Source: Gizmodo | 9 Dec 2009 | 8:20 pm

Part of the Daily American Diet, 34 Gigabytes of Data - New York Times

BBC News (blog)

Part of the Daily American Diet, 34 Gigabytes of Data New York Times The average American consumes about 34 gigabytes of data and information each day — an increase of about 350 percent over nearly three decades — according to a report published Wednesday by researchers at the University of California, ... Americans consume 3.6 zettabytes of data, most of it pixelsArs Technica American infoglutBBC News (blog) Study finds Americans consume 34GB of data a dayDVICE San Francisco Chronicle -NHPR -GigaOm (blog) all 56 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Dec 2009 | 8:17 pm

Insignia 52-Inch HDTV for $1000 (PC World)

PC World - Best Buy has the Insignia 52-Inch NS-LCD52HD-09 HDTV on sale for $1000, $600 off the original price (and $400 off our review unit's price), plus free shipping.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Dec 2009 | 8:02 pm

Facebook rolls out new privacy tool (AFP)

AFP - Facebook began calling on users to get a better grip on their online privacy by dictating who sees what in profiles at the world's leading social networking service.

Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Dec 2009 | 7:40 pm

The Facebook Privacy Fiasco Begins

Today Facebook finally started to roll out a new set of privacy controls. These tools, many months in the making, are designed to help simplify the site’s notoriously confusing privacy options. But alongside them Facebook is also rolling out a “Transition Tool” that promotes Everyone updates as the new default. In other words, Facebook is giving up its reputation as a ‘private’ social network — where the default is to restrict access to everything that is shared — in favor of something that can challenge Twitter head on. And, as I wrote last July, it may well be a disaster in the making.

Facebook is spinning the news as a win for users. They’re supposedly getting more control than ever over what they’re sharing, and it’s easier than ever to control it. But that’s not the real story. Marshall Kirkpatrick over at ReadWriteWeb has nailed it: this is Facebook’s move to push people to share with the public.

For those who haven’t been following the six month buildup to today’s announcement: last June, Facebook rolled out a new feature called the Everyone update. In short, this is Facebook’s answer to Twitter. Unlike other content posted to Facebook which is managed by the privacy features the social network built its reputation on, ‘Everyone’ updates are accessible to the web at large. That means Facebook can leverage it for real-time search, and can also syndicate it to other places, like Google and Bing. The feature has been available in the site’s privacy settings since last summer, but most people didn’t use it (and probably didn’t even know it was there). The new privacy launch today puts this as the default option for many users.

Much of the general press is going to simply regurgitate Facebook’s press release, which boasts that Facebook is giving users more control than ever:

“Setting a new standard in user control… calling on its more than 350 million users to review and update their privacy setting… As users move through the Transition Tool, they’ll be presented with an opportunity to “Learn More. Through this link, they’ll reach Facebook’s new Privacy Center, a comprehensive guide that helps users understand and control how they share information.”

Sounds great, right? Let’s get one thing straight: Facebook is forcing users to choose their new privacy options to promote the Everyone update, and to clear itself of any potential wrongdoing going forward. If there is significant backlash against the social network, it can claim that users willingly made the choice to share their information with everyone. That’s why there are all of these notifications informing users about what these privacy features do. And it’s why there’s now a Privacy Center. The vast majority of users will ignore this information the same way 80% of them have ignored privacy settings in the first place. But Facebook will still be able to claim that it did its best to get their informed consent.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation agrees:

“These new “privacy” changes are clearly intended to push Facebook users to publicly share even more information than before. Even worse, the changes will actually reduce the amount of control that users have over some of their personal data.”

Facebook first announced many of these changes in July. In the five months since then, I’ve asked Facebook representatives a few times what the hold up was. The response? “We want to get it right.” At the time, I suspected that Facebook might be backpedaling from its decision to promote Everyone updates the same way it started backpedaling from the Twitter-inspired redesign. That clearly wasn’t the case.

So what happens next? Facebook will doubtless see the same kind of knee-jerk reaction it gets for any change it makes. But even that will be smaller than the outrage over this year’s redesign, because the changes are much less in-your-face. It’ll probably take a bit longer for the real problems to begin.

First, we’ll hear some reports of people accidentally sharing too much in their updates, only to have a prospective employer find that information when they run a name check on Facebook. Similar stories have been around for ages, so most people probably won’t be alarmed. The real trouble will start when Facebook starts sharing these status updates with the search engines and other third parties. Bing will be getting access to Facebook ‘Everyone’ status updates in early 2010. Google will only have access to Fan Pages at first, but don’t be surprised if they cough up the cash for access to the status updates too. Both of these sites cache data. And you can be sure more sites and applications will be pulling in these updates too.

Up until now, Facebook alone has maintained control over the vast majority of content uploaded to the site. Get rid of it on Facebook, and it’s usually gone, at least from the prying eyes of a stranger. If you’re about to apply for a new job and want to go through and clean up your update history, you can still do that. But with ‘Everyone’, that changes. From Facebook’s privacy policy:

If you delete “everyone” content that you posted on Facebook, we will remove it from your Facebook profile, but have no control over its use outside of Facebook.

In other words, if users do wind up sharing far more than they intended to, Facebook can’t do much to repair the damage. Will this have a major impact on Facebook’s success? Probably not. But people may no longer perceive it as a private site, which is what made it popular in the first place.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 7:40 pm

IBM's Newest Mainframe Is All Linux

dcblogs writes "IBM has released a new mainframe server that doesn't include its z/OS operating system. This Enterprise Linux Server line supports Red Hat or Suse. The system is packaged with mainframe management and virtualization tools. The minimum processor configuration uses two specialty mainframe processors designed for Linux. IBM wants to go after large multicore x86 Linux servers and believes the $212,000 entry price can do it."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2009 | 7:27 pm

Nook E-Reader Has Potential, but Needs Work [Personal Technology]

Amazon’s Kindle has been the king of the nascent, much-hyped, category of wireless e-readers since it came out in 2007. Now, numerous companies are determined to challenge the Kindle with dedicated, mass-market gadgets for reading digital books and periodicals. The latest, and potentially most important, of these is a contender called the Nook, produced by the giant bookstore chain Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS), which started shipping it this week.

The two devices look very similar, but have key differences in capabilities, user interface and polish. Overall, after testing the Nook for about a week, I don’t think it’s as good as the Kindle, at least not yet. At launch, the Nook has the feel of a product with great potential that was rushed to market before it was fully ready.

Like the latest standard-size Kindle, which came out earlier this year, the Nook is a roughly 8-inch by 5-inch, ivory-colored plastic tablet that costs $259 and connects wirelessly to an online store. The two devices have essentially identical reading screens, 6 inches when measured diagonally, that allow for only monochrome text and gray-scale graphics, not color. Both come with two gigabytes of internal memory, enough to hold about 1,500 digital books.

Nook’s most obvious difference from Kindle is that it also boasts a second, smaller color screen beneath the main reading screen. This touch screen is used for navigating and for typing via an on-screen keyboard when performing searches or adding notes to books. Also, when the touch screen is dark, it can be swiped to turn pages instead of using the physical page-turning buttons at the sides of the main screen.

The competing Kindle (formerly called the Kindle 2, but now back to just Kindle) uses a joystick, Menu and Home buttons, and pop-up menus on the main screen for navigating. It has a physical keyboard below the screen for typing and can turn pages only using physical buttons.

Also, unlike the Kindle, the Nook lets you lend certain digital books to others for a limited period, an innovation that removes one of the most common complaints about buying books electronically instead of on paper.

Another big difference: Nook claims a catalog of just over one million digital books, versus 389,000 for the Kindle. But this is somewhat misleading, because over half of the Nook catalog is made up of free out-of-copyright titles published before 1923, the vast majority of which are likely to be of little interest to average readers. Barnes & Noble refuses to say how many modern commercial titles it offers, or even whether it has more or fewer of these than Amazon (AMZN).

Amazon says it already has nearly 20,000 of the most popular such older books available and plans to add hundreds of thousands more in the coming months, to bring its total selection to more than one million.

Amazon also offers well over 100 newspapers and magazines and 7,500 blogs. Barnes & Noble says it will have about 45 periodicals in the coming weeks, but no blogs.

Both devices offer downloads of most best-sellers, but in a random, unscientific test I performed using print books from around my house, I found Amazon’s commercial e-book catalog superior. Barnes & Noble lacked digital versions of two recent historical biographies I own, and had no digital editions of the works of one of my favorite contemporary mystery writers, Donna Leon. Amazon had all these books in Kindle editions. Barnes & Noble says titles like these are being added.

During my tests, I found the Nook slower, more cumbersome to use and less polished than the Kindle. I ran into various crashes and bugs. And, while the Kindle’s navigation system isn’t exactly world class, it ran circles around the Nook’s, despite the great possibilities offered by the latter’s use of the touch screen.

