People have attributed a lot of metaphorical significance to zombies since George Romero released his second undead movie, Dawn of the Dead, in 1978. In that movie, the zombies hung around the places they used to lumber through in life, specifically an awesome mall with a fully stocked gun store outside of Pittsburgh. The suggestion there was that these people were already “zombies” before they were dead, but, presumably, with a little more interest in the food court Sbarro (then again, maybe not). Where zombie metaphors aren’t obvious, people tend to use the undead horde as stand-ins for whatever group they currently don’t like. Hate the Tea Party? Zombies. Christian conservatives? Zombies. War protesters? Zombies. Those be-dreadlocked mouthbreathers in a drum circle inside Zuccotti Park? Zombies. Zombies, though, at their best are a natural disaster: a Hurricane Katrina, Haitian earthquake or Japanese tsunami. They are a worldwide extinction-level threat that forces the living characters to be stripped down to what they really are. Watching these plots unfold, you have to ask yourself how you’d handle a similar situation. Are you a leader or a follower? Are you strong or are you weak? Are you a man or are you a member of the indie-folk rock band Modest Mouse? There’s not much call for banjo and ukulele players in the zombie apocalypse is what I’m saying. Pick up a few survival skills, Isaac Brock, if you know what’s good for you.
Zombies, Metaphors And Masculinity
That’s when metaphor gets turned on its head. Where zombies might be used to represent aspects of our culture, the actual survivors represent us as individuals. On AMC’s The Walking Dead, we are presented with two alpha male characters who are vying for group leadership: Rick Grimes and Shane Walsh. One of those guys is the perfect leader: not only can he keep his people alive in a world filled with zombies, but he can actually find a way to make that world a safer, more livable place. The other one is Rick Grimes. I think this speaks to a larger issue with men in the real world. Specifically, how society expects the modern man to be a sweaty, weak-kneed manchild who is overly concerned with ruffling the feathers of people who have no business being covered in feathers in the first place. A mangina who knows in his sensitive, bleeding heart that violence doesn’t solve anything and killing the bad guy, be it serial killer, murdering terrorist or genocidal evil dictator, makes you just as bad as he is. War, man, what is it good for? It would be awesome if that stuff were true, but it’s make believe. Sometimes the bad guys don’t stop being bad until they’re dead. Violence can and has solved lots of problems, and war, I’m sad to say, can serve a purpose -- like freeing an entire society, ending slavery or stopping a holocaust. And if you haven’t ruffled somebody’s feathers with something you’ve said, then you’ve never really said anything worthwhile in your life. Rick Grimes, played by English actor Andrew Lincoln, is supposed to be the hero of The Walking Dead, but why? Because he’s a decent, sensitive man? Every decision Rick makes ends up with another member of their group injured or dead. Here come some spoilers: Merle, Carl, Otis, Sophia, Amy, Jim, Ed, and Jacqui have all died or nearly died as a direct result of actions Rick has taken in the show. Meanwhile, Shane, played by Jon Bernthal, is the guy the show wants you to think is too unstable and violent. But he’s the reason every single character alive on the show is still alive. That includes Rick’s harpy wife, his slackjawed kid and even Rick himself. Shane actually kills Otis so that he can get away from a group of zombies to save Rick’s kid, who got shot in the chest in the first place (by Otis, no less) because Rick was an idiot. The thing, of course, is that it’s a zombie show. People are going to be eaten once in a while, or you don’t have much of a show. Without hordes of cannibalistic zombies, gruesome kills and constant paranoid danger at every turn, you just have a show about a bunch of whiny, insipid white people sitting around on a farm, killing time between pharmacy trips by complaining about one other and shooting cans/logs as target practice. And, I mean, nobody wants that. The problem, I think, is the writers’ societal conditioning. The way they were raised in this man-hating era is causing problems within the story. There’s no question that if there were really a zombie apocalypse (like the one I’ve been planning and preparing for my entire adult life), a Shane will keep you alive and a Rick will have a zombie picking pieces of you out of its teeth. Why should it take an apocalyptic scenario for a man with actual balls to have value? Why should cowardice and conformity be accepted as virtues? Why would a guy who wants to calmly discuss the barn full of hungry zombies as if it’s some sort of zoning problem be a better leader than the guy who wants to kill them all immediately? I guess we’ll have to keep watching The Walking Dead to find out, but right now I’m not convinced.
