Lobster
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ICYMI: Surprise volcanoes, jetpacks and new Nike shoes
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-821419{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-821419, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-821419{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-821419").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Marine biologists in Australia discovered an enormous, 12-mile long chain of (happily extinct) volcanoes under the sea that no one knew about. Controlling a jetpack is looking easier and easier, and I don't care if flight only lasts 30 seconds y'all, this stuff is happening! And Nike unveiled a new line of shoes for people with disabilities and it's the best use case for a non-gym basketball shoe that we've ever seen. Good job guys.
Cooking with Watson: Italian grilled lobster
'Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson' is a collaboration between IBM and the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Once a week, as part of an ongoing series, we'll be preparing one recipe from the book until we've made all of them. Wish us luck. I've got to say I am pretty against the idea of wrapping lobster in bacon. While, yes, bacon does tend to make everything better, I'm also a bit of a purist. I don't like butter or onions in my hamburgers, or mignonette on my oysters. These are foods meant to be enjoyed as they are. And I feel the same about lobster. It is meant to be steamed and devoured as is (or with some drawn butter and lemon if you really must). But, I have a job, and right now that job is to cook whatever Watson tell me to. So it's time to defile one of the most delicious (and expensive) sea creatures with bacon and a lot of citrus.
Xiaomi used a trio of crustaceans for an unusual 'durability' test
Most cellphone makers do their durability testing in labs, but let's be honest: those trials can be kind of boring to watch. In an attempt to show just how tough its Mi 4 handset is, Xiaomi used a trio of sea creatures. The phone spent a few moments in the clutches of a freshwater crab, a Japanese blue crab and a lobster, with each getting a chance to clamp down on the 5-inch steel-framed device. The gadget endures the grip of the first two just fine, but company decided to leave us in suspense as to how the Mi 4 fared against the crustacean with the biggest claws. The fate of the testers isn't disclosed in the video either, but we'll assume someone had a nice seafood dinner. At any rate, take a look at the stunt on the other side of the break.
Crapgadget: Ca-d'oh edition
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. That's probably because it's Christmas. A time when the diet goes out of the window, everyone but you is wearing a hilariously ironic knitted sweater and the festive Crapgadgets rear their ugly heads. Yes, the sort of technology that tries to dupe unwitting relatives to buy you "something for your eyephones" from the bargain bin at Best Buy, this collection of aesthetic anomalies, taste travesties and electronic errors will have you praying for the cold, hard glare of January.
LEXID prototype gun can peek through walls
Believe it or not, devices used to see through walls are far from revolutionary, but hey, we'll take every one we can get. Reportedly, Physical Optics Corporation has concocted a prototype gun that utilizes the same method of viewing that a lobster does to see what's ahead in murky waters. The LEXID (Lobster Eye X-ray Imaging Device) functions by "radiating objects with tiny amounts of X-ray energy," subsequently allowing its user to see behind steel, wood or concrete. According to David Throckmorton, a project manager in Homeland Security's Science and Technology division, the resulting images aren't exactly drool-worthy, but they do allow you to make out a stash of weapons or a crouching enemy. Unfortunately, completion is too far out to estimate a price, but its creators are hoping to one day make it cheap enough for exterminators and contractors to purchase and use. 'Course, we could imagine middle schoolers getting into all sorts of trouble if one of these floated into the locker room.[Via The Raw Feed, image courtesy of POC]
The Shields of Zelda
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/The_Shields_of_Zelda'; If you paid close attention to yesterday's Phantom Hourglass commercials, you might've spotted the lobster design (or is it a crayfish?) on Link's shield. What do you think of the new look? Wind Waker fans should recognize the crustacean shape, as it originally showed up on our hero's pajamas in the GameCube game. Link's shield has been as much a staple of the Zelda series as the adventurer's green cap, deflecting octorok attacks and pushing away charging enemies. Over the past two decades, the defensive device's design has evolved much from its original cross emblem to incorporate Triforces, various winged figures, and decorative accents. We've collected over a dozen of the different layouts that we spotted at The Hylia, leaving out mirror shields and other deviations (e.g. Ordon shield), and have lined them up for you to compare and constrast after the post break. Enjoy!
Phat Loot Phriday: Mr. Pinchy
We've covered a few noncombat pets here before, but this is the weirdest noncombat pet you've ever seen. If you're a fisherman, this is the reason to get to 375, and if you're not, this is the reason to train it anyway. We mentioned him way back in beta, but he's worth another look.Name: Mr. Pinchy (also known variously as Furious Mr. Pinchy or Benevolent Mr. Pinchy-- you'll see)Type: Noncombat pet... unless he choses to combat youDamage: 180-230 or N/AAbilities: Mr. Pinchy is not just a lobster (although he's named after one on the Simpsons)-- he's a magical crawdad, and he grants wishes! That's right, on use, this crawdad will grant you one of five wishes: 1) The most common result is an item in your inventory called "Mr. Pinchy's Gift"-- once unwrapped, it gives you 5 Super Health and 5 Super Mana potions. 2) Sometimes he will give Mr. Pinchy's Blessing, a buff that lasts for two hours (even through death) and grants a whopping 1200 HP. 3) Sometimes he'll help you himself, and transform into a huge Benevolent Mr. Pinchy that acts as a guardian for about 15 mins. 4) And sometimes he'll get pissed off at you, become Furious Mr. Pinchy, and try to beat you up. 5) But the best wish he can grant is an actual, permanent, BoP noncombat pet named Magical Crawdad. This one's rare, but it's been known to happen. You get three wishes with every Mr. Pinchy, but there's a two-day cooldown between each. Mr. Pinchys aren't unique, but they do share a cooldown. How to Get It: Mr. Pinchy can only be fished up, and only out of those special fishing holes (only reachable by a flying mount) in Terrokar Forest-- the lake in the Mountains west of Stonebreaker Hold, the lake south of Allerian Stronghold, and the lake around the Arrakoa capital of Skettis, to the east of Auchindouin. In those lakes, you want to fish in "Highland Mixed Schools"-- fishing in the regular water will get you fish, but there's no chance of Mr. Pinchy.To fish in the water at all, you'll need a fishing skill of 430 to even throw your line out, so you'll have to pick up some +skill equipment to head up there. Fish will also drop off of your line if your skill is less than 525, so really you want to be up around there if you want to catch fish with any speed. Here's the bad news: each pool gives about 3 or 4 catches, and Mr. Pinchy shows up about every 500 catches-- a .2% rate. That's a whole lotta fishin'.The WoW Fishing Guide has this and lots more strategy on how to get a Mr. Pinchy in your bags. Good luck out there, fellow anglers.Getting Rid of It: Mr. Pinchy will of course disappear when you've used up your three wishes. If you're lucky enough to get a Magical Crawdad Box, that will sell for a measly 25s.
HTC Trilogy christened "Lobster 700" for Virgin Mobile
No, not our Virgin Mobile, folks. The UK's Virgin Mobile will be getting HTC's Trilogy, which we knew; now, the retail model's officially been named the "Lobster 700," a moniker that seems strangely appropriate (though we can't really put our finger on why). As you may recall, the Trilogy is essentially a Faraday with the welcome addition of DAB, though at the expense of a rather prominent hump on the phone's right side. Now that the phone's case has been mercifully recolored, it appears that release is imminent, with some shops reporting availability next month. No word on eventual US availability, though we might be putting the proverbial cart before the horse -- let's get us some live DAB networks first, shall we?
