Apple-Nemesis Psystar Permanently Banned From Selling Mac Clones [Apple]

I feared that the Apple vs Psystar battle would just fizzle out, but it's ending with a strong punch as Apple Insider reports that Apple has been granted a permanent injunction against Psystar, marking the end of shady Mac clones.

Apparently Psystar has until the final second of this year, midnight on December 31, to cease all of these activities:

• Copying, selling, offering to sell, distributing or creating derivative works of Mac OS X without authorization from Apple.
• Intentionally inducing, aiding, assisting, abetting or encouraging any other person or entity to infringe Apple's copyrighted Mac OS X software.
• Circumventing any technological measure that effectively controls access Mac OS X, including, but not limited to, the technological measure used by Apple to prevent unauthorized copying of Mac OS X on non-Apple computers.
• Playing any part in a product intended to circumvent Apple's methods for controlling Mac OS X, such as the methods used to prevent unauthorized copying of Mac OS X on non-Apple computers.
• Doing anything to circumvent the rights held by Apple under the Copyright Act with respect to Mac OS X.

It's noted that those rules laid down by judge William Alsup may not apply to "Psystar's Rebel EFI software, a $50 application that allows certain Intel-powered PCs to run Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard," so this may not be the last we hear of the company. For now though, we can enjoy a few moments of quiet after this legal knockout. [Apple Insider]



The Movies and Music that Inspired Us to Travel in 2009

Man playing flute
Man playing flute. Photo by monkeyboy1.

What inspired you to travel in 2009?

Earlier this week, bloggers shared which books inspired them. Today, we have a dozen bloggers sharing which movies and music inspired them to travel this year. Again, it’s fascinating to see just how varied their sources of inspiration can be — people find travel inspiration in everything from the Bourne soundtracks to Indiana Jones and Lawrence of Arabia.

Lawrence of Arabia

Lawrence of Arabia
Recommended by Gary Arndt from Everything Everywhere Travel Blog

I had the pleasure of visiting Jordan in 2009 and I made it a big priority to visit Wadi Rum. The sole reason I visited Wadi Rum was because of my love of the movie Lawrence of Arabia which was filmed on location in Wadi Rum. I first watched Lawrence of Arabia is glorious 70mm in 1988. I have since had the pleasure of seeing it three more times in theaters in 70mm and have seen it countless times on DVD. Lawrence of Arabia is my favorite movie of all time and visiting Wadi Rum was the highlight of my time in the Middle East.

Available from Amazon.

Eden by Syros

Recommended by Nora Dunn from The Professional Hobo

I’m happy to put 2009 to bed. In February I saw gorgeous communities destroyed (and was evacuated myself for a month) during Australia’s worst natural disaster: the Victorian Bushfires. It set the scene for a year of slow and painful recovery of the people, houses, and the land around us.

My boyfriend Kelly and I volunteered full-time in the recovery efforts, and are happy to have made a positive difference. In addition to volunteering, Kelly was commissioned to compose an album for a bushfire art exhibition. He did so, pouring the emotion of the event into his music. Listening to this album helps me reflect, relax, and regain hope. It reminds me of the many ways we can be of assistance around the world – every day. I encourage people to listen (free) to this album (Eden by Syros); $5 from the sale of each CD goes towards ongoing bushfire relief efforts.

Available from ReverbNation.

The Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles

The Magical Mystery Tour
Recommended by Greg Wesson from Greg Wesson’s Esoteric Globe

Living is easy with eyes closed, said the walrus. Inspiring words to remind us to not take the gift of life for granted and be concious of the choices we make. On the three days sight-seeing I spent in Liverpool, I couldn’t stop humming Magical Mystery Tour. Liverpool is a city that is impossible to walk through without looking at it through Beatles-tinted glasses. For inspiring me both to live with my eyes open and go and visit the Mersey-side city of Liverpool, Roll up… Roll up… for The Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles, released 1967.

Available from Amazon.

