BrandChannel: Ask 10-year-old kids about their favorite movie or cartoon character—be it the Incredible Hulk or Bratz—and they can identify every brand extension leveraging the character’s likeness. However, as both the toy and branding industries expand into virtual worlds, new dimensions of entertainment and branding are emerging—realms that are full of both pitfalls and profits.

While the press has focused much of its attention on the adult versions of virtual worlds such as Second Life and There.com, a boom time has been quietly brewing for virtual worlds with a retail twist aimed at kids and tweens—and they are making money amid stagnant and, in many segments, declining toy sales.

Virtual worlds—colorful, 3-D interactive landscapes experienced via the eyes and ears of an avatar—offer a cross between gaming and social interaction with plenty of customization to suit the user’s/avatar’s tastes.

Toy Brands Don’t Play Around in Virtual Worlds [BrandChannel]

Born Rich: No longer can we say that automated poker tables are the future for live poker. In fact they are the present of the poker gaming. Though in the past, poker has required several physical elements to play: chips or money, a table, some chairs, and a deck of cards, it was only a matter of time before poker got automated too. Since we have managed to focus on the best automated poker tables in the (recent) past with X10 automated poker table, Amaya automated poker table and the Axtra electronic poker table, today its time to shift our focus on to the Lightning Poker Table. Big enough to accommodate 10 players with ease, it sports a 45” LCD high definition screen in the center. And of course 10 12.1” XVGA touch screens for players too.

Lightning Poker Table – The automated table of the present [Born Rich]

Iconoculture: Millennial and Gen X parents are changing child-rearing expectations to remain as close to pre-kid life as possible — so much so that meeting up with friends for drinks is low-key enough to bring the kids.

Not everyone thinks it’s so sweet, though. In Park Slope, Brooklyn, Union Hall bar posted a “Please, No Strollers” sign, causing the neighborhood to go up in arms over kid vs. no-kid bargoers.

The brat wars go on. Whether at a bar, restaurant, hotel or health club, lines will continue to be drawn between kid-topia and adult-friendly zones.

Consumers see kids — or no kids — as a badge that unites them with like-minded individuals. Now that the American dream doesn't necessarily involve two kids and a dog, citizens expect lifestyle options that reflect their personal choices.

Young parents redefine "drinking buddies" at the corner bar [Iconoculture]

The Cool Hunter: Old school gaming is back in sleek stainless steel and is certain to be the perfect accessory to any cool modern home, workspace, studio or bar.

Loaded with PacMan, Donkey Kong, Galaga, Space Invaders and 44 other pre-installed timeless games, the 80's Gaming Table is a modern take on an old classic. The Table’s compact size (800x760x700mm) and durable construction can double as a coffee table, dining table, desk, bar, or even dance stage. It will complement your home, entertain and stimulate your co-workers, impress your friends, appease your kids and even bring out your own inner child on occasion.

Game On - 80's Old School Gaming Is Back [The Cool Hunter]

TrendHunter: Now your child can swing across buildings as Spiderman or sing along with Barney, in Barney! How does this work? It’s pretty simple. Upload a picture of your child to kideo.com and it would be cropped down to a headshot and affixed on a cartoon body. A few days later, you’ll receive a DVD with a cartoon of your child alongside popular characters like Spiderman, Arthur and Dora The Explorer.

Sure it might be a little creepy for you to watch a beheaded version of your child singing a ditty with Barney, but Kideo thinks your child would love it. Kideo’s videos, priced around USD 39.95, are currently only available in English.

Custom Cartoons With Your Kid - Kideo.com Creates Custom DVDs [TrendHunter]

Iconoculture: One-armed bandits make way for the one-paddle bandit — Bally Technologies is rolling out a video slot machine based on Atari's 1972 table tennis-based game Pong.

Luck still needs to be a lady; gamblers must spin a trio of bonus icons on the five-reel monitor during regular play to activate a 45-second Pong showdown against a computer opponent.
It’s slots of fun no matter what. The bonus Pong round has a guaranteed minimum payout, so even those with poor hand-eye coordination leave a winner.

Bally Pong is the first in a planned skill-based series of electronic casino games; up next is the brick-busting game Breakout.

Sure, poker is still sorta cool, but many Xers remain nostalgic for the days of old-school games; a slot update of retro arcade staples is a decent bet to bring out the little kid in grown-up gamblers.

High-score bragging rights were once the reward for hours spent polishing game skills. Who wouldn’t trade that in for cold hard cash?

