Daily Archives: May 14, 2008

Real S.T.A.L.K.E.R. cosplay in Chernobyl

Posted on May 14, 2008 by John Brownlee

The outward limits on fandom tightly border total insanity. A squadron of Russian gamers, clad in gas masks, army fatigues and melted mutant rubber masks, bribed Russian officials to take them deep into the mutagenic wasteland of Chernbobyl’s Zone of … Continue reading →

Macworld’s rules for buying Macs

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Rob Beschizza

I’ve just broken all the rules for buying a Mac; my colleagues think I’m dumb. I grabbed a relatively unpopular high-end model, the 17″ MacBook Pro with the 133dpi 1920x display, within weeks of an expected replacement from Apple. But … Continue reading →

Playing card-sized Pico-ITX motherboards now even smaller

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Rob Beschizza

VIA’s tiny Pico-ITX motherboards just got a bit more Pico, losing the bulky CPU fan. The new fanless models will accordingly fit easier into whatever weird thing you’re trying to make into a PC case. Compromise? Oh, yes: the EPIA … Continue reading →

Office box cubicle offers isolation, despair

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Rob Beschizza

Work: the dehumanized symphony of cycling photocopiers, ringing phones and muttered greetings. Old fluorescent lights flicker and hum, Gutmann-shredding your hypothalamus with ones and zeroes at 60hz. Backwards laughter comes from that lady down the hall, echoing ever-louder in the … Continue reading →

Astak’s new eBook reader is almost as good at reading books as a PDA

Posted on May 14, 2008 by John Brownlee

Astak’s latest e-Book reader, the Mentor, can’t beat the Kindle’s killer feature of an always on EVDO connection, so it’s slicing the form factor and price in half. The Mentor features a five inch tall e-ink screen, 512MB of memory, … Continue reading →

Scientists expect terror from Mars Probe descent

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Rob Beschizza

Nasa’s Phoenix lander, set to examine soils for evidence of water and living things, will provide scientists with “seven minutes of terror” during an iffy descent to Mars’ surface, says the BBC. “The Phoenix lander will begin its plunge through … Continue reading →

Don’t Panic: DIY portable Wikipedia as Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Hack

Posted on May 14, 2008 by John Brownlee

Instructables has posted a great little how-to on creating your own Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy… This Instructable will set out how to construct what I believe to be a unique implementation of Wikipedia in an offline, portable device. It … Continue reading →

Cuddleable plushie gadgets from yesteryear

Posted on May 14, 2008 by John Brownlee

Blueblythemonster’s Flickr stream hosts an orgy of soft embroidered felt plushies, gorgeous simulacrums of antique technology. Carnally speaking, I’m only a techno-fetishist by dint of career, but these are adorably cuddleable. I’m tempted to make a bid on this hand … Continue reading →

Virgin Mobile’s starkly honest FAQ

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Rob Beschizza

The defining characteristic of the internet-era institution of “frequently asked questions” is that they rarely resemble questions many would actually ask. They’re always “questions we anticipate you might ask, the subset thereof we deign to answer.” Virgin Mobile is shaking … Continue reading →

MSI Wind becomes the $400 subnotebook to beat

Posted on May 14, 2008 by John Brownlee

MSI have just released pricing details for the Wind, and it’s looking very good. Americans will get the 10″ Wind on the 3rd of June, featuring a 1024×600 LCD, an 80GB HDD, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and a six-cell battery … Continue reading →