Hasta La Gadget!

Broadband usage is soaring in the UK, but the companies piping it into our homes are still playing catch-up. That’s according to Ofcom, which looked into the state of connections across Britain. So how does it all break down? For a start, the average…

For those of you who simply cannot live without your smartphone, as that is not only your primary tool of communication, but it also happens to be your portable media player of choice whenever you travel, perhaps you would have already explored the possibility of picking up a smartphone stand so that you can watch your favorite shows on your smartphone while you are traveling without having to trouble your hands – after all, a pair of free hands would definitely come in handy to help scoop some popcorn into your mouth, right? Kenu has had its fair share of experience with accessories for the likes of smartphones and phablets in the form of the Airframe, Airframe+ and Stance, and here we are with the Stance for Android and Windows smartphones.

Stance is basically the very first tripod that has been specially designed for Android and Windows handsets, where one will be able to mount it straight into the Micro-USB port thanks to Kenu’s patent pending MicroMount. With the Kenu Stance, you will be able to enjoy your favorite videos, making video calls, as well as positioning your smartphone’s camera in order to shoot amazing photos and videos in a far easier manner than ever before.

Not only that, the Kenu Stance is also tiny and compact, which makes it a whole lot easier to bring with you regardless of where you are. It tips the scales at a mere 1.2ozs (34 grams), and so happens to be smaller in size compared to a pack of gum. There will also be non-slip feet as well as premium zinc-alloy construction in order to create a stable base. Apart from that, a ball-and-socket joint would allow the handset to tilt and rotate freely, so that you can have the smartphone pointed at the perfect angle.

The versatility of the Stance also cannot be understated, as when it has its legs folded flat, the Stance would be able to position your handset so that you can watch videos and snap photos in landscape mode. Heck, it even includes a bottle opener in one of the legs just in case you need to relax. Expect the Stance for Android and Windows phones to retail for $29.95 a pop when it arrives at premium retailers worldwide sometime early next year onward.

Press Release
[ Kenu delivers the Stance stand for smartphones copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Like all absolutely none of you, George Lucas doesn’t want to spoil “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” by poring over ever detail in the first trailer. In fact, George Lucas may not watch the trailer at all.

“I don’t know anything about it. I haven’t seen it yet,” he reportedly told Page Six. “I like going to the movies and watching the whole thing there. I plan to see it when it’s released.”

It doesn’t stop there. Despite technically serving as a creative consultant on the sequel (as he does with all “Star Wars” material now that Disney owns Lucasfilm), when asked whether he was curious what director J.J. Abrams has done with the new movie, Lucas responded with a simple “not really.”

Lucas’ remarks confirm that he’s kept his distance when it comes to “The Force Awakens,” seeing as the “Star Wars” creator has been saying similar things since before filming began. “I have not spoken to J.J.,” Lucas said on “Access Hollywood,” in June 2013, a little less than a year before “The Force Awakens” entered production. “He’s been busy with ‘Star Trek.’ I’m sure he’ll let me know when he’s got some questions.”

No offense to you, Jessica Biel, but this might be Justin Timberlake’s cutest date night ever.

Justin Timberlake and his grandmother cheered on his hometown NBA team, the Memphis Grizzlies, as they took on Miami Heat on Sunday. The “Suit & Tie” singer shared a precious snapshot from the evening on his Instagram account, writing, “NBD. Just flexin’ real hard at this @memgrizz game with my Granny. She must be good luck… We won by 16. #GoGrizz #GoGranny.”

A photo posted by Justin Timberlake (@justintimberlake) on Dec 12, 2014 at 5:22pm PST

Perhaps the 33-year-old chose to bring along his grandmother instead of his wife Jessica Biel because of the pregnancy rumors that have been circulating about the actress. Either way, the evening wasn’t all about hanging with Granny — Timberlake’s favorite basketball team put him to work as a cameraman for a portion of the game:

Who’s that behind the lens in Memphis? pic.twitter.com/EJsfLOqhLL

— NBA (@NBA) December 8, 2014

A frequent courtside fan at the Tennessee team’s games, he posted a photo with the whole team at the NBA Shootaround last month:

Shootaround in LA. Had to jump in a pic with these guys… @memgrizz #GritNGrind #GoGrizz

Justin Timberlake(@justintimberlake)님이 게시한 사진님, 11월 11, 2014 at 12:22오후 PST

The end point of this piece is to say, if you’ve got one — support one; if you don’t have one — get one.

