There's a load of great tech news happening out there every day, and, unfortunately, we just can't cover it all. Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web.While it's well-established by now that the 'The Phantom Menace' was one of the biggest flops ever, rarely do we see intelligent commentary on why it's so bad (though podracing, Jar Jar, and the wooden acting explain a lot). This wonderful 70-minute (it's worth it, we promise) video looks at terrible characters, a convoluted plot, and directorial problems to get at the heart of why the first 'Star Wars' prequel is so bad (NSFW language). [From: YouTube]Newsweek got legendary James Cameron and Peter Jackson together to talk filmmaking craft and the importance of technology in Hollywood. [From: Slate]At a loss for what to get for that geek that has everything? Here are nine gifts they're sure to love. [From: theshittoget]Got a tip? Want to talk to us? In need of more choice links like these? Drop us a line on Twitter and check out our Tumblr blog.Why 'The Phantom Menace' Is So Bad, Gadgets for Serious Geeks originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

  While other U.S. car manufacturers have been mired down in bankruptcy and the near-total collapse of the automotive industry, Ford continues its devotion to an impressive modernization movement. The company's trend toward technological advancement began in earnest with the voice-controlled Microsoft Sync program, which is set to begin its second phase next year. According to Engadget, the next incarnation of Sync vehicles will feature built-in Wi-Fi and 3G-sharing capabilities. Those additions, as well as other Sync upgrades, will reportedly be revealed at next month's CES technological trade show. With the next-gen Sync program, adaptive cruise control, collision warnings, inflatable seat belts, and butt massagers, Ford's savvy offices-on-wheels are suddenly making the manufacturer globally desirable and relevant for the first time in decades. Hopefully, GM and Chrysler are paying close attention. [From: Engadget]Filed under: Car TechFord Sync's In-Car Wi-Fi Brings Internet to the Interstate originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 18:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Last week, the U.S. Cyber Challenge, a nationwide recruiting venture for America's digital army, was wrapped up when 21-year-old Chris Benedict, of Nauvoo, Illinois, was crowned, in CNN's words, "king of the hacker hill." The series of three competitions, which pitted hackers from around the country against one another and included an electronic version of Capture the Flag, was launched this July in an effort to fortify the United States' cyber-defenses. Organizers at the Federal Government's Center for Strategic and International Studies launched the search as a response to the country's perceived failure in developing computer experts at a rate comparable to other countries. Nations like China, for instance, boast well-developed programs in the areas of both electronic espionage and cyber warfare. Not only did the competition reveal skilled users who might otherwise have gone undiscovered, but it may have also helped some hackers to realize that their abilities have legitimate applications.Continue reading U.S. Cyber Challenge Crowns Hacker ChampFiled under: WebU.S. Cyber Challenge Crowns Hacker Champ originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Nothing warms our hearts more than a geeky marriage proposal here at Switched, but we get a bit bored of Twitter, Facebook, and even tweaked video game declarations of love. So kudos to Raleigh-Durham resident Alex Marsh, who took his girlfriend, Susan Wilkison, out to dinner at Raleigh Times Bar to propose, via Foursquare. Foursquare is a nifty little app that allows users to "check in" at locations country-wide and become "mayor" of certain places, collecting "badges" on the way. Part social networking and part scavenger hunt, Foursquare has become a lot of fun in the last year.So when Alex announced via the service that he was at dinner, he typed in: "Popping the question!" As Susan (and all of their friends) was alerted of his activities, she immediately responded yes (using Foursquare, of course). Newfangled proposals may seem strange to the non-texting, GPS-disabled, social-networking-novice population, but remember: This is how many of us communicate these days. What a hand-written letter was to the generations prior, a public display of status updates is today. Congratulations, Susan and Alex. [From: Mashable]Filed under: Cell Phones, Web, Social NetworkingLocation-Based Foursquare Helps Man Pop the Question originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  If petty criminals suffer from one glaring flaw, it's usually an overinflated ego.That was certainly the case with 24-year-old Peter Gamblin, who now faces prison time in England for allegedly stealing Jonathan Franke's phone, wallet, necklace, and watch. Joe Dale, a friend of Franke's, was on the line when the robbery started and overheard someone demanding money before the line went dead. When Dale re-dialed his friend, Gamblin allegedly answered instead, staying on the line for 42 minutes and even going so far as to give his name and address. "My name's Gambo. Peter Gambo," recounted prosecutor David Outterside to the Telegraph. "Come and see me at 153 Boultham Park Road." Needless to say, cops arrested Gamblin, who now denies any wrongdoing, and charged him with theft soon thereafter. [From: The Telegraph and The Lincolnshire Echo]Filed under: Cell PhonesAlleged Cell Phone