The Nook may be wonderful one day, but, as of today, it’s no match for the Kindle, despite advantages such as lending, because it’s more annoying to use.

For instance, the Nook constantly delayed taking me to books while the main screen displayed a message that said “formatting.” Its standard practice is to open books you select not at the actual start of the book, but at a description of the book. Turning pages inside books was slower than on the Kindle. Looking up a word in the built-in dictionary, a quick process on the Kindle, was far harder on the Nook. Even swiping the touch screen to turn pages would suddenly stop working for periods of time.

The good news for those who have ordered a Nook, which is currently sold out, is that its software can be updated, and Barnes & Noble is promising to fix the problems, starting with a wirelessly delivered patch next week that it says will improve the speed a bit, get you closer to the start of the book, and repair some of the bugs.

Two things are worth noting here. First, I also criticized the design of the original Kindle and the original Sony (SNE) e-reader, both of which have improved in subsequent iterations. (Sony, which was in this market early, is promising to release its first wireless e-reader later this month.)

Second, the entire e-reader market is still in its infancy. The lack of color in books and periodicals alone is a huge drawback. One day, I suspect both of these products will look like a 1996 Palm (PALM) PDA does compared with an Apple (AAPL) iPhone.

The Nook is a bit shorter and narrower than the Kindle, but it is an ounce heavier and significantly thicker. It has a cleaner look, because the bezel around the screen is narrower and there is no physical keyboard. The touch screen adds a dash of color, though it often goes dark to save battery life.

Like the Kindle, the Nook has built-in cellular connectivity with no monthly charges. But it also adds Wi-Fi, which is free at Barnes & Noble stores, though mostly unusable at other commercial hotspots, because the Nook lacks a Web browser that would allow you to log in. The Kindle has a crude Web browser, but no Wi-Fi.

Speaking of battery life, the Nook’s is worse than the Kindle’s. It claims about 10 days of typical use with wireless off, and just two days with wireless on. In my week of tests, with wireless on constantly, I had to charge it three times. Amazon rates the Kindle at 14 days of typical use with wireless off and seven days with wireless on, which squares with my own Kindle experience.

The Nook beats the Kindle in a few areas. Lending is a key one, though only about half of the commercial titles are eligible for lending, you can lend each one only once to a given person, and loans expire after two weeks. In my tests, lending worked OK after a couple of false starts.

Another is that Barnes & Noble takes advantage of its stores. In addition to getting free Wi-Fi, Nook owners who enter a Barnes & Noble store can read books on their Nooks for free, and get help from staff members.

Unlike the Kindle, the Nook also has a slot for expandable memory cards and a replaceable battery. Barnes & Noble also has companion PC, Mac, iPhone and BlackBerry software for reading e-books, even if you don’t own a Nook. Amazon has such software, so far, only for the iPhone and PC.

But, while Amazon will synchronize your last page read if you switch from reading a book on one device to using another, Barnes & Noble lacks that capability yet, though it says it will have it soon.

One more thing: The latest standard-size Kindle allows wireless book purchasing in multiple countries. The Nook does so only in the U.S.

My recommendation on the Nook is to wait, even if you prefer its features to the Kindle’s. It’s not fully baked yet.

Find all of Walt Mossberg’s columns and videos online, free, at the All Things Digital Web site, walt.allthingsd.com. Email him at mossberg@wsj.com.

Source: All Things Digital | 9 Dec 2009 | 7:03 pm

Average American consumes 34GB of data daily

Section: Gadgets / Other, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous

Us Americans live in a sea of technology. As I sit here typing this, I have the TV on with my Xbox in standby mode, my iPod Touch going through my radio, and my Sprint Instinct next to me waiting for a text message. And according to a University of California, San Diego, study, this is typical of the average American.

In total, all the words we hear every day, which happens to be about 100,000, plus everything else we read or listen too, totals up to a whopping 34GB a day. The study then goes on to break down where all this information comes from. Coming out on top, as would be expected, is television with nearly 45%. Next up is computers with 27%, then radio, and then print with 8.61%. There is a total of 8 different things that make up that 34GB, the smallest of which is movies at .2%.

Personally, I don’t watch that much TV at all. Maybe a show a week? Most of my time is spent on this laptop. I know, no life, but at least its spent doing something besides watching “Days of Our Lives.” Does this compare to you guys? Or are the people down in California just crazy.

Read [NYT] Via [Mashable]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Dec 2009 | 7:01 pm

Woman spray-paints own house with Hitler graffiti

Frustrated by recent run-ins with her homeowners association over her inability to pay dues, 45-year old Sheila Jones of Indian Harbour Beach, Florida spray-painted this message on the side of her house: "Hitler would be a welcome neighbor here. Stop the harassment to my family."


Source: Boing Boing | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:59 pm

Noninvasive Technique Blocks A Conditioned Fear In Humans

Recalling emotional memory opens window of opportunity to rewrite itScientists have for the first time selectively blocked a conditioned fear memory in humans with a behavioral manipulation. Participants remained free of the fear memory for at least a year.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:10 pm

Divvyshot Releases iPhone App For Easy Photo Sharing

Divvyshot, a startup that makes sharing photos between groups very easy, has just launched an iPhone app to make photo sharing on the go even easier. Divvyshot’s web service launched in private alpha in March 2009. Divvyshot still isn’t open to the public, but if you download their new iPhone app, you’ll be able to sign up for an account.

With the new Divvyshot iPhone app [iTunes link], the service is making it easier then ever to share photos on the go or to another Divvyshot user. Divvyshot already has deep integration with photo services including Flickr, Facebook and Twitter, and now you can upload all your photos from your phone. There’s just one catch — you’ll have to first manage these accounts from the Divvyshot website before you can use them on your phone.

The iPhone app uses some of the core features of the iPhone, including the accelerometer and the GPS for one of its coolest features: being able to send photos from one iPhone to another, wirelessly. All you have to do is put the two devices together, and shake them, and accept the photo transfer. After that, the photos in the event will start streaming to your iPhone. You’re automatically added to the event so the photos show up in your Divvyshot account on both the app and the web service.

Divvyshot is preparing for some much needed updates to its web client as well, and is also launching an alpha version of its desktop client in the next couple of weeks. The desktop client will sync your photo library on your computer to your Divvyshot account, instantly. Divvyshot was a winter 2009 Y-Combinator company.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:09 pm

Entropy Alone Creates Complex Crystals From Simple Shapes, Study Shows

In a study that elevates the role of entropy in creating order, research led by the University of Michigan shows that certain pyramid shapes can spontaneously organize into complex quasicrystals.A quasicrystal is a solid whose components exhibit long-range order, but without a single pattern or a unit cell that repeats.A paper on the findings appears in the Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:07 pm

Female Birds -- Acting Just Like The Guys -- Become Sexual Show-Offs In Cooperative Breeding Species

Female birds in species that breed in groups can find themselves under pressure to sexually show off and evolve the same kinds of embellishments – like fanciful tail feathers or chest-puffing courtship dances - as males, according to new research in the latest issue of Nature (Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:02 pm

Got 5 Benjamins to Burn? We've Got 10 Awesome Gifts

When 500 smackers blaze a hole in your pocket, use some of these pricey toys to help snuff out the heat.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm

Got 5 Benjamins to Burn? We've Got 10 Awesome Gifts

When 500 smackers blaze a hole in your pocket, use some of these pricey toys to help snuff out the heat.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:00 pm

Kobor Laboratory Reveals Molecular View Of Key Epigenetic Regulator

In a paper published this week in the journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences”, Dr. Michael Kobor’s laboratory reported the structure and function of a key player in regulating chromatin in yeast and humans.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:57 pm

CLST Holdings, Inc. Cancels its Scheduled Annual Meeting of Stockholders

Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the definitive proxy statement and other documents (when available) that CLST files with the SEC at the SEC's Web site at www.sec.gov.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:54 pm

Kayak’s New iPhone App Takes Flight

Discount travel site Kayak has launched a new version of its popular, free iPhone app. The new app, which is already in App Store, includes a trips management tool, an upgraded user interface and faster search.

New features and upgrades include a two-dimensional desktop-style navigation system, an enhanced flight, hotel and car search design including a new scrolling calendar, faster search and additional search options and filters. It basically comes one step closer to bringing the web experience of searching Kayak to the iPhone. The app also serves as an itinerary management service that consolidates flight, hotel, car rental, maps and other events into a single itinerary. Kayak’s paid app ($3.99) for flights on business or first class has also been updated with the trip management feature and improved search and UI.