If it smells like malware, behaves like malware, then it might be... Software from Google? The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google has been secretly tracking iPhone and desktop Safari users' browsing habits. The search giant allegedly installed cookies via code in ads on popular sites. The trick is something you'd expect from a shady mafia-run web casino, not the world's favorite search engine. The sites with the stealthy codes aren't so rare either. In any given day, it's likely you've visited one: youtube.com, nytimes.com, urbandictionary.com, merriam-webster.com, and aol.com (if you're browsing like it's 1999).After issuing a statement to the WSJ defending the practice, Google immediately stopped running the service from its servers. That's a funny way to react after a firm "Sir, I doth protest.""Of course I didn't stab him, your honor," says the man, putting all his kitchen knives in a garbage bag.These practices reveal that the company might not have as much respect for your privacy, even as it tries to paint a marketing-friendly portrait with Dutch-master accuracy. Expect Google to again find itself in front of the suspicious and angry gaze of worldwide privacy groups.This issue won't disappear quietly either. The FTC may have a hefty bill for Google soon, as the company had pledged not to "misrepresent" its privacy practices to consumers, and it doesn't get much more covert than this. With a fine of $16,000 per violation a day, that's slightly more than the 25 cents per click it makes on most ads. Unless Google lobbies mathematics to change its ways, that's gonna smart.
OK, I am hip to the greening of America and the world. My sister’s boyfriend is one of the world’s experts (he works at Harvard in partnership with NASA measuring gamma rays from satellites) on the long-term effects of global warming. He’s shown me pictures of Harvard Yard under water in the not-too-distant future. I get that we have a problem. It’s just the way we go about trying to solve it, or even think about it, that is outrageously insane IMO. Larry David drives a Prius. The fact that his now ex-wife bought it for him and he holds onto it for some sick reason is not my point. He says its because he’s committed to the environment. That’s my point. For the complete story, "Business Outrage of the Week: Current Electric Cars Suck (Fossil Fuel)," click here.
The Bond girls are aiming to impress in Skyfall. Naomie Harris has been coming to grips with 007’s iconic Walther PPK as part of her training for the new movie. “I started off terrified by the sound of a gun,” Harris told Total Film magazine, “let alone having any idea of how to hold one, but now I really enjoy it.” Taking a break from filming, Harris and fellow Skyfall siren Bérénice Marlohe hit the red carpet for the British film industry’s key awards event, the BAFTAs. And while they did a grand job of keeping the Bond side up as part of the franchise’s 50th anniversary, they did let slip a few secrets. “I’m trying to do all my own stunts,” Harris told reporters. “I’ve done them all so far. In a couple of weeks we’ve got another big stunt thing, so I don’t know if I can do all of them. But I’m trying to!” She’s also denying that her character, Eve, a fellow agent who aids 007, has an iconic surname that will resonate with Bond fans. “I don’t know where the Moneypenny rumor started!” she explained to Empire magazine. “Moneypenny is an office-bound character -- Eve is a field agent.” Meanwhile, model Marlohe, who plays the enigmatic Séverine, has been teasing a different sort of action, one that’s essential to any Bond flick worth its Beluga. “I certainly hope I’ll kiss Daniel Craig,” she revealed to Total Film. “I will have Sam [Mendes] change everything if not!” Skyfall opens in North America in November.
Apple today revealed its newest OS X release, dubbed “Mountain Lion.” Apple’s latest name is consistent with its tradition of big cat names. We were rooting for “Freakishly Large P*ssy,” but maybe there was a trademark conflict that prevented Cupertino from going that way. There is no other explanation. Features-wise, OS X 10.8 takes more cues from iOS, changing the name of iChat to “Messages,” moving the notes from Mail.app into a separate app, and the desktop OS even gets a pretty awesome-looking Notification Center. It’s already possible to do FaceTime calls from OS X, and being able to send iMessage texts to an iPhone is a welcome addition. iCloud integration is everywhere in 10.8. Apple is giving its apps, and apps sold through the Mac App Store, the ability to save to iCloud or use the local disk, in a simplified scheme that will finally make its cloud storage features look less like a clumsy version of Dropbox. There’s no Siri, though. Whether Apple’s saving that for later is anyone’s guess. Twitter integration is everywhere in Mountain Lion, so expect a lot more complaints about work to litter the tweet world come summer, when the new cat rears its fuzzy head.One other interesting addition is that Apple is adding Game Center, a Steam-cloudish gaming platform, to OS X. While the prospect of Mac gaming blowing up is a funny one -- and I’m a Mac user -- this will let people on OS X play against iPad or iPhone users. Apple knows that social gaming is huge, so this is more about competing with Facebook than it is trying to make the Mac into an XBox, or eat the few crumbs the shrinking PC gaming world has left.In its private demos of Mountain Lion’s, Apple made it clear that the similarities to iOS are just for consistency of experience -- it’s not planning on merging the desktop and mobile operating systems into one. With the iPhone being many people’s first Apple experience, the company wants to make their transition to a Mac as seamless as possible, while maintaining the strengths of a distinct desktop OS. This is in sharp contrast to Microsoft’s approach with Windows 8, which unifies the mobile and desktop OSes into the one Metro interface. Even at this stage, MS is already being forced to clunkily re-integrate some desktop components, so it seems Apple’s two-tiered approach might be, ironically, less confusing for end users while making OS X the more open to customization of the two. The platform wars done heated up.
