@methodshop

18 months ago, Symantec, makers of the popular program suite Norton Utilities, had a scary prediction for Mac users. Symantec claimed that the Mac OS was "increasingly becoming a target for the malicious activity that is more commonly associated with Microsoft." That's quite an ominous prediction from a company that claims to be the "global leader in information security" on their website.

A lot of people look to companies like Symantec for information and guidance and I'm sure many Mac users purchased Symantec anti spyware and virus protection software based on this prediction.

So during the last 18 months how much "malicious activity" was targeted towards the Mac OS? Ummm...... basically none. This week Symantec admitted that their prediction last year about increasing Mac-targeted spyware was just plain wrong. Oops.

In addition to admitting their mistake about the Mac OS this week, Symantec also published a new Internet Threat Report. So what does Symantec have to say about the Mac OS this time? Nothing... The Mac OS isn't even mentioned in this years report. Why has Symantec gone silent when it comes to Apple? Munir Kotadia, a reporter for ZDNet Australia was wondering the same thing so he asked Symantec about the omission. It seems that Symantec hasn't seen any new Mac-related threats this year and doesn't want to cry wolf again. Good idea.

But just because there haven't been any Mac-related threats in years doesn't mean the Mac is totally safe from spyware and viruses. If you pay attention to the OS X Software Updates, you'll notice that Apple releases new security updates every few months. So there are holes in the system but according to Kotadia, the Mac OS was "designed with security in mind, so vulnerabilities are very difficult to exploit and most require socially engineered user interaction."

Besides a couple Trojan Horses, I can't remember the last time I saw a Mac virus. When was the last Mac OS virus anyway? 1987?

methodshop | digg story | flickr

With the premiere of season 3 of Battlestar Galactica just two weeks away (October 6th), the Sci Fi Channel (US) has released a free retrospective episode of the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica on iTunes. They hope to entice new viewers to the show, as well as remind current fans just where the series left off.

I found this official press release on ScFi.com:

SCI FI Channel and its sister NBC Universal networks will air a one-hour recap special of the original series Battlestar Galactica in advance of the show's October third-season premiere. Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far will incorporate footage from the original SCI FI miniseries and the previous two seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series. The special will be narrated from the point of view of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the resistance leader on Cylon-occupied New Caprica.

Throughout September, The Story So Far will also be made available for download via iTunes and XBox Live and will be distributed at Best Buy as a bonus DVD with the Battlestar Galactica season 2.5 DVD set and other genre titles from Universal Home Video. The DVD will also be distributed to visitors to the Universal Studios theme parks, and snippets of the special will be available on YouTube.com, Google Video and other video portal sites.

Here's the iTunes link for: Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far

Why not? It's a great show and the price is right (free).

digg story | methodshop

With the premiere of season 3 of Battlestar Galactica just two weeks away (October 6th), the Sci Fi Channel (US) has released a free retrospective episode of the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica on iTunes. They hope to entice new viewers to the show, as well as remind current fans just where the series left off.

I found this official press release on ScFi.com:

SCI FI Channel and its sister NBC Universal networks will air a one-hour recap special of the original series Battlestar Galactica in advance of the show's October third-season premiere. Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far will incorporate footage from the original SCI FI miniseries and the previous two seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series. The special will be narrated from the point of view of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the resistance leader on Cylon-occupied New Caprica.

Throughout September, The Story So Far will also be made available for download via iTunes and XBox Live and will be distributed at Best Buy as a bonus DVD with the Battlestar Galactica season 2.5 DVD set and other genre titles from Universal Home Video. The DVD will also be distributed to visitors to the Universal Studios theme parks, and snippets of the special will be available on YouTube.com, Google Video and other video portal sites.

Here's the iTunes link for: Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far

Why not? It's a great show and the price is right (free).

digg story | methodshop

Perhaps there should be a German version of the popular MTV show Pimp My Ride. German car customizer Mattes Interieurtechnik built a Mercedes CLS with an integrated backseat iMac. Mattes even carefully covered the outer edge of the iMac in leather to help it blend in with the cream colored interior.

Where are the cables? Mattes didn't want any wires to clutter up his masterpiece, so he made sure to get a wireless mouse and Bluetooth keyboard. I wonder if he integrated the iMac into the speaker system so his passengers can be backseat DJs.

You can check out some more pictures here.

digg story | methodshop

Perhaps there should be a German version of the popular MTV show Pimp My Ride. German car customizer Mattes Interieurtechnik built a Mercedes CLS with an integrated backseat iMac. Mattes even carefully covered the outer edge of the iMac in leather to help it blend in with the cream colored interior.

Where are the cables? Mattes didn't want any wires to clutter up his masterpiece, so he made sure to get a wireless mouse and Bluetooth keyboard. I wonder if he integrated the iMac into the speaker system so his passengers can be backseat DJs.

You can check out some more pictures here.

digg story | methodshop

When music is compressed to fit your iPod, it can lose a bit of its soul. But connect your iPod to a Yamaha RX-V659 Receiver with a Yamaha YDS-10 Universal iPod Dock, and your music will spring back to life.

