Having problems with people stealing your lunch? If you work in an office with a shared refrigerator, then you’ve probably encountered this unfortunate situation before.

The only way to prevent lunch theft is if your lunch either sucks, or is moldy. But who says the mold has to be real? These anti-theft Ziploc bags are genius. There’s a green pattern on the plastic bad that looks like mold. No one will ever steal your sandwich again.

Now you just have to worry about the cleaning staff tossing your lunch in the trash when they clean the fridge.

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• Yum! #DoctorWho Gingerbread Cookies [pic] (methodshop.com)

The evil marketing geniuses working for Friskies cat food have a new campaign that probably has their competitors smacking their foreheads and wondering why they didn’t think of it first.

A new tab on the their Facebook page, called the Friskies Plus Playhouse, allows fans to remotely control several cat toys and webcams between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. ET daily. Device control is first come, first serve, so show up on time and get in the queue if you want to virtually play with the 10 Friskies’ felines.

And if you get really attached to one of the 10 cats, don’t worry, they are all up for adoption through MeoowzResQ, a non-profit cat rescue and adoption organization in Orange County, Calif.

Friskies is also recording video each day from the Playhouse and plans on posting their favorite moments on YouTube.

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• 5 Cats Who Look Like Wilford Brimley [pics] (methodshop.com)
• Friskies hijacks Facebook with real cats (news.cnet.com)
• Average Internet Viewer Watched 23.2 Hours of Online Video Content in December 2011 [report] (methodshop.com)

This year we thought we’d add a new drill to the Monday Morning Bowl Playbook… Game Time Tweets.

Here are some of our Super Bowl MPV Tweets of 2012:

What was your favorite tweet of the night?  Who did we miss? (BTW does anyone know who won the game?)

Related articles

• The Ultimate Super Bowl Party Platter [pic] (methodshop.com)
• HOW TO: Stay Out of Jail on Super Bowl Sunday [infographic] (methodshop.com)
• Animate Your Facebook Life with Timeline Movie Maker (methodshop.com)

If you “Like” MethodShop on Facebook, then you’ve probably already seen our “Superfan” feature in action. A few times a month, we single out some individuals in the MethodShop community for being awesome. Superfans get interviewed for our blog and their photo featured in our Facebook profile. There’s no official entry process. Just “Like” us on Facebook, tweet us, leave blog comments and engage. If you standout from the average reader, we’ll notice.

Please say hello to the latest MethodShop Superfan:  Self-Proclaimed Culinary Bad Boy & Celebrity Chef, Christopher Nirschel. Nirschel was a Food Network Star, Season 7, finalist.

1. How did you find out about MethodShop.com

The great Gia [Giacinta Pace, @methodshop writer].

2.  Do you know why you were chosen to be a MethodShop Superfan?

MethodShop is very versatile, articulate, and awesome and my life exemplifies all 3 since I am a pioneer in food, fashion and entertainment uniting!

3.  What is your favorite MethodShop article and why?

Sad Keanu Reeves is one of my favs because it’s a great use of photoshop art and humor and he’s an actor I enjoy.

4.  Explain what you do for a living?

I am a chef, entertainer, teacher and speaker.

5.  What is your favorite/least favorite part of your job?

In my business I love it all; even when chaos ensues because only the strong survive!

6.  What are some of your favorite culinary tech gadgets and why?

I love using my dehydrator to make beef jerky and my ice cream maker for ice cream!

7.  What is your #1 tip for amateur cooks?

Be patient, practice makes perfect and reach for the stars because dreams become realities.

8.   Tell us something about yourself that your friends reading this right now won’t already know.

I love skiing, boating, being adventurous and romantic. The most romantic thing I’ve ever done – taken a spontaneous trip to Aruba with an ex girlfriend!

9.  Upcoming projects?

Instructing a Valentine’s Day cooking class, doing a demo in Miami during the Food and Wine Festival, catering several parties during New York Spring Fashion Week, participating as a featured chef at American Ballet Theater’s Culinary Pas De Deux in March, and on two [television] shows both premiering around the end of March or April, one is a food-related show, and the other is  on Vh1 airing April. Chopped All Stars [airs in] February, [there is] a clothing line and more…

10.  Please complete this sentence…

I want everyone reading this to continue checking MethodShop and reaching for the stars because dreams do become realities!

Here are a few tips and techniques on how to get rid of duplicate songs in your iTunes Library as well as some precautions you should take before deleting duplicate tracks.

Tutorial: Managing Duplicate Songs in Your iTunes Library

Do you have a nice spread ready for Super Bowl Sunday? After seeing this picture, you might want to think about upping  your game. We found this Super Bowl-sized “monument to meat” on Pinterest! It has everything: slices of bread, cheese, pretzels, popcorn, chips… and it’s all surrounded by ham and salami meat walls. Yep. Meat Walls.

Bring on the agita!

Related articles

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• Animate Your Facebook Life with Timeline Movie Maker (methodshop.com)
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OMG! We love this video. French humorist, Rémi Gaillard, dressed as a human radar tower and started photographing various moving objects like planes, trains and automobiles. His costume was good enough that the average passing motorist probably thought they were getting a speeding ticket. Who knows, he might have saved some lives by encouraging people to slow down.

However, the police obviously didn’t think so. Remi gets busted when he tries to photograph a passing police car. Watching him try to run away from the cops in his cardboard costume is priceless! Enjoy!

