If you’re into discovering new music every now and then, here’s the perfect application for you: TuneGlue. The idea behind this site is nothing new. It points you towards the direction of other artists that you may not have heard of, based on the artists that you already like. I am sure that other sites like Pandora are coming to mind right now.

So how does it work? Obviously, you first need to go to their site: TuneGlue. (Now if that wasn’t too obvious, then you might need to get yourself checked first.) Anyhow, once you get to the site, you simply type in an artist that you like. TuneGlue will then show you an network of related artists.

The cool thing about it is that you can choose to “expand” each node (a node represents an artist) and get more and more choices. In this sense, your choices are practically limitless! Take a look at how my search expanded. I started with Muse, then expanded Radiohead, then expanded Blur. I also liked how you can click and drag the nodes around to make the network fit – they kinda bounce around, it’s hilarious.

As for the quality of the suggestions, the site is backed up by information from LastFM and Amazon – you can’t really go wrong with that.

Anyway, having said that, I think that you should believe me when I say that this apron is awesome. I love to cook – well, at least what passes for cooking – and one problem that I always have is that I do not have an apron to keep my clothes dry and clean. I do have a couple lying around somewhere but I guess they never get used so they get lost underneath the pile of whatever is in my closet.

If I had one of these aprons, though, I would definitely wear it all the time!

One reason: It’s black. It will hide all the gross that stuff that you tend to get all over your clothes when cooking. That means I do not have to do laundry as often as I should!

Another reason: “Come to the dark side, we love cookies” is printed on the front of the apron. How cool is that? I love cookies even if I can’t bake them. Who’s to stop you from wearing an apron that professes your love for cookies, though?

Last reason: It’s quite reasonably priced. For a mere $19.99, you can get your hands on one of these babies. The conversation piece is more than worth it!

Apple critics have been lambasting the iPad left and right. Apple fanboys and girls have been praising it to the high heavens. What is it, really? Is the iPad going to change how we do things just like the iPhone changed the world of mobile phones?

I don’t know, I am not the expert, but for personal reasons, I would much rather get a new MacBook Pro (the smallest model for mobile computing purposes) OR an iPhone OR a Google Nexus One (for mobile phone purposes). So why am I taking this stand?

I like the looks of the iPad well enough. I like its size. I like how cool it is. I like the price. However, I don’t want to be limited to 64GB of storage and not have a USB port. I also do not want to be limited to running one app at a time on something that I will be using as a computer. They’re two simple things but they are top priority for me right now and that makes the iPad not so attractive at the moment. I think that’s a good thing for me. Otherwise, I would be spending money that I might not really have.

If you didn’t answer Tetris, then something just might not be right with you! Tetris IS the best selling mobile game of all time, and no one can argue with that. It’s been more than two decades since the game was invented but its popularity still remains. Perhaps it is due to some sense of nostalgia. Kids who used to play Tetris on Game Boy or their old personal computers or the Family Computer just want to relieve the glory days. Then again, even this generation is finding the game irresistible!

Still doubting my statement? I guess it’s time to crunch the numbers: there have been more than 100 million PAID downloads of Tetris. Now take note of the adjective: paid. We don’t know exactly how many people have downloaded the game for free (wherever that is).

A short history lesson: Tetris was invented in 1984 by a Soviet programmer. It became really really popular about five years later when Nintendo hit the goldmine with Game Boy. Back then, if you’re old enough to remember, the Game Boy was the IN thing.

Today, one can download Tetris for the iPhone and practically any other smartphone. The prevalence of these mobile gadgets certainly has contributed to the longevity of the game but we cannot discount the fact that the game itself is showing its tenacity and appeal.

Speculation has been rife, and we can really only go by small leaks and sharp minds analyzing the situation. Many of them have been right in the past but we really do not know what exactly is going to happen tomorrow.

One thing stands out for me though: the possibility (fact for some) that the iPhone is no longer going to be locked to AT&T!!!

Experts say that all signs are pointing towards Apple partnering up with Verizon. Brian Heater from PC Mag says:

Rumors are starting to fly that Jobs will also use the event as occasion to announce the end of AT&T’s two-and-a-half year stranglehold on the iPhone. These conjectures, it seems, are at least tangentially related to speculation that Apple has partnered with Verizon to provide data for the new tablet. Should that in fact materialize, it seems only logical that the company would extend the partnership to its most prized property.

More so, he points out the fact that AT&T is the weakest link in the whole iPhone thing. I couldn’t agree more. The question is: will this extend to their partnerships outside of the USA as well? Are more people going to be able to get the iPhone? I sure hope so!

