Mar 28

Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh Up for Auction on eBay

Posted in: Apple, Retro, Today's Chili, Weird News

20th Anniversary Mac

Long before the first iMac, long before the iPod or iPhone, and back when Apple was a company that sold beige boxes and OS X was little more than a gleam in Steve Jobs’ eye, there was the 20th Anniversary Macintosh. 
A special, custom model of the Macintosh built to celebrate Apple’s 20th anniversary in 1997, the system was a bronze, metallic beauty, almost cylindrical in shape, and earned rave reviews for its black, smooth design. Now, one can be yours, if you want to bid on it. 
The 20th Anniversary Mac featured a 12.1 LCD display, a 2GB hard drive, a TV and FM radio tuner, a 4x CD-ROM drive, a floppy drive, a 250MHz IBM PowerPC processor, and a high-end custom-made Bose sound system with a pair of speakers that shared the computer’s design. The Mac also featured a special keyboard with a built-in trackpad and leather palm rests, and could slide up under the Mac’s body when not in use. It ships with a brand new version of Apple’s Mac OS 7.6.1. 
Back when the 20th Anniversary Mac was released, it retailed for a whopping $7500. Only 11,60120th Anniversary Macs made it to users outside of Apple, and the one up on eBay now is in mint condition, and the unit has never been turned on. 
The boxes have been opened for inspection, but all of the original parts, documentation, and software are included. As of this writing, the bidding is up to over $1500 USD, with 6 days remaining in the auction. Only caveat: this unit is definitely not eligible for an AppleCare Protection Plan. 
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Mar 28

LOL, OMG, and FYI Get Formal in the Oxford English Dictionary

Posted in: Today's Chili, Weird News

OMG LOL

Those of you worried about the slow and steady decline of the English language, feel free to weep silently: Internet acronyms LOL (Laugh Out Loud,) OMG (Oh My God,) and FYI (For Your Information) have all been added to the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary. 
The Oxford English Dictionary is well known for being quick to incorporate popular language from the Internet into its official lexicon: in previous years the dictionary has added acronyms like BFFs (Best Friends Forever,) IMHO (In My Humble Opinion,) and TMI (Too Much Information) to the official list. 
The OED gave the acronyms a nod because of how quick they are to type and communicate and the frequency they’re used on sites and in situations where characters count, like SMS messages and on Twitter. They also note that while people tend to think of OMG and LOL as phrases from the past 10 years, OMG dates back to 1917, LOL dates back to the 1960s, and FYI got its start in official memoranda back in 1941.
 
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Mar 25

Man Gets $16.4 Million Time Warner Cable Bill

Posted in: cable, Today's Chili, Weird News
larry the cg.jpg

Those premium channels really add up, huh? Ohio resident Daniel DeVirgilio’s bank rejected his cable payment request–apparently his account couldn’t handle the $16.4 million bill, which was up a bit from the usual $80 a month. 

DeVirgilio jokingly chalked the whole thing up to his recent addition of Showtime premium channels to his selection. The actual culprit, it turns out, is human error. A Time Warner apparently typed in the wrong number (only off by a few decimal points). The company apologized via form letter and added that it’s working to take care of the really, really expensive problem.
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Mar 25

Scientists Develop Fake Clouds to Shade World Cup

Posted in: Today's Chili, Weird News
qatar clouds.jpg

The announcement of Qatar as the site of the 2022 World Cup has raised some temperature concerns for the summer tournament. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has suggested the possibility of moving the event to the winter, to cool things off a bit. But local scientists think they’ve developed a work around: fake clouds. 

Sceintists at Qatar University have developed solar powered “clouds” that will effectively air condition the stadium. The objects will be constructed out of carbon and will float with the help of helium. They will be operated via remote control. 
The date of the event is still, you know, up in the air, with FIFPro suggesting the move to winter, as it believes Qatar, “does not provide suitable conditions for a festival of football such as the World Cup”.
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Mar 25

Chinese Man Buys $4,000 Worth of Salt Over Radiation Concerns

Posted in: Japan, Today's Chili, Weird News
MortonSaltGirl.jpg

Let this be an object lesson about attempting to profit off of catastrophe. A man in China bought 7 tons of salt, in hopes of making a quick buck off of worries surrounding Japan’s battered nuclear reactors. The man spent $4,000 on the stuff, after being tipped off that fears would result in a shortage.