Features:

• Universal iPod docking station custom designed for select Yamaha home theater receivers
• Plays your iPod's music and video clips through home theater speakers and attached monitor
• Uses receiver's remote control to operate iPod; charges your iPod while in the base
• Works with Yamaha HTR-5960, HTR-5950, RX-V659, and RX-V559 A/V receivers
• Compatible with 4th and 5th generation iPods, iPod minis, and iPod nanos

Yamaha's proprietary Compressed Music Enhancer will bring your stored music close to its original sound quality. And now that XM HD Surround is available on XM Satellite Radio, broadcast music will bring new dimension to your listening. Yamaha's powerful multi-channel surround sound for movies and unique YPAO system calibration means your home theatre will perform like never before. Set your sound free.


Conclusion: YDS-10 Advantages

• Easy connection by one cable
• No need for an additional adaptor
• Looking good and matching for either white and black iPod

read more | digg story | treblemaker.com

e-Fuze.com is now back online and better than ever! Now, you not only still get all those daily tech news at the blog found at e-Fuze.com/blog, but you can also submit and vote for your own stories!

The new site works like this: Stories you post get rated and those with the highest rating get promoted to the homepage. The press release can be found here. Please feel free to register (takes 30 seconds) and submit your own content. This can be especially important if you have a blog which can give you some exposure as well. Also, voting is open to everyone and you can customize the RSS sidebar on the left to your liking, and best of all, that doesn’t require registration!

Existing “established blogs mostly post content that is simply not as significant. At the e-Fuze tech blog, only relevant and important news will be published as they break in the most concise manner possible,” say Peggy, Chief Executive Officer at e-Fuze.

e-Fuze | digg it

When music is compressed to fit your iPod, it can lose a bit of its soul. But connect your iPod to a Yamaha RX-V659 Receiver with a Yamaha YDS-10 Universal iPod Dock, and your music will spring back to life.

Features:

• Universal iPod docking station custom designed for select Yamaha home theater receivers
• Plays your iPod's music and video clips through home theater speakers and attached monitor
• Uses receiver's remote control to operate iPod; charges your iPod while in the base
• Works with Yamaha HTR-5960, HTR-5950, RX-V659, and RX-V559 A/V receivers
• Compatible with 4th and 5th generation iPods, iPod minis, and iPod nanos

Yamaha's proprietary Compressed Music Enhancer will bring your stored music close to its original sound quality. And now that XM HD Surround is available on XM Satellite Radio, broadcast music will bring new dimension to your listening. Yamaha's powerful multi-channel surround sound for movies and unique YPAO system calibration means your home theatre will perform like never before. Set your sound free.


Conclusion: YDS-10 Advantages

• Easy connection by one cable
• No need for an additional adaptor
• Looking good and matching for either white and black iPod

read more | digg story | treblemaker.com

Got a broken iPod? If you can't fix it yourself or don't have the money to get it repaired by iPodMods, then you can always rip it apart and make an iPod dock like Andrew Monks. This photo montage on flickr shows how he teared apart his existing iPod dock and jammed it through the screen of his broken 3G iPod.


It's a very clever way to make something useful out of a busted iPod. The folks at Engadget think this might be the "start of a very wonderful, very cannibalistic trend in consumer electronics." It's always nice to breathe new life into an old gadget that you blew a couple hundred bucks on right?

digg story | methodshop

Got a broken iPod? If you can't fix it yourself or don't have the money to get it repaired by iPodMods, then you can always rip it apart and make an iPod dock like Andrew Monks. This photo montage on flickr shows how he teared apart his existing iPod dock and jammed it through the screen of his broken 3G iPod.


It's a very clever way to make something useful out of a busted iPod. The folks at Engadget think this might be the "start of a very wonderful, very cannibalistic trend in consumer electronics." It's always nice to breathe new life into an old gadget that you blew a couple hundred bucks on right?

digg story | methodshop

The Polk Audio SurroundBar uses a patented combination of signal processing and sound-effect geometry to produce surround sound without rear-mounted speakers or special room requirements. In other words, it's not necessary to bounce sound off the walls or re-arrange the furniture in order to get an immersive experience from the SurroundBar.


Unfortunately we don't have one of these YET...but we did have an opportunity to try one out with the following tunes:

• Pearl Jam - Self Titled
• U2 - The Joshua Tree
• Ben Harper - Live From Mars

The new Pearl Jam album just came out - premiering it on this awesome speaker was fun. U2 rocks no matter what and listneing to a live performance that was actually recorded outdoors really let the Polk Audio SurroundBar show off a little.



read more | digg story

Apple has been selling movies in iTunes 7 for a full week now. How are sales? According to The Wall Street Journal, Walt Disney says they've sold 125,000 movie downloads totaling $1 million in revenue. Not bad for just 1 week.

"This is just the beginning," Disney CEO Robert Iger told Wall Street analysts at a conference Tuesday. "[iTunes] has proved [to be] a great business because there's no marketing or other expenses involved in selling digital downloads except the cost of encoding." Iger went on to predict that iTunes would help generate $50 million in additional revenue for Disney this year.

Walt Disney Pictures, which includes Pixar, Touchstone Pictures and Miramax Films, is currently the only major movie studio participating on iTunes.

75 Disney movies, including such hits as Pirates of the Caribbean, The Incredibles, Good Will Hunting and National Treasure, can currently be purchased on iTunes. The other major movie studios are exploring partnerships with iTunes competitors or have disagreements with Apple over licensing fees. Disney's success this week will probably help convince the other studios that participation on iTunes is probably a good idea.

