Filed under: ComputersMost of us here at Switched H.Q. are old enough to have lived through the ergonomics disasters that were early personal computers. Computers from the 70s and 80s were revolutionary, but their manufacturers were still trying to figure out what people wanted their keyboard to do, This resulted in some far-out and, often, completely unusable designs. And, since everybody likes lists of things, PCWorld.com has gathered their 10 Worst PC Keyboards of All Time.The one most people will find familiar is that big, ugly, brown Commodore 64 keyboard (which actually was the computer), coming in at the number 10 slot. Far more problematic was the Atari 400, number seven on the list, which used a "membrane" keyboard that offered zero feedback to would-be BASIC programmers of the day, feeling a little like the flat buttons on Motorola's RAZR. The number one worst keyboard on the list is the 1984's IBM PCjr, which on paper sounded great. It was wireless, something that's still considered a bit of a luxury today, and featured dedicated keys for Backspace and for moving the cursor about (surprising rarities in those days). However, the infra-red wireless connection meant the keyboard had to have a clear line of sight to the computer itself, and the thing's hunger for batteries was unmatched, leaving it dead more often than not.This list only includes personal keyboards, so those thumb-crampingly bad keypads found on many mobile phones today weren't eligible. However, we expect that list to be compiled shortly and hope that it won't take 20 years for cell phone makers to get those perfect.From PC WorldRelated Links: Apple Making Databases and Spreadsheets... Fun? Folding Electric Piano Keyboard Has Great Touch Handheld Supercomputer On the Way  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Computers, Celebrities, MySpace, GoogleThe upcoming Michel Gondry-directed Jack Black vehicle 'Be Kind Rewind' is set to hit theaters on January 25th, which means it's promotion time. In the film, Mos Def and Jack Black are forced to re-film or 'swede' a pile of films after a magnetized Jack Black accidentally erases every video in the rental shop.So in keeping with the film's premise, the web site for the motion picture erases the Internet. Then, in a rather cutesy fashion, the site presents you with several 'sweded' versions of popular web pages to use, including Google, Wikipedia, a social networking site called MyFace, and Flickr, among others.Check out the site for some interesting web fun. Even if it all just amounts to an interactive advertisement, at least the movie looks cool.From ValleywagRelated links:John Mayer Googles Himself, Doesn't Like What He SeesWilliam Shatner and Mr. T Team Up for World of WarcraftWilliam Shatner to Appear In Next 'Star Trek' Movie Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersWe're almost three years into the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) program, and things are not looking good for the brainchild of Nicholas Negroponte. Negroponte is not just the founder of the OLPC Foundation, but he is also a professor at MIT, a founder of Wired magazine, a board member of Motorola, and was recently brought on by the Wall Street Journal to ensure that publication's editorial integrity following its purchase by News Corp. Clearly, he's a busy, busy man.Since unveiling it in January of 2005, Negroponte has been known as the master of the OLPC initiative. The goal was to create a $100 laptop for educational purposes and get it into the hands of up to 150 million children across the developing world within 4 years. Three years later, it turns out that Negroponte's goals are unattainable, at least according to a recent story at the 'Wall Street Journal'. He has learned the hard way that getting pledges and promises is not the same as an order on paper and cash in hand.A proper examination of the successes and failures of the OLPC Program could fill a book, but that won't stop us from trying to condense the information into an easy-to-digest blog post:Where it went right:To be sure, the OLPC XO is a marvel of engineering. It is extremely efficient, able to derive energy from optional solar panels, foot pedals, and draw strings when outlets are unavailable. The batteries used are even special. The XO uses an extremely inexpensive ($10) nickel-metal hydride or LiFePO4 battery that is less volatile than traditional lithium-ion batteries found in laptops. It will also survive four times as many recharges before capacity takes a nose dive.Then there is the screen. It uses a beautiful dual-mode, high-resolution, sunlight-readable, ultra low power LCD that has tech mavens marveling.OLPC has also inspired others to join the effort, producing their own low cost laptops aimed at the developing world