MattD, over at TechGrid, has had his home office shown on web sites far and wide. In fact, it’s likely you recognize the shot above, from the second iteration of his home office, the one that got so much publicity on the web when he unveiled it back in 2007. Back then, rumors flew about who the owner was and what he did for a living that he could afford so much high-end gear in a home office, and what he did for a living that necessitated it.

While we still don’t know much about Matt’s life beyond TechGrid, we do know that he hasn’t stopped working on his home office, and in the most recent iteration, he’s put in some new flooring and furniture and paid attention to a part of the room that means a lot to me: his DJ nook, complete with audio gear and turntables, and some really awesome posters on the wall (all three of which I would love to have in my home!)

Head on over to TechGrid to see the latest evolution of his home office, and then start planning how you’ll up the ante with your own home workspace, if you have one!

[ TechGrid :: Evolution of the Ultimate Home Office ]

This is probably the most hilarious thing I’ve seen in a very long time.

I mean, I think everyone understand how a bad case of swamp ass can be, but this is a whole different thing. Honestly though, the hair dryer trick is pretty interesting…

[ Nerd Machine :: Swamp Ass PSA starring Nathan Fillion ]

Regular old mousepads when you’re gaming are so passe: what you really need is a good, solid mousing surface that won’t make your desk all dusty, won’t clog your mouse’s sensor with dirt or grime, and won’t hinder you moving your mouse across its surface.

Sure, you could grab a roll of wax paper and make this mousepad, which is arguably one of the greatest, but if you’re willing to drop some cash, try this teflon and steel model from Rude Gameware. Called the Fierce Teflon and Steel Mouse Surface, it’s probably the closest thing you’ll get to a frictionless mousing surface this side of a physics problem with real-world constraints removed.

The only downside is that it’ll set you back $30 bucks plus shipping, but hey – if you spent an easy $60 on your mouse, it might be worth it for that competitive edge.

[ Rude Gameware :: Fierce Teflon and Steel Mouse Surface ]

I’m a big fan of Danny Choo and the way he’s managed to let nothing stop him from making his passion his life and career, and one of the things he does regularly is work on a televison show called Culture Japan. On a recent episode, he went over to the development company called Kayac to meet with developer Makoto Hara, who said he’d always wanted to fly through cyberspace the way characters in the Ghost in the Shell universe do.

Well, with the help of the Microsoft Kinect, now they were able to! Using the motion sensitive controls of the Kinect and some programming knowhow, they managed to build a game that looks, behaves, and plays like it’s straight out of the Ghost in The Shell universe. Check out the video:

It’s really incredible, and something special to behold. I just wish I had something like this somewhere near me where I could try it and play with it. Danny has tons more photos available at his blog – check em out!

[ Danny Choo :: Ghost in the Shell Kinect ]

You know already I’m a huge fan of all things steampunk – well, maybe not all things: and the items on display at the Nemo’s Steampunk Art & Invention Gallery are no exception.

Well – some of them are exceptions. I wasn’t thrilled with all of them, but I do think that they’re all imaginative and interesting, even the cell phone that essentially used dried corn kernels for buttons on the front, and the cell phone that replaced the buttons with screws.

Still – the bathroom workstation (shown above) looks pretty neat, and I like the breathing apparatus that’s first in the gallery. Part of the deal is that the show is part of the Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Interactive Entertainment Experience, so all of the steampunk gadgets in the gallery pay homage to Jules Verne in some way, shape, or form.

Still – considering that a lot of people consider Verne’s perspective the origins of steampunk, it’s not surprising. Still, I’ve seen some really cool items and while not everything in this gallery blew my mind, it was all definitely fun to look at.

[ CNet :: Steampunk show imagines Jules Verne gadgets ]

Tiny Wings is probably the most adorable mobile game that I’ve ever seen in my life. Seriously, Angry Birds is cute, but Tiny Wings walks the line between emotional and adorable in a way that few games manage to do successfully, and errs on the side of hopeful and happy instead of heart-string-tugging.

