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Mike

Hollywood Spy
This secret spy photo was taken on the set of an upcoming new movie by the Farrelly brothers (the same people who brought you, "There's Something About Mary"). Try to guess the actress. You'll find the answer, and more information, below. 

Not Your Father's Game Boy... Or Is It? 
Nintendo was reportedly surprised to learn that their cell phone adapter for the Game Boy sold poorly. A little market research revealed that -- and this may shock you -- most children don't have cell phones! The solution? Sell Game Boy to grownups. The company plans to launch in mid-May a new campaign to attract adults to the platform with a new golf game, as well as others aimed at people over 20. 

And You Thought 'Grand Valse' Was Annoying
I thought cell phones ring tones based on "Grand Valse," "Motzart's 40th" and "Menuet" were the most annoying sounds in the world. But in the U.K., the number-one cell phone ring tone among 16 to 18-year-olds is Eminem's "Stan," according to Orange, a leading British cell phone company. 

Your Quiz is Calling
A Tokyo "cram school," a special tutoring service designed to help students perform better on standardized college-entrance tests, announced today that it plans to give tests over mobile phones, according to Nikkei Electronics. The school, called Tokyo-gakuen, will send out tests and quizzes using special text-messaging applications, and students will respond by pressing their phone's numeric keypad. Students have long used the text storage and information gathering capabilities of cell phones to help them do better on tests, but this time they won't get expelled for doing so.  

Hollywood Spy (continued...)
Ladies and Gentlemen, the picture above is actress Gwyneth Paltrow, made up to look overweight, on the set of "Shallow Hal." Hollywood makeup skill and technology just keeps getting better (and bigger, apparently) Click here for details -- including more spy pics -- on the movie. 

Follow-Up
Last week I featured a "Crazy Gadget" alarm clock that plays MP3 files you download via a USB cable. They're for sale now, and cost $44.99. 

Reader Web Site o' the Week
Check out my friend (and Mike's List reader) John Woram's new, new newsletter. It's called "Just Another Newsletter," which is a small taste of John's signature self-deprecating humor. In reality, John is a world-renown Windows expert and author of a series of Windows registry books -- not to mention one of the best writers in technology. Check it out! 

Get YOUR web site on the high-traffic Mike's List Reader Links page. HERE'S HOW! 

Mike's List o' Crazy Gadgets
Not satisfied with password security? Then why not add iris-scanning technology to protect your PC? The Iridian Technologies AuthentiCam will keep even James Bond out. 

Sony will soon ship a network PC called the eVilla. It features a vertical 15-inch screen, Memory Stick storage, a V.90 modem and "instant-on" functionality. One of my favorite features: No fan. The computer is totally silent.

Here's a 24-bit digital camera that  clips onto the bottom of many Ericsson mobile phones, so you can quickly zap your pictures to any e-mail address or to a special web site. 

Mike's List o' Wacky Web Sites
If you'd like to learn how to dance properly, don't bother looking here.

Here's a guy who built an entire web site and one-man performance based on his experience of working for Amazon.com.

These guys have a lot of balls. 

Mike's List o' Numbers
5% - The drop in overall e-mail use this year because of the growth of text messaging on mobile phones. (Barclays Bank)

10% - The drop in overall e-mail use this year among 18 - 24-year-olds because of the growth of text messaging on mobile phones. (Barclays Bank)

Last Week's Mystery Pic
Congratulations to reader Nancy Lones for being first to identify last week's Mystery Pic. No, it wasn't the world's smallest computer cleaner, but rather a normal-size technician sweeping a giant mock-up of a laptop computer March 20 at America Online's display stand at the CeBIT computer fair in Hannover, Germany.

Mystery Pic o' the Week

What is it? Send YOUR guess to [email protected]. I'll publish the name of the first person who gets it in the next issue of Mike's List. 

Mike's List o' Required Reading

Microsoft Cops 
By Stryker McGuire
"As gangsters take over the software-piracy trade, one company is fighting back with its own global force of crime busters. In a campaign that has gone virtually unnoticed, Microsoft is building an unrivaled force of in-house police and prosecutorial muscle to combat a global pirate trade increasingly dominated by organized crime. Approved at the highest levels inside Microsoft, this deployment has boosted the size of its anti-piracy team from a couple of people in 1988 to about 250 today."
Newsweek International

Bluetooth At The Dentist
By Arik Hesseldahl
"Turning the convention hall of the CeBit electronics trade show in Hanover, Germany, into a wireless network using Bluetooth technology initially seemed like a good idea... But when it failed to work, and several demonstrations went embarrassingly awry, the experiment turned into a publicity nightmare that proved what many long suspected: Bluetooth is far from ready for prime time."
Forbes.com

The Hi-Tech Spy
By Annonymous
"The American spy plane forced to land in China was chock-full of electronic surveillance equipment. Today, espionage is all about who has the best technology. It's also a reminder that when it comes to intelligence gathering, the hackneyed image of a crafty spy with a miniature camera is somewhat out of date. So what sort of hi-tech practices do governments favour these days if they want to keep tabs on foreign powers?" 
BBC