Your Photos Aren't Epic Enough

Next time you find yourself thinking, "I'm just one person in this huge sea of people...even if someone did take a picture (i.e. the Presidential Inauguration) nobody would ever see me specifically.", think again. The GigaPan Epic makes what seems impossible, quite possible.
For instance, let's go back to the Presidential Inauguration . If you wanted a picture of the whole event, you'd have two choices. 1) Get really far away and get one picture of the entire event with very little detail. Or, 2) take a million little photos and MAYBE, if you have the skill, combine them together into one extremely large photoshop project.
But now, there's another option. The GigaPan Epic. Take just about any digital camera, connect it to the GigaPan Epic System, tell the system what to do, and it snaps away taking lots of very detailed photographs of whatever you've pointed it at. Then, the GigaPan software connects and merges all of these photographs into one panoramic picture.
"But," you say. "Isn't the panoramic still going to be extremely large?" And the answer is, yes! The photograph we spoke of earlier concerning Obama's inauguration completed at a whopping 2Gigabytes of space, 220 Canon G10 photos, and 1,474 Megapixels. How could you navigate that thing? Well, the GigaPan Software automatically uploads your photographs to the hosting site where you can use a system similar to Google Maps to navigate, zoom, and move the picture around.
Let's head back to the President's Inauguration for a moment. One man took his GigaPan Epic to the ceremony, hooked it to a railing, and let it snap away. This was the outcome. People have found all sorts of treasures hiding in the large panorama. Treasures like Yo-Yo Ma taking a picture with his iPhone, people sleeping on the lawn, and even as much detail as a security guard's badge.
So, next time you want to pick your nose in public because you're surrounded by people and you think that nobody will ever know, just remember that someone might be photgraphing with the GigaPan Epic and your 2 second endeavor could end up the laughing stock of millions. =)

If You Give a Mouse a Diamond...

Never know what to get for that special someone who seems to have absolutely everything? How about the world's most extravagant (and consequently most expensive) computer mouse. That's right. Pat Says Now sells the Diamond Flower mouse.

The upper case and buttons of this mouse are 750 White Gold. This basically means that out of every 1000 parts, 750 of them are pure gold. But, that's not the best part. The Diamond Flower gets its name from the 59 diamonds that make up the lilly formation on the top. That's right. I said 59 diamonds for a total weight of two carats. Truly the epitome of unnecessary, this mouse retails for $23,250 USD.

In addition to it's makeup, the mouse is plug-and-play, optical, and ambidextrous. So, anyone from your right-handed grandmother to your wrong-handed (read left-handed) three year-old can use it. But really...you're not giving it to either of them are you?

Stay Away From Da Vudu

As most people may know, the video format war is nearing it's end. However, what most people may NOT know, is who is winning the format war. HDDVD? Blu-Ray? Would you be surprised if I told you neither? The real front-runner in the video format war is not any physical form of video. It's the digital download. With programs and websites like iTunes and Netflix, people can buy, rent, and stream just about any movie straight to their PCs, laptops, and even the X-Box 360.

Enter Vudu. Instead of using an external website or program to stream or download videos, the Vudu set connects straight to your TV and your internet. Once that's done, it brings your local video store (and then some) straight to your fingertips. Nifty isn't it? All for one low cost (mostly) of $499 which includes the box, all the peripeherals and professional installation.

So, let's compare Vudu and the current leader in online rentals: Netflix.

Netflix:
Monthly Subscription Fee: $8.99 to $23.99 (depending on the number of DVDs you would like to be allowed to have out at any time)
Cost Per Rental: None. Unlimited rentals and streaming video are included in the monthly fee.
Late fees: None. Keep the movie as long as you want and return it at your convenience.
DVD Selection: Usually pretty decent. Most new releases become available for rent as soon as they're released.
Streaming Selection: Awful. Most of the options available here are at least several years old, bad quality, or straight to DVD selections...or all of the above.

Vudu:
Monthly Subscription Fee: None. Vudu runs on an intuitive "pay-as-you-go" system. When your account starts running low on credits, it automatically charges your credit card for a pre-set amount of $20, $50, or $100.
Cost Per Rental: $1 to $4 Vudu also provides the option of buying movies for $5 to $20.
Late fees: None. The movie starts immidiately after the authorization and you lose access to it once the movie ends. However, you can pause the movie and resume it the next morning.
DVD Selection: None. There is no hard physical copy involved in Vudu.
Streaming Selection: Apparently, superb. If you can find it at your local video store, you can find it in the Vudu selection.

It seems like a not-too-bad deal. So...why should you "Stay Away" from da Vudu? It's just not worth it right now. I currently pay $8.99 a month for my Netflix subscription, and I can play DVDs and stream some videos live, both on my X-Box 360. (Oh yeah....and the Vudu doesn't play video games.) There's usually a 3-day turnaround on my Netflix DVDs. So, assuming I recieve a movie and get it back in the mail the same day (my wife and I usually watch the new movie over dinner and pop it back in the mailbox before bed) I get 10 DVDs a month. Under Vudu's system, that's $10 a month vs. $8.99 for Netflix PLUS unlimited streaming videos. And, even if you count the cost of my X-Box 360 to counter the cost of buying the Vudu system (which, again, doesn't play video games) I still only paid $399 for my X-Box as opposed to $499 for a Vudu. Nevermind the fact that, in order to make Vudu shine in all it's glory, you have to have a High-Def television as well.

So, at this juncture in time, the Vudu is simply not cost effective. Maybe in a couple of years, after the cost of the core system has dropped a couple of hundred dollars, they eliminate the rental fees, allow me to move videos that I've PURCHASED to a secondary system (like a PC, laptop, or DVR), or preferably all of the above, I might consider changing my stance on this subject. Until then, get a subscription to Netflix and enjoy.