Filed under: Computers, eBayBeing a cautious consumer is important in this age of identity theft and computer fraud, and Wired has put together some nice advice for those who want to protect your assets when dealing with people on Craigslist and eBay.To avoid getting scammed, Wired suggests trying to meet with people from Craigslist in person that you plan on purchasing from, or at least trying to verify their address. The eBay advice is a little more obvious, but it still bears repeating. Look at a seller's feedback, 100 positive messages means they're probably reliable, a host of negative or neutral reviews meas "watch your back". Also the age old adage is still true on eBay: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.Head on over to Wired to get some more tips on keeping yourself from getting screwed.From WiredRelated links:Police Crackdown on Craigslist Sex IndustryMisspelling Costs eBay Seller $500,000eBay Takes on Craigslist Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, iPhoneWhen Apple dropped its iPhone update late last month to version 1.1.1, the company disabled hacks that allowed the phone to be used with carriers other than AT&T. We speculated that was the beginning of what would be a long and drawn-out war against the hackers. If that proves to be the case, consider this report the next strike: The iphoneSimFree team hasoffered the first unlock for the 1.1.1 iPhone. The software, available from a variety of sources linked off of the iPhoneSimFree site, retails for about $60 and unlocks the latest iPhones. But, the company is generously giving the latest update free to any previous customer who ran the 1.1.1 update and was left with a shiny black brick. So what's the next step in this battle? Will Apple chose to continue the melee with yet another software update? Or, will it take a cue from 'Halo 3' and "finish the fight" with direct legal action against the unlockers? Surely the response can't be far off. From EngadgetRelated Links: New iPhone Update Kills Unlocked Phones Apple Offers $100 to Slighted iPhoners How to Unlock Your iPhone for Free  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Celebrities, iPod, iPhoneWell, the Beatles are finally on iTunes ... sort of. George Harrison's solo work is the last of all the former Beatles bandmembers' music to be made available digitally through Apple's music service. The deal is not exactly an iTunes exclusive, since nine of Harrison's post-Fab Four albums are already available through other online retailers such as Rhapsody, but the albums sold on Apple's store will have rare tracks unavailable elsewhere.Now, the more digitally inclined can pick up the classic 'All Things Must Pass,' or, if you're in the mood for a little irony-laced 1980s sing-along, just go grab 'Got My Mind Set On You.'Apple the computer company and Apple the record label settled their dispute some time ago and now we're all just biding our time until the Beatles catalog becomes available electronically. Paul McCartney and Olivia Harrison, George's widow, have said they hope to see the Beatles catalog online soon. Maybe the deal is already done and this is just Steve Jobs' way of teasing us.From I4U NewsRelated Links:Artists Ditching Record Labels, Offering Music for Free OnlineHands On Review: The Return of WinAmpTiVo Adding Rhapsody Music Service Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Video Games, Interviews, Celebrities, BlackBerry, iPhoneIf it weren't for the Internet and YouTube, Dutch rock sensation Racoon would probably never be as popular as they are in the U.S. After more than 200,000 views of their video for "Close Your Eyes" on YouTube, the band was picked up by not just a label, but by the Dutch Government. Yes, a joint project of Buma Cultuur and the Dutch Rock & Pop Institute have teamed up to market Racoon in the U.S.Their third album, "Another Day", hit stores stateside on October 2, so we caught up with Stefan De Kroon, Racoon's bass player, to get the low-down on their tech tastes. Turns out he likes to shave. A lot.What gadgets do you always bring with you to the set (for down-time)?A mobile phone to play games on and listen to music (and, oh yeah, make phone calls). Sometimes also some video games but that's more for my band mates than for me. Not a big gaming fan.What cell phone do you have right now and what do you love/hate about it?I had a Nokia N73 but it got detached from my person last week during a gig we played in Curaçao. Hope its new Antillean owner likes it as much as I did. The built-in camera takes really nice pictures. I actually love the fact that that the colors are a bit 'off' sometimes. It always makes for some surprising and out-of-the-ordinary pieces of art... It does bug me, however, that after a while it gets sIower. I'll be getting a new phone this week, the Nokia N95. It's supposed to be the