Treblemaker

Interview with ROCKETON Founders

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:51:00 +0000

Steve Hoffman and Eric Hayashi are certainly well-rounded interactive entertainment executives. Their bios are full of so many impressive entertainment and gaming companies that it will make your head spin. Combined, Steve and Eric have worked at Vivendi Universal Games, Virgin Interactive, Infospace, Hasbro Interactive, Sega and Atari.

So what did Steve and Eric do with all that experience? What was the culmination of this vast interactive knowledge? In 2007, Steve and Eric joined forces with Naomi Kokubo and co-founded ROCKETON, a new type of multiplayer social experience that spans the entire web.

Instead of having to go to a separate site or use a specific application like Second Life, ROCKETON turns the entire Internet into a virtual world for browser based avatars. Think of ROCKETON like Second Life + PMOG with a twist of Facebook and a dash of StumbleUpon. It's a Web 2.0 evolutional twist on virtual reality.

MethodShop was lucky enough to get some time with Steve and Eric and grilled them pretty hard about ROCKETON. A link to the full interview is below. Enjoy.

Interview: ROCKETON's Steve Hoffman and Eric Hayashi

methodshop

iPhone 3G Launch Problems

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:46:00 +0000

The long awaited iPhone 3G was released on Friday, July 11th. But what should have been a happy and joyous day for iPhone fans, ended up being an exercise in frustration for many.

After waiting in line outside of Apple Stores for hours (or even days), some consumers then spent up to 7 hours inside because of "network problems" that slowed or even halted the activation of new iPhones.

The iPhone 3G line outside the Manhattan Apple Store on 14th Street at 12:52PM.
Estimated wait time was ~4 hours.

Apparently Apple's authentication servers weren't prepared to handle the amount of global network traffic from new iPhone 3G activations. Network slowdowns were first reported after stores opened in Europe. The network then came to a halt after US East Coast stores opened. By the time American West Coast stores had started selling iPhones, Apple's servers just couldn't take it anymore and started crashing. It was AT&T's insistence that all phones get activated in the store that caused the problem. During last year's iPhone 1.0 launch Apple had everyone activate their own phone at home through iTunes.

>>>Continue Reading

Digg.com Launches New "Recommendation Engine"

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:16:00 +0000

Digg is rolling out a new recommendation engine this week. The new feature's goal is to help users discover content from like-minded individuals amid the clutter of the 16k+ stories submitted to Digg.com each day.

You know how when you are browsing Amazon.com and the site suggests related products based on what you are viewing and what you've already purchased? This new Digg feature works kind of the same way. It analyzes your previous "diggs," or stories you've voted for, then lets you know what other users with similar tastes have recommended.

If you want to know more, Digg execs Kevin Rose and Anton Kast go into detail about how it works on the Digg blog.

Rose will also probably explain the new feature during his next Diggnation podcast.

methodshop

Loopt Coming Soon to the iPhone 3G

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:55:00 +0000

Wish you knew where your friends and family were at all times? Have you heard of Loopt yet?

Loopt is a mobile phone application that enables users to ~~spy on~~ see the location of their friends on an interactive map (see image below). The application also allows you to message friends in your general area and setup automatic alerts to notify you when friends are nearby.

In the last few months, Loopt has published several BlackBerry versions of its software for all major American cellphone carriers including T-Mobile, AT&T, Alltel and Sprint. Loopt also demonstrated an Alpha version of their software for the 3G iPhone at the 2008 World Wide Developers Conference (WWDC). You can sign up to be notified when the full iPhone version of Loopt is released here.

If you have a Jailbroken iPhone, then the function and features of Loopt might sound similar to Twinkle. Twinkle is a native Twitter client for the iPhone that pairs your GPS location with your Twitter posts. Twinkle also gives you the ability to add images to your Twitter Tweets.

But whether or not you use Loopt, Twinkle or Twitter.. it's not any fun unless all your friends are also using the service.

methodshop

Developers and Consumers Get Ready for Apple's iPhone App Store

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:44:00 +0000

A massive new online business is scheduled to launch on July 11: Apple's App Store - an online hub for third party iPhone and iPod Touch applications.

Beginning later this month, developers will begin to upload apps to the store accessible by iPhone users or to a new section of the iTunes Store, sharing revenue from app sales with Apple in a 70/30 split. These apps will be in addition to the 1,700-odd apps already developed for the iPhone's Safari web browser.

