The Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne and France Telecom have invented a PC peripheral, called the Olfacom, that emits the smell of Wine. An Olfacom prototype demo'd at the London International Wine and Spirits Fair last week revealed two, foot-tall plastic columns plugged into a PC that emited basic smells -- future versions, the companies said, would transmit the subtle aroma of wine, which buyers could use to purchase wine on this web site: www.vins-bourgogne.fr
Friday, May 28, 2004
Don't Try This At Home: Anime Girl PC Case Mod
A mod enthusiast has created a PC case shaped and painted like an anime heroine.
NPR Gets Away With Banned Content Cloaking On Google
National Public Radio is turning its audio content into text transcripts to boost its search engine rankings and discoverability -- the same technique that got WhenU ejected from both Google and Yahoo earlier this month.
Found Video: Kirk, Spock Explain Star Trek Concept in 1966
William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were interviewed just before Star Trek premiered in 1966. In the interviews, they explained the concept of the show to a TV reporter. Here comes the video.
Computer-Controlled Helicopter Blades Spin -- And Flap
Boeing engineers have created a design for a helicopter blade that uses computer-controlled flapping to control vibration and noise. The Smart Material Actuated Rotor Technology, or SMART, reduces vibration by 80 percent over regular helicopter blades. In a test helicopter, each 17-foot blade was given a flap on its trailing edge that moves up and down up to 40 times per second. The flapping speed is controlled by a computer that monitors vibrations in the cabin, then tweaks the flapping speed to achieve maximum smoothness.
California Senate Approves Bill that Bans Gmail Scanning
The California state Senate approved a bill that limits the automated scanning of incoming e-mail for the purpose of context-sensitive advertising as is offered by Google's new Gmail service.
Shock! Just One in Six Porn Spam E-Mails Complies With 'CAN-SPAM' Law
Fewer than one in six pornographic spam e-mail messages scanned by MX Logic actually complied with CAN-SPAM's requirement to include "SEXUALLY-EXPLICIT" in the subject.
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Spammer Gets Seven Years In the Slammer
Spammer Howard Carmack sent some 850 million spam e-mails and was today sentenced to up to seven years in prison.
North Korean Army Hackers Systematically Infiltrating South
Lt. Gen. Song Yong-keun, who is commander of the South Korean Defense Security Command, said that North Korea has developed and is using a military hacking unit to spy on South Korean military, government and other institutions. The Orwellian police state is churning out about 100 specialized hackers a year who are as skilled as any in the world. (And, in fact, becoming a hacker henchman is the only way you get to use a computer in North Korea...)
Found Video: Corel Feels Your Pain
A new virual video from Corel rips Microsoft on its overuse of automation and Office Assistant help. Here comes the video.
Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Tailgater-Busting Camera In Development
British cops are building a new camera that measures the distance between cars using a laser beam. If you're too close to the car in front, it snaps a digital picture of your license plate. Like automated speed and red-light cams, the new tailgator system will send you a fine by mail, along with photographic evidence.
New Vacuum Cleaner Doesn't Suck
British inventor James Dyson has created a small $620 household vacuum cleaner called the DC12 for the Japanese market that has a revolutionary new engine, innovative system for separating dust from air via centripetal force and even a neat feature that enables the appliance to identify itself to tech support. The cleaner sends its own history over your cell phone to the company's call center.
Monday, May 24, 2004
Irresponsible Enthusiast Shoehorns Windows 95, 98 Onto Pocket PC
A Windows enthusiast with time to burn has managed to get both Windows 95 and Windows 98 to run on his Pocket PC by porting an emulator. Here are the gory details.
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