Technically Speaking

Gimmie, gimmie, gimmie

Before I launch into the depths of the laptop sea, I saw this! Oh Man, do I want one of these. Now THIS is what I call a keyboard - shades of Star Trek control panels. This could be the real future of the humble keyboard rather than the rather strange ergonomic efforts we have seen before. Just think how useful it could be to be able to configure your keyboard just the way you want it and then change it for another persons preferences on the fly. You know, the future's so bright I have to wear shades. Next post - laptops - I promise.

Getting started

Civillian and tourist space travel is one step closer this week. Richard Branson of Virgin fame was chosen to announce the completion of the carrier 'plane for Spaceship Two, the projected 8 seater sub-orbital craft. So far about 250 people have paid just over $200,000 for the privelege of flying above the atmosphere. To be honest, if I had the money, I would be one of them. The new 'White Knight Two' is named Eve after Branson's mother and is also the first of it's kind. It's also the largest carbon composite aircraft ever built. All that remains now is that the Spaceship Two is completed (about 70% now) and tested before the first paying passengers board. I really hope that this all goes quickly and smoothly as I believe this could usher in a whole new space race. Maybe I'll win the lottery tonight and be able to contact Virgin Galactic tomorrow for my ticket to the future.

Walking tall

Argo Medical Technologies based in Israel have come up with an invention that could, if developed, be a great boon for people like myself with mobility issues. The ReWalk  is essentially an exoskeleton designed to aid people with walking and climbing stairs. Developed as a type of vertical wheelchair that would replace a whole slew of assistance devices and allow a much better quality of life for those people confined to regular wheelchairs or with significant muscular deterioration - like me, for instance. I will be watching developments in the commercial release and testing of these clever devices. In fact, I have already written to the company for updated information. With the rising number of older and potentially disabled citizens in our society, the need for such devices becomes more and more apparent.

Zap attack!

I’m not sure if this is real or a hoax, but it smacks of typical modern-age paranoia. It’s reported that a senior government official with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has expressed great interest in safety bracelet that would serve as a stun device, similar to that of a Taser. According to this video found at the Lamperd Less Lethal website, the bracelet would be worn by all airline passengers. This bracelet would not only contain all the passenger information regarding their tickets but also monitor their bags and, if necessary, shock the wearer on command, completely immobilizing them for several minutes. What! Now come on, that’s just a little too much, isn’t it? According to a letter from the Homeland Security official, Paul S. Ruwaldt of the Science and Technology Directorate, office of Research and Development, to the inventor whom he had previously met with, he states, ‘to make it clear, we are interested in…the immobilizing security bracelet, and look forward to receiving a written proposal’. This is nuts! However, I can see the comments now;

‘It’s OK if you aren’t a ‘bad’ guy’.

‘It’s all about safety, isn’t it?’

'I feel safe knowing the government approves it.’

I know the world is a scary place and the possibility of the loony terrorist attack is ever present, however, you can take things too far. For example: remember that (so far) only one deranged nutter walked onto a ‘plane with explosives in his shoes and no other instance has been found since. However, we all now have to take our damn shoes off to be scanned – just in case. Can you say overkill – I knew you could. Now, I do believe that security is important, but this make me feel less safe than before. Technology is not always for our benefit. Trust government? Are you crazy!

Brodys' revenge.

We probably all remember how the Intrepid Police chief finally got rid of that pesky great white shark in Jaws. Now a company has taken that rather 'explosive' idea a little further. The 'WASP Injector Knife' contains  a CO2 canister in the handle which, when a small button on the hilt is triggered, injects a blast of 850psi gas through a channel in the knife's blade, inflating the target with a painful and debilitating pocket of gaseous pain. According to rumours and speculation, this nasty little thing will sell for about $400 and be made available to the general public. To be honest, I really wouldn't like to get within knife range of a shark just to find you've forgotten to put in that little cannister of instant death. It would probably be a damn messy thing to clear up afterwards as well.

Global lunacy

This certainly isn't wonderful by any stretch of the imagination. Just take a look at this picture and tell me what you see. The tagline is, 'An Iraqi child armed with plastic toy weapons approaches a US soldier in the Shia enclave of Sadr City, Baghdad'. I know that video games and violent films show us the use of guns to solve 'problems' and many young people have difficulties in discerning fiction from reality, but this shows complete insanity. In this particular instance, I blame parents and other adults in allowing younger and younger children to 'play' with guns. This picture, however, just makes my blood boil. What in the name of all that's holy were they thinking? To allow kids to play with toy guns itself isn't an awful thing, but show some common sense. I recall a young child being shot in Ireland when he was poking the muzzle of his toy rifle around a corner at a British soldier. The soldier in question probably still has nightmares about killing that child. All he saw was a gun being pointed at him - what would you you do? Obviously, some moronic adults didn't learn anything. How long before we hear of another tragedy blamed on the wrong people?

