Zek | Gear Diary

Gaypon: Daily Deals and Giving Back to the Community!

This is such a cool idea, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more “daily deals” type sites trying the Gaypon concept. Basically, they are a regular deals site, but a portion of the proceeds go to gay and lesbian charities, plus the companies featured in the deals are specifically vetted as being gay-friendly. It’s a great bit of niche marketing, and supports some very worthwhile organizations. Here’s a bit more background on Gaypon: Gaypon offers deals, discounts, coupons & special offers from gay friendly businesses that support the LGBT. We make arraignments with businesses that agree to extend special savings to…

eBooks

Time Traveling with Macworld!

Here at Gear Diary, we try to keep you up to date on the latest news. We’ve managed to get our hands on the December issue of Macworld! What’s coming up this Fall/Winter for Apple? Read on to find out! First up, new OS! Yes, OS X 10.1 is finally here, and it promises to bring even the most faithful Classic users into the new OS X fold. Plus Microsoft Office V.X is being released, so productivity will skyrocket with your new 700mhz iMac! But Apple needs to keep their eyes on the competition, since Microsoft now has their big…

News & Features

Chatbots Prove Robots Want intro to Philosophy, Not War

Engadget caught this bizarre and amazing video from some Cornell researchers, who pitted a Chatbot in a conversation with itself. Apparently, all Chatbot wants is to study philosophy! Don’t believe me? Watch the video below, and then check out my commentary showing how the Chatbot(s) just want to talk Plato. Let’s see…the Chatbot(s) start with social contract theory. They exchange pleasantries and indicate an attempt to set rules of engagement so no one gets stabbed in their sleep (do Chatbot(s) sleep?). Then they move on to personal identity theory; what are they? What is a robot? If one Chatbot is…

News & Features

New Sony Reader Leaks — How Badly Do They WANT to Fail???

Big news if you’re a Sony fan! A Dutch site has leaked pictures and specifications of the new Sony Readers. (The same ones Sony has been denying were coming) They look…well, let’s check out the specs and then I’ll give my opinion. Translated from Google: Description The Sony PRS-T1 watching his brother looks on Mobile, the Xperia, with its curves and high quality chrome finish. Thin and light, so easy to take. The Sony PRS-T1 weighs only 168 grams. The screen is of the highest quality and provides optimal reading conditions. And while the battery will not suffer it. The Sony PRS-T1 read it one…

Editorials

When Is Facebook Worth More Than Your Job?

Facebook is great in many ways. You can communicate with friends, share pictures, and vent your feelings. But be careful what you say if your rant is about your employer! As more cases appear where people are fired for complaining about work on social media, there’s more precedent for what is and is not ok! Forbes has two scenarios, along with explanations of what has and has not been protected in past legal battles. Scenario one: Pop quiz, hotshot. You’re a manager at a BMW dealership. One day, someone drives one of your luxury cars into a pond. One of…

eBooks

The Easy Way to Find FREE Kindle Books

Amazon adds eBooks, drops prices, and offers up freebies so often it can be a huge headache to keep track of them all. There’s Amazon’s free bestsellers list, but that gets cluttered with classics as well as new titles. And sometimes authors or publishers will showcase a freebie, but that’s very hit and miss. Aside from combing the usual suspects, there’s a fast, easy, and convenient way to find free and cheap Kindle books: eReaderIQ! There are a few different ways this site tries to help you sift through the enormous virtual pile of Kindle books. One, it lists new…

News & Features

John Hodgman on Bookstores

There are almost no words to describe the hysterical segment of “The Daily Show” where John Hodgman explains his view of bookstores to Jon Stewart. It’s a must watch. As much as Hodgman is aiming for humor, he hits a few serious points as well. Now, humorous or not, he actually noted a few things that are ridiculous, yet true: 1) Borders actually piloted a program of downloading music at in-store kiosks. They worked out about as well as you’d expect. 2) We actually did host a night where authors wrote, but it was a poetry seminar. 3) Yes, bookstore…

