5 Killer Titles For Showing Off Your Home Theater System

5 Killer Titles For Showing Off Your Home Theater System

By Patrick Biz
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

There are a number of reasons why HDTV and home theater gear are now mainstream: prices of Plasmas and LCDs screens have dropped considerably; personal video recorders (PVR) have kicked VCRs out of the living room; the offering of HD channels is growing rapidly; and Blu-Ray has officially buried its strongest contender, HD-DVD.

If you have recently purchased a home theater system, the next essential step is getting yourself a few DVD titles to show off your new toys, and impress the sexy chicks / stud who come over for a Friday-night movie.

Here’s a list of 5 killer titles sorted by genre.

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The Crime-Sensing Car

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Starting today, the GPS system has a new power: sensing high-crime areas and warning you before you make a potentially dangerous turn.

Honda has just introduced its new SatNav system in Japan.  International news agency AFP reports the system will use information provided by police to mark “crime hotspots,” then sound alerts when a driver is creeping too close to those areas for comfort.

AFP says the system will actually rank neighborhoods by a formulated risk level.  A higher risk level means more past reports of car damage, theft, and break-ins.

The system adds to a list of growing GPS features available only overseas, including the ability to warn you about hidden traffic cameras that could land you tickets at intersections.

But it’s the crime spot sensor that’s stirring up the debate in the States.  Some fear introducing that kind of feature here would open up a can of worms because of the number of historically high-crime areas that are heavily populated by minorities.  Others say there’s nothing wrong with presenting legit police data for drivers to use as they please.  However you look at it, though, one thing’s for sure: This one won’t go over quietly in the U.S.

At the moment, Honda has gone on the record saying there are no plans to offer the feature in America as of yet.

Dell Unveils “Green” Bamboo PC

Recently, at the Fortune Green conference, Michael Dell unveiled one of his new babies, an eco-friendly PC made in part out of bamboo wood. Dell says this computer is 81 percent smaller than their regular desktop PCs and uses 70 percent less power. Also, a lot of the computer’s components are made out of recycled materials, such as old bottles and detergent cases. The new product could apparently be released later this year and be priced between $500 and $700.

[Via Earth2Tech]

10 Cool Gadgets Every Geek Should Want

22 Cool Gadgets Every Geek Should Want

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

You can measure a man’s greatness by the number of cool gadgets in his home – or at least, the number of cool gadgets he’d like to have in his home if not for those pesky utility bills. So in the spirit of all things awesome, I bring you this list of 10 gadgets every geek should have (or, at the very least, want to have).

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Apple Eyes Virtual Shopping World

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Shopping for new tunes could soon take you to a whole new world – a virtual one, anyway.

Apple has just filed a patent to develop an “Enhanced Online Shopping Atmosphere,” according to the Macintosh News Network (MacNN).

The filing details an online shopping atmosphere akin to Second Life, where users navigate through 3D stores, look at items for sale, and even interact with other customers browsing the goods.

Apple filed two other patents last week, both relating to head-mounted displays that would let you watch video on screens in special eyeglass-like devices.

Want a sneak peek into the inner minds of Apple’s engineers? Check out the original display patent applications for yourself here and here. You can see the online shopping patent here.

Creative Coding Catches Presidential Hopeful Off-Guard

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Cross-site scripting is being blamed for a campaign trail hack.

Someone took advantage of weak security to redirect visitors from barackobama.com’s “Community Blogs” section to rival Hillary Clinton’s home page over the weekend.

A user identifying himself as “Mox” claims credit for the move on a post written just before midnight on Obama’s forum:

“I am the one who ‘hacked’ Obama’s site,” he writes. “All I did was exploit some poorly written HTML code.”

Cross-site scripting (or XSS) vulnerabilities let black hats insert their own codes into exposed pages. Obama’s site allowed users to write blog entries that could contain JavaScript code. That can be used to create a redirect effect like the one used this weekend.

While that specific hack has been undone, a videotape of the modified page has now surfaced on YouTube showing the effect the site suffered.

Cross-scripting site XSSed.com also claims Obama’s site has more vulnerabilities and could easily be attacked again, even leading to spyware infections on visitors’ computers.

Charge your gadgets with the SOLo Solar Lounge Table

Of all the solar-powered devices we’ve seen this year, I have to say that this is probably the most classy-looking one. But yes, I have to admit that the sexy lady in the picture may had something to do with this impression. The SOLo Lounge Table by iF has been designed to collect solar energy from all over its surface, allowing you to charge your gadgets from built-in rechargeable batteries. Apparently, by leaving the table outside for a full year, it could store enough power to charge your mobile phone up to 6,800 times or your laptop 168 times. The thing supports Bluetooth and features a built-in system monitor, USB ports, and a car-like 12V socket. It is also completely weatherproof, so in theory, you could leave it outside during a downpour… not that we would recommend it.