@methodshop

When considering some of the most extreme environments on the planet, surely Antarctica, one of the coldest, driest and windiest places on earth (average temp of -56º F) comes to mind. Now imagine trying to conduct a live TV broadcast there. Sounds crazy right? My Direct-TV dish can't even get a clear signal when it's raining outside let alone an Antarctic blizzard. But on Nov. 5th & 6th the Today show will try when Ann Curry and Matt Lauer report live from Antarctica and the North Pole in a segment the Today Show calls The Ends of the Earth. This will be the first live simultaneous broadcast in history from the top and bottom of the globe.

When facing some of planet’s harshest conditions, how do you even begin to coordinate a live TV shoot? Well, it might not seem like such an insurmountable feat when you consider that there are 1,000-4,000 people living and working in Antarctica on any given day (mostly scientists and their support staff). In fact, there are several year around permanent research stations in Antarctica. According to this article, the Today Show recruited the help of one such research station supported by the National Science Foundation. The NSF’s established base in Antarctica has advanced technological capabilities including a pre-set data circuit that show was able use for transmission. Using this system paired with a software program called Qvidium, there was no need for satellites. So no matter what the weather is like, NBC will still be able to broadcast live.



The actual equipment in use for this shoot is pretty straightforward. The shoot will be a single camera shot using the Ikegami HLV55 with it’s feed hooked up to a laptop computer that runs the Qvidium software to stream live video. The Qvidium system transports and/or captures live video feeds for IP networks, including High Definition video. It enables this high-quality video transport over unconditioned IP networks, including wireless links and the Internet. It can operate on a single path due to the limitations of bandwidth.

As far as other equipment, goes it was all very standard. Nothing special was used with regard to the microphones, batteries, or the like. It seems as though Antarctica is pretty advanced for a giant desert of ice, especially when considering the fact that NBC’s director of production operations was easily reached on his cell phone down there.

Ironically it looks like the biggest challenge of this shoot won’t be technology, but rather making sure that the production crew stay warm. Also, the Antarctic Boomerang won't make it an easy trip home.

You can track Ann Curry's progress online here: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/21487444

Brrrr voyage Ann!

[Sources: CaptClicker.com & Wikipedia]

Labels: TV

At one point, the art of Halloween pumpkin carving went extreme... these are the photos.





methodshop

Labels: holiday, pics

Hate fingerprints on your iPhone or iPod Touch? Enough to spend $9.90 on some finger condoms? A enterprising company in Austria is selling something called Phone Fingers that prevent smudges and fingerprints on the screens of the iPod Touch and iPhone.



Here's a video of the "Phone Fingers" in action. It has a strange ending.



One more thing, the Phone Fingers only come in black and make the user look like they have a severe case of frostbite.

Silly product idea, weird choice in color and a demo video that ends in a theft... Yep, the Phone Fingers are a gag gift... like the Pet Rock.

Apple's touchscreen technology works by sensing the electrical fields in your skin. A latex finger condom is an insulator and would prevent the iPhone and iPod Touch from detecting any input from your fingers. The Phone Fingers website even says "This is probably the funniest accessory for the iPhone available!" But if you go over to Digg.com, there's a pretty heated debate going on in the comments. A lot of people initially thought this was serious product, not a gag gift. If you have a few minutes, it makes for a pretty entertaining read.

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: iphone

Due to the California Wildfires, AT&T has stated it will be offering free T-Mobile Hot Spot Wi-Fi services to San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Orange and Ventura counties.

About 600 locations total will participate. The offer began on October 27th and will last a several weeks.

It's a very nice gesture, especially for people who lost their homes and need to reconnect online and get their life back in order. But I'm not exactly sure why AT&T is offering T-Mobile's service for free. Weird right?


Photo Credit: Malkoff

Did another major telecom merger happen and I missed it? Or is AT&T just offering other people's products for free? Maybe I'll take a walk down 5th Avenue at lunch time and tell people that AT&T says they can get a free copy of OS X Leopard at the Apple Store.

Think it will work?


BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

Labels: tech news

Due to the California Wildfires, AT&T has stated it will be offering free T-Mobile Hot Spot Wi-Fi services to San Diego, San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Orange and Ventura counties.

About 600 locations total will participate. The offer began on October 27th and will last a several weeks.

It's a very nice gesture, especially for people who lost their homes and need to reconnect online and get their life back in order. But I'm not exactly sure why AT&T is offering T-Mobile's service for free. Weird right?


Photo Credit: Malkoff

Did another major telecom merger happen and I missed it? Or is AT&T just offering other people's products for free? Maybe I'll take a walk down 5th Avenue at lunch time and tell people that AT&T says they can get a free copy of OS X Leopard at the Apple Store.

Think it will work?


BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

Labels: tech news

It's not a huge surprise, but Apple's gone ahead and posted a note confirming that OS X Leopard will not support Classic, even on PowerPC machines. Of course, Intel Macs have never been able to run Classic anyway, so only like Hypercard user groups and the three printshops still running QuarkXPress 4 and will be affected by this...



But this does mark the end of the road for the venerable and oft maligned OS? The Mac Classic OS ushered in the mainstream GUI era with the 128K Mac in 1984 and remained the default boot on all new Macs until OS X 10.1.2 was released 18 years later in 2002. Steve Jobs even staged a melodramatic mock funeral for OS 9 at the 2002 WWDC. Still, the old warhorse managed to hang around for another 5 years, and we're a little sad to finally see it go.

I hope someone makes a stable Leopard emulator for Mac Classic soon. I still like to play a lot of those old System 7 games like Star Trek 25th Anniversary.

[Source: engadget]

BeSocial: digg story | flickr | methodshop

Labels: mac

When Ryan Ferguson, singer of the band No Knife, strutted up to the stage to accept a 1999 San Diego Music Award for Best Punk Album, he chided, "Well tonight we officially found out we're a punk band now."

Anyone who knows Ryan's accomplishments can understand the humor in this. Two years prior, No Knife won an award for Best Rock Album. Then in 2003, they won again, but this time it was for Best Alternative Album. Ryan has since then gone solo, but hasn't lost any of his momentum. He even won the San Diego Award for Best Pop Album in 2005.

His versatility makes one's head spin, but Ryan doesn't place much importance on classifying himself, and maybe we shouldn't try to either.

Our interview with Ryan was just like his lyrics, honest and articulate. Ryan was very forthcoming and spoke openly about everything from his break with No Knife to his busty friend Candace on MySpace and his freaky cats. Enjoy!

Interview: Ryan Ferguson



BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

Labels: music

NBC News anchor Brian Williams tried to give a tour of his new TV studio live on the air but oops.... the studio DOOR WAS LOCKED!!!

I wonder how many people got fired for that? You can see the clip here on YouTube.com.



BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: TV

NBC News anchor Brian Williams tried to give a tour of his new TV studio live on the air but oops.... the studio DOOR WAS LOCKED!!!

I wonder how many people got fired for that? You can see the clip here on YouTube.com.



BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: TV

AT&T is making Napster's entire music catalog (5 million songs) available for direct-to-mobile purchase in mid-November via a new service called Napster Mobile. While not compatible with the iPhone, the catalog will be accessible via AT&T's network for the price of $1.99/song or 5 tracks for $7.49.

Matchbox Twenty's new album "Exile on Mainstream" will kick off the service.


Two things strike me as odd about this deal:

1. It's kind of weird that AT&T didn't try to integrate any music system on their phones with iTunes. They already have a pretty solid relationship with Apple. In the US, AT&T is the only approved mobile carrier for the iPhone.
   
   
2. When it comes to music, are people really ready to leave their iPods behind and just use their phones? Maybe if you have an iPhone, otherwise, probably not. The media player built into my brand new BlackBerry Curve sucks so bad that I just bought an iPod Touch.
   

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: music

AT&T is making Napster's entire music catalog (5 million songs) available for direct-to-mobile purchase in mid-November via a new service called Napster Mobile. While not compatible with the iPhone, the catalog will be accessible via AT&T's network for the price of $1.99/song or 5 tracks for $7.49.

