Meebo ME!!

Last Request

The inmate on death row was scheduled to be put to death by firing squad the follow morning. Throughout the day, the prison guards were being very nice to him. But when they asked him if he wanted something specific for his last meal, he said he didn't want anything special. When they asked if there was something special he wanted to do, he said nothing. It went on like this all day.

Finally, when he was put before the firing squad, the guard asked if he wanted a cigarette and a blindfold.

"No," the inmate said, "just get it over with."

"Well, is there anything that I can do for you before you go?" said the guard. "You didn't even want a special last meal!"

The inmate thought. "Actually," he said, "Music is my life. One thing I would really like would be to sing my favorite song, one whole time through, with no interruptions."

The guard nodded and told him to go ahead.

The inmate started, "One billion bottles of beer on the wall..."

PS3 Games for 2006

Here's the latest word on PS3 launch titles...that is, in this case, everything that will be released from the PS3 launch date until the end of 2006:

SCEA Launch Titles:
Resistance: Fall of Man
NBA 07
Genji: Days of the Blade

Third-Party Publisher Titles:
Blazing Angels Squadrons of WWII / Ubisoft
Call of Duty 3 / Activision
EA Sports Fight Night Round 3 / Electronic Arts
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion / Bethesda Softworks
F.E.A.R. / Vivendi Universal Games
Full Auto 2: Battlelines / Sega
Madden NFL 07 / Electronic Arts
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance / Activision
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire / Namco Bandai Games
NBA 2K7 / 2K Sports
Need For Speed Carbon / Electronic Arts
NHL 2K7 / 2K Sports
Ridge Racer 7 / Namco Bandai Games
Sonic the Hedgehog / Sega
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 / Electronic Arts
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas / Ubisoft
Tony Hawk's Project 8 / Activision
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom / Sony Online Entertainment

Death couture: X-ray bondage tees from Helmut Newton Fndtn.

Playdisc: the single-album DAP

Remember back in the day when you used to have to carry a bag full of CDs, cassettes, or eight tracks if you wanted some musical variety on the go? Well we thought that the popularity of digital audio players would have convinced manufacturers that people prefer toting around less stuff to more stuff, but a company called Axxen Korea apparently feels that there's still a demand out there for lugging around albums on physical media. Instead of creating a new format to store music on, however, Axxen has come up with a strange product called the Playdisc that can best be described as a DAP whose playlist never changes. So if Slick Rick were to come out with a new album and decide to release it on one of these 128MB devices, you'd have to bring it with you anytime you wanted to listen to the tunes, along with the rest of the Playdiscs you might have a jonesing for that day. Now we can see the appeal of preloaded audio players for content like books on tape -- where you only want to listen once and then dispose of it -- but it seems ridiculous to store anything with replay value on separate, dedicated devices. Needless to say, we can't see this technology going anywhere, but if folks do start giving up their iPods in favor of cases of Playdiscs, we'll have to admit that we don't know as much about consumer preferences as we thought we did. Keep reading to check out the type of battery you'll need to buy in bulk in order to power a bunch of these things...

iPod Parody Parade

Monday, October 23, 2006

And one more thing...witness this parade of parodies starring iPod mastermind, Steve Jobs.

http://www.g4tv.com/attackoftheshow/features/54242/iPod_Parody_Parade.html

PS3 Party Parties On

Seems that Gizmodo readers managed to fill up all the spots available for that PS3 Play Beyond party on Nov 1 pretty damn quick. So they added another day to the festivities.

Quick recap:
* All day one launch titles will be there (in other words, Resistance: Fall of Man)
* Several post-launch games will be playable as well (Heavenly Sword??)
* Online will be running

Sign up here. – Noah Robischon

Download of the Day: CamStudio (Windows)

Windows only: Can't bear to explain to Dad again how a bookmarklet works? Record a short video demonstration using screen recording software CamStudio.

The free CamStudio doesn't quite have nearly the number of killer editing features our favorite (but 'spensive) Camtasia Studio does, but it records .avi files that it can convert to .swf Flash files easily enough, which can be small enough to email or load up on your web site. Above is a quick movie I shot with CamStudio showing off Firefox 2's horizontal tab scrolling in action. For another example, view a CamStudio movie that demonstrates how to download the software from SourceForge (with voice recording.) CamStudio is a free download, Windows only. Thanks, Tephlon! — Gina Trapani

CamStudio

Download of the Day: ChatterBlocker (Windows)

Windows only: Desktop application ChatterBlocker "neutralizes" office noise with a variety of highly-configurable sounds.

