What is a PodCamp?

I'm a little over-excited about PodCamps, so I decided to look up more about them so that I can learn more and maybe get a few people to go and check it out, maybe even the one in NY which I am attending. They're free so what do you have to lose, right?

Here's a nice bulleted list to get you edu-macated before I dive in:

• Is a new media conference, focusing on podcasting, blogging and other sorts of web 2.0 technologies
• The townies: new media enthusiasts and professionals including bloggers, podcasters, YouTube-ers, social networkers, and anyone curious about new media
• Is for newbies and professionals alike
  
• Is (usually) FREE!
• Anyone is invited to be a speaker (but not a marketer)
• Usually host (free) cocktail parties and get-togethers after each day
• Takes place (usually) on the weekends
• Awesome for networking
• Attendance ranges from 100-1000

Here are the Six Rules of PodCamp (according to Chris Penn):

1. All attendees must be treated equally. Everyone is a rockstar.
2. All content created must be released under a Creative Commons license.
3. All attendees must be allowed to participate. (subject to limitations of physical space, of course)
4. All sessions must obey the Law of 2 Feet - if you’re not getting what you want out of the session, you can and should walk out and do something else. It’s not like you have to get your money’s worth!
5. The event must be new-media focused - blogging, podcasting, video on the net.
6. The financials of a PodCamp must be fully disclosed in an open ledger, except for any donor/sponsor who wishes to remain anonymous.
   
   
7. Extra: Another rule used to be that all PodCamps needed to be free. However, now it's more of a suggestion than a rule, and it's perfectly understandable if you ask me.
   

The history of PodCamp:

• PodCamp got started on a Yahoo Group called "New England Podcasting"(since moved to Google) on February 6, 2006
• Steve Garfield was the first person in the group to suggest setting up the event BarCamp style
• The first PodCamp was held September 8-10, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts
• PodCamps were founded by Chris Penn, Steve Garfield and Chris Brogan
  
• PodCamps are based on a BarCamp-style community UnConference (unorganized conference)
• Chris Penn, co-founder, describes PodCamps as"where you come to share, to learn, and to grow your new media skills".

Who attends PodCamps:

• Podcasters
• Bloggers
• YouTube-er
  
• Social Media professionals and enthusiasts
• New Media professionals and enthusiasts
• Anyone interested in new media

I guess that's about it. Consider a PodCamp a free conference where you are able to pitch sessions, host sessions, and contribute to the content as much as you want. The audience ranges from high schoolers to CEOs, and everything in between. There is a serious following for these evets. I know people who travel across the country to attend as many as they can. And if you don't happen like it, well you get what you pay for.

If you can't make it to NY with me, check out some of the other upcoming PodCamps:

• PodCamp Toronto 2 - February 23-24, 2008 at Ryerson University
• PodCampWesternMass, March 8, 2008
• PodCampSLC - March 15th, 2008 - Salt Lake City, Utah
• PodcampDC is coming April 18-20 2008
• PodCampSA (South Africa), - 19 April 2008 in Bloemfontein, South Africa
• PodCamp NYC 2.0, Friday April 25 and Saturday, April 26th, 2008
• PodCamp San Antonio - Numero Dos, May 3, 2008
• PodCamp Atlanta 2 - May 17-18, 2008
• PodCamp Chicago Somewhere in Chicago - June 6, 7, and 8th 2008
• Podcamp Austin - Austin, Texas - June 20, 21, 2008
• PodCamp Ohio - Columbus, Ohio - June 28, 2008
• Colorado Podcamp - Denver Area, CO, Summer 2008
• PodCamp Pittsburgh 3 - The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - September 27-28, 2008
• PodCamp SF - January 18, 2009 @ MacWorld SF

How Long Until Apple Releases a new iPhone 2.0?

The answer is May(ish). See why below.

