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Camouflage Paint Hides Vehicles From Radar, Subsequent Missiles
Posted by Mark Wilson at 11:51 PM on May 8, 2008
A German inventor has developed a paint called AR 1 that can hide a vehicle from radar, and most importantly, "all militarily relevant frequencies." How it works is unclear, though one test researcher proposes it's either by reflecting radar waves in a pattern so they cancel on another out, or by utilising microscopic magnets to absorb radar radiation. And no, it won't get you out of speeding tickets.
A company called SIMable has produced a little chip that they call the "10-second solution" for unlocking carrier-tethered GSM handsets. The gimmick is that, instead of unlocking the phone itself—and risking invalidation of your warranty— the chip works on the SIM card, provided you punch a hole in the SIM.
Here, in our niche technological world, we'd already considered steampunk as a mainstream phenomenon. But according to the NY Times, it could be the next major trend for, you know, normal people.
We all know the hassle of digging into a pocket to twiddle the controls on our MP3 players, but until 
One of the occupational hazards of Google Street View is, I guess, having the camera obscured by something. It could be a pterodactyl, perhaps, flying low for a closer view, it could be a giant Monty Python-style animated brogue homing in on the car as if it were a roach ripe for the squishing. Or it could be a plastic bag. One minute it's dancing around, American Beauty-style, the next it's spread-eagled over the camera rather like an over-amorous spinster at a barn dance. This is what College Road in Fairbanks, Alaska, looks like, according to Google Street View. [
"Assume the position," barked Batman, as he wrestled his captive into a supine position. "Ooh, I just love it when you talk dirty to me," purred Catwoman, an enigmatic half-smile playing about her whiskers, as she was bat-handled into submission. Her direct, feline gaze never left the superhero's face, and he shifted uncomfortably as he realised that, somewhere below his bat-belt, the batsuit was becoming too tight for comfort. 
I used to want a car just like KITT when I was a kid, though perhaps without that slightly annoying nasal voice. And now a Stanford scientist is looking at whether nattering to your vehicle may be good for you, the car, other road users and even (darnit) your insurers or advertising execs. 
Shots of Sony Ericsson's 
Now, we've been raving about Sony's diminutive
Both 8GB and 16GB models of the iPhone are out of stock in the UK, according to both the O2 and Carphone Warehouse websites, although units are still ready to ship from the Apple Store online. I guess they're clearing the decks for the 3G version. Just tell us cuando, cuando cuando, Apple. [
Dust-proof and showerproof—although, despite the shower head-keyboard bunk-up in the picture, apparently not waterproof—this plastic laptop cover from Thanko is a glorified freezer bag. Available in A4 and B5 sizes, it is the plastic sofa cover of portable devices. Cost is around US$20, and I suggest using Cling-film instead. [
When it comes to the fine art of presenting movies on discs, Criterion's treatment of films, in quality and extras, finds itself unparalleled. And that's why it is amazingly good news that they're finally going Blu-ray.
The Dash Express GPS just received its first historic traffic model update using the live Dash data gathered by users. That'll help predict traffic in areas where no Dash or other trusted data sources have been in the last 15 minutes. By end of month, a software update is coming with tweaks in performance, stability and routing. As for today's historic update, Dash recommends all users download the patch by Wi-Fi. Let's hope that more updates come often as this one, and with more features using that internet connection.
XNA 3.0 tech preview is out, and with it, you can dev or install some homebrew games on your Zune right now like Alien Aggressor and Galactic Wars 3. The directions are at [
PingMag did an interview with the creators of the 
You never know when a partying emergency will strike—which is why you must always 
The Gadget: A Wi-Fi internet radio alarm clock from Aluratek, with over 11,000 free stations worldwide.
Even though there's no love lost between NBC and iTunes, that doesn't mean NBC doesn't love you! At least if you've got an iPhone or iPod touch. They're streaming full episodes of 30 Rock and The Office to iPhones (and touches) in Quicktime, for free, with NO ads. They work, nicely, but the major catch is that if you exit Safari, you've gotta re-DL all over again, and the files are huge, so is this Wi-Fi only, really. This looks weird for NBC, but it's really not.
If you've got time and absolutely nothing better to do, you can grab a resource explorer and dive into the Zune software. What would you find? Some images of two new Zunes, both with a black back. The current black 80GB and red 8GB Zunes have a silver back, which are also pictured, so these would be new new. It looks like just bad lighting, but the resource item actually says "black back." We don't know whether these are retail colours or just limited edition Zunes for employees, but we'll probably find out soon. [
Last month, the US Navy and General Dynamics took the lid off the new U.S.S Independence littoral combat ship (LCS). This beast will sail close to the shore and throw everything imaginable at an enemy—from armoured vehicles and helicopters to shells, torpedoes and missiles. Plus, it can hustle at a rumoured 60 knots. Basically, that means the enemy will have a difficult time escaping the wrath of this mighty vessel no matter where they are.
As promised, Adobe's 
Yesterday, NBC jumped