Offbeat

Suffering ‘Product Recall Overload’? There’s An App For That!

The other day we were watching the news and there were three product recalls in a row and my wife mentioned hearing on the radio a report about ‘recall overload’, how so much stuff is being recalled so frequently that we become numb to it all. In fact, this week there are reports on various news sources about the issue. Well, apparently the government agencies issuing these recalls are aware of this, and have launched a mobile app called ‘Recall.gov’. It brings together data from the relevant agencies – Consumer Product Safety Commission, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Food and…

News & Features

A Declaration on Independence Discovery

In a fascinating use of modern technology, a high-resolution camera has revealed what can only be described as the use of “white-out” correction fluid on the Declaration of Independence. According to a post on BoingBoing a draft of the Declaration originally used the word “subjects” to refer to those living in the emerging nation. Thomas Jefferson Thought twice about using the word, scratched it out and changed it to “citizens”. My grandpa Alex came to America in 1917. He was so proud to be here that he promptly changed his birthday to July 4th. Jefferson’s word-smithing of the Declaration is…

News & Features

Buy a Flying Car…for the Price of a Small House!

If the jetpack I told you about isn’t really your speed, what about a flying car? It’s called the Transition Roadable Aircraft, and it will run you around $194,000 (plus your pilot’s license!) What’s amazing is that this isn’t really a traditional “flying car”, at least not in the DeLorean sense. Instead, it’s more like a plane that can fold up and drive home. Might be tough to use it in your everyday life, unless you have an extra-large driveway at home. Supposedly, it’s going to be a fairly versatile plane-car (plar? clane?): Going from plane to car “takes about…

News & Features

Get Ready to Fly to Work with Your Jetpack!

Before you head out to buy your next car, you might want to find out if your bank will float you a loan for your very own jetpack. Businessweek reported recently that Martin Aircraft has developed a viable jetpack that runs on premium gasoline! All we need is the FAA to clear commuters to use these instead of cars, and the roads will be far, far clearer. Even more amazing, Martin Aircraft is hoping to sell the jetpacks for $86,000! Yes, that’s a completely insane price for a jetpack, but it makes them potentially marketable, instead of “so expensive they’re…

News & Features

Check Out This Crazy Mashup of Star Wars and Pixar Characters!

It doesn’t take much to see Toy Story’s Evil Emperor Zurg as a translation of the Darth Vader archetype. But imagine going through the main Star Wars characters – of the original trilogy – and using a Pixar character to represent them! That is exactly what Paul Tassi has done for Unreality Magazine, and is shown in high resolution at his website. Let’s take a look at his Luke Skywalker, played by Flik from A Bug’s Life: There are loads of other great ones represented, from Leia to Han Solo to Chewbacca and even the droid pairing of R2D2 and…

News & Features

Design Custom Jewelry Online with GemKitty

Ever wanted to design your own jewelry but don’t know where to start? Well, you no longer need to pore over the aisles at the craft store–just jump online at gemkitty.com and design your own earrings! Next week GemKitty is introducing their custom earring platform that allows users to customize a pair of earrings with five different styles, two quality metals, and over seventy real semi-precious gemstones. I was able to preview the site and it’s super easy to use–just a few clicks allows you to set your style, select from sterling silver or 14K gold filled findings, and choose…

eBooks, News & Features

Landmark NIST Handbook of Mathematical Functions Published After Decade of Development

If the image above makes you salivate or at least gets your mind buzzing with excitement, you want to head directly over to Cambridge Publishing and grab the new 422 page Handbook of Mathematical Functions. Why? As noted in the press release: The NIST HANDBOOK OF MATHEMATICAL FUNCTIONS has been the most widely distributed and cited resource for scholars, scientists, and engineers ever since it was first published in 1964. Over the past few decades, tremendous advances in applications of mathematics have taken place and the 2010 edition reflects these modern developments in theoretical and applied science. So what do…

News & Features

Fun with magnetism: Nanodots

Back when I was my son’s age, I was a science nut. I loved learning all about our universe, electronics, magnetism and the world we live in. My favorite catalog from then was Edmund Scientifics. They had and still have science products and lots of toys similar to what Nano Magnetics Inc are announcing today in the form of Nanodots. Nanodots are little tiny magnetic spheres that you can build things out of. It’s also been suggested when you stock them all together in a big ball that you can use them as a stress ball. They will not come…

News & Features

Android and the iPhone 4 Announcement (NSFW)

Well, it was only a matter of time after Steve Jobs made his infamous “If you want porn, buy an Android phone” comment…but there’s officially a youtube parody of the iPhone 4 announcement, which features dancing robots singing that the Android phone is for porn (like the Avenue Q song “The Internet is for Porn”.) It’s not suitable for work, but it is quite funny! And for your viewing pleasure, the Avenue Q song “The Internet is for Porn”: Via AndroidCentral

News & Features

R.I.P Gary Coleman – Child Actor and Star of Diff’rent Strokes

Gary Coleman died yesterday after falling into a coma following an intracranial hemorrhage, with some reports indicating he might have had a fall that led to the brain trauma. For many of us who grew up watching Coleman on Diff’rent Strokes, it is yet another “died too soon” on a growing list of our childhood icons. According to an ABC article: Celebrity website RadarOnline.com said Coleman, 42, was taken off life support on Friday, and similar reports were filed by showbiz site TMZ.com and by CNN, citing a spokeswoman at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, Utah. The…

News & Features

On the 30th Anniversary of ‘The Empire Strikes Back’, Relive the Original Trilogy …

