Doug Aamoth…

Oh, winter snowstorms. Your lion’s roar is but a cat’s meow provided you don’t knock out the power or prevent the UPS or FedEx trucks from completing their routes.

If you do knock out the power or render delivery services immobile, then you’re an asshole. An asshole of a storm.

If not, please feel free to continue canceling school and work for everyone (except bloggers and other work-from-home professionals) while we all play video games.

Long story short (too late) if you need Xbox 360 games to play, Amazon’s doing a buy-two-get-one-free deal on Platinum Hits titles. Just add three to your cart and the lowest priced one will carry the low, low price of nothing.

Deal ends next Saturday, February 13th.

Buy 2 Platinum Hits, Get 1 Free [Amazon via Joystiq]

Oh man, the unapologetic nerdacity of this product is through the roof. Yet somehow it seems useful and practical. Trying to get a DSRL camera out of a bag packed full of gear isn’t exactly an enjoyable exercise, but neither is walking a conference floor all day with your camera dangling around your neck like a lead balloon.

The apparatus itself seems pretty straightforward: thread the big piece through your belt and attach the little piece to your camera’s tripod mount. Snap them both together and be on your merry way. When you’re ready to use your camera, you apparently push inward and then pull upward to unlock. Done and done.

The “Camera Waist Belt Lock” costs $14 from Brando. I’m actually considering buying two of these: one for the DSLR and one for the camcorder. Prepare to sound the nerd alert.

Camera Waist Belt Lock [Brando]

The WikiReader (portable Wikipedia reader — see previous coverage here) is in the midst of its “Spring 2010” update, which includes new and updated Wikipedia entries, animated key presses a la the iPhone, more fluid scrolling, and “a highly requested back feature for a quick way to return to previously searched articles.”

Tech-savvy WikiReader owners can download the updates for free online, or there’s a $29-per-year upgrade plan that’ll be available for purchase sometime in the future wherein WikiReader will mail out updated microSD cards semi-annually.

WikiReader – Updates [theWikiReader.com]

Press Release

Good news first: $100 is a pretty good deal for a 4.3-inch GPS with both traffic service and Bluetooth built in. Bad news: the traffic is via MSN Direct, it’s only free for nine months, and the service is completely shutting down on January 1, 2012.

But that still gives you almost two wonderful years together (assuming you pay the $50-per-year subscription fee after the free nine months ends). And you can actually buy a different traffic receiver, the GTM 25, which provides free traffic data for life.

I’d personally go with the kit as-is for now and then when the MSN Direct honeymoon ends in nine months, pick up the GTM 25 for around $90 or so. But that’s just me.

Aside from the traffic stuff, you get Bluetooth pairing for use with your cell phone, built-in maps of the US and Canada, text-to-speech directions, 4.3-inch touchscreen, four hours of battery life, and photo viewer.

Regular price is around $130, Amazon’s selling it for $100 today only.

Garmin nüvi 285W-285WT [Amazon.com]

You read tech blogs and, as such, you may not care much about professional sports. And that’s okay. That’s okay. But the Super Bowl is an event that even non-sports-loving people tend to watch every year since anyone who actually likes football always throws a Super Bowl party. So even though you’re not into the game at all, here’s a little cheat sheet you can use at your Super Bowl party this weekend.

Background:

There are two “conferences” that make up the National Football League, the AFC (American Football Conference) and the NFC (National Football Conference). Each of those conferences is split up into four divisions; North, East, South, and West. The winner of the AFC plays the winner of the NFC after 2-3 rounds of playoffs at the end of the 17-week season.

The New Orleans Saints won the NFC this year. The Indianapolis Colts won the AFC.

The Super Bowl is played in a neutral stadium every year, almost always in a warm climate (unless the stadium in a cold climate has a dome). This year it’s being played in Miami.

The Super Bowl is always followed by Roman numerals. This year it’s Super Bowl XLIV – Super Bowl 44, the 44th Super Bowl since Super Bowl I was played back in 1967.

Kickoff is at 6:25 PM on Sunday, February 7th 2010. It will be televised on CBS. The half-time show will be a live music set by The Who. The game lasts forever so get a good seat.

