POTD

Hamster In A Wok

When March Madness Meets Guitar Hero (Meets Metallica)

Pod to Mac Transfers files from your iPhone, iPod to Your Mac

If you want a free and dead simple way to transfer your music, video and other files from your iPhone or iPod to your mac, try Pod to Mac. All you do is plug in your iPhone or iPod, search for the files you want to transfer and copy them over.

There have been other options to transfer things from your gadget to your Mac, but those may cost money or be complicated. Here's one that totally free and easy to use. If you want to transfer to a PC, you can try Pod to PC. [PodtoMac via Lifehacker]

Optimus Prime Gets His Rap On

FOUND: Lauren. She's an Actress

Gizmodo was able to find "Lauren," the girl from the Microsoft Ad for a laptop under $1000.


Lauren is an actress as it turns out. Her real name is Lauren De Long. She signed up for a Market Research project that also included the national commecial.

Reading through De Long's resume, you find that her "special skills" include Cheerleading, Ear Prompter, Hula Hoop, and Stage Combat. So wait, she's an actress AND a cheerleader AND a stage combatant, but she's STILL not cool enough to use a Mac? No way. We just don't buy it.

We were unable to reach Lauren De Long, but we did leave her a message mentioning one of our readers' offers to give her a free 17-inch Apple PowerBook. When site TechFlash called, apparently De Long said she had signed an NDA restricting her from speaking about her experiences with the HP laptop.



[Gizmodo]

iPhone 3G named Engadget's 2008 Editor's Choice Gadget of the Year

Engadget released its 2008 Editors Choice Awards and Reader's Choice Awards. Both agreed that the iPhone 3G was the gadget of the year. The reader's choice awards had apple toys all over it. From the iPhone to iPod to iMac. The reader's chose the Zune as the worst gadget of the year. Take a guess what phone the Editors named worst gadget of the year. Yep, the Blackberry Storm!

Esquire Nominated Steve Jobs for President...of General Motors

The important question is whether the move will "save" GM, and the answer, obviously, is no. No single thing — or even single car — will save GM. Except, perhaps, the appointment of a visionary, vicious bastard-genius to permanently replace Wagoner. Someone with the foresight of a seer, the calculation of a burglar, the self-confidence of a sheikh, and the bloodlust of a Spartan. A century ago, we'd have had been throwing out names left and right: Carnegie, Morgan, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller. Today there's only one: Jobs. Here's why.

But if Steve's not available (and here's hoping his health at least brings him back to the Apple keynote stage with, say, a MacBook Mini), may we suggest Wendelin?

[Esquire]

Netflix Raises Blu-Ray Rental Fee

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Netflix Inc. is raising its prices for rentals of Blu-ray discs. The change will triple or quadruple the high-definition surcharge on Netflix's most popular subscription plans.

The new rates announced Monday are being driven by the growing appetite for discs in the high-definition format. Blu-ray discs cost about 30 percent more than standard DVDs, so Netflix's profit margins are being squeezed as it expands its Blu-ray inventory.

Netflix had been imposing a $1 monthly surcharge for Blu-ray rentals since September, regardless of how much the basic subscription plan costs.

Effective April 27, Netflix will adopt a sliding scale that will slap higher Blu-ray fees on plans that let customers check out multiple DVDs at a time.

You Have Less than 4 Hours to Bid on the Dwight Howard Phone Booth

The phone booth Dwight Howard used to change into Superman during the 2009 All Star Game is up for bid in an NBA online auction. It's currently at $1,500 with less than 4 hours left. It also comes with a autographed Dwight Howard Jersey. Click here to bid.

Skype for iPhone Comes Out Tomorrow

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Skype app for the iPhone will come out tomorrow.

Skype's software, which can be downloaded free, allows iPhone users to call other Skype users on computers or supported cellphones free if they are in a Wi-Fi hot spot. Or they may call land lines for a fee, typically 2.1 cents a minute.

[iPhone Blog via WSJ]

OMG! SOOOO COOOOL!

http://www.najle.com/idaft/

Just Click the link, don't think twice!