… In 2 minutes … and in LEGOS! While for many May 4th is ‘Star Wars Day’ (because of the ‘May the fourth’ pun), for me it is a celebration that lands on the release dates of the original films. It might be hard for younger folks to get their mind around, but in 1977 seeing a film on the opening weekend wasn’t such a big deal as it is now. Sure you wanted to see cool movies soon after release for the usual social reasons, but my dozen or so viewings of the original Star Wars release were spread…

News & Features

J. Scott Campbell’s Disney Princesses Rated “R” Style

That being said, if Disney had used artist’s J. Scott Campbell’s drawings for the basis of their characters, then they probably could have tapped into a whole new market and made me happier too. At the very least, all those adults waiting in line around Disney’s parks, watching the movies etc. would be just a little more excited about having to do so. Of course then they wouldn’t have been appropriate for kids, but work with me here … this is just a fantasy. With three young girls, I’ve been subjected to countless viewings of the Disney Princess movies, been…

News & Features

Fashion Blogging for All Ages!

The internet is truly a place where anyone can have a voice…even if that voice is 14! Admittedly, I don’t follow the fashion world, but if you do, you may have heard of Tavi Gevinson, a 14-year-old fashion blogger. She’s so successful she was seated in a more prestigious seat than Anna Wintour (the inspiration for “The Devil Wears Prada”) at a fashion show! What’s extra crazy is that she started blogging about fashion at 11. And now she’s showered with free clothes and speaks at conferences, and the fashion industry cares deeply what she thinks. From the Economist profile…

News & Features

I Knew Automation Was A Problem In Many Fields But In Mine???

from USAToday There is no question that automation has had an impact on numerous industries and has been responsible for some significant job-loss or, at least, job-shifting. For example factories now need less people on the line but can output more product at an ever-increasing pace. Yes, the impact is everywhere but this is one place where I never expected to see an issue… CrunchGear has a post up about a wedding officiated by… a robot. That’s right, the couple didn’t need a priest, or a justice of the peace to tie the knot. Instead the wedding was witnessed by…

News & Features

SureFit Debuts “Auto Friends” Line of Products

I have a very large dog who loves car rides. He also enjoys rolling around in mud, swimming and refusing to sit still to be dried off, and of course, shedding the equivalent of 4 dogs worth of fur in an afternoon. So my backseat is constantly in a state of slight messiness. Then, of course, there was the time he ate a bag of mint Hershey’s kisses and decided they didn’t agree with his stomach as we were en route to the emergency vet. Trust me, the conversation you never, ever want to have with your partner is “Does…

News & Features

If You Need a Breathalyzer on Your Keyring, It Probably Means You Shouldn’t Be Driving (DUH!)

Judie: I have personally always thought that unless you were buying something like this as a joke, buying a breathalyzer — especially an $11.50 one for your keyring — means you are already going to be drinking too damn much, and someone else needs to drive. 😛 Carly: Agreed…plus Wired did an awesome article on these a month or two ago. Essentially the cheap ones vary so much they are useless. Now that would be a fun chat with a cop. “Honestly, Ocifer, my breathalyzer said I was ooooooookay….!” Judie: Right! I mean, I could see some sleaze at the…

Editorials

Kigo Footwear Takes Customer Service to Web 2.0

Every job I’ve had has been sales or customer oriented in some capacity, so I always geek out a bit at innovative ways to improve customer service. Today I came across a company that used Twitter very effectively to reach out and interact with me as a customer, and I wanted to share that story. I found out about Kigo Footwear on the Runner’s World forums and thought their “Kigo Shel” shoes sounded really cool. So I poked around their website and learned the company is as interesting as their shoes. They use recycled materials, and their whole business model is…

Editorials

Tech Bloggers Prove Obama Right Within Hours

Image from XARKAGANDA Did you hear? President Obama is threatening to regulate the tech industry in the name of ‘protecting democracy’! President Obama is putting technology on his ‘axis of evil’ list! President Obama is calling all new technology ‘dangerous diversions’! President Obama has declared war on technology! President Obama is warning of ‘iPad Perils’! Actually … none of that stuff is true – but I bet you have read something similar today in a hype-titled post at some tech blog coupled with some out-of-context portion of a speech given by the President to the graduating class of Hampton University….

News & Features

Need Something Small for Amazon Super Saver Shipping? Try This!

Have you ever been shopping at Amazon.com, have exactly what you need, but then realize that it you could only find something for $4 you would get free shipping? I know I have … and typically end up over-spending as a result! But now with FillerItem.com all you need to do is figure out how much you need to add to make free shipping, enter that amount into the search box, and you will get a rather massive list of possible items. For example, I was looking at the excellent Picross 3D, which is $19.96, meaning I needed $5.04 in…

News & Features

850 Meter Beaver Dam 20 Years in the Making!

When most of us think of a beaver dam, the image above comes to mind. But CBC News brings us the story of what is reportedly the world’s biggest beaver dam – 850 meters long (~2800 feet!). Check out the satellite image from Google Earth: Image courtesy of FreshBrainz Apparently the massive dam was first found in 2007, but has gotten even larger than before, and the ease with which it is found on Google Earth is stunning. Researchers estimate that the dam has been under construction for 20 years! “[Beavers] are one of the few species that really leave…

eBooks, News & Features

Take Wikipedia with You Offline

My mother is a high school history teacher, and if you breathe the word Wikipedia to her she will give you an earful about students and plagiarizing. And about how peer-edited history articles are rife with errors. So if she got an eyeful of this service I think her head would explode. Yes, now you can save yourself the trouble of cutting and pasting into word, printing out your paper, and finding a nice plastic sheet for a report you’ve lifted from Wikipedia. Instead, for the starting price of $8.90, AND they’ll ship within two days! Tongue in cheek jokes…

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