Oracular Spectacular by MGMT

Oracular Spectacular by MGMT
Recommended by Scott Shetler from 9000 Miles

I spent this summer traveling the country in a van, inspired by several songs, in particular “Time to Pretend” by MGMT, an ode to living for the moment. Andrew Van Wyngarden sings, “This is our decision, to live fast and die young/We’ve got the vision, now let’s have some fun.”

The lyrics are a bit tongue-in-cheek but are inspiring nonetheless: “What else can we do? Get jobs in offices and wake up for the morning commute?” As someone stuck in a 9-to-5 job when the year began, that line hit home and reminded me there’s so much out there to do and see in the world.

Oracular Spectacular is a fun album of psychedelic-tinged pop music, and while the other songs on it aren’t as directly inspiring as “Time to Pretend,” they do make for enjoyable listening while cruising down the road.

Available from Amazon.

Out of Africa

Out of Africa
Recommended by Neelima from The Wandering Soul’s Wander Tales

Out of Africa is a brilliantly taken movie which follows the life of Karen Blixen in Kenya as she struggles to keep up with the coffee plantations, a marriage of convenience and an affair with the aviator/hunter – Denys who prefers freedom over anything else. The cinematography is simply mindblowing and is aptly supported by a haunting musical score.

Adventure, romance, exotic locales and bittersweet farewells make this movie an interesting watch – and even more so for a travel freak. The free spirit of Denys is something that many can relate to. After watching the movie, I have a stronger urge to visit Africa and experience the wilderness someday soon.

Available from Amazon.

Putamayo Presents: Paris

Putamayo Presents: Paris
Recommended by Mara Gorman from The Mother of All Trips

Putumayo is a label that puts out delightful albums of world music. I love their CDs, both those for adults and kids, and find they often inspire me to think of traveling to places I’ve never been (my younger son has been lobbying for a trip to Hawaii every since I checked Hawaiian Playground out of the library).

But my favorite CD concerns a place I have visited and with luck will return to many times again. It is simply called Paris and the music on it, although it is all new and original, is in the classic style called chanson. Think Parisien café life around 1959 and you get the idea – it’s the fastest way I know to feel chic and French. Although my family didn’t take a trip to Paris in 2009, we did spend two weeks there in 2008 and this CD was our favorite in the car this past summer as we traveled for 3000 miles in our small sedan across the prairie in Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri. Looking at those enormous stretches of sky, I easily imagine myself sipping a demi in the Café de la Paix, which I plan to do as soon as possible. And the best part? Putumayo donates part of the proceeds from their sales to organizations like Oxfam and Amnesty International in the countries where the music comes from.

Available from Amazon.

The Bourne soundtracks

The Bourne Ultimatum soundtrack
Recommended by Matt Morelli from Here to Geneva

I’ve long been a fan of the Bourne films starring Matt Damon. I love the realism, camerawork and that the focus is on character and plot development more than it is on action. Earlier this year, I downloaded the three soundtracks to listen to as I took the Eurostar under the English Channel from London to Paris. In the third film, Bourne does this himself, only he went the other way. Even so, I found that the soundtrack complemented the journey perfectly, to the extent that when I marched towards the buffet car to the rhythm of the music, I felt I might have been becoming Bourne himself. Now, whenever I listen back to the soundtracks, I reignite my passion for travel.

Available from Amazon:

Indiana Jones — The Complete Adventure Collection DVD

Indiana Jones — The Complete Adventure Collection DVD
Recommended by Dave from The Longest Way Home

I nearly feel like apologizing for even mentioning this as travel inspiration. But truth be told I have this DVD in my laptop as I travel. It serves as a little protection for my DVD drive, and when ever I feel like a little pick me up or inspiration for going off the beaten path I’ll pick one of the four movies at random. While I do cross my fingers that “Crystal Skull” does not pop up too frequently, there’s no getting around that all four movies do get one’s travel heart a pumping.

And at Christmas, there’s no getting away from these classic travel adventure movies. Just let that theme music start!