Time is money, but apparently that’s not a healthy way of thinking about it. According to research from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, people are more impatient and feel less enjoyment in their leisure activities when they put a price on their time. In a series of experiments, the users were asked to listen to music and surf the web. Afterward, they were pressed to think about their time in terms of money, and it lessened their enjoyment of the fun time. The lone difference was when the subjects were paid on their leisure time after putting a price on it. In those cases, the participants experienced more enjoyment. In the end, it looks like Mom wins. Years of incessant scolding us with things like “Can’t you be doing anything better with your time?” has instilled a fear that if we’re not being productive then we’re wasting time. The important thing here is that free time is your time to relax. If you allow the money focus to seep into fun time and holidays, then it takes away from pleasure.
They don’t call them man’s best friend for nothing. The benefits of owning dogs are endless: They de-stress you, make you feel less lonely and encourage you to spend more time outdoors. They're also a great way to meet women. A guy can never go wrong with a faithful friend by his side.But some of the primped, preened and utterly ridiculous dogs at Westminster got us thinking: What kind of dog really makes the best sidekick for men? Send your response -- and a photo of your dog -- to editorial@askmen.com. We'll choose the best answers and include them in an upcoming article.
Everyone has regrets, and usually they’re not even really worth mentioning. But a new study from Northwestern University has found that when we do have the benefit of hindsight, our No. 1 regret is lost love.Researchers polled 500 American adults on their biggest regrets in life and then cross-referenced the results to find out what they had in common. Regrets relating to love and losses in personal relationships scored significantly higher than anything else. Fifty-six percent of people noted some kind of love regret, while just 20% listed work-related concerns. All of the most intense regrets were related to personal relationships.Work and love are two of our primary focuses, so it may be best to ease up on work and instead spend that time finding love. Letting the perfect job get away hurts less than losing the perfect woman because employment is perceived to be more replaceable.We know that we’re far more forgiving of ourselves for work slip-ups than we are for neglecting relationships, so do yourself a huge favor and make love the priority.
Apple can’t seem to keep a lid on the iPad 3 leaks lately, and the latest one will be surprising if true. According to the WSJ, a supplier has been testing an iPad 3 with an eight-inch screen. That flies in the face of everything Apple’s ever said about its plans for a smaller iPad, but this is also the company that denied being interested in mobiles right up until the launch of the iPhone. Maybe Apple’s been seeing a small share of would-be iPad owners drawn to competing products because of their smaller footprint. I don’t think Apple is dumb enough to think that people are in love with the Kindle Fire’s seven-inch widescreen -- many reviews complain about it -- but the company does know that people love its price tag. The really hard-to-swallow part of the rumor is that the smaller screen has the same non-retina display resolution as the iPad 2. Apple’s been careful not to fragment its product lines, so launching two iPads with two different resolutions would be a weird move. The faster chips in the iPad 3 would make applications run far smoother on a screen with a quarter of the resolution. So, we’re leaning toward “no” on this one. Apple testing something doesn’t mean it's launching it. The other, more believable rumors of late are that the iPad 3 will ship with 4G LTE. Everyone’s been talking about how it will be slightly thicker than the iPad 2, so this adds up. The higher-res screen and energy demands of LTE mean the iPad 3 will need a bigger battery than the second-gen iPad to stay charged as long. With only three more weeks to Apple’s March 7 event, we’re hoping it launches a cardboard box with googly eyes, just to screw with everyone.
It looks like James Bond is going old-school in Skyfall -- especially where his motor is concerned. Reports from the set of Skyfall find 007 back behind the wheel of his Aston Martin DB5, which fans will instantly recognize as Sean Connery’s Bondmobile of choice in Goldfinger. Exactly how big a role the car will play is being kept under wraps. The car cameoed in Casino Royale (Bond won it in a poker tournament), but recent 007 flicks have featured Fords and Jags among the latest Astons, while Range Rovers have also been snapped on the Skyfall set. The news coming out of Skyfall certainly suggests a back-to-Bond-basics approach, just in time to celebrate 50 years of 007 movies. The first official shot of the movie, as well as spy snaps taken on the London set, saw Bond wielding his iconic Walther pistol, which will no doubt see some action as he tries to defend MI6 from an assault led by bad-guy Javier Bardem. Skyfall will also feature the return of MI6’s much-loved Quartermaster, better known as Q -- the god of gadgets, from car ejector seats to the exploding attache case. Determined to keep things Casino Royale-fresh, they’re not going down the grumpy old codger route (Now Pay Attention 007), instead casting 31-year-old Ben Whishaw. The fresh-faced actor has been acclaimed for his Hamlet on stage -- proper thespian alert -- as well as BBC drama The Hour. Skyfall opens in North America in November.
