The Buzz

LIFE Photos Via Google
The storied photo archive of LIFE magazine containing among the most iconic images of our times is now available on Google Image Search. The Zapruder film of the Kennedy assassination and images of the Apollo 11 moon landing are just a couple of the things viewable now. Over the coming months, Google will be adding the entire LIFE collection, about 10 million photos. images.google.com/hosted/life.

Mail Sleeve
A new entry in laptop sleeves from Kena Kai manages to be both elegant and clever. The “Inter-Departmental Mail” computer sleeve is styled after the office standby, complete with cord closure, and fashioned in lux full-grain leather. A standard model fits laptops up to 13.3 inches ($80). An Ultra-Portable version: $70. www.kenakai.com.

Give Yourself a Hand
Couldn't we all use a little recognition? If you or a certain someone could stand to feel the love, take matters into your own hands with the Applause Machine. Just push the button and this bright little contraption enthusiastically claps its hands for you. Now that's one way to say, “Well done.” Designed by Martin Smith for Laikingland, the Applause Machine comes in five colors; Currant Red, Signal Green, Traffic Orange, Graphite Black, and Chalk White. $290. www.laikingland.co.uk.

Enlighten Me
A new, online subscription source provides unique insight into the minds of the greatest writers and thinkers of the 18th century. A scholarly research project of the University of Oxford, Electronic Enlightenment consists of the correspondence penned by 6,000 key figures, from Defoe and Hobbes to Kant and Voltaire. New, unpublished documents will be added each year. www.e-enlightenment.com.

A Switch to Mac
More people are considering purchasing a Mac over a Windows machine, according to a recent report by Morgan Stanley. Now that transition's even simpler, thanks to the Belkin Switch-to-Mac Cable. The $50 USB device automatically moves music, movies, photos, files, and Internet preferences from your PC to a Mac. www.belkin.com.

iRecord Snags Video
iRecord Pro makes it easy to grab music and video for your iPod and other devices. Simply plug in iRecord to a television or cable or satellite box to record your selected program or connect to a DVD player or TiVo to copy existing videos to a wealth of portable media players, such as the iPhone, various iPod models, PSP, Creative Zen, Sansa, Zune, and Gigabeat. The Pro model records at full D1 resolution (720x480) $259.99. www.irecord.com.