Available from Amazon.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman, The Philosophy of History and Yellow Submarine

Best of Mr. Peabody and Sherman
Recommended by Chris Fink from Hoboxia

My journey was undertaken with the express purpose of creating a novel, one totally unrelated to the actual travel, so I’m of two minds how to answer this. It would be a challenge to come up with what inspired the choice to build a bed and bookshelf into a Honda Element and take the project on the road for a year, but I think I’ll go with some items that inspired the book, though the sources are myriad, it’s a bit of fun to distill it to one tumbler per category (all sparks from oh so many years ago):

Born Into Brothels

Born Into Brothels
Recommended by Sherry Ott from Ottsworld

Over 4 years ago a movie came out that inspired me to travel, and more specifically volunteer during my travels. Born Into Brothels is a heartbreaking and inspiring documentary that was awarded the Oscar for Best Documentary in 2005. A documentary photographer went to Calcutta to photograph prostitutes. While there, she befriended their children and offered to teach the children photography to reciprocate being allowed to photograph their mothers. The children were given film cameras to learn photography and possibly improve their lives. Camera crews followed the kids through their daily lives and struggles (that’s the heartbreaking part) however, much of the children’s work was used in the film. The children’s work was eventually exhibited, and a book was produced of their work that is sold all over the world. A stunning look at a culture through the eyes of a child and what a difference you can make if you just take the time to befriend and teach them. I ended up volunteering in Delhi, India teaching computers and English – the highlight of my around the world journeys.

Available from Ottsworld Travel Store

The Motorcycle Diaries

The Motorcycle Diaries
Recommended by Jon Brandt from Travel Guy

If we’re talking about movies, then I have to go with the almost cliché by now, The Motorcycle Diaries. I realize that this was listed in last years’ discussion, but the fact remains that it has inspired me to explore South America top to bottom. Maybe what touched me more was seeing it while living in Ecuador, and truly understanding that scenery of the Andes and the issues they spoke of. It made me want to find every little town and talk to as many people as possible, if for nothing else than to understand it all a little better.

For the books, I’m going to take a slightly different route and say it was reading so many blogs out there that got my interested. Every time I read someone’s blog talking about the Salt Flats in Bolivia or a random river boat trip in the Mekong, it gets my so interested and thrilled that I want to book the next flight to wherever and get started on my own adventure. Looking at the amazing pictures taken by regular people, whether it’s on a blog, an article on the Matador Network, or someone’s newsfeed in Facebook, it makes me want to get out there and do it on my own.

Available from Amazon.

Into the Wild

Into the Wild
Recommended by Alice Griffin from Fanciful Alice

I watched this with my husband a couple of months back and the beautiful scenery, haunting soundtrack and thought-provoking words really imprinted themselves on our minds… the next morning as I laid in bed looking all wistful, he said “We are not going to go and live in an abandoned bus in Alaska … I know you, you get ideas!!” and no, we’re not – although a month or so in Alaska is probably on our travel wish list. But, it made us think about why we travel and we are always drawn to the freedom that the open road brings. It was a perfect film for us wandering and restless types – about a young man keen to leave behind the material world to go in search of … well, I’m not sure – finding himself? Finding beauty in nature? Finding truth in life? Anyway, whatever you take from it there are messages, not least about being true to ourselves and living life out as an adventure … and always having that spirit for adventure. That’s kind of how we are and therefore, it certainly inspired us to keep trying for a life less ordinary.

Available from Amazon.

AT&T Dismisses Operation Chokehold as an “Irresponsible and Pointless Scheme” [Att]

We've told you about Operation Chokehold, the attack on AT&T's network scheduled for Friday, but now AT&T has something to say about as well. They're not exactly happy and throw around words like "irresponsible," "pointless," and "nothing amusing." Ouch!

This is what an AT&T spokesperson contacted by Cult of Mac said about the plot:

We understand that fakesteve.net is primarily a satirical forum, but there is nothing amusing about advocating that customers attempt to deliberately degrade service on a network that provides critical communications services for more than 80 million customers. We know that the vast majority of customers will see this action for what it is: an irresponsible and pointless scheme to draw attention to a blog.