Choose a preset concoction of nature sounds or male and/or female voices to drown out distracting ambient noise, like Milton listening to the radio at an unreasonable volume in the cubicle next to you. Not just a white noise maker, you can customize your own theme with ChatterBlocker, by mixing and matching voices, music and sound effects to create the most effective sound neutralizer for you. Check out the detailed advanced mixer interface after the jump.

Click to enlarge:

Opera browser comes to BlackBerry and Treo

Opera Software announced today that Opera Mini, the free web browser for mobile phones, is now available for BlackBerry and Palm Treo smartphones. Opera Mini promises a faster delivery of web pages and better overall user experience.

There are three ways to get the browser: 1) Point your phone's current browser to http://mini.opera.com; 2) Send an SMS with the word OPERA to 96077 (SMS charges will apply); 3) Visit the Opera site and use the download wizard.

My Treo is on a shelf at the moment, so I hope Lifehacker readers will report their experiences in the Comments!" — Rick Broida

Glowing Target Wii Gift Cards

Whichever firm is responsible for Target’s branding and marketing these days deserves a tremendous pat on the back. Their commercials are some of the best looking ones on TV and now they’ve got a gift card that I doubt many people will be willing to give away.

The Wii card lights up with a cool blue glow around the logo and sides of the card, not unlike the Wii console itself. Obviously it’s a bit thicker than a standard gift card and I don’t know if the batteries powering the LEDs can be replaced or not, but I’m pretty sure any Nintendo fan would be thrilled to get one.

Now does anyone know what’s the minimal amount you can put on a Target gift card, or do they come in specific values only?

[Glowing Target Wii Gift Cards] VIA [Go Nintendo]

BAND-AID MAKEOVERS

There's little left in life that hasn't had a style-makeover - even the most banal everyday, domestic items - everything from can openers to wooden spoons are designed with aesthetics in mind these days. And now even the humble band aid - the last bastion of artless functionality - has succumbed to the trend. Superficial cuts and grazes are cause for glamour with Kiss Lips, Skulls & Cowboys, without doubt the coolest band aids you’ve ever seen. Camp as a pink tiara at Mardi Gras, the bright, glossy lip-shaped bandages come in a cute tin which includes a little novelty toy. Who said fun (oh, and bumps and bruises) were just for kids. They cost $16 and come with 15 per tin -

If your boo boo needs more than a band aid, then you cant go past these stylish bandages in assorted colors. Complete with logo and clips, the bandage can compliment any outfit and steers away from the dramatic off white traditional bandage of the past. by Lisa Evans

Funny but true: NO NURSING HOME FOR ME!

About 2 years ago my wife and I were on a cruise through the western Mediterranean aboard a Princess liner. At dinner we noticed an elderly lady sitting alone along the rail of the grand stairway in the main dining room. I also noticed that all the staff, ships officers, waiters, busboys, etc., all seemed very familiar with this lady. I asked our waiter who the lady was, expecting to be told that she owned the line, but he said he only knew that she had been on board for the last four cruises,back-to-back.

As we left the dining room one evening I caught her eye and stopped to say hello. We chatted and I said, "I understand you've been on this ship for the last four cruises". She replied, "Yes, that's true." I stated, "I don't understand" and she replied, without a pause, "It's cheaper than a nursing home".

So, there will be no nursing home in my future. When I get old and feeble, I am going to get on a Princess Cruise Ship. The average cost for a nursing home is $200 per day. I have checked on reservations on a Princess and I can get a long term discount and senior discount price of $135 per day. That leaves $65 a day for:

1. Gratuities which will only be $10 per day.

2. I will have as many as 10 meals a day if I can waddle to the restaurant, or I can have room service(which means I can have breakfast-in-bed every day of the week).

3. Princess has as many as three swimming pools, a workout room, free washers and dryers, and

shows every night.

4. They have free toothpaste and razors, and free soap and shampoo.

5. They will even treat you like a customer, not a patient. An extra $5 worth of tips will have the entire

staff scrambling to help you.

6. I will get to meet new people every 7 or 14 days.

7. T.V. broken? Light bulb need changing? Need to have the mattress replaced? No Problem!

They will fix everything and apologize for your inconvenience.

8. Clean sheets and towels every day, and you don't even have to ask for them.

9. If you fall in the nursing home and break a hip you are on Medicare; if you fall and break a hip on

the Princess ship they will upgrade you to a suite for the rest of your life.

Now hold on for the best! Do you want to see South America, the Panama Canal, Tahiti, Australia,New Zealand, Asia, or name where you want to go?

