US Bomb Squad Conned By LEDs February 1, 2007
READ MORE Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , TV
What do you do when you notice some signs with flashing LEDs in the shape of a small, angry looking cartoon character? Call the bomb squad of course.
The Boston Bomb Squad were dispatched yesterday to investigate some suspicious flashing objects (left) found around town and even detonated one, before realising that they had merely stumbled on a guerilla advertising campaign for a late night cartoon show. Turner Broadcasting, parent company of Cartoon Network, said the devices, which comprised some magnetic blinking lights, were part of an ad promo for TV show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."
OK, they were stupidly planted near tube stations and bridges, the cops are pissed, the bomb squad looks silly and are pissed too, the attorney general is fuming and the Governor was not impressed by the hoax. They have since arrested the poor bloke hired to plant the ads. Hate to be him right now.
The show, incidentally, charts the misadventures of some animated chips, a milkshake and a hamburger. Definitely a reason to bring a large city to a standstill, then. -Martin Lynch
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Personal TV Censor, for Your Sensitive Ears February 1, 2007
READ MORE Gadgets , TV
If your delicate sensibilities are upset by curse words, there's a new way to protect yourself from the vile cesspool that is broadcast television. You will soon be able to turn your TV into its own censor with a Personal TV Censor. Using a computer and a DVR, it scans through the closed captioning feed looking for naughty words on a blacklist you supply. When it comes to one, it'll beep it out of the audio.
It's not gonna help you when some naked man ass is shown on a gritty cop drama, but you could always just grow a pair and not be so easily offended. –Adam Frucci
Ars Technica [via CrunchGear]
Sony Ericsson Phone Cradle Turns Your Mobile into a Mini PC February 1, 2007
READ MORE Gadgets , Mobile phones , PC
You can' have a new phone without some new accessories. The folks at
Unwired View have dug up some details on Sony Ericsson's multimedia
cradle, a dock meant to complement your Sony Ericsson phone. The cradle
hooks up to your phone via a system bus and includes a large 7-inch
display, built-in mic and speakers, a QWERTY keypad, and a bunch of
ports and connections. The point of it is to...
Medicine-dispensing Tooth Gives Me the Heebie-Jeebies February 1, 2007
READ MORE Gadgets , Robots
If
you really, really hate taking your medication, here's a solution to
get rid of the unpleasantness that goes along with swallowing pills.
Why, it's as simple as ripping a couple of your teeth out and replacing
them with small devices that steadily inject your cheeks with medicine.
Never worry about forgetting to take your prescription again!
Can it really be that easy? Well, I guess you'll need to go get your teeth refilled with medication every so often, which sounds pretty awful. In fact, this entire thing looks pretty awful. I'll stick with my real teeth and just, you know, swallowing pills with a glass of water. But that's just me.
Drug depot in a tooth [Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft Research News]
KEF Gets Wireless For Sound February 1, 2007
READ MORE Digital Audio , Entertainment , Gizmodo UK , Home Cinema , Home Entertainment , Music , Peripherals , Wireless
Audio specialist KEF, is doing its best to get rid of the most annoying aspect of any surround sound set-up: cables. The company previewed its KEF Wireless technology at the CES 2007 Show a few weeks back but it looks like we will see it launch in Q1.
It will come in two versions: an add-on for any existing speaker system, or as the 5000W system designed for use with the yummy 5:1 surround sound KHT 5000 Series. The wireless tech comprises a transmitter and two matching receivers, which house 50Watt digital power amplifiers. According to KEF:
“Position the speakers, receivers and transmitter. Connect speaker cables from the AV receiver to the KEF Wireless transmitter. When power is connected, the transmitter and receiver automatically locate each other, indicated by a flashing blue light that turns to a solid blue light.”
KEF claims its proprietary 2.4GHz transmission tech can pre-empt any problems when playing audio and hop frequencies before there’s any sound distortion. You also won’t have to worry about your microwave popcorn ruining the movie experience.
Expect both versions to cost £400-500.-Martin Lynch
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Hubble Telescope Hobbled February 1, 2007
READ MORE Digital cameras , Entertainment , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK
This is a real shame. The main camera on the Hubble Space Telescope has shut down due to an electrical failure.
US space agency experts have said that only a third of the camera’s capabilities can be restored. A new camera for the giant orbiting telescope is not due to be fitted until 2008, when the space shuttle pays it a visit.
It seems third time unlucky then since there have been two other technical hitches since last year. There are other Hubble instruments that astronomers can use, like the Field Planetary Camera-2 and the Near Infrared Camera Multi-Object Spectrograph – but the failure of the primary camera is a real loss.
To see some more amazing space photographs captured by the main camera, jump now.-Martin Lynch
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