The Daily Harangue

Sir Benjamin the Neowinian

2009-12-08T23:49:00.003-05:00

Yes, the time has come. I have been granted passage into the world of paid Internet journalism. I will be writing for a tech news site called Neowin.net.

Neowin is a site dedicated to anything and everything technology. Being as I am an avid follower of that very world, I shall be assisting them on their quest of world news domination, slowly making my way into to minds of each and every soul on the Interwebs.

I implore you all to follow Neowin on a regular basis. They are a great source for tech news and have a great reputation throughout the online wold.

I also would like to remind you all to follow me via my Twitter account (possible name change soon), as well as on AndroidGuys.com. Links to both are available on the right hand side of the site.

Again... Thank you so much for your continued support. I am now an Androidian Neowinian. Wow, I wonder what's next.

Twittage

2009-12-03T10:17:00.002-05:00

I realize that over the course of the day, I come across a lot of great stuff that people enjoy reading about and watching. Hence, the reason I started The Daily Harangue in the first place.

So, in order to keep the world happy, I think that, for now, I will continue posting links to cool stuff via my Twitter page. This way, I don't have to worry about the whole lengthy process of writing to my site, but everyone can still get updates from me of what the latest happenings are.

Here's a link to my Twitter page... http://twitter.com/dailyharangue

You can follow it via Twitter, RSS feed, or just by visiting the site each day. I think that it's a good compromise for now. We'll see what happens.

Oh, and the video below inspired the above... I really, honestly, cannot believe this couple did this at the freakin' altar!!

At My Wedding Twitterring and Facebooking at the Altar

Change

2009-12-02T12:08:00.003-05:00

Unlike Obama's understanding of the word, this change will actually benefit someone in the world.

Until further notice, I will not be haranguing. I may start up again in the near future, but right now, I'm in the process of exploring other options that require a lot of my attention.

No, this isn't the good part.

The good part is that I may be writing for another very, very popular tech news website. I can't give details yet, but once I learn more about the opportunity and am actually offered a position, I will let you all know about it so you can follow me.

Q:
"Why are you doing this? I can't live without The Daily Harangue!"

A:
I feel bad. I really do. I sincerely apologize. The whole purpose of this site was to educate people with current tech news and eventually make a little money doing it. Since I began this site, my AdSense account (which is how I was going to make money) was canceled for some unknown reason and Google banned me for life (not kiddin'). Therefore, I've been pushed to look at other options.

As you all know, I began branching out my wisdom to another website called AndroidGuys. Writing for them has been an awesome experience and I plan to continue writing for them for as long as my fingers allow. Now, another opportunity has opened its doors to me. This opportunity is for a site that pays per post, and popularity of the post. The site gets over 1.5 million visits a month and is ranked in the top 3,000 sites in the world for traffic! That's pretty insane.

This isn't a sure thing yet, as they want to test out my skills before I get the official green light. It's for this reason that I need to step aside from Haranguing (at least, for now). I need to really focus my attention on impressing this site. Doing paid writing for popular tech news sites is somewhat of a dream of mine... Not like my dream of ruling the entire world, but pretty close.

I hope that you all understand and that you will continue to check back here for updates regarding my endeavors. I will fill you in as things happen and I'd love your continued support on whichever sites I begin writing for.

Thank you so much for helping me and my goals of Interwebs stardom. I am truly grateful.

Twitgether - A Gmail Gadget

2009-12-01T12:57:00.001-05:00

I'm not sure if any of you use Twitter, but if you do, this may be a great little tool for you.

You see, Gmail gives you the ability to add your own gadgets. Today, I came across a neat lil' one for Twitter. It gives me a little gadget on the left side of my Inbox, allowing me to send tweets. If I click the box, it loads, like an email, a full Twitter interface that I can navigate through and manage stuff. I must say, it's pretty nifty and will definitely come in handy.

If you already have Twitter and use Gmail, you can try out the gadget by following the instructions at this link... Lifehacker - From the Tips Box

To start using Twitter, visit... Twitter.com

To find out more about the gadget, visit... Twitgether.com

Lego Halo Movie Trailer

2009-12-01T12:56:00.001-05:00

This video is unbelievable. If you've ever played Halo, you'll understand why.

It's a trailer for a 25 minute Halo movie made by fans using legos. It's perty darn cool if you ask me.

The movie is appropriately called, Battle of the Brick: Built for Combat.

Battle of the Brick: Built for Combat

14" Asus Laptop

2009-12-01T12:45:00.005-05:00

Here's a very powerful laptop for a very nice price.

Staples has the a 14" Asus laptop with some amazing specs for under $600.

