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Eight Best Computer Keyboards

by Evan Shamoon, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 10:53PMFeatured Story



There's perhaps nothing more essential to a happy computing experience than a great keyboard. Whether your machine is of the desktop or laptop variety, a solid, full-size clacker will make writing papers, designing flyers, or just getting around the Web significantly faster and more comfortable. Some keyboards take the "lighter is better" approach in terms of the keys, while in recent years, "clicky" models, reminiscent of those chunky IBM keyboards of yore, seem to be all the rage with more and more manufacturers. And nothing cleans up a cluttered desktop more than a wireless keyboard. Go with what feels best to you: As with a pair of eyeglasses, you'll be using your keyboard every day, so it's worth an investment. Your hands will thank you.
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Oregon Family Receives $19,370 Cell Phone Bill

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 8:25PMBreaking News

Computer frustration

You've all heard the Iphone bill horror stories and gasped at other outrageously high wireless bill mishaps...Well here's another one.

A family In Portland recently opened their AT&T wireless bill and found this number staring back at them: $19,370.

And you thought your wireless bill was high! The culprits in this particular case are a laptop AirCard and a less than forthcoming AT&T employee.

In July of this year, the Terry Family, of Portland Oregon, sent their son off to Canada with a AirCard equipped laptop so he could email and send photos of his trip. According to the Terry's, they had discussed the service with an AT&T employee prior to purchasing it. The employee allegedly said nothing about international fees, leaving the Terry's under the impression that, well, there were no international fees.

There were.

The Terry's received a mammoth, 200 page bill detailing the international charges that had accumulated with each of the 21 times their son had used the service. The family, who, according to their father has an average monthly bill of around $300, contends that not only were they not told about possible fees, but that AT&T never warned them of their escalating bill. In response, AT&T has stated that they are looking seriously into the matter.

Meanwhile, back in Oregon, we are sure the Terry's are seriously looking into changing service providers. [From: WFTV.com]


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Wireless Providers Building Bird-Safe Cell Phone Towers

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 7:11PM



Members of America's Wireless industry are working with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to authorize the construction of new cell phone towers that won't slaughter millions of migrating birds every year. They are under pressure to do so because the towers currently sprawled across the U.S., well, do kill millions of birds (between four and five million birds, according to estimates from the US Fish and Wildlife Service).

We know huge corporations are evil. But come on!

The FCC has been directed by a court to figure out "how it will provide notice of pending tower applications that will ensure meaningful public involvement in implementing NEPA procedures." Essentially, if a company wants to build a tower they will now have to prove that it wont hurt birds.

We are sure the wireless companies already have a way to win over local authorities obsessed with wildlife preservation: It's called money. [From: ars.tecnica via Textually]




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Coming Soon: Treadmill Beds and Human-Powered Gadgets

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 6:17PM

New Inventions: Treadmill Beds and Human Powered Gadgets
New Scientist is always bringing us fun new inventions and advances in technology. The latest batch of inventions promises to make exercising easier for the morbidly obese, clear atmospheric disturbance from satellite images, and create energy from human motion.

The treadmill bed attaches a treadmill (surprise, surprise!) to the foot of an adjustable hospital bed. The bed slowly tips the patient into a standing position on the treadmill, which removes the need for staff to assist the patient. The exercise bed is the invention of Charles Filipi, a surgeon at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.

Meanwhile, Greg Hampikian and Peter Mullner, from Boise State University in Idaho, have learned to harvest motion to generate energy with magnetoelastic materials. This type of material changes shape when a magnetic field is applied to it, but also works in reverse, producing a magnetic field when deformed. Connecting the material to a transducer then converts the magnetic field into an electrical charge. The materials require small amounts of motion to generate energy, making them ideal for keeping medical implants and gadgets powered.

Check out the ABC News article for more information and links to the complete patent filings. [From: ABC News]
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Seven Prisoners Hospitalized After Hiding Phones in Rectums

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 5:28PM

Seven Prisoners Hospitalized After Hiding Phones in RearsCellular News reports that seven prisoners in Pakistan's Camp Jail have been hospitalized after hiding cell phones in their rectums.

Yes, the classic pastime of hiding things in one's anus to avoid confiscation extends to such uncomfortably bulky items as cell phones. In a sweep of the prison with metal detectors, the guards found 30 cell phones hidden in anuses around the prison. Unfortunately, seven phones (each in different prisoners, of course) were unable to be removed without medical attention.

