Mac Mini PVR Setup

This PVR setup features a Mac Mini Core Duo, Westinghouse LVM-42w2 1080p monitor, 300GB HDD in fanless enclosure, Miglia TVMini HD OTA HDTV Turner, and a Peerless ST650P Universal Tilt Wall Mount.

[via TUAW]

Time Cube: a clock with an edge… several, in fact

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The Time Cube is actually a proper cube only twice a day — at noon and midnight. The rest of the time one of the corners sprouts a series of triangles that rotate, filling the roles of hour, minute, and second hands. It looks kind of difficult to tell time on the thing, though pretty easy to lose yourself in the edgy 3-D shapes that emerge as the seconds tick by. Fifteen bucks gets you cubical timekeeping from watch.brando.com.hk.

Time cube, via Fosfor Gadgets

Nintendo Wii Release Date: November 6th

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We ran into a gaming website claiming that they were able to get some inside information from Nintendo in regards to the Wii release date. According to their sources, as of right now, the Nintendo Wii release date is scheduled for November 6th.

… we pushed our source a bit further to see if they had an idea of a more exact date. Today, we were provided with the following information…

“So, at the moment Nintendo are aiming to launch the Wii on November 6th”

Our source emphasised that this date is correct at present, but pointed out: “Nintendo aren’t going to have an exact date in mind until they are sure they can meet the deadlines”.

Since Sony has already announced the PlayStation 3 release date, and Nintendo did announce a Q4 launch date at this years E3, it makes sense that Nintendo would do everything possible within their power, to get their new console out into the market before Sony launches the PS3.

Please take the November 6th launch information with a grain of salt, as nothing has been confirmed by Nintendo yet.

Anti-terror grants rile 9/11 targets

Anti-terror grants rile 9/11 targets

New York and Washington will get less in federal anti-terror money this year, while other areas will see increases in their funding. Under one program, New York still gets the largest grant but it is $83 million down on last year, while the capital's funding is cut by $31 million. "Somehow this administration thinks that Georgia peanut farmers are more at risk than the Empire State Building," said N.Y. Sen. Charles Schumer, referring to a 40 percent rise in Georgia's grant.

Google has no plan for its own browser

Google has no plan for its own browser

Google Inc. has no plans to build its own Web browser software to compete with rival Microsoft Corp., Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said on Wednesday. Schmidt dismissed speculation that the company aimed to tie together its Web search and other services to compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer.

FULL STORY

Madonna snaps at bored audience member

Madonna

Madonna’s gig in Las Vegas, Nevada was boring and a waste of time to one audience member in one of the front rows. Halfway through the performance, Madonna snapped reports The Scoop,

If you are only going to sit there, at least you can smile

Madonna should take this as the cue that her career is over. A person who went out of their way and most likely willingly went to see Madonna on stage was bored with her performance. If I were to sit here and say how terrible Madonna was it really wouldn’t matter because I would never take time out of my day to see her, but this guy on the other hand did. So unless he was comatosed from excitement, he probably thought the performanc esucked and Madonna should give up trying to be the ‘Material Girl’ she once was.

Source

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Bang & Olufsen gives the cell phone some class

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Cell phones come packed with more and more bells and whistles as time goes on — still cameras, video cameras, Bluetooth, games — the list goes on and on. But what if you want your phone to just be, you know, a phone? Bang & Olufsen hears you, and that's why it's released the Serene, a simple mobile phone that's "high end" because of its elegant design, not because of features you won't use. Featuring a large screen and a retro-looking touch wheel, the Serene does what it's made to do well without needless bloat. Don't think that fewer features mean a lower price, however: the Serene will set you back about $1,300. But hey, pick up the Louis Vuitton leather holding case that's designed to go with it and you'll definitely have the classiest mobile in town.

Feeling all Serene, via Popgadget

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Xbox portable on the way?

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Is Microsoft going to release a handheld version of the Xbox? That's the word according to a new report from The Diffusion Group, a new-media research firm. While Microsoft head honcho Bill Gates was mum on the subject at this month's Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, he hinted that game development is all about the software. That might imply Microsoft is planning to let hardware companies (like Alienware) actually build the consoles, licensing them to use the Xbox system. Or it could mean that the Redmond software giant will introduce its own portable game console (like the mock-up shown here that made the rounds a few weeks ago), which would almost certainly be a multimedia player similar to Sony's PSP. With an Xbox portable in the market, gamers would have three handheld consoles to choose from (including the PSP and the Nintendo DS), and it would certainly be popular with anyone wanting to play Halo while on the go!

