Technology Slice Blog

Small Business Saturday - A new national campaign is urging consumers to take a break between the big-box madness of Black Friday and the bargain-hunting of Cyber Monday and spend today patronizing neighborhood merchants in a new event dubbed Small Business Saturday. Backed by American Express OPEN, the division of the credit card giant that serves small businesses, the campaign supports the locally owned businesses that help give neighborhoods their character. "We're really focused on the little guys that don't have the national or regional brand names hanging over their doors," said Cinda Baxter, the small business advocate in Minneapolis whose activities helped spawn today's event. Baxter said that about 18 months ago she floated an idea in a blog posting. She called it the 3/50 Project: Find three local merchants you love and spend $50 at each per month. She described 3/50 as a less confrontational variant of the broader buy-local movement because her...

Celebrity Apprentice Gary Busey - The cast for the third edition of The Celebrity Apprentice was officially revealed today with a cast photo, and it's one of the more extraordinarily off-beat casts of celebrities ever assembled. There's a rapper, Michael Jackson's sister, a country singer, a baseball player, a Survivor, a Real Housewife of Atlanta and Sugar Ray. I've become so accustomed to no-name stars being cast on reality shows that I'm simply happy as a clam to actually recognize almost all of the 16 celebrities on this show. They are: Lil Jon: rapper Hope Dworaczyk: Playboy playmate John Rich: Country singer from the group Big 'n' Rich Gary Busey: supremely crazy actor Richard Hatch: the guy who won Survivor, not the one who was Apollo on the original Battlestar Galactica David Cassidy: '70s teen heartthrob Niki Taylor: supermodel Dionne Warwick: singer, psychic friend Celebrity Apprentice Gary Busey

Chris Brown: In My Zone 2 - Chris Brown gets back in the zone with the follow-up to February’s In My Zone mixtape hosted DJ Drama and DJ Babey Drew. This time, C. Breezy brings along Gucci Mane, Petey Pablo, Big Sean, his “Deuces” collaborator Kevin McCall, and more. Plus, he throws in a holiday surprise for his fans with “Christmas Came Today” featuring RichGirl’s Seven. Chris Brown: In My Zone 2

Rey Decerega Elbows The President - Rey Decerega, Program Director for Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute, gave President Obama Stitches when he elbowed him in the mouth during a basketball game. Decerega was no immediately named as the one who did the elbowing but Robert Gibbs later made the announcement. The President was having a little fun by playing a little five on five B Ball and Rey Decerega was on the opposing team. Rey went to make a shot and the President was trying to block. President Obama needs to learn he can’t block an elbow with his mouth as it cost him a busted lip and 12 stitches. Decerega says the President is a good sport, but could the elbow have been a little payback because Obama has not delivered amnesty to the millions of illegal immigrants yet? With Republicans in charge of the House come January, there is almost no chance of amnesty now for the illegal immigrants that suck up our resources each year. Maybe Decerega was just taking out his frustration o...

Boscovs Helps Elderly - Boscov's is hoping to make the holidays that much more festive for a number of elderly people, by giving them some much-needed items. The department store in Pennsylvania is encouraging customers to donate gifts, like toothpaste, socks and slippers, to nursing homes in the local district. Christmas trees have been placed in the store, holding ornaments identifying which items the nursing home residents are in need of. “We ask that people share in the spirit of Christmas and be an angel,” Irene Kelly, the store's public relations area manager told The Times Leader. “Take an angel or ornament off the trees and then purchase something or offer a monetary donation,” she says. Boscov's has also set up a similar Christmas tree to help out animals in need. This time, donations go to the Blue Chip Farm Rescue Animal Shelter in Dallas. It's a no-kill shelter that provides a home for dogs and cats. “This is our first year working with the ...

Young Justice Premiere - Young Justice made its debut on Friday night with an hour-long edition on the Cartoon Network. It was a clever concept that was pretty well-executed: above-average animation; intriguingly different takes on a few familiar characters; and the promise of even better editions to come. The debut centered around Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, and Superboy. (I liked the way Speedy quit early on, disgusted at the lack of respect he was being shown by Green Arrow and other adult super-heroes — it was an unexpected move for a new series to use.) The plot concerned the Cadmus Project, busy manufacturing naughty genomes and using stolen Superman-DNA to hatch Superboy. Young Justice Premiere

Cyber Monday Deals - For those of you that feel like that may of missed out on one too many deals on the biggest shopping day of the year, will be happy to hear that all the holiday deals are still going strong and will be through Monday. Monday is what online shoppers consider to be the “cyber black Monday”, and online deals are expected to be hotter than ever. The craziness that took place on Black Friday is not your average shopping adventure. The lines are longer, the shoppers are pushier, and every shopper seems to be after the biggest and best deals on the same products, electronics. Electronics are always a hot item on every Christmas list, and the more popular the game or gadget, the harder it is to come by. Black Friday is known for being the day to capture the best shopping deals of the year but the journey is just to much for some shoppers. People tend to think the only way to take advantage of all the deals this holiday season is to get out front and center of all the ac...