Nearly a year after the innovative (albeit not-entirely-practical) Nintendo Fan Network went live at Safeco Field in Seattle, the powers that be have decided to nix those pesky access fees and give every DS-toting guest access gratis. That's right, folks who show up to catch a Mariners game can now check out other MLB scores, dig deep within player stats, order up grossly overpriced grub and even watch a terribly pixelated version of the game they're currently at without handing over one red cent. The nosebleed section never had so much potential.

[Via Joystiq]

Okay Britons, here's your shot at ripping us Americans who've had quite a few laughs at the expense of your GPS-loving neighbors. Reportedly, the driver of a charter bus carrying a high school girls' softball team decided to casually follow the soothing turn-by-turn directions that were being emitted from the nearby GPS unit rather than actually noticing the enormous clearance sign on the overpass ahead. As you can likely guess, the 11-foot, 8-inch-high vehicle plowed right into the 9-foot bridge -- which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 -- though somehow everyone on board escaped without any major injuries. Oddly enough, the driver apparently isn't alone in chipping away at the landmark, as a local even mentioned that "large trucks hit the bridge every two weeks or so," but couldn't resist noting that "this [instance was] by far the worst."

[Thanks, Raleigh]

Apparently not willing to wait for those rumored new ultraportable MacBooks, some burglars recently broke into the Apple Store at University Village in Seattle and made off with a number of laptops that had completed servicing, along with an "unknown stock" of refurbished iPhones. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, police arrived on the scene Monday morning and found a large hole in the ceiling of a technicians' room, with the entire office "in disarray." From the sound of it, it seems that the thieves may have been after more than just the laptops themselves, with at least one of the laptops reportedly "packed with personal information." No word on any leads just yet, but police say they might contact those who had their laptops stolen as part of the investigation.

[Via Techmeme]

Those looking for a little more interaction at Safeco Field this season need only bring their DS Lite and a few extra bucks. This season, Nintendo is trialing the Nintendo Fan Network at the home of the Seattle Mariners, which enables onlookers to "order food and drinks, watch the live television feed of the game, access stats and scores, and play trivia from the comfort of their seat." The quietly introduced pilot program has brought several kiosks to the park, which uploads a program to the DS Lite and enables the WiFi-equipped handheld to take part in the bonus festivities. Eventually, the Big N hopes to expand the system into other stadiums, but for now, Mariners fans can get in on the action for $5 per game, or $30 for ten games.

[Image courtesy of Flickr]

If you thought ASTRO and NextSat were the only two autonomous robots frolicking around in testing environments, Raven would certainly beg to differ, as NASA has recently announced that the University of Washington's mobile surgical robot will soon be off to tackle surgical tasks whilst underwater. The 12th NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations test will see the mechanical MD pick up the tools in a simulated spacecraft submerged near Key Largo, Florida, where the "mission will test current technology for sending remote-controlled surgical robotic systems into space." Thanks to a combination of wired and wireless networks, a trio of seasoned veterans back in Seattle will be dictating the movements remotely, as the bot attempts to "suture a piece of rubber and move blocks from one spindle to another." Interestingly, there was no word on whether Raven was scheduled to pick up the night shift at Seattle Grace upon its return from the depths.

[Via MedLaunches]

The University of Washington's Deepglider won't go down as the first manmade projectile to scour the ocean for random (albeit useful) tidbits of information, but it does sport an ultra-modern frame and energy source that certainly sets it apart. Similar to the nuke detector, Edinburgh Duck, and the bevy of other submarines used for the benefit of mankind, this concoction is used to capture underwater data to aid researchers in discovering more about global warming and seafloor conditions, but its autonomous nature and carbon fiber enclosure gives it the ability to remain underwater "for up to a year" and sink to depths of nearly 9,000 feet. The 71-inch long, 138-pound device carries sensors to measure "oceanic conditions including salinity and temperature," and when not patrolling the seas based on satellite-driven controls, it can transmit the data remotely using the same signal path in reverse. Notably, the torpedo-like device boasts an energy-efficient, battery-powered design that allows it to stay submerged for ridiculous amounts of time without needing a recharge, and while we're not too sure if its researchers are too caught up in its unmatched diving abilities to notice how swank the power system is, they've apparently got a good thing going.