@methodshop

The Evolution of Dance is the most-viewed YouTube video ever. In the video, Judson Laipply, a motivational speaker, dances to a soundtrack that plays through various popular songs ranging from Elvis Presley to MC Hammer and Michael Jackson. As of February 2008, The Evolution of Dance has over 76 million views on YouTube, and is the most viewed video on the site.

Here's a parody of The Evolution of Dance performed by Optimus Prime from The Transformers called "The Evolution of Dance With Optimus Prime." Keep your eyes peeled for the subtle robotic crotch thrusts during YMCA. It might not be appropriate for younger Decepticons.



Gotta love the ending. Optimus Prime doesn't like the Macarena. He transforms and leaves the stage.

Surprisingly, this clip is not from the popular stop-animation comedy show Robotic Chicken. The guy who made it is named Patrick Boivin. Seth Green should give him a job.

methodshop

Labels: video

The Evolution of Dance is the most-viewed YouTube video ever. In the video, Judson Laipply, a motivational speaker, dances to a soundtrack that plays through various popular songs ranging from Elvis Presley to MC Hammer and Michael Jackson. As of February 2008, The Evolution of Dance has over 76 million views on YouTube, and is the most viewed video on the site.

Here's a parody of The Evolution of Dance performed by Optimus Prime from The Transformers called "The Evolution of Dance With Optimus Prime." Keep your eyes peeled for the subtle robotic crotch thrusts during YMCA. It might not be appropriate for younger Decepticons.



Gotta love the ending. Optimus Prime doesn't like the Macarena. He transforms and leaves the stage.

Surprisingly, this clip is not from the popular stop-animation comedy show Robotic Chicken. The guy who made it is named Patrick Boivin. Seth Green should give him a job.

methodshop

Labels: video

Got a few friends with iPhones and a Nintendo DS? Why not start an iBand like these guys.

Here's a clip from 5min.com (a YouTube ripoff) of a few guys jamming out using PocketGuitar and and iAno on their hacked iPhones. Both apps are available after Jailbreaking your iPhone and enabling Community Sources. But a bulk of the song is being performed by the Nintendo DS.

Their song kind of sounds like something Jimmy LaValle from Album Leaf would write.



gigamegater from Digg.com had a clever comment about this clip that made me laugh:

Me: Hey baby, I'm in an iBand, wanna get it on?
Groupie: Sorry I'm only into Guitar Heroes.

methodshop

Labels: iphone, video

I'm not exactly sure why Sony is getting into the USB Turntable business but they've taken a stab at getting our interest. The PS-LX300USB looks similar to another product we've talked about before (ION's version) but I see some notable differences.



The Sony version has a belt drive motor for reduced noise along with providing some added rotational stability. The unit also carries a diamond stylus for precise tracking and low record wear.

The turntable has playback speeds for either 33 1/3 or 45 rpm, so anything you've got stashed away should play on the LX300USB. Sony bundles the Sound Forge Audio Studio software to aid in the vinyl to MP3 conversion.

The unit will become available sometime in April for about $150, but if you're chomping-at-the-bit for some vinyl to MP3, the ION Audio version is available now for about the same price.

Source: GetUSB.info.

Labels: music, review

A Menu Extra in the Mac OS X, is a small icon that appears on the right side of the Menu Bar. For example, check out the image of the Eject icon to the right of this text that's circled in red.

Mac OS X Menu Bar Extras often...

• provide a quick and easy way to access common features (chat, sync)
• display information (time, email)
• control system functions (volume, eject a DVD/CD)

Here's a tutorial and video demonstration that shows you how to add/delete and rearrange OS X Menu Bar Extras.

Tutorial: How to Add Icons to Your OS X Menu Bar


methodshop

Labels: mac, tutorial

Notable this past week was the release of the latest Mvix Media Center, the Mvix MX-780HD. The MX-780HD has HDMI out, supports up to 1080p and can now take either an IDE or SATA drive in its case. Still in the multi-media world, the Kaossilator Touchpad Synthesizer doesn't need keys or buttons to play musical notes.

A peppermill gadget? Yup. And get this, it's modeled on Star Wars' R2-D2. If you're into toys, check out the Mini Rubber Band Artillery. Take your basic rubber band finger gun to the next level!

