Tom Samiljan
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Phone Booths of the World, Past and Present
In this era of mobile phones, super-light netbooks, Twitter, and Skype, the reliable old phone booth has really gone the way of the dodo (or at least seems as though it's about to). When was the last time you actually used (or found) a working public phone, for example? Well, some of us have been around long enough to remember the days when we all really did rely on public phones to make our away-from-home calls.
As with the many national airlines that once existed, public phone booths were once a source of pride for a lot of countries. As a result, every country's (once) state-run national phone company created distinctive designs for its particular brand of phone booth.
Some of those designs remains today, but maybe not for long, which is why we've compiled the "Phone Booths of the World" slideshow below. Take a look, because many of these relics may not be around much longer.
As with the many national airlines that once existed, public phone booths were once a source of pride for a lot of countries. As a result, every country's (once) state-run national phone company created distinctive designs for its particular brand of phone booth.
Some of those designs remains today, but maybe not for long, which is why we've compiled the "Phone Booths of the World" slideshow below. Take a look, because many of these relics may not be around much longer.
Best iPod-Enabled Alarm Clock Radio: Cambridge Soundworks i765
A reader writes: I want a decent-sounding audiophile table radio that can not only handle my iPod, but also wake me up in the morning! The Bose Wave radio II looks nice, but I'm not sure I want to spend more than $300 on this. Just tell me what to get!
Sure, Bose's Wave radio II sounds great, but do you really want to shell out $350 for a high-end clock radio that doesn't interface directly with your iPod? Likewise, Tivoli Audio's $400 iYiYi looks and sounds as nice as it gets it gets for a table radio/alarm clock, but just don't count on it waking you up (its snooze button is hard to find when you're half asleep). And the other options – from companies such as Griffin, iHome, and iLuv – may look nice, but they don't stack up sound-quality-wise. So, which hi-fi table radio to pick? To us, the choice is clear: Cambridge Soundworks i765 'High Performance HD iPod/DVD Entertainment System' is every bit as feature-packed and aurally-satisfying as its pricier rivals, and yet can be purchase for as little as $200 (with the right rebates/mark-downs).
Essentially an iPod-video-enabled version of the company's line of high-performance table/clock radios, the i765 has all the features you'd expect from the category, including two speakers and a built-in subwoofer that can handle stereo or wide/surround-sound-like configurations (as well as precise and deep bass, even at high volume levels). Output and input jacks let you play music from non-iPod devices (like your cell phone or computer) and plug in additional speakers, respectively.
White House CTO Aneesh Chopra Gives Speech, Tries Out Palm Pre
President Obama may have ushered in the era of the BlackBerry at the White House, but plenty of folks who work for him use iPhones on the side. "The White House is officially BlackBerry, though many folks also own iPhones," said Aneesh Chopra, the first-ever Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Director for Technology in the White House Office of Science and Technology (yes, that's his official title).
Just two weeks into the job, Chopra made a public appearance as the keynote speaker at this week's CEA Line Shows and Digital Downtown conference, a sort of mini-CES held earlier this week (on Thursday) just around the corner from the Empire State Building in New York City. In his speech, Chopra outlined "four pillars," which essentially boiled down to using innovative technology to create jobs, carry-out Obama's initiatives on health care and education, create a national broadband network that's safe and secure, and facilitate a more open government (for more info on that go to www.whitehouse.gov/open).
What's Your Biggest Video Game Win? (We Asked These Pro Players.)
Just as there's plenty of video-game-induced damage, there are also plenty of glorious wins. We know it's not the point, but then again, when it comes to video games, winning is kind of all the matters, right? Especially when professional gamers (as in, folks who work in the electronic entertainment industry) are involved. Last week's 'Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles was the perfect place to ask professional gamers about biggest wins. Take a peek at the above video for some exhilarating, and hilarious, victory tales.
Stuff We Broke During Video-Game-Induced Rage (More True Stories)
Yes, video games are both exhilarating and frustrating. And what with all that violence, it's no wonder that actual stuff breaks when we jump for joy after winning or throw our controllers at the wall after getting fragged to death, again. Injuries, and actual broken stuff often ensues, which is why we thought last week's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles would be the perfect place to ask professional gamers about their worst "real-world" gaming damage. Take a peek at the above video for some hilarious, and shocking, true stories.
HDTV Listings for Wednesday, May 20, 2009
What we're watching tonight:
NBC (1080i) has the season finales of My Name is Earl at 8 p.m., Parks & Recreation at 8:30 p.m., The Office at 9 p.m., 30 Rock at 9:30 p.m, then a regular episode of Southland at 10 p.m.
Fox (720p) airs the season finale of Bones at 8 p.m.
CW (1080i) has the season finales of Smallville at 8 p.m. and Supernatural at 9 p.m.
CBS (1080i) has Survivor at ...Twitter's Most Obnoxious Tweets Lampooned at TweetingTooHard.com
It's been said, by experts and such, that Facebook and Twitter members who update their statuses and tweet too frequently are essentially narcissists. This may be true, but we'd be willing to bet that the narcissists on social networks are far outnumbered by the pompous jackasses. Yes, there are plenty of useful ways to "Twitter," but the vast majority of tweets are either boring or boastful, ...Our Daily Deal: Viliv S5 UMPC With Free Accessories (First 400 Buyers)
You usually have to pay for the privilege of owning a sought-after new gadget within a month of its release, but the Viliv S5 UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC) -- a white-hot handheld Windows XP computer that sold out in less than a day when it debuted in Korea last month -- is being offered for pre-sale at Dynamism.com for just $599, starting at 1pm today. The real deal is this, though: If you're one of ...Our Daily Deal: 9-Inch MSI Netbook for $194.99
Every day, the folks over at TechDealDigger are letting us know about some of the best gadget deals they can find, so we're going to pass that information on to you. After all, in these tough economic times, every little bit counts. We may not be buying Swarovski-covered iPods any time soon, but everyone needs essentials like a computer. So, take a look at what the online deals site sent us ...Facebook Removes Two Holocaust Denial Groups
Facing increasing bad publicity and pressure from members and Web denizens, Facebook yesterday confirmed the removal of two Holocaust denial groups from the social networking service. The groups -- "Based on the facts...there was no Holocaust" and "Holocaust is a Holohoax" -- were aimed at folks who for some inexplicable reason seem to think the Holocaust never happened. According to an e-mail ...
