The segment was intended to discover whether it was possible, as the saying goes, to knock someone's socks off. I don't know about the socks, but the resulting explosion did manage to break windows throughout Esparto and toss one very surprised woman off her couch. Afterward, she claimed that the experience was "fun, really fun."

What a trooper.

At any rate, the Mythbusters crew replaced all the windows that same day and the sentiment around town about the incident seems to be generally positive (despite the fact that no one in the town was informed of the taping beforehand). There is no word on when the episode might air, but I'm setting my DVR to record as we speak. Should be an interesting episode. [KCRA via Crunchgear]

The Atomic Energy Lab set was only available from 1951 to 1952 and sold for a whopping $50 (that's without inflation).

The set came with four types of uranium ore, a beta-alpha source (Pb-210), a pure beta source (Ru-106), a gamma source (Zn-65?), a spinthariscope, a cloud chamber with its own short-lived alpha source (Po-210), an electroscope, a geiger counter, a manual, a comic book (Dagwood Splits the Atom) and a government manual "Prospecting for Uranium."

Today, a set of one of these could go for over $5,000 due to the limited quantities that was produced. Maybe the set was produced in limited quantities because dying from radiation at the age of eight wasn't so fun either. [Oak Ridge Associated Universities via Boing Boing]

[VideoRadar via Dark Roasted Blend]

Since there was no easy way to travel by ship across the Northern coast of the Soviet Union, the smartypants of the Communist regime decided that they needed a chain of autonomous lighthouses that could run 24/7/365. The answer: light-weight nuclear reactors and a generation of lighthouse guards with four hands and six eyes.

Right now, these structures can be visited, if you don't care about you or your future kids growing up extra members—the lighthouses are, obviously, contaminated with radiation. [English Russia]

Dangerous Explosive Mallets - Watch more Free VideosYep, it's about what you expected, eh? I try to deliver when I promise things. [Break via The Daily What]

The city intends to install dozens of the fancy waste receptacles in London's financial district next year. And boy, do they sound expensive!

The technology reduces the shockwave of an explosion — which usually creates devastation by destroying nearby objects such as windows — and because most of the bin is made of steel, it can contain the heat and shrapnel generated. He said that the technology “reduces the peak pressure of an explosion and extinguishes the fireball”.

The green bins will double as an information service called Renew, with large screens on each side of the device relaying the latest news.

Traders walking past on their lunch break will be able to check the latest share prices, but on their way home the screens will display travel information and other news. The authorities will also be able to use the screens to relay urgent security information.

Is it just me or does it seem like every single decision the British government makes hinges on the threat of terrorism? You guys are starting to seem a bit obsessed over there. [Times Online]

The aircraft, which was carrying six crew and 58 passengers, veered off the runway after being hit by two improvised explosive devices, catching fire on its badly damaged port wing. Three people suffered minor injuries on evacuating the stricken transport, which was subsequently "deemed unrecoverable due to operational constraints", according to a Board of Inquiry investigation into the mishap.

The aircraft, a C-130J transport plane, is worth an estimated $82 million in working, non-blowed-up condition. [Danger Room via FlightGlobal]

FREMONT, Calif. – Aug. 28, 2008 — Today, Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) unveiled the Logitech® Squeezebox™ Boom all-in-one network music player, featuring an integrated amplifier, high-performance speakers and a simplified setup. Now, it’s easier than ever before to bring digital music to any room in your home.

“The network music player will be the CD player of the 21st century, and Squeezebox Boom is the first player in its class to deliver high-quality audio in a compact, all-in-one design,” said Robin Selden, vice president and general manager of Logitech’s Streaming Media business unit. “From the streamlined setup to the breakthrough acoustics, the Squeezebox Boom is an entirely new type of network music player. Just plug it in and you’re ready to rock the house.”

No Additional Audio Gear, Wires Needed
With the Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player, you can listen to your digital music in the kitchen, the bedroom or any other room in your home – without needing to attach external speakers. Just plug the new Logitech network music player into a power outlet – there are no additional wires to connect. Then, using your existing home network, you can listen to the music you love from the personal collection on your computer, your favorite Internet radio stations, and subscription services such as Rhapsody®, Last.FM, Slacker, Pandora® and Sirius – even when the computer is off.

Adding Squeezebox Boom to your network is simple. The new Logitech player will automatically detect the available networks. Once you select your network, simply enter your password – for your convenience, Squeezebox Boom automatically remembers it for future use.

For different music in another room of your home, you can easily expand your Squeezebox network music system. Simply add additional Squeezebox Boom players in any room you like or, if you already have an existing stereo system, add another player from the Squeezebox family to your network music setup, including the Logitech® Squeezebox™ Duet network music system.

Listen to Thousands of Internet Radio Stations on High-Performance Speakers
Upon registering your Squeezebox Boom network music player, you can access thousands of radio stations and millions of songs, aggregated by SqueezeNetwork™ – Logitech’s free, online service – without having to remember Internet addresses or passwords. So you enjoy an optimized wireless-network speed and a secure connection, Squeezebox Boom uses true 802.11g wireless technology and dual internal antennas.

