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Google 2007 vs 2001: World Turns Attention to iPhone, Boobs and Videos, Forgets Osama (Verdict: Life as Usual)
Posted by Jesus Diaz at 11:30 PM on December 5, 2007
The final Google trends for 2007 were officially announced yesterday, with the iPhone and the late plastic buxom wonderkid Anna Nicole Smith bracketing the Top 10 fastest-rising search terms. If you compare this to the first Google ranking ever, you will either conclude that the world is a better, calmer place now or that the human race is getting dumber by the year:
This is a smart idea from Buffalo: USB memory sticks that your kids can stick in your computer without causing wanton destruction to the files inside — or your reputation when they inadvertently download your skinflicks onto a memory stick and present Belladonna's tattoos to their nonplussed classmates. Gallery and more info below.
Plug the Logitec LDT-1S30X4U into the USB port of your PC and you will be able to watch two TV shows at the same time. Connect a second one, thanks to its double USB, (see below, along with a screen grab) and you get to watch four shows. All sorts of features make the LDT-1S30X4U worth a closer look, however.
We attended 
Tokyo Flash's latest addition to its Twelve 5-9 watch range, the Q, is an interesting timepiece. And by interesting, I mean that you probably need a PhD in disco-light time-telling to be able to work out just what it is you're late for. (May I just add that, by the time you've worked out the time, you're going to be even later than you originally were.) "How-To" masterclass is after the jump.
Low resolution, slow and almost totally useless: this homemade mobile phone-based surveillance camera is one of the best inventions ever. I don't know if it's the Gilliamesque looks, the 80s phreaking flavour or the fact that the solenoid relays—which control the mobile phone keys—make it feel like an Old West telegraph machine, but I would definitely snatch it after seeing it in action:
For the waistline concious teetotaller, we present this calorie-counting beer mug. Sure you could just keep track in your head, but this way at least honey knows you're trying. [
The "business environment virtualisation" software NEC is currently developing may masquerade as a way for companies to keep track of their competitors online (see pie charts, etc), but we here can see it for what it really is: a scheme to create an unlimited army of lifeless tech-blogging drones. With its "cruising of RSS and web pages" for "product features" and algorithmically processing press releases for "conducting a comparative analysis of products," this software could probably crank out some pretty solid posts when it wasn't working to crush its master's rival companies, all without the requisite Mountain Dew and Cheetos breaks. We're not too worried here, though. We know you guys come for the gadgets, but stay for the red-blooded passion, right? Some relevant bits from the press release after the jump. Oh the irony! 
Ipevo's new Trio Skype Speakerphone defnitely has an interesting look, but its charms are not confined to aesthetics alone. The Trio also has some impressive tech under the hood like hands-free conversation (private calls can be conducted with a simple toggle switch),16 bit DSP with echo cancellation and one-touch recording. That is all well and good, but it would be better if there were a keypad on this thing —especially given the $90 price tag. [
If you want a little preview of what it might be like to open up one of these 12.1 megapixel (FX format) 
If you have not yet chosen sides in the battle between the 
According to Forrester Research, while 53 per cent of US adults are concerned about the environment, only 12 per cent are willing (or can afford) to pay more for green products. We don't have access to the full report—it costs $300, which we need to buy green gear, natch—but the excerpt notes (
The guys over at DVICE decided that it would be a good idea to abuse the poor little Pleo robo-dinosaur companion by smacking him, holding him by the tail, and dropping him (among other tortures). In the end Pleo died from the injuries he sustained, only to be revived later by the same savages that brought about his demise. I would be outraged if it wasn't so damn funny. Hit the link and check out the violence caught on tape. [
It is high-time that your Star Wars figures, Gi-Joes, and Barbies woke up from their fantasy worlds and realised that in the real world, there are limits to the power we can consume. The first step in their education would be to move into one of these Power Houses and learn what life would be like without fossil fuels. With each kit you can build a small model house complete with solar panels, a windmill, greenhouse and a desalination system —but the lesson in sustainable living does not end there.
If we were a Chinese company that made knockoff phones, we probably wouldn't make a knockoff of the HTC Touch. Not that the phone is bad—it's somewhat usable—but putting Windows Mobile 5 on any phone when WM6 is the standard now is kind of a bad idea. However, we would follow in their footsteps and beef up hardware features to include a GPS, a 2-megapixel camera and fingerprint security. We just wouldn't put Windows Mobile 5 on it. [
The Keyport, that 
The Department of Justice says that the 
Although the 
Apparently being a soldier of fortune was no longer lucrative because it looks like the former team of crack commandos we all know and love has taken to chauffeuring around partygoers (and 
After Santa the IM bot's 
European Xbox 360 owners don't just get the Dashboard update with 
We've been lucky enough to not have to deal with carpal tunnel, but those of you who do might be interested in this Brando "Infrared Thermal Patch." We're not sure which part of it is infrared, or which part of it is a patch, but it's just a little plastic plate you place on the affected area that will warm it up to relieve stress at temperatures up to 40~45 Celsius. Or, you can just wipe your arse with a twenty and two ones and be done with it. [
Confirming 
If you're picturing a boob when you're squeezing a regular squishy stress reliever anyway, why not just cut out the illusion and make one actually shaped like a boob? This Instructables post shows you how in 12 easy steps, provided you have the prerequisites first (a woman that will let you use her boob as a mold). The creator says this: 
So here's a good news/bad news situation for Microsoft. The good news is that people aren't pirating Vista as much as XP. The bad news is that people are pirating XP twice as much, meaning that even when given a choice between each for free, people are sticking with trusty old XP. They can't even get people to steal Vista, right?! Well, not really.