Man in a Chicken suit plays "What is Love" on Pianica from Ring Mod on Vimeo.

Man in a Chicken Suit Plays "What Is Love" on Melodica

If that headline isn't enough to make you watch this video, I'm really not sure if the internet is your cup of tea. Because this is exactly what the internet should be used for. [Boing Boing]

A Very Muppet Christmas YouTube Video

I am so, so glad that a lot of the first 1080p YouTube clips are Muppet-related. I am a Muppet freak. I can't count how many times I've seen The Muppet Movie and (my personal favorite) The Great Muppet Caper, and I've even seen Jim Henson's MuppetVision 3D, which is a real thing, believe it or not. So as my menorah's candles slowly burn down, marking the first night of Chanukah, I am watching this Christmas-themed YouTube video and giggling, over and over again. Enjoy. [YouTube]

Nao Robot Performs Star Wars Impersonations

Nao, a pint-sized robot from Aldebaran Robotics, does a pretty good impersonation of various Star Wars characters—Darth Vader, R2D2, and more. It's pretty adorable and physically it's actually one of the more nimble robots I've seen, although nobody can seem to think of anything to do with it other than make 50-second YouTube clips like this one. Still: Cute. [Engadget]

Evil Empire Google Wants Your Email

Okay, so maybe it's not so evil—Google just wants users of its Google Voice service to allow access to both original voicemails and the transcriptions Voice supplies. Right now, there's a rating system to measure how accurate the transcriptions are, but that doesn't help Google improve the system that much. With a healthy supply of voicemails, Google could figure out how to work around tricky roadblocks like external noise and accents. So, not as evil as it sounds. [Neowin]

iTunes App Pages Redesigned

Not that much to say, really—iTunes redesigned the app pages in the Store, and, well, they look better. Bigger pictures, shorter descriptions, slicker layout. Looks nice! [Twitter]

Severed Pancake Hand Grasps Waffle With Last Delicious Ounce of Strength

You guys, HELP. There is a man made of pancakes running around without a hand, bleeding jam, and he's probably hungry since he left his waffle with the hand. Why did this amazing work of art end up in Remainders? Because despite what noted breakfast-eater Rosa Golijan thinks, Gizmodo is not typically a pancake-themed site. Disappointing, I know, but true. [Serious Eats]

You just have to scrounge up an invitation for Google Voice and then you can have your current phone number's voicemails routed through Google's servers and enjoy the voicemail transcribing, archiving, and straight-to-SMS (or email) forwarding features.

The promo video points out the significance of this service, which is that your voicemails, which belong to you after all, can be kept through carriers switches. Somehow I get the feeling that some cellphone providers might be a tad ticked off at Google for removing a major hassle of switching elsewhere, but all the better for the users. [Google Voice Blog via Lifehacker]

So... if you have a Bold with the visual voicemail icon on it, simply call up AT&T and ask a rep to activate the feature. Voila.

This completely free trick has been confirmed by the folks over at BGR, so have at it, or wait until the new OS arrives Tuesday. [BGR]

The collected responses provide an interesting glimpse of how each carrier deals with problems, and its customers. Pogue's results:

• AT&T is "actively exploring" how to make its messages shorter, and says that visual voicemail, which will make this issue moot in a few years anyway, is a priority.

• T-Mobile says the issue has their "attention," which is either a promising acknowledgment, or just a statement of an incredibly obvious fact.

• Sprint rightly reminds us that you can turn off extended messages on their service already, and explains how. Thanks, Sprint.

• Verizon would very much like David Pogue to shut his stupid face, please, because he said mean things about them on TV Twitter. Everyone else was cool!

You can read the full carrier responses here, but there are two main takeaways here: the campaign is actually working, so, you know, good job everyone; and it's clearly not over yet, until AT&T follows through, T-Mobile clarifies what their "attention" is worth, and Verizon cools down a little bit. A reminder:

Verizon: Post a complaint here.
AT&T: Send e-mail to Mark Siegel, executive director of media relations.
Sprint: Post a complaint here.
T-Mobile: Post a complaint here.

Happy polite haranguing, people! [Bits]

You know the messages: "At the tone, please record your message. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press 1 for more options. To leave a callback number, press 5. (Beep)" That's 15 seconds that you owe every time you leave a voicemail. And it's just as bad when you check your voicemail. And the entire thing is a scam.

These little 15-second waits add up–bigtime. If Verizon's 70 million customers leave or check messages twice a weekday, Verizon rakes in about $620 million a year. That's your money. And your time: three hours of your time a year, just sitting there listening to the same message over and over again every year.