top-of-the-notch Nokia from the N-series that has an integrated video camera and a GPS system. Looking forward to it since we will be able to do some video blogging then and find our way to the venue a little better.Who's the last person you sent a text message to and what was it about?It was to my best mate that I wasn't going to join him in the pub (I still can't believe I said that!).Where do you go (site or service) pretty much every time you get online?MySpace of course, since we use it to keep in touch with our fan base. It's a lot more direct then our official website. And YouTube, it rules! It's absolutely brilliant what we can discover on YouTube (pretty much anything we're looking for), and how many people discover us and our music that way. We post all our music videos on YouTube and you can tell exactly how many people viewed it and how they are liking it. We recently put up the video for our first U.S. single "Close Your Eyes" and it already got viewed 200,000 times over the last couple of weeks. Amazing .. .And both MySpace and YouTube are perfect to check out bands that you hadn't heard of before.What annoys you most about your iPod, cell phone, or laptop (or any other gadget)?That after a while they have a very short battery life.Name one thing you wish your iPod/cellphone/laptop (any gadget) could do that it doesn't do now?I wish I could shave myself with my cellphone -- shouldn't be too hard to implement such a thing in a cell phone now, should it? Would come in really handy on tour.What upcoming gadget can you not wait to get your hands on? To be honest I'm quite happy gadget-wise. Though I would like an MP3 player which could contain ALL of my music.You're stranded on a desert island: What gadget do you bring?Seeing as there would be no way to recharge the battery of any gadget I would bring, I think I'd stick to a pen and a few pieces of paper (Remember? From the good old days?). What's the most-played song or artist on your iPod?At the moment The Arcade Fire. Any song of theirs, really.Blackberry, Sidekick, or Treo?Sorry, Not using any of them. Talking about e-mail: I just stick to my computer for now. Don't want to be flooded by e-mail all day long. And it usually isn't THAT urgent that it can't wait a couple of hours. And if it is, they can always call or text me on my cell.Are you getting an iPhone?Looks like a really fun thing to have, but I need to be able to use any provider I wish or it's a no-go for me. The iPhone didn't come out in The Netherlands yet. I'm definitely going to check it out when it does. They say it's for the end of this year. If it's set up so I can use it with my current provider, who knows ... I might get tempted. But I'd probably turn off the e-mail function. Maybe they should do one with the built-in razor instead.What's the longest time you've ever spent playing a video game in one sitting and what game was it?The only game I ever liked playing was Oddworld: Abe's Exxodus, an old PS2 game. I think I played it once for 10 hours straight. Never touched another video game since. Do you use/have a Mac or PC? Why?PC, out of habit I guess. Related Links:Daffy Duck Interviewed by Switched. Really.Keyshia Cole on TXTing Missy Elliott and MoreCnote's D'Lo Perez Loves his Sidekick Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Advice, Reviews, Editor's Picks, Top Lists, Slideshows After nine months of pregnancy and a baby shower, you've probably acquired a lot of stuff. Now that the baby's here, what do you really need and what can you stuff back in the closet or sell on eBay? Based on our own experiences with our own young babies, here are a few things we've think you won't want to live without.Prince Lionheart Slumber BearSleep -- talk to any new mother and the subject is bound to come up. How is the baby sleeping? How are you sleeping? And most importantly, how do you get the baby to actually go to sleep? With this age-old question comes a reliable answer in the form of the $27 Prince Lionheart Slumber Bear. Though it looks like a typical stuffed bear swaddled in pink, blue or beige pajamas, the Prince Lionheart Slumber Bear is stuffed with an audio box that plays actual recordings of intra-uterine womb sounds. Just fasten the bear onto the crib bars with the included hook and straps, and the baby will recognize these ambient white-noise-like sounds and be immediately lulled to sleep. With a five-minute shut-off timer to save batteries, as well as motion and sound sensors to reactivate the recording when your little one wakes up, this bear is a must-have for frustrated mommies who could use more time to themselves. The audio box is removeable, and can also attach to a stroller or car seat, for example.Next >> Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Green TechSure, you've got TV and your friends to remind you not to eat certain foods and tell you that you're