Another Ozzy clip? Samsung Alias 2 X OZZY OZBOURNE

Well everyone knows we like new gadgets... And well every now and then some voodoo... Thanks to Stacy Stace for this cool little clip of Samsung's cool new Alias 2 cell phone. And to those wondering.. yes we read every single email we do get!



what you want more?
ehh..

check out SAMSUNG DOT COMZ


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Leica M8 X Lumix DMC-G1 X Ricoh GR2 ?

(LEICA M8 WHITE EDITION msrp: $8 or 9k)

well once again chatting it up with a good friend.. i got drawn in...
wanting more shit i just dont need but really really want.... actually i guess i could use it especially since i use a digital camera every day... however these are less or worker cameras.. and more of bling bling type cameras... and semi-unnecessary

ok...so what do these cameras all have in common??? well they are all digital cameras yea.... that is pretty obvious....other than that....well basically they are all cameras that i just want... why?? welll because they have the awesome ness.. they have the style... they have the name... they have the tech (ok maybe not the best tech but damn good enough)

*edit and to all the leica haters ... please leave the comments of leicas being over priced lumix's/panaonics (btw i added a lumix i also badly want)

ok so back to the cameras...well currently here are two very limited LEICA M8 DIGITALS... im not gonna bore you with specs..because there is tons of info on the LEICA M8... but just appreciate the awesomeness of these cameras.... the top is the special WHITE edt... and the bottom is the LEICA M8 SAFARI edition


(LEICA M8 SAFARI EDITION msrp: $10k)



i am currently a user of a canon rebel xsi ...AND NO... THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT.... but its not a LEICA

nope... works great.. lots of lenses... great price.. yadda yadda yadda.....

well then... whats my problem??? well knowing that these other cameras exist.... and me not having any extra money to have them in my grubby little hands!!!!

now in addition to the leica m8.. i also lust for these other cameras listed below...



RICOH GR 2 DIGITAL
why ??? well the ever so popular mini do it all compact semi slr digital camera.... when i was last in japan the RICOH GR digital was everywhere!

and for very good reason... its sleek its sexy... it fits in you pocket.. and its expandable... you can get some great attachements and have some digital SLR power in a mini micro form....

very famous camera seen with the likes of DESIGN GURU HIROSHI FUJIWARA


PANASONIC / LUMIX DMC-G1
why??? ok well micro four thirds thats why... a new standard .. trying to unite cameras digital slrs and new compact cameras.... it seems like a good idea and hopefully it gets implemented... it currently is also compatible with other four thirds system lenses....

micro four thirds is just the newest system to try and unify this crazy camera world in finding a common standard... and i think its a great step in terms of innovation.. however photography is one of those hobbies with some serious retro grouches!!! who hate progress and think.. that if it aint broke.... then dont fix it!!!

the lumix dmc-g1 comes in great colors... and is technically the smallest full functioning slr on the market especially since this camera is without a mirror box... its truly a digital camera... which allows the body to be slightly smaller than a regular digital slr.... but its not really that much smaller...


OLYMPUS MICRO FOUR THIRDS
why??? because micro four thirds... and the way it was meant to be... this camera is the size of a normal pocket point and shoot..

but promising the features of changeable lenses and accessories and etc.. making your once small digital point and shooter a great contender for some serious photography power!!!

this is the ultimate baby.. and i cant wait.. these pictures are quite old so we should be seeing something soon from these guys... but lets just wait and see... if this stuff comes out.. im for sure switching over to micro four thirds... its pretty much what i wanted out of the RICOH GR 2 DIGITAL... but with more support and expandability....



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Bloomingdale's Men's Spring 2009

The Bloomingdale's Men's Spring Catalog for 2009 came in my mail box in the past couple weeks and between the science nerd/engineer that I am, and the well-dressed fashionable person I wish I was, I enjoyed thumbing through this catalog a lot.



The locations for the photos included the Hoover Dam and the El Dorado Valley dry lake in Nevada. The locations provided a nice juxtaposition of the sleek stylings by the likes of Hugo Boss, Velntino and John Varvatos, and the old industrial technology of a hydroelectric plant built in the 1930s (as well as a dry river basin).









