2006-01-31

Fingerprints + Super Glue = Nanofibers

Fingerprints + Super Glue = Nanofibers: "Chemical engineers at Penn State have accidentally discovered a new and versatile way to make nanofibers starting from human fingerprints and Super Glue. They were able to build not only nanofibers, but also nano-sized flat sheets or spheres. This new method will first be used in medical applications such as drug delivery.

2006-01-30

Gilmore v. Gonzales

Gilmore v. Gonzales: "n December 8th 2005, oral arguments in Gilmore v. Gonzales were heard before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. After seven weeks of deliberations, the court rejected Gilmore's claims. At stake is nothing less than the right of Americans to travel anonymously in their own country — and the exposure of 'secret law' for what it is: an abomination."

Perth's 'hovering car' - Breaking - Technology - theage.com.au

Perth's 'hovering car' - Breaking - Technology - theage.com.au: "Eagle eyed users of the satellite imaging service Google Earth have spotted what appears to be a car hovering above the ground in a suburban Perth car park.

The photo is of a car park just off Honour Avenue at Point Walter in the affluent south western suburb of Bicton. The spot is a popular picnic location on the banks of the Swan River."

Steam powered RC vehicles set for world domination

Steam powered RC vehicles set for world domination: "Filed under: Robots

An RC crab is sweet enough, but I-Wei Huang over at Crabfu is tossing some steam power into a crab and other vehicles to put other RC hobbyists to shame. Sure the RC tank isn't the zippiest unit around, and the RC walker looks a little tipsy, but we'll forgive them for their straight up badass-ness.

Static Ads on Taxi Wheels

Static Ads on Taxi Wheels: "

If all the showy razzle-dazzle of Tire Tagz is too high tech for your taste but you just have to advertise on taxi wheels, consider AdFleet's CAPTION invention. In common parlance, they make wheel covers that don't rotate. In their own words, 'CAPTION are fitted onto vehicles in place of conventional wheel covers and consist of two main parts: a patented plastic disk and a hub system. The outward face of the disk is used to display artwork for a product, logo, or message. The hub, held in place with the vehicle's existing lug nuts, features a corrosion resistant metal fixture that separates the rotation of the wheels from the disks. The disks attach on to this fixture enabling the disks to remain rotation free while the vehicle is in motion.'

Missing a few brain cells? Print new ones

Missing a few brain cells? Print new ones: "A printer that spits out ultra-fine droplets of cells instead of ink has been used to print live brain cells without causing them any apparent harm

Rethinking Ads on Plastic Bags

Rethinking Ads on Plastic Bags: "Consider unique properties and usage patterns of a particular medium (even if the medium is a plastic bag) when designing advertising and get great results.



This plastic bag for an anti-nail-biting potion is making rounds on the net. The bag below was designed in 2004 to promote a TV crime series and won an Epica award.

2006-01-26

Pantech & Curitel's IM-U100 mediaphone

Pantech & Curitel's IM-U100 mediaphone: "Filed under: Cellphones, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Hot off the heels of Pantech & Curitel's IM-U110 1GB musicphone comes their IM-U100, their new a media-centric slider that works it with a 15:9 widescreen 2.6-inch QVGA display (we're still trying to figure out how a QVGA display can be widescreen), 2 megapixel camera, EV-DO, MicroSD, and audio/video playback software which apparently even supports music and video-on-demand. This one seems squarely intended to be a portable media device, which is kind of uncommon now for a cellphone -- but it won't be for long. It'll run about $550 US when launched in Korea.

2006-01-24

Michael Leung's "Hardwood USB" flash drives

Michael Leung's "Hardwood USB" flash drives: "Filed under: Peripherals
We've seen plenty of attempts at creating a stylish USB flash drive, but until now we've yet to see one product that delights our inner fashionista. That is until Inhabitat turned us on to Michael Leung's line of mostly-prototype drives which feature simple, classy designs that you'd be proud to shove into your USB port. Among his several designs (a USB ruler drive whose length represents its storage capacity, a stone-shaped portable hard drive) is one that actually made it to production, the so-called 'Hardwood USB.' Available in different wood casings with a leather string attached, these drives offer new school functionality in an old school, earthy design that we could totally get down with- if we didn't already have a drawer full of blank promotional drives, that is.

