Gizmodo

Normal Was Never Cool: Inception of Perception [Aimee Mullins]

Aimee Mullins — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:00:00 -0500

Last year I met a beautiful five-year-old child, who had been born with neurofibramatosis (NF), causing her left leg to have extremely brittle bones.

For nearly the first year of her life, her parents and doctors were unaware of the NF, and the brittleness had contributed to multiple bone fractures of the lower leg, unbeknownst to anyone. These early bone breaks resulted in her left leg being seven centimeters shorter than the other, and as a bright, precocious and athletic child, she adapted to her leg imbalance incredibly well. I felt like I could have been looking at myself as a 5 year old. Unlike me, however, who didn't have a clue about an aesthetic style in outward appearance until college, she already had been bitten by the fashion bug, and was particularly excited by the prospect of a new holiday dress or her first day of school outfit. Her source of distress lay in the fact that the vast majority of little girls' shoes were off-limits for her, as there were only a few companies that made shoes that could be adapted with a special lift to even out her walking planes. These shoes had to work within the structure of the external leg brace she grew up wearing.

Her parents were impressive in their own right, first by not imposing labels or limits on her, and then making this medical journey of decisions for their child a collaborative process that included her, appraising her of new options in technology that had arisen as they became aware of them. Unfortunately, technology in her case—a successive series of operations to try and stretch the brittle leg using internal rods and pins to fuse the bone—hadn't progressed as fast they would have hoped. After the first two of what they knew would be many surgeries, her parents and doctors had made the decision to proceed with this rod approach until she reached five years of age. Then they would re-evaluate the process, considering any advancements in technology. If it hadn't advanced past this type of treatment, they would consider "other options."

Amazingly, because of technological progress in prosthetics, amputation was now an attractive option for this family. Amputation and subsequent fittings with prosthetics was simply seen as liberation from a leg that didn't function. Shortly after her sixth birthday, her mother told me, "She downloaded all these images of you off of the internet, and she's always asking ‘when, when can I get rid of my bad leg, when can I get a new leg?'" She even did her show-and-tell at school about prosthetics!

That is decidedly not what I would have expected a six-year-old to do.

After a few months, the child's mother called me, telling me that she, her spouse, and the doctors collectively made the decision to amputate, and that they would be telling the child this news that very night. My reaction was visceral and very surprising to me: I felt my breath grow short and my heart pounded, and I felt ill as waves of stress and worry pummeled me. I panicked at what role I might have played in this chain of events, and how I couldn't guarantee that this child would have anywhere near the same experiences I had had as an amputee. I found myself having doubts I had never had about myself or, indeed, most any amputee: "Would she be okay? Would her life be happy and full of opportunity?"

I spoke to the mother one last time before the surgery, and she informed me of the surgeon's decision to do an amputation through the ankle, the common thinking to be to "save as much of the flesh and bone leg" as possible. I couldn't be sure about this and hesitated even mentioning it, but I asked the mother if she had consulted with the child's would-be prosthetist about this "Syme's" style amputation, because I had heard reports of resulting limitations in people being able to obtain the latest prosthetic technology.

Ironically, by keeping more of the residual limb, you negate more options for different prosthetics, as there is no physical room to put the components (think of the shock-absorber and spring leg). An incredible facet of this story for me was learning that, at no time before this rather momentous surgery of this child, did the pediatric surgeon and the prosthetist ever have even one conversation.

Her mother investigated with the prosthetist who confirmed that, by leaving as much of the limb as possible, the child wouldn't be able to get any of the legs in the images she downloaded from the web. The surgeon was shocked to learn this, and had never considered that it might actually be better to amputate a few inches higher, increasing the future mobility options of the child.

This past April, while walking through a street fair hosted by the Tribeca Film Festival, I felt a tug on my shirt. It was this little girl, 6 months after her amputation, with colored paints on her face and in her hair, and a plastic tee-ball bat in her hand. She was jumping up and down (post-cotton candy) and she wanted to show me her new High School Musical 3 "tattooed" leg. She asked me if I knew Zac Efron and "could I get him to autograph her leg?" (I don't, but I'm working on hooking this up.)

She pulled me a few meters over to the batting cage stand, where she deftly used her prosthetic leg to press the foot pedal, launching a whiffle ball pitch that she smacked as hard as she could. On her feet, she proudly sported Mary Janes covered with red sequins. Seven months ago, she was as active as a child could be with a leg brace and tremendous pain; here, she ran and jumped and cartwheeled and tackled her little brother, who tackled her back. Even I, who rarely doubts the incredible ability of human beings to adapt to their adversity, was awe-struck.

I wondered how her childhood, her adolescence, her college years would collude to shape how she saw herself. Would she struggle through various identities, wanting to be "normal" as I did, only to find eventual freedom of self-expression in the absence of normalcy? Barring puberty, which is probably awful for everyone, I think this girl is going to skip over ever wanting to be "normal." Why be normal when you can have Zac Efron and Friends staring up at you everyday from your ankle?

The generation of children growing up today has a distinct advantage in this realm of identity, thanks to their daily interaction with the internet and video games. It's commonplace for them to create avatars and parallel representations of themselves, and they see their ability to change, transform, and augment those bodies to best suit their surroundings as beneficial.
That kind of fluid thinking was once solely the domain of those whose imaginations were heavily influenced by both technology and science fiction. Talk about seeing evolution speed up before your eyes. My being able to embrace the art in my artifice, to change my identities—how I perceive myself and how others respond to that perception — has profoundly changed the way I see the world and my opportunities in it. But I didn't possess that ability at age six.

I keep thinking of how long it takes for most of us to go through the process of first accepting ourselves as we are, strengths and weaknesses, then celebrating that self and starting to have fun with your strengths and weaknesses, then transforming ourselves as architects of own our identities, redefining what our strengths and weaknesses actually are. I think kids today are able to do this faster than previous generations.

I've noticed a progression from how kids used to respond to my wooden legs to responses toward a prosthetic limb today. Quite simply, the fear-as-first-response has all but disappeared; I do not experience children who are afraid to meet me and in fact, I haven't recently met any child who, when I'm sporting obvious prosthetics like the RoboCop legs, wasn't drawn like a magnet to them, accompanied by a list of very astute questions.

For the most part, it's adults who rein kids in, in an attempt to not have them stare or offend with their natural curiosity.

But curiosity is necessary; it is the foundation of imagination and innovation. It's tremendously important to allow children to see the diversities of human experience and understand how their own lives relate to it, so we can acknowledge how much more similar we are as human beings than different…even if what makes us different is where we discover and engage our rare and valuable qualities, offering them to society.

When I was a child, I watched plenty of episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Where some see Professor Xavier, I secretly know he's Captain Jean-Luc Picard. And thanks to airport security, I admit that I often daydream of being able to be molecularly transported around the world. I think about that other little girl and wonder to what extent her ability—and that of her peers—to google the word "prosthetic" and come up with tons of imagery to inspire their imaginations marks a marvelous shift in our society.

There's plenty of evidence that connects our visualization of what we dream to be possible to what we eventually create as a new reality. Gene Rodenberry's imagination in Star Trek and that of Arthur Clarke's, Marvin Minsky's and Stanley Kubrick's in 2001: A Space Odyssey had a direct impact on funding certain projects at NASA because scientists and researchers had "seen" this whole imaginary world, and they sought to make it real.