Blink and you're miss it

Now I have seen over the years many strange ideas for car design, but this one from BMW just blows me away. It seems that the idea of an infinitely adaptable and adjustable car is just 'what the doctor ordered'. The use of fabrics and sheet metal frames to form the body of the car and only allowing the use of the instruments you need at that particular time sounds very clever but..... I always look at these great innovations and think,' what if it all goes wrong'. Does this beast have to ability to swallow up it's occupants if it goes nuts on you? Scary ideas aside, the idea certainly has merit and possibilities. Once you have the basic structure of your vehicle - sedan, coupe or SUV - you just program the fabric portion to do whatever you need and provide a customized look. With latest techniques, you would be able to change the colour 'on the fly' - neat! As much as this looks like a cool idea, I somehow don't think that this will be in showrooms anytime soon - probably at the same time the flying cars become available - don't get me started on that one!

The blame game

If there is one thing that makes me mad, it's when people in the service industry blame their computer systems for their own errors. I really have no issue when a genuine mistake is made and the person responsible owns up and does their best to resolve the situation. Computers only do what they are programmed and told to do and it's very much a case of GIGO - Garbage In, Garbage Out. Here is a case in point and I suppose it's my little rant of the day. Sit back and enjoy. As you may know, my son bought his new car and was introduced to the wonderful world of insurance. Anyhoo - he got a reasonable quote and the agent appeared to take time to get everything right and to get him the best value for his hard earned dollar. Well, what a surprise in the post less than two months later. It appears that an error (surprise, surprise) was made and, in fact, he owes State Farm an extra $115 per month! To cut a long story short - it seems that the agent quoted him a rate based on age 21 - he's only 20. I have a very hard time thinking this was a mistake and the excuse that they put in the correct information but the 'system' messed it up cuts no ice with me. What are they doing to help and make things better? Nothing. No surprises there. I suggested that a personal cheque from the agent involved for all or a portion of the increase be sent - you know that ain't gonna happen. Well, it's a harsh lesson for my son to learn and there is one State Farm agency that's going to get a bad name and no extra business from anyone I know. 

Good job everyone

We made it! Phoenix is down safe on the surface of Mars and has already sent back images of the surface. Well done guys! I have only one criticism - there is nothing in the pictures that really tells me that they weren't taken in the gravel quarry down the road. Perhaps we have become jaded about all these images from other worlds. Can it be that we are bored with space exploration? I hope not, as we are on the brink of taking real giant steps in exploring our Solar System and the wonders around us. Don't lose that sense of wonder and that zeal for exploring the unknown. I, for one, am really excited that we have another success story on our hands and I know things can only get better. John Carter would be proud!

Jolly good show

It all depends on your viewpoint – literally. You can now look into the end of what appears to be a giant telescope in London, England and see what’s going on in New York, USA and vice versa. Is it all done with mirrors or fibre optics? You decide on which explanation suits your mood. Artist and inventor Paul St Georges’ ‘Telectroscope’ connects New York and London with one end emerging next to Tower Bridge on the banks of the Thames - the other is next to the Brooklyn Bridge on the banks of the East River. It looks like something HG Wells might have imagined. Each end has a giant telescope-like construction which appears to punch its way out of the earth. There are dials, levers and thermometer gauges on the side of the 20m long brass and wood construction giving it a steampunk look. Peer into it and you can see people on the other side of the Atlantic. Wave at them, they wave back at you. Write on the whiteboard, and ask a question, and they will write back. It does seem that the basic idea of a transatlantic communication ‘tunnel’ is not new as this 100 year old image shows. The idea of a tunnel between Europe and North America is a one that still has its promoters.

Beam me Up

Carrying over the sci-fi tone from my other blog, here is a little home feature that any self respecting Trekkie would swoon over. This clever guy has created his own LCARS panel to control various functions around his house. It just shows that a little imagination and, I'm sure, a lot of hard work can create something special. Do I want this is my house? Are you nuts! Of course I do.

Fingers crossed

On May 26th there should be a bright light in the sky of our red neighbor in space, as the latest Earth lander, Phoenix, makes it way to the surface of Mars. Scientists are preparing for ‘seven minutes of terror’ as the NASA spacecraft makes its nail-biting descent. The Phoenix lander will begin a three-month mission to investigate Mars' geological history and potential habitability. Phoenix will touch down on the northern plains, which are understood to hold vast stores of water-ice just below ground. The lander will then use a 2.4m robotic arm to dig through the protective topsoil layer to this water-ice below; a scoop on the arm will lift samples of both soil and ice to the lander's deck for detailed scientific analysis. But Phoenix must first make the perilous journey to the surface. The spacecraft will enter the top of the Martian atmosphere at almost 5.7km/s (13,000mph). Pushing hard against the Martian air, its descent will begin to slow. A parachute will then be deployed to reduce the rate of fall still further. Finally, Phoenix will fire thrusters to bring its velocity down to about 2.4m/s (5.4mph) before its three legs touch the ground. This is the first time that this type of landing has been attempted in 32 years. Prior probes have used the cushioned landing using huge balloons to bounce over the ground. Confirmation of a successful touchdown could come as early as 1953 EDT. Let’s keep our fingers crossed on this one and pray that the ‘Mars curse’ doesn’t strike again. According to NASA's new associate administrator Ed Weiler, ‘fifty-five percent of all human attempts to land robots on Mars have failed’. Phoenix was launched way back on 4 August 2001 on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral.

