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Caption contest: Windows 7-themed restaurant serves 64-bit grub in Taiwan
We (falsely) assumed that the Windows 7 Whopper would be the last food item ever associated with an operating system, and now we're quite literally eating our words. As the story goes, a Hot Fried 77 restaurant has opened up over in Taiwan, offering tons of "Windows-themed meals" for NTD $77 (around $3 in Greenbacks), and judging by the cornucopia of images down there in the source, we're guessing this is no prank. We're debating whether laughing or crying is the appropriate emotion here. Josh T.: "While you're throwing .bak some fries and a burger, you should enjoy a .dll pickle." Nilay: "This is not what we meant by Windows 7 Server." Chris: "I'm a PC, and putting down a pint of Beast while installing Windows 7 was my idea." Richard Lai: "This is the real Windows Genuine Advantage." Joe: "We like to believe that Microsoft started with the restaurant and then reverse engineered an OS." Richard Lawler: "Obviously, there's no word for Seagrams in their language." Darren: "You haven't heard? Alcohol consumption by end-user is now listed in Minimum System Requirements." Josh F.: "When reading 'serve it to us on a plate' in a literal sense goes horribly right." Joanna: "Everything I come up with is just wrong." Don: "Can you tell me where the XP Cafe is?" Paul: "Would you like that in 32-bit or 64-bit?" [Thanks, Chris]
I-Fairy weds a couple of Japanese robot geeks (video)
Don't act surprised. Japan, the land that just can't get enough of robots -- whether it's for cooking, entertainment or interstellar warfare -- now also conducts its weddings with the help of a ceremonial drone. Tomohiro Shibata and Satoko Inoue, who met in the course of their work in robotics, decided that getting married with the help of the I-Fairy bot you see above was a "natural choice." We'll just assume that's a translational quirk and not an ultra-ironic statement from the happy couple. The I-Fairy isn't quite as realistic as some of Kokoro's other humanoids, but it does come with flashing, anime-sized eyes, which we're gonna go ahead and assume are popular over in Nippon. Video after the break.
Thieves snag iPad from buyer, yank a finger off while they're at it
We'll be honest with you -- it literally pains us to write this. If you're the queasy type, we'd probably suggest scrolling on down and continuing about your day. For the hardcore still with us, the story goes a little something like this: a Denver-area man headed out to his local Apple store to pick up an iPad for a colleague (read: not even for himself), and in an interview, he admits to not even really understanding the fascination with Apple's new product. After doing his good deed and plopping down the plastic, he casually curled the strings atop the Apple bag around his hand as he headed for the exits. Unfortunately, a pair of thugs met him along the way, yanking the bag, the iPad and all of the flesh surrounding his pinky finger as they bolted for a getaway. Currently, police are investigating surveillance footage in hopes of tracking down the crooks who pulled off the stunt... and, uh, a bit more than they likely bargained for. Video after the break if you've still got the stomach. [Thanks, Chris]
Confused pig face mobile phone has paw print buttons, Winnie the Pooh sticker
Oh China, how we love the gadgets you produce. Particularly those of the homegrown variety. We can't say we spotted this pig face mobile during our recent jaunt through the gadget sectors of Hong Kong, but boy, do we wish we had. In one of the most extreme cases of product confusion ever, it looks as if we've got a clamshell phone with the face of a pig, a 0.3 megapixel camera, light-up eyes, a smattering of misplaced Walt Disney logos, paw print send / end buttons and rear speakers, and a random Winnie the Pooh sticker on the rear -- you know, to really cap things off. We're guessing this is some failed attempt to generate yet another KIRF Disney phone, but seriously, a glowing pig? Hello Kitty is not pleased. [Thanks, Chris]
Hiroshi Ishiguro's Geminoid-F humanoid mimics Earthlings, is definitely the beginning of the end (video)
Hiroshi Ishiguro (or his evil android twin, one) is back in business, and nearly four years after his Geminoid HI-1 startled youngsters everywhere, the Geminoid-F has arrived to consternate the grown-ups. Shown off this weekend in Osaka, Japan, the lifelike lady you see above (pictured left, just in case you were wondering) was designed to mimic human facial expressions that are fed in to its internal computer. The rubberized face has a rather insane amount of flexibility, enabling it to pull off subtle gestures that have thus far been impossible to replicate on a robot. Sly grins, angry glares and totally-fake smiles are all possible now, with developers hoping to have these in hospitals and the like in the not-too-distant future. Currently, copies of the humanoid are expected to sell for around ¥10,000,000 ($105,780), though it'll likely be robotics research organizations doing the majority of the buying. Hop on past the break for a video that's guaranteed to leave you stunned -- and while we're not fluent in Japanese, we're pretty sure someone asks if they "can rock that bad Larry on their dome."
