Hi-tech music lovers now can have a home sound system without spending an arm and a leg. It’s called the “Squeezebox Sound Solution”. Finally, an easy way to produce big music, take it portable, and have fast access to easy menus. The Logitech Squeezebox Radio Music Player with Color Screen (Black) is the perfect way to get wi-fi radio with great sound quality.

You have a broadband connection, you have a router, and you would like to have streaming music wherever you go throughout the house. Purchase a battery pack and you can go out on the porch and listen to your favorite tunes? Nice.

Listen to any type of music without interruption. With just a password from your wireless connection, you can have access to Pandora, or whatever music channel that is preferred.

For about $150 one can have a desk radio that works in the kitchen, in the bedroom, on the porch, or maybe out in the garage. The age of internet radio has arrived and this is the way to get it.

You don’t have to be a tech guru to use this gadget. The Squeezebox is all you need if you have wireless internet connection.

There is one thing this unit is not. The Squeezebox is not a supreme, high quality surround stereo with boom speakers. That is going to cost you at least twice as much, if not more. The Squeezebox is just a portable network music player at a reasonable price. It is not flawless.

That being said, the Logitech Squeezebox Radio Music Player with Color Screen (Black) is durable, fun, and gives one an opportunity to listen to music from around the world.

The Logitech Squeezebox Touch is the new kid on the block.

For speakers, you can’t go wrong with the Audioengine A5 Powered Multimedia Speaker System (Black).

Don’t you just hate all of those annoying cell phones that infiltrate your daily commute? Do you feel that these type of people are ruining your privacy? Well, you could buy yourself a cell phone jammer and jam all of the signals in the immediate area, but these devices are considered illegal. Eric of Philadelphia was doing the cell phone jam, until he got busted that is.

An employee of NBC10 caught Eric jamming on a SEPTA bus in Philadelphia and warned him that cell phone jamming is illegal. According to the NBC10 report, the fine is up to $16,000 and jail time, if one gets caught up in the action.

The cell phone jammer device supposedly will jam a variety of signals and has a range up to 33 feet. The cell phone jammer comes with car charger and wall charger. This device can be bought for around $40.00 if you’re interested in purchasing one. There are more advanced models available at the Jammer Store.

Are cell phone jammers the next big thing?

BestBuy — is dropping the price on the iPad tablet, which will be a discount of approximately $50.00. The news is out that Apple will introduce the iPad 3 in San Francisco, on March 7, 2012. This report reveals what to look out for at the event.

Best Buy is also running a sale on the Apple iPod. The prices on several iPod models are decreasing for sure. There are some really good deals on the Apple iPods at BestBuy.

Apple will hold the event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA), as it has held events there before.

A report from the Los Angeles Times reminds us of what happened in 2011:

The iPad 2 was unveiled on March 2, 2011 by then-CEO Steve Jobs, who came back from his medical leave to unveil the device at the Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. The iPad 2 went on sale the following week, March 11, 2011.

What top 5 features to expect with the iPad 3? This CNETTV video gives us some idea.

LED lights will work for emergency lighting. If you have a vehicle and the dome light is blowed, or your console lights aren’t working properly, the Flexible Light Strip 300 SMD Bright White LED Ribbon 5 Meter or 16 Feet By Ledwholesalers, 2026wh is what you need.

LED Flex Strip Lighting is a fairly new concept and could become very popular in no time. The uses could be many.

LED strips could be used for: cabinet lighting, bathroom lighting, closet lighting, bicycle lighting, scooter lighting, travel trailer lighting, vehicle illumination, tool shed lighting, porch lighting, TV backlighting, DJ lighting, night club lighting, studio lighting, office lighting, costume lighting, sign lighting, architectural lighting, and more.

Flexible LED Ribbon Lights come in different colors and are very safe to use. Flexstrip lighting uses 12 volts for power. This is plug and play with easy installation.

The applications for the light-emitting diode seem to be endless, as well as the advantages.

Samsung has ushered in the age of the smart TV. With the Samsung 7500 and 8000 series, the television experience will certainly change as we gaze into the near future. Samsung has revealed some 2012 HDTVs earlier in the year.

Samsung will market the 55-inch OLED’s probably this coming spring.

A video (courtesy of CrunchTechie) demonstrates just how this new technology will change our recreational habits.

Your new smart TV will recognize keywords or trigger words that will activate as well as deactivate the functions. There will be voice control, emotion control, and facial recognition. You will say “Hi TV” when you want to start the procedure.

A wave of the hand will be a mouse, or cursor.

Samsung highlighted some of its 2012 HDTVs at the Consumer Electronics Show.

TelyHD is a bit pricey, however, it could save you on cell phone bills in the long run. Just consider this — you could be talking to business associates or clients via Skype. Setup is that easy and the quality is outstanding. Another bonus is that you get no monthly fees with this package.

Here is what you need to get started: a broadband connection and an HDTV port, which most HDTV’s are already equipped with. Everything else is included in the box. Well, except for the physical hugs. But at least you can see and hear your guests like never before, in HDTV of course.

For just over 200 dollars, you could become part of a technological revolution. No need to rush out and hunt for webcams, microphones, and other supplies to get the job done. This Skype application uses Android for the operating system.