Meet the meat

Now, I know that keeping your iPod's exterior looking pristine involves getting a cover for it, but this is too much. If you want to make a real statement, don't bother with having a nice leather or cloth iPod sleeve. Oh no. Really gross your friends out with this meaty offering from Japan. Of course, don't just get one for the shock value - this thing oozes pure, sophisticated style (sure it does). If you've got about $66 and dignity to spare, it can be all yours.

This won't hurt - much

This is a story that is certainly weird but not wonderful. I'm sure that you, or someone you know, has had installers work on a vehicle. Whether a new sound system a GPS or just a replacement speaker. Here is the question; do you trust them to do it right? Here is a little story that might make you think twice. Now, I know that this is an unusual case, but have you ever wondered why they typically don't want you there when they install 'stuff'? It's because of possible issues like this that I will always insist on seeing what people are doing to my property. The same caution should apply to the various stores that offer installation services. It really, really, is not difficult to install a stick of ram or to install software. By the time you have waited for some 'squad' or other to do the work for exorbitant money, you could have done it yourself and saved a bundle of cash. it's not that I don't trust people, it's just that I don't trust people! The best advise I can give anyone relying on a 'professional' installer, is to know what is required and to be aware of what they are actually doing. Don't be afraid to speak up if you think something is not quite kosher.

An idea whose time has come?

You've got to love the magazine 'Popular Mechanics', apart from getting many people interested in the technological revolution and keeping a sense of excitement in innovation, it can also come up with really weird stuff. This dog carrier concept is one of these really strange ideas that makes us giggle and wonder, 'what were they thinking'? Actually, it's quite a good idea and would certainly have kept the car interior smell and hair free, but can you see the snag yet? Yes, you've got it! The device relies on a running board to support the dog - when did you last see a car with running boards outside a museum. This idea still has possibilities though - could be good for kids. It would make it easier when they start asking, 'are we there yet?', or if they start beating up on their siblings - just pop them into the 'kiddy carrier' and have a trouble free trip.

Shocking

That Dr. Ho has a lot to answer for. Here is a company that takes his basic idea of electrical massage therapy a step further. The company, Mindwire, and their electroshock feedback device, the V5, is designed to really give you a real ‘feel’ for the game. The device works by splitting your controller input to the ‘brain’ of the V5 and your console, then sends electric jolts via electrode pads on your skin – how nice – the Marquis De Sade would be proud. At the present time they have a model tested and working with the PS2, Xbox, GameCube, and PCs, though they appear to be making preparations for current gen consoles in newer versions. Just think, you can cause yourself pain for the reasonably low price of only $200. The other option would be someone poking you with a sharp stick – oh! You’d like that? You’re weird.

Thanks for all the fish

Technically speaking, these people are nuts. Well, that's my opinion anyway. The VHEMT or Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, believes that Humans are a blight upon the Earth and we should stop breeding and allow the human race to die out and go extinct. Like you, I thought it was a joke, but it's not - these weirdos are deadly serious - sorry if I offend any members of the organization. Why do these organizations only exist in the US - must be something in the water.

Lunatics running the asylum

On first glance I thought this was a joke, but the joke is on me. It appears that there is a real problem with people walking and texting at the same time - do they have issues with walking and chewing gum as well? In perhaps the most extreme version of the 'nanny' state, a UK  charity has decided to help these morons by wrapping padding around various obstacles such as lampposts and traffic signs. It's probably the funniest thing I have seen in years. What's next, wrapping cars in padding and perhaps making everyone live in padded room. Strangely enough, this is not something all that new in the world. I understand that, due to the Tzar's son Alexei having hemophilia, they padded all the trees in a park so he wouldn't hurt himself while walking about.

Cease firing!

The legality of future ‘intelligent’ weapons, within international, criminal and civil law was the topic at the conference on ‘The Ethics of Autonomous Military Systems’. Can a robot commit a war crime? According to barrister and engineer Chris Elliot, it would currently be illegal for any state to deploy a fully autonomous system. ‘Weapons intrinsically incapable of distinguishing between civilian and military targets are illegal’, he said. 'Only when war robots can pass a ‘military Turing test’ could they legally be let off the leash', Elliot added. ‘That means an autonomous system should be no worse than a human at taking decisions about valid targets’. Hmmm. Sounds like there may be a potential serious issue here. As bad as ‘blue on blue’ or friendly fire (friendly to who?) is when caused by humans – how much worse would it be if caused by robotic devices under no human control. If our wonderful American allies make ‘mistakes’ now, at least we have someone to blame and punish. When it is just Bolo 90561/A that kills the wrong person, do you find the programmer or just turn it off – if you can. In the situation where you design a military robot that is self aware, is there any room for the 3 laws of robotics? Hopefully, we can turn to John Connor for help.