The PlayStation Vita reviews are in, and it seems we have a winner. February 22nd is the Vita's mainstream launch date, but pricier early-bird bundles are shipping this week. Sony's betting hard that it can woo gamers back from their phones with actual hardware (and not just terrible commercials). Still, the PS Vita does have some features that mobile lovers have gotten used to -- the five-inch AMOLED screen acts as a touchscreen device and it packs a built-in GPS. With its standard array of console-style buttons, analog and direction pad controllers, and a touch-sensitive back panel, this thing's not lacking for input.The Vita made waves when it was first announced, due to the fact that it packed so much horsepower in a handheld. The words "(almost) PS3-level graphics" were on everyone's lips, and the quad-core Vita definitely comes through with some amazing-looking games, most notably Uncharted: Golden Abyss. Vita's highs and lows noted by the reviews:
The good news
-Amazing graphics.-Better controls than the PSP or Nintendo 3DS.-Good roster of launch titles.-Great for video playback thanks to the screen.-Decent three- to six-hour battery life while gaming, depending on your settings.-Amazing screen quality (thanks, Samsung) with a screen density of 220 pixels-per-inch.-Region-free (so you can play imported games)has built-in GPS.-Games are available in both physical and digital formats, with a slight discount for digital.-The $249 starting price for the Wi-Fi model makes it well-priced .Notable gripes
-Has a pretty useless camera (front and rear both have 640x480 resolution).-No compatibility with UMD PSP games for non-Japanese users.-Plastic (not Gorilla Glass) screen makes it a lot easier to scratch than a modern mobile or tablet.-Lacks multitasking.-Another expensive and proprietary memory format, Sony?-Dearth of apps compared to iOS or Android (obviously).-20 MB file download limit over 3G so you can't get larger games unless on Wi-Fi.The reviews are unanimous in saying that the Vita definitely outclasses the 3DS and completely destroys the iPhone as a gaming device. That's not particularly surprising given this thing has four cores, buttons and physical game controls, but only time will tell if that's enough to draw people away from their increasingly-freemium iPhone and iPad games to a pretty expensive-looking $44.99 (for quality games like Uncharted). If it fails, this could wind up being another golden abyss for Sony.
Men and dogs have been linked ever since the prehistoric age, when gray wolves were used to help with herding and hunting, and received companionship and shelter in return. Today we pretty much use dogs to pick up chicks (so the hunting part remains), and they, in turn, receive, well, companionship and shelter. So not much has changed in the tens of thousands of years that we’ve shared our homes and our lives with dogs, the manliest of all pets. But canines aren’t for everyone. Some men lead busy lives and can’t devote the time or attention that dogs typically require. Other men are compulsively neat, and the idea of dog hair and the occasional accident makes their skin crawl. But fear not: There are many options for men when it comes to pets, and the relationship can often be just as meaningful. So if you happen not to be a “dog guy,” what kind of guy are you? We decided to take a look. Here’s what your pet says about you.
Pitbull
You didn’t go to college because you graduated from the school of hard knocks instead. The Sanskrit tattoo on your lower back is a lyric from the Ja Rule song “Holla Holla,” and it’s visible whenever you take your wife beater off (all the time). You love your job in construction because your foreman lets you keep your precious chin strap, and your colleagues are equally enthusiastic about “macking shorties” at the “club” on weekends. You can’t remember the last book you read because your dad read it to you and you were 10. Your dog is your best friend, but if he ever chooses a bitch over you, he’ll have to find another fake Persian rug to piss on.Australian Shepherd
You won’t befriend someone unless they’ve climbed Mount Kilimanjaro barefoot. Your prized possession is your solar-dry windbreaker personally signed by Man vs. Wild’s Bear Grylls, whom you’d consider dating, even though you’re straighter than a ruler. Whenever you’re not meticulously prepping for your upcoming quest to conquer the Pacific Crest Trail, you’re either relaxing at your local indoor rock climbing club or stressing over your recently purchased Geodesic tent. We all know the hybrid dome was the way to go. Goldfish
Things are looking up. You've moved out of your childhood bedroom and into the basement. You have a lot more privacy to build your life-size Miley Cyrus doll using popsicle sticks and excess dog hair. Your friends don’t come by that often anymore, because having a wife and kids is a lot of work, and you weird them out, too. One day you plan on having your own family, but you’re in the middle of too many games of online Battleship for that time to be now. Your biggest responsibilities include feeding your pet goldfish, making sure your parents aren’t home when you decide to pleasure yourself and pleasuring yourself. Parrot
You didn’t have many friends growing up, except for that odd little blond boy who your father insisted you stop talking to because of his vegetarianism. You were constantly teased at sleepover camp and accused by the other kids of being the central figure in a ghost story that involved hearts being ripped straight from chests. The only ones who wouldn’t make fun of you were the squirrels, robins and other forest dwellers who, although they always listened, never talked back. Finally you found an animal that does respond, and your desire for actual friends has all but faded away. Snake
You think having holes in your jeans is some sort of middle finger to society and to your parents, who forced you to play soccer as a kid. Although you work at a cool culture rag in New York, none of the hip editorial staff invites you out for cigarettes because, ew, you’re the creepy tech guy. You started to follow football briefly after finding out that you share a foot fetish with Rex Ryan, the coach of your hometown Jets, but have since fallen back into your previous passion: forniphilia (we dare you to look it up). And no matter how many telephone poles you flyer, you still don’t understand why no one comes to see your band Unborn Blood Puppet. Doesn’t anyone like Screamcore anymore?Cat
Your favorite pastimes include quilting, reading about quilting and finding really adventurous places to quilt, like the waiting room of your dermatologist’s office. You and your girlfriend share a love of the collected works of David E. Kelley, though you’re convinced he peaked with Chicago Hope. You hate the sun because it makes your skin blotchy, but hate the rain even more because it makes your cat slightly morose. You still can’t believe you were promoted to manager at the edible fruit basket shop, but, hey, that’s what eight years of hard work will get you.Pig
There’s nothing you love more than a well-cut tux, because even though it hasn’t happened yet, you’re convinced it will one day help you land a VIP cocktail waitress, an Italian television host or a former wrestler-turned-reality-TV-contestant. You put 10% of every paycheck in a separate savings account that you plan on using to buy an estate in Italy. You consider Brad Pitt and Matt Damon to be close friends, although they never return your calls, most likely because they don’t know you, like you, and you don’t have their phone numbers. You are very concerned with the atrocities happening in Sudan, and you often wear a T-shirt to show your support. You’re not George Clooney, but you’re pretty convinced you are.
