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Google takes aim at Microsoft with new Web browser (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:49 pm Sony unveils improved PlayStation Portable (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:49 pm Google sets off Internet browser war (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:47 pm PSP-3000 Japan launch date confirmed - DailyTech
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:45 pm Sony Ericsson Squashes Microsoft Phone RumorsOn Monday, Sony Ericsson squashed rumors that its first Microsoft powered cellphone would miss the holiday sales season.In February, Ericsson introduced the Xperia 1 model saying it would be available in the second half of 2008. Over the weekend, several technology blogs reported that the new phone was falling behind schedule."There is absolutely no delay.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:40 pm Spore to finally appear later this week - Inquirer
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:25 pm Monogamy gene found in people - ABC News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:21 pm Two new tropical systems over Atlantic - United Press International
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:17 pm NASA Halts Space Shuttle Move Due To Hurricane Hanna - dBTechno
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:17 pm Omaha officer wounded in shooting goes homes - NTV
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:08 pm Scammers Riding the Gustav Waveruphus13 sends in a sad tale of online scammers hoping to reap rewards from the misery in Gustav's wake. They have been busy registering likely-sounding domains and setting up phishing attacks and other ruses. While not all the domains were malicious in intent, several of them were listed on eBay for sale. Donors beware. From the article: "Nearly 100 domains related to Hurricane Gustav have been registered in the past 48 hours, security experts said Sunday, some of which may be used by bogus charity and relief scams after the storm strikes the US Gulf Coast. According to television station KTAL in Shreveport, LA, the office of Louisiana's Attorney General Buddy Caldwell has warned residents of Gustav phishing attacks already in progress ... numerous domains containing the word 'gustav,' 'charity,' 'hurricane,' and 'relief' had been recently registered."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:03 pm Google Chrome: The enterprise playbook - ZDNet
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:59 am Belk Renews IT Agreement With EDS, an HP CompanyPLANO, Texas, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- EDS, an HP company, announced today that Belk ( href="http://www.belk.com">http://www.belk.com ), the nation's...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:45 am Phone company offers unlimited music - BBC News
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:44 am A Day to Honor Grandparents1-800-FLOWERS.COM(R) Celebrates Grandparents Day, Sunday, September 7th CARLE PLACE, N.Y., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Everyone knows that there is a...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:30 am America's Pets Put Their Best Faces Forward in Presidential ElectionRemindMyPet.com Announces Presidential Candidates Look-Alike Survey GREENSBORO, N.C., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- RemindMyPet.com, a free online service dedicated to the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:30 am New Orleans Largely Spared by GustavAfter its first major test since the 2005 hurricane season, New Orleans is still standing.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:26 am IPhone to Be Sold by Two Russian Companies - PC World
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:21 am Bookham Announces 20W Fiber Laser Pump ModuleZURICH, Switzerland, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Bookham, Inc. (Nasdaq: BKHM), a provider of optical components for industrial applications, has launched a single...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:21 am Spansion Celebrates Official Opening of Security and Advanced Technology Division in MilanMILAN, Italy, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Spansion Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Company Reinforces Community Commitment With Donation to National Science and Technology Museum of MilanTo: TECHNOLOGY EDITORS Contact: Press, Holly Burkhart of Spansion Inc., +1-408-616- 1170; or Investors, Linda Rothemund of Market Street Partners, +1- 415-445-3236, for Spansion Inc. MILAN, Italy, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Spansion Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Why Going Green Can Be Good for Your Bottom LineBy Anthony Harrington NO COMPANY these days can afford to take green issues lightly, so The Hilton Environmental Awareness Award was always going to be hotly contested, with many entrants having an excellent story to tell about their focus and efforts in this area.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Sify Selects Cisco to Pioneer IP - NGN Adoption in IndiaCisco Systems(R) (NASDAQ: CSCO) today announced that Sify (NASDAQ: SIFY), a pioneer and leader in data telecom and Internet services in India, has selected the Cisco(R) CRS-1 Carrier Routing System as the foundation of Sify's Internet Protocol Next Generation Network (IP NGN).Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am La. Assesses Storm Damage to Its Protective WetlandsBy Rick Jervis NEW ORLEANS -- Though Hurricane Gustav seemed to spare New Orleans a repeat of 2005's catastrophic damage, it is likely to have done irrevocable damage to the area's wetlands.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Outdoor BriefsLEARNING OPPORTUNITY Free fly-tying workshop scheduled Want to tie your own flies? The Nevada Department of Wildlife will be having a free fly- tying workshop at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 9. This hands-on, entry-level course will teach participants the basics of tying fishing flies.