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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Yamaha. All opinions are 100% mine.

While out and about with all the rest of the holiday shoppers, finding gifts for family and friends, I stopped by a local audio/video store to find a higher quality HDMI cable for my TV. While browsing in the store I saw that they had the new Yamaha PDX-60 which allows you to dock an iPod wirelessly to the speaker system. The iPod is perfect while on the go but a docking speaker system is a must when you want to enjoy the tunes at the house. And when you’ve got a music blog like I do, there’s always an endless supply of new music to listen to. Since I review new releases specifically for the blog, I constantly rely on my iPod to get my listening-time in. I listen to a good portion of the music I need to review out on my daily jogs. But during the winter months, I find myself indoors a lot more so a new docking station like the PDX-60 would definitely come in handy. I had a chance to play around with a display unit that was hooked up and ready for customers to test out at the store. I had my iPod nano with me so docked it to the wireless base and tried it out. The unit was in the middle of a busy showroom so I couldn’t really blast the music through the speakers like I wanted but I did get to move to one end of the store with my iPod to see if the signal degraded. As far as I could tell, the yAired wireless technology worked perfectly from one end of the store to the other. Granted the retail store wasn’t one of those mega-sized warehouse outlets but it proved to me that it’ll be fine for the average household. I love the idea of having the iPod within reach while having the speakers positioned optimally for the room. It’s so convenient to to able to repeat or skip a track right on the spot without having to walk across the room to do so like you would with a regular speaker docking station.

Still looking for some stocking stuffers? Well how about the latest releases from Bon Jovi and ChickenFoot?

Bon Jovi’s album “The Circle” can be had for just $9.99 only at Amazon between 9am and 12pm PST on Thursday December 17th. This is the special combo that includes the “When We Were Beautiful” documentary on DVD. You can get it using this special link here: http://bit.ly/BonJCdDvD

And as for ChickenFoot, if you haven’t already picked this up, it’s definitely a must! The album is probably one of my favorite rock albums of the year. It’s simply phenomenal. It’ll be on sale for $7.99 at Amazon between 3pm and 6pm PST on Thursday as well. You can check it out here: http://bit.ly/ChFoot

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Eye-Fi. All opinions are 100% mine.

Like many households nowadays, we’ve got several digital cameras in our possession. I still have my trusty old Sony point and shoot that has been with me for years. Even though it’s a bit outdated, it’s small and convenient to use on the go. And I also have a newer Kodak super zoom which takes great photos but is a bit bulkier and not as convenient to lug around everywhere. And then my 12 year old son has his own digital camera which he’s using constantly to capture candid photos of the family, in and around the house. He seems to have a knack for capturing the weirdest expressions on my face for some odd reason. go figure.

The downside of owning multiple cameras is keeping track of all the different USB cables. As most of you know, camera manufacturers just LOVE to make things difficult for us consumers by creating proprietary USB connectors for all their cameras. Why not make it simple and agree to a standard USB connector? I’m not sure what drives these companies to create all these different connectors but what I DO know is that I always end up misplacing these cables at some point.

Having to connect and disconnect specialized cables just to upload photos to the computer gets to be a hassle. And like most folks, I tend to put off inconvenient tasks like this and I eventually end up with a massive amount of photos stored on a SD card that I have to sort through and organize which compounds the whole problem even more.

That’s why I love the new Eye-Fi wireless SD card. It works just like a normal SD card that you’d place in a camera but it also has built-in Wi-Fi capabilities that allows for it to automatically upload photos off the card and onto your computer. Once you configure the settings with the included software and USB card reader, the Eye-Fi card will transfer all your photos and organize them into date-based folders. You can also set up Eye-Fi to upload to your favorite online sharing sites like Flickr and Facebook.

It’s simple, fast and easy. Plus, there’s no longer the need to search through desk drawers and closets for that elusive USB cable. The new Eye-Fi card is definitely a must-have for any digicam user. Just think how easy it’ll be to update Facebook now with something like Eye-Fi in your camera!