I've been waiting what seems like forever for Apple to release a new iPhone. My patience is running especially thin since I recently dropped my Razr in the toilet. I know that no matter how many "leaks" there are about a new iPhone, that Apple is a publicly traded company and they aren't going to release this information ahead of time. I have friend that work at the Apple store and even they don't know about releases until the day before.

I know there are trade-in programs, but it seems like you won't get all that much for an iPod that you paid $399 for (I know, that's how technology works). I feel like I'd rather just have both than trade-in an iPod for $100.

Anyhow, I decided I'd compile some gossip to see if I could get anywhere.. from what you'll read below, it seems like the most conclusive rumor is that due to the almost definite release of 3G in Europe in May, that the US will also be seeing 3G (aka a new model iPhone) by May:

1. 6/07 - We're hearing through the grapevine that the second generation iPhone may be debuted at the San Fransisco Macworld 2008 convention. Apple has awarded Quanta a manufacturing contract for 5 million iPhone units - of which a portion could be the iPhone 2.0. [source]
   
   
2. 7/07 - There is word out that a 3G one (that's 3G phone technology, not 3rd gen iPhone) will be out in October. (WRONG) [source]
   
   
3. 9/07 - Making the comments at the "Mum is no longer the word" press conference at the Regent Street Apple store in London, Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple said: "You can expect a 3G iPhone later next year". [source]
   
   
4. 11/07 - A new version of Apple's iPhone will be introduced in 2008 that is capable of operating on faster 3G cellular networks. "You'll have it next year," AT&T chief executive Randall Stephenson told a group of stockholders and financial analysts at a Wednesday meeting in Santa Clara, Calif. [source]
   
   
5. 11/07 - We're hearing that the iPhone 2.0 is already expected to miss the rumored March-ish launch window. According to Mehdi Hosseini, an analyst for Friedman Billings Ramsey & Company, the next-gen iPhone was slated for a March or April launch, but will now miss its mark - with the revised launch window predicted to extend into mid-summer of 2008. [source]
   
   
6. 12/07 - New rumors are circulating on the web that they will be announcing the official release date in March 2008 at an electronics show. [source]
   
   
7. 12/07 - CNBC's Jim Goldman believes that the 3G iPhone will hit the US market in late May, early June 2008. [source]
   
   
8. 1/08 - Given all this data pointing to high inventory, lowered shipments and “disappointing” sales, why did Apple’s CFO Peter Oppenheimer say Tuesday that Apple “felt confident” about reaching its goal of 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008? Apple would need to sell 200 percent more iPhones than they already have in order to reach this goal. Either Apple can’t wait to “disappoint” Wall Street again, or the company’s got one of three things up their sleeve: New markets, new prices or new iPhones.The most likely scenario is that Apple will unveil a new iPhone this summer, or fall at the latest. [source]
   
   
9. 2/08 - Several analysts are now reporting that the company’s pulled back iPod touch, iPhone, and MacBook production for Q1. Could it be because they are developing 2.0? [source]
   
   
10. 2/08 - We are still sticking to our Mayish prediction of iPhone3G rollout - about a year after the the original announcement. Also, this is about the timewhen Japan, who's networks aren't compatible with EDGE, and the rest of Asia should start seeing the iPhone. Also expect the EDGE iPhones to take two price cuts of $100 each before then. One to eliminate the 8Gb iPhone in 1-2 months. Another for when the 3G model comes out to clear the EDGE iPhone inventory. [source]
    

Now that I've been reading about this.. I'm actually thinking that perhaps I SHOULD get an old iPhone due to the uncertainty of the data plan cost for a 3G iPhone. AT&T charges $40 for unlimited data plans on all 3G phones. I'm imagining that the cost for a data plan with an iPhone would just go up even higher. Do I really need 3G that much? And I have a GPS now, so do I really need GPS (which is really what I'd been holding out for)? Hmmm..

Then again, maybe I should wait:

• 9to5Mac believes that the iPhone and iPod touch will be seeing $100 price drops in the next two months, simultaneously discontinuing the low capacity models. Their belief is that the 8GB Touch and 8GB iPhone will be discontinued, leaving a 16GB iPhone at $399, 16GB Touch at $299, and 32GB Touch at $399.

