In the place where they struck oil, they might, on hearing this news, be struck dumb.
You see, as I wandered through the pages of eBay in search of some fine and modern cooking utensils, I came across something that forced my digestive system to ask questions of my cerebellum.
(Credit:
eBay)
For there (here, indeed) was what seemed to be a brand new Xbox 360 for sale at the most reasonable sum of $1.1 million.
This, as your own cerebellum might be whispering to you, is no ordinary Xbox. For this pristine machine was signed by former governor of Alaska and current literary figure Sarah Palin.
The enervatingly enterprising vendor of this quite frankly priceless technological specimen is David Morrill (that's Morrill, not Imorrill) who claims he resides in Alberta, Canada.
He says he took a trip to Alaska and made sure it coincided with the then-governor's picnic on July 24.
He claims he pushed his way through the crowd to get within sniffing distance of the great Alaskan's hem, told her he had traveled three days just to see her, and asked her to sign his Xbox.
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Guess who I won't be voting for come November, 2010?
To paraphrase the old saying: Everyone complains about the government, but no one does anything about it. If you want to get more involved in the political process, "elect" Visible Vote Mobile to your iPhone or iPod Touch.
The free app lets you compare the voting records of your state senators and congressional representative(s) with your votes on the issues of the day.
For example, do you agree with the bill to expand Medicare coverage? (You can read a description and highlights right on your iPhone.) Cast your vote, then see how it matches up with your elected officials.
The app also lets you compose and send letters to your legislators--one of them, all of them, or just those you choose. (Finally! A quick and easy way to say, "Dear Elected Official: Please stop wasting taxpayer money on stupid stuff.")
According to the developers, Visible Vote sends a weekly letter to your legislators informing them how you and others voted. In addition, it "sends you an overview report next election so you know who to vote for and against." Um, OK, that's a little weird.
Alas, you can't view your reps' voting records without casting votes yourself, which is a bit irksome. Hopefully a future update will address that limitation, while at the same time adding biographical information about the legislators themselves.
Interestingly, Visible Vote for Facebook offers both those features--and it can sync with the iPhone app to make your votes visible to your friends.
I have to admit, I pay very little attention to politics, particularly the voting records of the people who represent me in Congress. (I know: bad citizen. Bad!) That's why I'm delighted by Visible Vote: it helps me clue into what's happening and even add my voice to the discussion. Talk about a game changer.
News.com Poll
After much ado, we now know that President Obama gets to keep a security-enhanced version of his beloved BlackBerry.
But due to those same sorts of security concerns, many White House staffers will have to give up technology they leaned on to win the election, like their MacBooks.
If you were working in the West Wing, what would you miss most?
The McCain game show: click to enlarge.
(Credit: 7.TV)
The Obama game show: click to enlarge.
(Credit: 7.TV)Still don't know who you're voting for for president? If the debates, media coverage, and attempted persuasiveness of friends, family, and passersby haven't helped you decide, maybe a game could sway you--or at least teach you a little trivia about the candidates. (Do you know which basketball player was Obama's childhood idol? I didn't yesterday, but I do now).
7.TV, a new broadband TV game show company, has launched the POTUS44 Experience, a fun little pair of online game shows that test players' knowledge about John McCain, Barack Obama, and presidential history in general (examples: Who won by the largest margin of popular votes in history? How many presidents were once vice presidents? Who became a chief justice after becoming president?).
Through multiple-choice questions and Wheel of Fortune-type word puzzles relating to the candidates' lives and slogans, players collect POTUS (president of the United States) points. Get at least 200,000 points, and you qualify for the live finale at 6:30 p.m. PDT November 3, the night before the election. The top point winner will get an expense-paid trip for two to the January 2009 inauguration--which, depending on the top POTUS44 point getter, could make for a slightly awkward trip to D.C. if your candidate loses but you win.
Each POTUS44 game provides direct links to the candidates' actual sites, a "donate now" button, and a Google search screen to help players check their work. Players can chat with and compete against other players in real time, and each one-hour game can be repeated--which is good, as the games are fast-paced, laden with bells and whistles, and take a little getting used to.
Frank S. Maggio, founder and CEO of 7.TV and the game show platform's creator, says the game shows are bipartisan. No advertising dollars from either party have been accepted to date, though players are asked during the games to rate, on a number scale, the inspiration level and effectiveness of specific campaign ads. Maggio also says the possibility remains that one or both candidates will participate--once they're done scouring the swing states, of course.
I'm Leslie Katz and I approved this blog.
News.com Poll
According to you, readers, Barack Obama's an iPhone, while John McCain is a phonograph, and Sarah Palin is a Hello Kitty assault rifle.
Now, in the final installment of our presidential-race-related Friday Poll, our thoughts turn to Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, Obama's running mate. With so much attention on the other three candidates, it was a little hard to come up with our choices. Luckily, Biden's been around a long time, which gave us some good material to work with.
