Badly Placed Web Ads: Hilariously Inappropriate
main posts
Sex Offenders Banned From Facebook, Twitter
Illinois governor Pat Quinn signed into law this week a bill that bans all registered sex offenders in his state from engaging in online social networking. The bill defines a social networking site as one containing: "profile web pages of the members," "photographs placed on the profile web pages," and "any other personal or personally identifying information." Taking effect in January, the bill ensures that any registered offender who violates the ban will be charged with a felony.
Though the bill's aim is limiting the contact between sexual predators and potential victims, there is a small problem. It's not the definition of 'social networking' that's the issue; it's the definition of 'sex offender.' Back in 1994, 33-year-old Jesse Timmendequas (who had already twice been convicted of sexual assault) used a puppy to lure seven-year-old Megan Kanka into his New Jersey house, where she was beaten, raped, and killed. Her parents helped push a series of what came to be colloquially known as Megan's Laws into effect, forcing convicted offenders to register as sex offenders. In 2006, laws passed requiring all states to make those registries public.
Blogs and Music: Measure of a Nation's Happiness?
Internet, blogs, Web journals, Facebook -- all of these things have given researchers, psychologists and online buddies an unprecedented glimpse into our personal lives. Suddenly, an influx of gadgets designed to communicate our every thought and move are prevalent, and behavior scientists are having a field day.
The New York Times wrote on Wednesday about a paper that is being released by a pair of statisticians that have begun looking at user-created content -- blogs, lyrics, thought-sharing sites -- to suss out patterns. The duo, Professors Peter Dodds and Christopher Danforth at the University of Vermont, have hypothesized that certain words appear during difficult times, like 'lonely' on Valentine's Day or generally sad sentiments during the death of Michael Jackson. Similarly, the two looked at lyrics over the past few decades. They noted a downturn in mood in the late '70s, reflected by negative lyrical imagery in early metal and punk. Understandably, anger flourished again with bands like Staind and My Chemical Romance in the early '00s.
Web Site Calls for Death of Internet Explorer 6
It started out as the cause of a small group of disgruntled nerds. But now, the push to rid the world of out-of-date versions of Internet Explorer has blossomed into a full-blown campaign.
According to CNN, a new site called 'IE 6 No More,' along with activity on sites like Twitter and Digg, has helped bring the idea to the masses. Developers of the site claim that Internet Explorer 6, which was released by Microsoft in 2001, is keeping the Web from reaching its full potential. In order to aid the process, the site encourages folks to upgrade to more modern browsers -- like Firefox, IE 8, or Google Chrome -- and offers a code that visitors can install on their own sites to further spread the word. CNN reports that about 15- to 25-percent of people use IE 6 to access the Web. However, Dan Oliver, editor of the UK Web design magazine .net, says this isn't an anti-Microsoft campaign; it's about moving forward. In fact, Microsoft told CNN in a statement that it also wants to see users upgrade from IE 6.
It might not be so easy to kill off the browser with simple upgrades. Certain applications were designed specifically for IE 6, and if businesses can't afford to change the way those run, they'll be left out in the cold. So, maybe extinction isn't the answer here. Like many things in life, there needs to be a compromise -- one that's best for those who must stick with the old, and for those who can upgrade to newer browsers. [From: CNN]
Iowa County Launches Nation's First '911' Via Text Message
People are constantly incriminating themselves with poorly timed or damaging text messages, but one Iowa county is finally allowing people to get themselves out of trouble with their texting thumbs. According to the AP, the emergency call center located in the county jail in Waterloo, Iowa is the first in the nation to accept texts directed to 911. The responders can even reply to the emergency messages via computer.
The service, so far, is only available to residents of Black Hawk County who subscribe to a T-Mobile wireless provider. County police chief Thomas Jennings said, "I think there's a need to get out front and get this technology available." There is definitely a need for the service (which law enforcement and emergency dispatch should have begun installing years ago), especially since texting has become the favored, and basically default, communication tool of many teens.