In the game, you play an cute, hopeful bird who’s always dreamt of flying. When the sun comes up, you wake up, jump out of your nest, and slide down the nearest hill, because today’s the day you’re going to be airborne! You have tiny little stubbly wings though, so you need the momentum you get from sliding down the hill to stay in the air as long as possible.

The only control you get is over when to tuck in your bird’s wings – that streamlines you and should be used to get a little downward speed when you’re headed down a slope. Let go at the bottom to soar into the air and flap to your heart’s content.

All along the way you can collect items and bonuses on the ground as you slide between hills, and get score multipliers by touching the clouds. You have to fly fast and far though, night is coming, and as soon as the sun sets, your bird will go back to sleep and the game will be over. As your score multiplies, you can get upgrades for your nest, which will in turn help boost your score. See how this plays out?

Anyway, the game trailer is below: it looks like a world of fun, but it’s iOS only, so if you don’t have an iPhone, iPod Touch, or iPad, you might want to get one. Check out the trailer, then go grab the game.

[ iTunes :: Tiny Wings ]

So the blogs have been buzzing recently thanks to a report that for SpaceTime Studios, the developers of the popular mobile MMO Pocket Legends, has found that its Android version is simply more profitable than the iOS version of the same game.

SpaceTime runs Pocket Legends for both platforms, and since the game is an MMO, anyone on any platform can play with each other. But SpaceTime noted that they’re seeing more sales from its Android customers than from its iOS customers. Does this mean – as many tech news sites have jumped to the conclusion – that Android owners are somehow more willing to shell out for apps than iOS users? Does it mean that developers should all switch to building games for Android now?

Well, what exactly does it mean? I know – partially because unlike a number of people who have covered the story in a couple of places, I’ve actually played Pocket Legends (on my Android phone, no less,) understand SpaceTime’s business model, and get what they’re really trying to say here. Let’s dive in after the jump.

The first thing you need to understand is the kind of game that Pocket Legends is, and how SpaceTime Studios makes money. The game is free to download and play, but SpaceTime Studios sells “platinum,” an in-game currency that players can use to buy better items, customize their clothes and the items they already have, and to unlock certain zones and areas unaccessible by players who are playing the game for free. There are also ads, but this isn’t the primary thrust of the money-making engine in the game.

Platinum, of course, costs real money, and as Pocket Legends is unashamed of being a micro-transaction based MMO (which I don’t think it should be, don’t get me wrong) a lot of players are more than eager to really tweak and customize their characters if they can sink a few bucks into it. Also, there are some really great items available to players with some platinum in their accounts – and while you don’t need it to play the game, you’ll want it – especially when you get to zones that you can’t enter without it, or when you encounter foes that would be much less frustrating if you had some upgraded gear.

Here’s the lowdown, thanks to an article at ComputerWorld:

Here’s where things get interesting: Spacetime says its daily user activity on Android is more than double its level on iOS in practically every measure. On Android, the game is downloaded about 9,000 times a day, according to Spacetime; on iOS, daily downloads are in the 3,000 to 4,000 range. Perhaps even more significant, Android users who have the app use it about three times more than their Apple counterparts.

Altogether, that translates into a big difference in revenue: Spacetime, which is supported largely by in-app purchases, says its Android users generate 30 to 50 percent more revenue than its iOS users do. This is despite the fact that Apple has a seamless in-app purchasing interface, whereas Android’s built-in purchasing system isn’t set to debut until sometime this spring.

“We’ve just been blown away,” says Spacetime CEO Gary Gattis. “Android has become our primary interest.”

It doesn’t really end there though:

Pocket Legends also utilizes advertising to generate revenue, and Spacetime has seen the same effect there: Android users click ads about three times as much as iOS users, according to Spacetime’s measurements. What’s more, they end up making purchases as a result of ad clickthroughs twice as often as iOS users.

“This led us to stop advertising on Apple and throw all of our marketing dollars onto Android,” Gattis says. “It really just makes sense from a financial point of view.”

So you have the story, but here’s the clincher (one that Computerworld approaches, but falls short of defining clearly) – my suspicion is that Occam’s Razor comes into play at the core of the debate over development for iOS or Android. It’s not that the facts or numbers released by SpaceTime are in doubt – they’re really not. Everyone agrees that SpaceTime is raking it in with Pocket Legends for Android as opposed to iOS.

