Gizmodo: Black

Scientists Do Extreme Close-Up On Milky Way's Black Hole

Kit Eaton — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 07:39:00 EDT

Forget "pretend" black holes in optical cables: astronomers at MIT have taken the highest-ever resolution imagery of the region of space near the giant black hole at the center of our galaxy, as shown in this image. In fact, the bright spot in the center is what they were looking at: it's a funky space-object dubbed SgrA* which may be a fiery disc of matter spinning round outside the event horizon.

Normally dust clouds between our solar system and the galaxy core get in the way of observing the region near the center. The team achieved the feat not through a Wayne's World-style camera trick, but by observing at 1.3 mm radio wavelengths (which can traverse the dust) and using a Very Long Baseline Interferometry telescope. This links up radio telescopes in Hawaii, Arizona and California to make an effective compound radio telescope that's about 2,800 miles wide. As a result they could make images with a resolution about 1,000 times greater than the Hubble telescope.

But even that's not quite enough. Imaging SgrA* has supported the theory that a supermassive black hole is right there at the galactic central point ("our results are more evidence that we are looking at a black hole," as the team puts it), but despite being among the highest resolution astronomical observations ever made, the data's not quite good enough to image the shape of the glowing cloud. That data would reveal whether it's a true disc, with or without jets, and whether there's a dimmer region in the middle as gas is sucked into the black hole. We'll have to wait for a few years until future shorter-wavelength telescopes come online. Maybe then we'll be able to see if there's a huge robot-populated spaceship hovering just outside the hole. [New Scientist via Physorg]

Samsung's Black Edition Credit-Card Sized 1.8-inch HDs Are Tiny, Shiny

John Mahoney — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:40:00 EDT

Samsung's taking its large-capacity 1.8-inch HDs (found inside the Macbook Air, iPod, etc) and throwing them into this sleek bus-powered credit-card-sized casing, which looks to be about as small a form factor we're going to see for a 1.8-inch drive. They're only available in Asia at the moment, and on the high end (120GB) they're pricey (almost $300, but available on Chinese sites for considerably less). On the low end, a 20GB version that can basically fit in your wallet is around $45—not bad, if you're not feeling the flash route. And the form factor is pretty hot; "The Storage World In Hand," indeed. [Everything USB via Gadget Lab]

Nokia Pimps 8800 Cellphone With Carbon Arte Version

Kit Eaton — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:37:00 EDT

Nokia's just come up with a new entry in its Arte series of "jazzed up" cellphones with the 8800 Carbon Arte. The old slider phone now has panels of carbon fiber in its front and rear faces, along with titanium and stainless steel. Internally it looks like the phone is pretty much unchanged, though now its storage has been bumped up to 4GB from 1GB. It remains a tri-band GSM phone, though, and Nokia expects it to hit the shops in Europe by the end of the year for around $1,600. [Phone Arena]

Windows Vista Pwned By Web Exploit That Can't Be Stopped

Adrian Covert — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:30:00 EDT

Presenters at Black Hat revealed that most, if not all, of Windows Vista's security features can be taken out with a single browser exploit, using Java and .NET to execute malicious code. What really makes this a killer, is that it is based around Vista's fundamental architecture, not a specific security flaw, and can be executed with any browser vulnerability. As researcher Dino Dai Zovi told SearchSecurity, "that's completely game over."

Microsoft programmers are apparently aware of the exploit presentation at Black Hat, and are waiting to see the findings themselves. Presented by Mark Dowd and Alexander Sotirov, of IBM and VMware, respectively, the exploit negates key security features such as Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR), Data Execution Prevention (DEP), which make it difficult to locate and execute code and data. And apparently this exploit is so broad and game changing that it could be applied to other platforms. OS X, beware? [SearchSecurity via Electronista]

Vizio Black Tie XVT 120Hz LCDs Out Soon; Wal-Mart Getting 120Hz By Next Year

matt buchanan — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:00:00 EDT

Vizio's 120Hz LCD TVs from CES are not vapor, instead coalescing into very real products. The 47- and 42-inch sets—rebranded "Black Tie" as part of the company's new performance XVT line—will be available in just a couple weeks for $1,500 and $1,200 MSRP, at street prices of around 1,400 and $1,100 respectively. I checked them out—and they weren't bad.

Those prices Vizio quoted are reasonably solid, the company says, though not 100 super-duper percent, as the LCD market is the only thing more volatile than the stock market.

The bigger news, though, is that you'll see features like 120Hz trickle down from the high-end XVT line to the VW-class Wal-Mart sets in roughly 9-12 months. Yes, a year from now, you'll be able to buy a 120Hz Vizio LCD from Wally World, at God only knows how cheap a price. Vizio's competitors on the cheap TV scene really can't keep up.

