Author Archives:
Spotify is out to win!
If you’re like millions of people in America you like to listen to music daily. There is one major thing that people always want whilst listening to music and that is having all of the music you like at your fingertips. Many of people turn to downloading illegally to get the “extreme” rush and to listen to any song you want, when you want (and for free!!). Others turn to music streaming companies, such as: Pandora, Spotify, Rhapsody, Last.fm, or online radios. Some people just listen to the, usually poor quality, music on YouTube, while the remainder of the group stills buys CD’s and MP3’s. Well, the online radio service Spotify plans to launch an ad-based U.S. Internet radio service that would take Pandora head-on. The new format would veer away from Spotify’s current approach, which is like ITunes but more based on creating playlists from individual tracks and albums. Pandora’s approach is cheaper to operate because radio royalty rates are lower under rules set by Congress. The new service would launch by year end. Spotify told the press that currently has “no announcements to share at this time. Spotify has 10 million registered users, 3 million of them paying by having a “premium” account. Pandora has 150 million registered users, 49 million of them who have used the service in the last 30 days. I’d note that Pandora also is seeing direct competition from other services, in particular from iHeartRadio, Last.fm, and online streaming radio service from Clear Channel, the largest U.S. operator of broadcast radio stations.
Macin….gosh…..
It’s a sad day for Mac users. For the first time ever, a very contagious computer virus is infecting machines thought to be completely immune. Apple is scrambling to fix the problems. What you want to avoid is an Adobe pop up screen telling you to update your flash player. It looks completely legitimate and could fool anyone so be on your toes! It could allow attackers to get all of your personal information and even take over your Mac. It is a real wake up call for those of us users who assumed our Macs were virus proof. Many are criticizing apple for being slow to admit there is a problem and warning mac users. Many believe that since Steve Jobs passed and Tim Cook took over that the company has a completely different feel, not in a good way. Many Mac users they figured they’re immune to the type of virus, called “Flashback,” that’s already infected over 600,000 Macs. You catch said virus by surfing and so you surf to a website and it suggests that you need to update your flash. When you click on it, the virus installs a “keylogger” on your computer. The “keylogger” will track your user name and passwords, and so that’s a pretty big concern. The virus also connects you to a remote host, giving it invisible control of your computer. Apple says the virus gets in through Java and Javascript. “It’s very widespread… at least the attempts,” Cook said. There are free anti-virus you can download for Mac online. Apple is also offering a patch, but only for its latest operating systems. Experts call this the most extreme attack on Macs ever. Apple’s employees are scrambling to find a permanent solution for this serious issue. In the meantime many Mac users will continue to hold their breath.
Beats by Dre: Best Headphones or Just the Newest Fad?
You like music, right? Of course you do! Recently something has been noticed while walking through the halls of OHS and that is the vast amount of infamous “Beats by Dre” headphones. 80% of the people wearing them weren’t listening to them, but instead were wearing them like a neck accessory. I’m not sure what the hype is all about though, I’ve listened to them and yet I still prefer Bose. Considering that the Bose earbuds are just as good as Beats Solo and yet they are cheaper, that should make people want Bose more but this is not the case. I’m not saying that Beats by Dr. Dre are complete trash. If you’re a bass fiend then the Beats are the right headphones for you. Unfortunately they aren’t that great if you listen to anything that’s not Rap or Dubstep. It just seems like the highs are very weak and a lot of the high range is missing while playing different music. If you are in that range of people who only listen to Rap or Dubstep then these headphones may make you extremely happy IF you have the cash to fork out for it!
The thing that annoys me, here in the world of high school, is that I’m guessing that having these legendary headphones makes you one of the “cool” kids. I get that you like your new $300 headphones but I’m not sure why you’re walking around wearing them around your neck is the equivalent of getting an expensive purse and putting a little hairless dog in it. That’s also like saying, “Hey, I got some cool new overpriced headphones for you to steal but don’t they look cool? They also match one of my many pair of ridiculously colored vans.” If you have $300 to spend on headphones I’d suggest you get some that don’t require batteries but I’m not sure you could find shoes to match.