No, Your MacBook is Not Mack Truck Proof

Even though the new MacBook is made of stiff aluminum, it can still be bent. Especially when it's up against a Mack Truck. A guy had his Macbook in his bag while biking around. He was struck and thankfully not seriously hurt. Although there is some serious damage to his mac and bike. [Truck Vs Macbook Pro via Gizmodo]

Honda Pixel Art

Jimmy Fallon vs. Anna Kournikova In Beer Pong

You can just skip 3/4 of the video.

Bruce Lee vs. Iron Man = Awesomeness

Do You Know Lauren?

You may know Lauren from this PC ad.



You probably don't know Mitch. But here's what he's offering.

Subject: I AM UP FOR THE CHALLENGE!

To whom it may concern,

I recently watched the new PC ad on television the other night about "Lauren" purchasing a laptop for under $1000.00. It was a great advertisement targeting everyday PC users. My only concern is that I feel the computer "Lauren" chose will not provide an overall positive experience. I am asking for your assistance to help me locate "Lauren". I am willing to give her my 17" Mac laptop "FOR FREE" so she can decide which laptop is superior without putting a price tag on it.

I do believe everyone on this planet is "cool enough to be a Mac person".

Sincerely,
Mitch Gewirtz

Gizmodo contacted Mitch and asked him if he was serious:

Absolutely! I am serious!

I believe my 17" G4 powerbook is still more advanced than any PC out there today. It is a very healthy laptop that has given me a wonderful experience the last couple of years. I truly believe if "Lauren" had a chance to use this laptop she would change her mind.

Can you help me locate her?

So, if you know Lauren, contact the folks over at Gizmodo!

Let's hope Lauren is a real person (and that doesn't work for Microsoft or HP) and takes on this challenge. Not to mention, this guy is giving up his powerbook, anyone willing to give Lauren a chance at using a MacBook for free?

If I was Lauren, I'd probably sell that that Volkswagen Beetle and use that money to get a used Honda and a MacBook. The MSRP for a Black '09 Beetle with black leather interior, is just below $26k. So, lets say it's an '08, and you got a great deal and paid $20k. You could sell that car and get a used Honda Accord or Civic and buy a new MacBook. That Beetle sucks anyway.

Ever Want a 'Natural Blonde' in your mouth?

Ever want a Natural Blonde in your mouth?

Dwight Howard Wants a Ring on His Finger

I knew Dwight Howard wanted a ring on his finger, I just thought it was a championship ring. Apparently he wants more than that. Or maybe this is just another way to ask for a contract extention?

Dear Shaq,

What do you think about this video? Are you going to one up Dwight too?

Rudy Fernandez Knows How to Finish a Quarter

Rudy Fernandez Knows How to Finish a Quarter

VIDEO OF ASHLEY BIDEN SNORTING COKE UP FOR BID???

According to Radaronline.com and NY Post, a video tape of a woman resembling Ashley Biden, the daughter of Vice President Joe Biden, snorting cocaine is on sale to the highest bidder. Both the Post and Radar say the have seen the vdieo.

Ashley, 27, is a social worker and works for the Delaware Dept. of Children.

On the tape a man cuts up five lines of what is said to be cocaine. The woman who the seller says is Ashley then jokes with the man that the lines aren’t big enough.

The man hands her a rolled-up dollar bill and she proceeds to walk a few steps to a table where the cocaine is cut. She pulls her hair back, bends down and snorts a line.

Four lines of white powdery substance are clearly visible on the table, which is in front of a computer.

After she snorts the first line, the woman said to be Ashley lifts her head and wipes her nose. She then snorts a second and third line before the tape cuts off.

The tape was made without her knowledge. It is being shopped for $250,000.

The events on the tape are represented as taking place at a party in Wilmington, Delaware and the woman said to be Ashley is with a boyfriend.

The cocaine is done amid a party scene with loud music playing and several people talking at the same time.

The tape is approximately two minutes in length.

News clips show that Ashley Biden was once arrested for marijuana possession while she was a college student in New Orleans in 1999. The charges were later dismissed.

In 2002, The Los Angeles Times reported that Ashley, then 21, was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of obstructing a police officer outside a Chicago bar.

Sling Player for iPhone

This thing better get approved by the app store fast!

Why Twitter is Lame

Paper Wowels

F you shamWOW F you!

