Now that the new California law has passed banning “hands-on” cellphone use in automobiles, people may just be anxiously clamoring for something else to do with their newly freed hand (ok, stop it).

The folks over at Maplin (the electronics specialists) believe they have the answer: a portable, 12V, in-car microwave! Finally, your meals can now be “on the move” with this small, somewhat-modern black box that will sit inconspicuously on your passenger-seat floor mat.

In no time you’ll be heating up your poppyseed muffin, or drinking piping hot lattes in the comfort of your Read the rest of this entry »

Michael Phelps has won yet another gold medal. He broke another world record. He and his team, by a virtual millisecond, pounced on the nasty French who had vowed to “smash” the Americans, and made away with the gold. Triumph. All American gold medalists on the dais with the national anthem blaring.

Cut to a half world away where a different kind of smashing was taking place. In Georgia –not the US state, for the geographically-impaired— a former Soviet republic a fierce air, ground and sea war was being waged at the hands of a fierce and angry bear, the Russians. Hey, wait, isn’t the purpose behind the Olympics to avoid armed conflict between nations? Let’s take our battles on to the soccer or track field, and all that. Well, that longstanding belief didn’t seem to faze Moscow. Nor Georgia, for that matter, because while all the hoopla in Beijing was getting underway last weekend, it was being pummeled mercilessly in what may be considered the opening salvo in the Second Cold War.

According to the latest developments, the 5-day conflict appears to have ended, with the typical uncertainty that surrounds these kinds of skirmishes. A diplomatic team composed of French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and EU officials have been in Georgia since last weekend and then in Moscow to try to bring about a diplomatic solution as soon as possible. Overnight, French President Nicolas Sarkozy made an emergency visit to Moscow to personally persuade Russian leaders to have a ceasefire and end what has been an attack that has killed probably 2000 people already –although even that figure is almost impossible to confirm. This morning, Moscow announced a Read the rest of this entry »

The ratings for Friday’s opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics set a record for NBC, capturing a 37.3 Nielsen rating, and watched by an estimated 35 million Americans. Those are huge numbers, and in the words of some analysts, the numbers were “American Idol” level. And why wouldn’t they be? NBC’s oppressive hype virtually ensured that we would rush to our TVs and basically surrender our evenings to the massive spectacle, with all of those commercials and promos for the fall TV season (“Follow what happens to Jim and Pam on September 25!”). In fact, we were probably the only country in the world that did not watch the opening ceremony live.

NBC’s desire to aggressively package all the proceedings into a prime-time slot ensured that we would be (literally) a captive audience. If you were in Canada, however, you would have been awake at 4:30 am –as many did—to watch it all on CBC, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Not the US. We had to deal with 13-hour “delay”.

And, yes, it was a spectacle of lights, fireworks, music and of course, the parade of nations. Everything was perfectly rehearsed and executed with perfect precision: this was China’s moment to shine. As everyone marched with their flags in front of the crowds and an estimated 80 world leaders (including three generations of Bushes), it was a bit hard not to get Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, so no reservations yet - but that day may not be too far off…

It was however announced today that a team of UC Berkeley scientists are a step closer to developing cloaking devices that could render people and objects invisible.

A group of researchers have successfully demonstrated, for the first time, that they can now cloak 3D objects (as opposed to previous successes in cloaking only thin, two-dimensional objects) using engineered materials that redirect light.

We can see objects because they scatter the light that Read the rest of this entry »

This has to be one of the oddest and most haunting things I’ve heard this summer –and it’s not necessarily something you’d play outside at a barbecue.

Remember the 1984 chestnut “Footloose” –the movie and its soundtrack? Kevin Bacon moves to right-wing, uptight town where dancing and rock and roll music are outlawed by a morally-correct minister (John Lithgow), and then bags his doe-eyed daughter (Lori Singer), all of which culminates in a rousing dance number, indeed a metaphor back then for freedom and, uh, breaking the rules. 24 years ago indeed, and it made a star out of Bacon and was a so-so film. Need a refresher from the movie itself? Come on, you know you want it (video below).

Of course, this being the 80s, all those musical films had their own soundtrack. “Footloose” contained a lot of singles, among them the title track by Kenny Loggins (he who would make a career out of schlocky soundtrack tunes). Also, you can’t forget the bombastic wonder that was Bonnie Tyler and her “Holding Out For a Hero”, “Almost Paradise”, a duet with the girl from Heart and the lead singer from Loverboy, the enormous pop hit “Let’s Hear it for the Boy” by Deniece Williams (you remember the scene in the movie, come on!) or even the kinda silly Read the rest of this entry »

Vampire Cats

Have you ever witnessed a vampire cat? Hardly discernible from the standard tabby mix (other than the extremely sharp teeth), vampire cats are a special and rare breed indeed — known mostly throughout the scientific community by their Latin-derived nomenclature: Vampirus Felinus.

These blood-sucking felines are found mostly in the outer regions of Nishinomiya Japan, on Mount Kabutoyama, a monadnock of an extinct volcano thath was last estimated to erupt about 1,200 years ago. This mountain is in the Kabutoyama Forest Park.

Not only do vampire cats typically keep a nocturnal life cycle, but they supplement their daily diet of cat food with the blood of their brethren felines. Odd as this may seem, vampire cats have managed to Read the rest of this entry »

John Edwards’ announcement of a sexual affair with a campaign staffer on Friday is a whopper on a few levels. The former Senator from North Carolina, running mate of John Kerry in 2004, and more recently, populist Democratic candidate for President, deemed Friday to be a good day to bury this story amid all the Beijing Olympics hoopla. The hope, perhaps: get the story out quickly, make a brief “official” statement and hope few will notice. Yet this story is all the more significant for what it says about the betrayal of Edwards’ family and supporters while at the same time raising questions about how the mainstream media dropped the ball entirely.

The story is sordid, but not unfamiliar. A dapper, handsome politician finds carnal comfort with a younger woman and Read the rest of this entry »

In a previous SMASHgods post, we discussed the stylish and decidedly quick Zap Alias. When surfing around I’ve found that there isn’t too much in the way of media (videos specifically) regarding the upcoming all-electric sports car, and most of the information has been conjecture on the part of Alias followers and supporters.

Today I had a chance to visit the Zap showroom in downtown Santa Rosa and record a video of the Alias (on my cell): the chassis, the engine(s) (there are two), the suspension system and a little of the showroom floor can all be seen in the footage.

The car is still deemed a “prototype”, according to the gentleman who let me in, but in an effort to lay any claims to rest regarding the car’s authenticity or its viability as a conveyance, Zap has the Alias’ innards laid out to bare (next to the outer body), and it’s certainly a simple, yet smart design. What you see in the video is the real deal, and the whole package — yet split apart for all to see.

I also picked up an official Zap Alias pamphlet detailing Read the rest of this entry »

Ever fancy living like those little blue creatures you used to watch on Saturday mornings? A certain faction of people in Kyushu, Japan are doing just that. And if you thought styrofoam was reserved only to house your cup of morning coffee, read on.

Habitat For the 21st Century

The designer of the 480 domes at Aso Farm Land resort village in Kyushu was certainly thinking outside the “box”.

These igloo-shaped structures built from snap-together wall sections (175 lbs each) are made of 100% expanded polystyrene foam (styrofoam). Now this may seem unconventional, but the company lists a number of advantages that styrofoam has over traditional materials.

Unlike traditional wood and metal structures, styrofoam dome homes won’t rust, rot or attract wood-gnawing termites. They’re also highly resistant to earthquakes and typhoons given the aerodynamic shape. And surprisngly, the walls, which are treated with a flame retardant, emit no toxic fumes in a fire. Read the rest of this entry »

Finally! BB10 is getting good. And by good I mean an incredible amount of rage, yelling, bloated egos, screams, throwdowns, crying at birthday cakes being lit and otherwise petty, nasty behavior among otherwise normal human beings. April was the HOH this week, and she put up Memphis and Jessie for eviction. She had told Michelle during the last HOH competition (a ridiculous stunt in which they had to stand on a a sloping ledge, amid wind, water and dust that could have killed Jerry) that she would save Jessie and not vote him out. Memphis was her real target because he has been aloof, flying under the radar a lot and having potentially great physical strength. He was a perfect target, and one that April was able to convince her troop (Libra, Ollie, Keesha and the hanger ons Jerry and Renny) to go along with.