Bet on it: Bally Pong turns arcade classic into a slot machine [Iconoculture]

CoolHunting: We've seen the pop-up store, but a pop-up club? Kubrik is a modular open-air club located in Barcelona, Berlin and Lisbon for this summer only. Designed by Modular Beat and Light Life, the club is an open construction of light-up plastic boxes that make up the walls, hallways, DJ station and bar. Featuring a variety of European DJs, the clubs will be open until September 2007.

Kubrik Pop-up Club: Barcelona, Berlin and Lisbon [CoolHunting]

TrendCentral: In an effort to provide some entertainment for the kids while mom or dad is busy driving, DaimlerChrysler and Sirius teamed up to create TV programming specifically for the backseat. The service will initially be available in two 2008 minivan models, but will expand to other family-friendly autos. In the first year, the programming will exclusively be content from Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network. And it won’t just make the kids happy - the TVs will add an additional $425 to the price of the car but is expected to only add $7/month to the monthly cost for Sirius satellite radio (which is already $12.95/month).

Tween Trends [TrendCentral]

PCMag.com: Mattel Inc. is using technology to come up with a new twist on a toy launched in 1959 to appeal to today's Web-savvy, multimedia girl shoppers.

On Thursday, Mattel unveiled Barbie Girls, a doll-shaped MP3 player that turns into a live character at BarbieGirls.com, a Web site where girls can interact with each other in a manner reminiscent of Second Life, the virtual world for adults.

The company hopes the new toy, which brings together Web surfing, shopping and music downloads, will cool demand for rival MGA Entertainment's sassy Bratz dolls—a line of big-headed, skinny dolls with scant, trendy clothing.

The world's largest toy maker is also taking aim at Apple Inc.'s iPod music players and Ganz's Webkinz, furry animal toys that come alive online.

The official launch of BarbieGirls.com came a week after the company gave it a public test run.

Toy analysts say this latest addition to the 48-year-old Barbie line should be a hot seller, helping the brand reverse nearly five years of declining sales.

"If Mattel's online community is successful—with penetration similar to Webkinz—we estimate maximum annual sales potential of about $100 million, or about 3 cents a share," Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Lisa Bolton Weiser wrote in a research note.

Retailers said earlier this month that demand for Webkinz, which are sold at specialty retail shops such as Hallmark and American Greetings Corp., has skyrocketed.

New Barbie Dolls Take Kids Online [PCMag.com]

Iconoculture: Bingo's kitschy appeal dates back to gay bingo nights that raised money for AIDS charities, which we told you about in 2002. Though drag queens still occasionally call the numbers at Mo's, the only good cause in today's bar-bingo scene in Manhattan is having a good time while competing for silly prizes like NASCAR mugs.

Young bingo buffs follow the floating game to different bars around the city, creating an ad hoc community. Singles bars are so last century. Like bowling alleys and roller rinks, bar bingo offers scenesters the chance to meet somebody while having some good old-fashioned retro kitschy fun.

Bingo bellies up to the bar [Iconoculture]

Iconoculture: Nerjyzed Entertainment is developing games for the PC and videogame platforms, featuring the perspective of African American consumers.
Nerjyzed is working with the state of Louisiana to help train young game developers in the four-year college system.

The gaming market is continuing to morph into sub-niches, and the African American market has been neglected to date. If it creates games that capture the imagination of the black gaming community, Nerjyzed Entertainment could find itself on the cutting edge.
Nerjyzed Entertainment's training program will produce more qualified minority candidates for gaming companies throughout the country.

Black gaming company hopes to strike it big [Iconoculture]

FreshTrend: Inventor Secil Boyd's latest creation may just take the game of ping pong to a new level.

Boyd has successfully prototyped a new three player version of ping pong, cleverly named TriPong, that uses plexiglass "nets" to divide the table into three wedges, one for each player. Each wedge contains a neutral zone and a scoring zone, hit the ball into a players scoring zone and they fail to return the shot, you score. Simple enough.

The TriPong table is currently not available for retail but Boyd is in negotiations with a major sports company to bring the three person ping-pong table to market by the end of 2007.

Ping Pong For Three? [FreshTrend]

Iconoculture: Entrepreneurial young South Florida Latinos post their creative homemade videos on YouTube.com.

Four Latino twentysomething friends starred in a video they produced on the cheap called “Cuban Churro Salesmen,” a comedy which became YouTube’s second-most-watched comedy video within 24 hours of its appearance on the website.