One of the games people are looking forward to playing is Super Monkey Ball. Sega's Ethan Einhorn showed off Super Monkey Ball on stage at the WWDC. According to Einhorn, after 8 weeks of development, the developers have created 110 stages.

The new 3G, GPS-enabled iPhone should open up a world of possibilities for clever developers in the realms of gaming, entertainment and enterprise applications.

In related news, the AOL Radio app for the iPhone won for Best Entertainment Application at the 2008 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), providing users free access to over 350 online radio stations (including 150 local CBS radio stations) and more than 200 AOL Radio channels.

Other WWDC iPhone App winners:

Best iPhone Game:
Enigmo by Pangea Software

Best iPhone Social Networking App:
Twitterrific by the Icon Factory

Best iPhone Productivity App:
OmniFocus by the Omni Group

Best iPhone Healthcare & Fitness App:
MIM from MIMVista

methodshop

iPhone 3G and WWDC Announcement Predictions

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:39:00 +0000

There's no doubt that an iPhone update is imminent. But while nearly everyone has agreed on that, nobody knows anything definite about the specifics... except that the new iPhone will be compatible with the Microsoft Exchange email services. There's a link on the main Apple.com iPhone page where you can apply to be a beta tester.

In regards to the iPhone, here's what we know today:

Apple.com lists the iPhone as “Currently Unavailable.” Stock is so low that you can't buy it. Usually a good sign that a new model is coming out soon.
Apple continues to make iPhone sales deals across the globe. Netherlands, Hong Kong, Singapore, India and Australia were all announced with the last few months.
A 3G settings screen was found by hackers in the latest firmware update for the iPhone.
The new iPhone will most likely be unveiled during Steve Jobs’ keynote speech at Apple’s WWDC (World Wide Developers Conference) on June 9th.
AT&T is prohibiting retail-store employees from taking vacations between June 15 and July 12, claiming that they’re expecting a “heavy selling period”. They implemented a similar policy last year for the iPhone launch.
AT&T executives have said numerous times that all of their smartphones (the iPhone is one of the) will support 3G networking soon.
The Apple Stores have been out of stock of the iPhone for weeks. And people are forming daily lines outside Apple stores that still have a few iPhones in stock.

And here' are some rumors about what Steve Jobs might announce at the WWDC on June 9th:

Rumor: The new 3G iPhone will be about 20% thinner.
Rumor: The new 3G iPhone will have built-in video chat that would allow you to video chat with other iPhones or even computers with webcams.
Rumor: The Apple TV is going to get an add-on USB camera that will turn the Apple TV into a video chat system (see item above). How would it work? A picture in picture effect would happen if you were watching a movie on your Apple TV when someone tried to “video call” you from an iPhone.
Rumor: Just like the iPods, the new iPhone will come in several colors including black [pic] and white [pic]. Several colored iPhone photos have already surfaced on the Interweb. There's no doubt that black would be an extremely popular iPhone color.
Rumor: The new iPhone will have built-in GPS (it's about time).
Rumor: Apple will also announce a new, wireless keyboard specifically for Apple TV, with multi touch capabilities. Basically it will be a super remote control.

methodshop

Bob Dylan's 5 Best Albums

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:50:00 +0000

I was at my local bar the other night and someone asked me if I were ever to be stranded on a desert island and could only bring 5 Bob Dylan albums, which ones would I bring?

I couldn't answer him right away, and not because I had already had a good buzz after drinking four bottles of Miller Lite (note: I'm a lightweight), I had to think about that for a while because I really love Bob Dylan. Wait, let me rephrase that, I REALLY LOVE BOB DYLAN! For anyone even remotely aware of American pop culture over the past 40 years, it would be tough to miss the direct impact and lasting influence of Dylan's songs. I needed time to get back in touch with ALL things B-O-B!

So after spending a WHOLE week revisiting all my Dylan albums in iTunes, I compiled these 5 as the very ones I'd like to have with me if I were stranded on a desert island. And with this list I hope I can introduce the genius of Dylan to people walking around now who've never heard of the guy, or have no awareness of him beyond simple name recognition.

So if I was stranded on a desert island and could only have 5 Bob Dylan albums on my iPhone, which ones would I bring? Here's my list...