Who wants to party at a gay club after the prom?

I Came across this in my email and just had to ask who in there right mind would have there prom after party at a gay club??? lol...

After Prom Event @ Avalon Nightclub
Located at 47 West 20th St at 6th Ave

Avalon originally called Limelight is an event, party, and concert space that has been in existence since the early 90s.



The name Avalon is synonymous with both quality and style. Not only is it an above average space with various rooms and a great sound system but it also boasts designs done by some of Europe's top designers. Avalon's decor and design features backlit walls, huge stage areas, soaring ceilings and an overlooking DJ booth that will make your students stand in awe of NYC nightlife. This venue is 20,000 square feet and three floors that bring you into a different theme as you turn each corner!


TO RSVP click on the link below or call 212-947-2337

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

Dell XPS M2010 is a portable gaming PC, sort of

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Dell has introduced their new XPS M2010 gaming PC, which redefines the concept of a "portable" PC somewhat. Featuring a 20.1-inch LCD screen that folds into the slim machine, it includes a handle for being toted around. However, the thing weighs 20 pounds and that's without the wireless keyboard and mouse, which need to be lugged separately. Oh, and there's no battery, so you'll need power cables and an outlet to hook it up. Hmm… call it transportable, I guess. Fortunately, there's more to the M2010 than mobility. Dell continues to impress with the specs on its XPS line by loading you up with an Intel Core Duo processor, up to 4 GB of RAM, a 256-MB RADEON X1800 graphics card, and all the Wi-Fi trimmings you could want, plus an Apple-esque webcam built into the top of the screen. Those specs would boost the price of any regular PC, but the transportability factor here jumps it even further — to $4,000. Pretty steep, but if you're sick of dragging around a 50-pound tower and 19-inch CRT monitor to LAN parties, it's probably worth it.

Dell XPS M2010 gets official, via Engadget

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Gryphon flying wings: the Rocketeer takes off

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The Gryphon is sure to be the air-assault accessory of choice of special military forces and superhero wannabes everywhere. With this set of personal flying wings strapped to your back, you'll be able to bail out of a plane miles from your target, glide to your landing area while staying virtually undetectable by radar, and then pull the rip cord on your 'chute for a soft landing (and presumably jettisoning your wings). The designer, German company ESG, has plans for an upgrade that would include a small jet engine, enabling the wearer to drop from a lower altitude while increasing the range. Pretty badass stuff, and even if the military doesn't go for it, it'll probably show up in a Delta Force sequel, with Chuck Norris swooping in on some evildoers in a souped-up Gryphon. Roc on!

ESG Personal Flying Wings, via Coolest Gadgets

Rumor: Nintendo Wii $149 Or 18,000 Yen

How low can you go?

Nintendo Wii Price RumorsLet's just say off the bat that this is third hand information and that it's about as verifiable as the existence of UFOs or Paris Hilton's classy side. Perhaps slightly less so.

But Japanese retail store PC-Success recently had the Nintendo Wii listed on their site for 18,000 Yen, which would translate to $149 when taking into account conversion, taxes, and dividing by the square of the hypotenuse.

Not surprisingly, the price was quickly yanked from the site. Kakaku.Livedoor, on the other hand, still has the same price listed. We suspect they might have gotten a not-so-thrilled phone call from Nintendo because of that one.

Cool Jewels Ice Tray

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Give out the bling at your next party with this $8.95 ice tray that lets you fill up your glasses with 10-carat diamonds. Just pour water into these trays and the cubes come out looking like multi-faceted gems.

Add a little green food coloring as you see in the picture here, and presto! Instant emeralds. Well, not exactly instant, but you can make them a lot quicker than the natural way.

iDoll iPod Cases

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If you weren't already sick of iPod cases before, get ready to grab the Pepto because more supposedly high-fashion cases are being released into the wild. Thanks (?) to an agreement between Dr. Bott and i-doll, iPod users can now look forward to (more) iPod cases, but at least these are "hand-stitched by French leather craftsmen who pay close attention to detail and tradition."

