CNET News Poll
Modern technology, we're grateful to you!
(Credit: Matt Hickey)So someone told me today is about being thankful. I, for one, am grateful for that baguette from the future that stopped the LHC from destroying the universe. Also, turning my digital camera on Mom's cat to make the best Lolcats EVAR and using Netflix Instant on my Xbox to share "Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus" with my siblings.
I can think of quite a few other things I'm thankful for, but my evil editors have made me pare my gratitude down. They're more interested in what you, the readers, think. Sure, you may be thankful for all of the things mentioned in our scientifically accurate poll--I know I am--but try to pick the one that fits best. This vote will be recorded for all time and entered into your permanent record.
Of course, there's always a chance we missed something (the importance of family, goodwill toward mankind, or Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2). If so, let us know in the comments section below.
If I show up for something on time, it's probably an accident. Some of us just weren't born with internal clocks that sync up with the rest of the world--the gifts in the gallery below are for people who're late for everything.
I was late turning this in, so surely, there's something I missed--toss your own ideas in the comments.
This story originally appeared on Gizmodo.
Hey you, Ground Controls and Major Toms orbiting out there! If you're a space aficionado or know someone who'd like to blast into the cosmos, it's time to take your protein pills and click on the gallery below for a definitive go/no-go holiday gift list. It was complied by Gizmodo and reprinted with the site's permission.
See anything we missed? Be sure to let us know in the TalkBack section below.
How will the Palm Pre help you in a zombie apocalypse? Click on the above image to find out.
(Credit: Crave UK)Let's face it: we are, at best, a couple of years from the undead rising from their graves and running amok. It might not be years away, it could be mere weeks--and what would you do then? If you want to avoid having your tasty, tasty brains nommed out by a rotting corpse reanimated by some ghastly science experiment, you'd better listen up.
We've assembled a list of the very finest and most suitable technology to defend yourself--and your delicious, tender gray matter--from being consumed.
Read more of "How to survive a zombie attack using consumer electronics" at Crave UK.
It's episode 59 of the Digital City, and if our cast looks a little different today, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. Joey, Julie, and Scott all called in sick, so we recruited some of our CNET colleagues to step in and offer their holiday shopping advice.
David Katzmaier, John Falcone, and Matt Fitzgerald weigh in on Black Friday tips for big-screen TVs, home theater equipment, and digital cameras, and we go over some of the best and worst laptop deals around.
Also discussed was the high-concept Tony Hawk: Ride skateboard video game, the surprise popularity of Assassin's Creed 2, and Dan showed off his new Forza-3-branded Pumas.
Added bonus: we've got a handful of beta invites for MAG, the massive 256-person PS3 shooter to give away. Ping me on Twitter , or e-mail us at digitalcity@cnet.com, and we'll hook the first five people up.
Related links:
>>Are these Apple's Black Friday laptop deals?
>>Rating Black Friday laptop doorbuster deals
>>Review: the ColcaSac hemp MacBook sleeve
>>Hands on with 15th-century Italy in Assassin's Creed II
>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
>>Subscribe to Digital City on iTunes
>>Join the Digital City Facebook fan page
>>Need more? Follow Dan on Twitter!
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What makes ADSL so improbable is it's transmitting a huge amount of data over some very ancient copper. That's right, copper, the stuff that isn't anywhere near as interesting or valuable as gold.
(Credit: Crave UK) Many things keep us awake at night. Simon Cowell's hair is one. The implausible success of anyone who appears in "Big Brother" is another. But the thing that really keeps us staring into the darkness is technology. How the hell does it work? Simple gadgets like TVs and mice leave us unperturbed. But there are some things that are just beyond reasoning. Science fiction writer and all-round genius Arthur C. Clarke once said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." On this one issue, we think he might have been wrong--because it's quite obvious to us that some technology is magic. Or if not magic, at least utterly impossible and somehow a massive confidence trick.
We've ranked the most impossible technologies on the planet in order of their level of impossibility. If you've got all six things on this list, and haven't yet had breakfast, then as Douglas Adams said, you should consider dinner at Milliways, the restaurant at the end of the universe. Read more of "Technology that's totally impossible" at Crave UK.
(Credit:
Tech On)
Don't you hate it when your TV remote runs out of juice? Or when your clicker gets totaled by a battery leak? NEC and Soundpower Corporations' new battery-less remote control may be the solution. This technology is based on three key components:
- Vibration power generation that harnesses energy created by clicking a remote button
- A microprocessor that transmits and receives data in varying bandwidths
- A power supply controller that drives the electronics with minimal electricity
It will probably take some time for this technology to mature, but both companies are planning to promote its adoption in the consumer electronics market as early as 2011. That said, do we have to click such remotes furiously just to get them running fresh out-of-the-box?
(Source: Crave Asia via Tech On)
Editors' note: Updated on November 23, 2009.
A few years ago, we used to do a feature highlighting some of the top DVDs that made your home theater really look and sound like one. Well, with Blu-ray in full swing, we thought it high time to come up with a similar roundup of our favorite Blu-ray Discs that will help show off your home theater in all its glory.
While my face is at the top of the column, the list was compiled with input from editors John Falcone, Matthew Moskovciak, and David Katzmaier, who look at a lot of content in their day-to-day testing of products. We also keep an eye on AVS Forum's Blu-ray picture- and audio-quality threads and have always appreciated the site's "tier" rating system.
This list is not set in stone, and we'll be adding and removing discs as new ones come out. As always, feel free to make comments and suggest your own personal favorites. They may get added to the list in the future.
Also: If you're someone who likes demoing your system and skipping around between scenes, you'll want a fast Blu-ray player. Right now, the fastest players we've tested are the LG BD390, Sony PlayStation 3, and the Samsung BD-P3600. Though not quite as fast as its step-up sibling, the Samsung BDP-1600 is among the fastest sub-$300 players we've tested. (See CNET's full list of best Blu-ray players.)
Click any of the images below to start the slideshow.
More:
(Credit:
Acousticom)
Acousticom manufactures audio communication equipment utilized by the Department of Defense and leading aerospace companies. The company is well-known for its flight helmets, but it is coming to CES 2010 with something almost everyone can enjoy--the Sound Egg.
The egg chair is back, but with a 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound system and an intimate media experience not intended for sharing. The chair can be connected to a television or computer and its unique foam insulation means no more complaining from your significant other. Go ahead, play Call of Duty all you want--he or she won't hear a thing.
The Sound Egg was initially manufactured as a demonstration tool for trade shows. Although this is still a marketed use, Acousticom is making it available as a consumer electronics item. The $1,450 seat is not for everyone, but audiophiles might call it an "investment."
The new Roku Channel Store now has 13 free content channels.
(Credit: Roku)Aiming to expand beyond movies and baseball, set-top box maker Roku is adding 10 new content channels ranging from social networking to music and podcasts.
Roku, which makes a small, wireless device that can stream content from the Web direct to any TV screen, is expanding from 3 channels to 13, as expected. Channels for Blip.tv, Facebook Photos, Flickr, FrameChannel, Mediafly, MobileTribe, Motionbox, Pandora, Revision3, and TWiT will join the current lineup of Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, and, more recently, MLB.TV. All of them will be available in the newly christened Roku Channel Store.... Read more
On Sale Now: $99.99
View the latest prices for Roku HD Player (Netflix Player)
On Sale Now: $79.99
View the latest prices for Roku SD Player