Follow-Up: Babies (Not) Makin' Babies

Remember that 13 year old baby daddy from England, Alfie Patten? Well, it turns out he's still just a regular 13 year old baby.

If you'll remember, little Alfie thought taking a DNA test would clear up some of the rumors (rumours) that his 15 year old girlfriend Chantelle had been sleeping around and that their little Maisie was actually somebody else's kid (or as he put it more eloquently: "I didn't know about DNA tests before but mum explained it's when they do a swab in your mouth and it tells if you're the dad. So if I have it, they can all shut up"). As they say, be careful what you wish for. According to the UK's Daily Mirror, said DNA test confirmed that Maisie was, of course, not Alfie's. (Apparently, the Mirror had the story pulled from its website due to UK privacy laws.)

That familiar noise you're hearing is a crowd of spectators hissing and booing while Alfie pumps his fist in the air after Maury just told him: "Alfie... you are NOT the father!"

But seriously, who wins after this? Nobody. What is wrong with parents these days? (Not Alfie and Chantelle, I mean their parents... oh and Alfie and Chantelle too.)

[Mirror via San Francisco Chronicle]

This Is Your Genitalia On Drugs

SAGINAW, Mich. (AP) — A man police caught performing a sex act with a car wash vacuum has been sentenced to 90 days in the Saginaw County Jail.

Jason Leroy Savage must also submit to drug testing.

The 29-year-old Swan Creek Township man was sentenced Wednesday in Saginaw County Circuit Court. Savage pleaded no contest to indecent exposure last month.

Police say Savage was arrested after a resident called officers early on Oct. 16 to report suspicious activity at a car wash in Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit.

He couldn't have just gotten a hummer from his Hoover at home? (Unintended alliteration!)

This Week's Sign of the Apocalypse

... as in, Three Stooges.

You're reading right. The above graphic is indeed a real one, not altered or retouched (at least not by me).

The new Three Stooges film will be directed by the Farrelly Brothers and is set for release next year. Reportedly, Jimmy Markum will be starring as Larry, Lloyd Christmas will be featured as Curly, and in the most obvious casting since Captain Picard as Professor X, Che Guevara has been tapped to play Stooge leader, Moe.

In related news, I'm planning to cast Zac Efron as the star of my next film: the biopic, "I Am Your Father: The Life Story of James Earl Jones."

[Variety via MTVNews]

Movie Trailers: Where the Wild Things Are [Live Action]

Now, I never read this book. In fact, I haven't even watched this trailer yet. (I'm in class!) But my elementary school library hung up a poster of the book's cover (see below), right over the reading pit, every year right before the book fair started. So it's safe to say that I'm an expert on Maurice Sendak's work. And I know of at least one person who will like to hear about this movie.

Directed by Spike Jonze (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, "Sky's the Limit" music video [Notorious B.I.G.]).

The Seed

The Seed from Johnny Kelly on Vimeo.

Stephen Colbert Wins Space Station Naming Contest!

WASHINGTON (AP) -- NASA's online contest to name a new room at the international space station went awry. Comedian Stephen Colbert won.

The name "Colbert'' beat out NASA's four suggested options in the space agency's effort to have the public help name the addition. The new room will be launched later this year.

NASA's mistake was allowing write-ins. Colbert urged viewers of his Comedy Central show, "The Colbert Report'' to write in his name. And they complied, with 230,539 votes. That clobbered Serenity, one of the NASA choices, by more than 40,000 votes. Nearly 1.2 million votes were cast by the time the contest ended Friday.

NASA reserves the right to choose an appropriate name. Agency spokesman John Yembrick said NASA will decide in April, but will give top vote-getters "the most consideration.''

Forget the Slap Chopper

Cock Shot from Invisible Engine on Vimeo.

Get the Cock Shot!

David Letterman Gets Married

According to US magazine, David Letterman has finally tied the knot with long time girlfriend Regina Lasko. The announcement came during the taping of the latest late night show.

"On Thursday, at 3 p.m., March 19, 2009, at the Teton County Courthouse in Choteau, Montana, I was married to Regina Lasko," Letterman said about 20 minutes into the show, before he read the "Top 10" list.