In 2007, I spoke at an international cellular conference in Italy. The big buzzword was ARPU–Average Revenue Per User. The seminars all had titles like, "Maximizing ARPU In a Digital Age." And yes, several attendees (cell executives) admitted to me, point-blank, that the voicemail instructions exist primarily to make you use up airtime, thereby maximizing ARPU.

Well that's pretty shitty! So what to do? Harass the hell out of your carrier and get them to quit it. Pogue has links to places where you should yell at all four major carriers. Here they are:

Verizon: Post a complaint here.
AT&T: Send e-mail to Mark Siegel, executive director of media relations.
Sprint: Post a complaint here.
T-Mobile: Post a complaint here.

In the end, will it work? Maybe. But you can't win if you don't play, and these are your overpriced minutes we're talking about here. So I think you know what to do. [Pogue]

It's actually a fairly simple procedure. TrapCall reroutes unanswered blocked calls through a 1-800 number then back to your voicemail. Since anonymity is denied to 1-800 numbers, TrapCall simply picks up the number as the data moves through their servers. According to a Wired test, the rerouting process only took about 6 seconds on AT&T—and during that time all the caller hears is standard ringing.

TrapCall's basic unmasking service is free, and includes the option of blacklisting unwanted callers by phone number. It also allows you to listen to your voicemail over the web. It's currently available to AT&T and T-Mobile subscribers, with support for the other major carriers due within weeks, says TelTech president Meir Cohen.

For a $10 upgrade to "Mouse Trap" service, users can receive transcripts of voicemail messages and can, in some cases, send text messages with the phone number of the caller. A $25 "Bear Trap" upgrade allows you to record phone calls and receive text messages with the billing name and street address of your caller. Amusingly enough, the only way to truly protect your phone number from TrapCall is by signing up for their SpoofCard service—it allows you to display a number of your choosing on a Caller ID.

Obviously, this will generate serious privacy concerns. On one hand, it prevents creepy or threatening calls and on the other, it could expose victims trying to keep their whereabouts a secret. So, which side of this debate are you on? [TrapCall via Wired via Boing Boing Gadgets]

As mentioned in the previous article, this update is featured in the AT&T 4.6.0.219 OS install, but an official roll out date has not been determined. However, BGR is hearing that it might come sooner than we might think...for some customers at least. Hit the link for more images. [BGR]

The technology is the brainchild of MIT's Alex Pentland, who has invented a series of cell phone-sized gadgets to listen to people as the talk in meetings. These devices then study various communication signals "beneath the words" to help users better understand their speaking habits, and perhaps curb obnoxious behavior in the future.

The devices are currently deployed in local banks and universities, housed inside special smart phones (crap, is that supposed to be com now?) and badges. Participants wear or use the devices from several days to several months. When people wearing the devices speak, sensors collect data on their timing, enthusiasm and energy, and variations in their speech. Even a person's gestures are recorded, so it's kind of like what the NSA does, but on a voluntary basis.

Previously, researchers would gather this data by hand, with forms and surveys. The process was tedious, inefficient and flawed, due to the fact that human beings, by their nature, "have a lot of bias when they recall their behavior,” said Anmol Madan, a graduate student of Dr. Pentland.

Not cold, hard technology though, which is not only more efficient in logging conversation data, it's also exponentially more accurate too.

Ultimately, Pentland envisions his tech leading to "smart" phone services that ID family members and put those calls though, but sends everything else to voicemail. [New York Times]

VISUAL VOICE MAIL FROM VERIZON WIRELESS GIVES CUSTOMERS A NEW WAY TO MANAGE THEIR MESSAGES

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. – The company with the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network today introduced Visual Voice Mail, a new application that lets customers manage their voice mail on their phones. Available today on the Voyager™ by LG, Visual Voice Mail provides an easy-to-use display screen with one-touch access to listen to voice mail messages. Customers can also delete, reply and forward their voice mail messages without having to listen to prior messages or voice instructions, making Visual Voice Mail ideal for busy professionals who want a more effective way to manage and respond to messages.

Visual Voice Mail allows customers to see a list of all of their voice mail messages with important information, such as date and time of receipt, as well as message duration, in order to prioritize and efficiently manage their voice mail messages directly from their phones. When a caller leaves a new voice mail message, the Visual Voice Mail application pops up, alerting the customer that a new voice mail message has been received. From the phone display, customers can select from a number of options, including call back, reply, forward, add to contacts, and archive message (to internal or external memory).

