Image courtesy of IVCaffeine … To Include Being Unhappy With Their Unconstitutional Screening Practices. Over at CNN there is an article that highlights a recent move by the TSA to categorize profiling of those who are unhappy with the potential added security screening as ‘potential threats’. There is also a video report. Here are a couple of quotes: the TSA‘s crack behavior detection officers are now on the lookout for “anyone who displays arrogance or expresses contempt for the screening process.” Why? Because scientific anti-terror detection techniques have now apparently revealed that complaining about poor treatment from airport security indicates you are probably a terrorist. And more telling: “Expressing your contempt Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We have a chance to review a ton of gear here on the site. Some we love. Some we like. Some… Not so much. Thing is, we also find ways to save on the items we review and now, thanks to our sister site New Gear Daily (formal announcement, rollout and giveaway celebration coming soon), we have a way to share these deals with you. Here’s one thing we promise you. We will ONLY list items that we reviewed positively in the past, and many are the same review items that we continue to use long after the review is up — which is the case with EVERY item listed below… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

When you are at the beach, there are only so many places that you can tuck an ID card or some spare cash; keeping a bottle opener handy can be a chore as well …. but no more! Here to help is the ArchPort YogiStash, a flip-flop with a stash compartment just under the arch. Available in blue or gray and in sizes that will fit most men and women, the YogiStash retails for $54.95 — about on par with other popular flip-flops without all the extras. These look like the pair to bring when you are trekking around on vacation; the stash compartment is supposed to help with arch support, and inside your flip-flops is… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You know the drill: I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC. But beyond the stereotypes, there are apparently some trends and tendencies. The folks at Hunch have done a massive poll and put their results in pictograph form. Here is the intro: Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming: The folks at crowdsourced decision-making site Hunch have crunched the numbers on close to 400,000 participating users to paint differing portraits of Mac and PC users. Their results, assembled in the infographic below, back up some Mac/PC user stereotypes while upsetting others, though it’s worth pointing out that being the sort of early-adopting hipcat who regularly uses Hunch may be a more Continue reading on Gear Diary …

While quoting lines from movies is as old as the ‘talkies’ themselves, over the last few decades movies have become so ingrained in our cultural fabric that they have become part of our identity. My family uses lines from Airplane!, Star Wars, Monty Python and many, many more on a regular basis. So I thought this comic was really cool … and a bit scary. It is best if you read from top to bottom … especially if you are over 35! Source: xkcd Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve been playing around with the BlackBerry Playbook and, overall, I’m impressed. I say “overall” because I love the hardware but am increasingly frustrated by the lack of apps. (More on that in an upcoming post.) Since I DO love the hardware I’m more than a bit interested in some of the various ways to cover and protect the 7″ tablet. Thankfully Case-Mate is rolling out some nice options. The Venture The first is the Venture. This was one of my favorite cases for the original iPad and it looks like a great… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

I’ve probably mentioned before that I’m not the best judge of games that have time limits and reward good twitch reflexes.  It’s just not my thing–I was okay at Tetris and Donkey Kong and whatnot back in the day, but then a skeet-shooting expedition with my Pop caused an inflammation in a disk, and now I don’t have feeling in a couple of my fingers.  (Which makes typing and piano playing an interesting exercise, I must say.) The point here is that I simply don’t know of this here new game, tPori, is one hot commodity or not because it has, you know, timing elements and twitch reflex requirements.  But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t check… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s Gear Deal will save you big on a new 2011 Samsung 43″ Plasma HDTV. The Samsung PN43D450 43″ Plasma HDTV features 720p 1366×768 resolution, Mega Dynamic Contrast, SRS TheaterSound, Anynet+(HDMI CEC), ConnectShare Movie, 600Hz Subfield Motion, 2 HDMI inputs, and more. Normally $599.99, our Gear Sponsor has found savings of $184 on it. That brings the price down to just $515.00. (Yes! $515 for a 43″ Plasma TV!) Better still it will ship for free and there is no tax in most states. (Check your state to make sure before checking out.) $184 Off Samsung PN43D450 43-Inch 720p 600hz Plasma HDTV (2011 model) via LogicBUY Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Note that the above chart is missing one key slice. In 2004, Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage. No World Wars or other disasters befell the state, but the Red Sox won the World Series! So remember, in the event of same-sex marriage, two people get married AND long-standing bad sports curses break. Win-win! (And that really is the most exciting thing that happens. As Dan loves pointing out, Sarah and I are just as boring as every other couple!) Via Good.is Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You know what the real problem is when you have a company that simply won’t sit still, that just keeps cranking out stuff week after week?  Stuff the gear-owning world is clamoring for, stuff that you need to power your gadgets, or solve problems you run into hooking up your stereo speakers, or to cover your precious new device? I just plumb run out of clever things to write about ‘em, is what the problem is. Yes, your verbose, loquacious, your eruditer-than-you news reporter, he does indeed run out of words.  It’s those durn folks at USBFever, durn it!  How’s a guy supposed to keep up, huh?  HUH? And so, without further ado (or… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

  I can think of far worse work stations than this! Take one gorgeous spring day, an 11″ MacBook Air and Rain Design’s awesome laptop stand and you get one rather nice place to work. Elana has never raved about a computer as much as she does her 11″ MBA and being able to edit a business proposal for someone while looking out at the lake is pretty darn nice! I think THIS is what mobile computing was made for!   And speaking of mobile computing… Posted from my RIM Playbook!… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Four Students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are Grand Prize winners of the OnStar Student Developer Challenge and a $10,000 Developer Dream Package. The winning team created an app called EatOn , a restaurant discovery experience within the vehicle.… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

The Beastie Boys landed on the scene in the late 80′s with a massive boom, as their ‘Fight for your right’ became an MTV mainstay after it was released in late 1986 and the song remains fresh and popular today. The Beasties have scored loads of hits and stayed on top of the cross-over rap/rock game for the last 25 years with a fresh and light approach. In early May their latest effort – Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 – will be released, marking their first new material in several years, and their first release since MCA underwent surgery for cancer. Side-note: Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 2 also carries pretty much everything from the in-progress… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Yesterday I wrote about the ‘ongoing PSN outage saga’. Today things get worse. Sony has confirmed what all users feared – personal user and account information has been compromised and ‘may’ have been stolen. Here is the full text of a message I got and that every PSN and Qriocity member will get: Valued PlayStation Network/Qriocity Customer: We have discovered that between April 17 and April 19, 2011, certain PlayStation Network and Qriocity service user account information was compromised in connection with an illegal and unauthorized intrusion into our network. In response to this intrusion, we have: Temporarily turned off PlayStation Network and Qriocity services; Engaged an outside, recognized security firm Continue reading on Gear Diary …

We reviewed Waterfield’s Travel Express back in March. I love it and am using it constantly these days. I described it as holding “just enough but not too much” and that is exactly why it is such a practical, yet good looking, case. At the time I wondered to myself how long it would be before the company rolled out versions for the 11″ and 13″ MacBook Airs. Well I now have my answer. Waterfield has just announced the MacBook Air Travel Express for the 11″ and 13″ MBAs. As they explain, Air Travel Never Felt So Good. The rugged and svelte MacBook Air Travel Express is your passport to productivity. Use it as a Continue reading on Gear Diary …