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Rain Can't Dampen Enthusiasm for Giant ProjectBy JOHN ROSS AS THE rain lashed down on the First Minister 2,000ft up in the hills above Loch Ness yesterday, it was a good day to discuss the power that can be harnessed from water.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Eating OwtBy Mike Amos ?and finally, the bairns wondered if we knew how to make an apple puff. Chase it round the garden, of course. (c) 2008 Northern Echo. Provided by ProQuest LLC.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am New Logitech Illuminated Keyboard Makes Typing Easy - Night or DayTo help you find the keyboard that best matches your needs - and style - Logitech (SWX:LOGN) (NASDAQ:LOGI) today introduced three new keyboards, including the Logitech(R) Illuminated Keyboard, which offers an optimized backlight experience, Logitech PerfectStroke(TM) key system and Logitech's thinnest design ever.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Intel Acquires Mobile Linux Developer OpenedHandIntel has acquired OpenedHand, a London, UK-based mobile Linux development and services company, for an undisclosed sum. OpenedHand's client base includes Nokia, One Laptop Per Child, Access, OpenMoko, Vernier, and Irex Technologies.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am HP Wins Suit Against PelikanHewlett-Packard has announced that the Cologne Regional Court in Germany has found Germany-based supplier of ink and printing products Pelikan Hardcopy Deutschland to be in violation of competition law.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am ViewCast Chosen As a Streaming Media 2008 Readers' Choice Award FinalistPLANO, Texas, Sept.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am LeWiz Streaming Cards Selected for SeaChange Video-On-Demand ServersLeWiz Communications, Inc., a pioneer in video streaming accelerated technology, now provides its new iStream5206(TM) 6-port video streaming cards (with only five percent CPU utilization) for servers manufactured by SeaChange International, Inc., a leading provider of video-on-demand systems for cable television operators and telcos globally.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Debiopharm and EPFL Sign Research Project Agreement to Identify Inhibitors of Signalling Pathways Controlling Cell Fate for Cancer TreatmentLAUSANNE, Switzerland, September 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Debiopharm Group (Debiopharm), a global independent biopharmaceutical development specialist focusing on serious medical conditions and particularly oncology, today announced the signature of a research project with the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), aimed at the identification of novel small molecules and peptides that interfere with pathways controlling cell fate specification.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Valley's Natural Treasures Justify Creation of New State OfficeTo the editor: In a Wednesday editorial, you responded to my proposal for the creation of a State Paleontologist by asking: "How did this great state survive so long without one?" My answer: Very poorly.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Trusonic(R) Announces New, Innovative Internet-Based Media PlayerLA JOLLA, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Trusonic, Inc., provider of the preeminent platform for the digital delivery of Business Music and Messaging to successful...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am The CW Picks Myxer's New 'Red Carpet' Program to Power Digital Marketing Campaign for Highly Anticipated '90210' SeriesSolution provides entertainment & music industry with integrated web-to-mobile toolkit to launch new movies, TV shows, music, DVDs and more DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla., Sept.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Concur to Present at the Deutsche Bank Technology ConferenceREDMOND, Wash., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Concur (Nasdaq: CNQR), the world's leading provider of on-demand Employee Spend Management services, today...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Telanetix to Present at Kaufman Brothers' 11th Annual Investor Conference September 4thBELLEVUE, Wash., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Telanetix, Inc. (OTC BB: TNXI) a leading IP solutions provider offering telepresence and VoIP services to business...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am ISDEF Announces Registration for ISDEF'2008 Fall ConferenceMOSCOW, September 2 /PRNewswire/ -- - ISDEF'2008, the Seventh Fall Conference, Will Take Place on September 26-28 and Will Focus on the Analysis of the...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am SMS Mobile Marketing Tailored Exclusively for Small BusinessPremium SMS company unveils turn-key mobile marketing service PASADENA, Calif., Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- NearU Search (Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNewsTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 11:00 am Pay as you go iPhone on its wayA pay as you go version of the Apple iPhone will go on sale in the UK later this month offering customers unlimited internet browsing for a year if they are prepared to top-up at least 10 a month and pay...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:36 am Sony to launch new PSP in Japan next month (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:34 am Google takes on Microsoft with new browserGoogle opened up another front in its battle with Microsoft last night, with the surprise launch of a new web browser to add to its growing list of applications.The search giant said Chrome had been created...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:25 am Who needs a convention?I’m amused at the vision of 15,000 journalists sitting with their thumbs up their asses in St. Paul yesterday with nothing to type while Gustav filled cable news. Without cable news, of course, there...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:18 am Happy Tenth Birthday Google! When Are We Celebrating?One day this month will mark Google's official tenth birthday. They'll most likely celebrate with a blog post and a special logo (this one was tweaked based on an earlier one). And we'll see a slew of...