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Apple's digital music store, iTunes, has a problem. iTunes users don't like to buy entire albums. iTunes is great for downloading singles, but there's not much incentive to purchase entire albums.

Sometimes Apple will restrict certain songs, especially longer tracks, to "Album Only" purchases. Apple also often includes music videos and special PDFs of album art with full album purchases. However, these incentives haven't really been a homerun with consumers.

In a effort to promote album sales in the iTunes Store, Apple and the 4 major record labels, Sony, Warner Music, EMI and Universal Music, have gotten together to invent a new digital album cover format. These "digital album covers" would include material such as photos, lyrics, videos and additional songs not available to users who only purchase singles.

The "digital album cover" project is code named "Cocktail," and is rumored to be part of Apple's new product announcement in October. Rumors say the big announcement is a MacBook touch-based tablet that would compete with the extremely popular Netbook market. Keep your fingers crossed.






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Labels: apple, gadgets, itunes, tech news

Get ready for some 1980's computing to meet Web 2.0. A guy named Johan Van den Brande has made a Twitter client for Commodore 64 (C64).

The C64 was first introduced by Commodore in August 1982. It was a revolutionary computer and boosted the best graphics and sound capabilities of its time. The C64 had 64KB of RAM, a 985Khz processor and could display screen resolutions as high as 320×256. Compared to computers today, the processing power in your bedroom alarm clock could dance circles around the C64.

You don't see too many Commodore computers these days. After 25 years, most people have either thrown them away or they are buried in an attic or garage. So if you want to try using Breadbox, your best bet will probably be to install a C64 emulator on your Mac or PC. We have a methodshop.com tutorial that will walk you through the installation of a C64 emulator if you are interested.

In the video below, Johan Van den Brande shows off his Breadbox software and loads a screen from Twitter. Skip to 2:45 if you don't want to see the camera setup and the application loading from diskette.





If you're curious, Johan posted a more technical description on his website.

"It's a Commodore 128D running in C64 mode. All Commodore 128 and 128D systems could either run in C128, CP/M or C64 mode, so it's like having 3 computers in one. This isn't emulation as the C128 has the same core hardware as a C64. Whether you're running in 128 or 64 mode is just a matter of how fast the 8502 CPU is running, which ROM is active, and whether you have 128K or 64K of RAM available."

After watching the video you may be scratching your head wondering why someone would even bother making a C64 Twitter client. It's all just nerdy thrills ladies.

If you're still not sure what all this Twitter talk is all about, then this article might help: How to Explain Twitter to Your Grandma.


methodshop

Labels: games, social networking, tech news, tutorial

Misplaced remote controls might soon become a thing of the past. Hitachi "Gesture" TV allows you to use your hands to do everything from change channels, navigate menus and even turn the TV on or off [video].

How does it work? Hitachi's image sensor, already integrated at the bottom of its own flat-panel TV, captures the motion. By simply waving a hand in front of a TV, a user can turn on the TV. By moving a hand up and down, he activates a menu display. To adjust volume, the viewer makes circular movements.



Don't get too excited yet. Last September, Hitachi showed off something they call "Gesture" TV at CEATEC, the Japanese consumer electronics show. A more impressive and responsive prototype was then shown at CES this past January. The prototypes require you to be pretty close for the image sensor to work. Close enough to the TV in fact that it might just be faster to just push the power button rather than use a special choreographed hand motion. Hopefully in a few years we'll be able to wave goodbye to remote controls.


methodshop

Labels: ces, gadgets, tech news

Over the weekend, Leif Olson shot an amazing hole-in-one at the Canadian PGA Open. After teeing off at the 15th hole, his ball rolled down a hill, curved around the green, bounced off another players ball and finally rolled right into the hole. Definitely one of golf's best shots of the year.

Olson's fancy trick shot, probably more suited for a game of pool, not only placed him at 7-under par, but earned him a BMW Z4 Roadster.


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Labels: video

Check out this viral video ad for La Poste, the French post office. The audio is in French so we're not exactly sure what is being said. Probably something along the lines of how easy it is to send a message. Because after a few clicks, the MacBook transforms into a spaceship and flies away. Maybe to deliver an e-mail?

Eagle-eyed Apple fanboys might want to take a closer look at the MacBook before it transforms. Which model laptop is it? It appears to have the MacBook Air's screen but the unibody of a standard MacBook.


methodshop

Labels: apple, gadgets, video

It's called "Moon People". And it may just be the Snakes on a Plane of the book world. Dale M. Courtney is the "writer" of this particular opus, but after reading the first page of "Moon People", you may be wondering - Was Peter Griffin from Family Guy Courtney's editor? The ridiculous plot aside, the book is filled with rAndOm caPitalizatioNs, odd sentence structure and an abusive use of a'post'ro'phe's.

"Moon People" won't be getting a Pulitzer, but the book's "unique" writing style has certainly captured the attention of the Internets. People are blogging, tweeting and Digging it. Although negative, all this attention can't be bad for sales.

Wouldn't it be funny if "Moon People" became a Twitter phenomenon and a New York Times bestseller?