For my own childhood inspiration, I had the Bionic Woman and Six Million Dollar Man (to this day, the somber phrase "we can rebuild him" makes my heart pound wildly!), and even Inspector Gadget cartoons made me draw third grade pictures of legs with rocket jet packs flaming from the heels.
This "entertainment" not only asks questions but encourages more of them, replete with inherent timelines for answers: "When are we going to do molecular transport? We've been seeing it for forty years on Star Trek!" It's within the scope of our imagination.

I remember in high school seeing Forrest Gump when they convincingly transformed Lt. Dan—Gary Sinise, an actor with two flesh and bone legs—into an amputee. A budding actress, I thought "Oh my God, if they can do this with CGI, couldn't they do the opposite? Could they create an image of me on screen with full flesh and bone legs?" I was intrigued by the imaginary visual of a different version of myself, and I suspect it provided something tangible when asked if now, at this point in my life, I would trade my prosthetics for flesh and bone legs. (I wouldn't.)

The transformative power of films lay in engaging how I imagined myself and my "realities," giving me license to re-imagine them as I desire. Now that many people, starting from an early age, are creating and choosing their own identities in a virtual world—or in multiple virtual worlds—this self-malleable perspective has a lot of power. People can align themselves with global groups of their own choosing, and see themselves as their ideal selves without many of the social constraints present just a generation ago.

Although it took surviving junior high, I evolved myself to the point where I decided against measuring myself to "normalcy," deciding instead to self-determine what was cool, who was cool, and the transformation subsequently happened in how other people treated me. "Cogito, ergo sum." It's one of the simplest truths we revealed for ourselves, right? "I think, therefore I am." If you think you can pull it off, you can. Or as Henry Ford put it, "whether you think you ‘can' or you think you ‘can't': either way, you're right."

I'd postulate that technology is innately teaching today's children that very same lesson, and they're learning it much earlier.

This confident perspective, one perpetually shifting from imagination to invention—be it a personality, a human figure or a new technology—would not have happened a hundred years ago. If I had been born back then, I doubt I would have been enabled by society to do much, even with a self-ignited fire of human spirit, as being a woman was as much of a disability as anything.

Today, I'm grateful for all of my strengths and weaknesses, changing and morphing as they are, and I'm especially grateful for technology's advancements to prosthetics, as my life has been successful because of having had them, not in spite of having had them.

Aimee Mullins is an athlete, speaker, actress and model we met at TEDMED. She's also the guest editor for our theme week This Cyborg Life. Read her bio here.

[Lead Image:
Matthew Barney
CREMASTER 3, 2002
©2002 Matthew Barney
Photo: Chris Winget
Courtesy Gladstone Gallery]

MacMall Early Black Friday Sale, Discounted Hardware Galore [Dealzmodo]

Chris Jacob — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 12:30:00 -0500

MacMall's running a hardware sale all weekend. You can expect price cuts on par with the edu discount, so if you've lost a little too much hair to use that student ID anymore, MacMall has you covered. [MacMall via I4U]

The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of... the Hills [Terrafon]

Chris Jacob — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:40:00 -0500

The Alunda Church Choir wanted to see what their giant earth phonograph, the terrafon, would sound like if they dragged it across the ground. Unsurprisingly, it sounds like dirt being plowed. But louder.

Occasionally, nature's music of scraped soil and rocks is augmented by a loud creak from the giant gramophone horn. If you must know what that sounds like, check out the surreal 11+ minute video.

Harvest by Alunda Kyrkokör (2009) from Olle Corneer on Vimeo.

The "Harvest" performance was part of the Volt Music Festival in Sweden. The group wants to bring the terrafon to other croplands soon, so if you hear what sounds like a really loud plow in your backyard, go give the team a hand. That thing looks heavy. [Create Digital Music via Inhabitat]

webOS 1.3.1 Available Now [Palm]

Chris Jacob — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:50:00 -0500

Nothing game changing, just bug fixes and small tweaks. Don't expect one of Palm's infamous syncing hacks, because iTunes support is nowhere to be found. Fire up your updaters, 1.3.1 is live now. [BGR, GadgetsOnTheGo, thanks Jimmie!]

Droid (Sales) Blowing Up [Droid]

Chris Jacob — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 09:05:00 -0500

Don't worry, it's not the batteries that are exploding. But if third-party data is any indication, sales might be. Location network developer uLocate, creators of WHERE, saw about 25,000 active accounts using its software. Traditionally, uLocate is installed on about 10% of launch units. Multiply it out and you've got a healthy estimated 250,000 Droids out there. Not iPhone level, sure, but not a bad first week considering the Palm Pre sold 300,000 in one month. [BGR via Electronista]

There Shouldn't Be A GPS Tracking System In My Lingerie [Nsfw]

Rosa Golijan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:00:00 -0500

I'm all for naughty, oh-come-treat-me-like-a-bad-girl-tonight scraps of lace. What I'm not such a fan of is trashy oh-come-follow-me-using-the-built-in-GPS lingerie. I don't care if it's pretty, frilly designer lingerie. It's got a damn tracking system embedded in the fabric.

Designed by Lucia Lorio, this fashion line is dubbed "Find Me If You Can." But how could you not find someone when they're running around with a pager-sized GPS device sewn into a bodice? While the fact that it would be impossible to not notice the gadget makes me laugh off the whole paranoia of jealous men using this as a sneaky way to keep tabs on their lovers, I still think it's a ridiculous design. Why you would spend between $1200 and $1600 for something intended to be ripped off a body. [The Age via GizmoWatch]

I Desperately Want This Video To Be Fake [Image Cache]

Rosa Golijan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:20:00 -0500

This video shows Oli Lemieux practicing on the trampoline wall of Cirque du Soleil and I've watched it twice already. I keep searching for clues that it's just a cleverly edited video, that someone couldn't possibly really do these stunts.

Despite all the discussion of what the human body can be pushed to do, I feel feel a sense of disbelief watching Oli jumping around. I know that he's a talented man and that this clip is almost certainly not edited in ways that enhance the stunts. But a part of me desperately wants the video to be fake, because, despite the many years of practice it must've taken him to make everything look easy, Oli has forced me to realize my own personal limitations.

Company Claims That Its DVDs Will Last 1,000 Years [DVDs]

Rosa Golijan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:40:00 -0500

A start-up by the name of Cranberry is claiming that it's DiamonDisc product can last for 1,000 years without any deterioration. If true, that's great, but will you even have the equipment to read the media at that time?

Cranberry's disks are supposed to be so durable and long-lasting because they "contain no dye layers, adhesive layers or reflective materials that could deteriorate." Supposedly data is etched far more deeply into the disks than with traditional DVDs (using Cranberry's special burners, of course). You can either buy one of those burners for five grand or upload your data to the company's website and let them do the hard work for you. Either way, the longevity of these disks seems a little bit too good to be true. [Computer World via Slashdot]

Becoming a Sexual Cyborg (NSFW) [Cyborg Sex]

Dr. Debby Herbenick — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

I used to think "sexual enhancement" just meant "sex toys." That is, until I started exploring the wonderful—and sometimes utterly weird—world of mechanical and electronic sex augmentations. Here's what's happening now and what will happen soon.

As you'll see, existing innovations take our tongues, fingers, vulvas and penises to the next level. But the future of sex augmentations appears to lie in biometrics and in networking. Soon toys will learn from and interact with our bodies' responses, with or without a partner, while teledildonics will help people separated by vast distances get closer (and wetter).

