Set Top boxes have a big limitation in that you get Pigeon Holed into one device such as AppleTV or the forthcoming NetFlix unit, but the Myka could change the landscape forever. The Myka is a BitTorrent device which will work with anything the web has to offer and can download/play MPEG2, H.264, WMV and DivX media.
As Wired reports, the Myka is userfriendly because it takes the nerd out of the BitTorrent process. The Myka is intelligent enough to provide content (legal or otherwise) from a Peer2Peer network without all the advanced skills often required to pull off a BitTorrent download. The Linux based box is a simple connection to the TV via HDMI, composite (ouch), S-Video or SPDIF and connects to the internet via eithernet or WiFi. The Myka comes with a variety of internal hard drive configurations (80, 160 or 500GB) and includes an external USB port for additional storage or future connectivity / peripheral options.
“There’s no way the content providers will allow this pirate box on the market, right? Wrong. Myka already has the official BitTorrent service on board, which means it will carry legitimate content from 20th Century Fox, MTV, Warner and Playboy, amongst others.”
Wired posted a full interview with Myka’s president Dan Lovy, so if you’d like to learn more about the Myka set top box which will rule them all, jump.
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Flash update – Blogged.com reviewed GetUSB a week ago and just sent in the results: 8.5 out of 10. Not bad & others have done worse {haha}. Blogged.com reviews, rates and categorizes each website by their editors, so you won’t have to experience the frustration of filtering through blogs that are either spam, outdated, or irrelevant. You’ll be able to find quality blogs that you would have unlikely found through a traditional blog search.
“Our editors recently reviewed your blog and have given it an 8.3 score out of (10) in the Technology category of Blogged.com.
This is quite an achievement! We evaluated your blog based on the following criteria: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.
After carefully reviewing each of these criteria, your site was given its 8.3 score.”
Well, we didn’t score a perfect 10 like TechCrunch or Gizmodo but don’t worry, you can help. Jump over to Blogged and review my site – let me know where to improve – and maybe the next go around we’ll get into the 9+ range.
8.3 or 5.0, either way I’m happy took the time and energy to read and review my blog. I though only family did that.
Amy – if you are reading this you want to review some of my other sites like free RSS Filter utility or Flash Memory News?
If you find my site as valuable and useful as Amy did, you can sign up for GetUSB’s RSS feed or get-the-goods via email.
On a closing note: Don’t forget to review my site – Cheers!
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These are definitely words to live by – although not presented in the traditional manor, it is much more entertaining…
Source: Market Blog.
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Today, April 9th 2008 is the official CSS Naked Day. This is why GetUSB looks simple and plain.
On April 9th, 2008, hundreds, possibly thousands, of blogs and websites will go naked in honor of CSS Naked Day.
This is the third year of the annual CSS Naked Day which honors web design and designers around the world who help make our websites and blogs look “pretty†to the eye while still being totally functional under the hood.
Dustin Diaz wanted to give the web world an opportunity to remind everyone of the benefits of CSS web page design. By removing the stylesheet for the day, the world would see naked web pages, giving a little more appreciation for the skills of web page designers.
I think you’ll agree – CSS is an invaluable tool – GetUSB looks so much better in my slick, customized CSS style sheet.
Today is also an opportunity to showcase how usable and accessible my web page structure is even without the pretty, reminding the world that it is the law that your website must accessible by everyone using any method to access your blog.
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The Parasolar umbrella performs the very obvious of shielding you from UV rays, but did you know it soaks up those UV rays and converts them to energy? Oded Shorer is thinking outside-the-box with this concept design. The Parasolar pops open a cloth canopy which converts the sun’s rays into electric energy thanks to it’s integrated photovaltaic panels.
The Parasolar can discharge it’s stored energy via a 12v outlet or two USB ports. As UberGizmo points out, this is a great gadget for those camping trips. After all, what’s worse than losing iPod energy while stomping the North 40?
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Here is a Master Card commercial in the making – a USB gadget designed to randomly turn on or toggle a computer’s Cap Locks.
USB connector = $1.30
Some logic = $4.00
A bit of code = $0.00
Watching your work buddy get frustrated because of random Cap Locks = Priceless.
This DIY gadget will intermittently set the caps lock anywhere between 30 seconds and 8 minutes on the host system. What’s creative about this hell gadget is no software code is loaded to the system, thus spyware wouldn’t catch the culprit. Although it is hardware based – so probably not a good gadget trick for a laptop user or a savvy computer geek, but connecting it to the backside port of the idiots PC next to you at work – Priceless.
If you are interested in the full tutorial, then check out Macetech.com. Or check out my other list of USB Hacks.
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Cruising around last night, I found CoolBuzz posting some new USB designs – which are far from Cool Buzz. (sorry guys). Lets take a look:
I like the idea of convergence, but a cyber-latte which “fills up” during USB data loading is a little rediculous. Maybe good for a 2nd grader who needs to understand the concept, but I think we are all savvy enough to check capacity using the properties function.
Next up, and along the same line would be the hourglass and pie-chart shape. Wouldn’t you love to have that pie-chart sticking out the side of your laptop? Introducing a heating plate on that huge platter to keep your latte warm might be worth it, but even then a hard sell. The hourglass?  Come on. No comment there.