Two things get Tucker Max visibly worked up: stories about eight-roper blowjobs and boning midgets, and talking about his critics -- or, rather, the critics who ignore him altogether. I met him at the office of his publicist on Madison Avenue in New York. I'd never read his writing, so I figured on a judgment-free first impression of a guy with huge fans and equally zealous haters. There's something developmentally off about Max, and he's the first to admit it. “You have to understand, me at 27 was maybe a normal guy at like 19 or 20,” he said. “I kind of joke about it, but it really is true, dude. I was not developmentally disabled but didn't mature at the same rate other kids did.” He's an intelligent guy by our major objective standards, educated at the University of Chicago and Duke Law School. But he wore sweatpants to the interview and has a habit of licking his teeth when he talks. This is the thing about Tucker Max: He's been one step ahead of the criticism game since he launched his site, which states "My name is Tucker Max, and I am an asshole" on its homepage. So calling him one is sort of like trying to knock out a guy wearing samurai armor with a roundhouse kick. You've got to get in there with some jujitsu.
"I pee in the sink and quickly exit, refusing to touch any surface." -Tucker Max
At 35, Max is releasing Hilarity Ensues and Sloppy Seconds, two books meant to be the final written words about the exploits with women that made him a New York Times best-selling author. “These two books put the ribbon on those stories,” he said. “It doesn't mean I'm not going to drink ever again or hook up ever again, but I'm not going to interact with [the] world the way I did 10 years ago. It's the difference between being a boy and being a man.” For Max, the past five years have been about growing up and forming better habits. He has adopted a “paleo” diet, trains in mixed martial arts, sees an analyst, and talks about taking responsibility for his actions. “At 27, I would have run through a wall to smell pussy,” he said. “Now I'm trying to figure out how to be a man the right way. It's easy to say, 'Take responsibility.' It's another thing to do it. I'm in the process of learning, on a granular level, how to do things.” This is admirable. Everyone makes mistakes, and anyone who isn't a sociopath will make behavioral adjustments along the way. There are plenty of people who think highly of Max (aside from his legions of fans, whose opinions we'll set aside for now). Fellow best-selling author Tim Ferriss met him at SXSW in 2007 and has seen a decent side of Max. “Tucker is very generous with his friends, sure, but he's also routinely nice to strangers,” Ferriss said. “It's hysterical to see people shocked by this 'out of character' behavior. On the flip side, he can absolutely speak to you like he has no prefrontal cortex filter, but that's Tucker. Love it or hate it, he will tell you his honest opinion. He's not for the faint of heart.”
Rumors were circulating last week that Verizon was set to launch the Motorola DROID 4 today, and this time the rumor mill did manufacture a fact. The new handset is, in fact, out today and available for $199 with a two-year contract from Verizon or from Amazon for $99 with a contract. According to our six-hour consultations with an abacus, the second options looks to be the better one.Specs-wise, the dual-mode touchscreen and slide-out keyboard cell packs a dual-core 1.2G Hz processor, 4G LTE, 16 GB memory, a microSD card slot, a 4-inch qHD display, an 8-megapixel back-facing camera, and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.Despite the battery-munching 4G, Motorola claims the DROID 4 gets up to 12.5 hours thanks to its larger 1785mAh battery. It’s a sweet RAZR-ish looking package, especially for those who can’t give up their physical keys. Unfortunately, the phone ships with Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, and not Ice Cream Sandwich, so it’s just shy of being irresistible. Considering the recent harsh words Motorola had for Google regarding the pokey Android update process for the OS’ licensees, there’s no word on when that will come. Someone should tell the two companies they’re owned by the same people.