News & Features

RIP Microsoft Reader

If you used a Pocket PC/Windows Mobile device, you probably were somewhat familiar with Microsoft Reader. It was Microsoft’s answer to the niche ebook market, though it was left behind as Mobipocket was purchased by Amazon, eReader by Fictionwise (and the combined entity by B&N) and of course the rise of dedicated ebook readers like the Kindle and NOOK. Still, it was one of the early ebook pioneers, and now Microsoft is putting it out of its misery. Before you wail and gnash your teeth, though, Microsoft is doing this in a very orderly fashion. They’re giving almost a full-year…

eBooks

MindTheBook: Crowdsourced Book Recommendations

Looking for a good book on a particular subject? There’s always trolling Amazon and checking out their suggestions, or browsing Borders Barnes and Noble, but now there’s a new way to add to your library: MindTheBook. Basically, you ask a question, like, “How to make money on the internet?” and other people suggest titles. Those titles can be voted as helpful or not, and below the book listing is a link to Amazon (and a link to the Kindle version where available). It’s a neat idea, though it needs a strong userbase and lots of participation to really succeed. I’d…

Editorials

Smile, Facebook Is Watching You!

Three requests I encountered this summer: Scenario 1: Parents make a big purchase, and need to specifically instruct their children not to talk about it on Facebook. Scenario 2: A baby is born, and the new parents ask that no one posts pictures of the baby before they do. Scenario 3: A very private couple gets married, and guests are instructed not to tag or add photos on Facebook. What’s the theme here? If you guessed Facebook, you win! In each of these scenarios, it had to be explicitly stated that being present at someone else’s event, or tangentially related…

Editorials

In Apple We Trust

As you may have heard, Apple has surpassed Exxon to be the most valuable company in the world. This is hot on the heels of Apple having more money than the Federal government before the debt ceiling was raised. This indicates two things; one, the country needs some financial overhaul, and two, Apple is an unstoppable business machine. Clearly what we need to do is combine Apple and our currency! Forget the dollar, start counting in iPods instead! Surprisingly, these line up quite nicely: $1 bill=white Apple earbuds $5 bill=iPod Shuffle $10 bill=iPod Nano $20 bill=iPod Touch $50 bill=Wifi iPad…

News & Features

Star Trek Theme Park Coming Soon!

My first vacation with Sarah we went to Las Vegas for a long weekend. Sarah was excited about the shows and the gambling, but all I cared about was going to the STAR TREK EXPERIENCE! My inner Trekkie was very excited, and it’s a credit to Sarah that she stuck with me after watching the extreme geek-out when I saw a guy in a Borg outfit. Sadly, the Star Trek Experience is no longer in Las Vegas, but don’t worry, the King of Jordan has us all covered. From MSNBC: It turns out that King Abdullah II of Jordan is a huge…

News & Features

Secrets of “The Real World” Cast Contracts

When I was in high school, I remember watching MTV’s “The Real World”, and wondering how long MTV had the cast under contract. Since they all seemed to appear with regularity on various MTV reality shows, I assumed it was because it was a requirement, and not because they truly loved being on MTV. As it turns out, the Village Voice managed to get an actual “Real World” contract, and the terms are, to say the least, eyebrow-raising. A few choice excerpts [note that the BOLD is from the Village Voice, and the italics are my interpretation]: Producers are under…

News & Features

RunBike, the Duckbilled Platypus of Workout Equipment

When I saw the RunBike on Runner’s World this morning, it took a good two minutes before I stopped laughing/choking on my coffee. I was speechless, but once I recovered from my initial “WHY!?!” response, some more serious questions came to mind. 1) How on earth do you run uphill while strapped into that thing? 2) How long is a RunBike, and how do you get into it? Do you drop in from the top? Limbo in? 3) Is it street-legal? And do you follow biking laws, where you act like a vehicle and obey traffic laws, or do you…

eBooks

Kids and eBook Readers — Perfect Together?

