Apr 23 2009

Mariners Develop High Tech Pirate Repellents

Hugh Pickens writes “NPR reports that owners of ships that ply the dangerous waters near Somalia are looking at options to repel pirates including slippery foam, lasers, electric fences, water cannons and high-intensity sound — almost anything except guns. One defense is the Force 80 squirt gun with a 3-inch nozzle that can send 1,400 gallons a minute 100 yards in any direction. ‘It is a tremendous force of water that will knock over anything in its path and will also flood a pirate’s ship very quickly,’ says Roger Barrett James of the the Swedish company Unifire. Next is the Mobility Denial System, a slippery nontoxic foam that can be sprayed on just about any surface making it impossible to walk or climb even with the aid of a harness. The idea would be to spray the pirate’s vessel as it approached, or to coat ropes, ladders, steps and the hull of the ship that’s under attack. The Long Range Acoustic Device, or LRAD, a high-powered directional loudspeaker allows a ship to hail an approaching vessel more than a mile away. ‘Knowing that they’ve lost the element of surprise is half the battle,’ says Robert Putnam of American Technology Corp. The LRAD has another feature — a piercing “deterrent tone” that sounds a bit like a smoke detector alarm with enough intensity to cause extreme pain and even permanent hearing loss for anyone directly in the beam that comes from the device. But Capt. John Konrad, who blogs for the Web site Gcaptain.com, says no anti-pirate device is perfect. ‘The best case scenario is that you find these vessels early enough that you can get a Navy ship detached to your location and let them handle the situation.'”

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Feb 25 2009

How To Be A Geek Goddess

stoolpigeon writes “The geek world is dominated by those of the male persuasion. For those of us working in a technology related field, or who spend a considerable amount of time pursuing high tech leisure, we usually find women to be in the minority. I’ve seen considerable discussion over the years on how to change this imbalance but I think it is safe to say that right now that it remains. Many women are interested in using technology, they just don’t want to dive in to quite the same depth. Or they may not be interested in the way most men approach it. Columnist and tech-writer Christina Tynan-Wood has attempted to come to their rescue with her book How To Be A Geek Goddess.” Read below for the rest of JR’s review.

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Feb 24 2009

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 – to upgrade or not to upgrade – Blackberry Cool


IntoMobile

The BlackBerry Curve 8900 – to upgrade or not to upgrade
Blackberry Cool
by Kyle The BlackBerry Curve 8900 is so far my favorite BlackBerry device. I really enjoyed my first 8330 and would use it even over the Bold.
3G BlackBerry Bold vs Edge BlackBerry Curve 8900 – speed test QuicklyBored
Lance Armstrong Rockin’ the BlackBerry Curve 8900 IntoMobile
High Tech Lounge – Blackberry Cool
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Feb 23 2009

RIM, T-Mobile Throw Curve with New BlackBerry – eWeek


High Tech Lounge

RIM, T-Mobile Throw Curve with New BlackBerry
eWeek
By Wayne Rash The new BlackBerry Curve 8900 smartphone, built by RIM for T-Mobile, combines GPS, Wi-Fi, global calling, a full QWERTY keyboard, location-based services and new browser in a sleeker, thinner package.
Research In Motion Keeps Hiring Amid Economic Downturn Teleclick.ca
New BlackBerry a flexible, keyboard-free affair Otago Daily Times
Sify – QuicklyBored – CIO – Austin American-Statesman
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Feb 23 2009

3G BlackBerry Bold vs Edge BlackBerry Curve 8900 – speed test – QuicklyBored


High Tech Lounge

3G BlackBerry Bold vs Edge BlackBerry Curve 8900 – speed test
QuicklyBored
by Kyle Immediately you must be thinking, “what the heck kind of speed test is this? Obviously the Bold will win.” This is exactly what I thought when I first got this video idea sent to me.
New BlackBerry Curve has all the right moves Austin American-Statesman
Lance Armstrong Rockin’ the BlackBerry Curve 8900 IntoMobile
High Tech Lounge
all 5 news articles
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Feb 22 2009

Canon announces 2009 Powershot camera line-up – Digital Home


Digital Camera Reviews

Canon announces 2009 Powershot camera line-up
Digital Home
Canon Canada this week announced its new 2009 PowerShot camera line-up which includes ten new models. Features to look for on some of the new cameras for 2009 are: the inclusion of Canon's Digic 4 Image Processor; a Smart Auto feature which selects the
Canon PowerShot SD780 IS First Thoughts Digital Camera Reviews
Many PowerShot Digital Cameras From Canon High Tech Lounge
Reg Hardware – PR-CANADA.net (press release) – TECH.BLORGE.com – Reg Hardware
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Feb 20 2009

Sexy light switches – custom design, powerful tech, easy use

These Revio programmable light switches by FirstHand Design go beyond high tech. There’s a simple rubberized knob up front to turn on and dim the lights, but there’s a lot more tech underneath. The capacitive touch panel controls four zones with four scenes each…

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Feb 19 2009

mocoNews.net – @ MWC: The Success Of RIM's New App Store May Hinge … – Washington Post


High Tech Lounge

mocoNews.net – @ MWC: The Success Of RIM's New App Store May Hinge
Washington Post
RIM's presence at Mobile World Congress this year has been a quieter affair than usual, especially after a keynote aimed at developers with its CEO Jim Balsillie was replaced with one from Nokia (NYSE: NOK), which took the slot to introduce its Ovi App
User ratings will affect BlackBerry app store rankings, says RIM Pocket Gamer.Biz
BlackBerry Application Suite on Display, Third-Party App Support IntoMobile
Exchange Morning Post – Blackberry Cool – High Tech Lounge – pocketnow.com
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Feb 19 2009

mocoNews.net – @ MWC: The Success Of RIM's New App Store May Hinge … – Washington Post


High Tech Lounge

mocoNews.net – @ MWC: The Success Of RIM's New App Store May Hinge
Washington Post
RIM's presence at Mobile World Congress this year has been a quieter affair than usual, especially after a keynote aimed at developers with its CEO Jim Balsillie was replaced with one from Nokia (NYSE: NOK), which took the slot to introduce its Ovi App
User ratings will affect BlackBerry app store rankings, says RIM Pocket Gamer.Biz
BlackBerry Application Suite on Display, Third-Party App Support IntoMobile
Exchange Morning Post – Blackberry Cool – High Tech Lounge – pocketnow.com
all 15 news articles
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Feb 19 2009

10 Must-Have Apps for Your BlackBerry – Washington Post


High Tech Lounge

10 Must-Have Apps for Your BlackBerry
Washington Post
Don't wait until RIM launches its own application store–get your hands on these useful utilities now. Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site.
BlackBerry phone hits the hotspot with VoIP Computerworld
A sleeker BlackBerry Curve International Herald Tribune
InfoWorld – Teleclick.ca – GuelphNow – Trinidad News
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