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Noiseless USB Karaoke Mic For iPhone, iPad, and iPod

Here’s a very wacky gadget that recently caught my attention. It’s a noiseless USB Karaoke Mic for the iPod, iPhone, and iPad from Japan.

Here’s how it works. You connect the mic, which comes with a sound proof cup that you’re supposed to sing into, to your iPhone’s audio jack. You can plug headphones into the audio jack to listen to while you sing. The songs can come from any karaoke app out in the app store or simply from your own music library.

While I find the idea pretty fascinating, I’m not sure if this would work out well for karaoke lovers, as a big part of the fun is the social experience. Karaoke is widely loved across Asia though, so this solo solution just might be something people are willing to pay for.

The set costs $80. And that’s cheap compared to a home karaoke set which costs at least above $100. The noiseless mic is a little ironic, I thought. People sing so others can listen, and this app defeats that purpose. But I guess for shy folks out there, this gadget would be perfect.

The idea of having a “mobile karaoke system” isn’t exactly new, as our Japan editor, Rick Martin pointed out. He wrote a column at The Japan Times reporting on a similar idea but with a karaoke box with songs preloaded. There are a number of karaoke apps on Apple’s app store as well that you might experiment with if you’re in a musical mood.

Alec Baldwin tussles with NY Daily News photographer


Much like the barbarians he films with for his Capital One Venture Card commercials, Alec Baldwin went medieval on an NY Daily News photographer.

NY Daily News photographers Marcus Santos and Jefferson Siegel were waiting outside the city Marriage License Bureau in New York City to photograph Alec Baldwin after he obtained a marriage license with Hilaria Thomas.

Things didn’t get pretty when Alec saw the photographers and it seems Baldwin pushed one of the photographers.


“He was like crazy, you know?” said freelancer Veljic, who takes photos outside the office every day. “There was an eruption of mad. … You’re going to get a marriage license, you should be happy. What happened with this guy?”

Thailand’s Got Talent: Girl can paint canvas with just her boobies


Thailand’s Got Talent is drawing attention for airing a segment featuring a female contestant painting a canvas with just her bare breasts.

23-year-old Duangjai Jansaunoi displayed her immense artistic talents with some beautiful and slick moves. I’m not really an art aficionado, but if more art was created in this manner, I would definitely pay more attention.

Ironically, a judge named PORNchita (also the only female judge) buzzed against her. There’s some issue of morality being raised in Thailand, but we’re definitely not complaining.

Check out her performance below!

Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel Live has jokes at NBA Media Day 2012


The NBA Finals are in full effect as the Heat are currently in the lead over the Thunder (2-1). And as the series starts to get serious, who else is better to lighten up the mood than Jimmy Kimmel?

Guillermo from Jimmy Kimmel Live had the pleasure of interviewing a few of the NBA’s biggest stars for NBA Media Day 2012.

Of the players interviewed, Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade were good sports. As for James Harden and Derek Fisher, ehhh not so much, but nonetheless still entertaining.

OH! And don’t forget to check out Guillermo’s exclusive interview with Lebron James at the end.

Oprah asks Kim Kardashian, “Would you be where you are had there not been a sex tape?”


Kim Kardashian recently sat down for an in depth interview with Oprah Winfrey on her show “Next Chapter“.

Most people seem to believe that Kim likes things long and hard but perhaps not in this variety as Oprah asked Kim some poignant and grilling questions.

One question that Oprah asked that’s drawing interest was, “Would you be where you are had there not been a sex tape?” To this, Kim answered, “You know, I think that’s how I was definitely introduced to the world. It was a negative way, so I felt like I really had to work ten times harder to get people to see the real me.”

Who was Paris Hilton before the sex tape and who was Kim Kardashian before the sex tape? In this day and age, a sex tape can help launch your career that can be worth millions… which is both the beauty and uglyness of America.