Emergency text services are also greatly needed for deaf, hard-of-hearing, or mute victims stuck in precarious positions. Perhaps the most beneficial aspect, though, could be the ability to more accurately and efficiently respond to kidnapped victims or hostages, like the Oregon teenager who, last year, saved herself from her captor by texting with a friend. [From: AP/AOL Money & Finance]
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,entry&id=649965&pid=649964&uts=1249670719
http://cdn.channel.aol.com/cs_feed_v1_6/csfeedwrapper.swf
Gadgets That Saved Lives
Call it a stroke of luck, the hands of fate, or a touch from God. No matter what you call it, there's no denying gadgets have helped saved some lives. So keep that gadget close by, folks. You never know when your time is up.
Getty Images
Wired Politicians
Al Gore
Last year, hackers gained access to former Vice President Al Gore's blog, where they posted links to Web sites selling prescription drugs including Xanax, Oxycontin and Lortab. It is uncertain whether or not Rush Limbaugh visited any of the sites.
Getty Images
Putin with Dog
This past October, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin saw a longtime dream realized when he equipped his black lab Koni with a GPS collar. Apparently, even dogs can be counter-intelligence risks.
Putin in Judo Get-Up
Always eager to display his virility, and his tech-savviness, Vladimir Putin released, and starred in, an instructional Judo DVD last year. And we thought George Bush was weird.
Ron Paul
As his campaign gathered steam at the end of 2007, Ron Paul watched -- probably confusedly -- as a group of his supporters banded together and marched in support of their candidate through the mystical realm of the World of Warcraft.
Getty Images
Karl Rove
Former Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove has recently entered the world of Twitter, regularly updating his page with self-promotions, answers to supporters' questions and topics for debate. How about this topic: "Does anybody really want that much Karl Rove?"
Rush Limbaugh
Unable to figure out how to back up e-mails on his Mac, a frustrated Rush Limbaugh beseeched Steve Jobs, on his radio program last year, to help him out. The problem must have been a tough fix; until this, we'd never heard of Rush asking for a Democrat's opinion.
Getty Images
Eliot Spitzer
After resigning from the office of Governor of New York, Eliot Spitzer finally found a new job last month, writing a weekly column for the online publication Slate. We wonder if that Playboy.com job fell through due to "a lack of moral fiber."
White House Christmas vid
Weirder than ever, George Bush and the rest of the First Family released their most eyebrow-raising Christmas video yet late last year. We're not sure what guest stars and gold medallists Michael Phelps and Nastia Liukin have to do with the Holidays, but we do know they're more popular than the still-President.
Morning Xtra: Twitter Down, Tumblr Up, Fox News to Stop Being Free
Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
- Those of us who are just now finally digesting 'Twitter' need to get ready for a new social-networking site (and verb) to hit the mainstream. Tumblr, a simple photo-blogging site, had over 255 million page-views in July alone. Next big thing, anyone? [From: Mashable]
- Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corp., announced yesterday that his news sites, including Fox News, News of the World, and the UK-based Sun, will begin to charge a fee for content, stating that "quality journalism is not cheap." [From: Guardian.co.uk]
- Someone is trying to kill Twitter! At post time, the micro-blogging site is down due to a DOS (Denial of Service) attack. Defend our tweets! [From: Twitter]
- TUAW has listed its "Top Five iPhone Apps For Lawyers." Some aren't strictly law-related, like Timewerks, which helps users schedule their projects and activities, but Black's Law Dictionary is perfect for litigators on the go. [From: TUAW]
- The price of the heavily shrouded TomTom GPS iPhone app has been leaked; it'll cost drivers a cool $194 (making it the most expensive app to date). Fortunately, the price includes a stylish cradle and enhanced voice instructions. Phew. [From: Handtec.co.uk, via DaniWeb]
- Aiming to compete with Facebook in ruining the reputations of its users, the Sony Party-shot tripod (launched with the WX1 and TX1) can be set up at soirees to pan around the room, find faces, and compose shots, making sure drinks in hand and flirty faces will be captured for all to see. [From: Engadget]
45-Million-Year-Old Microorganism Creates Tasty Beer
Partially died, that is, until Raul Cano tried to revive a simpler organism. Instead of insects or larvae, the microbiologist from California Polytechnic State University focused on bacteria, cutting open the frozen species and then extracting their stomach contents. The microorganisms, Cano theorized, might just be laying dormant. He placed them in growth medium and nourished the little bacteria, and suddenly, they began to grow.
