The Rigged-Up Net

Development Of The TiVo Remote Charted “The New York Times (anonymous readers need not apply) has an article about the development of the TiVo remote control. The article reviews the user-centered design approach the designers took. According to the lead designer, they considered ‘how it feels in the hand, for long periods of time.’ How […]

Bank ATMs Converted to Steal IDs of Bank Customers A team of organized criminals is installing equipment on legitimate bank ATMs in at least 2 regions to steal both the ATM card number and the PIN. The team sits nearby in a car receiving the information transmitted wirelessly over weekends and evenings from equipment they […]

Schlotzsky’s Offers Free Wi-Fi in Restaurants in Six States; Free Use of In-Store Computers Adds to Wi-Fi Appeal Schlotzsky’s today announced it has expanded its popular free wireless Internet access (Cool Cloud(tm)) from its Austin base to include 38 restaurants in a total of six states (Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, Arizona, California) with more […]

Wrong diagnoses are killing patients Many patients in intensive care units are being wrongly diagnosed, according to a study in a UK hospital. Some are dying because doctors fail to spot major conditions such as heart attacks, cancer and pulmonary embolism. The reason, experts say, is not incompetence but that so few post-mortems are now […]

Fertile women rate other women as uglier Women judge the attractiveness other women more harshly when at their most fertile, suggests a new study. The phenomenon could be a strategy to devalue potential rivals, says the psychologist behind the work – being bitchy about others could help a woman win the attention of a desirable […]

Teen surfing Net learns he was allegedly abducted by mother Authorities have arrested the mother of a 17-year-old boy who saw his picture on a missing children’s Web site and discovered that he had allegedly been abducted from Canada 14 years ago.

Character-defining tank tops Do you spend like Carrie? Or perhaps shock like Samantha? Now you can pledge your allegiance to any of the Sex and the City sirens with one of four new tank tops that proclaim “I’m a Carrie,” “I’m a Miranda,” “I’m a Samantha” or “I’m a Charlotte”— just in time for Sunday’s […]

Testing begins on Microsoft’s Virtual Server Microsoft this week started beta testing of Virtual Server, a program that allows a single server to run multiple operating systems.

If You Come, They Will Build It Making things out of Lego bricks can be a lonely task, with many small hours of the morning spent relentlessly slapping pieces of plastic together. It doesn’t have to be like that, at least not when BrickFest hits town.

TiVo Gets Huge Horsepower Boost TiVo and other digital video recorders will get a serious boost in horsepower later this year as manufacturers start selling DVRs that can record high-definition television programming.

Half of all languages face extinction this century Half of all human languages will have disappeared by the end of the century, as smaller societies are assimilated into national and global cultures, scientists have warned.

Hi-Tech… Check out the new product called the “book”. Watch it here

Plans brew to replace drip coffee makers Procter & Gamble is about to give Starbucks a serious run for its cup-at-a-time, gourmet coffee gold mine. Along the way, P&G hopes to change the way millions of consumers make and drink coffee.

Condo sales outrun a fast market Condominiums, the long-suffering stepchild of the U.S. housing market, have come of age. In big cities and across the Sun Belt, condo sales are booming, and prices are up smartly.

Rackspace’s year-end revenues up 48 percent for 2003 Rackspace Managed Hosting on Tuesday announced that the privately held company achieved strong financial performance in 2003, with revenues increasing 48 percent over 2002.

Steve bids adieu to Walt Disney … Jobs boasts his Pixar Corp. will outclick ex-partner.. Video, music give him makings of own magic kingdom

Polaroid Warns Film Users Not to ‘Shake It’ Outkast fans like to “shake it like a Polaroid picture,” but the instant camera maker is warning consumers that taking the advice of the hip-hop stars could ruin your snapshots. (Thanks Carlie!)

Texas College Humor presented by THE VOORN PROJECT Check it here Funny stuff… thanks Johnny

I’ll be speaking at Web Entrepreneur panel on Mon, March 15 @ 3:30 – 4:30 in room 18AB at SXSW Interactive this year. See you there!

Here are some summaries of this year’s Superbowl Ads… Super Bowl XXXVIII Review

Women out-shop men online Women are spending more than men on the Internet for the first time.

Need help with your sushi definitions? Check this out

Hybrid tomato makes debut at Stock Show and Rodeo Amelia, a new tomato hybrid, will make an exclusive and short-term appearance at the San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

Yes, it snowed here… first time since 1987. Snow in San Antonio! Snow dusts city causing scores of accidents Here’s a slideshow of pictures from around the city.

Coffee-breaks sabotage employees’ abilities Taking a coffee break at work may actually sabotage employees’ ability to do their jobs and undermine teamwork instead of boosting it, suggests new research.

Altering Your Engine With New Chips When Scott Farrell, a Coast Guard instructor in Newport News, Va., wanted a big power boost for his 1998 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, he didn’t lower the suspension, install a hot camshaft or add a free-flow exhaust. Instead, he had a business-card size electronic part installed — a so-called “performance […]

Garage sale-ing for a Mac supercomputer Just a few months ago, Virginia Tech was using 1,100 high-end Macintoshes to enter the top of the supercomputer ranks. Now those same machines are being sold off as surplus goods.

People lie more on the phone than by email Communications technologies are far from equal when it comes to conveying the truth. The first study to compare honesty across a range of communications media has found that people are twice as likely to tell lies in phone conversations as they are in emails.

Adware Spreads Quickly on AOL IM Got an instant message from your boss telling you to check out a link? Think twice before clicking. It’s a link to a program that will display ads on your computer and spread to everyone else on your Buddy List. By Michelle Delio.

Spam rage drives some e-mailers to extremes Charles Booher was so mad, he did what others have longed to do: He told a spammer to stop — or else.

AIM now supports SMS gatewaying… its cool. I’ve tested it, and it works great. Woohoo! Send an SMS from AIM

Here’s the newest Terry Tate video… funny, funny stuff. Watch it here Here’s the old one.

Smoking has ‘shocking’ impact on reproductive health Smoking damages almost all aspects of sexual, reproductive and child health, reveals a “shocking” new report.

The ultimate success story: From drug dealer to rapper to movie star Snoop Dogg wants a lot more. “I ain’t getting what I want,” he says from his home atop a hilly gated subdivision in the Los Angeles suburbs. “I’m smiling. But I’m not happy.”

Comcast proposes buying Disney in $66 billion deal Comcast (CMCSA), the largest U.S. cable television operator, Wednesday launched a stunning proposal to buy Walt Disney Co. (DIS) in a deal Comcast said would value Disney at $66 billion, including debt.

H-1B Training Program to Be Axed Facing a drop in funding and a tough job market for technology professionals, the Department of Labor is poised to kill a program that trains Americans to fill positions held by foreign guest workers.

I’ve been boycotting Blockbuster since 12/18/2001. They suck. The worst customer service I had ever experienced in my life. This NYT article was music to my ears. Viacom May Spin Off Blockbuster to Shareholders Having failed to find private equity investors willing to buy the Blockbuster video rental chain, Viacom Inc. may offer to spin […]

I had never seen this, but evidentally it was aired during the ’03 MTV Movie awards… its extremely funny, and very well done… Watch it here

Here’s an interesting article about a young virus writer… The Virus Underground

Here’s a parody of the Pepsi/iTunes promotion advertisement that premiered during the Super Bowl. Watch it here