Steve Jobs was a performance artist when he appeared on stage – through his charisma and story-telling skills he captivated audiences, even those with no interest in what he was saying, or doubts about the numbers he bandied about. In memory of his great contributions to the concept of transferring passion about technology to the mainstream, here are a few videos – a couple of which have only recently come to light. Here is Steve Jobs in 1983 unveiling the iconic ’1984′ ad for the first Macintosh. The commercial remains regarded as one of the great all-time ads, but the setup Jobs does and how he reflects through history is every bit as compelling… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

On Thursday October 6th, G5 Entertainment is launching Virtual City 2: Paradise Resort for the Mac and PC – and I will have a full review soon after that! To celebrate the release G5 is holding a giveaway, using their Facebook page(yes, you have to ‘Like’ the page to enter) to enter a Sweepstakes for a chance to win $100, $50 and $20 iTunes Cards. Here are the details: G5 Games is celebrating the launch of Virtual City 2: Paradise Resort for Mac and PC with special Sweepstakes! Enter to win: First prize – $100 iTunes Gift card Second prize – Two $50 iTunes Gift cards Third prize – Five Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Today’s Gear Deal brings us the updated HP TouchSmart 320m all-in-one. It features a 1080p multi-touch screen, has a piano-black finish with chrome accents, includes a 6-in-1 card reader and has a built-in adjustable tilt webcam and mic. The swivel base helps ensure you are as comfortable as possible while using it. The computer also includes a wireless keyboard and mouse, has removable feet for wall mounting and offers an optional TV tuner. This newest 20″ HP TouchSmart 320 starts at $699.99 but our Gear Sponsor has found discounts that drop the price all the way down to just $569.99. That price includes free upgrade to 4GB RAM, a free upgrade to a 500GB Hard… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

  Original Image courtesy of RPAD.tv There is no better way to rain on a geeks parade than to dangle a worthy gadget out there at an unbelievable price, then to quickly slam the door in your face and tell you “it was a mistake.” After seeing news this morning that the HTC Flyer has dropped down to a single Benjamin, I quickly started to get my plan of action together. After my meeting at work, I ran to the local BestBuy Mobile at the closest mall and started a makeshift line so I could ensure that I was walking out of there with a shiny new white Flyer. I showed up at 9:30 and… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

EA made a big (negative) splash with their Project $10, which sought to recoup money from used game buyers who would then look to use EA’s multiplayer services. EA was also among those who have declared used games ‘as bad as piracy’. Yet they also reported first-year revenue from Project $10 as ~$30 million. Not to be outdone at anything viewed as customer hostile, Sony has now unveiled that their ‘PSN Pass’ which began being implemented with Resistance 3, and was just announced for Uncharted 3, will now be part of all future PS3 games! According to Destructoid: Following an earlier statement from a Spanish Sony representative, Sony Computer Entertainment America Continue reading on Gear Diary …

 Image courtesy The Feed So you’re strolling down the sidewalk beachside on Cape Code, or the Jersey Shore, or in Venice, or Santa Cruz, or wherever, and there they are, set up with their easels and charcoal:  caricaturists.  You know:  those folks–often art students at the local college–who do a quick sketch of you and your boyfriend and then sketch you writing a penny-farthing bicycle, or doing a skateboard stunt, or something.  Probably your Mom or your sister or your uncle has one stuck on their fridge, right? Well last year, The Feed kinda did the Web equivalent:  Secret Portraits.  Here’s what they say: Over the past year we’ve pimped people’s profile pics, created  Continue reading on Gear Diary …