One feature missing from the app is the ability to conduct a transaction within Kayak; if you purchase a flight or hotel, you are led to the airline or hotel chain’s mobile page, which is often difficult to use on the phone. To remedy this problem, Kayak plans to add a booking assistant tool to its next generation of iPhone and mobile apps in 2010 that would allow users to buy the travel item without having to go the the airline, hotel or car rental site. Kayak will also be folding in advertising into apps but isn’t sure how ads will be integrated.

Kayak is continuing to expand its mobile strategy, with several iPhone apps, a BlackBerry app and and a recently launched Android app. The iPhone app is amounting to 5 percent of Kayak’s total search queries (around one million per day), and already has 600,00 downloads after launching in February. Kayak is pouring 20 percent of its development resources into mobile, says Kayak’s CMO Robert Birge.

Kayak, which has raised a healthy $223 million in funding, has seen steady growth in a over-crowded space. And Microsoft’s Bing newly launched travel search engine looks a whole lot like Kayak’s but isn’t imitation the sincerest form of flattery?

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

Source: TechCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:52 pm

Company Trains the Autistic To Test Software

Aspiritech, a Chicago based non-profit company, has launched a program to train high-functioning autistic people as testers for software development companies. The company says autistics have a talent for spotting imperfections, and thrive on predictable, monotonous work. Aspiritech is not the first company to explore the idea of treating this handicap as a resource. Specialisterne, a Danish company founded in 2004, also trains autistics. They hire their workforce out as hourly consultants to do data entry, assembly line jobs and work that many would find tedious and repetitive.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:48 pm

Rippol Launches Lightweight Version Of Video Discovery Engine

Rippol, the video discovery engine that combines both complex algorithms with user suggestions to surface interesting content, has tweaked its interface slightly to provide users with a lightweight version of the site when browsing. After receiving feedback post-launch, Rippol decided to adjust the settings of the site to not require users to login or register with the site to view video.

The startup tells us the lighter version is 100% HTML with no Javascript so older browsers can use it easily. The idea behind launching a simpler version is to allow users to view videos and then decide if they want a more personalized experience. Rippol has also launched a new content section called “Buzzy” which are videos that were data mined out of social networks. The videos, which have been stripped of personal information, showcase of content that is currently being talked about or posted on Twitter and Facebook. The algorithm that aggregates the videos takes into account the most recent videos and the most posted videos or Tweeted videos.

Rippol has also developed a go-around with the whole Hulu fiasco. After debuting at the Real-Time CrunchUp a few weeks ago, the startup’s co-founder Aaron Crayford received notice from Hulu that the video embeds on Rippol from Hulu were in violation of the terms of service which state that embeds are for personal, non-commercial use only. While Rippol says that they won’t place ads in the videos or around the videos, Hulu said that the simple fact that Rippol plans to make money from the entire content service violates the TOS. Instead, Hulu offered Rippol the ability to us its site map, which is a feed that links back to Hulu for video playback.

To circumvent the Hulu situation, Rippol is using Comcast’s Fancast, which it was already crawling.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:40 pm

Instruction Repairs Brain Connectivity In Poor Readers

Scientists have demonstrated that intensive remedial instruction can bring about a positive change in the brain connectivity of poor readers.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:40 pm

Wireless Brain-to-Computer Connection Synthesizes Speech

For the first time, a brain-computer interface has wirelessly translated brain waves into sounds. It's a major step toward mobile, wireless systems that can help paralyzed people express themselves.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:40 pm

BoomTown Visits AOL's NYC HQ on Eve of Spinoff: CEO Tim Armstrong's Fabulous Cheekbones and More! [BoomTown]

BoomTown is in Manhattan today and my No. 1 stop had to be the AOL HQ downtown.

The iconic Internet company–which has gone through more lives than a dozen cats–is poised tomorrow to officially spin off from Time Warner (TWX) in yet another episode of the longest running corporate soap opera on the Web.

Less than a decade ago, AOL was the most powerful Internet property in the world, its dominance culminating in a merger with the media giant that was touted as the next big thing.

Well, it was certainly a thing.

As everyone knows, the union did not turn out well, and now, after years of struggling within Time Warner, AOL is being let free to resume its journey alone.

It will start trading tomorrow on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “AOL.”

I am about to head out to a party for AOL on Wall Street tonight and will also be there when AOL rings the opening bell in the morning, after which investors will cast their vote on its fate. (I’ll post on all that next.)

Until then, here is a video tour I did this afternoon at AOL HQ on Broadway, including an interview with CEO Tim Armstrong–whose Don Draper executive cheekbones are admired by partners and rivals alike–as the former Google (GOOG) exec heads into the big day:

Source: All Things Digital | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:38 pm

Money Changes What We Think Is Fair, Research Finds

Thinking of rewarding your sales department for a job well done? You might not want to make cash part of the pay-off.A study to be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, shows that when it comes to distributing resources, people’s ideas about what’s fair change depending on what’s being handed out.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:32 pm

Droid is finally rooted, customized ROMs coming soon

Section: Communications, Cellphones, Smartphones

Those who have used any Android phone before, most likely know of the benefits of rooting.  By gaining root access to the phones, users can do just about anything they want with them.  There is a very active community base around modding Android, and now the Motorola Droid can join in the fun.

The news comes from popular Android modder Cyanogen, who sent the message to everyone through Twitter.  The actual exploit was found by Zinx Verituse, who posted the information on the page Cyanogen linked to.  Since the exploit is so new, there aren’t any ROMs out for the Droid yet, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see a few pop up in the coming days and weeks.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see ROMs with multitouch enabled, which is arguably the one thing the Droid is currently missing.  For most current phones, adaptations of HTC’s Sense UI (like the Hero and Droid Eris) have proven popular, though a simple Android 2.0 wouldn’t be surprising for the Droid.  Maybe even an adaptation of Sony’s UI once its released, if possible.

As with all rooting or jailbreaking, it is worth noting that doing so could void your warranty, and could violate the carrier’s Terms of Service.  The risk/reward may not be worth it for some people.  There’s also the possibility of bricking your fancy new phone, which would be terrible.  If you’re willing to take the risk, however, customized ROMs can be much better, and more easily customizable than the stock Android.

Read [Wired]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:30 pm

Watch First Round Capital’s Startups Sing About Their Big Dreams

First Round Capital 2009 Holiday Card from First Round Capital on Vimeo.

This is quickly shaping up to be my favorite holiday tradition. First Round Capital has once again rounded up all of its portfolio companies to create a video holiday card that’s as hilarious as it is heartwarming. This year, we get to witness each startup team singing their hearts out. The theme? “Building Big Dreams”, inspired by Les Misérables. Not even Aaron Patzer, who just sold Mint for $170 million, gets a bye.

This is a great followup to last year’s card, when First Round Capital got all of its startups to dance their way through the gloomiest days of the recession.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:26 pm

5000 Deaths : A Catastrophic, Regrettable Decision In Belgium

“The EU cannot turn its back on CVD”, expressed Dirk Sterckx and Linda McAvan, both MEPs and co-chairs of the MEP Heart Group. There is overwhelming evidence that prevention and lifestyle modification brings about big health gains.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:15 pm

Global Warming Naysayers Turn up Heat - CBS News

Telegraph.co.uk

Global Warming Naysayers Turn up Heat CBS News As the climate conference continues in Copenhagen, the "Climate-Gate" scandal is causing controversy. As Wyatt Andrews reports, critics question whether the earth is really getting warmer. The controversy over climate change continues, ... Global warming isn't slowing, report saysCNET News No Slowdown of Global Warming, Agency SaysNew York Times Debate on climate change - Our view: 'Climategate' gives ammo to global ...USA Today (blog) Los Angeles Times -Wall Street Journal -Politico all 1,080 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:12 pm

Consumers Overpredict The Use Of Holiday Gifts

Strangers better at estimating the frequency of gift useBefore you add that fancy "it" gadget to your holiday wish list, you should know you're not going to use it as much as you think you will.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:11 pm

Light show sparks UFO buzz - msnbc.com

Telegraph.co.uk

Light show sparks UFO buzz msnbc.com A spectacular light show visible from northern Norway has energized the UFO crowd. Was that blazing pinwheel in the sky a signal from the aliens? Was it a practice run for an elaborate worldwide messianic hoax? You'd expect the experts to come out with ... Weird Image in the Norwegian Sky — Could It Be Spiral Marketing?Wired News Mysterious Giant Spiral of Light Dominates Norway's SkyFOXNews Norway spiral light in the sky, could it be a UFO (video)Prime Writer News Network Associated Content -ChattahBox -Escapist Magazine all 92 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:06 pm

Aon Risk Services Names Malik as New CEO of Asia

HONG KONG and CHICAGO, Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:00 pm

Florida Jocks Get Free MacBook Pros

As part of a new program with Apple, the University of South Florida is giving each of its 460 student athletes free MacBook Pros to keep up with their studies on the road.

