The Modern Materialist

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• Sweet Symphony-Making

  When I took Poetry & Song back in college — a class on songwriting —  it totally wasn't my fault that everything I wrote sounded like a female Stephen Lynch song rather than a complex work of musical art! No! I just didn't have the right gear! I would have churned out some pretty sweet symphonies if only I had access to something like this forthcoming nanoSeries from Korg.   Read More... Posted Jul 02 2008, 09:30 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music

• Test Drive: SoundTech Vocal Trainer, Part One

  [$79.99, Amazon]  This test drive post has been long in coming. It was back in mid-April that I first requested a sample of SoundTech's Vocal Trainer, a kit that includes SingingCoach software and a USB-enabled microphone. Once uploaded to your computer, the software is supposed to determine your voice range, and then adapt the program's singing exercises to those results. After going through all of the exercises in the program, you will apparently have become a fabulous singer, worthy of standing ovations and pleas for encores. I thought this sounded like the most exciting thing ever. Read More... Posted Jul 01 2008, 02:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: tech, software

• Press Release: Nikon D700 Launch

  I love my Nikon D40X. It's pretty much impossible to take a bad photo, and I use it constantly for both event recording and blogging. Still, with all of the upgrades coming out in a seemingly constant stream, it's tough not to wonder what those upgrades have that mine doesn't.   Read More... Posted Jul 01 2008, 11:00 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Cameras

• The Sale I've Been Waiting For: Pleo

  It's finally happened you guys! That loveable dino-bot, Pleo, is being offered with a temporary discount in honor of his one-year anniversary. Read More... Posted Jun 30 2008, 09:30 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: tech, pleo

• Flip Mino Review + Video!

  I got a chance to do a hands on review for the new Flip Mino, a teeny tiny camcorder that won't break your budget. Check out the exclusive video review, and info on where to buy it, below: Read More... Posted Jun 23 2008, 04:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Cameras, hands on, video, flip mino, reviews

• As Cool As David Hasselhoff

  He may not have been MacGyver, but he still had a pretty sweet car. Can your beat-up Mitsubishi Galant even come close? Read More... Posted Jun 23 2008, 02:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, car

• Be a Superhero on the Information Superhighway

  Batman had his utility belt. But all you need is this: Read More... Posted Jun 23 2008, 12:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, computer

• USB Port Cubed

  I am still so agitated over the fact that my USB port is located at the back of my computer tower, so that I have to crawl around on the floor or tip the tower to access it.  But I'm picky about the things I clutter my desk top with. It's all about aesthetics after all. Read More... Posted Jun 20 2008, 09:00 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, computer

• First Picture of iPhone 2

  For those of you who live under a rock, you probably don’t know that Monday is Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference. More specifically, Monday is the day that Steve Jobs will announce the new iPhone, which is guaranteed to cure world hunger. Well, Australia’s MacTalk has the first official picture of the iPhone 2, and I’ve reposted it below: Read More... Posted Jun 06 2008, 01:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, Apple, iPhone, tech

• Wear Your Beat On Your Sleeve

  [$69, Music and Sons]  It's tough to tell here, but this shirt — from a line of similar shirts — is something special.   Read More... Posted Jun 05 2008, 12:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music, Apparel

• Cramped Quarters: Relocate to the Other Room

  I live in a one-bedroom condo with my husband, where we've converted the dining room into an office for the two of us. So basically, we sit back-to-back, working most hours of the day, trying our darndest not to annoy the heck out of each other. If someone feels like watching TV...a mere few feet away...all hell breaks loose. It's my dream that someday we will have a four-bedroom house, with enough room for us, the kids, and an office for each of us (with locks on the doors). For now, though, what to do when one person has work to do, and the other wants to throw a goddamn party!? Read More... Posted Jun 04 2008, 03:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, computers, tech, clutter

• If Looks Could Kill

  The jacket pictured here is certainly sleek. (I love black; it's so slimming.) Despite the chic look, however, it apparently has the power to repel others like nobody's business.   Read More... Posted Jun 04 2008, 11:00 AM by Steph Auteri with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, tech

• Road Rage: Expressing Emotions

  My road rage is a source of exasperation among friends and family. My mother hates to get in the car with me. My dad tells me that someday I'm going to flip off the wrong person. A friend of mine — after seeing Stephen King's The Mist with me — said that he'd rather brave the mist than get back in the car with me. And just this past weekend, my husband gave me a lecture on how I am not allowed to give other drivers rude gestures while I am in his car, as it reflects badly on the vehicle and everyone inside it. It's time to get stealth. Read More... Posted May 28 2008, 11:00 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• You've Got Mail!

