Hasta La Gadget!

Now that Lionel Messi has fired Argentina into the last 16 of the World Cup with his mesmerizing skill and talent, the country also has another reason to cheer – an alleged copy of the Nokia Lumia Cyan update has been spotted in that part of the South American continent, where it is touted to deliver a wide range of new firmware features for any compatible Lumia handsets.

In fact, there were also whispers of a provisional and pilot Cyan update for the Lumia 925 having been seen in Finland as well, so Argentina might not be alone in this. Could it be that other countries, too, could be on the receiving end of this particular update on a provisional basis? Users in Argentina have laid claim that the Lumia Cyan update has already made an appearance on their Lumia 925 and Lumia 1020 smartphones.

You might want to check out your Windows Phone-powered smartphone as to whether it has received this particular update, doing it through Settings > Phone Update > Check for Update. So far, we have heard that the Lumia Cyan update will arrive with Miracast support alongside Dolby Surround Sound Capture capability. Are you looking forward to this particular update on your Windows Phone-powered handset?

Lumia Cyan Update Allegedly Spotted In Argentina , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Photo credit: Diana Ragland

I find myself wondering if things fall out of fashion socially, is there still a market for them?

For example, products that are no longer on the shelves of stores. Because they are no longer available, does that mean people won’t covet the chance to buy old stock, or hold on to what few items they might still have?

Think about vinyl records. People collect them, but I can only assume that is a shrinking market. Kids today never had albums and therefore, have no connection to sway them to collect.

What about smoking paraphernalia? Is there any interest in vintage advertisements with the Marlboro Man, or would people collect ashtrays and just use them as candy dishes? Since smoking has been banned in so many cities, and gone are the days of it being chic to smoke, would anyone still have interest?

Actor Richard Gunn showed me that the interest is still there. When he’s not filming television series, Granite Flats, or wrapping his latest film, Dark Places with Charlize Theron, he is enjoying a “pipe dream” of his own.

Richard Gunn Collection

Electronic cigarettes and hookah pipes are the way people smoke today. How did you become interested in pipes?

I was in Paris for the New Year in 2000 and I came across a pipe by a company named Butz Choquin It was called a church organ pipe. It was longer than a traditional pipe and had a small bowl. It’s called a “petite church” and had a blue stain to the wood. I just thought it was interesting. Come to find out, it’s pretty rare. I thought I better smoke it if I bought it. I tried it and I liked it. I always really liked the smell of pipe tobacco.

After that, I bought a couple more. I don’t buy a lot of them, because I like it to be a useful collection. I like to smoke all of them though I don’t smoke very often.

Barling Pot

Some people collect utilitarian things, but only display them, and never use them. What’s your school of thought?

If I was buying brand new pipes just to display I would feel differently, but I like to use them. I buy estate pipes. Estate pipes are used, but they are thoroughly cleaned and graded before being sold. So smoking an estate pipe is not going to ruin its value. What makes an older pipe better than a new pipe is the wood it’s made from which is briarwood. The wood can be hundreds of years old when it was collected. This type of wood is very hard to come by. As briarwood ages, the quality increases. That’s why a lot of people are interest in estate pipes.

Do you have a favorite pipe in your collection?

You might be surprised to know my favorite pipe is not a brand name one. Some of the tobacco shops buy pipes that are unbranded from pipe makers and put their own brand on it. So I don’t know who made it. It’s a smaller bowl pipe and it takes about half and hour to smoke a bowl instead of 45 minutes like a normal pipe. Its fairly plain, but I just love it! I can carry it in my pocket and it smokes the best out of all of them.

One thing that’s very interesting about collecting pipes is their price. Some are very expensive. But you can also find some that are very reasonably priced and it doesn’t affect the smokeability of the pipe. There is something for every collector’s budget!

Krona Freehand

Is that the only thing you collect?