The friends’ company, Four Awesome Guys Studios, has filmed seven improvised shorts. The next step: write a script and improve production techniques.

The Internet provides a forum for talented Latino filmmakers and actors with no money or connections in Hollywood, which often stereotypes and excludes them.

For Latinos, YouTube means TuTube [Iconoculture]

Popgadget: No more yelling "Stop riding your skateboard in the house!" or "You just ran over the cat -- go outside!" With the Tuck n' Roll upholstered vinyl skateboards, you can safely cruise the hallways . The site calls it "sculpture you can ride" and I wouldn't disagree. Hang it on your wall and call it an "installation."

They also make custom embroidered vinyl longboards for the office surfer.

Inside Skate [Popgadget]

USATODAY: The streets of New York have never looked so barren.

An occasional taxi or bus motors down a boulevard as people wander aimlessly among eerily vacant buildings. Soon, black helicopters loom overhead and armed soldiers close ranks on the streets below.

This isn't your run-of-the-mill video game: Left Behind: Eternal Forces is based on the best-selling Left Behind book series about the apocalypse. But it's the apocalypse without dismemberment or graphic bloodshed, though the game has an element of violence that some Christians argue is counter to teachings of the Bible.

The game's creators say they hope to wriggle into the multibillion-dollar mainstream video game market by offering a real-time strategy option for serious gamers. Yet, they believe the faith-based theme is important, too.

Christian video game draws on popular book series [USATODAY]

Iconoculture: Watch and sniff? Specially equipped Japanese movie theaters are enhancing the cinematic experience with scene-synchronized scents. The Fragrance Communication system uses NTT Communications' seat-mounted machines to release preprogrammed aromas.

The fragrant feature will make its big-screen debut at showings of Terrence Malick’s The New World, a retelling of the love affair between John Smith and Pocahontas. The film's "fragrance schedule" of custom scents includes Grandeur of Nature, Joy of New Love and Grief of Separation.

Japanese movie theaters enhance cinematic experience with scene-synchronized scents [Iconoculture]

TrendHunter: Movies will now be a treat for the eyes, ears… and nose.

A Japanese cinema screening Colin Farrell’s latest film, The New World, will enhance the film by filling the theatre with a variety of fragrances. The smells will waft from machines located at the back of the theatre. For example, floral smells will accompany love scenes. (Woo-hoo! What a turn-on.)

This is only the beginning. Other cinemas will soon be able to download programs to control scents for other films.

The company producing the theatre machines actually launched a home version last year. Costing approximately US$900, the machine provides aromatherapy for work or relaxation. The machine must be topped up with various liquids to produce the scents.

Smell-o-vision in Japanese Cinemas [TrendHunter]

Playfuls.com: If music truly is the universal language, then millions of music hopefuls are sure to be talking about the new Cingular Mobile Music Studio available exclusively on MySpace. Announced at CTIA Wireless IT & Entertainment 2006, Cingular's Mobile Music Studio is a first-of-its-kind platform that offers hundreds of thousands of unsigned artists and bands on MySpace the tools needed to turn their self-produced music into ringtones.

As the leading lifestyle portal and social networking community, MySpace has more than one million bands and artists using the site to connect and engage with fans. Together with InfoSpace Inc. , a long-time Cingular partner and a leading provider of mobile content, Cingular's Mobile Music Studio will help these artists generate even more exposure and excitement for their music. The Mobile Music Studio is just one more example of Cingular's leadership in the convergence of wireless and music.

Currently, the Mobile Music Studio is being trialed by approximately 75 unsigned MySpace bands and artists. Through Cingular's Mobile Music Studio, located on a dedicated page on MySpace, these unsigned artists will first be guided through the licensing and production process led by InfoSpace.

Cingular and MySpace To Give Unsigned Artists a Cool New Way to Connect With Fans [Playfuls.com]

TrendCentral: You may have heard about YouTube and the viral video craze that’s become one of the hottest Internet trends since the birth of social networking sites. Two major viral video portals you may not know of yet are Channel 101 and Channel 102. Think of these sites as the localized, viral video equivalents to American Idol. Here’s how it works: anyone can submit a TV show pilot (up to five minutes long). Every month the shows are screened for live audiences in Los Angeles (Channel 101) and New York (Channel 102), and viewers can vote on which shows to renew and which shows to cancel. The top five shows then become the “prime time” lineup, while the losing shows are cancelled forever. At the next month’s viewing, the prime time shows test new episodes against a new selection of pilots, and so on.