When the New York Times Fashion Magazine came out with the spring fashion recently and didn't do too much for me. Between the sport coats over shorts (never been a big fan) and the poofy dress-like shorts, I was not too excited by most of the styles or the possibility that some of them could make it to mainstream fashion. I do, however, respect the fashion presented in the magazine, I understand that while Bloomindale's is trying to make money, the NYT fashion magazine is trying to push the boundaries of fashion. Truth be told, many of these ideas have or will come to fruition in mainstream fashion (see sport coats over shorts).




Some highlights, product-wise, for me (a guy in jeans, t-shirt, and a hole-y pair of socks) have to be the Burberry brown wool suit, the selection of socks (step your small details game up), Theory grey suit, John Varvatos plaid convertible jacket, Aquascutum LTD aquamatic packable raincoat, and the Sutor Mantellassi Off-white/orange weekender bag.

Do I plan on dropping the money to buy this stuff full price as it comes out? No way, but it sure is nice to look at and appreciate none the less.

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Tweeters: Newsies Of The New Century

I think people are too quick to judge Twitter. For most tweeters (people who use twitter), yes, it is nothing more than Facebook status messages. For news organizations, blogs, and websites, it is the Newsboy of the new century. In Newsies they had the time it took for someone to pass by them to sell a paper, in twitter, they have 140 characters. It was said by Jack, in the movie, "headlines don't sell papes, Newsies sell papes!" This holds true for blogs and news feeds on twitter as well. A publication's ability to generate traffic via twitter is based on their ability to generate interest in 140 characters or less.

People are so quick to jump on the next hottest thing in hopes of being on top of what's hot, and for a lot of people that's Twitter. But though there are people quick to jump on every new bandwagon, there's even more people just as quick to jump on the hater hearse (Officially coined CollectiveCo 2009, I googled it). I think that it is a little premature. While I agree with some points against the usefulness of a message conveyed in 140 characters and the lack of manners some seem to demonstrate in public (it's quite a bit like texting), they might want to ponder the importance of twitter as a tool to spread ideas. Yes, it may have been a flop as a tool to generate questions for Jimmy Fallon to interview Cameron Diaz, but it's a great tool to find out quick news headlines from the BBC, get music selections by the likes of Q.Tip and ?uestlove, or get pics from a friend.

Now don't get me wrong, do I want to shoot myself from boredom when someone tweets "eating"? Maybe, but hell, I think I am guilty of the same things and much of this is due to the fact that twitter isn't an established medium. It's not a chat program, it's not a social networking site, it's not a blog, it's not Posterous (I just learned about this one today from Rainn Wilson, it's perfect for you Crackberry and iPhone addicts). The thing about twitter is that it is so vague. The very basis and reason for many people's gripes (the brevity of 140 characters) is exactly what allows it to stay versatile. Twitter will be tough to define or confine into a category such as blog or social networking site. People complain about Twitter but what they should be complaining about is the people they follow. Because twitter is different things to different people, find people that use it how you use or find useful and follow them, if you can't find them, try to redefine the way twitter is used (or better yet, don't even mess with it).

As I mentioned in my post about my plunge into twitter, ?uestlove had coined twitter as the new blog, and in a way he's right. For many people who DO blog, it's the medium for things that are not blog worthy, the one sentence epiphany that's not worth flushing out into a post, the cultural observation while sitting on a bus, the quick message to a friend, or the outreach for another person's opinion (usually for a quick response). Due to the fact that the internet is almost everywhere now (including our phones), Twitter enters into unknown territory as a medium (I won't even say what type because I am unsure). Twitter is somehow information and communication all at the same time, all while not being too time consuming for our increasingly busier lives.



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Art Galleries Are So 3 Years Ago

A good friend of mine passed this along to me today and it reminded me a lot of something I remember from a while back:



While much of youtube's bandwidth is used on funny TV clips, clips from people with too much time on their hands, and random funny stuff, every once in a while you will find some really good original content on there. While, youtube is usually thought of as a giant waste of time, it also serves as an outlet for people without the connects, know-how, or, in some cases, the want to get their art or personal projects out for people to see them. While some will become internet phenomenons, others will just be shared with friends and enjoyed by the random passer by.

