The Top 10 Benefits and Drawbacks to Driving a Prius

The Toyota Prius is one of the geekiest cars you can buy. What geek doesn't love the quiet hum of an electric engine or the screens full of mileage graphs and charts? There's just something inherently cool about a car that seamlessly switches back and forth between gas and electricity. The following is a list of just why a geek might consider Toyota's flagship hybrid.

The Top 5 Benefits

5. The Fuel Economy

Duh. The Prius is literally the best (non-electric) car out there for fuel economy.  You might not ever have the pleasure of driving the fastest, biggest or most luxurious car, but there's something kind of thrilling about knowing you got the BEST car for fuel economy out there. Sure, there are lots of cars that come close on the highway, but no diesel/subcompact/geo-metro can compare to the pure bliss of getting 50+MPG while crawling along in bumper-to-bumper gridlock on your commute home from work each day.


4. The Technology

We're not talking about Nav systems and stereos here, but rather the very impressive Hybrid Synergy Drive. For those of us out there who don't normally care much about cars, the Prius is our version of "fun to drive". It's neat seeing the arrows fly around on the display as energy goes in and out of the motors and battery. Watching as your car generates more and more electricity going down hills never gets old. And I don't know anyone who doesn't think it's at least kind of cool to silently stealth through parking lots and side streets on the electric engine alone. There is no shortage of graphs, charts and weird buttons to keep your inner geek happy as you drive.


3. The Community

The Prius is definitely a hate it or love it kind of car, but those who love it REALLY love it. There are tons of groups both on and offline who are seriously into getting the best out of this unique vehicle. The largest online resource is Priuschat. You can be assured that this community will be ready and willing to help and provide advice with anything from modding your Prius to researching the best way to eek out those extra few MPG. The people who love this car want to make sure you love it too, and will do everything they can to answer your questions.


2. The Little Perks

There's a lot of little stuff here and there that makes driving the Prius awesome. Some states and provinces still offer tax incentives. Others give discounted tolls or access to HOV lanes for single occupant drivers. There's also nothing better than driving around a crammed IKEA parking lot to nonchalantly take the Hybrid space right by the door (assuming a Hummer hasn't already taken it). Even if you don't like the Prius or Hybrids, there's no doubt that you are rewarded for driving one.


1. Long Life and Easy Maintenance

In the first few years, there were concerns that the battery in the Prius would die an early death or that maintenance would be horribly expensive because of the hybrid components. These concerns have been almost completely nullified over time and the Prius has been shown to be one of the most reliable vehicles on the road (a la consumer reports).  In many cases the Prius requires less maintenance because of things like regenerative breaking (fewer brake pads to replace) and all-electric accessories (no belts to change). Many Priuses last for hundreds of thousands of miles with very little more than routine oil changes. Even with great fuel economy, you still wouldn't see the mass of Prius taxis out there unless the car had excellent reliability.



The Top 5 Drawbacks - It's not all sunshine and roses deciding to hop aboard the Prius bandwagon.


5. Your Car Now Makes a Statement

The Prius is synonymous with hybrid which is synonymous with the environmental movement. There are definitely some Prius owners who deluded into believing they helping mother nature by putting another car on the road, but for the rest of us we just really like the cool car and/or gas mileage. Prepare to be constantly reminded that a Hummer is better for environment than a Prius or that batteries are a ticking time bomb just waiting to unleash an environmental fury in your next fender-bender. For many people, it seems like driving a Prius is like having a big "I'm Environmental and Better Than You!" sticker plastered all over the back of your windshield.


4. The Prius (And Other Hybrids) Still Have A High Capital Cost

There is endless debate on this all over the internet, but let's be honest, a new Prius is not the cheapest option for saving money/using less gas. As mainstream as the Prius is, it's still more expensive than other similar mid-size cars and you'll need to do a fair amount of driving to recoup that cost. If you specifically need a mid-size car and utilize all the space, then it's a great option. But, how many really people do? A smaller econo-box is often going to be cheaper (albeit less cool) in the long run for the Monday-Friday single-occupant commuter. Until the Prius gets in even more hands and economies of scale ramp up, you're going to be stuck paying a premium.


3. It's Freakishly Noisy Inside

You could make a lot of subjective comments about how you hate the look, or the displays or any other unique features of the Prius, but one thing new riders in a Prius always notice is just how noisy the thing is at highway speeds. It's like driving into a wind-tunnel. The problem probably manifests itself because of a few reasons: the low-rolling resistance tires, the lack of heavy sound-deadening material, the stark contrast between the silent city-operation... It's especially puzzling because of the very aerodynamic shape of the car itself. Whatever the cause, the noise makes it hard to recommend the Prius for someone who spends most of their driving miles on the highway.


2. You Have to Change Your Driving Style

You can most definitely get in a Prius and "just drive it", but eventually all those fun gauges and charts will serve to remind you just how much gas you're wasting by driving normally and it will eventually push you to try hypermiling. To get close to (and eventually beyond) the fabled 50 MPG it almost becomes like a video game. You need to know exactly when to fire up the engine, when to pulse, when to glide, how slowly to break, what your engine temperature is, how to warp-stealth... The list goes on. For some people, hypermiling is fun and they're good at juggling everything. For others it becomes frustrating and even dangerous as they focus on getting everything perfect while forgetting to actually drive.


1. There's a Really Big Magnet in the Back Bumper...

... which seems to attract large SUV's and Trucks dangerously close! No matter how you drive, people will tailgate you - a lot. It's not an exaggeration. Those who hypermile and drive dangerously slow probably help to fuel the problem, but even those who drive no differently than anyone else will notice just how often others will protest your choice of conveyance by driving a foot behind you. It is all the more unnerving with the hatchback being so close to the bumper because you'll only see a monster grill filling up your rear window. If you are at all a nervous driver, but you still want a hybrid, you might want to go for something a little less hybrid-looking like a Civic or Camry Hybrid.

