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Celebrities are complaining lately about looking less-than-perfect (and often times just plain bad) on HDTV. TVPredictions.com's Phillip Swann lists and comments about stars who look best or worst in high-def.


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Labels: HDTV

Wish you could watch YouTube videos on your Apple TV? Sometime in June, all Internet connected Apple TV boxes will accept a free software patch that will enable wireless streaming of YouTube videos. YouTube is making thousands of clips available each week until thier full catalog is accessible later this fall.

You'll be able browse the YouTube content on your Apple TV in a variety of ways including: featured, top viewed, recently viewed, history, and even by search. I'm dreading the search option. If you haven't used the Apple TV yet, there's a USB port in the back of the device, but you currently can't use a keyboard for some reason. Entering text on the Apple TV is the equivalent of typing in your initials for the high score screen in an arcade game. Very painful without a keyboard.

So how chewy will these compressed YouTube videos look on your HD TV? I've already ripped a bunch of music videos off YopuTube, converted them to MPEG-4 videos and saved them in iTunes. Honestly, the Flash encoded YouTube videos look like crap on a HD TV. YouTube doesn't even look good when stretched out to its default 480 x 360, let alone 640 x 480 or HD. But YouTube does have thousands of clips and can provide endless hours of entertainment. Fuzzy, but fun.

Apple also announced a new Apple TV model with a 160 GB hard drive for $400. You'll still be able to buy the old 40 GB version for $300, but personally, I think $100 for 4x the storage is a great deal.

You can read more about the Apple TV here: Apple TV Review



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Labels: apple tv

Wish you could watch YouTube videos on your Apple TV? Sometime in June, all Internet connected Apple TV boxes will accept a free software patch that will enable wireless streaming of YouTube videos. YouTube is making thousands of clips available each week until thier full catalog is accessible later this fall.

You'll be able browse the YouTube content on your Apple TV in a variety of ways including: featured, top viewed, recently viewed, history, and even by search. I'm dreading the search option. If you haven't used the Apple TV yet, there's a USB port in the back of the device, but you currently can't use a keyboard for some reason. Entering text on the Apple TV is the equivalent of typing in your initials for the high score screen in an arcade game. Very painful without a keyboard.

So how chewy will these compressed YouTube videos look on your HD TV? I've already ripped a bunch of music videos off YouTube, converted them to MPEG-4 videos and saved them in iTunes. Honestly, the Flash encoded YouTube videos look like crap on a HD TV. YouTube doesn't even look good when stretched out to its default 480 x 360, let alone 640 x 480 or HD. But YouTube does have thousands of clips and can provide endless hours of entertainment. Fuzzy, but fun.

Apple also announced a new Apple TV model with a 160 GB hard drive for $400. You'll still be able to buy the old 40 GB version for $300, but personally, I think $100 for 4x the storage is a great deal.

You can read more about the Apple TV here: Apple TV Review



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Labels: apple tv

It looks like Google's 2006 acquisition of Neven Vision, a company specializing in facial recognition software, is finally starting to pay off. Google Blogoscoped, a blog dedicated to everything related to Google, got a tip from a Google engineer that Google had secretly added some facial recognition abilities to its image search this week.

The feature remains unofficial and unannounced, but you can add a small query string to the end of your Google Image search URL to see the facial recognition software in action.

For example, do a normal Google image search for "Starbuck Battlestar" and your image results should produce images from the American SciFi TV show Battlestar Galactica. Then try adding "&imgtype=face" to the end of the URL. Your new search results will only contain photos of people and tight shots of their faces. Cool right?


Last August, Google Picasa product manager Adrian Graham had this to say about Google's acquisition of Neven Vision in the official Google blog:

"Neven Vision comes to Google with deep technology and expertise around automatically extracting information from a photo. It could be as simple as detecting whether or not a photo contains a person, or, one day, as complex as recognizing people, places, and objects."

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Labels: tech news

It looks like Google's 2006 acquisition of Neven Vision, a company specializing in facial recognition software, is finally starting to pay off. Google Blogoscoped, a blog dedicated to everything related to Google, got a tip from a Google engineer that Google had secretly added some facial recognition abilities to its image search this week.

The feature remains unofficial and unannounced, but you can add a small query string to the end of your Google Image search URL to see the facial recognition software in action.

For example, do a normal Google image search for "Starbuck Battlestar" and your image results should produce images from the American SciFi TV show Battlestar Galactica. Then try adding "&imgtype=face" to the end of the URL. Your new search results will only contain photos of people and tight shots of their faces. Cool right?