and driving companies and philanthropists to donate to OLPC and other similar programs.Where it went wrong:A $100 laptop was an ambitious goal -- perhaps too ambitious. Even before it became obvious that the economies of scale would not bail out the project, the price had climbed to $150. And when deals collapsed, that number shot up to its current resting place of $188.A price like that puts it with in spitting distance of the $230 Windows-equipped Intel Classmate PC, Intel's machine that was inspired by Negroponte's organization. Competition from these other initiatives has hurt the OLPC's bottom line, driving up costs by reducing orders of the XO.This brings us to the single biggest failure of the organization: marketing. OLPC may be a non-profit, but businesses such as Intel and Microsoft, who were left out of the OLPC party, have a vested interest in spreading their wares around the globe and preventing Linux and AMD from entrenching themselves in developing markets. Good intentions alone can not keep the foundation alive. Themarketing muscle and high profit margins of the big technology companies give them a leg up on Negroponte's little non-profit. Microsoft has started offering a $3 software bundle that includes Windows, Office and educational programs, and Intel has the aforementioned Classmate all taking a bite out of the XO's market share.The tale is not over for the XO. Intel joined the board of the foundation in July, and a new Intel-powered OLPC model is in the works. The OLPC foundation also has plenty of funding to survive at least another year or two before things begin to get shaky. The effect of the OLPC foundation has been a net positive for the world, but whether or not it can survive the trials and tribulations of its own quest for technological penetration remains to be seen.From the Wall Street JournalRelated links:Best Buy's $200 Black Friday PC and Other Cheap ComputersFirst '$100 Laptops' Sold to UruguayWorld's Richest Man Donating One Million Laptops'$100 Laptop' Goes into Production Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Video Games, Green Tech, Features, Gift News, holiday giftGreenpeace has been making a lot of noise lately with its attacks on Apple for using nasty stuff in the iPhone and in general for not being very green. Apple is implementing plans for getting greener, and now it seems Greenpeace is moving on to, well, greener pastures, attacking a whole boatload of tech companies with its latest Guide to Greener Electronics.The guide rates electronics manufacturers based largely on their commitment to recycling old gear and reducing the use of toxic compounds in new stuff. This is the first time Greenpeace has chosen to include Nintendo in the list, and it has ranked the Wii-maker dead last -- not because the motion-sensing abilities of the Wiimotes are powered by globs of toxic waste, but instead simply because the company doesn't provide any information about things such as what it's doing for recycling and when it plans to phase out the use of PVC. Nintendo's competitor in the video game battle, Microsoft, is also new to the list and also scores low, though slightly better than Nintendo, thanks to having a plan for phasing out the use of PVC and other materials that result in the creation of toxic compounds. Sony, the third player in the current console war, scores much higher in the green rankings thanks largely to its acceptance of expired electronics from Japanese consumers for recycling.We here at Switched find this ordering somewhat confusing. Sony's console, the PlayStation 3, is by far the most power hungry of the three, drawing 200-plus watts of electricity when playing games. Microsoft's Xbox 360 averages a somewhat more efficient 145 watts, while Nintendo's Wii uses just 15-20 watts, which is less than 10-percent of the power of Sony's machine! Yet Nintendo is ranked as the worst electronics maker on the planet? We think Greenpeace should care a little more about the pollution caused by power generation.Top of the charts was Sony's celly spin-off Sony Ericsson, which has already phased out the use of PVC to a large extent, while most others are still just thinking about it.From Greenpeace (via Engadget)Related Links: iPhone Bad For Environment, Says Greenpeace Apple Responds to Greenpeace, Gets Sued Apple Getting Greener  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Video Games, Editor's Picks, Interviews, TVOne of the few successful "mainstream" female comic writers in the United States, Gail Simone (pictured, below) is the author of DC's 'Birds of Prey,' 'Welcome to Tranquility,' All-New Atom, and will soon take the reigns of 'Wonder Woman.' Her most recent work is for the GameTap network, which commissioned Simone to create an episode for its 'Re\Visioned: Tomb Raider Animated Series,' a 10-part animated series in which different guest animators, writers, and actors have been asked to re-imagine the backstories of a series of well-known video game characters. The first season is focused on Tomb Raider's heroine Lara Croft. Simone's contribution is "Pre-Teen Raider," which is all about a young Ms. Lara Croft (pictured, above) -- before the movie deals, before the buried treasure, before the paparazzi -- which is available now at Gametap.com. We spoke with Ms. Simone about reinterpreting one of the most illustrious icons in the video game world.Lara Croft has become something of a sex symbol for the gamer generation. How does that fit into your portrayal of her? It's a bit odd, in a way, because I have to confess I wasn't quite aware of how huge a sex symbol she was for the gaming community. I mean, she was always beautiful, but I always thought of her more as an adventurer and a vaguely aristocratic action heroine, than a glamour girl or pin-up babe. I think, if that's all someone sees in Lara, they're missing what makes her so entertaining. The beauty and sexiness is great, but I like the other elements in there as well. Without them, it's just another babe, which is fine, but not as interesting or complex.Are you a gamer? Did you play much Tomb Raider?Yeah, I'm sort of addicted to buying game systems. We have everything from the 2600 to the Vectrex to the Virtual Boy to all the next gen consoles and portables. Most are in storage but the Xbox 360 and the Nintendo Wii get the most play in our house. That might change as the PlayStation 3 library expand, but I did actually play the last Tomb Raider all the way to the end. It was really compelling to me, as I almost never do that (with a couple exceptions--I finished Kingdom Hearts II and have no idea what happened). Fun story, great challenges, great villain. I really dug it, and that was well before I got this gig!Give me some adjectives that you think describe Ms. Croft...Um...this is a loaded question if ever I heard one! Okay, I'm game. Tough, haughty, agile, strong, deadly, committed, beautiful, smart, cunning, and yes, I agree, she's a hot babe.Please tell us some things about Lara that you discovered (or made up) along the way...Well, our story (brilliantly animated by studio Six Point Harness) takes place when she's just 12, before she really comes to her full power. But I do like to think of her as someone with a powerful sense of mischief and fun. I felt that was something lacking a bit in her films...I think she'd make some smart, snarky comments sometimes.Lara wouldn't be much of a gamer, would she?Oh, I wouldn't say that. Games are vastly more interactive and challenging today than they used to be, and hugely more mind-empowering than sitting back and watching television. Lara always needs to be doing something. I can see her playin' video games quite easily. Your style is very distinctive...I write comic books mostly, and some animation. I have written everything from very mature comics to comics specifically for very young children. I like to work on a variety of projects, which is why this appealed to me. How long did it take to create your episode? How many people were involved? Hmm. I'm not totally sure on that second bit...it's a small piece, really, so the long part of the job was getting approval. I had story ideas ranging from Lara in the Jurassic era to a transvestite Lara at a gaming convention. Once we got the story right, it was actually a pretty fast process. Do you enjoy this sort of short-form, remix, web-based content? Does much of your work these days fall into this category? Very much. I'm not doing a lot of Web-based content, but I think even the most foolish person can see that that's where we're all headed. I love the fact that so many people now can make a movie in their basement and distribute it all over the Web by that night. I think that's astonishing, and a lot of creators will benefit from having no middle-men between their work and their viewers. That's tremendously exciting. Related Links: Dyson's 400-MPH Hair-DryerSwitched Questionnaire: 'Hottest State' Songwriter Jesse HarrisInterview with Virgin America's Sir Richard Branson  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Computers, Video Games, Man / Woman Who Has Everything, $50 and Under, holiday giftWhen we think about our mice (not the breathing kind, but the computer kind), we all agree on one missing element -- a little floating rubber duck. This novelty peripheral from the folks at Uncommon Goods is pretty much your standard optical mouse: It has two buttons, a scroll wheel, and a design that makes it frustratingly difficult to find a comfortable position to hold it, but then there's the issue of the small yellow ducky, which