Except that it wasn’t Memphis who was ousted. Surprisingly, it was Jessie, the arrogant jackass who Read the rest of this entry »

If there was ever a time to issue a “WT…F”, I’d say it’s right about now.

You’re looking at the GoateeSaver, a medieval grooming device used only by “real men”, (according to the company’s slogan). It’s actually a modern-age mouthpiece designed to give your face fuzz that perfect contour.

It works by basically covering the surrounding areas of the goatee with its plastic rim, while the shaver bites down on the internal clamps (like those god awful dental x-ray tabs) to hold it in place. Simple enough, and looks like it would Read the rest of this entry »

Ok this is kind of cool and somewhat useful — a BMW owner in Munich apparently grew tired of his black bimmer and hired a group of guys to wrap it up in some white tape (in lieu of a new paint job).

Now this isn’t your normal run-of-the-mill duct variety, but a more advanced 3M wrap, and the process is actually referred to as “foiling”. It’s the stuff used by the German military (drab colored) and it protects paint finishes from rock damage, nicks, chips, etc. And the stuff lasts.

German foiling link here. Be sure to check out the foiled Veyron and the R8.

You can leave your car “wrapped” for 3-4 years without any resulting damage. You can even take it Read the rest of this entry »

Tell me you have not wanted to poke your eyes out every time you saw or heard the inescapable commercial or jingle from FreeCreditReport.com. You know which one. The one where this curly-haired slacker and his band, dressed as pirates, have taken to working at a poor man’s Red Lobster (if there is such a thing) seafood joint, “serving chowder and iced tea” to “tourists” in what is clearly a low-paying, dead-end job. Or the one where the same dude is bopping his head as he sings again –same melody, slightly different lyrics—this time in a beat-up old Geo Metro, pulling up the stoplight while a carful of babes in a new convertible next to him are laughing at him –and his Read the rest of this entry »

The much ballyhooed “Espresso Gone Wild” may have brewed its last drop of joe — at least in the city of Belfair in Mason County, WA.

County officials have decided the scantily clad baristas at a this infamous espresso stand are simply “erotic entertainers”, and nothing more. And if the women don’t cover up, they’ll be forced out on their barely covered hinnies.

Apparently, the stand opened about a month ago and received complaints at a meeting of the Mason County Board of Commissioners. So the commission sent the owners a letter saying the coffee stand is not zoned for erotic entertainment. The owners said they didn’t expect the negative vibe and will comply with any regulations put forth.

“Almost all of our customers love us, even our women customers,” Porter said. “I personally have not had anybody come up and say anything mean or negative to me.

“I do it because its fun. I’m sure there are some people who would have a problem with that. Sex sells. I guess we’re trying to raise the bar, you could say.”

Kathryn Porter, 24, a dental hygiene student from Puyallup, has worked at the stand for two months. Porter, Read the rest of this entry »

I was going to write an open letter to Kathy Hilton, she being Paris’s mother, responding to her brief commentary she put up on Huffingtonpost.com over the weekend. She was somehow bothered that John McCain, in an idiotic ad last Friday, suggested that Barack Obama was being treated as a celebrity in the same way as her daughter Paris. (And Britney Spears.)

I was going to call her a hypocrite and that no Hilton would ever turn down any publicity, no matter how unsavory, and that she was just asking for more attention. I was going to challenge her to do the unthinkable: simply say or do nothing and thus not dignify what was, even among many Republican circles and pundits, a superficial ad. Reaching farther still, I was going to blame her for raising the one person who has perhaps singlehandedly glorified the meaning of celebrity and all of its vapidity. I was going to say that Paris, the talentless heiress who became superstar famous for a sex tape and for Read the rest of this entry »

When the iPhone/iPod Touch app store opened less than a month ago, it was greeted with mixed emotions: it brought with it the promise of increased security and quality, yet on the other hand forced app developers to adhere to Apple’s rigid standards, which may or may not diminish third-party, non-Apple creativity.

That said, it baffles the mind when something like I Am Rich passes Apple’s strict development standards and makes it into the app store for customers’ consideration.

A Business Expense?

The application, designed solely for the purpose of reminding you that “you were able to afford this”, is a ‘work of art’ according to the designer Armin Heinrich.

From the Apple Store:

For supporters of Apple’s app store and system, it begs the question, “did this one just slip through?” or Read the rest of this entry »