If you want to download this clip, here’s a step-by-step MethodShop.com tutorial on how to rip video files off YouTube and convert them for iPod, Apple TV, iTunes, iPad or iPhone.

Related articles

• YouTube joker Remi Gaillard flashes police car in new speed camera prank (thesun.co.uk)
• HOW TO: Rip Music Videos Off YouTube And Import Them Into Your iTunes Library [tutorial] (methodshop.com)
• Tween Cover of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ Goes Viral [video] (methodshop.com)

What do you think of Facebook’s new Timeline features? It’s hypnotizing right! From life moments like marriages and child birth, to everyday fun like Super Bowl parties, it can be overwhelming scrolling through your life.

But did you ever wish you could animate your Facebook timeline to music? Now you can. Unified marketing agency, Definition 6, collaborated with Facebook to create a video version of Facebook user’s Timelines called Timeline Movie Maker.

Just go to http://www.timelinemoviemaker.com/ and click on the “Make Your Movie” button. A video will instantly load and take you through your life as Facebook knows it. After the video plays through the first time, you can go back and customize what exactly gets shows (hint: remove any photos of you with your exes!).

There are a few basic requirements before you can make your own Timeline Movie:

• You have to have upgraded to Timeline on Facebook
• You must have at least 75 photos that are shared with Friends or Public (custom privacy settings and restricted items will not be pulled into the movie)
• The following browsers are supported: IE 8, 9, Firefox 8+, Google Chrome, and Safari (Mac)

Please share your animated Timeline with us on Twitter and use the hashtag #TimelineMovieMaker. This is so much fun that we’re surprised Facebook didn’t make this into a Super Bowl commercial!

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• What is Gowalla? Why Does Facebook Want to Buy it? (methodshop.com)
• Facebook Flowchart Helps You Determine Your Response [infographic] (methodshop.com)
• Average Internet Viewer Watched 23.2 Hours of Online Video Content in December 2011 [report] (methodshop.com)
• Ready or NOT Here Comes #Facebook Timeline [Video] (anisesmithmarketing.com)

If you want to share this image on your blog, then please use this code:

<img src="http://blogs.lawyers.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/LCD_BigGame_IG_201201261.jpgx" alt="HOW TO: Stay Out of Jail on Super Bowl Sunday [infographic]" />

Related articles

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Do you have an old Apple iPod? You’re not alone. Although the iPhone and the iPad get all the attention these days with their fancy apps, millions of iPods were sold over the last decade that could run “click-wheel” games, a precursor to the App. Before the App Store, Apple used to sell a limited selection of click-wheel games that users could play on their iPod using just a circular wheel (here’s a full list). Unfortunately, Apple removed the iPod Click Wheel section in the iTunes Store in September 2011 when they discontinued support for the iPod classic and iPod shuffle. This wasn’t a huge surprise. The last time a new click wheel game appeared in the iTunes Store was February 2009.

However, what’s really puzzling is that Apple still promotes the availability of the Click Wheel games on the iPod Classic page on their website (pictured right).

So are iPod owners looking for discontinued games for their click-wheel iPods screwed? Not exactly. Diehard iPod fans have archived the click-wheel games and are sharing them on the Internet using file-sharing services like BitTorrent. Is it illegal to download these games? We’re not sure. Technically they are abandonware because Apple discontinued them. But Apple’s lawyers are very aggressive. Basically what we’re saying here is, download at your own risk.

Here’s how to find and download discontinued iPod Click Wheel Games:

01) Get a BitTorrent Client
You’ll need to download and install a BitTorrent client application on your computer. Don’t worry, they’re free. We suggest BitTorrent (Mac, PC, Linux) or Transmission (Mac).

02) Find a Click Wheel Torrent
There are tons of sites that allow you to easily find torrents. We suggest Pirate Bay. You can do a search on Pirate Bay for “ipod click wheel games” or try downloading this torrent: “Ipod Click Wheel Games”

03) Download & Share
BitTorrent works like this: someone with data shares it with others across the Internet. Downloaders are called “leechers” and “sharers are called “seeders.” After you successfully download a file, it’s polite to share it to help others download it too.

That’s it! we have a more in-depth BitTorrent tutorial here that might help you in your downloading efforts. Otherwise we wish you luck and encourage you to seed the iPod Click Wheel game torrent after you download. Happy Click Wheel gaming!

Related articles

• Apple Removes “iPod Click Wheel Games” From iTunes Store (macstories.net)
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• Looxcie LX2 Wireless Video Cam for iPhone and Android [review] (methodshop.com)
• Apple axes iPod click wheel games in iTunes, is the ‘classic’ model next? (engadget.com)

OMG! We LOVE the sci-fi series Doctor Who (Torchwood too)! So naturally this picture we found on Pinterest of a gingerbread TARDIS and Dalek cookies made us both excited and hungry at the same time. Yum! Please tweet it to any Doctor Who fans you might know. We’re going to tweet a link to MethodShop friend and Doctor Who musical composer, Murray Gold (@MurrayGold3434).

OMG! #DoctorWho gingerbread cookies!? yum! - RT @streetforce1: TARDIS & Dalek cookie! [pic] http://t.co/use5q10O /cc @MurrayGold @gpace

January 26, 2012 2:42 PM via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@methodshop

methodshop

Related articles

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Do you always check the toilet seat before you sit down? Sure. Most people check the seat to make sure it’s clean and dry. But do you lift the seat and look under? No? Well, you will now. Just watch the animated GIF above. It will make you squirm and totally freak you out.