USB has really revolutionized computer accessories; there's a USB gadget that does everything. Here's one for aromatherapy fans – the USB Aromatherapy Oil Burner. Now, you can get aromatherapy-relaxed while computing. Just plug this device into your USB port, add some oil and you're good to go.

For you retro-gamers, MAMEUI, the latest MAME for Windows was announced last week. Still in gaming, it appears that Mac gaming is making a comeback. Windows and console games have dominated the gaming world for years, after Macs showed how great games could look on a computer. Let's hope

Of course, arguably the biggest tech news this week was that Toshiba has dropped out of the DVD format war, with the HD-DVD format being pronounced dead. Sony's Blu-Ray format is what you'll be getting used to for the next 5 years at least.

Source: Gizmos for Geeks.

Labels: dvd, gadgets, games, HDTV

Need some help rounding out your classic Nintendo collection?

Old NES somewhere in the basement... CHECK. Purchased every Classic Console game on the Nintendo Wii... CHECK. But do you have a cool universal TV remote that looks just like a NES controller? No? ThinkGeek.com does and it's ready for immediate delivery via winged turtle shell.



This NES style remote controls most TVs allowing critical gaming functions like power on/off, changing the channel and even volume adjustment. Now you can amaze your friends by pretending to play classic NES games while watching old Thundercats re-runs.

These controllers are limited editions from Japan. Once they are gone, they are gone.

The Nintendo Controller Universal Remote works with the following brands of TVs:

• Sony
• Panasonic
• Sharp
• Sylvania
• Sanyo
• Aiwa
• Hitachi
• Philips
• NEC
• JVC
• Toshiba
• Mitsubishi
• Fujitsu

By the way, this remote does not control cable boxes, DVD players or anything else. Strictly TV sets. Also the Nintendo Controller Universal Remote may not work if your TV is super ancient.

You can pick up the Nintendo Controller Universal Remote for $12.99 from ThinkGeek.com.


methodshop

Labels: games, review

Need some help rounding out your classic Nintendo collection?

Old NES somewhere in the basement... CHECK. Purchased every Classic Console game on the Nintendo Wii... CHECK. But do you have a cool universal TV remote that looks just like a NES controller? No? ThinkGeek.com does and it's ready for immediate delivery via winged turtle shell.



This NES style remote controls most TVs allowing critical gaming functions like power on/off, changing the channel and even volume adjustment. Now you can amaze your friends by pretending to play classic NES games while watching old Thundercats re-runs.

These controllers are limited editions from Japan. Once they are gone, they are gone.

The Nintendo Controller Universal Remote works with the following brands of TVs:

• Sony
• Panasonic
• Sharp
• Sylvania
• Sanyo
• Aiwa
• Hitachi
• Philips
• NEC
• JVC
• Toshiba
• Mitsubishi
• Fujitsu

By the way, this remote does not control cable boxes, DVD players or anything else. Strictly TV sets. Also the Nintendo Controller Universal Remote may not work if your TV is super ancient.

You can pick up the Nintendo Controller Universal Remote for $12.99 from ThinkGeek.com.


methodshop

Labels: gadgets, games, review

The newly revamped, reduced-in-price Apple TV set-top is out in stores after a short delay, enabling standard and Hi-Def iTunes movie rentals to be viewed on the big plasma in your living room.

Standard def movies rent for $3.99 for new releases and $2.99 for library titles. HD movies (1280 x 720) cost $4.99/$3.99.

The user interface allows you to browse through thumbnail images of available titles from most of the major studios and start watching them within seconds (provided you enjoy a broadband connection exceeding 6 MB/second.)

If you already own an Apple TV, the unit will upgrade itself automatically to the new software.




You can read our review of the Apple TV here.

methodshop

Labels: apple, apple tv

The biggest American reality show on TV has finally joined the iTunes platform. Fox Broadcasting, Fox Interactive Media and FremantleMedia signed an exclusive deal with Apple to bring American Idol audio and video performances to iTunes as single song-sized snippets available the day after they premiere on air.

Audio performances of the top 24 contenders run 99¢ per song, and videos of the top 12 finalists performances will be priced $1.99/each from March 11.

