Gadgets Inspector | Hot Gadgets and Gizmos

Lonelygirl15, the teenage video diary that became a huge hit on YouTube but turned out to be a fiction, is destined for a UK spin-off after its creators tied up with social networking website Bebo.

Lonelygirl15 Presents… KateModern will debut in July with several weekly episodes available exclusively to Bebo users in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

The original series of webcam diary entries from teenage girl Bree generated some 50 million views via YouTube and other user-generated video sites like Revver.com.

The popularity of the property remained undented when it came to light that Bree was in fact a character being played by an actress. In fact, the controversy actually helped increase the buzz around Lonelygirl15 and even influenced a line of t-shirts. Now its creators, Miles Beckett, Greg Goodfried and Mesh Flinders, are turning their attentions to the UK.

KateModern will expand on the original Lonelygirl storyline, focusing on a university student in London and her “struggle to balance her complex social life with the dark forces that shadow her.”

As with Lonelygirl15, KateModern promises to incorporate puzzles and mysteries into the plot, which will carry over into ‘real life,’ allowing viewers to participate in the storyline through the integrated alternate reality game.

BeSocial: digg it | Lonelygirl15 videos | methodshop

Google is using its popular online mapping service to draw attention to atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan. In a joint effort with the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, Google has updated its Google Earth application (free download here) with high resolution satellite images and special icons to draw attention to destroyed villages, displaced people and refugee camps.

Google Earth allows users to focus on satellite images and maps of most of the world.

When users scan over the Darfur region, where the United Nations estimates that more than 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in four years of carnage, Google Inc hopes to attract their gaze with icons. The icons represent destroyed villages with flames and refugee camps with tents. When users zoom in to a level of magnification that keeps most of Darfur on a computer screen, much of the region appears to be on fire.

Google Earth works with Mac OS X 10.3.9+, Windows 2000/XP/Vista and Linux. Please visit HelpDarfurNow.org if you would like to raise awareness or make a donation to help the victims of Darfur.

BeSocial: digg it | via news.com.au | methodshop

Red eye. What a pain in the ass. I have so many great photos in my iPhoto Library which have been ruined because of red eye. Sometimes I use the red eye tools iPhoto or Adobe Photoshop to fix problematic images, but unfortunately they don’t always do a good job.

Luckily red eye is very easy to fix manually in Adobe Photoshop (US, UK). You just need to know how. Here’s a tutorial on how to remove red eye using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 or higher.

Tutorial: Remove Red Eye In Adobe Photoshop

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Spend a lot of time on the computer? Who doesn’t these days. After awhile you’ll probably develop wrist pains. A quick and easy way to exercise your hands and fingers everyday is to spend a few minutes with the Gyroflex Pro.

The Gyroflex Pro uses gyroscopic inertia (centrifugal force’s younger cousin) to increase strength and coordination in your hand, wrist, arm and shoulder. It also aids in the prevention and rehab of certain injuries, helps with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and reduces stress.

To use the Gyroflex Pro, just pull the starter cord and hold on tight. After a few sessions you’ll improve your coordination, strengthen your grip, build your forearms, and really exercise your hands and fingers.

Specs & Features:

• Measures: 4″ x 1.375″
• Weighs: 10 oz.
• Build strength while improving coordination
• New easy grip outer sphere for better control and prolonged usage.
• Generates up to 32lbs of pressure when maximum RPM’s is reached
• Exclusive new design for ease of starting.
• Increases total arm strength
• Improves coordination
• Aids in prevention of carpal tunnel syndrome
• Reduces stress

I know a graphic artist who wears a rollerblading wrist guard because he has Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Honestly, it looks a little dorky. Walking around your office while wearing a rollerblading wrist guard isn’t exactly the best way to meet girls. Maybe I’ll buy him a Gyroflex Pro and try to save his nightlife from social destitute.

Besides graphic artists, anyone who has to do repetitive hand motions all day like secretaries, computer analysts, porn movie fluffers and athletes, can benefit from this little ball.

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According to bloggers and a flood of angry comments on the Internet, operations at American DVD rental service, Blockbuster Online, have come to a screeching halt. Angry customers are reporting that they have not received movies from their queues for weeks. According to one customer, repeated calls to Blockbuster customer service were fruitless and when he finally did get through, a customer service rep told him that their mail rental system was shut down.

However an official spokesperson for Blockbuster denied the existance of any problems when contacted by Ars Technica.com. “We’ve been continually shipping product. If a customer feels like they are not getting a movie, they should follow up with our customer service. But in terms of product being allocated and shipped, there has been no interruption.”

