space...
• US MOL project, 1967, surveillance purposes
• Chinese guy sitting at the porthole with a pair of bino's....

No Alchohol, just plenty of beef....

Show #120

News

• Thought Identification Through Technology (FMRI's) - User Submitted
• Not Mind Reading but "Thought Identification"
• FMRI's show where the activity is in the brain at a given time (think heat-map)
• Computers identify these heat maps with objects, hammer, nail, boat,house
• Shown to have very high accuracy when using simple objects
• Already research is brisk when it comes to complex thought structure
• Are your brain patterns like DNA or should they be treated more like your thoughts?

• Amazon Backs off Text-to-Speech with Kindle 2
• Oops, our bad. We know it's legal but we don't want any headaches
• Authors and Publisher's can now "opt-out" of the robotic service
• Should Accessibility experts now be up in arms because the new device is now less accessible?

• On-Demand Online (Cable companies wanting their pound of flesh online)
• Comcast is coming up with a service, similar to Hulu, that will deliver streaming content from their network to your computer
• Will be restricted to Comcast subscribers
• Trying to protect their business model where they are the content providers over the Internet and can still charge you requisite money, because they are still paying a "per-user" fee to the networks they host
• 34% adults watch at least 1 video a week on the Internet, up from 20%
• At least they are coming along and trying to adapt (not anti-agile like RIAA)
• TV.com Releases Streaming Player for Iphone, CBS shows included
  
• Showtime and CBS shows will be on the Iphone
• Works best in Wi-Fi mode but still serviceable in cell mode
  
• Spotty coverage currently (no CSI, etc)
• Direct Response to Hulu and also a shot across the Apple IStore's bow
• Can create favorites and subscriptions

• Nokia decides to put Skype on the N97 in the UK, the cell operators are furious
• Skype is VoIP software that allows users to make free calls to other users
  
• Carriers may refuse to stock the devices if Nokie does not remove Skype

Talk Points (pick one or two and we move the rest to next week)

• Is the Kindle 2 worth Buying?
• Not yet IMHO (Steven) $359, not open-source, controlled only by amazon, no color still a little slow with the page refresh
• The 3D Monitor Derek is Playing With
  
• HelloTxt
• Seesmic, Friendster and Laconi.ca!
• Friend Status
• Facebook Application
• Email Gateway
• TwitterFeed Application
• The All-New Skype
• 20 Unforgettable Case Mods
  

Sponsor
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This will give the customer free ground shipping in the continental U.S.

New Laptop

• Pre orders only - $50 Jinx Gift Certificate
• 17" display 1920 x 1200 resolution (just like your 26" displays!)
  
• Single or dual video card (CrossFire) configuration
  
• Single or dual hard drive options
  
• Backlit keyboard

• Excellent service - call anytime during daylight hours for order status and tech support
• Performance driven
• 10 years experience building high end servers
• 48 hour burn-in process
• OS comes pre-installed with WoW (not on recovery CD)
• Plenty of upgrade options yet simple enough to not be confusing during checkout

Gamer's Corner (Conferences, New Developments, Game Reviews)

• Tabula Rasa Ending with a Bang
• Failed MMOG going out with a bang
• Instead of closing down the servers with a whimper, giant invasion planned.
• Atomic weapons will be used...
• Quake Live Open Beta
  
• Play Quake III Arena online and in your web browser
• Be prepared to wait in queue currently (avg. 30 mins)
• ROCKET JUMP BABY!

Intarweb Goldmine

• WE HAVE ARRIVED!!!!
• Gamer targetted Gillette commercial and product "The Gamer Razor"
• Star Trek Cologne and Perfume
• Red Shirt Cologne - Because tomorrow may never come...
• (reference to the no-name landing party members who always managed to die, they always wore red shirts)

• No Armed Woman Gets Pilots License
• Congenital defect, Lady has no arms and functions normally
• Can play the piano with her feet, and even fly an airplane (you have to watch the video)