Apple will also become one of the show's premiere sponsors and maintain a branded presence on AmericanIdol.com, where some free streaming performances can be seen.

methodshop

Labels: itunes, music, TV

The biggest American reality show on TV has finally joined the iTunes platform. Fox Broadcasting, Fox Interactive Media and FremantleMedia signed an exclusive deal with Apple to bring American Idol audio and video performances to iTunes as single song-sized snippets available the day after they premiere on air.

Audio performances of the top 24 contenders run 99¢ per song, and videos of the top 12 finalists performances will be priced $1.99/each from March 11.

Apple will also become one of the show's premiere sponsors and maintain a branded presence on AmericanIdol.com, where some free streaming performances can be seen.

methodshop

Labels: itunes, music

The format war between HD-DVD and Blu-ray came officially to a end this week when all six major Hollywood studios announced that they joined the Blu-ray Disc camp and Toshiba said that they would abandon the format in March 2008. Toshiba had been trying to put a positive spin on the loss of Warner Bros as a HD-DVD supporter since January.



Last week both Wal-Mart and Netflix decided to stock only Blu-ray DVDs.

Paramount Home Entertainment, who switched from Blu-ray to HD-DVD in August 2007, quietly came back to the Blu-ray camp via a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter.

"We are pleased that the industry is moving to a single high-definition format, as we believe it is in the best interest of the consumer... As we look to (begin) releasing our titles on Blu-ray, we will monitor consumer adoption and determine our release plans accordingly."

Rumor had it that Paramount had a special get-out clause in their HD-DVD deal in case Warner Bros switched sides.

Thank goodness this HD disc format war is finally over. It's been one of the most ridiculous distractions the gaming industry has ever seen.

methodshop

Labels: dvd, tech news

Lots of gadgets featured this past week on Gizmos for Geeks. First off, the Five Device Recharging Station is an all-in-one charging device that can simultaneously refresh the battery level of your iPod, Treo, Blackberry, and all other mobile devices. The folks in your household don't have to take turns any more to charge their mobile phones and MP3 players. If ever you want to turn your old photographs into digital images instantly, just get the Photograph to Digital Picture Converter, and preserve your golden memories shot on film and printed on paper. It is equipped with a 5 Mega pixels CMOS sensor working at a 1800 dpi resolution.

Do you need to logon to the Internet fast and easy? Then check your watch for Internet access! The Wi-Fi Detecting Watch will tell you if there's a good wireless signal around. It will also tell you how strong the signal is so you can move closer towards it for better reception. Are you a home theater system addict? Do you love watching movies at home or blasting your music, but you have entirely too many remote controls? Then take a look at the MX-980 Universal Remote Control. It's programmable, including macros that can do multiple things in quick succession at the touch of a button. Its 2.4" LCD color screen alone is pretty drool-inducing.

The Rubik's cube gets a makeover in the form of the Rubik's Revolution. It's more of a game, than the puzzle that's the Rubik's cube, but kids will love it. Green thumbs and gardening addicts must have loved the Thirsty Light feature last week. With this gadget, you'll easily know if you need to water your plants or not. It is especially helpful for indoor gardeners who want to take care of plants at home but don't necessarily have enough time for it.

Some major tech news last week include the the 3rd beta release of Firefox 3, the upcoming release of the animated Star Wars Clone Wars Movie, and a useful entry jam packed with 100 iPhone Applications, Tools, and Guides for all you iPhone users/addicts.

Labels: gadgets

Here’s a rare video clip from when Nirvana, then a relatively unknown band, played at Maxwell's in Hoboken NJ. Maxwell's is a cozy club/pub co-owned by Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley. (Note: MethodShop is based in Hoboken).

At the time this video was recorded in 1989, Nirvana consisted of Jason Everman (guitar), Chad Channing (drums), Krist Novoselic (bass) and of course Kurt Cobain. Sorry ladies, Dave Grohl didn't join the band until 1990. Yes he was in Nirvana before the Foo Fighters. I'm always amazed how many people don't know that.

The video looks like it was digitized from an old VHS tape someone found in the bottom of a damp box in their basement. So don't expect much in the way quality.

