Ford and Howcast have released a series of videos to promote Ford’s latest line of cars, specifically the 2010 Ford Taurus, and to demonstrate some of the cool ways Ford’s technology adds value to their vehicles.
The Ford SYNC is one of the best car navigations systems on the market, and is easily the best of [...]

Filed under : Industry News

The Government of Columbia has set up pre-election coverage for the upcoming elections www.registraduria.gov.co has YouTube videos, new articles, and interviews with those in the elections.  There is also a countdown timer to remind you how many days until the election.
Compared to similar sites provided by the US for its elections www.registraduria.gov.co is a [...]

Filed under : Site Reviews

The Microsoft Interent Explorer 9 ( IE9 ) Platform Preview is just a wrapper for the Browser Object, so it doesn’t have much UI, but behind that lack of UI is actually quite a few useful tools.
When you first run the IE9 Platform Preview you get a screen that has minimal menus, and a few [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

If you have questions regarding what you are legally required to answer as part of the US Census of 2010, or about how to complete the census, these answers from the Census department should help.
1. When will the census forms be delivered? The form package, which will consist of the initial form, a [...]

Filed under : Random News

The “Stimulus Package” DLC map pack for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 ought to be called a Rape Pack.  I’ll still buy it, but 5 levels for $15 is expensive.  when you buy a game you expect the levels to be something like $1 a level.  Not $3.  To add insult to injury most [...]

Filed under : Gaming

If you are part of an office that has a pool for NCAA March madness, and need to pick a perfect bracket, where do you turn? Vegas Baby! 
Using the Vegas Odds to know who is favored to win, is a great way to get a winning set of brackets for your office pool.   [...]

Filed under : Random News

There is a dirty joke about what happens the first night after marriage that goes…
Maria had just gotten married and she was still a virgin. So, on the first night after her marriage, staying at her mother's house, she was nervous. But her mother reassured her. 'Don't worry, Maria. Tony's a good man. Go [...]

Filed under : Advertisements

Demand Media has created a formula for writing articles that very closely matches the ideal keyword, and related term densities that Google thinks are ideal for a page.  This results in a whole lot of mediocre content.  Much like Mahalo has a few gems, but is mostly crappy content optimized for Search, Demand Media doesn’t [...]

Filed under : Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Looking to lose weight?  Those Japanese people are always skinny, try dieting like they do.  Start your day with the Japan Banana Diet!
Step 1: Begin the day with bananas
Eat up to 4 bananas in the morning. They contain resistant starch, which helps burn fat: Just 2 bananas eaten in the morning can help your [...]

Filed under : Life Hacks

Alice in Wonderland is a classic tale, and has been recently re-imagined in a darker version by Disney, directed by Tim Burton,  starring Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter.   In it Alice returns to Wonderland all grown up, and does battle with the Red Queen.  
While many of us grew up watching the Animated Disney [...]

Filed under : Reviews

While Apple is announcing the availability of the iPad in April, you can already buy screen protectors and portfolios for the iPad you don’t yet have.   Griffin makes this really nice looking portfolio.
 

Not bad for $44.95
You can also get iPad Screen Protectors and other accessories.
 
“iPad is something completely new,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

The steps are over here at Howcast.com, but I wanted to talk about some of the stuff that isn’t the “how to” here.
Building a Home Theater Screen from Blackout Cloth is a VERY cost effective way to get a great experience on a budget.   Even if money is no object, this is a great solution.
The [...]

Filed under : Carpentry and Wood Working, How To

Jimmy Zhang is the best Ruby on Rails programmer.  He currently works at Howcast.com where he uses his Ruby Programming skills to advance the backend of the Rails powered Howcast platform.
You can’t actually hire Jimmy to be your Ruby on Rails programmer, because unfortunately while he is the best, he is also spoken for.
Prior to [...]

