Gearfuse

The LA Times is running a piece about how flat-screen televisions aren’t energy efficient and how California is going to impose rules on energy consumption and all that other hippie shit. I call bullshit. Know why? Because less than 5 years ago, no one had a flat-screen HDTV except the extremely wealthy. Everyone had those old, shitty, big ass CRT television sets. Using Google, I compared a 30-inch Samsung flat-screen display to a 32-inch Samsung CRT. Here’s what I found:

Samsung SyncMaster 305T – 30″ Display
Power Consumption Operational: 130 Watt
Source: http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Samsung+SyncMaster+305T&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&cid=2349199014125518526&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&resnum=4&ct=result#ps-sellers

Samsung TXM3298HF – 32″ CRT
Power Consumption Operational: 190 Watt
Source: http://reviews.cnet.com/direct-view-tvs-crt/samsung-txm3298hf/4507-6481_7-20461179.html?tag=mncol;rnav

Now don’t get me wrong, there is a 2-inch margin of error here and a bunch of other shit you could throw at me, but it’s a general fact that those old CRTs are way less efficient than newer, thinner television sets. Perhaps California should try going with the flow instead of fighting the tide.

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Oh yes. The United States is most certainly in a recession right now. Times are tough and everyone is going broke. Teachers, in particular, are feeling the heat as they look for a way to offset the cost of items for their students. School budgets can’t cover everything, after all.

In comes San Diego, CA-based teacher Tom Farber. He teaches calculus at Rancho Bernardo High School and needed more paper for his students’ practice exams and tests. Instead of bitching about costs, Tom decided he’d be better off selling ad space on his tests. 75 people have emailed him about ads already and he’s made $300 on it so far. Costs range from $10 for a quiz to $20 for a chapter test, all the way up to $30 for the final exam of the semester. All the sponsors are companies that want to target children, so there’s no ad for a Big Mac on the bottom of a test. I think it’s a fine idea and a great way to generate money for a school that seems way overstretched. Nice work, Tom.

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Los Angeles is a focal point for earthquakes and it’ll be no surprise to scientists when another one hits the San Andreas Fault in the future. When it comes to ground trembling geological faults, you’ve got to be prepared.

That’s where Aftershock comes in. Aftershock is a game based on a 300-page U.S. Geological Survey that details how screwed L.A. would be if another devastating earthquake hit. The Institute for the Future and Art Center College of Design does not want L.A. to be caught with its pants down. So, Aftershock has been created as an interactive training system that will not only increase awareness, but change people’s behavior towards earthquakes.

“Think of the scenario as DOS,” said Jason Tester, the lead game designer at the IFTF. “[Aftershock] is like the GUI to the scenario.”

Well put, Mr. Tester.

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I know, I know. I keep thinking this photo is some leftover crew picture from the original Jurassic Park. It looks like a wild zoo of sorts too, doesn’t it? It’s neither. It’s the newly designed California Academy of Sciences. I used to go to the Museum of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia but goddamn this has so much more. Hit the jump for more photos. That green hill with the wacky-looking holes in it? That’s actually the roof. What amazing architecture.
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Our douche of the week award goes to Mayor Gregg Manning from Clayton, California. He ordered city police to raid a fruit stand that two little kids (I mean like, little kids here) were running. He cites it as a traffic hazard and some bullshit commerce laws. Check out what Sir Douche himself had to say:

Clayton Mayor Gregg Manning … wonders what Katie and Sabrina might do with that produce stand if the zoning laws weren’t enforced.
“They may start out with a little card-table and selling a couple of things, but then who is to say what else they have. Is all the produce made there, do they make it themselves? Are they going to have eggs and chickens for sale next,” said Manning.

Wow. Unbelievable. You’re such a big man now, Mr. Mayor. What’s next? Vandalism charges for chalk drawings on a sidewalk? Call Gregg Manning directly at (925) 673-7316 and in an appropriate, respectful manner, let him know what you think of his absurd and asinine actions. Justice must be served.

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I’m vocal about how much I hate Best Buy usually. The company tends to price gouge and offer terrible customer service. And Geek Squad? Don’t even get me started. Soon, it is going to find itself doing a long-overdue restructuring that will help it retain customers instead of losing them. In the meantime, check this out:

For $9.99, Best Buy will help you pair your Bluetooth headset with your phone. This includes testing, pairing and a little finger-flicking. Clearly the company is preying on the uninformed consumer who needs to abide by California’s new hands-free calling law. I can only imagine what would happen to the poor SOB who has a phone without Bluetooth. The sales pitches wouldn’t even be the start of it all…

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