A Review of the Top 10 Features and Drawbacks of Telus Optik TV

2011 Update: A lot of changes have come to Optik TV over the last year including the use of an Xbox 360 as a receiver, Remote Recording and better service for Fiber to the Home customers. See below.

With the recent re-branding of Telus' fiber optic internet and TV services to "Optik", many people are considering making the switch away from cable or satellite to Telus TV. Their service has been around the last few years, but it has only recently been widely available. Using a Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) delivery service, Telus is able to directly stream television over your existing internet connection. While an emerging technology, this system works well and is surprisingly sophisticated. For the right household, it can be a great way to watch TV.

This article aims to explore both the advantages and disadvantages of switching to Telus TV. Overall, the system is great in certain circumstances, but may not be the best solution for everyone. Couples and gadget lovers will love the sleek user interface and the flexibility of the system when combined with one or two TVs. Larger families will most likely end up fighting over the limited number of simultaneous live TV streams and recording space available. In any case, the IPTV market is rapidly changing, and it's recommended to try the system for a month before signing up for any of Telus' heavily pushed 3-year contracts.

Top 5 Awesome Features of Telus TV

5. Picture Quality

The picture quality of HD channels on Telus certainly stands up to the quality of anything that Shaw/Express Vu could offer. Channels are clear, vivid and life-like. What is truly awesome is the standard definition (SD) channel quality. These channels seem to greatly benefit from their all digital delivery and they look so much better than your standard cable fare. You wont mistake SD channels for their HD counterparts, but you will notice a huge jump in quality when coming from other TV providers.

Update: Like other carriers, Telus has also begun broadcasting 3D content both on their included free channel and as Video on Demand rentals (currently costing $9). The (rather limited) 3D content available so far is also of excellent quality.

4. The Internet Speed Boost

Subscribers to Telus TV are given a minimum 19 Mbps profile in order to accommodate the bandwidth needed for TV delivery. Most people are reporting real-life speeds of around 15 Mbps (meaning download speeds of almost 2 Megabytes a second). For many subscribers, this will vastly increase their connection speed (although see the caveat in the drawbacks section below). In addition, it seems Telus no longer monitors/enforces bandwidth caps for TV subscribers. Best of all is that this comes for free with no additional charges!

3. The Savings

This is probably the biggest reason people would even consider Telus TV - the price. Switching to Telus can save a great deal of money over the long run. Basic TV starts at just over $20 a month and includes approx. 10 HD channels. More advanced packages are generally less expensive than Shaw's comparable offerings. If you're willing to sign up for a 3 year contract, you get the additional savings of a free PVR rental. As a nice feature, Telus' plans are straightforward and clearly laid out on their website.

Update: Telus has raised prices on many of it's services. Add on packs which used to be $5 are now $7. There are also many reports of Shaw throwing out aggressive promotions to "winback" their customers who have migrated to Optik TV. Telus still may be the cheapest option, but as always, check prices carefully before signing any contracts.

Update: Telus has also been aggressively expanding asian channel offerings over the last year and now boasts one of the largest selections of these kinds of foreign stations.

2. The Set-Top Box Software

Telus is now currently using Microsoft Mediaroom for delivery of their TV services. If you've ever used Media Center on your windows computer, you'll be instantly familiar with the user interface. The system is sleek, intuitive and easily customizable. You can easily hide channels you're not subscribed to and choose exactly what you want on your guide. You get little touches like picture-in-picture previews of selected channels, transparent underlays of your current channel in any menu screen and even on-screen caller ID. In addition, this is one of the fastest user interfaces out there with zero lag in any menu screen. Simply put, this is probably the best set-top software currently available.

Update: Telus has upgraded the software over the last year, and now allows one to schedule and manage their recordings from any web connected computer or iOS/Android device. It doesn't allow streaming, but again is a great add-on to the already fantastic Mediaroom platform.

Update: Telus also recently started allowing the use of an Xbox 360 as an HD box. Unfortunately, they do not allow one to have the Xbox as a sole box (it MUST be added to a house with an existing Telus-branded box already present) and they charge a $5/month fee to use the Xbox.

1. Instant Channel Change

At first it might not seem important, but the ability to change channels instantly is actually what most people who see Telus TV notice first. You can truly channel surf again by flicking the up or down button to quickly see what is on each channel. Gone are the days of waiting for digital channels to slowly pixelate in. Even HD channels come into view the instant you select them. This also allows for quick picture-in-picture previews of a channel while surfing the on screen guide. The speed of the channel changes combined with the overall speed of the software make for an extremely enjoyable experience.


The Top 5 Drawbacks of Telus TV

5. Installation Issues

Telus TV is not the cable company, it is not a simple 10 minute service call or a flick of the switch to turn on your TV. Installation takes hours (our recent move required a 6 hour long service call to activate the service). Most people have a cable jack by their TV but few probably have a phone line or ethernet port. Because the Telus box does not have WIFI, the technician will most likely spend a lot of their time running cables around your house to physically connect your set-top boxes and the modem. This also can create headaches because anytime you move or want to add an additional box, it requires a technician to come out. It's not a dealbreaker, but prepare to take a half-day off in order to have the service installed.

Update: With the recent Boxing Day deals, many people have picked up an Xbox 360 hoping to use it as a second receiver. Before doing this, be aware that Telus charges $100 to send a technician out to hook up the box for existing customers (it's free for new customers). They also charge $5/month to use the Xbox as a receiver. Some customers have reported success in negotiating with customer service for a reduced rate.

4. Customer Service

Now to preface, Telus customer service is getting MUCH better than it has been, but it still has a way to go. Telus seems to not be outsourcing TV agents overseas at the moment, which is a bonus. Unfortunately, however, these agents are friendly but they are generally not well-informed about the intricate specifics of Telus TV (a web search of online user forums often yields better results). Unlike Shaw, one cannot change packages or service their account online or through chat. Customers are forced to call in and wait on (sometimes very long) holds for any kind of change. Combine this with limited operating hours (7:30am to 8pm) and you have a formula for frustration.