Filed under : Technical

Those watching the Parisian Love ad from Google may be searching for “How to assemble a crib” which is the last query of this tale of romance.
So if you need help with this one, you may find this How To from Howcast, to be a great start.
How To Assemble a Crib on Howcast

Filed under : Advertisements

John Terry had an affair with Vanessa Perroncel and according to a recent survey of women in the UK, they are understanding.   Unlike Tiger Woods who has been shown no sympathy, for his affairs, John Terry’s indiscretions are forgivable.
This might partly be the result of the level of hotness that Vanessa Perroncel brings to [...]

Filed under : Celebrity News

Ready to upgrade your Farmville farm with a horse stable?  When you check into your farm, a message announces that stables have arrived in Farmville, and will take you to your gift box.

Your gift box will contain the frame for a horse stable, which can be placed on your farm. This is a [...]

Filed under : Casual Gaming

For me at least the hardest thing about online dating is the schedule at which I am expected comply.  Dating in the real world, you flirt with someone at the office, or a friend of a friend, and slowly you decide you want to ask them out.  In most cases you have known this person [...]

Filed under : Dating in Cyberspace

I didn’t used to believe it.  Sure all the good gas mileage cars were always crap.  But I figured that was because the hippies never had money to spend on them.  But over the weekend I upgraded my 1999 Jeep Wrangler with a high-flow cloth air filter, and an electric cooling fan.  The results in [...]

Filed under : Automotive

This article should have been titled, “Pepsi to Prove That Brand Recognition is Less of a Factor than Brand Loyalty”.  Or….. "Pop Fo Sho"   ad campaign failed so badly, Pepsi can't do any worse with "Be my friend on face/Space/twit and I'll give you $10" campaign.
The problem is that by not doing a Super [...]

Filed under : Advertisements

Greg Oden’s dirty photos have ended up on the Internet.  The huge in so many ways NBA player sent nude pictures to his girl friend showing him fully naked standing in his bathroom.
While many of the pictures the cellphone obscures Oden’s face, that is all that is obscured. 
The Portland Trailblazers center made a statement [...]

Filed under : Celebrity News

Adam Mesh sells a business kit, which already puts in him in the shady guy category.  It’s a get rich from home business plan that relies on the volatility of penny trader stocks to make him a lot of money, and the people at the front of the information chain money.
Here’s how any of these [...]

Filed under : Hard on the Pocket Book

In Star Trek Online, the Star Trek universe appears for the first time on a truly massive scale. In this massively multiplayer online game from Cryptic Studios, players can pioneer their own destiny as Captain of a Federation starship. Or, they can become a Klingon Warlord and expand the Empire to the far reaches of [...]

Filed under : Gaming, Reviews

Boxee is showing off at CES one of my favorite pieces of hardware married to one of my favorite pieces software, and to top it all off my favorite provider of content is explaining how to use it.
Boxee is launching their IPTV set top box powered by the Nvidia Tegra 2, this is the [...]

Filed under : Industry News

With as much IPTV news as there is around CES this year, you’d think Spring came early and it was NAB.
Microsoft announced that it will bring ATT Uverse’s Mediaroom to the Xbox 360, it also announced that it will launch IPTV Everywhere, a product that will allow live television, and the Mediaroom IPTV experience to [...]

Filed under : Industry News

Sitting around the Christmas dinner table, gathered with family your aunt looks at you and says “So when are you going to settle down and start a family” and amongst the married cousins, and the assembled great grandkids you sit alone the only uncoupled person at the table over the age of 16.
This is the [...]

Filed under : Dating in Cyberspace

It is interesting to me what people view as the test of an SEO.  “Really Smart People” is the Google Search that prompted Robert Scoble recently tweated was how he pick his “SEO of the Year”.
Really Smart People for me isn’t an ideal test because while the words appear in articles quite often people aren’t [...]

Filed under : Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

A recent article in the Vatican’s News Paper entitled “Aristotle's Virtues and Homer's Doughnut” acknowledges that Homer as an everyman has the same kinds of trials of faith that normal people face.
Every few years overly critical social critics share their feelings on why the Simpson’s are “OK”  I remember a very long while back reading [...]

