Prez. G.W. Bush has allowed the Pentagon permission to use a Navy Standard Missile 3 to intercept the broken 5,000 lb. U.S. spy Satellite 193 and save us from its bulk as well as its toxic hydrazine... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 12:31 pm
By Evan Ackerman Last time I checked (which was yesterday), the UFO lamp still isn’t available for purchase. So, it looks like you’ll just have to buy one of these terran rocket lamps, and... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 11:19 am
US space agency Nasa could back a proposed UK-led robotic mission to uncover the secrets of the Moon, a "milestone" report on how the two countries can co-operate in space... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 11:15 am
Judging by this Car and Driver-worthy picture spread from Radar Masukami, sculpty technology has utterly raised the bar in Second Life automotive modeling. Judging by the first couple pics, however, the... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 11:01 am
Benjamin Halpern, a marine ecologist from UC Santa Barbara on the new study detailing the total human impact on the world's oceans Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 10:59 am
Tag based dating site for geeks Consumating is to shut March 15, according to a notice posted to the Consumating forums. Consumating was acquired by CNet in December 2005 and was later relaunched in June... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 10:27 am
rattlesoft tips us to a Washington Post report that Yahoo is now seeking a partnership with News Corp. A related Reuters article notes that analysts are skeptical of such a deal. From the Post: "Yahoo is talking with a number of potential partners, possibly as a way to either stave off future Microsoft offers or in an effort to drive up the software giant's offer. The talks between News Corp. and Yahoo ... may signal a resumption of discussions that took place last summer between the two media giants that quieted during the fall. Such a combination would make News Corp. the largest single shareholder in a Yahoo/Fox Interactive unit. That would marry the world's most popular social-networking site, MySpace, with Yahoo's 4 billion page views per month to make a formidable opponent for Google."
Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman wrote a blog post a couple of days ago comparing Silicon Valley unfavorably to the Seattle tech scene. I spend a lot of time in both places, and I think some of his observations... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 9:56 am
The astronauts aboard the linked shuttle-station complex prepared Friday for the last spacewalk of their joint mission, an outing to attach science experiments to the outside of the new... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 9:42 am
Four leading US newspaper companies are to announce a new joint company today to sell targeted local online advertising on their respective sites. The Tribune Company, the Gannett Company, the Hearst Corporation... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 9:16 am
By Luke Anderson I do my fair share of traveling, which means lots of time in my car. If I’m driving across several states, I’ll pack some food to supplement my stops in order to cut down... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 9:08 am
By Luke Anderson One of my favorite things about my job is the fact that I don’t have to worry about keeping my facial hair perfectly trimmed or gone. I keep it trimmed and looking neat, but I don’t... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 9:04 am
By Luke Anderson Have you ever tried to load some new music on your phone directly onto a microSD card? That’s the easiest way to do it in my opinion, as you bypass all of that annoying software... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 9:01 am
Amid the turmoil of staff layoffs, takeover offers and merger discussions, Yahoo has relaunched Yahoo Video. The biggest change to the service is the addition of a 16:9 viewer, along with support for files... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:55 am
NASA on Thursday extended the mission of space shuttle Atlantis by 24 hours, giving astronauts an extra day to get the European space lab Columbus running. The space shuttle... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:28 am
AOptix Technologies, Inc., (www.aoptix.com) a leading edge developer of advanced iris recognition and ultra-high bandwidth laser communication systems, announces the hiring of Doug McNeil as Vice President of Operations. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Anonymous FIZ CHEMIE Berlin recently introduced ChemgaMedia, ready-made electronic material demonstrating chemical processes with downloadable digital images, interactive graphics, animations, and video clips. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Perkins, Sid Life's building blocks made inorganically Hydrocarbons in the fluids spewing from a set of hydrothermal vents on the seafloor of the central Atlantic were produced by inorganic chemical reactions within the ocean crust, scientists suggest. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Uscher, Jen You know outdoor pollution is bad, but the indoor variety can be just as hard on your lungs. These expert tactics will help you breathe easier today. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Jillian Ogawa, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky. Feb. 15--GEORGETOWN -- A farm leased to a non-profit organization has high levels of harmful chemicals in the soil and possibly its groundwater, according to a report from the federal Environmental Protection Agency. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
The Department of Human Resources is soliciting applications by region from nonprofit and public bodies interested in applying for funding under the Section 5310 Elderly and Disabled Transportation Program. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Milius, Susan Realizing the dream of a Web page for every living thing Richard Pyle hasn't gotten a congratulatory crate of free diapers. But he's one of the fathers, in a sense, of the first fish species named in 2008. Quintuplet species even. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
