Everything Wired Knows About Apple's Touchscreen Tablet

The "iPod touch DX" sounds interesting, the large format phone, not so much. But you know me, I dislike monthly fees for things I can avoid, particularly duplicate things.

Read the Wired article: Everything We Know About Apple's Touchscreen Tablet

We've finally heard enough about Apple's rumored touchscreen tablet to actually have an idea of what it will do. Here's a roundup of everything we've heard.

Sent via my iPod

Bold As Brass

I guess the woman who was asking exiting passengers from the VTA trolley for "a pass they were no longer using" knew that there are no (?) undercover fare inspectors. What amused me was the knowing she should have a pass yet the not feeling any need to buy one when she got on.

Reminds me of the politics of friends of mine. ;)

iSent via iPod

heroes in the making

Looking to find the newest and most exciting DOTA-clone game? Are you up to doing a little testing in order to get into a new world before the rest of the population finds it? Then you should read about heroes of newerth about the upcoming game, currently in Beta.

This is a discussion forum with just one of its forums focusing on Heroes of Newerth. Check it out and see what everyone WILL be talking about and help shape the future of this World and, quite possibly, the gaming world as a whole. Where do you see the future of DOTA? Get heard and get playing!

This has been a sponsored post.

all time summer fun

Summer is officially over but for much of the United States the warm days are only just now starting to wind down. I know we had all our windows open last night to let what cool breezes there were cool off the house.

Which is why it would have been nice to go for a bike ride last night to pick up the few things we wanted to get from the store. A couple of easy riding beach cruisers would have made an eco-friendly way to get our ice-cream and Halloween candy. That's why I am recommending to you the chopper bikes or other styles from this Southern California company. They specialize in selling the very inexpensive beach cruiser style bikes. They can ship them just about anywhere via FedEx and since they sell lots locally, you know they can offer the best prices.

You probably had a one speed Beach bikes as a kid and remember just how simple they were with just one gear and a coaster brake. Just the thing for warm evenings when sitting and watching TV is not on you list of to-do items.

This has been a sponsored post.

Brita Delux Filter Has Horrible Pitcher

We bought a Brita Deluxe Pitcher water filter the other day at Target and while I will say the water tastes better now, I have never seen a more poorly designed carafe. I know we bought the cheapest model as we figured the filter was the important part, not the look of the rest of it but my goodness, is that thing a load of junk.

I swear more water goes onto the floor than into the bottles we are pouring into. Amazing how a devise to pour water, in this day and age, can perform so poorly. I would have thought this sort of thing would have perfected, oh, right after humans figured out fire?

your need for speed

Charter, the same good people who I told you about that were giving away a laptop a day, are doing another promotion, only this time they want to improve your commute – by offering a brand new Chevy Camaro! Not just any Camaro, the much sought after 426 hp 2010 Camaro 2SS, complete with all sales taxes.

The contest runs from September 15 through noon November 26, so head over to enter at the company who loves to help you go fast at their page for the Camaro Sweepstakes. Plus, for a limited time, you can earn a $100 gift card when you sign up for three Charter services, a $50 gift card for two Charter products, or a $25 gift card when you buy a single Charter service.

Charter has been giving away great prizes for some time now, they have already had an HDTV give-away a day, free Xbox 360s, even a hybrid car last year. Keep an eye on them by being a fan of Charter on Facebook or follow the tweets with Charter on Twitter. Be sure to visit charter.com/camaro and register today and read the complete rules, find out the full specifications on the Camaro SS and more.

Diver Down

[New Yorker]

The New Yorker recently had Alec Wilkinson's piece on the creepy/cool world about two female Free Divers – 'frequently described as the world’s second most dangerous sport, after jumping off skyscrapers with parachutes'. I was feeling short of breath and tingly just reading about it!

Any sport that involves black-outs and testing the limits of the human condition gets my respect!

TMBG on NPR? OMG!

[TMBG, NPR]

They Might Be Giants in support of their newest LP (can we still call them that if the CD is a Long Playing disc?) "Here Comes Science" were the guests on Science Friday, (September 25th, 2009).

