Which Muppet Would Survive in the Arena?
It seems like everyone in my social circle, from Gear Diary to Facebook to coworkers, are anxiously awaiting The Hunger Games. Know who else is excited for them? Surprisingly, The Muppets!
News & Features
Google + Is Now Almost HALF as Popular as MySpace (Yes, It Still Exists)
Quick – if you want to just blast out how awesome the new Mary Halvorson CD is, where do you go? Most likely to Twitter. And if you want to see what sorts of pictures have emerged from the weekend event your kids attended? Head to Facebook. Once on Twitter you will likely check out a few feeds, click around for a minute or two before exiting. On Facebook, your engagement will turn from seconds to minutes to hours as you check out friends and photos and chat with folks and so on. For many teens and young adults, Facebook…
Alfred Music Releases ‘The Rock Guitar Songbook, Volumes 1 and 2’
One of the first things most kids looking to pick up the guitar do is imitate the lines from a popular rock or pop song. Rock music is rife with simple hooks that are guitar-centric and easy to play (Smoke on the Water, Baba O’Reilly, and so on). But beyond a single line is a fully composed song – and after learning the line you will find you want more! Alfred Music has just released a two-volume set of classic rock songs from the 1950s through the 2000s! The first volume looks at the 50s-70s, and the second volume looks…
Apple Hits 25 Billion App Downloads, is the Most Admired Company
To say that Apple is on a roll seems a bit superfluous, as the company has spent much of the last dozen years as one of the most reported on and profitable companies in the world. And yet it seems like every time we turn around there is something new and amazing to discuss. First off, last week Fortune magazine reported that Apple was the most admired company in the world. This just after a number of reports tried to single out Apple as the singular cause of poor working conditions in China. Other reports noted that tech companies like…
Batman, the Joker, and Moral Philosophy: Perfect Together!
Much to my family’s chagrin, I majored in Philosophy in college. I chose philosophy because I loved everything about it, especially the thought experiments. Basically, we’d look at a situation or an example, and debate the underlying moral/metaphysical/ethical/political themes until we either came to a conclusion or talked ourselves in circles. Philosophy taught me the importance of standing behind my beliefs, of expressing myself in a clear fashion, and of making sure any argument I laid out could be defended (often in front of the rest of my class, and while my professor tore into me until I gave in or…
Newly Discovered Wes Montgomery Tracks Hit Retail Next Week!
One of the most important figures in jazz and greatest guitarists in any genre was Wes Montgomery. He died in 1968 at age 45 of a heart attack and cut short an amazing career. Despite getting started in the late 1940’s with th eLionel Hampton orchestra, he left the band and returned home to Indianapolis to start a family, and recorded only once between 1950 and 1957, making his first recordings as a leader in 1959 … or so it was thought! Next week we get a look at never before released recordings that Montgomery made in 1957 and 1958…
Stack the Odds in Your Favor with Hunger Games Skins!
I admit it-I devoured the “Hunger Games” trilogy in less than three days while on vacation! The story combined everything I love about a good series; there was political intrigue, a strong female heroine, and lots of action and gore! While I’m not rushing out and buying tickets for the midnight showing, I do stop and watch the trailer whenever I see it on TV. But if you really love The Hunger Games, there’s only one way to show it: with a device skin from SkinIt! This way when you whip out your iPhone, iPad or another device, you can…
THIS is Why Ben Jerry’s ‘Taste the Lin-Sanity’ Apology is Correct
Recently the Ben & Jerrys Ice Cream shop in Harvard Square created a flavor called “Taste the Lin-sanity” … and ended up quickly pulling the product and apologizing. This follows the two separate same-night incidents from ESPN where in writing and on television hosts used the phrase ‘chink in the armor’.
Bamboosa’s Lap Log for iPad and Tablets review
Enjoying our electronic devices can, at times, be at odds with our desire to be more environmentally friendly in our daily actions. While we here at Gear Diary like our energy-consuming, heavy-metal-containing gadgets, we also appreciate having the opportunity to select gadgets and gadget accessories that are more sustainable in their approach. That’s where the Lap Log by Bamboosa comes into the picture. The Lap Log is, in its simplest description, a stand for tablets that can be used in multiple locations and positions. You can use it on a desk or other flat surfaces, but, thanks to its use of a…
The AV Club Tackles TV, Digital Availability, and Piracy!
