Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Business and Economy, California, Diego Union-Tribune, Directed Electronics, Los Angeles Times, Newspapers, San Diego California, San Diego Union-Tribune
TECHNOLOGY
Xtreme Technology has come out with two new models in its XLink line, which features devices that integrate mobile and wireline phones. The XLink BT allows users to route up to three mobile lines through a home’s wireline system, while the BTTN incorporates up to three cell phones as well as a fixed line. Electronista (11/6)
Directed Electronics, the California company that began making car radios for satellite-radio service Sirius in 2004, has announced that it will drop that part of its business after the contract between the two companies expires in January. Directed, which plans to concentrate instead on car alarms and audio speakers, expects to save between $20 million and $25 million with the new direction. San Diego Union-Tribune (11/7)
Consumers can expect to see an all-out push for Blu-ray this holiday season, as several major studios and electronics companies are investing in a $25 million marketing campaign. Los Angeles Times (11/7)
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Filed under: Feature | Tags: Arthritis Foundation, California, Christmas card, Gadgets, Marauder, San Francisco, San Francisco California, United States
DAILY MARAUDER HIATUS: NO POSTS UNTIL OCTOBER 1ST
Daily Marauder will be on hiatus from Friday September 19th through Tuesday September 30th. Your Marauder will be riding from San Francisco to LA to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. To check in on her trials and tribulations along the way, click here or on the image above. Unfortunately, strapping a laptop to her back while riding wasn’t an option. I know, slacker for sure.
Looking for something to hold you over? Click on the Feature category in the left navigation bar for some of the best from over the past couple of months.
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Filed under: Feature | Tags: Azores, Bernie Krause, Big Sur, California, Emergency service, Goleta, Health, Los Padres National Forest, Nature, Wild Sanctuary, Wildfire
ONLINE SITE OF THE WEEK: WILD SANCTUARY
When I think of natural sounds, I think of being at some less-than-satisfying massage place somewhere in the city, where my masseuse of the day has hit play on sounds meant to ‘calm’ and/ or ‘quieten’ my senses. In these circumstances, being at the ocean’s edge in Big Sur, CA seems comically irrelevant as I lay down for my massage in a small thread-bare room in NYC. Perhaps, that’s because the music is usually mixed with some god awful wind instrument which probably requires smoking hash to truly appreciate.
On the flip side of awful, wildsanctuary.com delivers 3,500 hours of natural soundscapes including 15,000 species as recorded by Dr. Bernie Krause. Krause’s mission is to record sound environments from all over the world before they disappear, overburdened by the sounds of man and machinery. To date, Krause claims that over 40% of the sound environments he has recorded have been destroyed.
Check out the Google XML overlayer (above) to hear sounds from all over the world. Check out the Azores in Portugal for something particularly hilarious. Perfect prank? Set this soundscape off in the living room while a loved one is napping. And then, send me the photos. . .
One more thing:
For anyone who has visited Big Sur, CA, you are aware of the truly majestic beauty of the area. I was just in Big Sur in May and cringe when I think of the thousands of acres burned in such a pristine natural preserve.
As of this posting, the wildfires have been raging in Big Sur for about a week and a mandatory evacuation order has been issued. The above site, Surfire2008.org offers a community for those displaced by the fire. If you’re in the CA area, there are areas on the site where you can offer housing or volunteer. For those not in the area, information on donating to the Big Sur Fire Relief Fund is included in the bottom right corner. Click here or on the image above for the homepage. Full unofficial reports from those on the ground are available on the blog.
Filed under: BROADCAST/CABLE | Tags: Academy Awards, Arts, California, HBO, James Gandolfini, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Sopranos, Tony Soprano
Twenty-five outfits worn by James Gandolfini in HBO’s The Sopranos were sold at a Christie’s charity auction yesterday which raised $187,750 for Wounded Warrior Project, a non-profit that helps wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. James Gandolfini attended the auction (which may have helped encourage the bidding) and vouched the outfits were genuine. What took the top bid? The ensemble Tony Soprano wore when he was shot by Uncle Junior went for a cool $43,750. (Cynopsis 6/26)
MTV’s season two debut of Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew on June 19 (10p) delivered a 2.3 P12-34 rating and averaged more than 2.3 million total viewers. (Cynopsis 6/26)
VH1′s “Critics’ Choice Awards” show has been scheduled for Jan. 8 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in California. The annual event typically is seen as the first indication of how the Academy Awards field will shape up in the new year. (TVWeek.com 6/25)
While younger audiences drive growth in digital and mobile media, consumers over the age of 50 continue to devote “significant attention” to the more traditional formats, says a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The growing 50+ population will “help sustain” traditional media. (http://blogs.mediapost.com/research_brief/?p=1737 6/25)
Filed under: MISC | Tags: Alicia Keys, Beverly Hills, California, Clive Davis, Incredible Hulk, RCA Records, United States, Whitney Houston
Clive Davis, the renowned hitmaker, is giving up his corporate role as head of Sony’s BMG division and control of its RCA Label Group, in a shake-up that reflects the new realities of the music business. Davis, 76, is making way for Barry Weiss, a younger exec known for controlling costs. (Iwantmedia 4/18, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/18/business/18music.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 4/18)
Clive Davis at his traditional pre-Grammy party in February in Beverly Hills, with Alicia Keys, left, and Whitney Houston. Mr. Davis is celebrated for his ability to deliver best-selling albums. Vince Bucci/Getty Images
Universal Studios Home Entertainment took the wraps off of the studio’s first slate of movies and TV shows produced for the Blu-ray format, to be released day-and-date with standard DVD editions. Season 2 of Heroes on Aug. 26th will mark the first global Blu-ray release, followed by a pack of Universal feature films including The Incredible Hulk, Wanted, Hellboy II and the latest Mummy movie. (Cynopsis 4/18)
Heroes 2
Filed under: TECHNOLOGY | Tags: Atlanta, California, Consumer electronics, Microsoft, New York City, San Antonio, San Francisco, Television
AT&T will debut Microsoft’s Surface touch-screen tabletop computer in New York City, Atlanta, San Antonio and San Francisco beginning April 17. Shoppers will select content and interact by touching the 30-inch display screen in an experience Microsoft says will “transform the way consumers shop for mobile devices.” (Pocket-lint.co.uk 4/2)
Consumers appear to be turning down the volume on purchases of television sets. Recent consumer surveys and comments from TV suppliers point to a slowing demand. But while big-screen-TV sales are slowing, sales of videogames are helping to boost the consumer electronics industry. (Iwantmedia.com 4/2, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120709784073182019.html 4/2)
