Alright, I need some help here. I've definitely been around the Internet quite a bit, but I don't think I can figure every single meme hidden in this picture. Like that poster to the right of Pedobear. What's that about?
You can click the image for a bigger version.
This is actually making me suspect that I've been lurking in all the wrong corners of the web, because I have no idea when House became a meme. [Flickr via Ace of Spades HQ via Neatorama]
A Firefox developer has posted a handful of mockups of Firefox 4's user interface redesign along with some explanations of this shiny new App Button we're getting. Everything just looks oh-so-gorgeous and simplified right next to that old 3.5 design.
The main focus of this new design is the App Button, a space-saving touch which will feel familiar to Windows 7 users. In essence, it "provides a unified location for menu items" and cuts down on all the toolbar clutter.
You can check out Horlander's site for plenty of details about the design and explanations behind some of the new elements, but before you go, tell me: Do you prefer this App Button sort of element? Or do you prefer the plain ol' menus we're used to? [Stephen Horlander via Neowin]
Just a reminder that we've started a not-so-secret society here at Gizmodo: The Mile High Club. It's full of people testing out in-flight Wi-Fi speeds while taking silly pictures of themselves and you're invited to join. Here's how.
A goofy picture isn't mandatory to gain membership to Gizmodo's Mile High Club, but you do need to run a Speed Test while using in-flight Wi-Fi and send us the results. So either take a screenshot or copy the data and email it to me (along with any in-flight webcam pictures) under the subject line "Mile High Club." Please make sure that you also include the name of the airline you're flying (and, if possible, the cities you're flying to and from). Oh, and don't forget to grab coupon code for free inflight Wi-Fi before you go.
In exchange for your email, you'll get no membership cards, no tshirts, no cookies, and no invitations to member-only events, but you will receive a "thank you" from me and be able to count yourself as part of our little club. And yes, Brian Lam is our founding member.
Intel's Pine Trail Atom chips are pretty disappointing in the power department, so it's good to see Nvidia step up with a new, Pine-Trail-compatible line of Ion chips. If you want to watch HD YouTube on a netbook, read on.
We don't know much about the chipsets yet, but here's what we do know. Nvidia has promised better battery life (which was needed), they'll be officially announced at CES, and should ship in early 2010. There's apparently also a bit of smack-talk about Intel's underpowered new Atoms, with Nvidia noting that people want way better graphics performance than Intel seems to think. We'll keep you updated with more detail (including what kind of netbooks will be packing these guys) at CES. [Engadget]
While arguing, a man threw a remote control at his wife. It struck her head, causing a fatal hemorrhage due to a medical condition no one knew she had. He is now serving a three year jail sentence for manslaughter.
Apparently Gloria Laguna had a "unique medical condition which was unknown to anybody, least of all herself, and the slightest trauma in that area of the vertebral artery could [...] lead to death." Her husband, Paul Harvey, is known for his two violence-related criminal convictions and a temper problem.
On the night of Laguna's death, all of those factors combined with both individuals having alcohol and cocaine in their systems. They argued, Harvey threw the remote, and Laguna fell to the ground. Harvey made a frantic and tear-filled call to 999 (the UK equivalent of 911), but despite all efforts to save her, his wife died in a hospital later that day.
While throwing an object at someone is a violent and abusive act, the intent here wasn't to kill or to even truly injure. I almost wonder if a three year jail sentence for manslaughter is deserved, because, assuming that all the details are true, this appears to have been a genuine freak accident. [This London]
Photo by stuartpilbrow
Only the true king can wield the awesome power of Excalibur. Whether it's calculating, measuring, stapling or cutting—you have the right tool for the job in one ridiculous package. [Taylor Gifts via RGS via DVICE]
Art Lebedev is known for designing products that serve as elegant solutions for complex problems. If your problem is, "I can't figure out how to use this damn camera," his Fleximus concept is the solution for you.
The Fleximus, designed to take photos and video, features a bendable body that can be used with a built-in viewfinder or with an attachable 3" display. The camera's simplified controls and flexible body let you shoot at "angles never imaginable before": snaked under a door, curved around a corner, or, as the man below is attempting, sighted directly up your anus.
Sadly, like many of Lebedev's designs, the Fleximus will likely be a bit too cool for any company to put into production. [artlebedev.com]
Being one of only two laydees on Gizmodo, I feel justified in saying this dress is hot. Though not as hot as we'll be if global warming gets its way, unless more people pay attention to eco-friendly inventions like this.
