Tim Stevens
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Over Half of Netflix Viewers Too Lazy to Walk to the Mailbox
That's a 20-percent jump from this time last year, and, while much of that increase is thanks to the dedicated Roku Player, increasingly Netflix-ready video game consoles (most recently the Wii) have surely delivered a huge boost, too. The 20-percent jump is significant, but we don't think that number is finished growing. Neither does CEO Reed Hastings, who says he expects the company to "extend [its] operating momentum."
LOLCat Family Tree Illustrates Cats 'Can Has History' Too
Of all the Internet memes that have come and gone in the years we've been online, few have provided more laughs than LOLCats -- the bizarre but compelling act of taking silly pictures of cats and applying even sillier captions. While there is some historic basis to the trend, it was all created by Happycat -- at least, it was according to this family tree created by a student named Helene Dams at the Merz Academy in Stuttgart.Helene has designed a sort of fanciful conceptualization tying the most popular LOLCats together, called 'I Can Has History.' Sometimes the family ties here are logical, like Limecat being the father of Lemoncat and Orangecat, but the relation between others is a little less clear, like Hulk Cat spawning Groovy Cat. We won't argue with the means, we're just here to laugh at the results. [From: I Can Has History, via Neatorama]
AT&T Network Flaw Swaps Strangers' Facebook Accounts
Ever wonder what it'd be like to look like someone else; to exist as another person and mingle among their friends invisibly? A number of AT&T mobile users have had that experience lately -- at least virtually, with the network inexplicably redirecting users into other peoples' Facebook accounts.Curiously AT&T's network was swapping cookies around, so that if two people signed on to Facebook at nearly the same time they'd wind up getting their log-in information misplaced. This lead to some confusing times for users and, more importantly, some grave security concerns. For its part, AT&T says that this occurred in "a limited number of instances" and that the problem is being fixed. Exactly how limited the problem is, though, and how soon it will be fixed remains to be seen.
There is some good news: this transference of identities was only temporary, meaning after logging out and back in again the affected folks were restored to their previous, comfortable identities. [From: Boston.com]
Update: According to CNET, AT&T has fixed the issue. Spokesman Michael Coe said, in a statement, "In a limited number of instances, a server software connectivity error resulted in some AT&T wireless customers being logged in to the wrong Facebook account when they accessed Facebook through their mobile phones."
Nuvo Ritmo: The Surround-Sound System for In Utero Lifestyles
We've seen some crazy baby tech in the past, including a Linux-powered baby rocker and a supposed cry translator. We've even seen an MP3 player belt that promised to help you literally rock your baby to sleep, and apparently it was such a breakout success that it inspired the creation of a second, the the Nuvo Ritmo.It too is a speaker belt that connects to your MP3 player. This one, however, splits in the middle, surrounding your baby with sound -- surely tinny sound given the tiny speakers and seeming lack of an amplifier. The strap Velcros onto the mother's back and promises to deliver a "sound like love" and, indeed, the demonstration video below presents a lovely, mellow world of gentle tunes -- but we're not entirely sure that's accurate. Don't listen to us, though. We're all stuck in the cold, harsh reality. [From: Nuvo, via: Engadget]
Remote Control 'Star Trek' Model Boldly Goes Swimming
Yes, the U.S.S. Enterprise traveled to the far reaches of space, but this model makes its way under the water. It's a submarine in a space ship shell and it works surprisingly well (see the clip after the jump). The fluid motions in a swimming pool plus the lighting effects give an effect that closely matches what you'd see on TV or in the movies -- if you ignore the bubbles, of course. This model is from the 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture' version of the NCC-1701-A Enterprise, before Abrams gave it the "hot rod" treatment, and the lighting and attention to detail is immaculate. If only every 'Star Trek' modeler took this much pride in their work. [From: Hobby Media, via Wired Gadget Lab]
World's Smallest Snowman Made Using Ion Beams and Tiny Tech
We can all recite Frosty's major components by heart, from his magical top hat down to his snowy base, but the creation of this snowman required some ingredients that Gene Autry would have never even imagined. The little guy above is apparently the smallest snowman in the world, about one-fifth the width of a human hair, and is the product of some pretty amazing techniques.
Its craftsman is ...Backupify Backs Up your Online Data... Online
Chances are you've given up traditional e-mail clients in favor of something like Gmail or Hotmail by now, but did you ever think about what happens when those services go away? Sure, Google's great, but there's no guarantee that it's going to keep Gmail (and all your messages) online forever. If it up and disappears one day, you're done for -- unless you use Backupify (or other backup services). ...The Secret to Avoiding an 'Avatar' Headache
Haven't seen James Cameron's $300 million epic film 'Avatar' yet? Many would argue that if you haven't seen it in 3-D -- particularly IMAX 3-D -- you haven't seen it at all. The film, after all, was shot with the third dimension in mind. Cameron used a series of cameras designed to capture multiple perspectives simultaneously, giving you, the viewer, an unparalleled sense of depth -- if you don't ...A Musical Mobile of Mobiles Makes Cell Phone Holiday Magic
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The humble cell phone goes by many names; worldwide, the most common being simply "mobile." For many on this side of the pond, though, that word first brings to mind the image of a rotating object hanging from the ceiling of a nursery. Thus, the Mobile Mobile was born.
The art installation is ...Celery Makes Twitter Nice and Digestible, Especially For Grandma
You may still not have acquired a taste for Celery, but chances are your grandparents have, or they will have if they have a fax machine. Confused? Celery is a way to allow those without computer smarts to e-mail and Twitter via paper, as 80-year-old Dorothy Miller demonstrates to WTEN News 10.
Celery has been around for a while, but Twitter integration is new. To use it, the person simply ...
