Gizmodo: american

I'm a Gross, Sweaty Hipster, and I'm a PC

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:45:00 EST

World-famous DJ/mashup artist Girl Talk (a.k.a. Greg Gillis) has gone on record: he's a PC, and his sweatband may not be totally ironic. His "I'm a PC" short features a lot of his philosophies on music, which aren't so interesting, and his habit of taping Saran wrap to his computer during shows, which is sort of interesting. In between are shots of his live performances, which really are a ton of fun, and fleeting glimpses of sweaty yet colorful American Apparel.

I'm a huge, unabashed, and unembarrassed Girl Talk fan, yet even I'm not sure that, like he says, "Software and computers are the most punk rock thing that's happened, ever." I think punk rock might actually hold that crown. But hey, Night Ripper was the unofficial dance party soundtrack for my entire fourth year at college, so whatever you say, dude. [YouTube]

Delta to Block Porn On In-Flight Wi-Fi So Flight Attendants Don't Have To

John Mahoney — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:45:57 EDT

Where the open internet goes, porn follows; howerver, this golden rule is being re-evaluated for the friendly skies by Delta, who plans to filter web sites used on their implementation of Aircell's Gogo in-flight Wi-Fi service. While most of the early adopters of in-flight Wi-Fi have said they will only filter certain types of traffic and not web content itself, relying on flight attendants to handle case-by-case complaints of passengers attempting to join the solo mile high club right from their seat. Which they obviously weren't too happy about.

So unhappy that the flight attendant union began putting pressure on American to block porn content on their just-launched service (would you want to be the person to come between some crazy perv and his porn on a cross-country haul? Me neither). Delta is now planning to nip a potential flight attendant strike before things get out of hand. The filter, according to Delta, will be limited only to "sites that few, if any, would question are inappropriate to be viewed on an aircraft." [Atlanta Journal Constitution via Electronista]

Walt Mossberg Reviews GoGo In-Flight Wi-Fi (Verdict: Fast, But Not Fast Enough)

Benny Goldman — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:18:07 EDT

Walt just tested GoGo, the in-flight Wi-Fi service, on a bunch of laptops and smartphones during a flight from San Francisco to Denver. The service distributes, via Wi-Fi, a high speed cellphone data signal pointed at airplanes, which Mossy rated at around 600kbps down and 250kbps up. This was quick enough for Walt to browse the web, send emails with iPhone rumor attachments, and talk on IM to his ladies, but it couldn't keep up with streaming video on ~~Xtube~~ Hulu. Also, VoIP is blocked, and cell calls aren't possible either. Still, Mossy thought it did well enough for someone who can't stay off the grid for a few hours. GoGo costs $10 for flights under three hours, and $13 for longer ones. It'll begin rolling out in the next few weeks on American Airlines, with Virgin soon to follow. [AllThingsD]

American Airlines to Test In-Flight Wi-Fi in 2008

Jason Chen — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 15:30:56 EDT

Some time in 2008, you may be lucky enough to get on a 767-200 transcontinental American Airlines flight that's testing the AirCell in-flight broadband service. The wireless net access will be available to all classes—yes, even us poor people—for a price. There will be three antennas outside the plane to transmit your 802.11a/b/g "Lolz im on a plane" messages to your buddies. No word on when this will move to widespread deployment. [AA - Thanks Mike]

Pink Stinger Tampon Taser

Jason Chen — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:15:40 EDT

American Inventor Spot has too much of two things—time on their hands and vaginas on their mind. How else can you explain this "experimental" tampon personal security taser.

It's pink, fluffy, wired, and can shock you with 50,000 volts. Oh, and it's shaped like a tampon. Fantastic, eh?

Just be careful not to mix this up with a real tampon, ladies. This is not a proper way to deal with unwanted pregnancies. – Jason Chen

A Security System More Lethal Than PMS: The Tampon Taser Gun [American Inventor Spot]