Tongue, Extended
Whoever made women's genitals certainly made them tricky to stimulate—especially orally. Enter the Tongue Joy, a vibrating tongue enhancement to help human tongues do what no human can in terms of sensation and endurance. Strap the silicone-banded vibe on your tongue (or, if your tongue is pierced, use the barbell piercing attachment) and proceed with awesome. It's battery operated and comes with multiple band sizes in case you want to strap it around something bigger. Four silicone sleeve attachments enhance the size and texture of the vibrating yummy-ness. Lovely for oral sex on a man, too, particularly those who are into hummers that aren't cars.

Bionic Fingers
The vibrating three-finger power pack and glove by Fukuoku enhance the size and function of one's digits, transforming your fingers into vibrators that run at up to 45,000 vpm (that would be vibes per minute). They're more particularly cyborgy than most sex toys, if that's your thing. (Ahem, Malebots subscribers!)

Unnatural Male Enhancement
The Ride On (pun intended) blows most penis extenders (pun not intended) out of the water. It's more comfortable, less bulky and stays on in more positions than other models—all while fulfilling its purpose of enhancing the size and function of a man's penis. Function? Yes. Some men use these not for length or girth but to keep having sex during half time. Available from Vixens Creations, the Ride On gets men around that annoying "refractory period" that is the curse of many a man's sexistence. It's also useful for men with severe or chronic erectile dysfunction (ED) who want in.

Electronic Condoms?
Given the perception that condoms may reduce sensation, sex-loving scientists have been proposing vibrating condom designs since at least the 1990s. Given the enormous improvements in vibrators since then, it's unclear what a vibrating condom—if ever brought to market—would ultimately look like. Will it have an awkward external wire and power pack like the one in this 1995 patent image? (Here's a PDF of the actual patent.) Or will it be built into the condom itself, as thin as a BandAid, as in my dreams? The design will have to depend on functionality: The vagina is not as sensitive as a woman's vulva (clitoris, labia, etc) so the value of a vibrating shaft may be more for a man than his partner. That is, unless it vibrates at the base by a woman's vaginal opening or clitoris, like the Trojan Vibrating Ring or the Bo—a favorite.

The Hydraulic Penis
As potentially borgy as it is, this pre-Viagra augmentation is for now only available for men with ED that is unlikely to respond to medication or sex therapy. This type of penile implant lets men pump themselves into an erect state whenever they want—note that pump in the scrotum—and deflate on command. There's none of those scary erections lasting longer than 4 hours that we hear about in commercials starring Bob Dole. Though many men may dream of having this much control over their erections, the ones who use this do it as a last resort. Once it's been in use for a while, some men lose their natural erectile reflex because their body no longer has to work at it. Moral of the story: Enjoy what you've got.

Hymen Again
Fake hymens give the illusion that one is going where no man has gone before. One option is a hymenoplasty—a surgical procedure that "restores" a woman's hymen. This is done only rarely in the US, but is performed increasingly in other countries, often for women who who feel they need to prove their virginity to their fiancé or his family lest they risk shame or, scarily, even violence. Sometimes, the operation is requested by women who want to give their partner the "gift" of taking their virginity, like as an anniversary gift (for serious—and to think I'd go with golf clubs or a Garmin).

There is a mail-order product that a woman places inside her vagina which simulates the loss of virginity, fake blood and all. Gigimo's Artificial Virginity Hymen, has come under fire by some Egyptian politicians, who even called for a ban on it. Meanwhile, women everywhere are still calling for an end to practices that insist they "prove" their virginity to anyone or anything. On a different note, a quick word to Gigimo: When you write that you can "have your first night back anytime," does that include the awkward fumbling, 20-second staying power, and the two weeks of worrying about being pregnant?

Biometrics: Gadgets That Get You
I've seen (dreamed?) the future of sex toys and It. Is. Awesome. Ideas are swirling about how to create sex toys that rely on digital biometrics. No, we're not talking fingerprint-activated toys that prevent women's husbands from getting curious when they're home alone. We're talking about products that respond to vaginal temperature, pelvic contractions leading up to orgasm, heart rate, even pelvic blood flow. Sexual Aids of the Future may be able to learn a person's sexual response and alter stimulation patterns based on the data.

Maybe there will eventually be a gadget that will help men to last longer (so long, baseball!) or women to come more quickly. Maybe it will build sexual tension in such a lovely way that pleasure and orgasm are on the "better than average" side of the mountain more often than not. The technology is there, the ideas are there, all it takes is execution, I'm betting sooner rather than later. When the day of biometrically enhanced stimulation comes, I guarantee we will wake ‘n gadget with more than our iPhones.

Teledildonics: Long-Distance Yearning
Though most sex toys enhance in-person play, some toys facilitate sex between people across the miles. Take the PenisTron, for example, which looks and probably feels (thanks to vacuum effects) like a Fleshlight version of a vagina—and it can be controlled, tightened or slowed to a seductive drag by a man's partner out in the ether to simulate the two of them having sex.

There's also the Communication Hole Rider (which involves vacuum effects) and the Joystick (vacuum effects on the penis and a joystick up the butt)—all which can help to connect two people for interactive sex play.

It's not sex with a toy; it's sex with a person via a toy: Big difference. Sure, you miss out on the kissing. (The mostly male sex toy designers never seem to create toys that make out with you, except for some freaky robot girlfriends.) On the other hand, there's no risk for infection or pregnancy when you're doing it teledildonically.

My dream for teledildonics is that we eventually fine tune toys to produce more variety and transitions. IRL sex tends to move, for example, from sucking (vacuum effects) to licking (hey there, Sqweel) to mouth kissing (freaky robot girlfriend) to intercourse (vacuum again) to hand play (toned down version of the Fukuako glove) or whatever else you're into (furniture play?). And if it were me playing with a partner over the internet I'd want to touch, to kiss, to lick, to play in varied teasing ways—not just yank their junk with the PenisTron (though it's a good start). Who's with me?

Debby Herbenick, PhD is a Research Scientist and Associate Director of The Center for Sexual Health Promotion at Indiana University, a sexual health educator at The Kinsey Institute and author of Because It Feels Good: A Woman's Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction. She blogs at MySexProfessor.com.

This week, Gizmodo is exploring the enhanced human future in a segment we call This Cyborg Life. It's about what happens when we treat our body less as a sacred object and more as what it is: Nature's ultimate machine.

Remainders - Stuff We Didn't Post (and Why) [Remainders]

Dan Nosowitz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:20:00 -0500

Apple Issues Update for Current-Gen iPod Nano...Barnes & Noble Giftcards Won't Buy Ebooks, Screwing Some Nook Pre-Orderers...Dell Mini 3 Officially Launched in China...Palm Stock Skyrockets After Nokia Takeover Rumor...

Apple Issues Update for Current-Gen iPod Nano

Apple quietly issued a firmware update for its newest, video-taking iPod Nano, and it's pretty minor but does fix a few problems. Audio podcasts can now be played back in Normal, Slow or Fast modes, and a few random bugs were patched (Nike+ integration, mono audio, VoiceOver). It's in Remainders because it really is a minor update—we wouldn't even bother with it except the Nano is such a ridiculously huge seller. [TUAW]

Barnes & Noble Giftcards Won't Buy Ebooks, Screwing Some Nook Pre-Orderers

Apparently Barnes & Noble's giftcards will buy you everything B&N sells—except ebooks. It's an inexplicable and irritating omission, but what makes it really rankle is that nobody seems to know about it, even those who work at the stores. Check out this story:

My wife and kids pre-ordered a nook for my birthday at our local B&N. The sales person also sold her a $100 gift card to "get my eBook collection started." When I tried to purchase a few books, I found out that gift cards can't be used on eBooks.