Then they released the Google Nexus One. Last week, the blogosphere was buzzing about the new Google phone. It’s Android-based. It’s Google. It’s perfect?

Well, not quite, but it does seem to have so many things going for it, even when compared to the iPhone. Tech magazines online, bloggers, and practically everyone seem to be touting the Nexus One as the “real iPhone killer.” I don’t care, actually. I still want the iPhone (I am actually talking to someone who’s selling these babies) but the Google Nexus One just WON’T leave me alone.

For what it’s worth, I have been reading a lot of complaints about the new release. It seems that the Nexus One has problems with getting a 3G signal. A lot of posters in forums claim that their 3G service is spotty. Worse, they do not know where to get help. Some go to T-Mobile, which is the “official” carrier while others go to HTC (the manufacturer). Both groups do not offer help, though, and point to Google, which supposedly is no help as well.

How true is this? If the forum posters are to be believed, then it is very true. Then again, I was looking at the help/support forums – of course I shouldn’t expect many positive things there, right?

So, if I can only afford one, which should it be: Google Nexus One or iPhone? I want both!

-Illegal
-Unethical
-Embarrassing

That narrows it down, doesn’t it?

There is one thing that gadget hoarders like you and I can do, though: sell old toys! It’s not a novel idea but I am in serious cash trouble so I am willing to part with some stuff that I have gathered. If you’re thinking of the same thing, take a look at these web sites to get you started.

BuyMyTronics buys used gadgets such as mp3 players, iPods, Apple Desktops, gaming consoles, and mobile phones. It looks like a great site since you can immediately get a quote and they even buy broken stuff! Even if I will not get much for my old (and broken) PS3, it’s better than having a dead black box collecting dust.

Another site that looks like it has potential is Gazelle. From what I have seen so far, it has a wider range of acceptable electronics. Just like BuyMyTronics, you can get an immediate quote.

Here’s the deal though: I tried getting a quote for that PS3 of mine. BuyMyTronics gave me $65 while this is what I got from Gazelle: “Darn, this item has no cash value. We’ll be glad to recycle it responsibly.”

David Anderegg, professor of psychology from Bennington College, says that these terms are derogatory and liken them to racial slurs. His opinion is that even if we try to make these terms cool, it only highlights the fact that they are of a negative nature.

Now I am no professor, but my take on this is that there is NO NEED to ban “geek” or “nerd.” Turn your television on and what do you see? Music geeks dancing and singing on Glee. We have geeks – and nerds as well – making us laugh till we bust our seams on The Big Bang Theory. Even shows which are not mainly focused on geeks and nerds have at least one character that fits the description. Think Criminal Minds. I love Spencer Reid, don’t you? Penelope Garcia?

If our society is slowly – or maybe not even that slowly – opening itself to the idea of cool and fun geeks and nerds, why should be even consider banning the words? Do they offend you? I certainly am not offended!

The new supercomputer is known as the Vayu, and is the result of joint funding between the federal government, the CSIRO, and the Australian National University. The people who are in charge of operating and overseeing the Vayu, however, are from the National Computational Infrastructure.

So what is there to drool about? After all, just because a machine has been dubbed a supercomputer, it doesn’t mean that it’s THAT great, does it?

Let’s begin with this: the Vayu falls under the Sun Microsystems Constellation class. It has 11,936 processing cores – yes, THAT MANY. It’s not a SUPERcomputer for nothing. If you’re overwhelmed by the figure, just think of it as roundabouts 6,000 of your desktop PCs put together.

As for the memory, the Vayu has an impressive 36 terrabytes of RAM. That is about 18,000 times as much as the average PC at home has! The storage space, when formatted, is about 600 terrabytes. The unformatted state is 1 petabyte. Last, but definitely not the least, the Vayu can operate at 140 terraflops.

Impressed yet? Maybe the price of this big baby will take your breath away even more. From what I hear the Vayu costs AT LEAST $6 million. Whew.

It does not take much to realize that Microsoft is promising a WHOLE LOT with this product, and if they do deliver, they might just blow away all the other competition in the gaming market! Gadget Review is helping spread the rumor that it will be ready to roll out within a year and – get this – it will only go for $80!

One, I highly doubt that they will be able to deliver on that date. Not that I doubt their capabilities, but simply because launch dates like these always end up being pushed back. Two, I am amazed at the price. Seriously, $80 for all the features?

I guess we’ll have to wait and see. What do you think? Will these rumors prove to be true?

Photo courtesy of Gadget Review