The only product I could see working is the Empty or Full USB device, and this would only work in one niche market. NASCAR.
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Having poor cell phone reception is a frustrating thing and it seems there’s always a zone you can’t get a call, regardless of courier. I’m lucky enough to get 4 bars of reception at my location, but my neighbor who works less than 1 mile away, gets only one lousy bar.
Southern California has rolling hills which plays havoc for cell phone providers. Until now that is. If your home or office is in a dead zone, or an area with low quality reception consider this cell phone signal booster, or signal extender.
This bad boy will boost your weak signal into full bar reception. All you need is at least one bar to let the cell phone extender do it’s boosting.
The mobile phone signal booster will add 2,500 square feet of pristine clear reception to where ever the installation is…that’s about 3 additional rooms or offices.
So what does something like this cost you? Just slightly more than cancelling your cell phone contract, about $250 bucks.
Jump over to ThinkGeek to get the details and different models available. You need to select the correct model for your courier service. It’s one of ThinkGeek’s hottest sellers, so it’s obviously worth the investment.
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..or at least a professional sounding podcaster. I’ve considering doing the podcasting, but I want to build up my reader subscription a bit more. The Alesis USB podcasting kit doesn’t care who you are, it’ll work on Mac or PC computers. The kit is designed for the novice user with features an advanced technical geek would enjoy.
Stream from 16 bit, 44.1-48kHz directly from your computer and use the high-quality headphones for monitoring your session. The USB podcasting microphone makes it a snap to get connected and get going.
One of the best applications for this type of product, other than being self-absorbed and loving the sound of your voice on the net, would be setting up a portable studio for trade-show interviews with customers, clients and critics. With the ease of setup from the Alesis system, your booth could have a podcasting station for in depth interviews, tutorials on products or guest speakers you could immediately deliver to the world via podcasting and the internet. After all, the classic 10×20 booth with some posters and fliers is so old-school.
The Alesis USB podcasting kit is priced at just $99 bucks. A drop in the bucket for anyone reading this post.
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It’s not often you hear “vertical” and “keyboard” in the same sentence so I jumped on this article when I heard Kensington re-styled their C170 keyboard to include a vertical mounted USB port.
So now that I’ve settled the vertical+keyboard question, the next is why? Look at the picture, then make the jump.
Let’em think you are real crazy. Chat away on this retro style old-timer phone handset with no cords. Don’t mention it’s Bluetooth enabled, just let them figure it out by themselves.
The retro styled handset has a blue LED indicator for Bluetooth connectivity and runs off recharegable battaries. When juice gets low, just plug in via USB and charge it up.
The bluetooth old-fashion handset yields about 30 feet of range and works with Bluetooth version 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2.
Hate to point out the obvious, but the bluetooth handset does not include a cell phone, you’ll need to dig that up yourself.
The retro style handset is available exclusively through ThinkGeek for $30.
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Accordian USB drive, are you kidding me? This is nothing more than silicone wrapped around a USB adapter port. Sure you could slap some marketing gargon on there, like accordion USB drive, but we’ll all see past it.
None the less, I didn’t think of it so kudos to Jacek Ryn for such an idea. You can see his little gadget trap at Poland’s Fine Arts in Gdansk.
The concept is fairly simple and straight forward. Put a USB port and memory device into an accordion shaped silicone casing and call it something new.
Sorry, but this stuff kills me.Source:Â Core77.
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Flash update – 
Today, April 9th 2008 is the official CSS Naked Day. This is why GetUSB looks simple and plain.
On April 9th, 2008, hundreds, possibly thousands, of blogs and websites will go naked in honor of CSS Naked Day.
This is the third year of the annual CSS Naked Day which honors web design and designers around the world who help make our websites and blogs look “pretty†to the eye while still being totally functional under the hood.
Dustin Diaz wanted to give the web world an opportunity to remind everyone of the benefits of CSS web page design. By removing the stylesheet for the day, the world would see naked web pages, giving a little more appreciation for the skills of web page designers.
I think you’ll agree – CSS is an invaluable tool – 
Here is a Master Card commercial in the making – a USB gadget designed to randomly turn on or toggle a computer’s Cap Locks.
USB connector = $1.30
Some logic = $4.00
A bit of code = $0.00
Watching your work buddy get frustrated because of random Cap Locks = Priceless.
This DIY gadget will intermittently set the caps lock anywhere between 30 seconds and 8 minutes on the host system. What’s creative about this hell gadget is no software code is loaded to the system, thus spyware wouldn’t catch the culprit. Although it is hardware based – so probably not a good gadget trick for a laptop user or a savvy computer geek, but connecting it to the backside port of the idiots PC next to you at work – Priceless.
If you are interested in the full tutorial, then check out 
Let’em think you are real crazy. Chat away on this retro style old-timer phone handset with no cords. Don’t mention it’s Bluetooth enabled, just let them figure it out by themselves.
The retro styled handset has a blue LED indicator for Bluetooth connectivity and runs off recharegable battaries. When juice gets low, just plug in via USB and charge it up.
The bluetooth old-fashion handset yields about 30 feet of range and works with Bluetooth version 1.0, 1.1 and 1.2.
Hate to point out the obvious, but the bluetooth handset does not include a cell phone, you’ll need to dig that up yourself.
The retro style handset is 