Little April showers

One thing that new technologies and new inventions bring to us is the ability to look a total doofus in public places. This new take on the venerable umbrella is just another of these daft ideas to make us look really dumb. The 'Nubrella' can be yours for a paltry $59.99 and will ensure that you will remain dry in any downpour while looking like a lost spaceman. When I showed this to my wife, she immediately saw the flaw in the design. True, the Nubrella will not invert like the traditional design, but what happens in a strong wind to the whole thing? It will try to take your head off! So, 100 points for a clever invention, but minus a few thousand for a totally impractical design for everyday use. Mind you, who thought that these silly things would 'take off'. Maybe I'm just talking out of my hat - or umbrella, in this case.

Get a grip!

Over the many years I have been in the IT world, I have seen just about every permutation of control device from weird joysticks to unusual mice (mouses?). Here is yet another one that is touted as the next 'best thing' since sliced bread. We are told that it will eliminate the stresses causing carpal tunnel syndrome and make usage easier. This design type is not new as other companies have used the vertical mouse idea before with poor results. Even companies that should know better have come up with the dumbest designs. Look at that remarkably silly mouse that the first iMac's came with - that stupid design was known to be one of the worst. Every few months we hear of one manufacturer or another saying that the keyboard/mouse combination is doomed - but I don't think so. After using all of the differing types of pointing and gaming devices out there - nothing beats the traditional mouse, keyboard and joystick. 

Running with scissors

Many countries in the Middle East are finding that their internet and telephone services have been curtailed due to a number of baffling incidents that have now resulted in four undersea communication cables being cut in the past week. Most telecommunications experts and cable operators say that sabotage seems unlikely, but no one knows what damaged the cables or whether the incidents were related. One theory - that a ship traveling off course because of bad weather was responsible for cutting the first two cables last week - was dismissed by the Egyptian government over the weekend as no ships passed the area in the Mediterranean where the cables were located. Undersea cables carry about 95 percent of the world's telephone and Internet traffic, according to the International Cable Protection Committee, an 86-member group that works with fishing, mining and drilling companies to curb damage to submarine cables. Two of the damaged cables, the Flag Europe-Asia cable and Falcon, are owned by Flag Telecom, a subsidiary of Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA Group who say that they have never had two cables down at the same time in the region. The most recent cable damaged was a cable operated by Qatar's Q-Tel, which linked Qatar to the United Arab Emirates through the islands of Haloul and Das. Counties locally are now getting rather suspicious and have launched they own investigations. No one has used the word ‘terrorism’ yet, but it may be only a matter of time. Incidents like this show how venerable we all are in a connected society. Think of the damage to the world’s markets if the ‘net is severely disrupted – scary, ain’t it?

Happy snaps

I have used many cameras over the years and one thing that I always insist on is a viewfinder of some sort - silly I know. However, it's rather nice to see what you are taking, wouldn't you think? Not to the folks that designed the EazzY USB digital camera. Essentially just a USB stick with a miniature camera added and a single button. They try to say it gives you the same feeling of not knowing how your analog (read film) camera images come out. At least I knew what I was pointing at! Mind you, if this was on sale for perhaps $9,99, I would be tempted - just as a bit of fun. Just think, this could become a piece of techno-fashion just like the iPod - or not. Hey! Once you have USB connectivity, you can do anything from USB powered ties and boots to USB powered heaters and cookers - I kid you not.

Politically incorrect?

This is maybe an idea whose time should be delayed a little. With the latest nonsense in the Sudan over a simple name choice and the furor this has seen to provoke, a robot teddy bear that can interact with its owner and could alert medical staff to changes in a sick child's condition may not be ready for ‘prime time’. It sounds like a great idea though and this is certainly not the first time we have heard of such a thing. The new bear, called Huggable (no, not Muhammad) will be tested in the Highlands of Scotland by  the Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Huggable, which is fitted with sensors, is being developed with assistance by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. It is said prototypes will be involved in a trial in the region in about three month’s time. A local company will soon be selected to further develop it. Researchers are working on technology that will allow the teddy to respond to cuddles and recognize its owner as they approach it. It is being designed as a companion for children and older people. Among the scientists' hopes is that the teddy will be able to raise the alarm if its owner is in distress.

