A Russian man bought his mother a pager, then committed suicide. Then sent her mysterious pages from beyond the grave. It must be true, since you're reading it on the Internet.
A cheap handheld designed for the poor in India called the Simputer went on sale yesterday for $220 after a three-year delay. At that price, poor people in India could buy four Palm Zires.
The Israeli military said today that they plan to start using several new ultra-small spy planes to give forces a "bird's eye" view during times of conflict which, in Israel, is all the time. Today they revealed two mini drones made by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) called BIRDY and Spy There. IAI also showed two prototype mini-drones called the Mosquito (shown in picture) and the Mosquito 1.5, the first of which weighs only 9 ounces (the 1.5 version is twice as "heavy").
NASA Working On Moon-Based Robotic 'Gas Station' For Space Ships
NASA propellerhead Mike Duke has been working for years on a system for creating and delivering fuel from the surface of the moon. The unmanned system would use robots to mine the dirt and carry it to a processing plant that would extract hydrogen, which would then be launched into orbit where spaceships could fuel up.
Comcast announced today that it would buy TechTV from Vulcan Programming for about $300 million. In unrelated news, Howard Stern announced that he has no plans to move his TV show from E! to TechTV.
Rise of the Machines: Japanese Build Giant Robot with Super Strength
A Japanese company called Tmsuk has built a giant, five-ton robot called T-52 Enryu that it claims is not part of an army to crush mankind, but to forage through debris after a disaster and help rescue trapped humans. The 11-foot, five-inch humanoid robot can lift 1,100 pounds with each arm (and also carries a mysterious book entitled, "To Serve Man"). The current robot is a prototype, but the company says they plan to start selling them by the end of the year. Here comes the video.
Robots Mirror Skills of Humans In Countries of Origin
An international robot "Olympics" revealed that robots from various countries tend to excel at the same skills the people in those countries excel in, according to a report on BBC Online. "The Japanese robots reigned supreme when it came to sumo-wrestling, while the European teams showed off their skills on the football pitch... As for the American machines, they specialised in demolishing the living hell out of each other in one-on-one robot combat." The Canadian robots, presumably, were good at criticising the American robots for their annoying, overly aggressive behavior. The British robots paused in the middle of the competition for tea. And the French robots sat in the corner smoking cigarettes and commenting on how bourgeois and boring the whole thing was.
Solar Panel Uses Bacteria To Convert Light to Power. It's Alive! IT'S ALIVE!!
Researchers from AIST, the Tokyo University of Science, the University of Tokyo, Shizuoka University and the Tokyo Institute of Technology have created a photosensor that converts light to electricity. Big deal, right? What's interesting is that the sensor is made from living bacteria and a silicon chip. The bacteria actually effects the photoelectric conversion.
NEC has developed a way to track people and other office furniture which works more or less like indoor GPS. Called SmartLocator, the system uses a company's existing wireless LAN and what NEC calls "lighting tags" -- essentially transmitters installed in office lighting -- instead of satellites to track the location of people and objects inside an office building.
New Yorkers Play Interactive Racing Game -- On Times Square Big Screen
A Yahoo! Autos promotion lets random New Yorkers play an interactive racing came controlled by cell phones. The races were displayed on giant Times Square billboard screens. No actual car accidents occurred as a result of the distracting display.
A new cell phone for dieters will be able to measure and track your body fat, according to a report in The Korea Times. Developed through an alliance between LG Electronics and Healthpia, the fat phones are expected to make a big splash when they hit the market this summer.
First Ever: Sony Launches PlayStation Game In Arabic
Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that it has launched its first-ever PlayStation game, called This is Football 2004, in the Arabic Language. More than 3.3 million PlayStations are owned in the Middle East.
Allegation: Cell Phone Laser Scanner Used for Cheating in Roulette
Eastern European gamblers were arrested at the Ritz in London March 16 for allegedly using a cell phone with a built-in laser scanner to improve their chances at winning in roulette. Presumably they'll be given a "light" sentence.
22-Megapixel Digital Camera Zaps Pix to iPAQ via Bluetooth
Vancouver-based Creo's Leaf Valeo digital camera now sports built-in wireless. The 22-megapixel and 17-megapixel cameras use Bluetooth to "accomplish two-way communication" between the cameras and what the company calls a "Leaf DP-67" -- basically a modified HP iPAQ -- which functions as an "image display and control unit." You view, focus and adjust pictures before taking them using the iPAQ, and then use it as a "digital proof."
Proof You Can Buy Anything On the Internet: Ruggedized Segways
A small company called Off-Roads Adventure LLC retro-fits Segways with off-road or ice tires, modified fenders, and any number of accessories, including rifle holder and camouflage.
Don't try 
The Israeli military said today that they plan to start using several 
An international robot "Olympics" revealed that robots from various countries tend to excel at the same skills the people in those countries excel in, according to a report on BBC Online. "The Japanese robots reigned supreme when it came to sumo-wrestling, while the European teams showed off their skills on the football pitch... As for the American machines, they specialised in 
A Yahoo! Autos promotion lets random New Yorkers play an interactive racing came controlled by cell phones. The races were displayed on giant 
Sony Computer Entertainment announced today that it has launched its first-ever PlayStation game, called This is Football 2004, in the 