I sincerely doubt that this statement will affect Operation Chokehold's attempt to make the AT&T network pee its panties as it runs crying to mama, but I suppose we'll see what happens this Friday. What are your guesses though? Will iPhone data start crawling at an even slower pace than usual? [Cult of Mac]



New NASA Governance Structure Under Development

Keith's note: All of NASA's field center directors met today in a closed door session in one of the Administrator's Conference Rooms on the 9th floor of NASA HQ. In addition to all of the center directors who were seated around the table, a dozen or so staffers stood around the periphery of the room. Their collective task was to work out and then agree upon a new governance structure for the agency - one that would best implement the new (revised) direction that the White House is providing to NASA. There are apparently 5 or so specific areas that the agency will be re-organizing itself to implement. As such, there may be a recasting of the "directorate" model in favor of "divisions". All of the participants were sworn to secrecy and were not going to be leaving the room until a new governance model was agreed to.

What did they decide upon? Stay tuned.

Man Delivers Baby Using Guide Found on Google [Google]

Many men might watch helplessly as their wives are about to give birth, but not Leroy Smith. As soon as Smith realized that the midwife wouldn't arrive on time, he calmly did a Google search on his BlackBerry.

I don't know what Smith's Google query of choice was, but in the end it led him to a WikiHow guide on child delivery. And it must've either been one rather good guide or the Smiths were simply very fortunate, because their baby daughter was born without a hitch. The midwife arrived just as it was time to clamp and cut the umbilical cord, but otherwise Smith managed to get his wife through the delivery by himself.

I'm glad that this tale ended with everyone happy, healthy, and Smith's wife announcing that she'll never complain about his BlackBerry addiction again, but it makes me wonder about what happened to the days when people managed to deliver babies without cellphones and Google. [Sun via Slashdot]



The Disgruntled Worker’s Gift Guide for 8 Insufferable Bosses [Gift Guide]

In this guide we suggest gifts for a variety of bad bosses, from the ones who try too hard to the ones who make you work too hard. Not that I, as a Gizmodo intern, would know anything about that. But for those of you who do hate your bosses, here are the best gifts to give them.

Also, if you hate the gallery format as much as you hate your boss, smash on your mouse or trackpad here.

For the Annoying Culture Vulture Boss:
The Office - The Complete Collection BBC Edition: OK, you get your boss the American version of The Office and he gets the joke. He's a dolt, just like Michael Scott! Ha ha ha. But by giving your boss the British version of the seminal workplace sitcom and likening him to David Brent, you're sending a much more cutting message: while he may achieve some measure of success in his work and might occasionally amuse his employees, he is, deep down, a sad, contemptible man. $19 [Amazon]

For The Cutting Edge Technologist Boss:
Invitation to Google Wave: For the boss who demands that his employees stay on the web's cutting edge, nothing could be more frustrating than getting an invite to Google Wave. He'll love being privy to Google's exclusive, featured-packed new service, until he finds out after hours of frustrated clicking that he has no idea how to use it. Little does he know, no one does. $0 [Google]

For The Boss Who Thinks It's Your Job To Make His Coffee:
Nescafe Dolce Gusto: If your boss thinks personal coffee assistant is part of your job description, there's no better gift to give her than a Nescafe single-serving Dolce Gusto coffee machine. They will openly appreciate the thoughtful gesture, as well as the machine's undeniably appealing design, and you will quietly appreciate the fact that you have condemned them to drinking miserable Nescafe coffee for the next calendar year. $149 [Nescafe]

For The Materialistic Boss:
Contribute to Charity in His or Her Name: No one can outwardly express dissatisfaction with a donation to charity. So while your boss thanks you for the thoughtful donation in his name, you can take pleasure in knowing that under the surface he is seething with anger that he got a child in a developing country his or her first pair of shoes instead of receiving a new tie for his collection. Any amount [Charity Watch]

For The Boss Who Is Obsessed With Twitter:
Tweet Peek: DO NOT BUY. As much as you might despise your boss, and as fun as it might be to saddle him with a gadget that has the sole purpose of sending Tweets, we really can't justify suggesting spending your money on this ridiculous thing. [TwitterPeak]

For the Boss Who Can't Stand Being Late:
Fossil Palindrome Too Watch: On the surface, you're giving your boss the generous gift of a stylish new designer watch from well-known watchmaker Fossil. In reality, you're ensuring his infinite frustration as he is late yet again for his meeting with head office because he couldn't figure out whether he was supposed to be reading from the "tick" or the "x" on the left or the right dial. $150 [Fossil]