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This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Yamaha. All opinions are 100% mine.

Like the Sony Walkman a generation before it, the iPod has revolutionized the way we enjoy our music. Yes, there were mp3 players before the first version of the iPod but the elegant user interface, the controls, the style and of course, the iTunes software, are simply in a league of their own. I admit that it took a while for me to be convinced but now that I own an iPod (fifth generation nano), I can honestly say that I’m a true fan. I carry it with me now everywhere I go. workouts, jogging, yard work, on errands, you name it – the iPod is there every step of the way. It recently came in handy when I purchased the remastered Beatles Box set. I loaded all the albums into iTunes and had the whole collection with me to enjoy every minute of the day. It would have been impossible to enjoy the whole collection if I didn’t have it conveniently available on my iPod. Life doesn’t stop for you to sit and listen to a box set’s worth of tunes on your living room stereo system. So, as an alternative, I take my tunes with me. It’s a no brainer.

But there are times when I want to experience music without having these earbuds constantly stuck in my ears. So, I’ve been looking into getting an iPod-compatible speaker system for the house. The recently released Yamaha PDX-60 is currently on the top of my list of affordable docking systems. The thing I like about the Yamaha system is the proprietary yAired technology which allows the iPod to be “docked” wirelessly. So essentially, I can have my iPod in my hands and have the speakers positioned elsewhere in the room. I’ve checked it out at a local retailer and was pretty impressed with the full, rich sound coming from such a compact system. I’m going to have to figure out how to leave some not-so-subtle hints for my wife so that she’ll end up getting me one for Christmas!!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Jones Soda. All opinions are 100% mine.

In the time-honored tradition of those so-awful-it’s-too-damn-funny holiday gifts like the fruitcake and the ugly holiday sweater, comes a new soda flavor just in time for thanksgiving – the Tofurky and Gravy Jones Soda . I can see it becoming a staple at holiday gatherings. It’s definitely a conversation starter. I mean, really, who would have thought that Tofurky and gravy would be a good flavor for a soda?? But it’s catching on! As a matter of fact, I recently saw Conan O’Brien talk about it on the Tonight Show. Conan wanted sidekick Andy Richter to try the new soda as part of his ongoing bit “Andy’ll Try It”. Andy, in turn, passed it off to LaBamba for his own segment called “Just Shut Up and Drink It”. Needless to say, LaBamba didn’t like it but the mention on the Tonight Show definitely made the new product a hot gag-gift for the holidays.

I actually received a bottle of the new Tofurky and Gravy soda from IZEA this past week to try for myself. I loved showing it around to friends and family. We all had a big chuckle reading the label and wondering what it would taste like. Even the color of the liquid added to its mystique. Surprisingly, it didn’t taste all that bad. I was expecting worse but it was a sweet tasting carbonated drink with hints of gravy. It’s not something I would regularly drink myself but I’d probably pick up a six-pack for my next family gathering, just for laughs.

This is a sponsored guest post written by Matt Kelland on behalf of Moviestorm. Post powered by Sponzai.

Moviestorm is enabling a new generation of amateur film-makers to realize their visions.  It offers easy, affordable animation tools that can produce sophisticated high-quality films on practically no budget. After several years in development, Moviestorm has demonstrated that home movie-making needn’t be limited to cheap hand-held cameras and clips of the kids goofing around. Its virtual movie studio allows users to break free of the limitations of the real world, and allows them to direct, film, edit and distribute 3D animated movies without any knowledge of animation techniques or 3D modelling. And best of all, it’s free, and comes without any copyright restrictions. 

Iain Friar, known as IceAxe, is one of Moviestorm’s many successful film-makers.  His short film, Clockwork, a dystopian vision of a totalitarian Britain after a Soviet invasion in the 1980s, is winning accolades and awards around the world, most recently the audience prize at the Atopic Festival in France and the Grand Prize at the Machinima Expo.  Clearly influenced by both 1984 and A Clockwork Orange, with a visual style that evokes both Communist era propaganda posters and more recent animated movies such as A Scanner Darkly, it is a stark, powerful film that belies its modest origins.