Here are the updated specs for the XVT line:

Size
47 and 42” FHD LCD
Performance
Smooth Motion V-engine
Motion Estimation
Motion Compensation
Improved Noise Reduction
FHD – 1920x1080
PIP, POP
500 Nits, 5ms response, 6500:1 Contrast
178/178 Viewing Angle
10 Bit Color Depth – 1.07Billion Colors
24P Input Capability
Rear Video inputs
2 HDMI (5.1 Output Capable through SPDIF or Wireless)
1 VGA with RCA Stereo Audio
2 Component with RCA Stereo Audio
2 Composite with RCA Stereo Audio
Side I/O
2 HDMI (5.1 Output Capable through SPDIF or Wireless)
1 component with RCA Stereo Audio
1 Composite with RCA Stereo Audio
Read Audio
SPDIF Digital Out – Tuner input
RCA Output
ID
VIZIO Black Tie
Slim Bezel
Black
Audio Performance
3 Channel (L,C,R) 3x10 Watt
SRS TruSurround XT
5.1 Wireless (2.4GHz) upgradable with Dolby Pro Logic II

[Vizio]

Das Ultimate Keyboard is Too Cool for Key Legends

Kit Eaton — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:54:00 EDT

We all laughed at that key legend-less leather keyboard the other day, didn't we? Metadot, the makers of the new Ultimate Keyboard didn't: it also skips all that troublesome bother of having labeled keys. Presumably it's in the name of coolness, since the whole thing looks pretty slick and has precision-engineered, gold-plated switches that click like the legendary IBM Model M. There's also twin USB ports, obligatory blue LED lights and a 6-foot black cable. And it'll cost you $129. If you're not the expert touch-typing sort, there's the original Professional version, which has labels where they're meant to be. [Product page via Technabob]

Black OX Robot Is Big on the Bad, Small on the Big

Mark Wilson — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:16:00 EDT

We're not discriminant enough in our miniature robot collecting to fully appreciate this Black OX robot from the series Gigantor, but even at our half appreciation it's still pretty incredible. Featuring 22 joints, LEDs, gyro sensors and accelerometer, Black OX only stands 17 inches tall, but he'll still manage to hold your eyes open while having his way with your wife/garbage disposal. The price is only $7,450 to score one of 30 that will be produced. Hit the link to check out many videos capturing the robot in motion. [Vstone via Crunchgear]

Roadscan Drive Recorder: Like a Black Box For Your Car

Sean Fallon — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EDT

There are few things in this world that are more infuriating than getting into a car accident—but one of those things would definitely be getting into an accident where the blame is being disputed. For the innocent party, a Roadscan Drive Recorder could be indispensable. The device mounts easily on your windshield or rearview mirror, and will continuously record graphical 3D-G accelerations data. If you happen to get into an accident, it will save the digital video starting 14 seconds before the incident and 6 seconds after—so you would be armed with all of the data you need to dispute a ticket. Or totally incriminate yourself.

On the other hand, owning a Roadscan could easily backfire if you are the one to blame—so if you are an accident prone driver it is probably best to steer clear of a device like this. Roadscan is currently available for $299, which is a reasonable price to pay for something that could potentially save you thousands in an accident. [Autocamcorder]

Lightning Review: Western Digital's 320GB 7200RPM Scorpio Black Laptop Drive

Mark Wilson — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EDT

The Product: Western Digital Scorpio Black—A 2.5" SATA laptop drive that runs at 7200RPM in sizes up to 320GB. It's the best combination of speed and size of any notebook drive on the market today. And it's got a really cool name.

The Price: $250 as tested (320GB, 16MB cache and freefall sensor)

The Verdict...

I swapped out my stock Seagate 5400RPM 120GB drive from my MacBook Pro. Running some benchmarks, here's the before and after between the Seagate and the WD Scorpio Black.

What we see here is that the Scorpio is much faster for sequential reading and writing (dealing with big files and stuff organized physically close on your hard drive) but actually slightly slower for some random reading and writing (dealing with smaller chunks of data floating more freely on your hard drive).

But isn't the WD model supposed to be faster? Sure. But it's also over twice the size of my old Seagate. Such a test supports the classic ideology that an OS should be stored on a smaller drive quarantined from your other data to keep running quickly. Laptops rarely have that luxury.

That said, I haven't noticed anything running slower since the upgrade, but have noticed a few things running faster (that I don't think can be contributed to hard drive placebo effects). My 500+ site RSS reader loads quicker. And within Final Cut Pro, scrubbing the timeline is completely effortless.

Potential downsides: The drive makes an almost inaudible whir and seems to vibrate ever so slightly more than the old Seagate. This could have to do with the drive or the fact that my hands are less precise than the army of deft children's fingers piecing together Macbook Pros. As for battery life, WD claims it sucks no more power than their 5400 drives, but I can't test the theory with my aging lithium ions.

