Author: Toby Leftly

Remember that racecar bed you loved so much when you were a kid? What was the deal with that, anyway? Does anyone really feel like they’re racing a car when they’re lying or sleeping in one of those things? Childish flights of fantasy abound, here’s a similar concept. The racecar Wii controller by CTA Digital. Pretty obvious really, this is actually a pretty neat idea. Like most Wii controllers, you simply attach your Wii or Wii Motion Controller to the device and your gaming experience is enhanced. In this case, the device is an inflatable racing car. Your Wii controller attaches to the steering…

The series finale of the hit show LOST has achieved a dubious honor. It is officially the most pirated torrent file of all time. Because the show aired in the US up to 72 hours before airing in other countries, a record number of torrent site users opted to download the file online rather than wait for the show to air in their region. The BitTorrent file was shared over 1 million times in less than 24 hours, with over 100,000 people seeding the file at any one time. The show finale was aired in 59 countries simultaneously in an attempt to cut down on pirating, but clearly some users were not willing to wait…

Trees are our friends these days, but we still have to chop down a whole bunch of our good buddies so we can write notes to our significant others to remind them that they should pick up milk if they’re at the store, and don’t forget to pick up the kids. The paperless office was largely a bust, due to the fact that sometimes you just can’t beat a good note written in ink with a pen. Or can you? The Boogie Board hopes to change all that. It’s an LCD touch screen that allows you to use a stylus as a pen to write in a single color, and then erase the message with the push of a button. Like a blackboard, or a modern day etch-a-sketch,…

Okay, that headline is probably a little more sensationalist than is absolutely necessary, but that’s the message a UK scientist is trying to get across. Dr Mark Gasson from the University of Reading implanted a chip in his hand that contained a computer virus. The chip is similar to the kind used to monitor and tag pets, but Gasson infected the chip with a virus. Due to the sophisticated nature of ID chip scanning technology, the virus was able to jump from the chip in Gasson’s hand to the external security scanners and chip readers he interacted with. There’s little need for widespread concern at…

Some people would kill to have the latest technology, and some are being killed by it. A mobile phone number has been discontinued after three separate owners died after having been allocated the number. The cell phone number 0888 888 888 seems like an awesome cell phone number, right? Easy to remember, looks cool on your business card, etc. But the three people who have owned that number have all died under suspicious circumstances. The first owner, Vladimir Grashnov, was the owner of Bulgaria’s Mobitel. He died of cancer in 2001, but there are rumors that he was poisoned by a business rival. The…

Wired has finally released an iPad-friendly version of its magazine (iTunes link), and early indications are that it’s pretty damn good. There was a brief snafu where Condé Nast worked with Adobe to build the prototype application using AIR, an Adobe framework which is banned from Apple’s iPhone and iPad. Now the app has been rejigged, and Wired has released its first ever digital edition of their printed magazine. Advertisers have been offered premium spots in the digital app, allowing interaction and animation. Advertisers include GE, Olympus, Fidelity Investments and HBO. The app costs…

As a gadget nerd, it’s important to carry only the very latest cell phone, mp3 player and camera. But poor old mother earth takes a hit each time you upgrade. The Aeolus is a cell phone concept that uses wind and solar power on the go in addition to charging. With a built in fan and solar panels, no one could accuse this device of being an energy hog. The phone is designed to be attached to the handlebars of a bicycle for easy hands-free charging, and will be built from renewable materials. With so many gadgets all milking the grid with inefficient rechargeable batteries, I love the idea of devices that help…

Wearable tech is all the rage in tech concepts right now. With the technology to achieve truly portable, wearable technology just out of reach, it’s fun to imagine what we could be using in as little as five or ten years as computer interfaces. Two major technologies are being touted as the big enablers of wearable computing: Flexible, affordable OLED touchscreens and holographic screens. This concept has them both, and then some. The wristband is bulky but has a full wraparound screen, and can be laid flat with a pop out keyboard and holographic display projected above. The only strange thing…

If you’re online, watch TV or have kids, you probably know the name Justin Bieber, and hear it way more than you want to. One Firefox developer has the same feeling, and created a Firefox add-on to help achieve this goal, at least in internet searching and browsing. The extension, named Shaved Bieber will censor any mention of the despised one in your browser. A bookmarklet is also available to allow custom censoring of pages. The tool even helps hide images of Bieber so you don’t have to look at his adorable, despicable face. Developer Greg Leuch was also responsible for a Firefox extension that changes…

Predictably, Steve Jobs has been announced as the Keynote speaker for this year’s WWDC conference to be held on June 7th, and the natural showman is already hard at work building suspense for the big day. Jobs is famous for allegedly responding to emails sent to his personal address, and the latest response indicates that Jobs doesn’t intend to let Google steal Apple’s thunder. Mac Rumors reader Bryan Webster sent Jobs an email, encouraging Apple to outdo Google, and received a characteristically brief yet poignant response. “You won’t be disappointed.” Despite Gizmodo publishing information…