So maybe youtube isn't such a waste of time after all, then again...maybe it is..(ahhhhh white people...).


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A Bright Idée

So if you follow this blog you will know I discovered twitter a little while back (you know, like how Columbus discovered America). On it, I follow a couple artists and media people I admire and/or deeply respect, one of those being Jay Smooth. His tweets are all over the place at times but he has dropped some gems, one of my favorites being the Idée Lab.



Idée is a company that develops image ID software and visual search software. In a basic sense, it is the google of images. You upload an image and it will locate that image all over the internet and tell you where it is. This can be used recreationally by different users or it can be used by companies to find where their images are being used around the web as well as in print publications.

So while Idée has these advanced programs for image recognition, they have a couple of interesting projects in their lab.

Multicolr allows you to choose up to 10 colors and they will search all of flickr for photos containing the chosen colors (this is how I came to the image above)

Visual Search Lab allows you to type in a variety of tags and it will search Alamy for all photos containing those tags.

BYO Image Search will find images on Alamy that match an image you give it (uploaded or provide a link to). I found this one interesting because I gave it a picture of a cyclist that had very distinct lighting and it not only found photos of bikes, but it also found photos with the lighting that I had used on it, pretty cool!

So now you can search with words, music, and now photos, I can only imagine what's next, search by scent? It's really not all THAT crazy of an idea is it?

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10 Design Rules of Dieter Rams: What the hell are some of yall thinkin!

(hmm... is IMITATION really the sincerest form of flattery???)

10 Design Rules of Dieter Rams from Braun in the 60's:

• Good design is innovative.
• Good design makes a product useful.
• Good design is aesthetic.
• Good design helps us to understand a product.
• Good design is unobtrusive.
• Good design is honest.
• Good design is durable.
• Good design is consequent to the last detail.
• Good design is concerned with the environment.
• Good design is as little design as possible.

now what kinda self proclaimed "pretentious-cool-guy trendy-hip-new-innovative-design-tech-pop-music-political-social-super-blog" would we be if we didnt pay some type of tribute or homage to one of the great industrial designers of this century ..DIETER RAMS.... and his basic rules of design that every "so-called/wannabe-photoshop-fashion-intrawebz-design-nut" out there should memorized wait...no... scratch that.... they should have it tattooed on their foreheads! so that every it will always be on their mind!! and shall never forget!!!

now to truly join the elite ranks of those "blogs/websites" truly in the "kNOW" consider this blog entry as our official ... "We have arrived! Sorry we're late!"

more after the jump....



Ok i have a confession to make. I originally had this post geared toward a "design snob hater-ish" type point of view... But as i finished a few rough draft lines and constantly erased and re-written many sentences, phrases, lines, paragraphs etc..

i finally stopped and said to myself... this isnt the way i want this entry to go down...

and instead of just being the usual pretentious "I'm better than you and you suck" kinda blog entry... i want this post to be more of a tribute to great design and just a simple reminder to people that Dieter Rams had it right.... he broke it down very easily for anyone to understand...(KISS) and I believe that great design can come from anywhere and anyone....



I guess id go as far to say that i have a true design fetish... where my daily life is consumed with the obsession of deciphering and understanding what really makes a 'great design' a 'great design'. and only wish that one day the things i design have a spot in this great universe... and wether im at work or at home... i find myself looking at all the great ones who did it before me, sit back and think.. how the hell did they do that? and then look around me... and ask.... what the hell are some yall thinkin??!??


(enjoy some of dieter rams most awesomest things)

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True Audiophiles make their own cables! Mogami x Cardas x Calrad wire

Ok... well maybe not... but as a true audiophile freak and hobbyist i thought hell why not learn how to solder and stuff like that so here is my first attempt at making my own audiophile quality wires for my new GRADO headphones..

now why make your own cables?
1) because Radio Shack sucks!
2) because true audiophile quality cables can be very expensive
3) well DIY is so "chic" right now... :P
4) DIY SUPPORTS AMERICA!
5) its fun to do and have that satisfaction that you made your own cables
6) well why the hell not...

parts used

MOGAMI w2528 wire
CALRAD stereo 3.5 plug
CALRAD mono 3.5 plug
CARDAS QUAD EUTECTIC SOLDER ( this stuff is seriously amazing... low melting point, easy easy easy to work with.... i wish i just had an unltd supply of this stuff)

way more info on diy audio stuff after the jump!



