Archive for November, 2007
30th November 2007
The CoolIT USB beverage chiller is certainly one of the more common gadgets of this type on the market, but it does have one major flaw. The fact that the bottom of the can is the only area that comes in contact with the cooling element can result in a drink that is less than thoroughly chilled.
Fortunately, there is a DIY solution available that will give your CoolIT device a much needed upgrade. All you need is a foam can cozy and a Genisys xs 3D rapid prototyping printer. Eh…there is probably a workaround for that second part–or you could simply buy an off-the-shelf version that could do the job. But where is the satisfaction in that? Hit the link for instructions. [Flickr via Make]
30th November 2007
The Great Pepsi MP3 Giveaway returns, but this time with…Amazon? Yup. Starting Superbowl Sunday (Feb. 3), Pepsi’s stuffing 5 billion bottles of Coke soda with download codes, but you need five of ‘em to get a free song. That’s right, there will be no casual Pepsi drinkers getting free songs on Pepsi/Amazon’s dime–which is about 40 cents a track, down from the 65-70 cents Amazon usually places in labels’ pockets. Consequently, not all of them may participate, which is lame-o on their part.
It’s a promotion people, come on–it helped put iTunes on the map back in 2004 and it might help Amazon’s MP3 store gain some much needed visibility. What’s interesting is that Billboard says this contest might serve as a tipping point to push Sony BMG into selling songs in the MP3 format–right now, Universal and EMI are the only two major labels doing so. If the contest isn’t an adequate carrot, Wal-Mart might be providing the stick, since it’s rumored to be threatening to drop Sony and Warner’s catalog if they don’t supply its online store with the MP3 format.
Given the fear labels have of the iTunes monopoly, you’d think they’d jump at a player-neutral format, and moreover, the chance to promote alternate players in the online music market. I, however, am not jumping at the chance to drink Pepsi. Blech. [Billboard via Paid Content, Flickr]
30th November 2007
The Writers Guild strike languishes on: Heroes ends for the year next week. In a bid to end our suffering, the producers’ trade group has made a “groundbreaking” offer to the Writers Guild, grandiosely titled the “New Economic Partnership.” The deal’s a mind-blowing less-than $250 flat fee for an hour-long show to be re-broadcast on the internet for up to a year. If you recall, internet distribution’s sort of the sticking point and writers asked for 2.5 percent of the “distributors’ gross revenue.” Let us count the ways writers get screwed by the producers’ Scrooge-y offer.
Ars points out that right now writers pull about four to six cents a DVD, so a two-million seller will bring them between $80,000 and $120,000 on a title raking in millions for the studio. Even though it’s a less-than-stellar deal, at least it scales. The $250 flat internet re-distribution payment and fixed $1300 for 15 minutes of internet-only content doesn’t, which is a problem in a couple of ways.
For one, these contracts are in place for a long time–when the initial deal regarding DVD sales were made, DVD wasn’t very big. In today’s climate, they’re studios’ biggest cash cows, and writers get the short end of the stick. This deal would lock them into the same rate for internet distribution and content, no matter how big new media gets, and it’s obviously going to be huge, so they’re standing to get screwed even harder here.
On a smaller scale, it means no matter how many clicks–and therefore ad dollars–a video drew, writers would still get the same tiny compensation. The guild’s going over this “proposal” until Tuesday, when talks resume, but our feeling is that you better have a hard love for reruns, reality TV or YouTube. [Ars Technica]
30th November 2007
If you’re planning on buying or gifting an iPhone or an iPod Touch this Christmas, might we suggest the book How to Do Everything With Your iPhone to go along with? It’s got lots of tips, tricks, and will even teach you how to jailbreak and SIM unlock your iPhone. Oh, and did we mention that it’s written by Jason Chen and Adam Pash? Yeah, that’s the same Adam from Lifehacker, and the same Jason that you’ve grown to love here. ME!
We just got a big box of books from the publisher and proceeded to do to it what we’ve done to everything else we love–stick it down our pants. So yes, please buy the book and make both of our Christmases a happy one.
Oh, and thanks to everyone who pre-ordered. You should be getting your books very soon!Buy my book! [Amazon]
30th November 2007
You think your bathroom is awesome? It’s not. Check out this Japanese bathroom that’s built into an aquarium, featuring a peeping tom of a turtle and a bunch of fish with no dignity. It’s a ladies’ room, so there are no dudes allowed, unfortunately. It cost $270,000 to build, which is a lot for a bathroom but not that bad for a gigantic aquarium. And you thought running the faucet made it easier to go. [Pink Tentacle]