Teams:

The New Orleans Saints, led by quarterback Drew Brees, will make their first Super Bowl appearance in team history. The Saints almost went undefeated during the regular season until a loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. They finished 13-3 overall and then beat the Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs.

Players to look out for: Drew Brees, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Devery Henderson, Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey, Darren Sharper.

The Indianapolis Colts, led by quarterback Peyton Manning, won Super Bowl XLI (41) in 2007. Like the Saints, the Colts almost went undefeated during the regular season as well. They lost their first game in Week 16 against the New York Jets. Colts Coach Jim Caldwell was criticized for resting most of his best players during that game since the team had already clinched a spot in the playoffs. The Colts finished the season 14-2 and beat the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets in the playoffs to get to the Super Bowl.

Players to look out for: Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Dwight Freeney (may not play due to injury).

Things to say if you want to impress people:

“Man, this should be interesting. Neither of these teams particularly cares about establishing the run. But if you’ve got a gunslinger like Manning or Brees, that’s probably not an issue.”

“This oughta be a good game. These teams have only played each other ten times and they’ve split the wins 50-50.”

“This game may come down to defense. Or lack thereof.”

“New Orleans’ offensive line has to protect Brees. Indy’s defense is too quick.”

Crash course in American Football:

The playing field is 100 yards long, populated by perpendicular white lines every five yards and two ten-yard deep scoring areas on either end called end zones. Teams (11 players per side) are given four opportunities, called “downs” to progress the ball forward a total of ten yards. If successful, the downs are reset and the team must go another ten yards. That process is repeated until the team scores a touchdown, kicks a field goal, or punts the ball drop kick-style (often done on fourth down when the team can’t move the ball ten yards after three attempts) away to the other team. Any player who carries the ball into their opponents’ end zone or catches the ball while in their opponents’ end zone scores a touchdown.

Touchdowns are worth six points. After each touchdown, the scoring team has a chance to get 1-2 extra points. One point for kicking the ball through two upright goal posts 18.5 inches apart and 10 feet elevated above the ground. The team may also attempt to run or throw the ball back into the end zone from the two yard line which, if successful, nets the team two extra points. Most often, teams opt for the one-point kick since it’s less risky.

If a team is unable to make it to the end zone, they may opt to kick a “field goal” from wherever they are on the field. Similar to an extra point kick after a touchdown, but often attempted from greater distances, a field goal is worth three points. If the team is not close enough to the opposing end zone to attempt a field goal, they must punt the ball away to the other team or attempt to obtain a first down by moving the ball the remainder of ten yards. If unsuccessful after fourth down, the ball is turned over to the other team.

There are four 15-minute quarters per game. If a game ends in a tie, a 15-minute overtime quarter is played. The first team to score in overtime wins. If neither team scores, the game ends in a tie during the regular season. For playoff games and the Super Bowl, the teams keep playing additional overtime quarters until one team scores.

Which team to cheer for:

Follow your heart. You’ll probably like the cut of one team’s jib more than the other. Or maybe you’ll like the colors of one team’s uniform better than the other. If you like to root for the underdog, go with the Saints. It’s the first time they’ve ever been to the Super Bowl. If you’re looking for more of a dynasty-type atmosphere, go with the Colts. Peyton Manning will probably be their quarterback until he retires and he’s good at football which means, in turn, the Colts are always pretty good every year. Saints for show, Colts for dough.

Artist Logan Zawacki (what a fun name!) put together some pretty impressive game-themed skateboard decks for the I’M BOARD skateboard art show held earlier this week in Florida.

Zawacki created four decks in all, each with the following theme: Mega Man, Super Mario Bros. 3, Street Fighter II, and TMNT: The Arcade Game. If you look really closely at each deck, too, you’ll notice that a bunch of the characters are riding skateboards themselves.

Cool stuff. More photos over at ALBOTAS.

Sick Video Game Inspired Skateboard Designs for the I’M BOARD Skateboard Art Show [albotas.com]

Artist Logan Zawacki (what a fun name!) put together some pretty impressive game-themed skateboard decks for the I’M BOARD skateboard art show held earlier this week in Florida.

Zawacki created four decks in all, each with the following theme: Mega Man, Super Mario Bros. 3, Street Fighter II, and TMNT: The Arcade Game. If you look really closely at each deck, too, you’ll notice that a bunch of the characters are riding skateboards themselves.

