Archive for November 22nd, 2009
Your Roku box just got a whole lot more interesting. Roku, if you remember, makes the Roku player, a small device that sits next to your TV and plays Netflix, Amazon Video, and MLB selections. Roku has just added ten new channels to that line-up and built a fascinating platform for adding more down the [...]
- In: Tek Oh!
- Tags: gg09audiovideo, gift guide 2009, Headline, roku
Have you defraggled your motherdisc lately?
22, Nov 2009I’d advise against following the directions given in this guide to defraggling, but it’s an interesting read.
[via Reddit]
CrunchGear Week in Review: New Milkman Edition
22, Nov 2009
It’s… a self-rolling ball
Customized streetmap clocks from FluidForms
USB-powered Alien figure with illuminated tongue
- In: Tek Oh!
- Tags: daily crunch, hot
Can smoking void your computer’s warranty?
22, Nov 2009
It seems that a few Apple warranties have been deemed void due to the fact that the owner was a a smoker, and consequently their Macs were contaminated. The Applecare contract says nothing about this, and the list of toxic materials includes other such dangerous household items as talcum powder and isopropyl alcohol. There’s a long discussion of consumer rights and nanny laws and all that sort of thing just waiting to be pulled out of this story, but let’s not and say we did.
If you ever sit next to me on a plane you will notice that I have a small ritual that I prepare every time I reach cruising altitude. I begin by pulling out my iPod touch and then my Movie Wedge. The Movie Wedge is a little bean bag with a lip for holding up [...]
- In: Tek Oh!
- Tags: gg09, gg09audiovideo, gg09peripherals, gift guide 2009, Headline
Can New Forms of Media Distribution Save Porn?
22, Nov 2009
Porn is all about instant gratification. A business reliant on bringing its customers the goods fast, this industry has always had a history of being on the forefront of new technologies as they emerge for better products and faster distribution. Revolutionizing porn and how its enjoyed with the adoption of the VHS home video, the porn industry grew from a seedy underground sex scene into a $10 billion dollar a year business. Nowadays, the very same industry that once helped mainstream VHS win the battle against Betamax in the 70s and 80s, is facing the problem of staying relevant in today’s “I need it NOW” society. Porn, one of the earliest adopters of e-commerce and Internet broadcasting, is being threatened by the very instant gratification that has made it so profitable. Torrents and free video sites have seriously threatened the porn industry’s business model. Now anyone with a web cam and computer can be a porn star on the Internet. Are people willing to pay for porn anymore? What is the porn industry doing to set themselves apart from all the amateur porn makers out there? Looking towards future tech like mobile streaming, smart phone apps, and instant downloads to VOD systems, porn leaders are changing their business model in an attempt to stay relevant and profitable.