video

For a while there, the fate of the Republican counterpart to last month's CNN-YouTube debates among Democratic presidential contenders was looking pretty bleak. But it appears that the event in St. Petersburg, Fla., will, indeed take place--albeit a few months later than planned.

CNN and YouTube on Monday issued a brief press release announcing that the candidates will be invited to take the Mahaffey Theatre's stage on November 28. As of Sunday night, John McCain and Rudy Giuliani had agreed to show up for the post-Thanksgiving event, but there was no immediate word on the others, a CNN … Read more

Got this lovely e-mail from the fine folks at Google Video today. The one Deep Space Nine video I bought from them isn't really mine after all. It turns out they're shutting off all Google Videos after August 15. That's right, if you bought a video from Google Video store, looks like you won't be able to watch it after that date. Yep, even though you paid for it. Ain't DRM lovely? They were nice enough to give me a credit I can use at Google Checkout, but no actual refund.

Here's the e-mail:… Read more

Our faith in human nature has been restored (for now). Every time we get depressed thinking about technology gone bad, along comes an item that actually does some good.

The "Jet Ski Video Game" is a classic example of a good idea made better. It takes the same general approach as the "Smart Cycle" bike simulator--encouraging kids to get some exercise while playing games--but does it one better, at least where the fun factor is concerned, by creating a virtual water sport.

We're not sure how the aerobic activity compares (bouncing through simulated waves), but … Read more

Trust me--I know procrastination. But this one really takes the cake.

JibJab, as you probably know already, made a name for itself by creating corny (yet socially relevant) musical skits that superimposed the heads of politicians and celebrities onto cartoon bodies. Now that user-generated content is nothing new, it almost seems overdue that JibJab would introduce a "make your own" feature. But now, at long last, here it is: "JibJab Starring You!"

The concept, at least according to the creators, is to JibJab yourself by uploading a photo, easily crop it with the Flash-based tools … Read more

The high hopes we had for the iPhone-esque Venzero Slickr media player have unfortunately come crashing down. This stunning, little German gem is woefully short on substance, but damned if it's not purty to look at. You can check out our full report on the Slickr over on CNET reviews, as well as our First Look video. Or, for those with short attention spans, take a gander at our annotated slide show.

Some Web 2.0 concepts don't make sense to people unless you break it down to them in ways they can understand. We do our best with our Newbie Guides for things like Twitter, Flickr, Google Reader, and Facebook. Along similar lines comes a video about Del.icio.us, and social bookmarking in general, from Common Craft--a consulting company that does Web videos. This may be viral marketing, but it's very well executed and a joy to watch. I'd hire these guys for my start-up video.

[via Digital Inspiration and DownloadSquad]

reporter's notebook I've done a lot of risky things as a reporter over the years. I've knocked on doors in the sketchiest of crime-ridden neighborhoods, done midair flips with an acclaimed stunt pilot, and even let Lorena Bobbitt--famous for cutting off her husband's penis with a kitchen knife--give me a manicure using sharp instruments.

But no assignment scared me as much as asking Web fashionista William Sledd to critique the way I dress.

I'd been working on a profile about Sledd, 23, the former Gap manager from Paducah, Ky., who has become an online celebrity … Read more

.Mac, the popular Web services suite from Apple is getting an update this morning. Among the newer features is a much-needed upgrade to .Mac's Web photo gallery service, which now ties in with the freshly updated iPhoto '08 and the iPhone. Users will also be able to upload photos to their online galleries via a specialized e-mail address. The new iPhone integration mirrors some of the options that are already in place to shuttle off photos from the device, with a new option to "send to Web gallery," which lets you send photos to their.Mac Web … Read more

In an announcement that was confirmed earlier this week, Microsoft has officially announced that its Xbox 360 console price will drop across the entire line. For those who are keeping score, the Elite version will go for $449.99, the Halo version for $399.99, the premium version for $349.99 and the core version for $279.99. And while I applaud Microsoft for making some headway in reducing prices, why can't the same be said for the entire video game industry? Why are prices so high? Forget movie theater tickets, the real robbery is found on video game … Read more