Final Verdict: Overall, for $250 (or less), it seems like a no-brainer upgrade to store more media...given how much this fancy machine cost me in the first place.

[Western Digital]

Black Box Case Mod Scoffs at Server Crashes

Mark Wilson — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:45:00 EDT

While most of us wonder why planes aren't built of the crash-proof "black box" flight recorder material, one modder has requisitioned a black box of his own to use as a PC case. While the package itself is quite large (and disappointingly red), the interior is so cramped that only a Mini-ITX motherboard could fit inside, running Slackware Linux on a 800MHz Via C3. But have you ever seen the inside of a black box before?

That padding? It's not fluffy down. From the modder:

To clear out the storage half, I used a large auger bit and a drill. I also occasionally soaked the asbestos to help keep it from finding its way into my lungs. I started to question whether this mod was worth lung cancer, then decided it was.

(Ed note: we'd make a joke about death here, but were the modder to actually die of lung cancer, we'd feel like douches for the rest of our lives. So pardon our restraint.) [brettsprojects via technabob]

Apple Says White Is Cool Again... But Is It?

Benny Goldman — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:37:35 EDT

In an otherwise surprise-free keynote today, one without booms or "one more thing"s, one bit of news stood out: White made a quiet return to the iPod family in the premium 16GB iPhone 3G. Sure, it never fully left Apple—remaining the default color for earbuds, plugs, power bricks, AirPort products and the cheapest MacBooks—but we were finally getting used to a world without white iPods. Does this mean after nine short months put out to the pastures, white is already retro-cool again?

This time around, white won't be for everybody. Once the staple color of the iPod revolution, white will be a statement for those bold enough to sport a phone that bright. It's incredible; when Jobs dropped a little black on the masses, we thought that was radical, but eventually accepted it as the norm. When most Apple products went brushed-aluminum, we were again stunned, but now we think nothing of it. Today white, the color that we accepted from the beginning, is back, this time on an iPhone, and it looks like the most far-out Apple product yet.

Will the return of white in the iPhone set a pattern for the iPod touch, classic, and others? Will white be the new, well, white, taking back the reins as the most popular color? Will the color make its way back to Apple's high-style MacBook Air? Can Jobs, Jonathan Ive and the Cupertino crew keep us on our toes forever by recycling the same three finishes? Most importantly, are you a person that's bold enough to rock this flamboyant new phone? I, for one, am not. [Apple]

WD Joins 7200rpm Club with 320GB 2.5-Inch Scorpio Black Drives

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 08:21:59 EDT

Today Western Digital announced its Scorpio Black 2.5" drive line, which reach 7200rpm, though at 5400rpm power demands. Like certain Fujitsu and Hitachi drives announced earlier this year, the speedy drives will ship in capacities from 80GB up to 320GB. The top model, with built-in free-fall sensor for drive protection, costs $250. [WD]

Rumor Smashed: AT&T's iPhone Black Reference Just Placeholder Text

Jason Chen — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:10:29 EDT

An AT&T spokesperson just told us that the iPhone Black dropdown reference on the AT&T Wireless website is just a temporary placeholder. The spokesperson says that it was used over the weekend for a "scheduled catalog update," distinguishing the various iPhone models (4GB, 8GB and 16GB). Sorry dudes, the 3G iPhone is probably not called the iPhone Black. Unless, of course, the spokesperson was just covering AT&T's butt, which could always be possible.

AT&T Slips iPhone Black Reference in Customer Pages

Jesus Diaz — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:47:14 EDT

Something called the "iPhone Black" is now appearing in the "Select Model" popup menu on AT&T's registered customers screen. An AT&T spokesperson has told us that the company doesn't have any comment on this. And we don't know what "iPhone Black" means, but some may take this as a confirmation of the rumored all-black iPhone allegedly coming next month. However, since there's no other information except this screenshot, we will take it as is. [AppleInsider]

Update: AT&T's just denied the existence of an iPhone Black, pointing to leftover placeholder text from a weekend update.

New Zune Colors Make the Beast With Two Black Backs

Jason Chen — Wed, 07 May 2008 19:25:50 EDT

If you've got time and absolutely nothing better to do, you can graba resource explorer and dive into the Zune software. What would you find? Some images of two new Zunes, both with a black back. The current black 80GB and red 8GB Zunes have a silver back, which are also pictured, so these would be new new. It looks like just bad lighting, but the resource item actually says "black back." We don't know whether these are retail colors or just limited edition Zunes for employees, but we'll probably find out soon. [Zunited News Center]

Colorware's Matte Black iPhone Fools Friends, Bloggers

Jason Chen — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 13:24:21 EDT

It's not the 3G iPhone, but Colorware's Stealth iPhone trades in the silver trim and brushed metal back for an entirely matte black motif. It's also extraordinarily expensive, weighing in at $675 and $775 to the stock model's $399 and $499. Colorware does throw in a matte black iPhone dock and pair of earbuds, but even that probably doesn't justify the increased cost. Then again, some people really love black. [Colorware]

