Author: Toby Leftly

It’s a big day for democracy, albeit all the way over in jolly old England. It’s time for the UK General election, and the world should be paying attention – we need to know the name of the guy who will have his lips pressed to the US President’s buttocks for the next four years. What’s new this time around is the way technology, particularly social media is being used to track and monitor up-to-the-minute news about the election. UK Facebook users should see an ‘I Voted’ button which will add an item to your profile to let people know how you voted. The Guardian newspaper has created a Twitter Mashup Map…

Everyone loves a good hack. There are good hacks, bad hacks, clever hacks, then there’s just plain old hacking. John Benson purchased a 3G iPad and traveled home to the UK hoping to be able to simply switch SIM cards. The one problem? The 3G iPad takes a MicroSIM card, which aren’t yet available in the UK. Some might have been stumped. Some might have given up. Not John. With a chopping board and cleaver, John literally hacked his way out of a pickle. On his site he provides step by step instructions with photos, but doesn’t recommend everyone try this. John is now happily using his 3G iPad on the Vodafone…

Jonathan Clifford Bergqvist’s dad could probably beat up your dad. When Jonathan decided to build a shoulder-mounted support for his camera, he got his dad on board. In terms of craftsmanship, he could give the guys from This Old House a run for their money. Starting from a tree branch, this guy gets medieval on a piece of wood, shaping it and working it until it’s smooth and round. The end result is a superb example of why sometimes modern materials just aren’t as cool as the old school. The rig even included a focus adjuster so the operator doesn’t have to take one hand off the grip. Jonathan and his dad…

I’m absolutely speechless. Some truly great things have been made possible in the name of charity, but if there’s five words that should catch the attention of male nerds everywhere, these are they: Star. Wars. Charity. Car. Wash. The video tells the story my keyboard refuses to, but let me try to spell out the scenario. A bunch of “exotic dancers” all dress up as Princess Leia in the golden bikini and wash cars, while stormtroopers and Darth Vader look on. Watch the video. Go. There’s not a whole lot more to say on this one. Enjoy the series of videos, part one, part two, part three, part four and part…

Apple, always the innovator, is looking for the key to your heart. Security is a major concern in computing, particularly with smaller mobile devices becoming more capable. Apple thinks it has the answer. The patent describes a method of detecting an authorized user by the pulse in the veins and arteries in the hand holding the device. A sensor built into the device would detect your heart rhythm, apparently as unique as a fingerprint or retina. Other uses have been suggested, such as mood detection or managing user profiles. I’ve not heard much about cardiac signatures before, but this strikes…

If you’re on of the one million people who purchased an iPad, you probably planned to buy either a case, a keyboard or both. The Clamcase solves all your iPad-related woes by providing both. Demand for this uber-accessory was so high yesterday that the company site was knocked offline. The company is sending users to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube while they prepare their servers for higher demand. The Clamcase “magically” turns your iPad into a full laptop, with bluetooth keyboard and full hinged casing. The Facebook page doesn’t offer a price, but in the discussions page the price of $75 is mentioned….

Facebook and privacy go together like Hilary Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Yesterday it was revealed that yet another security breach at Facebook exposed user data to public view. A bug in the feature that allows users to see how their profile appears to others exposed chat data and pending friend requests. Facebook responded quickly to patch the hole, but it’s once again clear that Facebook is the least secure of the social networking sites. In late 2009 they were attacked for security practices at one point that involved all staff accessing the main user database used a single password. Now Marc…

Surprise, Surprise, Google doesn’t like sitting twiddling it’s thumbs for too long. With eleventy billion dollars in the bank and the search market all sewn up, what’s a multinational conglomerate to do other than invade, conquer and plunder other markets? The latest, if not most obvious area of interest for Google is TV. While some believe that sites like Hulu will eventually signal the death of TV as we know it, Google wants to begin working on it from the other side with it’s most recent acquisition, Invidi Technologies, a company working on “addressable” TV ads. Yep, if TV advertising wasn’t…

Adobe and Google, sitting in a tree.. Since Apple’s CEO publicly and thoughtfully destroyed Flash’s chances of ever making it to the iPhone or iPad, Adobe has been looking for a kindred spirit who will champion the need for Flash on a mobile device. A while back we saw a demonstration of Adobe’s 10.1 Flash mobile player running on a Nexus One, but today the plot thickens considerably. Most people now understand that the barriers to Flash on smartphones are at least genuine, legitimate concerns, but what about a tablet device? Who else but Google could Adobe turn to? If the enemy of my enemy is my friend,…

Comedian Ellen DeGeneres has fallen foul of Apple’s infamously volatile sense of humor. After posting the above iPhone 3GS commercial parody, Ellen said that Apple representatives contacted her with complaints. The video shows Ellen attempting to send a text but mistakenly opening Google Maps. She then sends a jumbled text message to her partner, Portia DeRossi before asking someone off camera for assistance. Apple is notoriously fickle about who can poke fun at it, and apparently Ellen overstepped the mark. It’s clear to all that Ellen is poking fun at herself rather than the device, and…