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Design the 2018 Mazda 3

As if YouTube presidential debates weren't enough, Mazda turns to the Internet to find a designer for its future Mazda 3 model. The company posted the Mazda Design Challenge on Facebook (Facebook registration required), inviting would-be automotive designers to submit their ideas for what the 2018 model should look like. For the initial entry, you will have to submit a 150-word description of your vision for the 2018 Mazda 3, plus an optional sketch. Our advice: don't skimp on the sketch--visuals help, especially in a design contest. Mazda judges will choose 10 semifinalists, then throw it back to … Read more

Cable subscribers sue for 'a la carte' TV options

To all you cable and satellite subscribers who gripe about writing checks each month for the privilege of receiving dozens of channels you never watch, take note.

A new lawsuit filed Thursday in federal court in Los Angeles charges that every major cable and satellite provider--and the entertainment conglomerates that feed them content--form a cartel that deprives consumers of choice and forces them to pay "inflated" prices for services that don't correspond to their desires.

The suit, brought on behalf of cable subscribers in several states, calls for unspecified damages and for a court to decree that … Read more

LaCie expands its art collection

Being art lovers ourselves, we appreciate LaCie's attention to aesthetics in some of its latest products. After all, it's not easy to make a hard drive look like something that belongs ni a museum.

That's exactly what it did last week with the debut of its "Golden Disk," by French designer Ora-Ito. In our humble opinion, however, its second attempt isn't quite so successful: The "Little Disk" from designer Sam Hecht does sport a glossy finish but, aside from its removable cap, it looks pretty much like a dark-chocolate box.

The portable … Read more

Story of 'Jena 6' ignites alternative newscape

If you search the New York Times or the LA Times for "Mychal Bell" you won't find a single article, but the 17 year-old African American is currently facing up to 22 years after being convicted by an all-white jury for aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery. Bell and five others were originally charged with attempted murder for their role in a fight with a white high school student.

Known as the "Jena Six," their story has all the characteristics of what you would expect to find in a high school history text profiling the racial tension in the South during the 1950s, but as a current event it has been completely ignored by the mainstream press though it has been covered by many independent media outlets.

Why is this? Does the mainstream media not want to acknowledge the grim reality that racism continues to plague our country? Or has our news media collectively decided that celebrities are the ones worth covering?

… Read more

LaCie takes big to the extreme

LaCie announced yesterday its new Big Disk Extreme+ desktop hard drive, a fairly standard external drive whose standout feature is the massive capacity. It's available in 1-terabyte, 1.5-terabyte, and 2-terabyte capacities, starting at $350 ($850 for the 2TB drive). The design is LaCie's classic Neil Poulton d2 look: brushed gray body with a blue programmable one-touch button mounted on the front. Connection options include two FireWire 800 ports, one FireWire 400 port, and one USB 2.0 port. It comes bundled with LaCie's 1-Click Backup software, Silverkeeper (backup software for Macs), and two versions of EMC … Read more

NEC laptop falls victim to Hello Kitty

Oh my. We don't know where to begin. Is it dimestore-looking Swarovski crystals? The metallic Pepto-Bismol pink? And we wouldn't dare leave out the hideously overdone logo, of course.

No matter how you look at it, there's not much good to say about NEC's "LaVie G Hello Kitty" laptop unless you happen to be one of the unfortunate victims who have consumed the pink Kool-Aid. Akihabara News points out its middling AMD Sempron chip, but the negatives go far beyond that--too many to number here, in fact. But we'll just leave you with … Read more

Bargain speakers for $24,400 (each)

Even luxury media equipment makers know that people have budgets, including Cabasse. The French speaker specialist has been the subject of some mockery (we can't imagine why) for such offerings as its $150,000 "La Sphere" line, so it's apparently decided to come up with some products that are a little closer to Earth.

The "Karissima" full-range speaker, for example, is priced at a mere $24,400. Each.

These are no ordinary tweeters and woofers, of course. They come in your choice of "Wild Cherry, Santos or Wenge finishes," according to Electronic … Read more

Shocker: Men like black phones

Now that the Mayo Clinic has settled the question of cell phone safety in hospitals, it's time to turn our attention to research that really matters: What colors do men and women like?

A study commissioned by phone retailer MPhone has surmised that both genders generally like the same models but want different colors. (Stop the presses!) The report also contained the blockbuster finding that "men were twice as likely to buy black phones," according to Gadgets Weblog.

And how reliable is this research? Consider this statement from an MPhone rep: "While we know who is … Read more

LaLa spreads the music, puts on benefit for student music

Every once in a while, you come across a company that's just really cool. Online CD trading outfit LaLa.com is one such company. Not only does LaLa pay registered artists a percentage of the income generated from CD trades on the site (despite the fact that this is not legally required) and donate unregistered artists' shares to a fund that helps pay for independent musicians' medical insurance, it also revived online radio pioneer WOXY.com and allows users to create and stream massive online playlists--for free. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when a company that'… Read more