LOWER JAMES RIVER Castaway Sporting Goods, (804) 706- 9100, reported the following blue catfish citation: Mark Morrison, Dinwiddie, 43. Reports show that crappie are picking up. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By SILVER WILKIE FOR 40 years, I've caught cod and mackerel that have been infected by a tiny parasitical worm. It either inhabits their gut or, sometimes when I've filleted cod into sides, I've seen the parasite buried into their flesh. Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Anonymous Adhesives NorthStar has issued a four-page brochure on its StarStuk line of contact adhesives, adhesive cleaner/ remover and wood glues. They are available in a variety of formulations and container sizes. NorthStar Chemicals Inc. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Anonymous Eye for an eagle The photo illustrating "Hatch a Thief" (SN: 12/ 15/07, p. 372) does not show a golden eagle. The bill of a golden eagle is black on the outer half and pale blue at the base, and the feathers on the back of its head are bright tawny. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Pack, Thomas But a large and growing group of internet users use their time with digital media as a way to enhance their offline engagement with text. "A book holds a house of gold," according to a Chinese proverb. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Tom Heinen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Feb. 15--There were tears, laughter and praise Thursday as "The Fish" Christian radio station broadcast its last morning show and prepared to enter the airwaves at midnight with a new identity. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Brynko, Barbara Generate, Inc. unleashed its latest on-demand business intelligence application, turning the new Version 3 into a virtual Sherlock Holmes of enterprise data. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By Anonymous OCLC Reports on Privacy and the Internet OCLC presents a membership report, Sharing, Privacy and Trust in Our Networked World. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
By steve Lawson SONY Ericsson signalled a significant shift away from the Symbian mobile phone platform at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. The Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 blends multimedia and web connectivity, but on Microsoft Windows Mobile. Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
Euphoria-inducing asphyxiation has become especially deadly as youths use ligatures that allow them to play alone. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
Otherwise, officials say, fuel in the craft could pose a health hazard if the satellite crashed into a populated area. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
Unhealthy levels of formaldehyde are found. The agency will expedite efforts to relocate occupants. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
In an effort to recapture some of the national advertising dollars that have fled the pages of newspapers for major websites, Tribune Co. and three other leading media chains today will announce a joint... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 8:00 am
jlgolson writes "Yesterday, Rush Limbaugh complained on his radio program about some problems that he was having with his Mac: 'Mr. Jobs, please help me. I know we don't agree on anything ... But can you put me to somebody that can get this going, because I know it's gotta work for most people. What am I doing wrong?' Eventually he shared that he was running into actual problems with Time Machine and Back to My Mac. Can you fix them?"
mikesd81 points out a Times Online article that discusses the legality of the Mosquito sound device, which is used to annoy and drive off younger people with sounds that are too high-pitched for most adults to hear. We discussed how annoying this device can be a couple years ago. From Times Online: "Sir Albert Aynsley-Green, the Children's Commissioner for England appointed to represent the views of the country's 11 million children, has set up a campaign — called Buzz Off — that is calling for the Mosquito to be banned on grounds that it infringes the rights of young people. 'These devices are indiscriminate and target all children and young people, including babies, regardless of whether they are behaving or misbehaving,' Sir Al told the BBC. 'The use of measures such as these are simply demonizing children and young people, creating a dangerous and widening divide between the young and the old.'"
About 10 percent of Beijing's petrol stations will be shut down over the next few months as part of the city's efforts to improve air quality ahead of the Olympics, state press said Friday. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 6:50 am
ORANGE, Calif., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sky440, Inc., (OTC Bulletin Board: SKYF), announced today that it has begun trading under the new ticker symbol SKYF. Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 6:30 am
NEENAH, Wis., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Plexus Corp. (Nasdaq: PLXS) today announced that Joseph E. Mauthe will assume the role of VP of Global Human Resources. ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 6:30 am
Salvatore Rivieri, the Baltimore police officer who can be seen in a YouTube video wearing cute shorts and knocking a skinny 14-year-old skateboarder to the ground (David posted about it yesterday) is the star of another video that's recently surfaced.
This time he confronts Billy Friebele, an artist from Washington D.C., who was videotaping at the Harbor last summer.
Friebele told ABC2 [a Baltimore TV station] he was taping the reactions of passersby to a box he was moving with a remote controlled car. Officer Friebele is seen on tape kicking the box off of the car and then kicking the car. The officer then orders Friebele to leave the area.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find the video on the ABC2 site so I don't know if Officer Rivieri is wearing those shorts.