The new album has the band revisiting 'Why Does The Sun Shine?'

[The sun is a mass / of incandescent gas / a gigantic nuclear furnace...]

and then follows it with a new track titled "Why Does the Sun Really Shine?" describing the science of plasma.

It's too early for the podcast, but look here for it eventually.

Bunny Rock

[odosketch]



Reminds me of Sam & Max, wonder if it is supposed to because it is?

OK, enough browsing the sketchbooks. But if you find some cool ones, let me know!!

Apelad Goes Odosketch

[aplelad]



"This bindl stick iz guaranteed to last us a thousand miles"

The journey begins with a single step, too. Coincidence? You decide!

Micro Wave Goodbye

[rant]

With a loud clunk and an odd buzz our trusty microwave at home stopped working. Thankfully we have the homeowners warranty which sent someone out the very next day to take a look (after a $60 co-pay).

Turns out the magnet and possibly the capacitor have shorted out, so no new microwave for us but a return to the status quo which, you know, is OK with me as the one we have works, fits the decor of the kitchen and is the right size (ask me later about finding a replacement oven for the space!).

The downside - no way to easily reheat the leftover pizza or the brown rice and black bean burritos. Need the recipe? it is here at Mahatma Rice. I'm bookmarking it for myself, too. :D

eye capture

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MDI - Web Marketing, Design & Hosting is on Facebook – become a fan and see what they can do for you today.

4th Annual Parking Lot Sale

[tiki]

Forbidden Island in Alameda is having their 4th Annual Parking Lot Sale Sunday the 27th from 2-7 pm. Known as largest sale of vintage/collectable tiki, hawaiiana, rockabilly, mugs, furniture, carving, clothing in Northern California, there also will be live entertainment from DJ Tanoa and exotica and surf music from the Lee Vilenksy Trio. 21 and up, more at Forbidden Island.

ride to live

The State of California is opening up ever more Diamond / HOV lanes to paying customers with pricing to be dependent on the amount of actual congestion. Some roads in Southern California have even gone back to the idea of a carpool is three or more people instead of the more usual two. The good news is that carpools and motorcycles will still be able to use the new lanes free of charge - just be sure to hide your FasTrak transponder to not get charged.

If traffic is making you rethink your commute and you are contemplating taking that motorcycle out of storage, the good news for you is that CruiserCustomizing stocks more than 30,000 unique motorcycle parts and accessories allowing you to customize your ride to your individual taste. They offer famous-maker and brand name parts, at savings of up to 60% off. All makes and models are covered, so it doesn't matter if you ride Cruisers, a harley, Sport Bikes, or a Goldwing. Discover the perfect way to achieve your individuality at CruiserCustomizing.com.

Ride safe and ride in style. This has been a sponsored post.

Bally's Health Club Tries the Low Road

Seems Ballys Total Fitness was sending out PAST DUE notices to people who had quit their memberships. When asked about it, they replied:

The offer you received is another type of monthly statement for members who do wish to continue their membership. Therefore, the past due mentioned on this, reflects the amount the member must pay to continue their membership. This does not apply to you, as you don't want to continue your membership.

See the whole story and scans of the 'bill' at The Consumerist.

let's meet and eat

Most people would prefer to eat lunch with a friend but how to coordinate everyone's busy schedules? What you need is a software social secretary, one that works seamlessly with the calendars you already use, ie: Outlook, Google, and iCal.

The interface is dead simple, just add your lunch buddies, select how often (say, every other Wednesday), and then tell Lunchster where you are & that's it.

Under the hood, Lunchster is busy using sophisticated algorithms to select the best lunch matches, locations, dates, etc. With links to restaurant recommendations from Yelp! and Google and support for Facebook and Facebook Connect, all you need to do is accept or decline the lunches that show up on your calendar. See more and Cover Lunchster's launch at DEMOfall 09, then get ready to eat!

To be or not to be a clone

To be or not to be a clone
Originally uploaded by Stéfan

Or as I would have said, "Alas, poor TK421, I knew him well."

See all of Stéfan's Stormtrooper 365 set at flickr. Just be sure to do it where your co-workers will not overhear you.

