Here’s our very first episode of Cord Cutters, published on October 19 2010:

Hey you, how do you watch TV?

NewTeeVee has covered the future of video since late 2006. We often focus on the business aspects of reinventing television, simply because the story behind the ascent of companies like Netflix and Hulu – and their recent struggles – is fascinating.

Of course, we’ve also paid attention to the consumer side all along, covering new devices like the Roku, the Apple TV or the Boxee that bring online video content to the TV screen. However, we didn’t want to become yet another gadget blog. Instead, we wanted to get a sense of how people were actually using these devices, and what difference they were making in their everyday lives.

We briefly contemplated visiting people at their homes and taking tons of photos of their setups. But then we realized that it isn’t just about the boxes you stack under your TV and the cables you use to connect them – even though, for geeks like us, that can be a lot of fun as well.

No, there is something more fundamental going on, something that’s at least as disruptive as the introduction of the DVR in 1999. With online video maturing from cat videos to long-form content, people are watching TV on their own terms, liberating themselves not only from the schedule, but also from a single category of devices, and finally from a bunch of previously pretty much mandatory services. Some people watch whole movies on the iPad, others stream Hulu content to the Xbox, while others again rediscover over-the air-television as the best HD signal there is.

We’re a nation of Cord Cutters

A big part of this has been cord cutting — as the act of giving up your traditional pay TV subscription is now known. The economic crisis has forced many of us to take another look at monthly expenses and pay TV providers are starting to feel the consequences. Pay TV subscriptions were down for the first time ever in two quarters of 2010. There was a slight rebound earlier this year, but things aren’t looking too good for the rest of the year. Some predict that nine million households won’t have cable by 2016.

We decided to devote a whole show to this trend not because we hate cable companies (even though everyone else seems to), or because we don’t think that the traditional 0 a month cable bundle is a very good deal for consumers (which it isn’t).

We did it because because we noticed that those cord cutters were the very people who were at the forefront of reinventing television. The folks in the trenches, who take their TV viewing back into their own hands and experiment until they find a solution that works best for them – and not the one-size-fits all approach that’s still at the core of pay TV.

And there was something else we quickly noticed: Cord cutters are everywhere, including at GigaOM. Check out this video we did late last year with a number of our employees:

Here’s to the alpha geeks

Granted, not everyone is ready to cut the cord and give up on cable or other forms of pay TV. Most households probably never will be – and working on Cord Cutters has given us a lot of invaluable feedback on why people stick with Comcast or U-verse. Sports is still a big reason, falling in love with a certain show or network that aren’t available online is yet another.

However, cord cutting still matters. Not only financially, as pay TV providers see their slim growth margins breaking away, but also to innovation in this industry. Tim O’Reilly has long been talking about the alpha geeks –  the people who impact our collective future by inventing and crash-testing it today. Cord cutters are the TV world’s alpha geeks. Watch them watch TV, and you’ll get a sense of where all of our TV consumption is going.

Unfortunately, there’s a bit of a misconception, leading many people to believe that alpha geeks all work at some hot Silicon Valley startups. It’s true that folks in tech seem to be most vocal about cord cutting and many other tech trends. But if you look at the history of technology, it’s more often than not folks outside of the Valley that got the ball rolling.

Minorities, and not startup CEOs, were the first to really embrace cell phones in the U.S. Teenagers in Europe were getting blisters from texting long before mobile messaging became fashionable stateside. And farmers in rural Kenya have done mobile commerce long before you and I even heard about Google Wallet.

It’s not about geeks vs. have-nots

Why does this matter? Because with cord cutting, some industry insiders want to differentiate between the tech-savvy and the economically depressed, arguing that most people simply give up on pay TV when things are tough, only to sign up again once the economy recovers.

But at least judging by the feedback we’ve gotten from people of all ages and backgrounds who watch Cord Cutters, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Cord Cutters are general contractors, priests, politicians, retirees, teachers, students, liberals, conservatives and libertarians – and they’re all united by a desire to watch TV differently.

Helping our viewers to make that happen – and learn a whole lot about the future of TV in the process – has been the most satisfying part of producing Cord Cutters. We can’t wait to see what’s next.

