White Stripes album to be sold on USB keys
In a bizarre attempt at collectible status, the new White Stripes album Icky Thump is available on two limited edition USB keys featuring cartoons of the bandmates.
Fans of the musical duo can own their very own Jack and Meg. Only 3333 units of each design will be made, preloaded with the album in AAC format.
Specs are quoted at 512MB of storage space.
CuteCircuit Hug shirt
The Hug shirt by Cute Circuit allows wearers to give and recieve hugs by connecting to their Java-enabled cellphone.
Now that’s something I need.
They have been nominated for a Time Best Invention of 2006 award.
Nab a Second Life Nab
Nabaztag, the ubiquitous wifi rabbit, has now branched off into Second Life, with an API hook to the real deal in your boring First Life.
Like most inventive things in SL, this particular gizmo is the creation of an inventive user who decided that his bunny would be better used doing other things than giving the weather and doing tai-chi.
Whenever an action is performed, the Nabaztag can inform the player of this and read out any messages that have been typed. Sounds pretty cool.
Second Life seems to have become the talk of the e-town, with articles being devoted to it in various women’s mag (I have read no less than 2 in the past month) and a bit of highlight due to various elections.
[Via Nabazta(blo)g]
Active Crystals range fail to shine by design
It seems that all the big names of the digital arena are trying to rope in wannabe fashionistas and non-geeks (read: many, many women) by offering girly accessories that will tempt them into buying the wares.
Sometimes, the brands will deliver the goods in an intelligent way: Prada-branded phones offer touchscreen technology, laptops decorated often have decent spec that make them a worthy buy for a fashion conscious individual looking to equip. Unfortunatly, the vast majority of those so-called fashionable technological items are standard at best, made fashion-y by outer design, taking fashion lovers for brainless cash cows.
The latest the Unhinged has heard of?
Philips and Swarovski are collaborating on a range of headphones and USB keys adorned with crystals called Active Crystals.
The first thing that comes to mind is how on Earth are these USB keys going to connect with my computer? Their volume is HUGE. Either they’ll take up multiple spaces -not a particularly welcome idea, or will actually be too bulky to fit in the minute space. Either way, there is the remote possibility of damaging both key and computer at first use.
Overall, absolutely impractical and not even remotely enhanced -other than visually.
Particularly those heart shaped pendants. For the sake of the computers, I sure hope those comes with a USB extender. Now seeing the USB symbol enhanced with crystals would be cool. I admit that they are cute, especially the ones that mimick galuchat with the arrangement of stones but for the price, I would have expected something more.
Priced at 150 euros, it’ll be a resounding pass from yours truly.
It doesn’t help either that the official site’s splash page features an underfed, unhealthy looking model-clone with a dumb expression on her face.
Once more, with rabbit
More about Violet’s wifi rabbit:
A French turn-based PHP roleplaying game, Chroniques d’Aëvry, has now hooked into the rabbit’s API, allowing it to give game information in the little rabbit’s robotised voice.
On top of the beautiful interface he coded, the game creator has integrated Nabaztag support to give information about the game: actions played on your character, mana and health.
All the rabbit needs now is a little tunic or elven ears to make the illusion complete!
Full disclosure:
Chroniques d’Aëvry is coded by a buddy.
I’m an administrator and game master there as well, and received a Nabaztag/tag as a present earlier this year.
Chroniques is offered to the public for free, server costs being offset by advertisement.
Camera appreciation: Canon IXUS 900 Ti
At the request of the lovely K of Ketylo fame, my primary purveyor of high quality, durable and unusual hairsticks. They’re handmade by Mr K and lovingly decorated by the missus. The sticks are available on the site or on eBay.
Shameless plug:
They’re fantastic and while they look pretty labour intensive, they don’t cost an arm and a leg so you can afford to have *ahem* 10 pairs (like me…). Each pair is unique as the stones, findings and wood each have their patterns. The only other maker that is superior to Ketylos in my opinion is Hermès for their Horn collection… and that’s a whole other level altogether 
Umm… anyways, back to the topic of my camera.
When Gina came to Paris for the first time, I decided it was time to change cameras when I took pictures of the luscious food we were eating together in various places. My first choice was another Canon, of course, so I went to the FNAC and picked out an IXUS 850.
Later that day, I changed my mind and decided I really wanted to get the best I could afford so I wouldn’t feel the need to upgrade tomorrow (fat chance) and exchanged it against an IXUS 900 Ti which had a nicer look and the same button configuration as the IXUS 500 (and former IXUS V) that I had.
Specs:
10 mega-pixel
7.7-23.1mm
1:2.8-4.9
3x Optical zoom
It has an excellent macro mode which can pick out the fabric weave on a pair of jeans (verily) or the head off a Carmencita. I’m not too happy with the image stabiliser in low light but then again, nothing beats using a tripod. My personal preference is the manual mode where each setting can be fine-tuned within certain limits (personal favourites: lighting, exposure).
Canon has always made excellent cameras but I have to say that in comparison with the IXUS 8xx series, the 9xx series is much better value for money. This one has enough settings to make it a rival on combinations with my dad’s AE-1. I am getting better with the whole digital malarky, as I’m a much better photog when I can fiddle with the settings to make up for my failings While the optical zoom is not as good as the 850, the 900 does make up for it with its 10MPix, which allows for image enhancements on par with what a 4x optical would have brought. The interface is the same, easy to use one that Canon always put forward with the notable elimination of a few flash modes (which I regret).
Best used with a 1 gig SD card, this little compact camera is a good investment if, like me, you weren’t quite ready to make the jump to digital SLR.
