Switched http://www.switched.com Switched http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.switched.com/media/feedlogo.gif Switched http://www.switched.com prods@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Producers) support@weblogsinc.com (Weblogs, Inc. Web Support) en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. View our terms of service here: http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/ Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/ <![CDATA[Best of the Week: Web Stupidity With a Twist, News Corp. Says Google Isn't Fair]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/best-of-the-week-web-stupidity-with-a-twist-news-corp-says-go/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/best-of-the-week-web-stupidity-with-a-twist-news-corp-says-go/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/best-of-the-week-web-stupidity-with-a-twist-news-corp-says-go/#comments
Net blunders have somewhat lost their shock value recently. Ridiculous stories about stupid people getting in trouble doing stupid things sometimes elicit nothing more than an unenthusiastic "meh" from the reading public. Last week, though, the Net idiocy genre experienced a few dramatic twists. Accidental e-mail inclusions and the old 'Reply All' mishap have created infinite amounts of uncomfortable scenarios, but rarely do those situations gross out an entire university campus. Criminals also often get busted because of Web shenanigans, but a suspected British burglar got popped last week after he pulled an incredibly moronic, vain, and unheard of media stunt. And, in perhaps the strangest shift of paradigm, American Airlines fired an employee because of an e-mail, but instead of being laced with profanity or pornography, the message was a courteous and honest response to a displeased customer. Maybe it's time for someone to update the rules of the Internet. On to the other news....
  • Google Trends data may actually help predict which U.S. region will provide the next e-mail or Web-related mishap. According to the numbers, Herndon, Virginia is the most profane and vulgar city in America. Check the list to see if your town made the rankings.
  • The mission statement for Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. is "Creating and distributing top-quality news, sports and entertainment around the world." ("Create" the news? Isn't it supposed to be "report?") But, we learned last week that if Murdoch has his way, News Corp. won't be distributing news through Google, and the news won't be free, either.
  • The old stereotype that men refuse to ask for directions may need to be updated for the 21st century. A Gadget Line survey revealed that, while men aren't afraid to call tech support for gadget help, they're far more frustrating and annoying to deal with than women.
  • Technology and video games have inspired a slew of awesomely geeky marriage proposals, but that trend rarely carries over to the actual wedding invitations. Illustrator Carla Berrocal has created some fantastically dorky 8-bit invites for a pair of computer scientist lovebirds. (Warning: Graphic 8-bit nudity.)

Best of the Week: Web Stupidity With a Twist, News Corp. Says Google Isn't Fair originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bestoftheweektop switchedtips@gmail.com (Warren Riddle) Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:02:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Undercover Wife Busts Husband By Posing as a Chatroom Teen]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/undercover-wife-busts-husband-by-posing-as-a-chatroom-teen/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/undercover-wife-busts-husband-by-posing-as-a-chatroom-teen/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/undercover-wife-busts-husband-by-posing-as-a-chatroom-teen/#comments

With its 'To Catch a Predator' sting operations, NBC's 'Dateline' has spawned a Web meme of motivational posters and jokes that deride revolting sexual deviants. Those undercover sting operations have also inspired a wave of Net vigilantes who personally attempt to ensnare unwitting perverted dimwits.

A 69-year-old man in Wales was recently duped by an undercover crusader, and the operative just so happened to be in the next room. Instead of exchanging chat-room messages with what he thought was a 14-year-old girl, David Anthony Roberts was actually propositioning his own wife. WalesOnline reports that Cheryl Roberts, who has since divorced her husband, called police after the incident. They made an arrest and subsequently found child pornography on the man's computer.

David Roberts, who pled guilty to eight charges of child pornography, is now a registered sexual offender and is being required to attend a sex offender program. Chris Hansen would be proud. [From: Wales Online]

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Undercover Wife Busts Husband By Posing as a Chatroom Teen originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> chris hansenChrisHansendatelinepedophiles onlinePedophilesOnlinestupid criminalsStupidCriminalsto catch a predatorToCatchAPredatortop switchedtips@gmail.com (Warren Riddle) Sun, 15 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[After the Hype: Technologies That Never Lived Up to Their Promise]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/after-the-hype-technologies-that-never-lived-up-to-their-promis/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/after-the-hype-technologies-that-never-lived-up-to-their-promis/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/after-the-hype-technologies-that-never-lived-up-to-their-promis/#comments The hype machine is a cruel, cruel beast. It builds us up, only to let us down. For every piece of technology that's taken off, there's another handful that failed to live up to the buzz. To honor these fallen ideas, CNET UK has compiled a "Whatever Happened to..." list of the past's most remarkably unremarkable tech.

Remember Sony's MiniDisc? Yes, the colorful plastic cartridge promised that it would become the best, most portable way to listen to music. Well, it didn't. Blame the MP3, if you like. Or go further back, to Apple's LISA. The bulky $10,000 computer was one of the first to use a graphical interface, but it never took off, either. On the bright side, Apple did learn from its mistakes, and certainly knows how to push product these days. There's also the doomed Amstrad Emailer, which arrived about five years too late, and Motorola's Rokr E1, which was promptly owned by the iPhone. Although it's not included on CNET's list, we couldn't go without mentioning Sega's Dreamcast console. We still shed a tear when thinking about what might've been if gamers had only supported the platform.

It's fun to reminisce, but in most cases, we're better off without these failed technologies. Don't believe us? Trade in your iPod for a MiniDisc player, or your iPhone for a Rokr -- just for a day. [From: CNET UK]

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After the Hype: Technologies That Never Lived Up to Their Promise originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> applecellphonecomputerfailurehypelistmicrosoftsonytechnologytop switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:20:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Nerdy Guy Electrifies Aboriginal Didgeridoo]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/nerdy-white-guy-electrifies-aboriginal-didgeridoo/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/nerdy-white-guy-electrifies-aboriginal-didgeridoo/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/nerdy-white-guy-electrifies-aboriginal-didgeridoo/#comments Ancient Aboriginal instrument, we'd like you to meet modern technology. Who can you thank for this introduction? A nerdy white guy, not even from Australia.

Musician and geek Kyle Evans took a didgeridoo, which is an Australian wind instrument, and modified it because he was interested in combining organic sound with modern technology. Evans can manipulate the noise that the custom-built instrument makes thanks to mounted modules. Data is sent via Bluetooth to a computer, which interprets the info using a software program that turns it into sound. Evans describes the process on his blog, and he even includes photos and videos, too. If you've never heard a didgeridoo, think of the sounds of the smoke monster on the television show 'Lost.'

Evans's invention won't change the music landscape like the electric guitar did, but it's pretty cool (and funny) to watch him play the instrument (video after the break). Honestly, we're just thankful Evans isn't wearing traditional Aboriginal garb while he plays. [From: Yaktronix, via Ubergizmo]

Continue reading Nerdy Guy Electrifies Aboriginal Didgeridoo

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Nerdy Guy Electrifies Aboriginal Didgeridoo originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> aboriginalbizarrebluetoothdidgeridooinstrumentmodificacionmusictopwireless switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:30:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak Might Actually Happen, Thanks to Physics]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/harry-potters-invisibility-cloak-might-actually-happen-thanks/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/harry-potters-invisibility-cloak-might-actually-happen-thanks/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/15/harry-potters-invisibility-cloak-might-actually-happen-thanks/#comments Hold onto those wands, all you would-be wizards. One of Harry Potter's most valuable possessions might soon make the jump from the page to the real world. According to The Daily Mail, researchers at Imperial College in London received an $8.1-million grant to develop an invisibility suit. That's right, you could throw on a garment and sneak around, just like Harry did while stalking the halls of Hogwarts.

