Fratellis Turn To USB For New Single March 19, 2007

READ MORE Digital Audio , Gadgets , Gizmodo UK , Music , Portable Media , Storage

fratellis.jpg Following in the footsteps of pop-lite warblers Keane last year, the Fratellis are launching their latest single - Baby Fratelli - on USB sticks from tomorrow.

The USB Memory Drive will obviously work in any USB drive and will cost £3.99, which sounds like a lot for a single – does anyone still buy singles?

Can’t really see this catching on as a way to buy music because who wants a house with even more cheapo USB sticks to lose? Still, can’t fault it as a marketing gimmick. There will be around 7,000 Frat sticks up for grabs at HMV online and stores. My guess is that they'll sell to the tweenies like hotcakes. -Martin Lynch

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Ugly Or Beautiful? Ask The Computer March 19, 2007

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angelina.jpgThe Aussies are wielding their unreconstructed maleness again but this time it has nothing to do with beer ads and Sheilas. Well, one of them, anyway. Two scientists have created some computer software that will tell you if you are beautiful or ugly.

This is not the first such software, but it’s the latest effort to measure prettiness. If you have to ask a computer, then you probably already have a sneaking suspicion of what the answer might be.

Anyway, the software uses facial measurements and compares them to the collected ratios and data from over 200 pretty people – actors and models. So, what’s new? Well, being Aussie software, when you submit your photo it returns a rating from 1 to 10.

Apparently, this has some form of medical usage in plastic surgery where they say people will be able to judge whether or not a £10,000 nose job will make them less Quasimodo/Jade Goody and more Brad & Angelina.-Martin Lynch

[The Age]

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The Pocket Gramophone March 19, 2007

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pocket gramaphone.jpg

It’s easy to think that the Walkman began the whole portable music craze but back in 1924, some crazy Swiss guys built this portable gramophone.

Taking all that watch ingenuity, the Vadasz brothers built the Mikiphone, a fully working pocket gramophone which, when folded up, was no bigger than a large pocket watch or, a ‘small cheese case’. When closed, it measured just 4.5ins wide by 2ins thick.

It could play records up to 10ins wide and sound came, not from the familiar gramophone horn, but from a resonator mounted on the tone-arm. Visit the site here and listen to some samples of what the sound was like. -Martin Lynch

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