The updated rules also make agents better inform you about what's going on. It's worth noting the searches are not standard practice: the DHS says that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has dealt with over 220 million travelers over the last 10 months, but only 1000 laptops were searched in that time.

I guess I'm OK with them searching laptops at the border (in principle), but it's ridiculous if they don't need to suspect anything to do so. Especially when innocent folks can have the tool they use to make a living snatched away for 30 days. Supposedly it's the terrorism and kiddy porn stuff they're after. I hope so, because personally, I gotta have my Divx movie rips on long haul flights.

"Keeping Americans safe in an increasingly digital world depends on our ability to lawfully screen materials entering the United States," DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano said in a statement. "The new directives announced today strike the balance between respecting the civil liberties and privacy of all travelers while ensuring DHS can take the lawful actions necessary to secure our borders."

It's still a huge invasion of privacy, and thankfully The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed suit for more information on the searches earlier this week. As many do, it believes the DHS policy violates the U.S. Constitution's Fourth Amendment against unreasonable search and seizure.

What do you think? Were you one of those 1000 searched since October last year?

[DHS via Wall Street Journal]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Crunchgear says the suits were designed by Japanese company Haruyama, who have created pouches up near the armpits for specially designed ice packs, which supposedly keep your body nice and cool (see: possibly meaningless graphic to the left).

And for the sake of these salarymen who brave the elements, I hope there's some waterproofing action going on there—otherwise you'll still end up looking like a sweaty mess. These suits can be found across Japan for roughly $520. [Crunchgear]

Frozen in the "bottom layer" of ice (Christ, how many layers do you think there are?) since, he estimates, early winter, the iPod was frozen solid and not in the best of shape. But after a few minutes of charging, the iPod booted right up and even displayed the correct date, proving once and for all that the iPod classic is to date the only Yukon-approved PMP on the market. [Robulack via TUAW]

As you can see in the test, the LG Renoir survived without any problem all the tests: freezing it to almost 0º F, being centrifugated at 500rpm in a washing/drying machine for 15 minutes, put into a car compartment fool of dust and keep it there for a while, and finally being submerged in water and wine. [Mobile Mail.ru—Thanks Kalle]

This Quicksnap tray concept won a recent Toyota design competition. A simple enough idea, each cube of ice can be released individually through its own button. As Gizmag points out, especially if you are one of those types who freezes various stocks and sauces, there's an appeal to keeping cubes tray-fresh/organized.

And yes, in the year of 2009, we have access to the world's knowledge with the touch of a button, but we still can't pop out one ice cube at a time. [Gizmag]

The iCEphone features a 3-inch touchscreen, QWERTY, dual SIM cards, HSDPA 3G, Wi-Fi, GPS and a 3.1MP camera. So far, so good. But while a touchscreen and QWERTY is enough for most of us, they also stuck in a third panel to fit an extra 10 or so buttons so the handset can double triple as a gaming device.

The result is not only expensive and it's not only bulky. It's trying to be everything to everyone, and in the process it's become that three-teeted chick from Total Recall: Pretty great in theory, but unwieldy and intimidating in person...plus heavy enough to cause a bad back ache.

Who knows if we'll actually see it hit store shelves, but Medical Phone Ltd is confident that their iCEphone will be available in the UK by May 2009. [iCEphone via Unwired Review and BGR]

The Kuro still held strong with its deep, bottomless blacks, but the LaserVue is noticeably better on colors, especially reds. The LaserVue is also better able to handle scenes with tons of motion than the Kuro, especially during action scenes in Iron Man. You can see above that the Kuro, on the right, makes the red of Iron Man's suit look too simple, while the LaserVue on the left has all the dirt and scars of a real battle. Below, the LaserVue's reds really pop, able to show the difference between the hues in the woman's top and skirt much more clearly than the Kuro—which is even from Pioneer's demo disc.

We've seen the LaserVue reviewed before, but only while using Mitsubishi's hand-picked content, which doesn't necessarily make for the most accurate test. Kurtis and Cameron at The Tech Lounge got themselves a Panasonic DMP-BD30K Blu-Ray player and a copy of both Ice Age: Meltdown and Iron Man to test out color, clarity, and motion on the "normal" settings of both HDTVs. They came away impressed with the color, but not with the hefty $7000 price tag. Still, if you can afford it, and you don't mind its fatty rear-projection girth, the LaserVue is definitely the cream of the crop. [Tech Lounge]

"It's the consensus of all of us that we have found ice," said Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson, which is leading the Phoenix project with help from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. "It's shiny and smooth - it's absolutely astounding!" he said. Exclamation points aside, Smith did concede, as scientists are wont to do, that the gleaming slab could be "something else," but the leading interpretation is that future tests will confirm it is ice.

The patch, which was discovered by Phoenix's camera during a routine inspection of its legs, joins several existing targets of digging opportunity. One is called Humpty Dumpty, and the second is the King of Hearts. The ice patch? Thy name is "Holy Cow!" said Smith. All three sites will presumably be where the lander's robotic scoop arm will dig to begin a set of experiments that could prove or disprove the presence of organic, life building compounds on Mars. [SFGate]

But then again, I was like Calvin when the snow paralyzed the life of the city, like it is happening now in some parts of the US: I just loved to stay at home with Hobbes, playing with toys, constructing LEGOs or watching movies while having hot chocolate and cookies. What's going to be for you?

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[International Herald Tribune]

The sadder you are, the more ice cream Dr. Whippy serves, the easier it is to handle someone you love being set on fire. No information on when it'll be out or for how much—but has the Omron Smile Measurement Software ever had a better home? [WeMakeMoneyNotArt via UberReview]

It's not entirely practical, having a lightbulb made of ice, but it sure is cool and will entertain the kids for hours on end. All it essentially is is an LED embedded inside a sphere of ice connected through some wires to a battery. You make it by placing the contraption inside water, which is placed inside a balloon, which is placed inside your freezer. A fun project for the coming summer months. – Jason Chen

Ice Bulb [Instructables via Geekologie]

Product Page [Via Newlaunches]

The scraper has a 15-foot cord which plugs into your car, and produces a "gentle heat" to help melt away the ice. Pretty smart, and not at all expensive at $14.99. Grab one to last you through the next few months. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Amazon via Luxury Housing via Oh Gizmo]

Firebox Mathmos Thaw Light

Look for the Ice in September in the UK for around $190 on pre-paid plans. Who knows if we'll see any Ice in the U.S. – Nicholas Deleon

Unveiled: O2 Ice! [Gadget Candy]