Parrot PARTY Black Edition Speakers Do Use Near Field Connection

Kit Eaton — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:10:00 EDT

Parrot has come up with a new Black Edition of their PARTY speaker which uses Near Field Communications to connect to audio sources, claiming it's the first commercial speaker system to do this. Basically you don't have to do any complicated Bluetooth paring, just tap your cellphone to the speaker and away you go. It uses a class-D amp, has a 6W power output, a "Stereo Widening" option to create virtual surround sound and its rechargeable batteries will last eight hours. Available in the summer in the UK for around $156. Update: Ok, we thought they did, then we thought they didn't: Parrot contacted us, very sweetly, to say "yes... they are NFC enabled." Hooray. Sorry for the confusion. [Pocket Lint]

LG's New Black Label Cellphone: First Look

Kit Eaton — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:00:15 EDT

LG is following up the love-it or hate-it Chocolate, and the Shine, with its third "Black Label" device: the as-yet unnamed cellphone you can see here. It looks a more serious and slender beast than the first two, and sports a five megapixel camera, tempered glass and a carbon-fiber finish. Other than that we can't say much, as LG is being shy with the details: though I'm sure they'd call it "teaser marketing". More data will be available at its European April 24th launch. We'll keep you posted. [Aving]

Prox Dynamics Black Hornet: World's Smallest UAV, Too Small for Mr. T

Kit Eaton — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 08:50:56 EDT

I'm no sissy, but I don't like airplanes. And man, don't be shouting "eclipse" or I'll get angry! But I like this helicopter: it's so small, much better than that big Boeing thing. They say it's the "worlds smallest and most capable Unmanned Aircraft System". The Black Hornet is designed to aid soldiers in the field, or allow rescuers to get a camera into dangerous places. It's got a tiny camera in, you see, like a suped-up toy. Any sucker can carry it in a pocket and launch it by hand. It's 4 inches big and weighs just 20 grams. 20 grams? What kinda fool weight is that? Say 0.04 pounds! Should be flyin' in '09. Unlike me. [Prox dynamics via Pop Sci]

Sony Rolly Soon Rolling Out in Black Shell, Colored Arms

Kit Eaton — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 03:33:22 EDT

Seems like Sony's Rolly really is due out soon, and it'll be available in a black body version with a matching black cradle, as hinted at by the FCC filing. If black's too boring for you, then you'll also be able to trick your Rolly out with blue, red or silver replacement "arms". Maybe they're "wings"? Whichever: the little rolling, MP3-playing guy will be out in black from April 19th in Japan for around $400, while a colored arm set will cost around $15. Presumably Rolly will be rolling up on US shores sometimes soon after. [AV Watch]

Personal Pocket Safe USB Drive So Secure It Has Its Own PIN Pad

Wilson Rothman — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:43:35 EDT

There are plenty of secure USB drives, but the Personal Pocket Safe has to be the paranoid PC users' best friend. Its inventor CHDT Corp. calls it the first "encrypted, epoxy coated, pin-protected smart drive." It comes with the expected security features, such as military-grade encryption, safekeeping of passwords and other sensitive info and a track-covering feature that makes sure no one can trace its presence once it's removed from a system. To top it all off, though, the drive has its own rubber-key PIN-pad, so that you can key in your own 4-to-10 passcode. No passcode, and the thing goes into full lock down.