Princess will have a ship ready to go. So don't look for me in a nursing home, just call shore to ship.

ps: And don't forget, when you die, they just dump you over the side -- at no charge

The iPod turns five

Voltage Self-Illuminating Hair Gel

Voltage Self-Illuminating Hair Gel

$10.95

Wow... if you are like us, your first question will be "How did they do that?!" This has to be one of the most exciting new developments in fun hair color products in years. A patented process takes ordinary hair color and makes it extraordinary, by adding self-illuminating glow! Voltage does not rely on UV, neon or black lights to create glow. Instead, it produces its own light! Tiny, microscopic particles in the gel come together in the mixing process to produce a bright colorful glow that can be seen in partial light and in the dark for at least 6-8 hours (technically, this incredible effect lasts more than 24 hours at a diminishing glow). The glow is bright enough to even use in lieu of a flashlight to go through a campground at night!

The best thing is, while Voltage is classified as a "temporary hair color" it does not actually color the hair cuticle. It "coats" the hair with color. The gel is the delivery medium for the luminescence (glow). This means it is safe for color-treated or bleached hair when used as directed. In the case of colors blue and green, the gel is colorless both in the mixing container and on the hair under normal lighting conditions. Yellow and orange colors do show some color hues in the mixing container but when applied to hair in a lighted room the color mostly disappears because the concentration on the hair is lower. When lighting is reduced to about half-light or darker, all four colors show up brightly.

The Voltage Gel's effect is activated when you first open the container and mix the contents as instructed using the provided applicator. Once activated, the glow will last for at least 6-8 hours. Each container is intended for one-time application but depending on the effect desired and amount of gel used, one container is typically enough for several people as a little "dab" will go a long way. Create streaks or spikes of bright glowing color, or go all out with a full "hair-do"! Usage hint: Blow-drying hair will increase the intensity of the brightness but shorten the duration of the glow. Voltage is meant for short-term use only and should be washed out of the hair before going to bed. To remove Voltage simply shampoo out.

Directions:
1.) Open, mix and stir thoroughly for 3-5 minutes. The mixture will begin to glow.
2.) FOR BEST RESULTS: Apply thickly in "streaks", or tip the hair, try not to saturate the hair. Great for night time environments.
3.) Once applied, it takes about 30 minutes for it to brighten up fully on the hair.
4.) To remove Voltage, simply wash with shampoo.

Voltage is safe and non-toxic, but is not recommended for very young children. Each container is about 2 oz. of gel.

http://www.houseofrave.com/glowing-illuminating-hair-gel.html

What the Hell!!! Animal Sex????

Wife's phonecam pics 'smoking gun' in sex-with-dog case
A 26-year-old man in Washington may be the state's first resident to face charges under a new law protecting animals from sexual abuse. Michael Patrick McPhail's wife took cellphone photos of her husband having sex with their female pit bull, then contacted the police. What the hell is wrong with people in Washington state? First, there was that guy who died having sex with a horse.

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Spanaway Man Accused Of Having Sex With Dog

PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. -- A man accused of having sex with the family dog has been charged under the state's new animal cruelty law, which makes bestiality a felony, a prosecutor said.

Michael Patrick McPhail, 26, of nearby Spanaway, pleaded not guilty Thursday to one count of first-degree animal cruelty in Pierce County Superior Court.

Assistant Pierce County Prosecutor Karen Watson said McPhail was the first person in Pierce County to be charged with the new bestiality offense.

She said the dog was taken by animal control.

McPhail posted $20,000 bail on Friday.

Judge Katherine Stolz has set a trial date of Dec. 11.

McPhail's wife told investigators that she found her husband on their back porch Wednesday night having intercourse with their 4-year-old female pit bull terrier, the Pierce County sheriff's office report said. The dog was squealing and crying, according to charging papers.

The woman took photos with her cell phone and called the sheriff's office.

Calls to McPhail's public defender, David Katayama, were not immediately returned Friday.

The bestiality law, which took effect in June, was prompted by a case near Enumclaw in which a Seattle man died after having sex with a horse. Before the law was enacted, Washington was one of 14 states where bestiality had not been explicitly prohibited.

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About that guy who died having sex with a horse

If you waste more than five minutes on the web each day, you've probably read about the man in Washington who died while having sex with a horse. Much ado has been made about the difficulties of reporting such events in conventional news outlets -- how to do so in a non-sensationalist way, how to be accurate while not offending reader sensibilities. Unencumbered by such burdens, Fleshbot tells it straight: turns out he not only died while fucking a horse, he died being fucked *by* a horse. Link to a roundup of blog and news urls.