Last August, Google Picasa product manager Adrian Graham had this to say about Google's acquisition of Neven Vision in the official Google blog:

"Neven Vision comes to Google with deep technology and expertise around automatically extracting information from a photo. It could be as simple as detecting whether or not a photo contains a person, or, one day, as complex as recognizing people, places, and objects."

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Labels: tech

On Wednesday, Apple released an update to iTunes (US) that added DRM-free AAC music files to the iTunes Store. Dubbed iTunes Plus, the new version of iTunes will allow you to either download DRM (Digital Rights Management) files for the standard $0.99 or spend $1.29 on DRM-free songs.

In addition to iTunes Plus, Apple added a new section to iTunes 7.2 called iTunes U, where you can download lectures from various universities around the US free of charge. In addition to lectures, many Universities are offering language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours. Participating schools currently include Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT.

It's probably only a matter of time until someone claims that they graduated from "iTunes U."

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Labels: itunes

On Wednesday, Apple released an update to iTunes (US) that added DRM-free AAC music files to the iTunes Store. Dubbed iTunes Plus, the new version of iTunes will allow you to either download DRM (Digital Rights Management) files for the standard $0.99 or spend $1.29 on DRM-free songs.

In addition to iTunes Plus, Apple added a new section to iTunes 7.2 called iTunes U, where you can download lectures from various universities around the US free of charge. In addition to lectures, many Universities are offering language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours. Participating schools currently include Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT.

It's probably only a matter of time until someone claims that they graduated from "iTunes U."

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Labels: itunes

Google has launched a new home page for Korea that departs from Google's "classic," minimalist home page approach. The new look features animated product buttons below the search box and will become the default home page in the country, a move Google is comfortable with given the near universal presence of broadband.

The new, animated Google Korea home page is intended to help Google better compete in the country where it seeks to gain market share.


When you roll your mouse over the colored dots, icons appear. You can see the animation on the live Google Korea page.

"It was important where our classic minimalism wasn't working that we adapt," Marissa Mayer, Vice President, Search Products & User Experience at Google, said in a briefing earlier today.

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Labels: tech news

Google has launched a new home page for Korea that departs from Google's "classic," minimalist home page approach. The new look features animated product buttons below the search box and will become the default home page in the country, a move Google is comfortable with given the near universal presence of broadband.

The new, animated Google Korea home page is intended to help Google better compete in the country where it seeks to gain market share.


When you roll your mouse over the colored dots, icons appear. You can see the animation on the live Google Korea page.

"It was important where our classic minimalism wasn't working that we adapt," Marissa Mayer, Vice President, Search Products & User Experience at Google, said in a briefing earlier today.

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Labels: tech news

No longer are our magnificent Monday night ‘Heroes’ going to be confined to merely mortal NBC TV (and SciFi Channel reruns). Our favorite Heroes and villains are coming to DVD this August with tons of bonus features.

The 7-disc set, available on DVD and HD DVD on August 28, 2007, will include the never-before-aired 73-minute premiere episode and over 50 deleted scenes.

The Heroes Season 1 DVD set is priced at $59.98 and is available for preorder on Amazon.com for $38.99 until July 24, 2007.

Here are some of the Heroes Season 1 DVD extras:

• Unaired Pilot: The Tim Kring cut with audio commentary — A full 73 uninterrupted minutes of the original, unaired, extended pilot episode, as Heroes’ creator Tim Kring first envisioned it, with a character never seen.
  
  
• The Making of “Heroes”: From concept to pop culture phenomenon, a behind-the-scenes look at the hottest new series on television.
  
  
• Special Effects: The secrets behind the eye-popping visuals that give the Heroes their amazing powers.
  
  
• The Stunts: A backstage look at the show’s hair-raising stunts.
  
  
• Mind Reader: Matt Parkman’s mind reading abilities reveal your inner Hero with a series of simple tests.
  
  
• Profile of Artist Tim Sale: A look at the Eisner Award-winning comic book artist (Spiderman, Batman, Daredevil) behind much of the Manga-influenced artwork used in the show.
  
  
• The Score: Go behind the scenes with Wendy Melvin and Lisa Coleman (of Prince’s The Revolution) as they create their ASCAP Award-winning musical score.
  
  
• Extra Scenes: 50 deleted and extended scenes.
  

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Labels: dvd, TV

No longer are our magnificent Monday night ‘Heroes’ going to be confined to merely mortal NBC TV (and SciFi Channel reruns). Our favorite Heroes and villains are coming to DVD this August with tons of bonus features.