3. Instability Issues

Again, it has gotten much better, but generally speaking Telus TV can be subject to some unique issues. Anytime a net connection is lost, so is your TV. Between your TV and the wall is a set-top box, router AND a switch - the combination of which can make troubleshooting difficult. Sometimes the TV picture will freeze or pixelate, although changing the channel away and back often fixes the issue. Unfortunately, a reboot of the box takes about 5 minutes before TV returns which means a poorly timed hiccup at the end of a show could really ruin your day. It's not to say other TV platforms don't have issues, but it's important to be aware of the unique flaws inherent to IPTV.

Update: An especially annoying HDMI connection issue seems to be popping up for many users. When using an HDMI connection, many people have reported skipping, freezing, inputs randomly changing or even blackouts. This has forced many users to have to switch to Component connections (which does not allow 3D programming to be viewed).

2. Bandwidth Issues

As mentioned previously, Telus does increase users bandwidth, but it becomes an issue with TV sharing the same line. If one is watching 2 or 3 programs at once, that 15 Mbps connection speed quickly slows down to 3 or 4 Mbps. While this is still a fair speed, it can be annoying to have to shut off your TV in order to allow that one last torrent to quickly finish. The good news is that Telus prioritizes packets, so heavy web-usage doesn't impact any TV's that are on. Unfortunately this issue combined with the issue of limited incoming streams (see below) makes it hard to recommend Telus TV to a large household.

Update: If one is lucky enough to live in newer residence or upgraded area where Telus has a true fibre connection directly to the premises ("Fibre to the Home"), bandwidth becomes a non-issue. Any number of TVs can be on with no impact to the internet connection. This also increases the number of TV streams available (see below)

1. Limited TV Streams And Recording

Due to bandwidth issues, a total maximum of 2 HD channels and 1 SD channel (for a grand total of 3) can be watched at one time. While this is great if you only have 1 TV (the PVR has the ability to record all 3 shows at once), it quickly becomes a challenge within multiple TV households. One recording-hungry user can literally lock out all live TV within the house. If you have more than 3 TV's, it also means you will never have the ability to watch live TV on all of them at the same time. Recorded TV can be streamed from the one PVR to any TV in the house if no live streams are available, however Telus only allows 1 PVR box for the entire house so hard drive space could quickly fill up. Telus is currently using a 320 GB hard-drive in their boxes, and while they have a USB connection, there is no ability to add an external hard-drive to increase storage room.

Update: Again, if you are lucky enough to have a Fibre to the Home connection, Telus now allows up to 4 streams with 3 HD and 1 SD channel going at any given time.

Top 5 Disappointments With The 3G iPhone

The iPhone is an amazing device. It has blown existing smartphones out of the water with its innovation and ease of use. What's probably most surprising is that in the year since the iPhone launched, no competitor has really been able to emulate this amazing new platform. The new iPhone 3G and 2.0 software update have generally made a great device even better. Updates like 3G, the appstore and GPS were sorely missed features. The iPhone, however, still isn't perfect. Below is a list of the top five disappointments that people have noticed when upgrading to the new phone. By no means is the iPhone bad device, but as this list proves, the folks at Apple still have a little ways to go:


5. The App Store

The app store is an excellent addition to the iPhone/touch, but it still doesn't match the flexibility that developers are allowed on other platforms. A centralized store run by Apple means that many potential applications (ie. emulators and any application that doesn't terminate when the home button is pressed) may never be allowed on the phone. With Apple's approval needed for all applications, one would expect only quality applications, yet with over two dozen tip calculators in less than a month, we know the name of the game is quantity over quality. To be fair, the app store is new and a lot of promising apps are on the way, but it seems that the need to jailbreak (and void your warranty in the process) hasn't been completely eliminated.


4. 3G Makes Browsing Faster, But Not Lighting Fast

Unfortunately, the inherit limitations of 3G service and the iPhone itself mean that even with the latest iPhone, you wont be browsing as anywhere nearly as fast as you can on your home computer. HSDPA, the 3G technology of the iPhone, has broadband comparable speeds but also suffers from extremely high latency. This means that while large data files will download fast, it takes a long time for the network to recognize requests and dish out the data to your phone. The iPhone (and all mobile devices) are also no where near as powerful as your home computer, so even when connected to wifi, websites load much slower as the phone processes the information. Many tests out there show the 3G iPhone is faster than the 1st gen iPhone, but even websites like ESPN.com still take almost a full minute to load completely. If you were expecting the browsing speeds depicted in the Apple television ads, you'll be disappointed.


3. Apple's Bandwidth Restrictions

Apple seems to be restricting a number of services to conserve the amount of cellular data the phone uses. Even with 3G, you cannot use the music store application unless connected to wifi. The app store only allows downloading applications under 10 megabytes over the 3G network. Those excited to stream high quality youtube videos over the network will be disappointed to see Apple is still downgrading the quality when not connected to wifi. All these restrictions clearly point to the fact that AT&T and other carriers are attempting to limit the amount of bandwidth they have to provide. What this means for you is your phone is intentionally crippled.


2. Buggy 2.0 Software

The first thing many people noticed when using the 1st gen iPhone was how quickly and smoothly one could navigate the phone. There was no lag, and all features worked exactly as one would expect. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the case with the 2.0 firmware update. The phone is still certainly usable, but lag is ever present and several new bugs have popped up. Contacts lists are sometimes painfully slow to load. Keyboard presses are often ignored. continuously crash out to the homepage. Hopefully these issues will be fixed quickly in a future update, but until that happens, users will be dealing with a glitchy expereince.


1. The Battery Life

There isn't really any way around it, the iPhone 3G has horrible battery life. Even people using the iPhone moderately are reporting difficultly getting through the day without completely draining the battery. All 3G phones are quite power hungry, but every other phone also has a user replaceable battery. It's true that most users wouldn't carry a spare battery on them, but the lack of user replaceable batteries means that there's no option to install a higher capacity non-OEM battery. A quick and easy way to boost the battery performance of the phone is to turn off 3G services, but that makes one wonder why even upgrade in the first place?

