Monthly Archives: January 2010

Toddler Sucks On a USB Cable, Ends Up in the Hospital [Tragedy]

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Here's a sad reminder that USB cables belong plugged into peripherals, not children. Toddler Trinity Anderson was playing with a USB cable plugged into a laptop and put it in her mouth, which shocked her and knocked her out.

Trinity remains at Children's Hospital with third-degree burns on her tongue, palate and lips. She is on sedatives and paralyzing drugs to prevent her from moving and disturbing her breathing tube, Jeffrey Anderson said. She needs the tube because her tongue is so swollen it blocks her airway.

Anderson said he feels helpless as he watches his granddaughter in her hospital bed.

"I want to make it better and there's nothing I can do," he said.

Anderson said doctors plan to allow Trinity to regain consciousness in the next day or two to assess how much neurological damage occurred. The little girl wasn't breathing for several minutes, and her heart nearly stopped beating.

Anderson said doctors expect Trinity to recover from her burns, though she may have lasting cosmetic damage. Right now, the family's main concern is that the happy, laughing little girl does not suffer serious brain damage, and they hope she is young enough that she can recover any lost capabilities.

This was clearly a freak accident, but it's a good reminder that while these cables and gadgets we use are now commonplace, everyday items, they still carry a current and should be treated with care. Here's hoping Trinity makes a full recovery. [Colorado Daily]



Vizio’s New Soundbars Are All About Dolby Digital and Wireless Accessories [Home]

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Vizio's new batch of soundbars come in varying degrees of 2.0, 2.1 and 5.1 arrangements, with all of them supporting Dolby Digital surround sound. Also appealing is the army of wireless headphones, iPod docks and speakers offered up.

The VHT512 is Vizio's flagship 5.1 soundbar with fully wireless connections, including a 2.4 GHz wireless sub and two rear speakers that plug into the bassmaker. four 3" mids provide the primary sound for the sound bar, while each rear speaker has a 2" driver. There's also a wireless iPod dock that can be placed anywhere within a 60-foot radius of the speaker and still cleanly transmit audio. The VHT512 will be available in May for $400.

The VSB200 and -210ws Soundbars provide 2.0 and 2.1 sound with virtual Dolby surround and in the case of the 210ws, a wireless subwoofer. Like the 512, this bar is also powered by four 3" mid speakers. Both the VSB200 and VSB210ws will be available in January for $200 and $350, respectively.

Lastly there's the VHT200 and -212 soundbars, which are similar to the VSB line, except theyre only 32" wide (as opposed to 40") to accommodate smaller televisions. But not sacrificing much in the way of specs, these have the same speaker guts as its larger counterpart, and the VHT212 has a slightly smaller, wireless sub. The VHT200 and VHT212 will be available in April for $150 and $250, respectively.

And lastly, there are the wireless headphones, which also come with the wireless iPod dock, allowing you to have sound piped into your ears anywhere in the house, without the hassle of wires. It has a five hour battery and charged via USB. Only problem? They're $300. [Vizio]



Outgoing New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson proposes $200 million in new Taxes

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Two-term Democrat Governor of New Mexico Bill Richardson wants a major tax boost before his time is up.

From the AP (via NewsMax):

Gov. Bill Richardson on Tuesday proposed a $200 million tax increase — which he called temporary — to shore up state finances and balance next year's budget.

The tax proposal was part of $300 million in additional revenues that Richardson factored into his budget recommendations to the Legislature.

That adds up to: nearly $389 million in spending increases on programs.

Richadson says he wants the dollars to go to "public education and general government programs."

One of the revenue boosters that's being considered is raising the motor vehicle registration fees. Another proposal being bandied about is a tax on groceries.

Meanwhile, liberal special interests groups in Santa Fe are calling for raising taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and junk food.

One voice in contrast to all those anxious to raise taxes is coming from the free market think tank, Rio Grande Foundation. According to the New Mexico Independent:

Paul Gessing, of the Rio Grande Foundation, however, wrote that there was no reason to raise taxes on anyone to solve the state’s budget crisis.

