Steven Leckart

BirkenCrocs!!!

Birkenstock's Birkies shoe was developed by fuseproject. Simple, slip-on clogs you can wear gardening, at the beach, or even while cooking, just like NY chef Mario Batali.

Looks familiar, no?

[via Bike Snob NYC]

Steven Leckart

Shoe Cell Phone Holder: It's For Real?!

Only $19 from Amazon:

The perfect place for the fashion-plate to park her cell phone... Comes with built-in channel for recharging cable

Oh, and did I mention the manufacturer is called "Perfect Solutions"?

As if the company's ingenuity wasn't already evident by the hideous make that, ridiculous instantly-classic product you see before you.

Steven Leckart

New Sport: Stand-Up Paddle Skiing

Stand-up paddle boarding, for those who don't know, involves balancing upright on a thick, buoyant surfboard while using a one-sided paddle to propel yourself through the water, and even catch waves. "SUP" has been around for years, but is getting more and more popular, as evident by Laird Hamilton's championing the sport over at Gizmodo.

Looking to push the sport even further, Jason Starr of Colchester, Vermont spent the last five years working and refining his design for stand-up paddle skiing, which is exactly as it sounds and looks in the pic above: riding atop two skis while using a double-sided, kayak-style paddle.

Jason's even patented the idea. And not just the apparatus and design for the skis, but even the "method" itself, including — wait for it — the use of a jet ski to tow into surf on the skis.

Should any adventurous surfer gets sued for attempting to hang 10 on skis it'll be a total bummer.

[via InventVermont via Post Surf]

Rob Beschizza

Apple Store fixes problem with man's image files

A man walked into the Apple store to report that something was wrong with his image collection. This was true enough.

Raymond Miller, of ... Fairfield, told Apple store clerks the computer had a problem with image files, court records show. After a technician began looking through the computer, images of naked 10- to 13-year-old girls in suggestive and explicit poses were found, according to court documents.

You'd think that someone taking a computer for servicing would think to remove the cache of illegal smut before doing so. [The Advocate via The Consumerist]

Photo: The Advocate

Rob Beschizza

Circuit City played creepy teambuilding propaganda to self on deathbed

Near the end, electronics retailer Circuit City produced a series of shiny, happy video dreams for its employees to watch.

Fantasy: presenting Circuit City as a corporate self-actualization cult ("We're going to take Circuit City and make that brand very cool and very emotionally contained") will make a difference.

Reality: Circuit City replaced its skilled workers with kids on minimum wage, then shriveled like a plastic bag in an oven.

Circuit City Sure Had A Lot Of Optimism Near The End [Consumerist]

Steven Leckart

Bling Benz: Awesome Or Awestentatious?

Rob Beschizza

The All-New Mockbook Pro

I love this ad for Rob Zombie's Halloween reboot sequel. (refresh if it's already played to the end) Other targets include annoying insurance and dating ads.

Rob Beschizza

Man fakes webcam suicide

When Joseph Shepherd decided to fake a webcam suicide, he didn't expect to get arrested. But that's what N.Y. State Police officers did after Interpol spotted the public stunt in a web chatroom. Heres WKBW, from Lockport, NY:

Individuals that run a chat room website contacted the local authorities in England and stated that several members that were in the chat room observed Shepherd apparently commit suicide via webcam. Interpol London was in turn contacted by local law enforcement in Gwent England and advised them that a white male had committed suicide while broadcasting his webcam over the Internet.

When contacted by troopers, Shepherd was found to be "in good health and not deceased," and promptly booked for second-degree Aggravated Asshattery.

Here's the rule on hoaxes: would it be cool if Borges had done it? If not, don't do it.

STATE POLICE ARREST LOCKPORT MAN FOR HOAX WEB SUICIDE [WKBW via Giz]

Rob Beschizza

Laptop thief taunts victim on her Facebook Page

From the Telegraph:

One message left on the site read: "on my new laptop". The next said: "Listening to music on my new phone feels so good." The callous thief then mocked the fact they had left Victoria's television because it was 'rubbish', adding: "I have the laptop , phones ok but a bit scratched itll do, tv was rubbish so I left it , ds was a bonus, now to the porn shop, thankyou toshiba is my favourite make".

What a scumbag. I hope Facebook can tell the cops in Brighton and Hove this guy's IP address.

Rob Beschizza

Hazard

There I Fixed It via Gizmodo.