God Bless America: Kate Upton on GQ Cover


The new “it girl” Kate Upton is on the cover of the upcoming July issue of GQ.

As July 4th is coming up, not only is the busty & beautiful model wearing a star spangle themed bikini top, she’s also seen licking a red white & blue popsicle…

Fireworks, explosion.


Rodney King autopsy completed as death investigation continues

Results from toxicology tests could as long as six weeks to gather before coroner’s officials can determine how Rodney King died.

King was pulled from the deep end of his pool early Sunday by police who were called to his home by his fiancee. Investigators conducted an autopsy on his body on Monday.


Rodney King, the black motorist whose 1991 videotaped beating by Los Angeles police officers was the touchstone for one of the most destructive race riots in the nation’s history, has died. The 47-year-old was found unresponsive in his pool.


King became famous after he was severely beaten by Los Angeles police in 1991. The beating was captured on videotape and broadcast worldwide, as were photos of King’s bloodied and bruised face. The more than 50 baton blows and kicks inflicted by officers left King with 11 skull fractures, a broken eye socket and facial nerve damage.

The trial of four officers charged with felony assault in the beating ended after a jury with no black members acquitted three of the officers on state charges; a mistrial was declared for a fourth.

The verdict sparked one of the most costly and deadly race riots in the nation’s history.

Rialto police are investigating the 47-year-old King’s death as an apparent drowning and said they have found no signs of foul play. King’s fiancee spoke with police for several hours Sunday and is considered a witness in the case, Rialto Police Officer David Shepherd said Monday.

An officer remained stationed outside King’s one-story home throughout Monday, with several news crews also remaining in the neighborhood. Cars slowed to look at the house, and some stopped for passengers to snap photos. But no memorial to King had been created at the residence.

Toxicology results will show whether King, who struggled with addiction throughout his life, had any alcohol or drugs in his system.

Police have said there were no signs of alcohol or drug paraphernalia near the pool. Officers were seen taking a marijuana plant out of the house Sunday, but Shepherd said he could not confirm what items were taken from the home.

Lawrence Spagnola, who helped King write his memoir “The Riot Within: From Rebellion to Redemption,” said King was proud of the book and hoped it signaled a new chapter in his life where he wouldn’t just be remembered as a beating victim.

“Rodney was tired of being the Rodney who was always asked about the beating and if he’d forgiven the cops,” Spagnola said. King was happiest when he was outdoors and the two men talked about meeting for a fishing trip, Spagnola said.

“There was a lot of good in him,” he said.

He said King seemed like a different person when he spoke about the darker aspects of his life. “When Rodney was talking about spousal abuse or DUIs or drinking, there was a look in his face almost as if he was talking about another person,” Spagnola said.

King had plenty to look forward to, including setting a wedding date and the upcoming birth of another grandchild, he said.

Spagnola said King didn’t expect he would be remembered, but hoped that his infamous words spoken as the riots still flared, “Can we all get along?” would long outlive him.

Even 20 years after the beating, King still endured migraines, joint pain and other ailments, Spagnola said. Alcohol provided some relief, he said.

“I honestly think he’s more at peace now than he ever was in his life,” Spagnola said.

Source

Microsoft's new tablet: the great copier surfaces again

Microsoft finally revealed this week that it will introduce its own tablet called Surface. The Microsoft tablet still in prototype form only  looks sleek and slick with a built-in stand and a thin cover that doubles as a keyboard. It won't go on sale until the fall when the next version of the company's operating system, Windows 8, is set to debut. Pricing also has yet to be determined.

The market may not need a Windows tablet, but Microsoft desperately does.
The company has been steadily  some might say, inexorably falling behind in the new era of computing, the era in which the ability to easily access information is more important than the operating system or computing device we use to do it. Microsoft still hasn't understood this, failing to become a significant force in smartphones or tablets, mainly because it's working from an outdated model of being the Great Copier.