floats and shifts around in some liquid at the bottom of the mouse every time you point and click. It's an adorably entertaining and differentiating feature that made us want to give this thing to everyone we know. Just try not to get too distracted by the little guy and accidentally click on that add for penis enlarging supplements. Little rubber ducky, you're the one, you make computer time so much fun!From PopgadgetRelated Links:Razer Lachesis Gaming Mouse Inventors Use Hand Gestures to Kill the Mouse (and Keyboard) USB Humping Dog Does Exactly What You Think It Does (to Your Computer)  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Cell Phones, GoogleVerizon has announced, to the amazement of many of us cynics, that it will be opening up its wireless network to any device that meets a minimum set of technical standards, the specifics of which will be announced in early 2008. Those standards are likely to be something simple along the lines of connecting to the CDMA network that Verizon runs, and that don't interfere with wireless traffic.In fact Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer, John Stratton, told a Dow Jones reporter that the devices in question need not be phones. He is quoted as saying the types of devices a customer could connect are "subject to the imagination of the marketplace." Hello, Kindle, Zune, and other wireless devices that are not phones.This means that, if you so desired, you could build your own phone, or mobile Internet device, or even portable video game system with high-speed EV-DO capabilities in your basement on a breadboard, take it or send it to the Verizon labs, and, if it passes muster, connect it to the Verizon network. But that's for geeks like us (or maybe you) -- what's more likely is that people will buy themselves an unlocked phone, or perhaps a phone from a small name builder, or maybe just carry over their Sprint or Alltel handsets. (Phones from T-Mobile and AT&T will not work because those operators use GSM, a different technology than Verizon.)Verizon also said it would allow users to surf the Web openly and download any independent, third-party applications. This kind of functionality has been available around the world for a while now, but it's a first for the United States. The long and short of it is you'll be able to pick and choose what you want to download to your phone, rather than rely on whatever Verizon offers you "on deck." It also means, most likely, that users will be able to download porn for the first time onto their phones (again, something that the rest of the world has been able to do for a while). One risk that comes with all this extra access is the increased probability of viruses and other malware on your phone. Because only carrier-approved software has been allowed to be installed on most phones until now, the cell phone space has been relatively free of viruses. Our guess is, this won't be true for much longer.Exact details on how Verizon plans to implement this groundbreaking new strategy are limited at this point, and what exactly this means for the consumer remains to be seen. But the decision by Verizon to open its network to any hardware or software a customerdesires is a game changing event, and one that sends the industry in the right direction. In fact, this is one way for Verizon to allow devices running Google's Android mobile OS with out joining the Open Handset Alliance.Open access, open source, open everything. Are we seeing the beginnings of the next big shift in the technology industry awayfrom the traditional business models? Can customers expect more choices and more transparency from now on? Time will tell. In the meantime, we've created a little gallery of our favorite phones that we hope, some day, may make it onto one of our favorite carriers. We've even included the iPhone (duh), but remember, since that phone works on GSM networks, it won't EVER work with Verizon unless Apple decides some day to make a CDMA version of the iPhone.%Gallery-11033%From BetaNewsRelated Links:Verizon Wireless 911 Calls Setting Off AlarmsVerizon Pays Up Over Cellular DisconnectionsGoogle Announces gPhone? Not Quite.Coming Soon -- The Fully-Customizable Linux Phone Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  It seems that reality trumps classic science fiction as new research takes the bionic arms of the Six Million Dollar Man from fantasy to feasibility. Scientists from the United States have developed an artificial hand and a groundbreaking surgical technique that work in tandem and promise to restore the sense of touch to amputees.According to the Daily Mail, two patients have successfully undergone a surgical procedure that links the advanced prosthetic to the absent limb's nerves and reroutes the nerves to the upper torso, where