When I heard the name 'miniHitch', I had one thing come to mind.  However the Compwave MiniHitch is a great idea for those that have large screen LCD monitors to go along with their Mac minis.  The miniHitch uses the standard VESA mount found on many LCD monitors.  It is clear acrylic, so it shows off the beauty of the Mac mini. 

Since the miniHitch reduces the clutter on your desk, it is a good substitue for the iMac if you've already purchased a mini and a flat screen monitor.  Or if you're suffering from iMac envy.  Compuwave also makes a mount for the iSight camera.

It's $50 direct from the manufacturer, who only works through PayPal.

Back when I was a kid, my mom would sing "Look For The Union Label," a song from a TV ad about how buying clothing made by unionized US workers, rather than from sweatshops, is the right thing to do.

Now the CWA (Communications Workers of America) are playing a similar tune in their new campaign to get Americans to switch to Cingular, the only unionized cell phone carrier in the US. The CWA's site, cingularswitch.com, singles out Verizon Wireless as a company to switch from, but T-Mobile and Sprint are also non-union, according to the CWA's Jeff Miller.

Politics can definitely play a role in your shopping choices. The founders of Domino's Pizza and Curves gyms have come under criticism for supporting pro-life causes, though the fact that both companies are franchises make the issue a lot cloudier (as individual franchisees may have different opinions.) The clothing company American Apparel, meanwhile, makes a positive selling point of their excellent working conditions -- though they're also anti-union. It's a complicated world, but if the "union label" means a lot to you, you should be making calls on Cingular.

UPDATED: David Blaine's failed attempt at breaking the world record for holding his breath underwater for longer than 8 minutes, 58 seconds has not deterred him from trying again. That's right, according to People Magazine, Blaine wants to try the stunt once more, but without being immersed in a tank for a week. He was released from the hospital on Tuesday and is feeling fine.

Unless you've been locked up in a 2,000-gallon tank of water yourself, then you've probably already heard about David Blaine's latest stunt: to hold his breath underwater longer than 8 minutes, 58 seconds, which is currently the world record.

Blaine has trained for the event with an elite free-diving team led by trainer Kirk Krack. He has been immersed in an 8-foot acrylic sphere full of 2,000 gallons of 98.6-degree F water for seven days and nights in front of the Lincoln Center in NYC. Drowned Alive will appear tonight at 8pm on ABC where he will hold his breath in hopes of a victory.

Rather than watching him on TV, fellow GearLogger PJ Jacobowitz and I decided to venture to Lincoln Center for a hands-on look at the daredevil himself. We didn't arrive empty-handed though. We decided to bring along a new product we've received in the PC Magazine Labs: SKB's DryPod: a protective, waterproof plastic casing, currently available for the 4Gen iPod and iPod with video. Luckily, PJ felt brave enough to use his iPod with video for the test. Our plan was to put the case on the iPod, immerse it in a vase full of water, then bring it to Blaine to show him the fun he could be having while underwater.

When we arrived, there he was: looking like a big fish, waving to everyone, probably bored out of his mind, with an oxygen mask and liquid nutrition being fed to him through a tube. Nuts I tell ya! Still, you couldn't help but be fascinated.

After being interviewed by Telemundo, we were able to get up close and personal with Blaine, by walking right up to the sphere and taking a picture while listening to some Weezer. He gave us a thumbs-up. 

So far, the DryPod has held its breath for 3 hours and 46 minutes. It works very well underwater, and Weezer sounded great.

The DryPod comes with a stainless steel belt clip, arm band, lanyard with clip, and adapter for other headphones with different angle plugs.

Both the SKB-9000 for the color iPod and the SKB-9001 DryPod for the video iPod sell for $44.95.

SKB plans on releasing a DryPod for the iPod nano near the end of June or July.

Want to see more pics of David Blaine and the DryPod? Click here!

Who can forget the late American painter Bob Ross, who taught viewers how to create those unbelieveable landscapes on the PBS TV show, The Joy of Painting? In fact, that was one of the only times I'd watch PBS growing up, besides Reading Rainbow and Mister Rogers. To this day, it amazes me the amount of talent Ross possessed. It's such a shame that he died of lymphoma.

Thankfully, we can carry his artistic legacy with us, because Bob Ross Inc. have announced that they intend to develop a video/PC game based on his painting techniques for the PC, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo Wii.

From the Boss Ross Web site:

"The Bob Ross game will utilize the unique inputs that the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Revolution have that can truly immerse the players while they learn to paint like Bob Ross and can play the addictive and fun games that we have planned for the title. I believe that Bob Ross Inc's and AGFRAG Entertainment Group's similar beliefs in independence, creativity, and teaching others will benefit how the game is developed and how the players of all ages will be able to enjoy this game."

No release date info yet, but we'll keep you posted.

[via GadgeTell]

I never miss the chance to make a Back to the Future reference. Apparently on eBay over the weekend, somebody won a replica of the De Lorean's Flux Capacitor that's seen in the film. Remember Doc hits his head after slipping off the toilet, and this image appears to him?

Seller 83delorean created the Flux Capacitor with real glass tubes, gold bases made from aluminum, a custom-built circuitboard, and white LEDs.

Yesterday, after 51 bids were placed, the lucky winner was usa1775 for $555. But be on the lookout, because the seller may offer another replica on eBay soon.

Watch the Flux Capacitor in action.

[via OhGizmo!]