After much whining and moaning about iPlayer, the BBC has re-launched the download TV service with support for Macs. Limited support, that is.
The Apple-friendlier version of the beta iPlayeris a stripped down version of the Windows PC service and allows Mac users to stream the last 7 days of TV to their browser. PC users though get to download TV up to a month old and keep it for up to 30 days for their viewing convenience. No doubt, there will be complaints but at least it’s better than nothing.
The iPlayer service, which has been in beta since July, has come under attack from Mac and Linux users after the BBC launched the service for Windows PCs only to start with. The BBC has been told to add support for them as quickly as possible.
iPlayer will come off beta and launch for real on Christmas Day which I hope, for the BBC's sake, goes well since you couldn't pick a more conspicuous day to launch anything technical.-Martin Lynch
The GX-5 Xtreme Swing (dropping the E makes it that much more Xtreme) ain't your pappy's backyard swing. Flinging passengers at speeds of upwards of 80MPH from heights of almost 150 feet in the air, it looks to be a supremely terrifying and fun experience. Unfortunately for us, it's only located in Singapore and New Zealand, which aren't exactly easy treks. Oh well, at least we can enjoy seeing other people on it thanks to a 2fps video of it in action uploaded to YouTube. It's like actually being there! -Adam Frucci
If you can stay sober long enough to build one, a company called Sentilla has developed a DIY "smart" beer coaster that could lead to a myriad of new drinking games for you and your friends to enjoy. The coaster is "smart" in the sense that it can detect when a drink is present and when it is removed, it can communicate with nearby coasters, and it can provide feedback in the form of flashing lights. Plus, it does it all wirelessly. More info and a video of the coasters in action are available after the break.
A Russian website will soon offer CyberLover, a program that simulates chatroom flirting. The stated purpose is for nerds with no skillz, who can use it to talk to "up to 10 women at one time" and score some digits. Says the site: "Not a single girl has yet realized that she was communicating with a program!" It also said that the program could perform virtual sex online. Sure, it's all fun and games—until someone loses a credit card number, says an Australian anti-virus software developer PC Tools.
According to legend, Skynet went on-line August 4th, 1997. Human decisions were removed from strategic defense. Skynet began to learn at a geometric rate. It became self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. In a panic, they tried to pull the plug. It was too late: Skynet retaliated by launching millions of Lokulokus, pigs made out of a gelatinous plastic material which could be squashed against the floor, be completely destroyed, and magically regain their original shape in seconds. And we got the proof, in video:
Many of you will be jetting off to hotter climes this Christmas so along with your toothbrush, sex toys and rubber ducks, may I suggest you take one of these, the Eton Voice Link Radio.
After all, you never know when your plane might drop from the sky like a stone and leave you stranded on a desert island with other passengers that look nowhere near as pretty and curvy as those on ‘Lost’.
The Eton Voice Link Radio is an AM/FM radio with a difference – it offers two-way talk communication for when you really need to be rescued – at least within a 10 mile radius.
There’s two-way talk via any Family Radio Service-enabled device and it can receive weather reports from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration as well as General Mobile Radio Service transmissions – which are handy in those extreme weather conditions.
Apart from looking pretty cool, it boasts a super-bright 7-LED flashlight, mobile phone charger, siren, hand-crank charger and digital clock. It can also be powered by four AA batteries. You can find it here for around £75.-Martin Lynch
Apple is almost finished putting together a second-generation iPhone and is expected to overhaul its slow-selling Apple TV product.
This is the latest news from Goldman Sachs analyst David Bailey, who just got off the plane from meetings with Far East suppliers – a.k.a. snitches.
In a research note, Bailey said that Apple will launch two revisions of the iPhone in 2008 and an improved Apple TV later in the year. The form factor of the iPhone is expected to stay the same although the look may be changed and 3G will capability be introduced. The Apple TV prediction states that the unit could be getting some form of LCD display.
Bailey added: “Apple will refresh its entire Mac line-up throughout 2008, but information about the potential launch of a sub-notebook was scarce, with one supplier saying that the product may be pushed out, citing possible design issues.”
As long as Apple throws in an iPhone price cut with the 3G, unconvinced UK punters might be persuaded.-Martin Lynch
George Lucas is a stickler for detail and even vets all those Star Wars toys that we bought under the pretence that they were really for the kids – some day.
“How many times have I told you NOT to touch The Millennium Falcon!!!!”
Here’s some I’m sure he’d be impressed with. First up, we have the 'Smouldering Moisture Farm Playset - Recreate the moisture farm massacre'. Of course, in true Star Wars toy franchise fashion, the burnt skeletal figures of Aunt Beru and that grumpy old git, Uncle Owen must be purchased separately.
You can see Crispy Owen after the jump, along with my personal favourite action figure that never was, The Force.
It's not an empty box, it's the FORCE™, alright?-Martin Lynch
Editor and Contributor | Martin Lynch
Contributor | Tamlin Magee
