Hasta La Gadget!

How many times do we have to tell you to back up your data people? Let this serve as an object lesson–two leading cancer researchers at Oklahoma University had their computer stolen recently.

It may have contained the cure for prostate cancer–or, at the very least, some vital clues in the fight against it. Sook Shin and her husband Ralf Jankecht had years of data on the thing. And no, they didn’t back up. Sin told the press, “I’m so devastated, and I feel so guilty.”

The couple is offering $1,000 for the safe return of their 13 inch Macbook, which was stolen from their Jetta parked outside of an Oklahoma-area Panera Bread, after a thief broke the window and stole a computer bag containing the computer.

“Please return the computer with the data saved,” added Jankecht. “This would tremendously help us and you would do something for society.”

A 45-year-old South Carolina resident agreed to remove a set of dyed-pink male genitals from a snowman, after being confronted by local police.

The man was confronted by a deputy from South Carolina’s Union Country after building the too anatomically correct winter symbol. The man insisted that he ought to be able to build the snowman, pink genitals and all, so long as it was located on his private property. The police disagreed, threatening to arrest him, should the genitals stay in place.

The man complied, promptly removing said pink snow genitals.

No wonder they’re
valuing Groupon at $15 million. It’s hard to argue with a deal like this. At 57
percent off, you’re definitely going to need a new pair of pants.

Honestly, is there a better reason for undergoing major cosmetic surgery than finding a coupon in your inbox? 

The man who hacked into Sarah Palin’s Yahoo Webmail account started his year-and-a-day-long prison sentence this week in Ashland, Kentucky. David Kernell, the 23-year-old son of Tennessee Democratic politician, accessed the then Vice Presidential candidate’s inbox by answering a number of security questions.

Kernell’s findings eventually made their way onto WikiLeaks, a site that has come under increased scrutiny in the past year, thanks to the release of thousands of classified documents.

According to the BBC, the judge in the case suggested that Kernell serve out his term in a halfway house. The Bureau of Prisons thought differently, sending the 23-year-old, who goes by the online name “rubico,” to a low-security prison.

Remember Virgin Mobile’s amazing MiFi plan which gave truly unlimited mobile internet for just $40 per month? It turns out that Virgin couldn’t handle it, and has decided to cap the plan at just 5GB.

This isn’t just for new customers, either. A Gadget Lab reader forwarded us an email he received from Virgin (pasted below) telling him that his service will be crippled as of February 15th. Even AT&T, the grandaddy of screwing customers, let iPhone users keep their existing unlimited plans when they capped bandwidth for new contracts.

Virgin won’t cut you off completely once you get to 5GB. Instead, it will slow bandwidth to a (unspecified) trickle, a common trick in Europe.

The plan, still to be called “Unlimited Broadband2Go”, is contract-free, so you can at least walk away. And remember, if you see anything promising you “unlimited” data in the future, just assume that it’s a lie.

[Thanks, Sandy!]

See Also:

• Virgin MiFi With True Unlimited 3G Data for $40
• Mifi-hunter
• Virgin Mobile Offers Unlimited 3G for $40
• 3G iPad's 'Unlimited' Data Plan Survives Torture Test
• AT&T Adds iPhone Tethering, Kills Unlimited Data for iPad …
• Verizon Signals the End of the Unlimited Data Plan
• O2 Cuts Unlimited iPhone Data to Just 1GB in UK

Here at Virgin Mobile, our mission is to deliver an outstanding customer experience. Sometimes that means making difficult choices in order to provide the best possible service to the greatest number of customers.

To make sure we can keep offering our $40 Unlimited Broadband2Go Plan at such a great price, we’re putting a speed limit in place for anyone on that plan who uses over 5GB in a month.

How will it work?
Starting February 15, 2011, if you go over 5GB in a month on the $40 Unlimited Plan:
Your data speeds will be limited for the remainder of the monthly plan cycle. During this time, you may experience slower page loads and file downloads and lags in streaming media.
Your data speeds will return to normal as soon as you buy a new Broadband2Go Plan.
This change will only affect plans bought on or after 2/15/2011.
How will it affect me?
Keep in mind, 5GB is A LOT of data. To give you an idea, it’s about 250 hours of web browsing or over 500,000(!) emails*. So this change shouldn’t affect you unless you’re a heavy downloader/streamer/etc.

How will I know if I’m getting close to 5GB?
We’ve updated the progress bar in your Connection Manager to show the amount of data you’ve used. If you go above 5GB in a month, the bar will turn yellow, letting you know your data speeds will be reduced until you buy a new plan.

By putting this speed limit in place, we’re making sure we can deliver the same quality service you’ve come to expect from Broadband2Go. We hope you understand.
Thanks for being a Broadband2Go customer.
Virgin Mobile

* Data usage per activity is based on an average. Actual usage varies depending on the types of websites, video, email and other internet applications accessed.