Disney was also the first to offer TV shows on iTunes a year ago from their American broadcast network ABC.


digg story | methodshop

The rest of the team and I (all bar 1 I think(no pun intended)) do enjoy the odd tipple or two. We’ve had to suffer the hardship of testing the Guiness Surger and comparing the taste with all other types of Guinness. Then there was the time we crawled round London pubs looking for Sub Zero Beer, though unsuccessful this has now turned into another ongoing quest.

This latest drinking gadget is another one for the home drinker, Phillips HD3600 - PerfectDraft, pull the perfect pint of draught lager at home.

Read more about the Philips HD3600

This new technology, the Sonos Zoneplayer 80, reads music on a computer's hard-drive and broadcasts it in various rooms in the house. This will surely start a precedent in home audio technology.


"I was thoroughly impressed with its performance and usability. This is a terrific example of how far music can go once it's digitized."


read more | digg story

Apple is riding high lately. Their transition to the Intel chip has been smooth and the popularity of both iTunes and the iPod has been translating into computer sales.

But according to the Net Applications newsletter I got in my inbox yesterday, the apocalypse is about strike at Apple. What are the signs of the Apple apocalypse? They cite accounting irregularities (Wall Street didn't care), the mass recall of notebook batteries (it was Sony's fault), and a 0.02% drop in OS usage. Yep, just a little 0.02% drop.

Here's a passage from their newsletter:

"Mac Intel OS usage is growing quickly, and currently has 0.62 percent usage market share, but overall Mac OS usage is slightly down.. Back in December 2005 total Mac OS usage market share was 4.35 percent, but August 2006 numbers show total Mac OS market share down to 4.33 percent."

So how did Net Applications measure this 0.02% drop? They have an expensive web traffic analyzing service for webmasters called HitsLink. I used to use HitsLink for MethodShop.com but have since switched to a less expensive service with more features. Hummm... could I be the source of the 0.02% drop? Because of all the iPod related articles on our website we tend to have a higher Mac user base. Maybe the 0.02% drop could be attributed to people going on vacation and not using their computer that month. Or what about the wave of blackouts in America this summer. Yes I'm being sarcastic, but can you blame me? It's only a 0.02% drop.


Besides the fact that Net Applications is all jacked up over a 0.02% drop, can you really match up marketshare (computer sales) with visitor statistics solely based on HitsLink subscribers? No. Web usage by only HitsLink subscribers is just a small random sampling and has nothing to do with overall market share. Maybe Net Applications should offer to share their data with some other web traffic analyzing services before they declare the next 0.02% apocalypse.

Also, how credible is Net Applications? In the same September 18th newsletter they mistakenly reported that "iPod sales peaked at over 12 million units for the 4th quarter of 2005, but have stumbled to 8.5 million and 8.1 million units the most recent two quarters..." 12 million is close, but wrong. In Q1 of 2006 Apple sold over 14 million iPods.

One last thing. The newsletter also reports that 1% of web users are still using Windows ME. Those crazy backwards bastards. God bless 'em.

digg story | methodshop

YouTube user Matt Coats has found the perfect toy for his pet cat named Robot... the only problem is it costs about $1000 and it's his MacBook laptop.

Not only is the MacBook very warm and the perfect place to take a little catnap, but it can also provide hours of entertainmnet thanks to Apple's media center application called Front Row.

Matt setup a camera and put his MacBook on the floor. You can check out the video here on YouTube.



Let's hope Matt got Robot declawed or invested in some scratch proof screen protectors.

youtube | digg story | methodshop

For a while, cell phones and computers got smaller and smaller. Much like Nicole Ritchie, they were whittled away until they were razor-thin and hardly larger than a book of matches. Soon, phones couldn't get any smaller without disappearing or getting lost in everyone's comparatively enormous pants pockets. So, instead of pushing the miniature envelope, cell companies began to make phones that fulfilled more functions. Hence, the birth of the superphone, like the brand spanking new Sidekick 3 and Blackberry Pearl 8100. Form, function, and a sizable price tag: these phones have everything, so how do you know which one to buy? Here at Pimpwiz, we took a closer look, so you don't have to.

Looks:
Both the Sidekick and the Blackberry Pearl are easy on the eyes, so you could proudly whip out either one in public without shame. The Sidekick features a twist-up viewing screen for easier viewing, much like a laptop, Blackberry's latest is oriented more like a phone; its website offered up the motto "Small, smart, and stylish". Hence, it is sleeker and darker than its boxy, sidekicking counterpart, and more attractive in the all-around.

Sidekick: 0 Blackberry: 1

Action:
All superphones may not be created equal, but a lot of them do similar stuff. The Sidekick and the Blackberry both do plenty, including phone, internet browser, text messaging, camera, and media player. Essentially, if your flight's been delayed for an hour or six, you won't be bored with a superphone as your travel companion. Looks like a toss-up.