Link
The U.S. Government said it's going to try to shoot down that errant spy satellite out of the sky when its orbit decays to about 120 miles above Earth. It contains 1,000 pounds of hydrazine fuel, which "could turn into a toxic gas capable of causing deaths and injuries if it crashed in a populated area." They hope that by destroying the tank, the poison gas will disperse in the atmosphere without causing harm to living things.
In cases of controlled descents, the fuel can be burned off before reentry. But in the case of the errant spy satellite, ground controllers lost all communications shortly after it was launched in 2006, and the fuel tank remains full. U.S. officials were concerned that the fuel tank could survive reentry and that a crash landing in a populated area could disperse the hydrazine, which causes deadly effects similar to ammonia or chlorine.
...
Last year, China used a missile to shoot down one of its failing weather satellites and was harshly criticized by U.S. officials and others.
Markus Kison's CharmingBurka is a Bluetooth-enabled Burka that sends a photo of the wearer to nearby mobile phones. From the project description:
The Charming Burka deals with Freud's idea that all clothes can be positioned between appeal and shame. The Burka was chosen, because it is often perceived in the west as a symbol of repression. A digital layer was added so that women can decide for themselves where they want to position themselves virtually. The Burka sends an image, chosen by the wearer, via Bluetooth technology. Every person next to her can receive her picture via mobile phone and see the women's self-determined identity. The virtual appeals can not be gathered by the laws of the Koran and so the CharmingBurka fulfills the desire of living a more western life, which some Muslim women have today.
Therefore the Burka is equipped with bluetooth antenna/micro-controller and uses the OBEX protocol, already working with most mobile phones.
Over at the MAKE: Blog, Mike Dixon posted his first installment of "Made In Japan," a weekly roundup of DIY activities happening there. Seen here is a snow sculpture of the villainous Baikinman from the anime series Anpanman. Made In Japan Vol.1 also features circuit-bent Pikachus, recipes for fermented soybean-based Natto, and eccentric maker Dr. Yoshiro Nakamatsu, inventor of the floppy disk. Link
EAGAN, Minn., Feb. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Would you sign a prenuptial agreement before you say, "I do"? A new survey by Thomson West, a leading legal information... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 5:20 am
This incredible antique automaton, circa 1915-1925, just sold on eBay for $1,775. It's 32" high and 16" wide. The auction listing says it may have been "a knight from a King Arthur type of display." I think it'd look right at home in a crucifixion scene. I hope the buyer completely restores and revives the (holy) ghost in this machine. From the eBay listing:
ORIGINAL MECHANISM AND PAPER MACHE HEAD. ARMS ARE WOOD AND POSSIBLY MADE BY SCHOENHUT. GLASS EYES. ELECTRIC MOTOR CAM DRIVEN MULTIPLE ACTION MECHANISM. WORKS FINE, HEAD MOVES FROM LEFT TO RIGHT. EYES MOVE LEFT TO RIGHT, AND EYELIDS OPEN AND CLOSE. BREATHING ACTION AS A CHEST PANEL RISES AND FALLS. OUT OF AN ESTATE IN STATEN ISLAND , NEW YORK. POSSIBLY FROM HAPPYLAND AMUSEMENT PARK . BELIEVED TO BE A KNIGHT FROM A KING ARHTUR TYPE OF DISPLAY. THE MAKER IS SAID TO BE WILLIAM H AND CHARLES W COOK OF COOK STUDIOS AT 550 EAST DUPONT STREET,ROXBOROUGH PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. MAKERS OF DISPLAYS, AND ADVERTISING DISPLAYS.
When it releases the iPhone software development kit later this month, Apple will likely use iTunes as the means of distributing third-party software. That has programmers excited, because of iTunes' massive audience -- but also nervous about the amount of control Apple will have.
When it releases the iPhone software development kit later this month, Apple will likely use iTunes as the means of distributing third-party software. That has programmers excited, because of iTunes' massive audience -- but also nervous about the amount of control Apple will have.
Four large newspaper companies are joining forces to sell advertisements on the Internet, hoping that the combined heft of their Web sites will encourage large advertisers to spend more money. Each of... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 4:36 am
Shoemaker brings us a follow-up to Comcast's recent defense of its traffic management procedures. The companies involved in the original FCC investigation are not satisfied with Comcast's response. From Ars Technica: "Comcast made an aggressive defense of its policies, claiming that it only resets P2P uploads made during peak times and when no download is also in progress. Free Press, BitTorrent, and Vuze all say that's not good enough. In a conference call, Vuze's general counsel Jay Monahan drew the starkest analogy. What Comcast is really doing, he said, wasn't at all comparable to limiting the number of cars that enter a highway. Instead, it was more like a horse race where the cable company owns one of the horses and the racetrack itself. By slowing down the horse of a competitor like Vuze, even for a few seconds, Comcast makes it harder for that horse to compete. 'Which horse would you bet on in a race like that?' asked Monahan."