Continue Reading>>>

methodshop

Converting Audio File Formats in iTunes

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:31:00 +0000

iTunes is much more than a digital music jukebox. It's capable of handling many different tasks involving digital media. Some of iTunes' most popular features include buying music and vidoes online, burning CDs, and syncing files with your iPod or iPhone.

But one of the lesser known functions hidden within iTunes is the ability to convert audio files.

Why would you need to convert an audio file? Converting audio file types can be useful in many different situations. Here are a few examples:

You have an AAC file in iTunes that's not compatible with your Zune that can play MP3 and not AAC files.
A WAV file needs to be emailed to a client for approval but it's too big. You need to convert the file to an AAC so it's small enough to easily send via email.
You are making a music video and want to use a song you got online as the soundtrack. However, the editing program won't import the song because it doesn't support MP3 or AAC.
You need to remove the DRM (Digital Rights Management) from an AAC song you purchased from the iTunes Store (see step #7).

Many programs that convert audio files into different formats are pretty complicated and usually cost money. But not iTunes. iTunes is simple, fast and best of all... free.

Tutorial: Converting Audio File Formats in iTunes

methodshop

New Weezer Video Features YouTube Celebs

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Fri, 23 May 2008 21:50:00 +0000

The band Weezer posted their new music video called "Pork and Beans" on YouTube. The video features a huge collection of "internet stars" from Tay "Chocolate Rain" Zonday to Chris "Leave Britney Alone" Crocker. Weezer even plays in front of a huge deluge tribute to "Coke + Mentos".

Weezer's new self-titled "Red Album" comes out June 3rd, 2008.

methodshop

iPhone Line Forms Already at Apple's 5th Ave Store

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Thu, 22 May 2008 21:06:00 +0000

Here's a post from MethodShop.com about iPhone lines outside the Apple Store:

"This morning I had to go buy another copy of OS X Leopard (my original copy got scratched). As I walked closer to the Apple Store on 5th Avenue I was somewhat surprised to see a line of about 50 people waiting in line. The 3G iPhone announcement isn't rumored to happen until June 9th right? Are these people going to wait in line for over 2 weeks or do they know something we don't?

I asked the security guard by the Cube what was going on and he said it was for the iPhone. That's all he knew and he very was annoyed at me for asking him about the iPhone line. I'm doubt I was the first person to ask.

Still confused I walked downstairs and bought my copy of Leopard. Before I left the Apple Store, I asked Jessica, my cashier, if the people outside were waiting for the new 3G iPhone. She cryptically said "They are waiting to buy an iPhone. We will sell them whatever phones we have in stock." She was kind of pissed off too.

For some reason the majority of people waiting in line were Chinese. I was later informed by a friend that to get around iPhone quantity restrictions (one one per person), you can pay people (usually from Chinatown I guess) to buy you extra iPhones and even hold your place in line.

I wonder how many of these people will still be in line on June 9th."

methodshop

3G iPhone Launch Set For June 9

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Wed, 21 May 2008 12:15:00 +0000

According to Gizmodo, Apple is set to unveil the 3G iPhone on June 9 at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Francisco.

Here's an excerpt from the Gizmodo post:

"We all suspected it, but now it is confirmed: someone very, very close to the 3G iPhone launch has told me [Gizmodo’s Jesus Diaz] that Apple will announce their new model at the WWDC Keynote on June 9th. The second-generation iPhone will be available worldwide right after the launch, and not at year’s end, as previously thought. The new model will also herald new sales policies in some countries.

In Spain, for example, the 3G iPhone will be available for sale at the June 18th grand opening of Telefonica’s megastore—an Apple Store-like shop located in the company’s historical building in Madrid’s Gran Vía— with nationwide availability the next day or after a few hours. The other European countries with iPhone availability will have similar launch schedules."

The 3G iPhone will also supposedly do away with fixed-price iPhones. Apple will be adopting a more traditional subsidized pricing model. This means that certain carriers can offer discounts and subsidies on the Apple handset. This also means that large companies will probably be able to purchase iPhones in bulk and offer them as part of their companies internal wireless plans.

What will this new 3G iPhone look like? Rumors say it might come in multiple colors including black (see a mockup above). There's no doubt that a black 3G iPhone would be extremely popular.

Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, first promised a 3G iPhone at a London press conference in September 2007. Sine then, it's been a guessing game trying to figure out when the 3G iPhone would be released. In April, hackers found a 3G toggle switch in the iPhone's 2.0 beta firmware hinting that a 3G iPhone release was imminent.

methodshop

iPhone 3G Settings [pic]

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:56:00 +0000

Still doubt that the 3G iPhone is coming soon?

This settings screen with a 3G toggle switch (see image) was found in the latest beta release of the iPhone's 2.0 firmware.

Why would you want to turn off 3G? Because 3G drains cell phone batteries very quickly. In this screenshot, Apple has included a toggle setting to turn 3G off, and use AT&T's slower but more battery friendly EDGE network instead. Probably a very useful feature if you are almost out of juice.

When can we expect to see a 3G iPhone and how much will it cost?

Continue Reading>>>

Framing Hanley Interview

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Sun, 11 May 2008 13:53:00 +0000

Framing Hanley have certainly come a long way in a very short time. First formed in 2005, the band posted some song demos that they recorded on a Macintosh on MySpace.com. Then in November of 2006, these demos were discovered by Brett Hestla, former Creed bassist and frontman of Dark New Day.

Hestla helped the young Nashville based quintet record a 2 song demo in his Florida studio which captured the attention of Jeff Hanson (Creed, Sevendust, Paramore) and his record label Silent Majority Group. Framing Hanley's debut LP The Moment was released August 2007.

We had the good fortune to get some time with Framing Hanley's frontman Nixon. This young star has a very intense voice reminiscent of Chester from Linkin Park. Listen to the breakdown in "Hear Me Now" to get an idea of what I'm referring to.

Interview: Framing Hanley vocalist Kenneth Nixon

methodshop

Raw Meat iPod Cover

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:56:00 +0000

A Japanese company called Solid Alliance is selling an Apple iPod cover that's designed to look like RAW MEAT. It comes in a cellophane-and-Styrofoam package just like meat does. We've reviewed plenty of iPod/iPhone cases before, but this one gets bonus points for originality. I wonder what my dog will think.

iPod... It's what's for dinner?

More info at rakuten.co.jp and therawfeed.com

methodshop

Nexcopy USB Flash Drive Duplicator

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:53:00 +0000

The USB Duplicator by Nexcopy is an interesting product to say the least. Granted it wouldn't apply to the average consumer, but it does have it's place. In addition, I would say USB flash drives are the #1 most under-rated promotional item business' have missed out on, so I can see why this product is coming to marketing. Get your company logo branded on there, load her up with data, sales material, promotional videos, tutorials...I could go on and on...

Even if a customer deletes the data off the flash drive, the company logo is still branded on the device. Always in the customers face, always reminded them where they got the drive.

Maybe it's the process of data loading the information onto the drive on why flash drives haven't become more popular with companies for handing out information. It's a very viral gadget. The USB duplicator is an obvious choice for making such a life, much easier. The Nexcopy USB duplicator is a 20 target system and the company says a 5 minute mpeg video (about 30MBs) can be copied in about 40 seconds. This means the USB duplicator can churn out [estimated] 1,200 drives in about 1 hour. I'll have to back that number down considering swapping the drives, the OS identifying the drive etc. But even so, the USB duplicator turns a miserable task into an easy process.

USB music albums are becoming a much bigger hit these days as well, and having a USB duplicator to make your album definitely speeds up the process from a hub and copy-n-paste. I know you can put the following information onto a CD or DVD, but for the groupies, something unique like a flash drive is just ideal. Putting your band video, back story interviews, lyrics etc. onto USB is a new way to give a bands fans something unique. The other advantage with making a USB album is increasing a bands margin on selling promotional items. Your 20% margin is a lot more in dollars with a $25 USB drive than a $10 T-shirt or $7 CD.

So again, the USB duplicator concept isn't for the masses, but is a great idea for the select few. Speaking of which - are you [or someone you know] part of the select few? If so check out the USB duplicator from Nexcopy.

Source: GetUSB.info

methodshop

Rickrolling Mania

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 21:32:00 +0000

Have you been "Rickrolled" yet?

1980s pop star Rick Astley is now making headlines again after years in obscurity thanks to millions of Web surfers being Rickrolled by pranksters. Webmasters and bloggers are purposely redirecting unsuspecting Internet users to a video of Astley performing his hit “Never Gonna Give You Up”.

How does a Rickroll work? It's basically a bait and switch. Let's say I make a link that says Sexy Paris Hilton Video and you click on it. Instead of actually seeing Paris Hilton, you'd be directed to a Rick Astley music video. That's a "Rick Roll".