The 7-disc set, available on DVD and HD DVD on August 28, 2007, will include the never-before-aired 73-minute premiere episode and over 50 deleted scenes.

The Heroes Season 1 DVD set is priced at $59.98 and is available for preorder on Amazon.com for $38.99 until July 24, 2007.

Here are some of the Heroes Season 1 DVD extras:

• Unaired Pilot: The Tim Kring cut with audio commentary — A full 73 uninterrupted minutes of the original, unaired, extended pilot episode, as Heroes’ creator Tim Kring first envisioned it, with a character never seen.
  
  
• The Making of “Heroes”: From concept to pop culture phenomenon, a behind-the-scenes look at the hottest new series on television.
  
  
• Special Effects: The secrets behind the eye-popping visuals that give the Heroes their amazing powers.
  
  
• The Stunts: A backstage look at the show’s hair-raising stunts.
  
  
• Mind Reader: Matt Parkman’s mind reading abilities reveal your inner Hero with a series of simple tests.
  
  
• Profile of Artist Tim Sale: A look at the Eisner Award-winning comic book artist (Spiderman, Batman, Daredevil) behind much of the Manga-influenced artwork used in the show.
  
  
• The Score: Go behind the scenes with Wendy Melvin and Lisa Coleman (of Prince’s The Revolution) as they create their ASCAP Award-winning musical score.
  
  
• Extra Scenes: 50 deleted and extended scenes.
  

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Labels: dvd, TV

Motley Crue have made it known that they’re not big fans of Paris Hilton by supporting a Throw Paris Hilton In Jail petition.

In answer to pro-Paris MySPace petition asking the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to show leniency, Motley Crue have put their full support behind a rival petition (link) asking the Governor to ensure Paris serves her full 45-day sentence.

The petition lists the instances (and there are quite a few) when Paris has "knowingly and willingly broken the law" and urges the Governor to "ignore other petitions asking for clemency and show the people of California that no one is above the law."

Paris is due to begin her jail sentence – now cut to only 23 days – on June 5.

[Via entertainmentwise.com]

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Labels: internet

Wow, sometimes people are lazy. Here's a picture of a woman pushing her baby with a Segway. Besides being lazy, isn't that kind of dangerous anyway? Because of the way the Segway works, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be able to reverse quickly or move out of the way with the stroller in case of an emergency.


Click here for a bigger image
Question of the Day: Should you need a license to drive a Segway, or a licence to be a mother?

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Labels: geek

Wow, sometimes people are lazy. Here's a picture of a woman pushing her baby with a Segway. Besides being lazy, isn't that kind of dangerous? Because of the way the Segway works, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't be able to reverse quickly or move out of the way with the stroller in case of an emergency.



Question of the Day: Should you need a license to drive a Segway, or a license to be a mother?

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Labels: offbeat, pics

After months of hype, we finally get to see Michelle Ryan in NBC's new remake of the Bionic Woman. In this clip from Vmix.com, we get to see Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan) find out she has bionic parts and freak out. Those are some sexy bionic toes by the way.

It's tough to tell from just a few scenes, but Bionic Woman looks like it’s going to be a fun show. With the success of sci-fi shows like Heroes and Lost, Bionic Woman might just be the next big hit. Plus David Eick from Battlestar Galactica is the Executive Producer. Here's another clip of Eick talking about the strong women characters in his shows.

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Labels: video

After months of hype, we finally get to see Michelle Ryan in NBC's new remake of the Bionic Woman. In this clip from Vmix.com, we get to see Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan) find out she has bionic parts and freak out. Those are some sexy bionic toes by the way.

It's tough to tell from just a few scenes, but Bionic Woman looks like it’s going to be a fun show. With the success of sci-fi shows like Heroes and Lost, Bionic Woman might just be the next big hit. Plus David Eick from Battlestar Galactica is the Executive Producer. Here's another clip of Eick talking about the strong women characters in his shows.

Watch This Channel | Channels by NBC
View more Partners channels | More VMIX videos | Embed this channel

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According to ABC News.com, the Tennessee Highway Patrol has suspended a state trooper who allegedly received a sexual favor from a porn star and recorded the act with a camera from his cruiser in return for ignoring her possession of illegal painkillers.

The woman, who goes by the stage name Barbie Cummings, said that at a traffic stop on May 7, trooper James Randy Moss found illegal painkillers in her car, but decided not to bust the Knoxville woman in return for a sexual favor.


The incident came to the attention of officials when someone filed an internal complaint against the veteran trooper, according to Tennessee Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Browning.