Cool stuff. More photos over at ALBOTAS.

Sick Video Game Inspired Skateboard Designs for the I’M BOARD Skateboard Art Show [albotas.com]

If I were Jared Allen, Drew Brees, or Reggie Wayne, I’d run screaming from Doritos and EA Sports. Whether you believe in the Madden Curse or not, the fact remains that just about every player that’s appeared on the cover of one of EA Sports’ Madden games has suffered a serious injury or seen his once-dominant playing ability severely decline.

So for Madden NFL 11, Doritos and EA have teamed up to let football fans “log on to www.doritoschangethegame.com to vote daily for one of three nominees for the Madden NFL 11 cover.” The nominees, of course, being Jared Allen, Drew Brees, and Reggie Wayne.

Here’s a brief rundown of past victims of the Madden Curse. Madden titles are a year ahead, so Madden NFL 10, for instance, came out right before the 2009 NFL season started.

Madden NFL 10: Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald. This marked the first time two athletes had appeared on the cover together. Polamalu sprained his MCL in the first game of the season, missed four games, returned for three more, and then injured his PCL to knock him out for the rest of the season. Fitzgerald, on the other hand, had a pretty good year. So maybe the only way to break the curse is to have two people on the cover. Even then, though, there’s still a 50-50 chance of being cursed.

Madden NFL 09: Brett Favre. Seeing as though Favre is the Chuck Norris of professional football, it looked like the curse had finally been broken. However, Favre fell apart in the second half of the season after suffering an injury to his throwing arm.

Madden NFL 08: Vince Young. Pretty good 2007 season, but injured his knee in the first game of the 2008 season. Then he ran away from home. As a grown-up. Then he didn’t play again until mid-way through the 2009 season.

Madden NFL 07: Shaun Alexander. Missed much of the 2006 season after breaking his foot, then broke his wrist during the first game of the 2007 season, sprained his knee and ankle in Week 9, was cut from the Seahawks in April 2008. Remained unsigned until October 2008, was picked up by the Redskins, who cut him a month later. He hasn’t played since.

Madden NFL 06: Donovan McNabb. Knocked out halfway through the season with a herniated disc in his back, the Eagles finish in last place and miss the playoffs for the first time in years.

Madden NFL 2005: Ray Lewis. Also like the Chuck Norris of football, Lewis did an admirable job of keeping the Madden Curse at bay. He had a relatively uninspiring 2004 season, but that’s about it. No major injuries or anything like that.

Madden NFL 2004: Michael Vick. Broke his leg, missed the first 3/4 of the season. Then all that dog-related stuff happened. Not that the dogs had anything to do with Madden.

Madden NFL 2003: Marshall Faulk. Recorded his worst season since 1996.

Madden NFL 2002: Daunte Culpepper. Minnesota finishes 5-11, Culpepper misses four games, worst Vikings record since 1984.

Madden NFL 2001: Eddie George. No injuries and a pretty good 2000 season. In 2001, though, Tennessee finished 7-9 and George didn’t break 1000 yards rushing.

Madden NFL 2000: Barry Sanders. Only kinda, sorta appeared on the cover. Whatever the case, he unexpectedly retired before the season even started.

Madden NFL 99: Garrison Hearst. Only appeared on certain covers, broke his ankle in a playoff game so severely that he missed two seasons.

So looking back on the 10+ years of Madden cover athletes, it seems that a few have dodged major bullets but most have experienced a mysterious dark cloud overhead. And judging by the three finalists for this Doritos thing, I’d venture a guess that Drew Brees may get the nod, especially if his team wins the Super Bowl on Sunday.

At any rate, I’d politely decline if I were Allen, Brees, or Wayne. And if that didn’t work, I’d decline with shouting and arm flailing. Voting ends March 15th.

Doritos Presents: Change the Game [Voting Site]

Oh-kaaay. So Reebok has developed something called ZigTech – basically a zig-zag type foam for running shoes that’s supposed to ease the load on your leg muscles. And one of the first snippets from the press release is, “ZigTech allows your key leg muscles to do less, so you can do more. Simply put, it’s like an energy drink for your feet.”