"Regina and I began dating in February of 1986, and I said, 'Well, things are going pretty good, let's just see what happens in about ten years...'" he continued.

"…I had avoided getting married pretty good for, like, 23 years, and I -- honestly, whether this happened or not -- I secretly felt that men who were married admired me…like I was the last of the real gunslingers, you know what I'm saying?'" he joked.

The family's truck got stuck in the mud en route to the courthouse, he explained. Letterman "walked two miles back to the house in 50 mph wind," he said. "It's not Beverly Hills -- it's Montana.

"And the whole way, I'm thinking, 'See, smart ass, see you try to get married and this is what happens,'" he went on.

After getting his car from home, five-year-old son Harry says, "'Are we still going into town?'...he got very upset because mom had told him if I wasn't back in an hour, the deal was off."

Jennifer Aniston Breaks Up with John Mayer

Jennifer Aniston has ended her relationship with John Mayer. The reason? Because he twitters too much apparently.

Mayer is obsessed with Twitter and other gadgets. Mayer would tell Aniston that he's busy with work even though he had time to twitter. This all comes from a Telegraph source.

"John suddenly stopped calling her or returning her emails and when she would finally catch up with him, he'd say: 'I've been so busy with work. I'm sorry I haven't had time to call you back."

The source added: "Jen was fuming. There he was, telling her he didn't have time for her and yet his page was filled with Twitter updates.

"Every few hours, sometimes minutes, he'd update with some stupid line. And in her mind, she was like 'He has time for all this Twittering, but he can't send me a text, an email, make a call?'."

After the break up, Mayer's twitter read: 'This heart didn't come with instructions.'

As Gizmodo points out, there is a bright side to this story:

Maybe the fact that he's now single will give him more time to provide tech support to his dad, play with his Sony Vaio, make two phone calls at once, punch out Tweets on his BlackBerry and get Apple products earlier than anyone else.

New iPhone Details Coming From Someone "high-up" at AT&T

BoyGeniusReport has this information from someone "pretty high-up" over at AT&T about the announcement for the new iPhone that is supposedly coming out in June. Here are the detailed updates.

• New iPhone announcement around mid-June (duh)
• New iPhone will be faster and have a more seamless experience unmatched by any device (could be just talking about 3.0, but we think it’s also a new iPhone)
• U-Verse iPhone application; will allow control of your home DVR (play, pause, rewind, etc.)
• Nothing official is being confirmed, but they said that people should prep for an exciting time this summer.
• AT&T is said to be working with Apple to create a unified product with an unparalleled experience across all their products and services.
• Apple’s 3.0 software should tell us where the iPhone platform is going… uh, k?
• They said customers shouldn’t need to choose from AT&T’s high-end devices because of features, they should choose based on preferences. The gap in capability should be filled with the new iPhone. Ok, bets on slide out QWERTY, autofocus camera, video sharing, blah blah?
• Seems like the higher speed HSDPA (7.2Mbps) is being hinted at too which should confirm the earlier rumors of the new Infineon chipset.
• The $99 3G netbook will start selling this summer, and the first one won’t be a Windows OS.

Granted that not all off the above will hold true, it seems like Apple is set to have a great summer.

Peyton Manning's American Idol Audition Tape

How is it that Peyton is dressed like that at a bar like that? Does this man not own any t-shirts (minus the Super Bowl Champs one) and jeans? Very entertaining. Probably more entertaining than the Colts will be this upcoming season...

Wall-E/Watchmen Mashup Trailer

What Organization is this? [SCP]

Here's a post from Sports Crackle Pop that is too good to change.

NBA or NFL?

36 have been accused of spousal abuse
7 have been arrested for fraud
19 have been accused of writing bad checks
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
3 have done time for assault
71, repeat 71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
8 have been arrested for shoplifting
21 currently are defendants in lawsuits, and
84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year

Can you guess which organization this is?

NBA or NFL?

Neither,

It’s the 435 members of the United States Congress. The same people we trust to make laws every year have problems abiding by the ones already in place.

