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You know how Tara Reid’s stomach looks like it’s made of Silly Putty that’s been viciously stretched by a psychotic child? You know whose fault that is? The medically licensed butcher who operated on her? Uh-uh; it’s the media. People magazine reports:

Tara Reid has a message for anyone wishing to criticize her body: Enough already!
After unflattering bikini shots of her surfaced last week, Reid faced a barrage of Internet attacks aimed at her post-surgery figure. “I’ve been a media target for years now,” the actress, 33, tells PEOPLE. “It does hurt my feelings, but what can I do? I have to move on.”

That’s right; Tara Reid is a media target. Anyone who read the New York Times‘ Page One story, “Gov’t Says Tara Reid Hiding WMD in the Hollows In Her Fucked-Up Ass Cheeks” knows that. And just yesterday, Sean Hannity was demanding to know the full extent of the relationship between Tara Reid’s stomach and William Ayers. It’s all been a fiendish plot to sabotage her acting career and destroy any chance she has of winning an Oscar. Damn you, fourth estate!

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage

We had a dream back in June that America would one day be able to buy 6x BD-Rs for these 6x Blu-ray burners without relying on a Japanese importer, and today, that dream has been realized. Imation is bringing TDK Life on Record media to US soil, marking the first time 6x Blu-ray recordable (BD-R) and Blu-ray recordable double layer (BD-R DL) media has been available here. Unfortunately, this stuff is still absurdly expensive — expect to hand over $13.99 for a single BD-R in October, while a BD-R DL 1-pack will ring up at a staggering $32.99.

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Filed under: Ask Engadget, Home Entertainment, Storage, Networking

So we’ve asked you which HD media streamer you prefer. And we’ve done the same for NAS drives. But what if you’re the type that’s looking for the best of both worlds? Take it away, Stuart:

“We have a laptop and a desktop, with plans to add another computer in the near future. I’d like something that can primarily provide a large (1TB+) storage repository that can be accessed via our network, as well as have space for data backups and media streaming capabilities. I’ve read articles on Drobo and Windows Home Server-based devices, but after a certain point my brain just starts to get overloaded. Which solution out there would be best for me? I’m trying to stay below $700 if possible.”

We think your task is pretty clear cut here, reader. Which home server out there is a notch above the rest? Would you recommend a pre-built device or a homegrown solution? After giving this one a whirl, toss your own inquiry over to ask at engadget dawt com - your very words may grace this space next week.

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Filed under: Storage

Talk about escaping the label of vaporware by this much. We’ve been hearing that holographic storage was right around the bend from InPhase for well over three years now, but it has finally managed to get its ducks in a row and should start shipping the unicorn-like Tapestry 300r next month. The firm had a demonstrative version on display at NAB Show earlier this month, and apparently real live working units will be making their way out to archival junkies in just weeks. Granted, it will demand a whopping $18,000 to get a shipping label made with your address on it, and each piece of 300GB media is $180 — but hey, that’s the price you pay these days to know that you’ll decompose before your data degrades.

[Via The Register]

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Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Damn, we don’t normally do too much media-on-media stuff, but reports are surfacing that tech mega-publisher Ziff Davis (owner of PC Mag, EGM, DigialLife, etc.) is fricking filing for chapter 11 bankruptcy as a shield from some $225m in debt. For those not in the know, chapter 11 just means they’re down, but not necessarily out — although we had no idea it was as dire for the media company as being $225m in the can (not that we’re really all that shocked). Apparently when the company anticipates emerging from bankruptcy later this summer it’ll have whittled down its debt to under $60m, having given up nearly 90% of the company’s equity to its private creditors.

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Filed under: Storage

Yeah, companies have been trumpeting their ability to crank out discs that will last long after Martians come and evaporate our minds here on Earth for some time, but for archive junkies out there, more is always better. On deck today is Mitsubishi’s ARLEDIA DVD-Rs, which reportedly feature corrosion-resistant coatings made from gold and silver. ‘Course, you can only write to these at 8x, but they are expected to last about twice as long as traditional recordable discs. Not like you’ll be around to prove ‘em wrong, though.

[Via Impress]

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Filed under: CES, Features, Transportation

We’re still not quite sure whether to file Westinghouse Digital’s PumpTop TV network under “because there were a few square inches of advertising-free modern life left” or “because Western civilization demands the right to watch TV absolutely anywhere,” but either way we thought it fitting to remind our US readers that these things will start becoming more ubiquitous in major cities this year. The technology isn’t new but, much like bell-bottoms, seems to keep coming back unexpectedly despite antipathy from the sane.

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Filed under: Home Entertainment, Networking

Technically, Niveus was the first of the major partners to spill the proverbial beans on its Extender for Windows Media Center, and while it was sitting around for all to see at CEDIA, details were admittedly slim. Now, however, the firm has come clean and doled out the specs for its Media Center Extender - EDGE, following the moves made by Linksys and D-Link earlier. The EDGE boasts a “Glacier Passive Cooling for near silent operation,” RS-232 / IP / IR for third-party control support, a trio of USB 2.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, HDMI / component outputs and two-channel analog / digital optical audio outs. Unfortunately, Niveus’ box doesn’t include integrated WiFi, so its wired or nothin’ here, and while we’d love to know how much this thing will actually cost, we do know it’ll land sometime in November. Click on for a few more looks.

Continue reading Niveus shares official details on Media Center Extender - EDGE

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Storage

Apparently, releasing one external hard drive with 500GB of storage isn’t enough for one week, as LaCie has now introduced its half terabyte Ethernet Disk mini Home Edition Personal Media Server. As with previous iterations, this drive is meant to “save, show, sync and share” your media, and it boasts the ability to “stream multimedia files through DLNA-compatible UPnP media players and act as an iTunes music server.” Additionally, users can setup “free remote access to their personal information via LaCie’s media portal,” and aside from the gigabit Ethernet port and USB 2.0 socket, you’ll also find an additional USB jack for backing up data to another external HDD. This one’s slated for an October launch and should carry a $199 pricetag.

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Storage

Remember that measly 40GB silverscreen from years past? Thankfully, LaCie has finally found time to upgrade that thing to a much more stylish creation, complete with a half terabyte of built-in storage space (or 320GB if you’re short on cash). The USB 2.0-based unit still features DivX compatibility and plug ‘n plug operation with your television, and it even plays nice with JPEG / MP3 formats as well as offering up an optical digital audio output for Dolby Digital 5.1 support. Buyers will also find a wireless remote bundled in, and for those with HDTVs, the silverscreen is reportedly able to upscale content via component. No word on availability just yet, but we’re hearing that the 500GB iteration is set to cost around €240 ($338) whenever it lands.

[Via Gizmos]

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!