they grow toward the skin surface. While the redirected nerves make the patients feel sensations from their "hands" on their chest, researchers suggest that the technique may be manipulated to offer amputees the hope of replacing lost appendages with artificial arms that simulate feelings of pressure and pain.The patients, Claudia Mitchell, an ex-US Marine, and Jesse Sullivan, now wear the most advanced prostheses in the world after the surgery conducted by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago's Dr. Todd Kuiken. The surgical technique, dubbed targeted reinnervation (TR), promises to revolutionize the treatment options for amputees. Researchers hope that within a few years such prosthetic limbs may be available on a wide scale. Equally important to the prospect of returning sensation to patients is that the treatment returns limb mobility as well. Indeed, scientists envision bionic arms available to all amputees that not only transmit sensory impressions to their wearers, but whose movement is controlled by their owner's thoughts. Ms. Mitchell is the first beneficiary of such a vision, boasting that she not only feels pain and pressure from her new arm (on her chest), but that she can peel a banana and cut steak too. The movement is made possible by the redirected nerves near the skin surface that send electrical signals to sensors on her chest and are picked up by the artificial appendage. Curious? Read more about the prosthetic hand's amazing mobility in the medical journal The Lancet, or find more info about the surgery's potential to restore sensation in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. What's noteworthy about this latest news is that while there are a number of bionic hands now available or in development, none of them operate using real nerves that produce the most authentic sensations. Clearly, scientists aren't waiting on Arnold Schwarzenegger to leave his severed robotic arm from the future laying around for them to develop cyborg technology like they did in the 'Terminator.' It's already here. From the Daily MailRelated Links:One Step Closer to the Bionic Man"Robo-Moth" Gives Hope to Amputees"Third Ear" Implanted into Artist's Arm Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersMac addicts like to tout their chosen operating system's security superiority over those who have chosen Microsoft's product, but a report of a major security oversight in the latest release, Leopard, might just give Windows users something to snicker about. It seems the latest Apple OS has a critical flaw in its e-mail application -- a flaw that was fixed in older versions of OSX.The flaw enables a person to attach malicious code to an e-mail attachment that looks like a simple JPEG image. When you double-click on that supposed image, the code runs and can do whatever it likes to your system, including deleting all your files (or just running something in the background to steal all your passwords). It surreptitiously uses the Unix command-line prompt that few OSX users ever see.Older versions of Apple Mail pop-up a warning when such attachments are run, but this new one does not, leaving less-in-the-know Mac users somewhat in the cold. To see if your Mac is properly warning you about these e-mails, you can have a safe one sent to you by using the Emailcheck service at heise Security. From heise SecurityRelated Links: Leopard Out Tomorrow, and the Reviews Are Positive Apple's New Leopard Hits Illegal Download Sites Apple's Leopard OS Has Bugs  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Advice, Reviews, Editor's Picks, Top Lists, Slideshows, Holiday Gift Guide 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. (And if you've got a Mom -- or a new baby -- on your gift list this holiday, read on).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: Audio/VideoWe love our technology around here, but most of it isn't going to change the world or save lives. Sure -- that USB Humping Dog is funny, but it isn't really gonna help you when you start having heart trouble. Today, though, we bring you word of a technological development with a bit more consequence for your health and well-being. The Brilliance CT scanner was unveiled yesterday after a month long trial run at the Metro Health Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. The new CT scanner takes more images of a wider selection of the body, in a shorter period of time, all while exposing patients to 80 percent less radiation than tradition scans.The Brilliance CT machine takes an image by passing X-Rays through the body at a rate of up to 256 pulses every 0.3 seconds. Thats fast enough to capture the incredibly detailed image of the hear tabove without the blurring cause by the heartbeat. The scanner creates incredibly high