Offbeat posts

Those who have watched the evolution of Netflix over the years are probably aware that the company has done an excellent job of keeping current and having their products reflect the current times. That has slowed lately as the movie rental company seemed to have been stuck in a rut, offering few changes when they seemed appropriate. The rut is over. Netflix today announced that they would be changing their plans and pricing to “better reflect the costs of each” and to give more relevant choices. Here’s the breakdown of the new monthly pricing: Mail 1 out at-a-time: $7.99 Mail 2 out at-a-time: $11.99…

In many ways, social buying was inevitable. Once eCommerce started really taking off last decade followed by the growth of social media, the two seemed destined to come together like chocolate and peanut butter. We trust each other more than we trust companies and the concept of using power of groups to buy in bulk while still being an individual has always been appealing. Thus, social buying was born, and it’s expanded tremendously over the years. This breakdown by our friends at Flowtown takes a look at the short but loaded history of social buying. Click to enlarge. …

The demand to make viral videos is skyrocketing. Animals, babies, and special effects flood YouTube daily in videos made by companies and marketing firms in an effort to get views and exposure for a brand. One tried and true method of getting views is through skin. Sex sells. We just didn’t know it sold video game accessories. The clever folks over at  xtendplay is trying to do just that with the satirical report of a recent “Nude Gaming Party” in New York City. The video, somewhat NSFW, has over a million views on YouTube and highlights the fictional subculture of XBuffing – playing games “in the…

The amount of available talent in several technology industries is not keeping up with the demand in recent years. As new and even old technologies continue to embed themselves deeper into our day-to-day lives, many companies are proactively going after talent wherever they can, including from competitors. Such is the way of the tech talent war of the 21st century. This graphic by Udemy breaks down what’s happening and why. Who’s winning? Who’s losing? What will happen in the years to come as more people get training and education in technical fields? Click to enlarge. …

Brick and mortar stores are closing on nearly a daily basis. We have all seen companies like Blockbuster and Circuit City lose their wars to the online variations of their products. It isn’t just eBay and Amazon. Social sites like Groupon and Facebook are pushing online transactions, while other giants like Google and Apple are moving more products online than off. This graphic by our friends at BuySellAds takes a long look at the Ascent of E-Commerce, exploring the history of buying and selling online. Knowing where we’ve been can help give clues about where we’re going. Click to enlarge. …

It’s the kind of experiment that seems like it was hatched for a satirical spoof video, but the results were anything but funny. Home Plus, the 2nd largest grocery chain in South Korea formerly known as Tesco, needed to increase their market share without building more stores. The idea they had was simple and elegant, albeit completely offbeat and somewhat insane. “Let the store come to the people.” They created virtual stores to make grocery shopping something that could be done without while performing other duties such as waiting in the subway. With lighted billboard visualizations of the…

It’s a sound that few of us have heard since the last time we saw a modem that looked like the one above. Still, it’s a sound that will always be recognized by anyone born in the 80s or earlier – the dial-up modem sound. We may have moved on and there may no longer be a need to hear that ever-so-annoying high-pitched whine again in its original form, but the people over at Geektastic slowed it down for us a lot and gave us something that can only be described as creepy. Listen to this and imagine it in a scene from an old M. Night Shyamalan film (think Sixth Sense and not much after that). Chilling. …

There’s nothing wrong with reusing old material on new projects. It’s done all the time in Hollywood. Heck, the Wilhelm Scream has been used over and over again for 60 years. However, if you do recycle material, it’s important to be sure that it was either content that was found on the cutting room floor (and not in the movie itself) or something so small that nobody will notice. When Michael Bay made his current blockbuster, he did not heed either rule of recycling. Not only is the scene in question part of one of the most exciting sequences in both The Island and Transformers 3, it was so easily distinguishable…

We can dream, right? This video of unknown origin (comment if you know, please) presents a not-so-unrealistic view of what the toilet of the future may look like and how it may operate. Granted, it’s unlikely that you’ll be brewing a cappuccino or grilling a panini from the throne, but having everything relatively automated is simply not too much to ask. As ICanHasInternets puts it, “It’s fake, but nothing about it is impossible. Funny, maybe, but not impossible.” I couldn’t have said it better myself. …

It was once hard to imagine a world like either of the ones described in 1984 or Brave New World. There were logistical and technological challenges that made the censorship and control of information pretty much impossible. Today, it’s more than possible. It would be easy. It also may be happening, if you were to believe the assertions by the makers of #killswitch, the documentary. Even here, we’ve discussed why the Internet kill switch is a bad idea. The infographic and video below make the claim that we’re potentially seeing A Brave New 1984 unfolding before our eyes. Do you think we’re really…