|
|
|
Why is the Beer in the Oven?
May 02, 2009, 8:43 PM by ROB
Posted in , GADGETS | 354 views
What do you do when the fridge runs out of room for beer? If you're like my housemates and you have a Whirlpool Polara Refrigerated Range, you just pop it in the oven.
The Polara range not only cooks your food, but it's programmable to keep your food cool until a specified time at which it pre-heats, cooks your turkey, roast, "special" brownies, what have you and keeps them warm until you get home. Have we ever actually used that feature? Of course not. It's pretty to look at though, and fun to brag about.
Honestly. How many college kids do you know that can tell their friends that they chill beer in the oven?
|
| Comments (4) |
iPhone OS 3 Beta 4 Gets Pwnage Treatment
May 02, 2009, 7:03 PM by ROB
Posted in IPHONE, SOFTWARE, MOBILE | 522 views
QuickPWN 3.0 Beta 4 has been released, enabling jailbreaking the latest beta release of Apple's iPhone OS. If Apple continues to follow their two-week release schedule, we can expect Beta 5 to arrive on or about May 12.
This is an unofficial release; QuickPWN's quick turnaround on jailbreak releases come with the following caveats:
| iPhone 3G users, if you want to keep your yellowsn0w unlock then don’t use this. This is BETA firmware, you will definitely have problems and a lot of jailbroken app will not work with it yet. |
You can download the software here.
UPDATE: Looks like all of the essentials are working exactly as with jailbreaks on previous betas—Icy is present (though I miss the absence of Cydia), video apps such as Cycorder won't work, and neither will MobileSubstrate. Granted, these probably won't be updated until a stable release.
» Via @QuickPWN
|
| Comments (0) |
Beware of Facebook Phishing Scams
April 30, 2009, 5:09 PM by ROB
Posted in FACEBOOK, PHISHING, | 1085 views
I automatically send Facebook emails to spam anyway, but for those of you who rely on them to keep up to date, beware of the latest phishing scam to target users just like you.
Users of the social networking site are receiving emails such as the one below. The messages, apparently from Facebook, redirect users to fbaction.net, a site which captures users' email addresses and passwords.
Paul Boutin sent you a message.
Subject: Hello
“Visit http://www.facebook.com/l/4253f;http://fbaction.net/” |
I got the message in the shot above from a friend of mine... I'm going to re-format my hard drive next week to install Windows 7 RC1 anyway, so I sacrificed my common sense for the sake of journalism and clicked through the link. Turns out, it's just an homeopathic med store.
According to Gadgetwise, a Facebook spokesperson has said that the company is aware of the attack and is working to correct the issue.
|
| Comments (1) |
Flaskback: The Zork Trilogy
April 29, 2009, 5:33 PM by ROB
Posted in FLASHBACK, SOFTWARE, GAMING | 869 views
This is the first in the weekly Flashback series, in which we bring you a new old-school favorite with each installment. Got an idea? Catch me on Twitter @RobLaughter!
I'm what some would call a young'n—I'm 22 years old. I didn't get a computer until I was 14, but when I did get one it came tricked out with a 15-inch CRT monitor, 386 processor, 8MB of RAM, a 120MB hard disk drive, and 3-1/2 and 5-1/4 inch floppy drives. The floppy drives, might I add, were clutch; they made upgrading from Windows 3.1 to Windows 95 a snap with the 24-disk installation set. They also, however, let me install the most bad-ass text-based adventure of all time, Zork.
Zork, developed in the late-seventies, was a one of the first interactive fantasy computer games. Totally text-based, players had to remember their positions through the game (or map them out on paper like I tried to do) as they collected objects, battled trolls, and avoided the dreaded grues. The game revolved around finding objects, collecting treasures, and solving puzzles in a vast textual world. Some of the highlights: Flood Control Dam #3, the thief, and—my favorite—the witty easter eggs from the cheeky, taunting narrator. Check out the screenie above for an example I found in a moment of frustration.
I sadly never completed the game (though there are strategy guides and walkthroughs out the wazoo if I were interested in trying.
Get in on the action (and check out a ton of other abandonware games) at sites like XTC Abandonware.
|
| Comments (1) |
iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 4 Released
April 28, 2009, 10:17 PM by ROB
Posted in MOBILE | 485 views
Following their two-week release cycle, Apple has released iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 4 to developers. Details to follow once I have a chance to play with it.
UPDATE: After playing with the new update, here are some of the improvements I've found:
1.) Fixed the Stuck Pixel glitch I had with Beta 3
2.) Fixed weird glitches when switching between a phone call and music over a Stereo Bluetooth headset
3.) Corrected some random keyboard/phone keypad errors
4.) GREATLY improves the speed at which Safari, mail, and SMS apps switch from portrait to landscape mode on my device.
5.) Seems to have fixed a lot of freezing/crashing issues. I'll have to test further to tell.
» Via @QuickPWN
|
| Comments (1) |
ESPN.com Invaded by Rainbows, Unicorns
April 28, 2009, 5:02 PM by ROB
Posted in UNICORNS | 1082 views
ESPN.com was plagued yesterday with some of the most disgusting images I've ever witnessed: rainbows and unicorns.
The unicorns, which had apparently escaped their cages at cornify.com, were summoned with what is arguably the most recognizeable video game code of all time: the Konami code (up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start).
ESPN.com has (sadly) removed the code from the site. Party poopers.
» Image and story via Kotaku
|
| Comments (0) |
Facebook Accepts Vote Despite Turnout
April 24, 2009, 10:10 PM by ROB
Posted in SOCIAL | 623 views
The results of the Facebook Site Governance Vote have been audited and are official. Of the 665,654 votes, 74.37% supported the revised documents.
