Find Our Latest Video Reviews on YouTube!
If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It’s free!
Latest Gear Live Videos
Proposed Bill Designed to Circumvent Online Predators
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Smart Home, Internet, Misc. Tech,
The issue of online predators continues to make waves in the Internet community. This time, Connecticut’s Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has come up with a bill that forces social networking sites such as MySpace, Friendster, and Facebook to verify the age of every user and then get permission from the parents of all of those who are under 18.
Many sites are already stepping up security measures. For example, MySpace already screens for sex offenders and checks for offensive material. But with over 160 million subscribers it’s often difficult to catch all the bad guys. Kids being as web savvy as they are today can often circumvent those safeguards. We still believe that ultimately parents must adjust the thinking of their children and teach them that it is truly a scary world out there, even online.
Read More 
| ABC
Gallery: Proposed Bill Designed to Circumvent Online Predators
Advertisement
New Keys To Curtail Hacking of DVDs
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet, Movies, Software,
The security team that is in charge of next-generation DVDs says that it has corrected a leak that would allow hackers to discover keys to unlock movies on HD DVD and Blu-ray. DRM (digital rights management) is supposed to prevent the copying of movies, but hackers late last year found computer code on PC based DVD players that unlocked that protection.
The group has developed Advance Access Content System which deactivates those keys and provides them with a new set. These will be included on new systems while older ones will be allowed to download a free patch. Those who decide not to comply will no longer be able to watch DVDs. Stand alone players will not be affected by the news for so far, if there are any leaks in that system, they have yet to be
discovered.
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: New Keys To Curtail Hacking of DVDs
Thailand and YouTube Continue to Clash
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Google, Internet,
In the latest installment of Thailand vs. YouTube, the site has said that it would prefer the country block items as opposed to having the whole site banned.
“While we will not take down videos that do not violate our policies, and will not assist in implementing censorship, we have offered to educate the Thai ministry about YouTube and how it works,” said Julie Supan, head of global communications.
The original clip, which was critical of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, was taken off, but was quickly replaced by two others which YouTube will not remove. Minister Sitthichai Pookaiyaudom said his country would consider ending the ban when they have ability to block the offensive pages.
Read More | USA Today
Gallery: Thailand and YouTube Continue to Clash
Share a Story, Feed a Family
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Smart Home, Internet,
There are plenty of sites where you can blog for the fun of it. You may even find one that will pay you to write. This site will feed the homeless if you just share a story. For every tale you write for “Spread the Sharing,” they will donate a meal to a needy family through America’s Second Harvest, a volunteer-only organization that serves food and soup kitchens. At present, 1,667 meals have been donated from the recently started site that is being sponsored by Shedd’s Country Crock. Maybe you can be #1,668.
Read More | Country Crock
Gallery: Share a Story, Feed a Family
Joost Has Arrived
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Home Entertainment, Internet, Misc. Tech, Movies, Music,
Back in January, we told you all about Joost, free Internet TV geared to the masses. Now in Beta testing, Braindead, Alliance Atlantis Sci-Fi, Gamestar TV, Bridezillas, Warner Bros. Records, and World Poker Tour are all accessible on Joost, with more channels being added every day. There is also chat, IM, and searching capabilities. Imagine our excitement when we received this e-mail:
“The waiting’s over! Since we received your application to join the Joost beta test program, we’ve been very busy fine-tuning it for you. So here’s some good news: we’re now ready to expand our beta test program, and we’re delighted to invite you to join us.”
Now imagine our dismay when we realized that some of our computers are just too ancient to handle the technology. (We can’t all have Pentium 4 or Mac OS X 10.4.) We tried anyway, but our feeble device only gave us a white screen. We swear we heard a slight moan of defeat coming out of it. Check with Joost if you would like to join in on their action.
Read More | Joost
Gallery: Joost Has Arrived
Here we go again. We recently reported on how YouTube was banned in Turkey (for a few days), due to clips deemed insulting to Turkish leader Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Prior to that it was Brazil, which banned the website after sexy videos of a Brazilian actress were constantly being uploaded. Now it’s Thailand’s turn, which has blocked the popular website because of a short, crude clip mocking their king, Bhumibol Adulyadej—after YouTube owner Google refused to remove the clip. Insulting the king is a criminal offense in Thailand, as a Swiss man discovered the hard way last week, after being sentenced 10 years for defacing images of Thailand’s monarchy. The offending Thai YouTube clip was viewed more than 16,000 times, and was uploaded by someone using the moniker Paddidda, now one of Thailand’s most wanted.
Read More | New York Times
Gallery: YouTube Banned in Thailand
RocketBoom, The Shape of News to Come
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Editorial, Home Entertainment, Internet, Misc. Tech,
As television news becomes less reliable and leans more towards the fluff of Katie Couric-style reporting, it won’t be long before we all will opt for sites such as RocketBoom. The New York daily vlog is the brainchild of Andrew Barron and Amanda Congdon, its original host. She was replaced in June of last year by MTV Europe VJ Joanne Colan. The site often registers as much as 250,000 downloads per day.
RocketBoom generally features stories on robotics, digital gadgets, and sometimes includes animation while making a gentle stab at traditional media. Our props to those who can successfully turn podcasts into a viable source of international news. We have included this program concerning their hilarious analysis of the upcoming Presidential race, in case you missed its original January airing.
Read More | RocketBoom
Gallery: RocketBoom, The Shape of News to Come
Mouseless Media Player Aids the Visually Impaired
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Science,
IBM will soon be launching a browser to make audio and video material easier to access for the visually impaired. The Accessibility Browser was created by Dr. Chieko Asakawa, a blind employee in the company’s Tokyo research lab. Dr. Asakawa had become increasingly frustrated when she could not access certain web sites. She decided to improve the situation by first developing a media player that could be totally accessed with only shortcut keys, instead of searching for control buttons by using a mouse. IBM will be making the A-browser available later in the year, and is counting on it being cost-free to those who want to utilize it.
Read More | BBC
Gallery: Mouseless Media Player Aids the Visually Impaired
This past Friday, The House Committee on Science and Technology questioned Google on the issue of using outdated images after the devastation of Katrina. Many wanted to see satellite photos after the disaster to see if their homes were damaged, and were sometimes shown the area in only its pre-hurricane state. The committee raised the question that perhaps the company and local officials wanted to show the area’s recovery better in a better light.
“Google’s use of old imagery appears to be doing the victims of Hurricane Katrina a great injustice by airbrushing history,” said subcommittee chairperson Brad Miller.
John Hank, Google’s director of satellite maps, wrote in a recent report, “The latest update from one of our information providers substantially improved the imagery detail of the New Orleans area.”
We are thinking that maybe they should have widened that data base a tad earlier.
Read More | AP
Gallery: Google Criticized For Post-Katrina Mapping
We wanted to create something truly preposterous for April Fools’ Day, but we know how much you take us seriously. Instead, we just thought we would let you know that Duck Dodgers and our favorite Martian were spotted on Mars. Really! Okay, you don’t buy it, but we swear that a friend of ours saw them there today.
Alex Boese, curator of the online Museum of Hoaxes, claims that there is a decrease of genuine hoaxes that people will believe, such as a 1962 report by a Swedish TV Station that said you could color your black and white set if you just put a nylon stocking over it. We personally don’t think anything could possibly be as scary or believable as Welles’ “War of the Worlds” radio show from 1938. So happy Fools’ Day, Gear Livers.
Read More | MSNBC
