The Raw Feed

Microsoft's UI research is straight up 'Minority Report' awesomeness.

2009-11-06T08:59:00.001-08:00

Microsoft's hief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie demonstrates some of Microsoft's user interface research, which is right out of the movie, Minority Report. It uses hand gestures (in the air, not touching the screen) and even eye tracking!

How Activision tracked down this Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 pirate.

2009-11-06T07:40:00.001-08:00

It all started with a Craigslist ad for Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 bundle. Trouble is, the game hasn't shipped yet. Read how game publisher Activision Blizzard used a private eye firm called IPCybercrime.com to track down this kid.

Device lets you evesdrop on conversations in the next room.

2009-11-06T06:49:00.001-08:00

The online catalog ChinaGrabber.com is selling a $62.99 device for listening to conversations in the next room. It's basically the old cup-against-the-wall trick, but electronically enhanced. (Props)

'30 Rock' Cisco product placement lasts a minute!

2009-11-06T06:37:00.001-08:00

I know they've got to pay the bills, but this is ridiculous. "30 Rock" integrated a Cisco videoconferencing product that was also advertised in commercial breaks during the show that parroted the company's slogan and bullet-point items from the product's spec sheet. The pandering took up a full minute of a show that's, what, 22 minutes long? (Props)

Mystery Pic 102

2009-11-05T23:30:00.001-08:00

What is it? Post your guess in the comments section of this Posterous page. If you're first with the right answer, you'll earn the dubious honor of getting your name in the next issue of Mike's List!

The Mystery Pic is a feature of the Mike's List newsletter.

Go here to subscribe. (It's free!) Go here for more information about Mike's List.

Car power inverter looks like a cup of coffee!

2009-11-05T20:18:00.001-08:00

A catalog site called Delight.com sells a 200-Watt coffee cup inverter that gives you not one but two standard outlets, plus a USB port for charging gadgets. And it's in the shape of a Starbucks cup! The $32.50 Powercup inverter fits right into your cup holder, so it's by definition in a handy location.

Behold! The bathroom of the future!

2009-11-05T19:48:00.001-08:00

I don't know anything about this, but I want it.

(Props to Unplggd)

Looking for a Michael Jackson phone? This is it.

2009-11-05T18:06:00.001-08:00

A flashly new phone honoring the King of Pop has been manufactured by the King of Crap -- some shanzai company in China. The phone comes packaged with a Jackson live-performance DVD (probably counterfeit), and is studded with plastic diamonds.

(Props to Shanzai.com)

Apple lied about Microsoft lying about Windows

2009-11-05T15:26:00.001-08:00

A Slate business editor analyzes Microsoft's marketing of Windows over the years, and finds it wanting. However, they make an interesting observation at the beginning of the video. Apple's ad that lampoons Microsoft for lying about past claims for Windows is itself lying. Microsoft never made any such claims in its advertising.

Pinball machine is really 17 virtual pinball machines!

2009-11-05T14:47:00.001-08:00

It looks just like an old-school pinball machine. In reality, the games are digital, and come in 17 game title varieties. The $6,000 game console is from Nanotech, and it's called the Multipin. The game surface is really a 32-inch high-def LCD display under glass. Controls, including plunger and flipper buttons, are mechanical. (Props to Technabob)

Steve Jobs named 'CEO of the Decade' by Fortune Mag

2009-11-05T12:34:00.001-08:00

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gHTMRTaPnEKlSLzy33iFJfjeZ8uQ

New Google Dashboard lets you manage privacy data.

2009-11-05T12:29:00.001-08:00

Google unveiled today a new service called Google Dashboard. The site tells you what data Google collects about you, and lets you "manage" that data.

Check it out. Go to Google.com, and choose "Google account settings" from the Settings menu in the upper right corner of the page. Under "Personal settings at the top, find the "Dashboard" item and click "View data stored with this account."

Once you're in, you can go through each of the Google services you've signed up for and tweak the settings according to your preferences.

Here come the pictures of Apple's new store in the Louvre in Paris!

2009-11-05T11:26:00.001-08:00

http://www.ipodnn.com/articles/09/11/05/france.may.outdo.us.in.store.openings/

Twitter creator's startup gets "extremely hot angel deal."