Looks like the vodka martinis are on hold for cinema’s favorite spy. James Bond will now be hawking Heineken in ads, as the makers of the 007 movies, Eon Productions, have extended their 15-year sponsorship deal with the beer brand for the release of Skyfall.It will be the first time in the deal that the actor playing Bond (in this case, Daniel Craig) has personally fronted the commercials. Elsewhere, the two brands will together be ramping up TV, print and social media campaigns, as well as (you’d expect) a fairly prominent bit of product placement in Skyfall. “The level of collaboration with Heineken is unprecedented,” Eon executives Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said in a statement. “We are excited by the global reach and the creativity that the Heineken team is able to deliver.” This roughly translates as “Thanks for the money, suckers.” The influx will be especially welcome given that budget constraints on Skyfall have already meant that proposed location shoots in India have been shot down.During the Bond franchise’s 50-year history, it's never shied away from branding opportunities. Since it's made more independently than its big Hollywood rivals, any extra cash is welcome, and the Bond movies give big brands prime opportunity to discreetly show off new products. Current Bond studio Sony certainly think so. The most recent Bond movies have been loaded with money shots of Sony's latest phones, DVD players and TV screens. Skyfall -- and a lot of Heineken marketing -- opens in North America in November.
According to modern legend, the iPad 3 is set to launch in San Francisco the first week of March. We usually don’t report on rumors, but the info going around is sound enough that we think it’s for real. Still, that launch date doesn’t give Apple much time to build up awareness for the iPad 3 -- pronounced “eye pad three” -- which is the company's third attempt at making a tablet computer that can get some sort of traction in the market. Good luck with that.People privy to the good kind of leaks are saying the new iPad will sport an improved GPU to deal with the new 2,048 x 1,536 resolution retina display. It’s going to need that graphics power to drive increasingly demanding 3D games at a pixel count of 3,145,728 pixels -- exactly four times that of the 1,024 x 768 screen of the iPad 1 and 2.Reports are that the CPU in the next-gen iPad is not quad-core, but a much faster dual-core CPU. Where competitors love playing the specs game, Apple has been reluctant to chase bullet-point features like megapixels, preferring better-quality lower-resolution cameras. Similarly, the iPhone 4S was criticized for its lack of 4G, but recent reports of the brutal effects of 4G LTE on battery life have shown that Apple’s choices are smartly balanced. Applications don’t magically use all cores once you add them, so having four cores is more advantageous to multitasking, something Apple’s iOS has done well since it was added many moons ago. But we expect everyone who has no idea about multithreaded computing to go loopy with disappointment if that’s what the iPad 3 ships with. Consumers, on the other hand, will probably buy a few.
BlackBerry hasn’t been doing very well of late. Its share price has crashed, its user base has moved over to Android and Apple platforms, and its innovation division seems to be churning out the same old stuff. But that hasn’t stopped designer John Anastasiadis from attempting to update the jaded phone brand. His wrap-around BlackBerry borrows from the ever-growing field of flexible screen technology to envelop a candy-bar shaped phone. The reason for the bendy screen? Anastasiadis believes it will allow you to work in separate work spaces without having to remove them from the screen. Another nifty touch comes with the front- and rear-facing cameras, which have been located beneath the screens. When the user wants to take a pic, the screen will become transparent, revealing the lens beneath. Of course, for all those business users who can’t let go of a physical keyboard, one has been handily slotted behind, allowing for speedy typing. BlackBerry, we hope you’re listening, because this phone, or at least a variant of it, might just be what it takes to get you back on your feet again.
Whether or not you have kids, you should take a minute and identify some of the core values of fatherhood. Because when you do become a dad, you'll have to pass down those values to your children. We asked you to weigh in on the most important lessons a father can teach a son. A ton of you answered. Here are the best replies. Responses have been edited for clarity.
Look People In The Eye
"I tell my three boys that if you want to be taken seriously in a room full of adults, always look people in the eye when you speak to them and always shake their hand in a firm, positive manner."-PatrickBe A Loving Husband
"Let your son witness you hugging your wife daily and let him hear you telling your wife you love her. Young boys use these experiences as examples for how to model their own relationships for the rest of their lives."-Aaron J. ZachBe compassionate but not a pushover
"One of the most important things a man should teach his son is how to be compassionate but not a pushover. A real man knows how to empathize but stay true to his values at the same time."-Peter LowBe Open-Minded
"Open-mindedness. Perhaps one of the most important principles we can teach our kids is how to think for themselves so they can develop into individuals, not mini versions of their dads, as cool as that sounds."-Daniel PawlakDon't Expect The Worst In People
"A man should teach his son to treat others with kindness and respect. Every person deserves a clean slate and a kind reception when you meet them for the first time. Whether they then damage that perception is up to them."-ZachExpect to work hard
"A man should teach his son discipline and hard work so that he can carry through and be ready for life when he grows into the outer world. These things are to be taught by way of leading by example, focusing on first things first and helping him recognize how important it is to help others."-BruceTake Nothing For Granted
"A man should teach his son to question everything and take nothing for granted. The son should also learn to respect women and how to clean up after himself. He should teach his son to be responsible and not to take any crap from anybody."-J.J.