Steven Leckart

SanDisk Puts Its $$$ Where Its Slot Is [Yet Again]

SanDisk's $100 Sansa slotRadio player we reviewed previously is another attempt to convince us to adopt the music/media "format of the future" — which is, of course, the company's microSD card.

Last year, you may recall SanDisk launched a huge print marketing campaign that featured billboards of people next to the phrase "Sally found her slot" (yes, I know). The idea was simple: First make consumers understand it's possible to pump music into a phone via memory card. (OK, we got you)... Then try to get them to purchase albums on individual, 1GB cards... for $15 a piece. (Uh, no thanks!).

First of all, if you ask major labels what the real format of the future is, they probably won't say the microSD, but CMX.

Secondly, they're pushing a proprietary player and mix cards with 1,000 songs culled from the Billboard Charts, as if that's appealing on any level.

Here's what's completely asinine about this (and forgive me for re-stating much of what Joel's said previously):

1) A lot of people don't want to hear just 1,000 "hits." They want 10,000 micro-hits. Why not give it to them? That's right, storage is very expensive and hard to come by... Oh wait, no it's not.

2) NO ONE wants to carry and organize potentially hundreds of little microSD cards. Yes, they are small, which makes 'em easier to cart around, but even easier to misplace. Let me buy music digitally (with awesome bonus content/videos, etc.), so I can shove the files I want to hear onto a 32GB card.

3) Instead of zero onboard memory for $100, you can get an iPod Shuffle with 4GB of space for $79. If you don't like the idea of random tracklists, then you can spend $150 for an 8GB iPod nano. Hate Apple? You can pick up an 8GB Zune for $110, which is $10 more than the Sana SlotRadio and won't require you to fuss with physical cards.

Good luck, SanDisk!

[via Uncrate]

Rob Beschizza

Behold! Music labels introduce own music file format, CMX

The music industry never fails to amaze, even as it fails completely. From The Guardian:

Forget WAV, MP3 and M4A - major labels have something new in mind, and it's called CMX. Sony, Warner, Universal and EMI are reportedly preparing a new digital album format that will include songs, lyrics, videos, liner notes and artwork.

Major labels preparing new digital album format [Guardian]

Rob Beschizza

Gaiser's gold-leaf PCs start at $7k

Gaiser's shiny gold-trimmed computers cost $7,820 and up. [via Born Rich]

Rob Beschizza

Anti-theft laptop app snags nabbed iMac

The expense notwithstanding, programs like GadgetTrak do result in equipment recovery now and again. The creators' blog explains how it works with a splendid real-world example:

The system was stolen two weeks ago and then connected to the Internet two days ago, the device was recovered this morning. GadgetTrak's MacTrak software captured a photo of who was using the system as well as pinpointed the location within a few meters, all of the data was uploaded automatically to the device owner's Flickr account and email. The NYPD followed up and recovered the system, along with two other stolen laptops from different cases.

Smart thieves reformat, but most thieves are not smart.

GadgetTrak Recovers Stolen iMac In New York [GadgetTrak via Gadget Lab]

Steven Leckart

Permanent Makeup = Barf

An average woman supposedly spend 30 minutes every day applying makeup, which smudges, flakes, fades and runs if exposed to water and other elements. So, in that sense, I get why we've created permanent makeup. Then again... no I don't!

Known as cosmetic tattooing, intradermal cosmetics is a frightening trend. I don't just mean sitting there while someone injects ink into your eyebrows, either. I mean the business itself.

If someone is going to be tattooing your face, you'd think you'd want them to be using the best gear possible, right? I've found some makeup-tat rigs, like the Giant Sun Permanent Makeup Machine, available for as little as $120 (batteries, needles, gloves and more included!). The Silver Tomi gun and kit (pic above) usually retails for $555.

Usually, I'm not one to advocate using the most expensive gear possible. But if you're going to get forever lipliner, I'll head go out on a limb and recommend you and your loved ones check out the gear at the disposal of your prospective technician. Before that even, ask to see a book of his/her work. Also, try asking them how many Eyebrow Practice Skin Sheets they went through before beginning to work on actual, living human beings. If their reply is "What's an eyebrow practice skin sheet?" ...move along!

Steven Leckart

A Cat Who Knows How To Handle a Mouse

Rob Beschizza

AOL threatens former users with mystery bills

The Wall Street Journal reports that AOL is secretly "upgrading" old customers, then sending the "debt" to collection agencies.