Just looking through the i-doll Web site really lends to their hoity-toity attitude. For instance, why not deck your iPod out in a gorilla costume, as pictured here? Such classy cases will run you from $27.99 to $49.99.

i-doll Cases [Dr. Bott via MacMinute]

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Reviewed: Belkin Tunesync (Verdict: Good All Around)

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Apple charges $40 for an iPod dock, using up a precious USB port on your computer in the process. Belkin's Tunesync iPod USB hub aims to tackle the tasks of being an iPod dock and a USB hub (go figure). The chaps at Everything USB gave it a thorough overview and came away, for the most part, satisfied.

As a dock, the TuneSync functions quite well. Plug in your iPod and it starts charging immediately, while the audio out on the back of the unit can be used to output your iPod's music to a stereo or set of speakers. As a hub, the TuneSync also performs nicely, but with one caveat: the five USB ports on the back of the unit are a little too close together, making fitting numerous big and/or wide USB devices, such as the iPod Shuffle, a far more difficult exercise than it ought to be.

The TuneSync will run you anywhere from $40-$70, so shop around a bit before spending your hard-earned money.

Belkin TuneSync for iPod USB Hub Review [Everything USB via I4U News]

Yahoo Profiles Phishing Redux

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Regular readers of our weblog will remember a post we made during the first week of May about a Yahoo! Account phishing scam. It was not flagged at that time by any of the popular URL blacklists and URL rating services that we checked it against, inspite of it being around for a significant amount of time. Well, surprisingly, the phishing site (yahoo-members.com) is still active even though the Yahoo! abuse team has reportedly taken action against it. Even more surprisingly, several URL blacklists and rating services still fail to warn against the site even though they were alerted to it weeks ago.

The most likely reason for the longevity of the phishing site is that it was not a widespread attack and it didn't target a major financial service. Hence, it managed to stay under the radar of the blacklists. Since way-under-the-radar spear phishing is the fastest growing category of phishing, this certainly doesn't portend a good future for most existing anti-phishing measures in the market - considering blacklisting is currently the most popular method for combating phishing.

We would like to hear what you think are good solutions to combat highly targeted spear phishing attacks. E-mail us at the weblog address listed at the top of this page.

Buffalo's latest USB key packs 8 gigs

They're not the first and most surely won't be the last to join the club, but Buffalo has just added an 8GB thumb drive to their flash lineup. The RUF2-R8G-S manages to squeeze the gigs into a 0.75 x 3.6 x 0.55 enclosure, and promises 32MB/s write and 27MB/s read speeds over USB 2.0. No word on price, but we're sure the Yen required will be many. Now how about a bit of 16GB action?

[Via Akihabara]
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Hack gives Minty Boost to an iPod battery


Another hack in the grand tradition of Altoids tin usage, the Minty Boost hack from from Ladyada is a new external iPod battery pack that uses AA batteries and some design smarts to about double the battery life of your iPod. The last time we saw an Altoids-based charger for the iPod it was running off of some 9v batteries, making the hack a simple one, but not very efficient. By using cheap and available AAs, the Minty Boost should make quite the addition to your collection of iPod accessories -- as long as you can manage to follow along at home with Ladyada's detailed instructions. Luckily, she's quite thorough, and even has a kit available to make things even easier. Plus a little bit of fresh breath never hurt anybody.

[Via Hack-A-Day]

AMD to buy ATI?


In keeping with our policy of only reporting the juiciest of rumors, we're passing along a prediction by analyst Apjit Walia that microprocessor giant AMD is poised to purchase graphics powerhouse ATI in a move that would surely shake up the PC industry. Walia, who does his analyzin' for RBC Capital Markets, based his conjecture on recent so-called "checks in the PC food chain," meaning that no real hard evidence exists proving that AMD is even considering such a move. Still, Forbes reminds us that both ATI and rival nVidia have long been rumored to be acquisition targets of one of the major processor manufacturers, and a merger with AMD could be leveraged to ATI's advantage in regaining dominance of the market for high-end gaming components. For now, though, you'd be wise to file this story strictly under "one guy's opinion," instead of running out, snatching up ATI stock, and driving up the price like Walia and his investors are probably hoping.