And you want to see more creepy multi-legged things, then check out this article called The Biggest Bugs On Earth.

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Look out software and media pirates! The FBI shutdown the popular file-sharing site Megaupload, and Megavideo its video streaming site. According to a press release on the Department of Justice website, authorities have arrested several people in New Zealand so far, including founder Kim Schmitz. They are all charged with “conspiracy to commit racketeering” and copyright infringement. The FBI claims that Megaupload generated $175M in revenue and “caused more than a half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners.”

Apparently the Megaupload guys just weren’t as clever as The Pirate Bay crew and their torrent site. They’ve been basically been unstoppable by authorities. In fact, The Pirate Bay taunts authorities by posting threatening letter that their receive online.

Related articles

• Megaupload shut down by US FBI/Justice Dept., Anonymous retaliates! (trak.in)
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• Feds Shut Down Mega-upload, Charge Seven, Anonymous Launches Counterattack (thedirtylowdown.wordpress.com)
• Megaupload Shut Down & Creators Arrested (philmalot.com)
• US fights for extradition of Megaupload’s Kim Dotcom (rt.com)
• Hackers retaliate over Megaupload website shutdown (direcmood.wordpress.com)

How much video content did you watch online last month? Chances are, it’s a lot higher than you think. According to a new survey from comScore‘s Video Metrix service, 182 million U.S. internet users watched online video content last month. In total, 85.3% of American U.S. internet users watched 43.5 billion videos and spent an average 23.2 hours each doing it.

What were the most popular video sites? Google was #1 thanks to YouTube, but here’s a lit of the top 5 sites.

• YouTube: 157.2 million unique viewers
• VEVO: 53.7 million unique viewers
• Yahoo!: 53.3 million unique viewers
• Viacom Digital: 45.8 million unique viewers
• Facebook: 42 million unique viewers

Noticeably absent from the top 5 sites, is Hulu. However, Hulu, which ranked 8th in total unique viewers, came in 2nd in total time viewers spent watching content (average of 3 hours). So while Hulu may not have viewers in massive numbers, they do have viewers who watch for longer times. Which makes sense since they have mostly longer form content like TV shows and movies. But with the average video duration watched by U.S. Internet users last month being 5.8 minutes, not everyone should run out and start posting hour-long epics online. Consumer video consumption habits definitely sway to the shorter side.

And just in case you’re curious, the #1 clip on YouTube so far this month is an awesome music video for a song called “Somebody I Used to Know” by Walk Off The Earth with over 29M views (at the time this post was written). Which was a surprise. I was expecting Lana Del Ray‘s much talked about “poor performance” on Saturday Night Live to at least be in the top 50. However, it was nice to see strong contenders like The Woman with Two Vaginas, Sh*t Girls Say to Gay Guys and No Pants Subway Ride all make the YouTube charts this month.

What about you? What video content did you enjoy watching online recently? Tweet us at @methodshop or post a note on our Facebook wall.

Related articles

• ComScore Video Rankings: YouTube Usage Spiked 72 Percent Over 2010 (paidcontent.org)
• HOW TO: Rip Music Videos Off YouTube And Import Them Into Your iTunes Library [tutorial] (methodshop.com)
• Rebecca Black’s “Friday” as Performed by Bob Dylan [audio] (methodshop.com)
• Kid Slaps Brother with His iPad [video] (methodshop.com)
• Tween Cover of Adele’s ‘Rolling in the Deep’ Goes Viral [video] (methodshop.com)
• comScore Underscores Rapid Growth of Online Video Consumption (mobilemarketingwatch.com)

Trust us. We really like the ability to search for files or the content of files on our computer. But Mac OS X Spotlight is a total memory hogging piece of crap (especially on older Apple machines). Every time OS X would slow down and the hard drive fan would turn up to full blast, we knew Spotlight was indexing again.

At first, we weren’t sure what was going on. But after we quit all of our applications and still had a slow Macintosh with a fan in total overdrive, we fired up the Activity Monitor app (Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities) and took a closer look. The culprit? A process called MDS was sucking up all of our RAM. MDS stands for “metadata server” and it’s what the Macintosh’s search app, called Spotlight, uses to generate your search results.

But is search worth a painfully slow computer? No thanks. You can use an app called Terminal to disable and re-enable Spotlight’s MDS agent. This MethodShop.com tutorial will show you how…

Disable: Prevent MDS From Loading

By typing in the code below, you will remove the Spotlight “mds” agent from launchd and prevent it from running or indexing any drives connected to your computer. Open up the Terminal app (Macintosh > Applications > Utilities) and enter the following command:

sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist

You can confirm the absence of MDS by opening the Activity Monitor app (Macintosh HD > Applications > Utilities) and making sure MDS is not listed under active processes.

Enable: Reload MDS

Probably the easiest way to reenable Spotlight is to undo what we did above and reload it into launchd using launchctl. Open up the Terminal app again  (Macintosh > Applications > Utilities) and type in the following command:

sudo launchctl load -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.metadata.mds.plist

After you reload Spotlight, the MDS agent will immediately start running again and start indexing your computer.

Good luck and we hope your computer runs faster in the future!

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• HOW TO: Delete Duplicates in iTunes [tutorial] (methodshop.com)

Yeserday afternoon Twitter exploded with the news that Yahoo! co-founder, Jerry Yang (pictured right), had resigned from his seat on Yahoo’s Board of Directors as well as all other positions with the company including Yahoo Japan Corporation and Alibaba Group Holding Limited.