If none of our poll options quite hit the spot, be sure to suggest your own in our Talkback section below.
Washington University engineering student Lee Cordova (left) looks on as his punching bots, posing as the vice presidential candidates, fight it out.
(Credit: Karren Knowlton)Joe Biden and Sarah Palin weren't the only ones duking it out on Washington University's campus last week. So were two punching robots created by engineering students at the school and appropriately marked for the occasion with photos of the VP candidates affixed to their steel heads.
The bots, which are made of machine parts, did battle on the main courtyard of the St. Louis campus for about six hours Thursday as the candidates prepped for the much-anticipated faceoff inside. Not to be left out, the presidential candidates got a swing, too, with John McCain and Barack Obama's mugs getting swapped in and attached to the heads with magnets for matches of their own.
Students took turns manning the red and blue robots, whose arms operate via pulleys attached to straps. Two cables connect to a control bar, which can be pointed back and forth to make the bot move right and left. A good punch to the opponent's chest causes its spring-loaded head to fall off, which nets the aggressor a point.
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News.com Poll
In the wake of Thursday night's vice presidential debate, we return to the important question only you the voters (or you, the underage reader, or you the foreign reader, or you the felon) can answer. Since we started with Barack Obama in the Crave presidential gadget poll before turning to John McCain, we'll give first jabs...er dibs, to Gov. Sarah Palin.
Got any ideas other than the options mentioned in our highly scientific poll? Let us know in our talkback section below. And if you have suggestions for next week's Joe Biden poll, be sure to send them my way at ina dot fried at cnet dot com.
Dong and I get a bit off-topic to briefly discuss...dumm dumm DUMMM!! Politics. You've been warned. We also take you a bit more behind the scenes of testing printers and monitors. Really, really exciting stuff...
Last, but not least, we make some dreams come true by answering a few e-mails. And, our very first voicemail! Although we don't actually answer it (blame Dong for that).
To subscribe to this podcast, visit us at our main page and click the link on the right.
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Microsoft wants Xbox 360 owners to get up off their couches, put down the controllers, shut off Halo 3, and vote in this November's election.
Redmond's video game console division has partnered with activist organization Rock the Vote as a way to get more young people to register to vote. Promotions will start hitting its Xbox Live online service starting on August 25, the first day of the Democratic National Convention. Xbox Live owners will be able to register to vote as well as participate in presidential polls and opinion surveys.
Microsoft will be promoting the Rock the Vote partnership at both the Democratic and Republican conventions. It'll also be lobbying to make the parties aware of parental controls and safety on the console, presumably as a way to get anti-video-game advocates off its back.
"Xbox is a natural partner to help us reach out to youth voters," Heather Smith, executive director of Rock the Vote, said in a statement Thursday. "To realize our goal of registering 2 million young Americans by this fall, we need to go where young Americans are, and there's no doubt in our minds that many are on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live." Rock the Vote has also turned to News Corp.-owned social network MySpace, encouraging bands with a presence on the site to get their fans to register to vote.
Microsoft touted the Xbox as an influential platform for reaching the youth-voter demographic, citing a stat about Xbox Live's 12 million members: if it were a state, it would be the seventh most populous in the country.
Ticket in hand
(Credit: Elsa Wenzel)I'm holding a ticket to Baghdad in my hand. I just booked the flight at a kiosk in a storefront travel agency in San Francisco's hipster heart, the Mission District.
From speakers in the room, a woman's soothing voice calls out some of the highlights there, like restaurants that are never crowded. Televisions spell out more urgent tips for travelers: "No skirts. No photos. No children."
No ordinary travel agency
(Credit: Elsa Wenzel)Brochures in English, Spanish, and Arabic provide more details: "All the beautiful places that you might have read about have either been destroyed or looted."
The boarding pass will take me nowhere, however, except my imagination. The fake agency, Abidin Travels, is a political art exhibit in the culture-jamming vein celebrated by the likes of Adbusters magazine.
Stumbling across this interactive, digital exhibit brought me closer to the hard truth of a war that is remote from my daily grind, yet visceral and immediate for so many other people. The experience was both amusing and terribly unfunny.
This fall, I had the privilege of visiting Vietnam with my veteran father. He shook his head in astonishment and pleasure at seeing the vibrant, thriving culture in peacetime. During the war that ended a month after I was born, who would have dreamed of today's beach resorts, passion for gadgets, and Gucci stores?
You can book virtual trips in person or at the Abidin Web site.
(Credit: Elsa Wenzel)"Can you imagine tourism like this in Iraq someday?" he asked. The question was already on my mind.
Abidin Travels is one piece within an eight-month Iraq-themed series of events supported by the nonprofit Montalvo Arts Center in Silicon Valley's Saratoga Hills. Its creator, Baghdad-born artist Adel Abidin, lives in Helsinki, Finland. You can visit his Web site, a replica of the art installation's kiosk screen, to book your own imaginary trip.