It seems Jeff Bezos bought himself part of a toxic asset this week. Amazon’s chief invested in a free and very popular Android app called Iris, which is the nearest competitor to Apple’s Siri. For those who failed English class, “Iris” is “Siri” backward, except Iris probably wears glasses, has a bun and enjoys tea. She also isn’t afraid to speak her mind on abortion. If you ask her “Is abortion wrong,” you get an answer that’s all fire and brimstone: “Yes, abortion is wrong. The Lord has said, 'You shall not murder,' (Exodus 20:13). The life that is growing within the mother is a child, a baby. The Bible looks at the life in the womb as a child. Thanks! ChaCha” At least, that’s what it said 20 hours ago. After the initial outcry, it seems that ChaCha, the web-based service behind Iris, has changed its stance on abortion: “Whether or not abortion is wrong is a matter of personal choice. Some people consider abortion murder; other people feel that it is not. I personally believe it is the choice of the woman.” Wow -- that was fast. I don’t know whether ChaCha and Iris’ puppetmasters are just doing a cleanup job after a bad hire went all lady from Jesus Camp on them, but other new searches turned up similarly innocuous responses. Ask it “Am I gay” today, and you’ll get this answer that’s anything but hateful or fundamentalist: “There's nothing wrong with being gay -- it takes a big person to admit that. Don't ever let anyone get you down for who you are. Keep your head strong and live life the way you want to. ChaCha loves you!”So there you have it. Iris went from being a God-fearing firebrand to Alec Baldwin in half a day’s time. Buckle up, everyone -- Iris is running for office! Just give her some time to get the answers right depending on which state you ask from. She’s new to politics.
As we’re all aware, one over-hyped, red-and-blue-clad mediocre team bested another over-hyped, red-and-blue-clad mediocre team this Sunday in what for once turned out to be a pretty good Super Bowl. Much as I don’t care for him, Eli Manning looked phenomenal. Tom Brady looked pretty good himself, except for one problem: He couldn’t find a way to play on both sides of the line of scrimmage.Or at least that was the problem according to one noted NFL analyst. I’m talking, of course, about Gisele Bundchen, Tom Brady’s supermodel wife. After New England’s failure to produce a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, Gisele responded to heckling while leaving the stadium with the following:“I can’t believe they dropped the ball so many times. My husband cannot f*cking control the ball and catch the ball at the same time.” Whoa there, Gisele. Take it easy. Everyone knows you win and lose as a team, right? That’s what other Pats players are saying, anyway. Apparently it’s not cool to trash other players in public after a game, and that’s doubly true for the spouses, who ostensibly don’t have any idea what it’s like to do something requiring such athletic prowess under such scrutiny. How could they, unless they’re professional athletes themselves? It’d be bad enough if it were any spouse, but the fact that it was Gisele saying this stuff has fans and the players especially riled up, and I can see why. Her fame is its own entity apart from her husband’s, and her intrusion into the team rhetoric definitely gives off a certain Yoko Ono vibe, making Tom seem more important than the group as a whole. Keep in mind, too, that this is just a taste of it on the national stage; real New England fans (all 12 of them) have been dealing with this for years. No one wants a supermodel bimbo wife coming in and ruining their supermodel bimbo quarterback for the rest of the team.I think her critics have a fair point, because when you ascend to the throne of football royalty, part of the job is maintaining your composure in public, even in the face of heckling New Yorkers (the best in the business). I also completely understand how other players are upset, if for one simple reason: She was kind of right.But can we please, just for a little while, stop pretending that anyone actually believes the whole “we win and lose as a team” bullsh*t? Yes, it’s entirely possible in a big win that the team’s chemistry was perfect, allowing for a decisive, seamless defeat of an opponent. Similarly, it’s possible that absolutely nothing goes right and the whole team looks like they might as well be playing on a high school junior varsity squad. I get it, it happens -- but not nearly as often as success or defeat hinging on a few players’ successes or failures. I’m tired of millionaires who are paid to play a game shirking responsibility when they seem completely unable to do their jobs.Most often, the team rhetoric comes from the few people responsible for the team’s win or loss. The kicker who booted the game-winning field goal or the receiver who made the physics-defying grab doesn’t want to appear boastful, because everyone remembers how well that turned out for Terrell Owens. Instead, they appear modest, credit the whole team and probably make a lot of football euphemisms for all the casual sex they’ll go on to have that night.
