TommyLog

We know it’s heresy among the Apple faithful to even suggest that one might be so displeased with one’s iPod as to
throw it on the ground in disgust, but since occasionally the little bundles of joy do get dropped, Apple has applied
for a patent for a portable media player hard drive that can detect when it is falling and stop reading or writing to
the drive in order to prevent (or at least minimize) data loss or damage. Yes, IBM introduced something similar last
year (and how non-catchy were they when they tried to compare it to an airbag for hard drives?), but Apple’s
patent filing actually predates that by a few months.

[Thanks, Tyler]

Originally posted by Peter Rojas from Engadget

No one can seem to explain exactly how it happened, but if you recall earlier this year a Scottish man was
”attacked” by a Dyson hose; apparently now it’s all come
to a close: the man’s settled for what we’d call a somewhat paltry sum of £10,000 (close to $20,000). If we fell down
the stairs because of a gadget mishap (excepting the time we took a 7-foot dive after a cellphone to cushion the
impact) we’d probably expect a something a little more in the range of seven figures. Are we right? Are we right? But
seriously, who could be mad at Mr. Dyson? He’s
practically the patron-saint of vacuum cleaners.

Originally posted by Ryan Block from Engadget

The 1,600-pound IKONOS satellite travels 423 miles above the Earth’s surface at a speed of 17,500 miles per hour. It’s the world’s first commercial high-resolution remote sensing satellite and can see objects on the ground as small as one-meter square. IKONOS has collected more than 1 million images of the Earth’s landmass,
representing imagery over every continent.

Check out:

Everest  (includes 3d fly over)

September 11: One year viewed from Space

XXVIII Olympics Explorer View Athens or any past Olympics location via satellite

What Else?

You can also view States, Counties, Cities, Countries, and more. And if you like what you see, just zip on over to the store and pick up a poster. Space Imaging is not only an awesome tech venue, they are also providing a service by helping industries improving navigation, increasing safety and help advert drug trafficking.

Originally posted by Doobie-Won from GEEK OUT

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As various internet service providers and third party software firms are pushing software on parents that lets them eavesdrop on their kids’ surfing habits, parents might want to be aware of a recent court ruling up in Washington state. The ruling didn’t focus on the internet, but found that a mother who listened in on her daughter’s phone call broke wiretap laws. The article, written for a Connecticut newspaper, then goes on to discuss whether or not the same ruling would apply in that state — and it’s a bit tricky. Part of the rationale for the ruling in Washington is that state wiretap laws require both parties to agree to be recorded. Connecticut (and most other states) only have a one person requirement — but in the case where a parent is eavesdropping, the question then becomes whether or not they, as a legal guardian, have the right to give the consent to be wiretapped for their kid. Of course, this is just one of the many reasons why kids get mobile phones. However, with internet access, a similar question arises, but not many seem to have dealt with it. It’s likely that similar cases will start to show up when people feel their privacy is violated by their parents spying on their online activities. Of course, some might point out that talking to your kids and trying to build a trusting relationship (not always easy, of course) might be a better way to keep them out of trouble than spying on them.

Originally from Techdirt

Originally from CreativeBits