By Omar L. Gallaga

We'd been speculating for a while what Microsoft retail stores might be like before they finally opened last month.

It turns out the truth was more horrifying than any fiction we could have made up (which I did). Employees in the video below are shown line dancing at a Mission Viejo, Calif., store. You can tell from the excessive visual data of their body language that some are happier to be participating than others. And you have to wonder how many copies of "Windows 7" the dancing sold.

I've said before that Microsoft's marketing often seems tone-deaf. Add dancing to the mix and you've got a lethal cocktail:

(Hat tip to Engadget for this remarkable find.)

By Omar L. Gallaga

In the video above, titled Vodafone Symphonia, 1,000 cell phones play Tchaikovsky 's 1812 Overture via ringtones and text messaging.

Impressive, but it's obviously fake, right? If you doubt, check out these two making-of videos that show you how it was done.

Ah, I love the classics.

(Via Engadget.)

By Omar L. Gallaga

Socks available by subscription at blacksocks.com include these mercerized cotton knee socks. (blacksocks.com)

I am not a jet-setter, at least not yet, but I can definitely see how if I were, I might lose track of one of the major necessities on the road: nice socks.

"Dubious" was my first reaction when a site called Blacksocks.com e-mailed me about their subscription service for "Time-starved, tech-savvy men, who want their feet clothed in fine socks."

I am at least three of those things and who doesn't want their feet wrapped in finery?

The way the site's so-called "Sockscriptions" work is that you can set up a delivery of several times a year (say three pairs of socks three times a year) at a set fee. Presumably, you (and your feet) would breathe easier knowing that socks were on the way on a schedule, saving you a schlep to the feet finery shop at the mall.

The socks are not cheap (I priced out one set of socks and it would have cost close to $100; I did not sign on), but if you are tech-savvy, time-starved and cash-rich, you may be just the Sockscription type.

By Omar L. Gallaga

I'm not sure if I can explain what's going on in the above video better than the source Web site, but just trust me when I say this will blow your mind on a Friday afternoon.

It's a kind of laser, music-generating art project. Enjoy. (Hey, Eyder, this proves lasers are still cool!)

A blog entry about a digital festival in New York City caught my eye with these three words: "iPhone Drum Circle." I didn't know whether this was genius or the most painful thing my ears could imagine, but my curiosity got the better of me.

I visited the iPhone Drum Circle (or IPDC) site to learn more. At 2 p.m. on Sunday an attempt will be made to totally jam out. If you're in the Brooklyn area and hate drum circles, you've been warned. If you're groovy and have an iPhone, you might just want to join in. If you do, please take some photos or shoot some video and tell us about it here.

In the video above, you can see some iPhone drums in action.

Today's Google.com logo honors the brave superheroes who have worn tights so that the rest of us don't have to. Google.com

 

By Omar L. Gallaga

Just when you think megalithic uber-company Google Inc. has gotten big enough to shed its baggy T-shirt and Doritos geek roots, the company shows that it still has love for All Things Nerd.

Today's Google.com logo (above) is a salute to Comic-Con, the four day San Diego convention that celebrates anime, big superhero movies, comic books, video games and people who dress up as characters from all of the above. (It's called "Cosplay" in case you're wondering.)

Comic-Con continues to grow every year and has become a must-attend launching pad for big-budget Hollywood fantasy films.

Sadly, oft-neglected superhero Aquaman is missing from the lineup in the Google logo. As a Twitter friend of mine said this morning, "Did they tell him to go talk to some fish again?"

Edited to add: Backstory on the logo, which is by artist Jim Lee.

By Omar L. Gallaga

Sometimes, it's very easy to decide what gets on the air for All Tech Considered segments, other times it takes a bit of convincing. In the case of one of my little obsessions, Keyboard Cat, I may have pushed a little harder than usual to help introduce a deceased cat to the masses.

Above is the video that launched a thousand Internet knockoffs. Keyboard Cat was back in the news last week when Warner Music Group pulled audio from a brilliant Hall & Oates video featuring the feline on YouTube. You can see the full video (including audio) here, via Funny Or Die.

Not enough Keyboard Cat? Here's a T-shirt you might like.

(More from this week's segment after the jump)

Continue reading "Keyboard Cat, Apple-Adjacent Microsoft Stores And More" >

By Omar L. Gallaga

This has been making the rounds in tech-geek (and, no doubt, theatre-geek) e-mail inboxes this week.

In case you haven't seen it, it's a very well-done musical tribute to some of our favorite Web sites from CollegeHumor.com. Enjoy!

By Andy Carvin

A few weeks ago, NPR's Yuki Noguchi filed a story for All Things Considered on what happens to someone's online legacy -- their emails, passwords, social networking profiles, etc -- when they die. The story generated a number of comments on NPR.org as well as on Facebook, but one particular comment really got my attention.

I have an automated system set up with sort of a "dead man's switch" which will give trusted individuals access to my email accounts, web servers, etc. should I be incommunicado for so long as to suggest that I am probably dead.

I am a terrible nerd.

The self-proclaimed nerd in question is Tony Gies, a 20-year-old audio engineer and music producer in Omaha, Nebraska. Curious to learn more about his "dead man's switch" and why he set it up, I started chatting with him on Facebook.

Continue reading "Dead Man's Switch: CC Me From The Other Side" >

By Wright Bryan

And now for a moment of entertainment. The combination of low-cost video production and access to free world-wide distribution has produced countless little gems like this reel of street riding that features Danny MacAskill in Edinburgh. Enjoy!

By Omar L. Gallaga

I've said this elsewhere, but there is one technology-related word I would be thrilled to never, ever hear again.

That word is "Sexting."

I'm not sure if it's because I have a daughter (too young for the topic, but I am a paranoid dad and can imagine the future version of it will be even worse), or because of the icky, icky handling of the subject by the media. Maybe it's because I find "Sexting" itself so objectionable. I was never that comfortable with the concept of phone sex, either, especially seeing it played out in the movie "The Truth About Cats and Dogs."

Am I being prudish? I don't think so. It can't be normal that when I hear that word, my ears shrink a bit into themselves and I feel the need to take a scalding shower and then go lie down. Maybe it's because combining "Sex" and "texting" is both clever and lazy.

Maybe I'll get used to it. I used to have the same reaction when "Weblogs" became the word "Blog."

What tech-related words drive you batty?

By Eyder Peralta

There are times when an arbiter is in order. You know, in case of bar-side arguments or domestic disputes. Stuff like whether or not a boyfriend should co-sign a car note after living with their significant other for years.

The other day, I came upon sidetaker.com. It's a Web site that crowdsources arguments.

So, two people post their side of the story and the community has a chance to vote who's right and who's wrong.

There are some seemly serious disagreements here: A boyfriend who's giving his girlfriend grief over a cat; a wife who asks her husband clean the house instead of going to the gym; a wife who thinks a 120 buck cable bill is too much after just taking in a new car note.

I'm not sure how useful anonymous advice is. I'm not sure I'd want to air out my disagreements so publicly, but it does make for an entertaining, voyeuristic read. Thoughts? Is an online tool like this really helpful to a relationship?