And the title of the press release is “Reebok Debuts ZigTech – An Energy Drink for Your Feet…” The shoes will be available for $100 on March 11th and “The launch will be supported by a major marketing campaign including TV, print and online advertising.”

I’m curious to see if Reebok sticks with the “energy drink for your feet” angle for this upcoming marketing blitz since it’s so bat-shit crazy it might work.

As for the actual technology:

“Everything about Reebok’s ZigTech footwear is designed to conserve and return energy to the athlete for a soft and springy ride. The one-of-a-kind ZigTech bottom unit features an innovative, lightweight foam that is engineered into a dramatic, geometric, zig-zag shape. This unique zig-shaped sole absorbs the impact of heel strike and sends a wave of energy along the length of the shoe to help propel the athlete forward with each step.”

There are apparently “hundreds” of athletes who train in the ZigTech shoes, including Peyton Manning, Chad Ochocinco, Santonio Holmes, David Ortiz, Allen Iverson, and more.

Full press release:

Reebok Debuts ZigTech – An Energy Drink for Your Feet…

CANTON, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–What would you do if you had more energy? Run faster? Train longer? On March 11^th, Reebok allows athletes to find out with the highly anticipated launch of ZigTech, the brand’s most technically advanced running and training shoe. ZigTech allows your key leg muscles to do less, so you can do more. Simply put, it’s like an energy drink for your feet.

Everything about Reebok’s ZigTech footwear is designed to conserve and return energy to the athlete for a soft and springy ride. The one-of-a-kind ZigTech bottom unit features an innovative, lightweight foam that is engineered into a dramatic, geometric, zig-zag shape. This unique zig-shaped sole absorbs the impact of heel strike and sends a wave of energy along the length of the shoe to help propel the athlete forward with each step.

“Traditional energy return is focused only on the vertical impact of the heel strike,” said Reebok’s Head of Advanced Innovation, Bill McInnis. “In contrast, ZigTech is designed to transfer energy horizontally along the zigs so the athlete gets that energy back in the forefoot.”

The lightweight, flexible bottom unit, minimalist upper, and whisper-quiet ground contact also contribute to making ZigTech a new standard in running and training footwear. In fact, by wearing Reebok’s ZigTech footwear, training longer just got easier. The technology causes up to 20% less wear and tear on key leg muscles, especially the shins and hamstrings.

“Shin splints are extremely common for pro athletes like me,” said NFL superstar Peyton Manning. “Wearing ZigTechs give players a bounce, an energy that lets us train longer with less strain on key leg muscles, like shins. This ultimately enables athletes to stay healthier during the season.”

Reebok’s ZigTech footwear collection is available for men and women in an array of bold, bright colors that will truly stand out in the gym. Edgy, trend setting athletes like football phenom Chad Ochocinco are big fans of the aggressive design. “I had my ZigTechs in the locker room and all my teammates were trying to check them out,” said Ochocinco. “ZigTechs stand apart from any training shoe out there. They are bold and confident, perfect for an athlete like me.”

Manning and Ochocinco are joined by last year’s Super Bowl MVP, Santonio Holmes, 2008 Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, World Series star pitcher Andy Pettitte, Cy Young Award winner Tim Lincecum, Stanley Cup winner Sidney Crosby, NHL All-Star Alexander Ovechkin, boxing great “Sugar” Shane Mosley, basketball icon Allen Iverson, home run king David Ortiz, soccer standouts Thierry Henry and Ryan Giggs, and hundreds more athletes who run and train in Reebok’s ZigTech footwear.

ZigTech debuts at major retailers including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Foot Locker, Finish Line and on Reebok.com on March 11, 2010 for a suggested price of $100. The launch will be supported by a major marketing campaign including TV, print and online advertising. To learn more, visit Reebok.com/zigtech.

Now THAT is a lot of Chicken McNuggets. Like, so many that the Hamburglar might actually consider a) switching briefly to chicken instead of hamburgers and b) paying the $10 instead of going to all the trouble of trying to conceal a gigantic bucket of chicken under his cape.

And just to give you a head start, you’ll apparently be able to get this deal starting tomorrow even though it’s a loose tie-in with the Super Bowl. So, tomorrow and Sunday, 50 Chicken McNuggets for $10. In a huge bucket. To share with others, hopefully.

[via FatWallet]

Photo via J. Lau