Tata Nano: World's Cheapest Car Hits Indian Streets in July

Meet the Tata Nano. It costs 100,000 Rupees which is about equivalent to $1,980. It is suppose to be the hottest new thing in India. Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata Motors says the company is planning for a European release in 2011 and there is a good chance the car could come to the US in the future.

I really don't believe that this car will be able to sell in America for $2000. With all the fees of importing a car and implementing American emmissions standards onto this car, the price will be jacked up a good amount. Not to mention:

Volkswagen, Toyota, Honda and Fiat are eyeing the segment, and the venture of Renault/Nissan with Bajaj is on track to launch a $2,500 car in 2011. [Reuters]

Alyssa Milano Talks About Role in Ghostbuster Video Game

This Guy Should Expect a Call from Child Services Soon

Ron Tajima builds a baby carrier Roomba called a Cradlooma

Dear MTA, Go to Hell

This news comes despite a increase in ridership and a decrease in services.
NEW YORK (AP) -- An MTA finance committee has voted to raise transit fares.

The cost of a single subway or bus ride would increase from $2 to $2.50 under the plan passed Monday afternoon by a committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The price of a monthly MetroCard would go up to $103, from $81. The increases would take effect June 1.

Gov. David Paterson and state lawmakers are at odds over a deal to head off the fare increases. The Legislature has until Wednesday to agree on a plan for closing the MTA's $1.1 billion gap.

Shove it!

Shaq One Ups Villanueva

Shaq kept his promise to send out a "tweet" during the halftime of the Suns game against the Wizards. Last week, the Bucks' Charlie Villanueva sent out a tweet on his twitter at halftime and got some slack from the coaches for it. When you're the NBA spokesperson/entertainer/baller like Shaq, you can get away with it apparently.

Said the tweet:

Attention all twitterers I'm a tweet at halftime and not get fined like vill a new wave a whteva his name is

When Suns coach Alvin Gentry was informed that Shaq would post on twitter, he responded:

"If he gets 25 and 11, he can do anything he wants. He can Twitter, he can Facebook, he can -- whatever the hell the other one is, MySpace ... he gets 25 and 11, he can do just about anything he wants."

Shaq One Ups LeBron

If you haven't seen this already, here it is. LeBron James and the Cavs pre-game celebration in which 'Bron takes a picture of his teammate.




Well, NBA Spokesperson/Entertainer/Baller Shaq claims that the celebration is 'weak.' So he decided to have his own pre-game greatness.



Bowling? What would Barack Obama say?

iPho

This is when you know the whole "i___" name has reached a limit. Not to mention the "o" was replaced with an apple. I smell lawsuit (with a free soft drink). [BeerNotBombs]

17" iMac Coming Soon? For $899?

Leak, leak, leak. Everything leaks these days. Including this image for a 17" iMac for the low low low (for Apple) price of $899.

More Evidence of Best Buy's Scumbagginess

Yes, I just made up a word. But it's the perfect word to describe Best Buy (more and more often these days).

Best Buy sold one man a "new" dvd player and it obviously wasn't. The picture above is proof of that. This man claims that the dvd player had this porno flick, hilariously named "Buckets O' Cum" was inside the dvd player when he bought it.

Very shady tactic by Best Buy. And selling a used dvd player as a new one is pretty bad too. If you're going to sell a used dvd player as new, at least check to make sure there's nothing inside. Fools! [Gizmodo] Click for the NSFW Picture.

March Madness Continues

As much as I hate video taped TVs, here's Jon Scheyer's save against Texas. (No, he does not travel in this video)

Marcus Jordan and the Jordannaires Win Championship

Marcus Jordan's game-high 19 points carried Chicago Whitney Young past Waukegan 69-66 to win boys Class 4A championship Saturday.

As Jordan and his teammates celebrated on the court after the final buzzer, father Michael Jordan stood quietly, clapping his hands with tears in his eyes.

Marcus is No. 5 (orange) with the headband and goggles. Fast forward to 3:47 to see a quick shot of His Airness just being Marcus's dad.

"Crying?" the NBA legend said in response to a reporter's question. "I'm not crying. Not for me, anyway."

[AP]

Movie Trailers: X-Men Origins: Wolverine [New]

The last time an X-Men movie came out on the *May 2* weekend, it was AWESOME. This one comes out May 1.

