Switched

There's a load of great tech news happening out there every day, and, unfortunately, we just can't cover it all. Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web.

• LOLCat of the day. Oh, it never gets tired.
• In case your imagination is as weak as your biceps, check out these dumbell add-ons to pump up your Wii-Fit workout (and four other weird WiiMote accessories). [NewLaunches]
• Wandering adventurer Christoph Rehage took a year to walk across China, documenting his travels and stunning facial hair growth in our favorite video of the day. [Vimeo]
• As if advertising isn't ubiquitous enough, it can now chase you down and force you to touch it. Thanks, Japan. [DesignBoom]
• While you were innocently sleeping, Apple was updating the mystery device living in your iPhone. [NetworkWorld]

Got a tip? Want to talk to us? In need of more choice links like these? Drop us a line on Twitter and check out our new Tumblr blog.

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....

• According to the Inquirer, Microsoft accidentally let slip yesterday that it will be changing the name of its mobile operating system, from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone. Although that's not much of a change, Windows Mobile is definitely due for a revamp. [From: The Inquirer]
• Nintendo's years-long joyride of improbably good sales had to end someday: today, the company announced significant drops in sales and profits for the last quarter. Don't expect the dour days to last though, with the recent release of 'Wii Sports Resort' and the forthcoming 'Super Mario Brothers Wii,' it won't be long before Nintendo is back in the driver's seat. [From: Venturebeat]
• We're not surprised that there's a lawsuit pending in the case of an EMT posting a photo of a murdered woman at a crime scene onto Facebook -- but it boggles the mind that the litigating attorney wants to implicate Facebook enough to "shut it down." [From: Fox News]
• A joint experiment between the Russian Institute for Biomedical Problems and the European Space Agency to simulate a trip to Mars packed a group of six volunteers into a mock spacecraft for more than three months. Not surprisingly, the crew had issues with boredom. A similar, 520-day simulation is set to begin next year. [From: New Scientist]
• A number of West African nations have been almost completely cut off from the Internet, thanks to an unknown problem with an undersea data line from Europe. Mobile phone service, broadband, and banking have been crippled by nearly 70-percent in the worst-hit areas. [From: BBC]
• PriceGrabber.com recently surveyed consumers about how they back up their digital data -- surprisingly, 28-percent said they had never backed up their music. Not so surprising: younger people back up photos to the Web more than twice as often as older generations. [From: PriceGrabber]
• Yesterday Kodak showed off the new HD-shooting (1080p) Zi8 camcorder. The pocket cam comes with gyroscopic image stabilization, a line-in jack for hooking up high quality mics, and the usual SD card slot, supporting up to 32GB of storage. The Zi8 features a unique variation on the "USB arm" (standard on these microcamcorders); the USB plug is bendable, making it easier to hook into your computer. [From: Kodak]
  

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....

• In case you don't closely follow the politics of intrasolar astronomy, you should know that Pluto's demotion from planetary status may not be permanent. The debate of Pluto's fate has been reignited, thanks to an international snub and one very pissed-off governor. [From: New Scientist]
• What happens when your big budget, movie-adaptation of 'Halo' gets dropped by the studios? You give 'em the middle finger with your own indie-alien flick. Wired has the story of the birth of 'District 9' -- we knew those aliens in the trailer looked vaguely like Covenant Elites. [From: Wired]
• The next generation of computers may be powered by super-intelligent bacteria. Will antivirus software come in a syringe? [From: The Guardian]
• AdAge reports that Bing and Yahoo! may soon be joining forces to take on the Google search hegemony. A new deal is in the works that could see a Microsoft takeover of the search number two. [From: Ad Age]
• If you're in the UK, you can soon look forward to government officials filling up your Twitter stream -- the British government has published a guide to Tweeting for its ministers, urging them to be "human" and "informal." Smashing! [From: Yahoo! Tech]

The world would be a far less connected place without those ignorant but honorable souls with unsecured wireless networks named "linksys." It never fails that whenever we are stranded at a foreign apartment bereft of Internet access, someone living nearby has left their Wi-Fi on the default setting. E-mail, surfing, messaging? And how.

On some of our more Web adroit days, we'll admit we've been tempted to string together a "192.168.1.1" in our browser, access the modem, and change the name of the wide-open network. Nothing mean-spirited, of course; just a silent 'thank you' for the momentary connection. Imagine coming home from work and clicking that little wireless antenna logo to see your network name has been changed to "linksys_gave_me_20_minutes_of_unadulterated_joy_thanks."

Read more →

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....

• Actor Kevin Spacey talks to MTV News about 'The Social Network,' a new film he's producing based on the creation of Facebook. He wouldn't mention who might be cast as college-aged founder Mark Zuckerberg, but if it's Shia Lebeouf, we swear we're quitting movies. [From: MTV News]
• So what if Microsoft's 'Laptop Hunters' ads claim that Apple's computers are too expensive? Market research firm NPD has announced that Apple now has a 91-percent market share in premium computers costing more than $1,000. [From: Betanews]
• Last month, Facebook allowed its users to register vanity URLs for their profiles. In case you regret your choice, Facebook's giving you a do-over, but make it good -- you only get one. [From: Download Squad]
• Despite Microsoft executive Kevin Turner bragging about how Apple demanded the company pull its 'Laptop Hunters' ads since Apple had lowered its prices, Microsoft has given in and adjusted one of its spots. The ad in question has been pulled from YouTube and replaced with a reedited version. [From: Business Insider]
• In time for the 40th anniversary of Comic-con, Google released a slew of new comic themes for its iGoogle homepage. Rock your page with heroes like Iron Man and Batman, or take things back a few years with a Peanuts-themed page. [From: Google Blog]