Matchbox Twenty's new album "Exile on Mainstream" will kick off the service.


Two things strike me as odd about this deal:

1. It's kind of weird that AT&T didn't try to integrate any music system on their phones with iTunes. They already have a pretty solid relationship with Apple. In the US, AT&T is the only approved mobile carrier for the iPhone.
   
   
2. When it comes to music, are people really ready to leave their iPods behind and just use their phones? Maybe if you have an iPhone, otherwise, probably not. The media player built into my brand new BlackBerry Curve sucks so bad that I just bought an iPod Touch.
   

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: iphone, music

Hate fingerprints on your iPhone or iPod Touch? Enough to spend $9.90 on some finger condoms? A enterprising company in Austria is selling something called Phone Fingers that prevent smudges and fingerprints on the screens of the iPod Touch and iPhone.



Here's a video of the "Phone Fingers" in action. It has a strange ending.



One more thing, the Phone Fingers only come in black and make the user look like they have a severe case of frostbite.

Silly product idea, weird choice in color and a demo video that ends in a theft... Yep, the Phone Fingers are a gag gift... like the Pet Rock.

Apple's touchscreen technology works by sensing the electrical fields in your skin. A latex finger condom is an insulator and would prevent the iPhone and iPod Touch from detecting any input from your fingers. The Phone Fingers website even says "This is probably the funniest accessory for the iPhone available!" But if you go over to Digg.com, there's a pretty heated debate going on in the comments. A lot of people initially thought this was serious product, not a gag gift. If you have a few minutes, it makes for a pretty entertaining read.

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: iphone

Welcome to the world of bike modding, where bicyclists, with way too much free time on their hands, get creative and turn their two-wheelers into rolling works of art.


WARNING: Removing the seat can lead to serious injury.
Photo: Ryan McFarland

You can see more bike hack pictures on Wired.com.

BeSocial: methodshop | digg story

Labels: offbeat

Tired of Facebook? Got some bad blood you need to vent online? Then embrace your hate and say hello to Hatebook.

Hatebook is a Facebook parody site that looks and functions exactly like Facebook... except with an evil twist.

Here's a brief list of the "evil twist" to give you a better idea of how Hatebook compares to Facebook:

• if you want to mail message someone on Hatebook, it's called "junkmail"
• instead of a blue color scheme, Hatebook is an evil red
  
• profiles (called "hate profiles") include a section called “Why I’m Better Than You!”
• "Hate Albums" consist of photos and descriptions of things you hate
• Are you married? Single? Hatebook doesn't care. Your status options consist of Hater, Player, Sucker, Loser, etc.
  

After we created a profile, we were greeted with the following message:

"Hello Sucker methodshop! Welcome to Hatebook! Your registration to the Evil Empire was successful. Feel free to pimp your hate profile."

Also, you are suppose to enter in the wrong mailing address to hide from your enemies. I just used our P.O. Box. I don't really mind if someone hates that. I don't really like it myself.



But why just parody Facebook when you can improve it? The German creators of Hatebook have not only recreated Facebook's functionality, they have also improved it. For example, they've integrated Google Maps into Hatebook (Evil Maps) so you can locate people you hate on a map.

Does everybody love to hate? Even advertisers? Time will tell. In the meantime feel free to hate MethodShop.com here: http://hatebook.org/user/methodshop

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: internet

Tired of Facebook? Got some bad blood you need to vent online? Then embrace your hate and say hello to Hatebook.

Hatebook is a Facebook parody site that looks and functions exactly like Facebook... except with an evil twist.

Here's a brief list of the "evil twist" to give you a better idea of how Hatebook compares to Facebook:

• if you want to mail message someone on Hatebook, it's called "junkmail"
• instead of a blue color scheme, Hatebook is an evil red
  
• profiles (called "hate profiles") include a section called “Why I’m Better Than You!”
• "Hate Albums" consist of photos and descriptions of things you hate
• Are you married? Single? Hatebook doesn't care. Your status options consist of Hater, Player, Sucker, Loser, etc.
  

