Feet can kill... in China!

From Avweb:

Those who fly commercial also will encounter changes, including new security procedures. Atlantic Monthly writer (and Cirrus pilot) James Fallows, who is based in China, recently met with a new request while flying from Chengdu to Beijing. "I had to hold my [bare] feet up while a young security officer waved a metal-detecting rod around the top, bottom, and sides of them," he wrote in his blog last week. "'Those are my feet,' I helpfully pointed out to her. 'For the Olympics!' she said, with what looked like a smile."

Apparently for the olympics, even bare feet demand extra attention! Good luck to those travelling the (not so) friendly skies of China!

Looking for a hot travel site? Check out Travel Feeder...

I received a hot tip on this travel idea/tips site earlier today. There are some great budget travel tips and travel pictures to see there. I think its well worth checking out!

The Dutch Wind Powers Homes... with kites?

Ok, so windmills are big there, but what about kites? It seems that even their early experiments produce enough energy to power 10 homes:



If things go well, they hope to ultimately scale the technology to versions flying at up to 30,000 feet generating enough electricity to power 100,000 homes. While there are obviously some issues to overcome to reach those kinds of levels, the promise of massive power from such sources is tantalizing.

MacInTouch/Macbook Touch on the way?

The blogs are abuzz with rumours and speculation regarding a new touch-screen tablet PC coming from Apple. These pics are _NOT_ spyshots, just someone's speculation on what it could potentially look like. I'd have to say that if they could get this to be sunlight readable, it is time for a product like this. Something that could provide complete web/email while also providing a solid competitor for the Kindle: Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device.

Driving thrills and 47MPG?

Is it possible? You bet:

The MINI Cooper D (as in diesel power) combines 177 lb.-ft. of torque with the already competent MINI chassis, and delivers driving thrills while returning a massive 47 mpg!

And:

The Euro-market Cooper D's 1.6L diesel pairs the S model's 177 lb-ft torque rating with 108 horsepower. That's enough to get Cooper D to 60 mph in just under 10 seconds.[...]Even with all this cavorting, the MINI still managed to traverse 47 miles for every U.S.-sized gallon of diesel. Considering that most of the driving was around town without any hypermiling techniques, that's exceptional.

Be sure to check out the full Mini Cooper D review for more details. Its too bad that this car is not currently planned for a US launch, as we could use something like it about now.

Monoprice best cable vendor on the web? Perhaps...

We've talked about the doghouse of internet "retailers" in the past, so now lets talk about one that is absolutely awesome. I've now made several orders from Monoprice (cheap cables), and I'd have to say that these guys have been wonderful to work with. They support both direct credit card payment, and the uber-convenient Google Checkout system, and they have always managed to ship my items on the next business day.

And best of all, their prices absolutely cannot be beat. I've purchased cables from them (4pin firewire) for less then 3 dollars, that cost over $30 at the nearby Best (Worst) Buy ripoff price. And shipping adds almost nothing to the cost as well, usually only coming in at one or two dollars. Did I mention shipment is extremely fast? Even shipped first class USPS, I've had good experiences with items getting across from CA to the east coast in less than four days!

I'm not affiliated with these guys in any way, except that of being a very happy customer who feels the need to give a shout out to a group that really is doing a fantastic job of servicing their customers. Congratulations, Monoprice!

Are mice on the way out? Yes, but maybe not so soon...

While the Gartner group is predicting doom for the venerable computer mouse. Amazingly enough, not only is the mouse under attack from traditional laptop pointer devices (erasers, touchpad, etc), but now even neural interfaces are becoming commercially available thanks to the OCZ OCZMSNIA NIA - Neural Impulse Actuator.



So does it do the job as a control replacement for your computer? Well, perhaps not quite yet:

Unfortunately, the NIA isn't without caveats. Before you can enjoy the unique gaming experience provided by the NIA, you'll need to slog through day upon day of training to build up your skill with the device.

But don't take my word for it, read the whole review by Hothardware for more details. It sounds like these have at least reached the point of making an interesting novelty.

I wonder how long it will take to get from there to a truly practical human computer interface system?