"Fashion with a bite: Let innovative design, unparalleled performance, and breakthrough style help you make a statement. Who says safety can't be stylish?" -Taser.com

Riding on a wave of free publicity from the "Don't tase me bro" incident, Taser International is introducing a new product line, the TASER C2 with laser Available in four designer colors with 1GB MP3 player holster. Now you can be fashionable, rock out to your music, and be protected all at the same time. Why didn't they think of this earlier?

Labels: the world

For my friends who love robots: With robotic bugs, larger ethical questions - The Boston Globe: "'I expect Massachusetts . . . will be the first jurisdiction to legalize marriages [of humans] with robots,' he wrote in an e-mail." He, being David Levy (I love that at the end of his bio it says he lives with his wife and cat. Do you think it's a robotic cat?), is author of a new book called Love + Sex With Robots. I hope he asked Sara Brickman to write the forward. I'll see if I can get a copy of her amazing poem, "Cleaning out the workshop."

Labels: geekdom, the world

Phew, glad March is over with, I'm exhausted!
I've returned to Smith and am recovering from adventures all across the country, from Boston to Florida, California.
I went to my first Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade (I've never really celebrated it, not being Irish and all...), which was a lot of fun. Then I went to a RED SOX SPRING TRAINING GAME in Fort Meyers, FL, we beat the Twins 6-5 (although we were up 6-0 at one point, but thats the Sox for you!). The park is so small, you get to be really close to the field, and the players no matter where you are, so I was psyched! Note the palm trees in the back of the picture! I also got a good shot of Papi in his classic batting stance. Other notes: I saw the back of Dice-K's head and Lowell hit a solo shot homerun, the only one of the game. I was super psyched! See him in the far left corner watching Papi at bat? Standing next to Okaji? Ok, I have a zoomed in picture too, if you can't see him.
Then, I jetsetted off to California for something very secret and exciting (you can email me if you don't know what I am talking about, but I'm sure you do know) that I think I should not be posting on my blog. Well, lets just say it was AMAZING, but I was not allowed to take any pictures.
Then I got back to school, but the excitement wasn't done yet. On Thursday, Valentino Achak Deng came to talk at Smith before about 30 people. I was there and shook his hand twice and tried to talk to him without gushing. If you don't know who Valentino is, you should read his biography, What is the What by Dave Eggers, it is unforgetable.

Labels: baseball, the world

Chimps Observed Making Their Own Weapons - washingtonpost.com
How bizarre is this? Chimpanzees were observed making their own weapons, and not just any kind of weapon, DEADLY WEAPONS. The Chimps are sharpening sticks into spears to stab small mammals. "'It was really alarming how forceful it was,' said lead researcher Jill D. Pruetz of Iowa State University in Ames, adding that it reminded her of the murderous shower scene in the Alfred Hitchcock movie 'Psycho.' 'It was kind of scary.'"

Also, more interestingly, it was mainly the females who showed this behavior. Moral of the Story: Don't cross a Lady Chimp with a sharp stick.

Labels: the world

What Do Women Want? Just Ask - New York Times
About how women control the world, well, the financial world.
A quote from the article I like:

Best Buy, for example, “used to be a boy store, built by boys, for boys, but four to five years ago, there was a dramatic flip,” said Julie Gilbert, a vice president with the company. That change, she said, occurred with the rise of must-have products like digital cameras, MP3 players, cellphones and other mobile devices, and products like flat-screen televisions that have became fashionable accessories for the home.

“Women are outspending men in our industry $55 billion to $41 billion,” Ms. Gilbert said. “Not only that, they are actually influencing 90 percent of the purchases. It is a new day in consumer electronics.”

Labels: the world

"Music publisher Sony BMG, yielding to consumer concern, said on Wednesday it was recalling music CDs containing copy-protection software that acts like virus software and hides deep inside a computer."

This XCP software that is intended to prevent piracy installs a rootkit deep in the computer that makes it easy for viruses to sneak in and hide in the rootkit. There are already a bunch of viruses that exploit this security hole. The worst part is this--rootkits ARE VIRUSES TOO. Really nasty viruses, actually. Even though this XCP software does not actually do any direct harm to your computer, it is still technically a virus. Already 500,000 networks in the US have at least one machine on them using XCP.
I am simply amazed at the lengths to which the music industry is willing to go in order to prevent piracy. What they have done, in essence, is put a virus on their CDs that installs itself on your computer when you play or rip the CD!
Read more

In personal news, here is my story of the year: I've been accepted to both IES and CIEE's Barcelona Programs for next semester! Now I just have to decide which one I want to do.

Labels: the world

In other random news: I can't remember if I've shared this game with people before, but if I haven't, this is something everyone must see. It is Pac-Mondrian, oh yes. Two of my favorite things rolled up into one! In the game, you are pacman running around Broadway Boogie Woogie eating up the squares with jazz music playing in the background. Super fun time!

Labels: art, the web, the world