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Posts Filed under: Audio/Video

Cat Takes a Ride on Roomba

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 1:49PM



Our dear friends at Engadget posted this video of a kitty taking a joy ride on a Roomba, the world's finest vacuuming robot. As we all know, cats and technology have long been embattled opponents, so we find a lot of hope in this instance of feline-robot cooperation.

In the interest of perpetuating cuteness, we encourage you to introduce your kitty to a Roomba. Just keep him away from this Roomba. [From: Engadget]
Engadget

Apple TV Update Adds AirTunes Streaming, Support for Other Remotes

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 11:03AM


For home theater junkies who've been having a difficult time taking the Apple TV seriously, you should definitely have a look at what the latest software update brings to the dinner table. First off, we should warn you that any non-Apple TV software (like, you know, Boxee) will be banished should you choose to update, but if you're kosher on that front, we'll continue on.

Apple's changelog notes that AirTunes streaming is now enabled, meaning that tunes can be streamed from the STB to AirPort Express speakers or other ATV units nearby. Additionally, the box can now learn other remotes, meaning that you can probably get your universal remote to handle this bugger, too. The last big addition is that Playlists in iTunes can now be seen on Apple TV, and there's also support for volume control in Music.

Grab the download from within your box now if you dare, and feel free to chime in with any other noteworthy changes you happen upon.

[Via TUAW]

If You're Unhappy, You Probably Watch a Lot of TV, Study Finds

by Kaiser Hwang, posted Nov 19th 2008 at 1:03PM



Who doesn't love television. Happy people, apparently. This is the conclusion a team of sociologists at the University of Maryland came to, anyway, after studying a survey taken with 30,000 adults over the 30-ish years from 1975-2006.

Happy people tended to watch approximately 19 hours of television a week, while unhappy people watched closer to 25 hours a week. Additionally, the happy group was more socially active, attended more religious services, and, um, read newspapers more often.

While the study may in fact show these trends, is less than one hour more television a week a sign of... anything? There are a ton of factors that couldn't have been accounted for over time as well. For instance, there was no YouTube in 1975. Nor was there 'The Sopranos.' Or Xbox 360s. With new and interactive media being a huge source of information and entertainment these days, maybe all the happy people are just playing 'Bejeweled' rather than watching television. [From: Asylum]

Facebook, YouTube Serving as Hot Spots for Hate Groups

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 19th 2008 at 12:36PM



Ugh, the online thugs are at it again. Last week, YouTube executives have removed several videos that were made in tribute to the infamous Columbine school shootings of 1999 and the two boys who perpetrated them, the BBC reported.

In a recent investigative report, the BBC found that a small but thriving Columbine-obsessed community, both in the United States and Britain, was responsible for a large number of YouTube videos championing the Columbine shooters -- fan reenactments of the boys' own homemade videos were also found. After that BBC report brought these developments to the attention of YouTube executives, the offending videos, in clear violation of YouTube's terms of service, were promptly removed. Google UK executive Peter Barron explained, "We do not tolerate videos that glorify school shootings and have removed the videos that fall into that category".

Continue reading Facebook, YouTube Serving as Hot Spots for Hate Groups

'Naked Gun,' the 'Grand Theft Auto' Edition

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 18th 2008 at 3:35PM



Anybody who has ever been an adolescent boy will jump up and applaud this 'Grand Theft Auto' homage to the slapstick cinema classic 'The Naked Gun,' courtesy of Neatorama.com.

For those who might be too "sophisticated" to know much about that seminal Leslie Nielsen film, 'The Naked Gun' begins with a spoof on that archetypal 'Dragnet'-style scene -- a first-person perspective from a cop car rushing through city streets. Only, in 'The Naked Gun,' the officer driving the car makes a few bizarre turns.

We're all anxiously hoping the creators of 'Grand Theft Auto' have a full-on 'Grand Theft Auto: Naked City' sequel in the works. [From: Neatorama]

Canceled XM and Sirius Channels Rankling Merged Sat Radio Subscribers

by Will Safer, posted Nov 18th 2008 at 1:11PM

The Sirius Satellite Radio and XM merger is rankling more than a few of the service's subscribers now that many of their favorite stations have been eliminated in new channel line ups.

As with most mergers, the two companies are, at best, trying to remove redundancy, putting a positive spin on their new combined effort. In actual practice, that means switching some channels from one service to the other or eliminating programming. This has left some passionate satellite radio subscribers miffed.

Some, like long-time Sirius subscriber Stan Petrov, lament the loss of his NBA channels, which were moved over to XM. But why, you ask, do any channels have to be moved? Aren't the combined channel selections available to all XM and Sirius subscribers? The answer is no. Until now, XM subscribers had to use an XM receiver. Sirius subscribers had to use a Sirius receiver. The two receivers cannot make use of the satellite signal previously assigned to its former competitor. It won't be until next May that combined Sirius/XM receiver will likely be on the market.

Will the new XM/Sirius survive until then?

Continue reading Canceled XM and Sirius Channels Rankling Merged Sat Radio Subscribers

Engadget

New Xbox Experience Now Available, Netflix HD Streams, Too

by Thomas Ricker, posted Nov 18th 2008 at 9:14AMBreaking News


Microsoft's new Xbox Experience dashboard doesn't officially launch until Wednesday the 19th. But if you signed up for the preview (and who didn't?) with a valid console ID then it's available now according to Major Nelson. What's more, Netflix has confirmed its Xbox 360 launch details: more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes and 300 streaming HD titles. Remember, streaming is free for Netflix members who are also Xbox Live Gold members. The HD video streams will be limited to SD audio, however -- multi-channel audio is in the works as are additional HD titles. Now get outta here kid, NXE awaits.

[Via Joystiq]

Read -- Major Nelson
Read -- Netflix
Engadget HD

HDTV Listings for November 17, 2008

by Richard Lawler, posted Nov 17th 2008 at 7:15PM

What we're watching tonight:
Engadget

Wireless ButtKicker Kit Ready to Rumble Your Posterior

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 17th 2008 at 5:25PM


Earlier this year, we were fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on perspective) enough to get our rumps on one of the famed ButtKickers. For those unaware, these devices are meant for installation underneath a seat or sofa in order to provide chair-rumbling effects to help you "feel" the film. Now, the Guitammer Company is making them even easier to install by cutting the wires, bringing low frequency audio transducers just inches from your derriere without any cords necessary. The above pictured kit will go on sale next Friday (yes, that's Black Friday for you Americans) for under $300 on Amazon -- are you really ready to rumble?
Engadget

Artist Wants Webcam Installed In Her Prosthetic Eye

by Engadget Staff, posted Nov 17th 2008 at 4:31PM



Tanya Vlach, a San Francisco-based artist, lost her eye in a 2005 car accident, and now keeps a blog chronicling the "monocular life." She's got a real-enough looking prosthetic peeper, but Tanya's a self-described "sci-fi geek," and, with the approval of her doctor, she's put out a call for engineers to build her a camera... for her fake eye. \

Likening her possible future self (the one with the eye-cam installed) to a cyborg, Tanya reasons that her aesthetic-only eye could become a source of "augmented reality," and she's got a list of possible specs up on her blog for would-be engineers to begin with. Just some of the things mentioned for inclusion are: DVR capabilities, MPEG-4 compression, a microSD slot, A/V out, and Bluetooth. In other words, Tanya Vlach is insanely cool. Emphasis on the insanely part. [Via Digg]

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