To make matters worse, those seven men were publicly identified on the prison's bulletin board and placed in chakkis, small cells where prisoners can only sit or stand.

We're just wondering what happens if you accidentally leave the phone on vibrate while its in there? [From: Cellular News, Via: Textually]
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NFL Games Streaming Online at NBC Sports, Starting Tonight

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 4:41PMBreaking News

NFL Games Streaming Online at NBC SportsLast night, the 2008 NFL season kicked off and along with it came NBC Sports' first ever streaming of live football games -- sure, you can plop down on the couch for the game just as you've done for years, but now you'll be able to tune in live from your computer. Thursday night's entry to live online football was the New York Giants stomping the Washington Redskins, and, according to reports, the online experience was good, but not great.

The service offers four user-selectable camera angles, which is a nice feature, but sadly it seems that every time you pick a new camera angle, you have to sit through a commercial! NewTeeVee said that although the video quality was alright, it looked worse than the online Olympics footage.

The site uses Adobe's Flash to handle the streaming, which contrasts to NBC's use of Microsoft's competing Silverlight technology for the 2008 Olympic Games.

Looks like NFL players aren't the only one playing the field. [From: NewTeeVee, and Adobe.com]
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UK Police Testing Stink Bombs, Sticky Nets and Glue Guns

by Peter Mychalcewycz, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 2:53PM

Riot Scene 1

Seemingly discontent with traditional methods of policing (like beatings), government scientists in the United Kingdom have begun trying out futuristic, non-lethal weapons they believe will assist officers on a mass scale in the future. Most of them are still in developmental stages, but what the heck, here are some of the gadgets those brilliant British minds have cooked up.

  • Stink Bombs - Self explanatory...Will deter the casual anarchist and old ladies...Conversely, may attract large numbers of grade school pranksters.
  • Sticky Nets - Fired from guns...The nets can be coated with a chemical irritant or be electrocuted. Creepy but effective.
  • Immobilizer "glue" - Also fired from special guns...An extremely sticky material that immediately adheres to every surface it touches. This would be utterly perfect, if the mouths of assailants wasn't classified as a surface. Yeah... they need to work that kink out.
  • Lasers or "directed energy weapons" - Awesome and scary...Causes immediate, unbearable pain when focused on skin but leaves no lasting marks.

Police officers in the UK have greeted the news of these gadgets with intense skepticism. We don't blame them. Have you ever been attacked by grade schoolers? [From: DailyMail]
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Amazon to Sell $100 OLPC Laptop

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 12:32PMBreaking News


Now that OLPC has met its One Laptop Per Child goal (in uh, Niue) it's time to go whole-hog retail. According to Matt Keller, OLPC chief in EMEA, OLPC will resurrect its Give One, Get One XO program in late November with the help of Amazon's big retail guns. Prices haven't been disclosed nor has the nimble Sugar or poky XP OS selection. But if history serves, we'll be looking at $399 for the Sugary pair just like last year. [From: PC World]

Update: As it turns out, OLPC says that a dual-boot XP and Sugar OS XO will be shipping in the "next month of so." Happy pappie?
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Afghanistan Student on Death Row for Reading Internet Article

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 11:46AM


Last we checked, Afghanistan's government had been freed from the iron grip of the Taliban, but it seems as if its ideals are alive and well in the former front-line in the War on Terror. A 23-year old student is being held on death row in Kabul for downloading an article on the role of women in Islam from the Internet.

While we wish this were a joke, but it isn't -- in a government backed by the U.S., in the year 2008, a young man is being executed for reading. The student claims to have been tortured, and many governments are pressuring the Afghani courts to pardon him because his trial appears to have been unfair.

Check out the video above for full coverage from the BBC.