I'll be back

With shades of the Terminator and pre-echoes of Mechwarriors, the latest efforts by Sarcos seem to be getting more and more successful. For many years they have been working on military exoskeletons that will not only aid a soldier in his normal tasks, but also protect and sustain him (or her). The latest developments appear to be very close to a production or at least pre-production model for actual battlefield testing. The one thing you will note from this video is the plan to built a protective shell around the basic unit and to even make them semi-autonomous - yikes! It seems that we are traveling down a very slippery slope indeed, what with Skynet being created around us and humans designing the tools of it's use - didn't anyone in the military or government watch Terminator? With the Predator drone and it's descendants and now the possible rise of the autonomous military robot can't they see the danger - no, of course not - they know what they are doing and nothing will go wrong...nothing will go wrong...nothing will go wrong...go wrong...go wrong...go wrong.

My turn to speak

Pop culture seems to be created by the strangest things. Who would have thought that the King of Spain's recent undiplomatic outburst at the Venezuelan president would become a ringtone hit across Spain. An estimated 500,000 people have downloaded the insult featuring the words ‘why don't you shut up?’ generating a reported $2m. King Juan Carlos asked Hugo Chavez to ‘shut up’ at a summit in Chile last week after the president said Spain's ex-PM Jose Maria Aznar was a ‘fascist’ and then kept trying to butt-in. Now you can even get branded mugs and t-shirts and there are also websites featuring the row. In Venezuela, a group of students who oppose Mr. Chavez’s government have also been downloading the ringtone; ‘It's a form of protest,’ say students in Caracas. Companies selling the ringtones have avoided legal problems concerning breach of the king's image rights by using an actor to voice the line. Even if you think that Mr. Chavez is a typical left-wing dictator in love with his own voice, he is still good for a laugh. Mind you, I’ll bet he doesn’t think it’s funny but it does keep him in the news – a good thing for a dictator.

Warming trend

As our environment seems to be the current issue on radio, TV and in our newspapers, I thought I would share this with you. After many years, I watched the film 'Soylent Green' again staring Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson (his last film) and was profoundly moved by what I was seeing. I first saw the film when it was released in 1973 and it seemed such a flight of fancy that it didn't make a huge impression (I was only 18!). When made the film was looking ahead almost 50 years to a future with hopeless overcrowding, global warming, processed foods and no way out. Now, with 15 years to go to 2022, it doesn't seem so far fetched. In fact, I feel quite scared and apprehensive about our near future. Soylent Green seems more a prophecy than just fiction. The film was based on the 1966 story 'Make Room, Make Room' by Harry Harrison and I wonder what he would think now about his imaginings. If you haven't seen this film I urge you to do so and, if you have seen it before, do so again. It will shake you up and perhaps wake you up. The future is made by all of us. Remember, 'the scoops are on their way'!

Are you reading my mail?

The grand old lady of Bletchley Park is back in business. After 60 years the Colossus computer is cracking codes again. The machine is being put through its paces to mark the end of a project by Mr. Tony Sale to rebuild the pioneering computer. It is being used to crack messages enciphered using the same system employed by the German high command during World War II. The Colossus is pitted against modern PC technology which will also try to read the scrambled messages. Colossus is widely recognized as being one of the first digital computers and was developed to read messages sent by the Germans during WWII. It was one of the first ever programmable computers and featured more than 2,000 valves and was the size of a small truck. The re-built Colossus will be put to work on intercepted radio messages transmitted by radio amateurs in Paderborn, Germany that have been scrambled using a Lorenz SZ42 machine - as used by the German commanders in wartime. When he started the re-build 14 years ago, all Mr. Sale had to work with were a few photographs of the machine. In its heyday Colossus could break messages in a matter of hours and proved its worth time and time again by revealing the details of Germany's battle plans. Colossus was part of the Ultra network that was able to read many of the Nazi high command’s messages and directives. Due to its sensitive nature many legends have grown up around the use of Ultra. One controversial story is that Churchill ‘allowed’ the bombing of Coventry to avoid ‘tipping off’ the Luftwaffe that the Allies could read their battle plans. I doubt we will ever know for sure.

Warm fuzzies

What the **?!!? is this. It's a Chumby, obviously - duh! If you really, really need a plush ball with a touchscreen, WiFi, accelerometer, squeeze sensor, alarm clock, digital picture frame, bite-sized web clippings, an iPod dock and USB ports, then this is for you. At the moment it's available for $179 (only in the US, sorry) and comes with beta software that is currently being updated. It's a rather strange device that defies any normal description. What it suggests to me is a rather unusual Christmas gift for that 'geek' who has everything. I think it's best to read the 'blurb' on the manufacturers website for the best information. I don't think anything I can say would be sufficient.

Bum de bum bum

We never really think about toilets do we? It's just there when we need it and a neat place to catch up on some reading. It's also good for jokes - 'I'm just like a toilet; people make a convenience out of me'. Yes, I know, not funny at all - sorry. Our wonderful oriental friends have always been - ahem - on top of the latest trends in WC design. Now you can get a toilet/bidet that will not only heat the water but also the seat (nice) but also raises or lowers the seat automatically - women will like that! It also caters to the push button fiends among us - there is also a remote control. Now, the Japanese designers tout this as a cost saving and environmentally friendly device - I think they just designed it to be a really neat idea. Read all about it here.

