Previously:

• EU kills "3-strikes" Internet rule, affirms Internet is a ...
• French "three-strikes" copyright law passes -- but may be dead ...
• French film-makers and science fiction writers protest new anti ...
• French government nukes crazy Internet law in open revolt against ...
• For sale: One French Internet, slightly sarkoed - Boing Boing
• Entertainment industry's greedy lobbying is their undoing - Boing ...
• U2's manager wants the power to cut off your Internet connection ...

Previously:

• Julia Dales: beat boxing champion - Boing Boing
• Beatbox Rave Oonsk-Oonsking with a Jaw Harp - Boing Boing
• BBtv: Russell Porter with human beatbox Beardyman (music) - Boing ...
• Amazing human beatbox guy on French "American Idol" (video ...
• Software turns human beatbox into close-match samples from videos ...
• More human beatboxen: "concert sauvage dans le metro!" - Boing Boing
• Super Mario theme played on a balalaika - Boing Boing
• Laser cutter motors play Super Mario theme - Boing Boing
• Custom Mario levels used as rhythm section for anime theme medley ...
• Super Mario theme on three trombones - Boing Boing
• Super Mario theme on 15 exotic instruments - Boing Boing
• Amateur band performs Super Mario theme on marimba - Boing Boing
• Guitar virtuoso performs Super Mario Brothers theme - Boing Boing

Source: Gizmodo | 22 May 2009 | 9:50 am

Energy Star For Servers Falls Short

tsamsoniw writes "The newly released Energy Star requirements for servers may not prove all too useful for companies shopping for the most energy-efficient machines on the market, InfoWorld reports. For starters, the spec only considers how much power a server consumes when it's idling, rather than gauging energy consumption at various levels of utilization. That's like focusing on how much gas a vehicle consumes at stop lights instead of when it's moving. Also, the spec doesn't care whether a server's processors have one core or multiple cores — even though multi-core servers deliver more work at fewer watts. Though this first version of Energy Star for servers isn't entirely without merit, the EPA needs to refine the spec to make it more meaningful."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 22 May 2009 | 9:47 am

New MSI Wind Ships with TV-Tuner

In the churning sea of homogenous mundanity that is the netbook market, a tiny extra feature is enough to poke above the waves and catch the attention of customers circling in rescue helicopters above. Yes, I stretched that metaphor too far, and I’m sorry.

MSI’s new Wind U123 distinguishes itself with not none, but one, stand-out feature: a TV tuner. In addition to the usual array of holes around the rim of the machine (USB, mic in and line out, RJ45 jack, D-sub video-out and a multi-card reader) there is a TV antenna connector. It might not sound like much, but it’s pretty smart on a few levels. First, even if you have no internet you have access to free TV pretty much anywhere in the world. And if you hook the Wind up to a bigger screen at home, you now have one extra extra quill in your home entertainment quiver (sorry, again).

The U123 also has the new 1.66GHz N280 Atom processor, which performs only a little faster than its ubiquitous predecessor but uses a lot less power. And as for power, the U123 doesn’t even bother with those lowlife 3-cell batteries. Instead you get a choice of a sic-cell or the huge nine-cell, which is enough to watch a whole day of Pop-Idol re-runs. $380, available now.

Product page [MSI. Thanks, Mark!]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 May 2009 | 9:35 am

Apple says no Project Gutenberg for iPhone because some old books are dirty

Apple has rejected Eucalyptus, an ebook reader that facilitates downloading public domain books from Project Gutenberg, because some Victorian books mention sex (many of these same books can be bought as ebooks through the iPhone Kindle reader or purchased as audiobooks from the iTunes store). It's amazing to think that in 2009 a phone manufacturer wants to dictate which literature its customers should be allowed to download and read on their devices.

Thank you for submitting Eucalyptus -- classic books, to go. to the App Store. We've reviewed Eucalyptus -- classic books, to go. and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains inappropriate sexual content and is in violation of Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement which states:

"Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple's reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users."

Please view the attached screenshot for further information.

Remember, Apple is also petitioning the government to make it illegal to install any application on your phone that they haven't approved.

Whither Eucalyptus?

Source: Boing Boing | 22 May 2009 | 9:14 am

Acer eyes Japan growth with new cheap laptop

Source: Gizmodo | 22 May 2009 | 8:58 am

Infinity Ventures Summit In Sapporo: 12 Japanese Startups Set Out Their Pitches (Part 1: The Five Winners)

I am currently in Sapporo/Japan, attending the Infinity Ventures Summit (IVS) [this and many of the following links are in Japanese], a two-day event that takes place twice a year. Organizing VC company Infinity Venture Partners regularly not only attracts the cream of the crop of the domestic web industry but also a number of high-profile attendees from abroad. This time, these include RockYou CTO and founder Jia Shen (whose company is currently expanding to Japan), Admob CEO Omar Hamoui, (who today announced Admob’s foray into the Japanese market), Korean web entrepreneur Chang Kim (who recently sold his Seoul-based company to Google and writes a highly recommended English blog about Korea’s web scene) and Casee CEO Xin Ye (Casee is China’s answer to Admob).

The program also includes a launch pad, which just took place and gave a total of 12 Japanese start-ups the chance to present their wares onstage to a panel of judges and a crowd of about 300 people. But the word “Launch Pad” is a slight misnomer as IVS serves as a venue also for established start-ups to get their products in front of as many influential bloggers, VCs and entrepreneurs as possible. So unlike TechCrunch50, for example, the IVS concept doesn’t require companies to actually start businesses here.

In the end, a service called MotionPortrait won the title of best startup of the IVS Launch Pad.

You can read my thumbnail sketch of each of the five award-winning contenders below, along with my personal impressions. Please note some of the companies have yet to launch homepages in English.

MotionPortrait

Best of show went to Sony-backed MotionPortrait, whose technology makes it possible to generate a 3D face model based on a single 2D picture. The model can then be spiced up with various animations and graphical effects. You can make people dance, frown, laugh or even replace an actor’s face in a movie with your own.

MotionPortrait isn’t limited to human faces, as you can manipulate pictures of animals and objects in the same way (think dancing Easter Island statues or laughing leopards).

This may sound slightly goofy, but the technology is really impressive. MotionPortrait operates in a crowded market, but the technology is in my view more powerful than the one Israel-based Gizmoz offers, for example. Very cool stuff that can be used in games, virtual worlds, advertising campaigns or social networks.

Watch the video below for a demo.

Deqwas A recommendation engine called Deqwas came in second. Developed by Tokyo-based Scigineer, the engine is currently being used by over 30 e-commerce sites, blogs and social networking sites in the fixed and mobile web. The company also managed to license out its technology to US-based services, i.e. to this online bridal store. Deqwas is financially backed by cross-country (US and Japan) incubator Innovation Kitchen, a Mitsubishi subsidiary.

Vizoo I really liked the concept behind second-ranked Vizoo (there wasn’t a third prize this time), a YouTube for graphs. Developed by Tokyo- and Chicago-based Fillmore Advisory, the service will be available in English “in the near future”, as Vizoo representative Kosuke Mori told me.

Asked what the main difference between his service and American counterparts icharts or Swivel is, Mori said Vizoo offers users rich data bases they can immediately start working with. Graphs can be created using Vizoo or won data, tagged and commented on. The graphs can later be shared not only on Vizoo itself but also integrated into other sites and widgetized. Very useful for business analysts, journalists, scientists etc., but I see difficulties in monetizing the site. Still Mori is optimistic, saying by launching Vizoo, he wants to “destroy” established players like Bloomberg or Reuters.

Cerevo A new photo management service called Cerevo came in fourth at the show. The company intends to provide a double-sided solution for people wanting to send and share pictures online by not only developing a new photo management site but also manufacturing a digital camera completely from scratch.

The camera will automatically send pictures users took to Cerevo’s “online photo album” via Wifi. At the same time, users are notified through a message going to their inbox. You can then send pictures stored on Cerevo servers to friends or to various social networks using email. The big idea here is that the camera is only needed to take the pictures. Users don’t need direct access to the device or files in order to share pictures with others. Cerevo claims the concept is unique on a worldwide level.

CEO Takuma Iwasa said his company (that he established after leaving Panasonic - a rare move in big company-crazy Japan) plans to sell the camera worldwide starting this summer (the project is currently in prototype status). We will stay tuned.

Ameba Pigg The award for fifth place went to Ameba Pigg, a virtual world developed by Tokyo-based Internet giant Cyberagent. Ameba Pigg saw 350,000 registrations since its launch three months ago, with development taking just four months.

Ameba Pigg, which is available in Japanese only, is your typical teenager-focused virtual world with cute avatars, flashy settings and annoying sound effects. There are dozens of virtual worlds like this out there. Nothing special. Watch the video to get an impression of Ameba Pigg’s look and feel.

I will cover the seven other Japanese startups that presented at the launch pad in a separate post.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 22 May 2009 | 8:49 am

T-Minus: graphic novel tells the history of the space race

Jim Ottaviani's new science history graphic novel, T-Minus: The Race to the Moon, is a fast-paced, informative recounting of the events beginning with the launch of Sputnik, the first human-made satellite on Oct 4, 1957, to the first human landing on the moon on July 20, 1969.

I know Ottaviani's work through his much older book Dignifying Science: Stories About Women Scientists, which is one of my favorite comic history books, a vivid retelling of the lives of some of science's most inspiring women.

With T-Minus Ottaviani once again brings the human side of science to life, conveying the passion, the wonder, and the frustrations of the scientists and engineers who "fought" the space race on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Superbly researched, T-Minus never lets go of the story, but still finds many sneaky ways of inserting the hard data about the rockets, their capabilities, and the scientists who worked on them into the book.

Intended for young adults, this title was incredibly satisfying to me, an adult-adult (which is as it should be). I could also appreciate how a younger me would have revelled in the frequent sidebars giving diagrams and statistics for each rocket launched in the race, and both of us appreciated the lovely attention to the human details in the lives of the people in the story, like the cosmonaut whose father thinks "sitting on a rocket is no work for a grown man," the sheer wonder conveyed in the real-life words of the first people to do spacewalks, the Gulag-haunted Russian scientist Sergei Pavlovich's chronic (and eventually fatal) injuries from his prison term, and many other gracenotes.

As a history book or a diverting and inspiring story, T-Minus gets the job done.

T-Minus: The Race to the Moon

Source: Boing Boing | 22 May 2009 | 8:43 am

Japan’s camera of the year: Canon EOS 5D Mark II

Japan has chosen its camera of the year 2009 (pretty early) and Canon was awarded top honors. The full HD EOS 5D Mark II, equipped with a 21.1MP 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor, has been named “Camera of the Year” in the Japanese Camera Grand Prix 2009.

The Camera Grand Prix is the most prestigious award in Japan’s photo industry, Canon’s device was voted the most impressive camera released in Japan between April 1, 2008, and March 31, 2009. Since its inception in 1984, Canon won the award eight times.

The jury, which consists of tech journalists and professionals from the photo industry, was apparently most impressed by the HD EOS 5D Mark II’s CMOS sensor, the image processor, its cost performance and superior usability.

Canon seems to have a winner here. Three weeks ago, the same camera also won the award for “Best Digital SLR Expert in 2009” given by a total of 29 photography magazines across 13 different countries in Europe.