Ordinary People Want to Have Super Hero Powers

This videos kind of long but it grabs you in and makes you watch it through.[io9]

New iPhone to have Video Recording? Coming out in 2009?

AppleInsider has a source saying that Apple's next generation iPhone will be released sometime this year (pointing to Summer) and it will have video recording enabled! If you've seen pictures of 3.0, you'll come across this one posted by Engadget.

Sources are saying that this is a good hint that the next iPhone will allow video recording and playback. Hopefully, this means that we'll be able to MMS videos as well. Signs point to June for any indication of a new iPhone. June would be the 2 year anniversary for the original iPhone.

According to other reports, it looks like Apple may be releasing 2 version of the iPhone this year. Most likely the difference will be in size of the disk. Signs also point to a 4G iPhone come 2011.

All of this is rumored and most of it won't come true, but video seems to be promising according to the AppleInsider report.

UPDATE: The iPhone Blog says that the new iPhone will even have a higher megapixel camera to boot with the video capabilities! WOO HOO!

Rip Hamilton Choosing a Mask

Rip Hamilton shops for some illegal goods! - watch more funny videos

iPhone 3.0 to Allow 'Find My Phone' Feature!

A new feature in iPhone OS 3.0 will allow users to remotely pinpoint the location of a lost or stolen iPhone using MobileMe services. All you have to do is go into your MobileMe account and enable the feature. Then, you can search for your phone whenever your want!

MobileMe costs $100 for an individual account ($150 for a family account) and can be purchased with a discount ($30) if you are buying a Mac computer (desktop or laptop). It allows you to sync between your computers (PC or Mac) and phone. It securely keeps your information online as well so you can access it from any computer.

It was a good idea for Apple to enable the 'Find My Phone' feature with MobileMe. First off, they would be able to get more people to sign up it. Second, it's a way for Apple to securely offer customers a way to find their lost or stolen iPhone, instead of forcing them to buy new phones.

Georgian City Councilman Resign after Playing Racist Game

The above game is called Border Patrol. You basically have to shoot down Mexicans, drug dealers, and "breeder" taht cross the border. John Dowdy, a Georgian City Councilman, enjoyed the game so much, he decided to pass it along to everyone in his office with this message:
THIS IS WAY TOO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!! Makes you feel better anyway, I did my part today, I kept a few from coming over!!! GET READY —- THEY ARE FAAAST! ! !

He was rightfully sued for this which led to his resignation. [Game Politics]

Sheep Playing Pong

Awesome video of sheep strapped with LED lights to look like they are playing pong.

John Mayer Injured

Yea....Some things should not be twittered. [John Mayer's Twitter]

Metal Gear Solid Now Available for iPhone

Here are some images of the new Metal Gear Solid Game for the iPhone. It looks pretty impressive for an iPhone game. It costs $8 in the App store and takes up 90 MB. When you load the game, there are instructions on how to move Snake.

...how to aim (drag your finger), fire (tap), shoot long-range (you pinch your fingers together), and switch weapons. It'll also explain Snake's life meter, friends, enemies, and little rubber duckies that randomly pop up on the screen (they restore your life). [Kotaku via Gizmodo]

Chopsticks Aide Allows You to Use Chopsticks as a Fork

I don't think I've ever come across a situation where I couldn't find a fork and was forced to use chopsticks, but I guess this would be useful for that and for helping people who don't know how to use chopstick but don't want to use a normal fork. [Gizmodo]

Robo Fish Detects Pollutants

This robotic carp is being deployed to detect the levels of pollutants in different parts of the ocean. And no, not just one, but a whole school of robotic carp. Each one costs about $30k. They require no human remote control. Instead they move around on their own collecting information. When their battery is low, they return to the docking station for a recharge.

iPhone OS 3.0 Video

Internet Explorer 8 Now Available

Yea, no one REALLY cares, but Internet Explorer 8 is now available for download. My recommendation: Get Firefox or Google Chrome or Safari 4 Beta.