Customers can store up to 40 messages for 40 days – double the storage capacity and nearly double the retention time of Basic Voice Mail. In addition, customers can create up to 10 greetings, as well as up to 20 distribution lists and 50 distribution members to receive messages.

"Verizon Wireless recognizes that voice mail plays a large role in how customers conduct business and manage the balance between their personal and professional lives," said Mike Willsey, executive director for marketing, Verizon Wireless. "With Visual Voice Mail, we're able to offer customers more options to help them better prioritize voice mail messages from family, friends, colleagues, and business partners in a more timely and effective manner."

Technology Providers

Verizon Wireless' Visual Voice Mail service is powered by Alcatel-Lucent and Comverse. Alcatel-Lucent, a leading provider of messaging solutions worldwide, is deploying the Alcatel-Lucent 5150 Messaging Applications Broker (MAB) which provides enhanced notification and content delivery services for voice, text and video messages through an intuitive visual interface. Visual Voice Mail eliminates the need to dial-in and listen to messages in sequential order, making it easier for customers to manage messages. Alcatel-Lucent is also providing network integration services for Visual Voice Mail.

Comverse is a pioneer and market leader in Visual Voice Mail services, which are deployed over its InSight Next-Generation Voicemail Platform. Visual Voice Mail improves the customer experience with solutions for today's diverse lifestyles and different technologies. New messages are delivered to the handset for one-click access, and message details are displayed at a glance.

Availability and Pricing

Verizon Wireless customers can find the Visual Voice Mail application on the Messaging menu under option 6 on their Voyager by LG phones. Visual Voice Mail is available for $2.99 monthly access, per line, plus airtime or megabyte charges and messaging fees, depending on a customer's plan. Customers should take their Voyager by LG phones to any Verizon Wireless Communications Store to receive the free software update. Verizon Wireless expects to offer Visual Voice Mail on additional devices in the coming months.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless

Verizon Wireless operates the nation's most reliable wireless voice and data network, serving 68.7 million customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 70,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). For more information, go to: www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

After signing up for the free account, users can choose between the basic free service with a 30 second ad tacked on, or skip the ad with a $.15 charger per individual message (there is also a $4.95 monthly and a $29.95 yearly plan). Then it is a simple matter of dialing 267-SLYDIAL then the number you wish to call. It could actually be a very handy service, although I would imagine that your contacts would catch on after awhile. [SlyDial via Webware via Lifehacker]

When you sign up for PhoneTag, which formerly went by the incredibly nerdy name SimulScribe, you get a phone number to add to your GrandCentral account. When you miss a call, PhoneTag picks it up and records the message. The speech is converted to text, which is then sent to you via email or text message, along with an audio attachment of the voicemail—two things Grand Central doesn't do. If you add your contact list to your PhoneTag account, the messages will appear from the senders so you can reply through email right away. PhoneTag is free for a month, and plans range from $0.35/message to $30/month for unlimited messages. [PhoneTag]

To compound the problem, the message was the only existing recording of his wife, so Mr. Whiting blamed Verizon for "taking her voice away." When Verizon got wind of the situation, they promptly restored the greeting from an archive while simultaneously restoring our faith that there might actually be humans behind our nation's faceless wireless carriers. [Fox News via MobHappy via BoingBoing]

Well, there are shortcuts that can shave precious seconds off your voicemail connectivity. You just need to know how to use them. Hey, here's a handy crib sheet as to what to punch on your phone for every carrier! How convenient!

For example, to skip the intro you can hit * on Verizon and CingularAT&T, 1 on Spring, or # on T-Mobile. Check the link for the rest of them (they're copied on the Digg comment page if the site is down).–Adam Frucci

Brand Name Coupons [via Digg]

This is actually a pretty cool service, seeing as other transcription services we've seen are either expensive or strange to use. SpinVox has lined up Cincinnati Bell and Skype, and are working on some deals with major carriers now (no details yet). We know many people who don't bother listening to voicemails because it requires dialing in, pressing buttons, and listening—these are very lazy people.

Other cool SpinVox usages are sending memos and broadcast messages from your phone by calling a number and speaking. Sounds like a great way to send messages to your husband to pick up some tampons. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Spinvox]

Along with that, Callwave also sends you a text message and an email telling you you've missed a call. Not quite the Visual Voicemail of the iPhone, but cool for its desktop integration. When we tried it, the audio quality was decent enough to use as a full-time voicemail solution. – Jason Chen

Product Page [Callwave via Mobile Mag via Lifehacker]

SimulScribe