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I think we can all agree that web comments are a wretched hive of scum and villainy, where ill-formed opinions are expressed in a mixture of bad grammar, logical fallacies, and assertions about the sexual orientation of other commentators (usually in ALL CAPS). But aside from a few extensions like YouTube Comment Snob, which work with specific sites, there has never been a web-wide solution for blocking comments. Until now.

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Ah, the march of technology: Firewire 400 has lost its spot as the de facto way of transferring video to the Mac, replaced by USB 2, hard-disk based camcorders, and Firewire 800. But the original Firewire was so popular, speedy, and reliable that the devices which use it still have a lot of life in them. So the simple solution for someone who owns a Mac (or any computer, really) with only an 800 port is to buy a cable converter such as the Sonnet Firewire 400 to 800 adapter.

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Popcorn 4 is an excellent piece of Mac software; it converts video into any number of useful formats and automates the process to make it simple and painless. Able to handle most popular video formats, it can export them to other formats, turn just about any video into a playable DVD, or convert it for use on an iPhone, game system, or YouTube. It’s great to see a program that takes the guesswork out of video conversion.

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Curious about when you can order the iPad, or why the Apple store never went down during Steve’s presentation? You’ll have to wait until March for a WiFi iPad, and April for the 3G. Turns out the FCC is to blame. At the end of the introductory video is a brief and tiny message which states: “This device has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission. This device is not, and may not be, offered for sale or lease, or sold or leased, until authorization is obtained.”

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Though as of this writing the iPad is not yet available for preorder at the Apple Store, you can watch the introductory video at the Apple website. The video discusses the ideas behind the iPad, its construction, and its use, focusing on the tactile nature of holding it (in any direction you like; “there’s no wrong way to hold it” being a repeated phrase), and using your fingers, rather than an intermediary device, to use it.

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“Hot chicks. Fake workouts.” Says it all, really; Yoga4Dudes: Fully Loaded isn’t so much an app as a collection of videos of attractive women doing Yoga poses in tight, revealing clothing. Taken from the video/show of the same name, Yoga4Dudes gives you 30 minutes of video, extras, and outtakes. Watching it reminded me of the old Hill’s Angels routines on The Benny Hill Show; the production has a sense of humor about itself, making it strangely lighthearted.

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The iPhone OS Wi-Fi Settings provides the essential information about the wireless networks around you: the name, whether it’s password protected, and relative signal strength. Beyond that basic information is a lot more; data which can not only help you pick the best network to connect to, but how to configure your base station. Consider WifiTrak the “pro” version of the Wi-Fi Settings.

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Three games from one maker: one a familiar puzzle game, one a time test of single-finger typing, and the last a truly unusual combination of spelling and mazes.

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Rather than being set in a Tolkien-insipired, idyllic and mythical England, the ruling empire in the Warhammer games is stern and Germanic. The enemy is Chaos itself, manifesting in the form of hideous beast men and Lovecraftian monsters who’s aim is simply to spread entropy. Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning gets the tone of this right; from the start it is made clear that you are one soldier in a war more vast than you can properly grasp.

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Santa was very good to you this year, and under the tree you came away with the iPhone or its little brother, the iPod touch. And as you wander around the house, dowsing for wireless signals and downloading iFart, here are a few starter tips…

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