AT&T redirecting 911 calls from Salt Lake City to Seattle, working on a fix (update: fix is in)
Ready for a surreal way to start your day? Salt Lake City's KSL News has a report out this morning detailing the baffling experience of AT&T subscribers trying to access emergency services in the city. Instead of being routed through to their local dispatcher, the urgent calls somehow found their way to Seattle's 911 response center. Brought to the news team's attention by one Tony Sams, this issue was originally thought to originate in his iPhone's GPS system, as he was being identified as being located in the Seattle area, but then his local police also tried dialing their own number only to find themselves chatting it up with their Emerald City colleagues. Until they figure this out, we'd recommend using your landlines -- if you still have one of those antiques -- or just yelling at passersby for help. Hit the source for the full video report and the 10-digit direct number for Salt Lake City general dispatch. Update: AT&T has been very nippy in getting this routing problem sorted out, and proper service has been restored. The company is now investigating the cause of this problemo. [Thanks, Ryan]
Sausage stylus for the iPhone now on sale in the US
So you thought awesome gear never made the transition from Korea to the USA, huh? Not so in the case of the infamous sausage stylus we spotted a month ago. That cold weather peripheral -- allowing its ingenious users to operate a capacitive touchscreen with gloves on -- has made the big leap over to the Americas and can be yours for the low (seriously low) price of $0.99. Naturally, it's a sausage, so it will be compatible with not just iPhones but anything receptive to capacitive touch, although you should be cognizant of the "not for consumption" label -- compatibility with human stomachs is unlikely.
Japanese 'age prediction machine' is really just a mosquito tone test
And this, folks, is yet another reason why the Land of the Rising Sun is truly one of the world's greatest places. Japan, which is famous for having ridiculously polite citizens and some of the zaniest toys known to man, has just delivered its latest gem: the Age Prediction Machine. As you might expect, the device simply emits the now-famed "mosquito tone," which is an exceptionally high pitched frequency that can't typically be heard by older humans. Depending on the intensity of the sound, you're able to determine where the cutoff is between hearing it and not, thus discovering the age of whoever would be gullible enough to stand around and actually engage in this sort of lunacy. But seriously, don't use this the day before your mother's birthday -- just ask pops which number she's about to celebrate / not celebrate, cool?
'Christmas in Cupertino': because there isn't enough weird stuff on the web
You guys know I love combining Christmas and my Mac, but this is just plain weird. A Dutch Apple community website by the name of One More Thing has written and produced a Christmas song called 'Christmas in Cupertino'. The song was composed and recorded in two weeks with the 'famous Dutch singers' Sjarrel & Sjaan delivering the vocals. The song focuses on Steve Jobs and Phil Schiller in their activities in Cupertino in the 'dark days' before Christmas and ... pictures them 'dancing 'round the Apple tree'. If that's not weird enough for you, Steve Jobs's liver transplant is also mentioned. What's even crazier is that you can buy it on iTunes. In fairness, due to Steve Jobs' call for more attention to organ donation at his keynote earlier this year, One More Thing will donate all proceeds from the song to de Dutch Liver Foundaction. Netherlands, I've been to your country many times. It's so quaint, so charming, so full of life; and what can I say? This quirkiness/oddness just makes me love you guys even more. And, though I'm loathe to admit it, the song is kinda catchy. So TUAW readers, for 99 cents why not buy the song [iTunes link], have a good laugh, and contribute to a great cause? Now, without further ado, I present to you the 'Christmas in Cupertino' music video (with subtitles). Christmas in Cupertino from One More Thing on Vimeo.
Enthusiastic shutterbug immortalizes Nikon on his forearm
Since time immemorial, man has used the tattoo to signify rites of passage and status, to look like a bad-ass, and to tell the rest of us what he holds dear -- whether it be the Zune, Storm, or PS3. Now camera buffs are getting in on the action, with a certain Manny Williams becoming so infatuated with his Nikon D3X that he had one inked to his forearm. According to his email to the company, this guy has been a photographer for over twenty-five years, but "since using a Nikon product, I am convinced that I will never use anything else...EVER AGAIN." You know, there are enough naysayers in the gadget biz that whenever we see someone happy it makes us happy. It really does. We just hope the body mod here isn't really another regretful symptom of some sort of manic episode. More Manny after the break.