Hit me with your rhythm stick

I’m sure that this little story will have the anti-game crowd on their feet and yelling. A young man, Cory Ryder, wanted to hire a hitman to ‘take out’ his parents after being banned from using his TV and PlayStation due to failing grades at school. Of course, being an idiot, he threatened his parents and not being total nitwits they informed the police (must have been some threat). They decided to organize a sting operation where a police officer would play the role of a hitman. Naturally, Cory found his way to that very hitman and offered his dad's truck as payment, allegedly saying ‘two bullets is all it takes’. He was subsequently arrested – No! Really? It appears that they are pressing charges as this is not just a prank or joke. Was this motivated by playing certain games? Of course not. This is an angry kid that thinks he’s being so clever. Maybe if he tried to co-operate with his parents that might help – do you know of any teenager that will do that? No, didn’t think so. At least he didn’t try to ‘go for it’ himself – now that would be a real cause for concern. At this point, rather than pressing charges, I think taking away his damn PlayStation completely would be a good start. I’m mean, aren’t I?

Wood you believe it

Over the years I've seen almost every permutation of the venerable mouse and keyboard combination. I've seen prices from silly to almost free and still think that the tried and tested designs are the best. In the past, designers have tried to woo us with different finishes and textures. Typically these are premium items and really just a conversation piece rather than a usable product - much like the CEO with the expensive Mac on his desk just to look good - of course, they have no idea how to use it. Anyhoo, here's a company that have released their own wooden mouse and keyboard at a price that we can all afford. Now, here's the question. Do you need a wooden mouse? I don't, but if it excites you - go for it. Just don't blame me when the 'wood' peels off.

Where did you go?

For many years, the dream of military people has been to make their men and machines totally invisible to the enemy. Instead of just hiding in holes or around corners, the use of new technologies may just give them the reality to that dream. In the UK, the Ministry of Defense has advised that they are testing technology they claim makes tanks and troops invisible. The highly secret trials (couldn’t have been that secret) were conducted by the Royal Engineers and scientists from specialist researchers QinetiQ, the former research arm of the MoD who described the tests successful after they were able to make a vehicle seem to completely disappear. According to the clever ‘boffins’, the breakthrough was made possible by using cameras and projectors to beam images captured from the surrounding landscape onto a specially adapted tank coated with silicon to maximize their reflective qualities, resulting in the naked eye seeing only the view which is behind the tank. The technology could reach the battlefield within five years, they say. Aside from the tank, the British military is also testing a combat jacket working on the same principles. So Big Brother may not only be watching you – he may be also invisible while doing it. Paranoia ‘r’ us!

It's the end of the world

I have some homework for you - see this show . Cast your minds back to the blackout of August 2003. Considering it was over fairly quickly, it was seen as a rather amusing situation. Now, what if the power never came back - what would you do - how would your survive? I'll bet that you couldn't bring yourself to kill people threatening you or your family - would you even know where to get a gun or even use it. Would you know how to plough a field or how to butcher a cow? On the TV-Links web site I found an almost forgotten BBC TV show that, in their first episode, addresses this very situation. It really makes you question our secure little lives and the fragility of the technology we rely on.

Buck Rodgers; eat your heart out

The future is here! Looking very like the vehicles from a 50’s pulp science-fiction magazine cover, the Aptera may be gracing our streets soon if the hype is to be believed. After promising a 200 MPG output, the company is taking the next step to availability by accepting pre-orders for the car, which apparently now boasts a range of 300 MPG in typical driving conditions. What's more, the company says it’s also readying an  all-electric version of the vehicle in addition to the plug-in hybrid model, with promising to last for around 120 miles before needing a recharge. Both models will also apparently come packed with features, include driver and passenger side airbags, interior and exterior LED lighting, a ‘solar assisted’ climate control system (whatever that means), and an ‘advanced drive computer’ that includes GPS, a rear-view camera, and a complete vehicle diagnostic system. How much is this environmental goodness to cost you? According to the ‘blurb’ on their site, the electric and plug-in hybrid models are available for $26,900 and $29,900, respectively. If you’re feeling flush, you can reserve yours now for a mere $500, with the first vehicles promised to be in drivers hands in 12 months or so.

I hate this guy!

