Adobe Flash has a mixed reputation. Some people find it a vital part of the Internet experience. Others think that it’s an annoyance that slows down system performance and drains battery life. Then there are people that install Flash on their web browsers and just don’t care. How do you guys and gals use Adobe Flash with your web browsers? Kindly vote in today’s poll and expand on your answer in the comments section.
As for me, Flash is an on-demand feature. I don’t use it with Firefox or Safari. It’s baked into Chrome, but I don’t use it unless I have to. For most sites, it’s treated as a “Click to Play” feature. There are some exceptions, like this site, where I always leave it on, but for the most part I try not to use Flash unless I have to.
Now it’s your turn! Please vote and tell me about your Adobe Flash usage habits.
Like many great athletes, New York Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki is a creature of habit. One of his nerdiest habits is the way he takes case of his baseball bats. It makes total sense — of course one of the greatest hitters in MLB history takes pristine care of his bats. Tech nerds will appreciate the great lengths Ichiro goes to in order to make sure his bats are protected from excess moisture. Here’s more from The New York Times:
While most players dump their bats in cylindrical canvas bags when they are not using them, Suzuki neatly stacks his best eight bats inside a shockproof, moisture-free black case that he keeps close by his locker at home and on the road.
The case, which looks like a mini trunk, not only protects the bats from jostling and banging during transports, it also serves as a dehumidifier, drawing moisture out of the bats during the hot, humid American summers.
For Suzuki, a preeminent scientist in the field of hitting, regulating the amount of moisture in his bat is critical to the touch and feel of it. A hard, dry bat with just the right amount of water content has helped Suzuki become one of the best hitters in the game.
I’ve been an Ichiro fan since his Seattle Mariners days. His obsessive and technologically-charged bat care makes me an even bigger fan of his. Honestly though, I’m surprised that this isn’t done by every baseball player (except for Adam Dunn, who will swing at a baseball with anything he can get his hands on regardless of its condition). Wood is a finicky substance and its properties can be drastically altered by changes in humidity. I’m sure that traveling musicians like RPadholic N8R know what I’m talking about; I’ve felt how humidity can change the feel of guitars first hand. Many people consider Ichiro a surgical hitter. Naturally, his precision hitting requires his tools to be in tip-top shape at all times. Props to Ichiro for nerding up his bat care!
Within the next month, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video will hit over 300-million views on YouTube. That’s phenomenal for a video that became popular virally. Numbers like that are usually achieved by established artists that attract millions of teenage girls (Justin Bieber) or millions of horny guys (Jennifer Lopez). A music video featuring a goofy dude singing in Korean and doing a ridiculous dance usually isn’t the type of video that catches on globally. It’s a testament to the power of the Internet (and possibly an indictment of the Internet’s taste-makers)…
Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, Andy Pettitte turning back the clock, Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. testing positive for marijuana, or Marissa Mayer’s big Yahoo! address today, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Within the next month, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” music video will hit over 300-million views on YouTube. That’s phenomenal for a video that became popular virally. Numbers like that are usually achieved by established artists that attract millions of teenage girls (Justin Bieber) or millions of horny guys (Jennifer Lopez). A music video featuring a goofy dude singing in Korean and doing a ridiculous dance usually isn’t the type of video that catches on globally. It’s a testament to the power of the Internet (and possibly an indictment of the Internet’s taste-makers).
The “Gangnam Style” phenomenon is unbelievable. I’ve stopped trying to figure it out. I’ve accepted it and started thinking about other YouTube wonders of the world. Out of all the YouTube videos that became popular virally, Tay Zonday’s “Chocolate Rain” is my favorite. After all these years, it still makes me laugh. The combination of his impossibly low voice, the Casio keyboard tone, the low production values, and the crazy lyrics cracks me up. I can always count on “Chocolate Rain” to cheer me up.
How about you? What are some of your favorite YouTube viral videos? Star Wars kid? The Leave Britney Alone dude? Please list, link, and discuss in the comments section!
LIFX is a recent Kickstarter project that has been getting a done of buzz and funding. As of this writing, the project has blown past its $100,000 goal with $1,107,996 in pledges. LIFX is an LED lightbulb that can be controlled with Android and iOS devices. Users can control the brightness and the color of the light with their phones and tablets. This is an energy-efficient product with an extremely high level of nerd appeal. Check out the video below for info on LIFX. Continue reading “LIFX: Lightbulb Controlled By Android and iOS Devices”
As many of you know, Microsoft will be offering subscription packages for the upcoming Office 13. What’s interesting — and honestly, surprising — is that the company will be smartly leveraging other products in its considerable arsenal to sweeten the offer. Microsoft has announced that Office 365 Home Premium will run $100 a year, while Office 365 Small Business Premium will run $150. These licenses will allow you to run Office on up to five PCs or Macs, with additional use on smartphones and tablets.