Yahoo stock holders and people in the tech industry have been speculating for years on how Yahoo could be a better company without Yang. But the last time resignation rumors had much clout, was during CES 2008 when Yang was spotted walking around the trade show floor covering his mouth to prevent lip readers for listening in on his phone calls.

In his resignation letter given to Yahoo! chairman Roy Bostock, Yang said, “The time has come for me to pursue other interests outside of Yahoo!” Yang has been the longest serving and most senior person at Yahoo since the beginiing. Yang and David Filo co-founded Yahoo! Inc. in 1995. Yang was also Yahoo!’s CEO from June 2007 to January 2009.

Meanwhile, Twitter exploded with joy around the news of Yang’s resignation and Yahoo! stock finally started to move a little. Much to the dismay of stock holders, Yahoo stock hasn’t broken $20 since 2008.

Flash Player 9 or higher is required to view the chart Click here to download Flash Player now

Here are some of our favorite tweets about Yang’s resignation:

Yahoo's shares jump after hours as founder and former CEO Jerry Yang exits company http://t.co/wW6SZul5

January 17, 2012 4:58 PM via MarketWatchReplyRetweetFavorite

@MarketWatch

MarketWatch

Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang resigned. For those unfamiliar, Yahoo is a Sunnyvale, CA company that hosts your Mom's email.

January 17, 2012 5:22 PM via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@pourmecoffee

pourmecoffee

If you want to know why Jerry Yang resigned from Yahoo, try Googling it.

January 17, 2012 7:57 PM via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@upsidetrader

UPSIDETRADER

Jerry Yang leaves Yahoo, ending an era that ended several years ago.

January 17, 2012 5:38 PM via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@davepell

Dave Pell

Jerry Yang resigns from Yahoo...must not be playing nice with new boss from Paypal. @BNN_TV

January 17, 2012 4:49 PM via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@randy_cass

Randy Cass

What do you think? Are you sad to see Jerry Yang leave Yahoo?

Related articles

• Twitter to Yahoo’s Jerry Yang: Don’t Let the Door Hit You – Forbes (forbes.com)
• Jerry Yang Is Out — Yahoo’s Stock Is Up (yhoo) (businessinsider.com)
• The Science of Sharing and the Social Consumer [infographic] (methodshop.com)
• Where Should You Post Your Status? [pic] (methodshop.com)
• Yahoo’s Jerry Yang Resigns (mashable.com)

But there are some life lessons to be learned about the conference and Vegas if you want a truly valuable experience.

01) Pick Up Your Badge At The Airport

Pick up your CES credentials at the airport when you arrive in Las Vegas. Lines to get your badge in the convention center can can be over an hour long. Feel free to take in a quick game of slots in the airport with all the extra time you save yourself (I played Lobstermaina).

02) Set Up Your Meetings In Advance

All of your important business meetings, dinners, drinks, etc. should be set up in advance. There’s a lot going on at CES. Don’t try to scramble at the last minute.

03) Keep It Close

Keep your meetings close to your hotel or the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC). Just because you can see a hotel, doesn’t mean it’s not miles away.

Use the Monorail to travel between the Las Vegas Convention Center and your hotel. Buy your ticket online before you even leave home.

05) Plan For Really Long Taxi Lines

If you must take cabs, be prepared for a 45 minute wait. You haven’t seen lines this long since your last trip to Disneyland and they never move as fast as you’d like. If you really want a town-car… book it at least 6 months in advance.

06) Cash is King

Always carry cash! That’s the way to make things happen in Vegas!

07) You’ll Never Get A Last Minute Dinner Reservation at a Top Restaurant

Book dinner reservations before leaving home. The best restaurants book up fast. If you’re trying to impress a client, you’ll need a good reservation. Dinner at a Casino buffet probably won’t help you close any deals.

08) AT&T Cell Coverage Sucks

AT&T mobile coverage sucks in Las Vegas… especially during CES. Just imagine everyone at Nerdstock trying to use their phone or tablet at the same time. In previous years, CES attendees have crashed AT&T’s network.
09) Swag Comes to Those Who Wait

Don’t go around the floor hoping to score good freebies. The only day that’s even thinkable is late on the last day when everything is about to shut down. Basically, everyone doesn’t want to pay to ship all their swag back home.

10) Where Are You Staying Next Year?

Book your hotel room now for next year and make sure it has a stop on the Monorail! See you at CES 2013!!!

Related articles

• CES Memories: Bill Gates’ 2005 CES Keynote Derailed By BSOD [video] (methodshop.com)
• Top 25 Gadgets That Debuted at CES (methodshop.com)
• Why I Avoided CES This Year (stealthmode.com)

OMG! If you are reading this right now, then chances are you just dropped your iPhone or iPod into a toilet. Hopefully not an iPad!

Don’t give up all hope just yet. There’s still a chance you can save your #iTurd. Many electronic devices, including an iPod or iPhone, can be rescued from water immersion if you act quickly and follow our detailed instructions.

From a swimming pool to a dirty toilet, here’s what you need to do to save your iPod or iPhone from a body of water.

TUTORIAL: HOW TO: Save Your iPhone or iPod From A Toilet

If you had to pick a hero and a villain from the dawn of personal computing, then the hero would most likely be Steve Jobs from Apple and the villain, Bill Gates from Microsoft.