Ohhhh speculation, speculation. I don't know.. to buy an iPhone or to wait.. that is the question..

What Kind of Digital Camera Should I Get?

I'm kind of a camera junkie, and I've gone through five digital cameras in the last year. I also own a few Lomo 35mm cameras for fun, but I still like Digital.

However, the time has come again, and it's time to find a new one. Hopefully one that will stick. The last camera I actually LOVED, I had in 2003 and it was the Olympus Camedia C-4000 which is now (at 4MP) only $64.00 used on Amazon.

Then I used the Nikon D40, Canon Digital Rebel, Canon S3, and finally downgraded to a point-and-shoot Panasonic Lumix with a 10x zoom.

The Nikon and Canon Rebel.. well there's no doubt that a DSL takes the cleanest picture, but I really don't take care of ANYTHING the way expensive things should be taken care of. Also, I need to have a camera with me at all times. And a DSLR is NOT an easy camera to do this with.

I thought I was finding solid ground with the Canon S3, a little smaller of a camera, with a touch of pro features. But as it turns out.. the camera just plain annoyed me. I found that I had a good period of 3 months where I took no pictures because I hated using it. So there went that.

Now, the last camera I had, the Lumix, was the absolute worst camera I have ever owned. I was trying to make up for downgrading from an DSLR to a point-and-shoot, and shit, it had a 10x zoom! But unless you were a foot away from your subject, the images literally MELTED together, the quality was just horrible.

So now I'm back on the market again, and I'm wondering.. DSLR or mid-range point-and-shoot? I'm under the impression that NO point-and-shoot is going to get the depth and focus that I'm used to on a DSLR. But I could be wrong. Plus, I'm not a photographer, and I know the picture depends on the user, not the camera so why do I really need a another DSLR? The newest cameras are being released over the next couple of months, but most not in time for a Cruise I am going on in eary March and a trip to Napa Valley in early April.

What I HAVE determined is that I want another Olympus or maybe even a Nikon. But I think I've decided I don't want another camera with external lenses (to reduce bulk, and because I'm just clumsy) but I wouldnt mind another Canon S3-sized monster as long as it delivers.

These are the cameras I am currently researching and seem to have the best user reviews:

Olympus SP-510 Ultra Zoom 7.1MP Digital Camera

•  4/5 stars on Amazon
• Customer reviews are great
• User pictures on Amazon are decent especially low light & macro

Nikon Coolpix P5100 12.1MP Digital Camera

• 4.5/5 stars on Amazon
• Price is decent at $300
• Tons of add-ons available including flash and extra lenses
• Reviewers say it's the middleground between DSLR and P&S
• Manual controls
• Reviews are mixed on whether it has a slow or fast autofocus
• Reviews are mixed whether it has excellent or bad quality in low-light

Canon PowerShot G9 12.1MP Digital Camera

• Ok I know I said "no Canons", but whatever
• 4.5/5 stars on Amazon
• Customer reviews are great and so are user photos
• The G-series is known to be superb
• Considered a perfect middle ground between DSLR and P&S

Olympus SP-570UZ 10MP Digital Camera

• This unfortunately isn't released until April 15th
• Reviews of previous versions are pretty super

Fujifilm Finepix S700 7.1MP Digital Camera | I might just get this one to hold me over!

• 4.5/5 stars on Amazon
• SUPER user photos on Amazon
• Rated #1 on top 10 P&S Cameras by PCWorld
• Reviews are awesome
• Macro is retardedly good
• People shots have actual depth
• Released pre super-compact processors (aka less grain)
• It's only $175 bucks!