The full clip is about 10 minutes long and begins with the camera man taping their journey from Manhattan to Hoboken on the Path train. Check out the people on the train. Gotta love those giant greasy late 80's hair styles. Even Kurt Cobain had giant hair at the time. You might recognize some of Nirvana's future hit songs like "About A Girl" towards the end of the clip.



The camera is really close to the stage a gets some good shots of Kurt and the rest of the band. Like I mentioned above, Maxwell's is "cozy" meaning small. To get a better feel of how big Maxwell's is, watch Bruce Springsteen's 1985 video for "Glory Days." The bar scenes were shot at Maxwell's.

Personally I'm not a huge Nirvana fan. I'll take Alice In Chains or Mudhoney any day over Nirvana. But you have to respect them. Since Nirvana's debut, the band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide. Hey, someone has to pay for all of Courtney Love's plastic surgery.


methodshop

Labels: music, video

Here's a little history behind Valentine's Day from History.com. You might as well know why you empty your pockets every year to buy chocolates, flowers, French Knickers, etc...

"Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday?

The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.

One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.



Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.

According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailer's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today.

Although the truth behind the Valentine legend is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France."

Valentines Day Ghetto -Gram ( David Spates )

Add to My Profile | More Videos


methodshop

Labels: holiday

The Pirate Bay (TPB) is an Internet site that bills itself as "the world's largest BitTorrent tracker" and also serves as a search index for torrent files. People can just search for any movie, application or song torrent and use a BitTorrent client to quickly download the file for free to their computer.

The man behind the project, Gottfrid Svartholm ("anakata"), is now facing copyright charges. Gottfrid is rather shy and tends to stay out of the spotlight. However his fight with the Swedish authorities has given him no choice.

Here's a rare TV interview with Gottfrid I found on YouTube.





methodshop

Labels: internet, tech news, tutorial

How do the corespondents of NBC News stay alert and up all night when covering the U.S. Presidential primaries? Adrenaline? The thrill of being on live TV? Nope. They get all drugged up on caffeine, sugar and energy gels.

Here's a video that documents the talent of NBC News and their substance of choice.







Brian Williams (NBC Nightly News)
Power Bars and gels

Ann Curry (Today Show)
12 shots of Starbucks espresso

Tim Russert (Meet The Press)
Diet Coke & licorice

Mara Schiavocampo (NBC News)
gallons of Red Bull



I'm not exactly sure who at NBC News is in charge of scraping an over-caffeinated Ann Curry off the ceiling. Probably some poor intern.


methodshop

Labels: TV

According to Macinstein & TVTechnoogy, Apple is pulling out of NAB this year. In years past Apple has always had one of the largest booths at the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) trade show. Actually the last time I was at NAB, Apple's booth was the best part of the show.

"Apple is participating in fewer trade shows this year. Often there are better ways to reach our customers. The increasing popularity of our retail stores and Apple.com Web site allows us to directly reach more than 100 million customers around the world in innovative new ways." ~ Anuj Nayar, Senior Manager of PR at Apple

Adding insult to ingury, Apple's main competitor in the broadcast industry, Avid, also pulled out of NAB. Looks like CES was the trade show to be at this year, not NAB.



Dennis Wharton, from the NAB, confirmed Apple’s pullout on TVTechnoogy, but adds this confusing comment: "We’re talking about some on-site business opportunities with Apple." I'm not exactly sure what that is suppose to mean.


methodshop

Labels: apple

For the 2008 election, online campaigning is already playing an important role. While it used to be a resource utilized by niche organizations that hardy drew in the masses, now every candidate running for President is trying to show just how connected they are through blogs, viral videos, and social networking sites. Problem is though, while the top candidates have great stuff going, there’s quite a bit that could use some tweaking.

So which Presidential candidate has the best website? Some are interactive and full of information, others are a total mess. Let's take a look:


If you need an immediate update of Hillary Clinton news ASAP her campaign will text message your cell phone. The site itself is also perfect, too perfect if you ask me. How about some dirt Hillary? Or a link to Bill Clinton’s blog? Now THAT would spice it up (www.hillaryclinton.com).

Or how about John Edwards? It takes 20 minutes to just peruse the initial page, and about a month to get through the rest. Content overload John! Between the photo blog, audio blog, news blog, action blog, Facebook, Twitter, Myspace and 20 plus RSS feeds, I don’t know where to start. Valiant effort but wayyy too overwhelming (www.johnedwards.com).