Today, Nikon unveiled its newest affordable high-end DSLR to a world that’s still picking its jaws off the floor. The headlining feature of the D800 is its insane 36 megapixel max resolution -- that’s three times the resolution of its predecessor, the D700, and far higher than anything its competitors are offering in any comparable price field. Not too long ago, everyone was agreeing that we’ve reached the end of the megapixel race, since even rinky-dink point-and-shoots can get a decent quality 11x17 these days. Then Nikon comes into the ring with a metal chair, and, bam, everyone is sitting there awestruck by its moves and valiant declaration of “Yeeaaah, you heard it, bitches!” Still, having that much resolution becomes a liability. It’s a bit like one of those porn stars packing so much equipment below that you start to feel sorry for them. Luckily, the camera comes with USB 3 for extra bandwidth, but even if you have a newer machine with USB 3 ports, it will just make owners of SSD drives into “that guy with the solid-state drive with 12 images on it.” Still, I’m sure there will be some people interested in using all that image data, and for you crazy bastards, here are some of the other specs of the D800: • It sports the FX-format CMOS image sensor and new EXPEED 3 image-processing engine, 51 point auto-focus system• ISO sensitivity range from 50 to 25,600• Continuous shooting at 4 (FX-format/5 : 4 image area) or 5 (DX-format/1.2x image area) fps• For DSLR videographers, it does 1080p recording at 30FPS and has a microphone connector and a video connector that lets you output video feed to a monitor in real-time• 3.2-inch LCD• Approximately 10% lighter than the D700. Now put the chair down, Nikon. We hear you.
A shaken-and-stirred 007 was spotted hitting the streets of London this week. Photos snapped on the set of the latest Bond film, Skyfall, reveal Daniel Craig -- looking even more intense than usual -- in full-on action mode, as he was filmed tearing through the city streets wielding a gun. Pictured here: Daniel Craig on set. To create the pulse-racing scene -- most likely the aftermath of an audacious assault on MI6’s home turf -- traffic was brought to a standstill to let Craig through. Craig looked like the spitting image of an iconic Bond, clean-shaven and tricked-out in a classic suit, and sprinkled with debris dust, which contrasts with the grizzled-looking first official image released last week. It certainly looks as though director Sam Mendes, best-known for more reflective work, such as American Beauty and Revolutionary Road, is sticking to his plan to make sure that Skyfall will contain all the action, babes and gadgets that fans expect from a 007 flick. “I think it has all the elements of a classic Bond movie,” Mendes explained at the film’s launch, “including -- to quell any rumors -- a lot of action.”Skyfall will see Bond pushed to the limit both physically and mentally as MI6 comes under attack from a mysterious enemy, while his personal loyalty to M (a returning Dame Judi Dench) is tested, as revelations about her past are exposed. Javier Bardem will get his mean on as the bad guy, while Brit newcomer Ben Whishaw (as the rebooted Q) and Naomie Harris will be on Team Bond. Major thesps Ralph Fiennes and Albert Finney are in undisclosed roles, while the inevitable stunning Bond girl -- the enigmatic Sévérine -- is French model Bérénice Marlohe. Skyfall opens in North America in November.
Was the Apple HDTV outed by Best Buy this week? In a survey sent to its customers, the megastore wrote that they could be the first to get an “all new 42" Apple HDTV,” and it even lists a price of $1,499 for the unit. Then Best Buy goes on to list the apparent features of Apple’s until-now-rumored device: -Incorporates iOS, letting you run games like Angry Birds on your TV set-iCloud support for cloud syncing-Use your iPad or iPhone as a remote control-Stream content from popular sites such as Netflix, YouTube and Flickr And if the missing cap on Flickr was the first hint that this isn’t an official Apple spec list, that illusion falls apart with this feature bullet:-Built-in convenience with built-in iSight camera and microphone for Skype Considering that Skype is owned by Microsoft and that Apple has been pushing its iOS-only Facetime video chatting for years now, I doubt that it had a sudden change of heart regarding that one. There’s not much doubt that Apple is going to be launching the Apple HDTV soon, to the chagrin of Samsung and more so to the faltering duo of Sony and Panasonic. But it seems that, until Apple launches the worst-kept secret in Cupertino’s history, we’ll be wading in increasingly weirder confirmations and sightings to take with André the Giant-sized pinches of salt.
Balding is the hoverboard of medical research. If someone had told me in 1989 that, more than 20 years later, my Birdhouse deck wouldn't float, I'd have told the butthead to get lost. But here we are in 2012. Hoverboardless. Dinosaurs.Worse: Men have been losing their hair for thousands of years, and the best science has done is smoke and mirrors, ointment and wigs. Perhaps it's what we deserve for all our vanity, preening and grooming while the promises of liberal democracy smolder. Maybe we should shave our heads and rebuild America. But the truth is even the most stoic guys struggle with hair loss when it sets in, and it'll happen to about 50% of us by middle age. Only a much smaller percentage -- as low as 7% -- will ever seek medical treatment.Understanding why this is boils down to the fact that there hasn't been a single groundbreaking treatment that permanently stopped or turned back the clock on hair loss. In fact, there has never been a clinical treatment specifically developed for hair loss that worked.The options from recent history: wearing a wig; using a topical solution or foam with minoxidil, like Rogaine (developed initially to treat high blood pressure); taking finasteride, which is in Propecia and Proscar (first used to treat an enlarged prostate); or getting hair transplants. Each of these works in a piecemeal way, but they're all problematic. Wigs are a bit silly. Rogaine and Propecia have mixed results and must be used every day, for life. Transplants are limited by the amount of donor hair from the crown and back of the neck. None of them will bring back the flowing locks of your teenage years.Some scientists and doctors think that could change in the next 10 years. Is it for real this time?