The Chinese government intervened, however, curbing fears of radiation exposure and assuring the populace that it didn’t need to rush out and buy salt. The prices dropped sharply after the announcement. 
All of this has left the man known only as “Guo” with an apartment full of salt. He’s since been told that it’s illegal to resell the stuff and to transport it to a different province in the country. At least he can take solace in never having to deal with another slug in his life. 
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Mar 24

Sushi Restaurant Offers Geiger Counter to Test Food

Posted in: Japan, Miscellaneous Tech, Today's Chili, Weird News
geiger fish.jpg

The hottest new dining accessory in Taiwan’s sushi restaurants this season? The Geiger counter, apparently. Peony, a fancy Taipei restaurant, now has a handheld radiation detector on-hand, so diners can inspect food before digging in. The restaurant picked up the device after diners expressed concerns over leaking nuclear reactors in Japan following the recent 9.0 earthquake.

“When the disaster struck Japan, our owner was very concerned about the subsequent problems,” said restaurant owner Wang Fang-pin. “After we were briefed about the Geiger counter, we purchased it right away. This way our customers can put their minds at ease, and I think it is necessary to safeguard them.”

The owners assure everyone that the sushi is already safe, having been vetting by the property authorities, prior to serving–not to mention the fact that it doesn’t come from the affected area. The Geiger counter, it seems, is more about peace of mind. It’s also a gimmick that will likely stir up interest and play upon the fears of an understandably nervous public. 
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Mar 23

Doctors Used Xbox Kinect In Surgery In Canada

Posted in: kinect, Today's Chili, video games, Weird News, xbox 360

 

Xbox-Kinect.jpg

Can the Xbox Kinect can help surgeons? A number of doctors in Canada thing so.They’ve been using the gesture-based peripheral to access photos, helping guide the surgery.

The doctors needed to access photos without having to touch anything. This allowed them to perform surgery more quickly, without having to stop to wash their hands. This may well be the first time ever that a hospital used a video game console as a guide in surgery.

The doctor has also claimed that he plans to use the Kinect more often in both surgeries, and other areas in the hospital.

Via TG Daily

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Mar 23

Real Super Mario Coin Block Spits Money When You Hit It

Posted in: diy, Today's Chili, video games, Weird News

Real Life Coin Block

Anyone who’s ever played a Super Mario Bros. game is familiar with coin blocks. Move under one, jump and hit it with your head, and coins come out. If it’s on the ground, hit it with a shell to get the same effect. The moral of the story is to hit question mark blocks whenever you see them and good things will come out of them. 
One DIY fan over at Instructables decided to apply the premise to real life, and came up with a way to make a real Super Mario coin block that not only makes the appropriate sounds when you smack it, but it also dispenses money. If you’re wondering how he did it, he’s posted the instructions and all of the parts you’ll need to make your own coin block, but be warned: you’ll have to provide your own money. Unlike the blocks in Super Mario Bros, these ones don’t come pre-stuffed with coins. 
Check out a video of the coin block in action behind the jump.
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Mar 18

Drill Mounted Pencil Sharpener is Low-Tech Fun

Posted in: Today's Chili, Weird News

Pencil Carpenter

This little gadget is essentially a standard pencil sharpener that most of us probably had in elementary school and many of us still have today – just attached to a drill bit so you can pop it into any standard hand-held drill. It may sound crazy, but the C.H. Hanson Pro-Sharp Finishing Pencil Carpenter is a real product, and you can buy it at Amazon for just under $8 US, not including shipping. 
Amazon reviewers are clearly fond of the device, but unless you’re a teacher who has to provide a room full of number 2 pencils to go with your next Scantron-based exam, it might be a little overkill. After all, you’re guaranteed to get strange looks from your classmates if you roll into your final exams with a cordless drill with the Pencil Carpenter mounted on the end and a box of pencils. 
Did we mention that the device comes with 4 finishing pencils you can use with the device? Clearly it’s a bargain.
[via NotCot]
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Mar 18

‘Super Moon’ Will Rise Saturday for First Time in 18 Years

Posted in: NASA, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili, Weird News

Supermoon.jpg

On Saturday March 19th, the Moon will be closer to the Earth than it has been in 18 years. The technical term for this moon phenomenon is perigee-syzygy, but I greatly prefer the popularized term: super moon!

NASA says, the Moon “will be around 17,000 miles (27,359 km) closer than usual as it rounds Earth in its elliptical orbit.” Don’t get too excited; that’s still 221,567 miles (356,578 km) from Earth, so it’s not exactly “close.” The effect of this change of distance is that the Full Moon will be appear 14% bigger than usual. Though it will be closer, brighter, and appear bigger, these differences will be difficult to notice, seeing how it’s an orb in the massive sky with no objects for size reference. 

But, nonetheless, it’s still pretty cool and probably worth trekking outside to take a peek at, so you can at least say you say you saw a “super moon.”

Photo via NASA

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