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Rudy Giuliani. Rudy has nothing on there. Well he has links to purchase merchandise, but content? Hardly any. While the pictures look cool and the RUDY USA apparel is fun, does it really accomplish much? (www.joinrudy2008.com).

By far the best website award goes to Barack Obama. Not only is it informative and easy to navigate, it allows you earn points for online activity. The more time you spend there the closer you get to become the ultimate Obama supporter. The game concept is genius and is the closest any of the runners have gotten to understand the demographic of social networkers out there. Will it pay off? Will Obama’s campaign stick with it after the primaries or is it just temporary? I guess we’ll find out soon enough (www.barackobama.com).







methodshop

Labels: internet, review

This past Tuesday was "Super Tuesday" in the United States. Both the Republican and Democratic political parties held primary elections in 22 states to help decide which candidate would represent their parties in the upcoming November U.S. Presidential election.

On Tuesday's episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jon jokingly wondered "What's bigger than Super Tuesday?" These are what the American cable news networks came up with and Jon Stewart's reactions.

1. Chris Matthews: "Super Duper Tuesday"
   Jon Stewart: "That's kind of retarded... infantile."
   
   
2. CNN: "Super Fat Tuesday"
   Jon Stewart: "Well that's certainly.... dope."
   
   
3. Fox News: "Tsunami Tuesday"
   Jon Stewart: "Yes I believe the plethora of state primaries is reminiscent of the sudden and horrific deaths of a quarter million people living on the Indian Ocean."
   
   
4. MSNBC: "Monster Super Tuesday"
   Jon Stewart: [Jon needs a fire extinguisher to hold off MSNBC's hype inferno. Just watch the clip. It's great.]
   

digg story | flickr | methodshop

Labels: TV

This past Tuesday was "Super Tuesday" in the United States. Both the Republican and Democratic political parties held primary elections in 22 states to help decide which candidate would represent their parties in the upcoming November U.S. Presidential election.

On Tuesday's episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jon jokingly wondered "What's bigger than Super Tuesday?" These are what the American cable news networks came up with and Jon Stewart's reactions.

1. Chris Matthews: "Super Duper Tuesday"
   Jon Stewart: "That's kind of retarded... infantile."
   
   
2. CNN: "Super Fat Tuesday"
   Jon Stewart: "Well that's certainly.... dope."
   
   
3. Fox News: "Tsunami Tuesday"
   Jon Stewart: "Yes I believe the plethora of state primaries is reminiscent of the sudden and horrific deaths of a quarter million people living on the Indian Ocean."
   
   
4. MSNBC: "Monster Super Tuesday"
   Jon Stewart: [Jon needs a fire extinguisher to hold off MSNBC's hype inferno. Just watch the clip. It's great.]
   

digg story | flickr | methodshop

Labels: TV

The U.S. podcasting audience reached 18.5 million in 2007, according to eMarketer and was projected to top 65 million by 2012 with 25 million listeners downloading one or more podcasts a week.

Ad spending on podcasts in the U.S. is also expected to creep up, from $165 million in 2007 to $435 million in 2012.

Major podcasting networks like Revision3 are growing with the medium's success by revamping their websites and adding new programming.

If you're not already a podcast consumer, then check out the podcast section in iTunes. There's a lot of great stuff from tech shows to yoga workouts. And they are all free. I usually watch 5-10 podcasts a day on either my iPod Touch or Apple TV. Makes the bus ride to work much more enjoyable.



Here are a few favorites:

• Diggnation - weekly rundown of the front page stories on Digg.com
• Tiki Bar TV - drinking games
• Unboxing Live - take a new gadget, and open it up while the camera is rolling
• Midwest Teen Sex Show - explores topics concerning teen sexuality from gym class to syphilis
  
• The Totally Rad Show - movie, comic books and game reviews
• Make Podcast - how to tweak, hack, and bend technology any way you want
• Play Value - the history of video games
• NBC Nightly News - the full TV broadcast sans commercials
  

methodshop

Labels: itunes, tech news

The U.S. podcasting audience reached 18.5 million in 2007, according to eMarketer and was projected to top 65 million by 2012 with 25 million listeners downloading one or more podcasts a week.