  I amk obsessive-compulsive about checking for the mail because, dude, what if I've received the latest issue of Time Out NY!? Or a paycheck!? Or my latest shipment from Amazon.com! I'm starting to develop twitches and eye spasms and whatnot due to my little compulsion to peek out the back door to see if a stack of mail has been deposited yet, so I think this might be worth picking up, right? Read More... Posted May 21 2008, 10:30 AM by Steph Auteri with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, tech

• NetFlix Adds a Set-Top Player

  Now, I’m no pundit, nor is this anything new, but the death of physical media is upon us. I’ve been saying for years that unless there was a palpable leap in technology, no one would care about the next step after DVD. And if you look at sales for Blu-Ray (HDVD, R.I.P.), I think this theory is pretty well supported. The future of entertainment is in downloads, and NetFlix, already a home video giant, has just stepped up their game by adding a dedicated TV Set-Top player, built and distributed by Roku. So what does this mean? NetFlix has been steadily adding “Watch Now” titles, as part of your regular NetFlix subscription, which means you can download them from the internet onto your computer, and “keep” them for as long as you want. With Roku’s Netflix Player (and similar players are coming from LG, and others, in the next year or so), you can cut the computer out of the equation, and watch, download, and set up your queue, directly on your television. After the jump, the bad news...  Read More... Posted May 20 2008, 10:30 AM by Alex Zalben with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, tech, Movies, netflix

• Super Printer: I Could Use One Of These

  [$216-$280, Brother]  Despite having my computer (allegedly) linked to my husband's printer, all of my print jobs have been getting stuck in the queue, not printing out until he prints something out from his computer. I have no idea how to fix this, and would much rather spend almost $300 on a super-multitasking-printer than figure it out. The MFC-885CW is from a line of new printers Brother has coming out later this year, for their 100th anniversary. What it can do after the jump: Read More... Posted May 16 2008, 04:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: tech, computer

• My Document Laptop Case

  It may not be practical, but it sure is a neat idea… This laptop case concept from 25togo is shaped, of course, like a document folder. Forged from vinyl*, the bag comes in four  different versions, including laptop, camera, mp3 player, and cash. Obviously, those are all different sizes. And here’s why I say it’s not practical: Read More... Posted May 16 2008, 01:30 PM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: concepts, tech, Bags

• Press Play: Video Distraction of the Day

  After the jump, the video that made me squeal in traumatized horror: Read More... Posted May 16 2008, 11:00 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: tech, video

• Being Prepared: Airport Check-In

  I'm always worried that airport security is going to slam me for over-packing my suitcase. Because I worry about everything. For just $21.99, you could save yourself the piece of mind, and countless excess baggage charges. Read More... Posted May 16 2008, 09:00 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• Do-It-Yourself: Be A CSI

  CSI-watching is our thing. We've slowly been Netflixing the entire series in order, and we'll watch it for hours on end, and when I'm not cooing over Greg, I'm asking Michael if he can buy me the gadgets being used on-screen. I mean, I may not theoretically need an object that allows me to visualize bullet trajectories, but the mere thought of it is cool as hell. Well, the Paraben Corporation has actually come out with something I can make use of (though it would make me feel dirty and wrong): Read More... Posted May 14 2008, 01:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• Love It or Leave It? Electronic Cigarette

  [Gamucci]  I am so...baffled by this. The Gamucci is an electronic cigarette that provide users with "a real smoking experience without the tobacco and tar found in real cigarettes." It apparently also tastes like the real thing. Press materials don't so much focus on the health benefits of a faux-cigarette, rather than pointing out the big eff-you you can give to upholders of the smoking ban. After the jump, watch a ridiculous commercial for this product, and then take my humble poll. Read More... Posted May 14 2008, 10:30 AM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• Webcams: Not Just For Live Sex Feeds (Obviously)