The New TV [TrendCentral]

Iconoculture: TiVo is going even more consumer-happy by offering TiVo KidZone, a “safe” place where kiddies can connect only with programming that meets parental approval. TiVo’s offering isn’t just a no-brainer blocking service. KidZone automatically filters TV content based on families’ personal values. Soft on cartoon violence in general, but touchy about lewd language? Or just can’t stand the Wiggles? Set your preferences, and TiVo keeps the offensive out. While KidZone could be a gouging opportunity, the special service isn’t priced as an add-on. Beginning in mid-2006, it will be part of the general TiVo package.

TiVo KidZone filters TV content via parent-programmed “values” [Iconoculture]

DailyCandy: Alarm clock goes off. You throw on clothes. Check watch. Gobble toast. Check watch. Down coffee. Grab bag. Leave house. Check watch. Sprint for bus. Check watch. Miss bus.

Sometimes it’s just plain old hard to keep up.

But with a Peekaboo Dance Pole, you can keep it up for as long as you want. Erect or dismantle this rod and writhe upon it at your own discretion; the sturdy steel pole has three extendable spring-loaded sections to accommodate most ceiling heights.

And though fancy G-string and body oil are not included, you do get a DVD and a book of pole dancing moves for those who really want to impress. Plus, the makers of the set guarantee that this pole goes up and down in less than a minute.

Up, Up, and Away [DailyCandy]

CoolBuzz: If you are a gaming-geek then this Entertainment System Sound Mat is all what you could have asked for! Now you don’t need to be grounded for hours for you can now lie down comfortably even while you play! The Pyramat mat is loaded with hi-tech like it includes two 4″ 25 watt coaxial speakers, a 25 watt subwoofer, detachable remote, pockets for your remote or your cell-phone and between the pockets is a variety of A/V ports so you can connect everything from your Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube, TV, DVD Player, or Stereo. The mat features dual-layer cushions for maximum comfort. The bottom layer elevates you off the ground, the top form-fitting layer is molded to support your neck and back for maximum comfort and no aching. And, if you love to play for hours at-a-stretch then don’t worry! The mat is made of rip-stop fabric cover and the wipeable nylon used in the mat allows you to clean it properly too!

Pyramat Entertainment System Sound Mat [CoolBuzz]

ActiveMaps Inc: Founded in 2003, AMI began its mission to improve out-of-home digital networks by offering relevant and entertaining media in high-traffic commercial environments. With experience in software development and technology management, AMI developed a proprietary application that delivers real-time media over cellular networks.

AMI develops, deploys, and manages out-of-home digital networks. AMI's digital solution provides an opportunity to aesthetically upgrade commercial environments, entertain your customers, generate new revenue through advertising, increase in-store revenue through point of purchase strategies, and incorporate internal training vehicles.

AMI's out-of-home channel provides real time Sig-Alert and Clear Channel traffic, ESPN sports, MSNBC breaking news, E! Entertainment news, live surf reports by Surfline.com, and Yahoo! stock quotes. AMI's content driven network remains focused on delivering educational, informative and entertaining media for consumers throughout their day.

ActiveMaps Inc.

KIOSK: In late May McDonald's unveiled plans to bring a taste of Hollywood to Denver by offering new release DVD movie rentals for just one dollar per night, plus tax. McDonald's, long recognized for successfully bringing together the elements of food, lifestyle, and entertainment, is installing fully automated Redbox DVD rental machines in over 100 restaurants throughout Denver, giving customers another great reason to visit The Golden Arches. At the same time, the company is experimenting with quick service ordering (QSO) kiosks at locations around the globe. In short, this quick service restaurant leader has gone kiosk crazy.

In Denver, customers can visit the Redbox DVD machines at participating McDonald's and rent the newest DVD movies releases for just $1.00 per night, plus tax - with no membership forms and no late fees - and return the same movies at any participating McDonald's Denver location. The latest new DVD releases are added to the Redbox DVD rental machines every Tuesday. McDonald's is the first quick service restaurant to offer new DVD movie rentals to consumers, extending its legacy of introducing new and innovative ways to create relevant, satisfying, and unique customer experiences in its restaurants.

McDonald's Reinventing Food Service [KIOSK]

CNet: Dirty secret or not, the Web has long been a platform for downloading and watching pirated clips of television shows like "Lost" and "The Simpsons," much to the chagrin of the television networks.

