retroremakes
February 24th, 2010, 22:50
In today's Remainders: the upcoming. The Spring Design E-Reader, soon to be available for presale; 4chan's mainstream embrace, as signaled by their Jeopardy mention; an idiotic Mall Cop's impending termination; a backlash to RFID gravestones, and more.
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_alex.jpgOh Alex?
We thought the Spring Design Alex ebook reader was a viable threat to the Nook when we got a hands on at CES, (http://gizmodo.com/5441025/spring-design-alex-android-ereader-hands-on-shut-up-nook) but those of you who were waiting patiently for its February 22 preorder date will have to wait a little bit longer. The company's website is now saying that you'll be able to claim yours sometime in the first week of March. The last we heard, Alex will go for $359. [SlashGear (http://www.slashgear.com/alex-ereader-preorders-in-early-march-say-spring-design-2475432/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+slashgear+%28SlashGear%29)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_lulz.jpgOh Alex?
I love Jeopardy. I also love Alex Trebek, and I've sort of forced myself into this fantasy that he, personally, is the one coming up with all of the answers he puts forward to the Jeopardy contestants every night. So I'm always tickled when something unexpected comes out of his mouth, and last night's 4chan clue definitely falls into the "unexpected" category. Though after Moot's TED talk, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that the internet's favorite rabble-rousers are hitting the mainstream. What are Lulz, Alex? [Yfrog (http://img687.yfrog.com/i/b29.mp4/) via Laughing Squid (http://laughingsquid.com/4chan-as-an-answer-on-jeopardy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+laughingsquid+%28Laughing+Squ id%29)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_usbkeyboard.jpg (http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/usbkeyboard.jpg)Bored Board
If you just can't keep your fingers off your smartphone, this new USB keyboard from Matias might be the one for you—it features a snug little nook above the arrow keys where your iPhone can hang out while you're doing some less mobile computing. But before you get ahead of yourself, the keyboard doesn't actually interact with your phone in any meaningful way: no docking, no syncing, no charging. Basically the Matias keyboard cuddles up to your smartphone all night long without giving it any real lovin'. And that's a shame. [GeekyGadgets (http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/matias-usb-keyboard-with-built-in-smartphone-stand-24-02-2010/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+geeky-gadgets+%28Geeky+Gadgets%29)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_rosettastone-sg.jpgGraveyard Tech
There are bad ideas and then there are tasteless ideas, and this one flirts with the latter. RosettaStone is a system that looks to implant tombstones with RFID chips so that particular graves can be located more easily and epitaphs read wirelessly. I'm all about new technology making our lives more effective and more efficient, but in this case I'd certainly prefer the old-school hardware. True, tombstones don't last forever, but you can bet your ass that RFID won't either. [SlashGear (http://www.slashgear.com/rosettastone-uses-rfid-nfc-to-make-gravestones-interactive-2475445/)]
SSD and Y-O-U
We've explained in some detail why you should be craving an SSD, (http://gizmodo.com/5453498/giz-explains-ssds-and-why-you-wish-you-had-one) but for those of you who prefer pictures to words, check out the bit of this MacWorld video on SSDs in the MacBook Pro that starts at 3:36: a split screen comparison showing a regular old MacBook opening ten applications simultaneously versus and SSD-equipped MacBook doing the same task. As you can likely imagine, the SSD MacBook tears through that shit like Grease Lightnin' while the standard MacBook is left in the dust, dock icons bouncin'. [MacWorld (http://www.macworld.com/article/145572/2010/01/ssd_macbook_pro.html)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_mallcop.jpgOh Mall Cop
Oh Mall Cop, you've really outdone yourself this time. In your ongoing quest to purge the mall of all wrongdoing, you found a man who was taking pictures of a small child and accused him of being a pedophile. You threatened to arrest him for creating a disturbance, and you demanded that he delete the relevant picture off his camera. But wait, the accused was actually the child's father. Oh Mall Cop.
[B]Felicity
Before Star Trek or Alias or Lost, the esteemed JJ Abrams worked on a little show called Felicity. Now I didn't watch this show, but I've always been a little intrigued by it, mostly from reading about its bizarro fourth season which introduced time travel into the otherwise totally normal teen drama. Apparently that time travel involved jumping to sometime in the second quarter of 2010, because the Felicity characters, as seen in this clip, are totally overwhelmed by the huge selection of computers they have to choose from, including the iPad. Parenthetically, if anyone actually watched Felicity and can explain what exactly that time travel business is all about, feel free to report in the comments. [Macenstein (http://macenstein.com/default/2010/02/felicity-predicts-ipad-in-1999/)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_downfall.jpg (http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/downfall.jpg)Downfall's Downfall
If you've been waiting patiently for the Wall Street Journal to write a thousand word bit about the "Hitler getting angry about things" YouTube meme, well, today's your lucky day. In a lengthy entry in the Arts & Entertainment section, the writer traces the precedent, the influence, and the current state of the popular Downfall reworkings, a few of which we've featured here on Giz over the years. If you were ever wondering how to determine the exact moment at which an Internet phenomenon has run its course, I'd say in this case it's right. about. now. [WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703983004575073993192954502.html?m od=WSJ_Opinion_TOPRightCarousel)]
http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?p=1 (http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?p=1) http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=H0mrP-F8Qgo</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:H0mrP-F8Qgo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=yIl2AUoC8zA</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:D7DqB2pKExk</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:V_sGLiPBpWU</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:V_sGLiPBpWU)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~4/JsiZdKDNb4w
More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/JsiZdKDNb4w/)
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_alex.jpgOh Alex?