  [$50, Microsoft] I have grand plans for future MM Test Drive posts. Grand, I tell you. Some even including video. As there's not always someone around to videotape me like the burgeoning star I am, perhaps I should invest in a webcam. And these forthcoming (June) webcams from Microsoft are cute as hell (my no. 1 requirement for all new gadgetry). Read More... Posted May 13 2008, 01:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• HBO Shows on iTunes... Finally

  About freaking time, I think. As you can see from the picture above: 1) I have some names for play lists in my iTunes I would rather not explain. 2) HBO shows have been added to iTunes. Details after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 13 2008, 11:00 AM by Alex Zalben with | with no comments Filed under: tech, Television

• Full-Contact Commuting: Asserting Your Dominance/Need For Silence

  5 Things I Do On the Bus To Discourage Others From Sitting Next To Me: sit in the aisle seat spread all my belongings (how does one "spread" a single purse?) across the seat next to me pretend to be asleep, whilst sitting in the aisle seat with my stuff taking up the seat next to me look angry/dangerous look angry/dangerous while wearing my massive headphones This probably isn't nice of me. Rather than doing all of the above, I should sit in the window seat with my purse placed primly on my lap, my countenance smiley. And when someone sits down next to me, I should pass this over to them: Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 02:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music

• Rocking Out with the Lord

  I was raised a Roman Catholic, but I did that typical thing in college where I became agnostic, and I've since been on a constant search for the meaning of faith. Despite my lapsed Catholicism, however, there are many times during which I find it appropriate to invoke God's name: when someone cuts me off on the highway when someone cuts me off in the suburbs when I stub my toe when I realize that the cat has vomited all over the condo when I'm running late etc. Obviously, I'm not the most pious of people. But for those who are looking for new ways to rock out with the Lord: Read More... Posted May 12 2008, 12:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music

• This Umbrella Sale Will Save You From Drowning (In Debt)

  Okay, it's really only one umbrella, but I think it might be worth it. After all, if you're caught unprepared, you'll be soakced for the duration of the day, and your nips will be showing, as in the photo above. Read More... Posted May 08 2008, 01:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech

• Video Game Nostalgia: Wolfenstein

  OMG, Oh Gizmo! posted about Wolfenstein's 16th birthday, and it made me sooo nostalgic for the days before Tekken 3, when I used to experience motion sickness while gunning down Nazis for hours on end. Apparently, you can now play a similar version of the game in your web browser, right here. God if only I weren't at one of my office gigs right now... Wolfenstein is admittedly one of the more violent games I spent my time with in days of yore. After the jump, my for-serious list of fave video games from my childhood, with bonus nostalgia-video.   Read More... Posted May 06 2008, 04:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: tech, games

• I'm So Vain: Stealth Headphones

  I feel lame for being so vain about my headphone style, especially since y'all voted that my oversize headphones were a good look. Still, I can't help feeling ridiculous those times I pair my massive headphones with a hat. Which is why I'm sorta intrigued by this get-up: Read More... Posted May 06 2008, 12:00 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, Music

• Test Drive: Loc8tor Lite

  [$79.99, Loc8tor] God, I'm unphotogenic. Anyways. Way back when, I posted about the Loc8tor Lite, a new personal tracking device. In the interests of science, I thought it would be good to borrow one for testing purposes. After the jump, I play hide & seek with my lens cap, an item that is always getting misplaced.   Read More... Posted May 05 2008, 04:30 PM by Steph Auteri with | with no comments Filed under: gadgets, tech, test drive

• Hands On: The New iMac

  Very, very rarely do I buy myself a nice big present, but coincidence at fate brought me to this point, and so I embraced it. Some background: I’ve had the same laptop since 2004 or so, which replaced the same version of laptop, which I had previously lost in the back of a cab (long, awful story). It was/is a PowerBook G4, and I’ve loved it for as long as I’ve known it. So much so, that it’s in my bio blurb, over to your right. More on this sad tale, and hands on pictures with the new iMac, after the jump...  Read More... Posted May 02 2008, 11:00 AM by Alex Zalben with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: gadgets, Apple, tech, hands on