The Key to Staying Organized and Secure Lies Within Consumers' Pockets Deerfield Beach, FL - March 24, 2008 - From bank statements and insurance policies to birth certificates and contracts, today's consumers face confusion and frustration when it comes to organization and protecting critical data and documents. This month, Black Box Innovations, as part of its new Tâke line of portable technology, unveils the solution with the launch of the Personal Pocket Safe™, the world's first encrypted, epoxy coated, pin-protected smart drive offering powerful organization and portable digital protection for consumers. Formatted to fit any standard USB port found in PCs and notebooks, the Personal Pocket Safe™ will be available through select retail channels starting in spring 2008. "To shred or not to shred, to file or keep a paper copy, and where to store them safely are questions we all struggle with on a regular basis," said Stewart Wallach, visionary behind the Personal Pocket Safe™ and CEO of its parent company, CHDT, Corporation. "The Personal Pocket Safe™ eliminates the tedious and labor-intensive obstacles that prevent today's consumers from gaining control over organization by combining easy-to-manage technology, portable efficiency and digital security in an affordable way that's never been done before." The Personal Pocket Safe™ is powered by proprietary software embedded within a pin protected pocket safe that features a host of security-rich options that lock in all of the confidential and critical information that powers the lives of today's consumers. Measuring less than 3 inches, the Personal Pocket Safe™ is convenient for travel and easy to store from plain view. Robust functionality and security features include: • A pin (4 to 10 digits) that prevents unauthorized users from accessing stored data. • Military grade encryption and storage of confidential documents, from insurance policies and contracts to heirloom photos and other irreplaceable items • Archiving of sensitive credentials such as social security numbers, financial account information and passwords • Digital compartmentalization of up to 70 years of bills and bank statements*, health records, and scanned copies of important documents such as licenses, permits, birth certificates, etc. • Customizable reminders for everything from warranty and policy renewals to scheduled maintenance back ups • Digital security features that make the device untraceable when removed from a host computer or laptop • Automatic "lock out" technology that shuts down the device to deter hackers "As we designed the Personal Pocket Safe, we began to discover that it's not simply hardware or software. This innovation is a new breed of technology we've coined 'anyware,' said John Tate, President of Black Box Innovations, the developers and marketers of the Personal Pocket Safe. "As a digital safe, it organizes and protects the user, any time, any place in simple ways that can save consumers around the world a lot of time, money and heartache; in short - it makes users lives easier." In addition to its menu of organization features, the Personal Pocket Safe™ also helps protect consumers' identities. With nearly 10 million Americans victimized by some form of identity theft in 2007, the Personal Pocket Safe™ offers peace of mind in knowing that once critical documents are organized and secure, the risk of someone accessing that data is a non-issue. On top of proactive protection, the Personal Pocket Safe™ also offers consumers help with one of the most overlooked but necessary functions in today's digital age - backup. Data that might normally be lost in the event of theft, computer disk crash or other unforeseen disasters is held securely within the Pocket Safe. "According to recent reports we've collected, close to 90 percent of adults today know they should backup the information they store on a laptop or personal computer, but more than 75 percent admit they do not take action," said Tate. "The reality is, 100 percent of computer drives will fail at some point if in use long enough, and proper backup is critical." With an increasing population of consumers who try to "live green", the Personal Pocket Safe™ provides an easy and convenient way for individuals to achieve their eco-friendly goals by digitally archiving monthly statements to save paper. Other features include a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, packaging made from recycled materials, as well as a storage case crafted from bamboo. About Personal Pocket Safe With patents pending in the United States and overseas, the Personal Pocket Safe™, developed and marketed by Black Box Innovations, marks the first product within the company's Tâke line, based on licensed technology from ClevX, LLC and ExamSoft Worldwide Inc. Black Box Innovations is a wholly owned subsidiary of CHDT Corp., based in Florida. Available through select retail channels starting in spring 2008, the Personal Pocket Safe™ helps consumers organize and safeguard their most critical documents and information through the world's first encrypted, epoxy coated, pin-protected USB device. For more information, visit takeanyware.com.

Note: The CHDT website was easy to find, but the takeanywhere.com and Black Box Innovations were not yet visible on the net. We trust that this is a product that the company does intend to bring to market, though it is clearly in the early stages of marketing, at least in the US.

Scientists Make Black Hole in Fiber Optic Cable: World Doesn't End

Kit Eaton — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:55:15 EDT

OK, so its not quite as sensational as it sounds— UK scientists have been trying to simulate conditions near the event horizons that shroud black holes, and they've cleverly simulated a horizon using pulses of light in a special optical fiber. So, no disastrous gravity well was made and the world didn't suddenly end with a horrible crunch. But they did create an analog of a black hole that helped them understand some of the weird and whacky physics that goes on near real ones.

The team actually made "completely harmless" black hole and white hole horizons in pairs, at a rate of 80 million a second, by piling up and stretching out ultrashort light pulses in the modified optical fiber. They even detected blue-shifting effects at the white hole horizons, which is predicted by theory.

Next on their agenda may be examining even more interesting quantum stuff like the radiation predicted by Stephen Hawking in his "black holes ain't so black" theory. And that's just cool. [Sciencemag via Wired]

Limited-Edition Honeybee DS Lite is Monochrome, Smooth, Sophisticated, Japan-only

Kit Eaton — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 08:00:46 EST

The creative result of a collaboration between Designer Hiroshi Fujiwara and Japanese fashion magazine Honeybee, this Nintendo DS Lite sports a matte black exterior with co-ordinating jazzy white interior and hinges. Ok, so "creative" means they just painted it black and white, but it is classy isn't it? Wait 'til you see the inside.

Apart from its Limited Edition status, we know nothing more, but that doesn't stop us from drooling over it. [Honeybee via Kotaku]

Real Fake Steve Jobs Mock Turtleneck, Made from Cotton, Not Harvested Chest Hair of Sacked Apple Engineers

Kit Eaton — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 07:05:09 EST

There are three important differences between this turtleneck and those his Steveness actually wears: First, it is slightly cheaper (we suspect). Second, it has the words "Hello my name is Fake Steve Jobs" printed in large, friendly letters on a fake name tag on its front.