You know, sometimes it makes me kinda jealous.  (Or envious; I always get those two mixed up.)  The Apple support people can’t tell you anything; rumors are thin and hard to come by; yet when it’s time for Apple to release a new product, some companies are already out there with cases and software and who knows what all.  Don’t you wish you worked for them, and got the knowledge sooner? I don’t know how Apple keeps it under wraps, frankly. Anywho, I’m not very angry at Otterbox for knowing about the iPhone 4s before I did; I like them, and I like their products.  So the fact that they’re ready on Day 1 for… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

from Apple.com… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

(I just adore Olivia Dunham.  So sue me!) We don’t have TV at my house any more. This is not one of those moralistic, “shoot your television” deals.  Nor is it Sami’s and my attempt to keep pop culture out of the tender brains of our kids.  No, what happened was something went kablooey in our nice, tube-based HD TV several months ago, and we haven’t dealt with it yet.  And since the kids can get pretty much everything they want and more via laptop, iPhone, or iPad, why bother?  They weren’t complaining, and it was saving us some dough.  So hey, we went with it. Here’s the thing, however:  although I don’t watch a lot… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Some things in life just don’t live up to the hype. Take, for instance, the much anticipated iPhone announcement this week. For many like me, it was a disappointment. Fortunately not all things fall into this category of “much ado/much a didn’t.” The new Chrysler 300 SRT8 is a shining example of “delivering the goods.” I was all set to be underwhelmed with this latest overhyped made in Detroit machine. When first seeing the redesign of the model line last year my reaction was melancholy at best and to be perfectly honest I never quite got all the popularity of the 300 since reintroduction several years… Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Composer Steve Reich, along with Terry Riley and Philip Glass, form the core driving force in the modern classical music genre of ‘minimalism’. In the music the harmonic structure and density are sparse and relatively simple, with shifting elements and slow thematic development. Much of the action in minimalism is with the slowly evolving polyrhythms, which are deceptively straightforward but in reality menacingly complex and intriguing. This week marks Steve Reich’s 75th birthday, so I wanted to share a few memorable video clips. The sheet music at the top is for his 1972 piece ‘Clapping Music’, an intriguing study in human rhythm. Here is video of a live performance: Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Age of Defenders is a great looking tower defense game targeting a unique set of multiplatform capabilities. From the developer: With the support from Adobe Systems and Influxis, our team is working on a real-time multiplayer game for mobile and desktop, where players will be able to play against each other on Android, iOS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Facebook, Mac, Windows and Linux. The game is called Age of Defenders. It is a multiplayer Tower Defence game (very popular genre among gamers). It is so much different to the “regular” TD games, because you have to protect your own base, but at the same time attack your enemy. You play against other humans with different Continue reading on Gear Diary …

While I have no intention of covering every little Facebook game to come along, there are some that deserve extra attention – and THIS is one! I reviewed Hearts of Iron III for the Mac last spring, talking about the depth and challenge and excellence the grand strategy game brought to gamers seeking a truly unique experience. Now Paradox is bringing that experience to an online card-based game. Paradox Interactive today announced that Hearts of Iron The Card Game, a free-to-play, browser-based, online Collectible Card Game (CCG) set in World War II, is now live and ready for players to start their domination in this unique turn-based, online strategy game. Hearts of Iron The Continue reading on Gear Diary …

This morning I wanted to make sure that I was straight about what the difference between clams and oysters was, beyond taste; I must have slept through that lesson in Biology. As I often do, I turned to Google and posed my question in the search bar. The first site that popped up answered my question perfectly, and when I took a look at the site which had provided my answer, I was pleasantly surprised to find that what it does is answer questions about the differences between things. As they explain … Differencebetween.net not only facilitates your understanding of a topic, but it also enables you to differentiate two similar subjects. The site provides Continue reading on Gear Diary …

Bad news for Blackberry and B&N fans; you’ll have to pick sides soon. B&N is notifying Blackberry users that effective January 1st, they’re dropping all support for their eReader app. Of course, if you want to go through contortions, you can always sideload your books via USB. Or you could switch to Kobo or Amazon, both of whom offer fully supported ebook apps for Blackberry. According to Crackberry, this is the email B&N has sent to affected users: We are writing to inform you about important changes being made to the BN eReader software for BlackBerry. Changes to the BN eReader software will directly affect how you purchase and access your digital Continue reading on Gear Diary …