Sony Cybershot DSC-H9 8MP Digital Camera

• 4/5 stars on Amazon
• Decent at $399
• Good reviews and people seem to like Sony a lot
• Great in low-light conditions

And If I do go with an SLR:

Olympus Evolt E510 10MP Digital SLR Camera

• It's got a 4.5/5 star rating on Amazon
• The price has been reduced from an obscene $1200 to just under $600

Ok, so this post took me about 6 hours to research (I mean, what else did I have to do on a Saturday right?). If anyone has any recommendations, feel free to add. I think right now I might go for the Fujifilm Finepix S700 to hold me over and then maybe induldge in either the Canon G9 or Olympus SP-570UZ.

What is Open Source Software?

As a tech nerd, I already know the answer to this. But I certainly don't know everything so here goes.

Wikipedia defines open source software as software that is made available under a as computer software for which the human-readable source code copyright license (or arrangement such as the public domain) that meets the Open Source Definition.

This permits users to use, change, and improve the software, and to redistribute it in modified or unmodified form. It is often developed in a public, collaborative manner. Open source software is the most prominent example of open source development and often compared to user generated content.

A classic example of open source software

In short, a good example of this is the blogging platform Wordpress. You might be more familiar with the WYSIWYG version on Wordpress.COM where a user has an easy to use interface and there is limited customization to the template.

On Wordpress.ORG you are able to download the software that is used to make that blog. The user can upload the software to their own server and customize it as much as they want. There are TONS of plug-ins made by the Wordpress community that make the software so much more than a blog and more of an unintentional content management system.

Where the open-source part comes in handy/sketchy (besides the fact that anyone can customize and make software to enhance it) is when content management system providers come in and end up selling it. Not to name any names, but there are a few CMS's that are running purely on hacked up Wordpress code, which they sell to their customers for thousands of dollars to turn a profit on something that was originally free.

Wordpress is a popular example of open-source software, but there are plenty of other examples:

• Openads is an adserver that offers fierce competition to the many, many paid adservers for online publishers who rely on advertising to make money online.
• Google Android offers fierce competition to cell phone companies because it offers a completely open source platform for mobile.
• MySQL, which is the database software that Wordpress (and other websites) runs off of, is one of the most popular pieces of DB software and is also free and open-source.
• OpenOffice is a multi platform and multi lingual office suite and an open-source project. Compatible with all other major office suites, the product is free to download, use, and distribute.
• phpBB is a high powered, fully scalable, and highly customizable open-source bulletin board package.
• Joomla!, unlike Wordpress was actually designed to be one of the most powerful Open Source Content Management Systems on the planet. It is used all over the world for everything from simple websites to complex corporate applications.

These are just a few of the biggies, but here's a much more comprehensive list that you'll find helpful if you're a developer.

So basically, the point is that open source goes much further than just "free software". It is also pre-written codebase than encourages it's user community to build upon and improve. There is nothing behind the curtains, everything is.. well.. OPEN.

Open Source VS. Closed Source (according to Wikipedia)

Making money through traditional methods, such as sale of the use of individual copies and patent royalty payment, is more difficult and sometimes impractical with open source software. Some closed-source advocates see open source software as damaging to the market of commercial software. This complaint is countered by a large number of alternative funding streams such as:

• giving away the software and charging for installation and support
• make the software available as open source so that people will be more likely to purchase a related product or service you do sell
• cost avoidance / cost sharing: many developers need a product, so it makes sense to share development costs

Studies about security in open source software versus closed-source software show that closed-source software have fewer advisories but open source software usually has less time between flaw discovery and a patch or fix. Advocates of closed source argue that since no one is responsible for open source software, there is no incentive or guarantee it will be fixed, and there is nobody to take responsibility for negligence. open source advocates argue that since the source code of closed-source software is not available, there is no way to know what security vulnerabilities or bugs may exist. However, having the source code for a program could also make it easier for a malicious person to discover security vulnerabilities that they can take advantage of (instead of reporting or fixing them).

