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Boxee Has Moxie

I finally got my invite to try out the entertainment center software called Boxee and boy, does it have some moxie! You install Boxee on a Mac or AppleTV and get access to movies, television shows, music, pictures, and content from online sites like YouTube, Hulu, and more.

It sounds pretty basic, and in some ways it is, but Boxee gives users a more powerful interface to content. Boxee is very much like Apple’s Front Row but with way more options. And even in its alpha stage of development, performance of Boxee just screams. Apple’s tiny Remote Control is also compatible with Boxee for easy navigation of its menu system.

I’ll have to try out Boxee’s additional features, but I already like what I see!

Update: Just some points to clarify. You need an Intel-based Mac to run Boxee, and it runs as a regular old app. Boxee doesn’t hog your Mac and make it a dedicated entertainment center. Boxee also has some social networking where you can follow friends and their Boxee activity (what they recently watched, etc.)

If you want a Boxee invite, let me know.

Holiday Gift Guide: Battlestar Galactica Gear

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So you may not be a geek but a sci-fi nut instead. If you like your science fiction then how about frakkin’ unbelievable gifts from Battlestar Galactica? As BSG starts its final concluding run in 2009, you can own part of the series like Starbuck’s flight suit or even a life-sized Colonial Viper by participating in the Battlestar Galactica Props and Costume auction.


Starting January 17, 2009, thousands of items from the series will be auctioned off each week as new episodes air. How about some election propaganda for Baltar’s presidency? A Viper pilot helmet from the Cylon Wars? A model of the Cylon Resurrection ship? Your own DRADIS radar console?!

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The Power of Positivity on Dancing with the Stars

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On the week when DWTS Judge Carrie Ann Inaba instructed Susan Lucci to stand up and positively profess her dancing success, the daytime soap star was positively eliminated from the competition. Kinda brutal, but it was her time. Maybe it was all my positive thinking about Susan needing to go that did the trick? Even with small improvements each week, Susan clearly wasn’t in the top tier of dancers.


Who had the best performances in Week 7? Lance and Brooke (again). Lance’s barefoot rumba riled up traditionalist Head Judge Len Goodman while Brooke Burke got the first perfect score of Season 7.

In Week 8, the stars will dance solo along with a normal routine paired with their professionals. Lots of gimmicks this season – scored group dances, team dances, and now solos. Five celebrities remain – Cody, Maurice, Warren, Lance, and Brooke, but the only female left is leading the pack.

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Twilight Soundtrack Special Deal

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Did you already get your copy of the Twilight soundtrack? What do you think? I’m still listening to all the songs, but don’t know if it’s worth the $12 price tag from iTunes. There are some gems on the soundtrack, but the collection feels less than $12.

What if you could pay only $4 for the soundtrack sans bonus material? Now that would totally be worth it just for Paramore’s Decode and Bella’s Lullaby.

Thanks to the tip from a Pulpster reader (and fellow alumni), you might still be able to find the Twilight soundtrack as the $3.99 Deal of the Day on Amazon. Yep, 12 Twilight tracks for 4 bucks. Go now!

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Holiday Gift Guide: Sennheiser MX85 Sport II

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Looking for a gift for the music lover who also loves to work out? If you liked the Sennheiser MX75 earphones featuring the unique twist-to-fit system, then you’ll like the updated version, the Sennheiser MX85 Sport II.

The MX85 look like the MX75 but are now orange instead of green. Also sounds like Sennheiser pumped up the bass with their Basswind System and made these earphones easier to clean, able to immerse them under running water.

Besides the tears in the cord my MX75 developed, I love my Sennheisers especially for running. These comfy earphones stay put once twisted in.

Cost is about $60, $10 more than the MX75. The Sennheiser MX85 Sport II is available at the Apple Store or from Amazon.

Reading About Drobo

Finally got around to checking out the external data storage system called Drobo. Sounds like a handy product to store massive amount of data, and it looks cool too. Good for redundant Time Machine backups and can even share out your iTunes library ala DroboApps (Firefly) and a Droboshare.

The basic unit is kinda costly starting around $500 with no drives. If you have extra SATA hard drives lying around, then you start with these, otherwise you need to buy at least two drives to start with so factor that cost in as well.

With Christmas coming soon, this might be a great (functional) present.

Business Partnerships

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Read about some new business partners today.

Starbucks is teaming with (RED), founded by U2’s Bono. “From Nov. 27 to Jan. 2, 5 cents from the sale of each Peppermint Mocha Twist, Gingersnap Latte and Espresso Truffle will go to the Global Fund.”

Tivo is teaming with Netflix. By year’s end, Tivo users will be able to instantly watch movies streamed from Netflix’s online service. Tivos can already download videos from Amazon, but if you’re a current Netflix customer, this is a great partnership, though I wished Apple would have teamed with Tivo instead.

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Lance and Lacey Are YouTube Hits

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Every week, I post a YouTube video of one or more of the Dancing with the Stars performances. By far, the ones with the most views are of Lance Bass and Lacey Schwimmer. Lance and Lacey dances about double the amount of views of other posted performances. Maurice Greene and Cheryl Burke are no match, Warren Sapp and Kym Johnson get some attention, and Mark Ballas and Kim Kardashian get outviewed by his dad, Corky Ballas, and the now-eliminated Cloris Leachman.

The only couple that comes anywhere close is Derek Hough and Brooke Burke, but only for their Too Erotic Samba. Wonder if this viewership is any indication of who will win the DWTS Mirror Ball trophy?

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Funked Up Dancing with the Stars

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What a funked up Dancing with the Stars in the sixth week of competition. Must be cause Halloween is coming up, but what a strange show. First off, Head Judge Len Goodman was no where to be seen, replaced by the Lord of the Dance, Michael Flatley. This rookie judge had some questionable scores, contradicting Carrie Ann and Bruno. And what was with Carrie Ann and Bruno’s bickering the entire night?

The plague of injuries continues to haunt Season 7. Brooke Burke’s foot is jacked up limiting her mobility on the night she performed the rumba, the most sensual of the dances. The Lord was going majestic on Ms. Wild On giving this performance a 10 to Bruno and Carrie Ann’s 8. I thought Cody Linley and Julianne Hough’s samba was good but the judges didn’t agree. And now Julianne is going under the knife to remove her appendix for what I thought I heard was endometriosis? Cody will dance on with the return of hotness personified, Edyta Sliwinska.

Break through Maurice Greene reverted back to mediocre material. Cloris Leachman is approaching the judges’ death knell with substantially lower scores. This week all 5’s across the board. I can’t believe jokester Warren Sapp was feared in the NFL.

Lance Bass is back from being in the bottom two last week. My pick for this week.

And lastly, even though Susan Lucci showed signs of life out on the dance floor, she should be eliminated just for her performance in the group hip hop. This New Yorker proved that hip hop is definitely a West Coast thing, looking lost and awkward while trying to bust the funk, yo. Erica Kane, you got to be steppin’!

Len Goodman, where ever you are, please come back and stop the funk.

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