Not long after our nephew was born, Sarah and our sister-in-law had a conversation about how different life will be for the baby than it was for them. He’ll grow up in a world of computers and cell phones as completely normal, and not something that was a novelty or luxury until college. They also discussed how he would read on ebook readers, and might not have textbooks in printed form by the time he goes to college. Yes, I am clearly influencing my family with my eBook-loving ways. It’s not just idle chit-chat though. According to Boston.com, kid and…

News & Features

Brilliant Marketing…Rock N Roll Half Marathon Style

I’m going to be running the Dodge Rock N Roll Half Marathon at Virginia Beach organized by Competitor.com. Note, the number of sponsors and trademarked names in the title says it all, this is a big, marketing-heavy race. It’s the kind of race advertisers love; it’s a hardcore audience that’s not afraid to drop major money on clothes and shoes. Now, if you’ve ever run a big race, or done a long hike, or any endurance event, you’ll know there’s some very important personal business that should be attended to before you start. No one wants to see you…

Gear Bits

Is There Anything You Can’t Do in an Apple Store?!

Sure, there are always people hanging around checking their email and surfing the web at the Apple Store. And apparently, they’re fairly permissive about small dogs and other pets. But one comedian, Mark Malkoff, really wanted to see how far he could push Apple retail and videotaped some of his more entertaining attempts to push the envelope. These were really funny, but trust me when I tell you there are some sure-fire ways to get kicked out of an Apple Store, or any retail store, but they wouldn’t be as funny to videotape. But here’s a few easy ones: 1)…

eBooks, Editorials

Apple’s in-App Sales Policy — an Intimidation Tactic?

There was so much drama and upheaval in the eBook, magazine, and subscription services on iOS yesterday as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and others caved to Apple’s demands that they either get a 30% cut of in-app sales or all links to external purchasing systems be removed, that it is easy to assume that all this comes down to one word – GREED. But what if it comes down to one different word. What if instead of this being all about Apple and the word “greed”, what if it all comes down to Apple and the word “Amazon”? What if…

eBooks

Kindle App Removes Store Links from iOS

A picture is worth 1,000 words… Amazon has updated the Kindle app to reflect Apple’s new rules, namely that you cannot link to an external store in an iOS application. Will this impact buying habits? Only time will tell, but one thing is clear: we, as consumers, are losing. Spotify, Netflix, Rhapsody, NOOK, Kobo, Google Books and now the Kindle have all undergone dramatic changes that will require major adjustments to how we shop on an iOS device. Will this change how you shop for books? Will you be holding off on updating your Kindle app? Sound off in the…

Editorials

How Can Apple Improve iBooks without Ruining Other eBook Stores?

Something very fishy is going on at Apple. It looks like they’re taking in-app purchasing very seriously, and are enforcing what has been rumored for months: eBookstores can no longer link to their respective stores in Safari in any way, even for account sign-ups. Kobo was forced to change over, as did NOOKkids; Google Books has gone entirely MIA from iOS. Plus, the Wall Street Journal has removed all links and in-app sales options. If book sales are not through Apple, they can’t offer anything in-app. Obviously this has negative implications for consumers, annoys developers and content partners, and for…

Editorials

The Ballad of an Android Fan…

I’ve talked before about my Motorola Droid. We’ve had a love/hate relationship over the last 18 months or so, but all good things must come to an end. Ours has a specific end date, as I am up for a new phone on August 12th. Unfortunately, none of the Android offerings on Verizon have me terribly excited, and in fact, I’m questioning whether an Android phone is my next step. It started when I headed to Verizon Wireless’s site to check out their phone selection. The Thunderbolt, Charge, and Revolution are all 4G LTE, which is intriguing and a good…

Articles by Zek