DisplayShare to use your gaming console to display your PC

Section: Audio, Video, HDTV, Computers, Software / Applications, Gaming, Console

Getting HD video onto your computer is easy, no matter which way you go about it.  Although, most of the time your PC can’t take full advantage of the content due to the monitor, speakers, or both.  It is possible to play it on the PS3 or Xbox 360, but then you have to make sure the file is supported on the systems.  Sometimes it can be a real pain and requires far more work than should be needed to watch your HD content, or any other content on your HDTV rather than on your computer monitor.

This is where DisplayShare, a new program from Golden Signals comes in.  With DisplayShare you’re able to show everything on you computer on a game system that is connected to the same network.  This can include any sort of document on your computer, as it shows exactly what the computer monitor shows. 

As of now, only the PlayStation 3 software is available, but Xbox 360 and Wii software will be available later in 2009.  The sound quality is supposed to be better, but that is because you presumably have a better sound system around the HDTV than around the computer.  There is no word on the video quality, however.  It might just stream exactly how the computer is set up, or perhaps it fits to the resolution of the HDTV. 

I would assume it displays the same resolution as the computer monitor, though.  Either way, the sound will most likely be better and the video will be able to be shared with multiple people in a large room rather than all crowded around a computer monitor.

Read [Consumer Electronics Daily News]
Read [DisplayShare]

Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

New Oriental to Report Second Fiscal Quarter Financial Results on January 19, 2009

Appletell reviews “Congress in Your Pocket” for iPhone, iPod touch

FROM APPLETELL - As a fan of democracy and knowing what actually happens in our government, I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered the Congress in Your Pocket app.  MORE »

Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Content Filtering Pulled From Free Broadband Proposal

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Times Square Gets Ready to Ring in 2009

New York City is hard at work getting ready for the countdown to 2009. About 1.6 million people shuffle in and out of Times Square every day, but on Wednesday night, they'll all be there at the same time, along with Ryan Seacrest and over a ton of confetti.

Wired.com took a behind-the-scenes tour of the preparations.

Left: Close-up of Billy Elliot sign above Times Square.

Manhattan's Theater District came to be known as "The Great White Way" because of all of bright lights on the area's theater marquees. Today, most signs are powered by LED lights, which are both brighter and more energy-efficient.

A video feed of the night's events, sponsored by Countdown Entertainment, will be beamed onto the many screens in the square. Each sign will display different advertising spots during commercial breaks.

Controls for the Spectravision sign sit atop the ninth floor of the W hotel on 47th Street. Clear Channel owns the rights to the space above the building, which explains why the structure is accessible only by a series of ladders and sits on concrete blocks to avoid directly touching the W property.

Together with former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Disney Corporation helped turn Times Square from a rather shady part of town into a major tourist hub. New buildings facing the square are now required by law to boast illuminated signage, and the density of neon in the area rivals the Las Vegas Strip.

Spectravision has been experimenting with interactive games, live feeds and Bluetooth all year. The company also coordinated a live broadcast of CNN’s election-night coverage into the square, which ran into trouble when President-elect Barack Obama’s acceptance speech ran past midnight. “We lost the feed for three minutes,” says Dale Langdon, systems engineer at D3 LED. “When we got it back up, I could hear the cheers from the street up in the control booth with the door closed.”

The first LED billboard was installed in Times Square in 1999. It was composed of mostly red and green lights, because blue bulbs were then prohibitively expensive. As the price of LED lights has gone down, their efficiency and resolution have increased exponentially. Today's signs have 25 times the resolution of that first billboard.

Every day, the Spectravision HD sign on 47th Street displays a live video feed of the opening and closing bells at the New York Stock Exchange. That video feed is monitored on this 3-by-5-inch screen in the control room.

This year, Mars Snackfood is promoting its 3 Musketeers Mint brand by collecting "wishes" that will be written on pieces of confetti and showered down on Times Square at midnight. Individuals can submit wishes in person at the Times Square Information Center or online.

“No advertiser in Times Square wants to be an also-ran,” says Meric Adriansen, managing partner of systems and engineering at D3 LED. Each new sign in the square has some form of bragging rights, he says. The Walgreens signage, completed in November, is the largest outdoor-advertising space in the world. The sign wraps three sides of the building where the ball drops every year, featuring a 17-story continuous display of video and animation produced by 12 million LEDs and numerous giant plasma video screens.

A 30-second animation takes about 150 gigabytes of bandwidth to deploy on the signs outside. "That's like emptying out five iPods every 30 seconds," says Jason Barak, managing partner of sales and marketing at D3 LED.

The 2009 ball is double the size of last year's, weighing in at 11,875 pounds. It is covered in 2,668 Waterford crystals and powered by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDs. For those worried about the energy efficiency of an illuminated, 12-foot geodesic sphere, this year's ball uses more than three times the number of LEDs of the 2008 ball, but will be 10-to-20 percent more energy efficient.

2008's Best Contest Photos You Never Saw, Part 2

With an average of over 500 submissions for each of our twice-monthly photo contests in 2008, a lot of great photos got overlooked. In celebration of the year coming to a close, we've gone back and pulled out some of our favorite contest photos that just didn't get the votes we think they deserved.

Click through the gallery to see these resurrected gems.

This is the second installment of missed photos. If you missed the first one, check it out here.

Left:

From Black-and-White contest

Coldplay Rock
by Jeff Kazansky

Photographer's comment:
"Silhouette of Coldplay's lead singer in a concert in Phoenix, Arizona, during the summer of 2006."

Reflections
by Andrew Lynch

Photographer's comment:
"Midtown Manhattan reflected in the U.N."

Dark City
by Kim Erlandsen

Photographer's comment:
"NYC shot from Hotel Kensington."

Double Moonbow in Lower Yosemite Falls
by Jeff Sullivan

Photographer's comment:
"This is a night shot of a double rainbow created by the light of the full moon in the mist at the bottom of Lower Yosemite Falls. I got soaked taking this picture. The waterfall creates its own strong gusts of wind that carry mist straight at you. I'm surprised that the shot wasn't ruined by water on the lens."

Pinto Bean
by D. Weisbrod

Photographer's comment:
"Photographed on glass above a black velvet background. I grew it for a week and photographed it every day."

Contemplating
by Kamila Wysocka

Photographer's comment:
"All dolled up."

What??
by Fernando Martinho

Photographer's comment:
"Analogic photography."

Like a Kid Again
by Joseph A. Sims

Stop Children
by Leafar

Photographer's comment:
"Shot in London on a rainy day. Yellow means help."

Busted
by Jane

Photographer's comment:
"Kemah Boardwalk."

Bananas on a Truck
by Jacob Maentz

Photographer's comment:
"Bananas on a truck, ready to eat. jacobimages.com."

Oh, Lucy!
by Mari Lowery

Photographer's comment:
"You got some 'splaining to do!"

Aymara
by Grafton Reed

Photographer's comment:
"Andes Mountains, 1998."

Wired.com's 10 Best Galleries of 2008

A year of fast and furious pixel-pushing by the Wired.com photo department has finally come to a close. Now, as we slow down long enough to risk a look back, we've compiled a list of our favorites from the hundreds of galleries we ran in 2008.

Be sure to leave your pick for favorite Wired.com gallery in the comments!

10. Photographer Captures America's Best-Kept Secrets

We ran this gallery back in January and it was one of the first big hits of the year. It was a killer combo of Taryn Simon's beautiful photos and an inherently tantalizing subject matter.

9. Under the Surface at Monterey Bay Aquarium

Our own Jon Snyder shot and reported this behind-the-scenes tour of the aquarium — some of his finest work of the year. Keep an eye out for the Ottervator, a photo-department favorite that we reference almost daily. Yes, we are nerds.

8. Super Cool Sci-Fi Cars From Another Galaxy

Once we saw Daniel Simon's photorealist artwork of cars from the future, we had to know more. And when we finally got him on the phone we found out just how far the rabbit hole goes. His fictional universe is just as detailed as his images.

7. On the Job With Wired.com Readers and Their High-Tech Toys

We initially put out a call for photos of readers' work gear thinking we'd see some sad-looking laptops and cellphones for a "Worst Company Gear" gallery. But the submissions ended up being so impressive they turned the idea on its head. The gallery didn't get a whole lot of traffic, but learning how skilled our readers are made this a favorite.

6. Inside NASA's Mars Mission

Our best science photographer, Dave Bullock, toured the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex shortly before the Phoenix lander touched down on Mars. His photos show the calm before the storm, and his coverage of the landing and the lander's first images was excellent as well.

5. Sci-Fi-Inspired Concept Ships Show Future of Travel

Igor Tkac's conceptships.org blog has become a focal point for fantastic illustrators who focus on future transport. Tkac narrowed his contributors down to a few favorites and we tracked the artists down for an interview. Enjoy!

4. Star Wars, Aliens and Outta-This-World Lines at Comic-Con

Comic-Con is one of the few nerdy events that actually makes for great photos. With every passing year, the costumes get more and more elaborate and you inevitably see your favorite comic-book heroes caught up in banality — stuffing their faces with food or waiting for the bathroom. Check out even more photos here.

3. Living Lord of the Rings at a Girl Scout Camp in New Jersey

One of our favorite photographers, Bryan Derballa, spent a few weekends at a Live Action Role-Playing camp in New Jersey to get an outsider's perspective on an often-misunderstood hobby. He came away with great photos and interviews, and it's one of the galleries we're most proud of from this year.

2. Geek Ink: Comics Fans Show Off Tattoos

There are few gestures of commitment that trump a tattoo. That's what makes these fans so impressive. Whether it's the aesthetics of the drawing or the icon itself, it's hard to question these inksters' dedication to the cause. Excellent photos by our grand poobah, Jim Merithew.

1. The Best Fictional Doomsday Devices

The best part of this gallery was the reader discussion it sparked. Readers chimed in en masse with their favorite doomsday devices and debated the merits of each. The strength of the comments on a gallery are usually the best gauge of a gallery's success, and this one struck a chord with our readers.

Eleven Gadgets That Will Make New Year's Eve Fun

Ingenious Hellraiser Fires Up Homebrew Flamethrowers

Former contractor turned full-time tinkerer Bob Hofmann has built everything from an adult-size tricycle to a Skilsaw-powered dragster. But his real passion is fire. So a few years ago he came up with a lightweight, easy-to-use flamethrower he calls the Bonefire. Looking a little like an antique musket, the polished-metal torch has an elegantly simple design: Propane vapor collects in a half-gallon accumulator tank at the end of a 3-foot-long tube. A bicycle brake caliper and cable control a steam-whistle valve, which unleashes the vapor in high-volume bursts that ignite as they pass an electric barbecue starter switch. Depending on your cable technique—strum, stroke, smack—you can produce a peep of flame, smoke rings, or a 20-foot torrent of hell. Hofmann sells his handmade Bonefires for $850 a pop, but he already has his eye on a bigger inferno, a machine he's dubbed the Fountain of Flame. It'll use 32 GPS-controlled robots to re-create Las Vegas' Bellagio water show in colored flames. We're getting hot just thinking about it.

Dec. 31, 1938: Set 'em Up, Joe ... for a Breath Test

1938: Cops in Indianapolis, Indiana, put the drunkometer to its first practical New Year's Eve test as a breath analyzer. It proves a success.

The drunkometer, which some of you older imbibers might remember from when the cop made you breathe into a balloon, was invented by Dr. Rolla N. Harger, an Indiana University biochemist, in 1931. He patented his device in 1936 and helped draft the act that made it the legal method for helping establish blood-alcohol level.

Harger's drunkometer, a model of simplicity, was the first tool to successfully measure alcohol levels using breath analysis. The subject being tested blew into a balloon. The captured air was then mixed with a chemical solution, which changed color if alcohol was present. The darker the solution became, the more alcohol contained in the breath.

From there, the level of alcohol in the person's bloodstream was estimated using a mathematical formula, which Harger also developed. As he pushed for his patent, Harger also pushed to outlaw drunk driving, which, in the wake of Prohibition's end, was becoming more than a nuisance.