Robber Gives Caller Name and Address originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Last week, we reported on some guy's art project that combined 'Pong' and slow dance. Our verdict? YAWN. Thank heavens that an outfit called Stewdio has come along and released a better, more inspired iteration of everyone's favorite go-to game, simply called 'Browser Pong.'Check it: it's your browser as 'Pong.' You know all those annoying pop-up ads that we reflexively click through or block altogether? (In a totally non-commercial plug, please download Add-Art.) Browser Pong is so clever that now you can have fun with pop-ups. No other gimmicks; the pop-ups are your paddles and ball. The only possible downside to this glorious time-suck: the computer is really good. Like flawless victory-good. Now, this may be the result of this writer's personal gaming failure, as there are doubtless armies of old-school nerds who could volley him under the table, but it may be an issue for some. The controls don't seem quick enough to respond to the velocity of the ball during a frenetic match, so be warned. Now, go play! [From: Stewdio, via Coudal]Filed under: Video Games, Web'Browser Pong' Plays With Pop-Ups, Totally PWNS You originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Cell phones cause cancer, don't cause cancer, might cause cancer, who knows? Well, Maine State Legislator Andrea Boland at least claims to know. She plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would require phones to carry warnings saying that they can cause brain cancer. Apparently unconcerned with things like scientific consensus, Boland wants Maine to become the first in the nation to require such warnings. Boland told the AP that Maine's roughly 950,000 cell phone users "do not know what the risks are." Of course, scientists aren't positive what risks, if any, are posed by mobile use. While some studies have suggested a possible link between certain types of cancer and radiation emitted by cellular devices, most have stopped shy of inferring direct causation. Even the eternally hyperbolic World Health Organization has pulled short of saying that cell phones result in brain cancer.Continue reading Maine to Label Cell Phones With Graphic Cancer Warnings?Filed under: Cell PhonesMaine to Label Cell Phones With Graphic Cancer Warnings? originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  A reader writes: I've decided to get a secondary computer and want to keep it cheap -- but there are so many netbooks and low-priced notebooks on the market that I don't know where to start. I want something reasonably powerful and comfortable to work with. Just tell me what to get! Dearest Reader: You're hardly alone in your confusion. While the netbook is red-hot this year and being touted as the "next great thing," new processors from Intel -- dubbed CULV for Consumer Ultra Low Voltage -- have brought ultra-slim, fully featured notebooks, with all-day battery life, down to the same price as a good netbook. Plenty of decent options are available for under $500, but you'd be hard pressed to find a deal that tops Toshiba's T-115, packed with two gigabytes of memory and 250 gigabytes of storage. What separates the T-115 from a similarly priced netbook is its power. Rather than running Intel's Atom processor, which is adequate for light use (but buckles under even moderately demanding tasks), the T-115 relies on the Celeron, meaning you're able to have multiple windows open without lag and watch YouTube videos stutter-free. Also, if you aren't an inordinate multi-tasker, the T-115 can run for seven hours or more -- significantly longer than most netbooks. (The Web site boasts a nine-hour plus battery life, but that's under ideal -- not real world -- conditions.)Continue reading What's the Best Super Portable Laptop Under $500?Filed under: Editor's Picks, LaptopsWhat's the Best Super Portable Laptop Under $500? originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:48:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines....Last week, reports emerged that Google was hoping to purchase the business review site Yelp for $500 million. Somehow, the Yelp folks have decided to back out of that astronomical deal, and the site will remain independent. [From: TechCrunch]TVs were one of the hottest selling items on Black Friday. Now that thousands of people have brand new flat-screens, manufacturers are, of course, rolling out newer, slimmer, and lighter models to make them obsolete. LG, in particular, is now claiming to provide the "world's thinnest" LCD in its 0.1-inch thin, 42-inch, 1080p model. [From: Engadget]Owners of the Barnes & Noble Nook e-reader may get an early Christmas present tomorrow. The gadget will reportedly be receiving an update which will improve various issues, including page refresh rate. [From: Engadget]Man, talk about a Debbie Downer. A Twitter-promoted snowball fight in Washington, D.C. came to a terrifying, and disgusting, end on Saturday when a perturbed undercover cop climbed out of his Hummer and started waving a gun around. Since the event was promoted virally, plenty of people were on hand to film and photograph the cop who apparently hates freedom and Christmas. [From: Mashable]Google's quest to preserve the world's literature through a massive digital library has hit another French snag. French publisher Le Martiniere has won a copyright infringement case against the search engine, as Google must now pay over $400,000 for scanning the firm's books without its permission. [From: BBC]Twitter's worth has previously been valued at $1 billion, but