BEIJING, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VanceInfo Technologies Inc. ("VanceInfo" or the "Company") (NYSE: VIT), an IT service provider and one of ... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 4:00 am
A report into lunar exploration will explore possible cooperation with US space agency Nasa. The MoonLITE mission, developed by UK scientists, has been described as... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 3:38 am
BARCELONA, Spain At a glance, the mobile phone, a steel-blue clamshell model able to display streaming video at broadband Internet speeds, could be mistaken for one of the more than 100 models made by... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 3:36 am
Lucas123 writes "A District Court judge this week ruled in favor of a Washington-based watchdog group, allowing them to question White House officials about missing emails involving controversial issues. The subjects include the release of the identity of a former CIA operative, the reasons for launching the war in Iraq and actions by the US Department of Justice. The group had filed suit [PDF] last May against the White House Office of Administration, seeking access to White House email under the federal Freedom of Information Act. The discovery ruling is bringing to light issues of email retention in businesses and other private organizations. We've previously discussed the White House's difficulties with email."
Sex drives tech, as it drives most things. But tech also drives tech -- sex tech, that is. Some adult products emerge from the most unexpected places. Commentary by Regina Lynn.
The 25th anniversary of scanning tunneling microscopes was marked by an international contest to celebrate the most remarkable images created through this atomic-level technology. See some of the contest's most noteworthy submissions in this photo gallery.
Thanks to the success of its MyMaps tool, Google is currently hosting more than 9 million custom maps generated by its users. That's a lot of geodata, so Google has introduced a new slideshow tool to help you browse the publicly available user-created maps in its MyMaps database.
Mounting your HDTV on the wall makes for the most dramatic and cinematic viewing experience. Follow the advice of Wired's How-To Wiki to keep everything clean, straight and safe. And please, don't hang it on the ceiling.
Mounting your HDTV on the wall makes for the most dramatic and cinematic viewing experience. Follow the advice of Wired's How-To Wiki to keep everything clean, straight and safe. And please, don't hang it on the ceiling.
Mark Fiore has a great little animated sequence explaining the U.S. government's domestic spying program from the point of view of the cutest homeland security advocate in the world -- Snuggly the Security Bear!
Gene Wang, a Silicon Valley success story and amateur musician, wanted to make some noise for Hillary Clinton. Now he's getting an earful from the blogosphere. (Photo: Gene Wang) As reported here last... Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 15 Feb 2008 | 12:37 am
The Narrative Fallacy brings us a story about a project by University of Alabama researchers to develop a database capable of anticipating targets for future guerrilla attacks. Quoting Space War: "Adversaries the US currently faces in Iraq rely on surprise and apparent randomness to compensate for their lack of organization, technology, and firepower. 'One way to combat these attacks is to identify trends in the attackers' methods, then use those trends to predict their future actions,' said UA-Huntsville researcher Wes Colley. 'Some trends from these attacks show important day-to-day correlations. If we can draw inferences from those correlations, then we may be able to save lives by heightening awareness of possible events or changing the allocation of our security assets to provide more protection.' Researchers reviewed the behavior signatures of terrorists on 12,000 attacks between 2003 and mid-2007 to calculate relative probabilities of future attacks on various target types."
LambAndMint writes "In what can only be described as an act of utter desperation to overcome Vista's mostly negative public perception issues, Microsoft has put together an online "Fact or Fiction" quiz about Windows Vista. Every person who submits themselves to Microsoft indoctrination gets a free shirt and the chance to win a $15,000 prize. Some of the supposed 'facts' will make you feel like you're reading a document from an alternate reality. Get ready to get a job as a computer salesman for a mass-market retailer as you go through the quiz."
This video is oh-so-wrong, but I got a good chuckle out of it, especially since I'm a list freak. (If I complete a task that I forgot to add to my list, I'll add it to the list after the fact and then cross it off.)
mlimber writes "The NYTimes has up a story about the discovery of a solar system that is analogous to ours. Of the 250 or so exoplanets found thus far, 'few of them are in systems that even faintly resemble our own. In many cases, giant Jupiter-like planets are whizzing around inside the orbit of Mercury,' whereas in this new system, 'a planet about two-thirds of the mass of Jupiter and another about 90 percent of the mass of Saturn are orbiting a reddish star about half the mass of the Sun, at about half the distances that Jupiter and Saturn circle our own Sun.' The researchers used gravitational microlensing to detect the planets, and two of the lead authors of the paper to be published in Science are amateur astronomers, one of whom describes herself as 'an ordinary New Zealand mother.'"