Ad spending on podcasts in the U.S. is also expected to creep up, from $165 million in 2007 to $435 million in 2012.

Major podcasting networks like Revision3 are growing with the medium's success by revamping their websites and adding new programming.

If you're not already a podcast consumer, then check out the podcast section in iTunes. There's a lot of great stuff from tech shows to yoga workouts. And they are all free. I usually watch 5-10 podcasts a day on either my iPod Touch or Apple TV. Makes the bus ride to work much more enjoyable.



Here are a few favorites:

• Diggnation - weekly rundown of the front page stories on Digg.com
• Tiki Bar TV - drinking games
• Unboxing Live - take a new gadget, and open it up while the camera is rolling
• Midwest Teen Sex Show - explores topics concerning teen sexuality from gym class to syphilis
  
• The Totally Rad Show - movie, comic books and game reviews
• Make Podcast - how to tweak, hack, and bend technology any way you want
• Play Value - the history of video games.
• NBC Nightly News - the full TV broadcast sans commercials
  

methodshop

Labels: internet, podcasting, video

Yesterday, Apple unveiled a new 16GB iPhone ($499) that will work on AT&T's faster 3G network. When the iPhone was first announced in January 2007, Steve Jobs said 3G would need to become more widespread in the United States and much more energy efficient before it's included in the iPhone. I guess that time has come.

The lack of 3G in the current iPhone model was a major turnoff for many people because AT&T's data network in the United States in notoriously slow. Typically, 3G networks provide users with service at 5-10 Mb per second - fast enough to watch good quality streaming video.

Current iPhones use AT&T's non 3G data network, EDGE, which is painfully slow and sucks ass.

According to The Wall Street Journal, "the new version of the iPhone is the first step in what many analysts expect to be an effort to expand the gadget this year into a broader family of products, possibly with a less-expensive model and a version that's compatible with 3G, a fast, wide-area networking technology that lets users access the Internet at broadband speeds."

3G technologies enable network operators to offer cell phone users a wider range of more advanced services while achieving greater network capacity through improved spectral efficiency. Services include wide-area wireless voice telephony and broadband wireless data, all in a mobile environment.

Apple says it has sold 4 million iPhones to date.


methodshop

Labels: iphone

Last week Apple announced they needed another couple of weeks to finish updating the Apple TV software that will finally allow users to rent movies directly from the TV rather than having to download on the computer and sync or stream the video to the Apple TV device.

This anticipated software upgrade will be available as a free software download to existing Apple TV users sometime in February. By the end of February, Apple’s iTunes online music store should have more than 1,000 movie titles available including more than 100 high-definition titles. The DVD-quality movies will be available to rent for $2.99 for older titles and $3.99 for newer titles while high-definition costs a buck more.




Also last week, Apple announced the MacBook Air has started shipping. Hopefully Apple packages the MacBook Air in something a little more sturdy than the envelopes featured in the ads!

Here's a video of the old Apple TV software:





via: Gizmos for Geeks.

Labels: apple, apple tv, itunes, video

Last month, 395 Croatian men, women and children covered themselves in blue paint, dressed up as Smurfs and got ready to go down in history... as failures.

The "Croatian Smurfs" had gathered in an attempt to smash the previous world record for "most Smurfs gathered together at one time."

Unfortunately due to a research error (possibly caused by Gargamel), their attempt was all in vain.

According to the latest, but out of date, Croatian printing of the Guiness World Records book, the record for most Smurfs gathered in one place was 291. With 395 Smurfs, the Croations thought they were sure to earn a new world record.

However in 2007, a group of students at Warwick University beat them too it. The Warwick students had managed to round up a grand total of 451 Smurfs and according to Guiness, currently hold the world record.



They were close, but Croatians needed a little over 50 more Smurfs to beat the Warwick University record. Perhaps they should have contacted Guiness World Records before the attempt. I want to feel bad for them, but just seeing the the 2 words "Croatians" and "Smurfs" in the same sentence kind of freaks me out.

A somber spokesman for the Croatians had this to say: "We could easily have got more Smurfs, but we thought that over a hundred more than the American record... would be enough."