2006-01-23

Lock that USB port to stop casual data theft

Lock that USB port to stop casual data theft: "Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Peripherals
We've come across another USB lock, and unlike the half-baked USB Port Security Lock, which attempts to use your USB port as a substitute for a Kensington lock port, Lindy's USB Port goes after the simpler and more practical goal of securing the USB port itself. The device consists of two pieces: a lock that snaps into your port, and a key that you use to pull it out. The idea, of course, is that locking your USB ports will stop casual data theft, and we could see this coming in handy for, say, offices with lots of open cubicles or college data centers. Realistically, though, this probably provides only minimal protection, since you'll still be open to network-based attacks (not to mention CD-burner data theft) -- and we suspect that a brute force attempt to rip this out could totally trash your USB port, forcing fairly expensive repairs. Still, if you want to give it a try, you can get a pack of four in your choice of blue, green, pink, orange or white for just £14.99 ($26.45).

Caption contest: Ask Advatar!

Caption contest: Ask Advatar!: "Filed under: Transportation

We know it's been a while since we've run one, but you've got to love a Segway-based mobile info booth.

2006-01-20

DefenseLINK News: New Device Will Sense Through Concrete Walls

DefenseLINK News: New Device Will Sense Through Concrete Walls: "WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2006 – Troops conducting urban operations soon will have the capabilities of superheroes, being able to sense through 12 inches of concrete to determine if someone is inside a building.

The new 'Radar Scope' will give warfighters searching a building the ability to tell within seconds if someone is in the next room, Edward Baranoski from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Special Projects Office, told the American Forces Press Service.

By simply holding the portable, handheld device up to a wall, users will be able to detect movements as small as breathing, he said.

gizmag Article: Matchbox-size 8GB Storage Device

gizmag Article: Matchbox-size 8GB Storage Device: "January 20, 2006 Okay, we’re obsessed with portable storage – but it does get more affordable and exciting every day. I/OMagic is set to ship a new GigaBank 8GB for just US$200. The GigaBank 8.0 is the same size as its existing 2.2 GB and 4 GB units (2'x0.5'x2.5'), lightweight (less than two ounces) and is powered through a USB 2.0 port (USB 1.1 compatible). When not in use, the USB connector can be tucked into the enclosure.

2006-01-19

gizmag Article: Gizmo of the Week: the US$44.40 wheelchair

gizmag Article: Gizmo of the Week: the US$44.40 wheelchair: "January 19, 2006 It is estimated that there are more than 100 million people in the world who need a wheelchair but cannot afford one. Mechanical engineer Don Schoendorfer had a secure, highly-paid job when he decided he could make a difference during his short stay on the planet, forsaking his job and embarking on a quest to help all those people. Don’s goal is to distribute 20 million of the pictured wheelchairs by the year 2010. Don set up the Free Wheelchair Mission in California in 2001 as non-profit organization committed to providing the gift of mobility to the physically disabled poor in developing countries and has just manufactured its 100,000th wheelchair. The central seat is a plastic garden chair – the use of existing parts enables the wheelchair to be manufactured in China, shipped in knockdown form via container, assembled and delivered to needy people all over the world for a total factory-to-field price of US$44.40. The Free Wheelchair Mission creatively partners with like-minded international humanitarian and indigenous organizations and it also accepts donations. Just think how much difference US$44.40 can make to the life of one human being.

2006-01-18

Maglev elevators to scare us all by 2008

Maglev elevators to scare us all by 2008: "Filed under: Transportation
After having recently been stuck in a dark elevator for over a half-hour (and requiring a fire department rescue; thank heavens our PPC-6700 was close at hand), we're not all that jazzed up about the idea of an elevator that relies on the principal of magnetic levitation. Maglev technology has been around for years as the propulsion method behind certain European and Asian trains, and basically involves using the Physics 101 properties of magnetic attraction and repulsion to provide an object with momentum. Well we're fine if that momentum is happening parallel to the ground, but we're a little leery of trusting some magnets to suspend us several hundred feet above the ground (does power outage=free fall?). Seemingly unconcerned with our hesitation, Toshiba Elevator and Building Systems Corp. has announced that that we'll be seeing these potential deathtraps commercially installed within the next few years, hopefully with the Otis-type hacks still fully functional.



"

2006-01-16

Newton OS running on Linux PDA

Newton OS running on Linux PDA: "Filed under: Handhelds
Old hardware may brick and die, but good software will live on forever. As if the growing MAME community weren't enough to prove this aphorism, news coming out of the 2006 Worldwide Newton Conference (yes, you read that right) indicates that a stable emulation of the good old Newton OS is just around the corner for Linux PDAs. On the first day of the conference, Einstein (a Newton emulator for OS X) developer Paul Guyot showed off his successful port of the still-kicking OS on a Linux-powered Sharp Zaurus. While this project is still in super-beta mode, the Einstein-for-Linux app is currently available for public download--for those who want to downgrade their device's already-poor handwriting recognition.