Sidekick: 1 Blackberry: 2

Superfluous Perks:

In an attempt to differentiate themselves from the competition, both of our superphones in question advertise particular perks or features that are (allegedly) exclusive to that model. The Sidekick wants you to know that, in case your hands are too busy to hold your phone, they'll hook you up with a Bluetooth hands-free headset. Blackberry says that, if you're too busy to dial, you can use their voice-activated dialing (VAD) feature. Of course, the Blackberry also has includes a "helpful setup wizard" for the technologically clueless among us, as well as the nebulous "Blackberry maps". Hmmm, that's sounds pretty perked out.

Sidekick: 1 Blackberry: 3

For the look and feel we say it's all Sidekick3 but for function and "takin' care of business" the Blackberry Pearl 8100 takes the cake.

Source

read more | digg story | PimpWiz

After you download and install iTunes 7, you may be a little surprised at the new user interface. It doesn't even remotely resemble the standard Mac OS X Aqua theme set. iTunes 7 has a much flatter and darker appearance like a Windows or Java application.

The reaction to the new iTunes 7 interface is mixed at best. Most people feel iTunes 6 was prettier with its bright glossy controls gone. True. But the smoother and darker interface of iTunes 7 at least cleanly packs more features into the familiar iTunes interface. As a result, the new iTunes 7 interface makes it much easier to sort movies and TV shows from your music. Also iTunes now plays back video much better than it did before. Probably a good idea since they are selling movies now.

So why would Apple make such a drastic interface design change? Could this be a taste of things to come in Apple's next operating system - Leopard? Has Aqua been replaced by a flat, smooth, darker appearance? If you think hard enough, you might remember that iTunes got the new improved Aqua interface before the rest of the iLife 06 apps.

digg story | methodshop

After you download and install iTunes 7, you may be a little surprised at the new user interface. It doesn't even remotely resemble the standard Mac OS X Aqua theme set. iTunes 7 has a much flatter and darker appearance like a Windows or Java application.

The reaction to the new iTunes 7 interface is mixed at best. Most people feel iTunes 6 was prettier with its bright glossy controls gone. True. But the smoother and darker interface of iTunes 7 at least cleanly packs more features into the familiar iTunes interface. As a result, the new iTunes 7 interface makes it much easier to sort movies and TV shows from your music. Also iTunes now plays back video much better than it did before. Probably a good idea since they are selling movies now.

So why would Apple make such a drastic interface design change? Could this be a taste of things to come in Apple's next operating system - Leopard? Has Aqua been replaced by a flat, smooth, darker appearance? If you think hard enough, you might remember that iTunes got the new improved Aqua interface before the rest of the iLife 06 apps.

digg story | methodshop

By Media Post's Cory Treffiletti
Remember last year when the video iPod was announced? I do. It was Oct. 5, 2005. That day was extremely important in my mind because it signaled the fruition of so many things we all expected and were waiting for. The world of on-demand entertainment had been hinted at for years, and video on-demand was starting to come into its own, but the video iPod signaled the first true time shift device as well as a location shift device for mass media entertainment (beyond pure music) that would be accessible by the masses. I personally found it to be quite exciting.

Well, now it's Sept. 13 and the world has come full circle because if you've seen the new iPod commercials you've seen that the one and only Bob Dylan is singing in an iPod commercial. This is a relatively momentous occasion, if you really sit and think about it. I mean, the only time Bob has ever shown up in on the commercial airwaves was in a lingerie ad. In 2004 Bobby lent his image and name to a commercial for Victoria's Secret, so it would appear that the closest thing to the love of a good woman to Bob is... an iPod!

But seriously--Bob's new album is actually REALLY good and the fact that he is using Apple to sling it is very telling for the future of music. U2 started the trend of partnering with iPod, but they are more contemporary than Bob Dylan. Bob is a symbol of so many things in the past. He is a symbol of pure poetry in music, which is something we just don't see too much of anymore. U2 speaks to a much larger audience than Bob Dylan does these days, but Bob is respected by so many luminaries and people outside of the core target audience for Apple that I wonder if they're using him as much as he's using them. It's obvious that his label wanted to do the deal to expose his music as "hip" to a younger audience, but is it also possible that his implied approval of the iPod will help it break into new audiences who might not have joined the ranks of the initiated? Is it possible that Bobby will help Apple sell more iPods?

The name of Bob's new album is "Modern Times." I find it ironic that these modern times of digital music are tapping into the past and one of the most amazing artists of our lifetime. I find it exciting and I find it extremely logical.

In a recent article in Rolling Stone, Bob was quoted as saying (and I paraphrase) that he felt Napster was OK, because it was giving away music and he didn't feel there was much good music out there at the time and that it SHOULD have been given away.

Well, with digital media picking up more speed every day and the accessibility of new music expanding all the time from community to community, I can only hope that Bob feels things are getting just a little bit better. I know that without digital music I would never have found half the artists and songs I listen to now!

Here's to Bob and digital media!

read more | digg story | treblemaker.com

Apple saved the music business with the iPod. Can they do the same for Hollywood?

In the five years since the iPod's rollout, Apple has locked down the online music business. 1 in 5 Americans owns or has owned an iPod and consumers have downloaded more than 1 billion songs from Apple's iTunes music store. Riding on the heels of that success, yesterday, Apple founder Steve Jobs fired his first shots in the battle to revolutionize the movie industry. In a special event called "It's Showtime," Apple unloaded new gadgets like it was Christmas morning.