Microsoft has always mimicked other technologies, from graphical interfaces to Web browsing to financial software. In some cases, it did improve upon what it copied, but in general the company's approach worked because it was based on an artificial monopoly. It was important for us as users to work with common files and formats, so Windows continued to dominate and we adopted its browser and related software.

But it's a different digital world now. No one cares about operating systems and monopolies (Google notwithstanding). The world that Netscape tried to introduce and Microsoft did everything possible to quash is now upon us. You don't need Word to write a novel  there's free software for that. You don't need Windows Internet Explorer to surf the Web, Firefox does it better. You don't need Outlook when Google offers a free calendar online. Today, we're using iPhones, tomorrow Androids.

Conversely, Apple has always been the Great Aggregator. Under Steve Jobs, the company recognized the best original ideas from others, gathered them all together, and forged them into fabulous consumer goods. It's an approach better suited to today's world of information at your fingertips. Most of us could care less who built the app; all we want to know is where we are, and what's near us.
Today, the aggregators are winning, and Microsoft's antediluvian role as the Great Copier looks doomed to fail with its Surface:
  • Consumers don't care about Word or Windows. Few people will adopt a tablet because it works with Microsoft Office. No one cares about the platform anymore. And big companies don't care much either; the trend is to allow employees to BYOD  bring your own device. They aren't going to start buying $600 Surfaces for their cubicle drones when those workers are willing to buy their own iPads and Android phones.
  • Better hardware doesn't mean higher sales. Look at the Microsoft Zune, a superior product to the iPod in many ways. It boasted better sound quality and had more features, like an FM radio. But the Zune failed because the software never coalesced smoothly around what people wanted to do: just play decent rowdy tunes.
  • Schizophrenic products don't work. The Surface will come in multiple forms, a cheaper model that doesn't run the full Windows software, and an expensive, $1,000-plus "pro" model that will be a full-blown PC in tablet form. Offering multiple models and having to explain the different features flies in the face of what's appealing about the iPad: It's simple, and it works. If I want to figure out technical specifications, I'll get a laptop.
One suspects that the Surface announcement was a disappointment for Microsoft. Surface is designed to be a movie player, with a 16:9 screen that's obviously intended for HD video (a snazzy new Netflix app was highlighted at the event). By having the press conference in Los Angeles Microsoft clearly hoped that Hollywood studio execs would be standing beside them on stage touting major movie deals for the Windows Store. That didn't happen.

So not much changes with the introduction of a Windows tablet. Google Android and Amazon offerings will continue to be less expensive alternatives to the iPad, while Apple will maintain its market lead on the high end. Between these alternatives, there don't seem to be many Windows of opportunity.
In other words, Microsoft may need the Surface tablet, but you don't.

YouTube Launches Localized Site For Indonesia

After Singapore and Malaysia received their localized YouTube sites, we knew that soon enough it would be Indonesia’s turn. Today it has happened, with YouTube Indonesia launching at YouTube.co.id. Users can log on to the Indonesian site by selecting an option below YouTube.com or by simply visiting YouTube.co.id in the browser. The localized site is in the Indonesian language.

Besides the obvious language change, YouTube has also partnered with some of the top Indonesian media companies to enrich the localized site, including Kompas TV, Kompas Cybermedia, Viva Media Group and MyTrans.com. Local musicians, under Wahana Musick Indonesia (WAMI) and their content rights holder, will also have a chance to monetize their content with YouTube Indonesia through advertisement revenue share.

YouTube’s director of product management for the Asia Pacific region, Adam Smith, noted in the announcement today:

We are here in Jakarta today to open up a new local YouTube domain made especially for Indonesia, which features videos popular in Indonesia and videos uploaded by Indonesians. We hope this fosters the development of a local Indonesian community within the greater YouTube community, and that Indonesian artists, musicians, filmmakers, and video creators of all kinds will embrace the YouTube platform to share their stories with their neighbors, friends, fellow citizens  and also the rest of the world.