[Thanks, Sammy]

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gizmag Article: Unlimited storage on the way.

gizmag Article: Unlimited storage on the way.: "December 21, 2005 Those of us who can just never have enough portable digital storage will be heartened to hear that Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is working on a 5 terabyte 3.5 inch hard drive aimed at the PC market. Though it’s not due until 2010 – less than five years from now – it’s a reminder that the technological bar is being raised significantly every day, regardless of the industry."

gizmag Article: Immerse yourself - VisionStation 3-D hemispherical display

gizmag Article: Immerse yourself - VisionStation 3-D hemispherical display: "The VisionStation wraps the individual user in 3-D graphics by integrating a massive 1.65 m wide hemispherical display into a computer workstation. This portable, single projector display system doesn't require the use of glasses or helmets and is billed as a cost-effective solution for driving or flight simulation, 3-D design, engineering, education and a range of other roles where immersive display technology is beneficial.Elumens' TruTheta imaging technology delivers the 3-D experience by incorporating optics, software and screen design to surround the user in the displayed content on a screen 53cm deep.The VisionStation can be adapted to military training simulations including mission rehearsals, cockpit procedural training and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) operation.Accessories available to expand functionality include a light shade, audio system, full size desk and robust travel cases"

2006-01-12

MyVu Personal Media Player: LCD goggles for the iPod

MyVu Personal Media Player: LCD goggles for the iPod: "Filed under: Displays, Peripherals, Portable Video

Remember those Orange LCD goggles we checked out last week? The ones being pitched in France as a virtual display for Samsung's SGH-D600 cellphone? Well, manufacturer MicroOptical Corp. is pretty busy, because this week they're pitching the same goggles at Macworld as the MyVu Personal Media Player, which they claim will 'accelerate' the adoption of the iPod by providing 'hands free, head-up access to a large virtual image.' We may be naive here, but we somehow don't think Apple needs MicroOptical to accelerate the iPod's market growth. MicroOptical doesn't list a price for the MyVu, but the French version is €299 ($361), so we expect similar pricing here.

The GeigerPod

The GeigerPod: "Filed under: Portable Audio

You really never know when you're gonna be caught in an all out multi-continental nuclear holocaust, but you know you'll sure as hell have your iPod with you, so why not give it a slightly higher purpose?

2006-01-10

The KNG iPod DJ dock

The KNG iPod DJ dock: "Filed under: Peripherals, Portable Audio

Though we're usually a bit disinclined to write up any iPod docks that aren't Xbox 360s, wireless, toolboxes, solid platinum, or otherwise not of incredible novelty value, how could we resist KNG's DJ iPod dock? Seriously, how could anyone?

P.S. Big ups for the Ali G on-screen.

Bush makes anonymous flaming a crime

Bush makes anonymous flaming a crime: "Bush makes anonymous flaming a crime

Weapons of Mass Distraction

By Nick Farrell: Tuesday 10 January 2006, 10:05
PRESIDENTBush has made it a crime to post annoying Web messages or sending annoying e-mail messages without disclosing your true identity.

The law is buried in the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act. Criminal penalties include stiff fines and two years in prison.

Under the wording you are allowed to flame someone if you use your real name. But there are also a few problems with the wording.

The law makes it illegal for anyone who: 'utilizes any device or software that can be used to originate telecommunications or other types of communications that are transmitted, in whole or in part, by the Internet... without disclosing his identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person.' So getting a good conviction is dependant on people agreeing on what is the meaning of the word annoying.

The law is designed to prevent cyberstalking, but having a look on Usenet, I think this one is going to make for some very interesting court cases, if it is possible to enforce."

Spam blocking Constitutional

Spam blocking Constitutional: "Spam blocking Constitutional

US Supreme Court uninterested in online dating

By Nick Farrell: Tuesday 10 January 2006, 10:03
A MOVE by the University of Texas to block spam from an online dating site has been allowed by the US Supreme Court.

A 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel ruled in August that UT did not violate the constitutional rights of White Buffalo Ventures when it blocked 59,000 e-mails in 2003.

Buffalo Ventures, which operates LonghornSingles.com appealed to the US Supreme Court claiming that it had complied with anti-spam laws and that federal law superseded the university's anti-spam policy.