Best of the Week: Bill Gates Quits Facebook, Toilets for the Future...Today
Tech is the great equalizer. Crashes and memory dumps, Internet creeps and forgotten passwords don't care what sort of celebrity or genius they infect -- technology has equal opportunity bias. Poor Michael Ian Black talks to Switched about resisting new gadgetry and how sad he is that he hasn't an online celebrity death rumor. We feel for Bill Gates, who just shut down his Facebook after too many friend requests and FunWall invites (we are assuming the latter), and Stan Lee is upset over how his busy schedule prevents him from sitting down and typing his name into search engines. Even cheerleaders, those hallowed high school social queens, feel the sting when their Facebook lives run rampant. So next time your GPS sends you 400 miles off-targest, buck up, this stuff happens to even the best of us. Here is some other tech news you may have missed this week:
- In what can only be described as the Cutest. Thing. Ever, an Iowa-couple says their vows at a Katamari-themed wedding.
- Social networking getting you down? Check out our helpful and video-infused way to beat the 14 top Facebook ills.
- File this under "duh": Texting drivers are 23 times more likely to crash. Can we illegalize typing behind the wheel, please?
- If warmed toilet seats and lavatory cleaning mechanisms sound appealing, then we've got some good news: Japanese hyper-advanced toilet-makers may be coming stateside.
- The host of TV's 'Top Gear' is building a totally functioning house -- out of Lego, which made us think about our favorite geek Lego projects around.
Man Plans to Shoot Himself into the Sky With a Rocket
Maddox, who makes his living as a cabinetmaker and artist in Medford, Oregon, has done plenty of skydiving in his day -- several thousand jumps, in fact. Now he intends to strap himself to a four-engine pulse jet rocket about 25,000 feet into the air, jump off at the peak, and parachute to the ground.
Addressing the possible safety issues with the stunt, Maddox says that he's not fearless, but thinks through possible snags and does lots of testing before such an attempt. "It would be a very slow ascent, just 200 miles an hour, straight up," Maddox told Wired.com. "That way, if there were a malfunction in guidance the vehicle would just slow down and I would get out, instead of it tearing itself apart."
Public Radio and the Problem With iPhone Apps
It's heartening to see the success of Public Radio Player 2.0, the official public radio iPhone app; it's reached nearly two million downloads. Produced in conjunction with the country's various public radio networks, the app offers up hundreds of stations and podcasts, and lets users search the massive collection for live and on-demand streams.There is, however, one major hurdle: Apple's total kibosh on charitable giving via its App Store. You see, there is essentially no such thing -- Apple takes its 30-percent whether you're selling business software or asking for donations to malnourished children in Africa. The App Store represents a huge opportunity for giving to causes and, ultimately, the betterment of mankind... and yet Apple's stubbornness seems to be getting in the way.
'Top Gear' Host to Build Life-Size Home from LEGO
The host of the British Emmy Award-winning television show 'Top Gear' is no stranger to building with strange materials. Besides tackling one of the longest-running car shows on the telly ('Top Gear' started in 1977.), James May also has his own program called 'Toy Stories,' which challenges kids and their families to experiment with classic toys. On that show, the energetic May sets out to build gardens of Plasticine or to create the world's largest model plane, proving that the most innovative playthings don't need batteries.For his next challenge, May wants to build a fully functioning house made entirely out of LEGO. Yes, this means a flushable toilet, working electricity, and even a LEGO bath -- if he can pull it off. The DIY skills learned on the set of 'Top Gear' are being put to good use; May is calling for public assistance, LEGO donations, and general help to build the two-story home, where he plans to live for several days.
Best of the Week: Celeb BlackBerry Addicts; Wienermobile Gets Loose
- Smart phone dependencies hit everyone, but these celebrities seem to have it bad. Check our second installment of celebrity BlackBerry addictions.
- The future is now, or at least for soft drinks, with a high-tech soda dispenser that makes that old vending machine look like a jerk. A soda jerk, that is.
- A missing iPhone prototype, a sketchy investigation, and the suicide of a Chinese employee have taken center stage in a mysterious saga unfolding at Foxconn, Apple's contracted Chinese manufacturer.
- In another mass-network solution, Germany has decided to program its nation's cars with eCall, which simultaneously honks all car horns in the area of disaster, alerting Deutschland of an impending disaster.
- Need a pick-me-up? Youth of today getting you down? We've compiled 10 tech whizzes under 20 that will make you wish you paid more attention to math when you were a kid.
Use a Custom Gmail Setup to Get Things Done
Keep in mind that this system won't do you a speck of good if you're not disciplined enough to follow and use the rules you set. After all, one of the ideas behind the GTD philosophy is to proactively, well, get things done. We haven't given the system a go for ourselves yet, but the logic and convenience of it all (especially for heavy Gmail users) seems pretty sound. [From: Lifehacker]
Morning Xtra: Camaro's 'Transformers' Upgrade; Farting iPhone App Wars
Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....
- iPhone application feuds are getting absurd: iFart takes on PullMyFinger to claim bodily noise dominance in the app market, and PullMyFinger compares itself to Jackie Robinson. Seriously. [From: The Daily Show, via BuzzFeed]
- Washington-based Fox News producer Aaron Bruns was sentenced to 10 years behind bars for child pornography after Bruns attempted to spread the illegal material over a file-sharing network. [From: WashingtonExaminer.com]
- E-Cigarettes -- a new type of smoking peripheral that vaporizes liquid nicotine and is "smokeless" -- may be finally facing stricter regulations, as the FDA weighs on the pros and cons. [From: CharlotteObserver.com]
- In a bright move, Congress vetoed the largescale development of the F-22 fighter jet, saving the US $1.75 billion. [From: BloggingStocks.com]
- At the San Diego Comic Con yesterday, GM announced a special 'Transformers' edition of the 2010 Chevy Camaro. The $995 upgrade, which includes the Autobot insignia and Bumblebee-inspired racing stripes, unfortunately doesn't have any performance advantages -- and doesn't turn your car into a robot. [From: Autoblog, via Slashdot]
- Accidentally get put on a mailing list and are too lazy to unsubscribe? Gmail now does it for you. By marking the message as spam (even when it isn't), users are given the option to simply unsubscribe, leaving the time-consuming removal part up to Google. [From: Lifehacker, via cnet]
- Microsoft's much-maligned Vista operating system has taken a 12-percent share of corporate computers, while Apple's OS runs on approximately 3.6-percent of machines. Both systems saw a jump from last year, and analysts are curious to know how this Fall's release of Windows 7 and Apple's "Snow Leopard" will pan out in cubicle land. [From: ComputerWorld.com]
Security Guard Arrested in iPhone Suicide Case
Another detail is emerging in the vague case of a Chinese tech worker who reportedly committed suicide last Thursday over the loss of an iPhone prototype. The Hon Hai Group, the world's largest contract-manufacturer of electronics -- and the company behind Apple manufacturer Foxconn -- detained a security guard at the location in which Sun Tanyong worked. Hon Hai released this information, without any further details, although it did offer condolences to his family.Sun leaped to his death from his dormitory on July 16th after reportedly being investigated by Foxconn for a missing iPhone prototype that he was supposed to have shipped to Apple. The security guard in question has not been fully identified, and the reasons for his dismissal have not yet been announced. The mystery continues to unravel. [From: Bloomberg]
_thumbnail.jpg "Vintage Keyboards")