When we spoke with Google’s country head for Indonesia, Rudy Ramawy, at our Startup Asia Jakarta conference last week, he noted that the country was the world’s third quickest growth area for new web users, and that it was a place where the company hopes to build many partnerships [1]. He emphasized that more local content was a big necessity, and hopefully now that YouTube Indonesia has launched, things will pick up in the video space at least.

But just as it’s important to bring Indonesian content to the world, it’s also a priority to bring global content to Indonesia via YouTube. And that will happen this summer as Indonesians can watch the London Olympics on the IOC’s YouTube channel for free, from July 27 to August 12.

Bali full of optimism for tourism growth


Despite the global financial crisis in Europe, Bali remains optimistic that its tourism growth will continue to improve in the future.

The head of Bali Tourism Agency, Ida Bagus Kade Subhiksu, revealed that during the first quarter of 2012, there had been a 10.74 percent growth of visitors, amounting to 915,594 people.

This figure is 30 percent of the overall year’s target of three million visitors.

Positive growth has been displayed by several of Bali’s tourism markets, which include Australia, China, Malaysia, South Korea, UK, Russia, Singapore and the US.

Australian visitors have increased 10.64 percent to reach 222,372 people, while 124,366 Chinese people flooded the island, an increase of 74.71 percent. Visitors from Malaysia are up 0.99 percent to 53,031 people, the South Korean contribution is up 11.97 percent or 41,743 visitors, the UK has seen a 13.01 percent increase of 37,698 people, Russia is up 8.18 percent to 34,241 people, Singapore is up 6.99 percent to 32,589 visitors, and the US is up 8.83 percent to 29,766 people.

“We believe that these tourism markets will continue to grow, especially if global security and trust in us remain steady,” he said.

Subhiksu acknowledged though that the number of Japanese visitors was still decreasing.

“In 2011, the number of Japanese visitors dropped about 25 percent, but this year, until April, we only saw a 15 percent reduction.”

“It shows that the Japanese market is improving. Despite a slight decrease, the Japanese market is still in the top three of the 10 main countries whose people visit Bali.”

Beyond the 10 main markets, he said that tourists from several other countries were also arriving. For example, 10,896 New Zealanders came to Bali this quarter, while 14,485 visitors came from India.

Last year’s data showed that 37,015 New Zealanders and 50,435 Indians came to Bali out of the overall 2,756,579 visitors.

The deputy chairman of the Bali chapter of the Indonesian Hotels and Restaurants Association (PHRI), Ida Bagus Gede Sidharta Putra, stated his assurance that European tourists were typically loyal visitors who would continue to come to Bali. He cited that hotels in Sanur continued to receive European guests, most of whom had been to Bali many times.

“Many of them brought friends and families along to stay in Sanur.”

Bagus Sudibya of the Association of Indonesian Tour and Travel Agencies (Asita) reminded people that despite the optimistic spirit, Bali had to continue improving itself in terms of better public facilities and infrastructure.

Tightrope walker crosses Niagara Falls


He took the ultimate walk of fame Friday night when he became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a high wire. No one else in the world has had the view of Niagara Falls that Nik Wallenda had Friday night as he stared down into the churning waters 60 metres below and was enveloped in the mist from the thundering falls.

 One careful step at a time Wallenda battled winds and near-blinding spray to make history, becoming the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. Others have crossed the water on tightropes, but over the gorge downstream and not for more than 100 years.

 Nothing can beat that view, he said. "Just staring at the falls from here is breathtaking," Wallenda said after successfully completing his daredevil act. "To be directly in the middle, directly above the falls . . . it takes your breath away. It's just unreal." Wallenda was unbelievably calm as he slowly, painstakingly, proceeded step-bystep along the steel cable stretched across the falls. He even found time to give an interview as he was perched precariously over the raging waters below. "Oh my gosh, it's an unbelievable view," he told ABC, which was broadcasting the spectacle live. "I'm so blessed to be in the position I am, to be the first person to be right here and to be the first person in the world who will ever be right here."

