Hasta La Gadget!

Following the catastrophic earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, surviving victims from the affected region are going to face a tough time over the coming months, if not years. Many of those who are more fortunate have been actively contributing in one way or another, regardless of distance, to help put Japan on its road to recovery. Back in the country, one such generous person is non other than Softbank founder and CEO Masayoshi Son, who’s recently visited Tamura, one of the cities most affected by the Fukushima nuclear disaster. During that trip, Son announced that Softbank will cover a year’s worth of living costs (commute and food) and provide job positions for the 1,200 people to be relocated to Takeo in Saga, the prefecture where Son originated.

Additionally, Son is using Softbank’s “Let’s Do It” campaign site — a tracker for his “Let’s Do It” tasks posted on Twitter, each accompanied by a completion status indicator — to crowdsource requests for supporting earthquake victims. So far, these requests are mainly about ways to increase efficiency for donation efforts (like publishing a live list of item shortages for each shelter, and setting up new mobile networks at the shelters), but there were two that caught our attention. Last week, one of Son’s followers suggested that Softbank should provide orphaned children free phone credit for a limited time, so that they could contact their friends and other family members. Son then retweeted this idea and announced that all earthquake orphans will receive free phones, along with call costs waived until they reach the age of 18. Another gadget-related initiative came in earlier today with Son promising free replacement for all lost or damaged iPhones due to the earthquake, with details to follow later.

Obviously, anyone providing aid to Japan in any way, shape, or form deserves just as much credit, but Softbank’s extra mileage and cunning use of social networking is certainly praiseworthy in its own right. Here’s hoping that Son’s actions will inspire others for even greater causes.

[Thanks, Tres]

Update: It’s worth pointing out that Son said he’s also happy to help pay phone bills for earthquake orphans who are already on other networks, including DoCoMo. Good on ya, sir!

Softbank to offer free phones to earthquake orphans, free replacement for lost iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As humanity continues to propel itself toward the inevitable robot apocalypse, it’s nice to know our future machine masters will at least be able to keep us entertained.

Now you can reserve that Storm Trooper uniform. While the Star Wars: The Complete Saga, Star Wars: Original Trilogy and Star Wars: Prequel Trilogy Blu-ray sets were originally announced with a release date of September and later popped up in retailer databases for September 27th, it has settled in for a September 16th arrival. Blu-ray.com points out that’s a Friday which should open things up for plenty of retailer events around the launch and leave fans with the entire weekend to tear through the movies and all the extras coming along with them, no time off of work needed. Star Wars.com has also been updated with the new date so we’re confident this one will stick, update your calendars and preorder plans accordingly.

Continue reading Star Wars Blu-ray release date set for September 16, 2011

Star Wars Blu-ray release date set for September 16, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 08:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the inevitable Zombie Apocalypse of the future, a machete-shooting crossbow will be as practical and everyday as a Leatherman is today. But right now, it is possibly the most dangerous contraption I have ever seen.

Made by Jörg Sprave, who runs The Slingshot Channel on YouTube, the Machete Slingshot consists of a standard head-lopping machete with a notch cut in the blade near the tip. This notch hooks onto the rubber bands on the crossbow, and the machete is held back, cocked, by a slotted wooden block that stops the handle from moving forward. The trigger lifts the handle over this block, and chaos ensues.

As you’ll see when you watch Jörg’s video, this isn’t something you should try at home. During the testing phase he wore nothing more protective than a T-shirt, and he has the livid, bloody gash on his Popeye-like forearm to prove it. Jörg, I think you’ll have to agree, is completely bad-ass.

Keep watching for the bonus video, and the chance to see someone even tougher than Jörg himself: Jörg’s cat. Any animal that hangs around when homemade catapults are being tested deserves our undying respect.

Shooting Machetes with the Slingshot [YouTube via CrunchGear]

See Also:

• Story of Danny Trejo's 'Brisk Machete' Spot Unfolds at SXSW …
• The Apocalypse is Coming: What You Need to Pack
• Unbreakable Fighting Umbrella Splits Watermelons, Defends …
• Crazy Fighting Umbrella with Knuckle-Duster Handle
• Million-Volt Zap Cane Is Like Real-World Lightsaber

The company will start selling its XD player at Best Buy stores and on Best Buy’s Web site, marking its debut on the shelves of a bricks-and-mortar retailer.

Originally posted at The Digital Home