Iain, who’s 42, works in marketing, and started making movies just 18 months ago. “I’ve always been a hands-on person, in music, sport, and everything else,” he says. “I thought it would be fun to shoot a music video, but I’m not the most technical of people, and it seemed extraordinarily hard.  I remember when computer games started using in-game animation to tell the story instead of video clips, and this interested me, especially now that game technology has become so sophisticated. So I bought a book, Machinima for Dummies, which had Moviestorm on the CD, and I was hooked. I liked Moviestorm because it did what I was looking for, even though I didn’t really know what I was looking for at the time, and the Moviestorm community was very supportive.  I initially made comedies, but I could see that the movies people respected were more dramatic, so it seemed that was the direction to go in.”

He spent four months working on Clockwork, and then the same again on his next short, Cloud Angel, a steampunk thriller set on board an airship.  Apart from the voice acting, he made the entire film himself at his home in Basingstoke, England.  “I’m lucky that my friends are so willing to step up to the mike and read my silly scripts!” he laughs. His next film is Gridlock, a science fiction comedy which he is co-producing with another successful Moviestorm director, James Thorpe.  For this, they’ve stepped up the production costs a notch: they hired a recording studio and got the local amateur dramatic group to do the voice acting.

Iain is realistic about his future, though.  “Am I ambitious? Yes. Do I want to keep it as just a hobby? Well, probably yes, because I imagine that if it became a full time activity, the fun might go out of it. I make movies as escapism. That said, I think that this industry would be really interesting to work in, because it’s embryonic; I’m not sure what direction it will go in. It’s exciting!”

Moviestorm’s CEO, Jeff Zie, is hugely enthusiastic and supportive.  “Iain and the many other Moviestorm users are an inspiration to us all,” he says. “We’re really proud that we’re giving talented people like this the tools they need to unleash the creative potential they never knew they had, and to produce these wonderful films.”

Try it and see!

You can download Moviestorm for free: Windows and Mac versions are available. If you want, you can expand your virtual film studio and buy extra costumes, sets, props, and sounds in their marketplace. If you’ve ever wondered whether you might be the next Tarantino, Ang Lee, or J J Abrams, now’s the time to find out!

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of LeapFish Inc. All opinions are 100% mine.

This nicely done video trailer for the new search engine leapfish should remind us all of how the internet is a constantly changing environment. Just think back to the beginning of the decade. Not a lot of us were blogging back in those days. The web was made up of static webpages created by programs like Frontpage and Dreamweaver. In those days, search engines could get away with not re-checking certain sites for weeks since updates and changes were few and far between. But as broadband connections found its way to more and more homes, the internet integrated deeper into our daily lives. As blogging, youtube and social networking became mainstream, the flow of new web content exploded. sharing photos, videos and music have become as simple as sending email nowadays. And now with iPhones and the wireless web, updates on twitter and facebook are at our fingertips. With this constant flow of information coming and going, the internet has actually become the “living web”.

But how do we harness all this new information in “real-time”? Traditional search-engines aren’t currently geared toward real-time access. With twitter feeds and status updates, news can spread in an instant. A great example of this is how word spread on the web about Michael Jackson’s passing before traditional media made the announcement. We’re on the brink of a revolution. We just need some online tools to help access the speed of “now”.

Leapfish is the first that I’ve seen to merge traditional search with social networking. Their online portal integrates all the important tools that we use on a daily basis into one spot. Keep up with all your favorites including twitter feeds, flickr feeds, facebook and Digg without having to constantly surf to different sites. The search portal is definitely a step in the right direction.

It’s fascinating to see how the ‘net has evolved over the years. Our lives have permanently changed because of it. I look forward to the next “game-changer” that’ll once again shake things up on the web.

This is a sponsored guest post written by Justin Germino on behalf of Rock Along Productions. Post powered by Sponzai.

