tango

The more Microsoft events CNET sends me to around New York (the Windows Vista launch weekend, Halo 3's raucous little debutante ball), the more I realize one thing: No matter how much Gates, Ballmer, & Co. seem to always have issues (like that "Zune" debacle), that company knows how to throw one hell of a party. I'm not kidding. It even has its own wine now.

Created by South African winery Stormhoek especially for Microsoft, the "Blue Monster Reserve" sauvignon blanc is accompanied by the tagline "change the world or go home." … Read more

It is a truth universally acknowledged that one-time pop darling Britney Spears' performance at the MTV Video Music Awards earlier this month was a total and utter trainwreck.

But, as viral video fans soon learned, some crazy guy with a YouTube account didn't agree. He promptly put up a clip of questionable sanity in which he lay in bed, sobbing, begging us haters to "Leave Britney Alone." The video has racked up nearly 8 million views on YouTube, reaching a degree of overkill that's made many of us hope the buzz will fade away quickly or … Read more

On my list of "least favorite animals," Paris Hilton-style lapdogs rank up there with mosquitos and cockroaches--in fact, compared to overly groomed Chihuahuas, I think roaches are kinda cute. (They'll be even cuter once Pixar makes a musical movie about them, which will probably be in about three years, judging by recent trends in animated films.) And the more spoiled they are, the uglier they are. Hence my revulsion at this crystal-encrusted "doghouse," designed for a special department store event in (where else) Tokyo, which is really more like an ornate display case for small … Read more

This contraption looks to me like something that the Beverly Hillbillies would hitch to the back of their car, but trust me, it's way cooler than anything that Jethro Bodine could scheme up. It claims to be the world's fastest margarita mixer. We talk a lot about booze gadgetry here, but this one really takes the (tequila-infused) cake.

According to the LiveJournal user who documented it, this contraption made by "Uncle Don" (no, no joke) is made of "a small-block 400, a trailer, assorted parts and the ability to custom fabricate a 6-inch tall replica … Read more

A mom will always want to see your smiling mug on Mother's Day, even if you've got a face that's perfect for radio. So, in addition to those ubiquitous digital photo frames that are taking over the world, we'll likely be seeing more products like the "Packet8 Tango" in the next couple of weeks.

This gadget, which we first saw at a CES preview in Vegas early this year, promises to turn any analog line into a video phone with a 5-inch LCD screen, according to Gearlog. It also includes a bunch of other features, … Read more

Forget 300. The real way to make ancient history and literature cool is...Halo?

We've already seen World of Warcraft used as a way to bring The Canterbury Tales into the digital age. But that was a student project--this interesting story, which we read on Joystiq, is the project of a professor at the University of Connecticut who's looking to better connect his students with the literature they're assigned in class. This would be Robert Travis, an associate professor of modern and classical languages, who has gone so far as to take an Xbox to class into … Read more

If you have $3000 burning a hole in your pocket and are looking for a hot new lawn decoration that won't need to be replaced with seasonal changes (unless you're that weirdo who keeps the inflatable Santa up all year round), man, you are going to love hearing this. Someone is making these 5-foot-tall Super Mario figures, previously only sold to retailers, available to the average consumer. (Well, the average consumer with an extra $3000 on hand.) Now, you can have a Mario of your very own.

Imagine the possibilities! They could upstage your wacky neighbor's lawn … Read more

Leave it to the Museum of Modern Art's store to sell a product like this. The "Music Mug" might look like something you'd drink out of, but please don't. It's actually a speaker for portable music players, which the MoMA Store touts as "a new interpretation as the desktop coffee cup." Plug the cord into the headphone jack, drop your iPod, Zen, Zune, or what-have-you into the ceramic cup, and it'll play. Unfortunately, it doesn't charge it in the process. It's $42.

Cute, I guess. Um, next?

(Via Apartment Therapy)… Read more

To: Fox Home Entertainment From: Caroline McCarthy, Crave Re: What's with the Blu-rays?

Fox, you have been all too generous. I'm not a movie critic. I'm not a DVD reviewer. I'm not even employed as a reviewer here at CNET. But it's always a pleasant surprise when a package arrives from you guys every few weeks and there's a complimentary Blu-ray Disc inside. Today, it was an especially nice surprise when Eragon showed up in my mailbox. (I'm a "so bad it's good" fan.)

But here's my dilemma. I … Read more