"Rides" Genesis is an Apple fanboy's dream car

The Mac Mini is particularly valued by automobile customizers, because its small size makes it easy to hide/integrate into a cramped vehicle interior. Hyundai Motor America and Rides Magazine have taken this idea to the next level by tossing darn-near the entire Apple Computer product line into the cabin of the new Hyundai Genesis, for display at the 2008 SEMA Show.

The Rides Genesis is truly an Apple fanboy's dream car, featuring two Mac Mini computers, a MacBook Air, iPod Touch, iPhone 3G, high-speed Wi-Fi Internet connection, and movie theater-quality surround sound all integrated into the interior.

Within the center console will be the iPhone 3G, Mac Book Air laptop and wireless keyboard and mouse for the Mac Mini mounted on the rear deck. Each passenger in the back seat has their own computer with Internet connectivity. The 8.4-inch VGA headrest monitors are wrapped in the original leather to maintain the OE look and feel, while the seats contain suede accents. Back in the trunk, you'll find yet another Mac Mini, a 20-inch Apple Cinema Display, and a motorized tray for the mouse and keyboard.

The Rides Genesis is equipped with an in-car Wi-Fi connection that supplies high-speed Internet to the various onboard Mac computers, the iPhone, and the iPod touch. The network will also be distributing 5,000 Rides Digital Genesis iTunes cards from the car's Wi-Fi network during the show.
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English-speakers more at risk of identity fraud

People in English-speaking countries are targeted for identity fraud at twice the rate of many Europeans, according to a new study released by PayPal on Wednesday.

Ten percent of online shoppers in the US, the UK and Canada--not-surprisingly, places with high percentages of e-commerce transactions--reported being victims of identity fraud, compared with only 5 percent in France, Germany and Spain, the study conducted by Ipsos found.

The Germans had the lowest rate of identity fraud of the countries, with 3 percent reporting problems.

Meanwhile, the Germans were also found to be more cautious with their passwords. Only about one in four Germans reported ever sharing a password with anyone, compared with 60 percent of Americans and 56 percent of the French.

One in three Americans said they write down their passwords to remember them, while fewer than one in five in all the other countries does so.

As far as changing passwords, the French and Spanish are the most lax. And the French tend to display birth dates on social networking sites and to use birth dates as passwords, the study found.
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Philips SPR550BN: The squid of power awaits you

Water and electricity: That's a winning combination if ever we heard one.

Clearly Philips thinks it's a theme that has some legs--five of them to be precise--because it's created a mains extension socket it calls the "power squid."

Anyone with an encyclopedia would be able to tell you that a squid has 10 appendages--that's 8 arms and 2 tentacles, fact fans. The Philips SPR550BN also differs from aquatic reality in its color, which is black, rather than the more realistic white or slightly translucent skin tone of most squid.

Still, most real squid don't aim to protect your AV equipment from an electrical surge either. Nor do they offer you the opportunity to turn one plug socket into five--which means, despite its unrealistic color and incorrect number of limbs, the Philips power squid scores over nature's squid in a number of key areas.

The power squid should help you keep the area behind your TV a little tidier, which should in turn lead to a happier home life. Trust us, we've had plenty of arguments about wiring in our time.
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Inventor Kamen pitches tech for world's poor

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Segway inventor Dean Kamen on Monday detailed two of his design firm's latest projects aimed at the developing world--a water filtration machine and electricity generator that runs on cow dung.

Kamen gave a talk at the Lux Executive Summit here about science and innovation. But he had a clear ulterior motive: Convince a room full of technologists to address the "chilling" need for more scientists and engineers to solve the world's worsening problems.

"I am scared to death of the way this world is heading," Kamen said. "The best resource (to solve changing problems) is to have problem solvers."

His design firm, Deka Research and Development, has already made a range of products, including the iBot wheelchair and a home dialysis machine.

Kamen said that addressing the basic needs--such as water and power--of the very poorest people would prevent millions of deaths a year and make a huge impact on environmental problems. He said 1.1 billion people don't have access to safe drinking water and 1.6 billion lack access to electricity.
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Google shows off energy calculator

Google is using the mighty power of its home page to promote a site where people can calculate the financial benefits of various ways to save energy.

The Halloween-theme energy savings calculator is one of a long list of Google's moves to tackle the country's energy problems. The site also includes a link to some advanced energy-saving tips.

However, Google Blogoscoped pointed out, the link doesn't work in some countries outside the US.

Google counts every word on its home page in an effort to maximize page-loading speed and present an uncluttered user interface, but it often uses the few words below its search box to promote different efforts. The text for the energy savings plan reads: "Haunted by high energy costs? Here are some easy ways to save."

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