The Rubik's Cube World Championship was held in Budapest this year and a Japanese teenager won, taking less than 13 seconds to finish. Yu Nakajima, 16, took home $7,000 after winning the main event of the three-day tournament. Nearly 300 contenders from 33 countries tried their hands - and feet (?) - at the puzzle, some completing it blindfolded. Hungarian architect Erno Rubik invented the cube in Hungary in 1974. More than 300 million cubes have been sold since. Nakajima solved the classic 3x3 version of the six-coloured cube - which has nine squares on each side - with an average time of 12.46 seconds in five attempts. US contender Andrew Kang took second prize and Nakajima's countryman, Mitsuki Gunji, came third. None were able to beat the world record of 9.86 (wow!) seconds set by French cube enthusiast Thibaut Jacquinot in May. The competition marked the 25th anniversary of the first Rubik's world championships, also held in the cube's birthplace, in 1982. Mr. Rubik, 63, made a rare public appearance at the championship to give out the main prizes at a medal ceremony. Although invented in 1974, the cube was not available outside Hungary until 1980. It has been listed in the Oxford English dictionary, inspired a stage play, a TV series and, the Rubik's company claims, its success contributed to the reform of Hungary's communist economy in the early 1980s. Following the success of the cube - which is said to have 43,252,003,274,489,856,000 possible configurations - Mr. Rubik invented several other mechanical puzzles, including Rubik's Magic, Rubik's Clock and Rubik's Snake.

Pixies in the garden

This is a case of what were they smoking? The Tokyo Motor Show is certainly one of those places for the really weird ideas to surface. It amazes me that car companies will pay someone money for this. This time it’s Suzuki that has pushed the limits of motoring nuttiness. This sustainable mobility concept is called PIXY + SSC. PIXY is Suzuki's low-speed, three-wheeled, single-passenger runabout. Two PIXYs can be driven into an SSC (Suzuki Sharing Coach), a hexagonal thing, sorry, vehicle that resembles many of the intra-airport people mover systems. Once loaded with two PIXYs, the SSC acts as a car, transporting the pair to another location together. It looks like the lead PIXY operator becomes the driver of the SSC, whose side trim and corner markers are then illuminated in red to denote which end of the symmetrical vehicle is the rear. Will these strange objects ever grace our streets? I hope not! Mind you, look at the Smart car.

Not our fault

How would you handle your day without internet access? For some, it would mean just annoyance, for other, their business would be in peril. Luckily, in Canada, we are fairly sure that our government won't just close down 'net access to keep us quiet (I hope). However, in Burma, the powers that be are doing all in their power to close all access to the outside world so they have complete freedom of action and repression. Unfortunately, it seems to be working - you can only be shot at so many times before personal safety wins out over civic anger. The trouble is, as many totalitarian regimes fail to realize, that information (visual and aural) has a way of getting out and even Google Maps is being used to keep an eye on the proceedings. In these days of global access to information including cellphones, the internet, satellite surveillance and plain old telephones, the bad guys have less places to hide their nasty little plans. it's also interesting how governments will always blame outside agitators for their own home-grown troubles- look at Zimbabwe for another example.

Here, rover!

Google and the X-Prize Foundation is getting together to offer another multi-million prize. This time, it’s not just to launch a reusable spacecraft, but something much, much bigger. This time it’s up to $30 million to go to the Moon. To claim the reward, any craft reaching the lunar surface must perform a series of tasks such as shoot video and roam for specific distances. Firms interested in trying for the prize have until the end of 2012 to mount their Moonshot. In a statement announcing the competition, Google and the X-Prize Foundation said it had been created in a bid to stimulate research into low-cost robotic exploration of space. The top prize of $20m will be given to the private firm that soft lands a rover on the Moon which then completes a series of objectives. These include roaming the lunar surface for at least 500m and gathering a specific set of images, video and data. A prize of $5m will be given to the second firm that manages to reach the Moon with a rover that roams the surface and shoots some pictures. Google said it would give bonuses of $5m if the rovers complete other objectives such as traveling further on the Moon, taking pictures of Apollo hardware, finding water-ice and surviving the freezing lunar night. The $20m prize will be on offer until 2012. After that a smaller sum of $15m will be offered and, if the cash goes unclaimed, the competition will end in 2014. The prize is the third offered and administered by the X-Prize Foundation. The first was run to encourage private space travel. The $10m Ansari-sponsored prize was won in October 2005 when the Spaceship One rocket plane climbed to an altitude of 100km twice inside seven days. In October 2006, the X-Prize Foundation created the $10m Archon X-Prize for Genomics, which will be given to the first private research group to sequence 100 human genomes in 10 days.

Back in the saddle

Is this man incredibly brave or a complete and utter moron? One of the hosts of the increasingly popular BBC TV series, Top Gear, Richard Hammond was almost killed in a horrific crash in September last year where he spun out when a tire burst on his jet-propelled car traveling at almost 300 mph. Hammond was airlifted to hospital, where he was treated for swelling to the brain and bruising, but eventually made a complete recovery. He received a hero's welcome when he returned to the show. Now he has taken part in another high-speed stunt for the BBC show – does he ever learn? The 37-year-old Hammond drove a Bugatti Veyron as it raced a Typhoon fighter jet. The stunt saw Hammond behind the wheel of a car capable of speeds of more than 250mph, and which can travel from 0 to 60mph in 2.5 seconds (I WANT this car!). The stunt involved driving the Bugatti for one mile each way down the runway, while the Typhoon flew one mile over the runway, headed vertically for another mile and then turn around. I can’t wait to see this one.

