Overdue Reviews: 'Strange Days'

Peter Mychalcewycz

Latest Posts from Switched

Ford Adds Inflatable Seat Belts to New SUVs

by Peter Mychalcewycz on November 9, 2009 at 02:18 PM

Seat belts are the foundation of automobile safety, and they are receiving a high-tech makeover from none other than Ford Motor Company.

According to a Ford press release, rear passengers in the company's 2010 Explorers will be the first to experience inflatable seat belt technology. The seat belts look just like traditional seat belts, but inflate within 40 milliseconds following a crash (video after the break). Ford says, "inflatable belt helps distribute crash force energy across five times more of the occupant's torso than a traditional belt," essentially expanding the protection and redistributing pressure, keeping rib cages safer and impact less direct. The increased area of protection is particularly beneficial to children and the elderly, who can find the physically jarring crash particularly traumatic.

1 comment

Knockoff Michael Jackson Cell Phone Redefines Gaudy

by Peter Mychalcewycz on November 8, 2009 at 01:19 PM

When King of Pop Michael Jackson passed away earlier this year, we knew the line of people waiting to profit from his death would be a long one. These bling-tastic exploitations, though, took us by surprise.

The Michael Jackson phone, manufactured by a Chinese imitation goods company, is in the very poorest of spectacularly poor taste. It boasts enough faux gold and jewels to make a Liberace impersonator cringe, and it has the audacity to come packaged with a Michael Jackson DVD. (We can only assume that the manufacturer and distributor of this shiny P.O.S. made sure the accompanying DVD was a bootleg of the highest order.)

This phone is garish, disgusting, and exploitative. That being said, at least the phone gaudily admits the fact that it's exploitative. It's honest, in a way. And that's a lot more than we can say for that streaming biopic from last month. [From: Mashable]

Leave a comment

Gift Guide: Garmin Approach G5 GPS Golf Companion

by Peter Mychalcewycz on November 6, 2009 at 04:25 PM

Garmin Approach G5 (Sports Fan, Under $500)

To some, the game of golf is nothing more than a good walk spoiled. For the true disciples of the game, it is a test of character and mental fortitude. Both parties agree that it can flat out embarrass you.

For those who could use an ace up their sleeve (we're talking to you, everyone that isn't Tiger Woods) the Garmin Approach G5 might be just what is needed need to kick start their game. This golfer-friendly GPS device comes preloaded with thousands of courses' information, providing users with real time info on shot distances, hazards, and weather/wind conditions. The G5 also doubles as a four-person score card.

Golf can be a humbling endeavor. Tell your golfers to prepare themselves accordingly.

Leave a comment

Silk-Silicon Implants Could Connect to Your Brain, Enable LED Tattoos

by Peter Mychalcewycz on November 5, 2009 at 07:29 AM

Biology and technology are increasingly crossing paths these days, so it comes as no surprise that researchers have found a way to literally fuse the two, creating implantable technology for the 21st century.

Researchers have developed a new type of super-thin silicon transistor, which can be embedded on a dissolvable silk-based film (pictured). Brian Litt, associate professor of neurology and bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania, told Technology Review, "Current medical devices are very limited by the fact that the active electronics have to be 'canned,' or isolated from the body, and are on rigid silicon." These new silicon-silk implants are much easier to place within a body: the silk sheet "melts away," and the transistors are small enough that they don't irritate tissues.

1 comment

iPhone App, Where's My Car?

by Peter Mychalcewycz on November 4, 2009 at 08:23 AM

We love holiday shopping as much as the next person, but we could do without the mammoth parking lots (and our embarrassing inability to navigate them). Honestly, is there anything more demoralizing, after a successful raid on Walmart, than not being able to find your own car when you get outside? We think not.

Thankfully, there is hope for the parking-lot challenged, and it comes in the form of 'Car Finder' [App Store link]. Using augmented reality (real-time video overlaid with computer-generated graphics), this marvel is available from Apple's App Store for $0.99. It sounds cool, and it is. Simply use the app to mark your car's location, and walk away. On your way back, Car Finder, in conjunction with the iPhone's built-in GPS, lets you view your surroundings in on the iPhone's screen. Simply rotate your body until the screen displays the general direction of your wayward automobile, and a big red arrow will guide you to the icon that represents your car's location. Neat, huh?

Leave a comment

United Airlines Messes With Wrong Traveler... Again

by Peter Mychalcewycz on October 30, 2009 at 09:15 AM

A near celebrity in the eyes of anyone who's logged onto YouTube (or Switched) in past months, Canadian singer David Carroll was less than pleased when United Airlines baggage handlers broke his guitar last summer. United initially refused to pay the $1,200 repair fee, but -- after Carroll's song 'United Breaks Guitars' (video after the break) attracted millions of YouTube viewers and got nearly all of them riled up -- United finally tried to cut its losses by paying Carroll back. The strong-willed Canadian declined. This was, after all, about the corporation's inappropriate treatment of all its customers, not just his broken guitar.

Well, Sunday, at the Denver airport, Carroll was treated just like the rest of United's customers when his bag was "delayed," the New York Times reports. Apparently unaware of his Internet stardom, the United employees told him that he couldn't leave the terminal until it arrived. An hour later, they finally proclaimed the luggage lost and sent him packing. Carroll, who ironically enough was in Colorado to speak about customer service, did not get his bag back until yesterday. Now supplementing his musician's wages with such speaking engagements, Caroll spoke on the mistreatment of airline passengers like the 21st-century, mobile-class Woody Guthrie that he is: "It crosses all income levels and languages and geographies. We all don't like feeling disrespected or insignificant." [From: The New York Times]

2 comments

'This Is Why You're Fat' Twitter Contest Involves... Eating

by Peter Mychalcewycz on October 29, 2009 at 02:57 PM

With obesity levels rising, the U.S. population's affection for junk food is obvious. In case you needed further proof of our flabby nation's torrid love affair with gut-bombs, we would like to present the Eat N Tweet Challenge.