Now there are tons of great resources here on the web to get you started on little DIY projects like this... youtube has great videos , such as other websites like head-fi.... and personal websites/blogs such as mike from DIY MIKE...

assistance in my whole process was provided by the intrawebz very own DIY MIKE... thank you again mike for your awesome site and SUPER AMAZING personal help!


after a few more practice wires and or combinations of wires (such as pure copper stranded vampire wires or silver plated copper wires) i think my next project will be an amplifier at some point. a Millet "starving student" amp ? or even a PPA 2 amp?

now if i could just read schematics id be golden!

HERE IS A PIC OF A COMPLETED MILLET "STARVING STUDENT" HYBRID AMP... aka... millet mini amp.... or budget millet amp.....




HERE IS A POPULATED PPA 2 AMP BOARD.....



HERE ARE SOME MORE PICS OF MY COMPLETED CABLE












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All Your Base Are Belong To APPLE!

i may be late on this.. but this pic is so awesome i just had to add it here.... i think most of us here at the collective are also slaves as well!!!



im sure most colleges around america look like this ... so next time you are sitting in soc 101.. take a look around... and see if your face just gets a little more tanned from those little glowing APPLES...


ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US!


(TIME FOR A FLASHBACK!!!)







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Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit

Sony Releases New Stupid Piece Of Shit That Doesn't Fucking Work

old... but good... and still exactly how i feel sometimes when marketing hype just takes over ....

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GRADO LABS PS1000: Dear John, Stop Ur Killin Me!

Dear John Grado.

As a kind note from a now sick and helpless audiophile... please ... please stop making things that just make me want to send every little dime i have to you.. with the announcement of your greatst work yet... the GRADO LABS PS1000 series headphones have caused me nothing but anxiety, pain, and suffering...for i cant sleep eat or think without knowing that i am existing on this planet without these headphones playing back my favorite music tracks.... please accept this open letter and realize that i am just a humble and poor ol fool already smitten by the fact that (a) these are the best of the best you make (b) limited edition [and yes a true hypebeast will love anything with limited edition on it and (c) well just simply a great GRADO headphone...


oh and btw.. these babies will set you back just $1695

more after the jump!


ok lets back things up here... first off...i would go as far as saying that i am now a true "self-proclaimed" hobbyist audiophile...


(as wiki would define as: An audiophile, from Latin audio[1] "I hear" and Greek philos[2] "loving," is an audio reproduction enthusiast, who typically listens to music on high-end audio electronics.)


the thing is ... yes i do have a thing for true hi fidelity.. however... in particular headphones... and even more specific ... a little factory inside brooklyn.. which makes (in my opinion and many others out there) the world's best CANS!!!! and when i say cans i mean audiophile lingo ... not drunk fraternity college boy party time cans.... however those kinda cans are also good :)


Grado has been manufacturing audiophile quality headphones for many decades... with a few releases of limited edition and special edition headphones released to the public.. some models attaining legendary status among the hi-fi crowd, and with the release of these new headphones im sure they will easily become just as popular


Review from Gradolabs.com - Zanth from Head-fi

Never one to stop innovating, Grado has set out to create a new flagship and it is these new headphones, the PS1000's, as I hear it, are the very best headphone Grado Labs has ever produced...................

<<<<>>>>>

The PS1000's are finally, (and for those that upgrade often or think the grass is always greener, they know what I mean by finally), finally, the first set of headphones that would motivate me to sell all the rest, because these PS1000s do it all and do it as flawlessly as I've yet experienced. They give me everything that I've been searching for in headphones and do it in such a way that I can honestly say I'm not hoping for anything more. If more can ever be given, GREAT! But I've stopped looking. I've stopped thinking that a single phone can't do it all. Hyperbole be damned, this phone had me at hello.