In addition to handing out notebooks to jocks, the university is adding new materials to iTunes U, a page in the iTunes Store hosting educational content, such as video podcasts and digitized lectures.

The university declined to comment on the cost of the program, but a spokesman told Fortune that the cost of the notebooks for the spring semester was in the “six figures” — even after a special Apple discount.

To me, this program seems excessive, and I’d imagine the non-athletes are pissed. Which college student, jock or not, doesn’t already own a notebook?

Far more interesting is the pilot program at Abilene University, in which the school is handing out free iPhones to its entire freshman class to transform the classroom experience using web apps.

Press release [USF]

See Also:

• How the iPhone Could Reboot Education
• Apple Stores Offer Field Trips for Schools
• Apple Takes on School in Latest Trademark Battle
• Apple, Stanford Teaching iPhone Development for Free
• Apple Launches iPhone University Program
• From iLightswitch to iBurrito, Stanford Students Concoct iPhone …

Photo: *.*/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:57 pm

Electromagnetic Fields As Cutting Tools

The bodywork on motor vehicles must be sufficiently stable, but processing the high-strength steels involved – for example punching holes in them – can prove something of a challenge.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:57 pm

Debunking Fears: Latino Growth Does Not Boost Crime

Rural industries, such as meat-packing and textile manufacturing, create job opportunities that have brought significant numbers of Latino workers and their families to small- and medium-sized towns.
Source: RedOrbit News - Science | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:52 pm

Five Top Publishers Plan Rival to Kindle Format

eldavojohn writes "Time Inc., News Corp., Conde Nast, Hearst Corp., and Meredith Corp. are teaming up to create a digital newsstand and somewhat open format that 'can render our content beautifully on those devices that come to market' instead of the gray inked Kindle's energy conscious display. Devices are being made for the new format with the launch coming next year. The format will also target smart phones and tablet computers. Will this pose a threat at all to the Kindle?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:36 pm

With Live Streaming A Go, Qik Rushes Towards The App Store

As we first reported last night, Apple is finally allowing live streaming video applications into the App Store. Apple’s acceptance of the Ustream Live Broadcaster has seemingly paved the way for other live-streaming apps. And one of the best known ones, Qik, is wasting little time to get its app out there. The company writes in a blog post today that they’ve already submitted their app for approval.

I’ve actually had the Qik live-streaming app on my iPhone for a while, thanks to the magic of ad-hoc distribution. Unfortunately, Apple’s policies restrict the number of copies Qik can send this way, so the application remained mostly a proof-of-concept for most people. Given how quickly Qik submitted the app to the store, we expect the official build that will likely get approved to be the same one we have been using, which we reviewed here. It’s solid, but the video quality leaves a little to be desired compared to some competing video apps (none of which did live streaming).

Like Ustream, Qik did release a version of its app that allowed users to upload videos — but not live videos, until now.

Following Ustream and Qik, you can probably expect other companies like 12seconds to get into the iPhone live streaming game as well. Once all these apps are available, the question is how much will people use them? Services like Qik in particular seemed hot among some of the tech elite last year, but this year have seemed to have large cooled off. Perhaps that’s because people have been ditching their Nokia phones (it seemed like everyone was using the N95 with Qik for a while) in favor of devices like the iPhone. Now that these apps are allowed on the iPhone, will we see a resurgence of links to live streams on Twitter again?

Below find some examples of Qik videos I shot with my iPhone 3GS using the ad-hoc version of the app.

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

Source: TechCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:33 pm

'1000 Comic Books You Must Read' Digs Into Pulp's Past

Tony Isabella's book maps the colorful galaxy of superheroes, both well-known and obscure, with whom you should become acquainted. Leave a comment for your chance to win a copy.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:12 pm

Robotic Bambi Takes Aim at Poachers

Taxidermist Brian Wolslegel of Custom Robotic Wildlife makes a menagerie of remote-controlled zombie decoys including robotic deer, coyotes, elk, antelope and bears. Watch video of the animal-skin-covered robots in action.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:00 pm

Space Biologist Searches for Germs on Mars

Astrobiologist Adrienne Kish has turned an internship she spent dumpster-diving for microbes in astronauts' food scraps and vomit bags into a profession, and is now one of 35 scientists testing instruments and protocols for upcoming Mars missions.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:00 pm

Cap My iPhone? Try This Instead, AT&T

An AT&T executive says the company will be pushing heavy iPhone users to cut it out. Wired.com has some better advice for fixing AT&T's failing 3G network.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:00 pm

GenNx360 Capital Partners and GVI Security Solutions, Inc. Announce Official Closing of Tender Offer for GVI

NEW YORK, Dec.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Dec 2009 | 3:59 pm

Apple Makes iPhone Developer News Available via RSS - PC World

Sky News

Apple Makes iPhone Developer News Available via RSS PC World In the past, news and announcements for developers about iPhone development and the App Store has been restricted to a small pane on Apple's iPhone Dev Center site. But Apple on Wednesday turned that little pane into a ... Mobile-app makers prepare for a gold rushCNET News 1000 Apps Pulled From App Store148Apps Apple plugs in iphone developers with news feedSan Francisco Chronicle Washington Post -ChannelWeb -VentureBeat all 482 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Dec 2009 | 3:51 pm

A $1000 Apple Tablet? Let's Hope Not (PC World)

PC World - So how 'bout that Apple tablet? Cupertino's mysterious slate computer--which officially doesn't exist--retained its rumor du jour status Wednesday when Oppenheimer analyst Yair Reiner predicted the device would debut in March or April 2010. Reiner's prophecy calls for a tablet with a 10.1-inch LCD display and an average sale price of $1,000.
Source: Yahoo! News: Technology News | 9 Dec 2009 | 3:50 pm

Malware Found Hidden In Screensaver On Gnome-Look

AndGodSed writes "OMG! UBUNTU! Reports the following: 'Malware has been found hidden inside an innocuous 'waterfall' screensaver .deb file made available on popular artwork sharing site Gnome-Look.org. The .deb file installs a script with elevated privileges designed to perform a DDoS attack as well as keep itself updated via downloads. The dodgy screensaver in question has since been removed from gnome-look, and this incident was a very basic, if potentially successful, attempt.'" A similar report at Digitizor.com says that similar malware was also found in a theme called Ninja Black. For those affected, both sites also provide instruction on cleansing your system.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2009 | 3:39 pm

Microsoft Declares Quarterly Dividend

REDMOND, Wash., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today announced that its board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.13 per share. The dividend is payable March 11, 2010 to shareholders of record on February 18, 2010.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Dec 2009 | 3:32 pm

Tongue-Eating Parasite Makes News Again

Do you remember the tongue-eating parasite? If not, here's a visual reminder: (Credit: Matthew Gilligan) I told you about this photogenic species, Cymothoa exigua, at Animal Planet back in 2005. The parasite is making news again this week, at Treehugger, ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 3:11 pm

Crazy Spiral in the Sky Might Be Real

When a strange spiral appeared in the sky above Norway, most assumed it was a hoax or perhaps a UFO, if you're a believer. Now, it appears there might be a better explanation: a malfunctioning Russian rocket. But do you think it's real?

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 3:09 pm

Google Trike Promotion is Fiendishly Brilliant

Those devilishly brilliant folks at Google! In an effort to get better resolution and more accurate images of homes, streets and businesses in the Street View area of Google Maps, Google has developed the Google Trike, a smaller and more ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 3:02 pm

A Critical Look At Open Licensing For Hardware

Glyn Moody writes "At a recent Open Hardware Camp in London, it became clear that one of the main obstacles to applying open source principles to hardware was licensing. For example, should competing big companies be allowed to use their economies of scale to make and sell cheaper products based on open hardware designs developed by small start-ups without payment? There's also the problem that hacking designs for physical objects like open source cars may have safety implications, which raises questions about liability. So what's the best way to address these issues?"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:51 pm

5 TSA Workers on Leave After Leak of Screening Manual

They'll remain shelved pending an investigation into who posted a sensitive airport screening manual that was poorly redacted.