The “face” Phone
Many of you have probably noticed that a lot of different cell phones that have popped from strange places. All of the big companies, such as Google and others have recently decided to go into their mother’s garage and start building cell phones. Amongst others Facebook is rumored to join this mainstream department. Facebook currently has more than 350 million active mobile users and is among the most popular app in app stores for all operating systems. It is rumored that Facebook is working with the Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC on the phone, which would run “on a modified version of Android” that Facebook has “tweaked heavily” to integrate its social media platform with the device. With the code name of “Buffy” Facebook has denied working on any official Facebook phone, instead stressing close ties between its platform and existing device operators and manufacturers. “Buffy,” if real, is named after the famous vampire slayer featured in a movie and a long-running television series. While any hard details on Project “Buffy,” its report seems to be lost in the closest somewhere. Unfortunately, you cannot expect to have your friends in your pocket too quickly, rumors say that the phone is still 12 to 18 months away.
Top 10 Best (Materialistic) Gifts for The Holidays
01. New Laptop/Gaming console/Tablet
02. New Cell Phone
03. Clothing
04. Mp3 player/IPod
05. Anything from Thinkgeek.com Or Thisiswhyimbroke.com
06. Digital camera
07. Wrist watches
08. Cologne/Perfume
09. DVD/Blu-ray/CD/Video Games
10. Gift Cards/Gas Cards
To Infinity and Beyond
As we all know, “Toy Story 3″ was beyond successful. Combine that gold with the film having ended with Woody and the gang getting a new, youthful owner, and a fourth film would seem a no brainer. According to Tom Hanks, it’s already underway. When asked by a BBC interviewer whether his new granddaughter would have a fourth “Toy Story” to see, the voice of Woody said, “I think there will be, yeah. I think they’re working on it now.” Does this seem right? The third Toy Story’s heartwarming ending with (SPOILER ALERT) Andy leaving the toys for good, and them finding a new home with Bonnie (END SPOILER) felt like a proper way for the movie to go out. However, this ending also left the franchise with a possibility of a new beginning. The money would be a huge influence in making a fourth Toy Story, but would it come off as just some hackneyed, loosely strung together film much like the 4th Shrek movie? (Which was not that good….like….at all) Furthermore, leaving the series as a trilogy would probably be best, allowing the beloved series to keep its integrity. But who knows, maybe Pixar has enough creative juices flowing through them to crank out a decent addition to the Toy Story franchise. Regardless of whether Hanks’ statement is valid, let’s just hope Pixar makes the right decision and not let this series go to infinity and beyond the realm of entertainment.
The Unsheathing of The Skyward Sword!
Since the beginning of time (or 1987) we have been honored with the presence of the epic life changing video game “The Legend of Zelda.” Zelda fans have been waiting for the next epic adventure; with “Wind Waker” dropping in 2003 and “Twilight Princess” in 2005 the wait has made us wonder what amazing things this one has in store for us. The long anticipated wait is almost over though, as Nintendo previously announced the game would launch in Europe on November 18, with a North American debut following on November 20. Although most spoiled fat Americans think that this is unfair, it’s only a two-day difference, and it’s about time Europe got something before us.
This is the first Zelda game completely integrated for the Nintendo Wii. Unlike the button-mashing pursuits in previous installments of the popular Nintendo franchise, “The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword” is asking players to flick their wrists, wave their arms and move their hands with the gesture-recognizing Wii controller in order to guide spritely adventurer Link along an epic quest to find childhood sweetheart Zelda. People may think that this is WAY too much work just for a game but others will come to their senses and realize that this is a really extraordinary opportunity to actually be a part of the adventure, to actually see Link swinging the sword as if you were him.
One cool thing to mention about this game is the theme song is actually Zelda’s lullaby (a very important song from “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time”) backwards. It is very impressive that they were able to do something as cool as that and make them two completely different songs. Being so bold and placing Zelda’s lullaby in this song makes me believe that they are saying that this sequel is going to be as amazing as the game that it dwells from. I do not own a Wii because it doesn’t hold enough, or any for that matter, 1st person shooters or adventure games. The Wii has too many family oriented games. With this new title, assurance that the sales for the Nintendo Wii will increase rapidly are promised, and I, for one will be purchasing one so I experience this adventure first hand.
