Skip to Content

Play PC games on your Mac? TUAW tests CrossOver
AOL Tech

10 Best Road Trip Gadgets

by Dan Reilly, posted May 12th 2008 at 7:17PMFeatured Story

Top 10 Road Trip Essentials


It's almost road trip season, and whether you're going cross country or simply cross town, you'll find a lot of tech out there to make your trip safer, more enjoyable and speeding ticket free. Here are the top 10 road warrior must-haves ... don't leave home without 'em!

Top 10 Road Trip EssentialsTomTom GO 720 GPS

It's time to toss out your archaic AAA maps and join the GPS revolution! The TomTom GO 720, like all GPS devices, uses the magic of satellites to help you easily navigate from Point A to Point B. This new model is slimmer and lighter than previous TomToms (small enough to fit in your shirt pocket) and features an improved menu for locating the closest police station, hospital or repair shop. It's also packed with TomTom's new Map Share technology, which allows its user base of 10 million drivers to instantly improve TomTom maps by adding notes accessible by all users on things such as blocked or unblocked streets, reversed one-way traffic, new street names, etc. We think TomTom's GPS devices are the easiest and most flexible we've found. Alas, the 720 doesn't come out until July, so if you need something right away, we recommend the compact TomTom ONE XL or the multi-featured TomTom GO 910.

The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PMFeatured Story

Last month, Radar published its list of the Web's 10 most hated people, listing a variety of celebrities and newsmakers that the Internet masses despise. We loved the article so much that we decided to add some of our own entries, because there are so many people who really get under our collective skin. So, whether you agree or not, we present our list of people that have made the Web's blood boil, or at least just consistently annoyed a good portion of 'Net surfers.


1. Tila Tequila

Another Internet phenomenon, Tila Tequila rose to fame after some modeling and limited TV appearances made her the most popular "artist" on MySpace. She parlayed that success into a star turn on two seasons of the MTV dating show 'A Shot At Love with Tila Tequila.' She's inspired hate songs and even her own "fans" didn't support her music, as only 13,000 copies of her debut single were sold in its first week. Even Page Six got in on the hate, calling her a "skank" and claiming her bisexuality was a ratings ploy.

The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PM


2. Robert Soloway

You may not recognize his name, but chances are you've been exposed to some of Robert Soloway's work, and therefore, you hate him. Known as the "Spam King," Soloway is responsible for sending out millions of junk emails via hijacked computers. He lost two civil cases in 2005, one to Microsoft, where he should have paid almost $18 million, but he escaped paying because of his hidden assets, even bragging about it online.

He faced 40 counts in court after an arrest last year, including mail, wire, and e-mail fraud, identity theft, and tax evasion. He pleaded guilty to three of the charges in March, 2008, and faces up to 26 years in jail and over $600,000 in fines.

The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PM


3. Rosie O'Donnell

One of the most frequent targets of Internet haters, Rosie O'Donnell, seems to take it all in stride. She's come under fire for her political views, the sometimes bizarre rants on her blog, and even her looks. Last year, Parade magazine named her the most annoying celebrity with 44% of the vote, thoroughly beating out runner-up Paris Hilton, who received 24%. O'Donnell responded calmly on a video blog, saying, "Frankly, most celebrities are annoying. So, I agree, celebrities are annoying. The fact that I am one is annoying, and I suppose I am the most annoying – but, whatever."

The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PM



4. Michael Crook

While many Internet celebrities seem to view their "work" as legitimate achievements that benefit society, few take such a high view of their exploits as Michael Crook. He's been dubbed "The Internet's Most Hated Man," after incidents such as saying troops in Iraq deserved to die, saying the parents of Megan Meier in the MySpace suicide case should "get over it," criticizing car accident victims, and posting personal information about men who responded to a fake casual encounter Craigslist ad. Information about all of these is available on his Web site in the "Feats" section, which is why he's also been called "the ultimate lowlife" and "unhinged scumbag of the year."

The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PM


5. Buzz Bissinger

It's not a new thing for writers to criticize sports blogs, as noted with Radar's comments on Tony Kornheiser, but few have seen their comments so publicly debated as award-winning author Buzz Bissinger. Recently, Bissinger appeared on HBO's 'Costas Now' to discuss blogs alongside Deadspin creator Will Leitch. Rather than calmly making his point that blogs are cruel and destroy journalism, Bissinger was aggressive and profane, causing a backlash from both bloggers and mainstream authors. Although he says he regrets his behavior -- most likely because he's lost a lot of fans -- Bissinger hasn't changed his stance towards blogs.

The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PM


9. Uwe Boll

Angering gamers is an easy way to make you the target of online haters, but German film director Uwe Boll welcomes it with open arms. Despised for his adaptations of 'House of the Dead,' 'Alone in the Dark,' 'BloodRayne,' Boll has challenged critics to boxing matches, criticized a number of successful filmmakers, poked fun at 9/11 in his upcoming movie 'Postal,' and said that he'd quit making movies if a million people signed a petition against him. So far, there are over 233,000 signatures.


The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PM


8. Perez Hilton

Flamboyant gossip blogger Perez Hilton has angered many for his snarky comments and outing of gay celebrities. He's courted controversy from the beginning of his site, and been involved in a number of lawsuits for a variety of reasons, including posting Colin Farrell's sex tape and topless pictures of Jennifer Aniston. Hilton openly revels in the fact that his site was named "Hollywood's Most-Hated Website" and Gawker, no stranger to criticism, once posted an entry titled "Perez Hilton Makes Us Hate Ourselves."