Yesterday YouTube decided to get in on the joke. Several links on the YouTube homepage purposely "Rick Rolled" users. Why? Yesterday just happened to be April Fools’ Day.

The act of Rickrolling has even evolved beyond cyberspace. Pawl Fisher, a student at Eastern Washington University (EWU), recently "Rick Rolled" a March basketball game at his school. Here's the clip:

So what has this done to Astley’s record sales? They are way up. Even his iTunes sales are up. His record label is trying to get a re-release of Astley greatest hits album out not only to keep up with demand but to obviously cash in on the Rickrolling craze. Astley recently spoke to the LA Times and called the phenomena "bizarre" and only hopes that his daughter receives no embarrassment over it.

Personally I think it's one of greatest phenomena ever to sweep the Internet. By the way, the error page for MethodShop is a "Rickroll".

So the next time you randomly click on a link and see a short guy with red hair wearing a black shirt and a tan trench-coat singing... congratulations, you've been Rickrolled.

methodshop | youtube

China Now #1 Internet Market

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:10:00 +0000

The United States is no longer the nation with the largest number of internet users. China overtook the US last month in users for the first time, according to the state-run China Internet Network Information Center.

Researcher BDA China Ltd. estimates there are now over 220 million internet users in China, compared with 217.1 million in the U.S. Online ad revenue continues to lag in China, however, totaling $1.3 billion in 2007 compared to e-Marketer estimates of $21.4 billion in America.

Maybe it's time for me to start promoting the Chinesse translation of my blog.

methodshop

Beer OS - Happy St. Patrick's Day

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 11:22:00 +0000

Every year on March 17, we honor Saint Patrick (circa 385–461), one of the patron saints of Ireland. Whether or not you choose to celebrate the holiday by wearing green, eating Irish foods, imbibing Irish drink (usually Guinness), or attending parades, we wish you a safe a happy holiday.

Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick's Day... even computer operating systems. So as you raise your glass to St. Patrick this year, try to pretend your beer was a computer operating system. It might go a little like this...

Macintosh Beer
Considered by many to be a "light" beer. All the cans look identical. When you take one from the fridge, it opens itself. The ingredients list is not on the can. If you call to ask about the ingredients, you are told that "you don't need to know." A notice on the side reminds you to drag your empties to the trashcan.

DOS Beer
Requires you to use your own can opener, and that you read the directions carefully before opening the can. The can is divided into eight compartments of 2oz each, which have to be accessed separately. A lot of people keep drinking it after it was discontinued.

Windows 3.1 Beer
Was the world's most popular beer in the mid-1990s. Looked a lot like Mac Beer's. Requires that you already own a DOS Beer. Claims that it allows you to drink several DOS Beers simultaneously, but in reality you can only drink a few of them, very slowly, especially slowly if you are drinking the Windows Beer at the same time. Sometimes, for no apparent reason, a can of Windows Beer will explode when you open it.

Windows NT Beer
Windows NT beer could only be purchased by the truckload. This caused most people to have to go out and buy bigger refrigerators. The can looked just like Windows 3.1 Beer. Touted as an "industrial strength" beer, and suggested only for use in bars.

Windows XP Beer
Tastes like Windows 2000 beer but comes with a pretty dress. It opens sometimes without asking and if you leave a case of it open for awhile, it might explode all over your basement. Oh best of all, sometimes Windows XP Beer likes to open your front door and let people in to hang advertisements all over your house and steal your credit card number.

Windows Vista Beer
Windows Vista Beer looks a lot like the newest Mac Beer but tastes more like Windows XP Beer. Most people will probably keep drinking Windows XP Beer until their friends try Windows Vista Beer and say they like it. Many people try Windows Vista Beer, then spit it out and spend hours trying to put Windows XP Beer back into the same can.

UNIX Beer
This very heavy beer comes in 32oz cans, and has been around for years, rumor has it that it was originally brewed as a hoax by a couple of bored workers, only for them to find that some people actually liked the stuff. It tends to be drunk only by freaks or eccentric academics, often with beards; and drinkers of it do not like drinkers of any other beer. In its basic form it doesn't look particularly impressive, but with the addition of a magic ingredient named "X", it can be converted into an all-singing all-dancing beer on a par with the others. Many other varieties exist, with a huge range of flavors and (often unpronounceable) ingredients. Mac Beer has many of the same ingredients as Unix Beer.