Browning told ABC News that he could add few details beyond a press release issued Friday that announced Moss' indefinite suspension. But a blog maintained by the woman, which recounts sordid details of the alleged escapade, has drawn additional attention to the case, and the department is investigating whether Moss may have violated the law while on duty.

[Via abcnews.com]

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Labels: tech news

The next time you are in Kmart buying groceries, you might want to skip the bacon shelf. Kmart sells "something" called Jamestown Brand Hardwood Smoked Bacon. But can it legally still be called bacon if the meat-to-fat ratio is well under 3%?


Just take one look at this picture. Your first instinct will be to say, "Isn't bacon suppose to be fatty?" Then you will look at the picture and realize that your second instinct, to vomit, is in fact, the correct one.

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Labels: geek

Did you watch the 2007 season finale of The Office (US)? Want to print out your own Schrute Bucks?! A $1,000 Schrute Bucks will you get an extra 5 minutes for lunch. I wonder how many Schrute Bucks it takes to get the Dwight bobblehead from nbcstore.com?



The Schrute Buck gfx was made by Digg.com user dawgma.

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Labels: pics, TV

Did you watch the 2007 season finale of The Office (US)? Want to print out your own Schrute Bucks?! A $1,000 Schrute Bucks will you get an extra 5 minutes for lunch. I wonder how many Schrute Bucks it takes to get the Dwight bobblehead from nbcstore.com?


The Schrute Buck gfx was made by Digg.com user dawgma.

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Labels: TV

Ever wonder how your mouse connects to the cursor and moves it around your screen? Believe it or not, I found a website that explains this technical process clearly thanks to a giant digital magnifying glass.

Go to this website http://www.1-click.jp/ and then move your cursor around.

Who knew?

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Labels: geek

Ever wonder how your mouse connects to the cursor and moves it around your screen? Believe it or not, I found a website that explains this technical process clearly thanks to a giant digital magnifying glass.

Go to this website http://www.1-click.jp/ and then move your cursor around.

Who knew?

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Labels: geek

After purchasing the remaining 40 percent of Cingular last year, AT&T has begun the process of rebranding some 1,800 Cingular stores. The telecom, which will be the sole carrier of the iPhone in the U.S., is undertaking the rebranding move just weeks before Apple's hotly anticipated smartphone hits the market.



"Our branding Email Marketing Software - Free Demo campaign is performing at and above projected levels, and customer response has been very positive," Randall Stephenson, AT&T's chief operating officer, said.

The San Antonio-based phone giant is accelerating its rebranding efforts of one of the best-known brands in the market, and will make the orange "Jack" logo and Cingular name disappear from new devices being sold.

The decision to move to this phase of the branding campaign is based on research that indicates that consumer awareness of AT&T -- one of the best-known, most durable and iconic brands in the world -- is high and ahead of expectations, the company said.

[Via technewsworld.com]

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Labels: apple

After purchasing the remaining 40 percent of Cingular last year, AT&T has begun the process of rebranding some 1,800 Cingular stores. The telecom, which will be the sole carrier of the iPhone in the U.S., is undertaking the rebranding move just weeks before Apple's hotly anticipated smartphone hits the market.



"Our branding Email Marketing Software - Free Demo campaign is performing at and above projected levels, and customer response has been very positive," Randall Stephenson, AT&T's chief operating officer, said.

The San Antonio-based phone giant is accelerating its rebranding efforts of one of the best-known brands in the market, and will make the orange "Jack" logo and Cingular name disappear from new devices being sold.

The decision to move to this phase of the branding campaign is based on research that indicates that consumer awareness of AT&T -- one of the best-known, most durable and iconic brands in the world -- is high and ahead of expectations, the company said.

[Via technewsworld.com]

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Labels: iphone

Like emailing videos and music files to your friends? Good news. Gmail just upgraded the maximum attachment size from 10 MB to 20 MB. Surprising enough, giant corporate companies, like General Electric, still restrict attachments to 5 MB and under.

A 20 MB attachment is great, but who are you going to send that email to? There are exceptions like Yahoo Mail Plus, but most email services won’t support 20 MB attachments. For the time being, you'll have to settle for sending those giant 20 MB attachments to other Gmail users.

If others email providers follow suit, like they did with overall email storage space, then we should be seeing larger attachments all around pretty soon. Google is often the first mover to increase size restrictions for its free email service. Yahoo recently increased its free email storage capacity to support an unlimited amount. For those that would prefer to use a third party for the sending, storing and receiving of large files, there’s always services like YouSendIt and Tubes, among others.

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Labels: internet, tech news