5 Cool Websites Still In Beta

It must be very daunting launching a new web-service post dot com bubble burst. Financial considerations aside, it often feels like everything worthwhile has already been done. The sites on the following list prove that assumption wrong, as each offers something new and fun to play around with (for free!). Now, keep in mind that these websites, while fully functional, are still in development. It's not uncommon to encounter glitches and just because they're free now doesn't mean they will always be. So what are you waiting for? Go check out the top 5 cool beta websites:


5. Finetune

Finetune is a very cool site that allows you to choose from 2+ million songs to create custom playlists. You can play these playlists from any computer with internet access. There's nothing to download (the webplayer is Flash-based), the songs are CD-quality, and it's free! The only downside is you can't choose the order in which the songs in your playlist appear, but you can skip curently playing songs and make as many playlists as you want. Finetune calls it the evolution of the mixed tape, but I like to think of it as an internet iPod stuck on shuffle. The best advice is to use the main website to setup your playlists, then play them using the Wii-version for an ultra sleek and simple ad-free interface.
Website: www.finetune.com
Wii Version: www.finetune.com/wii


4. Cha Cha

Cha Cha allows you to submit any question, and have a real person go out on the web and find the answer. You can submit a question via their website, SMS or even a their toll free number (1-800-2chacha). The answer is then sent as a text message back to your mobile phone. The service is free, and anyone can also join the team and be paid to answer other people's submitted questions. This obviously means there is a wide variety in the quality of answers, but if you've ever tried to use Google on your cell phone when out and about, you know the potential convenience of being able to call someone else and have them do the search.
Website: www.chacha.com


3. Ask 500 People

Ever wanted to know if people could pick a superpower what they would choose? Or what people's favorite kind of cheese is? These silly questions (and some serious ones) can be answered by ask 500 people. Just like it sounds, anyone can post a question, where it will be queued up and asked to 500 people on the website and "hundreds websites across the internet". Now, the results aren't exactly scientific, and because the service is in beta it's more like you'll ask 200 people. Nevertheless, this is a very cool (and once again free) service that can be a fun way ask questions and get your opinions out there.
Website: www.ask500people.com


2. Amazon Mechanical Turk

A pioneer of "crowdsourcing", Amazon Mechanical Turk takes those tasks which computers aren't really good at yet (ie. telling if two products are duplicates, or writing short product reviews) and connects them to internet users who are willing to complete them for money. Now, most tasks (called HITs for Human Intelligence Task) only pay a few pennies each, but most also don't take more than a minute to complete. Volume processing is the key to making any significant money while "turking". Some people have made hundreds of dollars, while others just find it too boring. Nevertheless, if you can find tasks you like, Mechanical Turk is one of the few legit ways to reliably make money on the internet.
Website: www.mturk.com


1. Tagcow

If you've downloaded all your pictures off your digital camera, you probably have a lot of filenames with titles like "dcm_10010" or other equally as descriptive titles. The solution is to upload photos to tagcow (or interface with its flicker widget), where the photos are magically processed and tags are added like "man", "child eating spaghetti", "disneyland", or whatever else appears in the photo. It isn't really magic, as the work is done by paid users on Amazon Mechanical Turk (see #4). The service is free to you though, and there's no limit to how many photos can be uploaded. Just keep in mind, anyone can sign up for Mechanical Turk, so make sure you're okay with strangers seeing your pictures. We wouldn't want that embarrassing photo of you at last years Christmas party slipping out now would we?
Website: www.tagcow.com

World Of Warcraft: Top 5 Most Controversial Moments

World of Warcraft has been immensely successful. It's easy enough that a newbie to MMORPGs can jump right in, but so in-depth that it keeps players busy for years. The game has attracted upwards of 8 million players, so it's not surprising it has had a fair share of controversial moments. Most of these issues are not unique to Warcraft, but the did receive a lot of press coverage because they happened in Warcraft. Nevertheless, here are the top 5 most controversial moments in World Of Warcraft:


5. Gold Farmers Invade

People in developing countries are often payed measly sums to kill monsters over and over to generate gold. This gold is then sold by the company to players who are willing to spend cash instead of earning the gold within the game. Gold farming is not exclusive to Warcraft, but it was brought to the attention of many because of the game's popularity. For it's part, Blizzard forbids the practice, and bans any accounts caught farming. However, with the ease in creating a new account, it's really up to the players to stop buying gold in order to end the abusive practice.


4. The Warcraft Funeral Crash

A Warcraft gamer died in real life, and a bunch of friends decided to host a mock funeral for the gamer's avatar. They staged a event where everyone lined up and "viewed" the body. Unfortunately, they did this right in the middle of a a PVP zone where anything goes. Another guild (ironically named Serenity Now) crashed the funeral and blindsided the mourners. Some say the attackers have no respect for the dead and mourning, while others say it it's just a game. I say it makes for good video drama and a great video.




3. The Corrupted Blood Pandemic

When Warcraft introduced the Zul'Gurub instance, it came with a nasty boss that inflicted the Corrupted Blood debuff, which dealt hundreds of points of damage to characters every few seconds, while spreading to anyone nearby. Through a bug, this plague escaped from the dungeon, and suddenly everyone was catching the "disease". Low level characters died in seconds, and skeletons lined the floors of any area where a lot of people congregated (ie. cities). The bug was fixed, but experts have since used the incident to study just how people would react should a large scale epidemic occur.


2. Warcraft's Gay Rights Issue

Back in 2006, Sara Andrews was recruiting for her gay friendly guild Oz on the main chat channels. A blizzard employee issued her a warning to stop advertising sexual orientation or she would be banned. This one little incident soon exploded and was being covered by mainstream media like CNN and the BBC. Critics accusing Warcraft of being anti-gay. Blizzard defended its actions at first, but then eventually issued an apology to Ms. Andrews and provided sensitivity training to all its employees.


