Crave

Here's something you don't see everyday. Winston Churchill could have said that too.

At the RSA Security Conference taking place this week in San Francisco, the National Security Administration is showing off one of the prizes from World War II: a captured Enigma machine. The Germans encoded messages on the machine by twirling the rotors. By capturing a couple of them, British code-breakers were able to unravel their once-secret messages.

One of the more interesting parts is the workmanship. The wood box is really nice and comes with brass inlay. And I loved the sheet of instructions on … Read more

By the end of this year, Apple could be planning to shift all of its iPods over to flash memory storage, according to an analyst report.

The report, from Prudential Equity Group analyst Jesse Tortora, was spotted by AppleInsider. Tortora believes that by late 2007 Apple could shift the video iPods over to flash memory as part of a redesign of the product. The iPod Nano and iPod Shuffle already use flash memory.

Flash memory has many advantages. It has no moving parts, unlike hard drives that can fail from repeated jostling or falls, and it allows Apple to make … Read more

The guys and gals over at Goodyear will be shaking when they read this. The next Super Bowl may feature a far more interesting blimp if Air Genie gets the right people's attention.

Gear Factor picked up on this patent-pending dirigible called the Air Genie video airship.

The hybrid helium blimp has telescoping landing legs and a completely retractable cabin, so it appears as a perfect sphere when in flight. While it has television and radio broadcasting capabilities, it can also reflect its own surroundings to blend in.

Not only can it be "invisible," but it can … Read more

In case you don't know yet, Wii workouts are the hottest fitness strategy since...Dance Dance Revolution. And, naturally, there are a whole host of entrepreneurs trying to capitalize on the possibility that Wii "athletes" might be willing to shell out some extra cash for Wii-centric fitness equipment.

One blogger even dreamed up a prototype for Wii Weights, a Wii-branded version of those strap-on wrist weights that you occasionally see people using at the gym. The thinking behind 'em is that it'll make your Wii Tennis workout a little more strenuous, and maybe help you lose … Read more

Tintin, a boy journalist featured in a popular series of comic books and cartoons, drove and rode in a wide variety of cars throughout his adventures. We were just e-mailed the URL of a Web site that not only shows each car as drawn in the comic books, but also includes pictures--in most cases--of the real car that the comic car is based on. Just click a thumbnail on the All Tintin Cars page (or Toutes les autos de Tintin, for you purists), and two pop-up windows show the original comic and a photo of the real car. As Tintin … Read more

Remember when gas masks were all the rage? So passe. The true survivalist chic will surely be flashing their new toxic gas detectors at their next bunker soiree.

Fashionable toxic gas detectors are now available in a convenient handheld design, according to Mobile Magazine says, so we can "identify safety and security threats in real time." Not only that, but the new QRAE II model claims to be the first four-gas monitor with a lead-free oxygen sensor--who could ask for more?

We just hope they'll come out with some new colors soon. (Black is so 2006 in … Read more

Toyota's Scion division launched a new car at the Chicago Auto Show, the 2008 Scion xD. Scion made room in its model lineup by discontinuing the xA. The new xD looks like a five-door version of the xA, stretched for more interior room. But it also looks like Scion took the boxy xB and made it look more like a regular car. With this strategy, Scion can sell its xD to boring people, who can't stand the styling of the xB. But we're not done here yet. Our third take on the xD's design is that … Read more

If you saw our recent item on the shrine to the Mac and wanted to build one of your own, here's your chance to get started.

Gizmodo notes that 40 Macintosh Classic IIs are for sale on eBay, with bids starting at $799 for the whole lot (or you can buy them now for $999). But as others have noted, they're not exactly a bargain--especially when you consider what a pain it is to get rid of any old computer these days, now that they're classified as hazardous waste. But hey, if you're looking to spruce … Read more

Scion, Toyota's ultrahip brand, used the second morning of the Chicago Auto Show to launch the second incarnation of its hugely popular Scion xB. The boxy urban utility vehicle gets a makeover inside and out for its 2008 model year, with an all-new external profile, a bigger engine, bigger wheels, and some nice-to-have interior tech features. With rounded corners, wraparound headlights, and more sheet metal than its predecessor (1 foot longer, 3 inches wider, and 1 inch shorter), the 2008 xB has nearly eight more cubic feet than the previous-generation xB. To move its newly sculpted carcass around, the … Read more