[Via PC Perspective, thanks Ryan]

Microsoft Debuts Windows Live OneCare

After a year in beta testing, Microsoft on Wednesday took the wraps off Windows Live OneCare, its all-in-one security and PC care subscription service. But how will partners feel about Microsoft offering its own security solution?

[full story]

Never Cross Apple

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With all our Apple crack licking, it's news like this that kind of encourages to take our tongues away. It seems that a Samsung exec spilled the beans about the manufacture of chips for the iPod Nano and, as a result, Apple pulled its business and sent it to SigmaTel.

The claim comes from Los Angeles-based Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Craig Berger, according to a variety of reports today. Berger told clients he believed Samsung's design win for the chip that will power the next version of the Nano would have been extended to an updated Shuffle had a Samsung executive not spilled the beans about the new Nano ahead of time.

Sounds pretty nasty, but it looks like that's how Apple plays its game. Bastards.

Samsung 'gaffe' sends Apple order to rival chip maker [RegHardware]

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NYPD marking iPods, phones to aid in theft recovery

Myth or not, the story that muggers are specifically targeting folks with iPods has gotten a fair amount of press since it was first reported, and has convinced at least one police department to make a rather half-hearted attempt at returning peace of mind to the city's subway commuters. For the past three months, New York City cops have been offering iPod and other portable device owners a way to "register" their gear -- wherein the officers mark your hardware with invisible ink and copy down the serial number -- in order to provide victims with a slim but tangible chance of recovery. The two-pronged approach ensures that even if thieves figure out a way to wash off the ink. which is only visible under infrared lighting, they may not be wise enough to file off the serial numbers as well. So far, over 2,000 gadgets have been marked at Transit Bureau offices and tables located around the subway system, although the program has yet to help any victims recover their stolen goods, so it's probably not a bad idea to continue sporting your Thomas Pink tie.

[Via NY1, thanks Leon F]

The Big Three's consoles: size matters

Just thought you'd like to know. And yeah, even thought it's not the stylingest, we think aesthetically (if not the Wii then) the PStwo is probably our fav. But that's just us.

P.S. -We understand the Wii's not 100% accurately represented here. Looks pretty close though.

[Via Joystiq]

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Get your Q now in "just 2 easy steps"

It is truly a great day for Verizon customers. The kind of day you'll tell your grandkids about. Fifteen years from now, people will be asking each other, "Where were you when the Q order link went live on Verizon's site?" Anyway, after "just 2 easy steps" -- committing two years of mobile freedom and your firstborn child -- the Motorola Q will cost you $199.99. Why are you still reading? Get 'em while the gettin's good.

[Thanks, Cossa]

DS Lite US street date broken, now available!

Whoa Nelly! We're getting reports that Walmart and Target have jumped the gun on the June 11 DS Lite launch date and are selling DS Lites ahead of schedule. Forum jockeys over at Cheap Ass Gamer and elsewhere are declaring mixed success after febrile trips to their local big-boxes across the nation. So check it, skip the Trix this AM and go trolling the aisles -- you might just get lucky.

[Via Joystiq, thanks stisev1]
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Nokia E62 on Cingular soon

We're sorry to say we don't have a price or release date for you, but a little birdie told us Cingular's business unit's going to very soon be getting Nokia's QWERTY hotness, the E62 (that little birdie also supplied us a picture). Unfortunately it won't be UMTS (sigh) or have WiFi, as we knew, but it'll still have quad-band GPRS / EDGE, Good, MS Direct Push, BlackBerry Connect, XpressMail, just about every Bluetooth profile imaginable, Symbian 9.1 / S60 3.0, and all the hardware we've come to expect: 235MHz CPU, 32MB RAM and 160MB flash, MiniSD, QVGA 256k color display, and USB mass storage support. We'd say it's safe to assume you can expect this in the very near future; we'll keep you posted.

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Terrorism invoked in ISP snooping plan

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Attorney general says ISPs must retain records of Americans' activities to help in terrorism fight, Lohan has learned.

[ full story ]

Windows Sidebar Gallery Launches

In preparation for the public release of Windows Vista Beta 2, Microsoft put live over the weekend a beta Web site for hosting gadgets that run within the Windows Sidebar. The site enables users to find available gadgets and allows developers to submit their own creations.