Source: Wired Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:47 pm

Horace Mann Educators Corporation Increases Quarterly Dividend

SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Horace Mann Educators Corporation (NYSE: HMN) Board of Directors announced a quarterly dividend of 8 cents per share payable on December 31, 2009 to shareholders of record as of December 21, 2009.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:46 pm

TigerLogic Corporation Unveils yolink 1.0 Developer Beta for Google Chrome Browser, With Google Docs Integration

Quick Find: Yolink searches within links and text for keywords in context, reducing the need for additional tabs and windows. Single-Click Access: Clickable preview extracts with highlighted keywords for instant contextual information.Simple Save and Share:
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:43 pm

TigerLogic Corporation Releases yolink 3.1 With Google Docs and Diigo Integration

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- TigerLogic Corporation (Nasdaq: TIGR) today announced the release of yolink version 3.1 with advanced feature integration with Google Docs(TM) and Diigo(TM).
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:33 pm

NII Holdings Announces Pricing of Senior Note Offering

RESTON, Va., Dec. 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NII Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: NIHD) today announced the pricing of the offering, through its wholly owned subsidiary NII Capital Corp., of $500 million principal amount of 8.875% Senior Notes due 2019.
Source: RedOrbit News - Technology | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:32 pm

Negotiate a Better Deal With Your ISP

Desperate times call for desperate measures. In a competitive landscape, that means ISPs might pitch in a little extra to keep or get your business. Here’s a guide to negotiating a better internet package.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:30 pm

UStream Live Broadcaster brings live video streaming to iPhone, even over 3G

FROM APPLETELL - It appears as if UStream has won the race over Qik to bring live streaming from the iPhone to the web.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:14 pm

Mystery Spiral Appears Over Norway

Photo: Jan Petter Jørgensen via Vaeret Norway often has strange lights dancing around the night sky, but early this morning it wasn't the aurora that captivated many eyewitnesses in the north of the country. A giant spiral had appeared, and ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 2:08 pm

PBS NewsHour comes to YouTube

After nearly 35 years on air, PBS NewsHour recently re-launched its broadcast program and website in an effort to provide viewers with NewsHour content wherever, whenever and however they want to access it. As part of this transformation, the nightly news program is starting a major new initiative with YouTube.

The PBS NewsHour channel on YouTube (http://youtube.com/pbsnewshour) will host nightly reports from the NewsHour television broadcast, posted the same night the broadcast airs on PBS. The NewsHour will also post web-original videos featuring its new online correspondent Hari Sreenivasan. These news segments will be archived on the NewsHour YouTube channel, ensuring that those looking for video of past news events will easily be able to find it.

The launch of the PBS NewsHour channel is the latest in a series of PBS and NewsHour projects with YouTube, including last year's Video Your Vote project that encouraged voters to film and post their experience at the polls during Election Day 2008. The project attracted more than 2,500 videos from across the country, which PBS was able to incorporate into its Election Night coverage.

While the new NewsHour program, website and YouTube channel represent the evolution of how we consume the news in the 21st century, the journalism within will continue to engage, inform and enlighten Americans about the issues and events that directly affect their everyday lives — just as it has from the very beginning.



Posted by Jim Lehrer, anchor of NewsHour, and Obadiah Greenberg, YouTube Strategic Partner Manager
Source: The Official Google Blog | 9 Dec 2009 | 1:52 pm

U.K. Begins Spying on File-Sharing Traffic

An Internet Service Provider in the United Kingdom has begun using a new software that can track every piece of copied music, movies, e-books, games or software. The results will shed light on file-sharing traffic that may be infringing on ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 1:31 pm

Swype gets hacked onto the original Omnia (Update: And more!)

If you’re one of the 3 million or so people rocking the original Samsung Omnia, you might be feelin’ like you’ve been left out in the cold now that the Omnia II is on the shelves. At the very least, you’re probably a bit envious of the Omnia II’s finger-swiping text input method, Swype. Yeah? Don’t fret – we’ve got good news.

Just one week after the Omnia II’s launch, the phone modding community has already ripped it apart, extracted the goods, and have it pretty much fully functioning on the original Omnia (Both the SGH-I900 and US model SGH-i910). Though I can’t promise it’ll stay up for long (considering that Samsung and/or Swype might be a bit chapped by this), you can find the download details over at MoDaCo. Only English and Spanish are supported at the moment, though the modders are digging away for the other language files.

With the ball now rolling, we can probably expect Swype to get modded onto other, non-Omnia WinMo handsets before too long. And to the folks responsible for getting this all up-and-running: keep up the good work, guys!

Update: Looks like they’ve got it working on other WVGA handsets, too, including the GSM Omnia II and the HTC TouchPro2.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 1:14 pm

Massive Simultaneous Sex Event Documented

On September 20, 2006, millions of individuals from two ocean species engaged in a massive and simultaneous sex event, which was witnessed and documented by a team of Italian researchers. Diana Sarno and her colleagues describe the sexually explosive event ...
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 1:11 pm

Joby makes an iPhone app: the Gorillacam

Joby, makers of the various Gorilla accessories — the GorillaPod, the GorillaTorch, GorillaMobile, etc — have just unveiled their first iPhone app: the Gorillacam. The free app provides a number of features to improve the usefulness of the iPhone camera, including a grid for rule-of-thirds shots, making the entire touchscreen a shutter button, burst photo sequences, and much more.

Here’s the full press release:

Joby Launches Gorillacam, a Free Camera Self-Timer App for iPhone

Gorillacam extends the functionality of the iPhone’s camera and, together with Joby’s Gorillamobile iPhone stand, is the perfect solution for hands-free photo taking.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – December 9, 2009 – From the photography experts at Joby, creators of the award-winning Gorillapod line of flexible tripods and the Gorillamobile iPhone stand, comes the Gorillacam, a free, feature-packed camera application for the iPhone.

Designed to extend the iPhone’s native camera functionality, the Gorillacam adds many features that are unavailable in the basic camera application, including a self-timer, time-lapse, and continuous rapid-fire shooting.

The Gorillacam’s self-timer function allows the user to set a custom time delay, which is ideal for taking group photos or self-portraits. At last iPhone owners can get into their own photographs and become part of the memories.

The Gorillacam is the perfect complement to Joby’s popular Gorillamobile for 3G/3GS, an iPhone stand with flexible, wrappable legs that attach to virtually any surface, providing iPhone owners unmatched flexibility for taking photos, recording video, watching movies, or talking hands-free. The Gorillamobile attaches to the iPhone via a custom engineered protective iPhone 3G/3GS case. When used in conjunction with the Gorillacam app, it opens up a world of new possibilities for iPhone owners and encourages “iPhoneography”.

In addition to the self-timer, the Gorillacam allows for extremely fast, uninterrupted shots, up to 1.6 frames per second. Photos save automatically in the background allowing users to fire off a sequence of photos. Also built into Gorillacam is a time-lapse feature that can take multiple photos spaced at user-specified intervals as short as 1 second or as long as 2 minutes.

Additional capabilities include:

• Press anywhere – turns the entire screen into a shutter button.
• 3-Shot burst – takes three photographs in rapid succession. Never miss a second of the action. Plus, no more photos ruined when someone blinks!
• Grid overlay – compose more interesting shots with a rule of thirds guide. Also great for lining up landscapes or buildings.
• Bubble level – take level shots every time. Works in both vertical and horizontal modes, and is ideal for horizons or panoramas.
• Share – upload or share photos easily from within the Gorillacam.

The Gorillacam is available for free in the iPhone App Store. http://joby.com/gorillacam

For additional product or company information, please contact media representative Mark Olson at markolson@maxborgesagency.com.

ABOUT JOBY

Joby creates well designed product solutions that enhance the creative and active capabilities of consumer electronics. The Company revolutionized the camera accessories market in early 2006 with its Gorillapod line of flexible tripods and continues to redefine the consumer electronics market with its Gorillamobile and Gorillatorch product lines. Founded in 2005, Joby is a privately-held company headquartered in San Francisco, CA, with offices in Santa Cruz, CA; Geneva, Switzerland; Singapore and Shenzhen, China. For more information about Joby please visit joby.com.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 12:58 pm

The only thing better than the iLikeCereal!! app is the press release

If you’re anything like me, you get incredibly annoyed each time one of Apple’s “There’s an app for that!” ads rolls. They like to pretend that there’s an app for everything – but you.. you know the truth. Sure, they have tip calculators, tens of thousands of games, and an app that makes you sound like T-Pain – but do they have cereal bowl simulators? Until this week, the answer was no.

Alright, now that I’ve written a satisfactory introduction, I’ve just gotta admit it: the only reason I’m writing about this is because it’s friggin’ hilarious. The app itself is cool and all [iTunes Link], but the accompanying press release sealed the deal.

The press release:

iLikeCereal!! HOBBLES ONTO iPHONE APP STORE

Fun Entertainment App Sells Not-so-Epic 26 Copies

Suburban-Detroit by way of Zagreb, Mich. – December 8th, 2009 – Marroni Electronic Entertainment (MEE) and NightIrion today announced the less-than-epic sales figures for the first three days of just released iPhone and iTouch entertainment app, iLikeCereal!!.