The idea isn't as far-fetched as it initially sounds. When light hits an object, it bounces off the surface and into the eye, which is what makes it visible to us. Using "meta-material," these scientists want to force light waves to flow around an object (think water flowing around a rock in a river), not bounce off of it, which would make the object invisible to the eye. But right now, all this is simply theory. Next, the researchers must engineer a material that can manipulate light waves in such a manner. As we've said before, that's much easier said than done thanks to a little thing we call physics.

If this idea becomes reality (trust us, we're keeping our fingers crossed), we have one simple request: Please don't model the suit's look after Harry and the gang's school uniforms. That just doesn't work for us. [From: The Daily Mail]

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Harry Potter's Invisibility Cloak Might Actually Happen, Thanks to Physics originally appeared on Switched on Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> harrypotterinvisiblelightphysicsresearchtop switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Sun, 15 Nov 2009 08:31:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Love for Our Tweeps: People Answer 'What Is Twitter?']]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/love-for-our-tweeps-people-answer-what-is-twitter/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/love-for-our-tweeps-people-answer-what-is-twitter/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/love-for-our-tweeps-people-answer-what-is-twitter/#comments
Last week, we took our cameras to the streets and inadvertently stumped roughly half the people when we asked, "What is Flickr?" This time, we decided to try our luck by inquiring about Twitter, and, for the most part, everyone had an inkling as to the micro-blogging powerhouse's raison d'être.

Since people are now apparently tweeting 27 million times a day, this should come as no surprise. Not only do we chronicle our outrage over a contentious election via tweets, the Twiteratti have even taken to academic discourse. A zeitgeist has been ignited by 140-character streams of culture.

So what answer most aptly captured the Twitter Experience? "Like, if someone's going to the bathroom, you can know that...I guess that's when they tweet." Precisely.

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Love for Our Tweeps: People Answer 'What Is Twitter?' originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> featurestwittervox popVoxPop switchedtips@gmail.com (Switched Staff) Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:10:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Robot Fighter Jet Shot Down After Malfunction]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/robot-fighter-jet-shot-down-after-malfunction/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/robot-fighter-jet-shot-down-after-malfunction/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/robot-fighter-jet-shot-down-after-malfunction/#comments

Proving that we might not be quite ready to enter into the space age of modern warfare, a robot-controlled U.S. fighter jet went haywire in Afghanistan Sunday, and had to be shot down to prevent disaster. According to USAFCENT Public Affairs, the plane was "flying a combat mission when positive control of the MQ-9 was lost." That can't be good. Before the rogue robot could get too far afield, though, a good, old-fashioned human-controlled jet was called in to shoot it down to earth.
Causes of the military mishap aren't yet clear, though the Register humorously speculates:
"It wasn't clear from the US military announcement whether the erratic death-bot had turned on its masters and was planning an attack on critical US logistics bases located north of the Afghan border, or whether it had sickened of reaping hapless fleshies like corn and was hoping merely to escape. Alternatively the machine assassin may merely have succumbed to boredom or - just possibly - a mundane, non-anthropomorphic technical fault of some kind."
It's a good thing it was quickly resolved. We all know the kind of worldwide doom and destruction that "going rogue" can bring upon the world. [From: The Register, via Geekologie and io9]

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Robot Fighter Jet Shot Down After Malfunction originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> airforceairplanefighter jetFighterJetmilitaryrobottopweird switchedtips@gmail.com (Amar Toor) Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:12:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Bidding for Tour of Bill Gates's Home Begins at $35,000]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/bidding-for-tour-of-bill-gatess-mansion-begins-at-35-000/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/bidding-for-tour-of-bill-gatess-mansion-begins-at-35-000/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/bidding-for-tour-of-bill-gatess-mansion-begins-at-35-000/#comments

Have you ever wanted a personal tour of a celebrity home? We're talking full-blown, 'MTV Cribs' style. Well, if you're a Microsoft employee with a fat wallet, that dream can become a reality. According to Tech Flash, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates is auctioning off a personal tour of his gigantic house on Lake Washington as part of a yearly charity campaign within the company. Just how much would this VIP tour set you back? Well, the current high bid is $35,000. To put that in perspective, the same tour, which includes appetizers at the end, sold for just $8,600 last year. Looks like the recession might be over... at least for the people in the Pacific Northwest.

Since not everybody works for Microsoft (or can drop that much cash), US News & World Report will take you on a virtual tour of the Gates household. You can click on different parts of the house and read interesting facts. But it must pale in comparison to the real thing. After all, you can't peek inside the Gates medicine cabinet on a virtual tour.

Alas, the closest we'll get to this house is a view from an airplane or boat. Seriously, you're more likely to have a beer with President Obama than you are to get an audience with the notoriously private Gates. [From: Tech Flash and US News & World Report]

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Bidding for Tour of Bill Gates's Home Begins at $35,000 originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> auctionbill gatesBillGatescelebritycharityhomehousemicrosoft switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:21:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Mario's Wardrobe Wanderings: From Boots to Bees]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/marios-wardrobe-wanderings-from-boots-to-bees/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/marios-wardrobe-wanderings-from-boots-to-bees/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/marios-wardrobe-wanderings-from-boots-to-bees/#comments As the highly anticipated U.S. release of 'New Super Mario Bros. Wii' rapidly approaches, reviews and screen shots are, little by little, revealing details about the game. (One quick, significant question before we go any further: How in the name of Bowser did Australia get the game before we did?!)

The latest installment in the saga of your favorite 'shroom-eating plumber series apparently adds some awesome new outfits to Mario's extensive and eclectic closet -- Propeller and Penguin suits being chief among them. In honor of Mushroom World couture, Kotaku is celebrating the best and most ridiculous of Mario's many suits. Click through to behold both the always popular Tanooki Suit and the oft forgotten Goomba's Shoe costume.

Continue reading Mario's Wardrobe Wanderings: From Boots to Bees

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Mario's Wardrobe Wanderings: From Boots to Bees originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> funnylistmarionew super mario bros.NewSuperMarioBros.topvideogameswii switchedtips@gmail.com (Warren Riddle) Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:28:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Google Could Double Web Speeds With SPDY Protocol]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/google-looks-to-boost-web-speeds-with-spdy/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/google-looks-to-boost-web-speeds-with-spdy/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/14/google-looks-to-boost-web-speeds-with-spdy/#comments
Slowly but surely, we're getting an idea of what Google's Chrome OS will look like. We know that it will be Linux-based and that the primary interface will likely be the Chrome browser. Still, the search giant was not content to simply turn a Web browser into an operating system. Soon Google was launching a new programing language, called Go, that would allow programmers to build faster and more efficient applications. Then it announced Native Client, a feature built into Chrome (both the browser and the OS) that would allow software to be run inside the browser. Any program launched could be treated as just another tab in Chrome, and, when paired with the new Go programming language, could lead to dramatic speed increases for Web-based applications.