Simple as it was, Harger's device had been a long time coming. Attempts to measure alcohol levels by measuring breath content date back to the late 1700s. Prior to the drunkometer, the only effective method was through the direct testing of blood or urine samples. While effective, both methods were cumbersome and costly — not to mention completely irrelevant in terms of preventing trouble. The beauty of Harger's method was that police could pull drunk drivers off the road before an accident occurred.

Inebriation is apparently a subject of some interest in Indiana. In 1954, the breathalyzer, the tool that eventually replaced Harger's drunkometer, was invented there by Dr. Robert Borkenstein, a laboratory technician with the Indiana State Police.

No device can measure actual intoxication, however, since a variety of factors determine how alcohol affects individual drinkers. Hence the expressions hollow leg and cheap drunk.

Source: Various

Eleven Gadgets That Will Make New Year's Eve Fun

Diary of a Self-Help Dropout: Flirting With the 4-Hour Workweek

Time-management books command huge swaths of bookstore shelf space and sell tens of thousands of copies a year, but I always figured they applied more to stapler-stealing cubicle jockeys than someone like me. I am a freelancer. My services are available to anyone at any time. In a former life I was probably a whore. In this one, I am responsible for two cartoon voice-overs, three writing jobs, a movie soundtrack, my stand-up comedy act, TV hosting gigs, and half of a musical-comedy duo. Don't get me wrong; in this economy, I'm grateful for the work. But without any kind of 9-to-5 structure, it's a lot to keep track of.

So how do I handle it? Poorly. My days are like eBay shipments: a few tangible things and a whole lot of packing peanuts. I obviously need help being the boss of me. So I decided to try an experiment: I'd spend two weeks absorbing, in succession, three well-known productivity systems and see if I could find one that worked for those of us who count income in 1099s instead of W-2s. I already owned David Allen's Getting Things Done; Gina Trapani, editor of the blog Lifehacker, further recommended Julie Morgenstern's Never Check E-Mail in the Morning and Timothy Ferriss' The 4-Hour Workweek. That made three, and three examples is all you need for a magazine article.

Getting Things Done

Day 1 I actually have three copies of Getting Things Done. I bought it on CD two years ago and never listened to it. A year later I bought the book, started it, and then stowed it under my nightstand. Then I bought it on iTunes. It mocked me from my iPod's Audiobooks playlist for months. Yes, I was having trouble getting Getting Things Done done. But now I have a deadline.

Day 3 Finally listening to Getting Things Done. I see why other nerds go for David Allen. He's a reductionist. GTD is all about breaking big tasks into small, doable ones. The book finds a million ways to repeat Allen's simple mantra. Ask yourself: "What is the next physical action required to move the project forward?" Repeat until everything in the world is finished.

Day 5 The most pressing item on my to-do list is a script for the Nickelodeon show Back to the Barnyard, on which I play a talking cow. It turns out that "Write talking-cow script" is the kind of task Allen would describe as "an amorphous blob." A series of things have to happen in a specific order to attain its completion. How will I write it? What is the next physical action?

Let's see. I have to make a scene-by-scene story outline. But in order to do that I have to review the premise that was assigned to me via email, which I can't do without an Internet connection, which I don't have because I am in Memphitucky trying to make a club full of strangers laugh by pointing out the foibles of mankind. The motor lodge I'm staying in has intermittent service at best. So there you go: My next obvious action is "Locate Internet."

A block away, I find a Starbucks—the yuppie McDonald's. Next action: "Download premise from email." Done. I'm building momentum! Next: "Break premise into a handful of scenes." Next: "Write one-page scene outline." And finally: "Expand outline into scenes with dialog." I know it seems obvious, but it was better than just launching Final Draft and staring at "Fade in." (Final Draft : screenwriters :: Excel : accountants.) My total script time from premise to delivery is four hours. That's not bad for an 11-minute cartoon.

Day 9 My girlfriend informs me that there's a black widow nesting in a drainpipe near our garage. I have now been on the GTD program for several days and am a next-action machine. I say out loud to myself in a robot voice, "Processing ... dot dot dot ..." I head outside, already planning my next action: "Pour water down drain to send spider on river rampage to Jesus." On the way, however, I discover a dead squirrel. Protocol interrupted. How do you dispose of a dead squirrel?

"Some days I'm just overwhelmed by everything on my to-do list," Hardwick says.
Photo: Sian Kennedy

I return to the house with my bucket of water to ask the Internet. A state of California Web site informs me that I have to call the West Nile Virus Hotline. WTF?! I open a new tab and Google "West Nile deaths human California." Only one this year. Next action: Let air out of lungs. Back to west nile.ca.gov. From the photos, I identify the decedent as a Fox squirrel. While scrolling through, I notice that its cousin the Douglas squirrel is adorable! I throw it—the words, not the squirrel—at Wikipedia. Pine squirrel located in the Pacific coastal states. Huh. I jot down "pine squirrel" for use in as-yet-unwritten funny sentence. Back to the 'pedia. Naturalist John Muir described the Douglas squirrel as "by far the most interesting and influential of the California sciuridae." ... Sciuridae? How has that term managed to elude me for more than three decades? I click the link and learn that it's a family of large rodents—squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, and, uh, spermophiles. I wonder how you pronounce it. sky-yer-EE-dye? SURE-i-day? Goto: Merriam-Webster Online. Damn—it's a premium-account word. I'll have to slum it on Dictionary.com. Aha! sigh-YUR-i-day. I say it aloud several times, nodding with a false sense of accomplishment. The black widow is still alive. The Fox squirrel is still dead. And so are 35 minutes of my life.

Day 14 Wracked with guilt and a sense of failure, I resort to actual reporting and call David Allen. He's very nice and suggests that to effectively prioritize, I should explode my individual tasks into a philosophical framework incorporating my life's ultimate purpose. Oh, OK. That's all I have to do.

Freelancer rating: 4/5 The book is as dry as a camera manual. It took me two years to open my camera manual, too. Both turned out to be useful.

Change in personal habits: I can now shrink overwhelming projects into bite-size finger sandwiches, thereby unsticking my work flow. Also, I found out that I have a work flow.

Never Check E-Mail In The Morning

Day 1 Upon cracking Julie Morgenstern's book, I learn that she has consulted for Microsoft and Ikea, written five other self-help tomes, and appeared on Oprah. I become afraid that there will be chapters on "Scheduling Hugs" and "Filing Your Crying." This is because I am a jerk sometimes.

Day 2 Morgenstern breaks life into nine skill sets, or "competencies," all pointed toward finishing tasks with time left for recreation. Sweet.

Day 3 The book has a Choose Your Own Adventure vibe, where you can jump around to any area you want to improve. I read the whole thing. Most important, it turns out, is avoiding distractions. I have already failed by reading chapters that don't apply to me. The other usual distracters include perfectionism, procrastination, interruptions, and meetings. And email. Morgenstern calls these time-eaters "nibblers." Adorable!

Day 4 I wake up, and before I even think about it, I am checking my email. Crap.

Day 5 Same problem. Double crap.

Day 6 Crappity-crap-crap on a crap bun with crap relish! This is getting ridiculous. Despite my iPhone's pleas for clemency, I turn off the Push setting.

Day 10 Rob Zombie calls. He needs two more songs for his animated Mexican wrestler/superhero movie El Superbeasto, and he's about to mix sound. He wants same-day turnaround. That means Mike Phirman and I (we're the band Hard 'n Phirm) need to obtain the scenes in question and then write, record, and deliver each tune in six hours. No nibblers. No perfectionism. Interruptions will be met with a Shia LaBeouf-y "no no no no no NO NO!"

We make our deadlines. Mr. Zombie is pleased, which means he will not eat our faces. I can't say the music would have turned out any better had we agonized and labored over it.

Hardwick may now be "on his way to time mastery." Photo: Sian Kennedy

Day 14 I call Morgenstern to brag about my success, and she asks what I do for fun. I am stymied: "Fuh ... Fuhhhh ... what is that word your mouth is saying?" Morgenstern thinks taking time off is crucial; since I'm around tech all the time, she recommends something nature-based. I head for Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Aside from the homeless woman shouting obscenities at a raccoon, it is strangely refreshing. I find a stone bridge where a copse of old trees hang over a brook, a setting so storybook I expect a faerie orgy to break out at any moment. Sitting there, I actually begin to get excited about my workload. I go home and work on my blog, the Nerdist, for an hour and a half—pure output. According to Morgenstern, I have found my "concentration threshold" and am now "on my way to time mastery!" I silently vow that once I have truly mastered the dimension of time, I will go back and tell my sixth-grade self to never bring Dungeons & Dragons books to school, where girls are.

Freelancer rating: 3/5 Half of the skill sets are more applicable to office dwellers. What about my needs?

Change in personal habits: I learned not to confuse "busy" with "productive," but I'm still far too addicted to email to resist its early-morning digital snuggles.

The 4-Hour Workweek

Day 1 Timothy Ferriss says he decided to become a productivity master after a girlfriend sent him a Dear John in the form of a plaque reading, The Work Day ends at 5:00. I would like to keep my girlfriend.

Day 2 I super-recommend the audio version of 4-Hour Workweek. The actor who reads it gives a Shatner-esque performance worthy of a Columbo villain. It made a three-hour drive from one stand-up gig in Tampa, Florida, to another in Fort Pierce enjoyable. Plus, he reads the word procrastinate as "procrasturbate."

Day 5 Ferriss' system basically amounts to finding ways to avoid doing your work. My first step: Focus only on the most important tasks. I am not doing that. I am in Chicago, covering Wired's NextFest for G4's Attack of the Show! At home, I would watch Mad Men on TiVo until I calmed down. Here, I wake up at 5 am, freaking out over the deadline for the very article you are now reading.

Then I have an idea: Why not simply start writing the piece? My anxiety over what to say has been causing me to put it off. So, without judging what comes out, I sit down and start typing away. I work for an hour and a half and write a considerable chunk. I feel so much better that I fall back to sleep for another couple of hours. When I wake up I feel confident, as if I am using a personal hygiene product that works just as its TV commercials promise.

Day 8 The next step: outsourcing! Apparently when you spend hours completing menial tasks, it actually costs you money, because you could be spending that time doing something more profitable. You might as well write a check to Failure.

The thought of my own foreign task force is instantly appealing. I find the virtual-assistant service Ask Sunday. (Readers: Mention "Chris Hardwick" to get me a huge discount.) For $39 a month I can make up to 15 requests—almost anything that's doable in 20 minutes. Here's what I send:

Within an hour I have my rental car, learn of two Moose Lodges within 8 miles of my home, get the address of a camera store with one HF11 in stock, and receive this:

Hi Chris. Per your request, I did an extensive search regarding monkeys that are native to Canada. Unfortunately, I could not find the required information within the allotted 20 minutes.

At least I didn't waste half of one of my own hours to learn that there are no monkeys from Canada; this way I was freed to learn what sort of extramarital affair Don Draper is flicking ashes on this week. Side note: I applaud Canada for outsourcing its monkeys.

Day 11 Why defer your retirement until you're too worn out from busting your hump to enjoy it? Ferriss says we should take "mini-retirements" throughout our lives. I have a hunch that this used to be called "vacation," but I don't have much time to work that out. As I'm back in Chicago to shoot a segment for Wired Science, I decide to take a mini-mini-retirement: one day. I sit in Millennium Park, feed birds, silently judge others, and shout at kids to get off my lawn.

Day 14 I am exhausted from getting up in the middle of the night to write. If I ever do achieve a four-hour work week, I won't schedule it at 5 in the morning.

Freelancer rating: 5/5 Ferriss' MO seems aimed at enticing corporate drones to defect. Join me on the Dark Side!

Change in personal habits: I remain disorganized, but I now have a network of assistants looking up stupid shit for me.

To Sum Up

Allen, Morgenstern, and Ferriss are a nicely compatible family unit: David Allen is the practical dad who reminds you not to overcomplicate things; just get the job done. Julie Morgenstern is the encouraging mom who, while hugging you, says, "It'll be all right; you just need to focus on what's important here." And Tim Ferriss is the upstart kid who cries, "Think outside the box, man!" So in retrospect, it makes sense that I found it easier to cherry-pick elements from each and stitch together my own wearable cloak of efficiency. Now, I know that David Allen is the head vampire of productivity, but if you only have the fortitude to read a single book, I'm gonna throw my lithe frame behind The 4-Hour Workweek. Ferriss lays out a series of nimble yet perfectly legal cons to help you break out of the corporate Bastille—and work from the actual Bastille, if you want. That sly creativity best fits the rogue nature of the freelancer.

Look, freelancers are "free" because they take risks—they don't like being told what to do. That's both exciting and daunting, because you have to police you. The trick to being both manager and employee is getting leverage on yourself. Still, joining any one of these time-management cults full-on seemed too much like getting a real job. I prefer to swipe the best ideas and ignore the rest. Further proof that I have the attention span of a procrasturbating pine squirrel.

Chris Hardwick (hardwicknerdarmy@gmail.com) does all the things he lists in the first paragraph.

Office Depot teams with Zip to offer TV installation

Section: Video, HDTV

By now, most people know that Best Buy and Circuit City offer TV installation and training.  A large number of us might feel we don’t need it, but the option is still always there when we buy HDTVs.  It is expected of big stores that specialize in electronics to offer the services, but there are plenty of other stores that sell HDTVs that might not offer installation and training.  Office Depot can be added to the list of those that now offer the services.

Office Depot is teaming with Zip Express Installation to offer its customers TV installation and training either the next day or five days later.  It seems like a great chance for those people who don’t know too much about HDTVs to learn how to use them, how to change the display settings and change inputs and whatnot.  It costs $129.95 for the service, but I’m sure to some people it is a small price to pay to have it installed for you and to be taught how to use it.  At least it’d be a blessing to the techies that they would call every time they run into a problem trying to use the HDTV.

Looking through what Zip has to offer, it is rather surprising that it and Office Depot are only teaming up to offer the TV installation and training.  Zip also offers computer, home theater, digital camera/camcorder and universal remote setup services.  Sure, it goes a bit overboard with offering to set things up for a price, but that could only mean more money for Office Depot, right?  Or maybe Office Depot only sees TV installation as a good service to be in.  After all, look at everything Best Buy and Geek Squad have to go through for offering every service possible.

Read [Consumer Electronics Daily News]
Read [Zip Express Installation]

Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Holiday E-Commerce Sales Fall Flat

Online holiday sales deflated 3 percent this year. ComScore estimates that holiday sales in the U.S. totaled $25.5 billion between November 1 and December 23, the last day orders could be delivered in time for Christmas. The comparable total in 2007 was $26.3 billion.

Sales were struggling to keep up with last year’s totals all holiday season. In the end, they fell short. (Hitwise comes to the same conclusion).

A simple look at U.S. traffic to retail sites in December through Christmas Eve (see table below) shows that eBay had the most unique visitors (85.4 million), followed by Amazon (76.2 million), and Wal-Mart (51.5 million). Even though eBay attracted the most people, its traffic was down 4 percent from last year. Amazon saw 7 percent more visitors, which might have contributed to its claiming to have a great Christmas.

But the retail sites that saw the biggest increases in visitors was Apple (up 19 percent) and Hewlett-Packard (up 28 percent). Dell, in contrast, saw a 17 percent decline in visitors.

(Photo by Randy Son of Robert)

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Sprint prepares for a busy New Year’s celebration

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers

Have you ever tried to text or call someone just as the clock struck 12:00 a.m. only to find out that the text message wouldn’t send and the call wouldn’t go through?  You’re not alone.  On midnight many people attempt to call and send texts to loved ones and friends wishing them well in the New Year, and so all the heavy volume jams up and it takes a while for anything to get through.  To fight this, Sprint has been preparing their wireless networks since 2006 for times like these.

Bob Azzi, Senior Vice President of Network Services, had this to say about New Year’s:

“New Year’s is one of the highest ‘text messaging’ days of the year. We anticipate traffic volumes this New Year’s to be about 200 percent, double the normal rate. Every year, we enhance our networks in areas like New York’s Times Square, Las Vegas and in other cities across the nation where our customers may be celebrating.”

Since 2006, they have invested nearly $15 billion to enhance their wireless networks for events in which lots of data is exchanged.  Major cities across America, such as Times Square in New York, Los Angeles in California have received higher network capabilities as those are generally hotspots on New Year’s Eve. 

Moreover, Azzi adds:

“Holidays and large-scale events do put additional load on wireless networks, so preparation is critical to ensure high-performing networks, when demand is at its highest. Sprint’s experience includes preparing for holidays; sponsorship events, such as NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races and the Super Bowl; network preparations before, during and after natural disasters; and political conventions and events, including the upcoming presidential inauguration. Every event provides an opportunity for us to put our experience into action for our customers, so that they have a great experience when using their Sprint devices and services.”

We shall see tomorrow (12/31) how well Sprint’s enhanced networks hold up.  If you have a Sprint phone, be sure to let us know in the comments if you were able to send/receive texts at midnight and if you were able to call/receive calls. 

Via [BusinessWire]

Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

IT Crowd chides social networks, has netbooks on it

Tech-savvy British comedy The IT Crowd recently had a little parody of social networks on it and it’s pretty good times. I’ve always liked the show but I’m more impressed by the people who make it being tapped into actual net trends; you can see currently popular memes and artists on the show like a Guy Fawkes mask, Fair Use posters, Think Geek gadgets, and in this episode Jen is even using an Eee PC. I guarantee that’s the only notelet you’ll see on TV this year, everyone is still using 24-style Alienware 19″ megalaptops.

The uploaders have disabled embedding for your inconvenience, and my workarounds didn’t work so hit the link to watch the vid.

Update: Oh man, Roy is wearing a Mechwarrior shirt or something. That’s so awesome.

Next Generation T9 Keyboard Technology

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Hand-sized VuNow Pod Jumps Into Heated Set-Top Box Battle

But Verismo Networks is eager to compete with its new VuNow pod.

The VuNow is a hand-sized set-top box with a familiar UI that picks out channels across the net and sends them straight to your TV. The channels include one solely for YouTube content, another for CinemaNow, a BitTorrent codec option (yeah!), and a "Global' select channel that takes in choice clips from around the world.

VuNow's Pod comes in a high-definition version priced at $150, and a standard definition at $100, which is quite a nice price for the service, though we see no reason why we would want the non-HD.

The user interface is apparently quite easy to navigate, but there's an explanation for that. It is clearly modeled on that of the Apple TV, as menu browsing is performed quickly in a few steps. It also comes with a necessary video search engine, it's wireless (though it does have an HDMI port), and requires no subscription fees, which would present quite a problem for the BitTorrent.

In order to use the pod as a streamer for your personal media on a PC, the pod needs to be used with a Windows OS (XP, SP2, or Vista), and is also compliant with NAS(ty) devices. The VuNow pod is available now and we'll try to get out hands on it over the next month for a full review. 

See also:

• Hulu Competitor Sling.com Launches Public Beta
• Vudu Reveals Open-Source RIA Platform, But is it Enough to Survive Heavy Competition?

Afraid that decaf isn’t? Test it with these handy strips

I have to say, at first I thought these things were for testing if your coffee is too weak. But no, apparently the greater scourge is coffee falsely advertised as decaffeinated. Is this really a major problem? I think you can generally tell decaf coffee because it just doesn’t taste as good.

The page refers to “decaf junkies,” as if that’s a legitimate category of human beings, and claims “studies have shown” that 30% of decaf served has “unacceptably high” caffeine content. Now, if you want their product and have a use for it, that’s great, and furthermore I don’t doubt that these cool little strips work exactly as advertised. But you don’t have to build a whole mythology around your product with this ridiculous copy! Good lord, sir! I’m going to go get a fully-caffeinated espresso right now just to wash the stink of this post off me.

The product photo is also a little misleading, since the instructions caution you to not allow the strips to come in contact with whatever you’re drinking. I guess the description should be more like “Decaf tester and coffee poison.”

[via MedGadget and MIT Tech Review]

Today on Offworld

NHL to offer another GameCenter LIVE free trial

Section: Video, Content, Video Providers, Web, Websites, Online Music/Video

Sometimes it can be pretty hard to catch your favorite hockey team due to TV restrictions.  To solve this problem, many fans sign up for NHL.com’s GameCenter LIVE which is a service that streams up to 40 games a week so you can catch the game on your computer, if not on your TV.

When NHL.com re-launched back in October, they added GameCenter LIVE so more fans can access games they want to watch.  Within this services comes high quality streaming, exclusive camera angles, the ability to watch many games at once, real-time stats, and you can even chat with other fans during the game.  Already, GameCenter LIVE has become popular, as subscriptions to this service has increasing by 250% from last year.  On January 3rd, NHL.com will offer a free trial of this service in efforts to share this service with more fans and to gain even more popularity.

Perry Cooper, NHL Senior Vice President, NHL Direct and Digital Marketing and Fan Analytics, had this to say about their service:

“Already this season, thousands of fans across North America have been delighted by NHL hockey delivered through the NHL GameCenter LIVE experience. Now that the NHL season has reached January, the playoff races are heating up and each game is important. With another free trial, more fans can get in on the excitement of these games, especially when they’re experienced through NHL GameCenter LIVE.”

If you wish to subscribe to this service for the remainder of the season starting January 1-4, it will cost only $109.  Otherwise, from January 5 - February 15, it will cost $119. 

Check it out: [GameCenter LIVE]
Read [BusinessWire]

Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

Online holiday sales drop 3 percent (CNET)

Today on Offworld

We also saw plaintive graffiti in Left 4 Dead, a fantastic new energy drink commercial from the man behind epic pixel-art explosions 'Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006' and 'Kings of Power 4 Billion %', listened to a live four-man Korg DS-10 jam, and saw how Japan has channeled Chris Cunningham to advertise its newly released version of BioShock.

Finally, we took a long look at Spelunky, a new procedurally generated freeware PC game that blends the best bits of Rogue/Nethack with 8-bit platforming, and is setting the bar very high for 2009's indie ilk.

Large form iPod Touch to launch in Fall ‘09

We’ve got this from three independent sources close to Apple: expect a large screen iPod touch device to be released in the Fall of ‘09, with a 7 or 9 inch screen. Prototypes have been seen and handled by one of our sources, and Apple is talking to OEMs in Asia now about mass production.

Apple has been experimenting internally with large form tablet devices for years, one source says, but there was concern that users wouldn’t like the device. The difference now is the iTunes app store, which has thousands of games and other applications that are perfect for a touch screen device with an accelerometer. Apple says more than 300 million applications have been downloaded since the App Store launched in July 2008. Combine the App Store, iTunes and a browser and you have one heck of a device.

We don’t have any information on pricing. The current iPod touch, with a 3.5 inch screen, starts at $229. The 32 GB model is $399. We expect the price on the larger iPod touch to be significantly higher.

Apple rumors, particularly Apple tablet rumors, tend to come and go. I’m not saying Apple is definitely launching a large form iPod Touch. But sources I trust are saying they are currently planning to, and one source has actually held the device.

Source: Gizmodo | 31 Dec 2008 | 1:44 am

Supervision concept gadget makes me wish it existed

Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle

With the economy the way it is, keeping track of your spending compared to your income is a very good idea.  Sure, there are plenty of ways to do it on paper by balancing your check book, or creating a monthly budget.  Computer applications both desktop and cloud-based can also help with this.  But, wouldn’t it be nice if you could do it all in one device?

Designer Eun-Gyeong Gwon has a nice looking concept gadget that would do just that.  Called the Supervision, it’s able to pull together all the information possible for your expenses.  It would have a touchscreen so that each way of using it can be different, from the calculator, to graphs showing your income compared to your income and bank account with information it can pull from your bank.  It has a scanner to scan any receipt you have, so there’s no real manual input for anything bought in brick-and-mortar stores.

While something like this is obviously a long way off, the Supervision would be quite a handy gadget.  Though, it wouldn’t surprise me if before this was ever thought of being put into production, a cell phone app would come out and do the same thing.  It would make the most sense on either a BlackBerry of Android phone, but there’s no reason an application can’t do all if not most of what the Supervision would be able to.  I know an application like this could easily help push me one way between an iPhone, G1 or BlackBerry Bold.

Read [Yanko Design]

Full Story » | Written by Shawn Ingram for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 31 Dec 2008 | 1:30 am

Sex Offenders Must Hand Over Online Passwords

mytrip writes "Privacy advocates are questioning an aggressive Georgia law set to take effect Thursday that would require sex offenders to hand over Internet passwords, screen names and e-mail addresses. Georgia joins a small band of states complying with guidelines in a 2006 federal law requiring authorities to track Internet addresses of sex offenders, but it is among the first to take the extra step of forcing its 16,000 offenders to turn in their passwords as well."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 31 Dec 2008 | 1:28 am

PS360 up for auction on eBay

Yes, you read the title correctly. Your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. Up for auction on eBay is a PS360: an Xbox 360 in a PS3 case. It only plays 360 games, not PS3 games; I’d be more impressed if it supported both. If you can read through all the spelling and grammatical errors, here are the builder’s step-by-step instructions. This guy also made a Wii64 that plays Nintendo 64 games in a Wii console. Not really necessary, but it’s a little cool.

Source: Gizmodo | 31 Dec 2008 | 1:22 am

Will Apple Launch a Quad-Core MacBook Pro at Macworld?

Some are speculating that Apple's top-of-the-line notebook could receive a significant chip upgrade at January's Macworld Expo.

When Apple refreshed its MacBook family in October, it mysteriously left out the 17-inch MacBook Pro -- Apple's high-end notebook designed for creative professionals. Incidentally, APC noticed Intel quietly added a new quad-core mobile processor to its CPU line.

APC deduces that it's likely Apple stalled on upgrading the 17-inch MacBook Pro to await Intel's quad-core mobile processor, dubbed the Core 2 Extreme Q9000, which costs $350. That chip partners four 2GHz cores -- a pretty major bump from the current 2.5GHz, dual-core (Core 2 Duo) processor.

The idea of a quad-core MacBook Pro coming January is pure speculation, but it's a plausible theory. Apple wouldn't want to wait too long to release an upgrade for its seemingly neglected 17-inch MacBook Pro; January's Macworld Expo would be a good time to announce one. And a quad-core processor would justify the premium pricing of the 17-inch MacBook Pro. (The current model starts at $2,800.)

Also, it would make sense for a quad-core MacBook Pro to be introduced soon, since OS X Snow Leopard is expected for a 2009 release. Apple says its new operating system will optimize multi-core systems.

Photo: f0rcerec0n/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 31 Dec 2008 | 1:19 am

CES 2009 Will Be Smaller, But Still Full of News, Gadgets and Hype

Get ready for an orgy of electronics industry news, speculation and hype.

Despite the downturn in the economy and disappointing holiday sales figures, the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show is still going to be a massive gadget fest.

Yes, attendance will be somewhat smaller than last year -- and no doubt many manufacturers will be touting simpler, cheaper gadgets along with their massive TVs and unaffordably expensive and complicated stereo systems. But CES is still the biggest American electronics trade show, and it's not about to disappear -- not this year anyway.

VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi interviewed the Consumer Electronics Association's executive director, Gary Shapiro, to get the lowdown on CES 2009. Here's what he reports:

• An estimated 130,000 people will attend the show (down 8% from last year's 141,000)
• 2,700 companies will be exhibiting their wares (the same number as last year)
• The footprint of the show is down 5%, to 1.7 million square feet
• Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will deliver a keynote, instead of Bill Gates
• 300 new companies will be there
• Sanyo, Cisco and Philips will not be exhibiting on the show floor
• DTV, 3-D displays, and wireless HD video will all be big
• OLED displays will also generate a lot of buzz
• Companies are still shelling out for celebrity appearances, including Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder and Akon

Despite the somewhat reduced numbers, it's a safe bet that CES 2009 will produce a huge torrent of gadget news from January 6 to January 11 -- and Gadget Lab will be there.

In fact, Wired.com is sending a team of 9 to the show, including a video crew, a photographer, and the entire Gadget Lab news staff. Bookmark our "CES 2009" category to get the latest gadget news from the show floor as well as the keynotes, press conferences and parties.

And if you haven't done so already, subscribe to the Gadget Lab Twitter feed. We'll make sure to keep it humming with interesting CES tidbits throughout next week.

CES preview: what to expect at the big, not-so-gloomy tech trade show [VentureBeat]

Photo: Rob Beschizza / Wired.com

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 31 Dec 2008 | 12:55 am

Bill Nye Brainwashes Kids Into Recycling

Bill Nye's paper recycling factory toy (right) looks like a promising way to teach kids environmental friendliness while they're ripe and impressionable. The kit includes an assortment of colorful, plastic tools to mash, dye, hydrate and mold old paper into new stuff like notebooks and post cards. Potentially gives the word "greenwashing" new meaning, doesn't it?

Product Page [via Boing Boing Gadgets] 

Photo: Discover This

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 31 Dec 2008 | 12:44 am

11 Gadgets to Rock Your New Year's Eve

What better way to welcome the new year than with a collection of bright and shiny party gadgets?

You can handle the basics: Flare pants. Sequin dress for the ladies (and some of the gentlemen). Hair gel. Beer. Breath mints.

But Wired's Gadget Lab has the electronic tools that will make this a truly 21st century event. Whether you will live it up on Times Square, throw your own block party or merely make a drunken nuisance of yourself in a subway car, here are 11 cool gadgets that can help you pass the last few hours of 2008 in high-tech style.

Alcohawk ABI Digital Breathalyzer
So your New Year's Eve resolution is to quit drinking (for the 10th year in a row) but you want to have a blowout before you give it all up. Too bad you had to drive to the party. Before you get back into the car at 4 a.m., fish out the $100 Alcohawk digital breathalyzer and do a quick test. Above legal limit? Taxi!

Pacemaker Pocket DJ System
This beautiful piece of hardware is pricey ($800), but it's all you need to create a mobile disco. The Pacemaker has two digital "decks" that let you scratch, bend and tweak your tunes to create a party and sell tickets. It comes with extensive mixing functionality, allowing you to change the pitch and cross=fade, and it has 120-GB hard drive.

Soundproof Microphone
Clearly karaoke is not your thing. That's why you may want to put a bag over your head when you sing, or do the digital equivalent of it and get a soundproof microphone. This rather uncool-looking device muffles your singing and lets you belt out Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" without letting everyone know you're more like William Hung.

Porta-Party
Shy guest coming to your New Year's Eve party? Rent this booth so they can party in private -- sort of. Los Angeles-based artist Nick Rodrigues has created an iPod-shaped booth called Porta-Party that you can walk into. Shut the door, crank up the music and start grooving. The best part is the exhibitionist aspect: The iPod-like screen on the booth shows a video of what's happening inside. Get ready to put on a show!

Remote Fireworks Launcher
Why risk starting the new year with first-degree burns? If you have a place to set off some pyrotechnics, get the remote fireworks launcher. With a wireless remote you can set off up to five different fireworks at one time. Burn, baby, burn!

DIY LED Mirror Ball
A disco mirror ball is a must-have for a New Year's Eve party. What else will you point your upraised hand toward when "Stayin' Alive" comes on? But ordinary mirror balls are so ... ordinary. Buy a mirror ball and soup it up with some LED to make your party even more disco-licious.

Cocktail Fountain
The name suggests a centerpiece shooting a fountain of Martinis or Manhattans high into the sky. The Cocktail Fountain is not quite that, but it promises to deliver cascades of alcoholy delight directly into cups, which is almost as good. It's the adult version of the chocolate fountain.

LED Throwies
Some people just talk about painting the town red. Others actually do something about it. LED throwies are little blobs of LEDs, stuck together with a battery and a rare-earth magnet that can be thrown and stuck to any ferromagnetic surface in your neighborhood. They're cheap and easy to make. Throw a few to see where they stick, and light up the city.

Mood Lighting Kalediosopic Critters
Party lighting could mean candles and Christmas lights. Better yet, how about some glowing creatures that look like cousins of Casper the Friendly Ghost? They come in four moods -- chipper, peppy, dizzy and gloomy -- which will probably reflect your mood cycles through the evening. So bring on the kaleidoscopic critters, add the mirror ball, the pocket DJ system and the cocktail fountain, and it will be one helluva party.

Sony Dancing Egg Rolly
Need a party attraction? How about a dancing egg that flashes and rolls to the beat of the music it's emitting from its own flapping speakers? The Rolly dancing robot from Sony may be entirely useless, but it's good for a few laughs. It could be an icebreaker, too: If everyone is standing in the corners, roll this out on the dance floor and watch the crowds follow.

Cobra XRS Radar/Laser Detector
New Year's Eve can see more cops per square foot in your town than a drug bust on a Baltimore street. Even going 55 miles an hour in a 50-mph zone is enough to get the red and blue lights flashing behind you. Before you hop into the car, turn the radar detector on and give yourself some advance notice about upcoming speed traps. A warning though: Radar detectors are illegal in some states.

Photo: Disco Ball (massdistraction/Flickr)

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 31 Dec 2008 | 12:35 am

Today at Boing Boing Gadgets

Today at Boing Boing Gadgets, we saw a portable Nintendo 64, flipped through a box of fluffy disks, and reviewed one of those newfangled Atom-powered MIDs. Rumors abound that Steve Jobs may be in perfect health. Vogue has an $830 sleeve for your $380 netbook. John found a crazy bookshelf, a delux 12-inch notebook from Asus, and a freaky nail-brush. He marveled at 10 vintage erector sets. Rob saw the forthcoming Sony P's keyboard in glorious art-o-vision, a super-thin TV set from LG, an intelligent toilet, and a beautiful (or maybe hideous) walkman clone that doesn't work. There was a magnetically attachable iPhone camera lens, a USB eraser, and a transforming flashlight in disguise.

Source: Boing Boing | 31 Dec 2008 | 12:22 am

BioShock commercial

Over at Boing Boing Offworld, Brandon blogged a TV commercial for the BioShock PS3 vidgame. The ad reminds me of the nonsensical, arty Mr. Plow commercial on The Simpsons. (Thanks for the reminder, TR0NK!) a Simpsons bit where Homer stars in a nonsensical, arty perfume (?) commercial. Anyone remember that?
BioShock commercial

Source: Boing Boing | 31 Dec 2008 | 12:21 am

Slapfight over the Steve’s health status

So Giz posted earlier saying that the real reason for the MacWorld pullout was that Steve’s health is declining. We didn’t report it because we’re not rumor-mongering, bloodthirsty vultures, but it made a splash anyway. Now CNBC columnist Jim Goldman is calling the post “unsourced garbage” and a “fiasco” that is “nuking” Apple’s shares to the tune of about 32 cents as of this writing. Am I the only one who thinks this should be settled with a slapfight?

Personally, I find it slightly repulsive that the industry is banking one way or the other on a man’s personal health problems (past or possibly present). But not really repulsive — more like “unfortunate” — for two reasons:

First, this isn’t Enquirer-style peeping into a private life. Steve Jobs is, if you’ll pardon the mac fanboy-sounding expression, more than a man. I don’t mean he is superhuman (a common misconception), but he is the face and one of the driving forces behind one of the most powerful tech companies in the world, and knows it. An Apple without Steve is not the same company for many people, and to be honest I wouldn’t blame them for cashing in when they hear he’s hitting the dusty trail.

Second, as for the rumor itself, it is neither new nor unsubstantiated. The man did have serious health problems before, and when he appeared gaunt last year the same speculations were aired.

Both stories credit sources inside Apple, and since the stories they present are mutually exclusive, it’s up to you to decide what you think, or if you even care. I’d say the Gizmodo side has more weight as it provides a better explanation for what’s going on. What’s CNBC’s explanation for the sudden about-face? Oh, they don’t have one. Apparently they are content with Apple spin saying everything is dandy.

Sadly for Steve and his family, the health of Apple’s CEO has passed over the last few years from a private matter to, if we’re honest, a shareholder issue, given his effect on the company. It may be less than sensitive to report on such things, but we’re not the Care Bear News Network, we’re tech journalists. We don’t get personal, we get exclusives.

Source: Gizmodo | 31 Dec 2008 | 12:20 am

CES 2009 Preview: Genius announces new touch devices

Section: Audio, Accessories, Home Audio, Portable Audio, Speakers, Video, Portable Video, Gadgets / Other, Household, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Trade Shows, CES

With CES 2009 right around the corner, many companies are announcing what they have in store for the public come the tradeshow.  Genius has announced a few new touch photo frames, touch speaker systems, and infrared sensor home security unit.

Touch Digital Photo Frames

One of the electronics Genius will have on display will be the DPF-T805 and the DPF-T1000, both of which are touch digital photo frames.  Both of these allow you to upload pictures, music, videos and play them on the photo frame with only a few touches.  In addition, both of them have the capacity to play four different pictures at a time, stores up to 700 pictures, and have automatic scheduling so you can conveniently set them to play whenever you want.  Lastly, the T805 comes with an 8.4 inch touch screen and 800x600 resolution.  Meanwhile, the T1000 comes with a 10.2 inch touchscreen and the same resolution.  No word on pricing at this time, but expect it to be pretty expensive with the touch technology and big screen sizes.

Touch Speaker System

One of the touch speaker systems Genius will have on display is the SP-T1200.  The speaker system itself comes with a touch panel screen that allows you to control the volume, bass, and treble with ease.  The system even lights up when you make sound change.  The speakers are said to be small and compact with a 30-watt sound, so it doesn’t compromise size for quality.  Now, I’m fine with changing the volume of my speakers by turning the knob, even thought it would probably be much cooler to slide my finger across a screen when I want to make it louder.  That being said, the speakers have to be relatively inexpensive, otherwise I would have to pass until it fits my budget.

Infrared Security System

Lastly, we have the IP Cam 350TR, which is an advanced security system using infrared lighting when used in the dark.  At night, the IP Cam 350TR automatically senses the lack of light and turns on six infrared LED lights that can pan 135 degrees and tilt 350 degrees - providing the maximum security possible.  These would probably work best at home or at a work place to provide good security and let you sleep well at night knowing you are fully protected.

Overall, Genius has some good products in the wings for us and it will be interesting to see what people think at CES.

Via [BusinessWire]

Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 31 Dec 2008 | 12:19 am

Dell plans a greener and cheaper approach to computer packaging

Dell has announced a new approach to computer packaging that will save the company an estimated $8 million or more while eliminating around 20 million pounds of packaging materials over the next four years. The company plans to reduce desktop and laptop packaging materials by approximately 10 percent worldwide, increase sustainable content in cushioning and corrugate packaging by 40 percent, and ensure that 75 percent of packaging components are curbside recyclable by 2012. Nice!

This is the latest of several initiatives we’ve seen from Dell since the company announced it was going green with LED backlighting in September and in August when the company became completely carbon neutral when it comes to their energy use. What a green year for Dell!

I’m sure we’ll see more PC manufacturers model this packaging approach in the near future, however, this raises a curious thought in my mind: if this new approach wouldn’t save money for Dell, would they be doing it anyways to save the planet/appear socially responsible? Probably not.

Source: Gizmodo | 31 Dec 2008 | 12:00 am

Why LEDs Don't Beat CFLs Even Though They Should

TaeKwonDood writes "LEDs don't beat CFLs in the home yet, but it's not simply because PG&E is getting rich making people feel like they are helping the environment buying CFLs made in China that are shipped to the US using a lot more fossil fuels than they save. It's a problem of indication versus illumination. However, some new discoveries are going to change all that."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:57 pm

DIY biohackers in the news

We've posted quite a bit about DIY biohackers over the years, but the trend continues as the tools become cheaper and the information easier to find. A few days ago, the Associated Press took a quick look at amateur gene jockeys. From the AP:

In her San Francisco dining room lab, for example, 31-year-old computer programmer Meredith L. Patterson is trying to develop genetically altered yogurt bacteria that will glow green to signal the presence of melamine, the chemical that turned Chinese-made baby formula and pet food deadly.

"People can really work on projects for the good of humanity while learning about something they want to learn about in the process," she said...

In Cambridge, Mass., a group called DIYbio is setting up a community lab where the public could use chemicals and lab equipment, including a used freezer, scored for free off Craigslist, that drops to 80 degrees below zero, the temperature needed to keep many kinds of bacteria alive.

Co-founder Mackenzie Cowell, a 24-year-old who majored in biology in college, said amateurs will probably pursue serious work such as new vaccines and super-efficient biofuels, but they might also try, for example, to use squid genes to create tattoos that glow.

"Amateurs are trying genetic engineering at home"

Previously:

• DIY biohacking in the Boston Globe - Boing Boing
• Charges against artist Steve Kurtz thrown out - Boing Boing

Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:50 pm

“Best Holiday Season Ever” Actually Worst Holiday Season Ever [Digital Daily]

The 2008 holiday shopping season was one of the worst on record for the e-commerce sector–despite Amazon’s (AMZN) “best-holiday-season” ever pronouncements. Online retail spending declined three percent year-over-year, according to comScore (SCOR), which had expected sales to remain flat for the period beginning Nov. 1 and ending Dec. 23– the last day to purchase online with the possibility of delivery by Christmas Eve.

Online spending during this same period in 2007 topped out at $26.33 billion. In 2008, it fell to $25.53 billion.

“This marks the first time we’ve seen negative growth rates for the holiday season since we began tracking e-commerce in 2001,” said comScore chairman Gian Fulgoni. “The combination of having five fewer shopping days between Thanksgiving and Christmas and the severe economic headwinds faced by consumers has made this a really tough season for retailers, both offline and online.”

Obviously. Online spending for the fourth quarter–Oct. 1 to Dec. 28–is even worse than that of the holiday season. It fell four percent year-over-year to 36.8 billion, marking the first full quarter to record a negative growth rate since comScore first began tracking e-commerce.

Source: Gizmodo | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:40 pm

One More Newspaper Gives Up the Ghost: Spanish Language Hoy New York Goes Web-Only [MediaMemo]

Here’s another newspaper that’s giving up on newsprint and going all-digital: Hoy New York, a free Spanish-language daily, published its last print edition today.

The move will cost 16 employees their jobs, says John Paton, CEO of Impremedia, the publisher that owns Hoy and several other Spanish-language titles, including El Diario La Prensa in New York and La Opinión in Los Angeles.

Hoy joins a handful of other pubs that are cutting back on print or ditching it altogether–most recently, the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News announced they would limit home delivery of the print edition to three days a week–but I wouldn’t go overboard reading too much into this one. That’s because the free distribution strategy that Hoy employed has been an experiment from the get-go.

That said, New York still boasts two free print dailies: Metro, published by Sweden-based Metro International SA, and AM New York, published by the troubled Tribune Co. (TXA), which sold Hoy to Impremedia last year. Both target the elusive and wily young, affluent, nonnewspaper-reading demo.

Source: All Things Digital | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:39 pm

New NASA report details final minutes of Columbia (AP)

AP - When the first of many loud alarms sounded on the space shuttle Columbia, the seven astronauts had about a minute to live, though they didn't know it.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:30 pm

Got any questions for the iPhone Dev Team?

With the iPhone 3G software unlock being set loose tomorrow, we were hoping to sit down and have a chat with the ones behind the handy work. We got into contact with the Dev Team and, sure enough, they were down to spare a bit of time on the eve of their big release.

We’ve only got a few hours before we’ve gotta finalize our questions, but we figured our readers might have a few inquiries of their own. Post’em down in the comments below - we’ll pick a handful from that lot and do our damnedest to make sure they get asked. Remember, these are the guys behind QuickPwn (for jailbreaking), the first-gen iPhone unlock, and now, the iPhone 3G unlock - if it’s an unofficial means of making your iPhone better, they probably had a hand in it.

Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies

Source: MobileCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:27 pm

The Octonauts Are Where It’s At

As promised, here’s a post about kids’ books, and specifically Meomi’s fabulous The Octonauts series.

We’ve tried to give Mark F. credit for turning us on to The Octonauts, but he refuses to take it, going so far to insist that he’s never seen these books. OK, fine. The books in question are The Only Lonely Monster, The Sea of Shade, and the new release, The Frown Fish. All hold the attention of the grownups, the teenager, and the school-age tike in the house. Seriously, everyone should run out and get these.

But how to describe the books? They’re cute and creative. There’s a hip Japanese influence and engaging storylines. The 6-year-old says, “They live under the sea in a big Octopod. They’re cool. They have adventures.” Nuff said.

The Octonauts

(Shawn Connally and Bruce Stewart are guest bloggers)

Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:24 pm

Google: Weisel Sees Search Momentum Holding Up [Voices]

By Tiernan Ray, Blogger, Barron’s, Tech Trader Daily

Sifting through data from Web site ranking firm comScore (SCOR) about November’s search engine results, released last night, Thomas Weisel analyst Christa Quarles concludes that “Google (GOOG) continues to gain audience market share from its competitors and dominates the rankings globally while both Yahoo (YHOO) and Microsoft (MSFT) continue on a downward trend.”

Quarles did not alter any estimates or her price target or rating on Google.

The comScore “qSearch” International report gives traffic ranking for Web search sites overseas. It shows Google’s share of search increased by 1.6 percentage points in November, to 62.4 percent; Yahoo’s share of worldwide searches declined a quarter of a percentage point, to 8.3 percent; Microsoft’s share rose five percentage points to 1.9 percent, and Baidu’s (BIDU) was 11.4 percent, down about one percentage point. Globally, meaning, when you add in the U.S., Google was 61.9 percent of searches, up 1.5 percentage points.

Read the rest of this post

Source: All Things Digital | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:24 pm

Large Form iPod Touch To Launch in Fall ‘09

We’ve got this from three independent sources close to Apple: expect a large screen iPod touch device to be released in the Fall of ‘09, with a 7 or 9 inch screen. Prototypes have been seen and handled by one of our sources, and Apple is talking to OEMs in Asia now about mass production.

Apple has been experimenting internally with large form tablet devices for years, one source says, but there was concern that users wouldn’t like the device. The difference now is the iTunes app store, which has thousands of games and other applications that are perfect for a touch screen device with an accelerometer. Apple says more than 300 million applications have been downloaded since the App Store launched in July 2008. Combine the App Store, iTunes and a browser and you have one heck of a device.

We don’t have any information on pricing. The current iPod touch, with a 3.5 inch screen, starts at $229. The 32 GB model is $399. We expect the price on the larger iPod touch to be significantly higher.

Apple rumors, particularly Apple tablet rumors, tend to come and go. I’m not saying Apple is definitely launching a large form iPod Touch. But sources I trust are saying they are currently planning to, and one source has actually held the device.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Source: TechCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:11 pm

Revision3 brings back PixelPerfect

Section: Web, Web 2.0, Online Music/Video

If you are a fan of online video, you know about Revision3.  Recently, there was a big shake up at Revision3 that led to several shows getting the axe.

One of those shows, PixelPerfect, is getting a second chance.  PixelPerfect is a great show where Bert Monroy teaches the viewer the ins and outs of Photoshop.  The newest episode covers Adobe’s new CS4.  The show was canceled for less than 60 days before being brought back.

Why did it come back?  Ron Richards posted the news on the Revision3 blog stating, “You spoke, through a flood of e-mails, tweets, IMs and every other imaginable form of communication short of carrier pigeon.  We listened.”  It’s nice to see a network that listens to its fans. 