Check the embed below for some of the more recent episodes of Cord Cutters, or visit the show page to browse our entire archive.

We would like to hear from you: What do you want to see on future episodes of Cord Cutters? What else should we do, or what should e do differently? Do you want more product demos, more tips & tricks, or more meetups? Let us know in the comments!

Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:
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• Connected Consumer Q1: The Over-the-Top vs. Pay TV Battle Heats Up
• Connected Consumer Q2: Digital music meets the cloud; e-book growth explodes
• 5 Connected Consumer Companies to Watch in 2011

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Well, would you look at that? Two of our favorite entertainers, Lucile Ball and the World Wide Web, share a birthday. Of course, the former Mrs. Desi Arnaz would have about 80 years on the old web if she were alive today, but there’s no reason the two can’t get along, right? That’s Google’s stance anyway, as the internet giant’s dedicated its latest doodle to the memory of the fiery ginger comedienne. If you love Lucy as much as we do, hit the source link, grab some popcorn and cozy up to that tiny TV to watch some of her very finest comedic performances.

[Thanks, Bedan]

Babalu! Google celebrates Lucille Ball’s 100th birthday doodle-style originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 06 Aug 2011 21:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Of course, Bree turned out to be a fictional character played by the Australian actress Jessica Lee Rose. Her YouTube moniker lonelygirl15 turned into the first major web series success story, amassing more than 257 million views on YouTube, when counted together with various spinoffs. Her identity was revealed by a journalist three months after that first video, and her story took a turn for the surreal, complete with crazy cults and mysterious disappearances, once the illusion of authenticity was off the table.

Bree was killed off her own show in August 2007, but the production studio EQAL continued the format without her, and with various spinoffs like LG15: The Resistance. EQAL eventually morphed from a pure content production company into an agency that helps brands and celebrities like Kraft and Paula Deen with distribution of their online video assets. EQAL recently raised .5 million to grow this new part of its business.

As for Rose, she’s been starring in other web series productions, as well as on the TV shows Greek and Sorority Forever. Check out her thoughts on lonelygirl15 five years later:

Correction: According to LGPedia, Rose isn’t Australian, but was born in Maryland and grew up in New Zealand.

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• Is There a Future for Original Web Video Shows?
• Connected Consumer Market Overview, Q2 2010
• Shattering the Fourth Wall To Find Web Audiences

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Question by Max D: cool gadget to get a 14 year old for his birthday?
I just want a fun gadget to get for him. suggestions?
already got ipod.

Best answer:

Answer by **13Princess13**
A psp is perfect! i have 1 and i LUV it!!! U can: watch movies, go online, play games and listen to music and more things too! Or if he doesnt have one already get him an ipod.

Add your own answer in the comments!

Best answer:

Answer by Peanut
I was going to suggest a Blue-Ray player, but they’re kinda pricey.

What about a Navigation system for the car?

Give your answer to this question below!

1. Pocket Cinema V10 – 42″ Handheld Projector – Aiptek Pocket Cinema V10 is a 42 inch handheld projector ensuring that you relish the glorious video and digital experience with the special LCoS Optical Technology Developed by 3M. So make sure that you do not miss your favourite James Bond movie or the other funny videos. It also displays images from iPod, Digital Cameras, Camcorders, Mobile Phones, and Game Consoles via the AV-Out.

2. Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 – With a magnificent 3-inch clear wide VGA display, a full QWERTY keyboard within a quality metal-finish body, Windows Mobile Inside and loads of other entertainment applications and features, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 is the smart choice to make this Christmas!

3. Original NSD Powerball Neon Pro – Red – Here comes the fastest non-motorised ball on the planet – NSD Red Powerball Neon Pro. An amazing exercising device with insane fun and enthusiasm providing immense strength and power to your body. The Neon ‘Pro’ contains the same perfectly balanced rotor as found in the 250Hz model range but with the addition of 6 ultra intense LED’s which glow brightly when the gyro is activated.

4. Binary Clock – This new binary clock is an ideal choice for the so called nerds and geeks as it brings the desktop version available for “geeky humanoids”. The elegant and sleek silver coloured Binary Clock design with blue LEDs looks stunning.

