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Technology, Culture, Commentary on the Internet Revolution

Archive for March 2008

March 17th, 2008

Japanese Bikini Model Shoots Dancing Stormtrooper

I don’t know what’s cooler — that top Japanese blogger Danny Choo would cosplay an Imperial Stormtrooper and do the Caramel Dance in the streets of Tokyo, or that his camera girl is bikini model Amano Ai.

This is just more proof that chicks dig geeky bloggers.
Tags: Amano Ai, Caramelldansen, Danny Choo

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By Mike Abundo -- 1 comment

March 17th, 2008

Yahoo Buzz is Just Concentrated

Richard McManus and Michael Arrington both sing praises to Yahoo Buzz, claiming its traffic firehose is potentially stronger than Digg’s thanks to Yahoo’s mainstream audience. I propose that Yahoo Buzz’s firehose seems stronger only because it’s more concentrated.
Tags: Yahoo, Yahoo Buzz

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By Mike Abundo -- 1 comment

March 13th, 2008

Mind-Control Game Headset On Sale Christmas

What? All those years of perfecting my hand-eye coordination for nothing?
Imagine controlling a video game by thought alone. Two weeks ago at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Emotiv Systems showcased a new device, the Epoc, designed to help you do just that.
While Emotiv’s futuristic, dueling-octopus looking headset will initially be developed for video […]

By Mike Abundo -- 3 comments

March 13th, 2008

Sex Scandal Boosts MySpace Siren’s Sales

Have you heard of Ashley Alexandra Dupre? Thanks to MySpace and the clued-in folks at the New York Times, you will.
Tags: Ashley Alexandra Dupré, Eliot Spitzer, Music, MySpace, New York Times, Social Networking, What We Want

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By Mike Abundo -- 1 comment

March 13th, 2008

“Telepathic” Neckband Allows Voiceless Chat

Okay, so it’s not quite telepathy, but it’s certainly a step closer.
A neckband that translates thought into speech by picking up nerve signals has been used to demonstrate a “voiceless” phone call for the first time.
With careful training a person can send nerve signals to their vocal cords without making a sound. These signals are […]

By Mike Abundo -- 0 comments

March 11th, 2008

MacBook Air Confuses Airport Security

Last week, I was playing Final Fantasy VI on my Nokia N95 when a building guard told me I shouldn’t take pictures. I had to point out that the lens cap was closed, and that his building looked nothing like Figaro Castle.
Of course, that’s nothing compared to what technologist Michael Nygard went through at the […]

By Mike Abundo -- 0 comments

March 11th, 2008

Publishers Dropping Audiobook DRM

The music industry is dropping DRM, and now the audiobook industry is following suit. The best part is, they’re not acting based on a trend. They’re acting on actual data.
Publishers, like the music labels and movie studios, stuck to D.R.M. out of fear that pirated copies would diminish revenue. Random House tested the justification for […]

By Mike Abundo -- 0 comments

March 11th, 2008

Michael Jackson and Sony Keep Beatles Off iTunes

Today’s musicians are lucky. They can operate without a record label. The Beatles were not so fortunate.
The company that owns the rights to a vast majority of The Beatles music catalog has questioned reports that the Fab Four have cut a deal with Steve Jobs.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing, the joint venture owned by Sony and singer […]

By Mike Abundo -- 0 comments

March 7th, 2008

Student Faces Expulsion for Facebook Study Group

Note to self: do not send kids to Ryerson University. They’re a bunch of neo-Luddites.
Study groups may be a virtual trademark of the Ivory Tower – but a virtual study group has been slammed as cheating by Ryerson University.
First-year student Chris Avenir is fighting charges of academic misconduct for helping run an online chemistry study […]

By Mike Abundo -- 0 comments

March 7th, 2008

Google and Microsoft Bidding on Digg?

Is Kevin Rose in for a well-deserved payday?
We hear from a source very close to the deal that four companies are in heavy due diligence with Digg - two media/news companies, and two big Internet companies - Google and Microsoft. And Google and Microsoft are on the verge of making their bids.
Digg is prepared to […]

By Mike Abundo -- 0 comments