So when Bill Gates’ 2005 CES keynote demonstration with Conan O’Brien of the new Windows Media Center was plagued with a series of crashes and a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), the audience and the press were nothing short of “amused.”

This video is a compilation of all the on stage Microsoft failures from CES 2005. Here’s a timeline of the technical problems and Conan O’Brien’s jokes. Enjoy the video!

• 00:50 Bill Gates demo of a slideshow on the Windows Media Center running on the Xbox freezes.
• 00:55 Conan jokes, “Right now 9 people are being fired.”
• 01:20 Freezes again.
• 01:30 Conan jokes, “Did I mention there’s gambling in this town? Feel free to hit the tables. You can come back when we get this thing working.”
• 01:50 Freezes again.
• 02:00 Conan jokes, ” Who is in charge of Microsoft… oh.”
• 02:15 Freezes again.
• 03:00 Freezes again. Presenter blames it on Internet access.
• 03:24 BSOD

Related articles

• Top 25 Gadgets That Debuted at CES (methodshop.com)
• A Brief History of Microsoft Vegas Keynotes (Now That They’re Going Away) (technologizer.com)
• Bill Gates confirms that he’s not returning to Microsoft (slashgear.com)
• At CES, Everyone’s a Keynoter (techland.time.com)

The Siri on your new iPhone 4S is delightful, but leaves you wanting more. Sure, she can schedule appointments, answer inane trivia questions, and make funny quips, but can she respond to you from across the room? The Iris 9000 Voice Control Module ($60.00) was created to be the woman Siri can’t.

Grab the UpStand ($45.00) from Just Mobile. With its sleek, aluminum design and rubberized supporting grips, the UpStand is a nifty addition to your desktop, floating your iPad at the perfect height, while still in perfect range for working with a Bluetooth keyboard.

The iPhone and the Victrola, otherwise known as the iVictrola ($425), coming to a parlor room near you. NYC designer Matt Richmond has merged centuries of musical listening enjoyment into one vintage yet modern device.

The resilient soft Silicone Cassette Tape Sleeve ($5.00) keeps your phone nice and insulated, and the clear outer case it comes with makes for an ideal stand for you to prop up your phone and watch “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Again…

The iCade Arcade Cabinet ($100) converts your iPad into the screen for an old school Atari game, retro joystick/ buttons and all. You can download all your favorite games through the App Store and relive your fourth-grade pizza-parlor glory..

Send out your Rover Spy Tank ($150). Controlled by apps on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch, you can steer this audio/video-enabled, picture-taking tank safely into the other room for up to 200 feet (100 around walls) to go investigate by its lonesome. Its built-in microphone transmits sound back to you, and its camera streams live videos too.

The iTar IPad Guitar ($200) tunrs your iPad into a serious axe to gring.The iTar case and fretboard from Starr Labs connects to your iPad, transforming it into a full-fledged electronic guitar.

Pick up the new Jackpot Slots ($29.00) from New Potato Technologies. This slick docking station transforms your iPad or iPhone into a real Vegas-style slot machine, complete with one-armed bandit knob. After installing the free gaming app, you can win actual physical prizes from New Potato.

Flouting the last 25 years of telecommunication advances is the iRetrophone ($195.00+). Hand-sculpted and hand-cast in urethane resin, the iRetrophone is a fully functional iPhone dock with a working handset that allows you to hearken back to the olden days when phones had cords and being a milkman was still a viable profession.

The MiniDock from Bluelounge ($20.00) keeps your phone up and out of harm’s way. It sits upright in the MiniDock while it charges directly into the wall socket and frees up tabletop and counter space.

Related articles

• Kid Slaps Brother with His iPad [video] (methodshop.com)
• Top 10 Awesome Accessories for Your New iPad [review] (methodshop.com)
• Killing Zombies with Your iPhone – Zombie Gunship 1.3 [review] (methodshop.com)
• What is Siri and Why Does it Make iPhone 4S So Popular? (methodshop.com)
• Cool iPad Accessories (methodshop.com)
• The Evolution of the iPhone [infographic] (methodshop.com)

This short MethodShop.com tutorial will walk you through the steps required to cancel reoccurring payments in PayPal.

01) Go to http://paypal.com and log in to your  account.

02) Select the More Options link under Profile in the Overview sub-menu (My Account > Overview > More Options).

03) Click n the My Money button in the left navigation column.

04) Click on the Update link in the My Preapproved Payments section.

05) You should now see all the companies who have approval to bill your PayPal account. Chances are you’ll see some PayPal merchants in this list that you don’t remember. Click on any merchant that you want to delete.

06) Depending on the type of payment relationship you have with the merchant, you might see a number of different variations of a cancel screen. Just click Cancel wherever you see the option to do so.

07) After successfully canceling a recurring or subscription payment, you should get a confirmation screen like the one below.

If you don’t have a PayPal account but a PayPal merchant is automatically billing your credit card, then you should try to contact the merchant directly to cancel the agreement. However, we all know how easy it is for someone to hide behind a computer and ignore your attempts to contact them. If you can’t contact the merchant, then you can contact PayPal Customer Service by phone. Here’s how:

• Go to the PayPal website.
• Click Contact Us at the bottom of any page.
• Click Call Us, then click Continue for the PayPal Customer Service phone number.

Good luck! And please leave a comment or share this article if you found it useful. Thanks!