Filed under : Rants and Tangents

Microsoft got a double helping of lessons in IP this past week.  It turns out that Microsoft’s Juku Beta was developed in partnership with MSN China who used an outside development firm who pirated much of the source code, and image assets from competing social media company Plurk.
Even Microsoft’s attempt to do something nice for [...]

Filed under : Industry News

The 67th Annual Golden Globe Nominations are out, and the 2010 List is pretty much what you would expect, no real upsets, or snubs.  The Golden Globes is not as prestigious as the Oscar's, or the Emmy's but because it honors both TV and Film it is a larger event and can be more fun [...]

Filed under : Celebrity News

Apparently Mitch Berman doesn’t just discriminate against women, but throws racial slurs around the ZillionTV office as well.
XYHD.tv obtained documents today confirming that a ZillionTV contractor is pursuing legal action as a result of racially prejudice comments Mitch made in a meeting of most of Zillion’s remaining employees.
You’d think Zillion would tread a little [...]

Filed under : Industry News

December 7, 1941 is as Franklin D Roosevelt a date which will live in Infamy.  The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, stunned virtually everyone in the United States military. Japan’s carrier-launched bombers found Pearl Harbor totally unprepared. President Franklin Roosevelt quickly addressed Congress to ask for a declaration of war.
President [...]

Filed under : Rants and Tangents

Kylie Bisutti is the newest secret angel of Victoria's Secret who appeared before the world during the latest annual show by one of the world's largest lingerie companies.
Kylie won the Victoria Secret Model search, She was the fan favorite receiving the most votes in a contest run by CBS to choose the next Victoria Secret [...]

Filed under : Celebrity News

Google let me in to the beta of the new Adsense interface.  It is pretty cool. Unlike the Adwords "improvements" which I still don't like.  The new Adsense does a lot of useful things,   The CTR to eCPM tool is interesting, and the daily trends let me know if it was my traffic, or [...]

Filed under : Industry News

YuDu Screen Printing Machine Kit is the first "As Seen on TV" item I have wanted in a long while.  I have a lot of funny t-shirts, and I often have ideas for new ones.
I'm having a hard time justifying the Nearly $300 Price tag, but Amazon has it for a lot less (about [...]

Filed under : Hard on the Pocket Book

Some PhotoShop work is hard to detect, and forgivable we don't want to see zits on our favorite teen stars, nor do we want to see stretch marks from models turned mothers.
But some PhotoShop work is obvious.
So we took a look at how photoshopped this image was.  By adjusting the histogram of the image to [...]

Filed under : Celebrity News

BlackFriday Ads are Rolling in and in 2009 Target is hoping to lure this year's Black Friday shoppers with $3 toasters and coffeemakers, deep deals on high-definition televisions, and discounts of 50% on clothes and toys, according to a Web site that says it has received a leaked copy of the retailer's circular.

For competitive reasons, [...]

Filed under : 2009 Black Friday Ads, Sales, and Door Buster Specials

I work with nearby schools, YMCA's and Latchkey programs to teach playground games.  You would be amazed how many schools have a four square court, tether ball court, even a "rover lines" they aren't using.  So I have been teaching kids to play most these games (Red Rover, and Crack the whip are too dangerous [...]

Filed under : Camp Leadership

When a start up is getting started it is common for the founder to call the guys he worked with at other companies and invite them to come work with him. Roku has a lot of Akimbo guys. Microsoft Media Room had a lot of Akimbo guys. It’s just the nature of things. What is [...]

Filed under : Industry News

This is really just a neat exercise in image reconstruction.  This is the image on CEO Jen-Hsun Huang's Tablet.

Original photo from here.
Reconstructed image from the reflection. You can see he is playing Ratatouille

Not real exciting, but still.

Filed under : Rants and Tangents

Kmart calls it's Black Friday sales Blue Friday.  The deals listed, start on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving), include DSi bundles for $170 that come with five free games and a $25 Nintendo gaming coupon, Left 4 Dead 2 for $40, an Xbox 360 Elite bundle featuring Pure, Lego Batman and Halo ODST for [...]