Specs:
- Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
- Intel® Core 2 Duo T6600 Mobile Processor
- 4GB installed memory
- 320GB hard drive
- SuperMulti DVDRW Drive
- 14.0" HD LED-backlit Widescreen display
- Integrated 1.3mp webcam & microphone
- Built-in wireless WLAN 802.11b/g/n
- 6 Cell lithium ion battery (up to 8 hours)
- 1 year warranty

Normal Price: $699.99
Sale Price: $599.98 with free shipping
You Save: $100.01 (15%)

Link to deal... Asus U80A-RSTML05 Laptop

Salt & Pepper 'Bots

2009-12-01T12:40:00.002-05:00

These little robots will give "pass the salt" a whole new meaning.

Now your salt and pepper shakers will live at your table, and not just sit on it.

Man, I wish I had 20 Euros to waste on these things

Link... Salt & Pepper 'Bots

2011 Volt Taken For a Spin

2009-12-01T12:38:00.002-05:00

I've discussed the awesomeness of the Chevy Volt before (see Chevy Volt), but now, as we near the actual release of this amazing car, I'd like to revisit it a bit.

At the link below, you can see a bunch of high-resolution images of the 2011 production model of the Volt. It's a really eye-catching piece of machinery. The car was recently taken for a test drive and hopes are high.

Hopefully this will be the car that saves Chevy. There's still no word about the cars official range, but Chevy is still maintaining a 40 mile electric only experience before needing gas assistance. Let's hope this holds true.

Link... Quick Spin: 2011 Chevrolet Volt charges toward production

The True Google Phone

2009-11-30T12:28:00.001-05:00

I usually don't post rumors, since they have yet to be solidified as real news, but today, I just can't help myself.

Yesterday, my wife got an insanely amazing Motorola Droid, courtesy of her mother (best gift ever, btw). Of course, she has yet to use it, because I, the geek of the family, can't keep my hands off of it. It's almost like having my very own Android phone, except that it's not.

Since, as you know, I write for an Android website, you may be scratching your head wondering why I don't have my very own Android phone yet. Your scratch-age would be justified. Now, let me shed some light as to why this is the case...

As leaked by many, very good sources, Google has decided to make their own phone. We'll call it the GPhone. This phone is being designed by Google and manufactured by another company as a Google branded phone. Rumors have it that this phone will have a very large touchscreen with no hardware keyboard. It will run a version of Android that no-one has seen before (possibly 3.0, codename Flan, or later) and is said to be a "real" Android experience. Apparently, Android as we have it today, isn't Google's true vision of a phone OS. I can only imagine what they have in store for us.

This could mean many things. One rumor, which has been talked about at length, is that the phone will be data only and will give you unlimited calling via Google's VoIP service, Google Voice. This would be a huge game changer, since you could get the phone with a $30 data only plan and still make unlimited US and Canada calling with cheap international rates. The GPhone would be a dream come true. If this happens, it's unclear who would provide the phone with its data connection. Some say it would be from a carrier, such as AT&T, and some say that Google will utilize TV whitespaces (not getting into that now, you can Google it if you wanna know more).

One thing's for sure... The phone is coming, and it's gonna be huge. Google is about to shake up the mobile industry and I've been waiting to be a part of it for a long time. This is why I waited, and this is why I'll continue to wait. Rumors put the phone on the market in early 2010 (January or February, hopefully).

I sure love a good rumor.

NOTE: The picture above is NOT the actual phone. It's just a picture made by some guy that people use all over the Internet.

Geek Squad Is Evil

2009-11-30T12:27:00.001-05:00

It's no secret that I think the Geek Squad is a bunch of prepubescent morons, but this video sheds new light on the matter.

Apparently, their goal is to keep the average user from ever using the Internet. What a buncha jerks!

Snitch & Langford - Geek Squad

Cyber Monday

2009-11-30T12:22:00.002-05:00

Today is Cyber Monday, and you know what that means.

If you don't know... It means the same thing as Black Friday, but it's online only.

At the link below, you will find a list of stand-out deals sorted by the site they were found on. You can click on any of the site names and it'll take you to their Cyber Monday deal page.

Have fun!

Link... CrunchGear - Presenting a collection of Cyber Monday deals for your perusal

A Delicious Venn Diagram

2009-11-30T12:21:00.001-05:00

Venn Diagrams work with anything.

Even really yummy things.

Source - GraphJam.com

AOL's In Deep Doodie

2009-11-30T10:52:00.001-05:00

The once awesome America Online is undergoing a change. They are changing their logo.

Ummm... What?

Yes, apparently, along with the layoff of 1/3 of their workforce, the new logo is supposed to help save the dying giant of online's past. The once dominant AOL, which used to have 27 million subscribers, now is home to about 6 million. That's pretty sad.

AOL is a classical example of what can happen to a company that doesn't keep up with the times. Constantly providing users with a bloated experience, AOL has failed to live up to the expectations of Internet users. Let's hope the logo is a sign of things changing, otherwise, your children won't even know what AOL stands for. They'll be nothing more than a page on Wikipedia.

