SNL Entertains

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Over the weekend, Justin Timberlake entertained us as host and musical guest on Saturday Night Live.  This marked his entrance into the Five-Timers Club joining the ranks of other famous celebrities such as Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin.  

As of late, I'll admit SNL has had more misses than hits.  Usually the first thirty minutes of the show includes all the best skits and I stop watching, but with Justin at the helm, it proved much more entertaining.  Vegan Ville, was an easy favorite of mine but the rest of the skits worked out better than most.  Maybe it's my lower expectations but I liked it.  

Without surprise, he performed his "Suit & Tie" hit single with Jay-Z stepping up on stage and he also slyly changed some lyrics throwing it back at Kanye for his earlier snub at the song.  Finishing up, he performed his another single "Mirrors" and I'll admit, it was a great show to watch.  

Pickup Justin's new album, The 20/20 Experience, on Amazon for only $7.00!  

  

Did you happen to catch him wearing the famous red-soled shoes by Christian Louboutin during his musical performances?  

Hario V60 Day 1

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After acquiring the essential tools over the past week, I was able to produce a great cup of coffee; first for my mother-in-law and then myself. What a difference this method makes! I'll post pictures of my setup in later this week.

I couldn't' have made a better video than these guys but I will try in the future. For now, check these guys out!

Hario V60 from doubleshot - pražírna kávy on Vimeo.

Hang in there Apple

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The Galaxy S III shipped 18 million units worldwide in that three-month span from July to September, compared with 16.2 million for the iPhone 4S, according to research by Strategy Analytics. With the release of the iPhone 5, Apple retook the lead in the final months of 2012, selling an estimated 27 million. But the S III hung in there with another 15 million units sold.

So wait, while Samsung narrowly beat the already one year old iPhone 4S by 1.8 million phones sold, the S3 hangs in there falling 12 million phones behind?

It's not much competition really. Come March 14, I definitely think it'll be a different ball game but these Apple doom and gloom journalists have to stop baiting!

They also forgot to mention that the iPhone 4 was selling pretty well too. What ever happened to the Samsung Galaxy S2?

via CNN: Samsung Galaxy S IV coming March 14

Norah Jones Sings "Everybody Needs Best Friend"

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A beautiful performance by Norah Jones. This song, "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" features music by Walter Murphy and lyrics by Seth MacFarlane from the movie TED. It was easily one of my favorite movies of 2012 and if you haven't seen it, it's out on DVD & Blu-Ray.

Unfortunately, NBC still chooses to use Adobe Flash for their video offerings, so if you're using Safari, just open up Chrome and use the built in player.

You're Outta Here!

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I'm excited to see Jony Ive, the new head of Human Interface, execute his vision. On the other hand, I thought Scott Forstall was an awesome presenter and was surprised when his iPhone presentation was too similar to what we saw at WWDC. Progress was indeed stalled and when that happens, change must occur. And that "other" guy, Browett, he should have ever even tried to replace the out going master after the crap job he did in England. Apple should fire the headhunter that found him and recommended him in the first place.

“This was better than the Giants winning the World Series,” he said. “People are really excited.”

Apparently, peace is on the horizon.

via Bits NYTimes

Playing Offense and Defense

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Farhad Manjoo on the iPad mini.

Launching the iPad mini may be purely a reactive, defensive move for Apple. But when you’re as big as Apple is now, you can play offense and defense at the same time.

I whole heartedly believed that the 7" market was going to fail but with the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire's selling at $199, those devices captured an audience. Heck, I even bought the Nexus 7 but I'll admit, it'll be up for sale when my iPad mini comes in. Is the $129 premium worth the ecosystem of apps to you?

It's No Sunday Phone

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We love new phones but hide them in cases. We love nice cars but some of us are so infatuated with them that we only drive them to church (or on special occasions). Both are utilities that are made to be used and I could not agree more.

The iPhone, however, prefers not to play by these rules. Though exquisite in design, it was not born as art to be put on display. It belongs in our pockets. It is a tool. A utility. A gadget of gadgets.

The iPhone is here to work.

via Shawn Blanc

Will Houston be Linning?

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Who knows what the 2012 NBA season will bring? Can the defending champs make it two in a row or will the newly constructed Lakers give the Heat a run for their money. Of course, there's always Oak City being thrown in the mix and with Derrick Rose back, the Bulls should once again be a formidable threat. Those are the obvious questions but in Houston and New York, the off season trade of Jeremy Lin will finally show it's colors. We all love a happy endings and this one entails the Knicks forgetting to check their egos. Realistically, all I'm looking for is a great performance from Jeremy and his new team. Post season hopes would just be icing on the cake but you all know I'm rooting for the Lakers! GQ Contributor Will Leitch weighs in with an interview in the November issue.

You can make a strong argument that Lin is better off without the Knicks' dysfunction, that the franchise never deserved him anyway. As a Knicks fan, it's not one I particularly enjoy making, but I think it's true.

I was fortunate to watch Jeremy Lin live when he scored a game winning three pointer and I have to say, the excitement in the away arena was palpable! With my good friends Jojo and Marella recently moving to Houston, I have a perfect excuse to go visit and watch another live game! And no, I don't already own a Rockets jersey... yet.

The Magazine

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Marco Arment, from Instapaper & tumblr fame, has released a new subscription-based app on iOS simply called,"The Magazine". It's a different approach on technology related articles and their delivery.  I'm already looking forward to the next issue after finishing #1.  I want this to succeed and hopefully I can be insightful enough to be included some day!

Instead of the traditional labor-intensive magazine layout and expensive multimedia production, The Magazine’s article format is similar to Instapaper’s: one clean, adjustable, reader-friendly template with HTML, occasional images, and some small conveniences. It loads quickly, integrates well with sharing and system conventions (including text selection and VoiceOver), occupies minimal storage space, and shows the utmost respect for your time and attention.

The Magazine is leaving behind a lot of what magazines “need”. And many magazines really do need them. But I don’t think this does.

All of this is a bit crazy, and it’s not guaranteed to succeed. But I bet it will.

Looks like my unsubscribed The Daily app is going to have some companionship on my Newsstand.

Apple New iPod Touch

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If you want an iDevice sans cellular network, this is your answer.  Granted Nintendo's 3DSXL and Sony's Playstation Vita come in at $100 less and up to $50 less causing me to question Apple's price point.  Is this new iPod Touch more valuable than the other two gaming companies current offerings?  I personally don't think so but that's because I already have an iPhone 5.

If you’re looking for a device like the iPod touch, buying this year's model is an absolute no-brainer, but I’d bet more people are going to think twice before laying out $300.

via David Pierce, The Verge

Joby GorillaPod Hybrid

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I've been meaning to buy a Joby GorillaPod for sometime now and I finally made the decision to go ahead with the GorillaPod Hybrid.  It's small enough while still providing support for smaller DSLRs weighing up to 2.2 pounds; my Olympus OM-D E-M5 weighs just under one pound without the lens so I'm hoping that it'll hold. I'll be getting it shortly and will update you with photos of my own. I mainly am looking forward to using the Pod for my video reviews and other photos of my little girl.