Over the weekend, I went out and got bright fuchsia highlights in my hair, something I've wanted to do forever and finally plucked up the courage to actually do. And, I know people notice it (by people, I mean work). But maybe 2 of them have said anything. Weird, and an oddly significant testament of the professional mentality surrounding proper work attire. I'm not sure what to make of that, really.

Anyways, enough about the inner workings of office politics, of which I am the last person who should ever make commentary -- let's hit up some cool stories!

File this one under 'iPhone apps everyone should have on their cell phone': The Bad Decision Blocker erases numbers from your calling list for up to a week to prevent you from calling someone you maybe shouldn't -- like a boss or feuding boyfriend -- but returns them to your list after a week. By blocking the number, it stops you from making a bad drunk phone call to someone you're going to regret in the morning.

Yesterday, I tripped and fell into geek heaven: ThinkGeek.com is my new favorite online store. They have *everything* you could possible want in addition to things you never knew you wanted but all of a sudden need! Case in point: Ninja Star push pins -- because who doesn't want their desk to look like it was targeted for a super spy attack in the middle of the night? !!!! Stay tuned for some awesome reviews of must-haves...

Twitter is dismissing rumors that it may be bought by Google.

Kindle owners are up in arms over the price of some e-books. When shopping on Amazon.com, look out for any e-book over $9.99 -- it'll be tagged with a protest badge from the group asking for you to boycott until the price drops. It's hard to disagree with them -- why in the name of Merlin's baggy pants would you buy the ebook of a title for $14 when the paperback version costs $10?? Come on publishers, embrace the future!

Hmmm ... light week so far. I'll keep my eyes pealed for interesting stories to tell you about on Friday. In the meantime, do some awesome geek shopping at ThinkGeek.com -- at least get a few laughs! :)

Labels: Amazon.com's Kindle, Bad Decision Blocker, ebook, iPhone, ThinkGeek.com

Happy Monday, everyone. Boston is buzzing about Red Sox opening day, but it could be a washout with rain forecast for the first pitch. Let's get in some headlines while we wait, shall we?

Some upstart village Brits have formed a physical block in front of a Google Street View cam so as to not have their privacy invaded. Good for them -- what's the point of Street View anyway? I mean, cars do still work right? We're not in the middle of a 'Day the Earth Stood Still' revival, are we?

Microsoft's Stirling security site won't be up and running until Q4, and some parts won't be ready until 2010.

3-D hype has reached a breaking point: It's now available for the iPhone, thanks to futuristic-goggle-maker Vusix.

Finally! More reason to eat chocolate (as if I needed it).

Don't like Windows Vista? Weigh in on these top 10 ways to fix it!

Our friends at USA Today write: 'Congress has earmarked $7.2 billion in stimulus aid to deploy broadband in undeserved parts of the USA. But what does that mean, really?' Check it out for more info.

Good news for all us geeks: Based on specific brain chemicals, smart people may be less affected by stress.

You know the feeling when you scratch an itch? Mmmm ... Well, scientists have isolated that feel-good chemical and could use it to aid those people who suffer from persistent itchiness caused by AIDS and Hodgkin's disease.

And, last but not least: An entertainment columnist for Fox News has been unceremoniously fired for his review of a stolen, pirated version of the as-of-yet unreleased Wolverine movie. See, kids, stealing stuff online does have consequences. Especially if you're an idiot enough to write about how awesome it was to watch movies from your desktop instead of going to a theatre. Then post it to a major broadcast news site.

See you all here Wednesday -- here's hoping to rain can hold off a bit longer! Oh, darn... there are the first few drips...

Labels: broadband, Google Street View art, iPhone, Microsoft's Stirling Vusix, Stimulus money

We're just going to have a short entry today -- not too much going on in the world of tech. But first...

Exciting news! This coming Monday (March 9) we will be kicking off our Byte-Sized Spring Cleaning Giveaway, featuring some fantastic, work-friendly, cubicle-must-haves from our friends over at Dream Cheeky! My fellow editors and I have personally tested some of its awesome USB-powered devices and will be featuring the reviews during the giveaway. Trust me, you're not going to want to miss this!

Now, on to some top headlines in the tech world ...