Source: CrunchGear | 22 May 2009 | 8:24 am

Let’s Stop Picking On Those iPhone App Reviewers. Actually, Let’s Not.

I sincerely hope that a part of Apple’s WWDC iPhone announcement plans involves a complete overhaul of the application reviewing process. Because right now, quite frankly, it absolutely sucks. I’ve harped on this for a while, across multiple sites, but the fact remains that the process by which an app can live or die is completely random based solely on the app reviewer themselves. I’m not necessarily saying those people are bad at their jobs, but I’m saying they’re overworked, and Apple needs to alleviate the problem — pronto.

The latest incident is one of the most ridiculous. Apple has rejected the Eucalyptus eBook reader app because you can find the Kama Sutra on it. Are you kidding me? Not only can you easily find the sexually provocative book pretty much anywhere on the web in general — because it’s been around for hundreds of years — but if any kid walks into any book store across this country, they can find it and read it there.

Yes, the material includes explicit references, but you can already view it from apps like Stanza, Amazon’s Kindle app and yes, even mobile Safari. It’s so utterly ridiculous that Apple would ban one app on these grounds but allow all others to pass. The developer has been going back and forth with Apple over the past two weeks, trying to get the app approved, but they refuse. So I’m going to add to an already raging fire and attempt to get them to reconsider.

Apple: The goddamn book in question is a part of Project Guttenberg, which Eucalyptus scours for many of its other books. If you really expect the app to remove that one book from the entire project, you’re insane. Instead, you need to let this app pass, just as you have for the multiple other apps that can access this book in various ways and go about your day finding apps that are actually malicious in their intent.

At one point in the entire long back and forth with the developer, Apple suggests resubmitting the app once the parental controls are in place with the iPhone 3.0 software. Well that’s great. Why not make all developers who have been working their asses off to contribute to the huge success of the App Store wait a few months (likely until July) to be able to profit from their work? That makes a lot more sense than just fixing the idiotic process by which apps are approved.

Seriously, fix this Apple. While you may have not foreseen such problems, if you truly want to dominate this space, you need to adapt and do what is right by the developers. This does not include rejecting apps because they access publically available books that refer to rubbing a woman’s “yoni.” And if you really have a problem with that, ban all the apps that can access such material — including your own Safari app. Stop being such ridiculous prudes.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

Source: TechCrunch | 22 May 2009 | 8:12 am

Bletchley Park snubbed by Brit govt, no love for birthplace of computing

The wonderful, historical, underfunded Bletchley Park site shows no sign of being funded as a public museum by the British Government. Bletchley was the site of the effort to crack Axis codes during WWII and is the birthplace of modern computing and cryptography. It is the nerd equivalent of the pyramids at Giza or Stonehenge, and it's falling apart.

"We have no plans at present to associate it with the Imperial War Museum," Lord Davies said. "The House is all too well aware of the significance of designating any area in association with a museum of that rank, but I want to give an assurance that Bletchley Park will continue to develop under the resources made available to it."

Bletchley Park, home to UK code-breakers such as Alan Turing is being preserved as a museum, but has been facing a funding crises of late. It was recently awarded around £600,000 by Milton Keynes Council and English Heritage, as well as a further £100,000 by IBM and PGP...

"My Lords, I declare an indirect interest in that my father was a beneficiary of the Ultra intelligence derived from the work done by the noble Baroness, Lady Trumpington, and others," the Viscount said. "To go a bit further than what other noble Lords have proposed, does the noble Lord not think that Bletchley Park should be turned into a full-scale national museum on the same terms as the Imperial War Museum or many of our other national museums?"

UK Snubs Support For Home of WWII Enigma (via /.)



Source: Gizmodo | 22 May 2009 | 8:03 am

Indonesian imams OK Facebook - but no flirting! (AP)

AP - Muslim clerics debating the exploding popularity of Facebook in Indonesia said Friday that followers could use the networking site to connect with friends or for work — but not to gossip or flirt.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 22 May 2009 | 7:31 am

Night In Front of Console More Popular Than Night At Movies [Voices]

US consumers are more likely to have played video games over the last six months than gone out to see a movie, though neither activity is as popular as listening to music. Still, gamers are spreading their wings and using more mediums, and they continue to spend money on their favorite pastime.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 22 May 2009 | 7:05 am

Joost Boldly Goes Where Hulu Wouldn’t [Voices]

Independent developer Paul Yanez, who seems to make a game of adding functionality to web video platforms whether they like it or not, has built an Adobe AIR app for Joost called the Joost Media Player.

This is delightfully ironic for a number of reasons.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 22 May 2009 | 7:04 am

Web 2.0: Managing Corporate Reputations [Voices]

Companies are scrambling to silence errant messages while exploiting social networks.

Zachary Weiner, the CEO of Chicago boutique ad agency Luxuryreach, has had quite a time in social networking land of late. Recent adventures include employees twittering about how demanding Weiner is, how hung over they feel, and how “totally not into” the client they are.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 22 May 2009 | 7:03 am

Silicon Valley Flexes Political Muscle [Voices]

Silicon Valley lore has it that in 1996, when prominent technology venture capitalist E. Floyd Kvamme tried to arrange a meeting with presidential candidate Bob Dole, all he got was 15 minutes in a holding room at the San Jose airport.

Much has changed since then. The headquarters of Google and Yahoo are now requisite stops on the campaign trail, and money made from technology companies flows freely towards Washington and Sacramento.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 22 May 2009 | 7:02 am

A Good Day For Phishing On Facebook and Twitter [Voices]

Phishing attacks seem to have become a regular hazard for Twitter and Facebook users, and lots of people are falling for them.

Phishing is one of those things that will, it seems, always be with us: indeed, the more secure we make our systems, the more likely the bad guys are to go for the “social engineering” approach.

Read the rest of this post on the original site

Source: All Things Digital | 22 May 2009 | 7:01 am

No Museum Status For UK Home of Enigma Machine

hardsix writes "Despite the numerous films, books and plays, celebrating the brilliant achievements of the code-breakers at Bletchley Park, the UK government is still dragging its feet over providing proper support for the site. There has just been a debate in the House of Lords over whether the site should be given similar status to the UK's main WWII museum — the Imperial War Museum. But the government has brushed off the request, claiming that the site has received enough funding recently. However, as was shown by a visit to the site by UK actor, and Twitter-lover Stephen Fry, although devices such as Enigma have been restored many of the huts where the code-breaking work went on are in a bad state and more investment is needed."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 22 May 2009 | 7:00 am

Starbucks Twitter campaign hijacked by documentary about Starbucks' union-busting

Filmmaker Robert Greenwald's documentary about sleazy unionbusting at Starbucks debuted the same day as Starbucks new Twitter campaign, so he hijacked the campaign to spread information about Starbucks' bad labor practices.

On a blog post published at the anti-Starbucks website Brave New Films created, people were encouraged to take pictures of themselves in front of Starbucks stores holding signs targeted at the company's "anti-labor practices." These users are then told to upload these photos onto Twitpic and tweet them out to their followers using the hashtags #top3percent and #starbucks. According to the post, these are the official hashtags that were designated by Starbucks itself for those who wanted to enter its contest. Within hours, several people had followed these guidelines and there were dozens of Twitpics in front of stores across the country.

As of this writing, the anti-Starbucks YouTube video has amassed over 30,000 views and was featured on the front page of social news site Digg. Greenwald said that Brave New Films is not done with its offensive against the coffee company, but he was hesitant to reveal his next steps.

Anti-Starbucks filmmakers hijack the coffee company's own Twitter marketing campaign (Thanks, Simon!)


Source: Boing Boing | 22 May 2009 | 4:57 am

SF movies from bygone days were inflation-adjusted blockbusters

John Scalzi's run the inflation-adjusted box-office numbers for science fiction movies since 1931's Frankenstein and discovered that sf has always been in blockbuster territory:

On the Beach (1959)
One of earliest movies to use a science fiction premise (nuclear apolcalypse! Everybody dies!) without actually advertising itself as science fiction -- because Gregory Peck couldn't possibly be in a science fiction movie, you see. Be that as it may, not only was the picture lauded for its intelligent portrayal of people dealing with the end of life as we know it, it also brought in the equivalent of close to $140 million. It will be interesting to see if The Road, a similarly-themed post-apocalyptic flick also not advertising itself as science fiction, comes close to these numbers when it's released later this year.

Planet of the Apes and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Prior to Star Wars, this was science fiction's one-two punch at the box office, and it was a pretty hefty combination: Planet of the Apes, helped by the star power of Charlton Heston, brought in $32 million -- equivalent to $175 million today, and a sum no one would complain about. 2001, with its groundbreaking special effects and oh-so-serious weirdness, did even better: $56 million, or just over $300 million today, which would have put it at number four in last year's box office list, just below the latest Indiana Jones flick. The two movies in fact helped spur a series of largely dystopic, serious-minded science fiction flicks, such as Silent Running and Soylent Green (not to mention, in the case of Apes, a bunch of sequels).

John Scalzi - SciFi Movies Made Money Before Star Wars, Too


Source: Boing Boing | 22 May 2009 | 4:52 am

Tory MP says it was OK to bill taxpayer for his 500 tree forest, critics are "jealous" of his private forest

People outside of the UK might have missed the huge scandal over MPs' expenses -- basically, it turns out that Members of Parliament have been billing the public for all kinds of crazy things, including mortgages that they'd already paid off, maintenance on their moats (I shit you not) and pools, tampons (for male MPs), private security details, and so on. Most MPs have fallen over themselves to apologize for their unethical behavior.

Not Tory MP Anthony Steen.

Steen billed the taxpayer for maintenance of his 500-tree forest, upkeep of which was apparently necessary to the conducting of his duties at Parliament.

Steen says that constituents who resent their tax money going to pay for his forest are "just jealous."

After pondering the question of exactly why people were so angry over his claim for the treatment of 500 trees in the grounds of his house, he offered a succinct explanation today : "Jealousy".

Expenses row: MP who claimed for 500 trees accuses constituents of 'jealousy'


Source: Boing Boing | 22 May 2009 | 4:48 am

HOWTO plant a handlebar garden on your bike

Instructables user FriendOfHumanity has a little HOWTO for installing a windowbox planter on the handlebars of your bike. I dunno, I'd be worried about doing a faceplant (worse yet, if you planted chickpeas, you might falafel your bike) (I did that once and I falafel about it).

Bicycle Window Box- For the transient gardener. (via Craft)



Source: Boing Boing | 22 May 2009 | 4:42 am

Eee PC Seashell Looks Sharp, Cuts Wrist Bindings

Asus’s new 1008HA “Seashell” netbook is an attractive cosmetic update to its earlier 1000HE. And, if we believe Asus’ promotional video on the site linked below, it’s skinny enough that you could use one to cut through video cables tied around your wrist and set yourself free from the company storeroom.

OK, so it’s not really that sharp. But it does trade its predecessor’s somewhat ordinary-looking netbook exterior for a clean, tapered, rounded, white covering. It’s one of the better-looking netbooks we’ve seen this year.

Spec-wise, it’s nothing exceptional: 1.66GHz Intel Atom N280 processor, 1GB RAM, 160GB hard drive, 10.1-inch screen, built-in Wi-Fi (802.11n) and Bluetooth, 1.3 megapixel webcam, and the obligatory Windows XP.