(UPDATE: I put the wrong timestamp on this post, so it got buried. I'm putting it back at the top of the stack, so everyone has a chance to join the fun.)
Despite pressure from President Bush and Republican lawmakers, Democratic leaders in the House refuse to rush through a controversial domestic spying bill that includes amnesty for phone companies.
Roland Piquepaille writes "Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology have a bright idea — at least at first sight. They want to create a sustainable transportation system by using hydrogen-powered cars. They would like to create an infrastructure where people could use a liquid fuel for driving while the carbon emission in their vehicles is trapped for later processing at a fueling station. 'The carbon would then be shuttled back to a processing plant where it could be transformed into liquid fuel.' Where will all this liquid carbon be stored? The researchers don't know. They suggest that it could be stored in geological formations or under the oceans."
AmIAnAi writes "Just when you thought it was all over, the SCO story takes a new twist. SCO has received $100 million financing from Stephen Norris Capital Partners to get them out of Chapter 11 and go private 'The move gives Stephen Norris, whose namesake founder was a co-founder of private equity giant The Carlyle Group, a controlling interest in SCO, which now has a platform to continue its court battle with Novell Inc. over royalties from the Unix server operating system, SCO's main business ... According to a statement from the company, SNCP already has a business plan for SCO that includes pursuing its legal claims.'"
Earlier this week, I pointed to reports that John Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, was said to be planning legal action against with a young singer-songwriter named Lennon Murphy, who sought to trademark the name of her band, "Lennon."
Ms. Ono tells Boing Boing today that the reports (from Fox, NME, TMZ, and others) she was suing Ms. Murphy are untrue -- she just didn't want Murphy to seek an exclusive trademark on "Lennon."
Yoko Ono (yes, really) writes:
Dear Xeni,
A musician named Lennon Murphy is claiming that Yoko Ono has sued her and that Yoko is seeking to stop Lennon Murphy from performing under her name, Lennon Murphy. Both of these claims are untrue.
Several years ago, Lennon Murphy sought Yoko's permission to do her performances under her name, Lennon Murphy. Yoko, of course, did not object to her request. Subsequently, without Yoko's knowledge, Lennon Murphy filed an application in the United States trademark Office requesting the exclusive right to utilize the name "Lennon" for musical performances. Yoko's attorneys asked Lennon Murphy's attorneys and manager to withdraw her registration of exclusivity to the name LENNON for the trademark. Yoko also offered to cover all costs Lennon Murphy had incurred in filing for the trademark. But Lennon Murphy went ahead to register.
Yoko did not sue Lennon Murphy, but sought to stop her from getting the exclusive right to the name Lennon for performance purposes. For that, Yoko's attorneys, simply notified the Trademark office that Yoko did not believe it was fair that Ms. Murphy be granted the exclusive right to the "Lennon" trademark in relation to musical and entertainment services. As you can see, this is a very important issue for Yoko and the Lennon family.
Yoko says: "I am really hurt if people thought that I told a young artist to not use her own name in her performances and had sought to sue her. I did no such thing. I hope this allegation will be cleared."
The Charming Burka deals with Freud's idea that all clothes can be positioned between appeal and shame. The Burka was chosen, because it is often perceived in the west as a symbol of repression. A digital layer was added so that women can decide for themselves where they want to position themselves virtually. The Burka sends an image, chosen by the wearer, via Bluetooth technology. Every person next to her can receive her picture via mobile phone and see the women's self-determined identity. The virtual appeals can not be gathered by the laws of the Koran and so the CharmingBurka fulfills the desire of living a more western life, which some Muslim women have today.
Over at the MAKE: Blog, Mike Dixon posted his first installment of "Made In Japan," a weekly roundup of DIY activities happening there. Seen here is a snow sculpture of the villainous Baikinman from the anime series Anpanman. Made In Japan Vol.1 also features circuit-bent Pikachus, recipes for fermented soybean-based Natto, and eccentric maker Dr. Yoshiro Nakamatsu, inventor of the floppy disk.
(UPDATE: I put the wrong timestamp on this post, so it got buried. I'm putting it back at the top of the stack, so everyone has a chance to join the fun.)
Dear Xeni,