Read [PixelPerfect Returns]
Latest Episode [Pixel Perfect looks at CS4]

Full Story » | Written by Iyaz Akhtar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article »

---

Source: Gadgetell | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:10 pm

Boing Boing tv Best of 2008: TCHOcolate Magical Mystery Tour Trilogy

Continuing in our retrospective of favorite BBtv episodes from 2008, today's feature is an encore presentation of our three-part visit to the delicious, trippy, techy TCHO factory in San Francisco. The "chocolate for a new generation" startup was hacked together by a space shuttle technologist, Timothy Childs, and the founder of Wired, Louis Rosetto.

Part one is embedded above, parts two and three below, and here are direct MP4 links to all: one, two, three. Snip from the original post:

In part one of Boing Boing tv's multi-part exploration of Tcho, we begin in the lab, and learn about the origins of chocolate: it's a weird looking fruit with biological roots in faraway tropical lands. How this fruit is cultivated, harvested, and cured determines the flavor of the final product, and we learn about the hedonics -- the sensual nuances -- of this exotic and temperamental element.

Blog posts with more chocolicious background on all that we experienced there:

• BBtv - TCHO, part 1: chocolate origins. - Boing Boing
• BBtv - TCHO Chocolate, part 2: magical machines, mysterious ...
• BBtv: TCHO Chocolate, pt. 3 -- The Taste Test Trip. - Boing Boing
• Wired founder starts chocolate company - Boing Boing
• TCHO chocolate is just outta beta! - Boing Boing

Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2008 | 11:02 pm

NASA Releases Columbia Crew Survival Report

Migraineman writes "NASA has released a 400-page Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report [16MB PDF.] If you're interested in a detailed examination and timeline of the events leading to the destruction of Columbia, this is well worth the time. The report includes a number of recommendations to increase survivability of future missions." Reader bezking points out CNN's story on the report, which says that problems with the astronauts' restraint systems were the ultimate cause of death for the seven astronauts on board.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:59 pm

Squatters Are Screwed; Nobody Cares If Your Domain Has That Hot New Suffix

Quick, name three significant web sites that have domain extensions that end in .me or .tv. Having trouble? Sure, there are a few of them out there (kyte.tv and Buddy.tv come to mind, but I can’t think of any major .me’s). For all of the hype surrounding these extensions at launch, they’ve largely failed to deliver.

Earlier today Chris Dannen at FastCompany wrote a post titled “How 2009 Will Spur The Rebirth Of Cyber Squatting“. In it, Dannen writes about the beginning of a new age of domain squatting, as ICANN (the organization that handles domain name registrations) begins accepting applications for new domain name suffixes. He posits that with the emergence of new extensions like “.nyc” or “.law” these squatters will be given a new lease on life, with a nearly endless number of possible domains to plunder. Legitimate companies, likewise, will have to register as many domains as they can in the hopes of fending off sites like “Microsoft.sux”.

Fortunately, Dannen is wrong. Some overzealous companies may still go to the trouble of snatching up as many domains as they can, but it will be for naught.

If ICANN does wind up releasing dozens or hundreds of new domain name extensions, extensions in general will become increasingly meaningless. Many people are already confused enough by the differences between common extensions like “.net” and “.com”. And they’ve generally rejected the overhyped extensions that are already out there, like “.tv”. Adding countless others to the mix will only make them more confused, to the point that they no longer care.

Instead, they’ll just turn to search engines. Many people are already using Google to search for whole domain names, and I can’t think of the last time I’ve directly entered a URL from an ad I heard on TV or the radio (I usually just type the company name into Google). Search engines generally do a better job at identifying the most authoritative sites in a space, and as they get smarter by paying more attention to user location and semantics, the bias for search engines over URLs will only become stronger.

To some extent we need this - the internet has essentially run out of good domain names. Most startups and small companies can’t afford to play the squatting game, leading them to create brand names that are as forgettable as they are meaningless. As we make the jump from the URL to the search engine, they’ll be able to name themselves whatever they’d like, even if they use an obscure extension.

This won’t kill off cyber squatting entirely - .com’s will continue to command exorbitant prices, and a handful of domain extensions may eventually emerge as popular alternatives to .com and .net. But the idea that the web will soon become “incomprehensibly more vast and expensive” is simply misguided. It might get a little bigger, but it won’t be anything Google can’t handle.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Source: TechCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:53 pm

Hitwise: High-Income Shoppers Slashed Spending Most Over The Holidays

Hitwise has just released a brief report examining the spending habits for web users over the holiday season. Using traffic data from its Retail 500 index, the site found that traffic in 2008 was lower than it was last year, but was (perhaps surprisingly) higher than it was back in 2006.

The study also found that the biggest drop off in traffic was among shoppers that fell under the ‘high-income’ demographic, which is classified as households earning more than $150,000 per year. Traffic from these upper-class buyers dropped 12.33% comparing December 2007 to December 2008, versus a drop of around 1% for those making less than $30,000 a year and an increase in traffic from everyone else. The report doesn’t make any guesses as to why this happened (perhaps the more wealthy users were losing more money in the stock market?), but it’s an interesting trend nonetheless.

Finally, the report says that the trends toward lowered traffic reversed in the days immediately following Christmas as shoppers looked for deals. This was especially pronounced at “luxury retailers”, who may have been forced to slash prices more viciously in light of the economic climate.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Source: TechCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:46 pm

With Flickr Layoffs, Whither 'The Commons'?

Over the past year, museums and libraries have uploaded thousands of copyright-free historical photos, so that Yahoo's Flickr users could add tags and historical information. But then Yahoo laid off the head of The Commons in December, leading users to try to fill George Oates' shoes. Will "The Commons" survive the economic downturn?

Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:45 pm

RUMOR: Steve Jobs in perfect health, sources warn

CUPERTINO, CA. — Rumors spread Tuesday that Apple CEO Steve Jobs might be in excellent health, rattling investors and contradicting widely-held industry belief. Stocks fell four percent in afternoon trading at the prospect of the company receiving less attention from rubber-necked bloggers.

The news unleashed a fresh round of speculation among Apple fans that Mr. Jobs, long thought to be fading fast, may in fact be in tip-top condition.

In a hastily-arranged conference call, Apple vice president of corporate communications Katie Cotton insisted that Jobs is at death's door. Cotton reminded reporters that he was recently introduced on-stage with a graphic depicting his own tombstone and the legend "1955-Soon!"

In 2005, however, Jobs was spotted leaping three feet into the air to forecfully slam-dunk a basketball at a private charity event in Denver. Several months ago, he was observed in his Mercedes S-Type several blocks from a Santa Clara MacDonalds, eating and conspicuously enjoying an Angus Third Pounder with Mushroom and Swiss.

Analysts fear that continuing reports indicating Jobs' continued well-being may take a serious toll on the technology sector.

Dennis Purland, industry analyst with Miros Associates, said that no-one would be pleased by the idea of Jobs being footloose and fancy-free, except Mr. Jobs.

"This would explain why Apple pulled out of next month's MacWorld Expo in San Francisco," Purland said. "A resurgent leadership at the company might not wish to be associated with a failing conference fed by a moon-eyed fanbase that it has never wanted and no longer sees any reason to cultivate."

Purland suggested that Jobs may step back from his daily duties at Apple to make way for a successor, around whom a new cult of personality could be constructed and then profitably smashed amid a thicket of vague, unsourced rumors.

Other insiders suggested that the flimsy reports may indicate more about the state of reportage than the health status of a world-leading CEO.

Vern Dourff, an analyst with Essengen, said: "If anonymous sources were privy to medical information protected under federal HIPAA regulations, you'd think they'd get a damned product rumor right once in a while."

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:44 pm

What’s the big deal about touch screens anyway?

It’s been 1.5 years since the iPhone began to take over hit the market, causing major tremors throughout the mobile world.  The promise/combination of a worthwhile touch screen and accompanying UI have proven to be an incredible success, with iPhones quickly reaching the top of the smartphone charts.

It follows then, that most other mobile manufacturers (and now computer makers have joined the fray) have scrambled to get their own respective touch screen-centric devices out into the wild.  What doesn’t necessarily add up is…why?

Sacha Segan (of PCMag) has major gripes with this latest fad.  He makes a number of valid points in his recent article, Why I Hate Touch Screens, including:

Touch screens are actually touch-less screens; they’re an unintuitive illusion that we accept because computer interfaces are chock full of metaphors and unintuitive illusions.

We’re tool-using mammals; we interact with physical objects.

When you press a button on an iPhone, you feel nothing. Every button feels the same: nothing. Every action feels the same: nothing. There’s a certain effortless liberty in that—since the heavy lifting is now all virtual, you feel like you can lift tons. But you’ve just given up at least one of your senses.

But, like everything in technology (and life for that matter), there are multiple sides to this discussion.  On the one hand, the touch screen sensation has become somewhat overwhelming (and at times annoying in a High School Musical sort of way), with manufacturers rushing half-baked touchable devices out of their factories.  Just because something has a touch screen, definitely does not mean it is a worthwhile or highly functional gadget.

Take the world’s favorite touch screen device, the jesus-phone iPhone, for example.  How can millions of tech-savvy consumers put up with the lack of something as simple as cut and paste if they are really using the iPhone as a substitute for their computers while on the go? The answer: they cannot; they simple ignore this short-coming because the rest of the “experience” is so “fulfilling.”

Which begs yet another question: why not just let each individual decide what is and is not useful? Just because a touch screen cannot do everything and anything that a mouse/keyboard combo can do, does that mean it is a failure? Of course not.  At the end of the day, most consumers want their technologies to make their lives easier and more convenient.  If the iPhone/G1/other touch screen devices make that happen, then great.  If not, go get yourself a BlackBerry Bold or other qwerty device with some form of a trackball, or just schlep your laptop around and stop complaining!

I agree with Sasha that touch screens are not an ultimate “answer,” but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their place in the world of electronics.  Gadgets are essentially nothing more than glorified toys for adults.  In the same way that I might have chosen Star Wars over G.I. Joe action figures back in the day, that doesn’t inherently mean that G.I. Joes have less value (but, come on, they were never as cool!) to some other kid.

Innovation, competition, and especially trial-and-error (i.e. R&D) are all important elements of creating successful technologies.  Putting all the proverbial eggs in one basket (be it touch screen, smell-o-vision, or some other possible fad) is never a good idea, but that doesn’t mean those technologies cannot and will not be successful in particular applications for a particular audience.

Jim Morrison may have put it best:

Come on, come on, come on, come on now
Touch me, babe!
Can’t you see that I am not afraid?

[via ExtremeTech]

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Source: MobileCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:27 pm

Sales During Online Holiday Shopping Season Decline By 3 Percent

RESTON, Va., Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:15 pm

Report: 2003 Columbia crash not survivable

The crew aboard the space shuttle Columbia could not have survived its re-entry accident in 2003, a U.S. space agency report released Tuesday indicated. The investigative team's final report included 30 recommendations to improve spacecraft design and crew safety, NASA said in a release.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:05 pm

Tiny microhabitat to study marine organisms

MIT researchers have built a tiny microhabitat to study the food chain of marine microbes. The microbial ecosystem is about the size of a piece of chewing gum, or microscope slide. From the MIT News Office:

The MIT study is one of the first detailed explorations of how sea creatures so small -- 500,000 can fit on the head of a pin -- find food in an ocean-size environment...

Depending on the organism being studied, nutrients or prey are injected with a syringe-based pump into the device's microfluidic channel, which is 45 mm long, 3 mm wide and 50 micrometers deep. "While relying on different swimming strategies, all three organisms exhibited behaviors which permitted efficient and rapid exploitation of resource patches," (professor Roman) Stocker said. It took bacteria less than 30 seconds, for example, to congregate within a patch of organic nutrients.

This new laboratory tool creates a microhabitat where tiny sea creatures live, swim, assimilate chemicals and eat each other. It provides the first methodological, sub-millimeter scale examination of a food web that includes single-celled phytoplankton, bacteria and protozoan predators in action.

Tiny ecosystem

Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2008 | 10:02 pm

More Resistance to Free Range Kids

I know Lenore Skenazy’s terrific blog, Free-Range Kids, has been mentioned on BB before, but IMHO it’s relevant, especially when our kids are home from school for two weeks and we as parents have to choose between letting them zone out for hours with the new videogame Santa brought them, or giving them the opportunity to explore the world around them and perhaps push their abilities with a difficult project.