Please visit http://www.gradolabs.com for the full review.

also they brought back the awesome wooden boxes !!! i must cop for my grado modded headphones.








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Twitter? Let's see

SEMTEX TV - ?UESTLOVE BREAKS DOWN THE HOTTEST MC'S FOR 09'.

Social Networking is nothing new to the internet but ever since the sale of Facebook and Myspace for more money than I would EVER know what to do with, next to buy a country, everyone wants some of that pie.

I've been hearing about Twitter for a while now but never though much of it (as if a facebook and myspace weren't enough). Then, while listening to Talk of the Nation: Science Friday on NPR, they were talking about how they were twittering and people were asking questions via twitter. This made me a bit more curious, but not enough to join. Then a couple weeks back I was watching the video above and when asked what 2009's big blog will be, ?uestlove responded with Twitter is THE blog for 2009 because of the ADD society and people needing everything quick and right now.

Then just this last weekend I'm at my homegirl's house and notice she has twitter so I open it up to take a look and basically it is facebook updates....THAT'S IT. You can post no more than 140 characters, no pictures, no embedding, no hyperlinks, no bells and whistles, it's just news feeds from whoever you choose to follow. Depending upon who you follow you can get anything from the news (NPR shows are on there), to a link to a funny video to "I just worked out" (from one of your friends).

On top of that. Twitter can be done from your mobile phone. Twitter was actually the first source to know that the roots tour bus got in a wreck a while back (?uest twittered from the ambulance). So I figure, what the hell, let me see what this is all about, if it's whack I can drop it. So if you care to join in, create and account, find me, and let's see what's up!



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The Lightning - The Supercar Of The Future

The Lightning Car Company, recently revealed what could be the super car of the future. With the rising concern of global warming and the success of the recently released Tesla, electricity might be the new direction for super cars to go. The Lightning sports new battery technology that can be recharged in as little as 10 minutes and has a battery life of 12+ years. With an efficient electric motor powering each wheel independently, it means fewer moving parts in the car. Few moving parts results in less energy loss and significantly less need for servicing (the dealerships will hate that).




The styling is clean, undoubtedly British, and beautiful if you are a fan of the likes of Jaguar and Aston Martin. Boasting a bhp equivalency of 700+ and a 0-60 in 4 seconds, this will be an excellent car for the people who need more car than the Tesla, or the collector who want another pony in the stable. With a release currently planned for UK only, it will be interesting to see if it ever hits our shores.




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Texting and the Death of Language

The older generations speak of the dumbing down of our generation (the Millennials) and how we are getting lazy. There are books published about the subject and how we are hopeless as a whole generation. Often it is pointed out that our reliance on technology is more of a hindrance than a positive tool.

As linguists claim that we have a poor grasp of the English language due to growing up with IM and text messaging, Geoff Nunberg (a teacher at CAL and linguist on Fresh Air) has a different opinion.

Take 5 minutes out of your day and listen to his essay "Teens, Tech, and Language: A Tired Old Tale Retold" where he parallels the introduction of the new communication technologies with the introduction of the telegraph. His insightful opinion and historical context might have people on both sides of the argument looking at the (non)issue in a new light as he not only defends our generation, but the English language as well.


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DIABLO III (3) is coming! GOOD BYE social life!!!

Good bye social life! Hello intrawebzZZ! Blizzard announced Diablo III.... what is that?

Well Diablo is just seriously like one of the greatest games evaRz! lulZ! no really tho... im not really like a super crazy gamer.. ok fine just a little.. i mean i play certain games here and there.. but diablo.. damnn lets take it back real quick rite now... diablo 2 was TEH PWN33ZORRSS! zomg! i cant wait for DIABLO 3... im sure every fan boy on the intrawebz already made a post on this.. so ima keep it sweet and short.. here are just a little bit of specs... and here are some videozzz.. EEXXXPLOOSSIONNNNNN!! (lools and shoutout to the SOREAL CREW!)