a fatty, but what if your shopping cart told you before you even got out of the super market?US-based technology company EDS imagines such a world, where intelligent shopping carts scan bar codes on food as you load them into your cart, giving you nutritional and ethical information about the products (as well as price) you're about to eat. While the carts don't exist yet, they were outlined in a research paper published by EDS this week.The concept carts are fitted with touch-screen computers that track the nutritional value of everything loaded into your cart. They tell you when you've exceeded a certain caloric limit or when your cart contains too many saturated fats, sodium, or carbohydrates. These smart-carts also save on packaging, since labels could be shed if consumers had access to nutritional information stored on the bar codes.Says EDS, "It's high-time that the humble barcode is recognized as a practical and cost-effective solution to consumers' thirst for information."From ReutersRelated links:Cell Phone Program Teaches CookingVideo Game Teaches Healthy Eating, Discourages SlothfulnessSelf-Cooling Soda Bottles Coming Soon Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, TVIf Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa aren't animated/scary enough for you already, just wait for Halloween. This year, the daytime duo is broadcasting the annual 'Regis and Kelly Halloween Spectacular' in three dimensions -- a nod to '50s horror flicks that used the gimmick to great affect. Leading up to the 31st, five million pairs of those red and blue 3-D glasses are being given away at Walgreen's drug stores around the country. You can also acquire a set via mail (S.A.S.E. required, of course). Wondering how all of this is going to work? When you're looking at a 3-D movie -- or, in this case, an early-morning banter-fest -- you're actually seeing the same scene shot from two slightly different angles projected on top of each other. This is to simulate the way you see things in three dimensions in real life. Your eyes, which are are two inches apart, take two pictures of everything you look at from two slightly different angles and put them together in the brain. For 3-D movies or TV shows, the glasses use the different colors on each eye to filter out a single angle of the double-projection you're looking at. One angle goes to one eye, the other goes to your other eye and they're translated into a single 3-D image by your brain.There's no word yet on just what sort of stunts will be a part of the Halloween episode of 'Live,' but we expect a lot of zooming in and out and saying "Whoooaa!"From GeekSugarRelated Links: Scented Movies Coming to a Theater Near You Worst Airbrushed Celebs of 2007 ... So Far 3-D Printers Come Home  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Video Games, Green TechIn the next iteration of the legendary 'SimCity' game series, 'SimCity Societies,' earthquakes, tornadoes and other natural disasters will be joined by global warming as a new gameplay element that can plague your custom-built, in-game world. To power your in-game society, you can now opt for cheap, traditional, polluting power that will raise carbon levels in your virtual cities, or you can go with low-carbon options that will result in a much more green-friendly gaming experience.Hey, that sounds pretty educational and forward-thinking -- but hold on just a minute. This inclusion of green power isn't some altruistic partnership between EA and Al Gore to help change the world. Rather, it's sponsored by oil giant BP, a company trying desperately to re-brand itself as anything but a petroleum peddler. In the game, those who utilize BP Alternative energy sources will find lower levels of in-game carbon dioxide, which reduces the risk of droughts and heat waves. It's just another micro-management factor 'SimCity Societies' gamers will have at their disposal to keep their virtual citizens happy.Despite this stomach-churning example of corporate synergy at its absolute filthiest, we have to say, judging from the trailer above, that we're still psyched to play 'SimCity Societies' when it's released mid-November.From Boing BoingRelated Links: Fight Global Warming With Video Game Mousetrap Gases Rodents, Texts You When It's Done Wal-Mart Sells $300 Earth-Friendly PC  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersImagine a future where your computer knows when you're feeling stressed and adjusts to you accordingly. The same system can also, say, sense when an air traffic controller is feeling burned out, and pass the next airplane landing on to someone else -- automatically. Well, with $445,000 from the National Science Foundation, researchers at Tufts University are hoping to make such a system a reality.The project uses near infrared light to monitor blood flow in the brain. The near infrared light