To fill your room with sound, the Squeezebox Boom network music player offers an integrated, all-digital 30-watt amplifier accompanied by two ¾-inch, high-definition, soft-dome tweeters and two 3-inch, high-power, long-throw woofers. A bi-amplified design – which includes a high-performance signal processor, class-D amplifier and digital crossover – delivers crystal clear sound with minimal noise and distortion. For bass lovers, the Squeezebox Boom even includes a subwoofer connection. And if you want to listen to music in private, the 3.5 mm jack lets you plug in your headphones.

The Logitech Squeezebox Boom network music player works as an alarm clock and can wake you up to your favorite tunes. Six preset buttons, located under the display, make it easy to get to your favorite song, Internet radio station or playlist.

The included remote control gives you control of the Squeezebox Boom from across the room. And the remote includes a tiny magnet that lets you easily attach it to the top of the Squeezebox Boom or, for example, your refrigerator.

The Squeezebox Family
The new Squeezebox Boom is part of the Squeezebox family of products, which includes the award-winning Logitech Squeezebox Duet network music system, Logitech® Squeezebox™ network music player, as well as the audiophiles’ choice, the Logitech® Transporter™ network music player.

Pricing and Availability
The Logitech Squeezebox Boom network music player is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in September for a suggested retail price of $299.99 (U.S.).

UPDATE: And it can be yours on eBay starting at $90. Thanks, drelo!

In the rear there's video and audio outs, as well as a view of Steve's trademark Levis:

Bravo sir, bravo. [Mii Sculptures - Thanks, Miles!]

Unfortunately for lovers of cool space gadgets and other tech, the doomed Falcon 1 was carrying several satellites, which were lost in the explosion.

According to Space.com, the Falcon 1 was carrying a Pentagon satellite called Trailblazer for the Operationally Responsive Space Office. Two small NASA satellites were also destroyed, including a solar sail called NanoSail-D, and a micro laboratory called PRESat.

Even with the gaff, which joins two previous failed Falcon 1 launches from March 2006 and 2007, Musk told SpaceX employees the funding would continue indefinitely. Work on Falcon 9, SpaceX's "heavy lifter" rocket, and the Dragon, their human-carrying version, will continue, he said. Something tells me people won't be as eager to clamor aboard that Dragon one as they have Sir Richard Brandon's White Knight and SpaceShipTwo. Just a hunch. [MSNBC.com]

The scientists at CERN's Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland have decided to delay the ignition of the massive particle accelerator. The LHC countdown now shows 30 more days, so you can enjoy July to its full potential. In case you don't know what a Large Hadron Collider is, it's the thingamajig that is supposed to find the Force that binds all things or—according to some morons—was supposed to kill us all yesterday. Wait, hold on a moment here. Maybe they activated it. Maybe the first collision created a white hole that sucked the whole Universe in, and we got back in time. [LHC Countdown — Thanks Beau for the tip and idea]

Luckily for warlords such as myself, experts at the University of Munich have developed new types of bombs using the compounds HBT and G2ZT, bombs that only produce ammonia when detonated. That'll leave target areas nice and clean with no acid rain to pour down on the charred remains of my victims. And people say I'm evil!

To be fair, the same compounds may be used in rocket fuels in the future, which are less destructive than bombs and have legitimate reasons to be eco friendly. But initially, at least, it's all about the bombs. [American Chemical Society via io9]

[The Ledger—thanks tinshaker]

The Air Force Research Laboratory is conducting a technology assessment of certain cell processors. The processors in the Sony PlayStation 3 are the only brand on the market that utilizes the specific cell processor characteristics needed for this program at an acceptable cost.

So in case you have 300 PS3 that just fell from a truck, here is the order:

The contractor shall provide the following items on a firm fixed price basis:

Item 1: Sony PlayStation 3 Game Console - 40 GB Hard Drive

Qty: 300

Sony Part Number 98006

The estimated delivery date is 30 days after receipt of award. The place of delivery, acceptance, and FOB destination point is F4HBL1/Transportation Depot 2, 148 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY 13441-4516.

I wonder if Transportation Depot 2 is where they store the lost arks and dead aliens with the spaceships. [Air Force via Hushed Casket]

Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Well, pretty much just as you would expect. Less booms were a result of less jaw- dropping announcements. And less announcements means stock price no-go-up'y. In fact at end-of-day their closing price was down $4.45 from their daily high of $126.15.

Steve, I guess that means either you have got to pump up the boom-count or make sure that on keynotes like today each boom really counts.– Ben Longo

Complete Transcript of Steve Jobs, Macworld Conference and Expo, January 9, 2007 [MYiTablet]

Editor's note: There were technically nine booms today by my count, with the last boom uttered by iPhone Software VP Scott Forstall. Too bad only Jobs booms count. Also, I think Steve was toying with us in the middle there when he went boom...boom boom boom boom five times in a row. – JC

Product Page [via Gizmodo Australia]