Switched Summer Fun Guide

Sure, the iPhone has had various ways of letting you chat with friends via just about any instant messaging network you want. And hey, there are even a number of solutions out there that will let you manage all your chats from one application, like eBuddy, Meebo, and Fring.

But what if you want to limit yourself to one instant messaging network. And one with as few people on it as possible? In that case, the official Google Talk gadget for the iPhone is here to answer your prayers.

Okay, maybe we're being a bit harsh. We actually really like Google Talk and its integration with Gmail, etc, but the iPhone version lacks AIM integration, so it looks like we'll still have to use more than one program to access all of our chat contgacts. Plus, to use the GoogleTalk for iPhone app, you have to have it constantly open in Safari and have Safari active. This means if you switch apps to check your calendar or contacts to share information with someone via Google Talk, you'll have to make yourself inactive on the service and you won't recieve instant messages until you bring the GoogleTalk page back up.

The whole thing seems only moderately useful to us. [Source: Official Google Blog]

Getting your ashes shot into space when you die is so 2007. The space fad for 2008 is weddings! Or at least signing up for them. A Japanese company called First Advantage has joined forces with an American aerospace firm called Rocketplane to offer weddings 100 kilometers (62 miles) above earth. First Advantage now joins Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic in the space-marriage racket.

The $2 million covers not only the flight on the Rocket Plane XP, but also a ground-based party where friends and family can watch a live stream of the zero-G ceremony. The company will even even throw in a wedding dress! The first ceremonies will take place in 2011, beginning with the wedding of Cindy Cashman, entrepreneur and author, and Mitch Walling. [Source: Daily Mail]

It's barbecue time. Time for fireworks, friends, beer, hot dogs, and your teenage cousins to make fun of you. Instead of trying to convince them that Winona Ryder really was the cool chick in the 80s, why not ask him or her about sites? You'll sound like the coolest, in-the-know tech-savvy uncle (aunt, grandma, etc.) at the party.


Facebook and MySpace

Let's get these out of the way. They may be obvious, but just a simple mention of MySpace or Facebook could turn your teenage friend white with fear that you've seen his or her page. Instead, mention that you know of some pretty cool template sites that can make his or her MySpace page really groovy (don't use that word).

The conversation will surely lead to the teen saying that MySpace really isn't very cool anymore. Don't fret or sound too enthusiastic about any of your Web 2.0 knowledge -- play along and mention that you've heard Facebook, while infinitely more usable than MySpace, has probably jumped the shark.The site has become one of the world's most popular social networking sites, and its moment of cool may have passed. Still looking for a little cred-booster? Name-drop social-networking sites like Virb, Pownce, and Flickr and see how the kids react.

Barbecue season is upon us! It's Independence Day weekend and nothing says patriotism like gathering together around a smoking pile of drumsticks and hamburgers.

Robert Fernandez, editor of BBQ blog 'Get Your Grill On,' dishes about technology and barbecue, with tips on how to get the best flavor faster.

Fernandez cautions that many BBQ purists prefer simple contraptions like the traditional charcoal grill, (they just love that smoke flavor) and would not be into the new-fangled advances that may "take all the flavor and excitement out of outdoor cooking."

Now gas grills are king, but, says Fernandez "gas adds no flavor to the food." Despite this unfortunate side effect, gas grills are the biggest cash cow of the barbecue business.

Grilling monolith Weber has been tossing around ideas to help grillers get the best of both worlds -- the instant gratification of the gas grill + the flavor of the charcoal classic.

Weber came up with useful shortcuts such as "chimney starters," cylinders with sawdusty stuff in them that help get the charcoal going, and also a gas ignition system to easily light charcoal.

Another crazy innovation is the searing station, which involves 900-degree blue-flame burners and can cook a steak in a fraction of the usual time. Don't worry, it promises to keep the juices intact.

Rival company Char-Broil has unveiled infrared RED grills, stainless steel and glass contraptions that cook with evenly distributed heat and prevent scary grill "flare ups." They will cost you: $599-$899, at Home Depot. We will stick with the George Foreman thing.

(Not directly grill-related, but fascinating: Char Broil also has a product called the 'Big Easy,' which is an infrared, oil-less turkey fryer! "No oil, no mess, and great fried foods" says Fernandez, a Big Easy fan.) H.O.T.!

Fernandez is also into a few high-tech smokers, though he's really all about cooking over a trash barrel, really! But he's repping his Weber Smokey Mountain ($199 on Amazon), which he calls a "great and efficient smoker." There's another one he likes called "The Big Green Egg" which is ceramic, and expensive, but great! He affirms.

Last thing: temperature is the key to the barbecue. Many people don't know this. Their pork comes out dry and foul. Says National BBQ association prez Howard Miller, "pork is ready to be used at 145 degrees." Remember it.

Remote thermometers can help you impress friends and family with perfectly cooked meats. Fernandez recommends: On the cheap, one from Taylor ($17). Moderate Williams-Sonoma's ($50), and if you are throwing money around the Thermapen from ThermoWorks ($95) is apparently all the rage. [Source: Newsvine/MSNBC]

Riding in airplanes is sooo boring. They make you sit down at the worst times, eat gnarly snacks, and watch bad sitcoms for however many hours it takes. Painful.

Virgin America is trying to make things better, though. The airline is on the verge of launching in-flight wireless Internet! Now you can sit around between New York and LA doing what you'd be doing anyway (in this case, reading Gawker and streaming episodes of 'The Hills' until we feel nauseous).

Charles Ogilvie, head of in-flight entertainment and general stand-up guy at VA, gave our bros at Boing Boing t.v. a behind-the-scenes tour of the airline's technological underthangs. (BBtv is featured on the airline's in-flight program, btw. No 'Everybody Loves Raymond' for you!)

You can watch Boing Boing's video tour (see above) of a pretty swanky Virgin plane and cockpit, starring Chuck O. himself and Xeni Jardin from Boing Boing. We admit, the setup does look pretty cool, but Xeni kinda freaks us out. [Source: Boing Boing]

Whoaaa, a new graphic novel from Zune Arts. Microsoft's digital entertainment brand (it's not just a portable media player, ya know) just came out with 'The Lost Ones,' a collaboration between '30 Days of Night' author Steve Niles and a bunch of artists. Our favorite of the gang is painter Kime Buzzelli, whose awesome watercolors adorn a chapter involving aliens and caves and an Andre-3000-esque hero. Gary Panter, of 'Pee-wee's Playhouse' notoriety, is also involved in the project, as are Brooklyn duo Morning Breath and indoor-sunglasses wearer Dr. Revolt.

The story involves four friends who get into trouble while "planet jumping" and transcending space and time, much like Lily Tomlin in 'I Heart Huckabees.' You can buy one of 42,000 paperback versions of the novel for subway/beach reading at select bookstores or download it free from Zune itself and read it on your computer. [Source: Zune Arts and PR Newswire]

It's barbecue time. Time for fireworks, friends, beer, hot dogs, and your teenage cousins to make fun of you. Instead of trying to convince them that Winona Ryder really was the cool chick in the '80s, why not ask him or her about sites? You'll sound like the coolest, in-the-know tech-savvy uncle (aunt, grandma, etc.) at the party.


Facebook and MySpace

Let's get these out of the way. They may be obvious, but just a simple mention of MySpace or Facebook could turn your teenage friend white with fear that you've seen his or her page. Instead, mention that you know of some pretty cool template sites that can make his or her MySpace page really groovy (don't use that word).

The conversation will surely lead to the teen or undergrad saying that MySpace really isn't very cool anymore. Don't fret or sound too enthusiastic about any of your Web 2.0 knowledge -- play along and mention that you've heard Facebook, while infinitely more usable than MySpace, has probably jumped the shark. The site has become one of the world's most popular social-networking sites, and its moment of cool may have passed. Still looking for a little cred-booster? Name-drop social-networking sites like Virb, Pownce, and Flickr and see how the kids react.

WhateverLife

Bring up WhateverLife. Don't say it like a Valley Girl, though - they're pretty much extinct. This site is a lesser-known MySpace alternative, but it allows teens to "build a website - a REAL website!" (their words, not ours). Seems they're trying to compete with MySpace, and the kids are loving it because while it has more tools, it's also less-populated, allowing some little fish to swim in a smaller pond, if you will.

Muxtape / The Hype Machine

Feeling totally lost in the musical world of iPods, angst-ridden emo bands, and music sharing? Muxtape might be more your style. The idiot-proof site lets you share and explore music in a quick-and-easy playlist form without the trouble of online friending or the inanity of poking, just like the cassette-based mixtape of years past. If you have the Web skills to navigate an upload form, you'll have a shareable playlist of your favorite tracks in no time.

As music genres continue to splinter and grow in new and exciting ways -- you have heard dubstep, IDM and freak folk right? -- the old record charts are increasingly worthless as a guide to finding anything outside the mainstream. If you're in need of an influx of hip, head on over to The Hype Machine, which plugs into the power of the burgeoning world of music bloggers, and listen to the latest and greatest in underground and indie music. While we can't promise you'll be able to keep up with today's name-dropping, genre-hopping kids, you should still check the site any time during the day and you'll be able to see and hear what the current hottest tracks on the Web are, whether it's an obscure new Radiohead live recording or an underground dance hit from Sweden. The kids are going to be really psyched that you know The Killers from The Knife.

