Give the gift of green energy

Looking for that hard to find gift for that special person… or client, friend, whatever? Here’s something you might want to take a look at:

Platypus, a Canadian non-profit organization, is a new and easy way to help the planet. Buy 100% renewable energy as a gift for the homes of friends, family, clients or yourself, and notify them with a personalized, animated e-card. In addition to greening their power, the money goes to local green energy projects like wind farms and hydro plants, and also helps bring new renewable energy projects online. You can give the gift of green energy for as little as $10 for one month.

If you’re interested, go to www.greenplatypus.com to learn more about how it all works.

Looking back at analysts and the iPhone

From Brainstorm Tech 

The great iPhone death watch

Posted by Philip Elmer-DeWitt

December 1, 2009 7:59 AM 

What critics were saying about Steve Jobs' smartphone in the months before it launched

Three years ago, when it became clear that Apple (AAPL) was about to unveil some kind of mobile phone, critics began to weigh in on its chances of success. AAPLinvestors' Terry Gregory, building on a list of skeptical quotes begun by MacDailyNews, has put together what may be the definitive collection,

A sample:

“We’ve learned and struggled for a few years here figuring out how to make a decent phone. PC guys are not going to just figure this out. They’re not going to just walk in.”

Palm CEO Ed Colligan, commenting on then-rumored Apple iPhone, 16 Nov 2006

“Apple should pull the plug on the iPhone… What Apple risks here is its reputation as a hot company that can do no wrong. If it’s smart it will call the iPhone a ‘reference design’ and pass it to some suckers to build with someone else’s marketing budget. Then it can wash its hands of any marketplace failures… Otherwise I’d advise people to cover their eyes. You are not going to like what you’ll see.”

John C. Dvorak, 28 March 2007

“There’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share. No chance. It’s a $500 subsidized item. They may make a lot of money. But if you actually take a look at the 1.3 billion phones that get sold, I’d prefer to have our software in 60% or 70% or 80% of them, than I would to have 2% or 3%, which is what Apple might get.”

Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, 30 April 2007

"What does the iPhone offer that other cell phones do not already offer, or will offer soon? The answer is not very much… Apple’s stated goal of selling 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008 seems ambitious.”

Laura Goldman, LSG Capital, 21 May 2007

“We Predict the iPhone will bomb.”

Seth Porges, The Futurist, 7 June 2007

“The forthcoming (June 29) release of the Apple iPhone is going to be a bigger marketing flop than Ishtar and Waterworld combined. Because its designers forgot Platt’s First, Last, and Only Law of User Experience Design (“Know Thy User, for He Is Not Thee”), that product is going to crash in flames. Sell your Apple stock now, while the hype’s still hot. You heard it here first.”

David S. Platt, Suckbusters!, 21 June 2007

More than 33 million iPhones, 100,000 apps and 2 billion downloads later, the death watch continues. To see AAPLinvestors' full collection — including comparisons to such "iPhone killers" as the Palm (PALM) Pre, Research in Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry Storm and Motorola's (MOT) Droid — click here.

Perfect for days that end in the letter 'Y'

In addition to making your empty life complete, this would also make a spectacular Xmas gift at a Secret Santa party.

“Just the thing for a cozy night in,” 
Party on, Garth.

10 new details on the iTablet

Hard to bet against Apple these days. It will be interesting to see their pricing strategy and how they position the Tablet in the marketplace.

Must have Xmas item for the lover of all things retro

If you are a dedicated retroist (is that a word? If not, can I trademark it??), then this cool little item is this year's must have item:

1960's USB Microphones - For Retro Skype Serenades? (GALLERY)

This 1960s USB microphone uses radio-frequency identification; no wires are used. The microphone… [More]


Runner-up: New TVs that look like TVs from the '50s.

1950s Style TVs - The Telstar Predicta (GALLERY)

Camera Bonanza

'Tis almost the season and cameras and camera-related items are always popular Xmas gifts, so here are some interesting camera related items:

1. Poladroid is a desktop app that lets you convert your digital photographs into amazing old-school polaroids. It over-saturates all the colors for you so all your photos can look like 70s deadstock that you found in the attic. Sadly, it is only for Macs at this point.

2. Save Polaroid. This is a website and a movement designed to preserving the wonderful photo technology that is polaroid instant film. From their website:

Save Polaroid. Save the World.

On February 8, 2008, Polaroid Corporation announced that it will discontinue production of all instant film. This site will document the aftermath of this announcement and will serve as a home-base for the effort to convince another company to begin producing the cherished technology that Polaroid has so carelessly abandoned.

This site is not about saving Polaroid, the company, rather the remarkable invention of Edwin Land, the instant film that made Polaroid a household name.

To learn more about the Save Polaroid gang, what they are up to, what they have done so far, and what you can do to help, click here. Of course, they also have a Facebook group.

3. And your MUST HAVE camera item for Xmas 2008, replacing (or augmenting) your Lomo* obsession, is the Blackbird, Fly camera from Japan's Superheadz. Apparently Japanese youth are all over retro photography in response to the proliferation of digital cameras and can't get enough of the various Lomo brands, old Polaroid resells and antique cameras.

This new camera gives them -- and hopefully us soon -- another option for playful, colour-rich photography. The Blackbird, Fly shoots square pictures on 35mm and costs less than a $100 USD, allowing enthusiasts to take part in this movement without breaking the bank (which was a bit of an issue with the original Lomo cameras, as $200 CAD back in the early 2000s was a bit expensive for a toy when you consider you also needed to buy a scanner in order to share your creations).

Hopefully the Blackbird, Fly will be available in Canada soon.

* Looking back, the Lomography community is one of the first, real social networks on the web and is a pretty astounding success story given its reach.

Where will the 'i' iNsanity end?

This gadget is actually pretty cute. You should buy one for your wife, girlfriend, hip mother or any friend named Grant. I give you... the iPig.

What's your something?

Who didn't dream of being on Let's Make A Deal and trading in their known prize for the chance of a better prize in the unknown box or behind curtain number 3? (The box! Take the box!!)

Well, the SomethingStore operates a business based on the allure of the unknown box. The SomethingStore is a new website that operates simply: They will send you something, an item selected randomly among many things from their inventory, for $10 (free shipping) and you will find out what your something is when you receive it. What's your something?

Died and gone to heaven? Perhaps not quite but....

In Strange Brew Bob Mackenzie said, "My brother used to say that drowning in beer would be like heaven, eh? But now he's not here, and I've got two soakers... and this isn't heaven, this sucks!" Well, instead of drowning in beer, what about bathing with beer?

Who among us hasn't dreamt of one day, in a kinder and gentler world, soaping up with some PBR suds? Well, believe it or not, now you can with The Poor Boy Beer Soap Bar (Vegan Friendly). The Vegan-friendliness is a nice touch in my book. My favourite part of the product description is when I read that the Pabst Blue Ribbon soap makes "a nice addition to the Anderson beer soap family." I think I'll go for the Guinness soap (note: a quick search revealed they actually have this).

Perfect St. Patrick's Day Gift

Impractical? Yes

A waste of money? Probably

A cool must-have item for the Guinness lover? Absolutely!

GUINNESS® Kule Kube Refrigerator