“We sold 26 copies,” said Nick Marroni, Owner, Designer & Producer, MEE. “We weren’t necessarily expecting instant great success, but damn,” he continued, before going on to explain that at least half of that meager 26 sales must have been family and friends (whom also account for iLikeCereal!!’s current five star rating, of course).

iLikeCereal!!, a milk and cereal physics sim, unashamedly born out of fellow iPhone app Koi Pond’s success, but yet still lovingly crafted and uniqueified and innovateded by its creators (it’s got sweet music, too), just didn’t quite take the App Store charts by storm.

With full French, German, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese (don’t forget Croatian) localizations, Marroni and Galic found it especially awesome that not a single Spaniard or Nihonjin deigned to partake in the breakfast cereal shenanigans.

“We know that cereal’s not the biggest thing outside North America, but it’s almost like people haven’t even heard of breakfast in some parts of the world,” said Marroni, in between bites of some delicious and sugary sweet Choco Bombs.

“We copied everything from Koi Pond, but it just wasn’t enough… ,” lamented Ivan Galic, Owner & Programmer, NightIrion.

Beginning life as a work-for-hire project in the heydays of early 2009, and eventually being amicably dumped by the original publisher and turning into a work-for-nothing project just a few short days ago, iLikeCereal!! has a long and storied history.

“Anyway we spent four months, on-and-off, on what was supposed to be a four week project and packed it with a lot of cool features and polish–except for the UI; that really ain’t pretty, but hey, that stuff costs money, man, and artists don’t work for free,” said Galic.

Nine months after initially beginning work on iLikeCereal!!, the time was finally come to unleash it on the App Store and the dynamic duo at last got down to business and submitted the app to Apple for approval.

“It was approved quick enough,” said Galic. “Though, it wasn’t until a day after we’d got approval to go on sale and realized that, since we didn’t launch at the exact nanosecond that we received approval from Apple, we’d be buried a day down the new releases list (out of sight of most any customers), that we started to get an inkling of the App Store’s real majesty.”

Yes, it was then, the duo agree, that releasing iLikeCereal!! became a truly magical experience.

“Just as I was laying down to slumber for the night and not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse, I hear that familiar ‘Bwip!’ from Skype, telling me I’ve just been unfortunate enough to receive a message at such late an hour,” related Marroni.

He then discovered it was Galic messaging him to explain that iLikeCereal!! was now no longer buried down the new releases list (at least not on the PC side of the App Store), but was instead the very first listing, with a release date of December 31st, 2009, no less!

“It appeared our intrepid little app learned itself the secrets of time travel and had a bit of fun to our benefit,” continued Marroni.

From here, it was a whirlwind few days of constantly shifting release dates (something the pair attribute to iLikeCereal!!’s merging timelines and uncanny powers of temporal manipulation and perhaps even a dash of al-Qaeda—just so as not to rule anything out), with, for about an entire day, probably, iLikeCereal!! being the first listing in the entertainment category’s new releases section on both the App Store’s PC and iPhone fronts.

It was during this heady 24 hours or so at the top of the new releases list that the pair begin to let their heads fill with ridiculous fantasies of actually being able to make a living at independent development.

“I thought I might even buy me a PSP,” said Marroni. “Maybe even one of them newfangled Go’s—who needs an UMD drive when you’ve got high rent App Store real estate!”

“I was going to to pay the rent and get something to eat,” said Galic. “I’m actually pretty hungry, right now.”

It wasn’t until another day or so went by and the pair failed to find iLikeCereal!! listed in the Top 100 Entertainment Apps section that they knew they were in trouble and decided to actually check their sales figures.

“And that’s when it hit,” Marroni began.

“26,” Galic finished.

After calculating that the royalties they earned would be enough for only the cheapest and most vile of malt liquors and Marroni’s girlfriend saying that he’d have to sell at least 30 copies before she’d let him touch her again, the devastation fully sank in.

“In some countries, I believe we’d be legally obligated to commit seppuku right now and/or sent to debtor’s prison–we don’t even owe any debts!!!!1111,” explained Marroni.

“I’d really just like to be able to upgrade to a 3GS,” concurred Galic.

“We really have a lot of cool ideas for updates to iLikeCereal!! too,” said Marroni. “Think RPG. Think iLikeCereal!! RPG.”

As bad as it is, the pair are, as ever, in it to win it and are sure that a simple featuring by Apple in that holy of holies, the App Store’s Featured section, is all that’s needed to cure what ails the pretty fun and mostly good value, iLikeCereal!!.

“I have it on good authority from a veteran producer that the code word to get Apple to feature us is ‘tough’ and ‘essential’,” said Marroni.

“Yes, we believe this code word will be sufficient for us to get featured,” agreed Galic, before slitting the throat of a freshly procured chicken and chanting ‘necronomicon’ something or other, in an otherworldly tongue.

“It’s cool, though, because we’ve got our magnum opus and first game, iBailout!! (a new-school, action arcade bonanza where players assume the role of the Federal Reserve—really, truly), being published by the fine folks at Hands-On Mobile (who had absolutely nothing to do with this press release—honest) coming to the iPhone any day now,” said Marroni.

“Yeah, I think it’s only going on week seven or eight since we submitted it to Apple for review, too,” said Galic. “Oh, wait. Today’s the 8th, so make that nine.”

So, in the meantime, while the iLikeCereal!! promotional train continues to blaze ever onward and Apple inevitably decides to feature it (and you fine folks reading this magnificent press release get yourselves a copy), thereby giving it a helping hand to the great success that it’s so surely destined to see, Marroni and Galic reflect on their launch experience and what they’ve learned.

“We blame pirates,” the pair said, in eerie unison. “Dirty, filthy pirates.”

iLikeCereal!! is available now on the iTunes App Store, exclusively for iPhone and iTouch. Get it here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ilikecereal/id341455168?mt=8 Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WbVEC3Hy9E And then see the really awesome iBailout!! trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqhB77AZHGQ

Good luck, guys. I hope you sell at least another 26 copies.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 11:20 am

Mobile Firefox release candidate coming as early as next week

Though nary but a few screenshots have been shown of it outside of a few alpha builds released months ago, the words “Mobile Firefox” are enough to get most geeks a bit hot around the collar.

The wait is almost over – for some, at least. Sometime next week, we can expect to get our first real taste of what Mozilla’s got cooking, as they plan to wrap up their first release candidate. Alas, it won’t be launching on a platform that most will have access to.

As they’ve been saying for a few months, the first release of Firefox Mobile will be for Maemo 5 on the Nokia N900. The guys over at CNet met up with Mozilla’s VP of Mobile, Jay Sullivan, and managed to get a few details:

• Release candidate next week, final release within a few weeks
• Adblock Plus and around 30 other extensions are already playing friendly with Mobile Firefox, though they need some tweaking for the smaller screen
• Firefox won’t be the default browser on Maemo 5, though Nokia is considering the switch for Maemo 6 (which is coming in late 2010. We scooped the details and screenshots of Maemo 6 back in May.
• While they need pretty beefy hardware to make Mobile Firefox tick, the N900 isn’t the bottom line. “Everything now on the mid- to high-end is fine.”
• The Windows Mobile build is 3-4 months behind the Maemo build
• They’re focusing on webapp features. In its current state, web apps in Mobile Firefox can pull data from the accelerometer and GPS, and store data in memory for offline use
• In 2010, they plan to add multitouch support, haptic feedback, camera usage, WebGL, and improved Javascript support.

Sullivan sees 80% of applications becoming web-based within the next 3 years – which, unless he’s not including games in that metric, seems a bit high to me. WebGL is great and all, but convincing game developers to stray from native platform languages is a tough battle to fight.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 10:59 am

Appletell reviews two iPhone/iPod power solutions from DLO

FROM APPLETELL - DLO’s iPhone and iPod products have a tradition of being functional with an elegant, Apple-esque design. The WallDock and JumpStart are is no exceptions.
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Dec 2009 | 10:16 am

Tired of waiting for the Droid 2.0.1 update? Wait no longer.

Oh, vast Internets, how boundless are your resources.

Just as we started hearing the first complaints of people still waiting for Verizon to grace their phone with the Droid 2.0.1 software update, the Android community has come through. Going ahead and doing something Verizon should have done in the first place, a few clever gents have managed to scrounge up the 2.0.1 update package and put it online for manual updating.

You can get the update package here, then just follow the steps from nocktherock down in the comments. It all appears to be legit, so your Droid shouldn’t explode in your pocket or walk out on you with another man – at least not as a result of this update.