After we created a profile, we were greeted with the following message:

"Hello Sucker methodshop! Welcome to Hatebook! Your registration to the Evil Empire was successful. Feel free to pimp your hate profile."

Also, you are suppose to enter in the wrong mailing address to hide from your enemies. I just used our P.O. Box. I don't really mind if someone hates that. I don't really like it myself.



But why just parody Facebook when you can improve it? The German creators of Hatebook have not only recreated Facebook's functionality, they have also improved it. For example, they've integrated Google Maps into Hatebook (Evil Maps) so you can locate people you hate on a map.

Does everybody love to hate? Even advertisers? Time will tell. In the meantime feel free to hate MethodShop.com here: http://hatebook.org/user/methodshop

Or join the MethodShop.com Facebook Fan Page.



methodshop

Labels: internet, social networking

This week the Weather Channel's interactive division launched an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Created by The Weather Channel Mobile, the app maps in a fully interactive environment and offers functionality like sliding pages and "fade ins."

Features include current conditions, hourly and 10-day forecasts, interactive radar, and maps that allow you to track the heavy stuff. You can also set up severe weather alerts for 5 different locations.

Open up the browser on your iPhone or iPod Touch and go to http://weather.com/iphone to check it out.

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: iphone, ipod

Universal Music is in talks with Sony BMG and Warner Music about launching a downloadable music subscription service to challenge iTunes' dominance.

The service, dubbed Total Music, would be optimized for rival devices such as the Microsoft Zune as well as mobile phones and would be free to the user. In the proposed Total Music model, device manufactures would pay the music companies for access to their catalogs.


Here's a quote from BusinessWeek:

[Total Music will] get hardware makers or cell carriers to absorb the cost of a roughly $5-per-month subscription fee so consumers get a device with all-you-can-eat music that's essentially free. Music companies would collect the subscription fee, while hardware makers theoretically would move many more players.

Personally, I can't believe that companies are still trying to make the "subscription" music model work. I don't know anyone who uses Rhapsody or Urge.

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: itunes, music

Here's a little Star Wars related gem from YouTube. It's a terrible interpretative dance/trumpet solo from a state beauty pageant in Nebraska, USA. Stacy, the woman in the clip, is Miss Douglas County, and this trumpet solo to the Star Wars theme song was her "talent" portion of the contest.

Apparently Stacy has been practicing on the wrong instrument.



WARNING: This may be the worst Star Wars related video clip on the Internet.


methodshop

Labels: movies, video

The next time you are talking trash about American President George Bush or planning a political protest in the US, you might want to check the room for bugs... seriously.

According to an article in the Washington Post, insect like robotic drones have been spotted at political events in Washington and New York.

Bernard Crane, a Washington lawyer, saw one of the drones in person. "I'd never seen anything like it in my life... they were large for dragonflies. I thought, 'Is that mechanical, or is that alive?' "

Who made these robotic insects? Are they being used as high-tech surveillance tools? So far, no American agency in the US government admits to having made or deployed insect spies. A defiant Gary Anderson, from the Defense Department's Rapid Reaction Technology Office had this to say, "If you find something, let me know."

But even if the US government didn't make the bugs, you can bet they are at least trying. There are even rumors that the Department of Homeland Security is growing live insects with computer chips in them. In theory, the robotic insects could follow terrorists, listen in on conversations, guide missiles to targets or navigate wreckage to find earthquake survivors.

Is it even possible to have a robot fly like an insect? I've never seen any military or commercial aircraft flutter around like an insect. But Pete Valentine, a miniature airplane hobbyist, combined 2 robotic bird kits and made a dragonfly-like hybrid [watch video]. And just last month, researchers at Cornell University published a physics paper clarifying how dragonflies adjust the relative motions of their front and rear wings to save energy while hovering.

So should we all get really paranoid and starting killing every insect in sight? Even if the the government does have insect spies, you probably have a bigger chance of getting recorded on someones cellphone camera.

