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Here’s a picture you don’t see every day – damage to the ‘San Francisco’ after running aground on January 8^th.

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Edmunds.com has released their list of Top 10 Sound Systems in Cars Over $30,000 for 2005. A few items from that list, and in no particular order, are quoted below:-

• Acura RL (Bose)
  
  “Worlds ahead of the old RL in both driving dynamics and technology, the 2005 model features a standard 5.1 surround sound Bose system that provides real six-channel playback for DVD Audio (DVD-A) discs and has software that mimics surround sound for traditional CDs. It’s also MP3-compatible. Ten speakers are arranged throughout the big sedan, and total wattage is 260. The stereo also uses noise canceling technology to filter out excess wind or road noise (of which there is very little to begin with), and this feature works whether or not the stereo is turned on. Satellite radio is also part of the deal, and besides offering a wide selection of music, the RL’s XM setup teams up with the navigation system to provide real-time traffic updates.”

• Lexus LS 430 (Mark Levinson)
  “This system, introduced in 2001, still has no rival, at least not in the OEM market. One could make a valid argument that certain aftermarket equipment would outperform this gear, and that would be a valid argument. However, such an install would entail thousands of dollars in installation charges and cutting holes where one might not want holes. All told, this system compares favorably with the aftermarket, and has the advantage of being built seemlessly into the LS 430’s interior. It consists of 11 speakers, 240 watts of clean RMS power and a sound second to none. Audiophiles will note that Mark Levinson uses the true RMS rating, which legitimizes this system’s quality, as opposed to the peak power rating that other makers use.”

• Porsche Cayenne (Bose)
  
  “This 350-watt, 14-speaker arrangement is almost as good as the vehicle in which it resides. Designed in conjunction with the engineers from Bose, the system not only blares loudly, but has an excellent surround sound circuit built into it. With 14 speakers and eight separate channels of customized equalization, we guarantee you’ll literally be surrounded by music in the cozy cabin of Porsche’s one and only entry in the SUV segment. With low-profile woofers in the front doors, and a powerful 100-watt subwoofer in the rear, you won’t be wanting for bass either. The Patented Bose Nd woofers are a special lightweight design for extra-quick attack on percussion and bass. Additionally, the system comes with Bose’s AudioPilot Noise Compensation Technology, which monitors the sound inside the cabin, continually adjusting the audio input to compensate for unwanted wind and road noise.”

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Solterra – from Blacksmith Studios - is one of the first 3D pocket pc games that takes advantage of the Dell Axim X50v, and its 2700G graphics chip.

The game is still in beta, but the graphics look good…

Regarding the Dell Axim X50v PDA itself, Trusted Reviews has a very positive review of it, which they conclude with the words:

This is certainly the best PDA I’ve ever used and at that price there’s precious little reason not to bestow upon it an Editor’s Choice Award.

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Name-off is a nice low-tech privacy protection device from a company called inf. design office.
Its a kind-of paper-punch with very small holes. You position it over names, amounts of money, credit card numbers and other such personal information on paper documents, and then punch away.

For when you can’t get to the shredder.

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Many have made, and some have disputed, the assertion that the first MP3 player was the Diamond Multimedia Rio PMP300.

Now, CNET has an article stating that the world’s 1^st MP3 player was, in fact, the Eiger Labs MPMan…beating out the Rio PMP300 by a few months back in 1998.

…Adds fuel to the controversy of whether or not it’s best to be first into a market.

真是å‰?人栽树 ,å?Žäººä¹˜å‡‰å•Š – [Predecessors plant trees, but latecomers enjoy the shade.] – Chinese proverb – Traditional (non-attributed).

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M-LAW’s Wacky Warning Label Contest winners are:-

1. A toilet brush that warns users “Do not use for personal hygiene”
2. A scooter for children that warns “This product moves when used”
3. A a digital thermometer that says “Once used rectally, the thermometer should not be used orally”
4. An electric hand blender that warns “Never remove food or other items from the blades while the product is operating”

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The Apple iPod shuffle has been out for less than 2 weeks, and has garnered some mixed opinions:- CNET Reviews is saying that 57% of user ratings are positive, and 43% are negative …. of 664 reviewers.

PC Magazine gives the iPod shuffle 4 stars out of 5, whereas PC World gives it 3.5 out of 5.

And Dave, over at Dave’s iPaq will be keeping his Sandisk DAP , thank you very much, and selling his iPod shuffle on eBay.

Meanwhile, Paul Nixon from NiXLOG, has an article on Apple’s new approach to market segmentation using a 3-tiered pricing structure.

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Dr. Michio Kaku , physics prof at CUNY, proposes to survive past the end of the universe in his new book Parallel Worlds. The premise is repeated in a Prospect Magazine article entitled Escape from the Universe, and in yesterday’s WSJ, in an article entitled “Huddled Up With LISA”.

The basic idea is:-

This universe will eventually die in a big freeze. Before it does so, lets all migrate to another, more hospitable, universe, or to travel back to a warmer, safer time. How? Open up wormholes in space and leave the universe

Here is his 7-point escape plan:-

1. Develop a roadmap, a theory of everything, e.g. String Theory.
2. Find a suitable exit:- Search for a naturally occurring wormhole. There might be some lying around.
3. Another exit might be provided by a black hole. Investigate their properties … send a probe through…it might survive.
4. If promising, create a black hole.
5. If no good, try creating negative energy.
6. If still no good, try to create a ‘baby’ universe.
7. Go through the resulting wormhole. If they prove unstable, or too small use nanobots.

All this might require a billion giga-quads of energy, or so.

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If you’re a 3 Hong Kong mobile subscriber, you can now sign up for Hong Kong’s first and only 3G Mobile Betting Service. 3G customers will be able to watch horse races live via their video mobile phones, see real-time odds and results, and place bets on horse races, as well as buy lottery tickets.

The service works with the following phones:

• LG 8120 & 8130 & 8138
• NEC 616C & 616V (software version R2A)
• NEC 338
• Nokia 6630
• Motorola A1000

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The newly-announced KDL-S32A10 is part of the ‘Happy Vega’ family of LCD TVs.
The main features of the ‘Happy Vega’ product line are the small thickness (less than 4 inches), large viewing angle (110^o), and a picture brightness of 500cd/m².

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