The outfit appealed to the Supreme Court which decided that it would not hear the case, probably because they were washing the wigs that they don’t wear. Under US law, if the robed but not wigged ones don’t want to hear a case then the Court of Appeals ruling stands."

Tunebuckle provides "Waist Management" for your iPod nano

Tunebuckle provides "Waist Management" for your iPod nano: "Filed under: Portable Audio, Wearables


We've seen all manner of gadgety belt buckles, and we've seen plenty of iPod cases in our day (four or five at least), but man oh man were we waiting for the day when the two would be come one superfluous accessory and send us into the Second AgeTM. Just how much will the genre defining 'Tunebuckle' set you back? $50 smackers, and it comes equipped with either a white or black to belt to match, or compliment, your iPod nano's shade. We're not even going to call these guys out on their 'Waist Management' tagline because in the Second AgeTM there will be no player haters.

The eStarling WiFi photo frame does Flickr

The eStarling WiFi photo frame does Flickr: "Filed under: Displays, Household


We've never really gone gaga over LCD picture frames, and even WiFi versions do little to excite, but now that the 5.6-inch, WiFi enabled eStarling has gone all Web 2.0 on us and thrown down the Flickr RSS photo feed support, we might have to give the category another look over. The frame goes for $250 and accepts feeds from whatever Flickr tag you mind to set it up with, along with support for a POP inbox to receive pictures in that manner. The device holds around 30 pics which it rotates through on the display, and you can add memory via SD if you wish.

2006-01-09

Hands on with the Cowon iAudio6

Hands on with the Cowon iAudio6: "Filed under: CES, Portable Audio, Portable Video

The Cowon iAudio6 is so small, we almost overlooked it as we walked around the Cowon booth. We've seen plenty of small portables, but the 1.3-inch OLED screen coupled with the 4GB hard drive really packs a punch. Not that did a hands on for 20 hours, but according to Cowon, we could have because that's how long the batts will last. It's clear that the iAudio6 won't feel as thin in the pocket as an iPod nano, but we actually liked the thicker feel to the unit. What can we say: we like a little meat on our MP3 players? We wouldn't watch videos on the pretty screen for any length of time, but for the few minutes that we did, the OLED really shined while the audio rocked the house.

AuraGrid WiFi-over-cable extender

AuraGrid WiFi-over-cable extender: "Filed under: CES, Wireless

We've been waiting for this product ever since WiFi signals began flowing through the Mansion several years ago. The AuraGrid is a two part system which pumps your Internet connection from the router through your home's existing coax cable infrastructure and terminates in an antenna that eliminates those pesky dead spots in your WLAN coverage. Simply unscrew your router's antenna, attach the port to a cable jack, and any other room with a cable jack can get all WiFied up. The only caveat here is that homes with satellite TV cannot use this system on the same coax wiring grid. Still, if you have cable or satellite with a separate cable infrastructure, this could be the best way yet to make your wireless connection useful beyond the 20 feet radius of your home office

2006-01-06

The Sony mouse phone

The Sony mouse phone: "Filed under: CES, Peripherals

It's a Sony mouse with MPD that thinks it's a phone. It's not completely delusional, because it does function as both mouse and as a phone for VoIP appplications, say -- but we're getting it some psychotherapy anyway.

Radar Scope sees through walls

Radar Scope sees through walls: "Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

This one is for the military but we think it's handy if you play a bunch of Madden '06 with a bud on the other side of a concrete wall. Just slap a Radar Scope on that wall and see what play the opposition is calling. Not only that, but the device detects movement up to fifty-feet beyond the wall, yet it's still sensitive enough to detect breathing as well. Sounds useful for when you called that all-out blitz and you want to see if the QB is still in one piece, no?

2006-01-05

Philips Entertaible melds video gaming with traditional board gaming

Philips Entertaible melds video gaming with traditional board gaming: "Filed under: Gaming


Philips unveiled the Entertaible prototype, a 30-inch horizontal LCD tabletop unit, which features touch screen and multi-object position detection. The Entertaible will be capable of reproducing classic board games with a twist: they'll never be the same twice. It's clear that Philips is banking on people's need for tactile social interaction, but can the Entertaible stand up to a child's touch?

