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Latest Gear Live Videos
Cell Phone Cams Can Make You a Star
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Smartphones, Corporate News, Editorial,
Budding filmmakers, keep on YouTubing. With hits sometimes getting into the millions, you could be discovered any time now. The proof of this pudding comes from the likes of Spike Lee, who is now working with Nokia to direct cell phone footage of the little people. The director stated, “Aspiring filmmakers no longer have to go to film school to make great work. With a simple mobile phone, almost anyone can now become a filmmaker.”
Yeah, we know that this is not your ordinary director with ordinary backing, but with a decent cellie cam and the world as your oyster, go out there and take your best shot.
Read More 
| Nokia Productions
Gallery: Cell Phone Cams Can Make You a Star
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Retailers Help You Spend Your Stimulus Check
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Editorial, Misc. Tech,
When you receive that humongous government stimulus check, there are plenty of places to help you spend it. Sears (and Kmart) are offering a gift card worth an additional 10% off the check amount. So is Wally World, Radio Shack, and the grocery chains Kroger and Albertson. Staples is also in on the fun. Watch out, though. Home Depot’s offer says that if you use the check to buy eco-friendly gadgets, it will offer a discount. That’s not really a bargain unless you have been waiting for decades to afford a solar panel. We could go on, but hey, you can play Let’s Make a Deal with tons of companies, so take your choice.
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: Retailers Help You Spend Your Stimulus Check
Explain this to us. Why did nobody pay attention to us in the 70’s when we tried to save the planet by recycling, planting organic veggies, learning from the Mother Earth News (when it was only available in paper,) and only having enough children to replace ourselves? Why does Wal-mart televise commercials saying we should each purchase energy-saving light bulbs and other gadgets when the company could easily afford to give each of us one? Why did it take Al Gore to make conservation viable and Ed Begley Jr. not a caricature? Why is this the first Earth Day that was made an issue of? Is it the Internet responsible? What do you think, Gear Livers?
Gallery: Why is Saving the Planet Suddenly In?
PETA Offers A Million for Lab-Grown Meat
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, Smart Home, Science,
We really thought it was a late April Fools joke when PETA announced that they were offering a million bucks to any scientist that can create lab-grown meat that tastes like the real thing. With a 2012 target date, the group insists that the maker must be able to produce it in enough quantity for 10 U.S. states and that it must cost no more than the price of chicken now. Considering that the price of any meat will undoubtedly go up in the next four years, that shouldn’t be a problem. We assume that the new product will be created out of animal stem cells, so we figure it can’t be any worse than Tofurky.
Read More | CNN
Gallery: PETA Offers A Million for Lab-Grown Meat
Folding U.S. Candidates
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Editorial, Internet, Misc. Tech,
While the two Democratic contenders battle it out in Pennsylvania today, we found proof positive that when it comes to silly Internet sites, politicos have too much time on their hands. Designer Adi Marom gives you all the instructions you need to download and make finger puppets of Hillary, Barack, and John. She also encourages you to send a photo of your paper creations to a special Flickr gallery. So far there are all of 36 entires. While it’s obvious that some of us have too much time here, too, we think it would be kewl if you also sent us your creations. And if you live in Pennsylvania, get out there and vote.
Read More | Folding U.S. Candidate
Gallery: Folding U.S. Candidates
For those who still poo-poo conservation, this is your chance to make amends. Earth Day is Tuesday and all it takes is a little effort on your part to make a contribution. Head over to the official site and punch in a zip code to find events in your area. Sign their sky petition for cleaner air or plant a tree. Buy a cloth bag to replace petroleum-based plastic ones that can injure wildlife and take a decade to break down, or bring Tupperware when you go out to dinner so you don’t have to have styrofoam doggy boxes. Buy an inexpensive filtering bottle and stop using bottled water.
We read that if every person plants two trees, when it matures it will provide enough oxygen for a family of four. A Red Maple sapling that we planted two years ago is now over five feet tall. Is our guilt trip working on you yet?
Read More | Earth Day Network
Gallery: Do Something This Earth Day
MPAA Sues Pullmylink
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Editorial, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Internet, Movies,
The Motion Picture Association of America is suing Pullmylink and says that the site promotes and makes a profit from media that infringes on copyrights. This is the seventh time that the MPAA has done such an action since last year. They have not yet gone after sites such as YouTube. We are thinking that they look at this as free advertising as opposed to serious pirating, which they say has cost them billions of dollars of loss.
Pullmylink claims it has 12,000 visitors a day and more than 39,000 pages of free content. Their Superpass offers 100+ ad-free radio stations, 10 music downloads a month, RealPlayerPlus, and live feeds, such as the one for Big Brother. With their 14 day free trial, you had better hurry, just in case.
Read More | Reuters
Gallery: MPAA Sues Pullmylink
Rumor has it that cell phones may go disposable. Although we traced a press article concerning Hop-ons’ order to create screenless phones from a European distributor at a price of $20.00 each, we have yet to be able to clink on a link on Hop-on’s site successfully. We did find a quote from its president Peter Michaels,
“During our meetings with distributors in Vegas the response to our simple, inexpensive, $20 phone was phenomenal. The initial test purchase order with multiple purchase orders behind it is a big step in introducing Hop-on to Europe.”
Be that as it may, don’t we have enough garbage in the world without having to add to it? We find this in the same category as single use razors and cameras that we finally see less of everyday. We notice that even Kodak has trouble dispensing of theirs and claims that they recycle up to 77% of each one. We are only concerned with that remaining 23%.
Read More | techradar
Gallery: Hop-on Disposable Phones
Should the Record Industry Offer Free Music?
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Editorial, Music, Portable Audio / Video,
An interesting meeting took place during the Song Summit Sydney (S3) in Australia. Mark Meharry, co-founder of Music Glue, said that consumers are changing and that the record industry will have to respond to the fact that there is now much more file sharing as opposed to purchase. He says that downloaders are music fans, not thieves.
Considering the fact that the current generation can get what they want without spending a dime, Meharry suggests they let the music be free and concentrate on other products available, such as music players or concert tickets. Some of the bands listed on Music Glue, which was started about a year ago, offers free downloads in exchange for an e-mail addy or small donation. We like the idea but suspect that this is a debate that will not end for quite a while.
Read More | News
Gallery: Should the Record Industry Offer Free Music?
Do Google Maps Invade Privacy?
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Editorial, Google, Transportation,
A Pennsylvania couple is suing Google for invasion of privacy and mental distress. Aaron and Christine Boring claim that the reason they bought their property in the first place was because it was isolated and now it has been devalued. It seems that Google may have taken a street view shot from their driveway that was marked “Private Road.”
Google spokesperson Larry Yu claims that if the pair wanted the images removed, all they had to do was ask. Attorney Dennis Moskal said that their privacy was already hampered when the vehicle that took the shots drove on their property. It will be interesting to see if this has ramifications down the road. While Google maps increase in imaging technique, Big Brother surely gets closer every day.
Read More | MSNBC
