Philips: Drag & Draw Technology for KIDS

This is really cool technology. But really, who's going to pay ~ $500 for kids to draw on their walls when they can simply buy their kids sheets of paper and markers. Of course I'd want this for my kid, but that's because I'm a nerd. The common person would never spend over $50 for this product. But we'll see what the marketing price is...

Help End the RIAA's Rampage

Gizmodo has declared March the month to boycott the RIAA. Read the story and see how you can help. "We want to get the word out to as many people as humanly possible that we can all send a message by refusing to buy any album put out by an RIAA label."



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First Launch from Cape Canaveral

A new chapter in space flight began on July 1950 with the launch of the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla.: the Bumper 2. Shown above, the Bumper 2 was an ambitious two-stage rocket program that topped a V-2 missile base with a WAC Corporal rocket. The upper stage was able to reach then-record altitudes of almost 400 kilometers, higher than even modern space shuttles fly today.

Launched under the direction of the General Electric Company, the Bumper 2 was used primarily for testing rocket systems and for research on the upper atmosphere. Bumper 2 rockets carried small payloads that allowed them to measure attributes including air temperature and cosmic ray impacts. Seven years later, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik I and II, the Earth's first artificial satellites.

Amazing to think what we've accomplished in this short amount of time.

It's official: XM and Sirius plan to tie the knot

XM and Sirius have just issued a joint press release stating their intention to become life partners in a proposed $13 billion deal, which still must pass rather daunting regulatory scrutiny and opposition from such heavyweights as the National Association of Broadcasters.



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George Costanza's Answering Machine - clip from Seinfeld

Title sums it all up...





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How to Explain DRM to Your Dad

My friend John was trying to think of a way to explain the problem with digital rights management to his dad and friend of ours who don't see what's wrong with it. He compiled a list of examples of DRM-related problems to help people understand what the big deal is with DRM.



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Jobs, Dell share stage, blast teacher unions

Last week it was the music labels, this week it was teacher unions. Apple cofounder and CEO Steve Jobs on Friday spared no words in criticizing the state of public schools and the teacher unions, saying that schools were never likely to improve until principals could fire bad teachers. Interesting points that both Michael Dell and Steve Jobs bring up.



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OLED = Unimaginably-thin, Amazingly-bright, & contrast ratio of 1000000/1.

Will Wheaton praises Sony's 1,000,000/1 contrast ratio OLED TV's shown at CES. It's only a matter of time before the remaining life-span issues are solved - the future of TV is staring you in the face. Very cool technology.



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Web 2.0 in just under 5 minutes.

Web 2.0 ... The Machine is Us/ing Us...

This video on YouTube gives great perspective of where the web is heading...





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GOP revives ISP-tracking legislation

As reported on Slashdot (Wednesday February 07, @04:15PM): CNET News.com reports that Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives announced yesterday legislation to force ISPs to keep track of what their users are doing. It's part of the Republicans 'law and order agenda,' with other components devoted to the death penalty, gangs, and terrorists. Attorney General Gonzales would be permitted to force Internet providers to keep logs of Web browsing, instant message exchanges, and e-mail conversations indefinitely. The draft bill is available online, and it also includes mandatory Web labeling for sexually explicit pages. The idea enjoys bipartisan support: a Colorado Democrat has been the most ardent supporter in the entire Congress. -- This bill--part of a Republican-led "law and order agenda"--echoes almost word for word a proposal made last year that never made it to a floor vote. Obviously, this won't go through Congress, but I believe loss of even more privacy is on the horizon.