Sounds cool and mostly 'free' as I scored a pair of blackbirds last year for cheap at Pottery Barn mid-November. Just wonder at the ease of clean-up after the holidays are done....

Read all about it:

Quick-Spun Cobwebs on marthastewart.com

If that spooky, 100-year-old dusty look doesn't come naturally, fake it with hot-glue cobwebs; we "spun" them over realistic-looking stuffed birds.

Birthday Party Saturday

[cake]

Yesterday was the new grandpa's birthday (observed) and for the last couple of years we have tried to make it a tad less formal than other family birthday parties. Last year was the back-yard burger cook-out, so this year a bigger change of pace due to the new baby and we had take away pizza from Rosie's New York Pizza. Thanks to their email coupons we fed the capacity crowd for under $50 and lunch was ready in less than 30 minutes instead of the usual Whole Foods shopping run and hours of prep and cooking. We passed on wine this year and instead just had Archer Farms Blood Orange Italian soda from Target which seemed to be fine with everyone given the driving people were going to do after lunch.

The best part of the day, other than Dreyer's Slow Churned Peppermint ice cream & the always gorgeous and delicious traditional cake complete with buttercream roses from Greenlee's Bakery, I would have to score that as a toss-up between watching the two new 'sisters,' getting to know each other or the grandpa holding his granddaughter.

Close second would be the iPhone 3GS and (newly upgraded to v3.1.1) iPod touch surfing of PeopleOfWalMart.com and trying to find the most outrageous.

Inter Species Communication Attempt Nº1

Impromptu Google search by the cat walking across the keyboard yielded some interesting results:

#

Results for: `iuuu8
#
A. Gellii Noctium Atticarum libri XX - Google Books Result
by Aulus Gellius (123-ca. 165), Martin Hertz - 1861 - History
... iuuu8 ...
books.google.com/books?id=xcITAAAAQAAJ... -
#
YouTube - NawSun's Channel
Uploads (2). DJvBY-iUUU8. Canibus talks about Skittles (LL Cool J Diss). 2047 views - 1 year ago. DJvBY-iUUU8. hJAPbIT6KWE. Lil Wayne Talks about the Wii ...
www.youtube.com/user/NawSun - Cached - Similar -
#
Justin.tv - iuuu 8/19
- [ Translate this page ]
Justin.tv is a community of live broadcasters and viewers. Broadcast and customize on your own channel.
it.justin.tv/clip/52944e52e5b76311 - Cached - Similar -
#
Luciferi Calaritani Opuscula - Google Books Result
by Lucifer (Bishop of Cagliari), Wilhelm August ... - 1886 - Religion - 378 pages
... Iuuu8 ...
books.google.com/books?id=1L4UAAAAQAAJ... -

Are cats walking across the keyboard the new Ouija board? I can imagine the fun this could be at parties, but how to monetize it?

Fringe Prop

With props like this maybe I *should* be watching Fringe. The IBM
Selectric... Am I getting old and am now fetishizing old typewriters?
No I have always liked them, just usually it was the more mechanical
Royals and the like.

Recession Busting iPhone Case

Does this sound like you?

Tough times call for tough cases and that's where the recession case comes in! The recession case lets you keep cash in your pocket without sacrificing on unique design for your beloved iPhone!

Check out the low (value) priced case at: http://www.case-mate.com/iPhone-3G-Cases/Case-Mate-iPhone-3G--3GS-recession-case.asp

You may be down but that doesn't mean your phone has to be out!

Sent from San Francisco, CA, United States

time tracks

These days a distraction from work or even worse, a lawsuit, is only a few clicks away for most employees when using the company internet. One misplaced tweet can ruin a carefully orchestrated product launch and scuttle the IPO.

That is why careful companies should check out ActivTrak – the employee monitoring system for corporate networks. ActivTrak works by tracking both application use and general web usage on any company workstation. So now you can simplify billing and ersearch time but also answer the the basic question of "who's doing what and for how long."

Interested? Watch a ten minute Employee monitoring tutorial and see the problems, both existing and future, it can solve. This has been a sponsored post.

