Problem is, Interpol has a list of the phone's International Mobile Equipment Identifier (IMEI), which carriers can use to block the devices. We had already warned against grabbing an iPhone in a Belgian back alley…you can add Russia to that list. (I much prefer back alleys in the Netherlands, anyway). [Cult of Mac via PC World]

Existing sensors, which are essentially pressure switches, don't detect subtle changes in pressure or texture, which translated into an extreme scenario could mean you'd get your bones pulverized by a robot hand. Ok, maybe nothing that extreme, but as the pressure switches are not sensitive enough for some tasks, the folks at the Ghent University in Belgium decided to use a polymer-based optical "skin" instead. They're still working on a prototype, so don't get too excited about upgrading your killer robot just yet. [New Scientist via Pop Sci]

Omega, a Belgian health products company that usually markets things like suntan lotion and wart treatments, is branching out into protective tech gadgets. It's E-wave chip, which attaches onto phones, allegedly offsets electromagnetic radiation and neutralizes the "heating effect" caused by electromagnetic signals. All tests to prove these claims seem to have been done by Omega itself.

In case you've run out of tin foil hats, this little device is now out in Belgium for $50. It'll be rolled out to the rest of the cellphone radiation fearing world in 2009. [Reuters]

So, let's see. No anal sex without prior negotiation. Condoms must be worn, unless the nerd-gin wishes to release his manfat on Tanya's body. No under-18s. Proof that the victimrgin supports net neutrality must be provided (a black tee-shirt with "I Support Net Neutrality" emblazoned on the front won't cut it, sorry.) Finally, Tanya "may deny service for hygiene reasons."

This is not the first time that Ms Devereaux has offered up her orifices for a good cause. Last year she put 40,000 blowjobs on the negotiating table when she ran for a seat in the Belgian senate, as a protest against other politicians' claims that they would create 400,000 jobs. Clearly she thought that sucking on a pencil would get voters putting a XXXX in her box. [Don't Stay Virgin and Skirmisher—thanks Dirk]

It's rather reminiscent of a miracle occurring during dinner in the refectory of the Order of the Blue Man Monastery (patron saint Tobias Funcke.)
The record was broken, I hope the stickiness was cleaned up from Place Ladeuzeplein, and the kids got to keep their ponchos.

[Telegraph and MyVideo]