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Do You Want a "Cloud Desktop?" Gladinet's Release Candidate is HereGladinet is a free Windows software program that lets you mount cloud storage as local folders on your PC while keeping both locations in sync with each other. It provides access to a number of "cloud"...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 2:15 pm Former Microsoft Executive Jeff Bell Named Chairman of DOmediaCOLUMBUS, Ohio, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- DOmedia ( href="http://www.domedia.com/">www.domedia.com ), an online marketplace for buyers and sellers of out-of-home and alternativeSource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:46 pm Cut-It-Out Communications Seizes and Holds Top Google Ranking Among Westchester Public Relations Firms for Over Six MonthsHARTSDALE, N.Y., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Cut-It-Out Communications ( href="http://www.cioediting.com/">www.cioediting.com ), a full-service Westchester public relations firm,...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:45 pm The Biggest Cocktail Shaker In the World Is Going to Space [Image Cache]Three parts of tequila, two parts of triple-sec, one part of lime juice, then shake with ice, and filter. Oh wait, it's just the Orion capsule getting tested for electromagnetic waves. Or something....Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 1:40 pm European Union Asks US To Free ICANNAn anonymous reader writes "Viviane Reding, Information Society Commissioner of the European Union, is calling for the United States to hand over control of ICANN (Internet Corporation For Assigned Names and Numbers). She said that the organization running ICANN needs be free of control by a single nation, and rather controlled by a private entity and governed by multiple nations. ICANN, headquartered in Marina Del Rey, California, was created in 1998 to oversee a number of Internet related tasks. Reding said, 'In the long run, it is not defendable that the government department of only one country has oversight of an internet function which is used by hundreds of millions of people in countries all over the world.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 6 May 2009 | 1:38 pm LaCie intros the Big Disk & d2 Network NAS (both are Time Machine compatable)
LaCie has a rather nice selection of NAS units to choose from, but the latest should get some attention from Mac users. Both the Big Disk Network (left) and the d2 Network (right) sport the classic LaCie design, which is obviously inspired by H.A.L 9000, and are compatible with Apple’s Time Machine. Not only that, the d2 Network comes with up to 1.5TB of storage for $299 and supports eSATA and USB for further expansion. The Big Disk can RAID together up drives and start out at $380. Both drives can also stream media to any UPnP device. With all these NAS system now available, there isn’t a good excuse for not owning one besides, well, not having a job.
Source: CrunchGear | 6 May 2009 | 1:30 pm Microsoft CEO Ballmer in Silicon Valley to Visit Stanford (and Perhaps Yahoo CEO Bartz?) [BoomTown]
Later this afternoon, BoomTown will be front and center–well, I will probably get seated on the far side and way back–for a speech that is to be delivered by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at Stanford University’s Memorial Auditorium on innovation and entrepreneurship. Part of the Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar, it is aimed at students there, who are looking for some advice from tech’s big dogs. Ballmer is, of course, all that, with a blustery bark and an occasional bite. Of course, he’s probably channeling a more charming demeanor in another meeting sources says he has planned to have with Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz on this visit to Silicon Valley. The second since Bartz took over Yahoo in January, it’s about whether or not the pair should make nice after a long period of useless acrimony and strike a significant search and advertising partnership. Many close to the discussions, which have been going on seriously since late March between small teams from both companies, said that how the pair get along and whether they can actually pull the trigger together is all that matters. Rapport is key, especially since such a deal has been exceedingly complex to figure out. The latest idea is one in which Yahoo (YHOO) would take over both search and display advertising sales and Microsoft (MSFT) would run the tech for both behind the scenes. It’s not clear if trading other assets–-such as content–-or a large investment in Yahoo by Microsoft are being considered too. If struck, such a deal would be a major shift for both companies in their business focus and would also tether them tightly together, in order to better compete with Google (GOOG), which overwhelmingly dominates the lucrative search market. Still, sources said, there is a lot keeping Microsoft and Yahoo apart, most especially a profound wariness over controlling key technologies and tense history between them. In addition, execs on both sides–such as Microsoft digital head and former Yahoo tech exec Qi Lu–are treading carefully about every item, unsure of how so many ties would be handled. “Could we fire Microsoft, if they did not perform?,” said one Yahoo exec. “Or would we be stuck without control over our destiny, if it all went south?” For her part, sources who have spoken to Bartz about the recent discussions with Microsoft said she has remained resolute in not giving up too much power to Microsoft. Microsoft is also gun-shy, after its disastrous takeover attempt of Yahoo failed last year–with Ballmer loath to make another such epic mistake in trying to turn around the software giant’s lackluster digital efforts. “He simply does not want to look stupid again,” said one Microsoft source. “So it weighs on whether he has the guts to put himself out there.” That’s ironic, of course, since his Stanford speech today is on entrepreneurialism and innovation, which always requires an ability to use failure as an way to move forward. The question is, can Ballmer walk that talk? Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 1:30 pm Lancope's StealthWatch System Named 2009 Best Network Security Product by SC Magazine Awards EuropeATLANTA, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Lancope(R), Inc., the provider of StealthWatch(R), the Best in NetFlow Analysis (Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:30 pm Beyond Commerce, Inc. Announces Record Week of Revenues for LocalAdLinkHENDERSON, Nev., May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beyond Commerce, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BYOC) href="http://www.beyondcommerce.com/">www.beyondcommerce.com , an...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:30 pm Five Technologies Our Kids Won’t Even Recognize
By the time you lazy-bones, time-zone-challenged North Americans read this, the hot new Kindle Magnum should be all over the news. It has many hopes pinned upon it, from the ludicrously optimistic wishes of the newspaper industry to the rather worried expectations of the chiropractic industry (no heavy textbooks equals no spinal injuries to treat). One thing is sure, though. Tech rolls in and out of fashion, and today the turnover is faster than ever. It won’t be long before many seemingly permanent gadgets disappear and become mere curiosities. Here are a few things that will seem as retro to the kids of tomorrow as the steam ship seems to us today. VCR Just last night I asked the Lady “When was the last time you taped a TV show?” It was, of course, years ago. In fact, the only reason she still has a VCR is because the TV remote is lost, so the VCR is effectively a giant channel changer. Does anybody out there still have a video under their TV? You can’t rent movies, recording is both a pain and low, low quality and even buying a machine is tricky. Death Rating 5/5 Books This one will take a while, but paper books will eventually be the written equivalent of the vinyl record — loved, collected and sold in small numbers, but really just a niche market. The e-reader isn’t nearly ready enough yet, but if the Kindle Magnum (or DX, or whatever) makes its way into schools and colleges, the formative experience of reading will be electronic, not paper, and that will be the beginning of the end. Death Rating 2/5 Letters More paper, and more words. A letter that comes in the mail is so rare these days that we can probably declare it extinct, with a few unsubstantiated sightings every year — much like Bigfoot. It’s a shame — writing a letter was a longer, more considered affair than banging out an email, an act which itself already seems out-of-date in these days of the Twitter. And receiving one from a friend or loved one is magical. This romantic, personal method of communication has also formed a good chunk of history, something that will be lost — can you imagine the collected e-mails of a famous person being published after their death? Death Rating 5/5 The Newspaper The news isn’t going anywhere. The opposite, in fact — it is now possible to consume news from an almost endless supply, from amateur video to local blogs to forward thinking magazine-based sites (like Wired.com, for example). But the newpaper? Dead. Or at least on life support, begging to be put out of its misery. The reason is, of course, the internet. Gutenberg’s legacy might limp on a little longer, but the internet does the exact same job — dispersing information — much more efficiently. In fact, the jump from printed paper to electronic delivery makes the original move from handwriting to movable type look like a mere historical blip, and that isn’t to put down the printing press in any way at all. Death Rating 5/5 The Desktop PC What? Yes. The beige box is headed the way of the mainframe. Notebook computers already outsell desktops, and for good reason — the performance of a portable is close enough to the desktop for everyone except Pixar. More importantly, computing is so ubiquitous and essential that anyone who can afford a computer wants their own machine, and they want to take it with them. A laptop is no longer a luxury, it’s the norm. But even these are going to disappear, or perhaps be consigned to remain, ironically, on the desktop. Take a look around you: What do you see in everybody’s hand? That’s it — a cellphone. And the cellphone is fast becoming the only computer most people will need. It will probably also be their book, their newspaper and their VCR. Death Rating 4/5 See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 6 May 2009 | 1:29 pm Alcatel-Lucent net loss widens in 1Q (AP)AP - Alcatel-Lucent's net loss widened in the first quarter as sales of both wireless and wireline communications gear continued to fall in all major markets amid the global economic downturn.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 May 2009 | 1:28 pm Microsoft Continues Layoffs, Massive Affected - Gamasutra
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 1:26 pm BofA and Citi need capital as stress tests results loomWASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Regulators have told Bank of America Corp it needs $34 billion of capital to withstand a deep economic downturn, an industry source familiar with results of a government...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:24 pm BofA and Citi need capital as stress tests results loomWASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Regulators have told Bank of America Corp it needs $34 billion of capital to withstand a deep economic downturn, an industry source familiar with results of a government...Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:24 pm UPDATE 1-Chrysler offers sales incentives up to $6,000DETROIT, May 6 (Reuters) - Chrysler LLC is offering sales incentives of up to $6,000 per vehicle for the month of May in a bid to prop up revenue during its bankruptcy restructuring.Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:23 pm Katherine Clark Joins SMARTHINKING as CEOFormer Landmark Systems Founder And CEO Joins Market Leader In Online Tutoring WASHINGTON, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- SMARTHINKING, Inc. (Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:23 pm The Sheridan Group Announces Earnings Conference CallHUNT VALLEY, Md., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- The Sheridan Group, Inc. today announced that it plans to host a first quarter 2009 conference call on Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 2:30 p.m....Source: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:21 pm Just Some Naked Guys With iPhones! [Nsfw]You're an attractive guy. You workout. You like to take semi-nude to full-nude pictures of yourself. Oh, and you own an iPhone! Guys with iPhones is a site celebrating the love of a man and his...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 1:20 pm Stock Alerts on Industry Leaders: ADM, AVP, TAP, DIS, ERTS, PWAV; Issued by Beacon EquityDALLAS, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- BeaconEquity.com announces the availability of stock alerts on stocks making news today. Investors can view all of the dailySource: RSS feed - channel BNewsTech | 6 May 2009 | 1:20 pm Seahorses 'Stood Up' 25 Million Years AgoSeahorses adopted their upright posture to take advantage of grassy habitats.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 6 May 2009 | 1:16 pm QOTD [Digital Daily]
Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 1:15 pm EU telecoms reform goes back to negotiating table (Reuters)Reuters - The European Parliament sent a major reform of EU telecoms rules back to the negotiating table on Wednesday due to concerns over perceived inadequate rights for Internet users.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 May 2009 | 1:12 pm Sprint employees fired for talking about the Palm Pre
The employees violated an NDA signed during the hiring process and therefore had to be let go. It’s dumbfounding that a company would lock down info so tight about a product that has already been announced, handled, and in the wild anyway. We pretty much know everything about the Palm Pre at this point besides the price and release date. And even that info doesn’t seem that important in the long run to fire people over. I mean, we’re going to find out about it eventually anyway.
Source: CrunchGear | 6 May 2009 | 1:02 pm Sprint employees fired for talking about the Palm Pre
The employees violated an NDA signed during the hiring process and therefore had to be let go. It’s dumbfounding that a company would lock down info so tight about a product that has already been announced, handled, and in the wild anyway. We pretty much know everything about the Palm Pre at this point besides the price and release date. And even that info doesn’t seem that important in the long run to fire people over. I mean, we’re going to find out about it eventually anyway. Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Source: MobileCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 1:02 pm Nokia: turning the corner in the US?Section: Communications, Cellphones, Cellular Providers, Smartphones, Mobile
Nokia, who rules Europe with stylish handsets has had a rough go of it in the US. Their handsets were slow to catch on at carriers and competitors like LG and Samsung seemed to be outshining the giant. That appears to be changing. Today, a quick look at what is available on their websites shows AT&T with five phones from Nokia, including the hot new E71x. T-Mobile’s got nine of them. Verizon’s got just three, but one is the new 7205, which appears to be one cool flip phone. Sprint isn’t showing any from Nokia. What is common among the phones these carriers offer from Nokia is the price. All but one of the phones offered in the US by these carriers is under $100. Care to hazard a guess at which one breaks the Ben Franklin mark? It is the flip phone. So, either Nokia’s strategy is to enter the US via the low-dollar market then build up or that is all the US carriers saw in Nokia. I suspect is is the former rather than the latter. Nokia has some fine higher end phones that just are not offered by US carriers yet. You can bet they will be coming. Now, it’s your turn to chime in. Do you see Nokia differently today than you did 2 years ago? Let us know in the comments. Check out all our Nokia news: [Gadgetell] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 6 May 2009 | 1:01 pm 1 vs 100 Makes You the Star of a Game Show from Your Couch [Hands On]The first of its kind where television meets video games meets social entertainment, 1 vs 100 is an interactive game on XBL that takes you from screaming at your TV to being on the show. What makes...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 1:00 pm Microsoft Bans VoIP, Rival Stores At Mobile Marketnarramissic writes "Microsoft has identified 12 application types that won't be accepted at the MarketPlace for Mobile store. Among them: VoIP apps, programs that are larger than 10MB, and programs that change the default browser on a device. Overly restrictive? Maybe. But perhaps the clear set of rules (PDF) will prevent confusion similar to what's been encountered over Apple's policy for approving or rejecting applications from the App Store."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 6 May 2009 | 12:52 pm 'Pre' FAQ Surfaces on Sprint Employee BlogA nameless Sprint/Nextel employee is blogging FAQs about the Palm Pre and, revealing some interesting tidbits about Palm's iPhone killer.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 May 2009 | 12:50 pm 'Pre' FAQ Surfaces on Sprint Employee BlogA nameless Sprint/Nextel employee is blogging FAQs about the Palm Pre and, revealing some interesting tidbits about Palm's iPhone killer.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 6 May 2009 | 12:50 pm Swedish Man Indicted for Allegedly Hacking NASA, Cisco - DailyTech
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 12:47 pm Windows 7 Release Candidate - Out of the Box - DailyTech
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 12:43 pm This Is Low, Brando...Even For You [Accessories]We have a love hate relationship with weird gadget retailer Brando—mostly love. But this USB Mini Netbook Cooling Pad + 3-Port Hub + 2.5" HDD Dock is beyond horrible. The device attempts to...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 12:40 pm Tattooed Spreads - Megan Fox Shows off Her Body Art for Elle Magazine (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Actress Megan Fox absolutely sizzles on the June 2009 cover and spread of Elle Magazine. The 22 year old sexpot has been doing the rounds of the major fashion magazines to promote her...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 12:40 pm Craigslist Facing Growing Government Scrutiny - DailyTech
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 12:37 pm NASA, Government May Give Shuttle Fleet Additional Lifeline - DailyTech
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 12:36 pm Amazon Kindle DX URL goes semi-live - SlashGear
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 12:34 pm Redoubt still huffing and puffing, threatening to blow soon - KTUU
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 12:32 pm Video: 1960s Hover Bike Driven by Bank ClerkTake a look at this and tell me you don’t want a Hover Scooter. This amazing vehicle, obviously a cast-off from Flash Gordon, is billed as a cross between and motorcycle and a hovercraft. The test vehicle from the 1960s is being taken for a spin in leafy Surrey, England, and the pilot looks like he could be on his way to a job at the local bank. Beautiful. Why don’t vehicles look so good today? Hover Scooter [YouTube via Neatorama]
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 6 May 2009 | 12:26 pm Plus-Sized Editorials - Crystal Renn Works It for Harper's Bazaar (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Would it be too far-fetched to expect to see so-called plus-sized models working their stuff on haute couture catwalks or doing magazine covers anytime soon? I think so. But Harpers...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 12:20 pm Before the New Kindle, an Old eBook [MediaMemo]
The new device is “just a Kindle with a larger screen”, says Engadget, which has what it says are blurry photos of the Kindle 3.0. Other complaints: There’s no color screen! No video! It won’t cut through a tin can! Fear not, my impatient friends. The nice thing about gadgets is that they do get better, on an accelerating curve. Just 9 years ago, Amazon (AMZN) wouldn’t sell any ebook readers, because they weren’t “ready for prime time”. Here’s a state of the art ebook from that era — the late, not-lamented Rocketbook: Now Amazon is moving several hundred thousand gadgets a quarter (based on the newest numbers from Sprint (S)), and the company is about it introduce its third iteration in less than two years. That’s progress, right? I’ll be covering the newsest product live in a couple hours. Check back here or the All Things Digital home page for a link to coverage shortly before 10:30 eastern. And if you don’t like what Jeff Bezos shows off today, just wait a few more months. He’s bound to have something better. Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 12:19 pm Reliable Male Contraceptive In the WorksHugh Pickens writes "The BBC reports that recent tests in China indicate a monthly injection of testosterone, which works by temporarily blocking sperm production, could be as effective at preventing pregnancies as the female pill or condoms. In trials in China only one man in 100 fathered a child while on the injections, and six months after stopping the injections the mens' sperm counts returned to normal. The lead researcher said that if further tests proved successful, the treatment could become widely available in five years' time. Previous attempts to develop an effective and convenient male contraceptive have encountered problems over reliability and side effects, such as mood swings and a lowered sex drive. However, despite the injection having no serious side effects, almost a third of the 1,045 men in the two-and-a-half year study did not complete the trials; no reason was given for this."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 6 May 2009 | 12:07 pm Pre-Launch Jitters and Then... Liftoff [Astroblogger]Contributing astronaut blogger Leroy Chiao continues his five-day mission to enlighten us about space travel, backtracking to the pre-launch period of nervous tension—and steak and...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 12:00 pm Manure Building Bricks - Eco-Friendly Construction Materials Made from Cow Dung (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Students at the Prasetiya Mulya Business School in Indonesia have discovered a method of producing eco-friendly building materials from an endlessly renewable resource: Cow dung. The...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 11:59 am Stickams StreamAPI Makes Doing Video Live Cheap And EasyA lot of people don't realize just how costly and bandwidth intensive streaming live video on the web is from a back-end perspective. There's a reason YouTube hasn't launched a live service and Yahoo had...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 11:58 am Stickam’s StreamAPI Makes Doing Video Live Cheap And Easy
StreamAPI is the white label version of a service Stickam’s been offering to several larger companies for a while now. While most startups probably won’t need to scale as big as an MTV-sized audience, there is still a need to have the appropriate resources to stream live to a large audience. StreamAPI can handle that while giving clients an easy to use, customizable interface and very low per-viewer hour stream rates. How low? Well, while Ustream may charge up to $1 per view hour, with StreamAPI, Stickam is willing to go as low as $0.05 per view hour (depending on quality). And a bigger draw of StreamAPI may be that you can set it up without an expert Flash developer. The service offers a drag and drop editor that is very simple to use. Stickam CEO Steven Fruchter walked me through the process of making your own video streaming area — it took just about a minute to have everything in place and ready to go. “We’re trying to power all live video on the internet,” Fruchter told me. And at such low prices and with a service that’s easy to use, StreamAPI is certainly a compelling offering. Stickam launched in February of 2006, before all of its big rivals, but today it’s often overshadowed by many of them. This new API is its attempt to level the playing field by providing an invaluable service to a lot of smaller startups.
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 11:58 am Report: Popular Ad-Supported iPhone Apps Actually Make a Killing [IPhone Apps]I'm not sure if it's because free, ad-supported apps are often crap, or because in-app advertising just doesn't seem effective, but this is honestly surprising: top 100-ranked free apps can make...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 11:55 am Compuware sells software line to British company (AP)AP - Business software and services provider Compuware Corp. says it's selling an applications testing software line to Britain's Micro Focus International PLC for $80 million.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 May 2009 | 11:43 am Strawberry Slicer: Most Useless Kitchen Gadget Yet?
Whenever I complain about a ridiculously specialized kitchen gadget, there is always at least one comment claiming that someone, somewhere, will find it useful. To you, dear pedantic reader, I bring the Strawberry Slicer, a kitchen gadget so monumentally useless that it won’t even manage its own, self-assigned purpose. I double-dare you to come up with a reason to buy it. First, why bother? Is slicing strawberries so important that it needs its own dedicated device? Second, even at top speed you’ll still be out-sliced by a sharp knife — the same knife you’ll need anyway to lop the tops off the ‘berries and remove the hulls. Second, even if this could keep up with a knife, and could be cleaned as easily as a knife, once the strawberry season is done, what use will it be? Those steel “blades” look too blunt to slice an egg, or a grape, or a piece of cheese, although they will apparently work on Kiwi fruit. In the interests of exhaustive research, I went to an expert (and strawberry lover). When asked, the Lady offered an answer which clearly shows why I shacked up with her in the first place. She suggests that the slicer, combined with a rabbit’s heart, would make the “perfect David Lynch-style gift”. Yes, that surprised me, too. $6. Product page [Harriet Carter via Book of Joe]
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 6 May 2009 | 11:43 am Craigslist Meets Attorneys General Over Ad Flap [Voices]Law-enforcement officers have long criticized Craigslist for not doing enough to prevent illegal activity among its users. The popular classified-ad Web site went on the defensive again last month after a 22-year-old medical student was charged with murdering a woman who advertised massage services on Craigslist. The 14-year-old company says it wants to work with public officials to improve the site. It took a step on Tuesday by meeting with the attorneys general of Connecticut, Illinois and Missouri. Some have called on Craigslist to shut down its “erotic services” section, which they say facilitates prostitution. In a blog post, Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster called the meetings, which were held in New York City, “cordial and productive.” Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 11:40 am Group Jumping Ads - Lacoste Spring/Summer 2009 Campaign Shot in Mid-Air (VIDEO)(TrendHunter.com) The Lacoste Spring/Summer 2009 ad campaign by Terry Richardson is all about fun with friends. The models jump up in the air and use fans as props. Make sure to watch the 'making of'...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 11:40 am Apple pulls revealing job advert - Inquirer
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 11:30 am Libraries Seek Federal Money For Hi-Speed InternetIn Delaware County, Pa., public libraries are trying to shift their access to the information super-highway into warp speed.As more and more patron’s express the need for high-bandwidth Internet access, the county has decided to connect eight of its 25 branches to a fiber-optic network.CountySource: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 11:25 am Verizon FIOS TV reveals: faster speed, widgets and Slingbox-like streamingSection: Video, Content, HDTV, Portable Video, Video Providers
During a recent media briefing, GearLive was able to get a sit down with Eric Rabe, the Senior VP of Media Relations for Verizon and talked FiOS and judging from the details, this is news that should make just about any Verizon FiOS customer a little happier. To begin with, the Home Media Manager will be seeing an improvement. Currently you are able to stream audio and images from a networked PC, however they are working on adding support for video streaming. That sounds good so far, but thankfully that is not where the video related improvements are stopping. Also mentioned were some improvements to FiOS TV Central. As of now this is a nice feature to have, it allows you to manage your DVR from another internet connected device—it could be another computer, phone ect, however they are working on adding Slingbox-like streaming also. Of course, they did state that they needed to take care of some necessary agreements first. I also cannot help but wonder if we will have access to live streaming or streaming of content from the DVR. Anyway, moving past video there are also some other goodies that were mentioned which include widgets for items like the weather, sports scores as well as social networking favorites like Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, they are also making some improvements to searches and the guide. Finally, they mentioned the current Internet speeds, and when asked why they were not offering a 100 Mbps service, they responded by saying that they could but don’t. According to the rep, they have the capability, however their current fastest (50/20) is not that popular, instead most subscribers opt for the 20/5 speeds. All-in-all it looks like FiOS customers will have plenty to look forward to. This news sure makes me glad I am moving to a home that has FiOS available, now bring on the Slingbox-like streaming. Via [GearLive]
Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 6 May 2009 | 11:24 am Futuristic Origami Accessories - Fred Butler's Fantasy Headwear and Jewelry (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) Super-creative designer Fred Butler has created these handmade fantasy-like accessories with origami flair. The jewel-toned futuristic pieces of her Fall 2009 collection are boldly...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 11:20 am Pre FAQ Surfaces on Sprint Employee’s Blog
Inside Sprint Now is a blog written by a Sprint Nextel employee, the words bubbling up from deep inside the bowels of the beleaguered telco to float on the skeptical surface of anonymous internet publishing. Our nameless nark has posted a Palm Pre FAQ, addressing some questions on the upcoming handset, specifically those that are most “frequently asked”. In this case, though, we suspect that they’re the most infrequently asked. For example: “In the Calendar, can I choose my own colors for the appointments?” The answer is an over-enthusiastic “Yes”, but really, who cares? What about the questions “How much will it cost?” or “When can I buy one?” Those are surely the real FAQs. A few of the points are interesting though. When you hook up the Pre via USB (for syncing) the cell radio switches off, or is at least disabled:
We can answer that! Every time I get near my computer, just like the iPhone. More:
That’s pretty neat. The list is worth a look, and at this point we’re happy to take any info we can get in the Pre. And there is one upside to the blandness of the Q&As — they’re pretty likely to be dead-on true, as nobody would make up something so dull. Palm Pre FAQ: Round 2 [Inside Sprint Now via The Reg] Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 6 May 2009 | 11:07 am Chief Army Chaplain in Afghanistan distributes local-language Bibles, orders congregation to convert localsUS Army chaplains in Afghanistan have called on American soldiers to spread the word of Jesus to Afghanistan. They're distributing Bibles printed in local languages, too -- though the Army subsequently...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 11:07 am Chief Army Chaplain in Afghanistan distributes local-language Bibles, orders congregation to convert localsUS Army chaplains in Afghanistan have called on American soldiers to spread the word of Jesus to Afghanistan. They're distributing Bibles printed in local languages, too -- though the Army subsequently confiscated a bunch of the Bibles and reprimanded some of the soldiers involved.GIs Told to Bring Afghans to Jesus (Thanks, Bill!) Source: Boing Boing | 6 May 2009 | 11:07 am NES built into a purseJeri Ellsworth created this remarkable Commodore-64-emulated-NES-in-a-handbag -- she's also the hacker who reverse-engineered the Commodore 64 and came up with the C64-on-a-chip design. Jeri's nifty...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 11:06 am NES built into a purseJeri Ellsworth created this remarkable Commodore-64-emulated-NES-in-a-handbag -- she's also the hacker who reverse-engineered the Commodore 64 and came up with the C64-on-a-chip design.
Jeri's nifty Nintendo/C64 purse
(via Neatorama) The AppleTwitter-Equals-iBrangelina Experiment* [BoomTown]
AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter AppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitterAppleTwitter * Yesterday, in a BoomTown post about the latest unproven rumors that the world’s most iconic computer company, Apple (AAPL), was in “late-stage” negotiations to buy Silicon Valley’s latest pretty young thing, the microblogging serve Twitter, I wrote:
I wrote that because the pair rivet the tech press and digital fanboys as no others do, fomenting an obsession normally reserved for, say, Brangelina. And since I would imagine a marriage of Apple and Twitter would be covered a lot like those two are–Red alert: Someone just sighted Evan Williams with a giant iPod getting a scoop at Fraiche Yogurt for Steve Jobs!–I thought I would get started early, just in case. (Finally, given the epic Twitter diss of last year, let’s all just assume that Facebook will be playing the Jennifer Aniston role.) Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 11:05 am New York Times Strikes Deal With Boston Globe’s Holdout Union [MediaMemo]
The New York Times (NYT), which owns the Globe, has reached an agreement with the Boston Newspaper Guild. The Guild, which represents 600 editorial employees at the paper, was the one union at the Globe that had yet to agree to concessions the Times said it needed to avoid a shut down. The Globe reports that the deal, reached overnight, “substantial pay cut, unpaid furloughs, and modifications to the lifetime job guarantee provisions that protect almost 200 employees”. On Tuesday night, the Times had presented a “last best offer” to cut wages by 23% in order to save $10 million a year at the Globe, which it says was on track to lost $85 million this year. The union had countered with what was essentially a 5% cut. Related news: Discount retailer, Filene’s Basement, once a mainstay Globe advertiser, filed for Chapter 11 this week. [Image credit: Tony the Misfit] Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 11:00 am Molecular Martinis - Bar Chef Gives You Some Bang For Your Buck (GALLERY)(TrendHunter.com) If youve ever wondered what a $45 martini (thats worth the money) would look like, go to Bar Chef to find out.The laid back and posh ambiance paired with the most stellar drink menu...Source: RSS feed - channel BNBlogTech | 6 May 2009 | 11:00 am Chocolate-Fueled Race Car UnveiledResearchers unveiled a race car that runs on waste from chocolate factories this week.They hope the car will reach 145 mph and be one of the world’s fastest biofuel vehicles. In addition to running on biofuel created from chocolate waste and vegetable oils, the car is also made out of plant-based fibers. The steering wheel is made from carrots, while the seat is made from flax fiber and soybean oil foam.The vehicle’s body is also made from plant fibers.Scientists at the University of Warwick believe their vehicle, which has been built to Formula 3 specifications, will be the fastest to run on biofuels and to be made from biodegradable materials, although their claims cannot be verified.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 6 May 2009 | 11:00 am Saimaa Seal Population DwindlesOn Tuesday, Finnish conservation biologists announced that the number of rare Saimaa seal pups born declined this winter compared to 2008.The announcement sparked a government response promising tighter fishing regulations.Lake Saimaa, Finland’s largest lake, is home to nearly 260 Saimaa seals.According to Metsaehallitus, a state agency, only 43 cubs were found at Lake Saimaa this spring, which is eight less than a year ago."This is alarming because we had two warm winters with small number of pups and now we had another small age group.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 6 May 2009 | 10:59 am Samsung HMX-H106, the First 64GB SSD 1080p Camcorder, Ships May 22nd for $900 [Camcorders]Spotted at CES in January and rumored for an April release, Samsung's capacious, thermos-like HMX-H106 only just started shipping in Korea today. But it's not coming here until late May, and it'll...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 10:55 am Beatles Rock Band just got more expensive - TG Daily
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 10:53 am Boy, Apple’s Design Aesthetic Really Didn’t Rub Off on Kindle 1 at All Did It? [Digital Daily]
About as exciting as the original Kindle design it describes, but this isn’t a utility patent, so you can’t really expect much from it. That said, the reference citations it contains are interesting. Among the devices included: the iRex iLiad, the NUUTbook an early prototype of the One Laptop Per Child foundation’s XO laptop and Apple’s MacBook Pro. Note: MediaMemo’s Peter Kafka will be live-blogging from the Amazon announcement later today, so be sure to check back with him at 10:30 am ET. Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 10:45 am DailyCandy CEO Pete Sheinbaum Steps Down [MediaMemo]
Sheinbaum, who started working for the company as a consultant in 2000 and took the top job in 2005, says he doesn’t have a new job lined up yet, though I’m told he has options. “I let them know after 9 years it was time to look for the next thing,” he says via email. I’m told that Comcast (CMCSA) is still pleased with the acquisition, which may have been the last Web 2.0 deal to close before last fall’s crash. Here’s word from Comcast: “We wish Pete well, thank him for his work in growing Daily Candy. Catherine Levene, Chief Operating Officer and [founder[ Dany Levy will continue to lead operations. For Comcast Interactive Media, IM, Daily Candy is overseen by Chuck Davis who is EVP at CIM and also runs Fandango. The transition under CIM has gone well and the company continues to grow – DC has added DailyCandy Video and DailyCandy Weddings.” Here’s an interview with Sam Schwartz, the Comcast executive who engineered that deal and who says he’s still interested in other Web M&A: Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 10:44 am Forensic Scientist Recreates Face Of Earliest EuropeanScientists have used a clay sculpture to recreate the face of the earliest known European.Using an incomplete skull and jawbone retrieved seven years ago by potholers in a cave near the Carpathian Mountains in Romania, Richard Neave, a forensic scientist in the UK, successfully reconstructed the head of the ancient European ancestor.Scientists are unsure of whether the bone fragments belonged to a male or female, but radiocarbon analysis dates the find to between 34,000 and 36,000 years ago.During that time, Europe was occupied by both Neanderthal and modern Homo sapiens, or Cro-Magnons, researchers said.The skull is presented by Alice Roberts, an anthropologist at Bristol University.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 6 May 2009 | 10:40 am EU Set To Carry Out Ban On Seal ProductsNew legislation from the European Parliament will ban the sale of seal products in the 27-nation EU, BBC News reported.Animal welfare groups, which have long argued that the clubbing of seal pups by hunters is barbaric, had been lobbying for the change for years.Some 300,000 seals are killed off Canada’s east coast annually in the biggest seal hunt in the world.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 6 May 2009 | 10:35 am Sap Cap is a Blackjack in a Bonnet
The Velcro-adjustable cap is filled with a material “110% the density of lead” and is hefted by its peak. If you ever wondered why the violent rednecks who swing by in their pickups and start shouting insults (“Hey, hippy! Why don’t you get a haircut, hippy!”) have such thick necks, now you know. We even have a slogan the company could use. “Sap Caps — weighing down your head so your brain doesn’t have to.” $30, sucker. Product page [BudK via Geekologie]
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 6 May 2009 | 10:29 am Self-Mending Concrete Bends Like Rubber, Heals Like Flesh [Materials]It can be bent into a "U" shape, 'heals' cracks with nothing more than rainwater, and is strong enough to build bridges from. Is Victor Li's composite building material really even 'concrete'...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 9:55 am IPhone OS v3.0 Makes Camera Less Bad
Apparently the iPhone 3.0 software will fix one more thing — the iPhone’s sucky camera. Russian site iPhones.ru has run a decidedly unscientific , yet still revealing, test which pits the software versions against each other and shows the results side-by-side. The test subject? A cute kitty, of course. As you can see, the results for v3.0 are clearly clearer. There is more contrast and sharpness, or what is called “clarity” in Adobe Lightroom. And remember, this is all in software, which can actually do quite a lot for even the iPhone’s camera, it seems. A commenter on the iPhones.ru post added a couple of photos, below. Let’s take a look.
The post-processing is obviously way better, and the extra punch brought back into those blown highlights on the vending machine look a lot like the highlight recovery found in Lightroom and Aperture. Strangely, the halos of light coming from the background, specifically the streetlamp and the building lights, appear to move in one direction rather than fuzzing out into a circle, almost as if the lens was dirty. Still, a big improvement, and this extra sharpening is likely to be good for another oft-used iPhone camera task — pictures of text used for reminders. Attention! Another innovation in the iPhone 3.0 [iPhones.ru via Mac Rumors]
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 6 May 2009 | 9:53 am China's Baidu Works With Labels on Music Downloads (PC World)PC World - Top Chinese search engine Baidu is considering sharing ad revenue from its music search service with record labels, or remunerating the labels in some other way. Baidu's move toward authorized downloads comes after years of criticism of the search service for linking to downloads of pirated songs on other Web sites.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 May 2009 | 9:20 am VanceInfo to Present at Three Investor Conferences and Conduct a Non-Deal Roadshow in the U.S. and U.K.BEIJING, May 6 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- VanceInfo Technologies Inc. (NYSE: VIT) ("VanceInfo" or the "Company"), an IT service provider and one of the leading offshore software development companies in China, today announced that Mr.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 9:17 am Micro Focus - Pre-close Statement and AcquisitionsLONDON, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Micro Focus is set to attain a leading position in the Automated Software Quality market, with recommended offers to acquire both Borland Software Corporation and a division of Compuware. Stephen Kelly, Micro Focus Chief Exectuive, said the move was a "very logical progression" for the company and built on the products Micro Focus already offered in the testing space - a market valued at $2bn annually. The deals will be part funded with a credit facility backed by HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds and RBS.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 9:12 am SAP to Acquire Real-Time Billing Leader Highdeal; Heralds Unmatched Consume-to-Cash SolutionLeading With Telecommunications, SAP to Deliver Next-Generation Billing Solution WALLDORF, Germany and NICE, France, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Recognizing that communication service providers, including voice, data, content and mobility companies, today are obliged to offer more innovative and value-based services, SAP AG (NYSE: SAP), the world's leading provider of business software, announced that the signing of the acquisition of privately-held Highdeal, the leading provider of real-time billing solutions for telecommunications, occurred on May 4, 2009.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 9:00 am Google Testing New Service Features On Chrome First?Chrome is a great browser for Google’s web apps because its JavaScript engine is optimized to run most of them as fast as possible. That alone is reason enough for heavy users of applications like Gmail and Google Reader to use Chrome (if you have a PC anyway — the Mac version is still forthcoming). But Google may also be giving another small advantage to those who surf the web on Chrome: The ability to see new features early. Earlier tonight we received a tip with the screenshots below. As you can see, Google Finance has a brand new interface when browsed to with Chrome versus in Internet Explorer and also Firefox (not pictured). It would seem that Google may be checking for the Chrome user agent and giving those users a glimpse at this new version of Google Finance. Our tipster called it “lame” that Google was only offering the new version of the site to Chrome users. But there is, of course, nothing wrong with Google doing this — provided that it doesn’t mean to permanently offer different (meaning better) versions of sites to only those users using Chrome. But that seems very unlikely. Instead, Google is probably just testing some new features out to a small set of users, just as a lot of other sites do throughout the web. After it was launched last year, Chrome caused a bit of controversy on the web because of Google’s previously strong ties to Mozilla (makers of the Firefox browser). Some were quick to jump to the conclusion that Google entering the browser wars meant that it would specially tailor sites for its own browser and neglect all the others. But Google’s prominent position on the web — particularly with web advertising — pretty much ensures that it has to play nice with all web browsers. Or at least those not named Internet Explorer 6.
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Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 8:54 am A History of Rogueblacklily8 writes "Gamasutra has published "The History of Rogue: Have @ You, You Deadly Zs." Despite only the most 'primitive' audiovisuals, Rogue has continued to excite gamers and programmers worldwide, and has been ported, enhanced, and forked now for over two decades. What is it about Wichman and Toy's old UNIX RPG that has sent so many gamers to their deaths in the Dungeons of Doom, desperately seeking the fabled Amulet of Yendor? This article covers the history of the game, including the Epyx failure to make a ton of cash selling it in 1983. It also goes into rogue-like culture and development."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 6 May 2009 | 8:51 am Dell Offers WiMax Option on Three Laptops (PC World)PC World - Dell is offering WiMax support as an option on three laptop models sold in the U.S., the company said Tuesday.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 May 2009 | 8:50 am ClickSoftware Reports 13% Revenue Growth and 18% Operating Margin for the First Quarter Ended March 31, 2009BURLINGTON, Massachusetts, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- ClickSoftware Technologies Ltd.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 8:24 am HamCrunch - The TechCrunch Meetup In Hamburg Tonight
Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 8:08 am Just How Much Money Can Free iPhone Apps Make? Quite A Bit
Earlier this year Pinch Media released a report on the state of the App Store, describing some of the trends it had seen as developers tried to monetize their apps. The verdict: advertising on free applications simply can’t match the payoff from even the least expensive ‘paid’ applications, and would require an unobtainable $8.75 CPM to reach the same income per install. AdWhirl, the iPhone advertising platform formerly known as Adrollo, begs to differ. Since launching last month, the company has signed on over 10% of the top 50 applications in the App Store and is serving 250 million ad impressions per month. And their data tells a different tale. According to co-founder Sam Yam, one of the fundamental flaws in the Pinch Media report is that it assumes that applications only show a single ad impression per user interaction (in other words, every time you open a free app, you only see one ad). Yam says that applications actually tend to serve 3-5 impressions each time a customer interacts with them, with even higher figures for some especially engaging applications. And when you divide that $8.75 CPM by 5, things become much more reasonable. The AdWhirl report, embedded below, says that applications that crack the top 100 in the Free Apps list make $400-$5000 a day - a wide range to be sure, but even at the low end that works out to around $12,000 a month. Among these top apps, AdWhirl is reporting an impressive $1.90 eCPM and 2.6% CTR. And while applications that do reach the peak position in the App Store eventually lose steam, revenue tends to remain consistent over time after the initial dip (see the graph below). Of course, making it to the top of the Free Apps list is easier said than done, and most developers make far less than $400 a day. But the same is true of the vast majority of paid applications too - in fact, there’s actually less competition on the Free side of the store.  As for AdWhirl, it seems like the startup is off to a great start. The company allows developers to tap into multiple iPhone ad networks at once, allowing them to compensate when one network doesn’t have enough ad inventory (something that AdWhirl says happens as much as 40% of the time). Finally, it’s important to note that it’s obviously in AdWhirl’s interest to promote iPhone advertising, since that’s their business. But it’s clear that there are definitely quite a few free applications making good money,.
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Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 8:07 am Munchkin-Chic Lingo Wireless Mouse Might Be the World's Smallest [Mice]Nobody asked for it, but here it is: the 'world's smallest' wireless mouse! This thumb-sized min-strosity will run for 15 hours on one charge, assuming you can go that long without losing it. I...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 8:05 am Betfair to Join Jadestone's New Dice NetworkSTOCKHOLM, May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Jadestone Networks, the Nordic-based owner and operator of the multiplayer gaming networks DiceArena and GamArena, today announced that Betfair has agreed terms to become a distribution partner. Betfair will integrate to the DiceArena gaming network after the summer where it will sit alongside existing Jadestone Networks' distribution partners such as bwin, Nordicbet, PAF and Gala Coral.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 8:00 am Autonomy Optimost Turbo-Charges Adaptive Targeting With Meaning Based MarketingSAN JOSE, California - eMETRICS MARKETING OPTIMIZATION SUMMIT, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autonomy Corporation plc (LSE: AU.) (LSE: AU.L), a global leader in infrastructure software for the enterprise, today announced that Optimost Adaptive Targeting is now powered by Autonomy's Meaning Based Marketing engine, giving marketers a radically new and more powerful capability for identifying, engaging, and converting customers online.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 8:00 am Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc. Announces Monthly Net RevenuesTAIPEI, Taiwan, May 6 /PRNewswire-Asia-FirstCall/ -- Advanced Semiconductor Engineering, Inc.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 8:00 am AQUA: Sanyo develops super-efficient washing machine
In Japan, Sanyo is not only known as a maker of home electronics and eneloop, rechargeable batteries, but also as a maker of home appliances. Their Aqua AWD-AQ4000, which will go on sale in Nippon only on June 1 [JP], is the fourth in a series of washing machines that feature a built-in ozone generator to deodorize and disinfect laundry. The machine is actually a combination of washer and dryer. It features twice the ozone power of the AQ3000, the previous Aqua model, washing clothes in about 39 minutes. The previous version took 20 minutes longer to do the job and used 10% more water (the new model requires 68 liters of water). Power consumption stands at 6Wh. Owners can even use the ozone power to deodorize smelly shoots, jackets and other items that are usually difficult to clean. That process just takes about eight minutes. Sanyo plans to sell the washer/dryer combo for $3,000. It’s unknown whether the device will ever be available outside Japan.
Source: CrunchGear | 6 May 2009 | 7:27 am My Manhattan Project: How I helped build the bomb that blew up Wall Street. [Voices]I have been called the devil by strangers and “the Facilitator” by friends. It’s not uncommon for people, when I tell them what I used to do, to ask if I feel guilty. I do, somewhat, and it nags at me. When I put it out of mind, it inevitably resurfaces, like a shipwreck at low tide. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 7:05 am What to expect from Windows 7 [Voices]It feels odd to be writing a review of Windows 7 this early. Normally, software reviews don’t make sense until the code is officially released and you have to make a buying decision: upgrade, pass, or buy a new PC with the new OS. Read the rest of this post on the original site Source: All Things Digital | 6 May 2009 | 7:04 am ON Telecoms Extends Oracle(R) Communications Billing and Revenue Management to Support the Expansion of its Customer BaseNICE, France, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TM FORUM MANAGEMENT WORLD - News Facts ON Telecoms, a leader in the Greek triple-play market, has extended its implementation of Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management to help support the expansion of its customer base.Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management will allow ON Telecoms to quickly bring new products to market and to track real-time charges for fixed-line voice, broadband and TV, enabling a rapid return on investment.The solution, implemented on Oracle infrastructure software including Oracle Database and Oracle Application Server, supports billing services for all ON Telecoms' residential and business customers who purchase services through various bundles and subscription rates.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 7:03 am Vodafone Qatar Deploys Oracle for Rapid Launch of Quadruple-Play StrategyNew Mobile Operator Launches Operations in Just Six Months NICE, France, May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TM FORUM MANAGEMENT WORLD News Facts Vodafone Qatar selected Oracle as its strategic partner for the initial launch of Qatar's newest communications company, to deliver full quadruple-play (wireless, fixed-line, television and broadband) services by the end of 2009.Vodafone Qatar has implemented a range of Oracle(R) Communications technology and applications, including Oracle's Siebel CRM, Oracle Communications Billing and Revenue Management, Oracle Communications Service Activation, Oracle Application Integration Architecture for Communications, Oracle Database and Oracle Fusion Middleware.Delivered within just six months, the pre-integrated, network-ready Oracle solution is positioned to help Vodafone Qatar quickly capitalize on Qatar's highly lucrative and newly-deregulated communications market.The Oracle Communications solution enables Vodafone Qatar to quickly respond to customer preferences and market conditions, and to launch innovative new tariffs, promotions and bundles in a matter of days.Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 6 May 2009 | 7:02 am Daily Crunch: Spintastic Edition
Video: Hoover Scooter, a 60’s hybrid motorbike/hovercraft
Source: CrunchGear | 6 May 2009 | 7:00 am Minimalist radio has no buttons or switches
It’s not available for sale (as far as we can tell) and was created for design shows only. It is quite interesting to see exactly how intuitive a design can be while still maintaining a very modern feel. [via dvice]
Source: CrunchGear | 6 May 2009 | 6:50 am South Carolina Gives Craigslist Ultimatum: Remove Prostitution Or Face Criminal Charges
Years ago if a crime was committed and anyone involved had a MySpace account, the press focused only on the MySpace angle. The attorneys general went after them with a vengeance. Then it was Facebook, who managed to stay in the spotlight only momentarily. Now Craigslist is firmly in the AGs’ sites. And those AGs aren’t going to just sit by and do nothing as mainstream press paints a horrifying picture of sexual debauchery and murder. There’s easy press out there for the taking, people, and these AGs aren’t going to let this opportunity pass them by. Earlier today Henry McMaster, the Attorney General of South Carolina, wrote to Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster. The letter, copied below, starts with “I hope you will take immediate steps to end craigslist from being used to facilitate harmful activities in South Carolina.” It ends with a threat of “criminal investigation and prosecution” if ads for prostitution aren’t removed from the South Carolina parts of craigslist by this Friday. McMaster also expressed concern that pornographic images were displayed on Craigslist and were accessible by minors. Craigslist responded on their blog without saying much. We’ll put the pornography issue aside as purely ridiculous (see Google image search and all the rest of the smut filled Internet). But the recent “Craigslist Murder” of a prostitute (or massage therapist, whatever) is going to be too much for Craigslist to overcome. The AGs will salivate over a lawsuit, which equates to press and votes and has no downside. The erotic services category on Craigslist is likely history sometime soon. And, alarmingly, anonymity on the site in general may follow not too long afterwards. Here’s the letter: HENRY McMASTER Mr. Jim Buckmaster I hope you will take immediate steps to end craigslist from being used to facilitate harmful activities in As you are aware, in November 2008 you entered into an agreement with forty state attorneys general and Recent national events, along with ongoing law enforcement efforts in South Carolina, indicate that Also of concern is the unrestricted manner in which graphic pornographic pictures are posted and displayed Many of the classified and communication services on the craigslist site provide the public with a valuable Therefore, please be advised that the craigslist management may be subj ect to criminal investigation and Yours very truly, Henry McMaster Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 6:30 am The Quest to Save Nikola Tesla's Craziest, Most Impractical Project's Site [Tesla]Tesla is as known for what he couldn't manage to accomplish as for what he did, and his admirers are doing their best to save the site of his ballsiest, most outlandish failure. After his work on...Source: Gizmodo | 6 May 2009 | 5:45 am Apple May Loosen Restrictions With iPhone 3.0mr100percent writes "Apple rejected the iPhone aggregator app Newspapers because of a topless photo in one of the app's subscribed-to papers. In the rejection message, Apple noted that Parental Controls have been announced for iPhone OS 3.0, adding that it 'would be appropriate to resubmit your application for review once this feature is available.' Rumor sites are speculating that Apple will relax their content restrictions once the 3.0 update puts parental controls in place. This may mean that apps like NIN will be allowed in the future."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 6 May 2009 | 5:36 am Illinois gathering up small rattlesnakesIllinois wildlife officials are holding a rattlesnake roundup, this one aimed at saving the local population of eastern massasauga snakes. The snakes, growing no more than 2 feet long, are the only rattlesnakes surviving around Chicago.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 6 May 2009 | 4:41 am Rest in Peace, RSS It's time to get completely off RSS and switch to Twitter. RSS just doesn't cut it anymore. The River of News has become the East River of news, which means it's not worth swimming in if you get my drift.
I haven't been in Google Reader for months. Google Reader is the dominant RSS reader. I've done the math: Twitter 365 Google Reader 0. All my RSS feeds are in Google Reader. I don't go there any more. Since all my feeds are in Google Reader and I don't go there, I don't use RSS anymore.
Of course, my friends use RSS, or they used to. Pretty much every blog has an RSS feed, and aggregators like TechMeme spider RSS feeds as well as the original pages on the sites. I've wired up TCIT, the Gillmor Gang feed, and my YouTube feed on my FriendFeed, but that's FriendFeed using RSS, not me. I believe FriendFeed outputs RSS, but I don't use it.
Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 4:15 am 10 iPhone Apps for Foodies - PC Magazine
Source: Google News - Sci/Tech | 6 May 2009 | 4:12 am Gallery: Goin' Down the Road in Defunct Car Brands : Photo: Courtesy General MotorsAfter 83 years on the road, General Motors is throwing Pontiac overboard in a desperate bid to stay afloat. It’s a sad end to a brand that brought us such venerable cars as the Chief, the GTO and, of course, the Trans Am. But dumping a brand isn’t uncommon. More than 500 American marques have gone under in the 124 years since Karl Benz invented the automobile. Here’s a look at some of our favorites. Left: Pontiac launched the muscle car era with the awesome GTO – even if it stole the name from Ferrari – and brought some sexiness to the pony car with the Firebird. It’s almost enough to make us forgive them for the Astre and Aztek.  : Photo: Courtesy AMCThe merger of Nash-Kelvinator and Hudson in 1954 created the fourth-largest automaker in America, but it never threatened the Big Three. The company had more flops – Pacer (left), anyone? How about a Matador? — than hits, but it’s legacy lives on in the Jeep. Well, at least until Chrysler goes under.  : Photo: Flickr/Wigwam JonesThe Checker Marathon may be second only to the original VW Beetle as the most recognizable car in the world. The cars were ubiquitous as taxis and, like the Beetle, the first one to roll off the line in 1962 looked pretty much like the last one to roll of the line in 1982.  : Photo; Courtesy DeSotoChrysler launched DeSoto in 1928 as mid-priced car to compete against General Motors. It was the first production car in North America to use pop-up headlights, but the coolest feature was the hood ornament. It was a bust of Spanish explorer Hernando DeSoto.  : Photo: Courtesy Universal PicturesJohn DeLorean, the guy behind the Pontiac GTO and Firebird, launched his own company in 1975. With a stainless steel body and gull-wing doors, the DMC-12 was as unusual as it was attractive. We don’t know why an American car built in Ireland with a French engine and Columbian financing didn’t work out. Souped up, it might even be capable of time travel, as in this still from Back to the Future.  : Photo: Library of CongressDuesenbergs were marvels of engineering – they were among the first to use overhead camshafts, four-valve cylinder heads and hydraulic brakes – that were as opulent as they were fast. It was said the only thing that could pass a Duesenberg was another Duesenberg. That made them as popular among racers as they were among the wealthy.  : Photo: Flickr/j3netIndustrialist Henry J. Kaiser made his name building Liberty ships during World War II. After the war, he joined auto exec Joseph W. Frazer to try his hand building cars. His HMO fared far better. The fellow in this 1948 photo is neither Kaiser nor Frazer, but Pennsylvania miner Nathan Schell.  : General Motors launched the LaSalle in 1927 to fill the gap between Buick and Cadillac. GM commissioned a young stylist named Harley Earl to design the car. What he came up with is widely considered the beginning of modern automotive styling. Photo: Flickr/Brian Toad Photography  : Photo: Courtesy Nash MotorsNash may be the most innovative company only an auto geek has heard of. Wind-tunnel testing, flow-through ventilation systems, unibody construction and seat belts were just some of the things it adopted long before the competition. “Give the customer more than he has paid for,” was the company’s slogan. Detroit would do well to follow that advice.  : Photo: Courtesy GMRansom Eli Olds founded the company in 1897. By the time GM killed it in 2004, more than 35 million had rolled into showrooms. “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile,” went the ad campaign in the brand’s dying days. Considering our fathers drove cars like the 442, maybe it should have been.  : Photo: Courtesy REO Motor Car Co.The same guy who founded Oldsmobile founded this company, using his initials instead of his last name. It built a wide variety of vehicles but was best known for its trucks, the most famous of which was the REO Speedwagon. And you thought that was just a rock band from Illinois.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 May 2009 | 4:00 am May 6, 1840: Queen Victoria Gets StampedBritain inaugurates the era of low-cost, prepaid postage with the first adhesive postage stamps.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 May 2009 | 4:00 am 10 Best Head-Scratching Stories, ExplainedMonoliths instigate evolutionary leaps forward—monkey to human, computer to AI, human to hippie-dippy starchild. Pink's father dies. His teachers abuse him. His mom smothers him. His wife leaves him. He's paranoid and isolated. Fame is no respite. Two drunkards meander around Dublin like Odysseus in the Aegean. Bloom's wife is cheating on him. Everyone poops. Jimmy relives his granddad's life. He finally meets his father, who then dies. Superman can't save him. Deckard is a replicant but doesn't know it. Gaff knows but doesn't retire Deckard. Even fake memories make us human. Earth will be destroyed in five years. Ziggy is a Martian rock star who sings the news. He prophesizes the coming of a starman. Starman bad. The first two-thirds are a masturbatory fantasy after Diane orders a hit on Camilla (the characters from the last one-third) and shoots herself. Terrorists are chasing the world's most entertaining movie. Addiction—to drugs, entertainment, tennis, whatever—is a bitch. White dudes attack woman. Black man jailed. Witness Madonna prays to black Jesus and dreams he lives. She snitches. Prisoner freed. Parallel universe opens. Its pending collapse threatens our own. Donnie sacrifices himself to save us.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 May 2009 | 4:00 am Plug-In Hybrids: More Hype Than Hope?Seattle has outfitted more than a dozen Toyota Prius hybrids with new plug-in technology to squeeze even better fuel efficiency from the eco-wonder. City officials were intrigued by data suggesting they could cut their fuel consumption in half by using batteries charged directly from the grid. If claims are to be believed, drivers would routinely see 100 mpg using readily available battery packs installed in the trunk. Just over a year after performing the conversions, the city says it is thrilled with the cars. The plug-in Prius hybrids have used less gas and emitted less CO2 than their conventional counterparts. But the tests also have put a big dent in the plug-in promise. Having racked up some 17,000 miles, the plug-in Prius hybrids are averaging just 51 mpg. That's raising uncomfortable questions about the value and effectiveness of plug-in technology, even as President Obama pledges to have 1 million of them on the road by 2015. "Getting 51 miles per gallon sounds fine compared to most gas cars," railed Seattle Times columnist Danny Westneat. "But it's a black eye for a technology that trumpets it will get twice that." Greentrepreneurs routinely cite 100 mpg as the new benchmark for eco-conscious drivers, and even Wired magazine touted the figure in a cover story last year. But it's more than a psychologically comforting number. It's a figure we can achieve with current technology, proponents argue. Even President Barack Obama became a cheerleader when he recently told Jay Leno on the Tonight Show that "it's spectacular what is being done now with plug-in hybrids. And potentially we could see cars getting 150 miles to a gallon of gas." Such claims are not exactly false: Careful drivers have achieved 100 mpg behind the wheel of plug-in hybrids. But the Seattle fleet test, and others like, suggest that "real world" may be far smaller. The results may in part highlight industry hype, but more significantly they point to the many non-technological factors that come into play in wringing better fuel efficiency from plug-in hybrid cars, most notably driver behavior. Seattle has racked up more than 17,000 miles testing 14 plug-in hybrids in the past year. The fleet has averaged 51 mpg, a figure that critics say a joy-riding teen with a lead foot can do in a conventional Prius. Idaho National Laboratory is seeing similar results among the plug-in fleets it is monitoring nationwide. "It sounds like they're not plugging them in," said Paul Scott, a founder of Plug-In America. "I don’t know how you would drive one and get such bad mileage." It's an important question, because General Motors and Toyota are among the automakers promising to have plug-ins on the road as early as next year. The results of these early fleet tests suggest EV advocates and automakers will have to tell people how to drive the cars most efficiently because they may not catch on if consumers don’t see the fuel efficiency they’re promised. "This is a very sensitive time for plug-in hybrid technology," says Ric Fulop, founder of A123 Systems, which manufacturers the Hymotion plug-in conversion system that the test fleets are using in the Prius. Plug-ins improve upon the fuel economy and low emissions of conventional hybrids by relying more heavily on electricity to get around. You can recharge the batteries from a wall socket and get as many as 30 miles on a charge if you keep it below 35 mph. At higher speeds, the electric motor assists the gasoline engine, delivering 100 mpg or more. So far the only way to get one has been to pay someone to convert your hybrid. That can costs as much as $10,000 or more, and so far only hardcore advocates and early adopters have taken the plunge. Seattle decided to give the technology a try in March 2008 after the U.S. Department of Energy agreed to subsidize the program. The city, which maintains a fleet of 300 conventional Prius hybrids, converted 14 of them to plug-ins. They're used by a host of municipal and county agencies, which have the cars in their general motor pools or assigned to specific employees. The city and Idaho National Laboratory have closely monitored how the cars are used and what sort of fuel economy they’re getting. At first glance, the 51-mpg average appears lackluster. A 2009 Toyota Prius is good for 46 mpg, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and it isn’t unusual to get 60 or even 70 mpg in one. Still, city officials put a positive spin on the results. "You have to be impressed with what you're seeing," said Scott Thomsen, a spokesman for City Light, a utility that has added several plug-ins to its fleet. "Sometimes drivers are getting 100 mpg in a stretch. This shows what the vehicles can do in real world driving conditions, not a test track in the middle of Arizona with consistent conditions." Thomsen notes the plug-ins are outperforming the city's conventional Prius hybrids by at least 11 mpg, so they're emitting about 25 percent less CO2. Idaho National Laboratory is seeing similar results with the 104 plug-in hybrid vehicles it is monitoring in 22 states. The cars have logged more than 300,000 miles in the past year and returned an average of 46 to 51 mpg, said Jim Francfort, principal investigator for advanced vehicle testing activities at the lab. To be fair, you can get triple-digit fuel economy in a plug-in hybrid. James Morrison, a Seattle-area entrepreneur and EV enthusiast, let me take his plug-in for a spin. He spent a $10,000 to have a local firm install a Hymotion system in his 2009 Prius, which sports a license plate reading "MPG-XXL." As I get in, he proudly notes that he's already gone 479 miles and barely put a dent in the tank. So far he's getting 99.9 mpg. He resets the trip computer and we set off through downtown Bellevue, and then roam the suburbs. Peeking at the fuel economy gauge, I see we’re getting between 100 and 160 mpg. It’s exhilarating. Merging onto Interstate 405, I hit the gas and cruise for several miles. The fuel economy dips into the 60s. Still, by the time we pull into Morrison's driveway, I’ve averaged 115 mpg. So what gives with all these fleets struggling to get half that? EV advocates have a simple answer – the drivers aren’t being told how to maximize fuel efficiency, and they’d don’t care because they aren't paying for the gas. To get the most from plug-in hybrids, EV advocates say, you've got to us a light touch on the accelerator, mind your speed and plug it in at every opportunity to keep the batteries fully charged. "Drive impact is really huge," said Francfort. "Aggressive driving effects the mileage of all cars, but with plug-in hybrids there’s more of an impact." Keeping the cars charged is also key. If the battery runs down, the gas engine must work harder – the battery becomes dead weight – and that cuts efficiency. Seattle officials discovered the plug-ins were tooling around with dead batteries nearly one-third of the time. The cars with fully charged batteries got 50 percent better fuel economy than those with dead ones. That highlights another issue: The widespread infrastructure needed to keep plug-in hybrids and the electric cars most automakers are working on doesn't exist yet. Startups like Better Place, Coulomb Technologies and Ecotality are working on it with help from automakers like GM and Nissan. In the meantime, drivers like Morrison say they ferret out electrical outlets in parking garages and behind buildings so they can plug in as often as possible. EV advocates are quick to note the Prius wasn't designed to be a plug-in hybrid, and in fact makes a lousy one. The biggest problem is the electric motor is too small, so the car relies more heavily on the gasoline engine. Cars designed from the ground up to be plug-in hybrids, like the plug-in Prius that Toyota is working on or the Saturn Vue plug-in – will almost certainly offer far better fuel efficiency. Plug-in advocates say Seattle's fleet results are no reason to pull the plug on the cars. The technology is sound, they say, and it will deliver spectacular fuel economy - but only if people are told how to get the most out of cars with cords. "I agree with anyone who says 100 to 150 mpg is out of line," says Dan Davids of Plug-In America. He was among the first people to convert his Prius with a Hymotion kit, and he’s averaged 75 mpg. "That’s been hyped too much. But we shouldn’t indict the technology. It’s a people problem."
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 May 2009 | 4:00 am Cheat Codes for Everyday Life, and How to Use ThemToo bad hitting Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start won't get you 30 extra real lives. But cheat codes do exist in the everyday world. Here's how to use a few of them. Order unlisted items at fast-food restaurants. 
In-N-Out Burger
Jamba Juice
Starbucks
Chipotle
Google in "alternate" languages. 
Klingon google.com/intl/xx-klingon/ Elmer Fudd google.com/intl/xx-elmer/ Pig Latin google.com/intl/xx-piglatin/ Send calls straight to a recipient's voicemail. (Even when the phone* is on.) 
Call 267-SLY-DIAL (267-759-3425)
Teach your iPhone to swear. 
1. Add your favorite four-letter words to your contacts list, a source for the predictive text database.
Master the in-line multifunction button on your iPhone earbuds. 
Press once to answer a call // Press twice to send the call to voicemail // Press once to hang up
Enable the 30-second commercial skip on your TiVO. 
On your remote, press: Select, Play, Select, 3, 0, Select Text faster. 
BlackBerry
Enable half-star ratings in iTunes. 
On a Mac
Illustrations: Nishant Choksi
Source: Wired Top Stories | 6 May 2009 | 4:00 am US Trustee Asks To Send SCO Into Chapter 7Several readers including Pop69 inform us that the US Trustee's office has asked to convert SCO's Chapter 11 bankruptcy to Chapter 7 — a.k.a. liquidation. Groklaw has the text of the filing: "...not only is there no reasonable chance of 'rehabilitation' in these cases, the Debtors have tried — and failed — to liquidate their business in chapter 11."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 6 May 2009 | 3:33 am Homemade Hollywood: book about fan-films and the obsessives who make them
Clive Young's Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind the Camera is a loving, exhaustive history of the fan-film, going all the way back to the grifters who conned small-town America into paying to get their kids into fake Little Rascals movies to the YouTube era, and everything in between.
Young picks out several case-studies to explore in depth, including such old favorites as Hardware Wars, Robbins Barstow's Tarzan movie, Troops, and plenty others that you've encountered online (and several that you'll want to seek out after reading the book). On the way, he brings the obsessive personalities to life, giving us a peek into the kind of person who'll spend years painstakingly recreating the entirety of Indiana Jones and the Lost Ark. Plenty of these people grew up to be famous in their own right (including Tommy Ramone, who participating in a truly hairy early Spiderman fanfilm). Homemade Hollywood delves into the technique, meaning, and creativity behind fan films, showing how imitation can be original, and how great creative people get their starts copying the things they love. Young also explores the love/hate relationship copyright holders (especially big studios) have with the fans who knock off their goods. When Young hits his stride, this book is great, a long tale told of obsessives swinging from buildings in Spiderman suits, of melted Lego figures, of children recreating the flaming bar in Raiders of the Lost Ark by setting themselves and their basement on fire, and keeping the camera rolling the whole time. That said, there were parts of this book where I found myself skimming over a little too much detail -- it's clear that Young's every bit as obsessive as the fanfilmers themselves. The production values here were also a little rough -- the text changes typeface at random intervals, and there are more typos than usual scattered through the text. And even though Young makes several mentions of fair use and defends a liberal copyright regime, he often repeats the fallacy that noncommercial use is fair use, and that commercial use is infringing (neither of these statements are necessarily true, and some of the most important fair use cases in history hinge on, for example, commercial use being fair, or noncommercial use being infringing). But setting aside those quibbles, this book's a real treasure, an inspiration to amateur filmmakers everywhere.
Homemade Hollywood: Fans Behind the Camera
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 6 May 2009 | 2:59 am London cops catch and search a potential terrorist every three minutesLondon's cops use their anti-terrorism powers to stop and search someone every three minutes, all day and all night. That's a lot of potential terrorists! I'm sure glad they've all been made to turn out their pockets and surrender their dignity. That'll show 'em! Stupid suicide bombers.The Metropolitan Police used section 44 of the Terrorism Act more than 170,000 times in 2008 to stop people in London.Note, they don't say that there were 65 convictions, or even 65 sustained charges, just 65 arrests. My guess is that the number of convictions in this case is approximately zero. Which would be a success rate of 0.000%.
Capital sees rise in terror stops
Search Engine podcast cancelled, picked up by rival public broadcasterSearch Engine -- the most popular podcast on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and some of the best tech news reporting in the world -- has been cancelled by the CBC. Again.The good news? It's moved to TVOntario, the other public broadcaster in Ontario. "I could have argued about how great our numbers are or how cheap the show is to produce or how important our subject matter is, but ultimately there was no way for me to do that without essentially making the case that some other show should get axed instead," explains Jesse Brown who notes the decision was purely a financial one for CBC.Search Engine restart (Thanks, Ben!)
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing | 6 May 2009 | 2:21 am Hat for hitting people The Sap Cap is a "self-defense" hat with a lump of heavy metal sewn into it so you can doff your hat to your assailant and then drive his nose into his brainpan. Remember, though: any hat you don't know how to use belongs to your opponent. Also, the commenters on the sell-page say it makes a crummy hat.
Sap Cap
(via OhGizmo) Cthulhu ski-mask
Typsie sez, "My buddy Frank's wife Dianna whipped up a Cthulhu ski mask for him to wear at a recent costume party, and we were all amazed at the sheer blinding awesomeness of it. It even has a mouth-hole so that you can be an Elder God and still kick back a brewski (as pictured). We're trying to convince her to make more and sell them on Etsy."
I'd wear one on the slopes!
Me and The Big Green C
(Thanks, Typsie!)
LetSimonDecide Takes On Life’s Tough Choices
Nobody likes to make difficult decisions. And while the web has offered outlets for advice for years, ranging from forums to sites like Yahoo Answers, these are prone to flame wars and grossly incorrect information. Now, some new startups are emerging that are looking to take the community element - or at least the flamewars associated with it - out of the equation. Today sees the launch of LetSimonDecide, a new site that looks to help make decisions easier across a variety of topics, ranging from picking a college major to determining if you should buy or sell your stock. The obvious competitor here is Hunch the new startup from Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake. And while there are some definite similarities - both startups revolve around decision making - they’re taking very different approaches. While it is powered by complex algorithms, Hunch’s data comes primarily from the community - you essentially vote on each portion of the decision process to determine how it should impact subsequent users. This means that you’re exposed to new options that you might not have previously been aware of, but it also means that you’ll occasionally get a suggestion that you’d never consider as a viable option. Conversely, Simon is more about helping figure out what’s important to you, and then basing a decision off that. In a way, it’s like an enhanced version of the traditional Pro/Con lists people make when they’re trying to make a decision. It sounds a bit odd at first, so I’ll try to demonstrate how it works with an example. After logging into Simon, I was prompted to build a personal profile, which asked for some of my overarching life goals (these include moving to England and writing a book, for those who are curious). It also asked a handful of other questions, like my favorite activities and my personality type (there’s a choice from a half dozen categories).
From there, I tried using the site to help me with a decision. The first one I tried was to help me pick a college major - a decision I grappled with years ago that I figured might be a common choice for newcomers to the site. The site first asked me for the options I was considering (Political Science and Biology), and then which attributes about each should factor into my decision (I chose ‘Is It Interesting?’, ‘Work Load’, and ‘Job Potential’). The site then asked me to rate each major in terms of these three attributes, and how each would affect my quest to achieve my life goals. Based on my input, it spat out an answer (Biology). So rather than look at data input by the community, Simon used data I had previously entered to help make my decision. Because there isn’t a large database of existing questions and responses it feels a little too basic at first - it’s effectively just presenting you with questions that you wrote for yourself. At the same time, I can see why it could be useful. It forces you to figure out exactly what’s important to you, and helps you make your decision accordingly. And in the end, that’s really the best these services can do. For any genuinely important decision, you probably don’t want to rely on the wisdom of the crowds to land on your ultimate verdict - the average answer isn’t always the best one for all of us. So Simon holds your hand and helps you come to your own conclusions. It’s better than the old fashioned Pro/Con list, but it may still have a hard time attracting many users - unlike Hunch, it isn’t all that fun. LetSimonDecide is the newest product from Ayax Systems, a consumer research company. Rather than include advertising on the site, Ayax is planning to use aggregate anonymized data to generate reports, which it can then sell to universities and Think-tanks.  Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 2:09 am Rampant boobies to reign at Disneyland!Disneyland and Walt Disney World will no longer pay dedicated toplessness-checkers to examine the photos snapped of riders and displayed at the end of the ride. Not enough flashers these days, apparently.Disney Parks Stop Scans for Topless Riders (Thanks, Dan X!) Source: Boing Boing | 6 May 2009 | 2:09 am Silicone rescue tape -- "a reel of fanbelt" Self-fusing silicone "rescue" tape sounds like some powerfully useful stuff -- permanently bonds to itself in one minute, creating a 700psi-rated, acid/solvent/oil-resistant seal. As the Red Ferret sez, "just think of it as a reel of spare fanbelt." Ever tried it? Post to the comments!
RESCUE TAPE Self-Fusing Silicone Tape ~ BLACK
(via Red Ferret) AT&T Finally Releases What Should Have Been The First iPhone App Say you're a wireless carrier with an exclusive deal on the hottest wireless device with the most popular application store. What do you do? Well, up until now, AT&T's answer has been basically nothing. It had released zero apps taking advantage of the fast growing iPhone platform. Today, it finally got around to releasing one.
AT&T myWireless Mobile (horrible name -- iTunes link) is an app that does the obvious: It allows users to view and pay their wireless bills from the iPhone. You can also see your current usage and add or remove features from your plan. Given AT&T's close deal with Apple, shouldn't this have been the very first app developed for the platform? Instead, we get it about 10 months later, after other apps, like Pageonce's Celltracker [iTunes link], have launched with the exact same functionality.
Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 2:01 am AT&T Finally Releases What Should Have Been The First iPhone App
AT&T myWireless Mobile (horrible name — iTunes link) is an app that does the obvious: It allows users to view and pay their wireless bills from the iPhone. You can also see your current usage and add or remove features from your plan. Given AT&T’s close deal with Apple, shouldn’t this have been the very first app developed for the platform? Instead, we get it about 10 months later, after other apps, like Pageonce’s Celltracker [iTunes link], have launched with the exact same functionality. AT&T’s complete and utter lack of app development prowess of course probably won’t have any effect on its negotiations with Apple to try and extend its exclusive deal another year. But it doesn’t speak well when it comes to the possibility of the long-promised tethering app that AT&T is making to use with the iPhone. At this rate, we should see that around 2011 — or when the Verizon iPhone launches. Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies
Source: MobileCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 2:01 am Star Trek Screening: First Tickets Available Now
Update to our Star Trek screening on opening night this week: Tickets are now available at Eventbrite. This is a Thursday, May 7 screening at 7 p.m. in Redwood City at the Century 20 theater (it’s new, and awesome). This is the earliest the public can see the movie, so you’ll be among the first to experience it. The theater holds 600 people. We’re paying for the price of the ticket, and charging a $2 fee to minimize no shows. After the show we’ll meet at the nearby Broadway Cocktail Lounge for a drink or three. If additional sponsors (thanks, EventBrite!) come in there may be free drinks and popcorn. If you are interested in sponsoring, email asad at techcrunch. If you aren’t attending, please do not purchase a ticket. No shows mean an empty seat and you won’t be able to attend future TechCrunch events. If you email us that you can’t attend, we can fill that spot later. See you Thursday! Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 1:47 am FDA Could Delay Adult Stem Cell Breakthroughsdestinyland writes "A Colorado medical advocate says, 'The FDA contends that if one cultures stem cells at all...then it's a prescription drug,' in arguing that revolutionary new treatments could be delayed by 20 years — even using cells extracted from your own body. According to the FDA, even therapies that simply re-inject your body's adult stem cells could be prohibited without five years of clinical trials and millions of dollars of research. How useful are cultured stem cells? 'In animal models, they routinely cure diabetes.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 6 May 2009 | 1:31 am NetHaggler Will Barter With Online Retailers For You
With retail spending at all-time lows thanks to the current recession, stores are looking for ways to provide deals, sales and discounts for consumers. Some stores are even letting consumers haggle for prices. NetHaggler is hoping to woo both consumers and online retailers by providing a service that lets users track and negotiate prices online. Free for consumers, NetHaggler has enlisted retailers to participate in its service through affiliate marketing services, like LinkShare. After installing a simple and secure bookmarklet (called the “Hagglet”), users can click on the link on the link in your bookmarks bar and draw a box with a cropping tool around any product that is from an affiliate NetHaggler Store. This lets NetHaggler capture and store the product and price information so the site can work its negotiation magic. The site will then let you choose whether you want to Tag, Nag or Haggle a product. Tagging an item lets you enter a specific price and then get updates via email with price reductions that occur over the next few weeks or months. Nagging, which is NetHaggler’s flagship offering, enlists NetHaggler to determine whether consumers are eligible for an immediate discount on the list price. Consumers can submit a price that they are willing to pay and then NetHaggler will return with an yes, no or counteroffer from the retailer. NetHaggler’s founder, Satya Iluri, says that the site employs an algorithm to determine how much of a discount the retailer is willing to negotiate (if any) and also takes into account the consumers behavior in the site. Haggling lets you do something similar to nagging, because you still can request a discount and indicate how much you are willing to spend. But if the item you haggle happens to be a popular item amongst other NetHaggler users, then NetHaggler will negotiate a volume pricing or bulk deal that will produce a steeper discount, says Iluri. Its important to note that the discount a consumer receives through NetHaggler will not be deducted from the price of the product (you have the pay the full price). You will instead be issued payment of the discount through PayPal or a check. NetHaggler only makes money if the consumer buys a product; the company receives a small commission on each sale. The ability to track the price fluctuation of a product isn’t new—tracking sites like Trackle and Notify.Me also let you track the prices of retail goods. Aroxo is doing this for eBay and Fididel also has a haggling site. The haggling part of the site may be attractive in the current spending market. NetHaggler has a roster of big names affiliate retailers on the site, including Macy’s, Wal-Mart, BestBuy, and Nordstrom but when I tried to sign up to “Nag” a retailer for a shirt on Abercrombie & Fitch.com, I was only able to Tag or Haggle, the nagging feature wasn’t available for A&F although it is a supported retailer. I also tried to “Nag” a product at Macy’s and was unable to do so. Illuri says that some retail sites don’t have the necessary data feed connectivity and web services to work for the Nag function, which is a shame because that is the feature I would use most.   Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Source: TechCrunch | 6 May 2009 | 1:25 am Online video war part 2: Battle of the network sitesSection: Video, Content, Web, Websites, Online Music/Video, Features, Originals  We’re back with another helpful post on how to find the best in online video. Last time, we covered Joost, Hulu, and Sling. This time, we’re talking about the individual networks. While it may be more work to go to different sites, you will get better quality video and that’s worth the trouble of typing in a few URLs. Also find out which sites to avoid. The GoodFirst up is Fox.com. Their content is available on Hulu, but higher resolution video is available on Fox’s website. If you go to fox.com/fod you’ll see better resolution videos with usually smaller ad breaks. Fox claims that the video is HD. The quality is definitely better than Hulu, but not as good as an old fashioned over the air connection for television reception. CBS.com also has a good selection of HD video. Usually, you have to sit through some kind of Intel ad before watching very good quality video. Hulu doesn’t cover CBS, although Joost and Sling do. The standard definition videos are of the same quality, but if you want to watch the Late Show with David Letterman in HD, CBS is the place to go. ABC’s video player is quite good but has the annoying distinction of requiring the user to click an area of the window to continue the video. This is probably quite good for their metrics, but irritates the user. However the video quality is second to none. A lot of the video claims to be in HD, and if your connection is good enough, you may not notice that much of a difference between the ABC.com player and ABC on your TV. Now that Hulu will have ABC content, I still expect ABC.com to feature higher quality video. TheWB.com has a bunch of shows in very good quality, but suffers from a limited selection. You can find gems of television shows like “Veronica Mars,” “Pushing Daisies,” and “Chuck” on TheWB.com. They also have original shows, but I have yet to watch them. You can create playlists rather simply by clicking the “+add to playlist” button.
The In-BetweenNBC is a partner in Hulu. Hulu has a great video player. However, NBC has one of the most irritating video players out there. You can get two minute recaps of videos at NBC which is nice if you just want to catch up on a show. Full episode players show a large ad on the bottom of the screen through out the presentation. If you’re running Windows and you don’t mind running NBC’s NBC Direct, you can download HD versions of many programs. You can’t move these videos to a portable player, but the higher quality video may be worth it to you. Unfortunately, the NBC Direct player also has a big fat ad on it. NBC’s annoying player can also be found on sister networks like USA. I haven’t had the chance to check out every NBC Universal property, but I would imagine they are similarly annoying.
The BadCWtv.com has a lack of 16:9 and HD videos together with long ad breaks. Shows that are normally presented in the 16:9 format for television are both pillarboxed and letterboxed. If you like watching videos with a large black border, not using the full potential of your display, then you’ll love CWtv.com. I don’t know who watches MyNetworkTV besides me (I like their magic specials), but their online presence is abysmal. The videos have a “fullscreen” button, but apparently it means just a larger video in the same window. Not cool. Full Story » | Written by Iyaz Akhtar for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 6 May 2009 | 1:09 am Video: Hoover Scooter, a 60’s hybrid motorbike/hovercraft
Whoever designed this should be given a medal and then shot into the sun. [via Neatorama and Laughing Squid]
Source: CrunchGear | 6 May 2009 | 12:35 am Why people think it's OK to cheat a little bitI've been having a lot of fun writing for CreditBloggers. My most recent entry is about Predictably Irrational author Dan Ariely's recent TED talk about his experiments to learn more about the psychology of cheating. Ariely decided to conduct a series of experiments to understand cheating. He gave test subjects a math quiz with 20 problems, and promised to give a dollar for each correct answer. The problems weren't hard to solve, but Ariely imposed a five-minute time limit, making it impossible for anyone to complete the test. After five minutes, Ariely collected the test from the volunteers, scored them, and paid them for their correct answers. On average, volunters solved four questions correctly.Dan Ariely: Why people think it's OK to cheat a little bit Here are my other posts: •Consumer Sentiment on the Rise (for now) •Afflicted with Allelomimesis -- Why People Behave as if They’re Broke When They’re Not •Half-empty supermarket shelves act like consumer magnets •Bringing Your Kids to the Supermarket is Hazardous to Your Wallet •The Allure of the "Near-Miss"
Swede indicted for hacking NASA, Cisco computers (AFP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 6 May 2009 | 12:29 am Study: Big fish vanishing from CaribbeanThe disappearance of sharks, barracuda and other large predators from Caribbean reefs is related to the growing human population, a Florida researcher says. Chris Stallings, a post-doctoral researcher at the Florida State University Coastal and Marine Laboratory, compared populations of 20 predatory species of fish on the reefs of 22 Caribbean countries.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 6 May 2009 | 12:28 am $100 LED lamp uses “quantum dots” to imitate more natural light
The “Quantum” is actually a functional term in its name; the surface of the LED array is coated with what they call quantum dots, which shifts its color temperature down to 2700K, much warmer than the natural 6500K of the unmodified array. The quantum dots themselves are particles which emit light in a spectrum depending on their size; that means these lights could conceivably be made for any temperature in the warm-cool spectrum. And of course the arrays have all the usual benefits of LEDs: lower energy cost, longer life, et cetera. They’re not for sale yet, having just been announced today, but you can see where they will be sold, along with all their other cool-looking lighting solutions here at their online store. [via Boston Globe, photo credit: Mark Lennihan, AP]
Source: CrunchGear | 6 May 2009 | 12:00 am Send us your best mommy tech storiesSunday is Mother's Day (don't forget!) and to celebrate, we're looking for fun stories about your mom*--her gadget addiction, tech disasters that put her in a bind, how a newly discovered gadget helped make her life better, easier, or funnier. Email your stories to mango [at] tokyomango [dot] com with the subject line: Mom Story by this Thursday. We'd love to hear them, and we might even post them on BBG. Update: Accompanying photos would be awesome! *Or wife, or sister, or baby mama. Any mom will do. Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 11:51 pm Eye-Fi adds new hosting sites to Share Video and Explore VideoSection: Video, Portable Video, Gadgets / Other, Imaging, Accessories, Digital Cameras, Web, Websites, Online Music/Video  About two months ago, Eye-Fi announced new SD cards for a digital camera that allows it to upload photos and videos to popular services such as YouTube and Flickr. The two different cards came with 4GB of storage and were able to automatically upload photos and videos to these services, in the range of a Wi-Fi signal. Users were now able to cut out the computer middleman and simply upload unedited videos on the fly, for relatives and family members to enjoy. In addition, a study indicated that 40% of people found uploading their media to a computer first was too cumbersome. With the addition of Picasa Web Albums, Photobucket, and SmugMug, users have more options to choose where they want to upload their photos and videos. The main difference between the Share Video and Explore Video is the fact that the latter has the ability to geotag photos and videos with accurate information as well as access to more than 10,000 Wayport Wi-Fi hotspots. As a result, the Explore Video costs $20 extra, so it retails for $99. If those features are unnecessary, you may want to consider picking up the basic, Share Video, as it only costs $79. I haven’t used any of these cards, so I can’t comment on how well and efficiently they work, but from what I’ve read, they seem to be some good, quality cards. If you find yourself constantly taking pictures, videos, and uploading them to your computer and then the web; it may be in your best interest to pick one of these up to save some time. Read [Eye-Fi Press Release] Full Story » | Written by Natesh Sood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 May 2009 | 11:49 pm Review: Maximo iM-590 headphones
Overview and Features As much as I appreciate a nice pair of noise-canceling headphones, I often find traveling with them to be a bit cumbersome as I’m always running out of batteries or trying to find somewhere to clip the little magic box that blocks out all the noise. I’m also not enough of an audio snob to care about most of the hoopla that goes into high-end headphones. If they’re comfortable, sound good, and take up minimal space in my bag, then I’m happy. Now that being said, I hate-hate-hate cheap, uncomfortable earbud headphones. And they’re everywhere, unfortunately, bundled with any and all small consumer electronics devices that feature headphone jacks. So consider me a guy who’d say something like, “I need a nice pair of headphones but I don’t care enough to spend a ton of money on them.” The thought of spending more than $100 on a pair of headphones is downright mortifying to me but I think that $50 is a fair price to pay for a pair of decent-sounding ones — just so you know where I’m coming from. So these $60 Maximo iM-590 headphones, right? About $10 out of my price range, but we’ll give them a shot anyway. They come with a bunch of extras, similar to what you’d find with a lower-end set of noise canceling headphones, but they don’t require any batteries and you can leave pretty much everything that comes in the box at home if you like. You get the headphones, a zip-up case with built-in cord wrapper, three sizes of earbuds, airplane adapter, 2.5mm adapter for use with cell phones, two-foot extension cable, and a shirt clip. That’s all well and good, and the cell phone adapter is an especially nice add-on, but you’ll really only need to take the headphones with you if you want to keep things simple. Build Quality As for the actual headphones, they’re made of a lightweight metal alloy. Here’s a photo showing the set with one ear tip on and one ear tip off.
They’re very lightweight and the cord isn’t the cheap rubbery material that you’re used to; it’s almost more like a tougher nylon-type material. All in all, the headphones have a very high-quality feel to them. Curiously, the headphone cord came with this sticker wrapped around it.
Which leads us to… Sound Quality Being the busy, world-famous, high-profile blogger that I am, I don’t have time to wait for headphones to burn in so I just jammed them in my ears and started listening to music — and they sounded great. Then I actually pumped music through them overnight and tried out a larger set of the ear tips and they sounded even better. Color me impressed; I’ve never heard of headphone burn-in before but it actually seemed to make a difference — not a huge difference, but enough that it was noticeable. Everything just sounded a bit milkier and airier. Maximo bills these as “sound isolation” headphones, which is just a fancy way of saying they block outside noises out. And boy do they block out noise. I missed my phone ringing right next to me and my dog barking right behind me. Actually, I didn’t “miss” either one of those noises as it was nice to be able to concentrate. At any rate, stick your index fingers in both ears and that’s exactly what you’ll (not) hear when you wear these headphones. As for tonal quality, there’s a nice balance of bass and treble without either one overpowering the other. Everything sounds very crisp and very warm at the same time. Oddly enough, the headphones seem really loud for some reason. Like, if you listen to the same MP3 player with these headphones and another set of headphones, everything sounds about 25% louder through these ones at the same volume level on the MP3 player. I’m assuming that probably has something to do with all the outside sound being blocked out. Overall, though, I found sound quality to be well above average. Better, even, than the $100 pair of noise-cancelling earbuds I own (and, subsequently, will probably never use again) and lightyears better than all the cheap earbuds I’ve used. Comfort The ear tips are okay, but they’re pretty similar to just about every other set of standard multi-size silicone inserts. I can stand most in-ear headphones for a couple hours before my ears start to get sore and this was the case with these earphones as well. Your mileage may vary, of course. These are relatively comfortable headphones but they don’t feel like they’ve been dipped in butter or anything. Still, they’re far more comfortable than cheap foam-covered plastic earbuds. I can only stand those for about an hour before they start hurting, so think about how long you’re able to keep cheap freebie earbuds in your ears and then double that number. Conclusion If you’ve decided that it’s time to treat yourself to some above-average headphones, these are the ones. The high sound quality at the relatively low price point make the iM-590’s a great go-to set of in-ear headphones for anything from traveling to desk work to helping you fall asleep. They’re stylish and well-built, too, so they ought to last for quite a while. Maximo iM-590 iMetal Sound Isolation Earphones [MaximoProducts.com]
Source: CrunchGear | 5 May 2009 | 11:40 pm Tesla's New York Laboratory Up For SaleZiest points us to NY Times piece on the battle over the site of Nicola Tesla's last failed experiment. Tesla's laboratory, called Wardenclyffe, located on Long Island, has been put up for sale by its current owner, Agfa Corp. Local residents and Tesla followers were alarmed by a real estate agent's promise that the land, listed at $1.6 million, could "be delivered fully cleared and level." Preservationists want to create a Tesla museum and education center at Wardenclyffe, anchored by the laboratory designed by Tesla's friend, Stanford White, a celebrated architect. "In 1901, Nikola Tesla began work on a global system of giant towers meant to relay through the air not only news, stock reports and even pictures but also, unbeknown to investors such as J. Pierpont Morgan, free electricity for one and all. It was the inventor's biggest project, and his most audacious. The first tower rose on rural Long Island and, by 1903, stood more than 18 stories tall. ... But the system failed for want of money, and at least partly for scientific viability. Tesla never finished his prototype tower and was forced to abandon its adjoining laboratory."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 5 May 2009 | 11:30 pm General Mills Cooking With First iPhone App (Investor's Business Daily)Investor's Business Daily - As marketers seek to strike a chord with time-pressed consumers, they've begun to turn to mobile devices.Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 5 May 2009 | 11:29 pm Picturesque time-lapse travel on a huge freight ship
It’s divided into two parts because Flickr has a 90-second limit on videos: The creator of the videos says:
So cool. Another benefit of doing this with an SLR is that you can get these night shots looking really nice, especially if you’re not too worried about sharpness. I love that the tools to manipulate the perception of time are in our hands for incredibly cheap. You can make a second last a minute with the Casio Exilim EX-FC100, or you can get a D700 like OneEighteen and make a minute last a second. [via Reddit, where Redditor happywaffle mapped out the route taken by the ship]
Source: CrunchGear | 5 May 2009 | 11:20 pm Come See Star Trek On Opening Night With Us (Silicon Valley) The original Star Trek series was my first foray into science fiction, and I have fond memories of watching those original episodes with my dad as a kid. So I'm about as excited as a person can be about the new Star Trek movie coming out this Thursday. And I want to share that excitement with 600 or so of my closest friends.
We're hosting a Star Trek screening in Silicon Valley on opening night, this Thursday May 7. Our big goal is to get through this without getting any litigation threats, but we'll see. Want to come? More details soon, but here are the basics: the screening will be held on Thursday at 7 pm at the Redwood City Century 20 theater. We'll be charging a couple of dollars to reduce no shows, but otherwise the event is on us.
Source: CrunchGear | 5 May 2009 | 11:00 pm EA posts smaller 4Q loss as costs decline (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 5 May 2009 | 10:59 pm CA Vs. MA In Battle Over Non-Compete ClauseLucas123 writes "A case was filed with superior courts in California and Massachusetts involving a former EMC top executive who is trying work for HP. The case is throwing into relief Massachusetts's and California's differing approaches to non-compete clauses in employment contracts. California courts have argued that non-competes hamper a person's ability to traverse the marketplace freely for work, while Massachusetts courts say the agreements actually afford freedom to develop technology without the fear of IP theft."Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 5 May 2009 | 10:42 pm Video: DIY Wolverine Claws Are Good for Shredding BoxesWhether you loved or hated the X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie, you’ll laugh your ass off at this video (above) of a DIY geek beating up boxes with his homemade Wolverine-like claws. Mind you, they’re constructed of steel and metal tubing rather than indestructible adamantium. The creator of the claws claims he’s perfectly sane, but we don’t believe him for a second. Metacafe (Thanks, Steven!)
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 5 May 2009 | 10:40 pm Best worst Star Trek parodiesImitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Maybe. Jim Carrey as a geriatric Kirk. Sillier, but in many ways, funnier than In Living Color's previous Trek sketch: "The Wrath of Farrakhan" More after the jump... South Trek (guess who wears the red shirt) A termite commercial starring little people (really!) The cast of "Frasier" audition for "Voyager." Scottish people sure do talk funny! Ben Stiller's Kirk fights "The Chicken Man," then does Bono playing Kirk. I have never liked MadTV. Still, MadTv's "Deep Stain Nine" isn't as bad as it could have been. The Carol Burnett Show's take is rife with gender-bending, including a massive, baritone Uhura at 00:52. And that's not even counting all the really great remix parodies... "TV Fun House" Brokeback Mountain "Monty Python" "A-Team" "The Love Boat" Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 10:34 pm Star Trek replicas that actually do somethingWhy settle for a $20 first-gen phaser that only looks cool, when you can build your own fully-functional Blu-Ray Laser Phaser for just $100?! [via Instructables] A collection of other functional replicas after the jump...
You could spend $30 on a communicator that belts out phrases from the classic series like "Enterprise, this is Kirk" or "Your signal is very weak; can you turn up your gain?" ...OR, you could turn up your gain considerably with a USB VoIP/Skype phone built into the same hardware.