gizmag Article: CES 2006: Sony releases the electronic paper book - the Sony Reader

gizmag Article: CES 2006: Sony releases the electronic paper book - the Sony Reader: "January 5, 2006 In one of the most significant product announcements we’ve ever had the privilege to report upon, Sony has announced the lightweight Sony Reader – a product destined to transform the electronic reading experience and which we expect will do for reading what the iPod did for music. Coupling an innovative electronic paper display with precise one-handed navigation, the Sony Reader will allow active readers to carry as many books as they want to read whether they are traveling on the road or just around the corner. Roughly the size of a paperback novel, but thinner than most (about .5 inches thin), the device can store hundreds of books in internal memory with the addition of an optional Memory Stick or Secure Digital (SD) flash memory card."

gizmag Article: CES 2006: Toshiba launches disk-drive camcorders with large storage capacity and 'media-free' functionality

gizmag Article: CES 2006: Toshiba launches disk-drive camcorders with large storage capacity and 'media-free' functionality: "January 5, 2005 Toshiba announced today the introduction of the gigashot digital camcorders. Part of the company's gigastyle family of products, gigashot camcorders, like the gigabeat digital audio players, are hard drive based models. With large capacity (30 GB or 60 GB) hard drives built in, the cameras offer 'media-free' functionality and massive storage capability - for example, up to 13 hours of high quality 9.6 Mbps recording is possible using the 60GB model at its highest quality setting. The gigashot camcorders combine a high quality video camera with a still camera, all-in-one easy to use package. With the capability of snapping digital photos while continuing to shoot video, gigashot makes it exceedingly simple to catch those special moments in either still images or video."

German privacy hackers develop RFID zapper

German privacy hackers develop RFID zapper: "A GROUP of German privacy hackers have come up with a portable device that can wipe a passive RFID-Tag permanently.

While it is known that RFID tags could be wiped, it usually took some fairly cumbersome microwave gear to get the job done, and the result could damage whatever the tag was installed on.

But, according to the group’s website here, two developers have managed to make a functioning prototype and produce plans that everyone can use to build their own RFID-Zapper.

2006-01-04

Lexar JumpDrive Mercury sports an E Ink capacity meter

Lexar JumpDrive Mercury sports an E Ink capacity meter: "Filed under: CES, Peripherals

Nah, not the first USB flash drive with a built-in display (you can just scroll down if you want to see another one), but the Lexar's reps here at CES are pretty stoked about theJumpDrive Mercury, a new drive that uses an electronic paper display made by E Ink (you know, the guys who also make the e-paper display used in Citizen wristwatch) that tells you how full the drive is without actually having to plug it into a PC. The genius of using electronic paper is that it doesn't require any power to main the display. Not sure what they'll sell for when they come out, but we did get a few shots of the new JumpDrive Mercury at this evening's CES Unveiled press preview event.

mimi 721: the minimalist's iPod

mimi 721: the minimalist's iPod: "Filed under: Portable Audio
What do you get when you carve the scrollwheel out of an iPod, slash the storage down to 128MB, and knock hundreds of dollars off the price? Why it's the mimi 721, a pendant-style flash player that takes everything beautiful about the 'Pod's classy white simplicity and stomps it right into the ground. Not much more to say about this 20 euro style-thief--we've got, um, better things to do this week.

Samsung's Digital Photo Frame

Samsung's Digital Photo Frame: "Filed under: CES, Displays

We expect lots more craziness from Samsung later in the week, but we spotted this new Digital Photo Frame from them at AMD's booth at yesterday's CES press preview. Apparently the frame, which has a 7-inch LCD (no resolution is listed) and a 'network module' of some kind so you can send a picture directly to the frame from your cameraphone, is already out in South Korea and should hit the States sometime this year.

Kapsel Media Center ceramic PC with Intel Viiv

Kapsel Media Center ceramic PC with Intel Viiv: "Filed under: Home Entertainment, Media PCs


The Kapsel Media Center PC runs Windows Home Media Center is one of the first we've seen on the Intel Viiv platform which means this little orb packs in a dual-core processor (Yonah likely, though they don't specify), and Intel's Quick Resume Technology to power the media center on and off quickly. This tiny (10.6 x 9.1 x 3.0-inches) ceramic shelled PC can be positioned horizontally, vertically, or hung on the wall and throws down 7.1 surround and hi-def video playback. Expect this and other Viiv-centric media centers to ship first quarter 2006, price not yet disclosed.

