In general, electronics salesmen hold a respectable place in the salesmen hierarchy. These wired warriors serve on the front line between the garbled, tech-laden nonsense that the industry and pundits spew and the less savvy, tech-ignorant minds of the of the American masses. Without them, many folks would be at a loss for basics like the difference between 3G and 4G. As salesmen, they are decidedly steps above the slicked-back used car and mattress salesman that bring the profession down for everyone.

Generally speaking, of course. That doesn’t mean there aren’t bad apples. And by bad apples we mean rotten, maggot-infested shriveled skin-hanging-to-cores that resemble nothing of the sweet, luscious fruit we know and love as apple. We’re using guys to cut down on pronouns, but don’t worry gals, you can suck this bad just as well as the gents.

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Technology is advancing more and more rapidly. Products that we once thought were timeless icons are becoming useless, and products introduced just a few years ago are being replaced by smaller, more efficient devices that do the same exact thing much better. Here are our predictions for technologies that will join such classics as the VCR and CRT television in the annals of electronics history within the next decade or so.

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If you’ve ever been around an audiophile for more than five minutes, you know that they tend to be an intense, obsessive lot. Even more obsessive than the guy that spends tens of thousands of dollars on surround speakers, acoustic tile and amplifiers is the guy that tinkers his way to a speaker company specializing in a pair or two of half-million-dollar speakers. Looks aren’t of any essence at all, and fluid, harmonious sound is the only objective. In all cases, the desire for ultimate audio pushed these manufacturers to break out of the typical tall, rectangular wood box to develop something that looks straight out of a science fiction or horror movie.

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Most people are pretty happy just having an iPad, but if you have hoards of money to throw at needless accessories, the standard $500 ipad is just that: standard. So for those with enough money to kindle a bonfire and absolutely no taste whatsoever, companies have been pimping out America’s favorite tablet so that you can spend thousands, tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands dressing it up. Here are some accessories for the most balla of iPad owners.

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Used video game stores are a lot like used record stores. They function like some sort of communal, hipster  gathering place where dudes can hang out and make fun of whoever walks in—the same kind of placeholder segue setting you see in every Kevin Smith movie that takes place in New Jersey. They differ from used record stores, however, in that they’re not… shoot-yourself depressing.

There’s a low-key, hopeful hustle & bustle, like how an old-folks home might look like if everybody visited their grandmas a couple of times a week and took them back home to play polish horseshoes.

Used record stores now only exist to be a place in a ‘watch-how-they-fall-in-love’ montage in a romantic comedy. They’re quaint, dusty, cute, and useless to all but a few aging baby-boomers who like to get reminded of how they used to be able to do the no-pants diggity and not wake up with AIDS covering their balls. The fact is there are way more old gaming consoles out their than there are old record players, which means even used games as far back as Vanilla Ice still get picked off the shelves, sometimes.
So who, pray, might a person find at one of these charming establishments? A variation of five different kinds of people, mostly.

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The recent MyType study reveals iPad owners are six times more likely to be “wealthy, well-educated, power-hungry, over-achieving, sophisticated, unkind and non-altruistic 30-50 year olds,” according to MyType’s Tim Koelkebeck [via Wired].

In another (even less scientific) study conducted here at uCrave, we discovered these same iPad owners are six times more likely to be drawn to tacky, useless iPad accessories that appeal to their over-inflated sense of self.  When I showed the iCade (Think Geek’s April Fool’s Joke), to iPad owning friends – every one of them expressed interest in acquiring the iPad Arcade Cabinet.  Judging from some actual iPad accessories, the fictional iCade wasn’t such a far-fetched concept.

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It’s no mystery that being an actress/comedian in Los Angeles is hard. Really hard. Sometimes it seems impossible for up and coming artists to find a way to have their voice heard or to even have a shot at showing people what they’re made of. Many go on auditions, search for material, try to make connections — but there are two problems with this:

1. The field is so saturated with other artists also trying the same methods that it’s nearly impossible to make a mark.
2. Even if one does find a job, it’s often not representing something that they truly believe in and feel speaks who they are as an artist.

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To those without a sense of sound, navigating the world can be a great challenge at times.  While the world is a very visual place, hearing can be a sense we often take for granted.  As we explored 10 great technologies for the blind, we have dug up 10 amazing gadgets for the hearing impaired.  From sign language translators to tactile music to closed captioning glasses, these brilliant technologies enrich life for those without a natural sense of sound.

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Video games are often hailed as a cost-efficient hobby. Once you’ve paid a few hundred dollars to get the console, you can entertain yourself for days, weeks or months with one game alone. But those Modern Warfare 2 night vision goggles that just hit the news wire got us thinking: Not everyone’s a frugal gamer, and for these individuals, there’s a market of ridiculously costly accessories. Here are the most expensive ones we could find, cheapest first:

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