Social media is not about being a social society. Social media is about selling you stuff. Getting stuff into your line of sight so you will acquire that stuff. Stuff that gives you a bad feeling, like sometimes thinking outside of our comfort zones is eliminated from your view. Keeping you happy — to buy stuff.

The extension of that happiness idea is creating a warm and fuzzy cocoon. We find people on social media that are incredibly like us to become an echo chamber.

We are not always right. Acting like we are (feel free to put whatever groups you belong to in here as a form of reality algebra) builds the walls of the echo chamber. Go into a subway station — the smooth tiled walls allow sound to reverberate. Removing any blemishes from the walls purifies the sound. Removing people who challenge your view purifies your message.

Life outside the subway station is real — surfaces are not smooth. Sounds bounce 100 different ways coming back garbled or sometimes better. The people who return your message might be friends or total strangers (potential friends).

Those different messages are bridges to break out of the cocoon. In social media terms you can expand your range of relationships. “Why’d that person come back to me with that off-the-wall response?” Look them up a little more, if they reveal more, you see how different (or similar) you are to them.

In real life it is harder. Time constraints and our own busy-ness (to get back on social media) limit the human relationships of the real world. It is a hassle to be out in the real world — so why bother? You can have the customized human experience of the cocoon built for you.

Problem is, there are real people really hurting. Turn on our customized media and we see what might spin into a race war over men being killed and the accused walking away. No matter what sources of media you are using, we are seeing it.

Time to come out of our social media subway stations and arrive into reality.

It seems like the statement to find out if someone is a racist is to hear the words: “Some of my best friends are…”

You might notice I am a white guy. I am an a-rhythmic-de-syncopator, the one guy in a crowd of 100,000 that cannot keep a beat. A buddy of mine is KC. I have known him for about a decade. He is African-American. He’s invited me to his church’s men’s fellowship on the first of the month Saturday mornings. I have gone a couple of times. Not because I am a Baptist — but because this is what my friend is into.

Lately, KC’s email message about Saturday mornings have been pushed back in favor of other family issues.

The last couple of weeks have not been good ones for race relations.

I found myself awake at 7:15 Saturday morning with a start. I went to bed really early that morning (lots of folks with viruses on PCs I am trying to fix) so there was no real legit reason to be awake.

I thought about national issues. I thought about die-ins. I thought about social media isolation. I thought about what are relationships and friendships.

I thought about what time does fellowship thing starts.

I got presentable and got there at 8 a.m. as they were gathering.

About 60 or so guys are in the room. I was one of about five or six white guys. My only discomforts were trying to remember guys’ names (because I am a space cadet) and not screwing up the singing (the a-rhythmic-de-syncopator thing).

No one can ask for a more welcoming group. (That needs to be underlined in the course of race relations.) This is the open door.

The focus of the fellowship was relationships. (I guess some Holy Spirit was whispering in my ear.) A number of the guys testified to what was going wrong and right in their worlds. They talked about their evolving relationships with society, their families, and most importantly Jesus.

One of the guys talking said being friends is about hanging out. It is about being there.

Some of my best friends are…

OK — prove it. Do you know where your friends worship? If you don’t know, find out.

I realize not everyone believes in God, but even Atheists gather for fellowship. Our races are so segregated, ask where they go and ask if they would mind if you attended. You might stick out, but it might be worth a chance.

I am not saying join their church or mosque or temple, but reaching out because this is what your friend is involved in is what friends do.

Using a House of God might bridge some tensions. So if you do not have friends across the racial lines, find a church or mosque or temple and check it out. It is as good an environment as any to find new friends.

This country needs to build some infrastructure out of something stronger than cement.