“Some of the spending decisions made over the years have made the situation more difficult than it needs to be,” Gessing wrote. “That said, in no particular order, I’d start out by forming a commission to thoroughly analyze the budget for wasteful and unnecessary programs.”

There’s No Cure For Cancer, But We Are Hard At Work Shaving Fly Genitalia With Lasers [Science]

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Today we salute you...biologists that gave a fly a full Brazilian with a laser so that you can study mating habits.

You see the male fly has these spines on its junk and we just don't know what the hell they are used for. My guess is that they have something to do with maintaining a velcro-like grip on the female during the sexual act, but hey...I'm no expert. You need trained professionals on a mystery of this magnitude. Professionals with a special (and probably very expensive) laser that is so precise, it is capable of cutting off a third of each millimeter-long spine. You can't just go off making wild assumptions about something this important.

The result? They have something to do with maintaining a velcro-like grip on the female during the sexual act. Going full Brazilian reduced the chances of mating down to 20%. Okay, I know what you are thinking. Thank God we fund this kind of research. [Scienceblogs via Treehugger via Neatorama]



Five simple reasons why the Copenhagen Climate Conference failed

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I'm still reeling from the rather anticlimactic finish to the recent Climate Change Conference held in Copenhagen. Like so many others, I was hoping for an internationally binding deal that would, at the very least, compel and motivate the nations of the world to address the climate crisis in a meaningful and precedent setting way.

But it was not to be. The immediate reasons for the conference's failure are complex and laden with the political and economic realities of our time (e.g. settling on exact targets and incentives). But these reasons are part of a deeper malaise that is currently paralyzing the countries of our warming planet. As this crisis is revealing, our social and political institutions are ill equipped to deal with a pending catastrophe such as this.

More specifically, there are basically five 'bird's eye view' reasons that can account for the conference's failure:

1. Nation-states are far too self-serving: Countries don't like to be told what to do, and when push comes to shove it's far too easy for them to hide behind the sovereignty shield. Instead of acting proactively and with leadership, many nations (particularly those in the developed world) are 'aligning' themselves with what other countries are doing. No more and no less. And seeing as no one is doing anything....well, there you have it. Compounding this problem is the realization by some countries that they aren't going to be too negatively impacted by climate change -- a disturbing reminder that nation-states are unwilling to deal with threats that are not considered local.

2. Democracies are too ill-equipped and irresolute to deal with pending crises: A reader of mine recently complained that the people of the world were not being consulted on what they feel should be done about climate change. Well, this would only work if the 'people of the world' were universally educated about the intricacies of the issues (including scientific, economic, cultural and political considerations) and disarmed of their petty selfishness and local biases. This isn't going to happen anytime soon, and consulting the Joe the Plumbers of the world on something as multi-faceted and complex as climate change is probably not a good idea. Moreover, like the politicking politicians who supposedly represent them, the masses have shown a tremendous unwillingness to deal with a problem that has yet to show any real tangible negative effects.

3. Isolationist and avaricious China: One thing that the Copenhagen failure revealed is that China's isolationism is alive and well--even as they emerge as a global superpower. They're going to go about this whole global warming thing on their own terms, whatever that's supposed to mean. This unilateral approach is particularly disturbing considering that they're the largest manufacturing state in the world and house a massive population that will soon start to demand first-world standards of living. And exacerbating all this is the communist Chinese system itself with all its corruption and lack of accountability and due process.

4. The powerful corporatist megastructure: As the onset of last year's economic crisis so beautifully illustrated, capitalism, if left to its own devices, will eat itself. This is because corporations don't act rationally or in a way that would indicate foresight or a desire for long-term self-preservation. Moreover, corporations will never voluntarily deal with a seemingly ethereal and controversial problem, especially one that requires a dramatic reduction of profits.