In this single event, Steve Jobs announced the following new products and preannounced a new wireless video router called the iTV:

• new versions of both iTunes 7 and QuickTime 7.1.3
  
• bigger Video iPods including an 80GB iPod
  
• new multi-colored iPod Nanos that go up to 8 GB and don't scratch
  
• a matchbook-sized iPod shuffle
  

The new version of iTunes (iTunes 7) sells more than just music and TV shows. iTunes now sells movies and games. The movies are priced starting at $9.99 and include new releases such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, as well as older classics. If you were disappointed at the quality of some of the iTunes videos you've downloaded in the past, then you will be happy to know that the video quality has also gotten an upgrade. Any movie you buy is at "near" DVD-quality, 640-by-480-pixel video, and in Dolby Surround sound.

WARNING: While I was writing this blog post, 4 MethodShop.com readers reported that iTunes 7 erased their iPod. So you might want to wait and backup your iPod before you upgrade to iTunes 7.

When you're not watching movies on your iPod, you can always check out some of the new games Apple is selling in iTunes 7. Each game is in full color and uses the Click Wheel as a controller. The selection of games include addictive classics from Tetris and PAC-MAN to a few newer games like Vortex and Texas Hold'Em.

Games, movies and new iPods are nice, but what is going on with the iTV? In a major break in Apple tradition, Steve Jobs only preannounced a new wireless router product called iTV (screenshots). Apple usually likes to have products ready to buy the day they announce them, so this preannouncement caught everyone off guard. According to CBS MarketWatch, the iTV can attach to a television and wirelessly receive and play digital content from any computer (Mac or PC) running iTunes software. The iTV will also feature a HDMI port for high-definition digital televisions. You can expect to see the iTV sometime during the first quarter of 2007 for around US$299.

digg story | methodshop

Apple saved the music business with the iPod. Can they do the same for Hollywood?

In the five years since the iPod's rollout, Apple has locked down the online music business. 1 in 5 Americans owns or has owned an iPod and consumers have downloaded more than 1 billion songs from Apple's iTunes music store. Riding on the heels of that success, yesterday, Apple founder Steve Jobs fired his first shots in the battle to revolutionize the movie industry. In a special event called "It's Showtime," Apple unloaded new gadgets like it was Christmas morning.

In this single event, Steve Jobs announced the following new products and preannounced a new wireless video router called the iTV:

• new versions of both iTunes 7 and QuickTime 7.1.3
  
• bigger Video iPods including an 80GB iPod
  
• new multi-colored iPod Nanos that go up to 8 GB and don't scratch
  
• a matchbook-sized iPod shuffle
  

The new version of iTunes (iTunes 7) sells more than just music and TV shows. iTunes now sells movies and games. The movies are priced starting at $9.99 and include new releases such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, as well as older classics. If you were disappointed at the quality of some of the iTunes videos you've downloaded in the past, then you will be happy to know that the video quality has also gotten an upgrade. Any movie you buy is at "near" DVD-quality, 640-by-480-pixel video, and in Dolby Surround sound.

WARNING: While I was writing this blog post, 4 MethodShop.com readers reported that iTunes 7 erased their iPod. So you might want to wait and backup your iPod before you upgrade to iTunes 7.

When you're not watching movies on your iPod, you can always check out some of the new games Apple is selling in iTunes 7. Each game is in full color and uses the Click Wheel as a controller. The selection of games include addictive classics from Tetris and PAC-MAN to a few newer games like Vortex and Texas Hold'Em.

Games, movies and new iPods are nice, but what is going on with the iTV? In a major break in Apple tradition, Steve Jobs only preannounced a new wireless router product called iTV (screenshots). Apple usually likes to have products ready to buy the day they announce them, so this preannouncement caught everyone off guard. According to CBS MarketWatch, the iTV can attach to a television and wirelessly receive and play digital content from any computer (Mac or PC) running iTunes software. The iTV will also feature a HDMI port for high-definition digital televisions. You can expect to see the iTV sometime during the first quarter of 2007 for around US$299.

digg story | methodshop

Pierre Bernard from Late Night with Conan O'Brien is comfortable and furious about the cancellation of Stargate SG-1!

Last Friday, Conan aired another installment of "Pierre Bernard's Recliner of Rage" where Pierre verbally thrashed SCI-FI executive vice president of programming Mark Stern and asked him to reverse the show's cancellation (story). Pierre calls the Sc-Fi Friday night lineup of Stargate SG-1, Stargate Atlantis, and Battlestar Galactica his "holy trinity" because of their female cast members.

Pierre, has gained notoriety among Stargate fans for repeatedly defending the Sci-Fi series on Late Night with Conan O'Brien as well as appearing in several episodes of Stargate SG-1 including the 200th episode as a zombie.



Check out the Save Stargate SG-1 installment of "Pierre Bernard's Recliner of Rage" on YouTube. When you are done please head over to SaveStargateSG1.com and help keep Pierre's "Friday night fantasy threesome" alive!

Here's the transcript of Pierre's rant:

“Recently I’ve been spending even more time than usual online. Partly because I’ve been collecting anime action figures by Monsieur-Bome on eBay, but mostly because of all the opinions I’ve been posting in the SG1 newsgroup on Yahoo.

Stargate is by far my favourite TV show, so you can imagine how stunned I was when I discovered on August 19th at 10.23am that SCI FI network was cancelling it.