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: tech news

The next time you are talking trash about American President George Bush or planning a political protest in the US, you might want to check the room for bugs... seriously.

According to an article in the Washington Post, insect like robotic drones have been spotted at political events in Washington and New York.

Bernard Crane, a Washington lawyer, saw one of the drones in person. "I'd never seen anything like it in my life... they were large for dragonflies. I thought, 'Is that mechanical, or is that alive?' "

Who made these robotic insects? Are they being used as high-tech surveillance tools? So far, no American agency in the US government admits to having made or deployed insect spies. A defiant Gary Anderson, from the Defense Department's Rapid Reaction Technology Office had this to say, "If you find something, let me know."

But even if the US government didn't make the bugs, you can bet they are at least trying. There are even rumors that the Department of Homeland Security is growing live insects with computer chips in them. In theory, the robotic insects could follow terrorists, listen in on conversations, guide missiles to targets or navigate wreckage to find earthquake survivors.

Is it even possible to have a robot fly like an insect? I've never seen any military or commercial aircraft flutter around like an insect. But Pete Valentine, a miniature airplane hobbyist, combined 2 robotic bird kits and made a dragonfly-like hybrid [watch video]. And just last month, researchers at Cornell University published a physics paper clarifying how dragonflies adjust the relative motions of their front and rear wings to save energy while hovering.

So should we all get really paranoid and starting killing every insect in sight? Even if the the government does have insect spies, you probably have a bigger chance of getting recorded on someones cellphone camera.

BeSocial: methodshop

Labels: tech news

It would be nice to have $250,000 and about 5 years to review every iPod speaker system available in the market. Since that's not going to happen we [GetUSB.info] did have the chance to review one of the top models, the Klipsch iGroove HG.

The original model was released in late 2004 with an updated version, the iGroove HG (black) released in 2006. The look, feel and design of the HG model is fantastic. It's black lacquer shinny look, solid weight and well built speaker system make it a top choice for anyone in the market looking for an iPod speaker system.

Most iPod speaker systems are more into jumping onto the band-wagon of "iPod" than producing a quality product. The iGroove HG does not fall into this category. First off, the iGroove HG comes with a real two-way speaker system. Klipsch installed two 2.5 inch woofers for excellent bass and one set of 1 inch MicroTractrix horn-loaded tweeters to fill out the high end. This in itself is worth major consideration as most other speaker systems use a combo speaker design that produce tweensy results.

To read the rest of the iGroove HG review please visit GetUSB.info.

BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

San Diego, California may be full of bums these days, but there is one bum long overdue for high honors – Bum, the 19th-century town dog.

Owned by no one, Bum used to hang out at downtown San Diego restaurants and bars, where he became an alcoholic, addicted to beer and whiskey. A Chinese resident, Ah Wo Sue, nursed him back to health, and, eventually, his likeness appeared on dog tags and licenses.

The county Board of Supervisors sent Bum to County Hospital when he was crippled with rheumatism, and at his death in 1898, he received a public funeral paid for by pennies of the children of San Diego. He was beloved by children, who liked to ride on his back.



Now, over 100-years later, The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation and San Diego-Edinburgh Sister City Society are building a bronze statue of the St. Bernard-spaniel mix that will be displayed in the Gaslamp Quarter section of downtown San Diego.

KNSD, the NBC station in San Diego, did a news report on Bum and his new statue. You can watch a video of the report here [Source: KNSD Widget]

BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

Labels: offbeat news

San Diego, California may be full of bums these days, but there is one bum long overdue for high honors – Bum, the 19th-century town dog.

Owned by no one, Bum used to hang out at downtown San Diego restaurants and bars, where he became an alcoholic, addicted to beer and whiskey. A Chinese resident, Ah Wo Sue, nursed him back to health, and, eventually, his likeness appeared on dog tags and licenses.

The county Board of Supervisors sent Bum to County Hospital when he was crippled with rheumatism, and at his death in 1898, he received a public funeral paid for by pennies of the children of San Diego. He was beloved by children, who liked to ride on his back.