I happen to collect wristwatches as well. My favorite is a Gucci stainless steel watch. The parts that are stainless are a matte finish, not a high polish. The black dial is rectangular and it’s completely in line with the watchband. My stepfather, who has since passed away, gave me that watch. It’s a very good-looking watch and can be worn with something casual or dressy. I enjoy collecting them. I currently have about 40-50 in my collection.
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Wristwatches…potentially another long time utilitarian object that with the invention of the smart phone might slowly become…. obsolete.

This summer Gunn starts filming Ghost Station with Misha Barton. Follow him on Twitter @RichardGunnInc

Google I/O has been full of goodies today, rolling out all sorts of news and devices (check out our tag portal for all the details). NVIDIA has been a pervasive presence at the show, though you mightn’t noticed. The company’s Tegra K1 lies at the center of many of Google’s recent efforts. Says NVIDIA, there’s wasn’t very far you could … Continue reading

During Google I/O earlier today, Google mentioned that both the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live would be available from the Google Play Store later today, and sure enough they are. Both devices have gone live on the Google Play Store and are available for pre-order, although both devices will be shipped at different times.

According to the Play Store listing, the LG G Watch will be priced at $229 and will begin shipping on the 3rd of July. As for the Samsung Gear Live, it has been priced $199 and will be shipping by the 8th of July, although with the Gear Live being priced $30 cheaper than the LG G Watch, it might end up being the more attractive option.

Both devices have their pros and cons. For example the Gear Live has a slightly smaller battery compared to the G Watch. However the Gear Live does have a slightly higher resolution and uses an AMOLED display, versus LG’s LCD IPS, so that’s worth consideration as well. However apart from that, the innards appear to be quite similar but will vary on size and weight.

As expected there is no mention of the Moto 360 because Google stated that the Moto 360 would only be arriving later in the summer, so if you were looking forward to the stylish Moto 360, you’ll have to wait a bit, although we still have no idea how much the device will cost. So, which watch are you planning on picking up?

LG G Watch, Samsung Gear Live Pre-Orders Go Live On Google Play , original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

By Mark Felsenthal

WASHINGTON, June 25 (Reuters) – The Department of Veterans Affairs on Wednesday announced the departure of two senior officials in the wake of a scandal over concealed and extensive delays in providing medical care for veterans.

Robert Jesse, the current acting undersecretary for health, will complete his four-year term as principal deputy undersecretary for health on July 2, the Veterans’ Affairs department said in a statement. In addition, Will Gunn, the department’s general counsel, has resigned.

The undersecretary for health leads the programs of the Veterans’ Health Administration, which runs the sprawling VA health system. Outrage erupted when it became known that officials hid that veterans were being made to wait for lengthy periods to get primary medical care and that in some cases those delays led to deaths.

At a hearing earlier this month, Jesse had to defend at a hearing of the House of Representatives Veterans Affairs Committee his timing in informing lawmakers about an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease at a veterans’ hospital.

Carolyn Clancy, the agency’s assistant deputy undersecretary for health, will take his place and be named the interim undersecretary for health, the VA said.

“Dr. Clancy will be charged with the department’s top priority – getting veterans off of wait lists and in to see their doctors,” Acting VA Secretary Sloan Gibson said. “She will also lead our efforts on immediate, national reforms to accelerate access to care and restore trust among our veterans.”

Obama accepted the resignation of former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki last month over the scandal.

When news of delays first broke, Robert Petzel, the undersecretary for health at the time, stepped down.

The agency will conduct a search for a permanent replacement for the health undersecretary post, Gibson said. Obama has also pledged to name a new VA secretary.

Principal Deputy General Counsel Tammy Kennedy will serve as acting general counsel, the agency said.

Earlier this month the VA said an internal audit found more than 100,000 veterans had been subjected to a wait of 90 days or more for appointments at medical facilities nationwide.

It also found that staff at 76 percent of the facilities surveyed said they had been instructed at least once to misrepresent appointment data. Doctors at VA clinics in Phoenix have alleged that some 40 veterans died while waiting for care. (Reporting By Mark Felsenthal; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)