What a dick move! We're going to assume ignorance on B&N's part, but this is sloppy stuff, especially given our proximity to the holidays—their giftcards are incredibly popular and this will not be an isolated incident. Get it together, B&N. [Consumerist]

Dell Mini 3 Officially Launched in China

The Android-running Dell Mini 3 smartphone officially began its launch sequence today. It's been shipped out to sellers in China today, for release later this month, with a Brazil release to follow later this year. In early 2010 it should hit AT&T and Verizon—we'll see if we care by then. It's a noticeably low-key release, considering it's the first handheld in years from Dell, but it ends up in Remainders due to its current China-only status. [Electronista]

Palm Stock Skyrockets After Nokia Takeover Rumor

Palm stock skyrocketed today, with trading over 15 times heavier than normal, due to an odd rumor that Nokia would be buying the company. It doesn't really make any sense to us—Nokia is really unlikely to be purchasing a competitor to its Symbian line, and buying the beleaguered Palm would be a weird way to try to make gains in the US market. This one plops into Remainders because it's both unlikely and mere financial news, which isn't really that exciting. [Electronista]

It's a Gundam Pen [Gundam]

Jason Chen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:40:00 -0500

There are two types of people in the world: People that get excited about filling the shit out of their taxes with a Gundam pen, and people who are dead inside. Who are you? [Strapya via Technabob via Dvice]

7 Ways for Best Buy to Make Its 24-Hour Store Kick the Apple Store's Ass [Advice]

Adam Frucci — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:00:00 -0500

So, Best Buy's new store in NYC is going to be open 24 hours during the week. Apple also has a 24-hour store in NYC, but this could be way better. I have some pitches for you, Best Buy.

1. Capsule Hotel
Say you're in Union Square, it's 4am, and you're drunk. Far too drunk to figure out how to get back to Queens on the subway. Well, why not go and crash in the capsule hotel at Best Buy for $15? And when you get up, you can make a quick video game impulse purchase to help nurse your hangover with.

2. Pay by the hour video games
Best Buy has tons of huge, beautiful TVs. They also have boatloads of video games and consoles. Why not use all that gear? If they set up Xboxes on those big TVs, they could charge people by the hour to play on them late at night. Say, from 11pm-6am. I'm sure they'd make a boatload of cash from semi-drunk people paying $20 to kill each other in Call of Duty before going home after the bars.

3. Food
Of course, you've gotta have food late at night. Might I suggest a make-your-own sundae bar? Just make sure you've got enough wet naps on hand to keep all of your nice products from being covered in sticky fingerprints.

4. Skee-ball
Everybody loves skee-ball!

5. Karaoke
Again, this would be a great way to showcase your TVs as well as the big musical instruments section that this new flagship Best Buy is going to have.

6. Hot Tubs
Look, if you want to get people into your store late at night, you've gotta offer incentives. And there are few better incentives than a hot tub on a cold night. Combine this with #2 and I'd practically live there.

7. A Bar
Why only settle for people shopping after they've been out drinking when you can sell them their drinks as well? Do you know what the profit margins are on booze sales? Enough to make you rethink being an electronics retailer, that's what.

Finger Touching Phone Concept Gives You Touchtone Knuckles [This Cyborg Life]

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:40:00 -0500

The Finger Touching phone concept is perfect if you're not brave enough to have a phone embedded under your skin, yet still want to look trendy and futuristic. Granted you'd look dorky talking into your hand, hologram buttons or not.

The idea is that the phone's keypad is projected onto your hand and the "buttons" separated by knuckles. Once you dial, you would hold your hand to your head a la the international "call me" pose. It's a neat concept, but somehow it just wouldn't fit into the Bionic Body Shop. Maybe the Cyborgism QVC Channel. [Yango Design]

This Is How an Earthquake Propagates Through the Entire Planet [Graphics]

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 21:00:00 -0500

Wired thinks that Roy A. Gallant's 1950 classic science books need to be updated with 21st-Century style and information. They're right, but while their artwork may be flashier and more accurate, it is not necessarily clearer. Take these two examples.

In the first one, you can try to see how earthquakes propagate through the entire planet in three dimensions. I say "try" because, while the graphic looks very cool, the interpretation of all those information layers is not easy in 3D space. In this case, a classic bi-dimensional cut—using the latest scientific data—would do a much better job at explaining what is basically a symmetric movement through the planet's core. The only better technique would be to add time through animation.

The slicing of Earth's atmosphere has the same problems. It may be fun, but not necessarily clearer than the old 2D version:

The crosscut would show distances more accurately, and the whole representation would be easier to interpret than the fake 3D video. Not to talk about one undeniable fact: I like the Flash Gordon spaceships better. [Wired]

Potential Fix Available For Banned Xbox 360 Users [Xbox]

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:52:05 -0500

The millions of Xbox Live players who were banned because of their modded Xbox 360 consoles may get a second chance with some firmware workarounds. Beware though, it's a complicated process.

First you'll need to get iXtreme LT, which'll attempt to return your console to a playable state. The catch is that you need to know your CPU code and that the instructions rely on a lot of different (free) tools.

Has anyone used this or another workaround to get their Xbox playing again? [DailyTech via Crunchgear]

Robot Practices Tai Chi And Swordplay In Preparation To Kill Us [Robots]

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:20:00 -0500

The first HUBO robot innocently rode a Segway. The HUBO 2 looks like he's ready to turn into a killer ninja-bot as he practices tai chi, hones his swordsmanship, and still has time for a drink.

We are so screwed. [Plastic Pals via Crunchgear]

AMD Phenom II Breaks 7GHz Barrier [Amd]

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 20:01:21 -0500

7.08GHz. That's the record-shattering speed an AMD Phenom II processor was overclocked to using a massive amount of liquid helium. You can watch the whole process in this documentary video set to one kickass soundtrack. [Crunchgear]

The Seaglider, Hunting [Ocean]

Brian Lam — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:53:16 -0500

This microphoned submarine glider has been collecting ocean sounds for a few weeks. When it is plucked from the sea in a few more, researchers will use software to parse its audiofiles for rare beaked whale songs. [Wired]

This Week's Gaming Stories You Cannot Miss [Roundups]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:40:00 -0500

Look, it's the box art from Star Trek Online (along with new screens and impressions)! Also read on for the latest infotainment regarding Diablo III, a Diablo clone, the Avatar game and, of course, Modern Warfare 2.

Even More Star Trek Online Screens
Confession: I downloaded these off Atari's press site, just for my own personal "use."

Star Trek Online Preview: Ignoring Regulation
Btw, Jason Chen and I are also very actively begging our way into a press beta. Wish us luck.

LEGO Rock Band Review: Redefining The Rock Block
Spoiler: It's like every other Rock Band title, but with LEGO.

Avatar: The Navi Side Of The Story
Which will lose more money, the movie or the game?

StarCraft II Expansions, Diablo III Coming in "Next Few Years"
Just like I predicted, Diablo III won't be here until 2011...at the earliest. Being right can suck.

Diabloriffic Torchlight Coming To Retail
So since Diablo III will take so long, feel free to sleep around a bit.

Modern Warfare 2 Sells Nearly Five Million Copies In A Day
That's a launch of over $300 million in revenue.

Borderlands Sequel A "No-Brainer"
My siren is level 28. Frucci's hunter is like level bajillion.

They Made The Wii Bowling Ball, And They're Not Done Yet
There's plenty more plastic crap where that came from!

