Warren Riddle
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Champion Crowned in Global Socket Showdown
The contest (if you can call it a contest) has been dubbed 'Plug vs. Plug' (C'mon, Brits. Couldn't you come up with something a little more creative and
Senior Citizen Sexting on the Rise
Troubling instances of teen sexting have been all over the news as of late, with randy kids and their sexy messages and photographs often leading to public derision, expulsion, and sometimes even arrest. Thankfully, the disturbing trend among the nation's youth seems to be nearing an end.The primary reason? Because it looks like old people are getting into it. We know (gag), and we're sorry, but the American Association of Retired People (AARP) Web site recently posted a story that details the growing popularity of raunchy text exchanges among senior citizens. (Hopefully its exaggerating.) One man named Roger (His last name was apparently withheld to prevent his grandchildren from jabbing pencils into their eyes and ears.) told the AARP, "I'll say, 'You have an amazing body. You have amazing breasts.' The next thing you know, you'll get a picture of a breast." Shudder.
So, the next time you see Grandma sheepishly grinning as she checks her cell, don't even try to wipe the memory of this indelible story from your brain. It will, unfortunately, be permanently seared into your subconscious. Again, our apologies. [From: AARP via Tech Radar and Gawker]
Some T-Mobile Users See Nude Strangers on Their Profile Pages
T-Mobile is apparently offering a scintillating ('Titillating' would have been far too easy and predictable.) new feature for people with online accounts: pics of naked girls. The Consumerist is reporting that when
Andrew also claims that when he signed in again later, yet more nudie shots appeared. After the Consumerist broke Andrew's shocking story, the site was flooded with still more reports of even raunchier images appearing on T-Mobile profile pages. When asked for a comment, a T-Mobile spokesperson told the Consumerist that the company is investigating the incidents, which it claims are "not common."
iTunes Auto-Censor Targets '50s Doo-Wop
Despite its staid and strict stance against nudity and racy apps, Apple is continuing its unofficial practice of turning perfectly harmless words into demeaning slurs. Apple's censoring depends on a program that scans the iTunes database for dirty words, replacing the offending letters with asterisks. The problem with this auto-censorship is that it doesn't recognize context. As a result, innocent words are sometimes altered, ironically and immediately making people think of those alternate, more devious usages. According to the Guardian, the latest to fall prey to the asterisk is the style of music known as "doo-wop," whose name contains a word sometimes used as a slur against Italian-Americans. The word, with which many people were probably unfamiliar prior to the asterisk fiasco, appeared as "w*p" throughout iTunes as of this morning (it's since been changed back to doo-wop).
It's probably time to let the auto-censor go, Apple. Since you're now worth over $170 billion, you should probably be able to hire some human scanners. You know, ones that could actually discern between musical genres and racist terminology. [From: The Guardian]
Steve Jobs Named 'CEO of the Decade,' China Stops Beating Web Addicts
- Fortune magazine has named Apple's Steve Jobs its 'CEO of the Decade,' due to the company's overwhelming success with iTunes, OS X, Pixar, and, of course, the iPhone. Jobs even persevered through serious health problems while Apple's worth skyrocketed -- from $5 billion to $170 billion in less than 10 years. [From: Cult of Mac and TUAW]
- Over the summer, a Chinese teenager tragically died after being severely beaten at a boot camp that aims to curb Internet addiction while teaching kids how to use the Web "in a healthy way." Yeah, sounds really healthy. Chinese officials are now seeking to ban the violent practice at such facilities. Apparently, it's too easy to take away the kids' computers and consoles for a little while. [From: The BBC]
- The Catalyst Group recently conducted a consumer survey about the live video streaming services offered by Amazon and Netflix. The group said that most people actually expressed shock, because they'd never even heard of video streaming (even though Catalyst only approached 11 people). [From: Fast Company]
- The Onion, 'America's Finest News Source,' is apparently developing a Comedy Central pilot that will focus solely on sports. The fake news outlet already creates its own hilarious podcasts, so come on, Comedy Central. Go ahead and sign The Onion up for at least one season. The show will immediately be better than most of your programming. [From: Variety]
- The DROID has officially dropped, and, at first glance, at least one of the free 'Market' apps looks and sounds pretty sweet. Slacker Radio, which is similar to other music-discovery services like Pandora, will allow users to stream live with the aid of preferences and selectable stations. [From: CNET]
- Authorities are moving quickly in the Bluebeat-Beatles battle, as a judge has ordered the site to immediately halt its sale of $0.25 Beatles songs. Bluebeat, quit cruelly and mercilessly taking money from the mouths of destitute and impoverished musicians. [From: Epicenter]
- 'LEGO Rock Band' hits the stores this week, and the development team has revealed that about half the staff was actually against the game's creation. But, hey, if Ziggy Stardust and the original Stooge are on board, it can't be all that bad. [From: Joystiq]
Agri-Nerd Programs Classic 'Hello World' Code... in a Wheat Field
The intricate and wondrous designs of crop circles have mystified and enthralled generations of global spectators from all walks of life. A new, unique crop design, which is actually a square, has recently appeared and is specifically designed for geeks and nerds (particularly those who happen to be brilliant programmers).
Ben Hopfeng-Aertner, a German programmer, has mowed a huge grassy ...Judge Confiscates Boy's Wii, Will Return for Good Behavior
Parents know that if you want t to get an unruly kid's full and undivided attention (and make them tremble either out fear or anger), all you need to do is hide the TV remote, disconnect the WiFi, and take away the video game controllers.
A Canadian judge, who must be a parent, recently carried that family practice over to his courtroom when he ordered a young ruffian to hand over his Nintendo ...Robotic Fish Could Help Scientists Monitor U.S. Waters for Pollution
Over-fishing poses a severe threat to many fish species, but scientists around the world are currently hoping to stock various bodies of water with an impervious new breed. These mechanical robo-fish won't provide valuable sustenance, though, but they could provide scientists with beneficial information about pollutants, water temperature, and algae and oxygen levels.
English researchers are ...Firefox Races Past Aging IE6, Is the Universe Beige?
Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
Whippersnapper Firefox recently eclipsed the 1 billion download mark, and that monumental success seems to have helped the browser surpass the crotchety old Internet Explorer 6. (Seriously, people. It's time to upgrade.) Firefox is expected to celebrate tonight by T.P.'ing IE6's house and then leaving a flaming bag of poo on its ...Winter Olympics Get Facebook, Danish Students Surf During Exams
Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
The Winter Olympics are right around the corner, and NBC is adding some significant upgrades to its NBCOlympics site, including the incorporation of social networking via Facebook Connect. The HD video player will also now allow users to save their favorite moments from the games. [From: Tech Crunch]
Who'd have thought 40 years ...
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