Table-flipping becomes subject of Japanese arcade game
We all occasionally get the urge to make a showy fuss by sending a table -- and all the items said table is supporting -- sailing through the air. Whether you've just landed on a hotel-equipped Park Place in Monopoly, or if you've recently realized the downward spiral your half-finished life has embarked upon, the desire to dramatically rearrange furniture eventually visits us all. However, Destructoid recently turned our attention to a new Japanese arcade game that may prove cathartic enough to keep your dining room intact: Cho Chabudai Gaeshi, which translates to "Upending the Tea Table." The game takes players through a number of enraging scenarios, forcing them to pound on the table to demand the attention of nearby diners, ultimately culminating in the titular Upending. You can check out two videos of rage-filled people playing the game after the jump.
Wacky Apple lawsuit of the day: Apple conspiring with Italian Mafia
Just when you think you've heard everything, along comes an Apple lawsuit that simply defies reality.Beverly Hills, CA resident Gregory McKenna has filed a 124-page complaint in a U.S. District Court in Missouri against Apple and a group of other defendants, including the F.B.I., the St. Louis County Police Department, and an auto mechanic. Why? Well, McKenna alleges that Apple conspired with the Italian Mafia to affix special receivers to an iPod shuffle he purchased on eBay and an iPod mini purchased in an Apple Store. These receivers were allegedly used by the Mafia to transmit threatening messages to the iPods.Okaayyyyy. So, what were these messages? Well, first there was the time in 2008 where recordings of Mafia members saying "I'm going to kill him" were played in unison with a song on McKenna's iPod mini. The most serious message was apparently transmitted not only to his iPods, but also to an iBook G4, a PowerBook G4, and three vehicles including his mother's Honda Accord.The "message" consisted of the word "herpes" being inserted into the song "Still Tippin'" by hip-hop/rap artist Mike Jones. Mr. McKenna alleges that this was done "to humiliate, degrade, and cause emotional distress" to him. While apparently the Mafia was using the messages to coerce McKenna into doing fashion modeling for them in New York City (I am not making this up), I'd speculate that it's probably Apple's way to get him to purchase newer equipment. [via AppleInsider]
BlackBerry credited with saving skier's life, serendipity left hanging
Not that we haven't heard a few miraculous gadgets-saving-lives stories before, but this one is in a league of its own. According to the always-embellishing Sun, one David Fitzherbert is thanking his smartphone after coming entirely too close to falling 700 feet to his death. As the story goes, he got wedged between a pair of rocks after losing control of his skis in the Matterhorn, and while we aren't quite sure why he chose RIM's BlackBerry over -- say, chap-stick, car keys, his wallet or a fattening breakfast -- he credited it with adding just enough width to his person to keep him wedged. Two hours after finding himself between a rock and a hard place, rescue crews arrived and flew him to a hospital where he used the "0.5-inch wide" phone to tell his wife that he had survived a nasty spill. We still say David owes a round of thanks to genetics, luck and Zeus, but hey, what do we know?
3G S application that Apple forgot to mention: dog whistle
Update: The plot thickens: the phone also emits the noise just after recording video, and for a much longer period of time. An Apple discussion thread about the noise is here.Are dogs unusually attentive to, or angry at, your new iPhone 3G S? The folks over at Boy Genius Report have an inkling as to what might be causing it: when a iPhone 3G S user sends a text message or locks the screen, the phone's speaker (the grille on the bottom left-hand side of the device) emits a high pitched sound for approximately three seconds. Many users corroborate the presence of the sound in the comments of the article. This is an unusual response to these interactions, and further investigation has not yielded any other function that triggers the sound. To activate the sound with a lock, the phone must first be fully unlocked (waking the phone and putting it back to sleep will not trigger the sound). The phone does not emit the tone when the sound is switched off; likewise, when the volume is low, the sound is barely audible, if at all. To my 22-year old ears the sound is soft even with the volume all the way up, but noticeable once I became aware of it (and now a bit annoying). Boy Genius Report estimates the sound to be in the 15 kHz range (here's a clip of a similar sound for reference), well within the iPhone's listed range of 20 Hz to 20 kHz. Your personal experience with the sound may vary, as higher pitched sounds become harder to hear as you age. Some users report hearing it loud and clear, while others must hold the speaker right up to their ear to hear it; some don't hear it at all. For this reason, it's hard to say whether the sound is endemic to the phone or an anomaly only occurring in certain devices. A call to Apple's tech support revealed they had no previous knowledge of this issue. They directed me to do a hard reset (holding down the Home button + the Sleep button for ten seconds) but the sound remained. The representative speculated it was a hardware issue, and recommended I take the phone to my nearest Apple Store to get a replacement. Until then, if a rabid dog attacks me, all I have to do to confuse it is unlock and relock my iPhone (or, send a text message). Can any of you hear this sound too?