Oh...and as a little bonus, the worst lines in the history of video games:

[Today's Big Thing]

Japan Developing Its Own Stealth Fighter Jet [Airplanes]

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:20:00 -0500

This is the Shinshin ATD-X, the prototype of what could be Japan's very own stealth fighter if they don't get to buy Lockheed Martin F-22s. It's very sleek, but I'm sad it doesn't transform like a Varitech.

The Japanese military seems to be very happy about it, although it's not clear it will ever pass the prototype test phase. For now, only a full scale mockup for radar profiling—it appears as a group of insects or a bird, they say—and a RC model have been built. [Flight Global]

This Week's Best iPhone Apps [IPhone Apps]

John Herrman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:00:00 -0500

In this week's slightly more transparent app roundup: Malls, navigated! Instant messages, never ignored! Browser, bettered! Messaging, replaced! Hotel rooms, snagged! Photos, translated! Ghosts, faked! Blu-ray movies, supplemented! And more...

If you want to view this gallery as a list, click here

Point Inside: Fact: stepping foot in a suburban mall can drain your vitality in a matter of seconds. And though I don't think a deep disdain for the concept of indoor shopping complexes and what they've done to the very fabric of the American town was the driving inspiration behind Point Inside, they're definitely onto something: With hundreds of mall maps that look a lot like those big directory signs, this app gets you in and out of your local mall as quickly as possible, all for free. Could use a few hundred more maps—some of my old tweenage haunts weren't there—but if yours is listed, PI is great.

Agile Messenger: I've always been a little leery of Agile Messenger, since it's usually priced at around $10, up there with the likes of Beejive, and it's a little ugly—though the multi-account and push features are more than adequate. For a few weeks, though, it's just two dollars. And they've just added a new feature called "Walk and Type," which overlays your text over a live camera view, so you never have to take your eyes off you AIM conversations as you walk down the street. In theory. In practice, you will still die. Ranked for feature-bloat audacity, and shitty late night joke/newspaper cartoon potential.

Full Browser: As with every alternative browser in the App Store, Full Browser isn't really its own browser, since it's still using Mobile Safari's WebKit renderer. That said, FB's added features are worthwhile: the tabbing system, which is more traditional and desktop-like than Safari's, makes up for its rough looks with efficiency, in-app email makes life ever-so-slightly faster if you spend most of your time browsing, the favorite sites speed dial is a mite faster than using Safari's favorites, and inline text search is just, well, useful. A dollar.

WhatsApp: First, let's try this: WhatsApp is like BlackBerry Messenger for the iPhone. Cool, right? If that doesn't mean anything to you, it's like an instant messaging app, tied to your number—not a screen name or PIN or anything—that integrates with your contacts. If you have the app, your friend has the app, and you're both in each others' phonebooks, you're ready to go. Push notifications make this even more like BBM, in that you don't have to keep the app open. Free for now, so GO GO GO.

PicTranslator: Translates text from photos, from whatever language you want. I love it because it fits nicely with my vision of what smartphones should be doing for us in the next few years, and it seems to work pretty well most of the time. I don't love it because results are much, much better on the 3GS—you're basically limited to signage with the 3G and 2G, because they can't focus on small text—and because your $2 only gets you one language. Still though, extremely neat stuff, as long as you're aware of the limitations. And now you are, so!

PocketBlu/FoxPop: From Universal and Fox, respectively, these are the new Blu-ray companion apps. PocketBlu, available now but not really compatible with much yet, is like an enhanced remote control for compatible titles, making navigating various BD Live features a bit more intuitive. It'll also stream bonus content to your handset over Wi-Fi, which is pretty cool. FoxPop, which isn't quite out yet, does things a little differently: It's like a Popup Video feed that plays back trivia, photos, video, and other content to supplement the film. Bonus cool feature: it figures out where you are in the DVD or Blu-ray by listening to the soundtrack, and matching it to a timeline. Both should be coming soon to select releases.

Navigon Traffic: $90 for a navigation app is feeling more and more expensive by the day, and $20 for the new traffic function doesn't feel like a steal either. That said, there are no monthly fees after that initial charge, the traffic data is crowdsourced and rich, and Navigon is one of the best nav options out there. Worth your consideration, if not your dollars.

Priceline Negotiator: Priceline's main gimmick/selling point has always been its instant bid feature, and it's well-suited to the iPhone. Give it a location, make your hotel room bid, and you know if you've got it or not pretty much that second.

ARGH: I somehow missed this one in yesterday's augmented reality app roundup, so here goes. ARGH cheesily superimposes ghosts over your 3GS's camera view, as if there were actually there. Upon seeing ARGH, most of your friends will groan and tell you you've wasted your money. But! Your senile grandmother will be legitimately spooked, your pet dog will be mildly confused, and your little cousin will probably chuckle a little. Two dollars.

iVIP: This thing is basically I Am Rich, except it offers (some?) services, in the form of memberships to various clubs and societies. It sounds a bit like a scam (A Cineworld membership? Really?) and the concept is inherently deplorable, but in separating a special, horrible kind of rich person from their dollars, iVIP is doing the world a service. $1000, or $450 for the "Blue" version, which is blue.

This list is in no way definitive. If you've spotted a great app that hit the store this week, give us a heads up or, better yet, your firsthand impressions in the comments. And for even more apps: see our previous weekly roundups here, and check out our Favorite iPhone Apps Directory. Have a great weekend, everybody!

DSi Studio Kit Can Start Your Kid On a Path of Photography and Drugs Early [Add-on]

Jason Chen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:35:08 -0500

The DSi's camera is probably the lowest-quality camera device you can buy today that can still counts as a camera. But, it's still a camera, and your kids might enjoy making their photos slightly more interesting than the default shots.

Thrustmaster's $20 kit offers variable color filters, a macro lens, a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens. It's great for illustrating the fact that lenses change the way a camera works, since it's not quite something that clicks solidly in your brain until you see it firsthand. But it's only $20, so it's not too much to waste when your kid loses all the pieces. [Thrustmaster via Ubergizmo via Crunchgear]

Two Programmers Arrested For Roles In Bernard Madoff Ponzi Scheme [Crime]

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:28:35 -0500

Jerome O'Hara and George Perez were more than happy to generate false records concealing Bernard Madoff's ridiculous Ponzi scheme until the crap hit the fan. They took hush money at that point, but I doubt that'll comfort them in prison.

The pair supposedly had an eventual "crisis of conscience" and told Madoff that they would no longer lie for him. Of course, somehow their personal Jiminy Cricket crisis urged them to delete nearly all the programs designed to falsify records and take some cold hard cash for silence, too. Wonder what Jiminiy will say about the 30 years of prison time they now face. [NJ]

Why Buy a Water Purifier When a Crazy Russian Man Can Make You One? [Bad Ideas]

Adam Frucci — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:20:00 -0500

I don't speak Russian, so I don't really get what's going on here, but I think this guy is just filtering water through magnets and millet. I'll stick to a Brita pitcher, thanks. [Webpark.ru via Boing Boing]

At What Point Would Our Cyborg-selves Cease To Be Human? [Question Of The Day]

Sean Fallon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:20:00 -0500

Yes, it's the RoboCop question. How much of your body would you have to replace with machines before you could no longer be considered human? Let's break it down into percentages.

Do Verizon Phones Have Intentional Design "Flaws" That Scam You Into Data Charges? [Verizon]

Sean Fallon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:53:00 -0500

Have you ever got hit with a $1.99 data charge on your Verizon bill for accidentally hitting a button that connects you to "Get It Now" or "Mobile Web?" This design "flaw" might be netting Verizon $300 million per year.

