Mike's List
Why Americans Can't Spell 'SMS'

AMERICANS ARE AN UNUSUAL PEOPLE, a fact made clear by the things we have no interest in.

Take the metric system. The whole world uses it but we don't care. The reasons are pride and sloth. Our history doesn't go back very far, so we cling to whatever traditions we do have. That the world wants us to use what has become the universal system of measurements just isn't much of a reason to switch. Give em' an inch, they take a mile.

Or soccer. Hey, if a sport doesn't require expensive equipment, we're not interested. When I was a kid, they tried to teach us to play soccer during P.E. This exotic sport was presented as an experiment, no doubt, to try to cut down on schoolyard injuries. We tried to play, honest. But not 30 seconds would pass before some boy would compulsively pick up the ball and everyone else would tackle him.

Near the top of the list of globally accepted things Americans have no interest in is the habit of sending text messages by phone. The world, especially in Europe and Asia, sends vastly more text messages than we do. More than a billion text messages are sent every day.

In Singapore and the Philippines, for example, cell phone users each send an average of at least 200 messages per month via phone. In America, it's seven.

One reason is purely economic. Making local calls via landline in the U.S. is free and mobile phone calls are cheap. Connecting to the Internet is cheap in the States, too.

The typical American teenager spends evenings with a telephone glued to one ear, listing to music with the other and banging out instant messages to multiple friends on an Internet connected PC. Even though both PC connectivity and telephone accounts cost monthly fees, there's usually no additional cost for additional use, so kids live online. No time for texting.

Teenagers in Europe and Asia use texting to save money because cell phone calls and PC connectivity costs more. Local calls via landline are charged by the minute in many countries.

But that's only part of the story. Us geezers who had no cell phones or chat in high school don't text either. I think the reason for us is the ubiquity of computers. Most Americans have PCs at work and at home. While we're out and about, we talk, rather than text, on cell phones.

The other reason is that, like everything related to mobile phones in the U.S., text messaging in the U.S. is unreliable, expensive and difficult. Messages passed between carriers are often lost. SMS is typically an add-on charge that many people don't choose. And our handsets aren't well designed for texting. With Internet-connected PCs everywhere, why bother?

Americans are gradually learning to like soccer. But I don't think you'll ever see the metric system or widespread texting here in the States. Computers make it too easy to avoid both.

Play Violin With No Strings Attached

The violin is nice. Unfortunately, mastery took lessons and practice. But not anymore. The new Evio from Japanese toy maker Tomy is the electronic violin version of the player piano. By passing a special bow across the electronic "strings," the Tommy will play any song programmed into its memory. The Tommy can connect to a TV on which a menu can be displayed for selecting songs and adjusting settings. Instead of strings, the violin has an optical sensor that can detect the motion, direction and pressure of the bow. Vibrato is achieved with the push of a button on the neck of the violin. The Evio has four playing modes: Solo, Orchestra, Competition and Demo. The Evio goes on sale in Japan on July 31 and will cost about $58.

The Perils of Projection

Professor Ron Wirick of the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario forgot that his desktop wallpaper was a picture of his wife naked. After showing an in-class presentation last week, he minimized the open window to reveal the wallpaper. He didn't notice, and lectured on as his wife was projected onto the big screen. The gaff was brought to his attention after class, and he later apologized to his students via e-mail for "invading" their "psychological space."

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Found Video

The Tickle robot is an electronic masseuse that walks around on your body created by Dutch artists Erwin Driessens and Maria Verstappen. It has two high-torque 5V motors, silicon rubber feet and rechargeable batteries. When the slope becomes too steep, it changes directions. Here's the video.

Be a PC and Internet Know-It-All

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Mike's List on the Radio

Craig Crossman's Computer America features Mike Elgan every Thursday night. The show runs from 7pm to 9pm SVT (Silicon Valley Time). Listen to Computer America on your local Business TalkRadio station or over the Internet every weeknight. Don't miss Computer America!

Reader Web Site o' the Week

Mike's List readers have all kinds of great web sites. This week's site is Dinner-Movie, a web site built by reader Corey Katir about healthy food and movies. Check it out!

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

Gotta-Get-It Gadgets

Sony has developed a laptop for people who want a tiny computer with few compromises. The Sony Vaio U101 weighs less than two pounds, and is designed to be used while standing up or lying down, in addition to the standard position of sitting at a desk. When standing up, you hold the U101 near the base and use the pointing stick and navigation buttons behind the keyboard with your thumbs. While lying down, you hold it like a book. It also has conveniently placed Zoom and screen-rotation buttons. Finally: A laptop that can be used as an e-book! The U101 is 7.04 x 1.34 x 5.49 inches and sports a 7.1" TFT screen. It sports USB 2.0 and Firewire, has integrated Wi-Fi and LAN connectivity and is powered by an ultra-low-voltage Intel Celeron 600A processor, which gives it from 8 to 13.5 hours of battery life, according to Sony. You can buy it at Dynamism.com for about $2,000.

The Kinesis Evolution Fully Adjustable Keyboard combines seating with typing in one peripheral device. It's a $599 ergonomic USB keyboard and trackpads built into the armrests of a chair. Half of the keyboard is built into both armrests, with a trackpad on each. Here's what it looks like.

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Wacky Web Sites

Z is a free software fly. Each fly is genetically unique, according to the web site. It comes alive when you're connected to the Internet. You can even create mutant flies. Why anyone would want to do all this I have no idea.

If you want to find out why Indians are so smart, why you can't breathe in Qatar or why the U.S. wins wars, check out Aneki.com. The site lists random global comparative stats.

Get your own virtual apartment in the world's tallest virtual skyscraper.

Twisted Games

WebWar

Bar Bomb Billiards

Zymbols

Crystal Racer

Sabotage

Last Week's Mystery Pic

No, it's not a "self guiding bowling ball," an "orgasmatron from Woody Allen's 1973 movie 'Sleeper,'" or even the world's "first artificial testicle." In fact it's a round robot called Q-Taro from Sony. The two-pound robot is designed to roll around the house detecting humans, dance to music and show "emotions" through glowing lights. Congratulations to Steve Wilson of San Diego, Calif., for being first with the right answer.

Mystery Pic o' the Week

What is it? Send YOUR guess to [email protected] (be sure to say where you live). If you're first with the right answer, I'll print your name in the next issue of Mike's List!

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