Want the very best in local and national music news, events and more? Rock Along Productions is the best online source for everything music related. Great articles, relevant discussions, contest, best in upcoming events and much more. The site is jam packed with music at its best. The site features monthly artist from all over. The company also puts on local concerts in which members of their mailing list can receive special offer and discounts on admission. They also offer up to date music news with Rolling Stone’s Rock N Roll Daily report. The site features an up to date events calendar in which you can find things to do in music and art. Interesting videos and tons of media makes this site one that you can visit everyday to discover new things.

Until recently, I was one of the last remaining holdouts from the glorious world of the iPod. I didn’t like the fact that Apple forces all iPod owners to use their proprietary software (iTunes). I personally hate being restricted in that sense and have been using alternative mp3 players these last few years. But while on a recent trip to CostCo, the sleek new design of the fifth generation iPod nano finally lured me over to the “dark side”. Plus, CostCo had the 8GB model at a price-point that I couldn’t resist. I’m pleased to report that the user interface as well as the sound of the new nano are both superb. The color screen is bright and sharp and the video camera is a nice added feature. The placement of the camera lens is a bit odd but I guess I’ll get used to it.

Since I’m your typical music buff with a blog, I’m constantly listening to music. I’ve already filled my iPod pretty much to the gills with my current music collection. perhaps, I should have sprung for the 16GB edition. Anyway, I’m now looking for an iPod-ready speaker system for me to use so that I don’t have to constantly wear my Bose in-ear headphones around the house. The recently released Yamaha PDX-60 is currently on the top of my list of affordable docking systems. The neat thing about the Yamaha system is that you can dock your iPod on a wireless base and the music is streamed to the main speaker unit. With the wireless feature, you can basically lounge back and change playlists right on your iPod without having to get up like you would on a typical docking system. The unit utilizes the proprietary yAired technology in which the music is transferred uncompressed that ultimately helps keep the sound full, rich and detailed.
I’ll have to hear the unit for myself before I can make my final decision but reading through preliminary reviews, it seems the unit is capable of providing a full and balanced soundscape for a broad range of music styles.

here are the specifications for the PDX-60:
Supported iPods: iPhone 3G, iPhone, iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano and iPod (5th generation)
features: iPod charging, remote control, wireless technology
speakers: Bass-reflex
Frequency Response: 60 Hz–20 kHz
Woofer: Dual 3-1/4″ full-range cone
Product Dimensions (W x H x D) : 13-3/4″ x 4-1/4″ x 4-7/8″
Product Weight (lbs.) : 3.7

Speculation is at its peak now that there’s less than a week left before the world premiere of Banana Shpeel at the Chicago Theatre. With no sneak peeks or advanced reviews, most of us theater fans are pretty much left in the dark on what to expect from the brand new Cirque du Soleil show. Playbill.com recently reported that Serge Roy and David Shiner had to make the difficult decision to rewrite the whole show to streamline the plot. Unfortunately, the two love interests, Emmett and Katie had to written out of the show. The change was very unexpected especially when the initial press events heavily featured the two actors in those roles, Michael Longoria and Annaleigh Ashford.

But I suppose the creative team was simply doing what needed to be done to live up to “Cirque du Soleil” standards. And there seems to be a ton of interest in this show since Banana Shpeel is a bit of a departure for the successful entertainment brand. Cirque du Soleil is known the world over for their complex acrobatic trapeze acts and unique contortionists but with Banana Shpeel, they’re attempting to do a twist on vaudeville in a traditional theater-type setting.

My personal favorite show of theirs is “Love” but I’m sort of biased since I’m a life-long Beatles fan. The visual interpretation of Beatles classics was absolutely breathtaking and the newly remixed Beatles music in surround-sound was simply to die-for.

I can’t wait to hear more about Banana Shpeel once the show finally opens. With the show being promoted as being “light and fun”, expect big laughs and a lot of clowning around. Zany humor, clowns and slap-stick aren’t usually associated with the usual Cirque du Soleil show but I, for one, applaud the creative team behind Banana Shpeel for branching out and going for something completely different. Be sure to head on over to the Cirque du Soleil website for show dates and ticket information.