Cool auction alert: Ever wonder what's on a celebrity's iPod? Well, this auction gets you one better -- for pretty fair prices (at the moment), you can bid to buy a real star's iPod, including those from Scarlett Johanssen, Hilary Duff, Mandy Moore, Marc Jacobs (currently highest) and Bill Clinton. The auction site, Tonic.com, even has a preview list of the songs loaded on the players -- though I'm not sure most fanboys care about the songs so much as it was actually touched by ScarJo. But I can't guarantee that -- damn the digital age :)

OK, Firefly fans -- I know you are out there. And, if you don't know what Firefly is ... well then you either just aren't a true geek (sorry) or you must go buy the entire Firefly series now. Anyways, for you fans, NASA is looking to name Node 3 on the International Space Station and it looking for *your* input: one of the choices? Serenity. Srsly. Go vote now! The answer will be revealed in April. I'll be sure to keep you updated!

Lastly, for the biggest news of the day, Amazon.com has announced it will be releasing an iPod Touch and iPhone version of its Kindle software. So, you're in luck if you have one of those geeky gadgets -- in one free download, you're also getting a smaller-screened version of the oh-so-popular Kindle 2!

OK, that's all for me today -- see you all on Friday!

Labels: Amazon.com's Kindle 2, Byte-Sized Spring Cleaning Giveaway, Firefly, iPhone, iPod touch, NASA

Good morning everyone! I didn't make good on my promise yetserday to post a list of the day's headlines, so here is an emergency dose of Byte-Sized to clear away the pre-holiday jitters and cobwebs!

Huge, industry shaking news out of (who else) Apple today: Book publisher Random House has announced that it is pairing with Apple to offer books on the iPhone and iPod Touch -- effectively turning the ultra-popular device into an e-reader! What this mean for the market? It adds legitimancy to a budding industry lead right now by Amazon.com's Kindle (a fave of this blog) and the Sony e-Reader. But, will it put these two out of business?

I'm excited and scared about the implications of such a partnership... The industry does not have a standard format for digital books at the moment, and it's a totally odd puzzle peice that Apple wants to delve into the battle. Of course, it could also be a brilliant move and a nod toward standardization.

Ehhhhh I'm not sure, but this is the first time I've ever honestly considered buying an iPhone. It's almost too good a proposition to be true -- the internet, an eReader, a phone and an MP3 player? Eek. Of course, there are people wagging their fingers at Apple for making a dumb move. Our own Dee Murray (ecstatic owner of a gen-one Kindle) insists no one will want to read a book off such a tiny screen... I'm not sure if I hope she's right...

OK, so thanks for tuning into today's random Byte-Sized! I'll be back tomorrow with the wrap-up of the Byte-Sized Holiday Gift Guide, where I'll name my gadget of the year!

Just a reminder, we are off the rest of this week after tomorrow, so have a wonderful holiday season!

Labels: Apple, ereader, iPhone, iPod touch, Random House

As Google's Android operating system hits shelves on the T-Mobile G1 today for $179 with a 2-year service contract, Google has posted, as promised, the source code to Android in at effort to further the technology and boost its acceptance into the mobile field in a way Apple's iPhone hasn't allowed.

(Side note: The iPhone, in a 'stunning' move, says Steve Jobs, now makes up 40% of Apple's revenue -- which could only be surprising if the thing didn't start off costing $400 before Apple chopped the price in half.)

What does this mean? Source code is the actual bits-and-bytes language written by developers that tells a particular computer program what to do. Some companies keep a very tight hold on their source code, rarely letting anyone save for internal developers working it to actually see it, and even then they are only allowed to see parts. Think of it like a famous recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken or the formula for Coke -- it makes the product special and unique.

These companies feel the code is proprietary and a direct source of their income and revenue -- and they're right. Most notable for it's iron grip is Microsoft, which is constantly attacked for its stance on its source code by open-source developers (who, in my humble opinion, wish they were getting a chunk of the Redmond paycheck). But, that's beside the point.

Anyway, Apple has come under fire recently for not allowing developers to tinker with its source code, and -- in a rare case of me sticking up for Apple -- I think its right to keep a lid on it. Google is taking the open-source approach only because no one else in the large smartphone market has allowed it.

It'll be a tough uphill battle for Google even without giving millions of developers access to Android, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out for them and affects the Android market share, which, despite widespread reports that the phone is sold out around the U.S., will need more than a good buzz to boost it above RIM's Blackberry and Apple's iPhone in terms of overall sales, staying power and, of course, popularity.

Labels: Android, Apple, Google, iPhone, Microsoft, Open Source, Source Code, T-Mobile G-1