General Features

* Five powerful character classes to choose from, including the barbarian and witch doctor
* Brand-new 3D graphics engine enhanced with spectacular visual effects and Havok physics
* Numerous indoor and outdoor areas detailing new regions in the world of Sanctuary
* Interactive environments with dangerous traps and obstacles, and destructible elements
* Randomly generated worlds bolstered by scripted events for endless and dynamic gameplay
* Vast assortment of fiendish monsters, with unique attack patterns and behaviors
* New quest system and character-customization options for the ultimate action RPG experience
* Multiplayer functionality over Battle.net with support for cooperative and competitive play






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CAMPAGNOLO SUPER RECORD is back! 11 SPEED is here!

edit: this ones for you agent mike ;)

So im in the middle of a NEW bike build... a new road bike.. (BMC TEAM MACHINE in swiss colors) now i currently have a half FSA / SHIMANO ULTEGRA build on it... why? well im waiting... and waiting for this looks like its gonna be worth it! check out the new CAMPAGNOLO SUPER RECORD 11 SPEED grouppo






Lately alot of new groupos have been released or debuted, i have yet to cover all of them because there are just too many and dont really wow me so easily... Shimano 7900, Shimano Di2, Sram RED, Campagnolo E whatever i dunno... but 11 speed Super Record might just be the ticket that gets me to switch over from being a devout shimano rider... to... well.. switching over to the darkside if you must...

switching over to the great return of SUPER RECORD....

Well as you can see the hoods have a changed appearance. Seems like Campanolo took some styling cues from its arch-nemesis Shimano, and vice versa... Seems like Dura ace 7900 shifters copied Campy ergo hoods.

In any case im sure the styling of the hoods and how people feel about it will get a great batch of mixed reviews.... for me? well im gonna go ahead and say.. yea its hot...

but what really gets my vote is the graphic down the lever that lets you know... you got 11 gears and clicks ready to go!

Now the huge debate all over the world is of course.... WHEN is enough enough? how many gears do we really need? is 11 necessary? well im gonna have to say that this has been the debate for years... 6,7 speeds? moving to 9 ? going to 10? riding compact? now 11? as the range of gear ratios get closer... finding that magical ratio gets easier...











but what about durability? how much thinner narrower smaller can the chain and cassette really get?

how about weight? pretty soon we will be riding on paper thin cassetes with spaghetti chains...

and at what cost? if bike parts arnt already expesive enough.... $3000 frame sets... $1000 wheels... $1000 other misc parts... $2000+ groupo? hmmm... people always think im working on a motorcycle when i tell them, "yea my bike parts cost $$$$"











well.. as my kid bro always says... you gotta pay to play.. and 11 speed is something i definitely want to play with!

now a compact 11 speed will be even sweeter... and make it sub 2000 grams while we are at it... and you really got yourself a customer...now if it will be record which i can afford that will be another question.... but according to sources 11 speed will be available on Super Record, Record, and Chorus.

i think bikes stores should start selling bicycles like they do cars... awkwards back and forth negotiations... a nice little lounge to get refreshments... test drives.... in house financing... service and maintenance drop offs...oh wait... they already do do that.....




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Hummer - The Car People Love to Hate

GM just announced that, due to the high price of gas as well as the consumer demand, they will be shifting their focus to smaller, more fuel efficient vehicles (FINALLY). Of all the large vehicles they produce, the Hummer brand has to be one of their most famous (or infamous depending on how you look at it).

The Hummer has to be one of the most loved and most hated cars on the market today. It is the car that big car people love and the epitome of evil for the more environmentally conscious consumers. It used to be that Hummers were rare, if you saw one on the street you stopped and stared and told your friends about it the next day in 1st period. As the Hummer brand grew in popularity, they revamped it, creating the H2 (a clear status symbol), and later brought out a smaller, cheaper H3 (to make the Hummer brand more affordable to the rest of the population. Hummers now are pretty common (at least in southern California) and buying one is no longer a challenge (just filling up the gas tank is).

With the falling sales, GM had made plans to move the Hummer in a more "green" direction but are now reconsidering and deciding if they might want to sell it instead. I say going green is not the answer. GM does not have it in them to make a truly green Hummer. The Hummer Brand has too strong of emotions tied to it, the tree huggers will never buy a Hummer and the Hummer drivers will never go green. Allow me to take of my environmentalist hat off for a minute and make a suggestion.