passes through the human body, but is absorbed by oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in blood cells. Researchers believe that by watching for increased flow of oxygenated blood to certain areas of the brain, they can monitor stress levels. Eventually, these stress levels could be checked automatically by a computer, which would adjust its interface in subtle ways to relieve said stress. (Or just force you off the system if you're doing something life-or-death-threatening like landing planes!)Researchers made no mention of specifically how the computer might change its interface, only that it would be lightweight changes -- maybe dimmer lighting or fewer onscreen animations? -- to reflect the often subtle and imperfect information they glean from the readings.From Slashdot and Computer WorldRelated Links:New Technology Detects Terrorist Before They StrikeScience Taps Into Your G-Spot (...God-Spot)Control Your Computer or Car By Waving Your Hands Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Celebrities, iPodWith the successful release of Radiohead's 7th album, 'In Rainbows,' today, an experiment in treating fans like fans and not just empty-headed money dispensers has begun. We thought we'd take a look at the other artists going the label-free route.British pop rock stars and Beatles worshipers Oasis recently parted ways with their record label. The band has already announced that their next single, 'Lord Don't Slow Me Down,' will be available only as a digital download for 99 pence.Jamiroquai and Madness are also rumored to be following in Radiohead's footsteps, offering their next albums for free (orcheap) directly to their fans. Meanwhile, The Charlatans have powered their comeback in part by offering their new album for free through the website for XFM Radio.Last, but certainly not least, yesterday Trent Reznor, of Nine Inch Nails fame, announced that he had left his record company behind and was looking forward to bringing his music direct to his audience. He gave no specific plans, but did say he would announce details soon about 2008. He then summed up our feelings about the whole situation quite well -- "exciting times, indeed."From The Telegraph and MachinistRelated links:Name Your Own Price for New RadioheadTrent Reznor Tells Fans to Steal MusicNew Prince Album Free for the TakingIs The Compact Disc Format Dead? Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cameras, ComputersIn George Orwell's '1984,' the people were kept in check by the fear that Big Brother might be watching. At a new testing center at Pennsylvania State University, students won't have to wonder if they're being watched; they'll know. The new test hall, which opens next spring, is basically a big, high-security room full of cubicles and cameras. Professors schedule exams and when students show up to take them there, they must swipe their ID cards for access, walk through a turnstile and, of course, be photographed by a series of cameras as they make their way to an assigned cube. Each cubicle is fitted with a computer that contains the test but has been cut off from the Internet to prevent unauthorized mid-exam research. Roaming proctors will be told by professors whether or not a given test allows students to take in textbooks or notes, or whether even a #2 pencil should be considered contraband. Additionally, video cameras pipe a live feed of the room to a bank of security monitors, also watched over by proctors.Penn State's new testing farm is perhaps the most hardcore one out there at the moment, but it won't be the last. Secure test centers are a growing trend among universities in an effort to kill cheating dead. It's hard to imagine any typical cheating method passing muster here. So, if you go to PSU or any other school where a center like this is planned, it's time to develop some study skills other than writing crib sheets or hiding text into your programmable calculator. From USA TodayRelated Links: Scholarship Gives Cash to Teens who Help Seniors Video Games Rot Your Brain, Study Finds iPods Kicked Out of Class  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Advice, MySpace Everyone's doing it - over 40 percent of U.S. singles are finding matches online. That's more than 40 million single Americans cruising the Internet looking for love (based on census results that say there are over 100 million single Americans). So the Internet must be a great place to find true love, right? Not so fast. While online dating can be a great way to find someone new, dating sites are littered with scam artists, cheaters, and straight-up liars. Now, this doesn't mean you should avoid online dating altogether -- just don't believe everything you see out there. In order to help sort out the winners from the losers, we've compiled a list of the top five types of online daters you should definitely avoid, along