It’s available for pre-order now, and if you order it before May 25, retailers will knock $20 off its somewhat steep list price of $429.

We spent a few minutes with the 1008HA recently; scroll down for the photos.

Photos: Jonathan Snyder / Wired.com

Introducing the Eee PC 1008HA Seashell from ASUS.

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 22 May 2009 | 4:37 am

Using 1 Gaming Computer For 2 People?

True Vox writes "My fiance and I have recently taken interest in City of Heroes (she's currently got a character on my account). She's got a cute little netbook, but nothing nearly powerful enough for a 5-year-old MMORPG, let alone if we take interest in Champions Online! I am reticent to buy a new gaming computer simply for what amounts to a passing phase. Has anyone had any experience using one computer to control two monitors with two sets of input devices (e.g. two keyboards and two mice, or one keyboard, one mouse, and a 360 gamepad, perhaps)? I have seen one solution that might work, but not much information from users that I can find. In short, does anyone have any experience with setups like this?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 22 May 2009 | 4:08 am

Data Art: 13,500 Pages Micro-Etched into Nickel

This piece of micro-etched nikel is comprised of 13,500 minuscule pages with info regarding 1,500 languages. It showed at the "Data + Art" exhibit, which was curated by folks from JPL and wrapped up last month at Pasadena Museum of California Art. A couple more images after the jump. [via Long Now; photos by Spencer Mishlen]Beau... ...tiful.


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 May 2009 | 4:01 am

Aston Martin Forges Bond Between Car and Driver

The Aston DB9 is not James Bond's official mode of transportation. It's more refined, more elegant and, yes, even a little cheaper. It's the car Bond would take for a weekend in the country.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 22 May 2009 | 4:00 am

May 22, 1859: It's Elementary, My Dear Reader

Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of brainy detective Sherlock Holmes, was born 150 years ago today.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 May 2009 | 4:00 am

Gallery: On the Road With the Aston Martin DB9 Volante

: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Saying an Aston Martin is just another car is like saying the Louvre is just another museum. For the better part of 100 years, the British automaker has been producing vehicles that are not only saturated with British opulence (each car is assembled by hand), but offer top-drawer performance (Astons routinely compete in axle-busting marathons like Le Mans — a race they won in 2007 and 2008 with a vehicle based on a DB9). So, when Aston offered Wired.com some quality time in its new DB9 Volante, we wiped off the drool and went for a ride. Sure enough, the rush from the road test proved to be more breathtaking than a punctured lung.

The DB9 receives its bountiful thrust from a hand-crafted 5.9 liter V-12 engine that puts down 470 horsepower. This power plant delivers 443 pound-feet of torque to the crank and sends the car gliding down the road to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds. (We clocked it.)

: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Everything about the DB9 hemorrhages luxury, even the starter key. The 3-inch long hunk of glass, metal and plastic fits into a slot at the top of the dashboard. Once inserted, you press the key a quarter of an inch and the engine erupts like a volcanic event in the Indonesian archipelago.

The buttons flanking the ignition? Those control the 6-speed automatic transmission. At first it felt a bit odd to flick a button to throw the car into reverse but after a while it became second nature — and actually pretty fun to change gears with controls that feel like they were purloined from a fancy arcade machine.

: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

The paddle shifters are indispensable when you're zipping through corners on desolate country roads. It's a blast to drop down to second gear right before a 45-degree turn and then gun through it in third. But if you're not in the mood to dabble in paddles, switch the car to Sport mode and the tranny will rev higher before upshifting.

Satellite navigation is standard, as is integrated Bluetooth and a 700-watt audio system. The sound system is excellent, with heavy bass and good separation at mid levels — even when riding with the top down. Starting this month, a 1,000-watt Bang and Olufsen stereo system is available on the DB9 as a $7,000 upgrade.

: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

All DB9 Volantes come standard as ragtops. Our DB9's softy folded down in less than 30 seconds, and with the roof up, road noise is nearly nonexistent.

: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

When revved hard, the DB9 produces a bellow like an irritated grizzly bear. Fuel economy, as you might suspect, is also bearish. Aston claims 12 mpg city and 19 mpg highway, but we got about 10 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway.

: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

You don't walk onto the lot and haggle over DB9 trim lines. Rather, you tell a dealer exactly what you want in your Aston: Everything, from the wood accents (an extremely rare option for any car) to the stitching in the seats to the color of the paint, is built to your specs at Aston's newest manufacturing plant in Gaydon, England. From inception to delivery, each DB9 takes roughly six months to be produced.

: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Luxury sports cars typically don't offer a ton of options. One of the few extras Aston makes available on the DB9 are these 20-spoke, 19-inch alloy wheels, which will cost you nearly $1,600 extra. They won’t add any extra performance to your Aston, but we think they look pretty damn cool.

: Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

The hand-stitched leather seats of the DB9 are in a 2+2 configuration — there's no room for a middle passenger in the rear because a subwoofer is taking up that space. It's also extremely hard to fit anything larger than a sack of groceries back there. Aston reports this supertight rear seat is inherited from the DB7 (predecessor to the DB9), which was offered as both 2+2 coupes and 2-seat roadsters. For some reason (an insurance dodge?) Aston buyers almost always opted for the 2+2. Result? The DB9 always comes with room for four.

Source: Gizmodo | 22 May 2009 | 4:00 am

Aston Martin Forges Bond Between Car and Driver

The Aston DB9 is not James Bond's official mode of transportation. It's more refined, more elegant and, yes, even a little cheaper. It's the car Bond would take for a weekend in the country.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 May 2009 | 4:00 am

Food Web, Meet Interweb: The Networked Future of Farms

The problems with America's food system are well known, but a big part of the solution isn't so obvious. Increasing the information flow from the nation's small farms to and from restaurants and consumers could help, and Silicon Valley startups are trying to do just that.

Source: Gizmodo | 22 May 2009 | 3:00 am

Easily Create Your Own Feed Bundles Of Joy With Google Reader

Perhaps the biggest barrier to entry to using a feed reader for most people is building up a collection of good feeds. Sure, you can import someone else’s OPML file, but most people have no idea what that means, let alone how to do it. The “Browse for stuff” area of Google Reader is a better solution, as it offers a front-end way to subscribe to some suggested feed. But up until now those have been suggested by Google. Starting today, you and your friends on Google Reader can make your own bundles and share them.

And creating these bundles couldn’t be easier. You simply click on the “Create a bundle” button in the same “Browse for stuff” area, and you are given an area on the page in which you can simply drag and drop the feeds you wish to add into this bundle. You then name the bundle and give it a description, and you’re all set. If you choose to add the bundle to your shared items, you friends on Google Reader will see them.

This is a very good idea by Google. Quite often I get asked by non-tech friends what feeds they should subscribe to for various news. Usually that involves me hunting down the RSS links for each site I want to recommend. But now I can simply share a whole bunch of feeds, all packaged together with a few clicks. I’m still not sold on Google Reader’s overall social philosophy, and I think TechCrunchIT’s Steve Gillmor has a lot of good points about the viability of a straight-up feed reader like Google Reader against something like Twitter going forward — for mainstream usage. But I’ll give credit where it’s due. Even if browsing “your friends’ bundles,” sounds a bit dirty.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 22 May 2009 | 2:35 am

OQO, she is dead

OQO has shut down operations, turned off its phones, and is no longer accepting repairs. According to OQOTalk:

A Note from OQO Inc.

“We are sad to report that due to financial constraints, OQO is not able to offer repair and service support at this time. We are deeply sorry that despite our best intentions, we are unable to provide continued support for our faithful customers. Please accept our sincerest apologies”

Source: CrunchGear | 22 May 2009 | 2:16 am

SwaggMedia.com Makes History by Streaming the HAX 'Memorial Day Blast' Basketball Tournament Live Memorial Day Weekend

Web giant to stream live footage of top west coast high school travel teams over holiday weekend LOS ANGELES, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Swagg Media, a multifunctional digital web portal with world influencing platforms and state of the art applications, announces today its new deal with Hangar Athletic Xchange (HAX) to run live streaming of the "Memorial Day Blast".
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 May 2009 | 2:16 am

Auctionomics Looks To Bring New Layers Of Flexibility And Control To Online Auctions

When it comes to auctions on the web, users rarely have any kind of control beyond setting the maximum price they’re willing to pay. If, for example, you wanted to buy a power supply on eBay, but only if you won a separate auction for the computer it would work with, you’d have to manually check in on each auction - you couldn’t conditionally say that you only wanted one if you could have the other.

Auctionomics, a new startup launching tonight, is looking to add another layer of control to auctions on the web. The company has built a powerful backend SaaS solution that allows websites to conduct complex auctions, where the criteria involved are more complicated than simply determining the highest bidder for an item. It’s a bit confusing, but fortunately end users won’t have to deal with the intricacies of how the auctions run - they’ll just find that they have more of a choice when they’re bidding on items on the web.

Imagine trying to choose which hotel you’d like to stay in for an upcoming trip. Instead of having to simply sort by price, the engine would allow the user to enter more complex requests using conditional statements, submitting multiple bids at the same time. For example, if I was heading to Lake Tahoe, I could say I would be willing to pay $200 a night to stay at Harrah’s, but only if I could stay for three nights in a row at that price. In the same query, I could say I’d be willing to pay $150 a night to stay Caesars, but only if I could get that price for a whole week. And so on.

The service is powered by an engine called MaaX (Milgrom Assignment Auction), which was developed by Stanford professor Paul Milgrom, who designed the original auction system used for the FCC spectrum and has been involved with auction design and strategy for major companies and the government for decades. The system is built to maximize the number of bids from each participant, as well as gains for all parties involved. It does this in part by allowing users to submit queries with multiple variables, like setting a set spending limit across an entire multi-part bid, and allowing for substitutions between various items.

This all sounds pretty complicated (and it is), but co-founder Dr. Silvia Console-Battilana says the services that eventually implement the technology will be able to simplify the choices that users are exposed to. For example, a travel site could just show a few options at a time in a multi-step wizard, or it could simply reduce the number of available variables.

Beyond consumer sites, Auctionomics will appeal to a variety of other markets, like the energy industry. Whereas previous energy bids from energy companies would have to be placed separately, using MaaX energy companies could conditionally bid on energy from multiple sources (I could say I wanted up to 100 Watts from Northern California at $X and up to 200 Watts from Southern California for $Y, but that I did not want more than 150 Watts total).

While Auctionomics is not currently powering any public sites, the company is in discussions with a number of possible partners to implement its technology (though it sounds like it may be a while before any of them go live). This added control certainly sounds promising, I just hope that sites can find a way to give it to us without becoming overwhelming, otherwise users will shy away from it.

Crunch Network: MobileCrunch Mobile Gadgets and Applications, Delivered Daily.

Source: TechCrunch | 22 May 2009 | 2:11 am

Here, have a short, free comic about genius dinosaur origin stories

Atomic Robo appears to be an awesome comic.


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 22 May 2009 | 2:10 am

Original Cast On Board For Ghostbusters 3

bowman9991 writes "Dan Aykroyd reveals that all the original cast have now signed on for Ghostbusters 3, including Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Ernie Hudson. Apparently Bill Murray, who holds a one-fifth controlling interest, was very reluctant at first, not even willing to read a third draft of Aykroyd's script. Aykroyd would like to see Ivan Reitman or Harold Ramis direct, wants to introduce a 'new generation' of Ghostbusters, and believes they could be filming the new Ghostbuster movie by winter."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 22 May 2009 | 1:32 am

It’s Psychic! Inbox Preview Lets You Check Your Gmail Before It’s Done Loading

Gmail has always offered an odd mixture of lightning fast AJAX navigation and frustratingly slow load times, depending on what you’re doing. The worst offender, by far, is the initial load when you first open the page - sometimes the loading bar flashes by in a second, others it chooses to sluggishly crawl without any apparent intention of ever finishing. If you find yourself seeing the latter all too often, then you’re going to be quite pleased with a new Gmail Labs feature that just launched called Gmail Inbox Preview.

Inbox Preview does one very basic thing: as Gmail goes through its initial boot, it shows a plaintext version of your ten most recent message subject lines. You can’t open the messages or interact with them in any way, but it will let you quickly tell if you’ve got any new messages without having to sit through the load time. Most people on high speed internet connections probably won’t even notice the feature, but for those of us who reguarlly have to check our Email using quirky mobile connections or dial up service, it’s sure to come in handy.

To enable the feature, head to the Labs section of Gmail and look for “Inbox Preview”. Of course, if you’re a heavy Gmail user it might also be wise to check out one of the variety of Gmail notifier applications, which will automatically let you know when a new message has arrived.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 22 May 2009 | 12:23 am

TwitVid Wants To Be The TwitPic Of Video Sharing On Twitter

TwitPic has been one of the big success stories for a service built solely on top of Twitter. It boasts over a million users and gets around 2.5 million unique visitors a month to its site. Celebrities on Twitter are now using it, and it made headlines around the world when a man snapped a picture of the Hudson plane crash and posted it to the service. The Twitter community, it seems, wants a way to share media via the micro-messaging service. And the next logical step in that is video. Enter TwitVid.

TwitVid, which was built by the video start-up Fliggo, doesn’t beat around the bush about what it wants to be — “the TwitPic of video,” co-founder Chrys Bader tells me. That’s interesting because it’s a bit different from a few months ago when a number of startups were aiming for a larger goal: to be the larger “Twitter of video.” But Bader sees no reason to try and build a new community like 12seconds and Seesmic are doing. Instead, TwitVid wants to completely leverage the existing Twitter community.

In fact, Bader and the rest of the Fliggo team see such an opportunity in becoming the TwitPic of video for Twitter that they’ve completely refocused their company to be about this new product. And thanks to their core Fliggo product, which is Y Combinator-backed, the team was able to build TwitVid and get it up and running in just 4 days, according to Bader.

It works exactly as you’d expect. You log-in to the site with your Twitter credentials, and then you can use it as a Twitter client. You choose a video to upload from your computer (web cam support is coming shortly) and enter a Twitter message of 117 characters or less (to make room for the video URL). TwitVid then sends this tweet out to your followers once the video is done uploading and encoding. Upload time varies as you can upload up to a 1 GB or 20 minute video. But encoding for most videos takes about a minute, Bader says. And speed should even improve when the site switches over to Amazon’s EC2 platform.

Bader hopes that many of the celebrities that use TwitPic like Ashton Kutcher, will start using TwitVid as well. Today they already got Playboy to use it, always a good way to spur usage — or at least awareness of your product. As you can see below the Playboy video, all the replies to the initial TwitVid tweet and captured and placed below the video on the TwitVid page.

Currently the site runs Google ads alongside the videos, but Bader tells me that they’re working on an iPhone app to work with the new iPhone 3.0 software. And presumably with the recently more concrete new version of the iPhone that can record video.

It’s worth noting that the company does not have the .com domain name for TwitVid. Instead they use twitvid.io — as in “video,” get it?

Update: Bader has just told me: “Anyone can just email their video from their mobile to u@twitvid.io and we’ll process it for them.  They have to link an e-mail account, which they can do before or after e-mailing us the video.”

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

Source: TechCrunch | 22 May 2009 | 12:20 am

Xilinx & BEEcube to Unveil Next-Generation FPGA-based Multi-core SoC Development Platform for Sun OpenSPARC

Companies demonstrate multi-core emulator based on Virtex(R)-5 at grand opening of Advanced Research & Teaching Facility for Embedded System Design at Beijing University of Technology SAN JOSE, Calif. and BEIJING, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Xilinx, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 May 2009 | 12:14 am

TuneCore, Amazon Set to Unveil On-Demand CD Sales

Amazon is about to roll out an on-demand CD-printing-and-distribution service for startup bands and established artists.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 22 May 2009 | 12:00 am

Xilinx & Beijing University of Technology Announce New Advanced Research & Teaching Facility for Embedded System Design

Experts gather this week to celebrate grand opening, launch Open Source Hardware and Embedded System Contest 2009 & deliver Embedded Technology Forum lectures & workshops SAN JOSE, Calif. and BEIJING, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Xilinx, Inc.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 22 May 2009 | 12:00 am

Evernote Stats: One Million Registered Users, 360,000 Active, 13,755 Paid

Reaching one million registered users is an important milestone for any startup. At the very least, it suggests that it is pointed in the right direction. Evernote, the app which helps you remember things you find on the Web or take photos of with your phone, just hit one million registered users a couple days ago, about a year after its public launch in June, 2008 and six months after it reached 500,000 registered users. The company raised $4.5 million at the end of last year.

Evernote’s growth is not rocket-like by any means, but it is steady and consistent. CEO Phil Libin shared some detailed stats on Evernote’s progress. You might know Evernote from its iPhone app, which won a Crunchie award and has been downloaded around one million times on its own. But the company also has Windows, and Mac clients, as well as a Web browser version. The breakdown by users is 36 percent on the Windows client (which is what Evernote launched first), 28 percent on the Mac, 20 percent on the iPhone, 11 percent on the iPhone, 2 percent on the Blackberry, and 1 percent on other mobile devices.

The desktop clients have been download about 1.7 million times and can be used in conjunction with the iPhone app. These numbers are instructive because the number of downloads (2.7 million total across all platforms) does not equal the number of registered users (1 million). So the next time a startup is touting how many downloads it has, cut that number by one half to one third just to get to signups.

Then you have to cut by another third. Registered users are great, but how many are actually active? Those are a company’s real users. Over the past 30 days, Evernote is tracking at about 360,000 active users, or a little more than a third of registered users. Evernote’s active users might be relatively small, but they are pretty active. Over the past year or so, they’ve created 36 million notes, or about 100 notes each. Notes can come in the form of Web clips (38 percent), text notes (35 percent), photos (17.5 percent), PDF documents (6 percent), voice notes (1.5 percent), digital ink (0.67 percent), and more.

The more active users Evernote gets, the more it can convert into paying premium subscribers. Premium subscribers get more storage, more support, more security, and no ads for $5 a month or $45 a year. Evernote has 13,755 paying premium subscribers, which comes out to about a 3.75 percent conversion rate. Both the number of premium accounts and the conversion rate is growing. Surprisingly, 82 percent of the premium subscribers opt for an annual account. That comes to an annual revenue run-rate of about $650,000, which is not much, but Evernote has other sources of revenues and Libin says he is ahead of estimates to become profitable. He just needs to get those premium subscriber numbers up a bit. If he can get premium subscribers up to 50,000, that would translate to about $2.2 million in revenues, 100,000 premium subscribers would bring in $4.5 million, and so on (I just used the $45 annual fee to calculate those numbers. Working in the monthly subscribers lifts the total a bit).

Now, if Evernote could ever get to one million paying subscribers, that would be a decent business.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 21 May 2009 | 11:47 pm

Plastic Jungle Scores $4.8 million For Gift Card Marketplace

Plastic Jungle, a marketplace for gift cards, has secured $4.8 million in Series A funding, led by Shasta Ventures with investments from Bay Partners, First Round Capital and Harrison Metal. The company says that it will use the funds to accelerate its growth through new hires, as well as increased marketing and business development efforts.

Plastic Jungle lets you buy, sell and exchange gift cards online. Instead of receiving cash for your gift card, Plastic Jungle also lets you trade the value in for an Amazon gift card or give your money to charity.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 21 May 2009 | 11:29 pm

Wikipedia Moving From GFDL To Creative Commons License

FilterMapReduce writes "The Wikimedia Foundation has resolved to migrate the copyright licensing of all of its wiki projects, including Wikipedia, from the GNU Free Documentation License to the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License. The migration is scheduled to be completed on June 15. After the migration, reprints of material from the wikis will no longer require a full copy of the GFDL to be attached, and the attribution rules will require only a link to the wiki page. Also, material submitted after the migration cannot be forked with GFDL "invariant sections," which are impossible to incorporate back into a wiki in most cases. The GFDL version update that made the migration possible and the community vote that informed the decision were previously covered on Slashdot."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 21 May 2009 | 11:29 pm

AOL Lands Another Media Refugee: Portfolio.com’s Bercovici To DailyFinance [MediaMemo]

I don’t usually write about writers landing jobs, but I did want to point out that Jeff Bercovici, last seen writing the Mixed Media blog for Portfolio.com, has landed at DailyFinance, a site run by Time Warner’s AOL (TWX).

Why do I care?

• Because his hire is yet another indicator that AOL is continuing to hire experienced writers and reporters — often from ailing publiciations — to build up its own sites, a strategy championed by content czar Bill Wilson’s MediaGlow. AOL has been steadily hiring journalism vets and using them to reinvigorate existing sites like its FanHouse sports hub and to launch new ones like PoliticsDaily. Other recent hires include Mitch Lipka, a consumer finance writer for the Boston Globe who will join AOL’s Walletpop; and David Wood, a longtime national security writer for the Baltimore Sun,  who is joining PoliticsDaily.
• Because it means that the not-going-t0-shut-down-after-all Portoflio.com won’t feature its two marquee bloggers. Felix Salmon, Bercovici’s former colleague at the Conde Nast site, had already left for Reuters to start a finance blog earlier this year.
• Because Bercovici is dammed good at the media beat, so I’m going to need to bookmark his page and add his RSS feed into my reader.
• And because I’ve been writing about layoffs since I started this column in October, and this is a nice change of pace.

Source: All Things Digital | 21 May 2009 | 11:20 pm

Mozilla introduces Jetpack, a new way for users to create add-ons

Section: Web, Web 2.0, Web Apps, Web Browsers, Websites

If you use Mozilla Firefox, as I’m sure most of you do, then you are probably familiar with add-ons, pieces of code that allows Firefox to perform different functions.  They are all free to install and Mozilla touts that 1 billion add-ons have been downloaded and installed.  In an effort to promote the usage of add-ons, Mozilla released a product from their Mozilla Labs called Jetpack.  In short, it is an open source project that allows developers to create any add-ons they wish for all to enjoy. 

Interestingly enough, whenever you use an add-on created with Jetpack, it installs within a few seconds, doesn’t require a restart of Firefox, nor does it have to be compatible with any certain Firefox version.  As long as Jetpack is installed on Firefox, you can install anything that runs on it.  Now, as long as you are familiar with HTML, CSS, and Javascript, you can design your own add-ons using Jetpack.  Mozilla’s main goal is to “enhance the browser” and allow “anyone who can build a Web site to participate in making the Web a better place to work, communicate and play.” 

They recently made Jetpack version 0.1 available a few days ago.  Some core features include:

 
• Initial Jetpack APIs with support for statusbars, tabs, content-scripts, animations, and more.
• Support for external API libraries (e.g. Twitter)
• jQuery support
• Integrated development environment with Bespin, with immediate installs and a fast development cycle
• Inline debugging with Firebug
• This initial release of the Jetpack API does not include a fully formed security model. It is being released for testing, development, and feedback.

Mozilla has extensive plans on other versions of Jetpack loaded with better features assuming they receive constructive criticism.  As I mentioned before, the whole project is open source and completely open for anyone to use.  I could see this becoming a big thing, as Firefox and Mozilla are already very popular. 

Read [Mozilla Labs]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 21 May 2009 | 11:13 pm

The Next iPhone: Warp Speed, Mr. Sulu

The iPhone is still hands-down one of the best 5 tech purchases I've made over the past decade -- and it's probably the best. I use it every day to do a variety of things that I still find incredible that I'm able to do in something so portable. That said, over the past few months, I've been getting frustrated at the speed of the device. Some of the applications built for it, notably the games, are simply resource hogs. And that's made applications like FreeMemory (which, yes, frees your phone's memory), a necessity. But a much greater pain reliever is on the way if Daring Fireball's John Gruber is correct (and he usually is on such things). A new, much faster iPhone. The new iPhone will feature a processor that will be more than 1.5 times faster than the current iPhone, according Gruber citing information from informed sources. While at first glance, that may not seem like a huge jump up, Gruber compares the speed bump to what it was like to upgrade an old 486 PC to a Pentium variety. In today's world of computer upgrades, you're usually upgrading from a processor that is already fast enough for most tasks, to one that is slightly faster -- it's the RAM, video cards and Bus speeds that seem to matter just as much. But back in the day those jumps processor specs alone were huge. And as someone who vividly remembers upgrading a 486 SX 33 to a Pentium, this potential iPhone jump greatly excites me.

Source: MobileCrunch | 21 May 2009 | 11:05 pm

3D Casino has it's 3rd Six-Figure Jackpot Winner

LONDON, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- - Player Wins $100,224 on WinADay.com's Wheeler Dealer Slot Machine One lucky online slot machine player is glad she took her friend's advice and tried the free games at WinADay.com.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 May 2009 | 10:36 pm

More Americans Play Video Games Than Go To Movies

New research from the NPD Group has found that the number of Americans who play video games has surpassed the number who go to movies. In a survey of over 11,000 people, 63% had played a video game within the past six months, while only 53% had gone to a movie. They also found that the purchase of game consoles was on the rise, as were new methods of accessing the games themselves, such as playing over a social networking site or downloading a game onto a mobile phone. The report said, "the average gamer spent just over $38 per month on all types of gaming content" in the first three months of 2009, adding that "video games account for one-third of the average monthly consumer spending in the US for core entertainment content, including music, video, games."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 21 May 2009 | 10:35 pm

Do you make chiptunes? Help us score these retro-videos.

Here's the deal: Boing Boing has come into possession of some wicked footage of an anonymous Atari Computer Camp excursion that has everything you could ever want from grainy stock video: namely, yellowed and over-saturated money shots of retro-tech, and a bevy of over-eager and still-innocent pre-teens banging out BASIC to make crossword crosses out of the words Van Halen (no joke!) and gawping at the awesome limitless power and future of computers. Here's the catch: neither of the videos -- the first clocking in at about seven minutes, and the second coming in at seven and a half -- have any sound at all. And so: given Offworld/Boing Boing's sizable audience of chiptune/junk-tech musicians, we thought we'd throw the score open to you. If you're interested in submitting some of your music for the videos, which will be broadcast on BBtv at a later date, send an email to brandon@offworld.com with the subject line "Atari Computer Camp" and we'll dig through and select our favorites from there. Bonus points awarded for (but certainly not limited to) composing on actual 8-bit Atari tech. See the original post on Offworld for more inspirational shots of the kids at work (and play).


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 10:13 pm

Data.gov Launches to Mixed Reviews

Geeks have been waiting for Data.gov to launch since President Obama took office — and it finally does. While it's a good start, the effort leaves a lot (of data) to be desired.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 May 2009 | 10:05 pm

Verizon Employees in Washington State Donate $10,000 Worth of Household Items to Domestic Violence Shelters

Collection of Items, in Conjunction With the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Is Part of a Companywide Effort EVERETT, Wash., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Six domestic violence shelters have received nearly $10,000 worth of items donated by Verizon employees at a dozen locations throughout Washington. Employees in Verizon's landline, wireless and business divisions in Washington joined more than 1,200 volunteers at 485 Verizon locations across the country to participate in a 12-day Shower for the Shelter drive.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 May 2009 | 9:57 pm

On iPhone, Searching For Kama Sutra = Porn

heychris writes "Eucalyptus, an ebook app for iPhone, has been rejected from the App Store for "objectionable content". What's so objectionable? The Kama Sutra, available from Project Gutenberg, which is available on other ebook readers as well. Not only that, but the screenshot shows that you would have to search for Kama Sutra to get it; it's not built in to Eucalyptus. The author is reasonable but frustrated, while Herr Gruber is more succinct." I wonder how good the now-cheap Nokia 810 is as an e-book reader.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 21 May 2009 | 9:52 pm

Verizon Employees in California Donate $23,000 Worth of Household Items to Domestic Violence Shelters

Collection of Items, in Conjunction With the National Network to End Domestic Violence, Is Part of a Companywide Effort THOUSAND OAKS, Calif., May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Fifteen domestic violence shelters have received more than $23,000 worth of items donated by Verizon employees at 46 locations throughout California. Employees in Verizon's landline, wireless and business divisions in California joined more than 1,200 volunteers at 485 Verizon locations across the country to participate in a 12-day Shower for the Shelter drive.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 May 2009 | 9:50 pm

Excessive Salesforcecap [Digital Daily]

“At a time when capital is precious, big-ticket software purchases just don’t make sense.” Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff coughed up that oyster of a sound bite back in February, and judging from the company’s latest financials, it’s at least partly accurate. Salesforce posted a sizable increase in fiscal fourth-quarter profit on sales that rose 34 percent. Net income for the period was $18.4 million, or 15 cents a share, up from $9.6 million, or eight cents a share last year. Revenue rose 23 percent to $304.9 million. Quite a bit better than the 11 cents a share on $304.7 million in revenue analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had predicted.

However…

Looking ahead, Salesforce (CRM) said its current quarter would miss analysts’ estimates, and it reduced its full-year revenue outlook, saying sales will fall between $1.25 billion and $1.27 billion. The Street, which had been looking for $1.3 billion, was not at all happy with that and promptly sent the company’s shares down 7.6 percent.

Source: All Things Digital | 21 May 2009 | 9:37 pm

Three Minn. hospitals to settle fraud suit

Three Minnesota hospitals will settle a whistleblower lawsuit that alleges the HealthEast sites defrauded Medicare by overcharging for surgical procedures. The hospitals in the St.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 May 2009 | 9:36 pm

A couple of weeks with the Apple Wireless Keyboard (Yes, the one from last year)

I'll keep this one short: If you took every keyboard ever made and condensed them to their most elemental parts you'd end up with the Apple Wireless Keyboard ($70). It's pleasant to type on (it feels just like the current MacBook keyboards). It has just enough tilt to be comfortable, thanks to the cylinder that holds the two AA batteries in the back. There is a light that turns on for a moment when you hit the button on the side, which is invisible underneath the surface of the metal when not turned on. There isn't even an Apple logo on visible on the front. It would work fine on a Windows machine, but all the fancy function key controls for screen brightness or iTunes playback wouldn't work. The lack of a 10key and larger arrow keys would be more of an issue for most. It's a distillation of keyboards down to the most basic. I bought it for a car PC project I'm working on for a 1975 car. That it looks period in the car that was designed three decades before says a lot about the timelessness of clean design.


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 9:32 pm

Google Releases Chrome V2.0

RadiusK writes "Google has released the second major version of the Chrome browser. This version features more speed improvements thanks to a newer version of V8 JavaScript engine and WebKit. JavaScript-heavy web pages will now run about 30% faster. Other new features include form autofill, fullscreen mode, and improved New Tab page. If you're already using Google Chrome, you'll be automatically updated with these new features soon. If you haven't downloaded Google Chrome, you can get the latest version at google.com/chrome." A version for Linux or OS X would be nice.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 21 May 2009 | 9:30 pm

Alliance For Digital Equality Releases Roadmap to Empower Underserved Communities Through High Speed Internet Access

Chicago Digital Empowerment Council Highlights Benefits of Internet Access to Strengthen Communities and Improve Quality of Life
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 May 2009 | 9:26 pm

Fake Western Union emails deliver Trojan

Section: Communications, Email / IM, Computers, Security

There’s a new wave of spam hitting inboxes and with it comes a dangerous payload.  The spam messages carry the subject line “Western Union Transfer MTCN:” and a random number.  The body of the message is an official looking notification that the large sum of money that was transferred on March 10 was never picked up, so for a refund simply print out the invoice in the included attachment and bring it to your local WU office.  It even has a little signature that says the message has been virus scanned and deemed safe.

Wow, free money, right?  Wrong.  That’s what the scammer wants you to think.  He’s hoping your greed will outweigh your common sense so you’ll click on the attachment and open the zip file.  When you do a nasty Trojan will install itself on your computer.

The Trojan, Troj/Agent-JUC, appears to be a rootkit that disables firewalls and steals banking information.  It also installs other malware including a keylogger program, takes screenshots, and provides backdoor access to the systems it infects.

The key to protection here is common sense.  Don’t open any attachments you get from people you don’t know, and treat the ones that come from people you do know with caution and run a virus scan on them before opening.  These scammers are looking to prey on people who’ve been hit hard by the economy and are desperate for a windfall.  Don’t fall for it!

Read [SpamFighterNews]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 21 May 2009 | 9:21 pm

Dead Star Reborn Fast and Furious

A fading pulsar star is "recycled" into a fast-spinning astronomical whiz kid.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 May 2009 | 9:15 pm

NASA plans Lunar robotic missions

The U.S.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 May 2009 | 9:10 pm

China Calls On Wealthy Nations To Reduce Emissions By 40 Percent

China will call on developed nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by the year 2020, according to a new position paper published ahead of global climate change negotiations scheduled for December in Copenhagen.However, China did not commit to any legally
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 May 2009 | 9:05 pm

E-Reader iPhone App Rejected Because Users Can Download Kama Sutra

Apple has rejected an e-book reader from its iPhone App Store because of the app’s ability to search for and download the Kama Sutra.

Called Eucalyptus, the reader app doesn’t come with any content. Similar to what the iTunes Store does with music, Eucalyptus enables users to find and download the books they wish to read. The app pulls e-books from Project Gutenberg, a well known web site that hosts public domain books.

Apple’s problem? Users can choose to download the text of Kama Sutra, which contains “objectionable” material. Eucalyptus developer Jamie Montgomerie posted Apple’s rejection letter on his blog:

We’ve reviewed Eucalyptus — classic books, to go. and determined that we cannot post this version of your iPhone application to the App Store because it contains inappropriate sexual content and is in violation of Section 3.3.12 from the iPhone SDK Agreement which states:

“Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or materials of any kind (text, graphics, images, photographs, etc.), or other content or materials that in Apple’s reasonable judgement may be found objectionable by iPhone or iPod touch users.”