The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PM


7. Matt Drudge

The mere mention of politics can get anybody riled up, so it's no surprise that Matt Drudge attracts a lot of vitriol on the web. A lot of people have criticized his sensational headlines and photos, with TIME's Joe Klein labeling him a "disgrace." He's received flak for his coverage of global warming and defending Rep. Mark Foley's indiscretions with congressional pages, who he referred to as "beasts." Recently, many people were furious when he broke the story of Prince Harry's deployment to Afghanistan despite a press agreement to keep it quiet for safety concerns, resulting in Harry's return to England. There was also the controversy after he wrote a headline announcing that an ABC reporter was an "Openly Gay Canadian," which has led to widespread questioning of Drudge's sexuality. With the amount of hatred directed at him, it's no wonder he's so successful.

The Web's Nine Most Obnoxious People

by Dan Reilly, posted May 6th 2008 at 12:01PM



6. Chris Crocker

Whether it's due to his fame, personality, or the dozens of parodies his video inspired, Chris Crocker, the star of the "Leave Britney Alone" clip has gotten his share of Internet vitriol. Haters have taken to blogs and videos to voice their displeasure with the 20-year-old Internet celeb, and some have even gone to the disturbing lengths of threatening his life.

For his part, Crocker hasn't helped win people over by saying that for his generation, Britney Spears is "just as big of a topic as 9/11." According to USmagazine, even Spears allegedly found the video "insulting" and "an obvious attempt at fame."


Six Ways to Break Up Over Your Computer or Cell Phone

by Dan Reilly, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 12:07PMFeatured Story

Before technology allowed people to communicate so effortlessly, the act of breaking up over the phone was considered too impersonal. Compared to the ways that people end their relationships now, a call almost seems polite. Whether it's because of a desire to make things public or just to cop out to avoid an awkward meeting, lovers young and old are using technology to break the news. Here at Switched, we dug up some of the harshest ways that tech-enabled breakups have been executed. Read on and you'll laugh, cringe and hope this never happens to you.



1. Rant and rave on YouTube

Few divorces are ever settled amicably, but even fewer have been detailed on YouTube for the world to witness by an angry wife. Such is the reason that the videos by Tricia Walsh-Smith created an Internet buzz covered by both blogs and mainstream media. Within the last few weeks, Walsh-Smith, 54, published two clips discussing her split with hubby Philip Smith, 77. The videos contained intimate details about their marriage and split. Unfortunately for her, she'll have to find a new place to film – a judge ruled that she can no longer make her videos in the apartment she shared with her soon-to-be ex.

Eight Best Techie Marriage Proposals

by Dan Reilly, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 1:20AMFeatured Story

Aside from buying a ring, asking her father's permission, and stressing over her answer, one of the hardest parts of a marriage proposal for a man is coming up with a unique way to do it. Luckily, technology offers up a slew of options and -- starting below -- we recount the tales of eight creatively geeky guys who found new ways to pop the question. If you're the sentimental type, now's the time to break out the Kleenex.



So There Are Rewards for Playing Video Games

Knowing your girlfriend's favorite hobbies is a great start for planning a proposal. For Bernie Peng, that meant using the game 'Bejeweled' to ask Tammy Li to marry him. Peng, a financial software programmer, spent a month tweaking the game so when Li reached a certain score, a ring and the proposal popped up on the screen. We know what you're thinking, and so does Peng – "I thought it was pretty cool, in a nerdy way," he said. Fortunately for him, she said yes.

Eight Best Techie Marriage Proposals

by Dan Reilly, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 1:20AM



Super Bowl Equals Romance?

Rand Fishkin's idea for his marriage proposal took the whole "halftime at the big game" idea to a whole new level. The NFL fan started a Web site to raise enough money for a Super Bowl ad where he'd ask for his girlfriend's hand in front of 130 million viewers. He actually got $75,000 without her finding out, but was too late to buy the TV time, so instead the commercial aired, with advertiser's backing, during her favorite show, 'Veronica Mars.' She was shocked and said yes, and the couple decided to donate the money he raised to charity.

Eight Best Techie Marriage Proposals

by Dan Reilly, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 1:20AM



Is That Copyright Infringement?

Rather than make a commercial from scratch, an Engadget reader named Claude M decided to take a well known ad and personalize it for his future wife. The fake iPhone commercial ran through the same parts as the real spot, complete with the "this is your music, this is your photos" lines, but ends with "and this is a proposal." You can watch the video for yourself and wish you'd thought of it first.

Eight Best Techie Marriage Proposals

by Dan Reilly, posted Apr 30th 2008 at 1:20AM




Good Thing Jeeves Said Yes

Barry Schwartz, a writer for Seach Engine Roundtable blog, was searching for an original proposal idea when he decided to make it happen through his work. With some help from the people at AskJeeves.com, Schwartz concocted a plan in which his girlfriend, Yisha Tversky, would look for her name on the search engine using his office computer. When she did it, the "Smart Answer" at the top of the page was a picture of the couple next to the message "Yisha, Will You Marry Me?" When she turned to look at him, Schwartz was on his knees with a ring and flowers. They married in 2006.



AOL Tech Network



Latest Reviews from CNET.com

CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

Top Product Reviews

Weblogs, Inc. Network

AOL News

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in:

Joystiq
Download Squad
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
BloggingStocks
Xbox 360 Fanboy
Autoblog