Entertainment

MD says Net addiction really is a mental illness

Just like it's taken us a while to reckon with the fact that texting or yakking on the phone while driving can be seriously unsafe, it is taking a while to figure out what to make of our sometimes heedless obsession with all things online.

At least one psychiatrist says that, for some of us, online fixation can be serious a problem--a compulsive-impulsive disorder whose sufferers endure gadget cravings, broadband-deprivation withdrawal, increasing tolerance for spending extraordinary amounts of time online, and no apparent embarrassment when they wake up in the morning with a keyboard imprint on their face.

An … Read more

MusicIP plug-in deejays your iTunes

Late Monday afternoon, music recommendation engine MusicIP released a beta of its MyDJ iTunes plug-in for Windows (available as a free download from the company site). I've spent the last few hours playing with the plug-in, and thus far I'm impressed. Like the company's standalone program, MusicIP Mixer 1.6, the MyDJ iTunes plug-in scans and analyzes your music library to ferret out similar songs and artists. But the standalone software requires you to organize music in MusicIP, then export the playlist to your media player software. The plug-in lets you automatically generate playlists without leaving iTunes. … Read more

Get Planet Earth on Blu-ray for $49.99

Want to really show off that new Blu-ray player? Get yourself the BBC documentary series Planet Earth, which Best Buy has on sale for $49.99. I first caught it when it aired on the Discovery Channel, and it didn't take long before I decided I had to own it.

The series' 11 episodes take you to oceans, jungles, deserts, rainforests, and other remote parts of the planet, where you'll see incredible environments and wildlife. You don't have to be a nature buff to enjoy this; you just need a heartbeat.

I paid about $70 to buy … Read more

Best of SXSW: AA Bondy

He's from upstate New York, but he fits right in here in Austin, Texas with his could-be-from-the-south songwriter style. This is a live shot of AA Bondy at the Creekside Lounge on Wednesday. There was a drunk heckler in the crowd who claimed he was "feelin' it" but his sincerity was questionable. Other fans (like myself) kept our comments to ourselves and quietly enjoyed his heartfelt performance, which was nice mellow break from all the chaos and "butt rock" blaring nearby on 6th street.

We've selected AA Bondy for our Best of SXSW feature, … Read more

This week in awesomeness: 20 years ago, we all got Rickrolled

Two decades ago this week--on March 12, 1988--the corny pop song "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Astley hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

What does this have to do with the Internet? Oh, just about everything.

For those of you who actually have lives and don't pay attention to the latest iteration of goofy Internet phenomena (think "all your base are belong to us," "the Internet is a series of tubes," or lolcats), Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" is the Web equivalent of the … Read more

Best of SXSW: Yeasayer

Here's a live shot of Yeasayer at Emo's IV in Austin, Texas late Thursday night (early Friday morning). This is just one of many showcases they're playing this week and despite having an on-the-fly "SWSW style sound check," they sounded amazing.

We've selected them for our Best of SXSW feature, which will feature all of the best (of the best) bands we see this week. For now enjoy our free playlists and SXSW 2008 Pre-Party. Here's the Download Music review of Yeasayer:

"In the pre-Vampire Weekend era (i.e., last month), indie … Read more

Best of SXSW: Cut Copy

Here's a live shot of Cut Copy at The Mohawk in Austin, Texas today for the Rhapsody day party. They get the dance party started early with their 2:30 P.M. set. They're a lot of buzz about them on the streets (literally) and their set was so good that we've selected them for our Best of SXSW feature, which will feature all of the great bands we see this week. For now check out our free playlists and SXSW 2008 Pre-Party. Here's the Download Music review of Cut Copy:

"Hipster bands have a … Read more

Best of SXSW: The Most Serene Republic

Here's a live shot of The Most Serene Republic at Emo's in Austin, Texas today (March 13th) for the Arts and Crafts Records day party. They rocked the early set at 12:30 P.M. and were so good that we've selected them for our Best of SXSW feature (coming soon), which will feature all of the great bands we see this week. For now check out our free playlists and SXSW 2008 Pre-Party. Here's the Download Music review of The Most Serene Republic:

"Even by Ontario standards, the latest from the Arts & Crafts … Read more

SXSW wrap-up: or how to link 3 panels in 3 synthesizing steps (+bonus)

Since the SXSW conference buzzword was convergence, Chelsea Holden Baker of Frog Design looks back at convergent themes of three panels in three synthesizing steps, and a little bonus at the end:

Blood Sweat and Tears: Great Design Hurts

John Gruber (Daring Fireball) and Michael Lopp (Apple), made the case for cultivating discomfort as a designer: "Are you willing to be an asshole?" We took a trip back through the iconic designs (like IBM) of Paul Rand and examined the allure of the Apple logo (whether rainbow-striped or white, what makes it sexy is the bite. It's … Read more