Why? It’s simple: There are more well-polished, high-quality, well-designed games for iOS than there are for Android.

The inverse is also true, and it’s a huge compliment to SpaceTime Studios: the gaming field for Android right now is so populated with ports, 2D games, and games without the same level of polish, design, and functionality that a game like Pocket Legends is a real gem: one that Android gamers are willing to sink some money into if they’re able to get some more play value and fun out of.

On iOS, someone can install Pocket Legends, play for a while, hit the paywall where they’re simply not effective anymore if they don’t buy platinum, or where they just can’t explore anything new if they don’t pony up, and they’ll just drop the game like a hot rock and move on to the next title in the iTunes App Store. There are more than enough high-quality, well-polished games for iOS that they don’t feel compelled to pay for the game just to have something good to play.

Over in the Android camp, those gamers (myself included) are hurting enough for high-quaity games to play that it’s easier to break out your wallet if you’ve already found something that’s a lot of fun and you know you can’t just hit the Android Market and find thousands of similar alternatives that are all also free.

In the end, Android gamers are willing to pay because they don’t have any many games of the same caliber as Pocket Legends. On the iOS side, SpaceTime Studios is simply suffering from overwhelming competition – which says nothing about their game, I found it a lot of fun when I reviewed it and I think it’s great, but it’s up against way more titles with the same or greater level of polish that are all fun to play – and, of course – they’re free – in the iTunes App Store.

So what have we learned? One, that the tech blogosphere really needs a solid dose of analysis (one that I’m happy to provide, hit me up if you need a writer with skills,) and two; that SpaceTime is doing the right thing by focusing on its Android user-base. They could very well cruise into the next era of Android gaming riding high – at least until the competition comes to their doorstep, and there’s no doubt that they’re already on their way.

It was an unexpected announcement last week, but if you have an AppleTV – one of the most recent models – and you jailbreak it, you can now install XBMC, or XBox Media Center, on your device and turn it into a $99 streaming media powerhouse.

XBMC is incredibly popular these days, and for good reason. All of the sites going out of their way to block services like Boxee and Google TV don’t pay attention to XBMC since it looks like any other browser in most cases. It runs on just about anything, streams from any open file share on your home network, outputs in 1080p (which Apple’s own default AppleTV software won’t do,) and more.

Seriously, even if you’re not an Apple fan or have been thinking about buying a cheaper streaming media center for your home theater or building one yourself, the combination of XBMC and the Apple TV may be more attractive now than ever.

Lifehacker has a tutorial (literally it’s three steps) on how to get the job done with as little fuss and muss as possible. I know a number of people who have actually pondered buying an Apple TV now that this is available, and I doubt they’ll regret the purchase.

[ Lifehacker :: How to Install XBMC on Your Apple TV 2 ]

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, everyone – where we’re all feverishly looking for the perfect gifts for the people in our lives. If you haven’t started your holiday shopping (like me, sad to admit) it’s about time! Oh, but what do you get for the geek in your life that’s looking for a techy present under the tree or in their stockinig this holiday season? Well, I have a few suggestions.

Granted, just like every year, everyone is doing holiday gift guides, but this one is a little different, and a little more fun. Ready? Head behind the jump to see five gift ideas that’ll make any technophile happy this holiday season!

XBox 360 Slim w/Kinect

The XBox 360 Slim is definitely one of the biggest gifts of the season, but the new Kinect accessory is probably even hotter. The new motion sensitive controller is all the rage this year, especially with the launch of so many new games like Kinect Adventures, Sonic Free Riders, and workout games like Biggest Loser and Your Shape for Kinect. You can pick up the whole Xbox 360 Console with Kinect package at Amazon, and it comes with Kinect Adventures.

It’s the perfect gift for the gamer on your list this holiday season, especially if you’d love to get that gamer up off the couch, or if you’re looking for an excuse to get a little exercise but don’t want to give up your gaming habit.

Plush Android

If you have an Android user on your gift list this holiday season, there could be no better gift than this Android Plush Robot, in all of his plush, cuddly goodness. He’ll cuddle your phone, or just make a statement in your living room that this is an Android hoouse, and iOS devices had better watch themselves.