1. Death by Warcraft

Warcraft certainly isn't the first game to directly or indirectly be involved in a death, but it does receive a lot of attention when someone dies. Most deaths are a result of sheer exhaustion as people play for days in a row with no break or sleep. An especially tragic story was that of a 4-month old South Korean infant that died while her parents were away at an internet cafe playing the game. Warcraft can be addicting just like so many other vices in life, so it's important for players to exercise moderation and self-control.

5 TV DVD Box-Sets Every Geek Should Own

What geek doesn't have a healthy collection of DVD box-sets? Whether you want to rewatch your favorite shows in HD or listen to them in surround sound glory, it's great to get to see episodes back to back and commercial free. The next time you've got some cash to spare, here are 5 box-sets that won't disappoint a geek:


5. Firefly

Firefly was a unique space opera, that blended traditional science fiction with elements of a western. It takes it's title from the Firefly-Class ship Serenity, which actually looks like a very big insect. If the show is starting to sound weird, it is, but it's also great. Firefly was only on the air one season, but since cancellation it has developed a huge cult following and even a spinoff movie appropriately titled Serenity. When it was cancelled, only 11 of the 14 episodes produced had aired. By buying the DVD set you get to see all 14 episodes. At around $20, you can't go wrong with this box-set.


4. Arrested Development

Another victim of unjust cancellation, Arrested Development was probably one of the smartest, funniest comedies on television. It followed Michael Bluth (Jason Bateman) and his attempts to keep his formerly rich, highly dysfunctional family from self-imploding. This show pioneered the no-laugh track documentary-ish style found in other shows like The Office and 30 Rock. The show is best seen in chronological order starting from episode #1 to really appreciate the arcing storylines and continuing jokes. If you haven't seen the show, now's the time to get the backstory before the recently announced movie is launched.


3. Lost

A plane flight goes down on a remote tropical island in the pacific. Many people mysteriously walk away from the crash with no injuries and find they're on an island with polar bears, smoke monsters and a giant 4 toed foot statue. Lost's style of giving more questions than answers every episode can be hard even for the most devoted of fans to keep straight. Being able to watch multiple episodes back to back helps things out considerably. This might be one box-set to buy when the entire series is done though, because it's probably not going to be until the very last episode that were going to have all the answers. Pick this one up in Blu-Ray for the absolute best experience.


2. The Office UK

Ok, you don't have to be a geek to enjoy the NBC version of The Office, but you can definitely be a little geekier by having watched the entire original British Series. The first episode alone is almost scene by scene identical to the US version, so it's neat way to see the British versions of Pam, Dwight, Micheal and the rest of the gang. Rest assured, as the series goes on, it's quite a bit different (in a good way) than the domestic version. It's a great way to introduce yourself into the world of British sitcoms. The BBC takes a quality over quantity approach so even though the entire series ran for 2 seasons, only 14 episodes (of various lengths) were produced, It's a great way to spend a rainy weekend.


1. Every Star Trek Ever

This one isn't going to be cheap, but you really can't call yourself a geek without picking up every star trek boxed set there is. Relive Captain Picard's constant violations of the prime directive. Watch Janeway's captain skills increase as her hair gets better. Find out what really was so troublesome about those Tribbles. Put on Deep Space 9 and then change the channel to watch something better. One top of the classics there's also the original animated series, Enterprise all the movies, and the documentaries Trekkies 1 and 2 to get. Note: This website is not responsible for your failure to pay rent as a result of acquiring all episodes of star trek ever made.

5 Reasons Not To Buy The Macbook Air

Now, just for the record, I’m not an Apple (or PC) hater. I think Apple is an innovative company that makes some cool products. I’m even writing this up on a Macbook. I do, however, think that Apple can make some pretty dumb products sometimes and the Macbook Air is a good example. The Macbook Air has the same dimensions as a normal Macbook, but is one third of an inch thinner (at its thickest point) and 2 pounds lighter. In order to shave off this space, a lot had to be given up. Too much. Below is a list of the top 5 reasons to avoid the Macbook Air:


5. No Removable Battery

What is it with Apple’s continued insistence that we are never allowed to remove the battery from its devices? It’s one thing on an ipod, but being able to swap out a drained out battery on the fly seems to be a really important feature for a lot of laptop users. Imagine a long flight or bus ride with only a single battery charge. Or the dread felt in 6 months when your battery dies early and the only way to get a new one is to ship off your whole notebook. This just seems like it’s a sly way to force users to pay to have official OEM battery replacement, or even worse, to buy a whole new laptop once the battery finally quits.


4. No Optical Drive

Apple shipped the original iMac without a floppy drive in 1998, and it annoyed the hell out of a lot of people. It’s 10 years later and they’re still making the same mistakes. Apple says its no big deal since you can use their new remote disk software to stream a disk’s contents from your desktop wirelessly to the Macbook Air. Isn’t breaking away from your desktop the point of having a laptop? Apple suggests if that doesn’t work you can always buy their USB superdrive which of course means more money spent, and more to lug around.


3. Weak Specs

The maximum sized hard-drive is 80 gigabytes. The fastest processor available is 1.8ghz. The graphics card is integrated. There is only 1 usb port and no ethernet port! This is not a powerhouse by any means, and it feels like a laptop from one or two years ago and not a brand new prestige model. The argument could be made that the configuration is similar to other "sub-notebooks", but the Macbook Air, is thin but not small. The specs wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for…


2. No Upgradeability

Ok, so laptops aren’t known for their amazing abilities to upgrade components, but almost every laptop allows at least minimal upgrade. Not the Macbook Air. There’s no adding a higher capacity battery, or a larger hard-drive or even adding a few more megabytes of ram (There are initial reports you can replace the hard-drive, but this requires opening the case and will void your warranty). What you buy is what you get… forever.


1. The $1800 price tag

At a price as high as the Macbook Pro, this laptop seems targeted towards business users. Yet, as we’ve seen, the Macbook Air is missing some really critical features that businesses need. Smart consumers with the cash to spend would probably opt for another laptop with much more bang for the buck. Apple might be more successful if put the same configuration in a normal sized case and sold it as a cheap entry level “disposable” laptop. For now, the Macbook Air might be a fun toy to show off, but in the long run it just isn’t functional.