So Chrome OS, and the various enhancements Google is developing to milk every bit of potential from the Internet, are shaping up nicely. But there is still one major hurdle to overcome -- HTTP, or hyper text transfer protocol. HTTP is what browsers and and Web sites use to define how and when data is passed back and forth. The problem is that HTTP has existed, more or less in its current form, since 1996, a time when Web sites were primarily simple documents with static text and images.

Continue reading Google Could Double Web Speeds With SPDY Protocol

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Google Could Double Web Speeds With SPDY Protocol originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> googlehttpprotocolspdytop switchedtips@gmail.com (Terrence O'Brien) Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:31:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Best of the Rest: French-Flavored iPhone Cases, Nasty, Naughty PCs]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/best-of-the-rest-french-flavored-iphone-cases-nasty-naughty-p/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/best-of-the-rest-french-flavored-iphone-cases-nasty-naughty-p/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/best-of-the-rest-french-flavored-iphone-cases-nasty-naughty-p/#comments
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.
  • To celebrate the opening of France's first Apple retail store, Incase (and art-plus-Mac group Arkitip) asked French street artist André to design a couple of sleeves for iPhones and MacBooks. The result? C'est bonne. [From: Incase]
  • Oh, you nasty, dirty PCs, you. How dare you expose yourself and your filthy, depraved insides? Don't make us come over there with some compressed air and show you what's what. [From: Telegraph.co.uk]
  • Take all dignity away from Fluffy and Fido with this roundup of pet gadgets, including the ever-humiliating Pet Emergency Evacuation Jacket. [From: Crave.cnet.co.uk]
  • With 24,000 LED lights, the wearer of Cute Circuit's 'Galaxy Dress' won't just be the belle of the ball; she'll stand in for the disco, as well. [From: Engadget]
  • We broke our leg on Friday the 13th once (true story), so that puts us in company with Henry Ford and President Roosevelt for thinking the day may be a bad omen. [From: Discovery]

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 Tumblr blog.

Best of the Rest: French-Flavored iPhone Cases, Nasty, Naughty PCs originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bestoftheresttop switchedtips@gmail.com (Leila Brillson) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[HDTV Listings for November 13, 2009]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/hdtv-listings-for-november-13-2009/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/hdtv-listings-for-november-13-2009/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/hdtv-listings-for-november-13-2009/#comments What we're watching tonight:
  • USA (1080i) has 'Monk' at 9 p.m. and 'White Collar' at 10 p.m.
  • ABC (720p) has 'Ugly Betty' at 9 p.m.
  • CW (1080i) has 'Smallville' at 8 p.m.
  • CBS (1080i) brings 'Ghost Whisperer' at 8 p.m., 'Medium' at 9 p.m. and 'Numb3rs 'at 10 p.m.
  • NBC (1080i) has 'Law & Order' at 8 p.m.
  • MyNetworkTV (1080i) has 'WWE: Smackdown' at 9 p.m.
  • HBO (1080i) has the season finale of '24/7: Pacquiao/Cotto' at 9 p.m.
  • Starz (1080i) brings 'Crash' at 10 p.m.
  • Syfy (1080i) airs 'Stargate Universe' at 9 p.m. and 'Sanctuary' at 10 p.m.
  • Discovery (1080i) has 'Lobstermen' at 9 p.m.
  • TLC (1080i) has 'Say Yes to the Dress' at 9 p.m. and 'Battle of the Wedding Planners' at 10 p.m.
  • ESPN (720p) has an NBA doubleheader with Hawks/Celtics at 8 p.m. and Lakers/Nuggets at 10:30 p.m.
  • ESPN2 (720p) has West Virginia/Cincinnati college football at 8 p.m. and Dynamo/Galaxy MLS action at 11 p.m.

HDTV Listings for November 13, 2009 originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> hdtvlistings switchedtips@gmail.com (Switched Staff) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:16:00 EST Switched <![CDATA['Temporary' Site Deletes Part of Itself Every Time Someone Visits]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/temporary-site-deletes-part-of-itself-every-time-someone-visit/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/temporary-site-deletes-part-of-itself-every-time-someone-visit/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/temporary-site-deletes-part-of-itself-every-time-someone-visit/#comments
Artist Zach Gage's newest project 'Temporary' questions the infinite life of data on the Internet. As sites are cached and stored and shared between servers, they leave an indelible trace -- revealing a fascinating moment in human history when we've created something that, to all appearances, will never deteriorate. Gage's site deletes part of its own code with each page view, eventually resulting in a completely blank piece of HTML. User interaction destroys the work.

While plenty of analog art is concerned with ephemerality, and most art necessarily deteriorates over time as a condition of its exhibition, 'Temporary' decomposes as a result of the user interaction that is inseparable from its exhibition. It's probably most similar to the work of Félix González Torres, who created huge piles of candies that visitors were supposed to take with them, symbolizing the decay wrought by AIDS.

That being said, don't expect the site to provide some interactive, Esquire-style augmented reality spectacle. 'Temporary' is about high concept, and visiting it only functions to participate in a quietly devolving work. Still, it's fascinating. We haven't seen much other digital evanescent art, but we hope to see more. Check it out before it's gone. [From Temporary.cc, via Urlesque]

Continue reading 'Temporary' Site Deletes Part of Itself Every Time Someone Visits

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'Temporary' Site Deletes Part of Itself Every Time Someone Visits originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artephemeraltopweb artWebArt switchedtips@gmail.com (Matthew Zuras) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:22:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[This Just In: Cell Phones Change Your Brain]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/this-just-in-cell-phones-change-your-brain/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/this-just-in-cell-phones-change-your-brain/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/this-just-in-cell-phones-change-your-brain/#comments The good news? Scientists think they have finally pinpointed the effect that cell phones have on brain function. The bad news? They're not sure whether this is good or bad news.

The Swedish Research Council announced findings out of Sweden's Örebro University that claim to have uncovered a specific effect that cell phones can have on the brain -- namely, a correlation between usage and an increase in the amounts of a protein called transthyretin in a user's bloodstream. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, since transthyretin actually comprises part of the fluid that provides a nice little cushion to our brains (when was the last time you heard anyone complain about a cushion surplus?).

Teenagers and children who used cell phones more often were more likely to suffer from headaches and impaired concentration, but researchers didn't want to draw any explicit chains of causality (Chatty teens have a harder time concentrating? You don't say.). The most important finding, though, is simply the revelation that, negative, positive, or neutral, there does seem to be some neurological impact from cell phones.

Continue reading This Just In: Cell Phones Change Your Brain

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This Just In: Cell Phones Change Your Brain originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> brainscell phonescell phones and cancerCellPhonesCellPhonesAndCancerresearchtop switchedtips@gmail.com (Amar Toor) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:30:00 EST Switched <![CDATA['Mario' and 'Luigi' Rob and Beat Cabbie on Halloween]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/mario-and-luigi-rob-and-beat-cabbie-on-halloween/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/mario-and-luigi-rob-and-beat-cabbie-on-halloween/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/mario-and-luigi-rob-and-beat-cabbie-on-halloween/#comments Police are on the lookout for two brothers. Occupation: plumbers, Clothing: overalls, Hobbies: saving princesses and collecting coins. Reports say they answer to these names: Mario and Luigi.