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:13 am Remember me?Sorry, blog friends. I remain in life-bankruptcy, doing nothing but editing. I have a week to go to get all my revisions in on the manuscript and so I’ve been locked in my office feeling as if I’m...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:12 am Dyson DC16 Handheld Vacuum For Pet LoversBy Andrew Liszewski I know there’s a lot of hype surrounding them, but if you’re in the market for a new vacuum cleaner I can’t recommend the Dyson models enough. Their upright ‘Animal’...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:05 am At the front lines of protecting the Internet (InfoWorld)InfoWorld - VeriSign is in many ways synonymous with managing the Web, thanks to its handling of key DNS root servers and of name resolution for .com, .net, and other domains. In recent years, it's had both strong ups and strong downs.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:00 am How to keep your tech career afloat (InfoWorld)InfoWorld - Anyone who has worked in IT for more than five minutes knows that the field has been in a dramatic transformation for the past 10 years, invading and conquering other organizational domains such as communications and security, while also wrestling with the new issues that technology has wrought such as employee mobility.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 10:00 am Castlight Candlestick Holder FlashlightBy Andrew Liszewski It’s hard to believe it’s already been 5 years since the Northeast Blackout of 2003. While the experience left me without power for only about 24 hours, it gave me a greater...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 9:43 am Google to Launch Chrome, an Open Source Web BrowserGoogle announced today that it is launching its new beta browser, named Chrome. Available in more than 100 countries supposedly tomorrow, so far it is only for those with Microsoft Windows. (The company...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 9:37 am Google to Launch Chrome BrowserGoogle announced today that it is launching its new beta browser, named Chrome. Available in more than 100 countries supposedly tomorrow, so far it is only for those with Microsoft Windows. (The company...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 9:37 am I think I like Sid the Science Kid - ZDNet Blogs
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 2 Sep 2008 | 9:28 am New Study Shows Solar System Is UncommonIddo Genuth writes "Research conducted by a team of North American scientist shows our solar system is special, contrary to the accepted theory that it is an average planetary system. Using computer simulations to follow the development of planets, it was shown that very specific conditions are needed for a proto-stellar disk to evolve into a solar system-like planetary system. The simulations show that in most cases either no planets are created, or planets are formed and then migrate towards the disk center and acquire highly elliptical orbits." The research was published in Science magazine; here's the paper on ArXiv (PDF).Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 9:13 am Peasants as Models - Vogue India's Controversial Photo Shoot (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Earlier this year we were taken aback when we saw real life gypsies on Vivienne Westwoods runway. Now were shocked to see India put their own spin on the fashion juxtapositions. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 9:00 am Olympics Water Cube PhoneSpotted on Fashion Funky, the Water Cube cell phone inspired by the Water cube building at the Beijing Olympics where Michael Phelps broke all records.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:41 am Custom Caravans - The Mehrzeller RV (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Since the Mehrzeller caravan made its debut earlier this week, the web has been a buzz with the RV concept. As weve previously mentioned, customization is one of the hottest design...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNBlogTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:40 am Understanding the Nature and Extent of Farm and Ranch Diversification in North America*By Barbieri, Carla Mahoney, Edward; Butler, Larry ABSTRACT Pressure to adopt enhanced production technologies, changing government support policies, increasing and more diverse competition, and changing markets have posed economic challenges to North American farmers over the past two decades.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:00 am A Man Named PropertyBy Shepherd, Reginald The days begin with burning, end there too, a world of hurts and charms chafing the wrists. Opaque objects display themselves in disarray, displace the light.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:00 am History Will Be Brought to Life ; COUNCIL: Funds Will Aid School ProjectsBy Sinead Keller WARWICKSHIRE'S schoolchildren are to benefit from new funds to help bring the county's history back to life. Staff at Warwickshire County Council's historic environment record have been awarded funding for two new archaeology projects.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:00 am County Again Sends Aid to Gulf Coast CityBy Michael Sorba A six-member team from the San Bernardino County Fire Department will be sent to Gulfport, Miss., today to provide assistance in the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 2 Sep 2008 | 8:00 am Zappers: tools that let restaurateurs adjust the totals on their tills to cheat on taxesThe New York Times reports on "zappers" -- tools that let restaurateurs tamper with the totals on their tills in order to create untaxable income: I'm surprised (but shouldn't be) that tills that are left on the restaurateurs' premises are presumed to tamper-proof and to yield accurate counts even when the owner is unscrupulous:Thanks to a software program called a zapper, even technologically illiterate restaurant and store owners can siphon cash from computer cash registers and cheat tax officials.With Software, Till Tampering Is Hard to Find (via /.) Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:33 am Anthropomorphic cuddly lights: LightMate.jpg) Artist Francesca Lanzavecchia shows off her Lightmate: "Can electric energy fill the void of human absence? LightMates are soft anthropomorphic pillows and warming lamps. This awfully attractive creature heats, lights and provides company. Their different sizes answer to everyone's need of heat; a mate to hug or a huge companion you can lay on." ightMate, hugging lights S (via JWZ) Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:30 am Radio news host among protesters arrested at RNC for "conspiracy to riot", National Guard headed in?Amy Goodman, host of the independent news program "Democracy Now!," was among hundreds who were arrested in St. Paul Minnesota today. Also detained were Goodman's producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. The three were covering the protests at the Republican National Convention, but the Minneapolis Police Department charged them with conspiracy to riot. Goodman has since been released, but her colleagues are still being held at the time of this blog post. Video embedded above from Rick Rowley and Brandon Jourdan. Democracy Now's news release about the incident is here. (via @kenyatta) More on the story: Editor and Publisher, San Francisco Chronicle, and Washington Post, snip below: "I was down on the convention floor interviewing delegates when I heard that two of our producers had been arrested," said Goodman. "I ran down to Jackson and 7th Street, where the police had moved in."Update: A group called Cold Snap Legal in the Twin Cities area is offering legal assistance to the hundreds of protesters who were arrested today at the RNC. Here's their Twitter stream, with lots of updates (thanks, Kyle). Via that Twitter stream, a re-tweet from @tcdailyplanet, 830pm PT: "Credible report of a convoy of National Guard heading toward the Twin Cities on Highway 55 between 8 and 9 p.m., with at least 7 humvees." Previously on BB: Report: Massive, warrantless raids on peace protesters in Minneapolis, ahead of RNC. Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:29 am Schoolgirl with 25 snails on her faceAll hail Tiana Walton, the schoolgirl who set the record for most snails on her face at once, coming in at 25 of the little beggars:Schoolgirl smashes the world record as she lets 25 snails slide across her face Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:28 am HOWTO Make a papercraft Masonic Lodge Gary sez, "Papercraft Masters will enjoy making this 3-D Masonic Lodge, complete with seekrit symbols and 'tools and implements of Masonry, most expressive.' It's a pop-up model, so you can quickly hide it if cowans and eavesdroppers are lurking about." How to Make a Pop-up Lodge (Thanks, Gary!) Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:03 am Google to launch browser to compete with MicrosoftChrome intensifies the battle between the tech giants and continues Web software's drive to supersede the operating system. ...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 2 Sep 2008 | 7:00 am Computer Textbooks For High Schoolers?wetdogjp writes "I recently became a high school teacher, and I've inherited three classes with no textbooks! While two of my classes are introductory in nature, one for computers in general and the other for networking, the third class should prepare juniors and seniors to enter the workforce and start a career in computers. We have some older textbooks by Heathkit available, but the newest of them are four years old. Do Slashdotters have any favorite textbooks that can help kids on their way to becoming junior sysadmins, programmers, networking professionals, etc.? Would you suggest books to prepare students to take certification tests such as A+, Network+, or others? Any textbooks we use would need to cover quite a breadth of material, such as PC hardware, operating systems, networking, security, and more."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 6:23 am Republicans, Obama ask supporters to text hurricane relief (CNET)CNET - ST. PAUL-While John McCain saw a flood of online donations last week thanks to his newly announced VP choice Sarah Palin, his campaign on Monday was steering Web donors to a site which--while not quite apolitical--some might call nobler than JohnMcCain.com.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:18 am What's Inside: 2000 Flushes — a Nonstop Potty
Chlorinated hydantoins
Hydrated alumina
Sodium chloride
Sodium lauryl sulfate
Cocamide MEA
Sodium citrate
Acid blue 9
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Solar Trikey Makes Us Say CrikeyAustralian tinkerer Joe Blake builds a solar recumbent tricycle worthy of Mad Max.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am How to Open a Wine Bottle Without a CorkscrewWhat better way to celebrate the long weekend than by enjoying a nice bottle of chenin blanc? Except that you forgot to pack a corkscrew on your jaunt to the Hamptons. Don't fret -- we'll show you how to open a bottle of wine with nothing more than a hammer, a wood screw and some elbow grease.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Typewriters Morph Into Creepy Sci-Fi Creatures : Photos courtesy Jeremy MayerJeremy Mayer collects antique typewriters, but he doesn't display them in a curio cabinet. Instead, he tears them apart, then turns the components into sleek, sci-fi-inspired bugs, skeletons and anatomically correct human figures. Mayer, who describes his work as a cross between Leonardo da Vinci's mechanical drawings and the gritty futures imagined by sci-fi maestros William Gibson and Philip K. Dick, assembles his artwork without welding, soldering or gluing. Left: It takes roughly 40 typewriters and 1,000 hours for Mayer to assemble a full-scale figurine like this reclining female form. He's made only three full-size human figures over the last 14 years, but as he prepares for a spring show in San Diego, he'll construct four in 2008. "I'd been trying to get my figures to look less creepy," said Mayer. "This one has so much personality and presence, which helps."  : Photos courtesy Jeremy MayerMayer put together this metallic bust for a 2005 art show in the Seattle area. To fashion the hair, he fitted multiple typebars onto the mechanical cranium and pulled out the innards of a machine to create steel skin. Later, Mayer realized he created the head in his likeness. "He's somewhat of a broken-looking character," said Mayer. "And somehow it looks exactly like me. I hope to do more of them."  : Photos courtesy Jeremy MayerMayer's creations, like this skeletal aluminum framework, can stand close to seven feet tall and often weigh between 60 and 100 pounds. "I didn't make him anatomically correct, because I thought people would freak out about a robot with a penis," said Mayer. Now he's ready to go further with this piece, which he finished in 1994. "I may retrofit it," said the artist, who often travels to homes where his artwork is displayed to tweak the designs.  : Photos courtesy Jeremy MayerAlthough perfecting steely skeletons is Mayer's main building obsession, he also likes to assemble macabre felines. He estimates that he's made about 14 of them -- and they are always popular with buyers. "All you have to do is look at StumbleUpon and see how much people on the internet love cats," said Mayer. They tend to stand about two feet tall.  : Photos courtesy Jeremy Mayer"I'm not going for whimsy," said Mayer, who experimented with a series of machine masks like this one for a show. "So I will probably never do a set [of the masks] again." Still, Mayer says he enjoys toying around with spare parts that don't end up in one of his massive pieces.  : Photos courtesy Jeremy MayerTo create his mecha-cricket, Mayer fashioned the guts of a Royal typewriter into the abdomen and thorax. In order to keep the body color uniform, he salvaged similar pieces from the typewriter graveyard in his studio. The legs are bent keys, and the head was made from a dismantled rubber pad. The insect measures about 18 inches long, from its spindly legs to the tips of its antennae.  : Photos courtesy Jeremy MayerThis standing humanoid was commissioned by a Star Trek fanatic and friend of Mayer's who wanted a sculpture with robotic capabilities and trolled eBay for parts. Mayer installed a Handy Board processor in the chest cavity and rigged it to a motion sensor and controls that cause the head to wiggle and the eyes to blink. "The actual mechanics work really well," said Mayer.  : Photos courtesy Jeremy MayerMayer often takes inspiration from the shape of the typewriter itself to mold his figures. He prefers to dismantle Royal Safari typewriters for his female creations, using the parts for the inner thighs, labia and breasts. "That's how the typewriter was made in the first place," said Mayer. "The shape resembles the human body and forms of nature."  : Photos courtesy Jeremy MayerMayer, 36, crafts his typewriter creations in this studio in Tahoe City, California. He scours flea markets and second-hand stores weekly for vintage versions of the original word processor. After breaking the machines down by hand, Mayer spends hours categorizing the parts.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Brain Scanners, Fingercams Take Computer Interfaces Beyond MultitouchMultitouch displays are the first step of a coming revolution in the way people interact with computers. The future may include using neurotransmitters to help translate thoughts into computing actions, face detection combined with eye tracking and speech recognition, and more.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Brain Scanners, Fingercams Take Computer Interfaces Beyond MultitouchMultitouch displays are the first step of a coming revolution in the way people interact with computers. The future may include using neurotransmitters to help translate thoughts into computing actions, face detection combined with eye tracking and speech recognition, and more.Source: Wired: Gadgets | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Sept. 2, 1985: Hey, Everyone, We Found the Titanic1985: French and American researchers announce they've found the wreck of the RMS Titanic on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. Jaws drop. The most famous shipwreck of all time, the purportedly unsinkable Titanic hit an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage on a cold, starry night in April 1912. The ship sank to the bottom within hours, killing more than 1,500 passengers and crew. A scant 700 or so escaped in the insufficient lifeboats. As time passed, the glamour of the Titanic -- its roster of rich and famous First Class passengers, its luxurious decor, its speed, its vaunted bulwarks against the perils of the sea, its very hubris -- inspired countless retellings, from best-selling nonfiction books to glossy, romantic film fictions. Treasure hunters, historians and explorers yearned to know what secrets might lie in the Titanic's wreck. The ship had sent radio distress messages, so its last known surface position was no secret. But the Atlantic is more than two miles deep in that area, and diving technology was insufficient to the task for many decades. What finally worked was a little help from their friends ... in the Navy. The French research vessel Le Suroit, in the course of testing a new sonar system early in the summer of 1985, searched for the wreck in a 150-square-mile sea-floor search area. Aboard that cruise was Robert Ballard, leader of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution's Deep Submergence Laboratory and another Woods Hole colleague. Before turning back Aug. 6, the sonar eliminated large swaths of ocean floor as possible locations for the Titanic. A few weeks later, three French scientists set out from the Azores with their American counterparts aboard the Woods Hole research vessel Knorr. Looking only where Le Suroit had not, this voyage had an advantage. It also had Argo, Woods Hole's new robotic, deep-towed sonar and videocam system. Just after 6 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time on Sept. 1, Argo spotted one of the ship's boilers and other debris about 230 miles south of Nova Scotia. The first humans to see the Titanic in more than seven decades included four Woods Hole crew members, two French scientists and a U.S. Navy officer. The Navy, you say? What was the Navy's interest in a sunken ocean liner, however famous? You're right. The Navy was not interested in the Titanic, but it was interested in