About a month ago, we started getting bizarre phone calls from a collections agency ... "concerning unpaid charges of $103.60."

When I asked what I was being charged for, I was told it was four months' worth of something called "upgraded service" for AOL in late 2008.

I pointed out that we had never requested or agreed to any upgrade, nor used any AOL service other than email. Please send a printed bill to my home address so I can formally dispute it, I requested.

"I am sorry, sir, but we cannot do that."

The victim is the Journal's own Jason Zweig, whose account was originally given tor him free of charge as a Time-Warner employee. He describes it as blackmail: "How can you charge me for something I didn't order and certainly didn't want, about which I was never informed, and for which I have received no bill of any kind?"

It's in the EULA, of course! Anyone who has ever had an AOL account -- even if you just used email or AIM -- needs to keep an eye on its decline into apparent shiftiness. Does it have your credit card information? Your bank details?

Photo: Rogue Sun Media

You've Got Blackmail: The AOL Account That Wouldn't Die

Update: Another example, right down to the victim being a former TW employee. [Consumerist]

Rob Beschizza

$400 USB stick probes magnetic fields

Remember Steorn, the Irish company that pitched a perpetual motion machine a couple of years ago? They're back with the USB Hall Probe, a $400 wand that detects fluctuations in the woo.

At Wired, Charlie Sorrel takes it down.

Steven Leckart

Video: Hot For Tools Demos

A girl named Erica is hosting a new video podcast on YouTube that teaches home repairs like hanging a door, removing grout and using the Saw Stop. Erica wears low cut tops which reveal a pierced bellybutton and lower back tattoo. You may be surprised to hear the videos are sexually-suggestive:

"The only thing I like more than working with my hands is a guy who knows what he's doing."

"I measure 36"... from the floor to the doorknob."
If the pin does not go in... lube may be required.

All of the videos end with a gag reel, which should help endear her to you.

Steven Leckart

Tick Removers: Which Do You Use?

"Uh, I think I snapped it..."

I got my first tick on the BBG camping trip. I was lucky. I didn't even know it was there until it was gone. I brushed it off in the shower somehow without leaving any of the tick in my body *knock wood*. My completely uneducated guess is the hot water must have shocked the little bugger, and when I inadvertently passed my hand over him, he backed out and/or fell out because he had yet to burrow? (if you're a tick expert, feel free to weigh in).

Next time, I won't be so lucky, which is why I'm going to: a) use bug spray, and b) pick up a legit tick remover just in case. Cause there's no way I'm going to try the above method.

Here's a series of tick removers, including one that uses cryotherapy. I'm tempted to buy the one with a mini-lasso and just call it a day. Before I do, though, please feel free to chime in with any suggestions, experiences or links to videos of yourself removing ticks.

Steven Leckart

Video: Overeager Fanboy Bum Rushes 3G S Launch, Gets Blocked

Here's the #1 guy in line at the San Francisco Apple Store being told to hold his horses for the iPhone 3GS. There's something about that moment of "not yet, dude" that I just love.

Yes, I know the image quality isn't too hot. For what it's worth, I was using the Nokia N97 &mdash review forthcoming

Update: #1 fanboy is Adam Jackson. (thanks Doctor Popular!)

Rob Beschizza

If you'd pay $55 a month to tether your iPhone, you're just plain stupid

Appmodo reports that the iPhone MMS is coming in July, and that tethering will be $55 a month. This can't be true: tethering simply means that AT&T is allowing the iPhone to share its internet connection. To nearly double the data plan's price as a result means either that AT&T's network simply can't handle it, and it's pricing it to kill it, or it's just concluded that iPhone users are gullible spendthifts.

Tethering is a $10-$15 extra on other phones: even that is a scam, given that you've already paid for the bandwidth. One does not require a tethering plan at all on Windows Mobile handsets, in fact, which are easy to dupe into sharing their connection using PDANet.

Prediction: this is a seeded rumor, designed to make the eventual $25 tethering plan appear generous and cheap.

Update: AT&T says that it won't be $55 on top of data.