 A crowd of tens of thousands of people packed onto the roadway by the falls - some waiting more than 12 hours to watch the historic performance - and they erupted with cheers as Wallenda ran the last few steps to the safety of the platform anchored in Canadian turf. "The most amazing part was when he was on the line and he was waving at the people," said eight-year-old William Clements.

The boy, who came with his family from Dresden, Ont., jumped up and down with excitement as Wallenda knelt down on the wire toward the finish, took a hand off his balance bar and waved. Wallenda started his journey on the American side of the falls and finished less than half an hour and 500 metres later on the Canadian side, where his passport was promptly checked by border officials. "No, I'm not carrying anything over, I promise," a tired but happy Wallenda told the customs agents. Wallenda has been walking wires since he was a child and had dreamed of this exact stunt since he was six years old. He comes from a long line of aerialist daredevils as a seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas.

Celebrating Of Father's Day

Today, June 17, 2012, is a historical day observed all over the world as Father's Day. The celebration is a reflection of what fathers have contributed to the development of the family and individual members of the family, especially the children.

 Father's Day, celebrated June 17 of every year, is the day when fathers worldwide are honoured for thier contribution to the upkeep of the nuclear family, and to honour fathers who are single parents. It is a day when the relevance of fatherhood and paternal bond of the man, known as the pillar of the family, is well appreciated.

The History 

The celebration of the fathers was inaugurated in the early 20th Century, after the success obtained by Anna Jarvis with the promotion of the Mother's Day in the United States. The success of the achievement of the celebration is tied to Sonora Smart Dodd, who founded Father's Day in 1910. The founder, Sonora, was born in Arkansas.

 The first celebration was in Spokane, Washington on June 19, 1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran, William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who reared his six children in Spokane. After hearing a sermon about Jarvis' Mother's Day in 1909, Sonora told her pastor that fathers should have a similar holiday honouring them. Although she initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, the pastor had no enough time to prepare their sermons, and the celebration was deferred to the third Sunday of June. Its success however started in the 1920s. Dodd stopped the promotion due to her educational pursuit at the Art Institute of Chicago, and thus it faded into relative obscurity, even in the region of origin, Spokane.

When in the 1930s Dodd returned to Spokane, she started promoting the celebration again, raising awareness at a national level. In the days to come, trade groups joined her to promote the holiday. According to Wikipedia website, Dodd "had the help of those trade groups that would benefit most from the holiday; for example, the manufacturers of ties, tobacco pipes, and any traditional present to fathers." In 1938, the Father's day Council, founded by the New York Associated men's Wear Retailers, helped her to create awareness and promote the celebration for commercial gains. For decades Americans initially resisted the holiday, seeing it as an attempt by merchants to replicate the commercial success of Mother's Day.

"But trade groups didn't give up: they kept promoting it and even incorporated jokes (by newspapers over the trade aspect of the holiday) into their adverts, and they eventually succeeded. By the mid 1980s, the Father's Council wrote that Father's Day has become a Second Christmas for all the men's gift-oriented industries," writes Wikipedia. A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was introduced in the U.S. Congress in 1913, and in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak in a Father's Day celebration, hoping to make it an official holiday, but Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialised. However, in 1924, the U.S. President Calvin Coolidge recommended that the day be observed, but stopped short of issuing a national proclamation on it. Two earlier attempts to formally recognise the holiday had been defeated by Congress.

 In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith wrote a proposal accusing Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honouring mothers, thus "(singling) out just one of our two parents," she claimed. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honouring fathers, designating the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Six years later, in 1972, the day was made a permanent national holiday as President Richard Nixon signed it into law. In addition to Father's Day, International Men's day is celebrated in many countries on November 19 for men and boys who are fathers.

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