with some tips to help you save some heartache. Be careful out there, and good luck!1. LiarsIn a recent survey, it was found that most online profiles contain some sort of lie, whether it's the person's age or -- in some cases -- relationship status. White lies -- adding an inch to height or dropping a couple pounds -- are the most common and not a big deal to most people.Consider these facts according to the April 2007 issue of Proceedings of Computer/Human Interaction:About 52.6 percent of men lie about their height, as do 39 percent of women.Slightly more women lie abouttheir weight (64.1 percent) than men (60.5 percent).When it comes to age, 24.3 percent men lie compared with 13.1 percent of women.When it comes to misrepresenations of age or relationship status, be careful or you could get seriously burned. In one recent case, a woman met a man on a popular dating site with whom she immediately hit it off. She even put her life on hold to go with him to Dubai when he was transferred for work. Eleven months into the relationship, she came across an e-mail -- from his son! What's more, the e-mail said something about "Mom" saying hi. In one fell swoop, our poor girl found out the man she met online was not only a father -- he was married! She moved back to the United States and has given up on online dating since.How to Avoid Them:Ask questions. Though it may be listed on someone's profile, someone's age is fair game in the questions department, so feel free to ask your potential date how old (or young!) they are. You may find that 35 suddenly becomes 42. While you don't want to ask too many questions and scare the person away, it's perfectly fair to verify the big things: age, weight, height, and -- most of all -- whether or not that person is, in fact, single. Half the time, people lie on their profiles to get people interested -- nine times out of ten, someone will level with you about their stats once you show some real interest, since they know they might have a chance of meeting you in person. Next >>  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video The hey-day of electronic music, techno, and its various other flavors has passed. Groups like the Crystal Method and The Prodigy don't get the radio play they used to, but digital music's influence on modern rock can't be ignored. Software like Apple's 'Garage Band', for example, makes it easy to lay down tracks, but a new product from Yamaha pledges to also make it tactile and fun. The Tenori-On is a sort of music sequencer tablet created in concept by Toshio Iwai, the guy behind the fascinating 'Electroplankton' game on the Nintendo DS. The Tenori-On is a small pad with a 16x16 array of LED-illuminated buttons. Each button can be assigned a specific sound which can be "played" in time by hitting its respective button. The machine sweeps from left to right and up to 16 "pages" can be created in sequence to create full songs.With MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) outputs and the ability to load custom sound samples, the Tenori-On has some serious potential for music making. But, the £599 price (roughly $1,223) puts it out of reach for most, and reviewers found its construction to be a bit flimsy for surviving nightly duty on the road in dive clubs. So, a cool gadget and toy, but perhaps overpriced and not quite practical. From Boing Boing Gadgets and SonicState.comRelated Links: Apple Boosts Its Free Software Offering Hands-On Review: The Return of Winamp TiVo Adding Rhapsody Music Service  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, ComputersThings just got a little tougher for Jamie Thomas, the mom of two who was recently fined $220,000 by a court for illegally sharing copyrighted music. Yesterday, Thomas pledged to appeal the verdict that ordered her to pay nearly $10,000 to the RIAA for each of the 24 songs she was accused of sharing. But, judging by comments made by one juror who is speaking out, Thomas' appeal doesn't look too promising. According to juror Michael Hegg, the jury simply didn't believe her defense. The unanimous response to Thomas' claim that her personal information had been stolen was, "Oh my God, you got to be kidding." Hegg goes on to call Thomas a liar after it was revealed that she turned over a different hard drive to RIAA investigators than the one she used to download music. "There was no defense," Hegg says. "Her defense sucked."Thomas should actually consider herself lucky. During deliberations, Hegg claims, some of the jurors wanted to fine her the maximum amount allowed, which would have been $150,000 per track for a total of $3.6 million. That's a whole lot of "I'm sorry." From SlashdotRelated Links: Woman to Appeal $220,000 Music Sharing Verdict Mom of Two Stung With $220K RIAA Penalty LimeWire Music Site Goes Legit  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments