newVideoPlayer("/july4th_part3_giz.flv", 475, 376,""); If you’re anything like us, you’re probably deep into your 12th beer by now. You may think that now’s the perfect time to test some of those firecrackers in your kitchen. Well, don’t, or you may end up like this guy and his house, both blasted to smithereens by some lousy M-1000s. Take it from us and the Consumer Product Safety Commission and have a happy 4th everybody! [CPSC]
TiVo has been setting the bar for timeshifting television (what you want, when you want it) for the better part of a decade. Its latest models, the TiVo Series 3 and TiVo HD, further refine and extend functionality to high definition TV and downloadable movies. But the future might not be so bright for TiVo, as other players such as Microsoft’ Vista Media Centre, Apple’s Apple TV, Netflix’s Roku player, and upstarts like the Vudu aim to drink their milkshake. What’s a company to do? Innovate. Use the internet. Connect users together. Go beyond broadcast TV. Here’s what we think TiVo needs to prioritise in their next box in order to dominate the living room for the next decade.
newVideoPlayer("/july4th_part2_giz.flv", 475, 376,""); Hey everyone, just checking in again to make sure your day is going well. And you haven’t blown your face off with some giant aerial fireworks. Because believe me, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission: If you act like the mannequin (manikin?) in the clip above, the last place you’ll end up is in a hospital emergency room. Happy 4th everybody! [CPSC]
In your daily dose of science geekiness, you may appreciate another event going on in the sky this July 4th than the annual combustion of your neighbour’s illegal stash of gunpowder–Mars and Saturn will align for the evening. Then on the 5th, the Moon will join those two for a little celestial ménage à trois. We know, it’s usually too much work to grab your telescope for these things. But since you’ll be staring at the sky already… [NASA via TFOT, Image]
newVideoPlayer("/soisurvived2.flv", 506, 280,""); The new episode still follows most of the tired reality show conventions and spends too much time on the stunningly boring contestants, but the brief game show events still impress. This week’s challenge: become a human claw game, picking up prizes as teammates control your x, y and z axis movement. This challenge aired much to the chagrin of Claw Machine Boy, whose chronic PTSD triggered hard when this episode aired. Stay tuned for a weekly review of the 45 seconds of this show that is worth watching. [ABC]
Here’s a great idea that DeWalt should get their asses on: A handheld 18-volt air gun that can be used to dust, airbrush, or fill up basketballs or bike tires. I’d get one if it meant less time on the bike pump, and it could start a new genre of krylon-free, duel-wielding graf artists. Found this cool gem of a fantasy gadget over at the newly designed and even sexier Core77 website. [Core77]
I’ve been thinking of getting an electric kettle for some time, and I think I’ve found the most simple, beautiful one I could ever hope for. The small container’s power cord is stored inside the base, explaining that one seam you see running around the base of the unit. I’ll have to pick this up in Japan or ask Doug to send one back on his next trip. [+- via Core77]
This is what happens when you mix Boba Fett, Flashdance and fireworks: a brilliant, but somehow disturbing stop-motion animation, that’s what. Damn you, Patrick Boivin, for mixing everyone’s favourite Star Wars bounty hunter with the movie scene that made me horny for the first time. [Editor's Note: TMI!]On the other side, it could have been a lot worse:
