Hemmant Jha recently noticed something odd. Two fingers on his dominant hand are somehow more rigid and firm than any of the others. He suspects that years of two-finger scrolling on his MacBook Pro are the cause.

I have slim and flexible fingers. Not given to needless physical activity like working out or climbing mountains, this author has made enough lifestyle choices that have allowed said fingers to remain slender and supple. And I'm hypermobile. These digits are perfect tools for fine artwork and penmanship, the manufacture, assembly and disassembly of electronic or mechanical devices – anything that requires a high degree of precision.

Having remained comfortable with these digits for so long, it was more than a little disconcerting to notice that the first two fingers of my right and left hands no longer looked like they belonged to the same person. Not horribly disfigured or anything, but quite obviously different in appearance and feel. The two digits in question on the right hand are more muscular and firm. Gone was the supple flex, replaced by a somewhat robust rigidity. Could it be the incessant tapping away on the keyboard? Unlikely, since I use both hands and more than just two fingers to type.

It's the two-finger scroll on my Macbook Pro. During the last 3 years, I've used the two-finger scroll for everything from web browsing to Illustrator and Photoshop – it's a marvelous and indispensable tool that, once experienced, one cannot do without.

Fans of Asterix and Obelisk will remember the comic book where the duo participates in the Olympics, only to compete against athletes honed for the express purpose of excelling at one sport [and one sport only]. My condition brings to mind the champion javelin thrower who had one scrawny arm, while the other ballooned with muscle – at this rate, that's where I will be very soon. Has anyone else noticed anything similar?

Reprinted with permission from Think More.

In this really fascinating interview, electronic musician Moby reveals his cache of vintage drum machines and keyboards. Get ready to look lustfully at, in Moby's words, "the nerdiest equipment ever."

It's especially interesting because he doesn't dismiss modern software conveniences—he uses them and likes them, and understands their value. But he also uses these old-school drum machines for their simplicity and their physical presence, and often for their visual appeal. It makes me like Moby, so, you know, good job. [Motherboard.tv]

What's next for Virgin? After nightclubs, record labels, gadgets, cellphone carriers, airlines and space ships, Sir Richard Branson is getting into subs. Fifteen miles from his Necker Island, is the Puerto Rican Trench, deepest spot in the Atlantic. They'll dive!

Time Mag has this interview, the first place I've heard of the Virgin Oceanic project. From the sounds of it, they're still thinking about the subs themselves.

What hasn't been explored at all is the depths of the oceans. So we're in the process of building something called Virgin Aquatic, which is going to be submarines to go 35,000 feet underwater. The oceans need exploring - we know nothing about what's going on under 25,000 feet. I have an island called Necker Island and 15 miles from there is the deepest place in the whole of the Atlantic, the Puerto Rican Trench. It's quite likely that we'll set up a scientific and exploration center on Necker to send out expeditions to explore that trench and other trenches in the world.

The technical challenge is finding materials that can withstand the pressure at 35,000 feet. It's almost easier to build a spaceship to go into space than to build a vessel that can withstand the pressures at 35,000 feet. But we think we can do it.

Peter Ha susses more details from him at the eight minute mark in this video:

In the video, Branson says that building space ships and subs are on par in terms of difficulty of hull designs that can resist great pressure. He also says that before the ultra deep dive vehicles are created, they'll start with light craft that can travel in the 1000 to 10000 foot range. And the goal, like Virgin Galactic, is both scientific and passenger, commercial.

[Time, Techland]

Good news for those wanting to use a physical Bluetooth keyboard with their iPhones: Now you can. The catch is that you'll need to jailbreak your iPhone and that input doesn't work outside of one particular app at the moment.

Apparently all you need to do is download the driver, Bluetooth Keyboard Driver, through Cydia, install the demo app, and let your keyboard connect with your iPhone. Simple as that. Anyone given this a test run yet? [Ringwald via Mod Your i]