Open Source Software VS Free Software (according to Wikipedia)

Critics have said that the term “open source” fosters an ambiguity of a different kind such that it confuses the mere availability of the source with the freedom to use, modify, and redistribute it. Developers have used the alternative terms Free/open source Software (FOSS), or Free/Libre/open source Software (FLOSS), consequently, to describe open source software which is also free software.

Open source software and free software are different terms for software which comes with certain rights, or freedoms, for the user. They describe two approaches and philosophies towards free software. Open source and free software (or software libre) both describe software which is free from onerous licensing restrictions. It may be used, copied, studied, modified and redistributed without restriction. Free software is not the same as freeware, software available at zero price.

The definition of open source software was written to be almost identical to the free software definition. There are very few cases of software that is free software but is not open source software, and vice versa. The difference in the terms is where they place the emphasis. “Free software” is defined in terms of giving the user freedom. This reflects the goal of the free software movement. “Open source” highlights that the source code is viewable to all and proponents of the term usually emphasize the quality of the software and how this is caused by the development models which are possible and popular among free and open source software projects.

Has the MacBook Air gotten any good reviews?

I was less than enthused after this month's MacWorld expo. I'm a huge Mac nerd, but the MacBook Air did literally nothing for me. I love my MacBook Pro, and have no need for a flimsy, driveless laptop.

Below are the review bullet points summed up from USA Today, Newsweek, Wall Street Journal, CNet, Computerworld, and Gizmodo:

• (-) Remote disc doesn't work for installing Windows, watching DVDs, and burning cds/dvds, importing and playing music, and doesn't work with other Macs. WHAT??
• (-) Features they're not happy having to live without include any kind of mobile broadband, an SD card slot, FireWire, an onboard Ethernet jack, and Express card slot
• (+) Features they like include the iPhone-esque trackpad, big keyboard, and nice screen
• (-) Battery life is hours less than what Apple claims (5 hours)
• (=) Likely won't be used as a main computer
• (-) Didn't think it was possible, but it's now even LESS customizable (upgrading hardware)
• (-) You need to play with your firewall to get remote access to work
• (=) Nobody thinks this laptop should be considered "ultra-portable" due to its lack of regular features
• (+) Overall, reviewers thought the laptop was a great technological advance, but perhaps not practical and before it's time.
• (+) Very comfortable on the lap, on a starbucks table, anywhere
• (-) When the battery breaks a year from now, you'll need to pay Apple $130 to replace it
• (+) Wakes from sleep super quickly
• (=) Performance was average but reviewers long for the next generation
• (+) The new magsafe adapter is swell and the port fits your old adapters
• (-) Apple says that 3D graphics applications may be "less responsive, or exhibit slow or 'sluggish' performance, when the CPU has been in heavy use for prolonged periods of time or in an extremely hot environment for a period of time." This is a result of automatic down-clocking.
• (+) Good for people who admire technology and have money to blow
• (-) Not good for people who rely on spare batteries or have no other computer such as students and first-time buyers

I won't be buying into this one, noper.

How to save a wet cellphone & fix the "red dot of death"?

My life never ceases to give me things to write about, I swear. I guess you can probably determine why it is I need an answer for this one. And PS, if anyone has an old cingular phone with a SIM slot that i can have, give me a holler at: amander(at)thingsiask.com and we'll be BFF.

According to Yahoo! Answers, and About.com, this is what one should do.. luckily I was smart enough to know the basics (aka take out the battery and don't turn it on) before looking it up:

1. Take out the cellphone as soon as quickly as possible
2. Remove the battery
3. Shake it, shake it like a polaroid picture.. c'mon shake it, shake, shake it..
   
4. Absorb excess water with something dry like a paper towel. Keep at it until the paper towels are no longer wet.
   
5. If there's water inside the display, press on it to get it out, then absorb w/ paper towel.
6. Put the cellphone and battery out to dry near a sunny window or something, but not somewhere dumb like the oven or a radiator.
   
7. Let it dry for 24-72 hours. (You can probably determine this by how much water you needed to shake out). If water is still coming out, don't turn it back on.

If you're crafty:

• Get a tiny screwdriver and take the cellphone apart, then wipe down the components with rubbing alcohol (they'll dry faster and it won't damage the phone).
• If the phone was already submerged in water, you can literally submerge it in alcohol without any extra negative effects, just quicker drying
  

Fun tips:

• If your cellphone was off when it happened, it's much more likely to survive
• If it fell in saltwater, rinse it in fresh water first (aka you're probably screwed unless you've got a bottle of poland spring around).

And if you're feeling like hitting up the warranty.. just check for the "red dot of death" and you can be sure it's not going to get covered:


Unless you want to try the advice of some water-damage hackers:

"What most people don’t realize is that the warranty usually covers theft and loss. Get your phone wet? Lose it in a gutter, trash bin, Leave it at a bar, give it to a homeless guy, etc. now they have to replace it." - Isaac

"I recently got screwed by this because there’s a red dot/bar on both my battery and my cell phone. I merely traded my battery for my wife’s and peeled off her Red dot which is a piece of cloth/sticker and pasted it with a little super glue in place of my red dot which I had promptly removed. Worked like a charm." - Josh

"Place a piece of satin finish scotch tape over your water damage sticker to prevent the water damage sticker from voiding your warranty. This sticker can usually be found under your battery. It's a small round white sticker, possibly with dots on it. If this sticker gets wet it changes color and your phone is marked for water damage. Remove the tape if you need to ever bring your cellphone in for repairs." - MobileMistress

"I've had white dots go red. What did I do, I removed the dot. Techs shot me down. So I bought a new battery(which comes with its own new white dot), did a swap put on my phone, and tada replacement phone. Now what I did was not wrong it's my dot and I'll do what I want with it(theres people on ebay who will sell you an entire reel of unpunched limus paper for cheap dollars). Now if a tech would do a half decent job and open up the phone like back in the day, they would probably find that my phones problem was, the effect of verizon screwing with the software and the UI of my phone. But they would never admit that. Just keep telling poeple to *228 send and update your phone(cough CRIPPLE your phone+add banners)." - Jason

If anyone has a cingular phone with a SIM slot that i can have, give me a holler at: amander(at)thingsiask.com

Who were the TechCrunch Crunchies winners? And who were the Soggies?

I'm a huge fan of my beloved TechCrunch, and had I been in San Francisco this month, I might have even tried to hit up the Crunchies event in support of my favorite new media startups. Anyhoo, here's TechCrunch's Crunchiest list:

• Best technology innovation/achievement: Earthmine
  
  • (Soggies: Like, Move Networks, Twine, Viewdle)
  
  
• Best bootstrapped startup: Techmeme
  
  • (Soggies: FriendFeed, PoliticalBase, ProductWiki, UpNext)
  
  
• Best new gadget/device: iPhone
  
  • (Soggies: Kindle, Ooma, Pleo, Wii)


• Best business model: Zazzle
  
  • (Soggies: Glam Media, Imeem, Prosper, Weatherbill)


• Best design: SmugMug
  
  • (Soggies: Etsy, Jackson Fish Market, Netvibes, Songza)


• Best enterprise startup: Zoho
  
  • (Soggies: 37Signals, Attributor, EditGrid, Ribbit)


• Best consumer startup: Meebo
  
  • (Soggies: 1800-FREE-411, 23andMe, LinkedIn, Zillow)
  
  
• Best mobile startup: Twitter
  
  • (Soggies: AdMob, Fring, Loopt, Shozu)


• Best international startup: Netvibes
  
  • (Soggies: Atlassian, Gizmoz, MusicShake, Openads)


• Best user-generated content: Digg
  
  • (Soggies: Facebook, Geni, Instructables, Yelp)


• Best video site: Hulu
  
  • (Soggies: Aniboom, Joost, Justin.tv, Tokbox)
  
  
• Best clean tech startup: Tesla Motors
  
  • (Soggies: A123Systems, Ausra, GridPoint, NanoSolar)
  