There are dozens of replica kits for building your own Klingon Disruptor. The one above costs $68, which seems reasonable. Then again it's only a resin prop gun that "cannot be made to fire anything." Boooo! Hands down the coolest replica I've ever heard of is this homemade disruptor constructed from a parabolic reflector, a horn antenna, two ignition coils, and a car battery. No pics unfortunately, but here's the particulars: 1) it cost $500 to build using off-the-shelf parts; 2) it fires off a 20 megawatt burst of radio that can disrupt or burnout virtually any electronic device from a distance of 20 feet; 3) It makes the TV-B-Gone look like child's play. Just imagine what carnage could be inflicted at CES with this disruptor.
Tribbles sure are cute. But beware! Not all tribbles replicas are
OK, maybe this Red Shirt cologne wasn't official UFP issue. But, if you're going to suit up in the storied red shirt, you should probably care less about recreating the "smell" and, instead, deck yourself out in as much high-tech riot gear as possible...
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 10:00 pm Apple Rumored To Want To Buy TwitterOSXGlitch writes "A post on TechCrunch this morning extends the rumor that Apple wants to buy Twitter with part of their massive cash reserve (estimated at nearly $29B). The Twitterverse is alive with speculation that the price being discussed is $700 million. This goes against reports that Twitter's founders aren't interested in selling, and that they estimate the value of the company at around $250 million. Two questions: How do we all feel about the possibility of Apple owning Twitter? And, can Twitter decline an offer that is nearly three times their estimated worth?"Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot | 5 May 2009 | 9:51 pm Long Island Sound scum may be biofuelConnecticut scientists have focused on algae from Long Island Sound in their quest for native environmentally friendly biofuels. The Hartford Courant reported Tuesday researchers at the University of New Haven have joined universities and private enterprises in the nationwide race to find cost-effective biofuel sources.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2009 | 9:50 pm Scientists Return From Expedition to Erupting Undersea VolcanoScientists who have just returned from an expedition to an erupting undersea volcano near the Island of Guam report that the volcano appears to be continuously active, has grown considerably in size during the past three years, and its activity supports a unique biological community thriving despite the eruptions.An international science team on the expedition, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), captured dramatic new information about the eruptive activity of NW Rota-1."This research allows us, for the first time, to study undersea volcanoes in detail and close up," said Barbara Ransom, program director in NSF's Division of Ocean Sciences, which funded the research.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2009 | 9:50 pm A larger Kindle could upend textbooks, periodicals (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 5 May 2009 | 9:38 pm Plants can influence wildfiresU.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2009 | 9:33 pm Shields Up!: Your guide to staying safe on the netSection: Computers, Security, Web, Features, Originals
These days the internet has grown far beyond its academic roots and become more than a source of entertainment. For most people, it is a valuable tool in their daily lives and as much of a necessity as a car or a phone. Unfortunately, as it’s grown so has cybercrime. There is a vast underground economy that thrives on stolen information. Credit card and bank account numbers are bought and sold for big bucks. Giant botnets, made up of hundreds of thousands to millions of infected computers, are rented out to criminals who use them for everything from simple spamming to DDoS attacks and more. In countries like India and Pakistan, companies have sprung up offering to crack CAPTCHAs for a fee, and they are booming. Scammers and spammers pay them a penny for every CAPTCHA they complete, or a few dollars for every couple of hundred. Phishing attacks cost U.S consumers nearly $500 million over the last two years. Malware continues to spread and become more and more sophisticated, and spam continues to make up over 95% of all email sent-and it gets worse. SMS viruses have been spotted, as has a Mac botnet (which may even date back to 2006, according to some reports), and popular social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are being hit hard by worms and other malicious attacks. Despite all that bad news, check out this report from Consumer Reports:
35%! These days no one should be using a computer without proper anti-virus and anti-spyware software (yes, even if you have a Mac. Apple themselves recommends it!). In future columns we’ll review the different options available as well as take a look at the fake ones like AntiVirus 2009, which is a form of “scareware.” I invite you to leave a comment with any questions, comments or topics you’d like to see covered! Before signing off this week, let’s look at the newest headline being exploited by scammers. It is of course, the swine flu outbreak. Spams with subjects related to the virus are hitting inboxes. Some promise vaccines (none actually exist!), others hype drugs that promise to protect from or cure it, and many more lead to malicious sites that fill your computer with malware. If you get any emails about the flu outbreak that aren’t from people you know, delete immediately! Even if they are from people you know, don’t click on any links they may contain. Run the url through Google if you are curious-if it’s malicious the search results will usually reveal it. That’s all for this week—keep those shields up and stay safe! Full Story » | Written by Sue Walsh for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 May 2009 | 9:18 pm Tiny particles make LED light more pleasing (AP)
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 5 May 2009 | 9:14 pm Scientists study oak-killing Calif. beetleU.S.Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 5 May 2009 | 8:51 pm Star Trek: a complicated rainbow coalition
Many a scholarly essay and book has examined race in film and TV, but as one of the longest-running and varied franchises, Star Trek is ripe for deconstruction*. After all, since its inception, the series never shied away from tackling blatant racial issues. Exhibit A: literally "bi-racial" characters like Lokai and Bele (pic above). Nevertheless, considering race both within and outside the story is where it starts to get really interesting, imho. This site hasn't been updated since 2002, but it provides some interesting figures from the series' formative years all the way through "Voyager." 40% of principal characters have been non-human, or partially non-human... 33% have been women... 28% have been played by non-white actors... Of the 42 principal cast members, eleven (26%) can be classified as racial minorities And the ethnic identity of the characters adds a layer of cultural complexity: In some cases, the actor's race did not relate to the character's race. For instance, Tuvok played a dark-skinned Vulcan. But it was not correct to call Tuvok an "African-American Vulcan," because, although the actor was African-American, the character was not. There is no Africa or America on the planet Vulcan. Also, although Torres had a Hisanic last name, her Hispanic ethnicity was never addressed on "Star Trek: Voyager", because the conflict between her human and Klingon backgrounds was much more important. Worf was also played by an African-American, but his character was simply a Klingon, and was not a "black Klingon." I'm off to see a screening of the new Star Trek tomorrow (woot!), and can't wait to see whether these figures/percentages hold true. In theory, they should, since it's a prequel. BUT, already we've been promised Captain Robau, played by the first-ever Middle Eastern/South Asian actor to play a major role in Star Trek. [image via HeroSpy] *If you want to dive in deeper, check out Race in Space: The Representation of Ethnicity in "Star Trek" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 8:42 pm Star Trek characters who TweetThere's a lot of them. Captain Kirk CaptJamesKirk Commander Spock Gay Spock Mr. Spock Many more after the jump... CmndrSpock Sulu Lieutenant Uhura Mr. Scott DrMcCoy The Borg captain_picard Geordi La Forge Data LtWorf Any others worth following? Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 8:24 pm Law Would Jail Hostile BloggersCongress considers enacting legislation that could result in two years' imprisonment for those whose electronic speech is deemed hostile. The legislation is designed to combat cyberbullying, but is most likely unconstitutional.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 5 May 2009 | 8:12 pm Grey Wolf Taken Off Endangered ListAfter a comeback the grey wolf is no longer endangered and can be hunted in most states.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 7:45 pm BB Video: ARPANET turns 40, and Vintage Computers in Slovenia
This year marks the 40th anniversary of an important milestone in internet history -- the development and successful link of the first host-to-host internet connection. On April 7 1969, Steve Crocker of UCLA circulated around a memo entitled 'Request for Comments, the first of thousands of "RFCs" documenting the design of ARPANET and the Internet. A few months and many memos and experiments later, in October, 1969, Charley Kline at UCLA sent the first packets on ARPANET as he tried to connect to Stanford Research Institute. Below, a copy of the transmission log.
Closer to home for our viewers in the US, the Museum of Computer History in the San Francisco Bay Area offers a world-class repository of exhibits, and their website includes a helpful timeline of key events that led to today's web.
RSS feed for new episodes here, YouTube channel here, subscribe on iTunes here. Get Twitter updates every time there's a new ep by following @boingboingvideo, and here are blog post archives for Boing Boing Video. (Special thanks to Boing Boing's video hosting partner Episodic).
Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 7:44 pm The latest Twitter/Apple rumors: NahSection: Web, Web 2.0, Web Apps, Web Browsers, Websites, Google  Twitter, Twitter, everywhere. Twitter is certainly the belle of the ball these days. Everyone’s been talking about how Facebook tried to buy them. How Google and Microsoft have been batting their eyes in Twitter’s direction. And now, latest on the porch steps carrying a (supposed) 700 million dollar rose is Apple? I just don’t see it happening. For a couple of reasons. Although the latest is that a mysterious “source” claims “late-stage negotiations to acquire twitter,” that’s same thing was also circulating before with Facebook. Didn’t happen. It is said that the iPhone is the big draw for the deal. That the Tweetie app is a nice fit if they extend it to owning Twitter. It’s also said that Apple is wanting Twitter to “show them the way” to play more on the web. Well, that’s all fine and dandy for Apple, now how about Twitter? They are growing and growing. Being courted by everyone and their brother. We are going to see everyone from Apple to Facebook to Microsoft to the geek high school kid down the street wanting a piece of them. That doesn’t mean they are going to get it. In the infamous words of The Rolling Stones, “Ya can’t always get what ya want”. Twitter has probably not yet reached its peak, and thus, is still able to earn founders Williams and Stone an even nicer chunk of change. In a quote that simply cracked me up, one Twitter investor still kind of nailed it. “Twitter really could make a lot of money. And we are not just making that up either.” Gee, because no one realized that one. I think it is going to remain an independent for a little while yet, with Williams and Stone sitting back and watching the value rise. Then the free for all battle between all the big players is going to start in earnest. No, Apple is most likely not going to be in the ring for the final punches. My bet? We’re gonna end up with Twoogle. via: techmeme Full Story » | Written by Jodie Andrefski for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 May 2009 | 7:44 pm Slovak Ambulance Firm Got U.S. Contract for Karzai CopterA few years ago, when the U.S. Army needed to buy VIP helicopters for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, you would think they would have sought proposals from some of the most experienced companies in the business. Instead, the Threat Systems Management Office sole sourced the procurement to a Slovak ambulance company. Seriously.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 5 May 2009 | 7:40 pm Viral Missing Link Caught on FilmA weird giant virus, called a mimivirus, that blurs the lines between viruses and living cells, has been photographed for the first time.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 5 May 2009 | 7:00 pm Some Himalayan Glaciers Growing Despite WarmingA cluster of glaciers in the Himalayas are bucking the global warming trend.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 7:00 pm Rumor: HTC Dash 3G (Snap) & HTC Touch Pro 2 dated, Visual Voicemail confirmed?
Jeez, now that’s a leak: 1 little sheet of paper, 6 device launch dates, and 1 confirmation of a previously unannounced service. TmoNews managed to scrounge up the gem up above, and it’s jam packed full of goodies. On the major hardware front, we have the T-Mobile Dash 3G (otherwise known as the HTC Snap, though it purportedly lacks the Inner Circle favorites feature) and HTC Touch Pro 2 (listed here as Rhodium) release dates set at July 1st and July 22. The original T-Mobile Dash 3G FCC reports had a confidentiality lock on it until May, leading some to believe that would also be the release window. More often than not, confidentiality dates pass without a release, which looks to be what’s going to happen here.
Also dated are the Sony Ericsson 8-megapixel CS8 (6/24/09) and 5-megapixel CS5 (7/8/09), and two Samsung handsets (one of which, the T469, has been available on T-Mobile for months now as the Gravity. We’re not sure what’s up here - new color scheme, perhaps?). Perhaps more striking than any of the hardware mentions, however, is one of upcoming software goodness: Visual Voicemail. No indication is given as to how it’ll be provided, nor does it say what handsets it’ll be available for - but if this sheet is to be believed, it’s on the way. Training begins in June, with a rollout on July 16th. We’ll keep our eyes peeled for more details. Crunch Network: CrunchBase the free database of technology companies, people, and investors
Source: MobileCrunch | 5 May 2009 | 6:59 pm Gadgetell Guide: What to expect with Windows 7 RC1Section: Computers, Software / Applications, Features, Originals
Ok, assuming you are still ready to check out Windows 7 RC1, if you have not gotten your download, then it may be a good time to get that started. Here is the download link. [Download Windows 7 RC1] After you have completed the download, you will have to burn the ISO to a DVD and get ready to perform the installation. Don’t forget to back up those files first. For those running Windows XP, you will have to do a clean install and those running Windows Vista will be able to upgrade. Additionally, if you were running Windows 7 beta 7000 you will also have to perform a clean install. Personally I would suggest doing a clean install regardless of your current OS as this will give you a nice clean starting point. Now, as to what you can expect with Windows 7 RC1; if you have been running beta 7000 then you will not see much in the way of change. Overall the look remains the same however there will be a few key features which include some overall improvements in terms of stability and performance. Of course, like I previously mentioned, my current Windows 7 experience has been pretty smooth so far. Those that are new to Windows 7 expect to see:
Windows 7 also comes with support for multitouch, but unfortunately many (myself included) will not be able to experience that due to the lack of a touch-capable display. Finally, Windows 7 RC1 will be free to use until June 1, 2010, however there is a catch. That catch is as of March 1, 2010 your computer will automatically shut down every two hours. In other words, be prepared to install another operating system come March 1, 2010. As for required specs, you will need;
Otherwise, finish up that download, burn the ISO, install Windows 7 and begin enjoying what we have to look forward to. Download [Windows 7] Full Story » | Written by Robert Nelson for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 May 2009 | 6:43 pm New Race Car Runs on ChocolateA race car fueled by chocolate waste is designed to reach 145 mph.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 6:31 pm JJ, you popped my Star (An open letter to JJ Abrams about losing my virginity to the new Star Trek)
You don't know this, but I lost my virginity to you last week. Let me begin by saying this: I don't watch movies or TV shows with "Star" in the title. I have never seen Star Wars, Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Starship Troopers or even Rock Star. They weren't readily available when I was growing up in Tokyo, and when I tried to watch Star Wars: Episode One at a movie theater upon arriving in this country for college, I fell asleep within the first half hour. When my boyfriend watches Battlestar Galactica on TV, I always end up picking at my fingers or pulling feathers out of the couch. It's nothing personal. I guess I just don't have enough points of reference in the imagined future that allow me to enjoy them. Or maybe I'm just wired differently than Star movie watchers. After a while, I just lost interest. Then along you came with this new "Star" Trek movie. And it confused me because as much as I wanted to hang onto my pure Star-free existence, a part of me was curious, too curious, about what it would be like. So when someone offered me a free ticket to the press preview last week, I decided to go for it. I'm a dedicated Lost fan, and decided that if I was ever going to lose my Star virginity, I should lose it to you. So I did it. I watched your Star Trek movie. I thought the theatrics were great. So much drama from the instant it starts (*spoilers ahead*) ...the planet that's about to get blown up, the beautiful pregnant girl that must be saved, the imminent evil that only the greatest warrior can combat by sacrificing his own life. I was with you up to there. Then Spock appeared, and the confusion set in. There are so many things that still don't make sense to me. Here are some of my looming questions. First of all, why do the Vulcans have bowl cuts? Even if they're the same race, couldn't they conceivably have different textured hair, or slightly different styles? Is it like how Sikhs wear turbans--a religious symbol? Are Asian school boys styled after Vulcans, or is it the other way around? I also wonder about the evolutionary purpose of their pointy ears. Why do the bad guys live in a fort with giant deadly holes that they themselves could fall into and die? How does Mr. Spock end up with Uhura? She's so beautiful and he's so awkward and ambiguous. What does she think of his haircut? What are "Star Years"? Do the Star Years and Star fleet numbers have some mystical meaning like the numbers on the hatch in Lost? Why is there one girl in the Star Fleet Academy who is painted green? Is she the token green girl? What do the other classmates think of her? Do green folk coincidentally have similar sexual behaviors as Americans, or did she learn that from having lived in America for several years? Why is there an augmented reality head face that looks like President Bush floating around in the evil guys' fort in the beginning? What do Vulcans and toilet paper have in common? (Ok, I actually know this one. This last one is a joke some fanboy in the audience shouted out before the screening. Punchline below.*) Also, during last week's Lost, I saw a trailer of Star Trek in which Kirk is being chased by a giant monster in snow country. I totally don't remember seeing that--did I fall asleep at some point in the movie? Please don't take it personally. I don't think my nap lasted for too long--just a quick picker-upper. I am notorious for falling asleep during movies, especially ones I have a hard time understanding. After a lifetime of not understanding Star movies, a few minutes here and there were completely inevitable. Sorry! Despite all my questions, I thought the film was really good. How do I feel about having finally lost my Star virginity? On the one hand, I feel like I crossed a major milestone in my life. I am no longer a Star virgin. Woohoo! But a part of me feels dirty. Tarnished for life. Impure. Sullied. A fallen woman. I've lost my innocence forever. But I think it had to happen sometime, and I didn't want to miss my chance to lose it to the right guy. JJ, I don't regret losing it to you. Thanks for being my first. xoxoxoxo, *They're both trying to reach Uranus and avoid cling-ons. Which reminds me: what the hell are cling-ons? Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 6:29 pm Target luring in Mother’s Day shoppers with iPod nano and DS lite bundle discountsFROM GAMERTELL - Target’s weekly ad for May 3 - 10, 2009 shows the DS lite lime green bundle on sale for $139, and 8gb iPod nanos going for $146 with a free Soap & Glory gift set. Full Story » | Written by NEWS for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 May 2009 | 6:27 pm Dr Pepper Artifact Points to Original FormulaAn old drugstore ledger now up for auction has a recipe for "D Peppers Pepsin Bitters."Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 6:25 pm Does iPhone OS 3.0 take better photos than 2.2.1?