Now, over 100-years later, The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation and San Diego-Edinburgh Sister City Society are building a bronze statue of the St. Bernard-spaniel mix that will be displayed in the Gaslamp Quarter section of downtown San Diego.

KNSD, the NBC station in San Diego, did a news report on Bum and his new statue. You can watch a video of the report here [Source: KNSD Widget]

BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

Labels: offbeat

Tired of paying rent? Then you'll love this story. An artist named Michael Townsend, 36, noticed an architectural void in a shopping mall garage in Providence, RI. The 750 square foot space was used during the mall's construction in 1999 to store building materials. However it remained empty and unused after the mall opened.

Then in 2003 Michael heard a Christmas ad for the Providence Place Mall on the radio. The ad implied that the mall had everything you could ever need - to the point where someone could actually live there. So what did Michael and his friends do? They decided to test that theory. They built a cinderblock wall, complete with a door, and sealed off the architectural void in the garage. Then they moved in.


Home, sweet mall.

From 2003 to October 2007, Michael and his friends fixed up their secret hideaway. The apartment eventually had a sectional sofa and love seat, coffee and breakfast tables, a rug, paintings and a Sony Playstation 2. There was no running water -- but the mall bathrooms were nearby.

Unfortunately a nosy mall security guard ruined everything. According to Michael's blog, his "plans to finish the kitchen, install wood flooring, add a second bedroom and replace the outdated cutlery were put on permanent hold" after he was caught leaving the apartment on October 3rd.

Police Major Stephen Campbell says while he's surprised by what Michael and his friends accomplished, their stunt was still illegal.

Michael has pleaded no contest to a trespassing charge.

BeSocial: methodshop | digg story

Labels: geek

Tired of paying rent? Then you'll love this story. An artist named Michael Townsend, 36, noticed an architectural void in a shopping mall garage in Providence, RI. The 750 square foot space was used during the mall's construction in 1999 to store building materials. However it remained empty and unused after the mall opened.

Then in 2003 Michael heard a Christmas ad for the Providence Place Mall on the radio. The ad implied that the mall had everything you could ever need - to the point where someone could actually live there. So what did Michael and his friends do? They decided to test that theory. They built a cinderblock wall, complete with a door, and sealed off the architectural void in the garage. Then they moved in.


Home, sweet mall?

From 2003 to October 2007, Michael and his friends fixed up their secret hideaway. The apartment eventually had a sectional sofa and love seat, coffee and breakfast tables, a rug, paintings and a Sony Playstation 2. There was no running water -- but the mall bathrooms were nearby.

Unfortunately a nosy mall security guard ruined everything. According to Michael's blog, his "plans to finish the kitchen, install wood flooring, add a second bedroom and replace the outdated cutlery were put on permanent hold" after he was caught leaving the apartment on October 3rd.

Police Major Stephen Campbell says while he's surprised by what Michael and his friends accomplished, their stunt was still illegal.

Michael has pleaded no contest to a trespassing charge.

BeSocial: methodshop | digg story

Labels: geek

Can this picture be explained? Digg.com user itomixdotcom thinks he has it all figured out.

"Seems pretty straightforward. The UPS Driver accidentally backed down the hill, losing a bunch of his cargo. While he was busy talking with the Police about how to get his truck up the hill, a wedding party was getting their pictures taken nearby. One of the groomsmen forgot to buy the happy couple a present. Just his luck - he grabbed a random box and badda-boom... instant present. Good thing the Bride and Groom happen to be tailors. Otherwise this wouldn't have made sense."

He's got me convinced. What? Think you can do better? Post it here.

BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

Labels: geek, internet

Can this picture be explained? Digg.com user itomixdotcom thinks he has it all figured out.

"Seems pretty straightforward. The UPS Driver accidentally backed down the hill, losing a bunch of his cargo. While he was busy talking with the Police about how to get his truck up the hill, a wedding party was getting their pictures taken nearby. One of the groomsmen forgot to buy the happy couple a present. Just his luck - he grabbed a random box and badda-boom... instant present. Good thing the Bride and Groom happen to be tailors. Otherwise this wouldn't have made sense."