finding sunken ships. Sunken submarines, to be specific. It was only this year that the story has surfaced. The Navy wanted to use Woods Hole's fancy new submersible equipment to locate the wrecks of two nuclear submarines that had sunk in the area, USS Thresher and USS Scorpion. The Navy wanted to know if the Soviets had sunk the Scorpion, and the Pentagon also wanted to know if the ships' reactors were leaking any radioactive material. (If not, perhaps it would be safe, they thought, to dispose of other nuclear waste undersea.) The probable grave of the Titanic lay between the positions where the subs had gone to the bottom. Ballard wanted funding from the Navy. The Navy wanted to check out its lost subs. It was a match made in Davy Jones' Locker. The Navy didn't give Ballard explicit permission to search for theTitanic, but merely told him that once the sub wrecks were found and explored, he could use mission time as he saw fit. Ballard and associates announced the find in a ship-to-shore interview Sept. 2. They spent the last four days of the voyage shooting more video of the debris field and 35mm shots with a second towed vehicle, called Angus, or the Acoustically Navigated Geological Underwater Survey. Ballard estimated in 2004 that 8,000 to 9,000 pieces of jewelry, porcelain, glasses and other relics had been removed by a legal salvage operation. The location of the Titanic is no longer a secret, and Ballard said submarines have bumped into it and landed on it, destroying its mainmast and damaging large areas of the deck. He railed at the tourist subs he said both cause damage and leave litter. One American couple even held a shipwreck wedding in a submersible perched on the Titanic's deck. Source: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Geographic Society
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am 15th Anniversary: Peak Performance From New Climbing TechThe last time Wired reviewed equipment designed to survive the highest mountain in the world (May 2000), climbers were schlepping 9-pound, $11,000 sat phones on the trek to Everest's 29,000 feet. Climbing tech these days is ultralight, cheaper, and practically Everest-proof. Any season now, mountaineers will be Twittering from the summit ("OMG my toz R bLk!"). Here's some of the latest gear to leave us breathless. 1) Zeal Optics SPP Goggles
2) Spot Messenger
3) Roper SwitchBack UltraMobile PC
4) Black Diamond Cobra Ice Tool
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am Open Source Textbooks Challenge a ParadigmA small, digital book startup thinks it has a solution to the age-old student lament: overpriced textbooks that have little value when the course is over. The answer? Make them open source -- and give them away.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 4:00 am How HP Could Turn a Novelty Into a RevolutionRobotsDinner writes "HP's TouchSmart desktop is cool, but a blogger suggests it could be the beginning of a revolution if HP were to finally make the move of ditching Windows and building a Linux distro around the TouchSmart UI. 'Hello, HP. The UI of your latest TouchSmart computer says something about you. You may not have recognized your own weaving-in of meaning, but it comes across quite clearly if one reads just right: You want out. You want to escape the world of Windows to which Microsoft has sequestered you for the better part of two decades. Ah, but you can. No longer does Bill Gates stand guard outside your cell... It's time to ditch Windows and build a Linux distro around the TouchSmart UI... Your captivity of innovation under Microsoft is over. You're free. Free to invent, as you might put it.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 3:34 am Today on TokyoMango Today on TokyoMango, I wrote about how to make your kid into a stuffed animal; Takashi Miike's new movie, Sukiyaki Western Django; why it's hard to be prime minister in Japan; and the guy who impersonated Obama on Japanese TV.
( Lisa Katayama is a guest blogger.)
Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 2:28 am German comic book art covers Tokyo German design duo Pixelgarten has a big campaign in Tokyo right now that has the city covered in giant comic book exclamations. PingMag posted an interview with them and a bunch of other neat creations of theirs, including my favorite—an installation featuring a couple in hoodies with their faces stuck together. Oh, and the guy peeing pink paint onto the wall is pretty neat too. Their current Tokyo project is a promotional gig for trendy Harajuku department store LaForet. ( Lisa Katayama is a guest blogger.) Source: Boing Boing | 2 Sep 2008 | 2:19 am Google Enters the Browser Wars With 'Chrome'Google is releasing its own web browser in a long-anticipated move aimed at countering the dominance of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and ensuring easy access to its market-leading search engine.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 2 Sep 2008 | 1:00 am Defining Video Game Addiction1Up has a feature discussing where the line should be drawn when it comes to game addiction. The author speaks to researcher Neils Clark about some of the common characteristics of addiction, and how the high level of immersion in many modern games contributes to the mind's ability to drown out mundane tasks. We've discussed game addiction many times over the past several years. Quoting: "If we're not all dribbling addicts, then why are we playing so much? Clark puts this down to a theory proposed by The Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien — primary and secondary worlds. The primary world is our own real life. The secondary is the fictional world: literature, film, videogames, and so on. 'It used to be that the imagery and artistic intent had to be fully available before you could really "find" yourself in a written story,' Clark says. 'Immersion has progressed to the point where entering a world [inside a game] is almost automatic. At the point we're at, playing healthy not only means understanding immersion but [also] recognizing that these secondary worlds are designed to be more fulfilling than the primary. Learning to balance them is its own technology. It's something that humankind is in a process of developing, even if on a subconscious level for most gamers.