The news was so devastating that I became light-headed and I prayed that it was all just a horrible night’s dream. I even took one of the vicodin’s I had been prescribed after my recent kidney stone surgery, but even that couldn’t ease my pain.

I soon found out that a SCI FI Channel executive named MARK STERN was largely responsible for cancelling Stargate. He immediately went to the top of my enemies list.

You see, Stargate SG-1 had been my favourite television show. It also served as the crown jewel in my Friday night SCI FI Channel lineup, which also included Stargate Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica.

The glorious lineup was made all the more compelling by the presence of actresses Amanda Tapping, Grace Park, Rachel Luttrell, who together form my holy trinity of fantasy females.

Now my Friday night SCI FI fantasy threesome has been completely destroyed.

Bottom line, America! Mark Stern should reverse his decision on cancelling Stargate SG-1 so I can continue to enjoy my Friday night fantasy threesome!”

[Hat Tip to GateWorld.net]


digg story | youtube | flickr | methodshop

Klipsch's snazzy new iPod speaker, the Klipsch iGroove, has a couple of tricks yet to appear on other brands' compact power speaker systems. First off, it comes with a pair of two-way speakers (woofer and tweeter), whereas most iPod-inspired alternatives rely on a single, small woofer per channel. Within the Klipsch iGroove's compact dimensions, Klipsch engineers installed a stereo pair of 2.5-inch woofers and 1-inch horn-loaded tweeters that focus the treble sound up toward the listening position. A set of volume up/down buttons and an on/off switch are the unit's only controls. The Klipsch iGroove is available in both matte-silver finish and high-gloss black, called the Klipsch iGroove HG.

The Klipsch iGroove comes with a handy mini-remote that adjusts the volume and your iPod's play/pause functions, as well as changes tracks on your playlists. Like the Bose SoundDock, the Klipsch iGroove can accept any iPod with a dock connector. Full-size iPods, including the video-enabled fifth-generation iPod, fit snugly, thanks to an adjustable backrest. An adapter is included for older iPod Mini models, and Klipsch has begun bundling adapters for the iPod Nano as well. If you bought the early versions of the Klipsch iGroove that lack the Nano adapter, just call Klipsch's customer support, who'll ship one to you for free. Don't own an iPod?

No problem--other similar-size MP3 players can use the included J-Cup cradle and loop the provided cable into the headphone jack. In fact, you can plug anything with a headphone or line-out jack into the Klipsch iGroove, even if it doesn't fit the cradle. The speaker runs off the included AC power supply and charges docked iPods as well.

We started our evaluations in earnest with some Simon and Garfunkel's tunes, and the Klipsch iGroove sounded pleasantly natural. Their soaring vocals, the guitars, and the band on the Bridge over Troubled Water album sounded great. The Klipsch iGroove is just 15 inches wide, so stereo separation isn't its strong suit. In small bedrooms or kitchens, the Klipsch iGroove will play reasonably loud, but it's not exactly a party animal. That said, considering its modest dimensions, the Klipsch iGroove generates surprisingly satisfying bass without exaggerated boominess or thickening.

We noted that some tunes elicited a mild buzzing sound between our iPod and the Klipsch iGroove. Most of the time, we were unaware of the noise--it happened on only a limited range of bass notes. After adjusting the Klipsch iGroove's backrest, the buzz disappeared, and the bass noticeably improved. In other words, make sure the iPod has a solid connection with the Klipsch iGroove's dock.

We liked the Klipsch iGroove, but it's nowhere as impressive as the company's three-piece iPod speaker system, the Klipsch iFi Speaker System for iPod . That set features a hunky 8-inch, 200-watt, powered subwoofer and a set of Klipsch's superb two-way, RSX-3 satellite speakers. It takes up a lot more space than the Klipsch iGroove, but it's far and away the best iPod speaker on the market.

Source: CNET

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It feels odd being at work today, it should be a day to pay tribute to those whose lives were so tragically lost. That's hard to do sitting behind a desk. Although I'm attending a vigil in Wagner Park this evening.

We couldn’t leave our building between 4:00 and 5:30 w/o being questioned by NYPD or the Secret Service yesterday; we live near the WTC site.

On the one hand it makes me feel safe. But on the other if there's that much money being spent and emphasis on security it's almost impossible to have complete confidence that we're safe.

It's such a personal thing; I suppose everyone will find their own way to express how they feel and how it affected them.

LG Electronics and Sharp Corp. said they expected prices of flat LCD television sets to drop by 20-30 percent or more in 2007 amid overproduction and cost reductions.

That's basically it - cheaper Plasma TVs. It's a good thing.

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YouTube, the country’s leading video-sharing site, is a portal for individuals who want an outlet to express their thoughts and views. But opening up your life to the rest of the world may not be what some expected from their newfound YouTube fame. Especially for the young 16-20 year old crowd that the site seems to regularly attract.

YouTube has gained popularity over the last few years and has projected an almost monopoly over the rest of the online video sharing industry. According to Joshua Gamson, author of Claims to Fame: Celebrity in Contemporary America, “YouTube is less artificial. I think there is a really strong sense that much of American celebrity culture is PR generated. That creates a market for so-called real people. People enjoy cutting through the nonsense.” And YouTube has grabbed the market with both hands.