analysts are torn when forecasting the site's ability to actually produce tangible revenue. Twitter is beginning to address those concerns, and will end 2009 in the black, as the site has signed on with Google and Microsoft (for $25 million) to make tweets searchable. [From: Business Week]Yelp Spurns Google's $500M Advance, LG's 'World's Thinnest' LCD TV originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Much like 'American Idol' in the U.S., Britain's 'The X Factor' is a phenomenon. While the winners might not endure (at least, we hope not), they're certainly selling plenty of records in the present. So what's the secret to stopping this vocal juggernaut and to bringing some credibility back to the charts? A guerrilla social networking campaign, of course. According to BBC News, Joe Morter, a British DJ, launched a Facebook campaign with the goal of blocking the TV show winner's single from reaching the top spot on the U.K. music charts. To do so, Morter urged fans to download Rage Against The Machine's 1992 hit "Killing in the Name," rather than Joe McElderry's "The Climb." At the end of the week, RATM sold 500,000 downloads and held off McElderry by 50,000 downloads -- making him the first "The X Factor" winner that didn't reach number one on the Christmas week charts.Continue reading UK Facebookers Rage Against Simon Cowell's Hit MachineFiled under: Celebrities, Web, Social NetworkingUK Facebookers Rage Against Simon Cowell's Hit Machine originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  digg_url ='http://www.switched.com/2009/12/21/a-mobile-of-mobiles-makes-cell-phone-holiday-magic/'; The humble cell phone goes by many names; worldwide, the most common being simply "mobile." For many on this side of the pond, though, that word first brings to mind the image of a rotating object hanging from the ceiling of a nursery. Thus, the Mobile Mobile was born.The art installation is composed of 50 HTC Touch handsets, all run by custom code directed by connected computers. Apparently, it can be programmed to play any song, like the holiday-themed one in the video after the break, and remote musicians can access a live stream at the installation's site and play their own music. Any tune you can think of.Continue reading A Musical Mobile of Mobiles Makes Cell Phone Holiday MagicFiled under: Cell Phones, Holiday Gift GuideA Musical Mobile of Mobiles Makes Cell Phone Holiday Magic originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  The defining feature of any train station is usually its clock. Complacently watching over rushing passengers as they watch it, a station's clock sits apart, above the masses, like an aristocrat in another century. In the Netherlands, though, land of wooden shoes, an artist and his minions decided to topple this horological hierarchy once and for all, and finally assert control over a clock in Rotterdam."Standard Time" is an installation art piece constructed by Mark Formanek, and as you can see in the video below, it requires a lot of work. Formanek's crew of 70 assistants manually change the time every minute, on the minute, by hurriedly re-arranging the wooden planks that make up the digital display. Exhausting work, no doubt, but we think the end result is worth it. Not only is the work cool-looking, it also opens doorways of thought and discussion about things like human control over technology, and how we constantly construct and reconstruct retro aesthetics by incorporating antiquated designs into a modern, hyper-digitized context. Besides, at the very least, it's a lot less creepy than one of those weird, Disney-like animated clocks you'll come across everywhere else in Europe. [From: Neatorama]Continue reading Old Meets New in Dutch Digital Wooden ClockOld Meets New in Dutch Digital Wooden Clock originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  SNL's Weekend Update segment, the unheralded precursor to fake news shows like 'The Daily Show' and 'The Colbert Report,' has long been the show's bastion of social commentary, where the Kevin Nealons, Colin Quinns, or Tina Feys of the world could wittily report the week's news in a series of pithy one-liners. For years, they've feasted on eviscerating big names and easy topical targets like Bill Clinton or Sarah Palin, most famously. But as the year draws to a close, and the news cycle typically dies down with the onrush of the holiday season, the cast may have found themselves somewhat bereft of material for last night's show. Which would explain why they took a shot at the iPhone during a piece about Google's impending venture into the smartphone arena (the clip has been pulled by NBC). Deadpanned anchor Seth Myers, "It was reported this week that Google would soon launch its own cellphone as a challenge to the iPhone. Also a challenge to the iPhone? Making phone calls." We're just glad we're not the only ones wandering around the city holding up our iPhones, searching for service like an old man on a beach with a metal detector. [From: Engadget]Continue reading SNL's 'Weekend Update' Jabs iPhone Reception ProblemsFiled under: Cell Phones, iPhoneSNL's 'Weekend Update' Jabs iPhone Reception Problems originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

  Among the thousands of books and periodicals available on the Kindle Store, there are hundreds of free, or extremely cheap, items listed. To find them, go to the Kindle Store, via your Kindle or Amazon.com, and type "-domain" (minus the quotes) in the search bar.Filed under: Tech TipsDownload Free Kindle Books originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments