• Voting for the Worst on ‘American Idol’ (NYT) 
• Some Viruses come pre-installed (AP)
• Woman to record industry: Stoy spying (AP)
• A One-Eyed Invader in the Bedroom (NYT)
• Critics Praise Hulu, demand more content (DVICE)
• Top 10 Cell Phone Myths Explained (Switched)
• Google says Microsoft’s Yahoo buy might hurt Internet (Reuters)Came upon a good article? Share it in the comments.  

Under the picture:

“At Virgin Mobile, you’re more than just a number. When you call us we’ll treat you like a person, not a client. Whether you’re #9 or #900, you’ll get hooked up with somebody who’ll finally treat you just how you want to be treated.”

CNet reports that Nathan Rosenberg, CMO at Virgin Mobile, said the ad will run in the papers for two weeks as part of some “You call the shots” campaign.  Hilary and Barack will also be featured in said campaign.
 

• Spending more time tending to email or surfing the Web than with friends or family
•  Inability to be without a cell phone, or computer for too long
• Paying more attention to gadgets than your surroundings (accidents happen this way) 

What’s funny is that no one can really say when technology overload becomes an addiction or if it’s the same thing. I see these articles all the time, but are they talking about extreme cases like when parents neglect their kids to play video games or are they talking about the average Joe who happens to have a demanding job that requires him to check his Blackberry every minute.

I guess what upsets me is that these type of articles tend to be vague, and make us worry about nothing. 

I can honestly say I’ve done all of the above, not because I’m addicted, but because it’s convenient. I mean, who hasn’t called or texted someone in the next room, because it was easier to do than getting off your chair.  Do I spend too much time online? Sure, but that’s part of my job. Have I listened to my iPod while I’m out running oblivious to my surroundings (ok, not safe but it happens)? Who hasn’t. I think it’s time the good Doctors came up with some concrete evidence or at least narrow their addiction labeling  down just a little bit more.   

It all kinda makes me wonder what they said in the past about people’s obsession with records/CDs, television, or phone use. Should people who recognize that technology is now a huge part of our lives be labeled as tech addicts? What do you think?

“Wherein the craftsman demonstrates the construction of artifacts from an age of steam and brass.”

What does all this mean?  Just browse the site and take a look at how this crafter makes a flat panel monitor look fabulously aged and yet…it still holds it’s gadget-factor.  The Steampunk Workshop site has so many great things to look at, with photos of the projects as they go and video of some of them working.

My favorites were the keyboard and monitor, of course, but he also features a salt water iPod etch, Altoids Tins and other creative crafts that really will have your mind going.  Jake’s ultimate goal is to create a steam car, just for fun!

Not only does this Symbaloo site make me feel more organized, but it uses Google as the chosen search engine and links to sites like Gmail if you choose the default desktop.  If you’re tired of text bookmarks and you want to add a little spark to your browsing, this site will have you organizing until the sun goes down.

Good thing is, you can wake up feeling like you’ve accomplished tons!  Once you visit the site for the first time, it shows you have 1 mail message.  Click on it and it will welcome you to the service.  Now all you need to do is register for it and set up your favorite links.  The date and time are posted at the top and this might just replace my start page (currently iGoogle).

I love that you can move the icons in “real-time” and organize your screen quickly and easily, grouping your bookmarked or linked sites together how YOU want them.  Try it out, it’s absolutely fun.  The registration was quick and easy and I was greeted with a neat welcome message (and followed up with an email verification) that said:

You have just created you own account: great! You can now use your
personalized desktop from every computer in the world: at home, school
the office or in an internet cafe.

The Good Food Fight campaign has a neat idea that you can pass on to friends or family.  You can start a food fight with them over the site and at the same time gain a wealth of knowledge about good food choices.

Eat Better America is a free web site that General Mills has put out that has recipes, nutrition tips, fitness advice and details of how to have a healthier lifestyle.  This game is just a neat little side-line to bring some fun to the learning process.

Share the joy and send your pal some healthy food…in a new and creative way!  I found this to be a neat and informative site.  The Eat Better America site has a wealth of information for you to carry with you.  You can even utilize the articles to cooperate with your gadgets that push healthier options, like the water bottle I featured recently.

Cloud9 offers the most unique way to take someone on a trip.  Not the typical “go to Houston and stay in a hotel for a week” type of vacations but instead, you have a lovely gift box delivered to the receiver.  In this box you have a DVD, booking confirmation within 48 hours of ordering, pictures of the event to come, and information on the location.

They seem to have a 9 levels setup where you can visit certain levels where the Orange one is only $75 and the highest, Platinum level is $2,500.  This way you can budget your gifts while you’re giving.  Or plan the perfect getaway based on what you have saved up.

I visited the ‘Blue Level’ which comes at $250.  This level included a dinner cruise in San Francisco, skydiving, massage for couples in romantic cities, sunset balloon rides and a few other nice choices.  I really enjoyed visiting the site and roaming around.

Back in 2003, Etzioni and colleagues published a paper showing that they
could predict the fluctuation in airline-ticket prices and after sifting through the history of more than 12,000 airfares for
nonstop flights from two major locations.  Through this, they found that their research had a 62% accuracy with regards to the rise and fall of future ticket prices.

Reportedly the Farecast site is quite different than similar competitors like Kyak or FareCompare.  These sites use different comparisons and it’s quoted:  "Farecast differs from these companies by using sophisticated algorithms
to mine enormous data sets of more than 175 billion airfares from
around the country. This data is collected by Boston-based ITA Software, a company that works with airlines and travel sites such as Hotwire and Orbitz to help with pricing and reservations."

Sounds useful to me!