5 Media Programs We Love To Hate

We use a lot of different programs to view a lot of different types of media files. Some programs do a fairly good job of delivering information. Unfortunately, a lot of programs do nasty things like spy on you, hijack your system or just plain bug you. Below is a list of top 5 media programs we all use that you can only love to hate:


Adobe Flash

Ok, Flash isn’t all bad. It has been a great platform for amateur animators, and it certainly is a popular way to deliver streaming video cross-platform. Flash becomes a problem when entire websites are created using it. In the age of Web 2.0 no one likes being forced to watch opening animations or waiting for elaborate menus to glide into place before being allowed to click on them. Especially problematic is the inability to right click anything which takes away the ability to download most webpage elements. Flash is unsupported on most mobile devices as well. Hey web designers, do us a favor and leave Flash for goofy videos on Youtube and make your webpages functional.


Quicktime (For Windows)

Quicktime for Mac OSX does a fairly decent job. It integrates into the OS and plays most media files with little effort (especially when outfitted with flip4mac). Quicktime for Windows is a different story. It’s nearly impossible to find a way to install it without also being forced to also take iTunes. Inattention during the install process allows the program to hijack almost all media types from other programs. Once it’s installed it sets up shop in the system tray even when not running. The program itself is slow and lacking in features. It’s no wonder PC users don’t want to switch to Macs. And by the way Apple, you can quit asking us EVERYTIME we load the program, we never want to upgrade to Quicktime Pro.


Adobe Acrobat Reader

It’s somewhat ironic that the creators of the PDF file format also make the worst viewing software. Acrobat Reader is painfully slow to load. Nothing sucks more than watching your system grind to a halt as you realize that link you just clicked on is a 2 page PDF. Adobe tried to fix this by loading a part of the program into memory on windows startup, but now it just means you can have Adobe Reader around slowing down your computer all the time! Once loaded, the reader nags you to update it nearly every time it loads. It also seems strange that a program simply designed to view PDFs needs to constantly phone home. Geesh.


RealPlayer

Good luck trying to find the free version for download. Once you do find it, RealPlayer will automatically load at startup and randomly pop ads up through its “message center”. Both can be disabled but they always seem to turn back on somehow (kind of like adware!). Like Quicktime, failure to pay attention during the install results in RealPlayer hijacking the playback of all your media files. To top it all off, RealPlayer seems to be more concerned with including a webrowser, burning DVD’s and selling its monthly subscription than actually playing media files.


Microsoft Internet Explorer

It does it’s job well enough, but even with the touted upgrades, you just can’t help getting the feeling that using Internet Explorer is like putting a big sign on your PC saying “I’m a Giant Security Exploit! Attack Me!”. Of course IE is a big target because so many people use it. Unfortunately, those who want to break away from Internet Explorer and use better alternatives are all to often forced back into using it on websites that are only designed to be viewable using IE (www.windowsupdate.com being a prime example). Its a vicious circle: People can't break way from IE because websites require it, websites require it because people keep using it.

Top 10 Stupidest USB Gadgets

USB has come a long way. You're no longer stuck with connecting only boring old printers and web cameras to your computer. Slowly, non-computing peripherals started to get added to the list of USB-Compliant devices. First came somewhat useful mug-warmers and night lights. Then came less useful Christmas trees and missile launchers. Today the market is filled with hundreds of bizarre devices of questionable utility. Below is our top 10 list of the stupidest (but still potentially quite fun) USB-compliant devices:

10. Mii Stor Ice Flash Drive

This little gem has 456 5ct diamonds set in a platinum case. There's no storage capacity listed, but I'm sure anyone willing to spend the cash to get one doesn't really what it stores. Here's hoping you don't leave this thumb drive on top of the photocopier just like the other 2 you lost.

Available At: miistor.com $30,000

9. USB Stress Button

When you get really stressed just whack this molded plastic button and all your stress will melt away as your watch your computer screen countdown and show an animated explosion. I sure know nothing de-stresses me like rebooting my computer after this poorly designed software freezes it up.
Available At: usb.brando.com.hk $17.00

8. USB Mini Humidifier

This one is interesting since it doesn't really look like it's big enough to actually make any difference whatsoever. That's probably a good thing since the last time I checked Computers + Moisture = Badness.

Available At: USBgeek.com $35.00

7. USB Thumb Ionizer
Many are convinced the full tower sized ionic air cleansers don't really do anything and can even cause more harm than good (see wikipedia). Even if you are a believer, it's hard to imagine this tiny thumb drive makes any impact on air quality at all. It does come with a fancy built-in blue LED though.
Available At: kleargear.com $14.99



6. Rechargeable USB Shaver
As many men have learned, sometimes shaving with a cheap electric razor is no better than scraping one's hair out with a dull butter knife. This shaver could be the exception and really high quality, but something really creeps me out thinking of bits of me being connected via USB to a computer.
Available At: usb.brando.com.hk $22.00

5. USB Humping Dog
Its sole function is to use up a USB port and hump it to oblivion. 'Nuff said.
Available At: thinkgeek.com $9.99






4. Warmmi USB Heating Knee Pads
Just strap these puppies around your legs, string the cords through your pants, find 2 empty USB ports and you're all set for toasty knees. I can't really say I know many people afflicted with cold knees, but somebody out there was itching for 5 volts of warmth. Don't forget to unhook yourself from the computer upon getting up, we don't want any accidents now.
Available At: vavolo.com $19.99/pair




3. USB Pole Dancer

Nothing adds class to a computer desk than adding this bikini-clad plastic doll spinning around a pole to "I'm Too Sexy". The whirring of the motor only adds to the ambiance. It's a complete steal at $40. Plug this one in at the office. I dare you.
Available At: stupid.com $39.99