[HoFo via EngMo]

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 9:48 am

Google Goggles' visual search headed for Chrome - CNET News

Telegraph.co.uk

Google Goggles' visual search headed for Chrome CNET News It appears that the Google Goggles search-by-sight tool could soon work not just with mobile phones, but through Google's Chrome browser, too. "I am working on a 20 percent project to facilitate the input of Web image searching," ... 5 Ways Google's New Search Tools Go Wide And DeepChannelWeb Marissa Mayer Talks Google Search, Chrome, Online News And More At Le WebWashington Post Hands On with Google Goggles: New York CityPC Magazine PC World -VentureBeat -eWeek all 1,166 news articles »

Source: Sci/Tech - Google News | 9 Dec 2009 | 9:45 am

Skyfire 1.5 Brings A New Interface And A Bunch Of Polish

Skyfire has come a long way in the past few months. Since shedding the Beta tag back in May, it has grown into what is easily one of the best mobile browsers around. If nothing else, it’s still the only cross-platform mobile browser able to churn through Flash 10, Silverlight, and a ton of other media formats generally reserved for the PC.

Today, Skyfire is launching version 1.5 of their browser for Windows Mobile. In addition to the standard performance enhancements you might expect, v1.5 also brings a number of enhancements aimed at touchscreen users.

Here’s whats new:

• VGA Screen Support: A decent number of popular handsets are packing VGA (640×480 resolution) or WVGA (800×480 resolution) screens these days – Skyfire now supports both.
• Smooth Scrolling: The iPhone may not have invented smooth, kinetic scrolling, but it certainly made it a must-have feature. Just about every touch-based mobile browser has made a move toward supporting it in the past few months, Skyfire now included. If you flick your finger across the screen, Skyfire will now scroll a bit rather than stopping as soon as you lift your digit.
• Finger Friendly UI: This one’s a big one. Windows Mobile certainly isn’t the most finger friendly OS, but that doesn’t mean Skyfire needs to stick with the stylus. Most elements of the interface have been made a bit bigger and rounded out for the sake of finger use.
• Full Screen Mode: If you’re on a touchscreen, you can now tap the Hide UI button to completely do away with the interface, allowing you to fill every pixel of your screen real estate with content. Tap in the lower right of the screen to get it back.
• Auto-move Text Entry: Few things are more annoying than attempting to type into a password box that you can’t see. Tapping into a text field will now reorient the page for visibility, including moving things around virtual keyboards.
• Support for latest versions of Flash 10 and Silverlight
• Performance Enhancements: Both the client and things on Skyfire’s side have been improved for speed and general stability

All of these upgrades are currently only supported in the Windows Mobile build; the Symbian client is still stuck a few builds behind. We’re still crossing our fingers that the BlackBerry beta client will launch before this decades over.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 9:20 am

Pandora to spur “Connected Cars”?  Awesome!

Section: Audio, Car Audio, Portable Audio, Satellite / HD Radio, Communications, Mobile

Internet streaming service Pandora appears to be looking at partnering up with auto makers in an attempt to gain marketshare.  Pandora believes many users work around their car stereo systems to stream the services music.  An offering from auto makers would reduce clutter and hassles for many users, according to Pandora’s remarks at the SF Music Tech Summit.

Tom Conrad, CTO for Pandora explained that half of it’s customers already use Pandora in their mobile phone or iPod touch devices to listen while in the car.  Pandora’s phase one looks to be a tethered system, relying on the phone’s data connection to stream music.  Phase two looks to be bringing data services to the cars stereo unit, forgoing the mobile device altogether.  Conrad sees Phase 2 coming together in two years.

Pandora’s plan present an interesting jumping off point.  Instead of just competing with satellite radio, as comes standard in many cars for a free trial period, Pandora could be one of many connected services.  Pandora could help create an app store of sorts for connected cars.  I am sure forward-looking companies like TeleNav might have interest in getting in vehicles to provide navigation.  Other apps, like those from gas stations, hotels, attractions, audio books, Yelp, GoodRec, Opentable, etc would likely beat down the door to get in.  If played correctly, this could be a boon for the auto industry.

When the industry thinks of convergence, the mobile smartphone is often the carrier device.  Could it be the smartphone’s reign will last only until everything is connected?

Read: [GigaOm]

Disclosure: While writing this post, I was listening to Pandora.

 

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Dec 2009 | 8:58 am

Apple Tablet Watch: Analyst Says "Spring"

Yair Reiner, an analyst for Oppenheimer, has lit some incense, drained his tea-cup and stared deep into the pattern of the remaining leaves. The fates have thus communicated to him the following “fact”: Apple will ship a 10.1-inch touch-screen tablet in spring 2010.

Source: Wired: Gadgets | 9 Dec 2009 | 8:43 am

Meteors, Twitter and an Astrobunker

On Dec. 12, the world's largest observatory will go online. However, this observatory doesn't have mirrors, it will be an international collaboration of social media users all watching the Geminid meteor shower and participating in MeteorWatch.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 8:26 am

The Nokia 6700 Classic done up in 18-carat gold

Why? Because they can. It’s expected to cost €370 when it comes out in selected markets early next year.

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

Source: MobileCrunch | 9 Dec 2009 | 8:08 am

Apple Tablet Due For Spring Launch, Guesses Analyst

Yair Reiner, an analyst for Oppenheimer, has lit some incense, drained his tea-cup and stared deep into the pattern of the remaining leaves. The fates have thus communicated to him the following “fact”: Apple will ship a 10.1-inch touch-screen tablet in spring 2010.

The average reader of the average gadget-blog knows more about the real workings of the tech world than even the best of analysts (or “prophets” as I prefer to call them). But we shall humor Uncle Yair, and present here his rock-solid inferences, based on the study not of actual tea-leaves, but of his supply-chain contacts.

The Jesus-tablet will use an LTPS (Low Temperature Polycrystalline Silicon) LCD like that of the iPhone instead of a pricier OLED display, and if Apple wants to have enough in stock to meet demand (at a projected manufacturing speed of a million units per month) then a launch date in March or April is likely.

The price? The same as a MacBook with a full keyboard, or $1,000. This would be the perfect price for Apple to charge if it didn’t want to sell any.

Reiner goes on to speculate that book publishers, “disgruntled by Amazon’s terms” which give the publisher just 70% of revenue on an exclusive deal, prefer the numbers offered by Apple. And what is this sweet, sweet deal from Apple? An “App Store-type 30/70 split.” Can you spot the difference? Me either.

By now, we’re pretty sure that we’ll see an Apple tablet soon, probably in the first half of the year (spring for tablets, summer for iPhones, autumn for iPods, and Macs when they are ready). We’re also sure that until it is actually announced by Apple, every week will bring further groping guesses about this tech-unicorn, in increasingly desperate attempts to drum up publicity.

Apple tablet set for spring launch? [Fortune]

Tablet mockup: Sergio Cabral

See Also:

• iTab Mania: Wired.com Readers Beat Apple to Producing a Tablet …
• Rumor: $800 Apple Tablet Coming in October
• Rumor: Apple Tablet Will Feature OLED Screen
• Analyst Claims to Have Seen Apple Tablet
• Analyst Predicts Apple Will Unleash Touchscreen Tablet Next Year …

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Dec 2009 | 8:08 am

New protoype from Fisher Price lets toddlers post to Twitter

Section: Gadgets / Other, Web, Web 2.0 / Social Networking

Students at a university in Belgium have come up with a prototype gadget that allows toddlers to post to their very own Twitter accounts-and to communicate with other toddlers. The device, dubbed a “Twoddler”, is made from a modified Fisher Price Activity Center. It features an Ardino board and photos of the toddler’s family and friends. When the child presses a photo, the device captures that data and posts a predefined Tweet linked to that data to the child’s Twitter account. The device also lets toddlers communicate with other Twoddler owners by pressing buttons that activate lights and other effects on them. It connects to the Internet and other Twoddlers via ZigBee and beat 40 other entries to win the 2009 Innovative and Creative Applications Competition.

Could the Twoddler be the hot holiday gadget of the future? Or perhaps a better question is, do three year olds really need to be tweeting and socially networking? Whatever happened to kids just being kids?

Read [CNet]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Dec 2009 | 7:49 am

Computing For Dummies: Five Ways That N00bs Annoy Geeks

Many of you will be the go-to tech-guy-or-gal for your family and friends, and with the holiday season in full-effect, the number of gadgets you’ll have to troubleshoot is likely to multiply. And, like the IT guy at your office, you will take your turn rolling your eyes at the moronic behavior of your “clients”.

Here, we take a look at the most ridiculous and frustrating things that gadget n00bs do and say. Feel free to laugh cruelly along.

RAM vs. Hard Drive

You have just gotten through a troubleshooting session and your friend decides to throw one more problem at you. “My computer is running a bit slow”, they say. Instead of just checking for yourself, you instead ask how much RAM they have. The blank stare tells you that you have just entered, as Walter Sobchak would say, a world of pain. “I do have a lot of photos,” they say, “is that making it slow?”

You employ your best explanation about the difference between HD gigabytes and RAM gigabytes (my favorite is to say that RAM is the kitchen countertop and the HD is the store-cupboard. The bigger the countertop, the less trips you make to the store cupboard, and the faster you cook). You’re done, happy that you have made things clear. “So if I add more RAM, I can keep more photos?” Gah!

