TWiT
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Twitter faces trademark infringement lawsuit from podcast network
TWiT, aka This Week in Tech, is suing Twitter. The well-known tech netcast says Twitter has broken a number of written and oral agreements and is infringing on its trademark. The two companies started up around the same time in the mid-2000s, with Twitter co-founder Evan Williams telling TWiT's Leo Laporte that Twitter was simply a "text-based microblogging service". The two informally agreed that, despite the similarities in their names, their platforms were fundamentally different and were happy to co-exist on the condition, the lawsuit alleges, of "each company continuing its own unique distribution platform." As far as TWiT is concerned, that's no longer the case.
Unboxing a 25-year-old Macintosh IIcx
Greetings retro Mac fans. Do your kids take their iPads for granted? Do they not understand the mind-boggling glory of their now primitive iPod touch? Well gather up the little ones for an hour long, yes hour long, piece of Apple history. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Macintosh, the fine folks at the Inside TWiT web series have put together a special video showcasing the 25-year-old Macintosh IIcx. The guys crack open a complete IIcx, including shrink-wrapped manuals and its glorious inside. Watch as they install a cutting edge (for the era) video card that kicks the machine up to a stunning 256 colors. Explain to your children the convenience of the "programing switch", a plastic piece which allowed you to press the interrupt and reset buttons back when they were located on the actual motherboard. Remarkably, the machine still works, and provides a history lesson for younger Mac fans about just how easy things have become. Imagine if kids still had to listen to that terrifying floppy drive click every time they tried to install an app? It's a joy to watch the TWiT guys install the old Kid Pix art program. After all these years I'd forgotten about the "bomb" clear screen feature in that particular program. There was nothing better as a kid than drawing some odd monstrosity, and then blowing it up into artistic oblivion. If you've got a hankering for nostalgia join the TWiT guys for this hour-long look at a piece of our shared history.
Nokia Lumia 900 coming to retail on March 18?
Did the "next few months" announcement from the unveiling of the Nokia Lumia 900 leave you wanting? Perhaps a March 18th pronouncement will sate your own personal gadget knowledgebase. That's the date being tossed around by Windows gurus Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley, who joined forces on TWiT to discuss the presence of a March date in the latest Nokia developer newsletter. But that wasn't good enough for Paul, who said the specific date is March 18. Go ahead and mark your calendars, but we'd recommend you use pencil -- just to be safe.
Growing Up Geek: Iyaz Akhtar
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have a special guest: Iyaz Akhtar, current associate producer and host of Tech News Today on TWiT.tv. My childhood home had a lot of electronics around because my Dad was a bit of a gadget guy. Every now and then, we'd go to a small electronics shop where my dad would negotiate prices and extras since he apparently knew the owners. If we bought a portable game system, we'd always get extra batteries for free.
Growing Up Geek: Tom Merritt
Welcome to Growing Up Geek, an ongoing feature where we take a look back at our youth and tell stories of growing up to be the nerds that we are. Today, we have a special guest: journalist and broadcaster Tom Merritt, current host of Tech News Today on TWiT.tv. I always hesitate to apply the term geek to myself. To me it's an honorific. Someone with super mad skills or knowledge deserves the term, and the superior of all those who deserve it is the alpha geek. But times being what they are geek has become a term of currency. Before I let this devolve into a debate about the difference between geek and nerd, let's move on to the evidence. You, dear reader can decide for yourself where on the geek scale I belong.
Roku Channel Store delivers ten new content portals for zero dollars
Roku owners already have access to Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand and MLB.tv, but now the set-top box is about to get a lot more interesting. Starting tonight and running throughout the next fortnight, existing owners of the Roku SD, Roku HD and Roku HD-XR will receive an automatic (and free) update that delivers ten new content channels. Pandora, Facebook Photos, Revision3, Mediafly, TWiT, blip.tv, Flickr, FrameChannel, Motionbox and MobileTribe will be joining the fray, and while we wish the likes of Hulu and other television portals were included, we're holding out hope that such channels will be unveiled in due time. In fact, Roku admits that "many other developers are working on Roku Channels now, and Roku expects additional developers to adopt the Roku platform over time." So, have these guys convinced you that you need another box underneath your HDTV yet, or what?
He Said/She Said: It's a man's WoW
Welcome to another edition of He Said/She Said where Amanda Dean and David Bowers take on some of the deepest gender issues in the World of Warcraft universe. This time we discuss the expectations of men and women in guilds and how WoW reflects the larger society. Amanda: I don't know how many times I've heard of women flirting their way into raids or excellent gear. Perhaps this happens in some cases, but these are the bad apples. I find myself growing kind of tired of the stereotype that girls can't play WoW. The truth is that many women play WoW, and many of us are very good at it. Because of the stereotypes, A lady has to work considerably harder in a guild to earn respect. It's like being guilty of being a twit until proven otherwise.
TWIT and HD Beat
All the HD Beat readers and podcast listeners know we love the guys at This Week in Tech. We have enjoyed watching them on TechTV and listening to their podcast. We were very honored this week when Patrick referenced us on how Moviebeam works. It was a short quote after Leo questions the response, he says "Hey it's straight from HDBeat.com, those guys are alright, except when they talk trash about Robert." Sorry Robert we don't mean to talk trash, we just wish you read HD Beat as regularly as Patrick seems to. Thanks for the props guys!
Ron Wayne quits Apple - 30 years ago
The company was just a couple of weeks old, but he had to quit. Ron Wayne, one of the original stakeholders in Apple Computer was apparently worried about debt. I sympathize with Ron's decision, having been involved in one too many startups. Unfortunately, Ron could be a billionaire today if he'd stuck it out. But that's life, isn't it? To hear just a bit more on Ron's decision, and to hear a lot more from some of the first Apple employees, listen to TWiT #48. It's Dvorak-free. [Via Apple Matters]
TWiT Number 38: Comments from the live taping
In lieu of other parties on Tuesday night, I was lucky enough to get registered for the live recording of This Week in Tech, or as it is popularly called, TWiT. For those who don't know, TWiT is one of the most popular podcasts out there, featuring the inimitable Leo Laporte (he used to be on TechTV) and his band of merry tech pundits and writers. Regular guests include Patrick Norton, Kevin Rose, and resident grumpy old guy John C. Dvorak.This particular recording found a few Mac notables, including Chris Breen, and Amber MacArthur of Command-N (though she was also on TechTV for a bit too, and still is in Canada). There was the potential of Woz joining in, but I believe he had obligations to his company Wheels of Zeus, who have an IPO beginning soon. The last bit of the show found the Energizer bunny known as David Pogue also joining in. If you get a chance, be sure to listen. Hopefully it'll be ready by this weekend...More after the jump.