US govt bans Vegemite

The US has banned importation of icky Australian delicacy Vegemite (a brown gunky spread that is simultaneously delicious and grody), enraging Aussie expats in the US, who require a steady supply of Vegemite in order to remain functional.

The bizarre crackdown was prompted because Vegemite contains folate, which in the US can be added only to breads and cereals.

Expatriates say that enforcement of the ban has been stepped up recently and is ruining lifelong traditions of having Vegemite on toast for breakfast.

Former Geelong man Daniel Fogarty, who now lives in Calgary, Canada, said he was stunned when searched while crossing the US border recently.

"The border guard asked us if we were carrying any Vegemite," Mr Fogarty said.

Link (Thanks, Chris!)

(Vegemite label photo via AZAdam's Flickr stream)

Touchscreen iPod Comes This December

The iPod/iPhone rumour mill is something so clouded that as TR News Ed I made the executive decision to circumvent the vast majority of it a long time ago, but yesterday I had a conversation with an extremely well informed exec which I’m going to share.

Naturally the identity of this friendly and talkative fellow has to stay a closely guarded secret but he works in a multinational company that develops iPod products and which sport ‘Made For iPod’ accreditation and the info flowed after I questioned the value of one of his company’s new iPod accessories. In a very matter of fact tone I was told that the product was not designed for the current generation of device, but the official 6G iPod (fanboy art above - the current generation is referred to as 5.5) which is to be released in December. His company’s device only comes onto the market shortly before then and would benefit hugely because the new iPod would sport a screen that filled the full side of the device and consequently offer higher resolution video.



He explained that Apple had told him 480p content was the target but could only promise whatever did appear would be of a much greater quality than is used today. When I enquired about the control method he confirmed it would be virtual (see official Apple patent application above) and that essentially Apple was finally delivering the type of device we’ve seen journos (including myself) talk about since the turn of the year. “This is why Jobs isn’t afraid of the Zune,” he said, though he had no knowledge of whether wireless would make an appearance.





Furthermore he also said Apple has been informing partner companies that its long awaited ‘iPhone’ (fan art again above) will debut in January and Apple wants to feature a subscription iTunes service where tracks could be downloaded for free as long as the subscription was maintained. He said Apple is already in negotiations with networks about bundling a trial period of the service with user contracts. Apart from that he said Apple did confirm to him that a three megapixel camera will be onboard.

When I asked this exec why we should believe any of this info he explained that Apple works incredibly hard to keep its third party manufacturers in the loop because “it makes more money from the affiliates programme than from selling iPods” and that Steve Jobs believes it is brand’s vast array of add-ons which plays the biggest part in maintaining Apple’s market dominance. “He needs third parties to be ready with products when each new generation launches,” he explained, “and we will be…”

So there you go. The usual caveats apply, don’t shoot the messenger, etc, etc but – just maybe – get a little bit excited…

In related news Apple has confirmed less than one per cent of its 5.5G iPods have shipped with the RavMonE.exe Windows virus. It does nothing to the iPod but transfers itself to Windows on connection. An infected Windows computer on Apple’s assembly line has been blamed and the company has put up a fix page here.

Link:
Apple UK

Touchscreen iPod in December, Zune Slam-Dunked?

An "extremely well-informed exec" tells Trusted Reviews that the 6G iPod will be released in December, and it will be capable of 480p resolution. The source confirmed that it will be a touchscreen model with virtual click wheel control, but made no mention of whether wireless connectivity would be part of the package. Added the source, "This is why Jobs isn't afraid of the Zune."

We've seen the iPod touchscreen patent documentation, and we've entertained countless rumors and even reliable tips about the upcoming device; what we need to see now is a real picture of it. One thing's for sure, if this widescreen iPod is released in the next two months, the Microsoft Zune with its old-fashioned 4x3 screen and crippled WiFi will be slam-dunked. – Charlie White

Touchscreen iPod Comes This December [Trusted Reviews]

FIREFOX 2.0 PARTY!!!

http://www.firefoxparty.com/parties/invited/1h4yE8pfJH

FIREFOX 2.0 PARTY!!!

What is up my Homies?

Passing notes to the other kids in class!

Listen in to me talking about WHATEVER!

YouMail: Unique Voice Greetings for Your Cellphone

So now you can sound businesslike when the boss calls but get jiggy with the troops when they peep. YouMail's web-based interface lets you access your voicemail online and e-mail it elsewhere, too. So far, it's compatible with cellphone service from Verizon, Cingular and T-Mobile.

This could be the next ring tone-like feature for cellphones, letting you be you. Sounds like fun. Get it while it's still free. – Charlie White

Product Page [Zeacom, Inc.]

New video recorder site - Flixn.com