2009-11-05T10:39:00.001-08:00

Venture Capitalists are going nuts for Twitter chairman and cofounder Jack Dorsey's Square iPhone Payment System, which involves an iPhone attachment that lets people use their phones as credit cards.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-twitter-creators-new-startup-gets-an-extremely-hot-angel-deal-2009-11

Is Intel really a criminal organization?

2009-11-05T08:57:00.001-08:00

New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has filed an antitrust lawsuit against chip giant Intel. The suit alleges that Intel used "bribery and coercion to maintain a stranglehold on the market" as part of a "worldwide, systematic campaign of illegal conduct."

Wow! Really?

Here's the reality.

iPhone represents affluence in Sudanese Hip Hop

2009-10-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Bangs is a Sudanese rapper living in Egypt who crafted this horrible music video. In the video, Bangs tries to convince the unnamed object of his affection to go to the movies with him at 4pm by flashing bling, Italian sports cars, American cash and... an iPhone. Here comes the video!

Wireless security camera for digital nomads hits

2009-10-30T14:40:00.001-07:00

Homeowners protect their loved ones and property by installing surveillance cameras around the house to detect intruders. But what about those of us who travel constantly, or live in specific places only temporarily? We want security, too!

Well, now we can!

7 Reasons Why Microsoft Should Make PCs

2009-10-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

If Microsoft wants to be like Apple, so be it. The company should design, build and sell consumer PCs directly to customers. As Steve Jobs says, "good artists copy, great artists steal." Microsoft needs to steal Apple's whole approach to marketing its products and managing its brand, not just copy its retail store ideas.

Cheap iPhone app lets you create time-lapsed movies

2009-10-29T18:41:00.000-07:00

A 99-cent iPhone app called Timelapser lets you set your phone to snap a pic anywhere from once every three seconds to once every half hour. When you're done, you push another button, and the app puts all those pictures together into a movie, which you can e-mail or MMS to friends. Get the app here on iTunes. (Props to Web Crawler)

Me on John Dvorak's Cranky Geeks!

2009-10-29T10:24:00.001-07:00

John Dvorak had me as a guest on Cranky Geeks yesterday. Co-Crank Sebastian Rupley and Google's Chris DiBona were also on the show. Here comes the VIDEO! Go here to get this as a video podcast on iTunes.

Microsoft pulls out of Family Guy special

2009-10-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Could Microsoft's marketing department be any more inept? First, the company pays the Family Guy people a load of money to sell out and write gratuitous Windows 7 references into the "Family Guy Presents: Seth and Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show," airing November 8, which is so bad harms the reputations of both Microsoft and Family Guy. Now, according to Hollywood trade rag Variety, Microsoft is pulling out of the special as the sole sponsor because they discovered that Family Guy deals with controversial material. Microsoft was shocked -- SHOCKED! -- to discover that the episode would contain "typical Family Guy style jokes," according to Variety, "including riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest."

The in-show mention remains, but there will be no saturation advertising on commercial breaks. A Microsoft statement said:

"We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of 'Family Guy,' but after reviewing an early version of the variety show it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand... We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent."

They get the worst of all possible outcomes: 1) They paid a lot of money to 2) damage their reputation as the video disaster goes viral, then 3) get none of the benefit of actually advertising during the show.

BlackBerry wristwatch available for pre-order

2009-10-26T12:53:00.000-07:00

Last week I told you about a rumored BlackBerry wristwatch. It's now available for pre-order. The cost is $149.

Remote-control helicopter designed for camcorder

2009-10-26T12:01:00.000-07:00

Oh, man. How cool is this? The SkyShutter Helicam is a $9000 electric remote-controlled helicopter designed for aerial photography and video. The chopper itself weighs 30 pounds, and carries a camera or camcorder as heavy as 6 pounds. It beams down a live video feed, and requires two people to operate: A pilot and and a camera-person. Here comes the high-def video!

AD: New to Windows 7? Try Pirillo's Windows 7 Tips!

2009-10-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

AD: Have you installed Windows 7 yet, or do you intend to do so in the near future? Buy and download Chris Pirillo's Windows 7 Tips eBook!

Someday, everyone will have a virtual reality cocoon

2009-10-25T19:17:00.000-07:00

Nerds at Iwata-Yano Laboratory at Tsukuba University in Japan have created what they call the Media Vehicle. The contraption is a virtual reality "cocoon" where you can immerse yourself in a spherical display, surround sound and gentle G-forces courtesy of the computer-controlled wheels, which drag the whole thing this way and that to make you feel the motion. I want one.