Following the blogging trend, video blogging is becoming extremely popular and acquiring a good fan base can increase your popularity quite quickly to the point of making you a sort of Z-list internet celebrity. But along with every kind of celebrity status, there comes a downside. For just as many fans as you have, you’ll have that many or more people who don’t rock the good intentions. And YouTube video stars are beginning to find that out the hard way.

One such teen, Emmalina, an 18 year old who had a weekly video blog, has deleted her content from YouTube claiming she feared for her safety after her computer was hacked and personal files and information were dislayed on the internet. She said in a farewell letter on YouTube forum, YouTubetalk “Every day I logged in and discovered more and more cruel spoofs, harassing videos, death and rape threats, incredibly nasty comments and God knows what else. I can’t take it anymore. YouTube’s ‘popularity’ is hell unless you’re a f---ing saint with nothing to hide or you have indestructible confidence.” As more and more people transition into video outlets, the hacking and the stalking is bound to increase. “People forget that I’m a real, normal young girl with a life, feelings and a right to privacy” Emmelina also said in her online forum. However, some people believe that it’s something you have to deal with if you choose to publicize your private life for viewers to see. And we’re not talking thousands. YouTube gets on average 19 million visitors per month. Celebrity agent, Mark Markson warned “the openness of the internet represented a double edged sword for those seeking noriety. If you put yourself out there on YouTube or MySpace you are moving into open area and giving your privacy away. If all of a sudden fame comes upon you, all of the negatives as well as the positives come with it.”

YouTube can be a great way to express yourself, promote yourself or even jumpstart a career. But like all things fameworthy, there’s a price to pay. And for some hardcore YouTubers, the negatives are outweighing the positives.

Here are some our favorite videos via Youtube for your viewing pleasure:

• Noah takes a photo of himself everyday for 6 years.
• Psycho complains to city about "rogue helicopter pilot"
• Breakin' - Turbo Broom Scene
• One-Handed 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube solve (20.09 seconds solve)
• Stevie Ray Vaughan - Testify - MTV Unplugged 1990
• YouTube's Most Viewed (All Time)

A PimpWiz Exclusive By, Lauren Fairbanks

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Steve Irwin's television program The Crocodile Hunter may have made him an international television star, but it also made him very popular on the Internet... Including on YouTube. His death has inspired many of his fans and bloggers to pay tribute to their idol online.

At the time Irwin's death was first announced on Monday, there were 4,200 videos tagged with the keyword phrase "Crocodile Hunter" on YouTube. These video clips were mostly a mix of TV segments featuring Irwin, amateur and professional imitators, and even a South Park Crocodile Hunter parody. But as of Wednesday night that number tripled to 15,040.

If you sort these search results by date added, the new Crocodile Hunter videos being posted on YouTube consist of news reports announcing his death as well as flurry of user generated tributes. In fact, a Wednesday night search for the exact phrase "Steve Irwin Tribute" produced 529 results on YouTube. And many of these tribute videos have well over 500 user comments each. This age of user generated content is providing fans a way of expressing their grief and sharing it with others instantly online.



Here are just a few YouTube user comments from one of the tribute videos:

Rest in peace, Steve Irwin. Steve did so much good and was a great person. He died doing what he loved. I miss him already. Steve Irwin was the best. Mooneskygge

Im still not over his death, he was just one of those guys that i cant imagine as being gone... RpgBouncer

A very fitting tribute...I'm sure Steve would have appreciated it... He was the greatest, most dedicated conservationist in Australia...maybe even the world... Goodbye Steve, Le chasseur de crocodile. A legend. We will remember. ChioGaru

The outpouring of support and sympathy for Steve Irwin by bloggers and YouTube users is nothing short of stunning. But what if major iconic figures such as Martin Luther King, Kurt Cobain, Pope John Paul or John Lennon had just died today? How would the YouTube generation react and interact? Can you imagine all the digital tributes. Crikey!

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Sony Electronics wants consumers to take video outside of thier living room. This week they announced three devices that can deliver content wherever a broadband Internet connection is available.

Starting in October, two new Sony LocationFree base stations and LocationFree TV box will allow consumers to wirelessly stream TV programs, movies and personal video content to devices including a Sony PlayStation Portable game device, PC or television set outside the home.

Priced at $200 and $250, the two base stations can forward TV and stored video content from a home-entertainment center over a broadband Internet connection of at least 300 kilobits per second to any TV in a remote location. The $250 LF-B20 base station can also wirelessly connect to any remote home network.

The portable $230 LocationFree TV Box, meanwhile, plugs into any remote TV and communicates with the base stations in the customer home, allowing customers to tap into their home digital-media files and display video on a TV wherever they are.

The products provide access to video similar to that of Sling Media’s Slingbox. That system uses an Internet-connected box on a home TV to deliver live TV or stored video to a remote computer.

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Have you heard about the new celebrity diet craze? It's easy. No dieting or exercise is required. Just a few Adobe Photoshop lessons and you can lose 20 pounds in the matter of minutes... like new CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric.

Evidence of Katie's new "digital diet" was published in a CBS publicity magazine called Watch, and distributed on American Airlines flights. The former NBC Today star's neck and waistline have clearly been digitally "photoshopped" to make her look about 20 pounds lighter. The original photo was taken at an advertiser presentation earlier this spring before getting a digital workout in CBS' graphics department.