So sad. I used to be such a big AOL fan. They opened my eyes to the wonderful world of being "online." I will forever appreciate what they did for the world. It's unfortunate that their existence now hinges on something as small as a logo change.

Good luck ol' friend.

Mininova Goes Legit... What Do We Do Now?

2009-11-27T10:54:00.002-05:00

Over the years, many Pirate Bay alternatives have spawned. Since all the Pirate Bay drama got crazy serious, people rely on these other trackers to feed their need for torrents. Unfortunately, the previous #2 has now bit the dust.

Mininova, the world's second largest torrent tracker has officially deleted all copyright infringing torrents, and has implemented a system to prevent any from being uploaded in the future. Now, torrents can only be submitted by approved uploaders. Over a million torrents were deleted (not all copyright infringing).

So what are we to do now?

Below is a link to a random list of alternative sites you could use. My personal favorite is isoHunt, but you can search around on your own.

NOTE OF CAUTION: I DO NOT ENDORSE THESE SITES OR WHAT THEY DO, NOR HAVE I VISITED THE MAJORITY OF THEM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT EACH SITE CONTAINS. YOU MAY VIEW THEM AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Link... 10 Alternatives To Mininova

I wish you the best of luck. And as I always say... Piracy can't be stopped. Sorry big G (that means government, btw).

The Chemistry of Thanksgiving Dinner

2009-11-27T10:52:00.001-05:00

This is a class that goes into many Thanksgiving dinner questions, in attempts to answer them with science.

The video, produced by the ACS Office of Public Affairs, focuses on traditional Thanksgiving foods, including topics such as:
- How does the pop-up timer in a turkey work?
- Why do people eat mashed potatoes and not mashes paper towels?
- Why do muffins rise, even when made without yeast?
- Which antacids neutralize the most stomach acid?

Not gonna lie... It's pretty cool (and funny too).

Thanksgiving and Chemistry: What's the connection?

Canon All-In-One Printer, Copier, Scanner

2009-11-27T10:46:00.006-05:00

Office Depot has a sale on the Canon PIXMA MP490 All-In-One Printer, Copier, Scanner.

You can't beat this price. To avoid shipping, do in-store pickup.

Normal Price: $99.99
Sale Price: $29.99
You Save: $70.00 (70%)

Link... Canon PIXMA Photo All-In-One Printer, Copier, Scanner

Wasting Money Bothers Me

2009-11-27T10:43:00.001-05:00

And this wasn't even a Thanksgiving dinner...

This beyond messed up. How can this guy live with himself? I know he's a billionaire and all, but there's still this thing called "wasting." I think this fits the bill. LoL, get it?

Source - What Rich People Eat at Restaurants

What The Font?

2009-11-27T10:12:00.003-05:00

This site is mad, wicked, awesome (as the cool people say). It's called "WhatTheFont?!" and is dedicated to helping people find fonts based on images.

For example... If you saw a cool font on some website, and you wanted to know what it was, you can take a screenshot of it and upload it to this site (there are certain guidelines). You can also scan a picture and upload it as well (whatever you want). The site will then search its database for the closest match, allowing you to compare them and find the right one.

It's a pretty amazing system, and very useful.

Check it out... WhatTheFont?!

Verizon's Ego Trip... Will It Ever End?

2009-11-25T12:11:00.011-05:00

Apparently embarrassing/bashing AT&T wasn't enough (no, really, it wasn't, they deserve it). Now Verizon is taking their ego trip to Sprint, asking them to remove their ads that claim they have the "most reliable 3G network." According to them, Nielsen Co. reports show that Verizon has the better track record. Sadly, Nielsen doesn't have a clue about real world performance.

Of course, Sprint told them to go fly a kite and is backing up its claims. The funny thing about this is that Verizon is dead wrong with this one. Yeah, AT&T deserves their beating, but not Sprint. Sprint notes that its ad claim is "based on independent, third-party drive tests for 3G data connection success, session reliability and signal strength for the top 50 most populous markets from January 2008 to May 2009."

On that note, here's an article from this past August... WebCanDo Blog

SPOILER ALERT: Sprint's 3G network rocks!

Here are some quotes for ya...

Gizmodo - "Sprint is a serious contender in almost any location—and should be taken seriously as a 3G and 4G data service provider"
PC World - "Sprint's results lent credence to its 'most dependable' claim…The Sprint network performed especially well, both in speed and in reliability, in our test cities"
DataOutages.com - Sprint - Fewest data service outages of any major wireless provider
DSLReports.com - Sprint Ranked #1 in Reliability among major wireless data providers
Novarum - "Sprint offered the highest performance with the greatest availability… For both ATT and Verizon, in about 25% of the locations with service - we could not get 3G service but rather fell back to 2G service"
MobileBroadband-Reviews.com - Sprint Wireless Data Ranked #1 For Coverage and Reliability. "The following is not an overstatement. Sprint mobile broadband is one of the best 3G services you'll find out on the market right now. If you're a Wireless Broadband Exposed reader, you already know that they have the largest and best mobile broadband coverage. In addition to that, their average mobile broadband speed is better than Verizon and AT&T in a number of cities."