Joel Johnson

The New Web Project: Google, Microsoft, AOL, W3C in a nefarious plot to take over the internet

Conspiracy theory site "Troogle" believes they've discovered a plan by Google and its Bilderbergian allies to take over the internet with something called The New Web Project:

Google has plans to work together with Microsoft and the World Wide Web Consortium (which we discovered yesterday). But also Mozilla and AOL are involved. And.. because of the secrecy of all this (and the cars parked at Bilderberg's) we believe the GOVERNMENT is involved too.

Joel Johnson

Verizon and AT&T defend thuggish text messaging prices

No collusion here, claim Verizon and AT&T, even though both carriers (as well as Sprint and T-Mobile) doubled the price to send a text message from 10 cents in 2006 to 20 cents in 2008.

Reuters:

But the general counsels of both Verizon and AT&T argued that the price increases affected 1 percent of text messages sent because most consumers bought volume plans that lowered the per-message cost.

So it's okay to double an already ridiculous price because any practical consumer that uses text messages has been forced into paying for an additional text messaging plan?

"We're not extorting this man, your honor. It's just cheaper to pay us not to break his legs than it is to pay for a doctor."

Joel Johnson

It's 2009, it's okay for homeless people to have phones

Apparently some people are pissy that the homeless person getting a meal dished up by Michelle Obama owns a phone. Snopes dismantles the snarky email (the meal kitchen isn't even government funded!) but also points out that for the newly homeless, having a phone is a pretty handy tool for helping them get a job and a home in the future.

Rob Beschizza

Mundane Gadget Spam of the Day: LG Award Programme

Korean consumer electronics giant LG is giving away the farm!

The LG Award Programme.Therefore you have been approve for a lump sum payout of 950,000,00 GBP by your Email-ID send us your detail.

Name:.......................
Address:....................
Country:....................
Phone Number:...............

Regard

Apply now! I like the way it ends, simply, "Regard," as if that were a new term of mutual appreciation akin to "Respect."

Rob Beschizza

Google: artists' work is not worth paying for

"We don't typically offer monetary compensation for these projects," said Google, which believes that being associated with it is so fantabulous that successful artists should work for it without being paid. [NYT]

If you recall, Google's disdain for designers and artists is so profound that its own lead designer quit in disgust. [Stopdesign]

Update: I missed Mark's post from this morning.

Joel Johnson

Palm webOS has mandatory system updates

Nilay Patel:

ccording to the support docs, webOS updates are automatically downloaded in the background within two days of being available, and they're required to be installed within a week of the download -- after seven days and four install prompts, the phone will give you a ten-minute countdown and then automatically begin installing the update.

Steven Leckart

Reasons Why Surfing "Sucks"

After much debate, I've decided I can't actually tell whether this site is trying to be ironic. Here is the crux of the anti-surfing argument:

Venturing into cold murky polluted water is an invitation to disaster. There are jellyfish waiting to sting mercilessly; sharp rocks and coral heads... Ear, nose and respitory [sic] infections are inevitable... Everyone has heard of white sharks, and have you heard about the killer whale attacks, angry harbor seals and teritorial [sic] elephant seals? Their unprovoked attacks on surfers is legend. While out in the water someone is for sure to be breaking into your car and stealing your money, credit cards and cell phone. Don't forget the broken glass, the increase in your car insurance and the towing, when you discover the wheels are missing!

My mellow hath officially been harshed.

[via StokeReport]

Joel Johnson

Time Warner Cable asks customers for "loyalty" ideas but doesn't actually want to improve service

J. Christenbury blogs this hilarious exchange that occurred on Twitter between a Time Warner Cable marketing stooge and a customer who had real ideas:

@jeffTWC: Please RT: working on customer loyalty programs and would love your ideas/input - raffling an iTouch on Thurs to constructive suggestions

jchristenbury @jeffTWC I have a whole handful, where do I send them?

jchristenbury @jeffTWC I want to choose and pay for the channels I want. (I know this is not a TWC decision but TWC has the clout to push it)

jchristenbury @jeffTWC I want the CS reps to listen when I tell them I have already rebooted my computer and its not on my end. #customerloyalty

jchristenbury @jeffTWC I want a bill that I can understand that doesn't have cryptic misc. charges. I want to know what the charges are #customerloyalty

jchristenbury @jeffTWC I want Higher internet speeds. the US has the lowest speeds of all.

jeffTWC @jchristenbury Thanks for your tips here -- but we're not really addressing industry problems with this, just creating a marketing tool

jchristenbury @jeffTWC These ARE things that will increase customer loyalty.