New Sony Camera Packed with Idiot-Proof Technology
Sony introduced today a new 5-megapixel, $500 camera loaded with really cool, idiot-proof technology. With a 12X optical zoom lens, you don't have to get anywhere near your subject. Sony's Super Steady Shot image stabilization means your shaky hands won't wreck the photos. A five-area, multi-point auto focus spells the end of out-of-focus subjects. Seven preset scene modes means you can take good pictures in any lighting conditions without knowing a damned thing about photography.
Fastest Growing Group Online In U.S.: The Idle Rich
People online with household incomes over $150,000 per year grew by a whopping 20 percent last year, now totaling 10.3 million people. It's the fastest growing income group online. Wealthier people are also spending the most time online -- an average of 76 hours per month each -- and visited the greatest number of pages. All this was reported in a study by Nielsen//NetRatings.
Hollywood First: Studio to Digitally REDUCE Actress's Onscreen Breasts
A test screening of the upcoming movie "Herbie, Fully Loaded" -- a remake of the Herbie the Lovebug series from the 70s -- revealed that star Lindsay Lohan's racing suit was a bit too "fully loaded" for family audiences. So to save America from this double menace, the studio plans to digitally alter scenes to reduce the apparent size of her breasts. (props to Defamer)
The problem with pre-teen girls is they're just not interested enough in owning a cell phone. Fortunately, help is on the way. Mattel is planning a Barbie-themed prepaid mobile phone that the company will start selling in April. That's right, folks. Real mobile phones will be sold to children as toys. Mattel is targeting the phone at girls as young as 8 years old.
Mobile Phone Company Orange Says It Owns the Color
The British mobile phone company Orange is claiming ownership of the color orange. No, it's not an article in The Onion. The company is suing competitor easyMobile because it claims that company infringed its rights "regarding the use of the color orange." Gosh, I hope they don't come after THIS web site. I'm using their color without permission.
Why The Internet Was Invented: Maoists Review PC Games
Though Mao's own country, China, has abandoned Maoism and become a nation of capitalist running dogs like the rest of us, some delusional hold-outs around the world are keeping the faith -- and reviewing PC games. Hold on to your little red book, comrades. Here come the Maoist PC game reviews. (props to MetaFilter)
While some robots are learning to walk like humans, others are learning to crawl, slither and burrow. Case Western Reserve University biology nerds and engineering geeks have built two flexible robots designed to slither their way up the colons of patients for creepy, Alien-style colonoscopies. Let's just hope they can slither their way back out.
Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh have successfully created a robot arm and hand that can be controlled by thought alone. In testing the device, monkeys were strapped down so they couldn't move their own arms. Small probes were strategically inserted into their brains, which enabled the monkeys to move and control a robot arm that wasn't even connected to their bodies. One day the research could lead to fully functional prosthetic arms and, of course, long-distance cybersex.
Holographic TV Makes Shows Appear to 'Float' In Thin Air
Claro's Holoscreen is a holographic TV that projects "Desperate Housewives" -- or your PC desktop! -- onto a clear, 40-inch display with stunning brightness and resolution, according to the marketing hype. The picture here shows Ferguson Hill FH001 speakers. The whole setup can be had for the low, low price of just $47,000.
Three universities today unveiled highly efficient bipedal walking robots designed to move around without burning up a lot of energy. Built by researchers from Cornell University, the University of Michigan, MIT and Delft University (in the Netherlands), the robots uses leverage, momentum and mechanical dynamics to "stride," which is a radically different approach used by most existing robot bipeds that use large numbers of computer-controlled motors. The MIT robot, called the Toddler" actually adapts and learns as it walks around on uneven ground.
Programmers of 'America's Army' Game Sent to Real Boot Camp
Developer's of the realistic military game used by the Pentagon for recruiting, "America's Army," have been sent to real Army boot camp to get a feel for actual weapons. They may be great programmers, but they can barely lift real guns.
A woman used a spyware program called Spector on her husband's computer to gather evidence for their divorce trial, but a Florida appeals court won't allow her to use that evidence. The judge said that spyware like Spector is a form of wiretapping, which is illegal. But the woman's lawyer claims the program merely copies information stored on the computer, which is OK.
A company called The Plasticsmith has come out with the most absurd Mac Mini product yet. Called the Mini Skirt, it's an illuminated piece of plastic whose main effect is to make the Mac Mini less, well, mini. It adds 3/4 of an inch to the computer's height and gives it a low-class blue glow.
Studies appear to show that mobile phones, sound systems, GPS devices and electronics of all sorts distract drivers and make accidents more likely. The reality is that inattentive, unskillful or unwise drivers cause accidents, not their gadgets!
American Firm Battles French Conglomerate Over Street Slang
The American firm Blue Frog Mobile has filed a lawsuit against the French media conglomerate Lagardere Active over the use in advertising of what it says are two phrases Blue Frog owns: "Get some bling in your ring" and "the hook-up."
Your long wait is over. Now you can buy one of the five prototype Atari Cosmos 3-D holographic gaming systems. Unfortunately, according to the eBay posting, only two of the five were built with actual electronics inside, and this isn't one of them.
It Slices! It Dices! New Service Combines IM, Blogs, File Sharing, Search
A Silicon Valley startup called Imeem unveiled their new service at the DEMO conference today. The offering combines instant messaging, blogging, photo sharing, file sharing and desktop search. Sounds great, right? Unfortunately it's by invitation only -- but you can request an invitation at: info@imeem.com.
Found Photo: Meet Dennis Hwang, the Google Toon Guy
The Toronto Star published a photo (and, oh, yeah, an article) showing 26-year-old Dennis Hwang, the Google webmaster who bangs out occasional cartoons to adorn the Google logo.
Recording-Studio-In-A-Cell-Phone Project In the Works
Musically inclined eggheads are working on software that will enable the mixing of music and beats on cell phones. Someday they hope to transform phones into musical instruments that will make the electric guitar obsolete. Plus unlimited nights and weekends.
