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Radio Reporter Misses Live Broadcast Because of Facebook

by Lee Bains, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 3:04PM



It should be clear from recent reports regarding Facebook that folks are enchanted with the networking site. College students, for instance, seem more interested in peeping their friends' profiles than in listening to their professors' lectures. According to a story from news.com.au, graduates aren't changing their ways too much once they move into the workplace.

This past Sunday, the listeners of Australian radio station 3AW's afternoon news broadcast were puzzled to hear the news segment's theme music followed, not by the news, but by advertisements. The reason for this misstep? According to a station insider, the designated news reader was, instead of reading the news, obliviously browsing through her Facebook account.

There's been plenty of discussion recently on whether or not the use of social networking sites can increase workers' productivity. We'd say that this little anecdote is a big old check in the "Nay" column. [From: News.com.au]

Kevlar Handkerchief Protects Your Chest/Face and Blows Your Nose

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 2:06PM


We find it hard to believe that we won't see one of these being used somewhere in the upcoming 007 film, but even if not, you can definitely put one to use in your everyday life -- if you can get ahold of one of the ten being made, that is. Srulirecht's DÆmdur is a Kevlar-based handkerchief which can keep your schnoz squeaky clean and (in theory, at least) keep your chest free from bullets. Granted, even the manufacturer makes clear that it takes no responsibility for "schmucks and wooden-heads who feel compelled to test the endurance or resistance of the textile in any way," but it sure beats those cotton ones you buy ten to a pack.

[Via OhGizmo]

Portable TVs Won't Work After February 2009 Analog Shut-Off

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 1:19PM

Impending Digital TV Upgrade Will Leave Portable Sets Dark
Surely, by now, you know that analog TV is going offline very soon (February 17th, 2009), right? Hopefully, you've received your coupon, hooked up your converter, or just gone ahead and used this as a good excuse to join the HDTV era. But, do you have one of those portable TVs that you bring along to the tailgate or switch on whenever the power goes out during big storms? If so, you're not alone, and many are just now realizing that those sets will soon be useless.

Portable sets rely on analog signals captured through their rabbit ears, and with many having no inputs on the back there's absolutely no way to make them functional again. This is causing concern among many who use portable sets to get updates during times of emergency, and while there are portable digital TV converters available, not all sets can use them.

The solution? Well, for now, it's simply to get a portable radio and rely on that -- and maybe recycle that soon-to-be obsolete antique of the analog era. [From: USA Today]

Economy Driving Users to Finance News Sites in Record Numbers

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 12:30PM

Ecomogeddon Drive Traffic to Financially Themed Web Sites
The financial crisis is actually proving to be a boon, for some. Finance-themed Web sites have seen huge increases in traffic, and even the little guys are noticing massive numbers of new visitors.

Understandably, major online financial outlets like the Wall Street Journal, AOL Money and Finance, and Yahoo! Finance have seen record levels of daily traffic, but it's what has been happening at the smaller sites that has been truly amazing. comScore, an Internet tracking company, has reported that GasBuddy.com (a site that directs visitors to the cheapest gas stations in their neighborhood) has seen its traffic jump by 30-percent. SavingAdvice.com, a site offers coupons and information of shopping deals, has said its daily traffic has increased dramatically.

The best barometer for what is driving Web traffic is usually Google searches, and in September, queries for 'stocks' nearly tripled.

Other companies may also see bright days to come thanks to the encroaching ecomageddon. FindHow.com, a site that specializes in Do-It-Yourself instructions for building and fixing things, expects to see growing demand in the coming months not just for its site, but for the DIY movement on a whole. [From: Yahoo! Tech]

Members of Congress at Last Allowed to Post on YouTube

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 11:32AM



We've seen twittering and vlogging from from Capitol Hill, and all sorts of other uses (and exploits) of technology for political use, misuse, and... intimidation? So far, however, official support for the use of the Internet outside of the .gov domain by members of Congress has been off-limits. That changed yesterday with a new rule change that opens up the wilds of the 'Net for Congressional gain.