AMD Counters 'VIIV' With 'LIVE!'

When Intel announced Viiv, no one had any idea what the hell they were talking about (in fact, we still don't). Then AMD re-announced their Live! strategy at CES, about which we also didn't really have any freaking clue. Well, now we have a clue, thanks AMD; Live! is a (gasp) entertainment platform that will use a number of applications to create a more immersive, improved multimedia experience designed around their existing Athlon64 X2. Those applications, you ask? Well, they're mostly software rebadges: AMD LIVE! On Demand powered by Orb Networks, AMD LIVE! Network Magic, AMD LIVE! Compress, AMD LIVE! LogMeIn, and AMD LIVE! Media Vault. So it's basically Viiv -- nebulous multimedia software suite + CPU / platform -- but AMD style, which we more or less knew. Expect Live! PCs from "leading OEMs including Acer, Alienware, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Gateway, HP, Sahara, and Tsinghua Tongfang." Oh, you know we will!

[Via PC Mag]
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Glitch In The System: Round Three

Xbox 360s are still breaking; Microsoft claims rate of return is still within standard range. We look at the status of the console six months post-launch.

May 26, 2006 - The red rings of death. That's how the blinking red lights that surround the power button on Microsoft's Xbox 360 have come to be called, and it's the most feared sight a console owner could see. Basically, it means your console is done working for the foreseeable future.

These lights seemed to be an all too common occurrence in the weeks following the Xbox 360 launch in November 2005, so much so that IGN received hundreds of complaints of faulty systems with a laundry list of problems, most notably overheating, disc-scratching and outright system failure. These complaints tapered off in recent months for a few reasons: Microsoft has made improvements in the manufacturing process; a high number of these problems were caused by the user and not Microsoft, specifically not keeping the console properly ventilated and moving the console while it is on; and, finally, there weren't very many consoles to go around after the initial batch at launch.

[ full story ]


Plant workers assemble Xbox 360s.

WORST NIGHT OUT EVER

#608100 +(4244)- [X]

-cassius_clay13- so I was with my friend bryan the other night in a bar
-cassius_clay13- well he got really drunk and said he was gonna puke
-cassius_clay13- so i helped him walk to the toilet
-cassius_clay13- all the stalls were occupied
-emoti_conartist- lol
-cassius_clay13- bryan is a rugby player... so a big guy
-cassius_clay13- so he fucking KICKS one of the stall doors open
-cassius_clay13- and there's this guy in there taking a shit
-emoti_conartist- hahahahahaha
-cassius_clay13- and bryan throws up ALL OVER HIM
-cassius_clay13- then (this is genius) bryan thinks 'oh shit... if i were taking a shit and someone came in and was sick all over me, i'd want to fuck him up... so i'd better hit him first'
-cassius_clay13- so he fucking SMACKS this guy in the face
-cassius_clay13- and runs away
-cassius_clay13- imagine being that guy... WORST NIGHT OUT EVER

Xbox 360 Camera Release Date Announced: September 19th

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Lieutenant Commander Nelson let flow the mango-kiwi juice of information on the Xbox Live Vision camera release date in his latest podcast. The firm, yet loving date: September 19th, 2006 AD.

He didn't say how much it would cost, but the Xbox 360 gesture recognition depends on two the Xbox Live Visions, so they shouldn't be prohibitively expensive.

Other aspects we're looking forward to: putting your face into characters in games (hasn't been announced but there's been talk forever), and using your face as your gamerpic. We hope there's some filtering on that, or else there's going to be a lot of hairy testicle gamerpics on Live.

Show #176 The one about the dash update [Major Nelson via Games Industry]

Lost Star Out on luck



Michelle Rodriguez had received a 60-day jail sentence for DUI probation violations. She checked herself in on Thursday evening and was released 4 and half hours later due to jail overcrowding.

But a spokesman for the LA city attorney's office said Rodriguez was released after just less than four and a half hours as part of a book and release program typical for non-violent offenders with sentences of less than 90 days. Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the LA County Sheriff's Department, said the early release program was implemented in 2002 "as a last resort" to meet budget cuts that reached $180 million.