Supporters of the revised documents include the co-founders of "the first and largest Facebook group against the previous change to the terms" and Jonathan Zittrain, co-director of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.
Comments to the blog show that many users were either unaware of the vote or found out with too little time to adequately prepare themselves for the vote. As I reported earlier this week, too few news outlets and individuals helped spread positive messages urging readers to vote. Facebook will be holding future votes and I encourage you to participate.
One way in which Facebook can improve voter participation would be to more heavily publicize the vote in advance; little was done to do so for this vote besides a small box on the home page.
In response to the low turnout, Facebook general counsel Ted Ullyot says that the site is considering "lowering the 30-percent threshold" for a binding vote. Despite the small response, the vote has been accepted and Facebook will adopt the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and Principles.
From the Facebook Blog:
| UPDATE on Friday, April 24: The auditors have just confirmed the official vote results. There were 665,654 votes cast and users supported the Statement of Rights and Responsibilities and Principles by an overwhelming margin — 74.37 percent. We will adopt these documents and post them to Facebook and the Site Governance Page in the coming weeks. |
» Via Facebook
|
| Comments (0) |
Judge in Pirate Bay Trial Biased
April 23, 2009, 1:41 AM by ROB
Posted in SPECTRIAL | 597 views
If you've been living under a rock for the past couple of months, you may not have noticed that the owners of The Pirate Bay, the largest torrent sharing site in the world, have been under heavy fire from the movie and music industries. Following a nearly two-week-long trial and almost a month of deliberation, the owners were found guilty of copyright infringement, fined 30 million Swedish krona in damages, and may face jail time.
Swedish public radio has thrown an interesting twist in the unfolding case with the announcement that the presiding judge has interests in the copyright lobby. P4 reports (Swedish) that Judge Tomas Norström is a member of the Swedish Association of Copyright, the Swedish Association for Industrial Property, and has ties with colleagues such as Monique Wadsted, a representative for American film companies in the trial.
Lawyer Leif Silbersky argues that legal action must be taken immediately.
» Via Sveriges Radio » Via #Spectrial
» Image credit El Rincon del Geek
|
| Comments (3) |
Twitter Junkies: Cover Up Your Tweets
April 21, 2009, 4:09 PM by ROB
Posted in SOFTWARE, SOCIAL | 423 views
I've been hiding my addictions to Facebook, AIM, and MySpace for years and now, thanks to Spreadtweet, I can cover up my new-found tweeting obsession.
Spreadtweet is a Twitter client cleverly disguised as an Excel spreadsheet. Use it in meetings, use it at work, use it in class... Use it when your girlfriend tells you that you tweet to much. Heck, I've taken a liking to it just because it's neat, clean, and gives me a bunch of tweets in a convenient-to-read format.
Spreadtweet runs on the Adobe AIR framework, so it's compatible with Macs and PCs. In fact, you can pick your version of Excel (Office 2003, Office 2007, or Office for OSX). You get all the bells and whistles of an actual Excel spreadsheet, but none of the buttons work. Instead, your controls are disguised as column headers, giving you access to replies, direct messages, etc.
One itty bitty problem, though. The Windows Office 2007 version gives me an Office OSX dock icon. I guess it wasn't quite designed for Windows 7.
» Via Gadgetwise
|
| Comments (0) |
From the Archives: Reclaim Your iPod
April 21, 2009, 3:11 PM by ROB
Posted in HOWTO | 310 views
Here's a helpful post from the archives, brought to you by our new site search! (You should probably try that out, by the way).
I bought my iPhone thinking, "what a great place to store my music!" I typically re-format my hard drive every few months, just to keep my computer running smoothly (just like changing the oil in your car) and I don't always want to backup gigs and gigs of music.
After my last re-install, I wanted my music back—no dice. Turns out, without special software, the average user would have trouble reclaiming the music that is rightfully theirs.
Apple, I'm sure, did this intentionally—if you could just plug in and download music, they'd be supporting music piracy in a big way. There are tools, however, that will help you get the job done.
Free tools:
SharePod is a free program for Windows that lets you rip music from your Windows-formatted iPod or iPhone/iTouch.
Yamipod (Yet Another iPod Manager) is also free and runs under Windows, Mac OS, and Linux iPod only).
iDump is another free utility that runs under Windows 2000 and higher (iPod only). iDump can be installed directly on your iPod so you can use the files on any computer that supports the software.
Paid tools:
If you're looking for a iTunes replacement (so you can easily add, manage, rip, and play your music without Apple's software), there are a couple of tools that do the job. They aren't free, though, so you'll have to open up your wallet for these.
iDump Pro lets you manage and share your music without a client installed on the computer you're working on, but like it's little brother, iDump. iDump Pro offers a 30-day free trial and then it is $9.95 to buy.
Xilisoft iPod Rip is a little more expensive, but it also lets you use your iPhone as a hard disk (without this feature, the iPhone is only recognized as a digital camera). It offers a 100-song-per-use trial (meaning you can only rip 100 songs before you have to close and re-open the program) with a 250-song total limit until you purchase the software for $29.95.
My advice? Start with one of the free programs. If they don't quite work as well as you'd like them to, then upgrade to one of the paid programs.
|
| Comments (0) | | « Newer Entries | Older Entries » | |
|
 Subscribe
Find Something
What's New?
Groundskeepers
»Rob Laughter | Blog
»Ethan Lee | Blog
Blogs we like
Gizmodo
Engadget
Coolest Gadgets
Gizmo Watch
OhGizmo!
Boone NC Web Design
|