Thanko's own necktie doubles as spy camera, naturally
A necktie from Thanko -- you could tell this thing was only fit for a double agent already, couldn't you? Freshly introduced and ready to draw attention to your poor taste, this here spy tie includes a built-in video recorder along with a minuscule handheld remote used to turn it on and off. The video camera itself is installed on a USB-equipped slab of flash memory (4GB, or about four hours of low resolution footage), making those tie-to-PC transfers extra snappy. And at ¥12,800 ($128), it comes off as a bona fide steal compared to less useful alternatives in Bloomingdale's. Our only lingering question? What's a brother got to do to get a clip on version?[Via AkihabaraNews]
Nokia 1600 survives week in fish's belly, still makes smelly calls
First off, it's rather amazing that someone in a developed nation is still using the Nokia 1600 as their primary handset. Secondly, it's even more astounding that said handset lasted a week in the belly of a cod and could still make calls after it was rescued. In a just-barely-believable story hosted up at The Sun, a businessman was both shocked and confused when his presumably sunk cellphone began ringing his lady friend around five days after he dropped it at sea. As the tale goes, a 25 pound cod managed to swallow the thing, and a pair of fishermen discovered it upon gutting their catch. The best part? The bloke who it was returned to is still using it, despite the fact that it literally reeks of rotten fish. Who knows -- maybe he suffers from ichthyomania.[Via Nokia Conversations]
eHarmony advertises in Warsong Gulch
Quinionn on Magtheridon sent us this picture -- apparently dating website eHarmony has gotten in on the in-game advertising just in time for Valentine's Day. He had just joined a Warsong Gulch when this guy showed up spamming an ad.There's a number of strange things going on here -- as far as we know, this isn't an official Blizzard move, but most of the people spamming ads in the game are shady gold-selling websites, not real corporations with bigger profiles. And the weirdest thing might be this: Eharmony on Arthas isn't a one-time character created to spam in Trade -- he's level 80 with 450 Jewelcrafting and Mining. There's actually a lot of characters with the same name around, with different levels and classes, even in different guilds (though this one is probably the funniest).Very weird. At the very least, the spammer's aiming to lose his character, and at worst, if this is an organized action, Blizzard might actually have a case against eHarmony for spamming inside the game. Have you seen any other ads like this around the game?Update: Mystery seems to be solved: it was just some guy messing around. Strange way to mess around, though. He's in our comments, and says he's getting a free name change after the GMs said what he was doing was not so cool.
Octopuses found to be fans of high-def, not so much SD
In case you weren't already convinced that animals across the globe simply prefer high-definition content, here's yet another research study to pound it through your thick skull. Renata Pronk utilized both SD and HD content in order to judge the reaction of octopuses when seeing a fellow octopus, a crab (read: dinner) and a random bottle. Her findings? The creature's eyes were simply too fast to view the SD content as anything other than a meaningless series of images, while the HD material caused it to puff up / scurry away, open wide or carry on aimlessly, respectively. Who says creatures of the wild don't have discerning taste?[Via Slashgear, image courtesy of Deviantart]
More deceased taking cellphones, PMPs to their graves
It's been happening for centuries in one form or another, but packing in a favorite diecast car or trophy just seems a bit different than sending your loved one six feet under with a BlackBerry 7290. According to the London-based The Future Laboratory think tank, the amount of people arranging to have their cellphones or portable media players buried with them is on the rise, with a family service counselor for Hollywood Forever funeral home and cemetery stating that "it seems that everyone under 40 who dies takes their cellphone with them." Truth be told, the psychology behind it isn't all that odd; after all, in today's world, mobile phones go a long way to connecting one person with other loved ones. Just make sure to not go down with a Vertu or the like -- wouldn't want to get unwillingly exhumed, now would we? [Image courtesy of cc275, via The Inquirer]
You know you play too much WoW if...
I admit it. I play too much WoW. That's alright, if you're visiting this site, you probably do, too. I have found it interesting how WoWisms have made it into my everyday life. I'm not talking about weird things like naming a kid Onyxia or getting plastic surgery to look like a Blood Elf. Some WoW habits just become normal. So here goes, you might play too much WoW if:...words like gank, pwn, and aggro have made it into your regular vocabulary.... you find yourself hitting your push-to-talk key to the person next to you, on the phone, or any other place that's not Vent.... You've had nightmares that involve Death Knights, Murlocs, or *shudder* Gnome Rogues.