Be sure to read some of the Amazon.com reviews of "Moon People." They are literally LOL.

Amazon.com Link: "Moon People" by Dale M. Courtney


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Labels: pics, review

Thanks Wikipedia!

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Labels: holiday, pics

Tired of making sand castles on the beach? Maybe your iPhone is the inspiration you've been looking for. Nice shot uurf.


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Labels: iphone, pics

Imagine being at an outdoor event or concert and being able to see what people were tweeting about all around you. That's the concept behind TwittARound.

TwittARound is an augmented reality Twitter viewer for the iPhone. It shows live tweets around your location on the horizon. Because of video see-through effect you see where the tweet comes from and how far it is away. TwittARound is still in beta, but it looks pretty interesting.

Still not sure what this "Twitter" thing is all about? This methodshop.com tutorial might shed some light on your dilemma.

Tutorial: How to Explain Twitter to Your Grandma


methodshop

Labels: social networking, video

Ever wonder what the New York City sewer system looks like? Ask 15 year-old Alexa Longueira. She got an unexpected hands-on tour when she fell into an uncovered manhole while walking and texting.

"It was four or five feet, it was very painful. I kind of crawled out and the DEP guys came running and helped me," Longueria told the Staten Island Advance. "They were just, like, 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Alexa suffered some scratches on her arms back and even lost a shoe in some "muck" when she fell into the Staten Island manhole.

Alexa's mother, Kim Longueira, plans on filing a lawsuit against the City of New York and says that it shouldn't make any difference that her daughter was walking and texting. Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) workers told Alexa's mother that they left the open manhole unattended for only a second as they went to fetch some cones from the truck.


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Labels: mobile

PC World is reporting that Apple will release its long-awaited tablet in October just in time for Christmas. Sourcing a translated report on the Taiwanese site InfoTimes, the PC World article follows Digital Daily’s John Paczkowski having written; "It’s about to go into production in advance of an October launch date." While continuing to play things close to the chest, apparently a few of Apple’s manufacturing partners are indicating that orders have been placed for tablets.

However... we’ve been teased like this before. Way back in May of 2008 (that’s 112 internet years?) Jason O'Grady wrote; "A little birdy tells me that Apple will announce a 12 or 13-inch tablet in the fall of this year... presumably [running] Intel’s Atom," and that "This particular birdy has been reliable in the past." That same ‘birdy’ is available for palm and tarot card readings. Zing! Admittedly, we jumped on the rumors too and posted this 2008 article Rumor: MacBook Touch Coming in October.

Gizmodo also touched on the subject in May of this year when John Herman wrote a fact vs. fiction article with some cool visual mockups. And if you Google “apple tablet” you’ll find tons of conceptual images.

Come on, Apple! Give us what we want!


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Labels: apple, tech news

Buckingham Palace announced last Friday that the royals now have their own Twitter account @BritishMonarchy. The purpose of the account is to inform royal watchers of what the family is up to on a daily basis. Don't expect Her Majesty to tweet or to get any dirt or juicy information from the account. A palace spokeswoman says the account won't be used to air personal opinions.

Joining Twitter isn't the first time the royals have extended their kingdom into cyberspace. Buckingham Palace's website launched in 1997 and the Queen also has her own YouTube channel.


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Labels: social networking, tech news

In case you missed it, earlier this week Optimus Prime from the Transformers movie went on David Letterman's late night show to present the "Top Ten Things That Sound Cool When Spoken By A Giant Robot."

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," the second Michael Bay movie adaptation of the popular 1980's Hasbro toy line, opened in theaters on June 24, 2009.



Here's the Top 10 list below:

• "Jergens Lotion leaves my hands silky smooth"
• "Do you have these khakis in a size 114?"
• "My perfect night involves a pint of Haagen-Dazs and season three of 'Sex and the City'"
• "Man, do I love me some 'taters"
• "It was so hot in Central Park today, I saw a squirrel rubbing sunblock on his nuts"
• "You seemed a little pitchy, dawg"
• "Brody Jenner has added you as a friend on Facebook"
• "Live from New York...it's Saturday Night Live"
• "My parents wanted me to be a rabbi"
• "All the slammin' shorties in the house say 'Yeah!'"

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Labels: movies, video

Brace yourself! Your relaxing afternoon at the beach this weekend might be interrupted by a G.I. Joe marketing stunt.

This past July 4th weekend, a helicopter emblazoned with the G.I. Joe logo and dangling an actor dressed in fatigues was spotted along shorelines from Coney Island to Belmar, NJ. The helicopter stunt is a clever twist on the traditional beach promotion - banners being dragged behind prop planes.

Despite the military nature of G.I. Joe, the promotion did not cause any major panics, just a lot of curious beach goers trying to figure out what was going on.

The movie, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, hits theaters on August 7th.


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Labels: advertising, movies

Feel like dancing? Are you alone? Who cares. Remember, it just takes one person to start a party.

This video above was shot at the Sasquatch 2009 Music Festival. The song is called "Me+Yr Daughter" by a great band called Natalie Portman's Shaved Head.