We thought the Spring Design Alex ebook reader was a viable threat to the Nook when we got a hands on at CES, (http://gizmodo.com/5441025/spring-design-alex-android-ereader-hands-on-shut-up-nook) but those of you who were waiting patiently for its February 22 preorder date will have to wait a little bit longer. The company's website is now saying that you'll be able to claim yours sometime in the first week of March. The last we heard, Alex will go for $359. [SlashGear (http://www.slashgear.com/alex-ereader-preorders-in-early-march-say-spring-design-2475432/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+slashgear+%28SlashGear%29)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_lulz.jpgOh Alex?
I love Jeopardy. I also love Alex Trebek, and I've sort of forced myself into this fantasy that he, personally, is the one coming up with all of the answers he puts forward to the Jeopardy contestants every night. So I'm always tickled when something unexpected comes out of his mouth, and last night's 4chan clue definitely falls into the "unexpected" category. Though after Moot's TED talk, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that the internet's favorite rabble-rousers are hitting the mainstream. What are Lulz, Alex? [Yfrog (http://img687.yfrog.com/i/b29.mp4/) via Laughing Squid (http://laughingsquid.com/4chan-as-an-answer-on-jeopardy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+laughingsquid+%28Laughing+Squ id%29)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_usbkeyboard.jpg (http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/usbkeyboard.jpg)Bored Board
If you just can't keep your fingers off your smartphone, this new USB keyboard from Matias might be the one for you—it features a snug little nook above the arrow keys where your iPhone can hang out while you're doing some less mobile computing. But before you get ahead of yourself, the keyboard doesn't actually interact with your phone in any meaningful way: no docking, no syncing, no charging. Basically the Matias keyboard cuddles up to your smartphone all night long without giving it any real lovin'. And that's a shame. [GeekyGadgets (http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/matias-usb-keyboard-with-built-in-smartphone-stand-24-02-2010/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+geeky-gadgets+%28Geeky+Gadgets%29)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_rosettastone-sg.jpgGraveyard Tech
There are bad ideas and then there are tasteless ideas, and this one flirts with the latter. RosettaStone is a system that looks to implant tombstones with RFID chips so that particular graves can be located more easily and epitaphs read wirelessly. I'm all about new technology making our lives more effective and more efficient, but in this case I'd certainly prefer the old-school hardware. True, tombstones don't last forever, but you can bet your ass that RFID won't either. [SlashGear (http://www.slashgear.com/rosettastone-uses-rfid-nfc-to-make-gravestones-interactive-2475445/)]
SSD and Y-O-U
We've explained in some detail why you should be craving an SSD, (http://gizmodo.com/5453498/giz-explains-ssds-and-why-you-wish-you-had-one) but for those of you who prefer pictures to words, check out the bit of this MacWorld video on SSDs in the MacBook Pro that starts at 3:36: a split screen comparison showing a regular old MacBook opening ten applications simultaneously versus and SSD-equipped MacBook doing the same task. As you can likely imagine, the SSD MacBook tears through that shit like Grease Lightnin' while the standard MacBook is left in the dust, dock icons bouncin'. [MacWorld (http://www.macworld.com/article/145572/2010/01/ssd_macbook_pro.html)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_mallcop.jpgOh Mall Cop
Oh Mall Cop, you've really outdone yourself this time. In your ongoing quest to purge the mall of all wrongdoing, you found a man who was taking pictures of a small child and accused him of being a pedophile. You threatened to arrest him for creating a disturbance, and you demanded that he delete the relevant picture off his camera. But wait, the accused was actually the child's father. Oh Mall Cop.
[B]Felicity
Before Star Trek or Alias or Lost, the esteemed JJ Abrams worked on a little show called Felicity. Now I didn't watch this show, but I've always been a little intrigued by it, mostly from reading about its bizarro fourth season which introduced time travel into the otherwise totally normal teen drama. Apparently that time travel involved jumping to sometime in the second quarter of 2010, because the Felicity characters, as seen in this clip, are totally overwhelmed by the huge selection of computers they have to choose from, including the iPad. Parenthetically, if anyone actually watched Felicity and can explain what exactly that time travel business is all about, feel free to report in the comments. [Macenstein (http://macenstein.com/default/2010/02/felicity-predicts-ipad-in-1999/)]
http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/500x_downfall.jpg (http://cache.gawkerassets.com/assets/images/4/2010/02/downfall.jpg)Downfall's Downfall
If you've been waiting patiently for the Wall Street Journal to write a thousand word bit about the "Hitler getting angry about things" YouTube meme, well, today's your lucky day. In a lengthy entry in the Arts & Entertainment section, the writer traces the precedent, the influence, and the current state of the popular Downfall reworkings, a few of which we've featured here on Giz over the years. If you were ever wondering how to determine the exact moment at which an Internet phenomenon has run its course, I'd say in this case it's right. about. now. [WSJ (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703983004575073993192954502.html?m od=WSJ_Opinion_TOPRightCarousel)]
http://ads.pheedo.com/img.phdo?p=1 (http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?p=1) http://a.rfihub.com/eus.gif?eui=2226 http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=H0mrP-F8Qgo</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:H0mrP-F8Qgo) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?d=yIl2AUoC8zA</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:yIl2AUoC8zA) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:D7DqB2pKExk</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:D7DqB2pKExk) http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?i=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:V_sGLiPBpWU</img> (http://feeds.gawker.com/~ff/gizmodo/full?a=JsiZdKDNb4w:Z_skXdvIhJU:V_sGLiPBpWU)
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~4/JsiZdKDNb4w
More... (http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/JsiZdKDNb4w/)