A few months ago my younger daughter turned six. Attempting to make myself useful before the birthday party, I was hanging a large piñata, when my better-half approached me and whispered provocatively: "Man, please follow me to my office."

Instant cold sweat. When I get such invitation from a beautiful woman, I get serious performance anxiety and I know why: I'm going to be asked to perform the last manly job.

If you've got a hankering to watch your TV programs all over the globe, you already know the Slingbox by Sling Media is just about the best way to do it. Now the Sling folks are releasing two new 'Boxes, which have appeared on Amazon's site for pre-order. The SlingCatcher and the Slingbox PRO-HD are both $300, but it's unknown when each will ship. SlingCatcher allows users to watch any digital media they like on their TV, and the Slingbox PRO-HD is a Slingbox, with, well... HD support. Get excited to watch Olympics re-runs in hi def.

About a million-and-one Apple [NASDAQ:AAPL] patents are uncovered every year by ambitious fanboys, but few ever bear the fruit of products that actually come to market. Nevertheless, a lot can be said of Apple patent-scanning, because it gives consumers at least a general idea of what kind of activities are bubbling about in ole Steve-O's brain. The latest patent uncovered, however, looks mightly likely to materialize, based on existing rumors.