For the Boozehound Boss Who Can't Just Have One:
Pernod Absinthe Kit: One surefire way to get that slave driving boss off your back is to get a few drinks in him, and for that there is no better gift than a Pernod absinthe kit. By inviting the Green Fairy to the office you are sure to minimize productivity while maximizing potential boss embarrassment. $65 [Pernod]

For the Hipster Boss Who Loves Music and Fashion Equally:
Sonic Fabric Necktie: In a way, by giving your boss the Sonic Fabric Necktie, a playable tie recycled from old cassettes, you're giving them two gifts: that of music and that of fashion. But in another way you're giving them no gifts: playback is only possible via a modified tape player and the tie itself is bound to unravel after the first Windsor. $120 [Supermarket]

Ever slight a boss with a gift? Ever get slighted? Share your story in the comments

All Giz Wants is our annual round-up of favorite gift ideas, including amazing attainable objects and a few far-out fantasies. We'll be popping guides catered to different interests several times per day for the next week, so keep checking back.



The Google Phone’s Alter Ego: A Lame Christmas Bonus [Rumor]

The quasi-mythical Google Phone is many things. To optimists, it's Google's bid to shake up the wireless industry. To cynics, it's just an overhyped Android phone. And to some Googlers, it's apparently this year's Christmas bonus. They're less than thrilled.

Earlier today we got a tip from reader whose buddy was one of the selected recipients of Google's Nexus One Android phone. Google has admitted to "dogfooding" a phone—that is, testing it on its employees—so we expected reports like this. What we didn't expect, though, was his friend's response:

Two problems, however: first, the phone is GSM only, so he's not happy about that. Second, this phone is HIS BONUS for this year. His usual bonus is $1K in cash, taxes paid by Google.

SO according to him the phone is just going to sit, unused, in a drawer in his apartment. Hoo...ray?

Complaining about getting a free phone might seem sour at this proud time in our nation's economic history, but if you're accustomed to getting cash—you know, money, that you can spend on things you might need—instead of a niche smartphone that you probably can't even use properly on your carrier, I can understand the bitterness. And what kind of Googler doesn't already have a smartphone? Didn't they all get Android handsets back in 2008, when Google pulled a nearly identical bonus stunt with the HTC Dream? People loved that! —Thanks, AndPreciousLittleofThat!



McDonald v. Chicago – Law Professors’ Amicus Brief

A few weeks ago, after the submission of the Petitioners' Brief in the McDonald v. Chicago case in the U.S. Supreme Court (on which I posted previously), a group of eight law professors - including Professors Richard Aynes (Akron), Jack Balkin (Yale), Randy Barnett (Georgetown), Steven Calabresi (Northwestern), Michael Curtis (Wake Forest), William Van Alstyne (William & Mary), Adam Winkler (UCLA) and I - submitted an amicus brief on the case through the Constitutional Accountability Center (CAC).

The brief is available here.

Dynetics Buys Orion Propulsion

Dynetics Announces Purchase of Orion Propulsion

"David King, executive vice president of Dynetics, added, "Tim Pickens is one of the most creative, energetic and 'lean thinking' propulsion experts in the United States. He is well known in the local and national space communities. We are excited to bring Tim on board - along with Mark Fisher, who has 20 years of experience in NASA, DoD (Department of Defense) and commercial propulsion and management - as well as the rest of the OPI team."

M.I.T. Ushers in Biking 2.0 With Copenhagen Wheel [Bicycles]

Today at the COP 15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, M.I.T. students introduced the technologically advanced Copenhagen Wheel. In addition to including various sensors and Bluetooth capability, the tire stores kinetic energy from braking for a later burst of speed.

The makers of the Copenhagen Wheel from M.I.T.'s SENSEable City Laboratory claim that the new features mark the advent of "Biking 2.0," a new era based on smarter bikes and easier rides. The wheel is certainly a step in that direction; it includes sensors for detecting distance, speed, direction, all of which are beamed via Bluetooth to the rider's iPhone. The wheel also includes a built-in lock that sends the rider a text if tampered with.