A tipster writing to David Pogue claims to work at Verizon, and he explained his own moral frustration with the problem:

"The phone is designed in such a way that you can almost never avoid getting $1.99 charge on the bill. Around the OK button on a typical flip phone are the up, down, left, right arrows. If you open the flip and accidentally press the up arrow key, you see that the phone starts to connect to the web. So you hit END right away. Well, too late. You will be charged $1.99 for that 0.02 kilobytes of data. NOT COOL. I've had phones for years, and I sometimes do that mistake to this day, as I'm sure you have. Legal, yes; ethical, NO.

"Every month, the 87 million customers will accidentally hit that key a few times a month! That's over $300 million per month in data revenue off a simple mistake!

"Our marketing, billing, and technical departments are all aware of this. But they have failed to do anything about it-and why? Because if you get 87 million customers to pay $1.99, why stop this revenue? Customer Service might credit you if you call and complain, but this practice is just not right.

"Now, you can ask to have this feature blocked. But even then, if you one of those buttons by accident, your phone transmits data; you get a message that you cannot use the service because it's blocked–BUT you just used 0.06 kilobytes of data to get that message, so you are now charged $1.99 again!

"They have started training us reps that too many data blocks are being put on accounts now; they're actually making us take classes called Alternatives to Data Blocks. They do not want all the blocks, because 40% of Verizon's revenue now comes from data use. I just know there are millions of people out there that don't even notice this $1.99 on the bill."

Pogue notes that others have written in who are on different networks that have experienced similar problems. So this shady data charge scam might not be exclusive to Verizon—although they do have have a reputation for pricing policies that many would deem "excessive." So, my question is, how many of your monthly bills from Verizon include erroneous data charges? Have you experienced similar problems on another carrier? [Pogue's Posts via Consumerist Image via PhoneArena]

Apple iThink (It's Not Real, But You Know You Want It) [Concepts]

Mark Wilson — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:40:00 -0500

While it would be a shame to lose the understated flare of Jonathan Ive design, the prospect of a glowing Apple logo embedded in the rear of my skull would be a worthy trade.

That is, until my AT&T reception cuts out and my corneas fill with that damned spinning beach ball. (Click each image for bigger version.) [The Monkey Buddha]

Now Available [Now Available]

Kyle VanHemert — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:20:00 -0500

Today in Now Available: the Sonos ZonePlayer S5, a wireless speaker system controlled by the iPhone and iPod Touch; the Yamaha MCR-140 wireless iPod dock; the Lenovo U150 ultraportable laptop, and the game-changing FLO TV.

The Sonos ZonePlayer S5, an all-in-one wireless speaker system for iPod Touches and iPhones that is pictured above, is now available for your music listening needs. Sonos is well-regarded for the full-blown high-end wireless audio system, but in the ZonePlayer S5, priced at $399, they offer an accessible way to get one started. We reviewed the S5 earlier this month and found it an elegant solution for wireless home audio. The system is equipped with Wi-Fi, ethernet, and audio-in and -out jacks and can be controlled by a free iPhone/iPod touch app. For a location in your home in which a full stereo system is overkill—porch, kitchen, home office—the Sonos ZonePlayer S5 is just the ticket. You can order S5 directly from Sonos.

Designed by the community at Quirky.com, the PowerCurl snaps onto your MacBook's power supply, keeping the cord tidy and the charger looking funky. As an added benefit, the PowerCurl raises the charger off your floor or desk for "improved air circulation and cooling," not that you thought you needed it to begin with. Make all of this bright orange functionality yours by picking up the PowerCurl for $14.99 at Quirky.com.

The Lenovo IdeaPad U150 is now shipping and waiting to be perched awkwardly on your knees or balanced on your hand like a server's tray. The 3 pound, .75" thick ultra-portable has a 11.6" screen and runs on a CULV processor, 3GB of RAM and 250GB hard drive. Those specs can be beefed up by springing for the more expensive model instead of the standard one, already discounted to $749 and $649 respectively. The U150 isn't going to blow anyone away with its power, but it's a svelte little machine and the marbled effect on the exterior might turn a head or two. You can customize and purchase the U150 from Lenovo.

The Yamaha MCR-140 wireless iPod dock sounded good and looked even better when we got a chance to try it out in September. For $399.95, the MCR-140 offers wireless playback from iPods via Yamaha's uncompressed yAired technology, as well as a CD player, FM radio tuner, USB and minijack plugs for other audio sources. The unit is available in ten rad colors and can be had over at Yamaha.

The FLO TV Personal Television, a handheld device for watching television on the go, is finally available to be mocked by regular people in addition to those who got a chance to review the unit ahead of time. (We were one of them.) The device is $250 and requires a $9 monthly subscription, and for that you can watch all your favorite channels, including but not limited to CNBC, Comedy Central, MTV and the like. So you can watch the news, watch John Stewart make a mockery of the news, and watch the contestants on Real World Road Rules Challenge: The Ruins make a mockery of life. But the FLO TV doesn't offer a video out, so you'll be stuck watching it all unfold on the unit's 3.5" screen. If for some reason you want to buy this you can find out where on FLO's website.

10 Human Functions We've Already Handed Over To The Machines [Tgif]

Sean Fallon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 16:00:00 -0500

One idea behind a "cyborg life" is that we look to machines to take on critical, physical roles. These 10 machines illustrate how we have already begun passing the torch on tasks we are getting to lazy to do ourselves.

Remember handwriting? We have all but abandoned it, but the torch is being taken up by robots like Kuka, who has been put to work writing out copies of the Martin Luther bible. [BotJunkie]
Developed by Aberystwyth University and the University of Cambridge, Adam the robot was the first machine to independently discover new knowledge.

Using artificial intelligence, Adam hypothesized that certain genes in baker's yeast code for specific enzymes which catalyse biochemical reactions in yeast. The robot then devised experiments to test these predictions, ran the experiments using laboratory robotics, interpreted the results and repeated the cycle.

The results of the experiment were later replicated and confirmed by a team of human scientists. So, it appears that computers are not only doing our calculations, but they have begun thinking for us as well. [Scientific Blogging and Link]
Are you lactose intolerant? Do you have frequent heartburn or constipation? Perhaps one day your defective digestion system could be replaced with a more advanced version of the Cloaca machine. This thing simulates actual human digestion and, in the end, produces a turd you would be proud of. [Cloaca via Link]
Dishwashers have been around for decades, but we still have to physically put the dishes into the machine. This is completely unacceptable. Panasonic's robot takes care of the entire cleaning process from start to finish. [Link]
Seriously, what don't smartphones do for us these days? At the most basic level, these phones are how we communicate, how we entertain ourselves and how we gather information. Thanks to apps, smartphones are taking on even greater roles—like helping us keep our girlfriends happy without actually having to do any work. Girlfriend Keeper sends automatic texts and emails to your significant other depending on the intensity of your relationship. [Girlfriend Keeper]
If you are tired of your co-workers being promoted over you, just wait until a robot becomes your new boss. JAST or the "Teamworkbot" has the ability to observe and mimic human behavior. As you will see in this video, JAST already knows how to complete the task, so it observes the human's actions, anticipates his next move and dresses him down when he gets it wrong. [Link]
I'm pretty sure that allowing robots to take a critical role in surgery qualifies as crossing a Rubicon with respect to our level of trust in machines. The Da VInci robot enables a surgeon sitting at a console to control movements and equiptment with greater precision—resulting in a procedure that is minimally invasive. [Wikipedia]
It's only a matter of time before technology becomes advanced enough to allow lazy parents to turn over the duties of child-rearing to robots. In fact, it's already happening in Japan where robots like Tmsuk babysit kids in shopping malls thanks to RFID badges. They even have robot teachers like Saya that terrify elementary schoolchildren into doing their work.
The Affective Intelligent Driving Agent (AIDA) was developed by MIT to help drivers navigate, bitch about their driving when necessary, and keep them company on long trips.

"When it merges knowledge about the city with an understanding of the driver's priorities and needs, AIDA can make important inferences," explains Assaf Biderman, associate director of the SENSEable City Lab. "Within a week AIDA will have figured out your home and work location. Soon afterwards the system will be able to direct you to your preferred grocery store, suggesting a route that avoids a street fair-induced traffic jam. On the way AIDA might recommend a stop to fill up your tank, upon noticing that you are getting low on gas," says Biderman. "AIDA can also give you feedback on your driving, helping you achieve more energy efficiency and safer behavior."

[MIT via Link]
While the AIDA robot helps you navigate, there are plenty of engineers working on cars that do all of the driving for you. Chevy's "Boss" Tahoe is one of the higher profile projects that have come out in recent years, winning the DARPA Urban Challenge in 2007 after successfully navigating a 60-mile course littered with obstacles. [Link]

This Video From the Tip Top of the Burj Dubai Makes Me Sick to My Stomach [Burj Dubai]

matt buchanan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:59:55 -0500

Hold me, I feel like puking after watching this video from the top of the Burj Dubai, the tallest man-made point on earth. The shaking? That's because the tower's wobbling. Vertigo, uggghhhhh. [YouTube via Skyscraper Forums via Mahoney's Playground]

Bill Gates Praises Steve Jobs For Saving Apple From Disaster [Blockquote]

Sean Fallon — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:40:00 -0500

Clearly, there is a mutual respect and admiration between Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Both have been complementary of each other in the past, but Gates had this to say about Jobs on CNBC last night.

Here is the full quote in context from the program Warren Buffett and Bill Gates: Keeping America Great.

"Well, he's done a fantastic job," Gates said. "Apple is in a bit of a different business where they make hardware and software together. But when Steve was coming back to Apple, which was actually through an acquisition of NeXT that he ran, Apple was in very tough shape. In fact, most likely it wasn't going to survive."

He continued: "And he brought in a team, he brought in inspiration about great products and design that's made Apple back into being an incredible force in doing good things. And it's great to have competitors like that. We write software for Apple, Microsoft does. They compete with Apple. But he, of all the leaders in the industry that I've worked with, he showed more inspiration and he saved the company."

Awww...how touching. [AppleInsider]

Google's Notoriously Tough Interviews Are Tough For Marketing Positions Too [Google]

Jason Chen — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:36:13 -0500

Having known lots of computer science people who interviewed at Google, we know exactly what kind of questions they're likely to ask potential applicants. Crazy ones. But we didn't know they would ask these questions for marketing positions too.

The first person account over at Business Insider is an interesting one, because it shows that everyone at Google is subject to some high standards. One sample question is "how much money you think Google makes daily from Gmail ads?" To which she blurted out the answer "$70,000," before quickly asking if they could ignore it while she figures out a better one.

Of course there are caveats to her story: She should have prepared more, she's kinda naive about the type of questions they're asking and maybe she's just not really right for the Google culture. Still, it's something worth checking out just for curiosity's sake. [Business Insider]

Eye-Fi Now Lets You Upload Blackmail Photos Straight To FTP Servers [Eye-Fi]

Rosa Golijan — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:34:00 -0500

As if direct-to-YouTube uploading didn't have enough potential for embarrassment, now Eye-Fi cards add the ability to send pictures directly to local FTP/FTPS server. [Crunchgear]

iPhone vs. Droid: Whoever Wins, We're All Still Losers [Painful Truths]

John Herrman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:24:06 -0500

I mean, I know this is funny—I get the joke, and it's clever!—but every time I try to laugh, it comes out as a sob. What gives? [XKCD]

Gadget Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]

Kyle VanHemert — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:00:00 -0500

It's Friday the 13th, and do you know what would be the worst luck of all? Missing out on all of today's deals. At the very least, go rent a scary movie for free at a Blockbuster Express kiosk.

Top Deals:
• HP Pavilion Elite e9210t Desktop PC $574.99 with free shipping (normally $849.99 - use coupon code SVNY56474).
• Onechanbara: Bikini Zombie Slayer (Wii) for $9.99 plus free shipping (normally $24.98).
• Blockbuster Express DVD Rental for $0 (use coupon code:GT11A).

Hobomodo:
• Blood and Fire 8 Track Compilation for $0 (download here).
• Galactic Gunner (iPhone/iPod Touch) for $0 (normally $2.99).
• Ravenhurst Puzzle Game from People for $0 ( use this form).
• Blockbuster Express DVD Rental for $0 (use coupon code:GT11A).
• "End of Time" from Grey's Anatomy MP3 for $0 (use this form).

If a deal looks too good to be true, investigate the store and see if it's a good, reputable place to buy. Safe shopping!

[Thanks TechDealDigger, Dealzon, Logic Buy, GamerHotline, Cheap College Gamers, CheapStingyBargains and TechBargains.]

The Year Apple and RIM Ate Everyone Else's Lunch [Data]

John Herrman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:28:24 -0500

For today's data dump: the iPhone now accounts for nearly a fifth of new smartphones, and BlackBerrys are on a surprisingly serious tear, passing a 20% in world market share. So, uh, who's losing?

Well, for one, Nokia, whose smartphones have failed to penetrate at all in the US, despite massive popularity overseas, and whose Symbian OS is starting to look downright old. Manufacturers like LG and Motorola, who for the last year were depending mostly on the waning Windows Mobile 6.1, have had a rough time of it, while Palm, presumably included in the "Other" category, consolidated its line to one phone for the duration of 2009, which has done wonders for its image, but unfortunately not for its sales.

Interestingly enough, Apple and RIM are doing spectacularly well for similar reasons: both have appealed to mainstream consumers with new products—the marked-down iPhone 3G and cheap-but-decent BlackBerry Curve line, respectively—while pushing app stores as a selling point. And honestly, look around. Smartphones are decidedly a thing right now.

I'll be interested to see what happens next year, when Android's had a little time to spread its wings. It looks like Google helped buoy HTC a little bit this year, but Android phones are still a rare sight. [Ars]

Synthetic Biology: Why Not Pursuing Crazy Biotech Is Dangerous [Interview]

Wilson Rothman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:00:00 -0500

We are at a biological turning point: We can invent organisms to make our drugs and fuel, even recode our DNA. It's easy to run away screaming, but author Michael Specter says we have to quit whining and face it.

Specter, who covers the science beat for The New Yorker, is pissed off. Forces on both the left and right have been coming down on good clean science like never before. Yes, this "denialism," as he calls it, comes from both sides. People on the left might think of it as Bush-flavored Intelligent Design agendas and bans on stem-cell research, while those on the right would recognize liberal whining about vaccinations and genetically modified food. It's all of these factions, and plenty more.

And in his new book, Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives, Specter demonstrates that ignorance is death.

For our discussion—fitting the theme of This Cyborg Life—we singled out synthetic biology, a pursuit, as Specter describes it, that "by combining elements of engineering, chemistry, computer science and molecular biology, seeks nothing less than to assemble the biological tools necessary to redesign the living world." Here's an edited version of our discussion:

So we're talking about, synthetic biology, the ability to take cells or small organisms and turn them into machines?

Yeah, that's essentially where building machines, unbelievably complex ones, that will eventually be able to do whatever we want, out of cells and chemicals.

Yeah, so we just mix some chemicals in a pot and suddenly we got a car manufacturer?

Well, it's a little more complicated than that, but that's the direction we're moving in—you put some chemicals together and you get an organism, and then you get a more complex organism, and you get organisms that'll do things, and you can get drugs, or chemicals, or plastics or fuel... These [scientists] are trying to take basic sugars, basic chemicals, and make it so they can digest carbon (which is kind of exciting though we're not there yet) or just diesel fuels, plain fuel, that doesn't emit any sort of greenhouse gasses. That has happened in small scales—we're there. It's just a question of scaling.

So why is this kind of low-level synthetic approach better doing than, say, the guys making fuel from algae?

I think the hope is that this will be cheaper and more stable. I don't know that it's better. I'm sort of agnostic on that, I think you'd rather have a lot of different approaches that are kind of greenhouse gas neutral. And whatever works, you'll use. And you know we're not gonna have one source of energy, we're gonna have a bunch. We're gonna have wind, we're gonna have solar, we're gonna have chemicals.

When we look at the malaria drug [one of the first products that can be manufactured through synthetic biology—and a project funded by the Gates Foundation], they are going to be able to make all the drug that is needed in the world in a couple of vats. One of the reasons that's exciting is because it's a stable, easy way to regulate the manufacturing, to make sure that it's done properly. We have a big problem with malaria medicine because it's misused, it's taken the wrong way, it's counterfeit—and this is a way of regulating it. I think we'll see that with energy sources too. It'll be solid.

In the book, you refer to the opening of the Will Smith film I Am Legend, when doctors say they've harnessed the measles virus and turned it into a cancer killer, a mutant virus that eventually turns everybody into zombies. But two years after the movie comes out, real doctors from the Mayo clinic say that they're using measles strains as a real cancer treatment, in real life.

The point I'm trying to make is, these things are a little scary. Anything that powerful has to have a downside. And we need to know what the downside is, we need to talk about the downside. And we need to acknowledge it exists and say to ourselves—and sometimes we won't agree—but say to ourselves, "Gee, you know what, the potential benefits outweigh the risks." Sometimes we won't think that. But I do believe that lots of times, given the information, we would think that way.

We're on the verge of creating our own viruses that go into the body—I mean, is that right?—they go into the body and they do something good rather than bad.

Yeah, but the thing is, that has a bad connotation but it ought not to. There's a guy named Eckhard Wimmer who created a fake version of the polio virus, and lots of people screamed, because why would you do that? I even trashed him in an article once and I was wrong and so were those people. What he had been trying to do was to make synthetic vaccines. In order to make totally synthetic, rapidly reproducible vaccines, you need to understand the viruses. Wouldn't it be great if, for H1N1, instead of growing tons of this stuff in eggs in Pennsylvania, we could just gear up instantly, making in factories all around this country, so that we could have millions of doses in two weeks? That's not a pipe dream; that can happen.

Who says whether this kind of research happens or not? Who pounds the gavel?

If you live in America, it'd be some sort of Democratic process. We need to have some sort of regulatory framework. Who approves a new drug? It isn't just a pharmaceutical company that says, "Hey, I've gotta drug, let's put it out there." No, there are tons of hoops to jump through, and we need to have some hoops. And we need to make those hoops reasonable so that they're not so ridiculous that no one bothers to try to jump through them but not so easy that we're endangering our citizens.

But the scientific progress will probably continue regardless of whether there's a discussion or a regulatory framework?

I've never seen anything in the history of our planet where human progress has stopped. People have gotten in the way, people have slowed things down, but yeah it continues. People do the work. And so I think we kind of need to get on board and harness that work. Some people said, "We need to stop some things," but I don't think that can happen. I don't think we can turn information back.

Right. In your book, you mention that Bill Joy's argument was to just put a padlock on certain venues.

Yeah, and I understand why he said that, I just don't think it's realistic. I don't think that's the way the human animal is built or has ever acted.

The point I think that you make in the book is that, if American science infrastructure bans certain researches, it's not gonna stop people who are outside America from doing the research, and maybe won't stop people who we definitely don't want to be doing this research.

It's true. Look at the stem cell ban. People went elsewhere to do it. It set us back, it set the world back. But it isn't like it stopped. That's a good thing, but it could be a bad thing. If we're gonna do sort of high-end synthetic biology, and be creating all sorts of exciting but theoretically scary things, let's do it in this country. Let's not have it done in some place with no regulatory system.

What's the worst thing that could happen here?

You mean like in terms of?

I mean in terms of messing around with this particular biological technology.

Look, the worst thing that can happen when you mix genes around is you can let something loose that you can't bring back that destroys, you know, fill in the blank. Humans? Animals? Life? That is the worst thing. That is the doomsday scenario and it... it can happen, these things can happen.

We have had agricultural biotechnology for 35 years and we've planted two billion acres. And people still talk about how it's untried and untested. It isn't untried. It isn't untested. It doesn't make people sick. It doesn't mean there aren't problems with it. But to go right to the idea that the worst thing will happen, it's crazy. There's always a worst case scenario. We don't need to assume it. We need to think about it.

And then obviously the upside, this is the point of the book, the upside far outweighs the downside.

Yeah, you know, the worst case scenario is something goes awry and destroys the universe. OK, that's the worst case scenario, and it's a pretty remote likelihood.

Now, a pretty good likelihood is, if we continue living the way we live, my kid, who's 16 years old, maybe she won't live a whole life because people are dying of skin cancer like crazy in 50 years. This isn't so long from now. We have really severe problems we need to address instantly. And those are the potential benefits of this research. We don't talk about that very much. We need to do the work and find out and make our decisions and not decide beforehand that it makes no sense.

If this has piqued your interest, or if you're just tired of people bitching about stem-cell research, genetically altered foods or the alleged evil that lurks in vaccinations, be sure to pick up Michael Specter's amazing book Denialism: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives, and meanwhile have a look at his most recent piece on synthetic biology in The New Yorker. Thanks Michael!

Special thanks to Kyle the Intern for transcribing the interview

Sony Says So-Called Leaked TV Lineup Is Total BS [Rumor Smash]

Wilson Rothman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:59:51 -0500

Here's the official word from Sony, who is not even playing coy here—they're just flat-out calling the so-called leak a fake:

The information posted regarding Sony television models is incorrect. Any specifications, model names, photographs or other details were not issued by Sony and do not represent the company's current or future product line.

Funky Paper Shoes, Humping Paper Beasts, Or Both [Shoes]

Jesus Diaz — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:20:00 -0500

To be honest, at first they looked like humping paper beasts and I thought: "Hmmm, nice." Then I learnt they were paper shoes and I thought: "Hmmm, nice."

Either way, these are funky and pretty. [Le Creative Sweatshop via Mocoloco]

Dear Palm Treo 650 With Android: You Are Inspiring [Android]

John Herrman — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:54:18 -0500

One of the most exciting things about Android was the idea that it could be ported back to older handsets. This turned out to be harder than expected, except or a few HTCs and, amazingly, a Palm Treo from 2004.

The 650, which runs old-school Palm OS, must be straining to boot Google's mobile OS, working with just 32MB of RAM and a 312MHz processor—a far cry from even the G1, which isn't known for its snappy performance. But, with time and patience, she flickers to life anyway. And for its mere fact of existence, this Frankensteinian monster should be applauded. Onward and downward, brave Android hackers. [Engadget]