Magazine Covers Go High-Tech

By JR Raphael
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

A publication known for its bold covers is now attempting to go where no magazine has gone before.

Esquire has announced its September issue will boast an electronic cover that will flash the declaration “The 21st Century Begins Now.” The special issues will be seen only at newsstands, and only in 100,000 issues nationwide — about a seventh of the magazine’s total circulation — according to the New York Times.

The cover, created by E Ink, will stay powered for a full 90 days. A tiny battery is actually embedded inside. Each has to be inserted by hand, then delivered on a refrigerated truck to avoid losing significant power. The technology’s been used in things like in-store displays but never on a magazine, Esquire’s editor tells the Times.

The electronic cover came at a six-figure price tag but is supported by Ford, which will have an ad on the inside. Esquire bought exclusive rights to the technology through 2009.

E Ink, interestingly, also developed the technology in Amazon’s Kindle e-book device, the Times points out.

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StumbleAudio lets you find new music – but for how long?

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

As I’ve pointed out before, it’s inevitable that when a successful website pops up, clones start forming around it to ride piggyback on its success, most of the clones being mediocre to say the least.   But I have to say that I like the latest Stumbleupon clone that has appeared – StumbleAudio – which as the name suggests, lets you stumble through music to find new songs and singers.

Unlike Stumbleupon though, there’s no toolbar to install.   You just go to the site, choose your music genre then press the “stumble” button.    Don’t like the album it gives you?   Then press the “stumble” button again and another one pops up.

Despite there being links to buy the music on iTunes, Amazon or on CD, you have to wonder how legal this site is.   The songs are being played in full and it won’t be long until someone works out how to hack the site and steal the music files.    How much do you want to bet the RIAA is looking at this site right now and plotting how to take it down?

So my advice would be – enjoy StumbleAudio while it lasts because the webmaster will probably be getting a takedown notice soon.



Death Switch – a good idea or a very bad idea?

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

You can just about have any need catered to these days on the internet – whether it’s takeaway pizza or giggling Japanese schoolgirls in ankle socks whispering kinky thoughts to you via webcam (so I’ve heard anyway).   Now a company called Death Switch is offering you the chance to pass on any important information to your loved ones after your death – in case you were unfortunate enough to die first before being able to choke out your passwords.

This is how it works – you write out an email message with what you want to say to your family.  For a fee, you can also attach something to the email such as a file, a video, pictures, whatever.  You then send it to Death Switch.

They will then email you on a “regular basis” to see if you are still alive and you will tell them by responding to the email.   If you don’t respond, they will apparently send out several more replies over a certain period of time and if you don’t reply to those, Death Switch assumes you are either dead or incapacitated and they will then send out your email to the person you have previously designated.

On the surface, a service like this seems like a good idea.   I have lots of passwords in my head and if I was hit by a bus tomorrow, my partner would have no idea how to access my email (with all my contacts), my Skype (with all my phone numbers) and my online banking (with all my wads of cash).   So having a backup system like this would appear to be good.

But (and there’s always a but) something also bothers me about this.   First of all, would you trust a service like this to hold your sensitive passwords in an email?   What safeguards are in place? I wouldn’t really want them to hold my online banking password.   Secondly, what if the checking emails got into the spam folder accidently and the “Mark is dead” email got sent to my mother?   She might assume it was spam and a joke but then again she might not….cue lots of hysterical screaming over the phone.

What about you?   Would you use a service like this?   Do you see a niche in the market for a service like Death Switch?   Or is this just a cowboy operation out to make a fast buck?

Brush up on your X Files in time for the movie

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

It’s been ten years since the last X Files movie and six since the last TV programme.   So you might want to do a bit of reading up on the cult sci-fi series in time for the release of the next movie which comes out either this month or next month (depending on where you live).   I mean, can you still remember everything and everyone from the series six years ago?

io9.com has put together a few links of fan websites where you can brush up on your X Files knowledge.   It includes a Mythology Guide, a Lone Gunman timeline, episode guides and much more.

It’s fan sites like that which make you realize the value of the Internet.   Now I’m off to cover the windows with tinfoil (to stop the government from listening in), check my skin for alien microchip tracking devices and then put on some popcorn and start listening to my X-Files DVD box sets!

To blog or not to blog, that is the question

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

It dismays me sometimes when I see some bloggers and the stuff they write.   Only this morning, I was looking at someone’s blog and he was talking about a security hole that he had discovered in Gmail.   He had found a vulnerability where he could see everyone’s Gmail address, which is obviously a spammer’s wet dream.

Now in this case, the responsible course of action would be to not go into specific detail on his blog but to instead say “I’m going to contact Gmail now” and then do so.   He could contact Google, tell them what he has found, and help them plug the hole.   He would then earn serious brownie points with Google and maybe feel good about himself in the process.

But does he do this?   Of course not.   Instead, he gleefully details step by step what he has found and he details in process how you can find it too.   By doing so, he has put at risk every Gmail account out there and the only people who will be happy with this jerk today will be the spammers.   To add insult to injury, his blog is hosted on Google’s Blogspot!

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The End Of The Mouse Is Nigh?

In 1963, while working at Stanford University, Dr. Douglas Engelbart invented the mouse. By 1970, he had successfully applied for and received the US patent for this revolutionary device, but would never receive a single penny in royalties for his creation. His patent expired in 1987, which was a year or two before the explosion in personal computer use would make the mouse indispensable. (Dr. Engelbart would also go on to invent hypertext.)

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Nanobots navigating your bloodstream

Science fiction or reality: Little robots that can swim through your vascular system to administer medicine to a specific part of your body. Well, according to innovationcanada.ca, a site that showcases some of the most interesting research projects done in Canada, these robots could soon become commonplace.

Using microscopic magnetic balls, a scientist from Montreal’s polytechnic school was able to navigate the bloodstream of a living animal by exposing the beast to magnetic fields. In the case of cancer treatments, the “nanobots” could deliver chemotherapy medicine directly into a tumor, making the substance much more effective and reducing most of its secondary effects.

Since the human body is composed of nearly 100000 kilometers of sanguine vessels, the reach of this technology inside us is nearly limitless, making it the perfect vehicle to treat all kinds of afflictions.

You can read more about this promising new technology right here: Fantastic voyage, from fiction to reality.