YouTube to Stream Hollywood Flicks?

Our favorite web giants are trailing each other’s steps once again. You’ve all heard about Apple having talks with major networks to seal the deal on show rentals, right? Well, only days after that got out, we got wind that Google is also on to the same thing.

It’s been reported that Google is touching base with major Hollywood studios in hopes that they can bring streaming film rentals to Youtube. According to Ars Techinica, the Financial Times reported that these on-demand movies will simultaneously be offered with their DVD release for around five bucks a pop. Moreover, Google’s hoping to stream these films via YouTube by the end of the year.

Movie buffs, keep your fingers crossed!

[via Ars Technica]

Woman Attempts to Smuggle Tiger at the Airport

Now we’ve heard about a lot of weird stuff that people try to smuggle in and out of the country, but this particular incident definitely makes it to the top of our list.

A sedated tiger cub was uncovered at the Bangkok airport yesterday when the X-ray scanner revealed images that looked like a real cat. A Thai woman who was set to board a flight to Iran, apparently tried to smuggle the baby tiger by packing it together with stuffed toys.

All we have to say is that it’s a good thing that the airport staff was on top of their game. We’d hate to see an adorable creature like that end up drugged and trapped in some suitcase with noting but stuffed tiger wannabees for company.

[via MSNBC]

Will ‘E-personation’ be Outlawed in California?

A bill intended to crack down on online fraud is currently sitting on Governor Schwarzenegger’s desk, awaiting his signature.

This anti-‘e-personation’ bill is backed by Senator Joe Simitian (D-Palo-Alto). According Simitian, “In the age of the Internet, pretending to be someone else is as easy as using their name to create a new e-mail account. When that is done to cause harm, folks need a law on the books they can turn to,”

Apparently, there is already an existing law similar to the bill, but it dates back to 1872 and only covers forgery of a person’s signature. This bill intends to include Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail to that.

However, there are some grey areas pertaining to the bill, such as what really constitutes “credible impersonation.” Since some activists temporarily impersonate corporations and politicians as a form protest, the bill’s take on such events is still up for discussion and debate.

[via Ars Technica]

Gaga Officially Becomes Twitter Queen

Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) is now the most followed person on Twitter with 5.72 million followers, overtaking Britney Spears who has 5.71 million. Aside from Twitter, it appears that Gaga generally rules most of social media as well. Not only does she have 16.37 million fans on Facebook, but Famecount also ranks her as the top celebrity on the Internet with a perfect score of 100.

So far, Lady Gaga has been gracious in accepting her title as the queen of Twitter. In her inauguration video, she thanks all her followers and wishes them “soft cuticles while tweeting” and that they “may never have carpool tunnel.” She further promises to “never partake in celebrity online shenanigans.”



[via Salon and Lady Gaga]

Wii Fit: From Living Rooms to Locker Rooms

The Wii Fit is just so cute isn’t it? It lets me play games that don’t let me think too much, not to mention it makes me believe that I'm great at sports and I'm flexible enough to do yoga.

Turns out, I'm not the only one who loves the fitness board; two universities in the US are pretty fond of the Wii Fit as well. (Although probably not for the same reasons as I am.)

Ohio State University and the University of Maryland recently adopted the Wii Fit into their locker rooms in order to determine whether their football players have concussions or not.

Before each game, the fitness board will measure players’ balance and coordination using yoga and table tilt respectively. This will serve as a gauge to determine whether or not athletes can keep playing throughout the game.

The Hundred Dollar Wii Fit will be replacing plate machines that can cost up to 10 grand. Notwithstanding the huge price gap, the universities on board (no pun intended) deemed it as “pretty decent.”

[via Engadget]

Google the Movie?

If you were one of those people who marked their calendars for the premier of The Social Network, then you’re going to want to make space for this as well.

It was recently reported that Michael London’s Groundswell Productions along with producer John Morris intend to acquire the rights to Googled: The End of the World As We Know it, a book by Ken Auletta that chronicles the rise of Google. The book will be used to map out the plot of the movie, which according to London, will focus on Larry Page and Sergey Brin (founders of the company).

“It’s about these two young guys who created a company that changed the world, and how the world in turn changed them.” London states. He furthers, “Can you stay true to principles like that as you become as rich and powerful as that company has become? The intention is to be sympathetic to Sergey and Larry, and hopefully the film will be as interesting as the company they created.”

[via TIME and Deadline.com]

Virgin Galactic’s Test Flight Encounters Trouble

Looks like the world will have to wait a bit more before earthlings can take a vacation in outer space. WhiteKnightTwo, Virgin Galactic’s passenger-carrying spaceship collapsed during its landing at the Mojave Desert on Thursday.

Technicalities weren’t disclosed, but apparently, it was due to a damaged left main landing gear.

No injuries were reported (whew!) However, this means that citizens of the world, most especially the 300 clients who already put down 200 grand for a ticket will have to be more patient because they obviously won’t be zooming out of the Earth’s atmosphere any time soon.

[via MSNBC]

The Device That Stops Drunkards from Driving

New Yorkers sure are lucky that their streets are swarming with cabs that can get them home, because drunk driving in the Empire State just got a little more expensive. Effective August 16, anyone found guilty of drunk driving in New York will be required to hook up their car with an ignition interlock. Drivers must blow into the unit and if it senses that their blood-alcohol level is at 0.025 or higher, their vehicle will refuse to start.

On top of all the fees and embarrassment that comes with a DWI, the interlock costs about $125 to install, with $70 – $110 of monthly fees.

Oh, and don’t even think of letting your buddy breathe into the device for you, since most ignition interlocks will have cameras on them. Besides, getting caught trying to help an offender will entail jail time for about a year.

We don’t know yet if this new policy will dramatically cut drunk driving cases in NY, so we all just have to wait and see. Either way, we’re pulling for all you New York!



[via Syracuse and Highway Traffic Board]

Tokyo Installs Vending Machines That Can Recognize Demographics

Behold, the future of vending machines has arrived. Last week, two vending machines with the ability to recognize the demographics of its customers were installed in Shinagawa Station in Tokyo, Japan.

These vending machines have a 75% chance of accurately recognizing a person’s age and sex. Based on the information that it gathers, the machines can then make recommendations on what drinks a person can get.

Pretty cool, we have to admit, although we’re hoping that the machine’s 75% accuracy level would improve in the future. After all, we wouldn’t it telling us what we should and shouldn’t drink because it thinks that we’re some five year old on a sugar high.



[via examiner]

Vogue’s Oil Spill-Inspired Shoot Raises Eyebrows

For its August issue, Vogue Italia had a spread featuring model Kristen McMenamy mostly dressed in black looking oily and dirty (yet still fierce.) One photo actually had her dressed in feathers covered in oil while another shot showed her spitting up water while lying on the rocks.

Now a bold move like this one which is practically immortalized in glossy paper on news stands will not go unnoticed. Immediately after it was released, the spread conjured up various opinions both from inside and outside the fashion industry.

Some people were hurt and offended by the spread, while others, such us ourselves, didn’t find it vulgar or offensive at all. What can we say, that’s fashion; it’s all about taking feisty risks. Besides, how else would an industry giant such as Vogue make a statement?

[via MSNBC]

Website Taking Bets in Order to Motivate Students

Sports betting getting a little too old for you? Do you need motivation to ace that mind-numbing class? Then you may want to swing by Ultrinsic, a website that will let students set wagers on their grades.

It all starts with having users sign up and give Ultrinsic access to their class schedules and school records. The site then uses these factors as well as other information that it can dig up on the classes and the students in order to calculate a certain grade. The student then decides how much he or she is willing to bet on it.

Needless to say, this has already sparked a debate among adults. Should this be considered as gambling and therefore be banned from campus? Or is it perfectly legit since students are relying solely on their skills and are betting on themselves?

[via TIME]

Sharpie’s Wonder Pen

We agree with Engadget. Sharpie’s new pen may not be considered the highest or most sophisticated of tech and gizmos, but it sure is cute enough to be discussed here. Check out the new Sharpie Liquid Pencil that writes like a pen and erases like a pencil.

Yep, that last statement pretty much says it all. The pen does a pretty good job in a erasing its ink, although the actual physical marks on the paper are a lot harder to take out. And while Sharpie’s blog says that it “erasableness” of the lasts for three days, the box says it takes 24 hours.

See the video demo below.



[via Engadget]

Vegas Thinking About Banning Hula-Hoops

Of all the so-called crazy things to ban in Sin City, they just had to set their eyes on the hula-hoops.

No, this doesn’t mean that you can’t hula to your hips’ content in the comfort of your own home. But the city is fighting to ban hula-hooping in the downtown area, also known as the Fremont Street Experience.

According to the city council, hula-hoopers are obstructing traffic and aren’t really providing a pleasant experience to tourists.

Of course, hula-hoopers as well as other street artists are wildly protesting to the idea, stating that it’ll kill their livelihood.

Needless to say, we’re going to side with the street artists in this case. Banning hula-hoops in Vegas is like forbidding New Yorkers to yell “Get the f*ck out of the way!” to slow pedestrians. All the original and crazy things the people see and hear on the street are part of the whole city experience, and no, the council isn’t doing tourists a favor by taking them away.



[via TIME and AOL]

WiFi to Hit the Streets of NYC

If you’re looking for WiFi free for all then you better start packing for New York. Aside from the agreement to install WiFi in New York’s subway system, LimoRes Car & Limo, the proponent of this service is planning to install free advertising-supported service in about a thousand Livery cabs by fall of this year. The people inside the cab as well as anyone within 400 feet of the vehicle will be able to catch free WiFi for their gadgets.

Of course, if it’s extremely important for you to have Internet access, then it’s best not to rely on this service too much. After all, you wouldn’t want to end up chasing after the cab when the light turns green and your Web access goes speeding off with the other cars.

[via NY1 and poopcity]

San Francisco Installs Hi-Tech Parking Meters

Driving and parking in San Francisco can be a drag especially to those who are used to wide freeways and parking lots at each corner. However, with the SF Park project, the stress of finding a space in the city just got a little lighter. The San Francisco Transit Authority started replacing old parking meters in the city with meters that accept credit cards and are equipped with sensors that can measure the demand for parking spaces. These new meters can compute the price of parking based on the availability of the spaces. The more spaces available, the lower the parking fee and vice versa.

In addition, drivers can actually check up on parking spaces online which can give them an idea of traffic and parking conditions even before they leave the house.

[via Switched]