Again, basically all you need is broadband, a nice HDTV, and Skype. If you’re somewhat familiar with Skype you are one step ahead of the curve.

Video calling has never been so accessible. Share those special moments using telyHD . You’ll be happy that you did.

This 8 month old baby was born deaf, watch the moment as his cochlear implant is activated and he hears sound for the first time, and his mother’s voice.

This is quite the moment that science waits for. Stunning.

Video Courtesy of NASA
Atlantis launched on July 8, 2011 at 16:29 UTC. The Atlantis Shuttle landed for the last time at the Kennedy Space Center on July 21, 2011 at 09:57 UTC. The Atlantis will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex after it is decommissioned.
Source: Wikipedia

Entrenched in the state West Virginia lies Pendleton County. As of 2000, the population was 8,196. The county has a total area of 698 square miles.

Pendleton County was pro-Confederate during the American Civil War. The county became  part of West Virginia even though the residents didn’t want it forced upon them.

In 1758, near 60 settlers were massacred by Shawnee and Delaware native Americans. It was the attack of Fort Seybert, which is located in Pendleton County.

There is a remote sight in Pendleton County that is located near a small, quaint town of Franklin. It’s called Sugar Grove, or commonly called “the Grove”. The cost of living is low and the place is very laid back. The Grove is about an hour and a half drive from Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Hidden in the mountains of Sugar Grove there is the largest “eye” or “ear” if you prefer, on the east coast, where the NSA has set up shop. It is operated by the U.S. Navy and the US Air Force.

The location is part of an area called the  U.S. National Radio Quiet Zone [NRQZ].

The task of the station in 1991 became “to maintain and operate an ECHELON site” [Cyber-rights.org].

On December 29, 2005, Navy Security Group Activity Command was disestablished. Navy Information Operations Command, Sugar Grove was established as part of the integration of NAVSECGRU functions into Naval Network Warfare Command. The SECGRU Service Cryptologic element responsibilities have been performed by the Information Operations Directorate of NETWARCOM ever since [Source: NIOC].

The NSA has the capability to scan e-mails, faxes, instant messages, web searches, text messaging, and  phone calls, including cell phones and landlines. Originally designed to spy on other countries during the Cold War, it is believed that the U.S. government is now spying, or has the option to do it, on all American citizens.

The USA PATRIOT Act was enacted into legislation by George W. Bush during his presidency on October 26, 2001. This controversial act reduced restrictions on law enforcement agencies’ ability to search telephone, e-mail communications, medical, financial, and other records.

Just before the midnight deadline on May 26, 2011, President Barack Obama signed a 4-year extension of three key provisions in the USA Patriot Act. Opponents argue that this act is unconstitutional.

NATIONAL RADIO QUIET ZONE COORDINATION REQUIREMENT

* Amateur Radio — NRQZ coordination is required for all new or modifed, permanent, fixed, licensed transmitters inside the NRQZ, as specified for federal transmitters by NTIA manual section 8.3.9 and for non-federal transmitters by the FCC in 47 CFR section 1.924. [NRAO]

The self-checkout lane may be dying for good. Albertsons, LLC has announced that it’s going to get rid of all of its self-checkout lanes. According to the MSNBC article, other major food chains may follow suit behind it.

Clarification: There are actually two different companies with similar names. Here is the distinction. Albertsons, LLC owns and operates 217 stores; it will close the self-checkout lanes.

However, Supervalu Albertsons which owns 460 stores will continue to provide self-checkout lanes (Chain Store Age).

This is not a big shock if you stop to think about it. What is the problem with self-checkout lanes?

Social media might just give us the answer. People are gregarious creatures by nature. People want to experience things together. Experiencing things together enriches life. Oh, and that thing called customer service…

This is the reason why social media has came such a long way and the odds are great that it will be around for a long time, if not permanently. People want good information, but more importantly people want to share that information. This is why social media is red hot and the self-checkout lane is not.

The dying self-checkout lane should be a big hint to websites, bloggers, and businesses. Getting your brand or product established is part of the component, but really listening to the needs of your customer is the most important factor to success. Success depends on listening more than anything else. It’s about the feedback.

When a business (or blog) loses the sight of this factor, the business runs the risk of losing customers in a big way. It’s taken the big food chain stores a decade to figure this out. Today’s business owners should step aside and take notice of this.

Internet surfers want interaction. Add a badge, suggestion box, a poll, forum, etc. The comment section is of utmost importance. Some readers may not want to leave comments while others do. Offer your readers a space to leave comments. Reply to those comments when plausible. Add social media to your page.

Customers may have forgotten something in the store, want a price check, or see an item that catches their eye. Machines do not take the place of human interaction. That’s a fact.

Whatever you do, don’t leave your customers stranded in the self-checkout lane. Read, respond, engage, and find out what your customers are really interested in. Suggest an event, a product, or a tip that might brighten someone’s day. You want your customers to stay in the store, and not leave as quickly as they can.

And make sure you tell your customers or readers that you appreciate their business very much. That’s the missing link in the busy corporate world.

You are social media friendly and not the dying self-checkout lane.

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