News & Features

Sites That Make Pr0n ‘Safe for Work’ or Accessible for the Blind

One of the worst kept secrets of the internet age is that with all of the money flying around, plenty is being spent on online pornography. Time did a deconstruction of the notion that porn ‘has larger revenues than Microsoft, Google, Amazon, eBay, Yahoo, Apple and Netflix combined’, noting: While $2.8 billion is nothing to sneeze at, porn is hardly the golden goose many assume it to be. CNBC suggested in a recent report that the porn industry “stands at a precipice as it heads into 2012,” with “revenue from films … shrinking, due to piracy and an abundance of…


Titanium Fishing Gear from Fortitude

Fishing record holder Dave Lamoureux has launched Fortitude Fishing Gear. The line is the first to be entirely constructed from titanium to help guarantee longevity and reduce failures. The line, which ranges in cost from $28 to $490 included reels, poles, guides, gaffs, harpoons and more. Dave opted to use titanium because it is stronger, lighter than traditional materials. on addition, it won’t rust or pit over time. Moreover, the poles in the new line are modular and let you snap on different butts and reel seats to better match the targeted fish during a specific outing. You can learn…


Ford’s Press Conference During the North American International Auto Show

As part of #FordNAIAS, we are at the Joe Lewis Arena in Detroit for the Ford Press Conference. The North American International Auto Show started yesterday in the Cobo Center. (We’ll be spending time there later today.) We’ll be sharing images from the Press Conference below and adding details throughout the day. Bill Ford began the Press Conference addressing the fact that Ford had a great year and, as we approach the 150th year of Henry Ford’s birthday they expect an even better year in 2013. “In 2012 we saw growth in nearly every aspect of our business.” And this…


The Leap Motion Controller Is a Tiny Gadget Poised to Change Computing

The Leap Motion Controller is small but powerful. It has yet to ship but, if it works as advertised, it will change computing forever. That’s not hyperbole. I mean, seriously, the Leap promises to let you scroll by simply waving your hands, use your finger as a gun while playing a first person shooter or draw by waving a pencil IN FRONT of the screen while never actually touching it… how cool is that? Sure, it looks and sounds a bit like Microsoft Kinect on speed, but that’s not a bad thing. Here’s how the company describes their invention. For…


Cygnett Cases Shows off Their Booth at CES 2013

We love Cygnett Cases at Gear Diary. They offer a tremendous number of unique styles in a variety of price ranges, and it’s always a treat to see their newest designs. While at CES 2013, we were lucky enough to swing by their booth and get a tour of the highlights on deck for 2013! Some of the graffiti-inspired cases were especially cool looking. I like a case with a pop of color, and having that sort of unusual artwork really makes the cases stand out! You can browse all of Cygnett’s various offerings on their website. Let us know…


A Night at the Henry Ford Museum #FordNAIAS

I’m here in Detroit with David Goodspeed (boy, does that man know his cars!), thanks to Ford, who brought us out to Motor City for the North American International Auto Show as part of #FordNAIAS. We spent this evening  at the Henry Ford Museum, and we were given the opportunity to simply wander the museum on our own. It was nothing short of amazing. As our friend Paul Strauss of The Awesomer put it, it felt as if we were in a sequel to the film Night at the Museum.  The Henry Ford Museum truly is an awesome place. If you…


TrackingPoint Presents the World’s First Precision Guided Rifle Technology

As many of you know, I am an avid hunter and outdoorsman. I hunt not only for the sport of it, but also because it is a way to feed my family. I hunt with a compound bow as well as a rifle, both with different goals. With my bow, the goal is to get the game as close as possible enabling a 20-30 yard shot. Conversely, I prefer to shoot at longer ranges with my rifle. Usually 200 yards and up, and to facilitate this I use a scope with a ballistic drop reticle. Basically, there are dots under…


Indie Project ‘Kentucky Route Zero’ Brings Magical Realism to Games

Indie developer Cardboard Computer has just released ACT I of their IGF-nominated  five-part game series. Entitled ‘Kentucky Route Zero,’ the work is being described as a ‘magical realist adventure game.’ The project was awarded finalist status at the Independent Games Festival, and looks to become a promising piece of modern art. As far as gameplay is concerned, players will be treated to classic point-and-click adventure-style puzzles. Imagine a fusion of ‘Monkey Island’ with elements similar to those found in “Like Water For Chocolate” or “Love In The Time Of Cholera.” As described by the studio themselves, the game will be…


Living in Question – Recipes and Remedies CD Review

Living in Question – Recipes & Remedies Do you have people you interact with who, when they suggest music you simply listen? I certainly do, and even better I have developed an instinct for discovering quickly when someone falls into that category. While reviewing ‘Levin-Torn-White’, I exchanged emails with producer Scott Schorr of Lazy Bones Records, and I really liked his musical instincts on the record and music in general. So when he approached me recently and said he had something ‘not quite what I normally listen to, but he thought I would enjoy it’ … I simply had to…


In 2012, Rock and Pop Continued to Dominate Digital Music Sales

The results of 2012 music sales are starting to trickle in, and Nielson Soundscan has a solid summary of the results. Here are some highlights: For 2012, sales of albums and track equivalents are down slightly at -1.8% vs. 2011. Digital Albums are up 14% and Digital Tracks are up 5%. CD sales declined 13%. If you look at the digital sales only as Statista did, you will see that Pop, Rock and Hip-Hop accounted for over 65% of sales, with Rock at nearly 25% and Pop at just over 22%. Add in country and you have accounted for nearly…


