Take a stroll through any large city and you’ll see houses butting right up against each other, and roof tops chock full of antennas and satellite dishes. We are an entertainment driven society after all. So why not take a chance to stand out from the crowd? Why not slap a Mickey Mouse face on your satellite dish? Actually, I can think of plenty of reasons why not to. Reason #1: It looks stupid.
But to each their own. If a themed dish is what you seek, brush up on your Japanese and follow the link.
While I do find myself inside, sitting in front of a computer for many hours of the day, I’m also an avid nature freak. I love the great outdoors — and I mean the way out there, never going to get a signal for your life outdoors. In Japan, they is some very unique areas of urban environment that are also very close to those outdoors that I love oh so dearly. But what’s different from the wilderness here in the states and that of wilderness in Japan all has to do with bikes.
Located in Washuzan Highland Park, the “Sky Cycle” pictured here is the most cherished form of transportation. For good reason though — the views look to be awesome! Then of course there’s the whole benefit of actually powering your own progress through the park, helping your heart and waistline at the same time. Perhaps the U.S. could use a few Sky Cycles of their own, no?
Hulu is currently on a war path of sorts, with it’s content owners closing up holes, cramming in advertisements and effectively killing all the reasons consumers loved the service in the first place. Even worse is the fact that those same content owners (motivated by greed of course) are butchering Hulu’s transgression to mobiles. Bad for them, good for us.
Where Hulu is letting us mobile users down, Fox’s new “Bitbop” will pick up the slack…
What’s that sound? Oh, just the sweet sweet music of HTML 5 claiming another victory over Flash of course. Soon you, I, and any other human on planet earth who feels compelled to visit Virgin America’s website will be able to do so without pegging a core or four on our processor by simply navigating the website. For mobile users, this means the simple task of even navigating Virgin America’s website will soon be possible. According to Virgin America CEO, Ravi Simhambhatla, the move to HTML 5 will mean faster and easier navigation for desktop users where no special (read: proprietary) plugin will be needed and a much more natural and unhindered experience for mobile users as well. On the topic of mobile users in particular, not all mobile browsers support HTML 5 just yet. But lest we remind you how resource heavy Flash is, and how resource heavy HTML 5 is not. As more people jump on board the HTML 5 gravy train, 3rd parties and developers will surely follow.
Ah, the days of an even footing between desktop and mobile web usage is starting to shape up nicely. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired of seeing that stupid little blue lego block littering my mobile browsing sessions. Now that Apple has taken the lead publicly denouncing the importance of Flash and seeing second major company follow, how many more will follow and just how will Adobe respond? Interesting stuff indeed.
You may recall Steve Job’s now infamous quote many days back stating that if Adobe Flash were supported on the iPad, the battery life would fall from 10hrs. to 1.5hrs. A bold claim to make and one that I can neither confirm or deny being that I don’t actually have an iPad to play with. Even still, such a drop in battery life doesn’t seem very plausible. Flash on mobile devices has been known to kill batteries rather quickly, but that quickly?
Flash aficionado Mark Doherty whipped up a little 17-minute video showing off Flash — the entire 17 minutes mind you. When all was said and done, a quick trip into the battery status window showed that over those 17-mintues, the battery fell by only 6%. Even with the screen dimming for most of the video, having an active screen and active WiFi connection for the video, 6% doesn’t seem too bad, does it?
Mr. Doherty also goes on to say that Adobe has been flogging mobile Flash in house with H.264 results brining in a solid 3 hours on WiFi meaning most of even the longest movies in movie history should be viewable on a single charge. Suddenly I’m a bit more excited again. Anyone else?
For those needing a bit more proof (skip to the end…)
Hearing the words “PS3″ and “shortage” together a few months ago would draw out a few chuckles from those in the room. While Sony would like us to think otherwise, since launch the PS3 hasn’t exactly been leading the market in console sales. Up until recently, that honor went to the Nintendo Wii. I never caught on to the Wii mania, but obviously many have.
Fast forward one year and here we sit looking at Wii’s stacking up on store shelves and the once stagnant PS3 now selling like hot cakes. So hot in fact that Sony is claiming a PS3 shortage is among us in the coming months due to the bangup holiday season they saw. A pretty jam packed upcoming game lineup would also do wonder for sales/wreak havoc on supply. Could the tables really have flipped that drastically?
