New Fridge Opens
from Outside the House
A British company called Home Delivery Access has invented a
refrigerator that grocery-delivery people can open from outside the house. The
refrigerators (and the house) are protected by combination locks, as well as a feature that prevents both doors from being open at once. A small computer built into the
refrigerator dashes off an e-mail or cell phone text message to alert homeowners when a delivery has been made.
Look Down and
Smile
One of the great innovations in
motor safety during the last quarter century was reflective studs glued to roads
that enhance drivers' perception of lanes at night and make a
thumping sound when tires
cross over them to wake dozing drivers. Now a British company is taking the concept further, and working on studs that
videotape
cars to monitor drivers and road conditions. The studs are being tested in a secret location in Spain (Spanish readers: If you know the location -- send me a picture!)
Rumor Monger
Last week, I printed
a rumor that Microsoft was working on a handheld version of the
Xbox. Here's another Xbox rumor: Microsoft may have negotiated
for the exclusive rights to develop a game based on Spielberg's upcoming movie, A.I.
Cell Phone Follies
Text messaging is becoming increasingly integrated into everyday
European life. A Protestant church in Hanover, Germany,
recently started transmitting summaries of religious services to cell phones that support text
messages And a new literary form has emerged in the U.K. -- text messaging poetry competitions -- in which words are abbreviated and numbers substituted for letter sounds (like "U" for "you").
Proof You Can Buy
Anything On the Internet
A
dentist in Georgia takes orders over the Web for hand-painted
dental crowns.
If you're a
Christian baseball fan, how about some lovely figurines of Jesus
playing America's pastime?
Shameless
Self-Promotion
Know somebody with a technology bent and a
warped sense of humor? Then straighten them out! Tell them about
Mike's List! (Better yet, forward this newsletter or use my
"Recommend
to a Friend" page.) It's the perfect Mother's Day gift!
Ad Creep
Is nothing sacred? Revelstoke Canadian Spiced Whisky has created "interactive" marketing
for the bottom of public urinals. Advertising for the company's whisky shows up only when specially made rubber
urinal splashguards are warmed
by urine. There are 20,000 of them distributed in pub
urinals throughout Canada and the United States.
Have you seen
advertising in a completely new context? Let
me know!
Follow-Up
I reported on the La-Z-Boy Explorer e-cliner
chair last week. If you'd like to see it in action, my friend and radio
personality Peter Cook covered it in a recent
video.
Last week I broke
a story about the Marine Corps' "Dragon Eye" flying
robot. Since then, Beyond2000 published a story about it --
including some exclusive
photos.
Reader Web Site o'
the Week
Check out Mike's List reader (not to
mention nationally syndicated computer columnist and host of
Computer America) Craig
Crossman's web site! Craig is giving away a Duo-64 Cassette MP3 Player
on Sunday! (If you win it, let me know and I'll print your
name.)
Get YOUR web site on the high-traffic Mike's
List Reader Links page. HERE'S
HOW!
Mike's List o' Gotta-Get-It
Gadgets
Plug in the $100 U.S. Robotics SoundLink hardware, and it turns your PC into a
radio station that broadcasts your MP3 files to every FM radio within 1,000 feet.
AstroNest is
working on a game pad for Palm organizers and Handspring Visors
called AstroWing. It
features sound and rumbling (vibrating to simulate shock,
machine-gun fire, etc.), as well as extra buttons and even
additional memory! A company spokesman told me today that it
should be available in September for $79.
Mike's List o' Wacky
Web Sites
Don't understand how ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers)
works? This short movie explains
everything.
You can find pictures of
historical and religious paintings and sculptures all over the
Internet. But here's a site that specializes in old
art depicting UFOs!
Here's a bird-brained idea: a
protocol for sending digital data via carrier pigeon called --
what else? -- the CPIP (carrier pigeon internet
protocol).
Are you normal? (If you're on
Mike's List, probably not). A new web site gives you a survey to
fill out, then tells you if you're the same as everybody
else.
The
anti-consumerism organization and magazine AdBusters dumps cash
in public places, then videotapes the mad
rush to grab money. Now *that's* entertainment.
Everybody has a
web site these days -- even the mafia!
This guy is planning to soar into outer space in a homemade
rocket!
What's a
"Ted Turnover"? Well, it's a disgruntled
former employee of CNN. The turnovers have -- what else? -- launched
their own web site.
Humans can't
easily conceptualize the difference between huge numbers -- say,
a billion vs. a trillion. Here's a site that uses stacks
of pennies to help visitors do that. Every congressperson
should visit this site when debating tax issues and the national
dept.
Ever wonder how
to block
Internet advertising?
Reader Comment
"Mike, I have to disagree with you (about the Sino-American
"cyberwar"). Our web server was attacked May 4 and the web page was replaced with: F*** the USA Government. F*** PoizonBox. We've been on the Internet since 1994 and this is the first time we've been attacked." -
Diane Hamilton
"The burglar alarm mentioned in Mike's List #18 was not invented in Sweden. The device has been available for years in the United States, and even comes in a handheld version that looks like a megaphone. The Chicago Police Department has even used them to sicken unruly crowds."
- Max Raven
I
get hundreds of reader e-mail messages per week, so I can
publish only a tiny fraction of them. I reserve the right to
edit letters for length and clarity. Send comments to: [email protected]
Last Week's
Mystery Pic
Last week's Mystery Pic showed a full Linux terminal server in a
toaster oven
case built by a Portland, Oregon, high school student named Brian. Congrats to Mike's List reader
Taggert Siegel for being first with the right answer.
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.
RECOMMEND
TO A FRIEND!
If
you don't have anything nice to say, say it to me!
Send rumors, gossip and inside information
to: [email protected]
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