Apple’s App Store has been a huge hit in the mobile software industry, recently surpassing 46,000 applications available. However, the company’s iPhone application approval process has fallen under major scrutiny because of its inconsistency and unclear guidelines. For example, the company initially rejected a novelty fart app called Pull My Finger and then later approved it, but the game Baby Shaker, which involved shaking a baby to death, was initially approved before it was pulled down amid parental outrage.

The company is generally strict about potentially offensive content in its iPhone apps, but this is the first time we’ve seen Apple reject an app based on content that a user must manually search for to download. Montgomerie points out users could easily search for the Kama Sutra by typing a Google search in Safari.

“I suspect that no-one at Apple knows how genuinely torturous the App Store approval process is for developers personally after a rejection,” Montgomerie said. “I think anyone that knows me would confirm that I’m a very level-headed person, but this is the only thing in my adult life I can recall losing sleep over.”

In its latest e-mail to Montgomerie, Apple requests that the Kama Sutra be removed — even though the e-book is actually located on the Project Gutenberg database. Montgomerie has succumbed to installing a filter blocking users from searching for the Kama Sutra, and he awaits a response from Apple.

This is pretty outrageous to us. How do you feel about this, readers? Add your thoughts in the comments below.

See Also:

• Want to Fool Apple’s App Store? Plant an Easter Egg
• Apple Reviews NetShare; Permanent Ban Likely
• Android Welcomes App Store’s Rejects With Arms Wide Open
• Apple Rejects Twitter App Update for Alleged Bad Language
• Apple: You Can’t Play Jesus on iPhone
• AT&T: SlingPlayer for iPhone Would ‘Create Congestion’ for 3G …
• Apple Says No to Throwing Shoes at Bush on iPhone
• Apple’s Delays Could Cost iPhone Developer $600K

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 May 2009 | 9:02 pm

What We Know About The Apple Tablet So Far

More evidence of the Apple Tablet surfaced today. We first wrote about the device at the end of last year when OEMs in China started hearing about the device. Details are still thin, although probably not because of a lack of leaks. Rather, Apple may still be locking down important specs like screen size.

Source: CrunchGear | 21 May 2009 | 8:58 pm

Hey, ladies, the JBL Roxy ‘phones are now available

We just wanted to pass along a quick note to all three of our female readers. (hi, Mom!) The Roxy-branded JBL headphones are now available in three different flavors: over-the-ear for $59.99, earphones for $39.99, and earbuds for $19.99. All of ‘em are done up in the urban surfer wannabe style. You know you want ‘em.

Source: CrunchGear | 21 May 2009 | 8:50 pm

Humans Ate Neanderthals Into Extinction, Scientist Claims

Did cannibalism cause Neanderthals to become extinct? A scientist at France's National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) seems to believe so.Fernando Rozzi reported in the Journal of Anthropological Sciences that humans devoured Neanderthals into extinction during the Stone Age some 30,000 years ago.Rozzi’s claim is based on analysis of a Neanderthal jawbone that had apparently been butchered by modern humans.The jawbone, which could be the first evidence of contact between the two human groups, was recovered from a site known as Les Rois in southwestern France."Neanderthals met a violent end at our hands and in some cases we ate them," Rozzi said.Rozzi and colleagues say the first modern humans in Europe, known as the Aurignacian culture, also apparently used the remains of Neanderthals as jewelry."Four Aurignacian sites, including Les Rois, have yielded perforated human teeth, which confirms the interest in using human bone, and teeth in particular, by Aurignacians, for symbolic purposes," said Rozzi.Researchers compared slices on reindeer bones to those found on the jawbone.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 21 May 2009 | 8:50 pm

Datascension, Inc. Reports First Quarter Financial Results

LAS VEGAS, May 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Datascension, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: DSEN), a premier data solutions provider, today announced financial results for the Company's first quarter ended March 31, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 21 May 2009 | 8:48 pm

Yeah, all those Fallout 3 DLCs will be available for the PS3 soon

Man, how did we miss this yesterday? Well, if you didn’t already know, all those Fallout 3 DLCs will be coming to the PS3 this year, with the first one, Operation: Anchorage, debuting in late June. The other two will be released thereafter, most likely at 4-6 week intervals.

That’s not all! There’s two more DLCs on the way, too: Point Lookout and Mothership Zeta.

So, if you were to add the price of the game and all the announced DLCs, he total cost of Fallout 3 creeps up to $110 ($60 for the game, plus $50 for the DLCs). Of course, no one’s forcing you to buy the DLCs, but if you do…

Or, you can buy the Game of the Year edition, which will include all five expansion packs for $59.

Well, at least Bethesda isn’t forgetting you PS3 owners!

Also, if you want to read a tome about the meaning of the word “exclusive” vis-à-vis video games—the DLCs were supposed to be PC and Xbox 360 “exclusive”—, hit up Kotaku; it’s a scream.

Source: CrunchGear | 21 May 2009 | 8:30 pm

Need Satellite Repairs? Don't Call NASA

NASA's Hubble repair mission will be its last servicing call to a satellite.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 May 2009 | 8:15 pm

Biotech Can Survive the Recession, But It Won't Be Easy

Money is still out there for biotech, but only if the business plan and the management team really shine.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 May 2009 | 8:15 pm

Palm Pre will be blind: no Visual Voicemail upon launch

Well, Twitter has become the pinnacle of gossip, grapevine chatter, and frankly, just good ol’ breaking news. Yesterday, Palm made a very subjective statement through the company’s Twitter account in response to the question about Visual Voicemail: “Palm Synergy presents integrated messaging in lots of useful ways, but not that particular way”.

Read the rest of this post >>

Source: CrunchGear | 21 May 2009 | 8:09 pm

FCC claims warrantless search if you use Wi-Fi, baby monitor

Ryan Singel:

You may not know it, but if you have a wireless router, a cordless phone, remote car-door opener, baby monitor or cellphone in your house, the FCC claims the right to enter your home without a warrant at any time of the day or night in order to inspect it. That's the upshot of the rules the agency has followed for years to monitor licensed television and radio stations, and to crack down on pirate radio broadcasters. And the commission maintains the same policy applies to any licensed or unlicensed radio-frequency device. "Anything using RF energy -- we have the right to inspect it to make sure it is not causing interference," says FCC spokesman David Fiske. That includes devices like Wi-Fi routers that use unlicensed spectrum, Fiske says.

Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 8:03 pm

Sea & Sea MDX-Pro: Oh, it’ll waterproof your Canon 5D Mark II all right

Time to break out the expense account, ladies and gentlemen. This is the Sea & Sea MDX-PRO 5D Mark II. It’s a fancy waterproof cover for the Canon 5D Mark II. It costs ¥280,000, or just under $3,000. Yeah.

As you might imagine, this type of thing might be useful if you, say, work for National Geographic and are taking photos and/or video for a project about the Caspian Sea.

It’s probably overkill for your trip to the Jersey Shore!

I don’t know, this is one of those “hey look at this!” posts. As you were, folks.

Also, I made a big deal about the price—$3,000—but that could well be the going rate for this type of thing; I don’t travel in that scene, as it were.

via Akihabara News

Source: CrunchGear | 21 May 2009 | 8:00 pm

Boxee on Apple TV: Don't bother

Boxee, the free fork of the stupendous Xbox Media Center (XBMC) project, certainly gets a lot of attention. And it's often mentioned in the same breath as the Apple TV, one of the platforms on which it can run. What isn't said is this: Boxee on Apple TV is not very good.

Here's what's good about it:

⌦ Install is simple. Download an app to make a USB stick, follow a few short steps, and you're golden. ⌦ The form factor is right. The Apple TV is small, but has all the right outputs: HDMI, component, optical audio.

Here's what's bad about it:

⌦ It's so slow. The Apple TV has a 1GHz processor inside. The variant of OS X that runs uses that processor for all video decoding, which works fine for Apple-provided content, because Apple has optimized both its content and its software to take full advantage of that modest processor. But Boxee is trying to do all sorts of magic, from streaming internet video to indexing content on network shares. That little 1GHz processor just can't handle it, especially since there isn't yet a way for Boxee (and XBMC) to pass some of that decoding over to a GPU. ⌦ It crashes a lot. Button presses from the remote are often ignored. The interface will lock up when trying to stop playback. ⌦ There's no way to shut it down. Telling Boxee to shut down (or at least go back to the Apple TV software), on my unit, just fails. That means to turn the unit off, you have to get up and physically remove the power plug. ⌦ No Netflix streaming. The little processor can't handle it. ⌦ Uh, I guess that's it. But isn't that enough? It's slow, buggy, and crashy. Boxee is pretty great, but I don't want anyone else to make the same mistake I did when considering new hardware on which to put one of these XBMC variants. Next for me? A Mac Mini, with Boxee and/or Plex. It'll cost twice as much, but there's no content it shouldn't be able to play with ease. Photo: SkyFirePDL


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 7:49 pm

CrunchDeals: Blu-ray player and four movies for $179

If you’ve been on the fence about getting behind Blu-ray, Amazon has a pretty enticing deal going that may very well push you off the aforementioned fence and into Blu-ray’s well-manicured back yard.

The deal, in a nutshell, is that you buy either the $249 Samsung BD-P1600 or $349 BD-P3600 player and add four Blu-ray movies from a predetermined list, which results in a $125 instant discount when you use promo code SAMSDISC at checkout.

A user over on the FatWallet.com forums figured out that the cheapest possible combination would be the BD-P1600 for $249, plus the movies Dark City, Eraser, Under Siege 2, and We Are Marshall for a total of $55, which would equal $305.

Subtract the $125 instant discount and you’re left with a Blu-ray player and four movies — however awful (or wonderful) each may be — for $179. Not too shabby, eh? Of course, you can add more expensive titles (and/or the more expensive player) to your package instead. The deal is good until May 30th.

Save $125 on Select Samsung Blu-ray Players and Four Qualifying Blu-ray Discs [Amazon via FatWallet]

Source: CrunchGear | 21 May 2009 | 7:40 pm

YouTube still cleaning up after “Porn Day” Campaign

Section: Web, Downloads, Web 2.0, Web Apps, Websites, Online Music/Video

Yesterday was proclaimed “Porn Day” on a couple of oh so brilliant sites and an image board; and as a result, YouTube was slammed with tons of explicit clips left and right.

Obviously, these clips violated their terms of use, and they were madly trying to remove them, but the people putting them up were doing so under names that didn’t exactly describe the content.  This was infuriating to many, especially parents with kids viewing the site, given that a popular search word for many of the clips was “Jonas Brothers.”  Really nice, dumb-wads.  I’d like my ten-year old daughter searching out Joe Jonas and seeing that crap.

The way users are uploading the content is clearly a way to initially disguise content.  At first glance it seems legit with 20-30 seconds of non-porn content like a newscast or interview, and then boom!  Cover your eyes kiddos. 

The problem lies also in the fact that even the videos that have been found and removed leave “residue,” because they still come up in searches and the very explicit thumbnails are still there for anyone to see.  “It may take some time for video search results and thumbnail images to disappear from the site,” Google spokesperson Scott Rubin told Ars Technica. “Typically, this should not take more than a couple of days, but the videos themselves are no longer viewable.”

