It’s time to wrap up another week here at TechRepublic with TROLOV — or TR Out Loud on Video. Find out what discussions and members were most active on the boards. If you’re not a fan of video, you can choose to just listen to the audio file.

Notes:
Top discussion threads:

  1. Flash cookies: What’s new with online privacy
  2. Radiation threats: The 10 most hazardous smartphones
  3. The Pirate Bay is back with a vengeance
  4. Three things a manager never wants to hear you say
  5. Poll: What classic TV show should be turned into a movie?

Here are a few other links that you should check out:

If you’d like to contribute to the pics galleries, please send us your photos.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for the TechRepublic Community Central newsletter!

Most “Thumbs Up” in the TR Questions arena over the past week

  1. Jacky Howe (8 thumbs)
  2. robo_dev and NetMan1958 (6 thumbs)
  3. jck, —TK—, OldER Mycroft, and OH Smeg (3 thumbs)
  4. CG IT, seanferd, and patb071 (2 thumbs)

Most Comments in the TR Forums this week

  1. jck (198 posts)
  2. Palmetto (111 posts)
  3. seanferd (96 posts)
  4. Michael Kassner (86 posts)
  5. NickNielsen (76 posts)

TR Member participation

Many thanks to SKDTech, NotSoChiGuy, Hal 9000, and Mary Weilage for participating in this episode of TROLOV. These members are eligible for some free swag!

Last week’s Question of the Week, submitted by TR member jck: “What mainstream technology are you itching to try, and what has kept you from trying it?” Here are a couple responses from the TR community:

SKDTech: “I am itching to try an Android-based phone… I have no interest in the iPhone or iAnything, but I really want an Android phone. Unfortunately, I’m on AT&T and haven’t had the disposable funds to purchase an unlocked Android phone.”

NotSoChiGuy: “The Mac OS is something that I’d like to take for a spin in greater depth. However, I don’t own a Mac, and I’m not inclined to go the Hackintosh route, so there doesn’t seem to be a convenient way for me try it out without going all-in and buying a system. Given that my systems at home (1 Desktop, 1 notebook, 1 netbook) are all fairly recent vintage and working just fine, buying a Mac isn’t justifiable from a cost perspective; and probably won’t be for at least another 2 years. While I am still very green when it comes to using Linux, at least I have the opportunity to explore the OS in its various flavors and forms (both with LiveCDs as well as virtualization). I don’t expect Apple to change their business model on the account of little ol’ me, but it would be nice to have a similar opportunity to learn about Mac OS.”

This week’s Questions of the Week, submitted by TR member Hal 9000, is a garden game: “Which pitcher will be the first to be fully open, and which flower will be the first to open?” (see the video for photos) Please send your guesses to trol at techrepublic.com.
We also received a “Who is this TR member?” photo. Take a look at the baby picture in the video, and then let us know who you think it is!
Voice messages, e-mails, and photos = swag
If you’d like to earn some free TR swag, send in an e-mail with a Question of the Week, comments, photos, and/or original video clips to trol at techrepublic.com. You can also leave a voice message — our toll free number is (866) 414-CNET (2638) and our Skype ID is tr.out.loud.

We have lots and lots of swag. If you’d like a complete listing, shoot me an e-mail, and I’ll send a reply.