For now I’m staying squarely seated in the middle of the debate as I haven’t seen or heard of any PS3 shortages. But if holiday sales were as good as Sony claims and the new upcoming titles such as “Heavy Rain” and “God of War 3″ have any hand in it, we could very well see Sony’s baby decline in availability.
What do you think? Is there an honest shortage impending or is Sony merely blowing smoke to create a false sense of urgency in picking up a PS3 –> which in turn nets them more sales and money?
If you’re on a tight budget (and don’t kid me, we’ve all been there), normal everyday activities such as going to the movie theater become nothing more than a dream. For without the required paper money, they won’t let you in. Finding yourself in this predicament is an unfortunate one for sure. It’s at down times like these, creativity flourishes as people have more time to devote to hobbies or side projects. In lieu of the aforementioned words, why not take it upon yourself to mercilessly maim two birds with one napalm launcher and be crafty and entertained.
Today, I’m going to introduce you to the iPhone Theater. Recreating this little wonder by yourself requires very little actually — an iPhone, a box, some patience, and of course some spare time. In the end, missing out on the real theater experience is something that can’t really be recreated in your home — at least not cost effectively, and that’s why we’re even talking about making your own theater in the first place. Thankfully, the iPhone Theater in a box can at the very least, help you pass the time and give at least the front row of viewers a decent picture. Impressed?
In the age of Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Forza 3, and Final Fantasy, who in their right mind would want to spend any time on Tetris? I can see it as a good time killer for 5-10 minutes and that’s about it as the deep story plots and other “free roaming” games have pampered us with countless hours of gameplay.
Some still prefer the classics however. Possibly aiming to catch that older gaming market, DISH Network is beginning to roll out a new “game channel” that is quite literal in the name. Tetris TV is a channel exclusive to DISH Network viewers that allows you to play the old classic on your TV with nothing but your TV remote (that’s creative).
Anyone on any package has access to Tetris TV as long as they’re comfortable shelling out an extra $2.99/month. Think it’s worth it? Now that my eyes have been opened, there are a few other games I’d like to see pumped through such services — Duck Hunt anyone?
As broadband speeds increase and proliferate around the world, more and more people will continue their turn to the web for their one-stop-shop of entertainment. Everything from pictures, music, videos, games, etc. are all going online. Traditional manufacturers and producers of said goods are finding it hard to compete with the much lower price barrier of the internet. They’re finding they can’t mark up services and products as much as they can in the physical world. The obvious solution is to downsize, get leaner, become meaner, and operate more efficiently. Don’t think big TV exec’s are scared…?
ABC’s Anne Sweeney had the following to say when a recent encounter with her daughter probably left her her pants a bit soiled and her heart skipping quite a few beats.
Anne Sweeney: Daughter, you need a TV for your dorm room
Daughter: Mom, you don’t understand. I don’t need it. I can watch everything I like online.
Anne Sweeney: You’re going to have a television if I have to nail it to your wall…
Can you hear the horror in voice? Anyone who says TV exec’s aren’t scared are either stupid or they’re…stupid. Ever decreasing revenue and a current failure to become successful online — not solely because of lack of online income, but because of failure to understand the digital world and adjust their business models accordingly — have TV exec’s frantically trying to salvage what little model they have left.
In the end, this quote may be taken out of context and twisted to benefit the blogger world. Regardless, if it is indeed legitimate, actually hearing what we all already know is both comforting and humorous. Just goes to show you that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
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Take a stroll through any large city and you’ll see houses butting right up against each other, and roof tops chock full of antennas and satellite dishes. We are an entertainment driven society after all. So why not take a chance to stand out from the crowd? Why not slap a Mickey Mouse face on your satellite dish? Actually, I can think of plenty of reasons why not to. Reason #1: It looks stupid. 
As broadband speeds increase and proliferate around the world, more and more people will continue their turn to the web for their one-stop-shop of entertainment. Everything from pictures, music, videos, games, etc. are all going online. Traditional manufacturers and producers of said goods are finding it hard to compete with the much lower price barrier of the internet. They’re finding they can’t mark up services and products as much as they can in the physical world. The obvious solution is to downsize, get leaner, become meaner, and operate more efficiently. Don’t think big TV exec’s are scared…?