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• HOW TO: Update Your iPhone to iOS 5.0.1 Over The Air [tutorial] (methodshop.com)
• PayPal Testing Payments at Home Depot (phonescoop.com)

1. Videocassette Recorder (VCR), 1970
2. Laserdisc Player, 1974
3. Pong home console by Atari, 1975
4. Camcorder, 1981
5. Compact Disc Player, 1981
6. Commodore 64, 1982
7. Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), 1985 [pictured]
   
8. Digital Audio Technology, 1990
9. Compact Disc – Interactive, 1991
10. Mini Disc, 1993
11. Digital Satellite System, 1994
12. Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), 1996
13. High Definition Television (HDTV), 1998
14. Digital Audio Radio (DAR), 2000
15. Microsoft Xbox, 2001
16. Plasma TV, 2001
17. Home Media Server, 2002
18. HD Radio, 2003
19. Blu-Ray DVD, 2003 [pictured]
    
20. HDTV PVR, 2003
21. HD Radio, 2004
22. IP TV, 2005
23. Blu-Ray and HD-DVD dual format player, 2007
24. Panasonic’s 150-inch Plasma TV, 2008
25. 3D TV, 2011

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Did you get an iPad for Christmas or Hanukkah this year? Have you done anything stupid with it yet like drop it into a toilet or let a baby play with it? What about accidentally use it as a weapon?

We found this video on YouTube of two brothers. The younger brother keeps annoying his older brother until he can’t take it anymore. After attempting to ignoring his annoying sibling, the older brother eventually snaps and uses his iPad to dispense vengeance. We’re not sure if the iPad broke or not from the impact, but we wouldn’t bet it survived unharmed. iPads are pretty fragile. It most likely ended up with a cracked screen.

If you listen carefully, you can almost hear Siri whimper in the background.

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Has your iPhone ever caused a car crash before like in this video outside the Cake Boss‘ store in Hoboken, NJ? Hopefully not! Texting and driving is just stupid. But there is a safe way to cause a movie quality car crash where nothing gets damaged and no one gets hurt (including the Cake Boss Buddy Valastro). How? The Action Movie FX iPhone app from J.J. Abrams’ digital group, Bad Robot Interactive.

The app is really just a clever promotion for J.J. Abrams‘ latest film, Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol. The Action Movie FX app lets you create, or “direct,” videos using two free special effects: a missile strike or a car being hurled at a target. Additional effects can be purchased within the app.

To cause complete destruction using your iPhone, just open the app, pick an effect, point your iPhone at a target (like Carlo’s, the store from the TV show Cake Boss), and shoot away. Then, save it to your library or share them on the web.

The “special effects” are actually awesome. Very realistic. Even the sound design (music and sound effects) was done by George Lucus‘ Skywalker Sound.

Action Movie FX is free for a limited time. So go download it and crash a car or a missile into someone you love (or hate)!

Download: Action Movie FX [iTunes App Store link]

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01) Bluetooth Keyboard and Mouse

You need to start by turning it into a laptop at times. Bluetooth keyboard and mouse are great additions. If you want to take notes on your iPad, this is a must-have.

Apple Wireless Keyboards are available new @ $70 and used $30 on Amazon. The magic mouse is available for $70 as well. Of course, you can also get a 3rd party keyboard from companies like kensington and Targus.

02) ZAGG Folio Keyboard – Case Combo

When I saw the ZAGG Folio for iPad2, I was impressed. The cover holds the keyboard and slides to be a iPad stand. The folio cost $100, but if you need to carry the keyboard and iPad around a lot, this is a great duo.

03) Belkin Chef Stand

Just what you need for the kitchen! When your hands are all mucked up and you don’t want to touch the iPad, then try the Chef Stand by Belkin. This helps you find, then make that great recipe. The “Wand” allows you to follow recipes and can be washed with warm, soapy water.

04) Kickstand for iPad, Laptop

Another cool item is the Kickstand - a great way to raise up your iPad or Laptop. Just put the kickstand in the position, set your device on top and go to town!

05) iPag Case

iPag is a lightweight bag for iPad using microfiber for the lining. Therefore it wipes dirt away without scratching anything. The outer layer is waterproof nylon, so it will protect the iPad from rain, and can be cleaned easily. It also has a strap so you can carry it like a bag.

06) Stylus for iPad

Some people like to work with a Stylus. Others have callused fingers or wear gloves, and so the stylus works a lot better. Nonetheless, you can get a nice Stylus from BoxWave.

Wallee

07) Wallee Wall mount for iPad

I have been looking for this one – The Wallee is a mounting system that lets you mount an iPad to a wall, or other surface. It’s great for those who have a iPad Point of Sales (POS) system in your store.

Of course, the Wallee has some other innovative items for mounting an iPad in different spots. The case is universal – just line up and turn to secure the iPad to the stand or wall mount.

Wonder if anyone has mounted on the their bathroom yet?

08) MIC iStation

This is the most impressive iPad dock I’ve seen. It really makes your iPad feel like you are using a typewriter. Place the iStation on the stand, you have a spot for your keyboard, and can connect up to the speaker system for a better sound. Adjust the volume in front and type away.

The iStation is only $86 and is a great workstation for a small home office – maybe a dorm room.

09) iHealth Blood Pressure Monitor

This last year I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. The medical profession is coming out with more products for your iPad. iHealth makes several items, but the blood pressure cuff is the one I am most interested in. Monitor and track your blood pressure with this device. Then, if you can take that to your doctor, so they can help get your pressure low.

10) What do you use for your iPad?