Undo Closed Tabs on Firefox

I'm sure this has happened to everyone. It happens to me all the time anyway, I accidentaly close tabs in Firefox and then have to find my way back to the side. Well, here's a good shortcut for that. With Firefox, you can add this a Undo Closed Tabs Button. Click the link for the extention. [Undo Closed Tabs Button]

Honda Accord Ad

Check out this British ad for the Honda Accord. Here's the scoop:

There are no computer graphics or digital tricks in these images. Everything that you see happened in real time exactly as you see it. The recording required 606 takes.

The recording cost 6 million dollars and it took 3 months to finish, including the engineering design of the sequence. The duration of the video is only 2 minutes, but every time that Honda shows the commercial on British television, they make enough money to support any of us for the rest of our lives. However, this commercial has turned out to be the most displayed in the history of the Internet. Honda execs think that it will pay for itself simply because of the free showings

When Honda senior execs viewed it, they immediately approved it without hesitation - including costs. There are only six Honda Accords built by hand in the whole world, and to the horror of Honda engineers, the recording team disassembled two of them for the recording. Everything you see in the sequence (besides the walls, floor, ramp and untouched Honda Accord) is part of those two automobiles.

The commercial was so well received by Honda execs when they saw it, that their first comment was how amazing the computer graphics were. They almost fell out of their chairs when told that the recording was real without any graphics manipulation.

Follow NCAA Tournament Action with Google

There are plenty of websites to help you find out about college basketball this time of year. Google has been behind on this. Most sports fans would rather go to Yahoo! to search for sports news instead of Google. Google has finally come out with a gadget for iGoogle to let you follow all the live action. You can enter your favorite team's name and search for alerts and scores along with plenty of other features. [Google College Basketball '09]

Google Chrome Experiments

Chrome has gotten plenty of updates, this video shows off some of the cool things Google's been working on.

Undo Send [Not an April Fool's Joke Anymore]

Last year, Gmail's April Fool's joke was undo send. This would give you the ability to undo a sent message. I'm sure everyone has had the "oops" moment where you realize that you sent something to the wrong person or forgot to add something in the message. Well, luckily, now you can undo send.

Go into Google Labs and enable the feature (yes, it's real). Undo Send gives you about 5 seconds to undo a sent email. Soon as you hit send a "sending...cancel" label comes up. If you hit cancel, it'll cancel. A moment after that, you'll see a undo send link that will be there for a good 5 seconds. Plenty of time to realize your mistake. Thank you Google for improving Gmail once again.

My only question is whether or not this mean that google "holds" your mail from being sent for 5 seconds, or does it actually stop/cancel/erase the email from the other person's inbox? Either way, pretty cool.

Presidents: They're Just Like Us!

President Obama took the time out of his busy economy-fixing schedule Tuesday to fill out his NCAA Tournament bracket with Andy Katz of ESPN.com. He even submitted it to the website just like millions of other people (if he wins, I'm petitioning my local Congressman for an investigation). You can see Katz's interview (and bracket-filling) with the President on Sportscenter at noon today.

I feel like Obama's philosophy about his job is a little like my boss's: work hard, watch sports hard(er). I wonder if he has a Kegerator in the Oval Office. Probably not - it must be in Rahm's office.

For the record: Obama's Final Four? Louisville, Pitt, Memphis and UNC. Just like mine.

[ESPN.com]

UPDATE: Mr. President picked North Carolina to take it all. It's like I'm finding new reasons to love this man every damn day. Oh, and if you happened to think that he had some college-age White House intern make all his picks and then passed them off as his, think again. (Great article.)

Paper Yoshimoto Cubes Demonstration

Paper Cubes from Rajiv Shah on Vimeo.

Rajiv Shah shows off the mind boggling 3-D paper cubes known as Yoshimoto Cubes. You've seen this in a previous video, this one's made from paper.

New Apple iPhone OS 3.0

Update: 3.0 is available for developers now and it should be released to the public in the summer of 2009. Also, iPhone 2G users won't have A2DP nor MMS.

...and a LOT more features in 3.0.

Notes Sync, audio/video tags, live streaming, shake to shuffle, Wi-Fi auto login, Stereo Bluetooth, LDAP, iTunes account creation, YouTube ratings, Anti-Philshing, Call Log, Parental Controls, Media Scrubber, OTA profiles, VPN on demand, Languages, YouTube subscriptions, YouTube accounts and Encrypted profiles. Also, auto-fills. The biggest addition here is probably Stereo Bluetooth A2DP support.
Spotlight search for iPhone. It basically searching through the whole iPhone (Apple developed apps only).
Search in mail and over IMAP. Search support for iPod and Notes
Create your own voice memos!