Therefore, I reach out to Verizon and say, "Get a life, get off your high horse, and worry about your own network before bashing one that's more reliable than your own." Oh, and "Bite me."

Yeah, I still can't stand Verizon. At this rate, they'll never be able to redeem themselves in my eyes. It's so sad because I really love the Motorola Droid.

See my past Verizon bashings...
- Yet Another Reason To Hate Verizon
- Another Verizon Rant
- Verizon is Annoying/Dumb/Close-Minded

Tim Hawkins is Hilarious

2009-11-25T12:07:00.001-05:00

This video was sent in by Father Rochester (aka "Diggity").

Tim Hawkins is hilarious, and this may be one of his best pieces. It's worth every second of your time (especially if you're married).

I give you...

Tim Hawkins - Things You Don't Say to Your Wife

Okay, I couldn't resist, you get a 2nd one too! (not submitted by anyone)

The only problem with this one is that he calls Samson a "nazarene" instead of a "nazarite," which is what he really was. Oh well, his way rhymes better, and it's also hilarious.

Tim Hawkins - Delilah Skit

12.4 MP Kodak Digital Camera

2009-11-25T12:06:00.002-05:00

The holidays are a great time for picture taking. Here's a camera to help you out with that.

Best Buy has a 12.4 MP Kodak camera for just $100. Yeah, it's on backorder, but who cares? It's cheap.

Normal Price: $169.99
Sale Price: $99.99 with FREE shipping
You Save: $70.00 (41%)

Link to deal... Kodak - EasyShare 12.4-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black Olive

My Pee Pee Bottle

2009-11-25T12:05:00.000-05:00

I can't believe this actually exists and that someone thought it was a good idea.

My Pee Pee Bottle is a way for you to let your children, well... pee in a bottle. The videos on the site make me wanna just slap this woman in the face and call her a moron. It's a freakin' water bottle! You don't have to buy a spacial pee pee bottle to do this. It's really not that big of a deal.

This thing is a ridiculous $10 dollars! You can even customize it (what!?) with the child's name for an extra $10. Oh, and don't get me started with the name. When you call something a bottle, expect children to try drinking from it. Ummm... Is that more sanitary than using a public restroom? I think not.

Site (you HAVE to see this)... My Pee Pee Bottle

SkiFree: The Good Ol' Days

2009-11-25T12:04:00.002-05:00

Today I bring you all back in time to a place where we were all once happy and computer games were simple, yet amazing.

Today I return you to the world of SkiFree!

I remember first playing this game on my TI-82 calculator in 7th grade (albeit in a slightly different form). It was the most fun I ever had in math class. That's actually not true. Mrs. Schmitt rocked! Anyway, the game was also available on the computer in its glorious colorful form. It's a Microsoft game and was available on Game Boy, PC, and Mac. It took the gaming world by storm in 1991.

Now, you can re-live the game in all of its awesomeness! All you gotta do is visit the link below and download it. There's a video of the gameplay available as well.

Have a happy Thanksgiving! Don't get too engrossed and forget to watch football. After all, football is an American pastime (whatever that means).

Link... SkiFree Game - Download and Play Free Version!

The Horrid State of IT on TV Shows

2009-11-24T12:24:00.004-05:00

I've been waiting for the right time to feature this post, and today (not sure why) is that time.

My good friend, the Ruler of the Interwebs, made a post a few weeks ago about how bad TV shows are when it comes to accurately portraying computer stuff. It's beyond us both why they don't just hire someone like us to make sure they don't come off as idiots to the world of tech-savvy individuals (which they frequently do).

The post focuses on a TV show called Jericho. The show is awesome (from what I'm told). Yet, these error in facts are bothersome, diminishing the credibility of the show, to a small degree. It's like a doctor watching a show like Grey's Anatomy and things not being factual. That could get pretty annoying, don't you think?

Here's the post. Read it and watch the video. It's worth every second... The Horrid State of IT on TV Shows

What do you think? Should TV show producers hire IT professionals to assist in making their scripts factual? Or could you care less?

Apps!... I Did It Again

2009-11-24T12:22:00.002-05:00

David Pogue is the man.

In this video, he sings a parody of Britney Spears' "Oops!... I Did It Again."

It's called "Apps!... I Did It Again," and it's about being obsessed with the iTunes App Store. It's pretty funny (and he only messes up once). I love geeky humor (but you already knew that).

David Pogue Channels Britney Spears