Best of all, the Android plush is on sale for the holidays, so one can be yours – I mean one can be under the tree for the geek you’re buying for – without having to drop too much cash on it.

Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter

The Star Trek Enterprise Pizza Cutter from Thinkgeek was an invention of the folks who work there, like a number of their products, and like just about everything they sell, it’s absolutely fantastic.

The Enterprise Pizza Cutter hits that “why didn’t I think of that” vibe in all of our heads, and is an officially licensed Star Trek item. Careful of the saucer section – it’s pretty sharp, but don’t worry about holding it by the nacelles: the whole thing is made of stainless steel, is really sturdy and washes easily. If there’s a Star Trek fan on your shopping list this holiday season, there’s no doubt they’ll love this, and find excuses to order fresh pizza or bake frozen pizza just so they can use it.

iPod Touch w/Camera

If you’re looking for the iPhone or iPad experience but you just don’t want to spend the money, this is the best thing you’ll be able to get without spending tons of cash on an iPhone with an AT&T contract, or an iPad with a contract, or even an iPad that’s Wi-Fi only. The Apple iPod touch (4th Generation) sports a camera on the back that takes solid photos and HD video, a tiny form factor that slips into your pocket easily, and runs iOS, so you can download all the apps and games you like.

It’s probably the best way to give the geek on your list all of those fancy apps that everyone’s talking about, tons of free mobile games, the ability to surf the Web and watch video on the go (as long as there’s Wi-Fi,) without simultaneously handing them a contract they’ll have to pay every month.

Boxee Box

The Boxee Box is Boxee’s long-awaited set-top box that brings 1080p video to your HDTV, streams video and music from the Web and from other computers on your home network, and – before the end of the year – will bring Netflix, Vudu, and hopefully Hulu Plus to your HDTV as well.

The Boxee Box is probably one of the best set-top boxes out there, and brings more features to the table than their immediate competitors, the Roku XDS and the more expensive but supported by fewer networks Logitech Revue with Google TV. Still, they’re all great, and putting a set-top box under the tree for someone special this holiday season will give them the gift of almost limitless entertainment. I just prefer the Boxee software and the Boxee Box.

HONORABLE MENTION: Zibra: Open It!

Of course, when you order all of these things, you’ll need to open their packages – and some of those gadgets and toys will come in those super-annoying clamshells that you could very well injure yourself trying to open. Well, that’s where the Zibra Open It Universal Package Opener comes in.

This little gadget should make its way into everyone’s stockings – especially if any of the gifts that’ll be traded this year come in that horrible packaging. Just grab on to the angled handles, and let the scissor jaws cut through the plastic like paper.

And there you have it – five (really, six) gifts that range in price and will make any technophile a very happy person this holiday season. Most of these gifts are the kind that keep on giving; the kind that will make them remember you long after the holiday season is over, not to mention retain their usefulness.

Sure, you could pick them up a tie, or a gift card, or another digital camera, but why not surprise them with something that’ll keep giving to them and gives them an opportunity to play some some shiny new tech?

So, with that, Happy Holidays to you and yours, and may you see all the geeky gadgets you desire after Santa Claus leaves your home this year!

If you have an iPad, or you think you’ll get one this holiday, the first thing you’ll want to know is what you should install on the thing. Don’t get me wrong – the iPad is great for listening to music, watching Web video, checking your e-mail, surfing the Web, and tons of other things right out of the box, but you can really extend its functionality by adding some great (and in many cases free) apps to it.

To help, PC Mag has put together a great list of 50 amazing apps for the iPad that will help you be more productive, squeeze more use from your iPad, or just have more fun with it. Some of my favorites in the list are games like Angry Birds, Geometry Wars, and Dungeon Hunter, but you can also use your iPad to get a little work done with apps like AirDisplay and iWork.

Kick back and relax with a book using the Kindle app, or listen to music using the Pandora app, or watch a movie instantly using the Netflix app. There are tons to choose from, and the list is definitely a must-bookmark if you have an iPad or you’re planning to get one.

[ PC Mag :: The 50 Best iPad Apps ]