Earlier today I was driving home from work and chatting with a friend of mine about “The Vampire Diaries”. I convinced her to start watching the first season via Netflix, and now she’s blown through seasons one and two and is totally hooked. Unfortunately, she’s coming into season 3 partway, and so Hulu and CWTV aren’t offering the early episodes. She’ll have to wait until the DVDs are released, likely at the end of this summer. We commiserated about how annoying it is that she can’t track down season 3 yet, and moved on…but I’ve been on both sides of…
Samsung Galaxy S II Now Available On US Cellular
I had mentioned recently that U.S. Cellular was bringing the Samsung Galaxy S II to their network ‘soon’ … which turns out to be NOW! Here are some details: The Galaxy S II is ideal for the multi-tasker who also wants easy access to entertainment wherever they go. You can quickly update your calendar and browse the web to read the latest news, check the weather or get driving directions. The multimedia functions allow you and your family to keep up with your favorite TV shows and keep the kids entertained while you’re traveling with HD Games. With its superior…
RIP Davy Jones, Lead Singer of The Monkees
For a fake band, The Monkees were a huge success. Formed in 1965 as a TV-friendly pop group with the intent to release singles and offer a weekly comedy show, Brit Davy Jones joined Americans Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork and Mickey Dolenz as the fabricated pop group. The requirements were more about look, basic singing skills and personality – in fact none of the group played drums, which became an issue when they needed to perform live! But the face of the Monkees during their 58-episode, 2-season TV run was Davy Jones – to the point that he ended up…
Write Android Apps? Write a Samsung Galaxy Note S App and You Could Win $100K!
Are you a savvy Android programmer? Would you like a chance to win some slick prizes? Samsung is offering a huge contest to encourage developers to write applications for its new Galaxy Note S phone using its Galaxy S Pen SDK. Samsung invites software developers to create S Pen-integrated apps for Galaxy Note using the S Pen SDK. Winners will receive $205,000 in cash and prizes as well as promotional exposure and recognition in Samsung digital social media. Prizes will be awarded for the best overall apps and for category honorable mention awards in games, media, sports, social,…
Jane’s Addiction Releases a 3D Concert Video of ‘Been Caught Stealing’
Jane’s Addiction had a major hit more than 20 years ago with the song ‘Been Caught Stealing’ which still resonates with kids today. It is edgy, fun and infectious both rhythmically and harmonically. It had an awesomely cheesy music video that helped as well! Last summer the band asked fans to participate in a promotion with LG to film their show using the Thrill 4G 3D camera. Today we get one of the results, a fan film of the classic ‘Been Caught Stealing’. It is a solid rendition, but I always prefer the original music video … enjoy!
It Booms. It’s a Box. It’s Waterproof. It’s The Fully Submersable Eco Terra BoomBox
Grace Digital Audio’s Eco Terra Boombox lets you submerges yourself in music while also letting you submerge it in water. That’s right, it is 100% waterproof. The Eco Terra Boombox is shock resistant and waterproof and it even floats. IPX7 waterproof tested, the $149.99 Eco Terra Boombox is the perfect portable music solution for your iPod, iPhone, Blackberry, Android, mp3 player or any smartphone with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The internal waterproof casing houses your music player or smartphone, as well as some extra cash, credit cards, car key or driver’s license. The outside poly-carbonate shell with rubberized impact bumpers,…
Penguin Books Rips the Carpet out from eBook Library Patrons
It’s no secret that publishers hate library ebooks. Essentially they are everything publishers hate about ebooks in one place; the cost is zero (once you have an ebook reader), and libraries don’t have to replace them due to wear and tear. According to The Verge, Penguin previously pulled all their support for Overdrive-powered library lending, and it looks like any books they are making available have an extra requirement-you must download them to a computer, then sideload them to a Kindle (or NOOK, or Kobo, etc.) It doesn’t sound too terrible until you read this email from a Gear Diary…
Intel Gives Developers the Tools to Make Speedy Android Apps
Raw power is irrelevant if the apps running on the device don’t use it efficiently. Intel knows that and is making sure app developers have the tool to not only create great apps but to create great apps that are also highly efficient.
Tales from the Apple Store
(image courtesy Macrumors) The other day Judie and I were in Manhattan for the Dell/Intel create work inspired event and we decided that we needed to make a pilgrimage to the Apple Store at Grand Central Station. If you have not been there you should make a point of stopping in the next time you are in Manhattan. The place is amazing. To have such grand open spaces as the terminal and then to have the Apple store fill in the different rooms on the balcony is nothing short of impressive. Traditional grandeur filled with the most innovative new technology –…
Anti-Smoking Efforts Face Challenges in the Ongoing Down Economy
One of the most popular ways for governments to raise money is through so-called ‘usage taxes’. These fees are levied only on those who do a certain thing or use a certain product, such as gas taxes, liquor taxes, or cigarette taxes. The idea behind those taxes is that there are costs associated with those activities that the state bears, so by collecting the tax those costs are covered. It is similar to the theory that tolls are collected on roads to sustain creation and repair of those and other roads. Most people who live by a budget would understand…
Stochastik Gives Us the Probability-Based Drum Pattern Machine for iPad
The term ‘stochastic’ means ‘non-deterministic’, or a process influenced by a random factor or variable. The new Stochastik drum pattern machine takes a weighted random factor approach to pattern generation for the iPad. You are actually setting a probability at each step in the sequence that a sound will trigger. The result is amazingly varied patterns – and you can export the results to GarageBand or other apps. The one thing missing in version 1.0 is MIDI, but that is coming soon according to developers. Here are some details: 15 Samples at a time, arranged in 3 banks of 5…
Nokia’s New Offerings “They Are THAT Good”
I spent some time with Nokia’s North American Director of Communications this afternoon, checking out their latest phones.