2. Tidy "Tippist" Doily Tablecloth Keyboard
This USB keyboard has some ridiculously cool features. It's flat, can be rolled up, and is even machine washable. But why oh why did it have to be shaped like a freaking doily?!! "Hmm, we're going to make a keyboard on the cutting edge of technology, so naturally it's important it appeal as much as possible to the elderly." Clear marketing genius.
Available At: toniawelter.de (Only Available In Store - Germany)



1. USB Powered Air Conditioned Shirt
By drawing in air through 2 fans, these shirts extreme computer programming sessions. You might not actually be cool wh claim to keep you cool even under the mostile plugged in, but you sure would look cool all puffed up in these stylish shirts. Unfortunately when you walk away from the computer all your left with is a shirt with 2 holes in the side and a bunch of dangling cords.
Available: Hopefully Never

4 Positive Ways The iPhone has Changed The Wireless Industry

The iPhone is ridiculously cool. It has its shortcomings like most phones, but overall it is a huge leap forward in mobile phone design. Any phone that is exciting enough to impress my technophile friends, but easy enough for my technophobe mother to use HAS got to be something special. In the wake of all this attention devoted to the iPhone and its interface, it’s important to take a step back and look at how one phone model is changing the entire wireless industry. Even if you don't have an iPhone yourself, here are 4 positive benefits of the iPhone's introduction


4. Increased Awareness of GSM Phone Locking

The media gave a lot of attention to the 1.12 update and subsequent bricking of unlocked iPhones. Thanks to this, everyday people were made aware their phones weren’t bound to networks due to a difference in technology, but as a result of provider locks. It may not be a coincidence that Verizon recently announced their decision to finally allow other CDMA phones not previously purchased from Verizon on to their network. GSM locks aren’t likely to disappear anytime soon, but at least now more people know they can unlock their phones and jump ship.


3. Sending a Message: Allow 3rd Party Development

Apple tried to hold out and prevent any official 3rd party development of applications for the iPhone. This is in contrast to almost every other modern phone that allows some sort of 3rd party development even if just through J2ME/BREW programs. We were told “web apps” would be just as good as native applications. They aren’t (especially when delivered at dial-up speeds). The resulting backlash has forced Apple to reconsider, and the company now says it will open up the phone. Hopefully Apple and future smartphone manufactures will not make the same mistake and allow at least some form of official support for 3rd party development out of the box.


2. Reduced Data Rates In Canada

It is true that few Canadians use or are even aware of what data on a cell phone is. That doesn’t mean it’s fair to charge those who do use data $0.05/kb. Who would want to download a mp3 that costs $175? On a practical level you sure can forget any kind of bulk html browsing or blackberry emailing. With the imminent arrival of the iPhone to Canada, Rogers is launching a $20 for unlimited data plan. Other carriers will almost definitely follow suit, and we can finally get headlines like “Canada Worse than 3rd World Countries when it comes to Mobile Data” headlines out of the news.


1. Embarrassment for Microsoft and the Windows Mobile Platform

Apple’s first crack at a phone resulted in a revolutionary OS that literally turns heads with both its innovation and simplicity. That has got to be embarrassing for Microsoft who has been touting its clunky, slow and unintuitive smartphones for a long time. Ok, so Microsoft isn’t the only company with an outdated OS (isn’t the Palm Treo just a Palm IIIc with an antenna glued on?), but Microsoft does deserve knocking down for its “If its got windows its got to be good” attitude.

5 elements that have dissappeard from modern gaming

Gaming has been greatly enhanced by new technologies. It wasn't that long ago that we had to go all the way to the store, rely on the advice of a geeky salesclerk and spend hours playing games alone (Ok, so most of us still do that). Today, however, we can research games, download demos, buy games, get hints, and connect with others from all over the world without ever leaving home. Because of these abilities, some once-common sights in the gaming world no longer exist. Some of these disappearances are a good thing, while others are sorely missed. Here are 5 elements that have disappeared from modern gaming:


5. Complete and perfectly working gameplay (without the need for patches)

There are far too many examples of modern games shipping buggy or even broken. Some game producers seem to rush games out the door with a "we'll fix it later" approach. Nothing is more frustrating than buying a new game, installing it and finding out it doesn't work without hunting down a patch. Before the internet, game developers had only one chance to get it right. Console gamers have even been caught in the phenomenon with many PS3 owners being surprised to find their newest games like Call of Duty 4 or Heavenly Sword won't run until a mysterious mandatory "update" is downloaded and installed.


4. Really overpriced 1-900 hint lines

Before the advent one stop game walkthrough sites like GameFAQs, early gamers without access to the internet really could get stuck in a game and render their $40 investment useless. That's why most (especially adventure) games included a standard page near the end of their manual that read something like "...for recorded tips 24 hours a day call 1-900-555-1212 ($0.95/min) for live help call from 8am to 5pm EST 1-900-555-1213 ($1.95/min)". Today you'd be hard pressed to find a company still offering a live help hint line (or anyone willing to call at those rates for that matter).


3. Big boxes with lots of things in them

Instead of the standard size boxes nearly all current computer software comes in today, game boxes used to come in a wide assortment of shapes and sizes. While these boxes didn't fit quite as neatly on a shelf as today's games do, they did allow for some pretty cool stuff to come in the box. Wall-sized maps, laminated reference cards and big thick manuals with lots of pictures all easily fit into these boxes. Perhaps the best example was the "feelies" included with classic Infocom text-adventure games. One could find humorous references to their game such as postcards, sunglasses or even a genuine zorkmid.


2. Registration Cards (And cool stuff for filling them out)

Long before nag screens that prompted you every 10 minutes to register your game over the internet, most software included a physical card to be filled out and mailed back to the game creator. In return for providing this valuable marketing data, game companies would often offer valuable physical incentives. Gamers could expect to get disks with bonus content, free shareware titles, coupons, subscriptions to in-house magazines, (another relic sadly missed) and even clothing like cheap t-shirts and hats. While this may not sound like a lot, getting something in the mail was always exciting for young gamers. It is certainly better than the "special promotional offers" (spam) that most companies provide today.