As a side note, we don't know what copy of the Koran this guy has been reading, but we're pretty sure it never advocates executing anyone simply for reading something. [From: the BBC via: GeekSugar]
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Americans Adopting Next Gen Phones Faster Than Europeans

by Thomas Ricker, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 11:07AM


If comScore's data is to believed then the US has done the unthinkable and passed Western Europe (aka, old Europe right Donnie?) in terms of 3G adoption. 28.4% of American mobile cellphone subscribers north of that southern land mass with a similar sounding name now sport 3G devices compared to a measly 28.3% average for Europe's largest countries. That's an 80% surge in the US last year even though T-Mobile is still 3G-less. Man, it's like the Phelps 100-meter butterfly victory all over again, eh Europe? [From: Yahoo! Finance]
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Twisty Gorillapod Go-Go! Tripod Holds Any Gadget In Place

by Evan Shamoon, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 10:22AM



As placing-cameras-in-weird-places enthusiasts are already well aware, the Gorillapod can be a savior. When the only option for your new, un-dented camera is to rest it on, say, a tree limb or a chair leg, the Gorillapod's bendable arms make sure the camera stays put and doesn't give you any lip.

Now the company behind it, Joby, has created the Gorillapod Go-Go! -- which, rather than digicams, is designed for cell phones, handheld gaming devices, and GPS units. Since no two gadgets are alike, the unit includes a collection of different ways to attach your various devices to the tripod: these include a universal adapter screw, a suction cup mount, and 3M high-bond adhesive clips (if nothing else works). The Go-Go! is available now from Joby for thirty GorillaBucks. [From: OhGizmo]
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Seinfeld and Gates Pair Up for New Microsoft Ads

by Paul Miller, posted Sep 5th 2008 at 8:56AMBreaking News


As promised, Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld made their television pair-up debut last night, in an advertisement for something or other. We were sad to see Seinfeld sans-bee suit, and Gates is lacking in Costanza-isms, but we might just be looking at a beautiful friendship here. Video is after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Seinfeld and Gates Pair Up for New Microsoft Ads

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These Gadgets Could Get You Arrested

by Evan Shamoon, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 8:01PM



In an odd bit of tech trivia, Wired has compiled a list of gadgets that could get you arrested (other than your Hannah Montana iPod dock, naturally). The entries range include the WASP knife -- designed to aid you against undersea predators like sharks and manta rays through a combination of a very sharp blade and the ability to deploy 800-psi blasts of compressed freezing gas into its target -- to the Lil' Buttie, which allows you to easily tap a phone line.

Our favorite gadget on the list, however, has to be the Sonar II Burner. Developed by the best-named company in the history of companies, Wicked Lasers, the Sonar II is just that: a more powerful version of the lasers found in Blu-ray players, the laser machine can burn holes through paper and melt plastic.

And really, what more can you ask for in a tech story? Sharks with freaking laser beams attached to their heads?

Perhaps. [From: Wired]
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Sports Car 'Vroom' Sound Scientifically Proven to Arouse Women

by Tim Stevens, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 7:05PM

Sound of Exotic Engines Scientifically Proven to Arouse Women
If you thought men who drive exotic sports cars were just compensating for whatever nature didn't grace them with -- well, you might be right. Laugh all you like, but it turns out those cars might actually make them more successful with the ladies, as a new scientific study has shown that the mere sound of a high-end engine emanating from a vehicle like the Ferrari 430 above causes women to become aroused.

When women in a study heard the sound of exotic machinery from Ferrari, Maserati, and Lamborghini, they showed "significant peaks" in testosterone production -- a sign of arousal. However, when they heard the rather more lumpy tones of a VW Polo economy car, their arousal level actually decreased. So, women, say all you like about how much you appreciate a man who drives an efficient car to save the environment, we now know what you really want. [From: The Telegraph, via Asylum]
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HDTV Listings for September 4, 2008

by Richard Lawler, posted Sep 4th 2008 at 6:01PM

What we're watching tonight:
  • NBC (1080i) brings the start of the NFL season with Giants/Redskins at 7 p.m.
  • USA (1080i) has U.S. Open tennis at 7 p.m.
  • Discovery (1080i) has 'Some Assembly Required' at 8 & 8:30 p.m. followed by 'Destroyed in Seconds 'at 9 p.m.
  • ABC, CBS, CNN NBC, PBS has the Republican National Convention at 10 p.m.
  • A&E (720p) brings 'Jacked: Auto Theft Task Force' at 10 p.m.
  • Showtime (1080i) premieres 'Russell Peters: Red, White & Brown' at 10 p.m.
  • ESPN HD (720p) has college football with South Carolina/Vanderbilt at 8:30 p.m.
  • ESPN2 HD (720p) drops in MLS action with Colorado Rapids/FC Dallas at 8:30 p.m.
  • ESPNU HD (&20p) features Florida A&M/Delaware State college football at 7:30 p.m.
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