Is it a full moon today or what? Reading up on my newsfeeds this morning was a strange little trip. There’s an extra heaping of oddball news today, but in case you missed it, here’s the highlights.
Orrin Hatch Wants To Blow Up Your Computer – everyone is picking up this story, but I liked The Register’s take on it, “‘I’m all for destroying their machines,’ Hatch said during a Committee hearing Tuesday. ‘If you have a few hundred thousand of those, I think people would realize’ the seriousness of their actions,’ That’s right, if I write and record a song and I find it on your computer, Senator Hatch thinks I have the right to remotely destroy your computer. I don’t know how this could be done, but reality aside (Hatch isn’t using it) this has to be one of the more insane pieces of news I’ve read in a long while. Plasma Energy – Now Available In Mugs! Woohoo! – ever wish you could drink your Coca-cola in a swirling dance of light and plasma? Me neither, but now you can. Although, I have to say, it is kinda cool. How much is that again?
E-Mail Mob Takes Manhattan – It seems that “Bill” likes to study mob mentality in real world settings. According to Wired News, Bill sends out an E-mail to a few friends inviting them to a mob activity. Those people then forward it to a few friends, etc. In other words, you have to be invited to the event. There is no website, or publicity, so if you don’t get the E-mail you don’t get to go. To quote from the Wired article: “About 200 people then proceeded to Macy’s. They rode the escalators to the ninth floor rug department, where they gathered around a large carpet on display. “We were told to say we all lived together in a big old warehouse in the suburbs,” said Jenni Valton, a participant. “We all explained to the salesman that we were looking for a love rug to play on, and that we only make purchases as a group.” After discussing the merits and drawbacks of the selected carpet for 10 minutes, the mob dispersed.” Only in New York. 🙂 The Robocoaster – according to Gizmodo a company called “Kuka claims to be the first company in the world to use PC controls in its industrial robots, typically used in large car assembly lines. It uses Microsoft Windows to control the freestanding, 30-foot-tall, nearly 8,000-pound robotic ride.” In a nutshell, they’ve taken a robotic arm from a car plant, attach you to it and then hurl you around in random motions. To me that’s not the scary part. The scary part is that the damn thing is controled by Microsoft Windows. :O Yeah, I’ll pass. But can’t you see this device in a Futurama episode? I can just see Fry being repeatedly face planted into the floor when the device get’s a Blue Screen Of Death.