For Skenazy, Christmas Day included a call from the police about her son because he was trying to ride a commuter train by himself to visit a friend. The friend’s parents were waiting on the other end, but that apparently wasn’t good enough for the train conductor. She describes their experience:

He – Izzy — has ridden this route solo a dozen times before. It’s a straight shot on a commuter train and, as always, he was being met at the other end by his friend’s family. But today’s conductor was appalled to see a boy riding alone.

For some reason, the conductor wouldn’t talk to me, even though Izzy called from the train when the ordeal began. The man had no interest in hearing me state what Izzy had already been telling him: We believe a child of 10 is perfectly capable of taking a half hour journey by himself.

So instead the conductor and his superior got off at Izzy’s stop and then, as the train just sat there (I’m sure no one was a rush to get to their families on Christmas day), they awaited the police. I got a call from the friend’s dad who was waiting to take Izzy home. “We cannot leave the station,” he said.”

“Why not?”

“The police have to decide what to do next.”

This is the sort of story that really chaps my ass. I’m firmly ensconced in the camp that believes today’s kids are being robbed of self-reliance and instead being instilled with fear and couch-potato health. Our own kids have to wear their helmets when biking or skating, but they get to go on adventurous bike rides; the 13-year-old frequently rides on his own or with friends. The 6-year-old doesn’t venture out on his bike without us, but he does explore the few acres of woods around us by himself and he’s so fond of sliding down the hill by our house that we bought him a long rope for Christmas so he can “rappel” back up the hill and slide down again.

And we understand that a small hamlet in the forested hills of Sonoma County isn’t the same as the wilds of NYC or Chicago, but we’re fairly secure in thinking that we’d lean toward the free-range side even in those environs. We make it a point to take our kids to big cities several times each year, and they’re allowed to wander a bit. Sometimes it’s scary – I once lost my then 10-year-old in the American Natural History Museum in NYC for about 20 minutes after he begged me to let him take the top route while I took the bottom. When we eventually found each other I scared him even more by yelling at him; this was my own fear actualized, which I later had to apologize for. But hey, he knows I care and that I’m not perfect, and hopefully I gave him an example of cleaning up your outbursts. And when we returned to the museum this year, he had a great story to tell his little brother.

--Shawn

Free Range Kids

(Shawn Connally and Bruce Stewart are guest bloggers)

Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:58 pm

HP Accused of Illegal Exportation To Iran

AdamWeeden writes "According to research done by the Boston Globe, HP has been secretly using a third-party company to sell printers to Iran. This is illegal under a ban instituted in 1995 by then US President Bill Clinton. The third-party company, Redington Gulf, operates out of Dubai and previously stated on their web site that the company began in 1997 with 'a team of five people and the HP supplies as our first product, we started operations as the distributor for Iran,' though now the site has been changed to remove the mention of Iran. Has HP unknowingly been supplying Iran with technology or have they been trying to secretly get by the US government's export restrictions?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:50 pm

Video of weird worm

Flickr user pokerchampdaniel posted a video of a very strange worm he found under a log in New South Wales, Australia. He couldn't identify it but commenters say it's a Nemertea. It's very odd.
"Strangest Invertebrate Ever" (Thanks, Justin Ried!)

Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:40 pm

Battelle's '08 Predictions: How'd He Do?

Boing Boing partner and Federated Media founder John Battelle publishes a list of predictions every new year -- and at the end of that year (like, as in now) he revisits them, to see how he did. In short, he was pretty spot-on for 2008. His year-in-review posts are fascinating and insightful, and he's frank about even the parts that missed the mark. Snip:

Reading over my predictions for 2008, I was struck with one thing: It wasn't a list. It was more of a narrative, making decoding how I did that much more difficult. After the narrative, I focused on the biggies - Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft, AOL, and Newscorp/FIM. I'll have to keep that in mind when I post my predictions for 2009 on Jan 1 next year.

Excerpts from a few of the company-specific predictions, reviewed:

Google:
1. 2008 will be the year Wall Street gets frustrated with Google. Sometimes, a picture says it best [ Image above, at top of post - XJ ]. It's clear the bloom came off the Google Wall St. rose in 2008.

2. Google will continue to struggle with its display advertising business, at least as it is traditionally understood, in part due to a culture conflict between its engineering-based roots and the thousands of media-saavy sales and marketing folks the company has hired in the past two years
I think this clearly occurred (note Armstrong's acknowledgement of this issue here, Comscore noted that Google had just 1.5% of the display market by June), but with the appointment of David Rosenblatt as President, Display, I expect the conflict to be resolved, at least temporarily. I do not believe, however, that this issue is anywhere near off the table. To do display right, you have to act like a publisher.

Yahoo:
1. Yahoo, meanwhile, will spend most of 2008 trying to figure out what to do with what it bought in 2007, and attempting to articulate a strategy that is anything but "we have 500 million users, so we must be important." By mid year, it will have succeeded.
Well, I was right about the first part, and very, very wrong about the second. I guess I was just too optimistic that Yahoo would get its shit together by mid year. Both the bear hug that was the lost Microsoft deal, and then the goat rodeo that was the lost Google deal, killed any clarity at Yahoo. But I do believe there is a comeback story to be written there. It just won't be Jerry writing it.

Predictions 08: How Did I Do? (Battellemedia)

Source: Boing Boing | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:40 pm

Industry Veteran Dennis Huff Joins INFINITE as VP Sales

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif., Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:39 pm

Macworld Rumor Mill Is Humming with Dreams Again (NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - Macworld wouldn't be Macworld if it didn't stir up the rumor mill just days before the much-anticipated event. Apple fans enjoy thinking up fun devices and gadgets that Apple engineers should be developing, and this year is no different.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:28 pm

`GoodQuests' tie online mazes to charity (AP)

AP - If kids are playing video games, why not do some good while they're at it?

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:16 pm

Top 10 Discovery News Videos of 2008

From dino mummies to avalanche school, enjoy our favorite videos of 2008.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:10 pm

Plant Disease Gets Help From Grazing Animals

Researchers have discovered that grazing animals such as deer and rabbits are actually helping to spread plant disease – quadrupling its prevalence in some cases – and encouraging an invasion of annual grasses that threaten more than 20 million acres of native grasslands in California.The findings run contrary to what had been predicted by other theories, which had suggested that "consumers" such as deer would help to contain or reduce disease.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 9:05 pm

Times Square Goes Brightly Into That New Yea

New York's Times Square has been loudly ringing in the New Year every December 31 since 1907. But as technologies change so do the opportunities: Advertisers can now change their messages on a minute-by-minute basis and, more importantly, they can interact with the people looking up from the street.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2008 | 8:52 pm

Actions Semiconductor Updates Fourth Quarter 2008 Guidance

ZHUHAI, China, Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 8:30 pm

Protestors Fight Tiger Reserve In India

In southern India, over 15,000 people protested against the extension of a new tiger reserve Tuesday, despite official assurances that they will not lose their homes to the sanctuary.All parties representatives in Tamil Nadu state, including the state's ruling party, took part in the protest, which is the third since November against the extension of the Mudumalai wildlife sanctuary, police said.Mudumalai has been declared by the state government to be a tiger reserve earlier this year.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 8:28 pm

One day until iPhone 3G unlock day

The folks behind the iPhone 3G unlock - which will be hitting the Internets tomorrow night at midnight - gave a presentation on their project at CCC in Berlin last week. Rather than sound like a bunch mewling nerds, they have excellent speaking voices and seem very intelligent and sassy.

The most interesting thing about these guys are that they have a dedication to mission sense of humor about their project that you rarely see in the corporate world. These guys essentially created an entire gray market for the iPhone a few months after launch and by popping the cap on the 3G tomorrow they’ll do the same for Apple’s next product.

It would be great to write a white paper on these boys. It’s an amazing example of connected development and reverse engineering that is completely decentralized and endlessly powerful.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

Source: MobileCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 8:26 pm

2009 Could Be Amongst The Warmest Years On Record

British climate scientists said on Tuesday that the coming year is likely to be one of the top-five warmest on record.Despite the continued cooling of huge areas of the Pacific Ocean — a phenomenon known as La Nina—the average global temperature for 2009 is expected to be more than 0.4 degrees Celsius above the long-term average.According to researchers at the Met Office, that would make it the warmest year since 2005, as there is also a growing probability of record temperatures after next year.The warmest year on record is currently 1998, which saw average temperatures of 14.52 degrees Celsius - well above the 1961-1990 long-term average of 14 degrees Celsius.The weather that year was strongly influenced by El Nino, an abnormal warming of surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific.There are numerous theories as to what triggers the mechanisms that cause an El Nino or La Nina event, but scientists agree that they are playing an increasingly important role in global weather patterns.One important factor is the strength of the prevailing trade winds that blow from east to west across the equatorial Pacific.Professor Chris Folland at the Met Office Hadley Center said further warming to record levels is likely once a moderate El Nino develops.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 8:15 pm

Windows 7 Leak Helps Microsoft Focus Beyond Vista (NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - A trial version of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 operating system has leaked to the Internet. The blogosphere is buzzing about several sites where tech enthusiasts can download the beta Build 7000 version of the operating system.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2008 | 8:10 pm

VeriFone Files Notification of Late Filing for Form 10-K for Fiscal Year 2008

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VeriFone Holdings, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 8:01 pm

China Poised To Launch 3G Services

China is set to begin introducing 3G mobile phone service, which may add up to 100 million new 3G subscribers over the next 3 years as estimated by state media.But demand for the new service will rely on whether regulators try to boost China's high-tech industry by ordering wireless carriers to buy domestic products.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 8:00 pm

Review: Ditching car OK with Net transit planners (AP)

AP - As a New Yorker, I don't own a car, and I really hate driving.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2008 | 7:51 pm

BLOG: NASA Releases Report on Columbia Deaths

Columbia's astronauts were doomed by faulty safety equipment, say NASA officials.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Dec 2008 | 7:42 pm

Cameraphones and magnets and lenses! Oh, my!

Got yourself a shiny new iPhone or (matte) G1? Wish it had a better camera lens? Like magnets and DIY? Well then you are in luck, my friend! USBfever is selling magnetic, detachable lenses for both of these devices (as well as any gadget with a crappy camera in need of some third-party lens lovin’).

Available in wide angle and telephoto (2x zoom) for $16.99 each, and fish-eye for $19.99, these lenses affix to devices via magnets.  Unlike the majority of other third-party lens solutions which tend to add a lot of bulk (and awkwardness), once the magnetic lens is detached, all that remains is the slim metal/magnetic ring that you’ve previously adhered to your device.

Any proud owners out there? Hit us up in the comments and let us know how well these things work in meatspace.

[via OhGizmo!]

Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0

Source: MobileCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 7:32 pm

Researchers Show 'Secure' Sites May Not Be Safe (NewsFactor)

NewsFactor - The small image of a padlock in the corner of your browser may not accurately indicate that a Web-site connection is secure, according to new research. A team of U.S. and European researchers used a computing grid of more than 200 Sony PlayStation 3 video-game machines to create fake certificates and fool a browser into thinking it had a secure connection with a trusted site.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2008 | 7:18 pm

SAND Technology Announces First Quarter Results for Fiscal 2009

MONTREAL, Dec. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SAND Technology Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: SNDTF), an international provider of data management software and best practices, today reported a loss for the three-month period ended October 31, 2008.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 7:14 pm

Online Backup Service IDrive Introduces Time-Line Restore, Sort of an Online 'Time Machine' for the Windows Platform

WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 6:49 pm

Israel Deploys YouTube, Twitter in Info War Against Hamas

Days after sending aircraft to strike Hamas militants in Gaza, the Israeli government is launching a campaign to dominate the blogosphere.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 30 Dec 2008 | 6:47 pm

Faith-Based Publication Names PhoneTree as Leading Product of 2008!