Nano My Heart To Thee

[iPod]

ANDY IHNATKO [ai@andyi.com] has his 5th Gen iPod nano review up at the Chicago Sun-Times and it's worth a read if you are looking for a new or replacement MP3 player. Truthfully, he had me with the opening salvo:

... it’s “the iPod for people who just want to listen to some damn music and podcasts and aren’t terribly interested in acquiring a bold new paradigm in pocket computing.”

The video camera and the FM tuner are of note (especially as they are "free" – this year's nano costs the same as last year's) but the Nike+ feature sounds really cool.

The Magic Touch

[iPod]

Ars Technica looks at a possible end to the fee that iPod touch owners are charged every time Apple releases a major update to its mobile operating system. It seems that a proposed accounting rule change that might let Apple finally record iPhone revenues all at once per quarter in which it is earned instead of spreading it out over two years would also have a spill-over benefit for the iPhone's cousin.

I will believe it when I see it, just like the FM radio and cameras that were supposed to show up in the iPod Touch last week.

Microsoft Sets Up Zune HD for Failure — Again

Not everyone at Wired is in love with the new Zune it seems:

Microsoft Sets Up Zune HD for Failure — Again

Seems the Zune HD links to a "closed store" - one third-party developers cannot easily code for. Observers in the industry agree this strategy is setting Microsoft up for failure, besides isnt the small app number the big complaint if the pre?

---

Forgive my brevity, this was sent via Newton 2.0 (iPod Touch v1.x)

Imaginism Studios Blog: CHIU-Stream Live Painting tonight!

Baby Chewy is just too cute. Bonus points for the lunchpail! Go see the creator & all heir other fab work:

Imaginism Studios Blog: CHIU-Stream Live Painting tonight!

New Zune Rivals iPod?

[Zune]

In what must be read to be believed, Wired is talking like the new Zune HD is a worthy rival to the iPod Touch, going so far as to call it, a "lovely industrial design, (with) a beautiful OLED screen, (plus) HD radio".

Oddly I have been looking at an HD radio dock for my iPod Touch and you will recall that new versions of the iPod have rolled in an (old-school) FM radio – a feature my SanDisk Sansa has had for many years now.

Zune is still Windows only, so even if I was interested in buying a music player / web surfer I would be waiting a bit. Perhaps with is the usual Microsoft way, first the obvious crappy copy and eventually a worthy competitor?

Cake TV

[Cake]

About the only Food Network challenges we ever seem to watch are the cake decorating ones, not that the DirecTV DVR seems to notice, it dutifully records them all, even the reruns. The other night I saw that there was a Spam Cook-off that was recorded. No thanks!

Recently I heard there was another competition show on TLC ("Ultimate Cake Off") and boy does it rip off the Food Network version. Oh, wait, this one lets you have 4 people in a kitchen and gives you 9 hours. How silly of me to think this was not original. The worst part in my opinion: the skills test where the 'winner' gets to force one of the other two kitchens to have to sit down for 30 minutes.

If you are looking for a better use of your time, I say go watch Cake Boss, at least there you have some interesting people to watch and some damn fine cakes.

the place to party in vegas

Ever been to a party so loud and out of control it had to be held in a Barn outside the city limits? Been a long time since those days in college but I still know some weddings that were called off and others planned (some rather hastily) as a result of the annual Barn Party.

If that's not your style, ever wonder what happens at Rehab, the place to party when you are looking for fun under the Vegas sun? Now thanks to truTV and the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, you can live vicariously through others and slip past the velvet rope and get all the behind the scenes party dirt at one of the hottest parties in the sexiest city.

Take an inside look at how the staff indulges the biggest spending high rollers and keeps the chaos just this side of out of control. The newest season has the scene at the pool hotter then ever with celebrity performances, more top list guests and the Rehab staff learning the tricks of the trade. Competition from neighboring hotel pool parties and the pressure to keep business up has everyone working overtime to keep Rehab the biggest and loudest party on the Las Vegas Strip.



truTV's Rehab Season premiere was September 1st at 10p/9c but all new episodes are Tuesdays at 10p/9c.