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 2 Sep 2008 | 12:36 am Restaurant Owners Use Zapper To Cook the BooksHugh Pickens passes along a NYTimes report on software programs called "zappers," which allow even technologically illiterate restaurant and store owners to siphon cash from computer cash registers to cheat tax officials. In the old days, restaurant owners who wanted to cheat kept two sets of books. But because cash registers make automated records, hiding the theft requires getting into the machine's memory and changing that record. "...the Canadian province of Quebec may be the world leader in prosecuting zapper cases. Since 1997, zappers have figured in more than 230 investigations, according to the tax collecting body Revenu Québec... In making 713 searches of merchants, Revenu Québec found 31 zapper programs that worked on 13 cash register systems. Only two known zapper cases have been prosecuted in the United States... The cash register security industry is focused on protecting patrons and owners from theft by employees, which may be one reason so few zappers are uncovered in the United States. No one hires security experts to protect the government from devious businesses... As hard as zapper software is to detect, it is easy to make, said Jeff Moss, organizer of the annual hacker convention Def Con. 'If it runs on a Windows system and you are a competent Windows administrator, you can do it,' he said."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Sep 2008 | 11:36 pm Health: Depression in schoolchildren linked to low birth weightsFindings build on previous studies linking low birth weight to medical problems such as adult diabetesSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Sep 2008 | 11:13 pm Entertainment: Games and pay-TV boost big-spending VivendiVivendi cheered investors yesterday with a rise in second-quarter profits thanks to strong growth at its videogame and pay-TV businesses, and news that it will not be launching a refinancing to fund a...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Sep 2008 | 11:13 pm Multimedia technology: Nokia buyers to get free music downloadsNokia, the world's largest mobile phone company, will launch an all-out assault on Apple's iPhone today with a new range of phones that will give music lovers access to an unlimited service.Anyone willing...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Sep 2008 | 11:13 pm ISS Dodges Space Junk For First Time In Five YearsKligat writes "For the first time since 2003, the International Space Station has utilized the rockets on the European Space Agency's Automated Transfer Vehicle to dodge leftover remnants of a defunct satellite. The Russian Cosmos-2421 was launched in June 2006 to track Western Navy vessels and is believed by NASA to have exploded — 'likely due to a self-destruct command issued by Russian officials' according to the article — leaving 500 pieces of space debris. Ordinarily, the rockets on the ATV are used to take the ISS away from Earth's atmosphere and reduce drag. In this case, the 5-minute firing caused the ISS to move downward because it was already near the top of its acceptable range. Estimated probability of impact was 1 in 72, and an avoidance maneuver is called for if the probability is greater than 1 in 10,000. The space junk was predicted to pass the ISS within just a mile."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Sep 2008 | 10:50 pm Smilin' Bob Not Smilin' AnymoreConsumerist reports an Associated Press release that Steve Warshak, 42, was found guilty of 93 counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering. His 75-year-old mother, who has cancer, was found guilty of conspiracy and other charges, and was sentenced to 2-years, but is free pending appeal. US District Judge Arthur Spiegel, in Cincinnati, OH, denied Mr. Warshak's request to remain free pending appeal, but gave him 30 days to wrap up his affairs and report to prison. Besides Enzyte, Washak's company, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, who also distributes products to boost energy, manage weight, reduce memory loss and aid sleep, will be allowed to stay in business — but must forfeit $500 million. Among their most egregious offenses was a requirement of a Notarized statement from a doctor certifying that they had a small penis. Amazingly, remarkably few customers availed themselves of the refund offer. Unfortunately, it looks like the commercials will still be able to continue...Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Sep 2008 | 10:07 pm Report: Alcatel-Lucent picks CEOAlcatel - Lucent selected Frenchman Philippe Camus, a former aerospace executive, as the new chairman of the company, according to The Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter.Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Sep 2008 | 9:59 pm Name and Rate Cult TV's Best LinesThis year's Emmy Awards broadcast on Sept. 21 will feature TV's most memorable lines, phrases that made such an impact on pop culture that they found their way into the global lexicon. Vote for cult TV's best lines in our poll or nominate your own faves.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 1 Sep 2008 | 9:30 pm Robots Learn To FollowRoland Piquepaille writes "Three years after the development of robots that act like rats, UC Davis engineers have designed a control system for robots allowing them to pick up on cues that the leader is about to turn, predict where it is going and follow it. This system mimics the human ability to capture signals — consciously or not — from drivers on the road or people walking in the streets to predict what they're about to do. As the team leader said, 'Robots that are better at following could be easier for people to work with.' With this system, a hospital robot could follow doctors during their rounds."Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Sep 2008 | 9:15 pm Trio of nested Klein bottles The London Science Museum's image gallery sports this beautiful trio of nested Klein bottles (a Klein bottle is like a Moebius strip extruded into one more dimension): "This is one of a series of glass Klein bottles made by Alan Bennett in Bedford, United Kingdom for the Science Museum, London. It consists of three Klein bottles, one inside another. A Klein bottle is a surface which has no edges, no outside or inside and cannot properly be constructed in three dimensions. In the series Alan Bennett made Klein bottles analogous to Mobius strips with odd numbers of twists greater than one." Klein bottle, 1995-1996. (via Neatorama) Source: Boing Boing | 1 Sep 2008 | 8:32 pm Ron Gilbert Returns With DeathSpankKingofGnG writes to tell us that the genius behind games like Monkey Island, Maniac Mansion, and the SCUMM script engine has returned to bring you another action-adventure entitled "DeathSpank". Showcased at the recent Penny Arcade Expo, the game promises the same adventure-styled gameplay of Monkey Island with the RPG-style gameplay of Diablo. Now all you have to do is get the fish out of your pants and belly up to the SCUMM bar.Read more of this story at Slashdot. Source: Slashdot | 1 Sep 2008 | 8:20 pm Bjrn Lomborg and Gary Yohe: The climate change debate is not the place for hyperbole and hysteria; it's time to move onBjrn Lomborg and Gary Yohe: The climate change debate, while very public and very political, is not the place for hyperbole and hysteria; it's time to move onSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Sep 2008 | 8:00 pm Best of BBtv: Hot 8 Brass Band of New Orleans (music)Our retrospective of favorite Boing Boing tv episodes continues. I'd actually planned to post something else today, but this is what feels appropriate, while our friends in Louisiana -- and expats from there -- cope with Hurricane Gustav. So above and below, an encore presentation of BBtv's two-part feature on the Hot 8 Brass Band of New Orleans, with our UK-based music correspondent Russell Porter. A little background on the band: The members of the Hot 8 were all born and raised in New Orleans; many of them began playing together in high school. In 1995 they came together and began playing traditional New Orleans brass band music professionally. Part one of the interview and live musical performance above, part two below. -- XJ
Source: Boing Boing | 1 Sep 2008 | 6:15 pm Gustav updates: DIY data, RNC recycled, energy infrastructure, rehabbing wetlands Image: a work created by Banksy in New Orleans last week, photographed by Jonno. (1) Jim Graham wipes the playa dust off his keyboard and types, John Graham (no relation) has created .kml and .kmz files integrating satellite imagery of Gustaz, updating every 15 minutes. Files are available at: (one) (two)(2) Jeff Masters at Weather Underground blogs: The main concern from Gustav is the storm surge. NHC is still predicting a 10-14 foot storm surge along the east side of New Orleans (Figure 2). This storm surge is characteristic of a Category 3 hurricane, providing a significant test of New Orleans' rebuilt levee system. Recent tide gauge readings from the east side of New Orleans show that a storm surge in excess of 7 feet has already occurred in Lake Borgne (Figure 1). (3) BB reader Quincy Webster points us to an infographic modeling estimated Gustav damage to energy infrastructure in the Gulf. "Graphic below is damage models based on LBAR hurricane forecast track, key is below. Numerical damage estimates are below the fold for oil and natural gas shut-in and damage."
This pachube url has a little google map showing the current reported location of the hurricane and its wind speed and pressure (and, if you're prone to making things electronic, via Pachube also the data that can be used with Arduinos to make a remote monitor, device, whatever; or embed the 24hour windspeed graph in webpages). (5) Video: John McCain pops a lulz on FEMA, Katrina, and Arabian Horses, back in 2005. (via Siege)
(6) In the New York Times, a profile of Mark Schleifstein, the 24-year veteran of NOLA's Times-Picayune , known as "the man who predicted the flood." He believes restoring natural wetlands and indigenous ecosystems in the Gulf region is the only way to prevent recurring catastrophic damage. “If the federal government ever awakens to the disastrous consequences of inaction on that front — the importance of coastal restoration and the rebuilding of barrier islands — Mark will deserve much of the credit,” [Times-Picayune editor Jim] Amoss said. In the aftermath of Katrina, Mr. Schleifstein and a team of reporters investigated the failure of the levees surrounding New Orleans. He also reported on the rebuilding of the levee system and the efforts to replenish the area’s wetlands and coastlines. His most recent series, “Last Chance,” published in March 2007, outlined why scientists believe the next decade is crucial to the wetlands restoration process.Here is Shleifstein's blog at the Times-Picayune -- he's been posting items daily over the last few days. (7) Here are two frequently-updated Twitter feeds from folks on the ground on NOLA: @raynola = Ray Shea, and @gustavreporter, Chicago Tribune reporters who are there to cover the storm and its aftermath. (thanks @unapologetic) (8) The New Orleans metbloggers are at it again today, with posts about "staying in town, CNN panic and levees getting topped."
Previously on Boing Boing:
Source: Boing Boing | 1 Sep 2008 | 5:37 pm Podcast: Ben Goldacre decries bad science in the mediaBen Goldacre and Marcus Chown discuss homeopathy, quantum physics; science coverage in the media; and world happinessSource: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Sep 2008 | 4:53 pm Channel 4 and Bebo launch Battlefront website in bid to inspire young peopleChannel 4 and social networking website Bebo have created a campaigning project aimed at inspiring teenagers to use the web "as a canvas for social change".Battlefront profiles 19 young people, including...Source: Infocious RSS raw feed - channel BNPaperTech | 1 Sep 2008 | 4:34 pm Sony Ericsson says Microsoft phone launch on track (Reuters)Reuters - Struggling Sony Ericsson (6758.T)(ERICb.ST) ditched on Monday rumors that its first cellphone powered by Microsoft's operating system would miss the key Christmas sales period.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 1 Sep 2008 | 1:56 pm
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