We don’t know everything! There are a lot of cool items out there to make your iPad into something more.  Let us know what you use – Twitter @Methodshop

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That’s it boys and girls. 2011 is just hours away from becoming history. A lot happened this year. We saw much of the power structure in the Middle East be reorganized thanks in part to Social Media, the video game, Call of Duty, became the highest grossing entertainment property of all time (sorry Harry Potter, Avatar and Star Wars) and we of course unfortunately lost a lot of iconic figures including Steve Jobs, Peter Falk, Betty Ford, Amy Winehouse and Heavy D to name a few.

The bloggers at EZlaw.com put together a list of who and what we lost this year from newsmakers and sports and entertainment icons to TV shows. Please check it out and take this “Who or what will you miss the most from 2011″ Facebook poll.

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Did you get a Nintendo Wii for Christmas or Chanukah? By now you’re probably bored with the default Mii characters. Instead of being some generic character in a game, why not  be yourself or better yet… a celebrity.

This MethodShop tutorial will guide you through making a Mii on your Nintendo Wii, sharing it on the Internet as will give you plenty of celebrity Mii ideas including Albert Einstein, Weird Al Yankovic, Mick Jagger, Willie Nelson, Jack Black, Dolly Parton, Lindsay Lohan, Ozzy Osbourne, Kim Jong Il, Bert from “Bert and Ernie”, David Bowie, Batman and even Admiral Ackbar from Star Wars (pictured here).

So the next time you are playing Baseball on Wii Sports, you might end up with a celebrity Mii on your team like Oprah, Tom Cruise or Dwight from the TV show The Office. Have fun!

TUTORIAL: HOW TO: Make Celebrity Mii’s For Your Nintendo Wii

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How many songs can you name that have a “Z” in the title? If you can name more than a handful and have a Twitter or Facebook account, then step into the DJ booth at the “Daily Theme Room” on Turntable.fm and spin some tracks. The theme of this room changes daily, so visit it today if you want to get your “Z” on.

If songs that have a “Z” in the title aren’t your thing, then join a different Turntable.fm room. From dubstep to thrash metal, there are thousands of music themed rooms to choose from. And if you still can’t find one you like, just make your own and set your own rules.

Haven’t heard of Turntable.fm yet? Don’t worry. It’s easy. A bunch of strangers get together in a virtual room with customized avatars and play music for each other. it’s fun.

Having a “Z” in the title of a song is easy. What about songs that start with a Z? That’s much harder. We’ve tried to name as many songs as possible that start with a “Z.” Here are 100+ below. How’d we do? Please add any “Z” songs we missed to the comments.

1. Z Y X – They Might Be Giants
2. Za – Supergrass
3. Za Intro – Gym Class Heroes new
4. Zachem Ya (Why Should I) – t.A.T.u.
5. Zadok The Priest – Amici Forever
6. Zai Jian (Goodbye) – Nicky Lee
7. Zai Mei Bain (Beside The Plum Blossom) – Wang Lee Hom
8. Zai Mei Yi Miao Li Dou Xiang Jian Dao Ni (Want to See You Every Second) – Wang Lee Hom
9. Zai Xi Yuan Qian – Jay Chou
10. Zak and Sara – Ben Folds Five
11. Zannalee – Prince
12. Zanzibar – Billy Joel
13. Zapata’s blood – Rage Against The Machine
14. Zat You Santa Claus – Harry Connick Jr.
15. Zee Deveel – Incubus
16. Zeke Interlude – Jim Jones
17. Zen Brain – Nada Surf
18. Zen Me Wang (How Can I Forget) – Vic Zhou
19. Zenith – Swollen Members
20. Zenshin – WaT
21. Zep Song – Weezer
22. Zephyr & I – Suzanne Vega
23. Zeplin Song – Courtney Love
24. Zeppo – Sanctity
25. Zero – Hawk Nelson
26. Zero – Smashing Pumpkins
27. Zero – The Donnas
28. Zero – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
29. Zero and Blind Terry Version 1 – Bruce Springsteen
30. Zero from Outer Space – Tom Petty
31. Zero Gravity – David Archuleta
32. Zero Landmine – Cyndi Lauper
33. Zero Mechanism – The Used
34. Zero Percent – My Chemical Romance
35. Zero Pointe Vers L’infini – Charlotte Gainsbourg
36. Zero Signal – Fear Factory
37. Zero Sum – Nine Inch Nails
38. Zero The Hero – Black Sabbath
39. Zero Tolerance – Kottonmouth Kings
40. Zero Tolerance (Fuck Them Laws) – Lil Wyte
41. Zero Zero – Operator Please
42. Zeroes – David Bowie
43. Zeroes – They Might Be Giants
44. Zerospace – Kidney Thieves
45. Zerstoren – Rammstein
46. Zhai Na Yao Yuan De Di Fang (In a Far Away Place) – Wang Lee Hom
47. Zhao Pai Dong Zuo – Jolin Tsai
48. Zhe Jiu Shi Ai – Cyndi Wang
49. Zhe Jiu Shi Ai (This is Love) – Wang Lee Hom
50. Zheng Kai Yan – Cyndi Wang
51. Zheng Yi Zhi Yan Bi Yi Zhi Yan – Jolin Tsai
52. Zhe? – Cyndi Wang
53. Zhi You Yi Ge Ni – Jolin Tsai
54. Zhi Zhan Zhi Shang (The Youth That Ends War) – Jay Chou
55. Zhu Lin Shen Chu (Bamboo Forest) – Wang Lee Hom
56. Zicky’s Song – Pepper
57. Ziggy Stardust – Bauhaus
58. Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie
59. Zimbabwe – Sublime
60. Zimzallabim – Mos Def
61. Zip a Dee Do Dah – The Fabulous Thunderbirds
62. Zip City – Drive-By Truckers
63. Zip Mouth Angel – The Rolling Stones
64. Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah – Miley Cyrus
65. Zip-Lock – Lit
66. Ziplock Bag – Beck
67. Zither – R.E.M.
68. Zodiac – The-Dream
69. Zodiaccupuncture – Aesop Rock
70. Zoe Jane – Staind
71. Zoinks! – Bif Naked
72. Zoloft – Drive-By Truckers
73. Zombie – Natalia Kills
74. Zombie – The Cranberries pop
75. Zombie – The Pretty Reckless
76. Zombie Dance – Alice Cooper
77. Zombie Eaters – Ill Nino
78. Zombie Inc. – In Flames
79. Zombie Stomp – Ozzy Osbourne
80. Zombie Zoo – Tom Petty
81. Zonder Een Woord – Abel
82. Zone – Drake
83. Zone Out – Nas
84. Zone Out (Remix) – Nas
85. Zonin’ – New Boyz
86. Zoo – Lil Wayne
87. Zoo – R. Kelly
88. Zoo – Scorpions
89. Zoo Station – U2
90. Zoo Time – Mystery Jets
91. Zoom – Lil Boosie
92. Zoom – Lionel Richie
93. Zoom – Tata Young pop
94. Zoom – Tokio Hotel
95. Zoom in – Duran Duran
96. Zoom into Me – Tokio Hotel
97. Zoom! – Super Furry Animals
98. Zoom! (2) – Super Furry Animals
99. Zoomin’ – Lionel Richie
100. Zooropa – U2
101. Zora – Outkast
102. Zora Sourit – Celine Dion
103. Zorro’s Ascent – Alice Cooper
104. Zuei Hou De Zhan Yi (Final Battle) – Jay Chou
105. Zulu – Blink 182
106. Zulu Lulu – Bruce Dickinson
107. Zuo Ge Hao Qing Ren (Be a Good Lover) – Jerry Yan
108. Zuo Ni De Tian – Nicky Lee
109. Zuo Yi Tian De Ni – Jolin Tsai
110. Zuton Fever – The Zutons
111. Zwitter – Rammstein
112. ZYX – Gomez
113. Zzyzx Rd. – Stone Sour

