unit

A modern wall unit to be shaken, not stirred

As noted before, the dreaded '70s-era wall unit is making a 21st century comeback, in no small part because flat-screen TVs have obviated the need for the equally cliched entertainment armoire. And we're relieved to report that, unlike their predecessors, the newer generation doesn't require gouging one's eyes out.

Not surprisingly, the Italians have taken the concept to an entirely new plane. Their latest accomplishment is the "Monos" line by MisuraEmme, a flexible modular apparatus that includes a bar as well as appropriate space and compartments for all manner of media gadgetry in a museum-like … Read more

Green disinformation stunt fools media

The U.S. Climate Action Partnership, a high-profile collection of 33 corporations and environmental nonprofits, pledged Monday to slash its greenhouse gas emissions by 90 percent by 2050, and demanded that no new coal power plants be built.

The only problem with that announcement was that it was a lie.

The story, picked up by the Dallas Morning News and other media outlets, originated from a phony press release issued by environmental activists Rising Tide North America. The trick was timed to coincide with the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in Bali, Indonesia.

The exploit aimed to throw egg … Read more

Prince now sues for peace with fan sites

Prince is close to making up with three fan sites that spent the past week trading nasty publicity releases with the purple music king.

Prince Fans United (PFU), a group formed by three fan sites dedicated to Prince; Housequake.com, Prince.org, and Princefams.com, was trying to hammer out an agreement with the artist's representatives on Wednesday, according to Gavin McLaughlin, a spokesman for the group.

PFU was formed after Prince allegedly demanded that the sites remove all "photographs, images, lyrics, album covers and anything linked to Prince's likeness," the site operators claimed.

"We'… Read more

FreeRice tests your vocabulary, feeds others

While knowing how to string together words puts food on my table, FreeRice.com is trying to let you use such powers for the good of others with their vocabulary-testing site. FreeRice will service up a quick little vocab quiz with a word and four answers. If you answer correctly, the service donates 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program to give away to impoverished or hunger stricken people. If you're wrong, it'll let you know what the correct answer was and give you a chance at a new word while ramping down the … Read more

The wall unit gets a much-needed facelift

As far as furniture goes, nothing makes us shudder more than two words: wall unit. Anyone who lived through the '70s will remember the oak-veneered, round-cornered shelves that could be stacked or assembled together, forming an unsightly mass on which to place innumerable ceramic Garfields and prom photos. So we were slightly afraid to look at Gruber Schlager's "Cubiko TV Wall Unit" based on its name alone but, thankfully, it had none of those lovely trappings.

The concept is similar--addressing several home entertainment needs at once--yet the Cubiko has been updated for the digital era, in form … Read more

U.N. bureaucrat: RFID can help us do our jobs

WASHINGTON--Embedding electronic tags in containers of food and supplies--and even in workers' identification documents--will "revolutionize" the way the United Nations doles out relief in the aftermath of the next tsunami, civil war or disease outbreak, a senior organization official said Wednesday.

When U.N. workers descend on distressed locales, they often encounter logjams at airport tarmacs and confusion over what exactly is in this or that box, said David Nabarro, who's chiefly in charge of coordinating responses to bird and human influenza for the U.N. Development Group.

Nabarro said he envisions his organization one day going … Read more

Low-cost HD radios from Sony, Dual kick off the new car-tech season

HD Radio looks set to be the key feature for car-stereo makers this season. This week, Sony unveiled two budget stereo head units with HD Radio compatibility. The top-of-the-line Sony CDX-GT520 ($140) and entry-level CDX-GT320 ($100) are both HD Radio-ready, but require the addition of the Sony's clunky XT-100HD HD radio tuners module ($100) to pick up HD channels. Both systems can also be used to play satellite radio and iPods (via additional modules) and generic media players through their as-standard auxiliary-input jacks.

Meanwhile, Dual is launching its own bid for the aftermarket HD Radio crowd with the launch … Read more

The high price of ignoring open source in the UK

Of many ways to get what you want, I use the best. I use the rest. I use the enemy. I use anarchy.

Ah, the Sex Pistols. Who knew that they would sing of open source so many years before it became a commercial powerhouse? And who knew that open source would go so neglected in the Sex Pistols' homeland, the United Kingdom?

As The Guardian points out, this neglect costs the UK dearly:… Read more

The UK takes the "special relationship" too far with Microsoft

Glyn Moody points out a range of activities in the United Kingdom that have the government getting a bit too close for comfort with Microsoft. The UK has long had a "special relationship" with the United States, but come on. This goes too far. Especially since Microsoft hardly represents the US. At least, not what's best about the US.

Microsoft has long been working feverishly to lock up the UK as a Windows stranglehold. (Remember this deal from 2004?) But surely at some point the UK should start its own IT revolutionary war? That is, declare its … Read more