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., Dec. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- For the third consecutive year, PhoneTree(R) has been recognized as a leading product in the No.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 6:35 pm

Book: Soviets stole H-bomb secrets

Moscow acquired the secret of the hydrogen bomb from an atomic spy at the Los Alamos weapons lab in New Mexico, a new book says. The Nuclear Express: A Political History of the Bomb and its Proliferation, by Thomas C. Reed and Danny B.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 6:30 pm

Yellowstone Experiences Rash Of Small Earthquakes

Several small earthquakes jostled Yellowstone National Park for a third straight day Monday, and scientists watched closely to see whether the more than 250 tremors were a sign of something bigger to come.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 6:30 pm

Verizon Urges West Virginians to Resolve to Dial 10 Digits for Local Calls in New Year

Fax Machines, Computer Modems, Burglar Alarms Must Be Programmed by End of February to Dial Area Code First CHARLESTON, W.Va., Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 30 Dec 2008 | 6:26 pm

BLOG: Sea Shepherds Vs. Whalers, on Video

New videos reveal the dramatic tactics of anti-whaling activists.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Dec 2008 | 6:16 pm

Swarm of Yellowstone Quakes Baffles Scientists

Yellowstone is jostled by a host of small earthquakes for a third straight day.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Dec 2008 | 5:49 pm

Obama online supporters key to pushing his agenda (AP)

AP - President-elect Barack Obama's top asset in pushing his agenda will not be his Cabinet secretaries or aides, but rather his online network.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 30 Dec 2008 | 5:36 pm

Leaked: T-Mobile’s release schedule for January and February

If you’re the type of person that likes to be surprised by mobile handset releases, you might want to look away. Also, you might want to stop reading mobile blogs. Also, you’re weird.

One of BG’s super sneaks managed to snap a shot of a blurp at the bottom of one of T-Mobile’s employee-only Daily News pages, detailing the next two months of handset releases.

What’s on the way, and what they are:

• January 21: Sony Ericsson TM506 in Scarlett (3G Clamshell - just a new color)
• January 21: Nokia 7510 (clamshell otherwise known Supernova)
• January 28: T-Mobile Shadow (They mean Shadow II, we hope.)
• February 4: Motorola Renew
• February 4: Samsung t119 (Low-end candybar)
• February 18: RIM BlackBerry Curve 8900 (otherwise known as Javelin, similar to the Bold)
• February 18: Samsung Memoir (8 Megapixel Touchscreen phone)

Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies

Source: MobileCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 5:25 pm

Warming Could Spread Tick-Borne Disease

With rising temps, dog ticks are more likely to bite people, and spread disease.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Dec 2008 | 5:00 pm

Review: Clarion Mind's GPS features nice, but MID is still a hard sell

As a GPS navigator with capable entertainment and computing features, Clarion's Mind justifies its $650 price tag. But it's otherwise a difficult hybrid that excels at nothing. Like a smartphone without the phone or a netbook without a keyboard, it doesn't quite nail the sweet spot assumed to lie between the two forms.

A mobile internet device (MID) with extras, the Mind is a handheld computer built around an 800 MHz Intel Atom CPU. It has 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, Wifi and bluetooth. It has a 4.8" touchscreen with an 800x480 display resolution. There are two USB ports, a microSD card slot, a standard headphone jack and three one-touch buttons to help navigate the system quickly. The battery lasts between 90 minutes and 2 hours depending on settings: a double-capacity one is available. It comes with a dashboard mounting kit.

It's jacket-pocketable, and runs a well-tailored cut of Linux that makes menu navigation a snap.

First, the good. Firefox with Adobe Flash shows the web the way it should be seen. GPS is fast, smooth and high-res, if not as polished or feature-packed as dedicated GPS devices in its price range.

Apart from Firefox, there's email, RealPlayer, YouTube, a weather tracker, a text editor, calculator and file manager. It displays news from CNN and the BBC. All work well enough, though the news and email apps lack advanced features.

Google Earth is particularly impressive, thanks to the extra horsepower. The Mind's touchscreen is OK, but you'll need the stylus to get at tiny scroll bars and such.

Then there's the bad: it's boxy and lacks the panache of the fancy GPS devices and media players that it combines into one box. There are no applications or other add-ons to download or buy. There's no Windows-like desktop to switch to: "appliance" is coded in its DNA. The on-screen keyboard is basic, making complex text entry a pain.

Though a 3G version will be offered next year, the Mind is currently limited to WiFi unless you hook it up another way via Bluetooth. This further limits its appeal: without always-on internet, there's less reason to leave the car, house or hotspot with it. The battery life is poor.

Against sleek smartphones or netbooks that have 6-hour batteries and real keyboards, it's hard to see the Mind's appeal. That said, if you've been waiting for a convergence device that properly handles turn-by-turn GPS, media and the web, you're running out of excuses.

Product Page [Amazon]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 30 Dec 2008 | 4:54 pm

SlingPlayer Mobile for BlackBerry Beta goes live

As we mentioned a few days ago, the BlackBerry version of Sling Media’s SlingPlayer mobile has entered public beta.

If past products are any indication, it’ll go for $30 bucks after a 30-day trial once they’ve worked out all the kinks. In the meantime, however, it’s free - so if you’ve got a Slingbox at home and a BlackBerry in your pocket, go grab it quick.

Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors

Source: MobileCrunch | 30 Dec 2008 | 4:53 pm

Elastic Alloy May Save Bridges From Earthquakes

Image Caption: The bridge is a test bed for cutting-edge construction technologies of the future with many of the new materials being tested in a bridge system for the first time. Photo by Mike Wolterbeek.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 4:32 pm

Pollution killing Chesapeake blue crabs

The Chesapeake Bay's blue crab population has been devastated by pollution, overfishing and lax federal oversight, a U.S. environmental group said. The U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 3:55 pm

Largest Dinosaur Fossil Site Found

On Tuesday, state media reported, that scientists in China say they have discovered the world's largest dinosaur fossil site in the eastern province of Shandong.Xinhua news agency said that scientists had recovered some 7,600 fossils from a 980 ft long pit near Zhucheng city over the past seven
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 3:20 pm

SLIDE SHOW: Volcano of the Year

After a 9,000-year slumber, Chile's Chaiten volcano woke up angry in 2008.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Dec 2008 | 3:00 pm

"Kooky" USB drive features unpleasant cartoon characters

Cheap and mainstream, USB thumbdrives are almost to the point of cereal-box freebie.

The press release contains another great example of tech-industry bathos:

EMTEC, the inventor of the first magnetic tape for audio recording, boasting more than seventy years of experience ... has officially launched Kooky USB Drives, based on the popular character pens known as Kooky Klickers™.

Product Page {kookys]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 30 Dec 2008 | 2:28 pm

SpaceX to NASA: Don't 'Fly Russian'

A space start-up company says its cargo ship could also transport people.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 30 Dec 2008 | 2:18 pm

Wooden PC is ugly

Eazo's luxury Z70 wood-finish PC enclosure is a masterpiece of revolting design. Its unique wedding of rosewood and aluminum is only enhanced by its coat of natural Chinese lacquer. Within lies a water-cooled system build around a Core 2 Extreme CPU.

The mach-trans is fantastic, packed with phrases like "life is full of extravagant imagination, gentleman!" and "eight nuclear Extreme QX9775 processor."

Translated product page [qq via Born Rich]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 30 Dec 2008 | 2:18 pm

A storage medium for the 21st century: 5.25-inch fluffy disks

Hand-sewn by Jocelyn Paige Kelly of San Jose, these fluffy disks don't hold any bytes, but do protect your desktop from coffee rings. They're $28 a set, and also offered in compact form as tree ornaments.

The set comes with a wonderfully sturdy and repurposed Minikas-Ette Library Case to store and display your coasters. The case comes in black, grey, yellow, red, blue and green.

The majority of the felt used to make this unique coaster is EcoSpun felt. I favor EcoSpun felt because it's made from recycled plastic bottles. The inner gray portion is a regular synthetic felt and includes a used CD that I've stitched inside in order to make the coaster more durable.

Product Page [Etsy store Technabob]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 30 Dec 2008 | 2:12 pm

SifuF's portable N64: the Nintendo Sixtyfree Lite-R

Unlike most portable console mods, Ben Heck forumer SifuF's Nintendo Sixtyfree Lite-R doesn't look like a dictionary-like slab of plastic and particle board when viewed in profile. In fact, it's all very svelte, considering the console from which its guts were omphalically plucked... although that likely has a lot to do with the fact that SifuF didn't opt to include a battery pack, making this portable N64 a little less so.

SifuF's Nintendo Sixtyfree Lite-R [Ben Heck]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 30 Dec 2008 | 1:10 pm

Openmoko FreeRunner Android in Blurry Spy-Shot Shocker

It seems as if all cameras come with a custom mode for taking spy-shots of unreleased products. The name of this hypothetical setting? Blurrycam.

This latest series of pics shows the forthcoming Android version of the Openmoko FreeRunner, the open-source hardware/software combo which debuted last year in its original Linux flavor. As Google's Android OS is also open source, the fit is perfect. The Openmoku Googlephone will also be showing off the virtual onscreen keyboard of the Android OS, something as yet untested in a consumer device.

The blurrycam shots, which come via iMAndroid, show little that a picture of the old handset and some Photoshopping wouldn't accomplish, but it's good to see that the launch is getting closer.

The specs are unsurprising -- a 400MHz Samsung 2442 SoC processor, microSD card slot, a 2.8" touch screen and memory expandable up to 16GB. There appears to be no camera, but everything else – music and video playback, for example – should be taken care of in software. Such is the beauty of the new wave of open (or open-ish, in the case of the iPhone) platforms which can be customized at your leisure.

Price and availability are still unknown, but the word on the street from our virtual Huggy Bear (aka Google) says soon. More (shaky) pictures below.

New Shots of OpenMoko FreeRunner Android [iMAndroid via BGR]

See Also:

• Gadget Lab Videoblog: Our First Look at the Openmoko Neo ...
• CES 2008: Linuxtastic OpenMoko Phone Hits Town
• First Openmoko Custom Phone Now Available and Wears a Debian Plaid ...

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 30 Dec 2008 | 1:08 pm

Busy Year For Natural Disasters

According to Munich Re, one of the world’s largest re-insurance companies, 2008 was one of the most devastating years in terms of natural disasters.The company said the effect of the disasters was greater than those in 2007.Munich Re believes climate change boosted the power of disasters like flooding and hurricanes.  The firm is calling for stricter laws on emissions to minimize future disasters.According to Munich Re’s annual assessment, there were fewer "loss-producing events" during 2008 than in 2007, although the impact of the disasters was greater.Last year saw more than 220,000 casualties due to flooding, earthquakes, and cyclones, the most since 2004.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 30 Dec 2008 | 1:05 pm

Vogue advertises $830 netbook sleeves

Spotted in this month's Vogue, this utter insanity: ensconcing your $349 Dell Inspiron Mini 9 in an $830 Goyard netbook sleeve. Aren't sleeves supposed to cost less than the computers they protect?

[image via Geeksugar]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 30 Dec 2008 | 12:50 pm

Bill Nye teaches youngsters to recycle with Paper Recycling Factory

The inestimable Bill Nye the Science Guy snuck into stores this holiday season to brand this Paper Recycling Factory... you know, for kids. It accomplishes in colorfull plastic what you can do in a bucket in your garage: mash up, dye and hydrate old newspaper into paste, then squidge it into molds to make holiday cards and notebooks and the like. For $29.95, this seems like a good introduction to the principals of paper recycling for the young'uns: nothing teaches a kid about science better than the capacity to make a huge, stinking, goopy mess to their parent's chagrin.

Paper Recycling Factory by Bill Nye [Discover This via Treehugger]

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 30 Dec 2008 | 12:42 pm

Disclaimer | About

World : News Archives | Business | Entertainment | Sports | Technology | Science | Marketplace Audio

India : News | Business | Entertainment | Sports | Telugu |

Blogs : Humor pages | Norkay's Blog | Kids Stories | Indian Recipes | Database Tech Blog

Sundries : World Video Clips | Songs Clips | Indian Video Clips |