Hasta La Gadget!

Not every crime is a major one. There are plenty of silly things to get arrested for, as well as inopportune moments.

That is especially true of the 13 criminals highlighted below. Some of their crimes may shock you; some of their haircuts at the time will amuse you. But all will probably make you shake your head and mutter, “There, but for the grace of god…”

Check out the 13 most ridiculous criminals we could find, and let us know which of their transgressions you’re most in danger of committing one day.

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Feb 20 (Reuters) – Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker proposed a nearly $70 billion biennial budget on Wednesday that combines income tax cuts with increased spending on transportation infrastructure and private education.

Walker, a first-term Republican facing re-election next year, said he would offset the tax cuts and spending increases contained in his 2013-2015 budget by redirecting some funds away from public schools and healthcare, freezing aid to local governments and selling off state assets such as power plants.

Democrats said the proposal would weaken the economic security of the state’s most vulnerable residents.

Walker, who touched off massive protests two years ago when he curbed the collective bargaining rights of public workers, said his proposed income tax cut would save residents $343 million.

“More money in the hands of taxpayers will likely drive greater demand for goods and services, which will likely lead to greater production and eventually more hiring of employees,” he said.

The proposed budget, unveiled in an address to both houses of the Legislature in Madison, included expanded state aid to private schools through voucher programs and the tightening of income eligibility requirements for recipients of publicly funded health programs.

Walker said he also wanted “able-bodied, non-elderly” people receiving food stamps in Wisconsin to be enrolled in mandatory employment training.

“I’m all for providing a temporary hand up,” he told lawmakers. “But … it should not be a permanent handout.

Democrats, who tried unsuccessfully last year to recall Walker, were critical of the proposed budget.

State Senator Kathleen Vinehout, who was a candidate for governor in the Democratic primary ahead of last year’s recall election, said, “Roads and bridges are being paid for by borrowing and raiding money that would otherwise go to schools and universities.

“These are political choices, not the choices voters in Wisconsin would make.”

Walker’s proposed budget will now go to the state Legislature, which is controlled by Walker’s fellow Republicans.

Debate on the measure is expected to continue for months.

Copyright 2013 Thomson Reuters. Click for Restrictions.

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There are speakers, and then there are other speakers which are head and shoulders above the rest in terms of performance. Normally, most portable speakers are not exactly the toughest piece of consumer electronics in terms of build quality. Braven has something different for the masses later this spring, in the form of the Braven BRV-1 rugged speaker which will be able to live out all of your outdoor adventures without batting an eyelid. Of course, it will boast of IPX5 certified water resistance and is also shock absorbent, making this ultra-lightweight and compact portable speaker which fits into your palm comfortably without missing a beat being able to handle situations like drizzles and even a day by the beach. Needless to say, being water resistant does not mean it will be able to accompany you on your scuba diving trip.

The Braven BRV-1 rugged speaker sports a modern design that would not look out of place in this day and age, and is ideal for your next road or bike trip. It carries a 1,400mAh battery that boasts to deliver up to a dozen hours of playtime, where it pumps out audio at 6W of power. Music will be streamed wirelessly using Bluetooth connectivity, but there is also hope for older legacy devices, where they can be connected using a 3.5mm jack.

Not only that, the Braven BRV-1 rugged speaker will also boast of a noise-cancelling microphone that enables you to use it as a hands-free device, where you can make and receive calls from just about anywhere. Not only that, the Braven BRV-1 also doubles up as a portable powerbank, since it can also use its power reserves to juice up other devices such as a smartphone over USB. If you are interested in the Braven BRV-1, it can be yours for $169.99.

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[ Braven BRV-1 is one rugged speaker copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Check out this Mac-headed robot. It’s the cSpring Biped Educational Development Kit from the folks at the similarly-named Cognitive Spring team. According to its creators, the ‘bot is an attempt to “level the playing field between universities,” letting students tool around with an affordable bipedal robotics platform. cSpring has 12 servos in all — three per hip, one per knee and two per foot. It’s controlled by the Cognitive Shield, a bit of technology developed by the team in order to help bring the ‘bot to life. Cognitive Spring will be launching crowdfunding campaigns to bring bot of these products to life.

cSpring’s also got a “Kinect-like” camera on-board for sensing its environment, to help users perform what the company’s CEO calls “really easy controls.” Jump in after the break for a couple of videos of an early cSpring model in action, and click the source link below for more information on all of the above.

Check out the full list of Insert Coin: New Challengers semifinalists here — and don’t forget to pick a winner!

Filed under: Robots

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Source: Cognitive Spring

By: SPACE.com Staff
Published: 02/20/2013 10:25 AM EST on SPACE.com

After the close shave asteroid 2012 DA14 gave Earth last week and the unexpected meteor blast over Russia, it is all too be clear why some scientists have their eyes peeled for potentially dangerous space rocks. One team of astronomers at the University of Hawaii is developing an asteroid warning system to help guard against surprise impacts.

Once it is ready in 2015, the new Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (or ATLAS) will consist of eight small telescopes, each equipped with cameras of up to 100 megapixels in resolution. The telescopes will be on fixed mounts at one or two locations in the Hawaiian Islands.

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