But the most notable feature of the Copenhagen Wheel is its KERS or Kinetic Energy Recovery System, a mechanism by which energy from braking is stored up for later use, giving the rider a boost when going up a hill or speeding through traffic. Some bicycle purists have already dismissed the wheel as a novelty while others suggest that M.I.T. has succeeded in reinventing the wheel. [MIT via Inhabitat]



Google Applied for "Nexus One" Trademark [Google]

In between all the exciting rumors of when Google's Nexus One will be released and how much it will cost, there's at least something that's confirmed: Google submitted a trademark application for "Nexus One."

Android.in writes that the application was filed on December 10th, a bit before all the excitement about Nexus One began, which they speculate could mean that there'll be little involvement by carriers, but who knows at this point? I'm just going to keep staring at mysterious countdowns. [AndroidOS.in]



Apple Gestapo: How Apple Hunts Down Leaks [Apple]

They call themselves the Worldwide Loyalty Team. Among some employees, they are known as the Apple Gestapo, a group of moles always spying in headquarters and stores, reporting directly to Jobs and Oppenheimer. Here's how they hunt people down.

"You may want to know about their Worldwide Loyalty Team," Tom told me recently in an email. I read what he had to say. It felt like a description of the Gestapo, without the torture and killing part.

Tom never lived in Nazi Germany, back in the time when the Geheime Staatspolize had the power to get into any house or any office, at any time of the day or night, without any warrant or reason, to seize whatever or whoever they wanted in their never ending search to find enemies of the state. A place in which you had no right to privacy whatsoever. A place in which you were guilty until proven otherwise.

No, Tom never lived in Nazi Germany, nor in East Germany, nor in the Soviet Union, nor in Communist China. He lives in the United States. For sure, he has never been scared of losing his life nor the ones he loves, like thousands of millions in those countries. But he knows how it feels to be watched, to always be considered guilty of crimes against another kind of state. He knew how it felt to have no privacy whatsoever when he was working right here, in a little Californian town called Cupertino, in a legendary place located in One Infinite Loop.

Tom knew about all that pretty well, back when he was working at Apple Inc.

Operation Lockdown

Of course, if Tom had never sent any sensitive information to media outlets, he would have never had the fear of being caught, only to get fired and sued into oblivion by Apple Legal. But the lack of any privacy whatsoever is something that he shared with all his fellow employees.

"Apple has these moles working everywhere, especially in departments where leaks are suspected. Management is not aware of them," he told me, "once they suspect a leak, the special forces—as we call them—will walk in the office at any hour, especially in the mornings. They will contact whoever was the most senior manager in the building, and ask them to coordinate the operation."

The operation, as Tom calls it, is not anything special. It is not one of a kind event. It's just a normal practice, and the process is pretty simple: The manager will instruct all employees to stay at their desks, telling them what to do and what to expect at any given time. The Apple Gestapo never handles the communication. They are there, present, supervising the supervisors, making sure everything goes as planned.

All cellphones are then taken. Usually, they collect them all at the same time, which means that the process could take a long time. If you need to contact the exterior during the time your cellphone is under examination, you will have to ask for permission, and your call will be monitored.

They don't ask for cameras because there are no cameras at Apple: Employees are not allowed to get into the campus with them. If the cellphone is an iPhone, it gets backed up onto a laptop. "In fact, at the beginning they used to say that the iPhones were really their property, since Apple gave every employee a free iPhone," he points out. All the employees are asked to unlock and disable any locking features in their cellphones, and then the special forces will proceed to check them for recent activity.

They back up everything and go through all the other phones' text messages and pictures. If you have porn in your phone, they will see it. If you have text messages to your spouse, lover, or Tiger Woods, they will see them, too. Just like that. No privacy, no limits.

While all this is happening, the employees are ordered to activate the screensaver on their computers, so the special forces are sure there are no chats happening between employees or with the exterior. They are told not to speak, text or call one other when the lockdown is happening: "It is like a gag order, and if the employee does not want to participate, they are basically asked to leave and never come back."

2009 Is Like "1984"

Of course, all this is voluntary. Management recommends that you relinquish your phones. If you don't do it they will fire you, or they will investigate why you didn't want to give them your cellphone. Simultaneously, everyone is asked to sign NDA's during the investigations, even though they already signed Apple NDAs to work there.

"I was at several events. When they find what they are looking for—which they usually do—the person is asked to stay until the end of the business day. Then he is asked to leave the premises quietly, escorted by security," Tom says. While he's there, the special forces hang around, watching. "There is a lot that goes behind doors that I don't really know about. I do know, however, that they really interrogate people that are serious suspects, intimidating them by threatening to sue."

There is no way to know how often this happens, however, as everything is handled very quietly. The same Worldwide Loyalty Team does many other things to keep everyone in check, from searching out the email history of every employee—which is also a normal practice in other corporations and government agencies—to seeding fake images to catch potential leaks and diffuse the hype about some product introductions.

As Tom was describing all this, my mind was getting back to all I've read about Steve Jobs and Apple, back when he was El Capitán of the brave group of free pirates who created the Macintosh. The Mac was a secret project too, but there was no secret police making sure there were no leaks. After a hard day of work, all the Mac team sometimes played on the beaches of California, careless and happy, confident that this new revolutionary computer would change the world, one desktop at a time. All of them shared information, there were no seeeecrets, and that's why they came up with an "insanely great" computer, as Steve Jobs himself used to refer to it.

And while I understand that secrecy is paramount to success in today's extremely competitive market—hello, dear marketdrones—now I look at this story on the Worldwide Loyalty Team, and it makes me realize how much Apple has changed. From a happy hippie company, to a company that does KGB-style lockdowns and Gestapo interrogations that end in suicides.

I wonder if the special forces have ever chased anyone through the Infinite Loop campus, dressed in their full regalia:

I wouldn't be surprised.



Tangled Bank: Read the Excerpt And Then Stuff That Stocking! | The Loom

beetle excerptThe National Center For Science Education (now at its new ncse.com address) is offering a free pdf of a chapter from my book, The Tangled Bank: An Introduction to Evolution. The chapter, called “Radiations and Extinctions,” is about the two sides of biodiversity. First I look at how biodiversity rises over time (the ascent of the animal kingdom, for example, and the wild exuberance of insects). Then I look at how biodiversity falls, thanks to background extinctions and mass extinctions. And then I take a look forward and see ominous signs for biodiversity’s future, such as corroding oceans.

If you like what you read, you can find out more about The Tangled Bank here. Or you can cut to the chase and get the whole book–as a holiday gift for yourself, or for that special someone who keeps asking you how we can be descended from monkeys if there are still monkeys around.


Boeing Dreamliner First Flight Video: IT FLIES! [Airplanes]

They made it! It flies! IT FLIES! After countless tests, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is finally flying. As in, taking off, going around a few times, and then landing without any problem. Here's the first video. And another one here:

It has been long way since we saw it complete for the first time but, after all the delays, the first commercial airliner fully made of composite materials is now a reality. [Gizmodo Dreamliner Coverage]



The LaCie Rikiki Is the Tiniest 2.5-inch Portable Hard Drive On the Market [LaCie]

With LaCie, you always expect the product to look good—and the Rikiki portable HDD is no exception. They also claim that it is the smallest 2.5-inch drive on the market.

I'm not sure if that is accurate or not, but with measurements at 4.3 x 2.9 x .5 inches it is even smaller than the popular FreeAgent line from Seagate. The USB 2.0, self-powered drives are available in 250GB, 500GB and 640GB flavors for $75, $109 and $149 respectively.

Today, LaCie introduced the most compact 2.5" hard drive on the market – LaCie Rikiki, in metal. Measuring just a mere 110mm, its sophisticated form factor holds up to 640GB of media that you won't mind storing in a pocket or purse.

Encased in brushed, sturdy aluminum, the LaCie Rikiki, which means "tiny" in French, represents a resilient aesthetic that protects your media from everyday blunders and unwelcome fingerprints. Its lightweight design makes it a perfect companion for keeping your digital world close at hand.