Third, it is made of cotton, rather than woven from the finest black carbon nanotubes harvested from the backs of cybernetic sheep. Available in small and medium sizes, the only reason we can think for this not coming in size L and above is so that no one buys one for Real Steve and he gets so pissed he shuts the company down. Only $20. [Indie Tech via Gear Fuse]

Telepresence Frame: A Black Box for Life Support Patients

Benny Goldman — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:55:03 EST

Someone finally found a good use for a digital picture frame. The Telepresence Frame by Revital Cohen displays a live-feed of a patient's vital stats for his or her entire family to see. Cohen, an artist studying the increasing relationship between humans and machines, shows through the frame that a patient on life support is made up of more than flesh and bones, and has become one with the gadgets surrounding them. That's nice and all, but what happens when the life support ends is downright freaky.

When the machines can no longer keep the patient alive, the stats on the frame flatline, just like you see on TV. However, the death of the patient does not bring with it the death of the frame; everything has been recorded on a black box, which rewinds to the beginning and plays the patient's life, on a loop. Now your family can sit around the fireplace, stare at the frame, and recount the good old days. "Oh look! That's when Timmy's blood pressure was 120 over 80! And he was still breathing! I miss that day."

Cohen has made a video of some of these patients describing what their machine-assisted life is like, and you can see a clip below. Just remember, before you complain that a minute of your time was wasted, these people are on freakin' life support.[Interactions via WMMNA]

The Most Massive Lens at PMA 2008

matt buchanan — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 08:41:00 EST

It's not quite the biggest lens ever, but this 1000mm focal length lens was the biggest piece of glass we could find at PMA, and the fattest mofo that Sigma pumps out. This bazooka-sized kit carries an appropriately explosive price —$22,000—and can swallow a man's head whole. Believe me, Eric's head is not tiny. He didn't shove his head all the way in, because he was afraid he wouldn't get it back. You could see genuine fear on his face. Fear. [Sigma]

Drive Recorder Is Honda's Car Black Box

Kit Eaton — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 06:30:02 EST

Honda's Drive Recorder will detect impacts and save information for the 12 seconds before and 8 seconds afterwards, aircraft black-box-style: forward-view imagery, along with sound and data on speed and deceleration rates all get stored on an SD card in its main unit, ready to be uploaded to a PC.

Its 135-degree field of view camera gets hung on your windscreen, with all the accelerometry going on inside the 4.5 x 3 x 0.8-inch black box itself. Honda hopes this system will turn you into a safer driver, though we imagine it might also make insurance claims a little more straightforward. You can also switch on recording just for the hell of it, and amuse your friends with a show later: "Hey, check out that braking after I missed the red light." Available in Japan for ¥54,600 (around $500), and, sadly, only if you have an Honda car or your name is Jenny or Debra.

Hey, it's Friday. [Honda via Gizmodo Japan]

Nintendo DS Lite Now in Black and Blue, We Think It's the Sexiest One Yet

Benny Goldman — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 18:45:16 EST

Circuit City has a cobalt blue/black DS Lite for preorder on their website. Considering three minutes have passed since the last time the DS got a costume change, this makes perfect sense to us. No word on the release date, but as always, it's $130. Get it now to complete your collection and make Nintendo a few more dollars. [Circuit City] —Thanks, Klaus!

Black Hole Bag Provides What Lazy People Need: A Shortcut

Sean Fallon — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 19:20:15 EST

Forget stuffing your junk under your bed or in closets, if you had a Black Hole Bag you could cram it all in one place. This rubbery concept is strong and flexible enough to fit a seemingly endless quantity of crap—growing to gargantuan proportions in the process. That is until the day you are finally killed while running away from it like Indiana Jones in Raiders. Nonetheless, this is definitely one simple design concept that I can see on store shelves. [Yanko Design]

London Cab Driver Takes on Sat-Nav—and Beats It By 27 Minutes

AddyDugdale — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 07:25:58 EST

The BBC pitted the wits of a black cab driver against the latest GPS technology in an effort to find out whether man or gadget rules the mean streets of rush-hour London. And, in a result that will not surprise TomTom-challenged Londoners one bit, although the TomTom GO 720 won the first round, Andy the cabbie completely p0wned the Sat-Nav. More info below.

When you think about what a cabbie has to endure—an average of 34 months spent learning the Knowledge, as it is referred to, when you take to the streets of London on a moped, with nothing but a kagoule and an A to Z for company, when you phut-phut your way round the capital's roads until you know the city like the back of your hand, and can prove it to a bunch of bolshie examiners—then it is not surprising that the human element triumphed over technology.

Says Spencer Kelly, presenter of the technology programme Click:

We chose waypoints that took us through extremely busy parts of London. We would need to go from Box Hill in Surrey to Wembley Stadium, then the Houses of Parliament and finish at Greenwich Observatory. In fact, if we had just followed the shortest route to our first waypoint - the new Wembley Stadium - we would have gone right through some of the worst traffic blackspots in the area.
The rules were simple. Andy the cabbie could choose whichever route he wanted, listen to traffic reports on the radio, and change route at any time. But so he did not get an unfair advantage, he was not allowed to use bus/taxi lanes to avoid any jams. I had to do what the sat-nav said. No exceptions.

Spencer, who was using the TomTom, and alternated between the voice of Yoda and John Cleese, won the first leg, choosing to use the M25, a mahoosive freeway that circumnavigates London. He managed to get to Wembley Stadium, in the northwest of the city, five minutes ahead of Andy. When it came to the streets of the city center, however, Andy's experience was at a clear advantage, and he was already celebrating with a cuppa beside the Greenwich Observatory by the time Spencer had arrived at the Houses of Parliament. [BBC Online]

Steve Jobs Inducted into California Hall of Fame, Dresses Up

AddyDugdale — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 06:04:37 EST

I know it wasn't the Oscars, but couldn't His Royal Steveness have made just a teensy bit more effort at California's Hall of Fame last night? Sporting a ~~Ronald McDonald costume made entirely from tofuburgers~~ black poloneck and jeans, the co-founder of Apple eschewed the red carpet and snuck in through a side door at Sacramento's California Museum for History, Women and the Arts.

Bounding on stage to the strains of Revolution by that popular beat combo The Beatles, Jobs managed to look bashful as Arnie and Maria hung a gold medallion round his neck. Although yesterday's ceremony was the Golden State's first ever HoF gathering, the Gubernator and his First Lady, Maria Shriver, managed to get all 75 inductees to show up—unless, of course, you count the dearly departed, such as John Wayne. There was, however, a last-minute no-show: Elizabeth Taylor. Perhaps she felt that Jobs' interpretation of the dress code was a little too casual. [Reuters]

PriceGrabber and eBay: Zune Second-Most Bought Black Friday Product

Matt Buchanan — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:50:10 EST

The little portable media player that could: According to PriceGrabber, Shopping.com and eBay, the fattie Zunes (30 and 80) were the second-most bought product online during Black Friday, right behind the Wii. The snag in the numbers is that it doesn't include individual retailers like Amazon or Cyber Monday sales, but the chocolate Zune 30 does remain tops in Amazon's portables section, so it might just pull through in the final count. [Wired]

10 Cyber Monday Deals Worth Checking Out

Mark Wilson — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 11:00:38 EST

You didn't want to stand out in the cold for your deals on electronics, risking death by trample to save a few bucks? We can't blame you. So here are 10 great deals you can get from the comfort of your own home during the internet's version of Black Friday, Cyber Monday. Hit the jump for goodies like discounted iPods, 20% off at New Egg and a great Xbox bundle.

~~RCA HDV5000 HD DVD Player~~
Location: Staples.com
Price: $50
Info: It's a refurb, and it's a 1st gen HD DVD player, but it's rumored to run $50 cheaper than Staple's usual price. And it's a low-commitment way to get into the HD DVD game. Note: model number is an HD DVD player, even though the description looks like an upconverter. UPDATE: Staples has tweaked/fixed their listing. This is a DVD recorder/upscaler for $50. More deals below!

Xbox 360 Premium Bundle
Location: Walmart.com
Price: $399
Includes: It's the Xbox 360 Premium with Forza and Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but you get an extra wireless controller and your choice of games from a pool of some decent titles, including Mass Effect and Bioshock, along with an Xbox 360 messenger bag. Read about all of Wal-Mart's deals HERE.

iPods Galore
Location: Bestbuy.com
Price: 16GB touch - $379, 160GB classic - $332, 8GB nano - $189
Info: Starts today and goes through next Sunday. Best deal on an iPod w/o student discount or refurb.

10% Off At Circuit City
Location: CircuitCity.com, In-store pickup only
Price: Save 10% on any order of $249 or more.

20% Cash Back At Paypal Retailers
Location: 15 Retailers including New Egg, Barnes & Noble, HP, eToys.com, Overstock and Sharper Image.
Info: Get 20% cash back up to $50.

1TB Western Digital myBook external HD
Location: ZipZoomFly.com
Price: $219
Info: That's a lot of porn, my friends.

Viewsonic 26" LCD HDTV
Location: Staples.com
Price: $399
Info: That's over $100 savings compared with standard online prices.

HP Photosmart C6280 All in One Printer
Location: Staples.com
Price: $100
Info: Also about $100 off standard online prices.

Plantronics 330 Bluetooth headset
Location: BestBuy.com
Price: $25
Info: Save over $25, get your Bluetooth on.

