Then they asked me to wait. Since they had asked for friends and families phone numbers I assumed they might be calling to verify my answers to questions or confirm I really had extended family in Tel Aviv. An announcement played over the sound system, interrupting my break in the sunshine. First in Hebrew, then Arabic, then in English. It was something along the lines of, "do not to be alarmed by gunshots because the Israeli security needs to blow up suspicious passanger luggage."

I went inside to check on my bag. I had left it unattended, where they instructed. It was still there so I went back outside.

Moments later a man came outside and introduced himself as the manager on duty. And then, "I'm sorry but we had to blow up your laptop."

Fortunately for all of her data, they missed the hard drive. Now she's trying to figure out how to get the Israeli government to reimburse her for her swiss cheese laptop. Be sure to read the full story over at her blog. [Lilly Sussman via Cynical-C]

Unfortunately, Modu founder Dov Moran appears to be backtracking mightily from remarks he made when we first learned about Modu more than a year ago.

If you'll remember, Modu was once billed as a modular phone with dozens of "jackets" that could do everything from GPS to play MP3s. Additional hyperbole included the promise that the phone would be an experience that could turn the "one-size-fits-all" smartphone market "on its ear."

Now, however, Moran is talking only about the low cost, simplistic nature of the modu.

"Don't forget that billions of people are still using 2nd-gen devices and a lot of them don't need much more. People just want a small, light device that's easy to dial and send text messages. If you want an Iphone with a camera that makes coffee and can transform into a kite, and you're ready to pay thousands of Shekels for it - well, you have a big choice to pick from."

Yeah, but wasn't this thing advertised as the phone that could quickly and easily transform into whatever you desired? I kind of got the impression, ironically, that a phone turning into a kite was a Modu trick, not the iPhone. Guess that changed during focus group testing. [Calcalist via Mobo]

After years of ignoring the Israeli nuclear program—which was denounced in 1986 by former nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu—the United States' Department of Defense has acknowledged Israel nuclear power status for the first time.

Israel has neither confirmed nor denied the existence of its own nuclear arsenal, but page 37 of the US Joint Forces Command report recognizes the fact, putting it in the same group as Pakistan, India, China, North Korea, Russia, along with an "emerging Iran," Taiwan, and Japan having "the capability to develop nuclear weapons quickly."

According to "The Samson Option" report—an investigative article written by reporter Seymour Hersh—Israel may have 200 to 400 atomic warheads, ready to use as the last resort in case of a massive attack that may put in danger the existence of the country.

This is a big deal for two reasons: First, because the subject has been dodged forever by the US government, including President Barack Obama, who recently ignored the question when asked by White House correspondent Helen Thomas. And second, because to the Symington Amendment—which bans support to countries developing nuclear weapons—this may mean the end of US help to Israel.

Or maybe this just means that someone at the DOD will get fired and the report corrected with a big black marker.

It can go either way, and it will still be very bad news. [US Army PDF via DOD Buzz]

Can architecture make Israel and Palestine coexist peacefully together? Sounds like a pie in the sky proposition—no pun intended—but with given the resources, it may be the only way to have the two countries living together, on top and below each other.

Viktor's concept is simple, but absolute genius: Bridge the Israel and Palestinian territories with large structures that can sustain life, house people, and allow for the free transit of people, animals, and merchandise. Both countries will have bridges over each other's ground, so nobody is isolated and there's no need for populations to get through the other territories.

Obviously, this is a huge project, but if structurally possible—which looking at the current state of engineering, looks it is—it brings a new way to look at the geography of the two countries, eliminating many of the demands and catering to the needs of the population of both states. It doesn't solve other issues, but at least they solve a big part of them. [Bldgblog]

But no, seriously. What the hell is a "kosher" GPS unit? Apparently this kind of thing has been happening for a while, and has a pretty simple explanation. Many Orthodox rabbis discourage internet access, but do allow certain basic technologies like cellphones and, I guess, GPS devices. The Mio Ma'amin (translation: Mio Believer) is mindful of a variety of orthodox sensitivities, as it is stripped of online connectivity, contains a directory of thousands of kosher restaurants and Jewish points of interest, a bevy of prayer materials and a male, or rather, not female, voice.

It's a shame that intense religion is so effective at destroying irony, because most of this device's customers will never appreciate the humor in trying to divine the correct specs for your GPS unit from thousands-of-years-old documents printed on parchment scrolls. Oh well! The Ma'amin's going on sale in Israel for about $240. [Jerusalem Post —Thanks, Michael!]