No, this isn't breaking news from the Mushroom Kingdom (unless Staten Island just got a new nickname). According to the New York Daily News, Staten Island police are searching for four men (two were dressed like the video game icons) who were caught on a gas station's surveillance video around 4 a.m. on November 1st robbing and beating a taxi driver. After apparently leaving a Halloween party, one of the men tried to steal money from the cabbie's pocket. The driver pulled into the gas station and asked the men to pay and get out of his car. They refused, beat the driver, and stole his cash anyway.

There's no word yet on whether or not the crooks were disappointed that the driver wasn't carrying large, gold coins. In all seriousness, let's hope these guys are caught soon. If a couple no-good criminals ruin one of our favorite Halloween costumes, we'll have to go out and regulate. And we won't use turtle shells, either. [From: the New York Daily News]

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'Mario' and 'Luigi' Rob and Beat Cabbie on Halloween originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> costumecrimehalloweenluigimarionintendorobberytaxi switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:45:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Illegal Download Shuts Down Town's Free Wi-Fi]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/single-illegal-download-shuts-down-wi-fi-for-entire-town/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/single-illegal-download-shuts-down-wi-fi-for-entire-town/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/single-illegal-download-shuts-down-wi-fi-for-entire-town/#comments One fine day, someone in Ohio decided to download a movie. And, thanks to this one surreptitious cinephile, the entire public Wi-Fi service was shut down.

An unnamed individual in Coshocton County, Ohio recently logged on to a free wireless network that the county made available to the public five years ago to illegally download a film. Sony Pictures somehow found out about the crime, notified the county service provider, and with the snap of a finger and the wave of a wand, no more wireless. Officials still aren't entirely sure who did it, but they are digging deeper into the matter. The move comes as the film industry continues to battle against piracy and illegal downloads on an increasingly regular basis, an effort that usually focuses on locating and persecuting the source of the illegality, i.e., the single person making the contraband media public, not the users. In this case, though, Sony decided to isolate this lone wolf of a downloader, and now, the entire town is suffering the consequences.

Continue reading Illegal Download Shuts Down Town's Free Wi-Fi

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Illegal Download Shuts Down Town's Free Wi-Fi originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> downloadingdownloadsillegalmovie downloadsMovieDownloadsSONYtopwifi switchedtips@gmail.com (Amar Toor) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:51:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Chips N'Kicks: Artist Immortalizes Nike With Circuit Board Sculpture]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/chips-nkicks-artist-immortalizes-nike-with-circuit-board-sculp/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/chips-nkicks-artist-immortalizes-nike-with-circuit-board-sculp/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/chips-nkicks-artist-immortalizes-nike-with-circuit-board-sculp/#comments
Everybody knows Nike sneakers will never go out of style. So when artist Gabriel Dishaw decided to embark on a series of sneaker sculptures, the Swoosh was the obvious place to start. The result, sure to please both Kanye West and Bill Gates, are called the "Blazer Pentium 1.0" (Dishaw apparently has talent and wit). Made from an old circuit board and weighing about 15-pounds, these chip-heavy kicks (they come in a suitcase tricked out in circuit boards) are available on Dishaw's site, along with some of his other work.

While any good geek (and probably some art-school kids, too) would obviously drool over Dishaw's sneakers, we still don't think they hold a candle to Nike's Marty McFly throwbacks. Face it, there's no way you could zip around on a hoverboard with these clunky things on your feet. [From: Gabriel Dishaw, via: Engadget]

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Chips N'Kicks: Artist Immortalizes Nike With Circuit Board Sculpture originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> artgeek chicGeekChicnikesculptureshoestop switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:01:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Twitter Sticks With New Retweet Format, Despite Complaints]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-sticks-with-new-retweet-format-despite-complaints/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-sticks-with-new-retweet-format-despite-complaints/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-sticks-with-new-retweet-format-despite-complaints/#comments Despite Complaints Twitter Sticking With New Retweets Twitter has been going feature crazy over the past several months. First, it began attaching geolocation information to Tweets. Then it introduced lists, for sharing and for organizing the people you're following. Now, the micro-blogging service is rolling out a standardized format for retweets. While the location data is usually out of the average user's view, the new format for retweets is an obvious change to Twitter's basic interface. And, as Facebook users do every time that site so much as shifts a pixel, tweeters have erupted in revolt.

The new format for retweets replaces the familiar, if clumsy, "RT @username" with an icon that indicates a message is a retweet. Otherwise, it looks identical to the original message. This means that you might see messages in your Twitter feed that appear to come from users you don't follow. This has apparently caused some serious confusion among users, including Justine Bateman from 'Family Ties.'

Continue reading Twitter Sticks With New Retweet Format, Despite Complaints

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Twitter Sticks With New Retweet Format, Despite Complaints originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> retweetretweetssocialnetworkingtoptwitter switchedtips@gmail.com (Terrence O'Brien) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:15:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Crook Who Texted Cops His 'Preferred' Mugshot Gets Nabbed]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/image-conscious-crook-gets-busted-at-barber-shop/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/image-conscious-crook-gets-busted-at-barber-shop/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/image-conscious-crook-gets-busted-at-barber-shop/#comments Remember Matthew Maynard? He's the image-conscious crook who sent his own photo to a UK newspaper via text message because he was unhappy with the police mugshot they published. Just when we thought Maynard's vanity had peaked, it turns out the 24-year-old burglary suspect was arrested Wednesday while getting his hair cut at a Swansea, South Wales, barber shop. According to The Sun, a person walking past the shop recognized Maynard and called the police. One witness told The Sun, Maynard was still sitting in the barber's chair "...laughing about as the cops stormed in to haul him off."

When police issued Maynard's mugshot as part of a larger crackdown on crime, the suspect contacted the newspaper. He told the staff he wasn't happy with his look (we don't blame him), and that he would send a better pic. So, Maynard donned some neon yellow pants and a black coat, and just to really stick it to the man, he used his cell phone to snap a photo of himself in front of a police van. Then, he sent the photo via text message to The Evening Post, which ran the shot on the front page. The BBC News reports that Maynard is now in custody at the Swansea Central police station. At least in his new mugshot, Maynard's hair will be well-coiffed. Let's just hope he looks good in stripes. [From: The Sun and BBC News]

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Crook Who Texted Cops His 'Preferred' Mugshot Gets Nabbed originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> crimedumbcriminalfunnymugshottextingthieftop switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:35:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Best Inventions of 2009, iPhone Ascends the Smartphone Charts]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/best-inventions-of-2009-iphone-ascending-the-smartphone-charts/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/best-inventions-of-2009-iphone-ascending-the-smartphone-charts/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/best-inventions-of-2009-iphone-ascending-the-smartphone-charts/#comments
Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
  • This has been a big year for science and tech, but with the media focusing on political squabbling and celebrity fluff, the significant advancements of the past year aren't on everyone's radar. Popular Science, though, has compiled an exhaustive list of 2009's 'Greatest Innovations,' including an electromagnetic helmet that may help cure depression. [From: Popular Science]
  • The Gartner mobile phone statistics are in for the third quarter of 2009, and, no surprise here, the iPhone continued its steady climb up the smartphone rankings. It experienced a 4-percent increase over the previous quarter, giving it an overall 17-percent share of the smartphone market. [From: Gartner]
  • YouTube has announced that it will be stepping up from 720p to 1080p next week, so you'll be able to see crazy teens pulling stupid stunts in highly defined, acne-covered pubescent glory. [From: Engadget]
  • A Johns Hopkins University student photographer snapped some shots during filming of the upcoming Mark Zuckerberg biopic, and the clandestine pics reveal some monotonous details about the Facebook founder's collegiate wardrobe. He apparently admired the fashion sense of Patriots coach Bill Belichick, because the social networking pioneer is portrayed sporting numerous plain, gray hoodies. [From: Gawker]
  • Add another malady to the growing list of texting disorders: At least one researcher believes that extensive texting can cause neck and shoulder pain, so expect an entire generation of hunched, illiterate terrible drivers with gnarled fingers. [From: Science Daily]
  • CNN's foray into live Web newscasts came to an unceremonious end yesterday, as the news organization fired its four Web anchors, as well as an unknown number of production crew. CNN said it will instead focus on on-demand video services. [From: Boing Boing and The New York Times]
  • Rumors swirled earlier this week that Google was set to purchase VoIP service Gizmo5, and the news is now official. While specific details haven't been released, the buy will enable the site to provide PC-to-phone calls through the Google Voice feature. [From: Download Squad]