The new rule enables members of Congress to post official content anywhere on the Internet -- so, for example, they can now post videos and advertisements on YouTube. Members can also now link to non-government sites (what a concept!) and even embed content, like those videos, into their official .gov sites.

Frankly, we're shocked this was all officially off-limits before, as these are features and services we've all come to depend on. With these new rights, we're expecting an explosion of blogging and vlogging congressmen and women in the very near future, which, presumably, will allow us to communicate better with our politicans. [From: Washington Post, via digitalmediawire]

Text a Question to Palin, Watch it Streaming Online

by Tim Stevens, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 10:48AM

Whether you're impressed by Sarah Palin's folksiness or disturbed by her evasiveness, there's a good chance you might want to ask her a question. Now is your chance. The California Democratic Party has rented a digital billboard across from an upcoming rally for the Veep candidate in Los Angeles. Anyone can send a text message to 69866 containing a question (160 characters or less) and the keyword "ASK." The question will be shown not only on the billboard, but also on the Internet, where it is streaming live in the above video.

Obviously, many of the questions seem to be somewhat less than pleased with the Governor's previous statements, but despite that we haven't seen anything that's overtly offensive, which makes us think there's someone somewhere approving these before they get published. That's a good thing. [From: textually.org]

Google Worker Getting Baby's Name From Internet Poll

by Andrew McKinnon, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 9:50AM



Google programmer Jason Morrison needs your help in naming his baby, which is due November 16th 2008. Using the Google Docs poll-creation tool, the Ohio-based programmer has created a survey in which anyone can vote on one of 17 different names. Olivia and Dylan are currently the front runners, but the poll is still open and participants are encouraged to offer their own suggestions. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Jason and his wife Ann say they reserve the right to ignore the polls. After all, who knows what kind of feedback you'll get when a personal and traditionally private matter is opened to the general public?

Has anyone, beside your closest relative or significant other, ever asked you for input on a name for the baby? It's highly personal thing, right? As a product marketing tactic, Jason has succeeded brilliantly in promoting one of his employer's newest offerings. As a baby-naming method, however, it'll give the kid a nice story for the playground, especially if someone suggests (and everyone votes for) this baby name. [From JasonMorrison.net via Daily Telegraph]


The Facebook 'Types' You Can Never Shake

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 9:12AM

People Who Will Haunt You on Facebook
The folks at Cracked.com, one of the Web's premier comedy sites, are at it again, compiling a list of some people from your past that will use Facebook to haunt you.

We've all got at least a few of these in our friends lists. The ex. The world traveler. The breeder. People who track you down on social-networking sites simply to message you and remind themselves (and you, of course) how much better than you they are.

Old best friends, and high-school reunion organizers, all there just to make themselves feel better. Check out the rest of the list for a good laugh, and do yourself a favor -- ignore these people if they send you a friend request. [From: Cracked]

Spammers Prefer Obama for Spam E-Mails

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 8:25AM

Obama and Palin More Popular with Spammers than McCain and Biden
Politics is one of the most popular topics for spam. Don't believe us? Go check your spam folder. We bet that you'll find e-mails about how Obama is a secret Muslim and Sarah Palin hunts moose from a helicopter in between offers for cheap Viagra and penis enlargement systems .

According to a report from Secure Computing, it appears that spammers prefer Obama over McCain and Palin over Biden when it comes to whipping up new spam e-mails. According to the report, Obama is mentioned in spam six times more often than McCain, and Palin gets five mentions for every four spam messages mentioning Democratic VP nominee Joe Biden.

The credit crisis and banking collapses in the U.S. are also fueling piles of spam messages. Of all the financial institutions involved, Chase tops the list, accounting for 25-percent of the banking inspired spam messages. Wachovia, Bank of America, and Colonial are generating plenty of spam in their own right, too.

