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Don't recycle this coffee cup

There are many options for the modern coffee drinker. Gone are the days when the choice was simply between regular or decaf. Now, we can walk into any coffee joint and be presented with a laundry list of choices. Whether you are "hammerhead" type of coffee drinker, or would rather opt for the smooth drinking cafe au lait, chances are your local caffeinated watering hole has you covered.

For those on the go, the choices are also plentiful. Portable thermal carafes come in all shapes and sizes. Most independent cafe's will fill up your own personal cup … Read more

MP3 Insider 122: Year-end blowout

Jasmine and Donald are giving away a $300 iPod jacket along with some other audio goodies, but first you have to hear them rant about the only MP3 player you can buy with a built-in AM radio.

Plus, "rad" headphones from Japan, MP3 players with decent video capabilities, players with line-in recording, and holiday price drops. And Donald offers some advice on keeping the peace in an iTunes home.

Listen now: Download today's podcast… Read more

C. Crane Witness brings AM radio to an MP3 player

Fans of AM radio have largely been left out in the cold by MP3 player manufacturers. The excuses are many, but the main reason most device makers avoid the feature is because of the relatively large space required of an AM antenna, thus inhibiting the overall compactness of the final product. PoGo Products briefly came to the rescue with a line of AM-friendly MP3 players, but the company ceased production of the line after only a few years. Filling the void is the C. Crane Witness AM/FM MP3 Player, a basic radio-turned-MP3 player reminiscent of the Radio YourWay LX. … Read more

Ultrasound cuff to stop internal bleeding on battlefield

Internal bleeding can cause irreversible haemorrhagic shock within 30 seconds or progressive shock within eight hours, either way, it's not good and the military wants a portable, noninvasive way to detect and stop it right on the battlefield.

To that end, the Defense Advance Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has contracted with Siemens Healthcare, the University of Washington's Centre for Industrial and Medical Ultrasound and Texas A&M to develop something called the Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation cuff (DBAC). The cuff is a semi-automated, ultrasound device designed to cut blood loss and shock resulting from combat limb injuries, … Read more

Music radio? Is anybody listening anymore?

I read Matt Rosoff's Digital Noise blog all the time, and his recent lamenting radio's irrelevance hit me hard.

I think Matt was mostly referring to AM or FM radio, but what about Internet or satellite radio? Me, I'm still a die hard Sirius subscriber and listen to Left of Center, Sirius Disorder, and Underground Garage channels many hours a day. They turn me onto new music all the time, so I buy an average of two CDs a week.

Of course, now that the hoopla over the Siriius/XM merger has died down and the stock … Read more

The sporty commuter

What gets 35 miles per gallon and goes from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.5 seconds? You might suggest a motorcycle, but you would only be 66 percent right.

BRP's Can-Am Spyder uses three wheels, two in front and one in back. The Spyder isn't exactly a motorcycle, a trike, or a three-wheeled car. BRP suggests calling it a roadster, but that designation is a stretch as well.

We got our first chance to ride the Spyder this week, when BRP brought a few of them to our offices.

The learning curve was fairly quick--the … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 753: RIAA killed the radio star

OK, now this is weird: the music industry is trying to undermine the way the music industry distributes and promotes music and has always distributed and promoted music. They're calling radio piracy. What has the world come to? Also, RIM totally biffs it with the BlackBerry Bold; hackers crack the London Tube and ride around for free; and Microsoft sets a date for Windows 7. Somebody reserve the church. Listen now: Download today's podcast Episode 753

Internet provider halts plan to track, sell users’ surfing data http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401033.html… Read more

New Sony Alpha flash with a twist

Sony today announced an addition to their line of accessories for the Alpha digital cameras, the HVL-F58AM flash unit. A follow-up to the HVL-F56AM, the flash features Sony's new Quick Shift Bounce system, an innovative design where the flash head can pivot 90 degrees left or right on a horizontal axis (see photo). This lets the flash stay in the same orientation as the camera, even when the camera is held sideways for vertical shots such as portraits. You will now be able to make full use of the built-in bounce card even when the camera is rotated for … Read more

Featured Freeware: AM-DeadLink

AM-DeadLink tames your unruly bookmarks with a set of tools designed to keep your bookmark list svelte, healthy, and in fighting form. Its interface is packed with options, but tool tips and a logical layout make it easy to follow. The length of the verification process depends on the size of your Favorites list, but the wait wasn't bad in our tests. You can sort results by any of the columns, which include name, status, URL, and folder categories. You also can delete entries one at a time or by the group.

The Backup option is a welcome safeguard … Read more

Colbert's Webby honor: 'Person of the Year'

He might not get to fulfill his presidential dreams, but comic pundit Stephen Colbert will still end 2008 with at least one, uh, honor: Person of the Year at the 12th Annual Webby Awards.

The "Oscars of the Internet," presented by a consortium of technology, media, and entertainment hotshots known as the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, announced their winners and honorees on Tuesday. This year's Webbys will be presented next month as part of Internet Week New York.

Colbert received the Person of the Year accolade for his reputation as a digital buccaneer of … Read more