At least the fact that many of the earliest porn-spammers all seemed to favor the same tags is making it easier for YouTube to find and remove the offending videos.  Also, lots of them are posting links bragging about what they did on different forums.

“This group of pranksters thought it would be funny to load a bunch of porn to YouTube,” Rubin said. “This is an unfortunate, and I think poorly directed, prank. I think our systems are doing really well at removing content that violates the guidelines.”

via: arstechnica

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 21 May 2009 | 7:39 pm

Palm Pre will be blind: no Visual Voicemail upon launch

Well, Twitter has become the pinnacle of gossip, grapevine chatter, and frankly, just good ol’ breaking news.  Yesterday, Palm made a very subjective statement through the company’s Twitter account in response to the question about Visual Voicemail: “Palm Synergy presents integrated messaging in lots of useful ways, but not that particular way”. From the statement, it does not look like Palm’s Pre will have Visual Voicemail out of the box when it hits stores and our pockets on June 6th.  It’s a shame, really, but as pointed out by PreCentral, if that specific application is truly sought after, the development community will have no issues churning out the Visual Voicemail that will entice the masses.

So, Palm Pre hopefuls and fanboys, is this news a deal-breaker or will you be able to get passed the notion of not actually seeing the messages before listening to them?

[Pre Central via IntoMobile]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 21 May 2009 | 7:15 pm

Army Terminators Walk Like Men

Terminator Salvation opens tonight. But humanoid robots aren't confined to the movies -- the U.S. military backs robot research, hoping to field bots that move around like and act like people, too.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 May 2009 | 7:00 pm

Review: A few hours with Seagate's FreeAgent Theater

Seagate's FreeAgent Theater looks like a streaming box, but it isn't: it's a dock for thumbdrives and the included 2.5" hard drive, and you plug it into your TV set to view media saved on them. There's no ethernet or wireless capability at all, but it does do 720p/1080i HD playback and is only $100 if you get it without a drive. It plays AVI, MOV, VOB, ISO, DIVx and Xvid movies; MP3, AC3, WAV, WMA and OGG audio; and JPEG images. It has composite, component and S-Video output, but lacks HDMI, DVI or DisplayPort. Coaxial SPDIF is available for Dolby Digital surround. What good about it is its simplicity and budget price (it's $160 with a 250GB external drive, and $230 with a 500GB one). If you have a Windows PC and prefer to have stuff stashed on USB drives instead of a home network, happy days. Bad is the lack of 1080p and digital output. Also, the syncing software isn't Mac compatible, and expects NTFS-formatted drives. Reformatting the supplied drive and dragging-and-dropping files worked fine. Product Page [Seagate] Buy at Amazon.


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 6:51 pm

Birds Under Stress Become Better Singers

Male birds sing more elaborately under stress to prove they're good survivors.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 May 2009 | 6:45 pm

Job Listing Hints at More Powerful Processor in Future iPhones

A recent Apple job listing sheds light on possible hardware that will deliver a significant performance boost for upcoming iPhone models.

Apple is hiring a low-level iPhone programmer who is familiar with the ARM mobile-processor architecture and NEON vector processing. NEON refers to the vector unit in ARMv7 Cortex processors — an improvement from the current iPhone’s ARMv6-based processors.

According to ARM, ARMv7 Cortex processors will deliver a significant performance boost to accelerate 3D gaming, speech processing, audio decoding, image processing, telephony and sound synthesis.

Because the programmer position is unfilled, it’s unclear whether this processor will appear in Apple’s next iPhone, which many are predicting will be announced at June’s Worldwide Developer Conference. Apple has made no official announcements about a third-generation iPhone.

Job Listing [Apple via MacRumors]

See Also:

• Next-Gen iPhone Specs, Launch Date Revealed?
• Easter Eggs Give Clues to Next-Gen iPhone
• Next-Gen iPhone Will Contain a Compass
• Rumor: Next-Gen iPhone Will Be a Snoozer Upgrade
• Apple’s Next iPhone Will Rule at Gaming
• June Launch Appears Likely for Next iPhone

Photo: Brandon Shigeta/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 May 2009 | 6:11 pm

A week with the Verizon MiFi personal hotspot (Verdict: The best 3G device yet)

Just a couple of days after getting the Verizon MiFi in the mail, my home internet service died. No matter—let's just hit the button on this little box and...hrm. Into the instruction manual, then. Oh, you have to authorize it first, using the software that's installed on its internal flash memory. But why doesn't it show up on my Mac as a drive? Into the Windows box. Aaannnd there we go, that familiar and annoying Verizon Access Manager software. Connect to Verizon's 3G network. Log into the MiFi's Wi-Fi network using the SSID and password that's on the sticker on the back. And done. Real broadband internet, or at least as close as 3G ever gets. I'm not actually sure why I bothered to relate the setup process, because once it was done, getting the MiFi back online is as simple as hitting a button. (And activating it on a Mac that already had internet would be easy, since you could download the Verizon software.) A battery inside the MiFi sets up a personal hotspot for around four hours. I never actually tried to run it all the way down, though, instead keeping it charged up by plugging it into the USB port on my computer. (It has a MicroUSB connection, though a cable is included.) It's about two-thirds the size of an iPhone, but much lighter; it disappears in a pocket. Up to five devices can connect to the MiFi's Wi-Fi network, sharing the 3G connection at once. The biggest bummer is the price—$150 (before a $50 rebate) with a 2-year, $60-a-month contract for 5GB of data a month; or a $15-a-day rate if you pay the full $270 price up front. That's completely in line with 3G service from every other carrier, skimpy as it may be, and the MiFi is undoubtedly the most convienent, pleasant 3G experience I've ever had. The MiFi doesn't just obsolete outrigger 3G cards and USB sticks—it actually makes me realize I don't ever want to buy a device with embedded 3G service for which I'll have to pay a monthly fee. The future of mobile 3G is personal Wi-Fi hotspots, for sure—and until the carriers start letting mobile phones do that duty, the MiFi is as good as it gets. I'm not alone in thinking the MiFi is a winner: ⌦ Andy Ihnatko: "If I should ever give up and cave in, I would want a device exactly like the MiFi." ⌦ Chris Ziegler: "Put simply, our hats go off to Novatel and Verizon on this one." ⌦ James Kendrick: " I've only had the Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot for a day, but I can state emphatically it is everything I thought it would be and more." ⌦ Brian Lam: "I guess I belong to part of the population that doesn't worry so much about portable WiFi on a separate piece of gear, no matter how nice the hardware is. But I'd take this thing." ⌦ Sal Cangeloso: "Overall, the MiFi 2200 is a step forward in mobile broadband connectivity." ⌦ Greg Kumparak: "It does everything right, and is the simplest and most rock solid solution we've seen so far." ⌦ The Pogue: "He was floored when I pulled the MiFi from my pocket, its power light glowing evilly."


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 6:05 pm

UnPirate: Free 3D model creation options to SolidWorks

Section: Computers, Software / Applications, Web, Web Apps, Features, Originals

SolidWorks is a type of 3D mechanical CAD software that is used by designers and engineers to make prototypes of their products.  Through the program, you can simulate different mechanisms as well as keep your data organized. SolidWorks can cost you big bucks if you purchase on your own.  It’s easy to turn to The Pirate Bay when you’re looking for software, but you don’t have to become a thief.  Consider these alternatives.

Google’s version of free 3D imaging software

SketchUp will likely be the first alternative that you will turn to as an option to SolidWorks. The basic version is free and allows you to make 3D models of basically anything.  You can build your models from scratch or use the available tools from past downloads available through the Google 3D Warehouse.  You can apply color, textures, shadows and more to keep the prototypes realistic.  [SketchUp]

Blender for the pro

Blender is an open source 3D creation program that has some of the most advanced modeling features of a free software.  Object typing includes polygon meshes, NURBS surfaces, Bezier, metaballs and B-spline curves.  Sculpt your 3D models using the program’s different tools like paint, inflate, brush and grab.  It is better suited for the professional looking for more functionality than SketchUp.  [Blender]

The simple and easy to use Anim8or

If you’re looking for a 3D modeler for character animation, you should check out Anim8or.  You can build in the same primitives as Blender, but can create 3D animation scenes with .AVI, .BMP and .JPG files.  It also has a built in 3D object browser to make workflow go much smoother.  [Anim8or]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 21 May 2009 | 6:00 pm

Missing Link in Pulsar Evolution Is a Cannibal

A strange type of pulsar that feeds off of a neighboring star could be the missing link between regular pulsars and superfast "millisecond" pulsars.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 May 2009 | 6:00 pm

Video: World's most awesome Steadicam operator performs the flying Segway dismount

Check out the skills and big swinging balls of this Steadicam operator as he rides a Segway at full tilt towards a Eurovision singer, then seamlessly dismounts onto stage. ProVideo Coalition has clips of the finished shot, too, which are totally worth sitting through the horrible Belarussian hair metal to see how it works out in front of a live audience. (Spoiler: It looks rad.)


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 5:17 pm

Review: A week with Lenovo's IdeaCenter A600

Lenovo' IdeaCenter A600 is a well-specced, big-screen all-in-one cheap enough to make nettops look like an iffy deal. With a 1920x1080 20.5" display, great looks and an optional TV Tuner, the starting price of just $680 presents a sensible choice for those wanting a capable "main machine" on a budget.Every model includes a keyboard and mouse, and they come with Windows Vista pre-installed. The $680 model has a Core 2 Duo T4200 CPU, 2GB RAM, a 320GB hard drive and Intel X4500 video. Top of the line is a $1,150 model with Core 2 Duo P7450, 4GB RAM, 1TB of hard drive space, ATI HD3650 graphics, universal remote and Blu-Ray drive. A card reader, WiFi-n, gigabit ethernet, 6 USB ports and firewire polish it off. Tested, it's a fine machine: as responsive as the specs would suggest and nicely put together. It's fully $500 cheaper than a similarly-specced iMac and only $180 more than the Eee Top, a computer only good for lightweight use. Indeed, it's tempting to see how well the A600 does as a hackintosh. What to complain about, given the price? Annoying pre-installed software: the Veriface app, a pointless security totem at login, also watches you through the webcam during normal use and warns you if your posture is bad, or if you are too close to the screen. The system security stuff plays loud stupid siren noises. Gaming performance won't match the iMac, which has superior Nvidia graphics options. And it lacks the touchscreen on HP's all-in-one and the Eee Top. Bluetooth, with the trackpad keyboard and remote control come, only comes with TV tuner setups: the rest of us get a cheapo wired set. Bottom line: The A600 is a good choice for non-gamers wanting an all-in-one Windows PC, and it comes so cheap that equivalent offerings seem overpriced. Those used to 24" monitors, however, will feel a little cramped. Product Page [Lenovo]


Source: Boing Boing Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 5:08 pm

Atlantis Astronauts Prep for Trip Home

NASA eyes "iffy" weather for the shuttle Atlantis landing on Friday.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 May 2009 | 4:45 pm

Analyst Predicts Apple Will Unleash Touchscreen Tablet Next Year

Evidence continues to mount that Apple will deliver a touchscreen tablet next year, with an analyst laying out solid reasoning for this rumored device to become a reality. It appears more likely to be an oversized iPod Touch, not a tabletized MacBook.