OS/2 Beer
Tasted like a mix between Unix and DOS Beer. Allowed you to drink several DOS Beers and a Windows 3.1 Beer simultaneously, but slowly. You never saw anyone drinking OS/2 Beer, but the manufacturer (International Beer Manufacturing) claimed that 9 million OS/2 Beer six-packs were sold. The best place these days to find a an OS/2 Beer is inside an old ATM machine.

Amiga Beer
The company went out of business, but their recipe was picked up by some weird German company, so now this beer is an import. This beer never really sold very well because the original manufacturer didn't understand marketing. Like Unix Beer, Amiga Beer fans are an extremely loyal and loud group. When this can was originally introduced, it appeared flashy and colorful, but the design never changed much over the years, so it looked dated in its later years.

VMS Beer
Requires minimal user interaction, except for popping the top and sipping. However cans have been known on occasion to explode, or contain extremely un-beer-like contents. Best drunk in high pressure development environments. When you call the manufacturer for the list of ingredients, you're told that is proprietary and referred to an unknown listing in the manuals published by the FDA. Rumors are that this was once listed in the Physicians' Desk Reference as a tranquilizer, but no one can claim to have actually seen it.

methodshop

IT Through The Decades - Olivia Munn

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:08:00 +0000

Olivia Munn, the foxy geek hostess from Attack of the Show (G4 TV) and Playboy Magazine (Feb 2007), is in a new viral YouTube video for Dell Computer called "IT Through The Decades."

The clip helps promote Dell's servers by poking fun at all the poor IT related decisions companies have made the past few decades (1978-2008). In the clip, Mike the IT guy suggests "new" technologies like databases and bar codes and gets made fun of by his colleagues.

Olivia doesn't have a ton of lines but she definitely adds some sex appeal to the YouTube clip. Warning: It's a little long (especially for a "viral" clip). Olivia fans will also probably get a kick out of seeing her dressed up in retro 70's and 80's outfits. You can save this clip off YouTube by following these instructions.

If you're looking for more Olivia Munn, just Google search her name. YouTube is full of clips of her doing things like riding a Hawaii Chair, seductively eating hotdogs and recovering from a baby oil slip. Too bad she's dating that turd biscuit Bryan Greenberg from One Tree Hill.

Here's a link to the clip on YouTube in case the video above doesn't load.

methodshop

The Evolution of Dance With Optimus Prime

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 00:20:00 +0000

The Evolution of Dance is the most-viewed YouTube video ever. In the video, Judson Laipply, a motivational speaker, dances to a soundtrack that plays through various popular songs ranging from Elvis Presley to MC Hammer and Michael Jackson. As of February 2008, The Evolution of Dance has over 76 million views on YouTube, and is the most viewed video on the site.

Here's a parody of The Evolution of Dance performed by Optimus Prime from The Transformers called "The Evolution of Dance With Optimus Prime." Keep your eyes peeled for the subtle robotic crotch thrusts during YMCA. It might not be appropriate for younger Decepticons.

Gotta love the ending. Optimus Prime doesn't like the Macarena. He transforms and leaves the stage.

Surprisingly, this clip is not from the popular stop-animation comedy show Robotic Chicken. The guy who made it is named Patrick Boivin. Seth Green should give him a job.

methodshop

Classic Nintendo Themed TV Remote

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:55:00 +0000

Need some help rounding out your classic Nintendo collection?

Old NES somewhere in the basement... CHECK. Purchased every Classic Console game on the Nintendo Wii... CHECK. But do you have a cool universal TV remote that looks just like a NES controller? No? ThinkGeek.com does and it's ready for immediate delivery via winged turtle shell.

This NES style remote controls most TVs allowing critical gaming functions like power on/off, changing the channel and even volume adjustment. Now you can amaze your friends by pretending to play classic NES games while watching old Thundercats re-runs.

These controllers are limited editions from Japan. Once they are gone, they are gone.

The Nintendo Controller Universal Remote works with the following brands of TVs:

Sony
Panasonic
Sharp
Sylvania
Sanyo
Aiwa
Hitachi
Philips
NEC
JVC
Toshiba
Mitsubishi
Fujitsu

By the way, this remote does not control cable boxes, DVD players or anything else. Strictly TV sets. Also the Nintendo Controller Universal Remote may not work if your TV is super ancient.