So that's it

What is this sign? Well, I'll tell you a story. Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then we'll begin. Once upon a time there was a Welsh village with lots of little roads all around it and one big smooth main road that, shall we say, wandered a bit. In the past, the big bad trucks took the main road although it was a little 'out of their way', however, with the advent of Satnav and GPS, things began to change. You can see where this is going can't you? Truckers who rely on their GPS to get them to their destination quickly have been guided towards the smaller side roads that appear more direct - unfortunately, they also have poor traction, tight bends and tend to go up and down mountains. In the village and the local district, they are fed up with trucks getting stuck all over the countryside and are advising truckers to turn off their GPS while driving through the area. THAT'S what this sign is - 'turn of your GPS if in a truck'. If you are in a car, well that's your own look out, isn't it?

Toasty warm

I thought I'd seen it all, but obviously not. Is this an idea whose time has come? The transparent toaster uses heated glass elements to brown your bread allowing you to see exactly how 'done' it is. I like this! It's clever, looks good and is so different than the normal - just like me really (stop laughing). I understand that they haven't quite solved the heating of the glass and I can see issues with safety and cleaning. So, I don't suppose we will see these in homes for a while - if ever, but it certainly make you realize what clever ideas are floating around out there.

Stop press!

Dr. Who has now won two, count 'em, two Hugo's. Yay! Remember, 'don't blink'.

I see you, watching me, watching you

Over the years I have noticed that there is more and more surveillance of people in their everyday lives and some countries seem to be taking this to extremes. In fact, the possibility of someones whole life being recorded and stored, much like 'The Truman Show', is now a distinct possibility. I have read a number of sci-fi stories over the years that predict something like this - everything from recording a personality into a computer for later retrieval - think of retrieving someone like Lee Harvey Oswald and asking him if he really did shoot JFK - to a security device for the general public. Just think of the influence on crime if we all carried a recording device that was always on and couldn't be tampered with. Of course, we would have to forget a little thing called privacy - I don't think we can do that easily, do you? The trouble is, with so many countries scared of internal dissent and the threat (real or imagined) of terrorism, increased surveillance is being forced upon us. Do you trust the government or the police enough to handle this information in a legal, ethical and moral manner? No? Didn't think so.

We haf vays of vatching you

The cyberwar is hotting up quickly. We have all been aware of malicious e-mails containing Trojan, worms and all other nasty little software surprises. Now this practice is to become official as the German government plans to spy on terror suspects by deploying malicious e-mails. The e-mails would contain Trojans - software that secretly installs itself on suspects' computers, allowing agents to search the hard drives. German Interior Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is quoted as saying the spyware would be used only in a few cases and for a limited time – we believe you don’t we? The measure would form part of a new anti-terrorism bill. A spokeswoman for the opposition Free Democrats called the proposal a totally unacceptable intrusion into privacy. But a spokesman for the Chancellor said she supported the measure. According to German media reports, the malicious e-mails could appear to come from different official bodies. I must admit I am surprised that they are actually telling us about this; I’m sure that many government bodies are either already doing this or thinking about it. Big Brother may not be watching you, but he is eying your computer.

It's obvious

What the heck does this sign mean! Answers please. You may be surprized, but it does have connections with prior posts. Have fun working this one out.

Stars in their eyes

If you have ever used Google Maps or its big brother, Google Earth, you may find this quite interesting and, dare I say it, fun. Google have now introduced an add-on called Google Sky – no, not pictures of clouds. Sky will allow budding astronomers a chance to glide through images of more than one million stars and 200 million galaxies. Optional layers allow users to explore images from the Hubble Space Telescope as well as animations of lunar cycles. To use the new system, users will need to have Google Earth installed on their computer. Digital astronomers can then zoom into an area from which they want to view the night sky. Users can overlay the night sky with other information such as galaxies, constellations and detailed images from the Hubble Space Telescope. Much of the imagery can be found through searches on the ’net but Google hope the add-on will be simpler and more fun. Sky is not the first time Google has ventured into space. In March 2006, the company launched Google Mars which allows users to explore the surface of the Red Planet. Another service, Google Moon, lets users view the sites of the Apollo moon landings. Mind you, Google Sky is not the only tool that allows astronomers to explore the night sky from their computer. For example, Stellarium is a free application that gives people a chance to access more than 210 million stars, in addition to planets and moons. Commercial alternatives also exist, such as Imaginova's Starry Night, that offers a range of software packages aimed at beginners to ‘the serious astronomer’. Mac users are not forgotten and can download a Starry Night widget that will allow them to see the night sky from any location on Earth.

What the!!

They say cheaters never prosper, but if the Canadian company Examear has its way, they might. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, England's exams watchdog says the way a tiny wireless ‘spy’ earpiece is being marketed to students is ‘disgraceful’. said it had been alerted to the Examear device by a teacher outraged by the advertising. A spokeswoman for the authority said it would take whatever action it could against the company. She said students could be barred from all q