One Vlad Dolezal suggests that 1 of the problems facing the (lack of) popularity of Linux for the desktop is that it`s free. Vlad points to studies that indicate people tend to associate things that are free with being worthless - ie you get what you pay for. And there`s plenty of evidence to back [...]

As expected, Toshiba CEO Atsutoshi Nishida today announced that the company “will no longer develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders”.
The press release made no mention of T now joining the rival Blu-ray Disc Association, but Toshiba will aparently be working on flash memory, small hard disk drives, next-gen CPUs, visual processing, and [...]

“Sci-fi films are as dead as Westerns”, so says Ridley Scott in an interview with The Times back a while ago.
Scott who directed both Blade Runner and Alien ought to have some credibility on the topic of the death of science fiction, and for what little it’s worth, we agree with him. His [...]

The HERCULES laser system located at the University of Michigan Center for Ultrafast Optical Science appears to be the most powerful laser in the world. The beam delivers about 20 billion trillion watts per square centimeter, contains 300 terawatts of power and thus qualifies as the highest intensity pulsed laser beam produced thus far. Details [...]

A virtual piano for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Demo video at this link. …sounds realistic.
iAno - homepage

Toshiba that promoter and purveyor of things HD DVD seems ready to pull the plug both literally and figuratively on High-Definition DVD players as well as the format itself. Reports from Japan suggest that Toshiba’s announcement might come as early as Monday.
…the counterpoint between Toshiba and Sony gives way to the Blu’s.
Toshiba mulling complete pullout [...]

The adjective unique is inadequate to describe Santa Monica architect Hagy Belzberg’s Skyline Residence in Los Angeles. Perched in the Hollywood Hills on a ridge above Mulholland Dr, overlooking L.A. with views of Laurel Canyon and the San Fernando Valley, the spectacular glass-walled residence is a kind of updated village perchés, found in the [...]

Well, Rinspeed has unveiled their sQuba, the world’s first submersible car. Works on land, on water and under water.
It’s just like the Lotus Esprit that was used in the movie “The Spy Who Loved Me”, only different…the Rinspeed sQuba is electric, the passengers get wet and must don scuba gear.
Rinspeed’s Zero-Emission World Debut [...]

Now, for your dropping pleasure, a new shockproof and waterproof camera from Olympus, model μ1030 SW.
The camera is a tough one - it can withstand a drop of 2 meters, is mud sand & dust -proof, works in -10 deg C, and is waterproof to 10 meters. The μ1030 SW is a load-bearing camera, [...]

For those fatigued by Hollywood fare, here’s a list compiled by Edward Copeland of the top foreign movies ever made…
1. THE RULES OF THE GAME - Directed by Jean Renoir
2. THE SEVEN SAMURAI - Directed by Akira Kurosawa
3. M - Directed by Fritz Lang
4. 8 1/2 - Directed by Federico Fellini
5. BICYCLE THIEVES - Directed [...]