Despite what the spokesperson says, sites like DVDRR.com have been flooded with negative comments like this one from a Blockbuster Online user named Cat: “No dvds have been shipped for over a week despite 3 open slots and 26 available titles in my queue. Emails and phone calls to customer support have not succeeded in getting this resolved, just promises that are not kept. I will be canceling and switching to Netflix.”

Is it just a random coincidence that Blockbuster Online users didn’t receive any DVDs last month? Or is Blockbuster being less than truthful about possible problems with their rental service? Blockbuster is engaged a tough battle against Netflix, the market leader in online rentals. Admitting to significant service interruptions might persuade users to switch to Netflix.

BeSocial: digg story | methodshop

In this clip from Late Night with Conan O’Brien, “professional air guitarist” Bjorn Turoque (pronounced “b-yorn too-RAWK”) talks about his book To Air is Human and shows off some of his trademark moves. But being a professional air guitarist isn’t all fortune and fame. Before you rush off and join Bjorn on the air guitar pro circuit, keep in mind that Bjorn’s air guitar career has ruined friendships and prevents him from having a girlfriend.

BeSocial: digg story | vmix | methodshop

The iPod’s Alarm Clock is nestled among other features like Calendar and Notes under the iPod’s Extras menu. While you may already be familiar with many of the iPod Extras (especially Games), the Alarm Clock is largely an under appreciated feature.

Whether you prefer to be woken by the scream of a rock star or the French horn in a classical symphony, the iPod’s Alarm Clock can help you open your eyes every morning with style!

Tutorial: Waking Up to the iPod Alarm Clock

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The tricky thing about tattoos is that they are for life. Permanent. Forever inked into your body. People always talk about getting a silly tattoo, but usually that’s all just talk. Then once in awhile you hear about someone getting a really bad tattoo. My favorite bad tattoo example is either an 8-ball or a donkey on a surfboard smoking a joint. But now I guess I need to add room to that list.

This guy (see image) decided to not only get a bad tattoo, but he added a super nerdy twist to it. In case you don’t know what his head/body tattoo means, it’s a piece of HTML code currently used when making web pages. Like I said, very, very nerdy. What makes it worse is that this tattoo is on his neck. Imagine having to explain your HTML head/body tattoo to everyone over-and-over again the next time you are at a wedding or social event.

Plus think about this. Sure, today HTML is currently a commonly used computer language. But the Internet is evolving fast. I wouldn’t expect HTML to still be that relevant in the next 10 - 20 years. Hopefully techniques in laser tattoo removal will make significant some strides during the next couple decades.

BeSocial: digg story | flickr | methodshop

We’ve all seen the EQ setting in iTunes, but not many of us know exactly how to use it to its full potential. In this article, Rich Tozzoli, Senior Editor of Surround Professional Magazine breaks each EQ slider down and helps you get the most out of your music.

Tutorial: Demystifing the EQ sliders in iTunes

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The iDJ is a compact mixing console with 2 built-in iPod docks. Mixing directly from your iPods gives you the ability to utilize thousands tracks from your iTunes collection at your next party or event. If you need to pull audio from additional sources, you’ll be happy to know that the iDJ has two additional turntables or MP3/CD players inputs. I can see how this would come in handy at an event like a wedding where someone ends up handing the DJ a CD at the last minute.

The iDJ Mixer is both Firewire and USB2.0 compatible, so you can use 3rd Generation iPods (iPod mini, iPod photo) or newer generation models as well.

After reading through the specs, I noticed you can take things a step further and connect via S-Video. Greg from getusb.info thinks this feature “makes the iDJ a good video mixer for schools, churches or corporate applications where you have multiple people presenting and don’t want to fumble around with PC connections and projectors.”

The iDJ Mixer also features headphone pre-cuing, separate channel three-band EQ and an industry-standard Kensington security slot. The security slot enables you to lock down the iDJ to a table in case you need to walk away for a few minutes for a cigarette or quick bathroom break.

Technical Details

• Voltage: 110
• Length: 18.5 inches;Height: 5.75 inches;Width: 14.0 inches
• Weight: 7.0 pounds
• Inputs - 2 iPod, 2 Line (CD/MP3), 2 Phono (Turntable), & 1 Microphone
• Outputs - Master RCA, Record RCA, S-Video, Headphone (1/8 & 1/4)
• Compatible with 3rd & 4th generation iPods, iPod Minis, & iPod Photo
• Compatible with Firewire & USB 2.0 iPod connectors

The iDJ can be purchased either from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk

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