But now TV producers are turning the tables, creating new shows around video clips culled from the Web.

Bravo TV is among the pioneers of the genre. This week, it began airing a new half-hour series called "Outrageous and Contagious: Viral Video," a show featuring the most popular video shorts circulating the Net, including parodies of the gay-cowboy movie "Brokeback Mountain" and clips of President George Bush's many verbal faux pas. It could be likened to a digital-age version of the old bloopers TV shows.

USA Networks, Fox and NBC are producing similar programming in the coming months. And ABC News Digital plans to enhance its television news program by drawing on video captured by viewers using cellular phones.

TV catches the Net video bug [CNet]

Popgadget: If, for you, a relaxing afternoon on the lanai must include an hour with Oprah, you're in luck. Perfect for patio, gazebo, or cabana, the SunbriteTV is protected from rain, dirt, and excessive temperatures. The flat-panel LCD-design has a variety of mounting options to suit your space and is significantly brighter than standard LCD screens to overcome the inevitable outdoor glare. Available at Hammacher Schlemmer. There's even a remote to lose under the cushion of your chaise.

Weatherproof TV [Popgadget]

The Cool Hunter: Illuminated dance floors are nothing new. In the seventies they where all the rage, the problem was that dancers flared hot pants would cover the floor panels and kill the effect. Now, flares or not, the illuminated dance floor is back, this time in LED form. Using the latest in pressure sensitive LED technology, these panels are designed to interact with club goers moves as well as D.J's sets. Special plug ins can be downloaded into the D.Js computer equipment allowing an entire set to be pre programmed where the music and lights work together. The panels are not restricted to work only on dance floors and can be fitted to walls, bar tops and Lionel Ritchie's favorite place to dance, ceilings.

L.E.D Dance Flooor [The Cool Hunter]

TRENDWATCHING.COM: US-based Magnolia, a division of BestBuy, is turning the art of installing home theatres (from reclining seats and huge screens to sophisticated sound systems) into a branded, nation-wide business: "Magnolia is the new service that will customize your home theater [i.e. tell you exactly what to buy] and make it all work together [i.e. come to your house and hook it all up]". There are currently 70 Magnolia store-in-stores in BestBuys across the US, targeting a massive market: according to the National Association of Home Builders, 36 percent of people building new homes want a media room, with the majority spending USD 5,000-55,000 (EUR 4,125-41,250/GBP 2,840-28,400) on their systems. International expansion sounds like a no-brainer.

INSPERIENCES [TRENDWATCHING.COM]

BusinessWeek: It's not safe coaching third base -- or any base, for that matter -- when the ZOOperstars are in town. Just ask the countless coaches who have been swallowed whole by 10-foot-tall Clammy Sosa, one of the most popular of the ZOOperstars.

In the mascot troupe's signature bit, the impressively tall inflatable clam clad in a Sammy Sosa jersey greedily "devours" opposing coaches, bat boys, or whoever else happens to be around, then spits out his meal's shirt, shoes, and cap, all while Weird Al Yankovic's Eat It plays in the background.

"Yeah, the Eat It skit is a real favorite," says Dominic Latkovski, who founded ZOOperstars with his brother, Brennan, in 1998. "The crowd loves it."

It's just one reason why the Louisville-based ZOOperstars have turned into one of the hottest sideline acts in the sports world. The company's goal is to perform in 300 shows at various events this year -- from the hardwood of the National Basketball Assn. to the fields of Minor League Baseball, the company's biggest sport. Latkovski says revenue from ZOOperstars may hit $1 million this year.

ZOOperstars: Sport's Sultans of Silly [BusinessWeek]

BizReport.com: It won't be long before gamblers are shooting dice while queued up waiting to see their favorite comedian. Or playing poker and roulette under a poolside umbrella. Even a trip to the buffet will no longer keep casino patrons from playing slots. A law signed last month by Gov. Kenny Guinn made Nevada the first U.S. state to approve the use of wireless, handheld gambling devices at its hotel-casinos.

It's a small step forward for casino companies aching to offer Internet-based gambling who are watching offshore competitors reap huge profits from a business that federal law bars them from entering.

Joseph Asher, Managing Director of Cantor G&W holds an HP PDA with a roulette wheel program, one of many gambling programs available, Thursday, June 23, 2005 in New York City. Nevada has become the first state to approve the use of wireless, handheld gambling devices at its hotel-casinos.