He's got me convinced. What? Think you can do better? Post it here.

BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

Labels: geek

Radiohead is making its newest album, In Rainbows, available online at whatever price point consumers feel they should pay for it. The 10-track album will be released as a digital download starting October 10th. The announcement was made online by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood.



When users try to order In Rainbows on Radiohead.com, they will see a question mark next to a blank price box. If you click on the question mark, the message "It’s up to you" comes up. A subsequent screen reassures fans: "No really, it’s up to you."

Unfortunately, because In Rainbows will only be available on Radiohead's website, the album will not be eligible for chart ranking. It's too bad. I'm sure they'd be #1.

The band, led by Thom Yorke, are also planning a traditional CD release of In Rainbows for early 2008 that they will publish themselves. Radiohead decided not to use a record label after fulfilling their contract with EMI following their 2003 album 'Hail to the Thief.'

Did Radiohead just hammer the last nail into the record industry's coffin or make a huge mistake? Time will tell. In the meantime, at least we can't get busted for downloading a torrent of In Rainbows.

BeSocial: flickr | methodshop

Labels: music

Radiohead is making its newest album, In Rainbows, available online at whatever price point consumers feel they should pay for it. The 10-track album will be released as a digital download starting October 10th. The announcement was made online by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood.



When users try to order In Rainbows on Radiohead.com, they will see a question mark next to a blank price box. If you click on the question mark, the message "It’s up to you" comes up. A subsequent screen reassures fans: "No really, it’s up to you."

Unfortunately, because In Rainbows will only be available on Radiohead's website, the album will not be eligible for chart ranking. It's too bad. I'm sure they'd be #1.

The band, led by Thom Yorke, are also planning a traditional CD release of In Rainbows for early 2008 that they will publish themselves. Radiohead decided not to use a record label after fulfilling their contract with EMI following their 2003 album 'Hail to the Thief.'

Did Radiohead just hammer the last nail into the record industry's coffin or make a huge mistake? Time will tell. In the meantime, at least we can't get busted for downloading a torrent of In Rainbows.

BeSocial: flickr | methodshop

Labels: music

Got iPhone envy? I do. My company is Blackberry only and won't support the iPhone. So I installed the free "bPhone for BlackBerry" theme.




It reskins all your Blackberry icons with iPhone icons and even replaces the hourglass with the OS X spinning beach ball.

You can install the bPhone theme here if you are reading this on your phone right now or check out the author's website here.

Here's an install step-by-step:

1. open this link on your phone
2. Select your BlackBerry phone model (ie. the curve is the 8300).
3. Select the "Icon" theme
4. Enter in your BlackBerry email address
5. A download link will be emailed to your phone
   
6. Download the bPhone theme on your phone
7. Go to Prefs on your phone
8. Select the bPhone theme
9. Enable the bPhone theme
   

That's it!


methodshop

Labels: iphone, mobile, tutorial

With the impending release of The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson (Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) fans everywhere can get a taste of what's to come with his short film Hotel Chevalier.



The 13-minute short film is a prequel for Darjeeling stars Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman who play estranged lovers that meet one last time. Hotel Chevalier is a free download on iTunes (US).

BeSocial: flickr | methodshop

Labels: itunes, movies

With the impending release of The Darjeeling Limited, Wes Anderson (Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou) fans everywhere can get a taste of what's to come with his short film Hotel Chevalier.



The 13-minute short film is a prequel for Darjeeling stars Natalie Portman and Jason Schwartzman who play estranged lovers that meet one last time. Hotel Chevalier is a free download on iTunes (US).

BeSocial: flickr | methodshop

Labels: itunes, movies

The Sesame Street Podcast ranked #1 on iTunes just a week after launching, thanks in part to guest spots from celebrities Jon Stewart, Matt Lauer, Sarah Jessica Parker and Chris Brown.



The weekly 5-minute series features clips from current and past Sesame Street episodes as well as animated and live action shorts. American Greetings has signed on as its initial sponsor.



Methodshop