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Times Square Ball: Image via Wikipedia

So this last year you turned 21. It’s time to really party, for you can do it legally. Time to ring in 2012 the right way. Completely wasted!

Whoah. Hold your horses there, n00b!

On the same level, you want to be safe. The best part is nowadays, you have a smartphone that can do more than call a cab or drunk text your ex-girlfriend. So we here at Methodshop thought we should round you up some applications you can download that will help you stay safe.

We’ll show you some apps for your iPhone, and your Android. Even a couple for the Blackberry, Windows Phone, and WebOS if you have those devices.

Image via Wikipedia

Foursquare - for Android, Blackberry, iPhone, WebOS, Windows Phone

You might think that is a bad idea – Letting people know where you are. But if done right, you can catch up with your buddies if you separate. At least leave a trail for others to follow if need be.

Find Friends for iPhone, iPod Touch

This was an app that Apple put out with iOS5. Locate your friends and family from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Sign in with an Apple ID you use with iCloud. Add your friends and this can be a road map you share only with a select few.

Me911 – Android, iPhone, plus more

Me911 is a service. Not only can you locate friends, you can do so if they don’t have their phones. Wristbands, keychains and more to alert authorities who you are and any important medical information. The virtual locker you purchase for $29.99 / year can hold more important data if hospitals need it.

Image via Wikipedia

Find My Phone Siren - Android

Very interesting app, if you lost your phone, just go to another Android phone and press the power button 4 times.  The service will make your phone chirp, and show you on a map where it could be. You can also lock or wipe a phone remotely if someone has stolen it.

Free SMS and Urgent Message – Android

You make a friends list. If you are in trouble, send a message in URGENT mode. It will make your friends phones scream, even if they are on vibrate. Of course, they need to install the app, too.

Last Call - iPhone

If you are in a bar and had a few drinks, this app will help you determine if you should call a cab home. You can also use the app to try and determine how much you can drink without getting wasted.

Emergency Contact - iPhone, Blackberry, Windows Phone

This is an application that will let people know who to contact or if you have any issues like allergies to medication.

Times Square New Years App - iPhone, Android

If you cannot be in New York, or after partying in New York you find yourself in Philadelphia around midnight, don’t worry. Pull out this app and you can watch the Times Square ball drop just as if you were there. Then go back to partying.

—

With this list of apps, you should be able to keep in touch and stay safe. Use your apps wisely, but more important, enjoy the holiday!

Did we miss an app? Let us know @Methodshop

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Are you a dog owner? If so, you’ll love  this video from MethodShop fan, Alison Bucalo (@Alison_Em). It’s of her dog Junior’s battle with an evil “tree monster.” Unfortunately, the “tree monster” just happened to be the family Christmas Tree days before Christmas. The video has just over 800k views so far on YouTube.

Aw, poor puppy. Just look at the guilt. Alison, we hope your Christmas Tree stays upright for now on. Merry Christmas to you and your family (Junior too!)!

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