Author: Gary Cutlack
iPod headphones a possible KISS OF DEATH for users with pacemakers
Dr William Maisel, a cardiologist at the Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, caused heart-murmurs across the internet this weekend thanks to his claim that music player headphones could break pacemakers – and stop defibrillators restarting dodgy hearts.
It’s all because of the magnets in headphones, which could, possibly, if held very close to them, make pacemakers and other “embedded” medical devices stop working. After testing eight models of headphones on 60 patients with pacemakers, the doctor found that nearly a quarter of patients’ heart devices suffered some sort of interference…
Pioneer launches its 400W LX01BD integrated Blu-ray Home Cinema System
Pioneer’s all-in-one Blu-ray and surround sound option for the common man has launched in Europe, with shoppers able to experience its “3D” sound charms from today. Here’s what all the bits look like when photographed under laboratory conditions and without any messy cables in shot.
As well as a Profile 1.1 Blu-ray player, the LX01BD comes with “compact dodecahedron technology derived satellite speakers that generate sound fields in all directions,” with that sound being sprayed around by an integrated 5.1 channel amplifier capable of managing both DTS-HD and Dolby TrueHD soundtracks…
BUT STILL THEY COME: Trials of ID cards starting next year at two UK airports
The government’s amazing idea of making us all pay loads of money for a laminated bit of plastic with our name on it continues to unfold, with officials announcing the date for a trial run of the national ID card system.
Around 200,000 staff at Manchester and London City airports and associated suppliers will be issued with the ever-so-slightly controversial cards from Autumn of 2009, according to the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, with the plan being to roll this out to all UK airport staff – and maybe even us lot – 18 months or so later…
Steve Ballmer doesn't "understand" Android or why Google would give stuff away for free
Everyone's favourite jellyfish-like Microsoft employee has been shooting his mouth off in public again, this time thoroughly dissing Google's plans for its Android OS. Specifically dissing the idea of not charging money for it. Here's Ballmer's latest odd public outburst….
eBay Nutcase of the Week: Anyone paying $100 for one of yesterday's Barack Obama-themed newspapers
Yesterday’s American newspapers, all of which carried various combinations of the words “Obama” and “wins” and “change” on their covers, are selling on eBay for vast sums today thanks to the whole incredible level of excitement surrounding the election of America’s first ever president.
Copies of the New York Times, pictured left, which led with the simple headline “Obama,” are currently fetching around $100 each on eBay, despite the NYT hurriedly printing an extra 75,000 copies to meet demand on the day as desperate punters tried to grab themselves a piece of history…
VIDEO: Energy & Efficiency, episode 7
Today I take a look at energy saving light bulbs. Sure, we’ve all replaced our old fashioned coal-powered light bulbs with new, efficient nuclear models to save money and/or the world – but now what? Is that it? Is there no more energy to be saved?
Yes! There is lots more energy to be saved! Allow me to tell you how to reduce your electricity bills further still, thanks to a little invention I’m calling “No Light bulbs.”
I can only apologise for the poor picture quality. It’s not a joke, I just cleaned the lens
Video games set to outsell video and music in the UK this year, thanks to FIFA, GTA and your mum
Huge launches like FIFA 09, GTA IV and Mario Kart Wii have already made 2008 a landmark year for video game sales – and the total cash blown on gaming could out-do music and video for the first time this year.
Projecting a total spend of £4.64bn on video games software and hardware by the end of 2008, Verdict Research says this figure will, for the first time, overtake traditional fun purchases of music and video, which will come in at £4.46bn…
FAKE SCIENCE: Alternate universe-generation kit, yours for $20
We really haven’t been paying enough attention to the part of science that deals with multiple universes.
Because, from next month, you will be able to buy one of these – a make-your-own-universe kit. It’s based around some fancy science that states there’s an infinite number of possible alternate universes, and more are created each time any kind of measurement is taken that defines one particular place. Or something along those lines…
Terrorists stocking up on old SEGA equipment to aid their reign of death
Extremely serious world event blog the New York Times is carrying a quite ludicrous quote claiming that potential terrorists, including bodyguards for Osama bin Laden, were using SEGA cartridges to make detonators for bombs.
Here’s the quote. I’ve put the relevant bit in bold, as it’s only a very small bit and it’s not particularly relevant…
EMERGING TREND: Large laptops that are powerful. Like the quad-core Alienware M17 Notebook
Less than 24 hours after we revealed Asus has come up with the amazing idea of making larger PCs that are significantly more powerful than the rubbish little netbooks we’re currently all dying under piles of, Alienware has jumped on the BIG BANDWAGON – revealing its awesome new M17 Extreme Gaming Notebook.
The M17 is Alienware’s first laptop to feature Intel’s mobile quad-core processor, with the range-topping Intel Core 2 Extreme QX9300 backed up by ATI’s CrossFireX dual-graphics technology and DDR3 memory. If money is literally no object due to your parents having invested heavily in property in the early 1970s, there’s room inside for two 5400rpm 500GB hard drives in RAID configuration for 1TB of storage space…