The scientists discovered that this method of mending makes the skin less likely to tear and is much more watertight than traditional needle and thread stitches. So far, experiments on real patients have found that the wounds heal faster and with less scaring.

They're hoping that their invention will be in operating rooms around the world in a few years. [Reuters]

It's back up now, but a message on the idfnadesk channel's profile (Age: 60, the wit) explains:

We were saddened earlier today that YouTube took down some of our exclusive footage showing the IDF's operational success in operation Cast Lead against Hamas extremists in the Gaza Strip. Fortunately, due to blogger and viewer support, YouTube has put back up some of the footage they removed.

Naturally, the comments sections turned into a firestorm of hateful back-and-forths before they were disabled, which was probably a condition for re-upping the censored videos.

It's a propaganda campaign, pure and simple. Even though you can see far worse in the chillingly note-perfect AC-130 stage in fucking Call of Duty 4, there are people dying in those buildings, and no, not all of them are terrorists. No war in history has been fought without the warring parties attempting to control the story with info dissemination. But using a forum like YouTube, a public community where smartbombs destroying buildings in a populated city are adjacent to sleeping kittens and 12 year olds' rants on why homework sucks, and where said 12 year olds (literally, and those of 12-year-old intellect) can fill the comment sections with racist hate-spew—is this where we draw the line? [idfnadesk - YouTube]

Oh, and any of said hate spew in the comments here will be grounds for an immediate banhammer. And it has a gun camera and its own YouTube channel too.

The liquid is doctor-approved, too, with Israeli "medical and legal authorities approving the use of the foul-smelling liquid." That's probably because the Israeli scientists who created it drew their inspiration from nature.

The foul-smelling liquid squirted by angry or frightened skunks at their victims was analyzed by Israeli defence scientists and a synthetic version created for use in a weapon they call the "skunk bomb". Fired with great care, and from a respectable range, it is designed to force civilian protesters to disperse. Security forces would not be keen to arrest the victims, and they would be equally unwelcome at home.

Unless, of coure, they already lived in a sewer.

But anyway, if you're still curious about the smell, the Palestinian demonstrators described it as "similar to that of sewage." [News VOA via Danger Room]

At 10 blades, Bargil's attempt is a world record, and bests the best of what the Japanese had to offer in 2006 with an all-in-one 9-blade pair of scissors. Finally, just for kicks (pun totally intended), here's Zohan, that other kick ass Israeli hairdresser.

[Reuters]

Pilots who fail the authentication test when they approach Israeli airspace will be denied entry. Should a plane go ahead, ignoring further warnings, Israel will consider it hostile and scramble fighter planes for an interception.

"You can't bluff this system," Dani Shenar, chief of security for Israel's Transportation Ministry, told Reuters. "It provides a higher level of confidence that the aircraft is being controlled by the right people, which is a huge asset in terms of avoiding unnecessary security alerts."

Developed by Elbit Systems Ltd for Israel's army to avoid hand-to-hand combat, the VIPeR is about the size of a small television and easily rolls up stairs and down into trenches (ok, with that trenches part we kinda went freestyle, but the real list includes dark alleys, caves and narrow tunnels).

And when you are bored of its standard bomb disposal functions, the VIPeR can carry an Uzi and grenades that can be controlled (unleashing hell) from a remote location via camera feed. We knew it was just a matter of time until videogames got this good.

But our favorite part is the small "e" in VIPeR, as if Elbit Systems wasn't quite committed enough to go with the name "VIP3R" and really do some serious pwnage.
– Mark Wilson

Israel Unveils Portable Hunter-Killer Robot [yahoonews]
Thanks Jasper!

Each class of chess piece is represented by a different actor from the IDF: the pawns are IDF soldiers, rooks are missile boats, knights are mobile guns and bishops are patrol jeeps. The king is an IDF pilot standing proudly underneath his F-15 jet while the queen is a Minerva Merkava tank.

$1,650 gets you this piece of Israeli military memorabilia. – Nicholas Deleon

Sterling Silver IDF Chess Set [ZAHAL]

Taken at Israel Tech Ed last week, the video shows off both the Motorola Q and the Samsung i-320. The Q's UI looks pretty responsive, and the screen's quality is pretty good.

The Samsung's keys also look interesting, with a BlackBerry-like dual purpose keys. Instead of horizontally dividing the keys, Samsung divided them vertically. You'll have to watch the video to see what we mean.

First video of an Israeli Motorola Q? [Mobility Today]

Nortel to test "Wireless Mesh" in Israel [Reuters]