1. Shareware Discs

In the early 90's, you could easily find rotating racks filled with dozens and dozens of games and software shareware floppy disks. These displays were found not only in computer stores, but also in bookstores, grocery stores and even gas stations. For a dollar or two one could pick up a floppy disk containing a (usually quite crippled) piece of software that would require sending a full payment by check or money order through the mail in order to get the full version. If you didn't like the game you could pass it on to a friend or erase the disc and then load on a pirated game for a friend. At any rate, these disks could be an easy way to buy a single floppy disk without having to shell out for a whole box.

5 Possible Outcomes to the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Format War

As a follow up to last week's post on HDTV, we will explore the current HD format war in a little more detail. While it's assumed that one format, either HD-DVD or Blu-Ray will eventually "win" and become the format of choice, other possibilities do exist. Here are 5 different ways in which this war could eventually be settled:


1. HD-DVD Wins

HD-DVD still has a lot going for it. Start with a lower cost of manufacture for discs allowing studios to earn higher profits. Lower costs of manufacture for players means most HD-DVD players are less expensive than Blu-Ray players. While most studios support Blu-Ray, Paramount and Universal still back HD-DVD exclusively. Strong support from Microsoft (due to their HDi technology built into players) can’t hurt the format either.


2. Blu-Ray Wins

Blu-Ray has a strong potential to win the war. It currently has the support of the majority of the domestic film studios. This support recently grew as Warner Brothers, who was previously releasing discs in both formats, announced that it would begin to release new titles exclusively in Blu-Ray format. The PS3 also has built-in support for Blu-Ray (unlike the Xbox 360 which requires an optional add-on HD-DVD player). While the PS3 hasn’t exactly blown critics out of the water yet, it’s still a cheap(ish) and easy way to break into the world of HD.


3. Both Formats Stay

Who says a format is going to or even has to win? It is far from unheard of that two very similar but different technologies share the spotlight. Think Mac vs. Windows. It could happen that neither format gains enough support to win over consumers. We could be stuck with both formats until the next generation of video technology surfaces. Players such as the LG BH100 which support both formats only serve to make this outcome a very real possibility.


4. Total HD (Or Another Dual Format) Wins

Warner Brothers announced a third format called Total HD that supports both HD-DVD and Blu-Ray players on a single disc. While a fairly far off shot, it’s conceivable that consumers could adopt this format or another "universal disc" style format (if it ever gets released to market).


5. No One Wins

Admittantly it’s a pretty far off shot, but it could happen that consumers never really accept either format en masse. It’s a vicious circle – as people wait for the format war to resolve itself before choosing a device the war simply drags on longer. Unlike the switch to DVD’s, high definition discs require a new TV purchase for most people in addition to the player itself. If all you have is a standard TV, there’s just no really good reason to switch, especially when HD titles are often much more expensive than DVD versions of films. People may end up waiting so long that some new format that's better than both comes along.

6 Reasons HDTV Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be

High Definition Television has been lauded as an amazing breakthrough in television and home video that will forever change the way we view media. Anyone who truly considers themselves a techno-geek needs to fully invest in this exciting leap into new technology. Or do they? Here are the top 6 reasons why its ok to hold off HDTV for now.


6. It's Inherently Confusing

HD-DVD, Blu-Ray, 1080i, 1080p, 720p, HDMI, DVI, Apsect Ratios, etc, etc, etc. I consider myself to be an early adopter and someone up on current technology trends, but even I sometimes get confused within the world of HD. Televsion is a mind-numbing experience and is meant to be easy. Plug it in, connect the cable to the wall and watch. Now in order to get the most out of your set one needs to have at least a passing knowledge of many potentially confusing terms. The draw of previous technologies was they made life easier and simpler. HDTV is nearly the exact opposite.


5. The Format War

Blu-Ray and HD-DVD are essentially almost identical, but different enough to be completely incompatible. We've learned nothing from the VHS vs. Betamax war and now anyone wanting to invest in the ability to view high definition movies at home risks buying the "wrong" system and being out hundreds of dollars. Can't we all just get along?


4. It's Ridiculously Expensive

All new technologies come at a high cost, but considering HDTV is a mainstream technology it seems to be especially pricey. First there's the actual HD compatible widescreen TV. Then you need an expensive HD-DVD or Blu-Ray player (or both if you want to watch all movies released). Finally, if you want to watch cable TV in HD you need to buy a highly overpriced receiver and subscribe to an expensive cable package that only includes a few HD channels. Prices will come down, but until they do there's no immediate rush to jump on the HD bandwagon.


3. Those damn black bars are still there

I was really excited to watch my first high definition movie on my newly purchased Blu-Ray player and widescreen TV. I turned on the movie only to still have the letterbox black bars on the top and bottom of the screen. I thought one of the reasons I was getting a widescreen tv was so that videos would take up the whole screen. I've since become familiar with the various aspects and ratios involved with home video, but really, in today's day and age can't we make all movies the same size?


2. HDMI Cables

I know, I already argued that HDTV is really expensive, but HDMI cables deserve a number all their own. I think HDMI cables are great in that they carry all video and audio in one signal without needing a mess of component cables. I do not however agree with the need to charge $200 for a 3 foot cable. It's no secret there's very little profit in big ticket electronics so stores need to sell lots of accessories with your purchase to make money. I'm tired of being shunned by sales clerks and technophiles for not buying a top of the line monster brand cable when a (still expensive) store brand cable works just as well. Need proof? Buy both and try both. I did to prove to a friend my point. Guess which one got returned?


1. It's not THAT much better looking

Of course HDTV looks good. There's nothing quite like the first time you see your favorite movie star's face up close in all its blemished and pocked glory. Generally speaking though, it's just not the same jump that happened from VHS to DVD or Cassettes to CD's. I enjoy hanging out in electronics departments watching people comment "That's It?" while seeing HD for the first time. If you ever need further convincing just take a look around the room you're in. That's HD in real life and it's as good as HDTV will ever get.