If you missed the big news maybe you felt it in your bones: The Earth's spin has slowed enough to add a "leap second" to the end of 2008. The Associated Press story linked to above, however, fails to mention why the Earth is spinning down. Turns out it's all the fault of Al Gore. No wait, it's Exxon's fault. Just kidding. It's really not anyone's fault. Maybe God's fault, if you absolutely have to assign blame. One thing not to blame, for a change, is global warming. Despite the fact that climate changes can cause winds and ocean currents...
While it’s true the Desktop Flickr Organizer for Linux can’t be beat as far as backing up your Flickr account is concerned, I was searching for a way to do the same in Windows and yes, I found a way. The app is called Downloadr. It is very basic but it does the job it’s supposed to do and furthermore doesn’t crash like flickredit does. The way to back up your entire Flickr account (meaning all photos including private ones) is to do this: In your preferred web browser, login to your Flickr account first. Launch Downloadr. Click Extras then...
Filed under: iPhoneHave you ever wondered whether the wifi data you send and receive with your iPhone or iPod touch at the local coffee shop or airport is secure? Well, I bet if you hadn't wondered that before, you are now. It's easy to forget that inside that cute little handheld device live the guts of an actual computer, and likely a lot of personal data. Depending on your surfing habits, you could be sending and receiving personal information in a non-secure way over public wifi. If you're concerned about your data's safety, consider using Anchorfree's Hotspot Shield free VPN...
Standard and Poor's Rating Services acknowledges what Giz readers have known for a long time: They now classify Motorola as junk. Specifically, their Ratings Services cut its long-term corporate credit rating for Motorola to junk status. Last week, though, Moody's Investors Services also warned of future cuts to Moto's rating, which is hanging on two notches above junk. This all means it'll be even harder for Motorola to get cash, like for R&D or other projects. Clearly, however, none of these people have heard of the Moto Krave, which has a full touchscreen, two megapixel camera and fits right in...
by Michelle Lentz When I think of video calling, I think of two things: - The Jetsons. The image above seems to be seared into my brain and permanently attached to the phrase “video calling.” You should see what happens when I picture hovercraft. - I’m vain. This is the second thing I think of. I remember that, because I work at home, I’m in pajamas longer than your average bear and I avoid make-up when possible. I avoid webcams. I need to get over it. The phone in the Jetsons future is here. It’s affordable and available to the...
What's a really cool used vehicle worth? Yesterday, 60% of you opined that 300 grand was too much for a beautiful Citroën DS21 Chapron Palm Beach, so today we're going with another much-beloved, yet more affordable, machine: a 1982 VW Rabbit Diesel pickup. It's had an engine upgrade and a ton of new parts, the interior is authentic Malaise Turquoise, and the whole package looks great. No doubt about it, this is the nicest example of a Rabbitamino we've seen in a long time. But… $12,000? What do you think? [Craigslist San Francisco, thanks to Casadelshawn for the tip!] Do...
Its been a long time since I written about XML-RPC, it's one of those things that when I do, the flamers show up and get all personal. I shouldn't let that get in the way, of course; and while I wasn't looking, for example, Mozilla baked-in support for XML-RPC. Not sure what you can do with that, but I'm sure someone will explain. When I asked about an XML-RPC interface for ImageMagick, Justin Walgran took me up on it, and deployed one on Google AppEngine. Now that makes sense for so many reasons. A perfect application for AppEngine, and since...
SPORTS BUZZ: Sean Avery is a hockey player (and sometimes Vogue intern) who was suspended from the NHL for some off-ice shit talking. The offending quote: “I just wanted to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don't know what that's about. But, enjoy the game tonight.” Sure, kind of tacky, but can you imagine what would happen if the NHL ran the NBA? Bonus fact: the “sloppy seconds” in question here is Elisha Cuthbert. Contribute: Add an image, link, video or comment...
For the past year I have been developing furniture with a factory named Liana Cane in Georgetown, Guyana. As I write this, a chair I designed there a year ago is sitting in a container on a dock in New Jersey waiting to get through customs. I have been waiting a long time to see this chair and for this project to be completed. My excitement is combined with the anticipation of returning to Guyana in January to work on a new project in the rainforest, and is checked by the long road ahead to get the products I...
