Offbeat posts

With alarmists sounding the alarms and naysayers saying, “nay,” it’s certainly looking very similar to the way things were over a decade ago right before the dotcom bubble burst. Did we learn our lesson back then or are we in the process of repeating our mistakes? Few can argue against the concept that we’re in another tech bubble. The only real debate is whether or not the bubble will burst. With Facebook leading the way with valuations far exceeding prospects of revenue and slowdown in growth, it’s the poster child for both high-value investors as well as those warning of a more catastrophic collapse…

Michael Crichton and Steven Speilberg were onto something with Jurassic Park. Unfortunately, it wasn’t real science. This is. Paleontologist Jack Horner and his team are attempting to reconstruct and grow dinosaurs by genetically engineering chickens. Yes, chickens. As one of the most common living descendants of the dinosaurs, they may be able to be manipulated by activating ancestral traits that are remnants from their roots. Using soft tissue, they’ve been able to find just about everything they need other than DNA itself. Crichton’s dream may be impossible, but this technique may…

Regardless of which side of the debate you’re on, one thing is clear: Jeff Bezos and Amazon are fighting with everything they’ve got to keep states from imposing sales taxes on affiliate sales. In March, we reported the cutoff notices sent by Amazon to many affiliates in certain states.  The fight continues and Bezos is going on the offensive, appealing to Washington to step in and protect them. “We will continue to drop states who pass those affiliate laws, from the affiliate program,” CEO Jeff Bezos said at the ShopSmart Summit in New York in May. “In the U.S., the Constitution prohibits states…

When Nintendo came out with Gamecube, many believed that it was their end. Sony and Microsoft had consoles that were miles ahead and Nintendo seemed like the under-13 consolation-market contender. Fast forward to 2006 when the Wii revolutionized the gaming industry and opened the doors to wonderful potential. Now, the Wii U seems like it has a chance of being another strong entrant into the ever-changing world of gaming gadget trends. Time will tell, but one thing is clear – they really pulled out their inner troll on Microsoft, as this cartoon by Dorkly titled “The Greatest Prank Nintendo…

Add to your personal list of things that don’t need to exist (everyone keeps one of those, right?) this remote-controlled car, which has the singular distinction of being the world’s fastest. Nic Case designed the Schumacher Mi3 with one purpose in mind: to break the world record for fastest toy car – and boy howdy, has he done exactly that. This $4000 pocket rocket is made of carbon fibre, powered by an 11HP motor connected to a 12-cell battery pack, and travels at a cool 161.76 mph. In the event you’re unaware, that’s really damn fast – perhaps fast enough even that I can’t imagine this thing handling…

Bob Ross is beloved by millions who enjoy his easy-going demeanor and colorful ways of expressing himself through paintings. His view of the world has been considered someone child-like — not simple, but perhaps more pure. It’s not surprising that someone would filter the world of social media through his gentle gaze. This graphic by Flowtown does the trick. Click to enlarge. …

With Star Wars Kinect previews coming out and disappointing real fans such as myself, I thought it was appropriate to show my age and reminisce a bit. Below, you will find the original trailer for the epic that was (and still is) Star Wars. Prepare yourself. Get into a happy place. If you haven’t seen it before, it should still all seem strangely familiar. If you have seen it before, get ready to remember. …

Poor television, radio, and print. What has the Internet done to you? Over the past several years, things have changed in advertising. Everything is moving online, jumping on iPads, and shifting away from the traditional formats. The changing online ecosystem has penetrated all corners of business. The advertising game has evolved for centuries, but within the last few years it’s undergone a deep transformation. Our friends at MGD put together this infographic that examines these changes and shows us a glimpse of where the industry is going. …

Can you picture Michael Dell wearing anything other than a suit and tie? He was born in a dress shirt, wasn’t he? If you can imagine him wearing a dishwasher’s apron scrubbing pans at a Chinese restaurant, now you’re starting to see the reality of the man whose name is on the side of millions of computers. Many of today’s most successful tech people worked their way up from humble beginnings. Others, like Mark Zuckerberg, seemed to do okay with their very first jobs. This graphic by our friends at Mindflash gives us a quick view of the various first professions that helped mold some of tech giants of the…

While we wait in anticipation for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, MarianHak of Ozi has put together some gamer geek folly to tide us over (for at leat 11 minutes, 47 seconds). Built in Minecraft and starring Modern Warfare 2 characters Roach and Soap, this project took “a few months” to make. It was worth the wait. At least it’s not a Black Ops mashup. …