Be sure to join the sweepstakes to win a chance to party like a rock star at Rehab at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel & Casino pool. Enter truTV's Rehab for a chance to win big.

Another Phone Post: Motorola Cliq

[android]

Wired's Gadget Lab takes a hands-on look at the T-Mobile's newest Android phone the Motorola Cliq (still the 4 letter name but looks like Moto has found you can disable the CAPS LOCK button) and comes away with a mostly thumbs up take.

Pluses include the physical keyboard and iPhone beating camera while the negatives mostly centering on the UI atop the standard Android interface & I can live with that, especially since many of the comments by readers praised the interface.

So the question remains, WiFi and costs (both to buy in and monthly)?

Palm Pixi: Give and Take

Under $100 with a 2-year contract, good. Smaller screen, with 320 x 400 pixels, as opposed to the Pre's 320 x 480, liveable

The software is the same webOS as used by the Pre, plus new applications for Yahoo Messenger and Facebook, sounds good.

Pixi is also a bit slower than its big brother, but Palm product manager Sachin Kansal says that in most functions it performs similarly to the Pre, but in multimedia apps, it's less zippy.

There's no Wi-Fi.

Oh, well. Game over. Back to you Apple....

a day in the life

Hello. I have taken the liberty of blogging today as the fellow who normally is here is a tad busy with a little person who seems to need to eat every three hours or so.

Who am I? The Laptop, that's who. I thought it was obvious.

I am almost one year old now, my birthday is next month and I wonder if I am not starting to show my age a bit. My once-white keys are a little dirtier and I have a few spots here and there that weren't there when I was born. My iSight is still good, maybe because I don't get used all that much? I wonder if I am getting to big to carry any more. I certainly am not the 2.33 lbs that I would be if I were an HP Mini 110 XP edition.

I have helped my human get a lot of deals, maybe I can help you, too. Like this coupon deal from HP:

$30 stackable site-wide coupon So you can get $30 off an order $150 or greater at the HP Home Store. Just use coupon code SV2132.

** Valid through 10/31 or while supplies last. Restrictions and exclusions apply.

Big Brother is Watching (You Eat but Will Give You a Free Sammich)

The other night at the "New" Safeway downtown, we decided to get some deli sandwiches. There was a man in front of us who used the computer kiosk to order himself a frozen yogurt and a 'wich, and then went for the upgrade to the 'meal deal.' He keyed in his phone number (instead of sliding his card, easier, I guess) but when they presented him with his 'deal,' as near as I can tell he pitched a fit as the drink (or maybe it was the yogurt) was 12 oz and NOT a 16 oz cup.

He seemed to feel cheated and wanted to see a manager as 'the sign didn't specify WHAT size.' Since he had already paid, they sent him (grumbling) to the customer service desk. we happened to be in the same line for a parking validation so we got even more of the story.

When they were going to credit him for the upcharge the worker asked for his club-card number. He started to give it to them but then wanted to know WHY they needed the number. He was told that since he used the number in the purchase he would have to give it again for the credit. This seemed to really bother him so, long story short, he canceled the whole transaction and said he 'was never shopping at Safeway again.'

Wish I knew what his problem was – thoughts?

steel wheels

If you live in the UK, are finding yourself searching online for your first or maybe your next car, be it new, pre-owned or maybe even leased? Make your search an easier one by heading over to www.BuyYourCar.co.uk. For some three years, they have been the UK car search engine that thinks different. BuyYouCar prefers to focus on all the aspects of car, from research to purchase.

BuyYourCar.co.uk puts your search into top gear and allows you to search for new or used cars, as wellas explore the advantages of car leasing and then compare and contrast all the options. BuyYourCar.co.uk also supplies trustworthy independent car reviews plus links to get you a competitive loans and insurance quote. Something to offer to everyone at any price point in the market to buy a car, new or used via lease, loan or cash.

Take a closer look and you will see, this is the best way to get that new set of wheels.

Gmail is Down

"First they came for Twitter, and I didn't speak up, because I didn't Tweet.

Then they came for Facebook, and I didn't speak up, because it's just Social Netwoking.

Then they came for Dell, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Mac.

Then they came for Gmail, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."