resolution 3D images that allows individual blood vessels to be seen, and the images can be manipulated in 3D. This affords doctors unprecedented views of the internal workings of the body to spot things such as minuscule tumors in the heart and lungs.From the Daily MailRelated links:Researchers Kill Viruses with LasersScientists Learn to Grow New Eyeballs In LabStudy Finds Link Between Wi-Fi and Autism Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Car Tech, Cell PhonesAnyone who has been to the gigantic Mall of America outside of Minneapolis, MN knows that the only thing bigger than the mall itself is the seemingly endless series of parking lots that enshroud it. After a few hours of frenzied exploration of two and a half million square feet of shopping nirvana spread across four floors, it's easy to understand why every day dozens of shoppers have a hard time remembering just where they left their cars. This holiday season, a textmessage service has been launched to help people find their way back to their autos.The service relies on a number of small kiosks scattered throughout the parking lots and garages that say "Try our cell phone valet." Parkers send a text message to a five-digit number, and then receive a message indicating just where they parked. It's kind of like writing down your parking location on a piece of paper but, well, who can be bothered to do that?The service is free, sponsored by Philips, who lately have been trying a number of interesting advertising techniques to raise its brand awareness. Previously, the company sponsored an entire hour of '60 Minutes' to run with minimal commercials. It then did the same for an issue of 'Gourmet' magazine. Just what sort of return they'll see on this investment compared to others is anyone's guess. All we know is we're sticking to online shopping for our gifts this holiday season. From textually.orgRelated Links: The Switched Holiday Gift Guide Is Here Where to Find Post-Thanksgiving Deals How to Choose a Home Theater This Holiday  Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: ComputersLike many a person who found their way online in the '90s, Linda Katz is a Web entrepreneur. The thing is, she joined the ranks by accident. Back in 1994, Linda was teaching herself how to build a Web site. As a joke, she assembled the Prairie Tumbleweed Farm page. To Linda's surprise, people began ordering tumble weeds -- thats right, giant, dried-out dead bushes. The Prairie Tumbleweed Farm web page hasn't changed much since 1994, and it shows. But there is something charming about the extremely basic page that should have died more than 10 years ago as the joke of an HTML novice.$15 for a small tumbleweed, $20 for a medium, and $25 for a large have let the likes of Barney the Purple Dinosaur, Johnny Depp's 'Neverland,' and even NASA help this accidental business woman, as they have all needed her wares for props. Linda won't divulge how much she makes, but she says her site makes more than $40,000 a year.From People of the WebRelated links:Street Walker Goes Legit With Web Cam Site10 Most Bizarre Science ExperimentsLimeWire Music Site Goes Legit Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

  Filed under: Audio/Video, Cell Phones, Cameras, iPhone, Portable AudioApparently, a Netherlands-based GSM phone Web site got its hands on some photos or renderings of what looks to be the next Nokia N-series phone, the N96. With dual-sliders that reveal a QWERTY keyboard split in half by the screen, this prototype seems to promise a very user-friendly multimedia device. It also looks as if the N96 will sport a lens that projects out from the camera when in use. (Chances are this means a higher-than-five-megapixel (MP) camera, something like 3x optical zoom, and, judging by Nokia's previous N-series phones, the clarity of a Carl Zeiss lens.)Nokia is continuing to offer state-of-the-art alternatives to the iPhone, which has been a runaway success for Apple. Nokia's phones are amazing, but they're not as easy to use as an iPhone, and the plethora of features on N-Series Nokia models have proven to be more overwhelming than alluring for most U.S. consumers. That said, Nokia is a leader in the international space and these latest phones seem like a move to keep that lead, particularly since Apple has started launching its iPhone across Europe. Where Nokia has really set itself apart from the iPhone, as well as some other competitors, has been its focus upon excellent cameras which are not merely added as an extra but are rather a major component of the device. Hopefully we'll see the N96 in the wild soon.From MobileMentalismRelated Links:Switched Gift Guide: Nokia N95Nokia's Hot New iPhone KillersNokia's New $25,000 Ferrari Phone Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments