Warning for blabbermouths to zip it up in Beijing

After watching your favorite team win at the Olympics, getting a drink or two to celebrate is fine. But if you get tipsy, watch your mouth if you're on a cab back to the hotel.

Wall Street Journal reported that each of the 70,000 cabs in Beijing is equipped with a microphone on the dashboard, and there are GPS facilities onboard as well. These devices are linked to somewhere secret, and the people on the other end can remotely activate the grill and listen in to what you are blabbering about. If they don't like what you say, the Web site also mentioned that the authorities can restrain the taxi's movement by cutting off the electrical and/or oil supply so it cannot be restarted.

Although there is no confirmation of such technology in use, security officials in China said such matters are confidential and not meant for the public ears. So maybe there is something similar installed after all.

My personal experience is that when the drivers are chatty, I tend to be more talkative and will blurb more than usual. But in this case, I think I'll just clam up if I'm in Beijing. Better to be safe than sorry.

Activists have raised concerns over privacy issues, but I think even they will keep mum while there. If not, they may have to walk back to the hotel.

Via Gizmodo

New Rx: Cheap pocket-size inhalers

Inhalers may not just be for asthma sufferers anymore. If an Israeli start-up called Aespironics has its way, small, cheap inhalers could soon deliver all sorts of other medications, as well.

Aespironics has developed a novel disposable dry-powder inhaler that it says has the attributes of the highest-performing inhalers but only costs a fraction of the price. The patient's breath activates a tiny turbine inside the device that scrapes or brushes micronized particles into the airflow, quickly and evenly delivering the dose to the lungs without leaving particles sticking to the inside of the mouth.

Because the turbine is activated via breathing, expensive electrical additions found in other inhalers of the same class are unnecessary.

Testing on the credit card-size device is due to begin by the end of the year, with the product possibly hitting the market within three years, the company says. Applications could include migraine treatment and situations that call for emergency medicine.

Aespironics was founded more than a year ago with a US$600,000 investment from Israeli venture capital firm Maayan Ventures, and matching funds from the Israeli Ministry of Science. The company plans to begin its next round of financing in a month.

Via CNET Crave

Winning is all in the feet

Barring sports which require the participants to go barefoot, one area which a competitor can gain a serious edge is the choice of footwear. After all, in the Olympics where results are usually measure in factions of a second, being just a little out of balance can be the difference between Gold and loser.



Fast Company did an interesting compilation of footwear technology used by Olympic athletes. From basketball to rowing, there is a shoe built specifically for each discipline. Heck, there's even one made for taekwondo exponents that makes a satisfying and loud thwack when the opponent is hit. You can check out their slideshow on footwear technology here.

Floppy diskettes reborn in fashion

Some early computer enthusiasts probably found it sad to witness the demise of the floppy disk. The original 8-inch storage device was made smaller and smaller until it was eventually scrapped in favor of compact discs. But for the sake of recycling and geeky fashion, the floppy diskette has been reborn as a bracelet.

Designed by jewelry maker Oxx-An Alleweireldt, the diskette bracelet takes the shape of a floppy flower sewn onto a cotton band, and it would most likely be seen on the wrists of green fashionistas or computer lovers who'd also don keyboard button earrings or circuitboard cufflinks.

For a price of almost US$110, perhaps the bracelet is trendier than it seems. A smaller version is available for US$87, and each bracelet is handmade to order.

If you are more into vinyl than computers, Alleweridelt also makes bracelets from old records and conflict-free diamonds, for US$218.

Via CNET Crave

Wireless mouth cam takes close-up of your chompers

Ever wondered what the inside of your mouth looks like? For those who missed out on dental school or are just purely curious about which teeth that piece of spinach is stuck between, Chinavasion will soon be selling a wireless dental camera for consumer use.

While it's not the first dental camera Crave has highlighted, the wireless capability and a promised cheaper price is worth noting.

The device has a 1.3-megapixel camera for video or still shots and a 2.4GHz wireless receiver that can connect with a TV or computer to transmit the toothy images to friends and potential suitors. Six built-in LEDs will light up the mouth for better viewing of plaque.

While the product's recommended for anyone willing to take a good look inside their oral cavity, product makers say dentists can also use it, even though it's not touted as a medical device. But it might be a surefire way to see if you knocked out that filling at lunch or to find that lost dental microphone, if opening wide and looking in the mirror doesn't suffice.

The Chinese gadget comes with software for Windows only, so Mac users may have to send the video of their pearly whites to the TV screen. Unless you want to make your guests queasy, its probably shouldn't be used during dinner.

Via CNET Crave

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