Filed under : 2009 Black Friday Ads, Sales, and Door Buster Specials

Java Script isn't Compiled until it runs, as result if is often in efficient.  Uncompressed Java Script contains comments, friendly variable names, and white space.  Dean Edwards created packer and made it available as a Java Script Compressor. ( dean.edwards.name/packer/)
While there has been a lot of fan fare around Closure it is just Google's version [...]

Filed under : Industry News

ZillionTV will announce Monday that it has completed a deal with Paramount.
Not wanting to be the only one not at the party Paramount has agreed to a content deal with struggling ZillionTV.  Those close to the deal say that ZillionTV completed a deal which includes warrants for the later purchase of stock in ZillionTV, based [...]

Filed under : Industry News

So you bought Forza 3 and the graphics are amazing, the sound is stupendous, and the physics are so real they are kicking your ass. 
Let's Start with assessing which type of Driver you are:
My Controller is:
a. The Race Wheel b. The Original 360 Controller c. [...]

Filed under : Gaming

Gwen Stefani and her band "No Doubt" are suing Activision Blizzard Inc over how they appear in the game Band Here.
Band Hero is similar to Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but allows for multiple players.  A feature of the game allows you to play any song as "No Doubt" Or "Nirvana".  Gwen Stefani was less [...]

Filed under : Gaming

Jim Nance, Sportscaster for CBS will have to pay almost a Million dollars a year in alimony to his now ex-wife, as part of the divorce courts decision.  Jim Nance started dating prior to the divorce being finalized, but the Judge ruled that this was not the cause of the split and ruled no one [...]

Filed under : Divorce

Twitter Integration with Amazon makes it easier to share product links with your followers.

Dear Associate,
Today we are excited to announce the launch of a new feature called Share on Twitter. You can access Share on Twitter from the Site Stripe and post to your Twitter account from Amazon detail pages in just two clicks. [...]

Filed under : Industry News

Net Neutrality is one of those names like Pro-Life or Pro-Choice that at first glance seems like you should be for it at first glance.  Teleport back in time to before the debate started and ask George Washington if he his Pro-Life, I bet he will say Yes, ask him 5 minutes later if he [...]

Filed under : Industry News

I got to sign for a package today.  It was from ZillionTV.  No, I am not in the $99 beta.  They sent me a kind letter asking me to stop disparaging ZillionTV's Management.  I should feel bad, I mean they do have a lot of problems already,and I'm sure me sharing the truth about their [...]

Filed under : Industry News

Snap On tools hired a Scumbag SEO firm to send C&D's to sites who included Snap-On in the title of posts. The SEO Firm ( here to referred to as SCUMBAGs ) is attempting to get sites to remove pages that compete with Snap-on In search.
The SCUMBAGs convince companies that the easiest way to rank [...]

Filed under : Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Forza 3 is available Tuesday October 26th, but if you need a bit of a fix before then, here is the list of cars in the games.  It is a LONG list.
Acura 2009 #9 Patrón Highcroft Racing ARX-02a 2008 #15 Lowe's Fernandez Racing ARX-01b 2008 [...]

Filed under : Gaming

"On October 26, 2009, your GeoCities site will no longer appear on the Web, and you will no longer be able to access your GeoCities account and file," Yahoo wrote in a statement to GeoCities users.  And so we sing….
A Long Long Time Ago…
I can still remember
How Sparkle Text Used to make me smile.
And I [...]

Filed under : Industry News

Lion's Gate (Lionsgate.com / NYSE:LGF) who makes up the Lion's share of gross sales on Xbox Live Video Market Place, and is one of the leaders on Apple's iTunes, and CinemaNow, has signed a deal with ZillionTV.  Lion's Gate is easily the most forward thinking of the big movie studios with regards to digital licensing.  [...]

Filed under : Industry News

The Plextor PX-M401U ConvertX MPEG4, USB 2.0, Digital Video Converter, was the foundation of Video Archiving at Akimbo.  In real-time you could capture any video source to a better than DVD quality at 4 megabit Mpeg4.  You could crank it to 9 if you liked but at 4 you could get better than DVD quality [...]