GM will take a massive hit if the sell Hummer (and that's if they can find a buyer) so I think they should take Hummer to the ultimate extreme. Take Hummer back to when you would RARELY see one on the street so that when it passes by, everyone stops to stare. Redesign Hummer so it looks more like the old hummer, harsher lines but a modern look (the new ones look plastic).

Make one version of the Hummer and make it HUGE. Make it so big that the valet has no option but to park it right in front of the valet booth, eclipsing customers as they pick up their car. Hand build each Hummer from the ground up so that they are limited in production. Put an engine in that would make the corvette jealous and give it the ability to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. Don't just put Bose in the cabin, put it on the suspension too.

As far as the inside, make the Maybach Jealous. The controls in the car should all be illuminated touch screens (no more buttons and dials and forget the i-drive). The car should talk with you, not too you, and the speech should sound like a person, not a robot. Put hand stitched leather seats in the back that vibrate, recline, rotate, heat and serve cappuccino. The sound system should make the accoustic designers of the Walt Disney Concert Hall wonder if they are in the right profession. Give it enough leg room in the back to stand up an pace around. Attach your laptop to the dock and use the 30" HD screen in front of you to do your work with the high speed mobile internet so that you are always connected. The car should be fun to drive but even nicer to be escorted in.

I don't believe the Hummer's image can be salvaged at this point, so why not just exacerbate it? This isn't the Hummer for the OC soccer mom anymore, this is the Hummer that the prince of Dubai drives out of town guests around in. This is the Hummer that no longer sits next to the Mustang GT, this Hummer sits next to the Enzo. Instead of changing the car, Hummer can change its market. These ridiculously priced, limited run cars often lose money but considering the amount of money GM is losing on them now, and the jobs they have to cut because of it, it might not seem like such a bad idea.


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Hax0ring it up Frisko Style

What better way to floss one's knowledge of all things hax0rz and anti-fair use than writing a book--and giving it away for FREE? What no blog?! No Twitter Updates? No IM blasts? SFTU! Yes, in this digital age, writing a book with actual paper seems downright steampunk-onian, but whom other web rockstar to subvert our almost intravenous digestion of digital banalities than Cory Doctorow, (of boingboing.net, a directory of wonderful things) with his new young adult novel titled Little Brother. Set in my lovely city of San Francisco (FRISKO!), it is a story of a band of teenage digital misfits in the near distant future, where Mission's Cesar Chavez High School uses gait recognition cameras to detect intruders, and provides standard issue, US Department of Education lap-books optimized for Vista4Schools! to keep students on-line but IN-line.

What intrigued me most about this book (disclaimer I am still e-listening to it, hence my photo above) is that they elaborate on sh%t I sometimes use to subvert all types of digital protections and copyright. Some examples: TOR, WiFi Hacking, $sys$firefox.exe--I mean, WHAT YOU KNOW 'BOUT $sys$ SON! This is far from precious metal gangster chants--$sys$ is a way conceal your nasties (computer programs people, computer programs) from big brother. GEEKSH%T. So moving on.

In addition to computer nerd references, these kidz are running around the 'hoods of the city, from the Mission, to the 'Loin getting into all sorts of hot messes with the Department of Homeland Security, and the author crazy links (if one could even hotlink in a book) to all these places-only-locals could remember. Among some of the references are Powell St. BART, Market St., Fisherman's Wharf, Hotel Nikko, Anzu; It's like this guy is a Yelp Elite or something. Listening to this story on the bus is rather fun, as I sometimes pass through said neighborhoods, and see said establishments.

The main character talks about partaking in a little mid-afternoon LARPing session (how whack is this), as well as Harajuku Fun Madness--some sort of super-hacked J-POP scavenger hunt on crack. I mean, look at that name "HARAJUKU FUN MADNESS". I don't even know what it means, but I want to buy it it's so hot. But not all in this book is cute and fun, as references to terrorism & the Department of Homeland Security, make the US of A seem like a military state bent on twisting truths to get what we want--or wait, we are.