"We are part of a generation that wants more from our electronics, but in the smallest form factor possible, and with a competitive price," said Anne-Sophie Marchand, Consumer Product Manager. "With the LaCie Rikiki, we have done just that by fitting high-performance and high-capacity in the palm of your hand, for under $100."

Leveraging the versatile USB 2.0 interface, the LaCie Rikiki is instantly compatible with your PC or Mac. Simply plug it in and you're ready to store and share your favorite media with high-speed performance. LaCie Rikiki also offers USB Boost software for enhancing speeds up to 33% (Windows® only).

LaCie Rikiki also comes with a simplified software suite – for quick setup and easy-to-use backup management – enabling complete configuration in just a few clicks. The LaCie Rikiki is an all-in-one solution for storage mobility.

Availability
The LaCie Rikiki will be available in 250GB, 500GB, and 640GB capacities through the LaCie Online Store, LaCie Reseller+, and LaCie Corner, starting at the suggested retail price of $74.99 (excluding VAT). For more information, visit http://www.lacie.com.

[LaCie]



Forever Is Forever: New IR Technology Can Spot “Removed” Tattoos | Discoblog

tattooTattoos just got even more permanent. Scientists have developed a method to uncover old tattoos that have been altered or surgically removed. The technology involves infrared cameras and could be particularly useful to law enforcement agents, according to Tech Radar:

Often used as a distinguishing factor to identify criminals, tattoos can be altered or removed relatively easily, but a team at the University of Derby has come up with a solution.

Using infrared means that removed tattoos, or even tattoos that have been altered, can be spotted in the deeper layers of skin.

Guess that means DISCOVER’s CEO and Publisher Henry Donahue will never be able to fully get rid of his fish. Let’s hope he stays out of trouble!

Related Content:
Discoblog: DISCOVER CEO Makes Good on Promise, Gets Science Tattoo
The Loom: Science Tattoo Emporium Archives
Bad Astronomy: We Who Are About To Dye

Image: flickr / House of Sims


How To Use Hashtags To Send Us A Tip Or Talk About Anything [Comments]

Did you know you can post a tip straight to Gizmodo? Or, start a new conversation all on your own? Thanks to our hashtag pages you can do all sorts of comment related goodness. Here's how:

#Tips:

Once you're at Gizmodo.com, just go to the comment box where it says "Got a tip for us?", write your tip — and then click the share button. Remember to include #tips to make sure your note shows up on the tips page.

So what kind of tips do we like to see? To tell the truth, It really doesn't matter how big or small the tip might be, just as long as it's something interesting or newsy. Obviously our favorite kinds of tips have stuff like spy shots and info of a new unseen gadget, but that's not the only thing we're looking for.

For example commenter kjoost used the #tips to share The Most Powerful Desktop PC-Sized Supercomputer with us. As you can see, sharing a tip with Gizmodo has never been easier. So if you have a juicy bit of news for us or just want to show us an interesting piece of tech please don't hesitate to let us know.

Hashtags:
If you haven't noticed we use hashtages at Gizmodo for all of our tagging needs. This is important to you because it means anyone can create their own hashtag for just about anything. We showed you above how to use the #tips hashtag to send us a tip, but you're not limited to using only this hashtag.

We already explained how to use #whitenoise to talk amongst yourselves, but say you wanted to start up a discussion on your favorite gadget? Then at bottom of your comment type in something like #favgadget. Or maybe you want to send us a letter of suggestion or complaint, you could use #letters. Also, if you want your comments to appear in multiple places, use multiple hashtags. Need a starting off point? Try any of our most popular tags featured above. The possibilities are endless and we encourage all of you to start using hashtags to talk about what you want, when you want to.

If you still have questions regarding out comment system try reading over our Comment FAQ. If the FAQ doesn't seem to help then try shooting an email to comments@gizmodo.com for help.



Cap Screws and Allen Keys

Good afternoon:

I want to know all the types of cap screw and all the types of bolt and the difference in use between one or another. The cap screw can be turned only with an Allen key and the bolt with other type of key...it' s that true?