WOOO HOOO MMS SUPPORT! The BIG news is that they’re adding support for MMS (as we spotted earlier). You can send and receive Photos right over the network. Contacts (VCard). Audio files. Or your location. No word about video yet though.
You can also forward and delete individual messages from Messages app.

Sooo much easier to type out messages this way! Thank you Apple!
Oh and one more thing, LANDSCAPE KEYBOARD FOR MAIL, MESSAGES AND NOTES!
Yeah!!!! You can also send more than one photo at a time now using same copy and paste method in 3.0. Simply select the photos you want, and paste them into an email. Send away! Wooo hooo!!! MMS???


To select an entire block of text, put your thumb on the right drag point and drag it to where you want your block of text to end. You can drag the left drag point as well. You can drag between apps as well (obviously), through the same process. Double tap, then drag in order to select what text you like, then double tap and paste to paste it.

You can also copy and paste web content. The phone uses the same analytics engine in Safari that they do for zooming in order to know which selection to select for copying. Yes, HTML paste for copying. If you didn’t mean to paste something, shake your phone in order to Undo (or Redo) your paste. [Gizmodo]
Yes, FINALLY, WHAT WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!!! COPY AND PASTE WILL BE ON IPHONE 3.0!!!!!!! WOOO HOOO. HERE'S MY QUOTE OF THE DAY:

"Now as I said before, 3.0 brings a lot of new features for devs, but for customers as well... starting... with cut, copy, and paste." -Scott Forstall
Smule introduces a new game called Leaf Trumbone. It's a multiplayer music app...yeah... They made Ocarina previously. Copy and paste better come up soon. This is getting too repetitive.


ngmoco:)'s other game, LiveFire is a first person shooter that lets you face off against against other iPhone users.
Touch Pet game, made by ngmoco:), allows you to have playdates with other iphone users with the game.
LifeScan app helps people manage their diabetes. Using the 30 pin adapter, one could track glucose levels (finger pricking) to see if they need more or less insulin in their system. It's like one of those glucose kits made for the iPhone.
The ESPN app will give you the best video quality depending on your connection.
ESPN is bringing their webapp as a native app. Push is used to flash alerts and updates. You'll have video as well.
Oracle is making some crappy iPhone application. Woopty doo. No one cares, get off the stage, where the f is copy and paste already?????
EA Games is going to have Sims 3 for the iPhone. You'll be able to buy items from the app store ($.99) to use in the game. Say that you play music on a stereo in the game, you'll be able to play a song from your own iPhone's iPod.
Meebo is coming out with an app. Why did they wait so long? They felt that push notification was 100% necessary for their app.
So this would mean that we have no background processing, but we do have push. It's baby steps, but its something...

Push Notification is "good to go." Finally!!! Forstall says that due to the popularity of the App store and how push would kill the battery, they had to put it on hold. Here's how push works,...again: The Push notification service has a persistent connection to the phone, so you can get notifications all the time. The three things you can send are badge alerts, text alerts and audio alerts. Text alerts appear like SMS alerts, badges show up on the app icon, and audio alerts (like AIM) plays in the background.
Developers will also be able to make turn-by-turn direction apps. You won't be able to use Google Maps for this (licensing issues), but you can bring in your own maps.
...Or check blood presure.
3.0 SDK will allow companies that make iPhone accessories to make custom applications that can communicate with the iPhone. For example, a equalizer app that can control the equilizer when the phone is docked.
Forstall announced Peer to Peer Connectivity. You'll be able to connect to other iPhone users via Bluetooth. This isn't going to be just for games. This will work for ANY P2P application.


Apple is going to enhance the app store. For example, if a magazine wants to create a subscription based app, they will be able to do so. So you can buy 6 issues for say $5. Or add 10 game levels for $2. Etc... [Gizmodo]

Scott Forstall, SVP of iPhone Software has unveiled the new iPhone OS 3.0