Yeah, we’re a little late with the D3/D300 news.  But this isn’t a photography blog, this is a blog that’s found it’s niche in finding funny angles related to geeky toys… and cameras are but one aspect of our mission.

I’ll be the first to admit, I’m a photography geek.  I also spent the better part of the weekend trying to find someone to buy my kidney for $8,000 so I could get the D3 and the two spiffy new lenses Nikon unveiled.  Then today I had a realization that all I really wanted out of my photos was less low-light noise… and it appears the D300’s got that covered (there was a leaked ISO 6400 shot that looks amazing, hopefully it’s not a fake).  Add to that the fact that full-frame SLRs are pretty hard on lens collections and I’m pretty sure I’ll avoid the D3 and it’s minivan-like pricing and just opt for a D300 to move into the primary slot above my D200.

But if there’s humor to be found anywhere, it’s in what I’ve deemed the photogeekisphere.  This is the web ecosystem comprised of mostly message boards populated with a bunch of wankers who’d rather sit and jabber about where they can pre-order the Nerd-o-bator 3000 than actually get some fresh air while clicking their shutters (the ones on their cameras, I mean).

I kid you not… there was a post on DPReview (sorry, I can’t find it now) where a person debates whether he should buy a D3 now or wait for the higher-resolution one he’s sure is going to appear next year.  The D3 is still THREE MONTHS AWAY.

Finally, even though it seems to easy, I point you at the laughingstock of photo reviewers, Ken Rockwell.  He’s famous for “reviewing” things before they’re even released (and definitely before he’s had his paws on one) based on press releases and his interpretation of the motion of the wind or something.  Anyway, he’s got his “reviews” up for the D3 and D300 already.  He’s a man on the ball people.

So, on that note, go out and enjoy whatever camera you have.  They all take great pics and it’s more about the eye behind the viewfinder than the sensor behind the shutter.

Here’s a good picture showing how not to add air conditioning to your ride. Still, you have to admire his ghetto engineering prowess.  He should really hit eBay for a fake sunroof.  Click for larger.

Did your car come without a sunroof?  Well, until now you only had one option if you wanted to add one, cut a big hole in your roof and install an aftermarket sunroof.  Of course, this is fraught with pitfalls like fit and finish, leaking and most importantly… cost.

But fear not, master modder.  Just get thee over to eBay and snag a Dacano simulated sunroof.  Yes, it’s a sticker that looks like a real sunroof.  All you need is a clean car (a real stretch for some people who’d consider a purchase, I know) and some elbow grease.

Of course, check out the posted questions on the auction for a chuckle or two… like this gem:

Do I get a discount in shipping if I buy 2? I want to put one on the roof and one on the inside of my car so when I look up a can pretend to be looking outside, also can you make one that simulates looking up at the stars I think chicks would really dig it or put a scary face on it so when People in my car look up the think there is somebody on the roof…

Via Jalopnik

If you wanted an iPhone, but the price is your specific buzz-kill, Apple’s come $100 closer to making your iPhone bliss a reality.

Apple today posted refurbished iPhones on the online Apple Store in the Special Deals section. The iPhones are $399 for 4GB and $499 for 8GB representing a $100 savings over buying non-refurb. Like every other Apple refurb, they carry Apple’s 1-year warranty.

What are you waiting for? Go forth and join the cult.

Looking for a Linux-based media center, but don’t want to deal with setting up your own?

Well, enter Fiire and their Fiire Engine media center and it’s satellites, the Fiire Stations. The Fiire Engine is set up to be the hub of your digital lifestyle and is based around an AMD Athlon64 X2 processor, nVidia graphics, 1GB of RAM, 160GB hard drive and RAID support for up to six eSATA hard disks (that’s up to 6TB of storage for people with the scratch to buy six Toshiba 1TB disks). The system doesn’t have HDMI out, but it’s got every other input including composite (yuck), SVideo (ugh) and component (yay). The Fiire Engine will retail for around $799, bring your own eSATA disks for media storage.

The Fiire Stations are set-top boxes based around low-voltage processors that tie into the Fiire Engine to get their media. They’re set to retail between $499 and $899 depending on specs.

Finally, the Fiire Chief is a roving remote control that will tie the whole thing together for $149.

Definitely an interesting package, though we’re holding out judgment until the interface can be seen in more detail, because the interface of a media center can make or break it.

Monster today unveiled a trio of new, overpriced iPod accessories. The Shuffle charger looks cool, but only if it works to sync as well.

The other stuff is just overpriced versions of stuff you can get a lot cheaper elsewhere. Which is to say typical Monster. Seriously, does anyone even still buy Monster Cables? If you do, please comment so I can ridicule you (just kidding).

In any case, if you want to pay $80 for a car charger… head out to Best Buy and snag yours today.

It appears the new iMacs feature the higher-res iSight camera that made it’s debut on the Santa Rosa refresh of the MacBook Pros.  Test results posted by AccellerateYourMac indicate that the new iMac’s camera captures images up to 1280×1024.

Yet another reason the new iMac rules.

The Nike Amp+ is a watch and remote control for the Nike+iPod combo and it’s just gotten approval from the FCC and should appear on store shelves soon.

The Amp+ will control your tunes as well as your workout and even features a dedicated “PowerSong” button that’ll immediately play your favorite Pet Shop Boys Metallica song to help you pound out that last two miles of your run.

The watch itself is plastic and it has a nice-looking stainless steel clasp that resembles those used on higher end metal watches.

No price yet, but it’s Nike, so it’ll probably be overpriced. Still, it’s a slick idea.

In case you’re looking for a gun that lets you play those shooting games without the welts from plastic BBs, you might be interested in the 50-foot Marshmallow Blaster. The gun uses pneumatic pressure to shoot a marshmallow up to fifty feet. It features a bolt-action for loading and it can shoot either one large marshmallow or a handful of smaller ones for shotgun-like action.

Costs $39.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer.

In what has become a “coming of age” for new devices, Doom now runs on the iPhone. You can’t exactly play it quite yet because the controller doesn’t work, but it’s a step in the right direction and an important milestone in iPhone development.

via Engadget