Over the weekend, Rodriguez not only was spotted stateside -- but she was back in the celebrity swing of things. On Saturday, Rodriguez was seen at the Ultimate Fighting Championships at the Staples Center, alongside Paris Hilton, David Spade and others.


She was probably fucked her way through all the security guards in order to get a lighter sentence. Yeah right! She probably begged for them not to let her ass out!

[TMZ]

Seeking status in a cell phone

roundup With its new Q smart phone, Motorola aims for an A-plus grade. Also: Nokia's diamond-studded handsets.
Skinny cell phones

DSL Leading Broadband Growth in U.S.

As the price of broadband falls, the middle class is increasingly turning to broadband. Faster adoption of high-speed Internet is being fueled by more competitive pricing plans, a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project said Monday.

Insta-Pants

Ever notice when bunnies and cats sit up they have instant "Pantaloons'?

Pantaloons

Submitter Debbie C. wants to know if you have. Here's her Photostream...

Mini Player

 - Gizmodo


Hmmmm... where have we seen that color scheme before? And that wallpaper? And that styling? Must have appeared to us in a dream featuring intellectual property-stealing zombies.

That said, this Mini Player PMP is everything the iPod Video should be: FM tuner, MP3 and OGG playback, and Xvid video. With 20 hours of battery life and a hot little screen, we can forgive the wholesale piracy.

Product Page [Meizu via TrustedReviews]

SteriPEN UV Water Purifier

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Ever find yourself in [undefined country] and run out of bottled water to drink? Use the SteriPEN Water Purifier to kill bacteria, viruses and protozoa without using chemicals or boiling. Simply stir for less than a minute and the water's safe to drink.

We wonder how the [undefined country residents] can drink their water every day. They must have guts of steel. Damn [undefined country residents].

SteriPEN [Magellan's via Shiny Shiny]

SanDisk 1GB SD Card Deal

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We knew SanDisk was lowering the price of its flash memory, but $17.95 for a 1GB Secure Digital memory card? That's a pretty damn good deal. Well, it's not quite that cheap, really—the card is $30.95, but if you don't mind dealing with the $13 rebate hassle, you can walk away with the thing for just under $18.

Not bad, and it makes us feel rather foolish for paying about 10 times that much not too long ago.

Beer Holster: So You Can Grab Stuff

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You probably already know that we likes us some beers. But we don't want to go to the trouble of carrying those frosties around, warming them up and generally taking up one of our hands so we can't stuff our faces with grub at the same time.

You've been there: chicken leg on one hand, beer in the other, and then you want to grab your girlfriend. You're out of hands. Solve the problem with the beer holster. Works with a 12-ounce can or bottle and it's made out of rugged leather. It's $30.

Product page [Red Envelope, via über-review]

Wave Energy Concept: Clean, Cheap Power

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Columbia and Oregon State University have a plan to plant buoys off the coast of Oregon that can harness enough wave energy to supply about 20% of the state's electricity. The magnetic part of the buoy is anchored to the sea floor, while an electric coil is secured to the heaving buoy. The modulation of the waves sends that neodymium-iron-born magnet back and forth through the electric coil. Sounds like a great way to gin up some energy.

Feasibility studies are underway, with the researchers planning to set up these direct-drive wave energy buoys using federal funding. We're thinking that's one of the few good ways to put our tax dollars to work.

Wave Energy Parks Could Be Coming To Oregon [Treehugger]

Wi-Fi Bunny Opera

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Remember those crazy Nabaztag Wi-Fi Bunnies that took the world by storm earlier this year? Some crazy folks have put together the Nabaz'mob opera as part of the Web Flash Festival in Paris. Yes, it is as stupid as it sounds. Follow the linkage below for a crappy video and more pictures of the opera in action. The bunnies were supposed to be synchronized with music and commands from a conductor, but it appears to have failed miserably.

Product Page [Nabaztag]
Concert de Nabaztag [Blogbaztag via Gridskipper]

Solid Gold Sony Ericsson J230i

Limited to just 10 units, this special edition Sony Ericsson J230i features solid gold casing and will be given away at Carrefour outlets in the UAE (United Arab Emirates). Aside from the casing, it offers an FM tuner, a 65k STN display, and polyphonic ringtones.

