behavior

This mirror isn't ashamed to watch TV

For some unfathomable reason, there are apparently more than a few influential product designers who seem to think people just must have mirrored TVs. They've used reflective surfaces to hide LCDs, combined them with computers, and even made them waterproof.

But all of these have assumed that we want the TV concealed when it's not in use. Obviously, their focus groups have missed an important demographic--those of us who stay glued to the tube 24/7. The true addict would want something like the "Seura Television Mirror," which proudly displays the screen at all times while … Read more

What kind of information technology user are you?

Do you cringe when your cell phone rings? Do you suffer from withdrawal when you can't check your Blackberry? Do you rush to post your vacation video to your Web site?

Answer a few questions to see where you fit in the typology of information and communication technology users developed by the Pew Internet Project.

Take the Test

More divergence or better convergence?

There are many pundits who herald Apple for its "convergence strategy:" iTunes is on more than 300 million computers, Apple TV has been launched, and the iPhone has emerged as the most talked about new consumer electronic device in history and is expected to fuel the launch of more all-in-one gadgets from competing consumer electronic makers. Convergence is -- once again -- all the rage.

But what does convergence exactly mean? Let's try a very simplified overview. First of all, there is the media convergence between the worlds of telecoms, TV, Internet, and computing, including fixed-mobile convergence, … Read more

Practical advice for CEOs

No man (or woman) is an island, but I think some CEOs behave as if they're God's gift to corporate America. And what do we do to discourage that perception? Not much, I'm afraid. You don't think they get way up on those pedestals all by themselves, do you?

Lest we forget, CEOs are hired by their boards to lead a staff of highly qualified individuals in managing an enterprise. Yes, they are ultimately responsible for corporate performance--for which they are typically well compensated--but by no means are they solely responsible.

In fact, most CEOs have little or no direct or line responsibility for operating or administrative functions; those are typically handled by other executive officers. Exceptions are either temporary or dysfunctional, in my opinion.

In any case, this post is not about culpability and I don't wish to confuse the issue with facts. Dysfunctional behavior runs rampant in the executive ranks. Rather than try to be a shrink, I thought I'd provide some much needed feedback and unsolicited, practical advice to help CEOs cope...also to help us cope with them.… Read more

Blogger Civility? One Leading Blogger Offers Standards

Personal and public civility matters everywhere. It's why you don't burp at the dinner table or take showers in public. It's why you say "please" and "thank you" and, if you're Southern-born like I am, you say "yes, sir" and "yes, ma'am" when spoken to by your elders.

The blogosphere is still the wild, wild west, and sometimes personal and public civility don't seem to be part of the new culture. But it's increasingly becoming a part of the self-policing that bloggers are getting better … Read more

For those who can't bear to part with the Wii

Some of us at Crave are embarrassed to admit that we've yet to play our first game on a Wii. (Not everyone can be Caroline McCarthy, you know.)

But even we, in our extremely limited knowledge, can't help but question the value of a 7-inch Wii LCD like the one from Japan's Century cited by Gizmodo and pictured here. Isn't the fun of the Wii supposed to be doing active stuff like tennis and bowling?

Perhaps it was created for the serious Wii addict who has to carry it at all times. It may have an … Read more

Blogosphere amplifies the bad (and good) parts of humanity

Tech bloggers are outraged tonight over the taunting and death threats that one of our own, Kathy Sierra, received on her blog and elsewhere (see News.com blog post). In reaction to these threats, Sierra has canceled a trip to the ETech conference that's on now, and called off a presentation she was scheduled to give.

Is the blogosphere unsafe? Is it hostile to women? As Chris Pirillo writes, "The problem isn't with the blogosphere. It's with the human race." That's indeed the core problem. But the Internet amplifies human behavior. With it, bullies … Read more

A secret remote to drive men crazy

Few things are more closely associated with domestic male behavior than control of the TV remote. Sad but true.

So if you really want to mess with the man of the house, consider the "Covert Clicker"--a tiny but devious universal device that Chip Chick says can work on 90 percent of all TV sets (and probably 99.9 percent of all men).

Change channels and mute stations at will with one of these in your pocket, with no one the wiser. But you'd better practice your poker face, for the consequences could be dire.

Actress tosses laptops, injures seniors

Actress Denise Richards has apparently come up with a new use for computers--paparazzi protection.

Richards, 35, accidentally injured two elderly women yesterday after hurling two photographers' laptops off a hotel balcony in Canada, according to the Associated Press (and every celebrity gossip site on the Web). Richards was up north shooting the film Blonde and Blonder at the River Rock Casino Resort.

Richards, reportedly peeved that a couple of unauthorized photographers tried to snap her picture, pushed their laptops over a ledge onto two unlucky passersby below. Oops. Paramedics were called to the scene and said the injuries did not … Read more