Mobile Gambling Devices May Get to Casinos [BizReport.com]

InternetNews.com: It's the end of attention.

The few crumbs of spare attention anyone has left over from the barrage of daily media will soon be eaten up by "video snacks," little chunks of content delivered to cell phones to fill those awkward moments when no one is calling, texting or e-mailing us.

On Thursday, SmartVideo Technologies announced a content deal with Two Minute Television, a production company that specializes in entertainment for teentsy attention spans. The two companies will offer a free, ad-supported mobile TV channel featuring shows like "Adventures in Speed Dating."

SmartVideo takes broadcast-quality video and transmutes it for the small screen. It plans to let users subscribe directly while also offering the service to content creators and mobile network operators. The SmartVideo catalog includes programming from ABC News, NBC Universal, Fox Sports and The Weather Channel.

Mobile Video: The Last Eyeballs [InternetNews.com]

Phonemag.com: This summer, moviegoers walking through theater lobbies in three cities might have felt a sudden vibration in their cell phones, the work of a nearby Bluetooth promotional kiosk.

Last month, 20th Century Fox signed a deal with Loews Cineplex Entertainment to distribute movie trailers, ring tones and pictures through kiosks in three Loews theaters, in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The promotional material can be picked up by anyone with a cell phone equipped to handle Bluetooth, a form of short-range wireless transmission.

Downloading a full-length movie trailer from the kiosk takes about 30 seconds, and there is no fee from the phone’s service provider. One ring tone offered is an emphatic voice from the movie “Kingdom of Heaven” that declares, “Protect the stones!”

Moviegoers can also download cell phone screen “wallpaper” of Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie in “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.” (Pitt has been downloaded more often.)

“Everyone in the entertainment space is looking for creative new ways to access consumers,” said Grant Wakelin, chief executive of the WideRay, the San Francisco company that developed the wireless technology behind the service. “This is a cool new approach.”

A cell phone, a movie lobby and a message [Phonemag.com]

TMCnet: Verizon Wireless, owner and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino today announced a partnership that will bring top tier music artists and interactive wireless technology to Las Vegas. Hard Rock Hotel & Casino concertgoers will be able to interact with the artists and share PIX and TXT messages on interactive plasma screens visible throughout the "The Joint," the hotel's concert venue, as well as on channel 25 shown throughout the casino, pool, restaurants and hotel guest rooms.

"Our partnership with Verizon Wireless reflects the true meaning of partnership marketing," said Philip Shalala, vice president of marketing for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. "Their commitment to innovation, music and technology provides our customers with a quality interactive experience. Together, we have been able to create measurable results among a specific target audience."

Verizon Wireless, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Partner to Bring Music Top Music Artists and Interactive Concerts to Las Vegas [TMCnet]

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: It's back to the days of Sputnik and the Jetsons for a small company that makes retro televisions for people who could afford the latest in plasma-screen technology. With their funky shapes and stained-wood finishes, Predicta televisions capture the spirit of the 1950s and 1960s but use modern electronics and have color screens.

"The spirituality of the TV is what's important," said David Riedel, owner of Telstar Electronics, the producer of Predictas - a television that had a cult-like following in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

In the basement of his rural home, Riedel and about five employees custom-build televisions based on the original Predicta designs from Philco Co., which filed for bankruptcy protection in 1962. This month, Riedel is moving into bigger digs in the Dousman area, partly so that he has more room to work. His company builds about eight models of the Predicta, including the Pedestal version that originally had a yellow painted top and a mahogany-finish cabinet. Everything on the retro televisions is meant to be functional, rather than window dressing, including the big knobs, dials and swivel screens.

There weren't enough of the original Predictas in circulation to restore them in meaningful numbers, so building new versions was the better choice. The new Predictas sell for between about $1,400 and $3,600. It takes at least 40 hours to build each television, and sometimes there's a waiting list to get them.

Retro TVs, this time in color [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

Popgadget: Here is a game I will never be able to win. If, like me, you are also chronically unable to relax, then “Relax to Win” could either finally make you achieve this long awaited goal, or … send you straight into a mental institution.

“Relax to win” was developed by Media Lab Europe and the Orange Brand Futures group, the major UK cell phone service provider. In order to play the game, which is based on the idea that the more you are able to relax, the more points you will score, you need the above sensor designed by Philips Designs. By placing it between your fingers, the device will measure the player's galvanic skin response and sends the data by wireless connection to a PC or cell phone screen.

Relax To Play [Popgadget]