  
• Best use of viral marketing: StumbleUpon
  
  • (Soggies: Flixster, iLike, iminlikewithyou, RockYou)
  
  
• Best time sink site: Kongregate
  
  • (Soggies: College Humor, Duels, Kdice, Pandora)
  
  
• Most likely to make the world a better place: DonorsChoose
  
  • (Soggies: Causes, Zerofootprint, Kiva, One Laptop Per Child)


• Most likely to succeed: WordPress
  
  • (Soggies: Kayak, Mint, Slide, Zivity)
  
  
• Best startup founder: Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook
  
  • (Soggies: Reid Hoffman (LinkedIn), Max Levchin (Slide), Kevin Rose (Digg), Evan Williams (Twitter))
  
  
• Best startup CEO: Toni Schneider, Wordpress
  
  • (Soggies: Gina Bianchini (Ning), Dick Costolo (Feedburner), Rob Solomon (Sidestep), Lance Tokuda (RockYou))
  
  
• Best new startup of 2007: iMedix
  
  • (Soggies: Hulu, Joost, Ribbit, Tumblr)


• Best overall: Facebook
• (Soggies: Digg, GrandCentral, Twitter, Zillow)

What's up with Stop & Shop handheld scanners?

Oh.my.gosh.

In an article posted on the 14th of this month, they say that starting this week, shoppers at more than 100 Stop & Shop supermarkets across New England can do their shopping with the help a portable shopping assistant powered by a Quincy company's interactive shopping technology.

This was something I needed to check out for myself, without my best friend Google, so I went grocery shopping last night at my local stop & shop store, and all I can say is WOW.

Basically, here are the steps:

• You walk into the store, scan your Stop & Shop card at a kiosk.
• One of the scanners lights up and you take it.
• You grab some bags (paper or plastic) so that you can bag along the way (awesome).
  
• You walk around scanning everything you want
• To do produce, they have a scale you put your veggies/fruits on, which then weighs it, and prints a sticker with a bar code, which you scan. awesome.
• Everything else has a barcode including meats, etc.
• You can browse store specials directly on the device
• You can see what your total is right on the device (BEST FEATURE EVER)
• You can remove things as you wish once buyers remorse hits.
• When you're done, you scan a "end of order" barcode at the register, hand your device to the cashier along w/ your stop & shop card.
• And pay. Everything is already bagged by you, and you're done.

Even simpler, without all the hubub:
Scan card > Take Scanner > Scan > Pay > Leave > Eat

I totally geeked out during my experience... This lady came up to me asking me how to use it and if i liked it and i was all OMG ITZ LIKYE THE BEST DEVICE EVERRRRRRRRRRR and gave her the best tutorial anyone has ever seen.

The only drawbacks I see (for the store, not us) is that it's likely to increase stealing, so the money they'll save on cashiers will be spent on tightened security. Also, every 10 minutes or so the scanner goes "cha-ching!" to let you know of a sale. It's all good though in my opinion!

I hope everyone gets a chance to try these out soon. Stop & Shop is wayyy expensive, but they just made a frequent shopper out of me.

What's the word on the MacWorld 2008 Keynote?

So disappointing. The only things I'm mildly interested in is the new Apple TV and the new automatic locator (aka kind of GPS) for the iPhone. The $20 upgrade for the iTouch is weak, especially since most everyone who has one has already hacked it and has them for free. MacBook Air? Eh.

Synopsis: Updated the Mac Pro, introduced Time Capsule, software updates for iPhone and iPod Touch, Movie Rentals for iTunes, Apple TV software updates, and introduced MacBook Air.