ClubIT Deals
Location: ClubIT.com
Info: We don't know what they'll have for sale yet, but deals should hit Monday morning at 12:30 a.m. PST.

You see anything we didn't? Hit the comments and share your deals with the world. Or don't, and create really bad karma.

Special thanks to weekend interns, dealighted and fatwallet. [photo]

The Black Friday Shopping Tsunami is Over; How'd You Fare?

Adam Frucci — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 13:30:00 EST

Not to be a jerk, but waking up at 2 a.m. to stand in the cold for a few hours waiting to save $100 on a laptop doesn't seem like a sign of intelligence to me, or at least not a sign of being able to prioritize things properly. My cynical, judgmental view of Black Friday was only solidified when I saw this quote in the New York Times today:

Donna Lhopitault, 38, stood in line at the Toys R Us in Times Square for four hours this morning to secure a deeply discounted Nintendo Wii video game system for $250 — more than half the price she has seen it online.

I mean, if you're going to ruin your own Thanksgiving to buy a product, at least check to make sure it's even on sale. Good lord. Did any of you go hit the sales this morning? Any horror/success stories to share? [NY Times]

Black Friday Shopping Guide: Enter the Consumer Battle Dome

Brian Lam — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 15:11:03 EST

There's about 12 hours before the online Black Friday deals go live, and less than 24 hours left before the stores open up. If you're planning on storming the mall, here are all our major Black Friday finds:
• The Ultimate Black Friday Guide, with major deals summarized.
• All Black Friday related stories.
• Grinchmodo: Don't Shop if you don't need to

Reminder: Apple Store Black Friday Details Lift in a Few Hours

hook — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 14:20:00 EST

Lest ye forget: While everyone else is having Black Friday door-buster, blowout sales, Apple will be having its more elegant-sounding one-day "shopping event." We're a little nervous because there's no mention of any deals on Apple products. You'll have to click onto the Apple Store site—on Friday only—to see what's up. But there is one guarantee: you will get free shipping. We're pretty sure Apple gives free shipping on a lot of purchases anyhow, but we won't look a gift-horse in the mouth. [Apple]

PC World's Newbie Guide To Buying Flat Panel TVs

hook — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 10:15:00 EST

With the Black Friday deals just hours away, PC World gives neophytes a guide to buying a flat-screen TV. [PC World]

Black Friday Deals From Circuit City, CompUSA, Best Buy, and OfficeMax Live Now

Matt Buchanan — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 07:00:45 EST

If you want to avoid the mobs and beat some suckers to the punch, the sites for Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA and OfficeMax have already flung open the Black Friday floodgates, with most of their deals ripe for the picking.

Not all of their previously listed Black Friday bargains are available online right now, but a solid three-fourths of each store's are. There's no rhyme or reason as to what's live now and what's not—for instance, Circuit City's DVDs are vapor, but all of its discounted TVs are ready to go—so you've gotta look up what you want to see if it's made the cut yet. Odds are, it has, but be prepared to be patient just in case. Here's a list of Consumer Reports' best Black Friday HDTV deals to get started. [Black Friday.info, Flickr]

EB Games/GameStop Black Friday Ads Revealed

Adrian Covert — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:36:31 EST

The black friday ads for EB Games/GameStop have hit and they're offering Virtua Tennis 3 on the PS3 and Naruto: Ninja Council 3 on the DS for $20 apiece, and World of Warcraft for $10. The rest of the deals are pretty unspectacular, but thats EB for ya. Oh yeah, select movie titles on Sony's format of the future, UMD, are only $3.99 (Minidisc 2.0 FTW!). [Black Friday on Giz]

Amazon Announces Hot Black Friday Camera & Photo Deals

Charlie White — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:40:00 EST

Eager to get in on the Black Friday madness, Amazon's Camera and Photo department tipped us off to its special deals for Black Friday. For instance, we've never seen that Sanyo Xacti 720p HD camcorder (pictured above) for $399.99. Good deal., because it's usually around $530. Follow the jump for camcorders, still cameras and accessories.

Thursday (11/22) - Monday (11/26)
Sanyo Xacti HD700 7MP MPEG-4 High Definition 720p Camcorder with 5x Optical Zoom $399.99
Aiptek DV5900 5MP Pocket Digital Camcorder $59.99
Canon HV10 High Definition MiniDV Camcorder with a free Coach carrying case $579.99
Nikon L11 Digital Camera $99.99
Aiptek Go-HD High Definition Camcorder $189.99

Thursday (11/22) - Saturday (11/24)
TAO 1.5-Inch Digital Keychain Frame (Brushed Metal) $34.99
Coby DP-769 7-Inch Widescreen Digital Photo Frame with MP3 Player & 2 Frames $59.99
Samsung SC-DC173U DVD Camcorder with 34x Optical Zoom $199.99
Nikon S51 Digital Camera $199
[Amazon]