In case you've never heard of The Smurfs before, they are are a fictional group of small blue creatures who live somewhere in the woods. The Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced Smurfs to the world in a 1958 Belgian magazine called Le Journal de Spirou. However, Smurfs are probably best known from the 1980s animated Hanna-Barbera Productions television series, The Smurfs (DVD).


methodshop

Labels: internet, offbeat

Last month, 395 Croatian men, women and children covered themselves in blue paint, dressed up as Smurfs and got ready to go down in history... as failures.

The "Croatian Smurfs" had gathered in an attempt to smash the previous world record for "most Smurfs gathered together at one time."

Unfortunately due to a research error (possibly caused by Gargamel), their attempt was all in vain.

According to the latest, but out of date, Croatian printing of the Guiness World Records book, the record for most Smurfs gathered in one place was 291. With 395 Smurfs, the Croations thought they were sure to earn a new world record.

However in 2007, a group of students at Warwick University beat them too it. The Warwick students had managed to round up a grand total of 451 Smurfs and according to Guiness, currently hold the world record.



They were close, but Croatians needed a little over 50 more Smurfs to beat the Warwick University record. Perhaps they should have contacted Guiness World Records before the attempt. I want to feel bad for them, but just seeing the the 2 words "Croatians" and "Smurfs" in the same sentence kind of freaks me out.

A somber spokesman for the Croatians had this to say: "We could easily have got more Smurfs, but we thought that over a hundred more than the American record... would be enough."

In case you've never heard of The Smurfs before, they are are a fictional group of small blue creatures who live somewhere in the woods. The Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced Smurfs to the world in a 1958 Belgian magazine called Le Journal de Spirou. However, Smurfs are probably best known from the 1980s animated Hanna-Barbera Productions television series, The Smurfs (DVD).


methodshop

Labels: internet, offbeat news

Occasionally an iPod or iPhone may freeze or fail to respond to your commands. This can happen for a number of reasons and does not necessarily indicate a serious problem. Sometimes they just need a restart much like the way your computer needs a reset once in a while.

Tutorial: How to reset a Frozen iPod or iPhone


Restarting an iPod/iPhone is a simple procedure that will not erase any of your music, data files, or customized preferences.


methodshop

Labels: iphone, ipod, tutorial

Occasionally an iPod or iPhone may freeze or fail to respond to your commands. This can happen for a number of reasons and does not necessarily indicate a serious problem. Sometimes they just need a restart much like the way your computer needs a reset once in a while.

Tutorial: How to reset a Frozen iPod or iPhone


Restarting an iPod/iPhone is a simple procedure that will not erase any of your music, data files, or customized preferences.


methodshop

Labels: iphone, ipod

On a cold Saturday morning in January, a flash mob of Improv Everywhere Agents descended on New York City's Grand Central train station and left the entire concourse in a state of complete confusion.

Flash Mob - a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief period of time, then quickly disperse.

What did they do that had everyone so confused? This flash mob of 200+ people suddenly froze in place at the exact same second for 5 minutes in the Main Concourse of Grand Central Station. The frozen poses ranged from people tying their shoes and eating to someone who just dropped a stack of papers. Everyone from tourists to cops stopped in amazement to try to figure out what was happening around them.



My favorite part is the guy trying to drive his garbage cart. He sounds like such a baby when he gets on his radio to call for help.

{Beep} {Beep} {Beep}
"My cart is stuck. People are standing still.
{Sob}
"I need help."

If the video above doesn't load, you can view it here.


methodshop

Labels: video

On a cold Saturday morning in January, a flash mob of Improv Everywhere Agents descended on New York City's Grand Central train station and left the entire concourse in a state of complete confusion.

Flash Mob - a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief period of time, then quickly disperse.

What did they do that had everyone so confused? This flash mob of 200+ people suddenly froze in place at the exact same second for 5 minutes in the Main Concourse of Grand Central Station. The frozen poses ranged from people tying their shoes and eating to someone who just dropped a stack of papers. Everyone from tourists to cops stopped in amazement to try to figure out what was happening around them.



My favorite part is the guy trying to drive his garbage cart. He sounds like such a baby when he gets on his radio to call for help.

{Beep} {Beep} {Beep}
"My cart is stuck. People are standing still.
{Sob}
"I need help."

If the video above doesn't load, you can view it here.

Labels: video