Dozens of LEDs sprinkled across this dress concept light up, and actually blink faster when the microprocessor and carbon dioxide detection unit (hidden in the dress bustle, I presume) recognizes pollution in the air. No, they don't make underwear versions, though I'm sure some of the men reading this could do with their "air pollution" being monitored. [Diffus via The Coolist]
I'm surprised nobody did this before: Here is the Nexus One compared to the iPhone, side by side. And if that wasn't enough, check it compared to the HTC Hero:
The bodies' physical size is pretty much the same, but the screen in the Nexus One seems longer and thinner than the iPhone. More pics at [HTC Nexus One]
Here's something beautiful: a mechanical garden that responds to your step. It makes me feel like I'm in Wonderland.
Dynamic Ground is a kinetic floor developed by Adam Lassy and Adi Marom for NYU's ITP Winter Show. Each interconnected hexagon is operated by a central motor connected to a light censor. When someone walks on the platform and covers the sensor, the design underneath either expands or contracts, depending on its resting state. It's not walking on sunshine so much as stepping on snowflakes. [ITP Winter Show]
The WSJ already said most of this stuff yesterday, but the Financial Times has a few more tidbits on the situation that seems interesting—namely, Apple's relationship with network giants, and a plan to launch the fabled tablet soon.
The relevant passage from the FT:
Apple has contacted other broadcast and cable networks, including Time Warner's Turner Broadcasting System and Viacom, which have so far been unconvinced by Apple's proposal. The computer maker has also courted the book publishing industry, sector executives say.
Cooperation with Time Warner and Viacom would be essential if Apple wants to get this cable replacement off the ground—they own a plurality of basic cable channels between them. As far as the tablet is concerned:
Apple is preparing an announcement next month that many anticipate will be the official unveiling of its tablet, but the company has so far declined to confirm the existence of the device. Wall Street analysts expect mass production of an Apple tablet to begin as early as February.
That's some serious confidence right there, but it lines up with what we heard yesterday. This is all speculation at this juncture, but the WSJ and FT are big dogs who can (for the most part) be trusted; we'll have to see whether 2010 really is the year of the tablet. [Financial Times]
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.
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]
Peter Gamblin, a 24 year old former billiard champion in the UK, was busted for stealing a cellphone after the victim called him up and asked for his name and address.
Uh...yeah sure. That's Peter Gamblin...G. A. M. B. L. I. N.
According to the court, Gamblin gave the victim his name and address as an "act of bravado." It took a jury only 25 minutes to convict him. Needless to say, this guy is either the world's biggest moron (next to this guy) or he has a serious asshole friend that set him up to take the fall. [Telegraph via Fark]
Even though the antagonist of the story, George Broussard, co-owner of 3D realms, didn't consent to be interviewed for this story, Clive Thompson pieced enough together to get a good picture of what the hell went wrong. And it's obvious.
Here's the bottom line: bad management. Broussard kept stalling and stalling the release because he could, since he and the company were both bursting with enough cash to sustain things semi-indefinitely. Until they weren't.
Obsessed with moving the game into the latest engine, starting from Quake, to Unreal, to whatever-the-hell-else they were using between 1998 and now, Broussard basically condemned the game to development hell. If he had taken the boss's role of putting his foot down and making a decision to ship the game instead of constantly being in the engineer's role of always wanting the newest thing, we'd probably be playing the 3rd sequel for Duke Nukem by now.
Head over to Wired to see the whole story. [Wired]
I hope Santa's careful around Peter Terren's Christmas tree, because it's a Tesla coil with some color filters set up to make all the sparks, zaps, and electric arcs look oh-so-pretty. Yes, it's oh-so-pretty and oh-so-potentially-deadly.
This isn't the first time that Terren has made a Tesla coil Christmas tree, nor do I think it will be the last. He uses slow exposure photography to capture these incredible image, taking about two minutes for each of the shots. You can check out his site for some behind-the-scenes pictures of how he arranged the project and the safety measures he took while working with this coil.
In the meantime, I'll just be here ooh-ing and aaahh-ing for a while. [Tesla Down Under via Neatorama via Make]
Wired looks at HTC's rise from unknown OEM in Taiwan to creator of some of the most innovative and exciting smartphones around, including the 
We knew that not even Clark Kent in his blue and red underpants could save them, but it still impresses me how fast newspapers' circulation has declined in this decade. Sad, unless you're a tree. [