Shoppers who purchase the Sony Ericsson J230i will receive a raffle coupon for entry into the draw to win a J230i made of solid gold. Each gold phone weights about 130 gms, and it takes approximately 72 hours to make one gold phone.

[via Slashphone]

Lobsters Avoid Virus by Detecting Illness in Their Own Kind

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Caribbean spiny lobsters are able to detect illness in others of their kind, and employ avoidance tactics to keep their population healthy, according to a paper in this week's issue of the journal Nature. The research results show that the usually social animals avoid contact with other lobsters that carry viruses--even before those lobsters become infectious.

Equalizer watch has new look for summer

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Who knew the Equalizer watch would be such a big hit? I mean, it must've been for that wacky watch designer, Tokyoflash, to come up with an updated version with a snazzier looks, the Equalizer 2. Like its predecessor, the EQ2 has a face with columns of lights that pop up and down, but the new version angles the columns for a 3-D effect and uses brighter lights cooler green. Reason enough for an upgrade, no? And yes, it still tells time by whisking away the lights when you press the button — except for two that indicate the hour and minute. The new Equalizer comes in silver or black; you can order yours online now for $160 or so ($140 before June 2nd). It could be the perfect gift for that stereo fanatic you know.

Wheelman motorized skateboard: dangerously fun

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While we all wait patiently for the ScarPar, this Wheelman motorized skateboard should satisfy your urgent desire to zip quickly and dangerously across a hard surface. Getting you up to almost 20 mph, the Wheelman runs on a two-stroke engine that uses a mix of gas and oil, just like a lawnmower. You control your speed by squeezing a ball in your hand, and as the Web site says, "the more you squeeze, the more fun you have!" Of course, if you tend to clench your fists when you get scared or tense, a flexible ball could be a pretty lousy way to control the speed, but we'll just assume most people will be calm and collected while tooling around on a skateboard with a lawnmower engine in it. All this dangerous fun can be yours now for only $1,500.

The Wheelman, expensive motorized skateboard, via Oh Gizmo!

Windows Live OneCare release last Thursday


Microsoft’s entry into the anti-virus software market, Windows Live OneCare, is slated for general release on Thursday, June 1, according to PC World. OneCare, recently certified by ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs “as an effective solution to combat viruses and other forms of malicious code as well as providing a quality firewall service”, combines anti-virus, firewall, and backup software into one easy to use solution, aimed at the consumer market. The 90-day free trial is available at WindowsOneCare.com

Sharp MP-B200 and MP-B300 Thin MP3 Players

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Sharp is throwing these two flash players at the iPod Nano and hoping one of them takes out Apple's popular flash based player. With a glossy face and 512MB/1GB of built in memory w/ miniSD expandability, the player won't hold your entire library but will be enough for a full day's work.

Other features, FM transmitter (can someone translate this from the Japanese press release?), voice recording, FM tuner, MP3 and WMA support. Pretty standard except for the built-in FM transmitter.

Press Release [Sharp via i4u]

Jobs' glass elevator locks in group customers


Well, that was fast. Not eight days after Apple's new flagship store was unveiled, Stevie J.'s fantastical glass elevator began acting a bit wonky, first opening and shutting its doors, then finally sealing in its passengers on the upper level. Apple store employees worked their hardest to release the bunch, but eventually the NYPD had to be called; the elevator's hydraulic system had to be drained, and the confined group was let out in the store's bowels (i.e. lower level). Everybody otherwise seemed okay, but as far as we know no one was gifted with a free iPod in exchange for the 45 minutes they spent trapped, encased in glass like so many specimens for study. Ah well, you can't always help it when your elevator gets the spinning beach ball, now can you?

Nintendo releases Rumble Pack for DS Lite

No surprises here: Nintendo has loosed a version of the venerable Rumble Pak on Japanese DS Lite owners, with a US model forthcoming. Besides being smaller than its big brother in order to fit flushly in the Lite's cartridge slot, the new Rumble Pak sports all the same vibrating goodness, and for the same price too. (In case you don't remember, that price is a mere $10). Unfortunately, both versions of the Pak are still only supported by a handful of games, so here's to hoping you haven't beaten Metroid Prime Hunters yet.

[Via DS Fanboy]

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