PriceRitePhoto: Abusive Bait and Switch Camera Store

Sadly I have also had bad experiences with camera stores in NY. Most places that I have called in the past will just hang up on you as soon as it's apparent you're looking for information and won't buy on the spot. They are typically rude, impatient and pushy - like the worst used car salesman you've ever met x100. They will tell you anything to get you to place the order then call back later to make excuses for why it can't ship out. I remember one time I was buying a lens and the guy told me that the grey market version didn't come with a "lens hood" and that I really needed it so I should buy the US version for only $20 more. So like a sucker I did and it turns out (of course) that the tiny "hood" was completely useless.

Since then I only buy from B&H Photo. The prices are a tad higher but I have never had a single bad experience with them.

Link @ Tomas Hawk's Blog

Airsoft 50-cal Sniper Rifle

It's what everybody wants for Xmas!



Link

Cat Butt Gum

Why on earth would you want to chew something called CAT BUTT GUM?

V8-ENGINE Paper Model

How cool is this? A "semi-realistic" paper model of a V8 engine! From the page:

"Many moveable parts include a compound crankshaft, a rapid cooling fan, 8 rods, 8 pistons and a complex compound gearbox..."

Sweet! Unfortunately the "DIY Kit" is CDN$100 but OMFG look at the damn movies!

Link

$100 Laptop Video

Here is a link to a video that shows the new $100 laptop that MIT and the UN are developing. I'm intrigued by the idea but how may will make it from the governments to the kids without being stolen and sold elsewhere?

Top 20 geek novels

Results from a poll asking people to vote for the best geek novels written in english since 1932. I've only read about half of them so I suppose it's time to track them down as eBooks and get busy! (I've bolded [EDIT: Italicized] the ones I have read or listened to in audiobook format.)

1. The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams 85% (102)
2. Nineteen Eighty-Four -- George Orwell 79% (92)
3. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley 69% (77)
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip Dick 64% (67)
5. Neuromancer -- William Gibson 59% (66)
6. Dune -- Frank Herbert 53% (54)
7. I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov 52% (54)
8. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov 47% (47)
9. The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett 46% (46)
10. Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland 43% (44)
11. Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson 37% (37)
12. Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons 38% (37)
13. Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson 36% (36)
14. Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks 34% (35)
15. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein 33% (33)
16. The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick 34% (32)
17. American Gods -- Neil Gaiman 31% (29)
18. The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson 27% (27)
19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson 23% (21)
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham 21% (19)

More info and a long discussion in the comments section here.

Newegg Still Rules

Business Week has an article about Newegg this week. $980 MILLION in sales in 2004 and on the way to $1.3 BILLION in 2005. Damn, Newegg - you rock!

Link to article @ businessweek.com

Better Late Than Never - Leeroy Jenkins!

I'm way behind on this one but it's still worth posting. It's a video of a WoW game where a party is getting ready to take on a baddie and her minions.



View the video here courtesy of mrbarrett.com.

PS: It even made it to Jepoardy.

Q: What does it take to make an iPod case?

A: A lot more than you would think. Read the story of the Shufflicious at Bull5hit.

Link.

Nokia Linux Tablet

From the "I kinda want one" department comes the Nokia 770 "Internet Tablet." No disk and not much memory but it does have a 800x480 screen and built-in 802.11b/g and bluetooth.



Ok, I more than KINDA want one. If it was a bit cheaper (estimated price here in the states is $350) I would probably just go ahead and order one. Hopefully somebody will come out with a VOIP client for it (in fact if they DO come out with something like Skype for it I WILL order one.)

BOOM, Here comes the BOOM, Ready or not!

Coming soon to a theatre near you: the BIG BOOM from the USMC. From the article:

"The Marines have begun using a weapon that is easily capable of turning buildings—and humans—into bits of rubble. This is called the SHAW-NE (shoulder mounted assault weapon – novel explosion) and it uses a thermobaric mixture that produces a shockwave in the air easily crushing walls and sending entire buildings collapsing to the ground."



"Novel Explosion." I love it.

Link @ Gizmondo

Atari 800 Laptop

As most anyone that knows me knows I was an Atari Geek in the 'way-back-when.' First came the lovely membrane keyboarded 400, then an 800XL and finally a 130XE before I made the big jump to my ST. Now so many years later I see this article about a guy that has taken the guts of an Atari 800 and made a laptop out of it. I SO want one of these! Great for that next boredroom presentation!



Link @ Engadget

Couch made entirely of mouse pads

From TUAW - finally a use for all those Consortia mouse pads!

Link

Jolt Gum (!)

From CandyAddict.com:

"About 15-20 minutes after putting the initial piece in my mouth I got a serious buzz - I felt a little light-headed and just slightly nauseous - I am attributing that to the caffeine kick the gum gave me (and it could have been the Ginseng and/or Guarana it also contains). To someone who drinks coffee frequently, the caffeine from a single cup of coffee could have little or no effect, but I definitely felt it."

Oh yeah.

Article Link

Firefly DVD Set - The Perfect Gift!

The ExtremeTech Geek Gift Guide seems to think that the Firefly DVD set would make a great gift for the geek in your life. Of course I totally agree! The set is relatively cheap (less than $50) and contains several episodes that were never aired on Fox. The production isn't quite as nice as the SG-1 DVDs but it's still quite good.

PS: I already have them... Keep trying...

Mini windmills power wireless networks

This is a great idea - using tiny windmills that use piezoelectric materials instead of "traditional" generators to achieve 18% efficency (versus about 1% for the conventional method.) Combined with a small photovolatic array for those non-windy days this would make for a super cool self-powering mesh network!

Link @ nature.com

More OSx86 Links

ZDNet UK has an article called Apple Mac OS X on x86: a first test.

Geektechnique.org has an article with specifics on building an OSx86 machine for $316.12 called Getting to Grips with OSx86.

History's Worst Software Bugs

Wired has a rundown on the top 10 worst software bugs in history. Heh, heh, heh.

Link @ Wired.com

The Mystery of the Green Menace

Breaking down the mystires of Absinthe (not to mention running it through a gas chromatography-mass spectrometer) is what "The Mystery of the Green Menace" is about. This article from Wired is a great 3-page read for when you have time. Not quite ready to try it myself though...

Link @ Wired

BF2: SF on PC Gamer Podcast

This week's PC Gamer Podcast has an interview with Battlefield 2: Special Forces producer David Yee. Most of the rest of it is bunk but be sure to listen to the interview so you can learn about the grappling hook.

Direct Link to Podcast MP3

GT4 vs "Real World" at Laguna Seca

Check out this article about the difference between driving Laguna Seca in Gran Turismo 4 versus the REAL WORLD. (The real real world, not the MTV show.) From the article:

"Which brings up the single biggest difference between reality and virtual reality — consequences. A mistake on Gran Turismo 4 costs me nothing more than a bad lap time. A mistake with a real exotic car on a real racetrack is…a bit more costly."

Link @ Edmunds

BSG Confirmed for 3rd Season

As good as Season 2 has been it HAD to happen. Shiny. (Second half of Season 2 coming in Jan of 06...)

Link @ SyFy Portal

A $200 Intel-Mac for OSx86

Check out this list of instructions and parts to build your own Intel box capable of running the leaked OSx86 code for $200!

Link @ I-Hacked.com

New Features @ GOAA's Site

If you're an airsofter be sure to check out the new gallery and chat features at www.nebgoaa.com!

Star M249 In Stock Now!

Airsoft GI has the new Star M249 for $549 and the para version for $579 in stock now. VERY TEMPTING!