Filed under : Technical

The pulse may be counted on the thumb side of the inside of the wrist, at the temples, the ankles, and other parts of the body where the arteries are near the surface.
The pulse shows the number of times per minute which the heart beats or pumps.
A normal pulse rate for a man is around [...]

Filed under : How To

When setting the table keep in mind how many courses there will be, and therefore, how many knives, forks, and spoons are needed. Have everything clean, and lay everything straight. Air room well. Wipe table, and if a tablecloth is used, cover table with a felt silence cloth. If a tablecloth is used, it should [...]

Filed under : How To

The semaphore is a machine with two arms which may be moved into various positions to make letters. The semaphore code shown in the accompanying picture may also be employed by a person using two flags. It is the quickest method of flag signaling but is available for comparatively short distances, seldom over a mile, [...]

Filed under : Camp Leadership

"Sign" is the word used by Guides to mean any little details, such as footprints, broken twigs, trampled grass, scraps of food, old matches, etc.
Some native Indian trackers were following up the footprints of a panther that had killed and carried off a young kid. He had crossed a wide bare slab which, of rock, [...]

Filed under : Camp Leadership

Pampers and Walmart have teamed up for a co-marketing campaign to promote diapers designed for sleeping babies.  I know nothing of how well the diapers work, but the twinkling stars in the ad caused me to have a severe headache in a matter of seconds.
The high contrast yellow on blue combined with the rapid flashing [...]

Filed under : Site Reviews

Dailymotion.com, one of the top 100 web sites in the world, today announced a funding round of $25 million (17 million euros). The round, led by the French Sovereign Fund (FSI) and including original investors Advent Venture Partners, AGF Private Equity, Atlas Venture and Partech International, recognizes Dailymotion's leading audience position and sustainable business model. [...]

Filed under : Industry News

My latest site just launched.  Instameme.com is a convergence of sites I have been working on in a small scale for a long time.  It combines the best Realtime news and discussion elements with data, images, and video.  We will be adding more ability to contribute user generated content in the next few days.  Still [...]

Filed under : Industry News

Rumors circulating at Digital Hollywood today say that Jack Lawrence formerly of Corgi International, and DotCast Inc, has replaced Mitch Berman as CEO of ZillionTV.
Jack Lawrence whose background is as a CFO, and according to his Linked In Profile is “Adept at merging and restructuring diverse organizations to gain efficiencies and drive profitability” , would [...]

Filed under : Industry News

Russian Brides, China Brides, and Indian Matrimonials are all variations on Mail order brides, or foreign brides, are considered the perfect choice for many busy men, or men who have trouble meeting women in traditional settings. But before you go off in pursuit of the right mail order bride for you, there are some things [...]

Filed under : Dating in Cyberspace

If we just admit we are heading in to a technology Duopoly split between Microsoft and Google.
Microsoft is the reigning king of the desktop, Office Automation, and all things local.  Google reigns over all things Net, Search, and Connected.  As the lines blur between the desktop, the Net, and the Cloud, the two kings will [...]

Filed under : Industry News

People have been arguing all week because Jason Calacanis says Angels/VCs shouldn’t do pay to pitch events.
I do consulting as a pitch coach, which is basically pitch me your idea and I’ll attack it 10 ways to Sunday so you can be ready to defend it to a bank, VC, Angel, or boss.
You can pay [...]

Filed under : Industry News

ZillionTV died Monday.  They may not admit it, but much like Akimbo still refuses to admit it is dead, ZillionTV just hasn’t crossed over, but it’s lying dead on the table. 
Rallied by an overhyped Ben Silva, (overhyped is the polite word for the man who claims he won 7 Emmy’s but isn’t in IMDB [...]

Filed under : Industry News

A High Energy Radio Frequency or HERF Gun, is a device which uses targeted Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) to disable a vehicle, electronics or communications equipment from a distance.
Building a DIY HERF Gun is not incredibly hard, building one that is portable is.  The most simple way to build a HERF gun is to use two [...]