Created by This is Why You're Fat, the Web site dedicated to all things artery-clogging, the Eat N Tweet Challenge pits contestants in a race against time, each other, and New York City traffic. The ultimate goal for each participant is to be the first to a take photo of him- or herself with each of the six New York street vendors (and their coma-inducing wares) that are involved in the competition.

Leave a comment

The Science of Mona Lisa's Smile

by Peter Mychalcewycz on October 25, 2009 at 01:50 PM

The subtle complexity of Mona Lisa's sly smirk has captivated generations of casual art enthusiasts, academics, and even scientists. In reality, it is a fine sliver of paint, but in the realm of art, it acts as a monument to the indefinable. But it's time to end the infernal debate: is it a smile or not?

According to a study conducted at the Institute of Neuroscience in Alicante, Spain, the answer is both. Arggggg!

Leave a comment

Solid Alliance's 'Crazy Earphones' Are Just That

by Peter Mychalcewycz on October 25, 2009 at 11:58 AM

A new line of earbuds from Solid Alliance has drawn attention for its, shall we say, less than palatable designs, and as a public service to our readers, we would like to agree with all the haters. Beauty may reside in the eye of the beholder, but so does ugly.

The increasingly derided and aptly named Crazy Earphones line consists of four truly dumbfounding designs: sushi roll, banana, cat paw, and Frankenstein bolt. (And they're only $22, or ¥2,000, a pair!) The kitty paw and Frankenstein 'buds may appeal to a certain consumer, but sushi? Ripened bananas? We have a sneaking suspicion that whatever niche market Solid Alliance was attempting to target is nonexistent. Or, at best, still too small to cover production costs.

We could be wrong. For all we know, this line of earbuds could explode into a culinary-cute-tastic headphone phenomenon. We just doubt it, that's all. [From: Geek Stuff 4 U, via Engadget]

Leave a comment

Scubacraft Lets You Conquer the Sea, for a Mere $164k

by Peter Mychalcewycz on October 24, 2009 at 10:25 AM

Hybrid automobiles may be the future of mass terrestrial transport, but their vanilla styling and performance simply do not compare to the sheer awesomeness of one new aquatic counterpart. Put it this way, we just don't see James Bond tearing through a foreign metropolis in a Prius. Put Bond in a boat/submarine hybrid in a Venice canal, however, and he looks right at home.

The Scubacraft is precisely as cool as it sounds. It is a boat capable of operating above or below the waves at the whim of its operator, and it has, in our eyes at least, rendered all other forms of aquatic transport obsolete. (We really have a thing for James Bond). While above water, the Scubacraft is propelled by a healthy 160-horsepower engine. When submerged, the craft can reach a depth of nearly 100 feet. Electric thrusters move the Scubacraft along its way while underwater. To be clear, this is not an enclosed submarine, so SCUBA gear will have to be worn in order to dive below.

4 comments

GE Debuts Vscan, the 'Stethoscope of the 21st Century'

by Peter Mychalcewycz on October 21, 2009 at 07:21 PM

One of the medical profession's most iconic instruments is getting a serious upgrade. The "stethoscope of the 21st century" was unveiled yesterday at the Web 2.0 summit by General Electric CEO Jeff Immelt. The Vscan, which looks like the lovechild of a Motorola RAZR and an iPod, places the power of ultrasound into the palm of a doctor's hand, and is set to increase the ease and effectiveness of ... Read more »

3 comments

Video Games, Hurricanes, and Generators -- a Toxic Trifecta

by Peter Mychalcewycz on June 2, 2009 at 10:14 AM

In light of their alleged emotional ramifications on children, certain video games are often labeled as "dangerous." But it turns out a number of children almost literally lost their lives last year by playing their favorite games, according to the Houston Chronicle. Last autumn, families in areas of Texas affected by Hurricane Ike were forced indoors due to the brutal storm and its messy ... Read more »

Leave a comment

Intelligent, Unmanned Boat to Attempt Trans-Atlantic Journey

by Peter Mychalcewycz on May 28, 2009 at 09:14 AM

Once again, a team of well-meaning scientists is giving an intelligent, autonomous robotic vessel everything it needs to take over the world. Sigh... According to CNN, eight third-year engineering students from the university ETH Zurich in Switzerland have created a four-meter-long, carbon-fiber yacht potentially capable of piloting itself across the Atlantic Ocean. Avalon, as its creators like ... Read more »

Leave a comment

South African Calls Boss a "Serial Masturbator" on Facebook, Gets Fired

by Peter Mychalcewycz on May 28, 2009 at 07:11 AM

With so much pain and humiliation caused by Facebook around the world, we were less than shocked to hear that the cycle of embarrassment had traveled south of the Equator. According to an AFP article, hosted on Google, a South African man was recently terminated from his job after calling his boss a "serial masturbator" on Facebook. What did he think was going to happen? Did he expect a cookie ... Read more »

7 comments

Colonel Sanders' Face Blurred By Google Street View on All KFCs

by Peter Mychalcewycz on May 24, 2009 at 11:09 AM

It seems Google Street View's facial recognition technology may actually work better than we thought. Apparently, the iconic face of Colonel Sanders has been blurred on every Kentucky Fried Chicken location. This gives Google some much-needed ammunition in the fight against those who believe the service invades individuals' privacy. Complaints directed toward Street View technology have been ... Read more »

7 comments