Thanks for the continuous updates via Engadget and especially MacRumors.com:

iTunes Updates:

• NEW:Streaming movies on iTunes - library titles: $2.99, New Releases: $3.99
• NEW: HD rentals are $4.99. 100 titles today
• Podcasts now mean audio + video

iTouch Updates:

• UPGRADE:$20 Upgrade fee for iPod Touch firmware - introducing mail, stocks,notes & weather
• Ability to watch iTunes Movie Rentals

iPhone Updates:

• UPGRADE: iPhone Maps with location!! (FINALLY!)Webclips, Customize home screen, SMS multiple people, no MMS though :(
  
• UPGRADE: SDK for iPhone released in February (yay)
• UPGRADE: iPhone home screen supports 9 desktops now
• UPDATE: watch movies rented from the new iTunes Movie Rentals

Macs/Software Updates:

• UPGRADE: Full Airport Extreme base station with "server grade" hard drive internal - 2 versions: 500 GB version - $299, 1 TB $499
• NEW: Microsoft is now shipping Office Mac 2008
• NEW: Time Capsule: You can back up your laptop or all of your macs wirelessly.
• UPGRADE: Mac Pro, $2,799 - combines two of Intel’s new 45 nanometer Quad-Core Xeon processors running up to 3.2 GHz, powerful new graphics and up to 4TB of internal storage.

AppleTV Updates:

• UPGRADE: Apple TV Take 2 -- No computer required, wireless.
  
• Apple TV price drop. Entry price drops from $299 to $229 - but free upgrade for current owners. 40GB hard drive (ew).
  
• Ships in February
  

Announcements/New:

• NEW: Microsoft is now shipping Office Mac 2008.
• NEW: Time Capsule: You can back up your laptop or all of your macs wirelessly.
• UPGRADE: Apple TV Take 2, $229 -- No computer required, wireless.
• NEW: MacBook Air! $1799. "The World's Thinnest Notebook" - 0.16" to 0.76". The thickest part of the MacBook Air is thinner than the thinnest part of the Sony. It fits inside a envelope. Magnetic latch, 13.3" widescreen display. Display is LED backlit. iSight is built-in. MacBook-like keyboard, but with an ambient light sensor. Multi-touch trackpad. Move a window by double-tap and move. Rotate a photo by pivoting your index finger around your thumb. Pinch-zoom. 80 GB hard disk standard, 64 GB SSD as an option. "they're pricy, but they're fast". 1.6 GHz Standard, 1.8 GHz Option -- Intel Core 2 Duo. Processor is as thick as nickel, wide as a dime. 45 Watt MagSafe, 1 USB 2.0 port, Micro-DVI, Audio Out, 802.11n + Bluetooth 2.1/EDR. No optical drive, but a Superdrive accessory is available for $99. Also, software comes with the MacBook Air that allows you to "borrow" a Mac or PCs optical drive. 5 hours of Battery Life, 2GB standard HD. Environmental highlights: fully aluminum case (good for recycling), first fully mercury and lead free display, circuit boards are BFR free, retail packaging are 56% less volume than MacBook.

from MacRumors.com

Check the Apple Blog for more details..

When is the January MacWorld 2008 Keynote?

Turns out MacWorld is today! But the super-anticipated-by-all-macgeeks keynote is tomorrow. Aw.

I was wondering when that hoe (aka love of my life) Steve Jobs was going to let us know what his latest mindblow is going to be this year. Tomorrow morning. I can wait! I can!

As is expected, there are a few great mac nerd extravagances to add more hype!

InsanelyGreatTees & TBC - MacWorld Prediction Contest

Mahalo - Macworld 2008 Keynote Bingo (available in PDF format here and in iPhone format here)

I've also found a likely fanboy who posted on Wikipedia (and now picked up by hackeralert.com), the supposid "leaked keynote". If it's anything like this, I will be very sad.

Read it here: MacWorld Keynote Leaked?
Here is the original post on Wikipedia, now updated without "leak".

Looking forward to tomorrow!

Why I looked it up: I've been waiting for this keynote, before I finally break down and buy my iPhone. I know it won't be offering 3G or GPS, but that Steve Jobs is tricky, so maybe I'll atleast be able to get one with a bigger hard drive for the same price after tomorrow.