Best Inventions of 2009, iPhone Ascends the Smartphone Charts originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> morningxtratop switchedtips@gmail.com (Warren Riddle) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Find a Flu Shot Near You With Google Maps]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/find-a-flu-shot-near-you-with-google-maps/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/find-a-flu-shot-near-you-with-google-maps/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/find-a-flu-shot-near-you-with-google-maps/#comments Find a Flu Shot Near You With Google Maps Having conquered general Web searches, e-mail, video, and advertising, Google is now trying to become a one-stop repository for all your flu information needs. You can already look up information about general flu trends, and track outbreaks of the swine flu, so it only makes sense that the next step would pertain to prevention. Google has partnered with the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, pharmacy chains, and various state and local agencies to map out where you can get vaccinations for both the seasonal flu and H1N1.

The Flu Shot Finder isn't comprehensive, as Google is still collecting data from many localities. But even in its current state, the tool is a great help for finding where you can get yourself inoculated. After searching by address or ZIP code, you can click on any result to find the location's hours of operation and to see whether or not it currently has the vaccine in stock.

Continue reading Find a Flu Shot Near You With Google Maps

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Find a Flu Shot Near You With Google Maps originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> fluFlu shotflu shot finderFluShotFluShotFindergoogle mapsGoogleMapsH1N1healthswine fluSwineFlutopvaccine switchedtips@gmail.com (Terrence O'Brien) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:05:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Twitter Autobiographies: 140bio Feeds the Narcissism]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-autobiographies-140bio-feeds-the-narcissism/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-autobiographies-140bio-feeds-the-narcissism/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/twitter-autobiographies-140bio-feeds-the-narcissism/#comments Getting published was once the true signifier of an established and bona-fide writer. With its new "paperback microbiographies," though, 140bio is allowing anyone with a Twitter account to join that formerly elite class of professional and accomplished scribes.

For $18.99, the company will actually print your last 3,200 tweets in chronological order, even the replies if you so choose, and then bind them in one of two paperback styles. So, if you're sick of boring your friends and holiday guests with insufferable vacation videos, you can now irritate them with the most self-serving and insubstantial publication that has ever been printed (with the possible exception of the Sarah Palin autobiography). [From: 140bio, via Textually]

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Twitter Autobiographies: 140bio Feeds the Narcissism originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> 140biobooksself-publishingtopTwittertwitter autobiographiesTwitterAutobiographiesweird switchedtips@gmail.com (Warren Riddle) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[The Daily Engadget: Xbox 360 Tweets and Pokes, Google OS Hits Next Week?]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/the-daily-engadget-xbox-360-gets-social-google-chrome-launchin/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/the-daily-engadget-xbox-360-gets-social-google-chrome-launchin/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/the-daily-engadget-xbox-360-gets-social-google-chrome-launchin/#comments The Daily Engadget: Twitter and Facebook Hit Xbox 360 on November 17, Google Chrome OS Launching Soon?
 Our friends over at Engadget obsessively cover everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics, which is why we compile this daily roundup of their top stuff (or, at least, what we think is tops). For more details on any of these stories, click on the Engadget links in each story below.

Twitter and Facebook Integration Hits Xbox Live Next Week

It was announced over the summer and has been teased plenty since, but Microsoft is finally releasing the next big update to the Xbox 360 next week, adding in social network integration and also some 1080p streaming video.

Google Chrome OS Launching Next Week?

Google's Chrome OS has been rumored and supposedly photographed, and now out of the blue it's set to launch in just a week. True story? We'll wait and see.

Continue reading The Daily Engadget: Xbox 360 Tweets and Pokes, Google OS Hits Next Week?

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The Daily Engadget: Xbox 360 Tweets and Pokes, Google OS Hits Next Week? originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breaking newsBreakingNewsthedailyengadgettop switchedtips@gmail.com (Tim Stevens) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:25:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Shrinky Dinks Build Chips on the Cheap]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/shrinky-dinks-build-chips-on-the-cheap/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/shrinky-dinks-build-chips-on-the-cheap/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/shrinky-dinks-build-chips-on-the-cheap/#comments
Do you remember Shrinky Dinks? That's okay. Neither do most of the Switched staffers -- the bunch of whippersnappers they are [Ed Note: Not true. We love them.]. The once-popular, plastic arts-and-craft set, which first hit the scene in 1973, allowed children to color and cut out shapes on a thin sheet of plastic. When the shapes were put in the oven, they would shrink to one-third of their original width, becoming thick and rigid. Well, it turns out that making tacky charms is just scratching the surface of this toy's potential.

Back in 2006, University of California at Irvine assistant professor Michelle Khine couldn't afford to outfit her lab with the $100,000 worth of equipment needed to create microfluidic chips. Frustrated and impatient, she turned to an updated version of Shrinky Dinks -- one that lets you run the aforementioned plastic sheets through a standard inkjet or laser printer. Needing the chips to create medical diagnostic tests, she took a shot in the dark by printing her chip designs on Shrinky Dinks, and then baking them. When the sheets shrunk, the ink clumped together and formed tiny ridges. She then used the minis as molds for the circuits she made out of a flexible polymer called PDMS.

Continue reading Shrinky Dinks Build Chips on the Cheap

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Shrinky Dinks Build Chips on the Cheap originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> microfluidicmicrofluidic chipMicrofluidicChipscienceshrinky dinksshrinky-dinksShrinkyDinkstoptoysweird switchedtips@gmail.com (Terrence O'Brien) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:31:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Digital Cloud Inspires Physical One Proposed for London Skies]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/digital-cloud-inspires-physical-one-proposed-for-london-skies/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/digital-cloud-inspires-physical-one-proposed-for-london-skies/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/digital-cloud-inspires-physical-one-proposed-for-london-skies/#comments
Normally when we speak of "the cloud," we're talking about intangible bits and bytes stored on the Web. That digital cloud has inspired the design of the very much tangible The Cloud, one of the finalists in a competition to build a tourist attraction in London's planned 2012 Olympic Village. The Cloud was designed by an international team of architects, scientists, and artists, including people from Google and MIT. The proposed structure would consist primarily of bubbles -- constructed of an advanced plastic called Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, interconnected, and resting atop a series of 400-foot-tall towers.

Of course, if this design ended with space-age plastics, you wouldn't be seeing it on Switched. The ambitions for the design are lofty enough to live up to its heavenly name. The spheres would serve as an observation deck, while the walls would be used to project highlights from the games, results and scores from events, and information about the city (provided by Google). Projected information would serve as a tribute to the digital cloud of data that inspired the design of the structure.

Continue reading Digital Cloud Inspires Physical One Proposed for London Skies

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Digital Cloud Inspires Physical One Proposed for London Skies originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> architecturecrowd sourcingCrowdSourcingolympicsthe cloudTheCloud switchedtips@gmail.com (Terrence O'Brien) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 07:30:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Swap Dead-Tree Catalogs for iCatalogs]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/swap-dead-tree-catalogs-for-icatalogs/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/swap-dead-tree-catalogs-for-icatalogs/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/13/swap-dead-tree-catalogs-for-icatalogs/#comments
Earn the gratitude of pine forests and beleaguered postal carriers the world over by signing up to receive electronic catalogs instead of paper ones. CatalogChoice.org is a godsend in that you can quickly and easily sign up. When you enter the customer data from the address labels of catalogs you receive, you'll get the option of either signing up for an iCatalog or just canceling delivery altogether. Granted, it takes several weeks to kick in, and some jerky retailers simply won't budge. But if you're the type who gets deluged with catalogs every season, you'll quickly notice a difference.

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Swap Dead-Tree Catalogs for iCatalogs originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> catalogsdead-treee-catalogtech tipstechtipTechTipstop switchedtips@gmail.com (Jon Chase) Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:30:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Best of the Rest: Common Facebook FAILs, Google's Sweet Movie Listings]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/best-of-the-rest-common-facebook-fails-google-enhances-movie-l/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/best-of-the-rest-common-facebook-fails-google-enhances-movie-l/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/best-of-the-rest-common-facebook-fails-google-enhances-movie-l/#comments 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.
  • A badly timed or ill-advised Facebook comment will get screencapped and sent around the Web faster than you can hit 'poke.' Urlesque has analyzed the five most common types of Facebook fails. [From: Urlesque]
  • Similarly, Yahoo! Answers is a veritable gold mine of ridiculous comments, made even crazier by user anonymity. [From: Huffington Post]
  • Google recently enhanced its movie listings with even more information about the flick, including trailers, photos, where it's playing, and more. [From: Google]
  • As the weather gets cooler, keep both your feet and your feline warm with these bizarre, USB-powered paw-shaped warmers. [From: New Launches]
  • Anyone who is mad for plaid would certainly dig Griffin's collaboration with Chilewich, resulting in lovely, cloth-made iPhone sleeves. [From: Design Fetish]
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 Tumblr blog.

Best of the Rest: Common Facebook FAILs, Google's Sweet Movie Listings originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> bestoftheresttop switchedtips@gmail.com (Thomas Houston) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:20:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[HDTV Listings for November 12, 2009]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/hdtv-listings-for-november-12-2009/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/hdtv-listings-for-november-12-2009/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/hdtv-listings-for-november-12-2009/#comments What we're watching tonight:
  • ABC (720p) has 'FlashForward' at 8 p.m., 'Grey's Anatomy' at 9 p.m. and 'Private Practice' at 10:01 p.m.
  • Fox (720p) has 'Bones' at 8 p.m. and 'Fringe' at 9 p.m.
  • NBC (1080i) has 'Community' at 8 p.m., 'Parks & Recreation' at 8:30 p.m., 'The Office' at 9 p.m. and '30 Rock' at 9:30 p.m
  • WGN (1080i) has 'WWE Superstars' at 8 p.m.
  • CBS (1080i) has 'Survivor' at 8 p.m., 'CSI' at 9 p.m. and 'The Mentalist' at 10 p.m.
  • CW (1080i) airs 'The Vampire Diaries' at 8 p.m. and 'Supernatural' at 9 p.m.
  • Spike (1080i) has 'TNA! Impact' at 9 p.m.
  • History (720p) brings 'Gangland' at 9 p.m.
  • FX (720p) has 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' at 10 p.m. and 'The League' at 10:30 p.m.
  • TLC (1080i) has 'American Chopper' at 9 p.m. and 'Street Customs' at 10 p.m.
  • NFL Network (1080i) has Bears/49ers football at 8 p.m.
  • ESPN (720p) has South Florida/Rutgers college football at 7:30 p.m.
  • Versus (1080i) has Florida/New York UFL football at 7 p.m.

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HDTV Listings for November 12, 2009 originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> hdtvlistings switchedtips@gmail.com (Switched Staff) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:45:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Facebook Groups Hacked by Protesters]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-groups-hacked-by-protesters/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-groups-hacked-by-protesters/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-groups-hacked-by-protesters/#comments Being the top social networking site also means that Facebook is a primo target for hackers, as we've seen time and time again. For the first time, though, a spate of Facebook hacks have come from hijackers claiming they did it for educational purposes.

Earlier this week, a group of disgruntled Facebook users created fictional accounts and took advantage of a loophole that allows any member of a small group without an administrator to take control of it. The hackers appropriated over 280 groups in that way, renaming each of them 'Control Your Info.' According to CNN, once the band took over a group, they would post on its Wall a message that read, "Think about the safety in your social media life to the same extent you do in your real life."

The 'Control Your Info' pranksters promised to restore the groups' names and to leave them by the end of next week. But Facebook went ahead and did it for them. The site's administrators also deleted several of the hackers' accounts. "In the rare instances when we find that a group has been changed inappropriately, we will disable the group, which is the action we plan for these groups," said Facebook, as reported by MSNBC.

Think the stunt is refreshing? Tell that to the affected groups. After all, one user's prank is another's headache. [From:CNN, MSNBC, and Control Your Info]

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Facebook Groups Hacked by Protesters originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> facebookfacebook groupsFacebookGroupshackprivacytop switchedtips@gmail.com (JP Mangalindan) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:10:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Google Now Offering Searchable World Bank Database]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/google-now-offering-searchable-world-bank-database/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/google-now-offering-searchable-world-bank-database/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/google-now-offering-searchable-world-bank-database/#comments
Statistics nerds, rejoice! The World Bank, the institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital projects, released an application programming interface (API) for its wealth of statistics shortly after Google introduced searchable public data back in April. Now, the two have married their strengths and brought searchable World Bank data to Google.

Google Search now has access to 17 world development indicators, including life expectancy, military spending as percentage of GDP, and energy use per capita. (Follow the source link to find the complete list of available indicators.) We've already had some fun by checking out who in the world has a higher percentage of Internet use than the U.S. The fact that the always progressive Denmark, Switzerland, and Netherlands bested the America's 72-percent doesn't come as much of a surprise -- but the Caribbean nation of Antigua and Barbuda's 76-percent rate of use did throw us for a loop. Scroll over the country names in the chart above to see their individual statistics.

Unfortunately, there's currently no way to overlay different indicators' data points on the same chart (if you want to see fertility rates compared to CO2 emissions per capita, for example), but that can't be too far out. The ease of accessing and displaying this information really ratchets up the case for the Internet as a place of learning rather than polemical disinformation. As Google's blog notes, the purpose of incorporating the World Banks' data into searches is "to encourage debate based on fact rather than intuition." We can get behind that. [From: The Official Google Blog]

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Google Now Offering Searchable World Bank Database originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> datagoogleinternet useInternetUsesearchstatisticstopworld bankWorldBank switchedtips@gmail.com (Matthew Zuras) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:25:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[German Murderer Sues Wikipedia for Removal of Name]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/german-murderer-sues-wikipedia-for-removal-of-name/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/german-murderer-sues-wikipedia-for-removal-of-name/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/german-murderer-sues-wikipedia-for-removal-of-name/#comments
Typically, Wikipedia is lauded as a gateway to pretty much everything you'd ever want to know. But when the free dissemination of information butts heads with governmental legislation, censorship rears its ugly head, and things get complicated.

Such is the case in Germany, where a man convicted of killing Bavarian actor Walter Sedlmayr in 1990 is now suing Wikipedia for the removal of his name from the actor's entry. Lawyers for Wolfgang Werlé, who served 15 years in prison for his crime, claim in a cease-and-desist letter that the German courts have ruled that their "client's name and likeness cannot be used anymore in publication regarding Mr. Sedlmayr's death." In compliance with German privacy laws, other media publications have already stopped using Werlé's full name when discussing the murder. His attorneys are now demanding compensation for legal fees, as well as for "emotional suffering," arguing that their client's "rehabilitation and future life outside the prison system is severely impacted" by Wikipedia's "unwillingness to anonymize" its articles about Sedlmayr.

Continue reading German Murderer Sues Wikipedia for Removal of Name

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German Murderer Sues Wikipedia for Removal of Name originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> germanyinternational lawInternationalLawlawlawsuitprivacytopwikipedia switchedtips@gmail.com (Amar Toor) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Schools Shun Kindle Due to Lack of Accessibility to the Blind]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/schools-shun-kindle-due-to-lack-of-accessibility-to-the-blind/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/schools-shun-kindle-due-to-lack-of-accessibility-to-the-blind/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/schools-shun-kindle-due-to-lack-of-accessibility-to-the-blind/#comments Despite a function on the Kindle that reads text aloud, two universities and an advocacy group for the visually impaired adopted a staunch anti-Kindle stance Wednesday. According to an Associated Press report, the University of Wisconsin - Madison and Syracuse University won't invest in more electronic readers for college students because the audio feature is too difficult for a visually impaired person to activate. To engage the feature, a user must navigate a series of onscreen menus -- a process requiring a degree of sightedness that many of the United States' 1.3 million legally blind simply don't have.

A spokesman for the National Federation of the Blind applauded the schools' efforts. "These universities are saying, `Our policy is nondiscrimination, so we're not going to adopt a technology we know for sure discriminates against blind students'," Chris Danielsen told the Associated Press. With such strong words, it's no wonder that universities aren't ready to invest in the burgeoning e-book market. But Amazon.com, Inc. spokesman Drew Herdener said he hopes to change that. The company is working on improving the Kindle so that everybody can easily use it. Just how that'll happen, though, remains unclear.

For the record, we're rooting for the Kindle. Take it from former college students, the potential of having cheaper, digital textbooks is enough to make a starving student's mouth water. [From: Associated Press, via Newsvine]

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Schools Shun Kindle Due to Lack of Accessibility to the Blind originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> accessibilityamazonblindbookscollegeebookereaderkindlereadingschooltopuniversity switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:55:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Spica Speakers Combine Water, Light, and Sound]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spica-speakers-combine-water-light-and-sound/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spica-speakers-combine-water-light-and-sound/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spica-speakers-combine-water-light-and-sound/#comments
We've always been told that water and electricity don't play nice together, but designer Yuki Yamamoto has come up with a beautifully novel, and harmonious, collaboration between the two. Presented at this year's Design Tide Tokyo show, Spica is a relatively simple concept. From what we can tell, water and light are married within a tall glass container, with the speaker below. The reverberations from your music spur the back-lit water to pop and dance along.

Since our Japanese translator is off today, we sadly can't give you any tech specs. We can direct you to the video, which we're posting after the break, but it might only frustrate you, as we're guessing the Spica won't hit the market anytime soon. Still, we've already decided on the first (obvious) music selection we'll play through the device. [From: Designboom]

Continue reading Spica Speakers Combine Water, Light, and Sound

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Spica Speakers Combine Water, Light, and Sound originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> designdesign tide tokyoDesignTideTokyospeakersspicawater switchedtips@gmail.com (Matthew Zuras) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:10:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Facebook Alibi: Man's Status Keeps Him Out of Jail]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-alibi-mans-status-keeps-him-out-of-jail/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-alibi-mans-status-keeps-him-out-of-jail/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/facebook-alibi-mans-status-keeps-him-out-of-jail/#comments
We've heard of Facebook leading to arrests, but now there's a flip side to the story of social networking and the law. Today, a man can thank Facebook for keeping him out of jail. According to The New York Times, defense lawyers used Rodney Bradford's status update as an alibi when he was arrested in connection with an October 17th robbery. Lawyers say the update, which read "Where's my pancakes," was posted from a computer in the Harlem apartment of Bradford's father at the exact time the robbery in question occurred.

Lawyers subpoenaed the site's records to make sure Bradford's story held water. It did, and the charges were dropped (although Bradford faces previous robbery charges, too). However, some worry that anybody could've entered the man's user name and password and posted the update for him. "[Teenagers]...could develop an alibi," said Joseph Pollini, a law teacher at John Jay College. "They watch television, the movies, there is a multitude of reasons why someone of that age would have the knowledge to do a crime like that."

Continue reading Facebook Alibi: Man's Status Keeps Him Out of Jail

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Facebook Alibi: Man's Status Keeps Him Out of Jail originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> crimefacebooklawsocialnetworkingstatus updateStatusUpdatetopweb switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:25:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Spam Spreading on Twitter via Direct Messages -- Again]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spam-spreading-on-twitter-via-direct-messages-again/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spam-spreading-on-twitter-via-direct-messages-again/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/spam-spreading-on-twitter-via-direct-messages-again/#comments
Not to sound like a broken record, but there's a lot of spam on Twitter. Let us illustrate. If the Internet were high school, Twitter would be voted "Most Likely to be Spammed." So, it was no surprise when Mashable reported that a number of users have recently been flooded with spam via direct messages. A quick search on the micro-blogging site proves that people are pretty upset about it, too. There's still not a lot of details on the scam, but you should be on the lookout for any suspicious messages from people you don't recognize. For example, if you receive a message from a half-naked girl asking you about a quiz, don't click the link! We know that sounds obvious, but apparently some people are falling for the scam. After all, it takes hacked accounts to continue spreading the spam.

So what do you do if you become a victim? First, change your password right away. While Mashable has reported this wave of spam to Twitter, it's probably not a bad idea for you to report it to the site, too. Last, don't feel ashamed if your account gets hacked. Remember, this isn't the first time the Twitterverse has been plagued by spam, and we're sure it won't be the last, either. [From: Mashable]

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Spam Spreading on Twitter via Direct Messages -- Again originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> scamsecuritysocialnetworkingspamtoptrendstwitterweb switchedtips@gmail.com (Caleb Johnson) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:35:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Google Search Reunites Dad With Daughter After 30 Years]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/google-search-reunites-dad-with-daughter-after-30-years/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/google-search-reunites-dad-with-daughter-after-30-years/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/google-search-reunites-dad-with-daughter-after-30-years/#comments
Googling yourself can be daunting. Some people are morbidly afraid of what they might find, and others fear disappointment with what they don't find. But every now and then, self-googling can return the kind of life-changing results you never thought possible.

In a story that is pretty much destined to be made into a movie (albeit a Lifetime one), according to the Huffington Post, a Georgia woman recently reunited with her father after more than 30 years of separation. The catalyst behind the event, of course, was Google. April Becker-Antoniou googled her own name and, while sifting through the search results, came across a site that her father, Dr. Scott Becker, had set up nearly 10 years prior in the hopes that she might one day stumble across it. Titled "Scott Becker looking for April," the Web site reads: "Dear April, When you read this, please send an email to: april@aprilbecker.com. I'm your dad and I would really like to talk to ya. When I get your email, I will ask you a couple of questions that only you would know so I can filter out the crazies out there. By the way, You have a lil sister that REALLY wants to talk to you :-) Dad Scott Robert Becker."

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Google Search Reunites Dad With Daughter After 30 Years originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> childrenestrangementfamilygoogleparentstop switchedtips@gmail.com (Amar Toor) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:48:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Oppressed iPhone App Developer Quits, Facebook Coming to PS3?]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/oppressed-iphone-app-developer-quits-facebook-coming-to-ps3/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/oppressed-iphone-app-developer-quits-facebook-coming-to-ps3/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/oppressed-iphone-app-developer-quits-facebook-coming-to-ps3/#comments
Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
  • Joe Hewitt, the software engineer responsible for developing Facebook's popular iPhone app, has quit the project over Apple's tyrannical App Store review process. Refusing to be encumbered by the company's stifling and intrusive policies, Hewitt plans to return to Web development, saying that at least the Net is still "unrestricted and free." [From: Tech Crunch]
  • Microsoft is already testing a social networking function for the Xbox, and, if the leaked screen shots are accurate, Sony is doing the same thing with Facebook for the PS3. Nintendo needs to step it up soon. Motion controls may not provide enough ammunition against Blu-ray, Facebook, and the other features its competitors offer. [From: Mashable]
  • Searching for authorized, high-quality videos or television shows online typically involves visiting two or three well-known sites -- which may start charging for content soon. Finding other, free options can be difficult. Clicker, which launches today, is the self-proclaimed 'TV Guide of the Web' and aims to ease that hunt by acting as an up-to-the-minute portal for online video content. For a full, hands-on review, check back with us later. [From: Clicker, via: CNET and The New York Times]
  • Amid the intense ad battle between the Droid and the iPhone, Palm's products have been lost in the smartphone shuffle. The company is stealthily returning to the fracas, though, with its new Pixi handheld, but initial reviews aren't too glowing. [From: Engadget]
  • Beginning today, the FDA and pharmaceutical companies will engage in discussions about Internet drug marketing. Great. Just what we need: yet more online reminders that, in a few years, we'll be sexually dysfunctional and constantly peeing. [From: Huffington Post]
  • Although other companies offer numerous smartphone options, and Apple only holds a 2.5-percent mobile phone market share, it still leads the way in generating revenue. Apple and its iPhone brought in more than $1.5 billion in just the third quarter of 2009, displacing Nokia as the most profitable mobile manufacturer. [From: TUAW]

Oppressed iPhone App Developer Quits, Facebook Coming to PS3? originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> morningxtratop switchedtips@gmail.com (Warren Riddle) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:58:00 EST Switched <![CDATA['Modern Warfare 2' Shatters First Day Sales Record]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/modern-warfare-2-shatters-first-day-sales-record/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/modern-warfare-2-shatters-first-day-sales-record/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/modern-warfare-2-shatters-first-day-sales-record/#comments 'Modern Warfare 2' Shatters First Day Sales Record 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2' is a big deal. Like, a really, really big deal. So big in fact that despite several months of plummeting video game sales, 'Modern Warfare 2' was able to turn that trend on its head and shatter the first day sales record set by 'Grand Theft Auto 4' in April of 2008.

Back in those heady days of the Bush administration 'GTA:IV' managed to sell 3.6 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability in North America and the U.K -- exceeding most expectations. So we're even more shocked that a game lacking the pop cultural impact of 'Grand Theft Auto' could unexpectedly embarrass the previous record holder by selling 4.7 million copies in the first 24 hours. And all without the controversy of playing as a gangster and sleeping with prostitutes.

Being the new record holder all but ensures that we'll see a new 'Modern Warfare' every year or two until the end of time, essentially turning the franchise into the AC/DC of the video game world -- not terribly exciting, but you know exactly what you'll be getting with every release. [From: Joystiq]

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'Modern Warfare 2' Shatters First Day Sales Record originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> call of duty: modern warfare 2CallOfDuty:ModernWarfare2modern warfaremodern warfare 2ModernWarfareModernWarfare2record holderRecordHoldersalestop switchedtips@gmail.com (Terrence O'Brien) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:11:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[The Daily Engadget: MacBook Pro Explodes, SmartPill Gauges Your Insides]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/the-daily-engadget-macbook-pro-explodes-smartpill-gauges-your/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/the-daily-engadget-macbook-pro-explodes-smartpill-gauges-your/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/the-daily-engadget-macbook-pro-explodes-smartpill-gauges-your/#comments The Daily Engadget: MacBook Pro Battery Explodes, SmartPill Evaluates your GI Tract Our friends over at Engadget obsessively cover everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics, which is why we compile this daily roundup of their top stuff (or, at least, what we think is tops). For more details on any of these stories, click on the Engadget links in each story below.

MacBook Pro Battery Explodes
Oh, boy. Another MacBook Pro battery, another explosion. This one started making an "odd noise," then "jumped up" and turned off. Bad things for a laptop to do.

SmartPill Checks You on the Inside
How well do you know your intestinal system? Not as well as you would if you were to ever swallow this SmartPill, which checks temperature and pH, and measures the time from intake to, erm, output.

Continue reading The Daily Engadget: MacBook Pro Explodes, SmartPill Gauges Your Insides

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The Daily Engadget: MacBook Pro Explodes, SmartPill Gauges Your Insides originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> breaking newsBreakingNewsthedailyengadgettop switchedtips@gmail.com (Tim Stevens) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 10:20:00 EST Switched <![CDATA[Schools of Swimming Robots to Study Ocean Currents]]> http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/schools-of-swimming-robots-to-study-ocean-currents/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/schools-of-swimming-robots-to-study-ocean-currents/ http://www.switched.com/2009/11/12/schools-of-swimming-robots-to-study-ocean-currents/#comments Robot Swarms to Study Ocean Currents If you happen to notice a swarm of robots floating past your beachfront home, don't panic; it's not the first wave of the SkyNet invasion. Aided by funding from the National Science Foundation, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography (SIO) is planning to deploy fleets of autonomous robots, possibly numbering in the hundreds, to study localized oceanic environments.

High on the list of phenomena to study is the way in which tiny sub-currents affect small organisms like plankton and their abilities to survive and move about the ocean. The robots, called "autonomous underwater explorers" (AUEs), will also provide important data about the spread of dangerous environmental toxins that arise from disasters like oil spills and harmful algae blooms.

Continue reading Schools of Swimming Robots to Study Ocean Currents

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Schools of Swimming Robots to Study Ocean Currents originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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]]> biologynatureoceanresearchrobotssciencetop switchedtips@gmail.com (Terrence O'Brien) Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:29:00 EST Switched