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Free cell phones--but you have to pay hefty monthly fees to use them. Video game consoles at well below cost--but you have to buy expensive video games to use them. Free coffee makers for businesses--but you have to buy coffee packets to make them work. King Gillette started the trend in the 1900s by giving away razors so people would buy disposable blades. It still works--with the cost of many tech products falling fast, businesses realize that more money can be made tricking consumers into thinking they're getting something for nothing.

Read the full Wired story: "Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business"

Next month, when the domain name suffix .asia goes live you can expect some eye-opening sales and court battles over who can own what and when. While the initial interest in .asia is no where near as strong as it was for .eu when it became available in 2006, the most interested parties will be speculators ready to grab a quick buck and companies trying to gain an edge or protect their turf. When .eu became available, there were more than 95,000 conflicting claims for domain names.

Read the full BBC News story: "Domain name for Asia up for grabs"

That's why they call it the CrackBerry. A new study warns of the dangers of technology addiction and how it can ruin lives. Symptoms such as getting up several times at night to check messages, withdrawal from families, and feeling lost when tech devices are absent can lead to problems at work and with relationships. The head of the study, professor Nada Kakabadse of Northampton University, doesn't advocate warning labels on devices, but she does advise employers to hold training sessions.

Read the full BBC News story: "Warning given over techno addicts"

Don't throw your HD DVD disks yet. If you have a fast Windows processor, an HD DVD drive, a Blu-ray burner, at least 30GB of free hard drive space, and an Internet connection, you can convert them into Blu-ray disks. Or you could just save your old HD DVD player--I mean, you can still find 8-track players at flea markets.

Read the full Wired story: "Convert your HD DVDs to Blu-ray"

Sources told CNN that the U.S. Navy was preparing to launch a missile Thursday from an Aegis cruiser to destroy a failed U.S. spy satellite before it has a chance to reenter the Earth's atmosphere. The 5,000 pound satellite that shut down almost immediately after its launch in December 2006 is filled with rocket fuel that could disperse deadly fumes over the size of about two football fields. Plus, U.S. intelligence could be compromised if the satellite was found by another nation.

Read the full CNN story: "Sources: Navy to shoot down failed satellite Thursday"

Carolyn Porco, leader of the Imaging Science team on NASA'S Cassini mission at Saturn, will take a break from real science for Star Trek's world of science fiction. She brings experience from other movies, such as Contact with Jodie Foster to her new position as a consultant on planetary science and imagery for the next Star Trek movie. This gives Trekkies more reason to be excited since the film is a project of director and producer, J.J. Abrams. who's claim to fame is that he co-created, produced and directed the TV series Lost and Alias and directed Mission Impossible 3. Porco even has an asteroid named after her.

Read the full Space.com story: "New 'Star Trek' movie gets science advice"

How many times have you sat through two or three red lights while just one or two cars whiz by the other way? "Smart" traffic signals could reduce waiting at intersections by as much as 28 percent according to simulations by Romanian and U.S. researchers. Plus, drivers could save even more gas if their cars could communicate with the traffic lights. The smart signals could tell the car when the lights are about to change, allowing the driver to anticipate the stop and slow down earlier.

Read the full New Scientist story: "Could smart traffic lights stop motorists fuming?"

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts gave out its its first Oscars for 2007 at the Scientific and Technical Awards dinner Saturday. One of the top awards was given to a group of 20 geeks for "stable, semi-Lagrangian fluid flows" or technology that makes water appear to flow realistically in movies. The dinner for the movie technology is usually a drab affair compared to Oscar night but an exception was actress Jessica Alba. While presenting an award, the star impressed the geeks with her charm and ability to pronounce even the most difficult scientific terms.

Read the full USA Today story: "Alba dazzles nerds at tech Oscars"

It won't make the games run any better, but a new version of IBM's Cell chip, which powers the PlayStation 3, will take up 34 percent less space and use 40 percent less power. But the best news is that the energy-efficient 45-nm processor will allow cutbacks on the PS3's cooling system. The cooler chip is also expected to be more reliable and cut down on returns. This should result in lower costs to produce and maintain--eventually leading to cheaper prices for consumers.

Read the full Ars Technica story: "IBM shrinks Cell to 45nm. Cheaper PS3s will follow"

Civil liberties groups are expected to file a lawsuit Thursday to force the U.S. government to disclose its policies on border searches. At issue are numerous complaints, primarily from people with a Muslim, Middle Eastern or South Asian background, of border agents confiscating gadgets such as notebooks, cell phones, and MP3 players to examine and copy their contents without explanation. The gear is returned but civil libertarians are upset over potential racial or religious profiling and personal information being taken without explanation.

Read the full Washington Post story: "Clarity sought on electronics searches"