You can’t up a camera’s megapixel count without a hardware change, but there are a good number of things that can be done in the software to improve photo quality. You can tweak the color filters, or polish up auto-exposure for example. We’re not quite sure what Apple changed in the iPhone 3.0 firmware camera settings, but it looks like it was for the better. Russian iPhone fan site iPhones.ru took roughly 30 sample shots between two iPhones, one running the old firmware, one on the new. Everytime, they say, image clarity and contrast was improved. Of course, there’s no saying that one of the lenses wasn’t just a bit smudgier than the other, nor can we prove that these guys didn’t take the 2.2.1 shots while riding on a unicycle - but the idea that Apple brushed up the camera’s software settings between releases doesn’t seem too crazy to us. [Via Giz] Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.
Source: MobileCrunch | 5 May 2009 | 6:00 pm A history of Star Trek porn
io9 compiled a fascinating guide with vids, pics and links [again NSFW]. Some flicks do a relatively-clever job of tweaking original plot lines and character names: The adaptation of "The Man Trap," "The Man Eater," is also pretty faithful, including the fact that she's Doctor McJoy's former fiance, and she can transform herself to look like anyone. Except instead of sucking the salt out of people, she sucks the... Prediction: JJ Abrams' prequel will affect this genre of porn by instigating a call for better special effects and dialog.
Previously:
Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 6:00 pm From ONN: Why Trekkies are bashing the new Star TrekFrom the Onion News Network, a fun clip about why hardcore Trekkies are complaining about the new Star Trek. Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 5:51 pm Botnets Took Control of 12 Million New IPs this YearBotnet criminals have taken control of almost 12 million new IP addresses since January, according to a report from anti-virus firm, McAfee. That represents a 50 percent increase over the same period in 2008.
Source: Wired Top Stories | 5 May 2009 | 5:39 pm Rome's 'Talking Statues' Get SanitizedStatues that have served as platforms for satirical Romans for centuries get a clean up.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 5:25 pm Microsoft’s ‘Laptop Hunter’ Ads Made on Macs?
Here’s something that should get Mac fan boys foaming at the mouth. Pictured above is the office of Alex Bogusky, the brains behind Microsoft’s new Laptop Hunter commercials. Sure enough, those are two MacBook Pros sitting on his desk. And pictured below is the surrounding office space of the ad agency, Crispin Porter + Bogusky. Yup, those are Macs, too. That could suggest the advertisements bashing Mac computers and users were themselves created on Macs. We’re not judging: Since when are ad agencies obligated to use the products they’re helping sell? We just love the irony.
Portrait of the Artist as a Young Slut [Rixstep via Cult of Mac] Photos: Rixstep
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 5 May 2009 | 5:16 pm Rumored details and photos leaked for Amazon Kindle event Images and details have been leaked online regarding a new Amazon Kindle device, which is supposed to be announced during a scheduled event on Wednesday. Don’t worry, Gadgetell will be there live blogging it. The event is to be held in Manhattan and sources say a larger version of Kindle is expected to make its debut. Engadget first broke the news and included blurry photos of what appears to be a significantly larger version of the Kindle 2. Initial reports are saying that this new version of Kindle will be called the Kindle DX and include a 9.7 inch screen. The Kindle 2 screen measures in at 6 inches. Additional rumors include upgrades to the Kindle DX with a built in PDF reader and an application that will permit adding annotations to the different e-books and magazines. Other buzz is also saying that the NY Times will now be lowering its subscription rate for Kindle to $9.99. Additional details are expected to be announced tomorrow after the Amazon event. No word yet on the price of this new Kindle or if it will have touch screen capabilities. Read: [Engadget] Full Story » | Written by Heather Wood for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 May 2009 | 5:08 pm Best Buds: 4 Custom-Made Headphones RatedWho makes the best custom built earbuds? Wired reporter Jackson Lynch gets his ears filled with putty and sends the moulds off to four different high-end earbud makers to find out.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 5:05 pm USS Enterprise webcam
This Star Trek-themed USB webcam is a replica of the USS Enterprise. [via Everything USB] Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 4:40 pm BLOG: Mexico's Toughest AnimalsOn this Cinco de Mayo, explore a top 10 look at Mexico's hardiest animals.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 4:35 pm BlackBerry: We are non-corporate rebels and we’re streaking the quad!Section: Communications, Cellphones, Email / IM, Smartphones, Mobile
Led by slimmer and more stylish phones like the Curve, Pearl and all-the-rage types like the Storm, BlackBerry has managed to shift its brand from stodgy old white guys in suites to hipsters and common man/women everywhere. Even U2 is rocking the BlackBerry. Now word comes that the Blackberry is outselling the iPhone. How the heck did they manage that? From the 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing:
Was this transformation a very careful maneuver? I am not so sure, I mean look at the sheer number of phones they’ve thrown at the market. It seems like more a shotgun effect and see what sticks. Their one winning strategy is get devices on every carrier; something Palm needs to think long and hard about with its new Pre and webOS. With the Storm on Verizon, seen by many of us as a challenge to the iPhone, the phone managed to sell over a million units since launch here in the US. Not too shabby for a phone that’s been bashed by most of the tech press, and for good reason. The phone just didn’t provide the experience Blackberry users expected nor did it compete with the iPhone in terms of usability. However, RIM seems convinced to get it right. In the wings is the next-generation Storm that is sure to fix some of the woes the first one suffered from. A reworked text input method as well as possible Wi-Fi onboard has been rumored. As consumers become the target of the company, we can expect more smartphones in more designs on more carriers. Clearly, RIM is working very hard and its growth and sales prove the point. Source: [Reuters] Full Story » | Written by JG Mason for Gadgetell. | Comment on this Article » Source: Gadgetell | 5 May 2009 | 4:10 pm Disease Threatening Bees in South AfricaHundreds of thousands of bees are at risk from a disease sweeping through hives.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 4:05 pm LogMeIn Coming Soon To The BlackBerry Storm
Another day of WES2009, another day of BlackBerry news. This morning brings an announcement from LogMeIn, makers of the remote desktop access software of the same name. For those unfamiliar with the concept, LogMeIn allows you to control a Windows or Mac computer from another terminal across the internet. Previously, the term “terminal” here was limited to meaning any PC or system with an up-to-snuff browser. As of December, the launch of LogMeIn Ignition expanded it to include the iPhone. This morning, LogMeIn is announcing that they’ll soon be throwing the BlackBerry Storm into the mix as well.
The application isn’t ready to go just yet, but they’ve got an alpha release of it on display on the WES2009 showroom floor. Pricing info has not be disclosed thus far, but I’d imagine that it’ll go for something around the same price as the iPhone release: thirty bucks. The notable features:
We haven’t had the opportunity to check out the new Storm app yet, but I can’t say I’ve had the best of luck with the iPhone version. I run a dual monitor set up, which LogMeIn supports. Unfortunately, one of my monitors runs at a fairly high resolution. Unless I unplug that monitor first, LogMeIn Ignition curls up and starts to cry as soon as I connect, claiming limited memory as the blame. Oh well - hopefully such setups fair a bit better on the Storm. The LogMeIn alpha is currently private, but folks interested in getting beta access can check out www.LogMeIn.com/StormPreview. Crunch Network: CrunchBoard because it’s time for you to find a new Job2.0
Source: MobileCrunch | 5 May 2009 | 3:53 pm Swine Flu-Bound Mexicans Turn to WebMexicans start to tire of the virtual world amid a long swine flu-induced isolation.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 3:15 pm WIDE ANGLE: Earth's Greatest MountainsGet dispatches from an Everest trek and explore how huge mountains grew.Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 5 May 2009 | 2:25 pm Textbook Error: Large-Screen Kindle Photos Leaked
These rather blurry pictures come to us by way of the folks at Engadget, and to them from an anonymous tipster. They show the new Kindle, which will probably be announced tomorrow. The details: a 9.7-inch display, bigger than the six inches of the regular Kindle; a PDF reader (at last) and a new “annotation” function, which is added to the the notes and highlighting features of the current model. As I speculated yesterday, this doesn’t look like the saviour of newspapers as much as a way for Amazon to clean up in the textbook market. Textbook sized pages? Check. Note-adding capabilities? Check. Support for standard e-documents (PDF)? Check, check, check. We don’t have long to wait now, as the Amazon announcement, whatever it may be, is tomorrow. A textbook Kindle, though, could be a huge hit. Lighter than the books it replaces, possibly even cheaper than those books and targeted at a consumer who neither cares for the “romance” of dead trees nor for endlessly flipping through paper pages to find their notes. This, we think, could be the real tipping point for the e-book. Still unknown: What this large-screen e-book reader will actually be called. Engadget refers to it as the “Kindle DX,” but without citing any sources, so we assume that they’re making up names, same as everyone else. GigaOm’s Om Malik calls it Kindle HD, and we prefer the more direct and American Kindle XL. What do you think, readers? Amazon Kindle DX to feature 9.7-inch display? Update: Pictures! [Engadget. Thanks, John!] See Also:
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 5 May 2009 | 1:20 pm Textbook Error: Large-Screen Kindle Photos LeakedAny doubts about a large-format Amazon Kindle being announced Wednesday should be quashed by these leaked photos of the device.
Source: Wired: Gadgets | 5 May 2009 | 1:20 pm Unreleased Android-running HTC Hero caught on camera
Lookie, lookie. It seems that HTC’s next Android handset couldn’t avoid the geek paparazzi. We hear that this phone is the rumored HTC Hero and might get a release sometime in Q3 of this year, which sounds ’bout right if working handsets are already in the wild. The overall design countiunes the cues set by both the G1 and Magic, but this incarnation doesn’t sport a track ball on the trademark chin. Also, it seems that this HTC handset might have a real life 3.5mm jack. Given HTC’s track record of Internet leaks, we’ll probably see more of this handset before too long. Crunch Network: TechCrunch obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies
Source: MobileCrunch | 5 May 2009 | 1:09 pm ‘Slide to Unlock’ Doormat Turns Entrance into iDoor
The “Slide to Unlock” mat is, of course, a play on the iPhone’s unlock screen and joins the “127.0.0.1” doormat in our hallway of, erm, doormat fame. I’d actually buy one of these except that I live on the top floor of the building and there is only one neighbor who would see it. He also happens to be the only person in the world who would both get the joke immediately and at the same time hate me because of it. Thanks, neighbor. Enjoy trying to sleep this weekend when we have our late night karaoke party. Product page [Meninos via Oh Gizmo!]
Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 5 May 2009 | 12:39 pm
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Everyone, take notice: 
Amazon hasn’t even introduced its newest iteration of the Kindle — 
A lot of people don’t realize just how costly and bandwidth intensive streaming live video on the web is from a back-end perspective. There’s a reason YouTube hasn’t launched a live service and Yahoo had to shut its down. Most end users never have to deal with such concerns because they use a service like Ustream, Justin.tv or 
The Boston Globe can keep printing.
DailyCandy CEO Pete Sheinbaum is leaving the company, less than a year after 
The Sap Cap is supposedly named for the heavy, lead-like weight contained within, making it the perfect on-the-go weapon for the busy sociopath. We suspect, though, that it is in fact named for the customer himself, a sap who thinks that putting a heavy weight on his head is somehow more convenient than the time honored improv-weapon: a few pool balls in a sock.
We’re here at the 
The various state attorneys general have focused like a laser on Craigslist these past weeks. Like most politicians hoping to get reelected, Attorneys General tend to follow the press and jump in front of any parade they see. 
Disney confirmed Tuesday that it has reassigned employees at Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure who watched for breast-baring riders because "actual inappropriate behaviors by guests are rare."
Say you’re a wireless carrier with an exclusive deal on the hottest wireless device with the most popular application store. What do you do? Well, up until now, AT&T’s answer has been basically nothing. It had released zero apps taking advantage of the fast growing iPhone platform. Today, it finally got around to 
As we move away (as a species) from wasteful incandescent bulbs, we’re going to have to deal with some changes in how the world looks. The cold, bright light of a white LED array is great for a flashlight, but a little clinical for mood lighting. Similar issues plague CFL bulbs, and let’s not even get into the flicker. But it doesn’t mean we don’t have to go into this new, harshly lit world without fussing about it. Modifying LEDs will be a profitable business for the next decade or so, as evidenced by Nexxus Lighting Inc, whose Quantum Light Lamp sells for $100.
Welcome to Shields Up! This weekly column will cover all things related to computer and internet security as well as staying safe as you surf the net. We’ll cover spams, scams, phishing, malware, and more. 
First things first, while Windows 7 should be stable, it is important to point out that this is still a Release Candidate. In other words, this is not the final release and you may experience an issue or two. That said, I have been running Windows 7 beta 7000 since that became available several months ago and it has been smooth sailing. Bottom line, make sure you back up any data before you do an install just in case something happens. Also if something does go wrong, don’t say we did not warn you. 
The thing about tech is you stop paying attention for a few minutes and the whole game changes. Apparently, BlackBerry’s customer base is now over 50% non-corporate, according to CEO Jim Balsillie. If you’ve not been paying attention to BlackBerry, like me, you might have missed this transformation. Regardless, they are bending, if not breaking, “immutable laws”.
This ugly rubber doormat costs $50. Despite this setback, it rocks, being the home-ornament equivalent of full frontal nerdity.