The Beginning of the End

Cable and satellite TV providers are a bunch of dinosaurs. They've been ploddingly engorging themselves on the cash of their customers, oblivious to the giant, flaming meteor hurtling through space. That meteor is called Internet television...a concept pioneered by one of my former clients, Netflix.

Yesterday, the earth shifted on it's axis, making that meteor a whole lot closer than it ever has been before. Viacom inked a deal with Sony that will make popular channels like Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central available for streaming on the PS4. Subscribers to Sony's unnamed service will have on-demand access to all of those channel's broadcast libraries.

Viacom's channels have only been available to cable and satellite users...they are the first to make them available on the Internet. Watch the other big players make a rush to get on board...Disney, Time Warner, etc. Pay television (cable and satellite) has shown "negative customer growth" for the first two quarters in 2013. Put in plain English, for the first time in history, pay TV is losing customers. That has never, ever happened before. I call it the writing on the wall.

On-demand, Internet television just got a whole lot closer yesterday. It is the truly the beginning of the end. And a note for all of my dinosaur friends out there...you can't hide from a meteor. But at least you'll have a future in fossils.

Garmin Portable Head-Up Display

Head-up display technology made it's way from fighter jets to cars about 25 years ago. I've had head-up displays in my last two cars and find it to be incredibly useful. It projects both the speed you are traveling and navigation instructions on the windshield, although when you are driving it looks like it is about 3 feet in front of your hood.

It makes driving a lot safer because you never have to take your eyes off of the road. However, it is real pricey...we are talking four figures to get the technology in your car. But now there's a game changer. Navigation specialist Garmin is about to release a head-up display for navigation at $129.99. It's simple, small and portable, so it can be used in multiple vehicles.

The Garmin unit is a head-up display unit only. The unit receives the mapping info from your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone running a $29.99 Garmon app (StreetPilot1 or NAVIGON). The projector attaches to your dash and projects the image onto a transparent film on the windshield. The device is currently at the FCC for approval and will be on the market soon.

Artiphon Instrument 1

The computing power in the iPhone is absolutely astounding. It is incredibly adept at music, but the ergonomics and sound capabilities of the iPhone leave a lot to be desired. Enter Artiphone, stage left. It hooks up to your iPhone and offers stereo sound, an ergonomic hardwood body and a whole new way to create music. Check it out: http://www.artiphon.com/

The World's Most Expensive Video Game

Feast your eyes on the cover art for the world's most expensive video game. This is not a game for the feint of heart or the light of wallet....this video game will set you back a whopping $190,000.

The Grid 2 BAC Mono Edition does have some drool-worthy extras. First, you get a PlayStation 3, the game disc, a tour of the BAC racing factory, a Bell Racing Helmet, Nomex racing gloves, a Nomex driving suit and Nomex driving boots.

But here's the best part: the game also comes with a street-legal BAC Mono race car...the perfect vehicle to rattle off zero to sixty times in the sub-three second range. Get yourself one: http://us.bac-mono.com/index.php

The Chillsner

Meet The Chillsner (yes, rhymes with pilsner). It's a slick little metal device that you stick in your freezer and then in your beer. It makes certain that each bottle of El Pacifico you quaff on a 90º summer day stays ice cold from start to finish. The mouthpiece fits over the top of the bottle and you actually drink your beer through The Chillsner. It's $29.95. Check it out here: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00B5EDXMM/uncrate-20

Vulcan Humor for Audi Fanboys

Automotive Art from Ridley Scott