5. Weak consensus on the reason for global warming: Global warming denalists are no longer the problem. What's of great concern now is the growing legitimacy of anthropogenic climate change denialists -- those individuals who believe that global warming is a natural phenomenon. This is a particularly pernicious idea because it absolves humanity from the problem. Adherents of this view contend that human civilization is not responsible for the changes to the Earth's climate and that as a consequence we don't need to fix anything--we can keep on spewing carbon into the atmosphere with reckless abandon. This idea is particularly appealing to politicians who use it as a convenient escape hatch.

I'm inclined to think that the only way the nations of the world will band together and act decisively on this issue is if an actual climate-instigated disaster happens--one that touches all international stakeholders in a profound way. But even this isn't guaranteed as there will always be global disparities in terms of impact.

Part of the problem right now, aside from the intangibleness of it all, is that some countries will be impacted more than others, a prospect that will ultimately lead to the rise of a new geopolitical stratification: different regions (both inter- and intra-national) will experience the effects of global warming differently, whether it be coastal areas, those dealing with desertification or those having to contend with the exodus of climate refugees.

Given the failure of Copenhagen, I'm inclined to believe that semi-annual conferences are not the way to go. Instead, I'd like to see the United Nations assemble an international and permanent emergency session that is parliamentary in nature (i.e. representative and accountable) and dedicated to debating and acting on the problem of anthropogenic climate change (a sub-parliament, if you will). The decisions of this governing board would be binding and impact on all the nations of the world. The chances of outright failure (like the one in Copenhagen) would be significantly lessened. Instead of ad hoc conferences, the emergency sub-parliament would conduct a series of ongoing debates over proposed legislation that would ultimately result in internationally binding agreements.

The current climate problem has caused the emergence of another crisis, namely a crisis-of-resolution. Failure at this point is not good enough. What's required is something more respective of the dire situation we're in.

The Fashion of 3D Glasses, Always Out of Style [3D]

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I just tried 3D HD and really enjoyed it. I don't even mind how goofy the glasses make me look, but that's mostly because I wouldn't be looking at myself. Really, I'd look sillier than I can imagine. See?

And what do you do when you have friends over to watch a game or movie? Spend hundreds of dollars in spares, or have the friends you like least stare at the doubled up images, crosseyed, for hours? It's little things like this that sap my enthusiasm for 3D but I'm into it. There's no stopping the future.



Rick Perry proposes 2/3rds Super Majority for future Tax increases

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Texas Governor Rick Perry has adopted a favorite plank of economic libertarians - the 2/3rds super majority vote of the legislature for any tax increases.
From the Statesman.com, June 6:

Perry, facing a tough re-election fight in the March Republican primary, called for a constitutional amendment requiring any increase in state taxes to be approved by two-thirds of the Legislature, instead of a simple majority. He also said he wants a tighter constitutional restriction on state spending.

"These two sensible amendments will engrave our proven fiscal discipline into the bedrock of state law," Perry said during campaign stops in Fort Worth, Lubbock and Midland.

But he doesn't stop there. Perry is also proposing stringent spending reductions. Continuing:

Perry said the state constitution should limit growth in spending to the combined rate of growth in population and education. The state constitution now says spending cannot grow faster than projections of personal income.

Perry's proposed amendment would require a vote of the people to exceed the new spending cap.

The Governor was quoted in the Houston Chronicle saying he hoped the proposals might work as a counter to protect the State from big spending in Washington:

"This sets a nice high hurdle for lawmakers who might be inclined to raise taxes, and require broader support for decisions of this magnitude."

Personal Genomics Flop…..big Belly Flop!

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Daniel and Dan get quoted in an article in the Times yesterday and I am happy for them. It just goes to show how bloggers in this space ultimately shape the space.

That being said, everyone is left wondering "Where in the hell do we go from here in Personal Genomics?"

Well, I know where we are going in Personalized Medicine. PGx.

But as for personal genomics, the path is less clear. First we have to be honest about a few things.

1. Your genome is essentially worthless right now
2. We don't understand what the hell most of the SNPs and CNVs mean in the genome
3. In an economic downturn, very few people will buy this, no matter how cool it looks.
4. Don't believe me? How does Time's Invention of the Year ONLY GET 30,000 (if you believe) customers. How many iPhones sold after the listing in 2008?
5. Things we are certain of in the genome add very little to life planning or healthcare.

Now, if we can overcome those things we have to ask ourselves. Is this a software play or a genome database play. If this is a software investment......

1. Is the software being created that valuable?
2. Can you patent or create a moat around the analytical tools that were created by these companies, or are the tools just rehashing of other tools that exist
3. Does Prometheus ruin the ability to patent these tools?
4. Are these tools accurate and valuable? Ask J Craig fellas....
5. Will the lessons learned justify the investment? At least a few hundred million USD people!

Well, let's say it is NOT a software play, it is a genome database play.

1. How many people does it take to have a valuable database.
2. Is the database a legal liability worth the risk?
3. Will anyone want to buy the database?
4. Can there be a free database which will be more valuable than the "for sale" database
5. Can the database be curated and annotated easily?

So, after the million dollar open bars and zeppelins and celebs we are left with some real hard questions. Which is why I am very unclear as to the future of this "industry"

Is this really an industry all of its own? Or is this just a rehash of facebook?

Do you remember that fat kid? You know the one who said "Hey look at me! I am gonna make a HUGE SPLASH!"

Well, guess what porky, huge splash made..........

Now how in the hell does that SORE RED BELLY FEEL?

The Sherpa Says: A lot of pain and suffering may ultimately in the end prove worthless and the ripples may die.......Only to have some other fatso cause waves later on........

Vizio’s Mobile Razer Displays Are LED-Backlit, Under an Inch Thick [Televisions]

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Vizio just dropped three mobile LED displays on the world, capable of pulling down ATSC broadcasts and delivering an 800x480 picture in 7, 9 and 10-inch form factors, while only an inch thick in the other direction.

The 10" VMB100 and 9" VMB090 Mobile Razors are capable of pulling down not just ATSC and NTSC broadcasts, but also the new mobile ATSC-MH broadcasts as well. They come complete with an HDMI 1.4 input, composite inputs, headphone jack and a USB port for uses such as MP3 playback.

The 7" VMB070 model loses the USB and HDMI ports, along with the ATSC-MH capability, but its only 0.75 inches thick. All models feature only touch-sensitive controls, and can run for three hours on a single charge. The 7", 9" and 10" will be available "later this year" for $150, $200 and $230, respectively. [Vizio]



New-Geothermal Heat Pump

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See old thread under geothermal heat pump

I think I made a mistake in the use of the word over unity and ever one went of on a tangent to what I had in mind.

What I was trying to say was; If the combination of the electric energy driving the compressor and the heat energy from the

Mad Catz Eclipse Keyboard and Mouse Join the Touch-Sensitive Party [Peripherals]

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These new Eclipse keyboards and mice from Mad Catz are pretty standard fare, except for one key feature—touch sensitivity. The keyboard has a 3-in-1 touchpanel keypad, and the mouse is able to understand finger gestures.

The Eclipse Wireless Litetouch keyboard comes in wired and wireless variants, and is distinctive because of it's 3-in-1 LCD touchpad that lets you switch layouts and use it as a number pad, media controller, or a customizable app/website launcher. The keyboards also have backlit keys, along with mouse buttons and a scrollball for all-in-one PC navigation.

Looking like a futuristic race car, the Eclipse Wireless Touchmouse replaces the standard scroll wheel with an optical "touchscroll module" that allows you to scroll in any direction, and can be programmed to act on certain gestures. It also has bluetooth, and lasts six months on a single AA battery.