Overall, I am looking forward to finishing this e-book (available in many forms, plain text, pdf, etc.) All flavors of which, come pre-basted with the lovely buttery-ness of Creative Commons Licensing, (to which Mr. Doctorow is a fervent supporter). All this for the low low price of FREE99. So kidz pick this up, I know it is a "young-adult" read, but it does tie all the weird parts of our current tech-savvy/tech-phobic/terror-phobic/copyright-bent society together in a neat way.

I recommend the audio, but if you are too cheap, hit me up and I can get it for you like Kanye's workout plan. jk.


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Music Videos on a Budget Thanks to Big Brother

What do you do if you are a British indie band trying to make a music video on a budget? Well, if you are The Get Out Clause, you do this:

The Get Out Clause, an indie band out of England, came up with a ground breaking idea while trying to make a cheap music video. They set up in front of 80-100 close circuit TV cameras (security cameras) throughout Manchester, England and performed their single, “Paper.” After requesting the footage from the companies responsible for the cameras and many hours of editing, the result was what you see above.


There are over 4.2 million colsed circuit TV cameras around the UK and it is required that if there is a camera, it should be clear as to who owns the camera and who you can contact regarding its footage. Under their version of the Freedom of Information Act, you can request footage of yourself taken from any private security camera in the UK and the owner of the camera must provide you with a copy.

With this in mind, the band set up in front of these cameras, ranging from a cross walk, to a bank, to the back of a taxi, without a clue as to how they were framed, and proceeded to play their songs (usually playing at a fast speed and a slow speed at every camera so they had more footage to work with). They then peppered in hand held footage taken from their friends to see audience reaction and give the video a little bit more texture. Aside from their time shooting and editing the video, the cost was less than a couple hundred dollars, and if nothing else has provided them with a huge amount of publicity they would have never had otherwise.


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BE BOLD? THE BLACKBERRY BOLD (9000)

Ok... so its been months. scratch that. years since ive had a new cell phone, and for me thats an amazing thing... trust me. im the kinda guy who has to have the latest and greatest, or something from some other country that doesnt even work right on my local service cellular provider. ive had all kinds of smart phones from SONY to HTC to PALM to blah blah.

 
So when Apple released their iphone and me already having a mac, you would figure i would be one of the first on board rite? ... NOPE. and for very good reason. The iphone just isnt for me, its for everyone else...but not me no-sir-eee... I'm not exactly sure just why that is, but that was until Blackberry (which from day 1 swore that i'd never buy a phone from) drops a BOMB on me. the BLACKBERRY BOLD AKA BLACKBERRY 9000.

Here it is in all its sexiness! its clean, its sleek, IT HAS A DAMN KEYBOARD! yes that was probably the major reason i didnt want an iphone, that, and no gps, and no 3g and no... well u get the idea.

Ok lets back up here are the big feature thats really selling me on this new phone for the summer:

*HSDPA (3g, super fast INTRAWEBZ)

*Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g compatible

*Half-VGA,480x320 screen

*Built-in GPS

*2MP camera

*1GB built in memory

*Micro SD memory cards (16gb max)

*ONLY bad thing not touch screen.

So who's this phone for? well Blackberry/RIM is sticking to their guns and targeting the business man/ enterprise market. which is good for me. I can be productive, keep business flowing, probably utilize blackberry's amazing email/messaging service,  keep things simple, and keep life going. 

It's definitely not the flashiest and shiniest phone out there on the market, but it will do. And a little something that i learned about myself is that I need a mobile computer, well except without having the computer and keeping it more mobile.  And for those waiting for a phone thats semi iphone/HTC (insert model here) this little device couldn't have come any sooner! 

Ok so when and where right? well we should see this thing this summer 2008. it should be anywhere from $400ish to $500 ish. and no this is not the "iphone killer" that RIM/Blackberry people keep rumoring about. But its gonna be a decent little gizmo that will give iphone a little taste of what is to come.

So in closing, i just wanted to get out my last two cents about iphone. i hate you. i dont know why but you seem to be that kid that i just dont like. for whatever reason im still not sure. but i just have this weird feeling about you. i dont want to get to know you, i dont want to fall victim to you like millions around the world, i dont want to get to know you. and im tired of seeing your face everywhere i go.... "phew"

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