Wi-Fi is Not the Internet

Family Member: I can’t get the internet.
You: Are you connected to the Wi-Fi?
FM: Yes, but I can’t get Google.
You: I think maybe your router isn’t connected to the internet.
FM: (Pause) I am connected. I can see all four bars of the signal.
You: I can’t breathe.

Double Click Single Click

This isn’t a troubleshooting request, but it drives me crazy: watching people double-click links in web browsers. Why? WHY?

Breaking Things Through Excessive Neatness

This one takes many forms, but usually involves those who know just enough to be dangerous. It might be applications sorted into folders, either alphabetically or by purpose. It may also be the renaming of essential system files an folders (I have one friend who decided her iPhoto folders, created by the system, would look better with names in all-caps).

There are two things you’ll always find with these people: One, they never, ever put pictures and documents in the Pictures and Documents folders (instead they create new folders at the root level of their computers). And two, when they come to you for help, they will never, ever admit to doing anything wrong, even when you have busted them.

The “Mystery” Hot Computer

Friend: My computer gets very hot. The fan is very noisy.
You: I’ll come check it out. Bring it to [insert favorite bar here].

You get to the bar and they are waiting at the smooth, clean, marble-topped table. Their laptop is open, and it is sitting on top of its soft, insulating, neoprene slipcase. The problem is solved.

This is just the beginning, and now it is your turn. What are the most annoying, funny or just plain bewildering things your friends and family do to their machines? Put them in the comments.

Photo: Don Fulano/Flickr

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Dec 2009 | 7:26 am

Engineers Find Design Inspiration from Nature

Researchers look to beetles, flies and lizards for engineering inspiration.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 7:26 am

Stolen Hitler Art Book To Be Returned

After fighting his way across Europe during World War II, John Pistone was among the U.S. soldiers who entered Adolf Hitler's home nestled in the Bavarian Alps as the war came to a close.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:50 am

Google helps developers speed up their web apps with the new Speed Tracer

Section: Web, Web Apps, Google

Recently, Google has been trying to do everything it can to speed up the internet for its users. We can add one more thing to that list now with Speed Tracer for the Google Web Toolkit. Speed Tracer comes in the form of one of the new Google Chrome extensions. In fact, you can download it here, if you have Google Chrome.

Speed Tracer allows web app developers to see how sluggish or speedy their apps are when they are in use. Simple things like mouse movement or clicks, all the way to parsing of the HTML are logged by Speed Tracer in a simple graph. If points in the graph are high, your app is starting to act sluggish; if they are low, its speedy.

All developers need to do to use this is click the icon in the top-right corner and then go about testing their web-app. Then, when they are done, they can go back to the graph and see how it did. Speed Tracer also tries to help you determine what is slowing down by giving hints. Hints come in three colors: green, yellow, and red. They work just like a traffic light.

Speed Tracer will hopefully make web-apps even more efficient so we can have even lower load times then we already do.

Download [Speed Tracer] Via [Google]

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:35 am

Brits Get Internet TV Set And Media Extender

The Cello iPlayer is a cheap TV which will play just about anything you can throw at it, pulling content in from both over-the-air broadcasts, the internet and any computer’s you may have nearby. It also works directly with the BBC’s iPlayer software, which effectively turns the TV set, on sale in the UK, into an on-demand box for the Beeb’s content.

The LCD Cello will be sold at Marks and Spencer, a British high-street store known for underpriced underwear and overpriced food, and will cost £400 ($650) for a 26-inch 720p model and £500 ($810) for a 32-inch 1080p version. Specs include Ethernet, a separate but bundled Wi-Fi dongle, dual HDMI ports and a big, fat body.

Medium-sized, digital LCD TVs are common, and the draw of the Cello is its internet-ness. You of course get YouTube and the aforementioned iPlayer, and the Cello can also play podcasts (Diggnation is listed) and grab channels of varying appeal — Jamie’s Ministry of Food, anyone? But the best part is that this acts as a media extender, pulling movies, photos and music from any PC on the network. Cello claimed at the launch party that the TV could play all file formats (“if you can think of it, we support it” was the boast), but we’re skeptical that it will be managing Ogg Theora, for instance.

For the Brits, this looks like a fair deal. Best of all, it’s from Marks and Sparks, so you can always take it back if you don’t like it.

iPlayer Product page [Cello]
Cello iViewer does iPlayer, YouTube [Pocket Lint]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Dec 2009 | 6:18 am

Warner Bros. DVD2Blu program offers cheap DVDs to Blu-ray movie upgrades

FROM GAMERTELL - Dubbed the DVD2Blu program, you send your old DVDs (sans box) to WB, pay a replacement fee ($7.95 to $9.95) per movie and the company will send you a Blu-ray version of the movie…
MORE »

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

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Source: Gadgetell | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:29 am

Dura-Ace Bike-Chain Cufflinks

Unless you’re a top racer, Shimano Dura-Ace components are on your bike for one reason — showing off. Now you can bring this same over-the-top exhibitionism to your sleeves, with these rather fetching Dura-Ace cufflinks, fashioned from links of the famed chains joined to sterling silver fasteners.

This is an altogether more elegant use for old bike chains than those familiar from my youth. Back in the dark ages of England in the 1970s, a land of corduroy, nylon and warm beer, the bike chain was most likely to be seen swinging dangerously from the tattooed fist of a skin-head football hooligan, a compact weapon which combined portability, light-weight and a good range, along with excellent face-slicing and eye-removal properties. These cufflinks are a reminder that today we live in much more civilized times. Times in which it is considered acceptable to put a $70 chain onto a fixed-gear runaround. £50 ($80).

Cycle Chain Link Cufflink [Shiny Cufflinks via Bike Hugger]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:13 am

Warming Turns Fish into Daredevils

A temperature increase of few degrees can make fish more aggressive and bold.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 5:00 am

Giant, Garish Retro Headphones Work Great With Cellphones

The retro-styled Chopper2 headphones from Aerial7 may look familiar. Anyone who has seen the wonderful (and hugely popular, if my local high street is anything to go by) Panasonic RP HTX7-K1 will instantly recognize the large earpieces, the adjustable steel-wire sliders, the leather-covered pads and headband and the single-exit cable. Even the recommended price is almost the same, at $70 to the Panasonic’s $60.

Apart from the dubious color schemes, the Chopper2 has one important addition: an in-line mic, for use with compatible cellphones (the iPhone and BlackBerry both work, for example). They don’t have the inline remote to control an iPod, as that requires Apple’s magic chip to work, but for yakking on the phone you’re good.

In fact, on paper at least, the Chopper2s compare well to the Panasonics. The driver is 4mm bigger, at 44mm, the sensitivity is 108dB (vs. 99dB) and the impedance is 32 ohms against 40 ohms. The frequency response is a little narrower in range, giving 5-20 KHz vs. 7-22KHz. Without actually listening, it looks like the main decider is going to be the microphone and the garish color schemes of the Chopper2s. That and the fact that the Panasonics have been around for so long now that they can be had for as little as $30 online.

Chopper2 Headphones [Aeriel7. Thanks, Greg!]

RP-HTX7-K1 headphones [Panasonic]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:41 am

Children Can Inherit Mom's Abuse-Altered Brain

Neurological changes in child abuse victims may be passed on to offspring, new research shows.
Source: Discovery News - Top Stories | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:32 am

MacBook SuperDrive Update Cures Grind-On-Wake Sound

Apple has released a few software updates for MacBooks and MacBook Pros which, amongst some more mundane fixes, finally solve a very annoying hardware problem. A problem which used to make this sound: “RAW-RUH-REE!”

Yes, along with an Airport update that fixes some connection issues, a double-team of EFI-firmware and SuperDrive updates do away with the annoying squawk that recent-vintage MacBooks would emit every time they woke from sleep (or restarted, if that is something you ever actually do with a Mac).

To finally quieten your machine, run the Software Update application and follow the instructions. There are some stern and rather scary warnings along the way about not interrupting the process, making sure the machine stays plugged in and something about waving a rubber chicken (I may have misread this last one). At the end of it all, you’ll have a Mac rigged for silent running, allowing you to pop open the lid in the quietest of PowerPoint presentations without waking your snoozing coworkers.

I have turned into a sleep-junky after applying the updates, popping the top of my MacBook up and down like the seat of a unisex toilet at a rock concert, and enjoying the sound of silence over and over again. I only wish I had recorded the garbage-disposal sound effect for nostalgia. Altogether now: “RAW-RUH-REE!”

SuperDrive Firmware Update 3.0 [Apple]

Source: Wired: Gadget Lab | 9 Dec 2009 | 4:14 am