Is CBS photoshopping more than publicity photos of news anchors? We hope not. Why not let a photo speak for itself?

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Review

We had an opportunity to hear this speaker system at our favorite mid-town home-audio store. This system is a powerhouse at a reasonable price and I ran home ready to write a review...but I found this review on Sound and Vision and decided to leave this one up to the experts. Aesthetically it's awesome looking and given its "big" performance can even fit comfortably in a Manhattan apartment. The only complaint Mr. Pohlmann had was a slight vocal distortion with the center speaker.

Click on the title for the entire review.

Planning on attending Apple Expo Paris? Looks like it might be a hot ticket this year. According to ThinkSecret, Apple will use a September 12 media event for Apple Expo Paris to introduce the 2G (second-generation) iPod nano, an updated 5G iPod, movies in the iTunes Store and an upgraded wall-mountable iMac.

Although the "media event" will be held in California near Apple's Cupterino headquarters, it will be fed via satellite to a London location for members of the European press. Apple Expo Paris kicks off September 12, the same day as the media event, and these new products will supposedly be on display at the show.

iPod Nano
What does Apple have in store for the 2G iPod Nano? If ThinkSecrets sources are correct, an increased storage capacity and multiple colors. When Steve Jobs first announced the iPod Nano, he said it would replace the iPod Mini. Now that the Nano comes in multiple colors, the transformation appears complete.


iPod Video
Don't get your hopes up too high for the new 5G iPod. The upgraded iPod will just have bigger hard drive capacities at the same price points. More storage for less money is always nice but this new iPod will probably not be the long-awaited touch-screen iPod. Most people believe that Apple will strategically release a 6G iPod at the same time as Microsoft's new Zune player. Reports of Apple filing for a touch sensitive media player patent first surfaced back in February. If the touch-screen iPod lives up to the rumors, the Zune won't pose much of a threat. The Zune is more of a "catch up" product than a leap forward in advanced consumer technology.


iTunes Movies
Apple is also expected to formally announce their movie store initiative at the September 12 event. Several major studios have reportedly partnered with Apple to sell movies in the iTunes Store. Both iPod and movie announcements were originally suppose to happen in August but were postponed for unknown reasons. Perhaps Wal-Mart's recent efforts to muscle out Apple from the downloadable movie business caused the delay.


New iMac
Details surrounding the new iMac are still a little fuzzy. The new upgraded iMac will probably receive Intel's faster Core 2 Duo processor and a 23-inch screen already used in Apple's line of Cinema Displays. Also rumored, but not confirmed, is the introduction of an iMac mounting kit. You wanted to wall mount your new iMac above your fireplace mantle right?

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Having iTunes authorization problems? Files you downloaded from the iTunes Music Store can only be authorized to play on up to 5 computers at a time. If you try to go over 5 computers, then iTunes will give you an authorization error.

For most people, 5 computers is plenty. One computer at home, one at work, a friend's computer, your laptop... did Xzibit Pimp Your Ride and put computer in your car?

Where you really start to run into authorization problems is when you get a new computer. Before you sell or get rid of an old computer, you should always "deauthorize" it in iTunes first. You should even consider deauthorizing your computer before sending it away for repair or upgrade - in case it doesn't come back in one piece. Deauthorizing your computer does not erase your music files; it simply prevents your purchased music from playing until you authorize that computer again with your iTunes password.

How to Deauthorize a Computer
Deauthorizing a computer is easy. Just open the iTunes application and choose Deauthorize Computer from the Advanced menu in iTunes.

Deauthorizing All Computers
But what happens when it's too late. Let's say your IT department at work took your old computer away before you had time to deauthorize it first. Or maybe your ex-spouse or former friend has an authorized iTunes computer on your account. Then what should you do? If you no longer have physical access to your old computer(s) then you will need to deauthorize all computers connected to your iTunes account. You can do this by resetting your list of authorized iTunes computers currently listed in Apple's database. Here's how:

1) Click on this link and log in to your iTunes account screen.
itms://phobos.apple.com/accountSummary


2) If you have already used up all 5 of your authorized iTunes computers, there will be a button labeled "Deauthorize All" on your Account Information screen. This button will deauthorize all computers associated with your account. Note: You can only use this feature once a year.

3) That's it. You'll just have to reauthorize any computer you want to play your purchased iTunes files by typing in your password again. Remember you can only reauthorize up to 5 computers, so try to keep your password secret this time.


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Here's a few patent pictures Apple submitted to the US trademark website.

Is the touch sensitive iPod going to be a reality? You be the judge. After seeing these images, I must say it looks like an iPod to me. And with the increasing popularity of tablet PCs, a touch sensitive iPod would be something that would be very plausible. Most people believe that Apple will strategically release a touch-screen 6G iPod at the same time as Microsoft's new Zune player.

However, it is still unclear if we are going to see an Apple tablet, full screen iPod or a combination of both. Nonetheless the multi point touch screen is a major revolution.

Check out the following video to see the possibilities:
http://mrl.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/multitouchreel.mpg

Also here's a link to Apple's Patent Application on the US trademark website:
Mode-based graphical user interfaces for touch sensitive input devices


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