Filed under : How To

Being a former Ohio resident.I’m familiar with the Cincinnati Bengals Battle Cry, “Who Dey? They are the Cincinnati Bengals”
So show your support and get an NFL licensed shirt for under $20.  

Or if you like something a little less under stated.

Either way these great Who Dey T-shirts show your support for the [...]

Filed under : Product Reviews

Growing up on a working dirt farm in Michigan, I know a thing or two about agricultural farming.  So I get a little up in arms when my friends tell me things like “The way corn is raised depletes the land in 7-10 years”.  Bull-SH**.
My family has raised Corn, Wheat, and Oats on the same [...]

Filed under : Rants and Tangents

BestBuy is giving $5000 to one lucky customer who fills out a survey about their shopping experience. 
But if you if you don’t want to buy anything, or fill out a survey you can enter by mail.
Without Purchase or Codes (Mail): Hand print your name, complete address, city, state, zip code, daytime phone number, birth [...]

Filed under : Site Reviews

Comcast has pretty good looking HD, but their Digital SD is uglier than Analog Cable was.  As Comcast moves people to the “DigitalNow” ( www.comcast.com/digitalnow ) you won’t be able to just plug a cable in to the back of your old tv and watch stations, you’ll need a Cablebox, cable tuner card, or digital [...]

Filed under : How To

As a 24 Hour Fitness member I get access to any of their locations, and they have a lot of them.  So rather than worrying if there is a Gym at the hotel I’m staying at I focus on if there is a 24 Hour Fitness Location near my hotel.
View Larger Map
24 [...]

Filed under : How To

If you are a Bank of America customer like me you likely have the same trouble finding locations that aren’t insanely packed, in the middle of nowhere or 300 miles away (I was in Michigan).
So instead of searching for Bank Of America Locations I have taken to understanding that $3 is not bad to use [...]

Filed under : How To

I didn’t want to believe it, but on both of my Windows 7 Build 7100 (RC not RTM) machines the latest Java Update for Sun Java is presenting the Update and forcing me to install the Bing Toolbar.  Supposedly there is supposed to be  check box and text to allow me to choose otherwise, but [...]

Filed under : Legal Issues

Rocking out to Beatles Rock Band is pretty cool, and the ability to have 3 people sing at the same time for 3 part harmonies is a great addition.  If you want the complete song list here you go.  These are the ones bundled with Beatles Rock Band, there are more for download, I’ll update [...]

Filed under : Gaming

Today Google’s doodle entitled Unexplained Phenomenon is creating some strange trends in search.  The image links to a search for “Unexplained Phenomenon” and features a UFO beaming up an O from the Google Name.  Being the top hit for the most searched term on Google is bouncing from Site to Site as the day tracks [...]

Filed under : Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

If you want to get a jump on Windows 7 you can download it from Microsoft.   It’s a 2.24 Gig Download, so it’s not for the faint of heart, but it is a great way to try it out before it goes live.  That said, this version has a LOT of downsides since it is [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

While the Champions Online Tutorial is Ok once, it is bit of a bore the second time through.  If you want to get through it as fast as possible this guide will get you through the tutorial in about 20 minutes.
When you enter the game after creating your character you will be dropped in to [...]

Filed under : Gaming

Google is going to allow other ad networks to bid for your ad space.  The change will be automatically opted in for existing AdSense users.  In theory this will raise the price of AdWords, and increase the revenue from AdSense…
More likely I expect that CPM ads designed for impression rather than Clicks which run on [...]

Filed under : Industry News

Windows Recycle Bin may get you out of a jam from time, to time, but occasionally you empty the bin just as you remember that there was an important document that you need to undelete.  To recover files which have been truly deleted you need a powerful Undelete program.  Norton Used to be the leader [...]

Filed under : Computers, PCs, and Macs

The Little League World Series is fast approaching, and fans are anxious to get authentic Little League World Series hats.
Fans from all 16 teams lined up outside the Little League gift shop at 9 a.m. Friday, an hour before it opened to be at the front of a line that stretched at least a quarter [...]

Filed under : Random News