5. Shure SE110 Sound Isolating Earphones – Black – Brilliant and rich music listening experience with balanced microspeakers, the new Shure SE100 sound isolating earphones is an amazing choice for music lovers. The design is exceptional and is considered being the most comfortable design ever as far as earphones go.

6. Joby Gorillapod SLR Camera Tripod – The Joby Gorillapod SLR will ensure impeccable shots this Christmas with its intuitive prehensile legs allowing you to capture the shots literally in any environment. Of course the best part is its easy set up anywhere and anytime as its compact quick-release plate makes setup a snap.

7. Motorola T505 Bluetooth in-Car Speakerphone with Digital FM Transmitter – Motorola’s brilliant speakerphone allows you to take calls easily and listen to your kind of music when you’re driving with not to forget about the built-in digital FM transmitter with the help of which you can hear the tune louder and clearer.

8. Pakuma Akara Computer Back Pack K3 Black/Green with Brown Piping – Here is the Pakuma Akara Back Pack with the chest and waist straps being well padded capable of being adjusted to make a perfect fit with up to 17 ” widescreen display. CD wallet; MP3 pouch & headphone out port as also the external mesh pockets for bottles are included in the bag.

9. Parrot CK3100 Bluetooth Advanced Car Kit – Black – Parrot CK3100 is the most advanced and sought after hands free with its intelligent design, amazing functionality and gorgeous looks. The kit offers the facility to provide drivers with visual information and functions that they routinely use from their personal phone.

10. Nintendo Wii Music – Nintendo Wii Music lets you simulate more 60 different instruments with nothing more than the Wii remote and nunchuck and is fully spot on in the entertainment area. Six – person band, controlling those ushers a new phase to your gaming books.

Read more on US Weekly

Below are just some of the best selling gadget gifts for birthdays.

Finger Drums

This miniature life-like finger drums set is a very popular birthday gift for the boys. It comes fully equipped with large and small tom-tom, bass drum with miniature foot pedal, snare and cymbal, nothing short of the real thing. This desktop drum kit has both a record and a freestyle function so you can either drum away or sit listen to the catchy tune of the demo.

T-Equalizer T-Shirt

The sound activated T-Equalizer shirt appeals to both children and adults alike. Even the ladies can now enjoy the new TQ Heart design which is stylish and figure hugging. These electro-luminescent design T-shirts have an EQ panel connected to a battery pack and is sound activated. Each Equalizer bar reacts differently depending on sound frequency. The makers of these fantastic shirts have also introduced the wi-fi detector shirts which will pick up wi-fi hotspots. The glowing bars on the front of the shirt dynamically change as the surrounding wi-fi signal strength fluctuates. Even if you are not a gadget fan, you’ll no doubt agree that these are genius inventions.

Gelli Baff

If you are looking for something that is unusual, fun and guaranteed to be loved by all kids, Gelli Baff is the gift to buy. Gelli Baff is the award-winning product from the UK that turns bath water into jelly. Gelli baff is a harmless powder which holds 400 times its own weight in water. A similar substance is used in disposable nappies. The dissolver sachet contains pure table salt, the same as you put on your chips! For those who are worried about disposing of this goo down the drain, the dissolver turns the jelly back to liquid for easy disposal down the drain.

Flying Alarm Clock

This is one of those gifts that your receiver is either going to love or hate. Whatever the reaction you can’t deny the interesting and funny appeal of this gadget. When the alarm sounds the propeller is launched up into the air & flies around the room. To turn off the alarm you’ll have to get up, find it & return it to the base. If this won’t get you out of bed, then nothing will!

Tyvek Wallets

As more people join the environmentally friendly band wagon, the demand for interesting “green” novelty products have also attracted much interests. One extremely popular product is the Tyvek Wallets. Made of Tyvek, 25% recyled material, these wallets are themselves recyclable. They are expandable, strong, lightweight and thin, not to mention stylish. Numerous designs are available to cater for different tastes. The Tyvek wallet is also water resistant and will protect against the humidity in your pocket which destroys leather. This is truly an eco-friendly novelty wallet!

There are many more interesting gadget gifts to offer if you are prepared to search around. Be specific with your search and focus on shopping sites that offer “gadget gifts” and “novelties”.