Lexus Brings Autonomous Driving to CES

Autonomous – or driverless – cars have been making headlines over the past couple of years as we saw Google demonstrate a self-driving Prius and then Audi race autonomously at Pikes Peak last year. At CES this week, Lexus is demonstrating a modified 2013 LS 600h hybrid sedan that features many technologies the automaker is testing and says may someday advance transportation to a driverless platform. “In our pursuit of developing more advanced automated technologies, we believe the driver must be fully engaged,” said Mark Templin, Toyota group vice president and general manger of the Lexus Division. “For Toyota and…


In News That Surprises No One, 2012 Was the Hottest Year Yet

By now most of the debate about global Climate Change has settled down not to IF there is climate change, but WHY. Of course there will always be tin-foil hate wearers, but the science is pretty clear as noted above. One side of the debate says that the rapid acceleration timed to match the industrial revolution and modernization movements of the last century and a half … and the other side calls it part of the natural cycle. The ‘natural cycle’ folks are largely represented by and funded by companies with a vested interest in not changing the industrial and…


spnKiX Rocket Skates… Rock

Skates go high-tech with the spnKiX Rocket Skates. We saw a woman wearing them on the show floor. They looked neat enough, but then she started moving! Yup, the spnKiX are motorized. More than that, the spnKiX come with a remote control. Now you have a new way to trip, fall and break your leg. Better still, it will cost you just $699 for the privilege. Learn more here.


Braven BRV-1 Speaker Encounters the Water Torture Test

We’ve reviewed the Braven 600 previously and, yesterday, we spent some hands-on time with the BRV-1. The speaker is rugged, water-resistant, and “built for the outdoors”. 10 hours of playtime thanks to the 1200mAh battery means you’ll get plant of time to listen to tunes on the 5W speakers. And because the BRV-1 is “protected from rainfall, water jets, and water splashing”. It is not, hover, intended to be submersed completely in water. We put the speaker to the test. There’s much more to learn about the $169.99 speaker and that can be accomplished here on the Braven site.


Binge Drinking Is Now a Bigger Problem for College Women

At this time each year high school juniors are starting to look at colleges and high school seniors are starting the brutal post-application waiting period. At this point many parents have started having talks with their kids about exercising personal responsibility in college when it comes to studying, drinking, driving and sex. One important talk is about the dangers of ‘binge drinking’, which is consuming quantities of alcohol more rapidly than normal with the express purpose of inebriation. It is defined as drinking “as four or more drinks for women, but five or more drinks for men within a three-hour…


Griffin’s Crayola Light Marker, Impresses at CES 2013

Take one iPad with front-facing camera, one specialty stylus designed to look like a Crayola crayon, and one kid. Mix them together with some special tech sauce and what do you get? The Crayola Light Marker from Griffin. Here’s a video look at the new offering from Griffin. The Crayola Light Marker from Griffin features: Digital marker and free downloadable app for iPad Light Marker uses invisible light to play games and create on your iPad screen without touching it Fun in the dark with free downloadable Light Marker App – 6 activities and and hours of fun. Light Marker…


Super Stickman Golf 2 Scheduled to be Released Early This Year

I fondly remember playing Super Stickman Golf on my HTC Thunderbolt after I got it for free thanks to the Amazon App Store’s daily free app promotions.  It was one of my favorite games on Android for a long time.  I downloaded it thinking it would be an interesting time waster; I never would have paid for the app and probably wouldn’t have even given much thought to it had it not been free that day.  Boy, am I glad I found it, though.  After playing a few of the levels, I realized what a deal I got.  Super Stickman…


Amazon Introduces “Amazon AutoRip”, Giving Customers Free MP3 Versions of Purchased CDs

If you buy a CD on Amazon but also want to play it on your iPod (which describes my kids), you insert the disc and rip the music to iTunes. That gives you the best of all worlds – and if you use iTunes Match you can then download the tracks on any of your iOS devices. But with fewer and fewer computers (dominated by the move to Ultrabooks and the Macbook Air) coming equipped with a CD drive, customers are increasingly making the move to an all-digital library … so if they use an iPod or other iOS device…


Stay Connected With ConnecteDevice’s COOKOO Watch

ConnecteDevice Ltd, an unpronounceable global tech company, has just announced the worldwide launch of its COOKOO™ connected watches. These designer devices combine standard analog movement with a connected digital display to keep people updated to the happenings on their iOS smartphones. Incoming and missed calls, Facebook notifications, calendar reminder, and more can be mapped to the watch and displayed digitally. Even better, the COOKOO line doesn’t require regular charging. So how does it work? Users must first download the COOKOO App™ (available on the App Store). People can then pick and choose which updates they want to receive on their…


Golla Bags Can Outfit Your Mobile Arsenal!

Company: Golla Bags Products on Display: Golla is at CES with everything from simple phone pouches to device-specific form fitting cases. They also have an extensive line of larger bags, as well as camera pouches and even headphones. What Caught Our Eye: I love Golla bags, and have used their pouches for cameras and other small devices over the years. They are tough, extremely well made, and come in all sorts of cool designs. They have some great cases for the iPhone and iPad (shocking, I know) but they also have expanded their device specific lines to include Samsung, and…


IK Multimedia Introduces the iRig HD Guitar Interface

It is hard to believe it has been more than two and a half years since Travis reviewed the original iRig here at Gear Diary. In that time iRig has become THE standard for interfacing your guitar with your iOS device regardless of the apps you were using. Well, now at CES IK Multimedia has taken the next step in iRig development, introducing the iRig HD that goes beyond simple Lightning Connector compatibility to deliver a true high-def experience. “iRig HD features superior digital audio quality, and offers a premium 24-bit A/D converter for a crystal clear digital signal that’s…