“Between indications from our component contacts in Asia, recent patents relating to multi-touch sensitivity for more complex computing devices, comments from [chief operating officer] Tim Cook on the April 22 conference call, and Apple’s acquisition of PA Semi along with other recent chip-related hires, it is increasingly clear that Apple is investing more in its mobile-computing franchise,” Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said in a research statement issued to clients.

Apple’s next step in mobile computing will likely be the release of a touchscreen tablet featuring a 7-to-10-inch display sometime in the first half of 2010, Munster predicts.

Apple enthusiasts have been gossiping about a Mac tablet since July 2008, when the first rumor about the fabled device surfaced at MacDailyNews. Since then, a stream of clues, rumors and statements from Apple suggest this product will indeed join the Apple product family soon, as Gadget Lab has been reporting for several months.

Apple itself has steadfastly refused to confirm or deny any hint of an Apple tablet.

While in theory Apple could simply make a larger-screen iPod Touch, Munster believes creating a tablet will be more complex. He speculates the operating system will be a hybrid between the iPhone’s mobile operating system and Mac OS X. Or, Apple could optimize a version of Mac OS X for the multitouch interface.

Price range? Munster is guessing between $500 and $700, positioning this device as Apple’s response to netbooks.

At its recent quarterly earnings call, Apple chief operating officer Tim Cook said the company had no plans to release a netbook, calling the device category “junky.”

“For us, it’s about doing great products,” Cook said. “And when I look at what is being sold in the netbook space today, I see cramped keyboards, terrible software, junky hardware, very small screens and just not a consumer experience … that we would put the Mac brand on, quite frankly.”

Other indications that it’s an upsized-iPod-Touch–style tablet in the works (rather than a “junky” netbook) involve Apple’s recent hiring of several chip designers, as well as its acquisition of PA Semi to develop mobile processors.

Would a touchscreen tablet be worth putting the Mac brand on? We think so.

Apple Tablet in 2010 [Silicon Alley Insider]

See Also:

• Large-Screen Kindle Won’t Mean Squat if Apple Tablet Arrives …
• Apple COO Reveals Plans for Touch Tablet — Kinda
• Apple Quietly Recruits Chip Designers for In-House Tech
• Apple’s Core Could Soon Include In-House Chips
• iPhone 3.0 Event Revives Tablet Rumors
• Rumor: Mac Tablet Coming Fall 2009
• Intel Germany ‘Confirms’ Apple Tablet
• Leaked: Apple Filing Illustrates Multitouch Tablet Technology …
• Apple Rumors: Snow Leopard in June, Touch Screen Netbook This Year …

llustration of an imaginary iPhone tablet: Flickr/vernhart

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 May 2009 | 4:24 pm

Panasonic unveils Class 10 SDHC cards

Section: Imaging, Accessories, Peripherals, Storage

It’s been a while since we’ve seen any big developments in SDHC cards.  We’ve been stuck with class 6 cards up to 32 GB for a while now.  It hasn’t been an issue for anyone; they haven’t been terribly slow unless you’re using the cards in a digital camera and trying to take multiple captures per second.  That won’t be an issue now with Panasonic’s newest SDHC cards.

Panasonic’s newest Gold line cards are class 10 speed, going up to 32 GB.  Class 10 means they’ll have a transfer speed peaking at 22 MB per second.  That’s much faster than class 4 which offers 4 MB per second and class 5 which started at 6 MB per second.  The cards are meant for Digital SLRs and HD cameras which could certainly use the faster speeds.

The cards might also come in handy to anyone carrying a netbook.  Just about every netbook is capable of handling SDHC cards.  In the case of the Aspire One, it’s even capable of holding two, one of which gets added to the hard drive.  Faster cards for these machines would always be welcome.  It would cut down on any issues with playing media off the cards, or in running entire operating systems from them as some people are known to do.  It would have been nice to see the Gold line go up to even 64 GB for the sake of netbooks, but 32GB is still a respectable amount of storage.

The line is scheduled to go on sale in June, with pricing to be announced later.

Read [Electronista]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 21 May 2009 | 3:20 pm

Palm Pre now on BestBuy.com - for $849 (?!?)

Whhaaa? This must be some sort of pre-release nonsense ’cause we already know that Best Buy will sell the Palm Pre for $199 without a rebate and the off-contract price will be $549. Still, why wouldn’t the correct price be set on the Palm Pre product page from the getgo? More as we get it.

[Thanks for the tip, Nate]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 21 May 2009 | 3:10 pm

Google Won't Buy a Newspaper, Schmidt Says: FT

Despite repeated protestations it does not consider itself a media company Google actually considered buying a newspaper, CEO Eric Scmidt tells the Financial Times. But the search giant is unlikely to do so and is “trying to avoid crossing the line between technology and content.”

Source: Wired Top Stories | 21 May 2009 | 2:40 pm

Not safe: Poll finds 1-in-4 Americans text while driving

A new survey shows that 1 in 4 Americans text while driving. That’s not good news for road safety, no sir.

The survey, which was conducted by Vlingo, says that 26 percent of people admit to texting while driving—the implication is that plenty more people text while driving than admit to doing so. (Note: Polls are created with this type of “are they telling the truth?” scenario in mind, so it should make a huge impact on the final percentage.) The poll surveyed 4,800 people.

Only a few states here in the U.S. ban texting while driving, including Washington state (the first state to ban the dangerous activity) and New Jersey (home to housewives or something).

The problem is that texting while driving isn’t seen as an inherently dangerous activity, at least compared to something like drink driving; everyone knows that’s a no-no. “What’s the harm in sending out a text while I’m behind the wheel?” Well, mister-think-you’re-Fernando-Alonso, any time you take your eyes off the road that puts everyone in danger, and not just you. All it takes is one stray maneuver and you’re looking at a huge pile-up.

So, in conclusion, just knock it off already. That, or Greg will get really sad. We don’t want that to happen, now do we?

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 21 May 2009 | 2:30 pm

Video: GP2X game emulation on T-Mobile G1

Please join me as we gaze in amazement at the T-Mobile G1 running the GP2X gaming platform consisting of MAME, SNES, and Genesis emulators, to name a few. The “GP2X G1/Android Emulator” is currently in pre-alpha, so don’t expect it to show up in the Android Market just yet. Still looks pretty good even at these early stages, though.

[Android GP2x World via Engadget]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 21 May 2009 | 2:20 pm

Frank Lloyd Wright Lego Sets

Lego is rebuilding its reputation, brick by brick, and is set to unveil a positively inspired 'Architecture' series starting with Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggeinheim Museum and Falling Water home.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 21 May 2009 | 1:55 pm

Rant: Bloggers, we are better than job posting leads

Section: Web, Features, Originals

It is an interesting state of affairs when we bloggers, in our never-ending thirst for more are sifting through job listings to get a lead on what a company is thinking.  Forget high priced PR mouthpieces, simply post a free job posting somewhere and one of my cohorts will pick it up within the hour.  Is this a good thing?

Companies relay information to the public in a variety of ways.  They issues statements, hold conferences, grant interviews and even send anonymous tips.  But the hot new way to let some information slip on the down-low is by putting up a job posting.

A job posting info leak is perhaps one of the best ways to leak info, for a company.  Why?  For the simple reason you can deny you were ever working on a product that never sees the light of day.  “Oh, that?  We really just wanted someone willing to clean out the employee fridge, we just gave it a nicer title than FridgeSweeper.”  “Plausible denial” is what it was called in the Reagan years.

In my opinion (and you knew this was coming), this is the media equivalent of going through Steve Job’s trash to find out which sushi he prefers and how that will affect the new iPhone demonstration.  It’s worthless.  Bloggers are allowing themselves to be mongers of trash.  Any post regarding info found this way is always couched with, “it is just a job posting, so you know you can’t trust it.”

It is as if they issued a press release with an asterisk saying, “we may do none of this stuff.”  It could be argued that is the case with any release, but a job listing is even more flimsy.

Companies today know we stoop this low.  The job postings have become just another tool for the internal marketing departments to spread their message.  It is time we got off the crack.  As a sign of commitment, I’ll not post another story about info dug up via a job listing.  For at least a week.

Latest “stories” dug up in the job listings:
Windows Mobile getting Synergy from webOS: [WMpoweruser] 
Apple putting 3G chip in Macs [Ars Technica]
Halo IV info leaks [Product Review News]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 21 May 2009 | 1:49 pm

MyBalloon, a Balloon Simulator for the iPhone

MyBallon is an balloon-simulating iPhone application that is simply dripping in innuendo. Using the accelerometer, the microphone and the touch-screen, it manages an extraordinary three-way which manages to achieve an oral and manual double-team.

Fire up the app and you’ll see a soft, deflated balloon on screen. Put your lips to the iPhone mic (if using an iPod Touch you’ll need an external mic) and blow. As the air rushes in, the balloon swells, becoming rigid rubber that flaps stiffly when you shake the iPhone. Press firmly on the screen at both sides of the perineal valve to keep the air trapped.

Now try releasing your fingers gently, bit by bit, teasing the entrance. The balloon goes from a fully engorged, swollen sack to flaccid red skin simply by manipulating it with your fingers, the air inside achieving release spurt by spurt, escaping with a gentle sigh.

Go too far and, just like the real thing, the membrane will burst leaving soft shards all over the screen. The price for this childish game? Just $1.

Product page [iTunes App Store. Thank, Bartosz!]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 May 2009 | 1:40 pm

Early Human Dined on Young Neanderthal

New evidence suggests an early human butchered and ate a Neanderthal child.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 May 2009 | 1:30 pm

BLOG: Cheers! Astronauts Gulp Recycled Urine

Astronauts drink a toast of recycled urine to celebrate the station's new water system.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 May 2009 | 1:10 pm

Flight of the Bumblebee: Inefficient But Precise

Bumblebees use brute force to fly around, but they have fine control.
Source: Discovery News Top Stories : Discovery Channel | 21 May 2009 | 12:50 pm

Theft Prevention: Fuglify Your Camera

If you thought that the people who live in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro didn’t know the difference between a compact 35mm camera, a film DSLR or a digicam, then stay at home. It turns out that not only can some of the less law-abiding types recognize the difference, they can do it fast enough to choose targets for theft.

Jimmie Rodgers found this out the hard way while doing voluntary work in Rio, and his shiny new digicam was nabbed within a week. “I spoke with some people about it. They said that all digital cameras are worth money, but none of the film cameras are unless it’s an SLR.”

Jimmie took a look at the Canon Powershot A95 and decided that it was almost ugly enough to be an old-style film cam (he’s right. I had a similar one and they’re huge). He then “covered it in tape and sharpie marker [and] also took off anything shiny.”

It worked. Jimmie managed to snap 5,000 pictures with the fuglified camera. It even survived another mugging — the thieves ignored it in favor of his $20 cellphone. Of course, heading into bad parts of town is never a good idea, camera or not, so Jimmie went at the mission Serpico-style, going undercover while he was there: “All my clothes I had bought in the communities, and I had little of anything on me when I went out. Speaking some Portuguese helped as well.”

Photojojo offers some technical tips on transforming your camera for stealth use. Use tape that will not leave a residue, color it with markers and leave the LCD switched off. And if you’re really smart, you’ll make a stealth camera bag like we did.

My Ugly Camera [Jimmy's Project Journal]
Make Your Camera Theft-Proof: Harness the Power of Ugly! [Photojojo]

Photo: Chris Conners/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 21 May 2009 | 12:08 pm