You can pick up the Nintendo Controller Universal Remote for $12.99 from ThinkGeek.com.

methodshop

American Idol on iTunes

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 19:39:00 +0000

The biggest American reality show on TV has finally joined the iTunes platform. Fox Broadcasting, Fox Interactive Media and FremantleMedia signed an exclusive deal with Apple to bring American Idol audio and video performances to iTunes as single song-sized snippets available the day after they premiere on air.

Audio performances of the top 24 contenders run 99¢ per song, and videos of the top 12 finalists performances will be priced $1.99/each from March 11.

Apple will also become one of the show's premiere sponsors and maintain a branded presence on AmericanIdol.com, where some free streaming performances can be seen.

methodshop

MSNBC's Super Tuesday Hype Inferno

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:26:00 +0000

This past Tuesday was "Super Tuesday" in the United States. Both the Republican and Democratic political parties held primary elections in 22 states to help decide which candidate would represent their parties in the upcoming November U.S. Presidential election.

On Tuesday's episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Jon jokingly wondered "What's bigger than Super Tuesday?" These are what the American cable news networks came up with and Jon Stewart's reactions.

Chris Matthews: "Super Duper Tuesday"
Jon Stewart: "That's kind of retarded... infantile."
CNN: "Super Fat Tuesday"
Jon Stewart: "Well that's certainly.... dope."
Fox News: "Tsunami Tuesday"
Jon Stewart: "Yes I believe the plethora of state primaries is reminiscent of the sudden and horrific deaths of a quarter million people living on the Indian Ocean."
MSNBC: "Monster Super Tuesday"
Jon Stewart: [Jon needs a fire extinguisher to hold off MSNBC's hype inferno. Just watch the clip. It's great.]

digg story | flickr | methodshop

Podcasting Audience Soars

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:56:00 +0000

The U.S. podcasting audience reached 18.5 million in 2007, according to eMarketer and was projected to top 65 million by 2012 with 25 million listeners downloading one or more podcasts a week.

Ad spending on podcasts in the U.S. is also expected to creep up, from $165 million in 2007 to $435 million in 2012.

Major podcasting networks like Revision3 are growing with the medium's success by revamping their websites and adding new programming.

If you're not already a podcast consumer, then check out the podcast section in iTunes. There's a lot of great stuff from tech shows to yoga workouts. And they are all free. I usually watch 5-10 podcasts a day on either my iPod Touch or Apple TV. Makes the bus ride to work much more enjoyable.

Here are a few favorites:

Diggnation - weekly rundown of the front page stories on Digg.com
Tiki Bar TV - drinking games
Unboxing Live - take a new gadget, and open it up while the camera is rolling
Midwest Teen Sex Show - explores topics concerning teen sexuality from gym class to syphilis
The Totally Rad Show - movie, comic books and game reviews
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Croatian Smurfs Fail World Record Attempt

noreply@blogger.com (MethodShop.com) — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 15:55:00 +0000

Last month, 395 Croatian men, women and children covered themselves in blue paint, dressed up as Smurfs and got ready to go down in history... as failures.

The "Croatian Smurfs" had gathered in an attempt to smash the previous world record for "most Smurfs gathered together at one time."

Unfortunately due to a research error (possibly caused by Gargamel), their attempt was all in vain.

According to the latest, but out of date, Croatian printing of the Guiness World Records book, the record for most Smurfs gathered in one place was 291. With 395 Smurfs, the Croations thought they were sure to earn a new world record.

However in 2007, a group of students at Warwick University beat them too it. The Warwick students had managed to round up a grand total of 451 Smurfs and according to Guiness, currently hold the world record.

They were close, but Croatians needed a little over 50 more Smurfs to beat the Warwick University record. Perhaps they should have contacted Guiness World Records before the attempt. I want to feel bad for them, but just seeing the the 2 words "Croatians" and "Smurfs" in the same sentence kind of freaks me out.

A somber spokesman for the Croatians had this to say: "We could easily have got more Smurfs, but we thought that over a hundred more than the American record... would be enough."

In case you've never heard of The Smurfs before, they are are a fictional group of small blue creatures who live somewhere in the woods. The Belgian cartoonist Peyo introduced Smurfs to the world in a 1958 Belgian magazine called Le Journal de Spirou. However, Smurfs are probably best known from the 1980s animated Hanna-Barbera Productions television series, The Smurfs (DVD).

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