Geek Patrol

Parts of the Brain

(via Deborah)

Cheaper CDs in Canada

CD prices cut at all HMV stores:

Effective immediately, prices will drop an average of 20 per cent, with some titles reduced as much as 33 per cent, HMV reported in a press release.

HMV, Canada’s biggest music retailer, is billing the move as a result of demand by consumers for lower CD prices.

But Graham Henderson, president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association, says it’s an effort to stem the tide of illegal downloading that threatens retailers and everyone else in the recording industry.

While I’m pleased to hear CDs are going to get cheaper, I’m wondering whether smaller stores (especially independent stores) will be able to provide the same price cuts as HMV. Is this another blow to small music stores in Canada?

Benchmarks Galore!

For those of you who don’t follow the Primate Labs Blog, I thought I’d mention that I posted a number of benchmarks there this month; along with benchmarks for the new iMacs and Mac minis, I also updated the Mac Performance and PC Performance charts.

I also managed to port a subset of Geekbench to both the Xbox 360 and the iPhone (turns out the iPhone is arguably faster than the Xbox 360). Whoops, maybe not.

So, yeah, I guess you could say I was busy in August.

Don’t Forget About The Needs Of Gamers

Real Gamers Need Starship La-Z-Boy Cockpit Chairs

When you’re in a dogfight with alien invaders in deep space, you need one thing to keep humanity’s hopes alive: absolute comfort! This chair has six layers of “somna-foam” cushioning to prevent pressure sores and hemorrhoids during your 12-hour gaming sessions.

While other gamers are shifting their weight in their seats or even getting up to move their legs once in a while, you’ll be able to concentrate all your energy into your fingers. It also has six “Extreme Snack Compartments,” a three-gallon soft-drink chamber with built in “Liquid Delivery Conduit,” a waste-disposal system I’d rather not talk about, and a built-in defibrillator.

Apparently I am not a real gamer, I don’t want a La-Z-Boy…

Might Be Spidermen

‘Spider-man’ suit secret revealed

Natural technology used by spiders and geckos could help a human climb the side of a building or hang upside down from a roof, the analysis suggests.