Available this January, the keyboards will run you $130 and $100 for the wireless and the wired models, respectively. The mouse will cost $60. [PR Inside]



Rand Paul wins a big celebrity endorsement from the Financial World

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Steve Forbes backs Rand Paul for Senate

From Press Release, Jan. 7 (via BusinessWire):

“I am proud to endorse Republican candidate Dr. Rand Paul for Senate.

“As someone who has run an outsider campaign myself, I know something about taking on the establishment. I see in Rand someone who can take the fight from the Tea Parties to the Senate, and help take back our government and our country from the out of control, tax and spend liberals.

“The American people need more than just another vote. They need a man of principle who will always stand up and fight. They need a citizen politician who will represent THEM.

“Rand Paul will do the work to fight for lower taxes and spending and for more freedom in Washington. He’ll fight for a constitutional amendment to balance the budget and for term limits. He’ll fight to give back more of our rights, not take more away.

“And then he’ll go back home to Kentucky. I can’t think of a better way to represent the people of Kentucky then to end the cycle of career politicians and pork barrel spending in Washington.”

Note - Steve Forbes ran for President twice, once in 1996 and then again in 2000. In 2008, he backed Rudy Giuliani for President.

Paul Otellini CES Keynote: Chips Ahoy! [Intel]

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Intel already announced their new Core i7, i5, and i3 processors earlier today, but CEO Paul Otellini may still have a surprise or two in store for his keynote. We're here updating live, just in case.

Paul's walking us through a little bit of Intel history, and how rapidly and consistently processor technology has evolved. Every two years, Intel schedules a breakthrough. Today, they're shipping the first 32nm microprocessors (announced this morning), which are 5,000 times faster than Intel's first ever processor.

Today, he's going to talk about how personal computing is evolving. But first! Some forced humor in the form of what's bound to be a series of videos depicting two people in the future because of suits Otellini gave them and oh why bother. Good to see Park and Recreation's Aziz Ansari, though!

We're using the production of Shrek movies as a benchmark of how far we've come. Shrek Forever After is going to take nine times the hours to produce as the original Shrek. In fairness, most of that was trying to get Eddie Murphy out of his trailer, amIright?

We've reached the obligatory 3D portion of the keynote. We've got the standard Avatar clip, part of a U2 concert with Bono's hand reacing uncomfortably close to your face, and a few sports shots. Looks good!

Because explaining things always makes them more fun, someone named David is giving us a 3D tutorial. We're looking at a 3D home video shot of a bunch of kids dancing around,and using a program called First Light 3D to add titles to it, change the contrast, and so on. These things require processing power! Which comes courtesy of Intel, duh.

One last 3D treat: a trailer for an upcoming DreamWorks release called How To Train Your Dragon.

It's not just about content, says Paul. We also need a way to share that content, not just through broadband but within the home. USB 3.0 is coming, and Intel's also working on another technology called Light Peak that lets you download an entire Blu-ray movie in under 30 seconds. Otellini says it'll come in early 2010, but it's more likely to be about a year from now.

Intel has a new Wireless Display technology that's launching with four partners. The WiDi will available soon at Best Buy. With a $100 adapter, you can link your TV to your laptop.

Now talking about TurboBoost, which we knew about. The flagship Core i5 has already been clocked at over 7GHz, which is crazy fast.

Craig (NOT Barrett) from Intel is going to show us a "Futuristic Digital Crib." Intel is so down with the jive lingo! If the phrase "this is where the magic happens" isn't said, I'm leaving disappointed. UPDATE: Craig did say "bros." I am content.

He's showing off a TV interface called Orange running on a French ISP called Orange that shows what's on a dozen channels all at once. Seems unweildy. But you can also sort by genre to narrow your choices down. It also keeps content in the cloud, so if you miss a game or show you wanted to watch, it'll go "back in time" and snatch it up for you. It's not unique, but it's what On Demand is eventually going to evolve into.

Now showing off WiDi, with a Netflix movie loaded onto a laptop playing simultaneously the TV it's connected to.