Who is the dancing guy? Good question. People who witnessed the spontaneous Sasquatch dance circle only knew him as Collin from Canada.

Hat tip to Reuben Miller for sharing the clip with us on StumbleUpon.


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Labels: music, video

In the spring of 2008, musician Dave Carroll and other passengers watched from the plane as clutzy United Airlines baggage handlers in Chicago broke his $3500 Taylor acoustic guitar on the tarmac.

After the incident, Carroll contacted the airline to ask for compensation. For the next few months, Carroll was given the runaround until United Airlines finally said they wouldn't pay for the damages. Before hanging up the phone for the last time with United Airlines, Carroll made a promise.

"I promised the last person [from United Airlines] to finally say no to compensation, Ms. Irlweg, that I would write and produce three songs about my experience with United Airlines and make videos for each to be viewed online by anyone in the world," Carroll said on his website.

It's been almost a year since Carroll's Taylor guitar was smashed on the tarmac, but he's finally making good on his promise. This week, Carroll uploaded a song he recorded with his band Sons of Maxwell to YouTube. It's called "United Breaks Guitars."

Here are a few lyrics from the chorus:

United, United
You broke my Taylor guitar
United, United
Some big help you are
You broke it, you should fix it
You're liable just admit it
I should have flown with someone else or gone by car
'Cause United breaks guitars

Unfortunately for United Airlines, the music video and the story behind it has caught the attention of the Internets. "United Breaks Guitars" is currently the top link on Reddit.com and Carroll's song has prompted an onslaught of negative comments about United Airlines across the Internet from Twitter to YouTube. Our favorite so far is "Revenge is a dish best served with country accompaniment."

Doesn't United Airlines know that the customer is always right? The amount of money and time United Airlines will have to spend dealing with this PR nightmare will far exceed $3500.




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Labels: music, social networking, video

Here's your inspiration for today. Tony Melendez was born in Nicaragua without any arms. At age 16, he started to learn the guitar. People told him it couldn't be done. As you can see from this YouTube video, not only can Tony strum the guitar, he can play chords with his toes and even sing.

On September 15, 1987, he played "Never Be The Same" for Pope John Paul II. The Pope called him a "gift of hope."

Big thanks to @holidaymatinee for sharing the clip with us on Facebook. We wonder if @WaltRibeiro will be adding foot guitar to his online classes anytime soon.


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Labels: music, video

The torrent community is in mourning today.

Yesterday, The Pirate Bay, was sold to Global Gaming Factory (GGF), a Stockholm-based software developer and Internet/gaming cafe franchise. GGF plans to add a compensation model to the existing Pirate Bay infrastructure and turn it legal.

GGF will reportedly pay $60 million Swedish Kronor, or $7.8 million dollars, for the the notorious P2P file sharing service. GGF also acquired Peerialism, the technology company that originally developed The Pirate Bay's file sharing platform.

"We would like to introduce models which entail that content providers and copyright owners get paid for content that is downloaded via the site," said Hans Pandeya, CEO of GGF in a press release.

Last week The Pirate Bay lost their appeal in Swedish court for a retrial. In April, the site's 3 founders were found guilty of aiding copyright infringement, given a $3.9 million dollar fine and sentenced to a year in jail.

So what's next for the Pirate Bay founders? How are they going to spend their $60 million Swedish Kronor? After they pay off their fine, the founders plan on putting the money into a foundation to promote the "freedom of speech, freedom of information and the openness of the nets." Does that mean another torrent file-sharing service? We'll just have to wait and see.

If you are interested in learning how to download files using torrents, here's a BitTorrent tutorial.


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Labels: internet, tech news

The sudden death of the King of Pop last week was both a curse and blessing for many websites and social networking services. According to Akamai's news net usage index, traffic to news sites increased an average of 20%, but the increased traffic caused server outages everywhere.

Even the mighty Google wasn't immune to traffic surge issues. At one point last Thursday, Google News had to temporarily block all "Michael Jackson" search requests. Google's systems incorrectly thought they were under a "denial of service" attack meant to crash their servers.

Google was able to stay online by adding the temporary block, but other sites, including Jackson's official website and London's O2 concert venue, where Jackson was set to kick off his 50-date come back tour next month, weren't so lucky.

Wikipedia administrators also had to take protective measures. Michael Jackson's Wikipedia page had to be locked down after users accessed it over 1 million times in less than an hour.

And let's not forget Twitter. The social networking site's activity almost tripled as millions of users tweeted real time information of Jackson's arrival at the hospital, rumors of a coma and eventually confirmation of his death. As a result of all the extra traffic, Twitter's Fail Whale error page made multiple unwanted cameos on Thursday and Friday.

Online retailers were the lucky ones. Their servers weren't bombarded with curious people looking for information, but by mourners looking to remember Jackson and purchase some of his music. As news of Jacko's death spread, sales of his music on iTunes and Amazon.com skyrocketed. Currently 6 of the top 10 selling songs on iTunes are Jackson's.




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Labels: internet, social networking