2006-01-03

gizmag Article: Two-wheeled skateboard offers surfing on tarmac experience

gizmag Article: Two-wheeled skateboard offers surfing on tarmac experience: "January 1, 2006 The EssBoard is a skateboard with a twist – quite literally. Its two castor type wheels enable a motion that is very difficult to descibe, but enables the board to be propelled up-hill, and without needing to touch the ground, while at the same time enabling a motion that more closely captures the feel of surfing or snowboarding than any previous asphalt skateboard. Emanating from Korea, the EssBoard appears identical to “the Wave” board which comes from California, and the Exboard which comes from the UK, though we’ve been unable to ascertain which was the original or whether the designs originated independently. Putting originality aside, the Essboard (and presumably the Wave and exboard) offers some compelling functionality, as it works the torso and legs at the same time as offering captivating entertainment value. If you can’t quite comprehend what the Essboard, Exboard or Wave board can do, or how they work, check these videos at the Streetsurfing site, or these vidz at the Exboard site, or these at the Essboard site for beginners and expert riders."

Jay Wasco plays bass and keytar. Together!

Jay Wasco plays bass and keytar. Together!: " Jay writes to seek publicity for his musical endeavours, catalogued at Jay's Museum ('Not so slick, or easy to navigate'). He's invented two great instruments. The Swiss Army Bass is a bass, which he plays one handed, slightly like Bill Clements. He uses the other hand to play big chords on a Yamaha KX5 (as used by Belinda Bedekovic), to great effect - as can be seen in these videos. His other innovation is the Egotar, which is another one-hand bass, this time paired with a slide guitar, which is also very cool."

iSee 360i adds video to video-less iPods

iSee 360i adds video to video-less iPods: "Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Still a little peeved that Apple added video the iPod just a few months after you snapped up an earlier model? Yeah, well ATO is introducing a portable dock called the iSee 360i (got enough 'i's' in there?) that'll let most 4th generation iPods, the iPod mini, and even the iPod nano go toe-to-toe with those new video-enabled iPods (basically by taking advantage of the earlier iPods' mass storage capabilties to store video files -- Nyko's iPod Movie Player does pretty much the same thing). The 3.6-inch, 320 x 240 pixel LCD of the iSee 360i isn't exactly massively bigger than the 2.5-inch display of the current iPod, but when you're talking about tiny screens for watching video, every inch counts, right? No mention of which codecs are supported, but the iSee 360i does have direct line-in video recording and a battery life of 4 hours, which is double what you'll get with the 30GB iPod. Should start shipping this quarter with a retail price of $249.

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Guitars with five necks

Guitars with five necks: " Axel writes: 'I just found this picture, no story.'. So I did a bit of research and found that aside from this obvious Photoshop job, there are at least three real five-neck guitars, all of them made by Hamer for Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick. So now we know. More. If you want three necks, you'll have to look here.
UPDATE: Ned writes: That is one of the three guitars made for Rick Neilson. The gal holding it is Kaia from The Butchies. They played a show with Cheap Trick in 2004, which is where the photo was taken... see here for all the details. Thanks Ned!"

Guitars with 36 Frets

Guitars with 36 Frets: " And, on the subject of ludicrous guitars made by Hamer, Distortion That Rocks (a new guitar gear blog by Vince from Gizmodo) post about the Hamer Virtuoso. Twenty were produced between 1987 and 1991, and it has 36 frets (they normally have 22-24, keyboard players). No word on whether it came with it's own set of custom toothpics for reaching those high notes. One recently appeared on eBay (#7376189183) with a starting bid of $4,650, although the auction was pulled by it's zero-feedback vendor 'because the item was lost or broken'..."

The Hundred Dollar Laptop-Computing for Developing Nations

The Hundred Dollar Laptop-Computing for Developing Nations: "Nicholas P. Negroponte

Imagine a world where all school-age children own a laptop computer, even those living in villages lacking power and telephone service. Nicholas Negroponte has, and his One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) non-profit has propelled this vision into the real world. With backing from News Corporation and Google, among others, Negroponte has begun to line up millions of orders from Brazil, Thailand, Egypt, China and South Africa. Even the United Nations has bestowed its imprimatur on the concept. Negroponte’s prototype computer is a “skinnied down” version of what he describes as the typical “obese” laptop. Remove sales and marketing costs, and set the machine up with a 7.5” screen, Linux software, a hand crank for power, rugged rubber case, and super bright display so “it can be taken into the sun and read like a book,” and you’ve got a very inexpensive tool for helping 800 million children explore, interact and create. Don’t fret about connectivity; the Media Lab’s got that covered: each laptop becomes a “node in the mesh” of other local users, creating a novel network perfect for remote locations. For email and web browsing, just two MB can serve 1,000 kids, says Negroponte. The key to churning out these cheap educational devices is volume -- and the more countries"