This is nice: a device that lets you know the energy usage of ever gadget in your house, and even shows recommendations on how to reduce consumption through usage patterns or more efficient products.

After a quick break for another inexplicable time traveler sketch, on to mobile. Talking about Atom now, and how it enabled netbooks (which... thanks, I guess?). New, more efficient model. This is the N450, which we've known about for a while and which isn't that much of an improvement.

The AppUp Center is an App store for netbooks that works on Windows and Linux. Someone named Paul (NOT Otellini) is going to walk us through it; it's basically a place to get apps for your netbooks. Pretty self-explanatory. You can see the beta now at http://www.intelappup.com.

Looking forward, they want the AppUp Center to move beyond just netbooks and into all Intel devices.

Smartphones now. Moorestown is the next generation of processor that we can expect in smartphones. It will enable applications like multipoint video conferencing. We're now looking at an LG multitouch smartphone that will be coming out on the second half of this year, running on Moblin. It's playing a 720p movie trailer for Avatar (again!), and you can keep the movie playing while also having your calendar open. Pretty great.

Open Peak is Moorestown on a handset phone. You can undock the LCD display to be a separate touchscreen tablet loaded with apps.


A smart retail display is being demonstrated now that identifies your height and weight and makes recommendations to you accordingly. The touchcreen gives you store and product navigation options, and will even send a coupon to your phone. Paul Otellini looks uncomfortable at the prospect of buying a skinny tie, even in a demo. Me too, Paul.

More Shrek tie-ins: the Magic Mirror has been brought on stage. Of course, it's now interacting with the time traveling comic relief. The upshot: they weren't traveling to the future after all, guys. Intel Labs IS the future. I don't know what just happened, but I do know that it was awkward.

And we're out! Thanks for playing along everybody.



Follow the Gizmodo CES Crew Twitter List, See Through Our Eyes Tweets [Announcements]

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What's it really like to be working CES for Gizmodo? Follow our Gizmodo CES Crew Twitter List and find out how we really feel about the show. We must warn you though, this place is fucking crazy.

The sights, sounds and thoughts of working CES can be pretty entertaining at times. So if you want an inside look at what we're really doing in Vegas our Gizmodo CES Crew Twitter List is the perfect place to find out. Here's the link:

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Researchers Flip Brain Cells On and Off With Light Pulses | 80beats

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light-switch-webScientists have figured out a way to switch brain cells on and off like light bulbs, but instead of using a clapper, they’re using microbial proteins and lasers. Ed Boyden, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has developed a way to shut down parts of a brain just by shining light on them. When the light is turned off, the brain switches back on [Forbes].

The research team says their technology will help neuroscientists probe the brain’s circuitry by silencing certain regions and studying the effects. The technique, which was described in the journal Nature, could one day be used to shut down overactive regions of the brain often found in people with epilepsy, depression, Parkinson’s disease, and blindness.

A bit of fancy genetic tinkering is required to prime the brain to respond to light. Neurons fire when electrically charged atoms – ions – flood in and out of them, creating a tiny electric potential across their membranes [New Scientist]. Using this knowledge, the MIT researchers built upon Boyden’s 2005 discovery that demonstrated that certain microbial proteins can create a stimulating effect when genetically engineered into neurons and blasted with light. Boyden has now found a similar pair of bacterial and fungi proteins that also respond to light, but respond by shutting off their neuron hosts.

What’s more, one of the proteins responds to yellow light, while the other reacts to blue. A far-off hope, especially of those who study artificial intelligence, is that using a combination of [the two new proteins] to turn off certain types of neurons along with using Boyden’s earlier method of activating neurons, the brain could be manipulated in complex ways. Researchers could then learn much about how the brain processes information, better copy it and, maybe, better control it [Forbes].

Obviously, using optogenetics to treat humans is years, and maybe decades, away from reality. However, even if the technology never makes its way into medical treatments for human brains, it will certainly prove useful as a research tool for basic scientific research on brain circuitry.

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Image: flickr / etwood