SnapVine

When desperate, mention SnapVine. Think of it as Web-based voicemail widgets that you can embed in other sites mixed with social networking. It's a fascinating listen, but somewhat inexplicable. Just give it a spin and ask your teenage friend what's up with this one -- maybe there's an answer out there. At worst you'll get a priceless look that says, "How the heck did you know about SnapVine?!"

BlingJam
This site is chock-full of little embeddable widgets like video games, Flash toys, and alternate media players that can be put in MySpace pages. Your cousin/neice/nephew may have already heard of this one, but your mention of BlingJam alone may score you some serious cool points.

Only 10 more days till the updated Jesus phone hits the shelves and some details about pricing are finally starting to make the rounds of the Internet. Of course, with that surprising price drop for the iPhone (which we all knew was too good to be true) comes some hefty price hikes on data and voice plans, as well as some draconian activation limitations.

Folks who already own an iPhone, new subscribers, and existing AT&T customers eligible for an upgrade will be able to pick the iPhone for $199 (8-gigabyte) or $299 (16-gigabyte). Existing customers not eligible for an upgrade will have to cough up $399 or $499. Either way, you'll have to sign a new two-year contract, get an iPhone-specific data and voice plan, and activate the phone in the store -- at least at first. Though it offered no time line, AT&T said it plans to offer a "contract free" option for a sizable premium that lands the 8-gigabyte (GB) iPhone at $599 and the 16-gigabyte model at $699. Exactly what "contract free" means, though, remains to be seen.

Individual plans (unlimited data included)

• $69.99 - 450 anytime minutes, 45¢ each additional minute, 5,000 night / weekend minutes
• $89.99 - 900 anytime minutes, 40¢ each additional minute, unlimited night / weekend minutes
• $109.99 - 1,350 anytime minutes, 35¢ each additional minute, unlimited night / weekend minutes
• $129.99 - Unlimited minutes

Individual text plans

• $5 - 200 messages per month
• $15 - 1,500 messages per month
• $20 - Unlimited messages

Family plans (2 lines, $39.99 each additional line, unlimited data & night / weekend minutes included)

• $129.99 - 700 anytime minutes, 45¢ each additional minute
• $149.99 - 1,400 anytime minutes, 40¢ each additional minute
• $169.99 - 2,100 anytime minutes, 35¢ each additional minute
• $209.99 - 3,000 anytime minutes, 25¢ each additional minute
• $259.99 - 4,000 anytime minutes, 20¢ each additional minute
• $359.99 - 6,000 anytime minutes, 20¢ each additional minute
• $259.99 - Unlimited minutes ($129.99 each additional line)

Family text plans

• $30 - Unlimited messages
• 20¢ per message if no plan is selected

If you need a refresher as to what you get for allowing AT&T to plunder your bank account, then take a look at Apple's requisite walk through of the iPhone 3G's features and menus.

The first nut-bags, sorry, customers, will be able to get their greasy fan-boy hands on the new 3G iPhones at 8am July 11th, though we wouldn't be shocked if there are already a few dedicated loons waiting on line. [Source: Engadget]

In these digital times, it seems as though everything about us these days is reduced to bits and bytes and stored on computers -- so it's only fair to ask that those computers be secure. Well, according to a new study by the Ponemon Institute, half of all the business travelers surveyed said they fly regularly with important information on their laptops. Most of them -- more than two thirds -- don't use any type of security system in the event that laptops are lost or stolen.

Clearly, this is bad news, especially since the study also estimates that about 12,000 laptops are lost every week (based on interviews with officials at 106 American airports). This means business travelers are losing several laptops a week. Eventually, one of those laptops is going to be loaded with our Social Security numbers and names.

So for all you mobile workers out there, read this: We know you're not going to stop traveling with this kind of information on your computers, but please use any encryption software that came with your computer to lock that stuff up. Even just setting your computer to require a password to get on will keep your information secure from garden variety thieves.

If you're willing to spend some cash, may we recommend PGP's encryption software for company's or SecuriKey's combination of hardware and software authentication. And, for the the cash strapped but wary, TrueCrypt offers free encryption software for all operating systems. [Source: The Statesman]

If you've seen the trailers for Pixar's latest animated offering, 'Wall•E,' you might have noticed a certain Mac-like charm from the film's protagonist/love-interest, Eve. The little robot with the lustrous white glow looks very much like a highly evolved, sentient iMac. That's no coincidence: Apple Senior Vice President of Design Johnny Ive, the man behind the iMac and iPod, consulted with Pixar on Eve's design, and ensured the Trademark Apple style was incorporated into the film.

But that's far from the only Apple allusion in the film. Wall•E also watches a video on an iPod at one point, sounds the Mac welcome chime when he's done charging, and, in one sequence, chases a herd of boxy, single-buttoned computer mice across the floor.

Why all the Apple love? Pixar was founded by Apple boss Steve Jobs, and though he did sell the studio to Disney in 2006, he obviously still holds a lot of influence. [Source: The New York Times]