Home Premium will include 20GB of SkyDrive cloud storage and 60 monthly minutes of international Skype calling. The 2oGB of storage is on top of the initial 7GB of “free” cloud storage. These service offerings could make the subscription version of Office 365 more useful than buying the software outright. It’s smart and clever packaging. Frankly, I’m shocked that Microsoft is intelligently leveraging modern services like Skype and SkyDrive to sell legacy software. Color me impressed (which is a bright orange, in my mind).
I know that many of you use Office at work, school, and home. Are you interested in a subscription version of Office 13? Are you intrigued by 20GB of cloud storage and 60 minutes of international calling?
Nike designer Darrin Crescenzi is a big Game of Thrones mark. He’s so much of a fanboy that he created a series of A Song of Ice and Fire icons. They’re pretty awesome. I could totally see a pair of basketball sneakers with a Lannister logo or hoodie with a Stark dire wolf patch. Here’s what Crescenzi had to say about turning Westeros houses into brands:
These brands become such a key part of the reading experience. Night’s Watch black might as well be Tiffany blue or UPS brown or T-Mobile pink.
I never thought of the project as a series of logos; The approach was much more that of creating an icon set. All I wanted to do was give them a sort of unexpected and unified visual language.
Be sure to hit up the source to see more of Crescenzi’s Game of Thrones icons. Very cool stuff!
It’s fun watching the burgeoning popularity of Twitter. Hashtags are popping up in more and more television shows all the time. The WWE has been aggressive with its social media efforts, often posting different Twitter hashtags on its various television shows. Hell, one of Dolph Ziggler’s nicknames is the Hashtag Heel (#Heel). Last night I watched the first episode of Sergio Martinez vs. Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. 24/7 and was surprised to see #ChavezMartinezpop up on the chyron throughout the show. Millions of people watched Kal Penn’s request to be labeled with the hashtag #SexyFace during the Democratic National Convention. I don’t watch a ton of television, but when I do I almost always see a Twitter hashtag used within the program.
I know that some of you use Twitter, while some of you can’t stand the social media service. What do you think of the mainstream use of Twitter hashtags? Are you surprised by how quickly Twitter went from a San Francisco Bay Area nerd tool to a global phenomenon that permeates all sorts of mainstream television programming? For you Twitter haters, does it bother you to see hashtags on television? Even as a longtime user and fan, I’m amazed by the service’s mercurial growth and by its mainstream use. Nerds win!
Since I don’t visit the east coast too often, I haven’t been to a Carvel in years. My brother and I went the other day, and I was shocked to see that Carvel has a Fudgie the Whale mascot. The first question that popped into my head is, “Why is he standing upright?!? He’s a whale!” The next thought was, “The Fudgie mascot looks very familiar….”
After I posted the picture above on Facebook, my hot friend Emily asked if it was a photo of a Charmander. A-ha! Fudgie the Whale looks like a brown Charmander sans tail. I wonder what Fudgie’s move-set consists of. Does he spray ice cream and those delicious chocolate crunchies at enemies? Maybe he coats himself with fudge armor for increased defense and special defense. I think I’ll take a bunch of pokeballs, head to Carvel, and try to catch Fudgie this afternoon.
My friend Barbara and RPadholic N8R showed me this awesome Tumblr page after I wrote about McKayla Maroney being my favorite 2012 American Olympian. It’s called “McKayla is Not Impressed.” It takes the dissatisfied look on her face as she was being awarded the 2012 Olympic vault silver medal and puts her in a bunch of…interesting situations. My two favorites (so far) are McKayla not being impressed by the explosion of the Death Star (above) and Muhammad Ali’s knockout of Sonny Liston (below). As a big nerd and a huge boxing fan, these are two of the most iconic images floating around my head…but alas, they’re not the least bit impressive to McKayla Maroney. Check out the page when you have a chance and let me know what “McKayla is Not Impressed” picture is your favorite (please)!
NASA landed its most advanced Rover, the Curiosity, on Mars last night. It’s one of the most significant scientific achievements in the last decade. However, some feel that it’s not getting the attention it deserves. The economy blows, the Olympics are happening, and Kristen Stewart cheated on Robert Pattinson — people are distracted! There are some that feel that the U.S. government is right to cut NASA’s funding given the economic climate. Others feel that advancing science creates jobs, creates enthusiasm, and stimulates intellectual pursuits.
Above is NASA’s video of the Curiosity and below is a clip of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s from Real Time With Bill Maher discussing why spending money on science is important to America’s future. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the Mars landing and how important scientific endeavors (like NASA’s) are or are not.