We're not sure what these things say about the spammers, but as always, we urge you to exercise caution when opening any banking-related mail and continue to be vigilant for phishing scams. [From: Ars Technica]

New Xbox 360 Experience Goes Live November 19

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 7:45AM



Been wondering when you were finally going to get your eyes on that fancy new Xbox 360 experience? Well the secret is out -- come November 19th, your dashboard will never be the same. The good folks at Joystiq have delivered this wonderful news live-and-direct from the Tokyo Game Show, where they're blogging the Microsoft press briefing while undoubtedly enjoying the finest cowboy rolls known to man and hob-nobbing with other glorious gamers. Feel free to check into their live coverage via the link below, and start prepping for serious avatar creation. [From Joystiq]

PS.- Check out our earlier gallery of the new dash here.

Read - New Xbox Experience coming Nov. 19
Read - Joystiq live from Microsoft's TGS 2008 press conference

Teens Not Sleeping Enough? Blame The Gadgets, Study Says

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Oct 10th 2008 at 7:03AM

220808 - Model shoot 88.jpg

A new Australian study has found that up to 50-percent of high school juniors and seniors are not sleeping enough. What's to blame this time? Their obsession with gadgets, of course.

For boys in that age range, video games are the main culprit. For girls, cell phones are the most prevalent cause of sleep deprivation. Though the topic of gadget over-use isn't a new one, the high percentage is a major concern.

Lack of sleep affects memory and academic performance, and we all know how crucial the last two years of high school are. Kids...Get some sleep. Parents...Keep the TV in the living room.

Now, if you don't mind, we have a text message about our favorite video game that needs to be sent out before we jump back online... [From: geeksugar]

Aussie Worker Hacks Government Computers to Protest Bad Desk Spot

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 7:03PM


There is a line to be drawn when it comes to taking revenge in office politics. If you don't like the placement of your office, or being made to feel like a "newbie," then crashing multiple servers and erasing the employee records of over 10,000 people is probably not the best way to get better seating arrangements.

David Anthony McIntosh, a computer engineer for the Australian government, was upset with his boss. McIntosh says his boss punished him for being a "newbie" by giving him a desk far away from his coworkers, which made him feel isolated on the job.

In response to his poor desk location, McIntosh used a coworker's password and logged into the government's systems. He then crashed several servers, including some belonging to the Australia's supreme court. He went on to delete the records of 10,475 public employees.

McIntosh is now waiting to stand trial. We suggest that he just quit or make off with some pens the next time he doesn't like how he's being treated at work. [From: News.com.au]

HDTV Listings for October 9, 2008

by Thomas Houston, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 6:43PM

Life On MarsWhat we're watching tonight:

McCain Remark Annoys eBay Founder

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 6:12PM

eBay Founder Fact Checks McCain

John McCain may have just made himself a powerful enemy. During Tuesday night's debate, when asked about whom he would choose for treasury secretary, McCain made mention of Meg Whitman, the former CEO of eBay. "Meg Whitman was CEO of a company which started with 12 people," McCain said, which caused Pierre Omidyar, founder of eBay, to balk via Twitter.

"Ahem. Started with 12 people?," Omidyar wrote, a clear reference to the fact that he started eBay by himself in 1995. Whitman joined in 1998 when eBay already had 30 employees.

We won't hold it against the presidential candidate -- the man is 72. Our grandma is 72, and she can't even remember our name. [From: ValleyWag]

Apple Announces 'Notebook' Event on October 14th!

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Oct 9th 2008 at 5:41PMBreaking News



The rumors were true folks. Apple is staging an invitation-only Town Hall event in Cupertino next Tuesday, October 14th at 10AM PST. It's absolutely safe to say they'll be showing off new laptops... and you know we'll be there live! Will this be an unveiling of a whole new form factor? Will this "Brick" mystery be put to bed? Will they come in rainbow colors? Tune in to find out.


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