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Unconfirmed: An Actual Picture of the New iPod Nano
Posted by Matt Buchanan at 3:00 PM on September 6, 2008
Looks like we've got a supposedly legit, actual spy shot of the new iPod nano in its packaging (apparently originally posted by MacNN in an obscured form before getting cleared up). Thankfully, while it confirms everything we've been hearing about it, it's much, much prettier and Apple-y than what Kevin Rose provided us with, which looked like it was crapped out of a plastic robot Ewok or something before it had its picture taken. This, all assuming that it's actually a legit picture. Orange? My dream of a lime green nano on Tuesday now has wings. Update: We have changed the photo again for one without watermarks we just got in the mail. [MacNN--Thanks Mike]
Regulars might remember Adam's similar Photoshop contest a few weeks ago, but these amazing oil-on-canvas paintings were lovingly adorned with Macintosh SEs for a Sweden-only ad campaign all the way back in 1987. Erik Saxen produced these original works (inspired by a number of famous artists) for Apple's marketing, but is now seeking a (weird) collector to take them off his hands.
Oppo, pimps of the upscaling DVD realm and makers of 
I've been running around at 
Though it's in no way official, I happen to enjoy Google Blogoscoped's analysis of the Google Chrome logo and agree with the influences listed. In addition to the hodge podge of handheld Simons, Pokeballs, Firefox, webcams and Google logos, Neatorama also throws in the 
Just yesterday we got our first taste of Panasonic's new 
The 50-foot robot spider known as "La Princesse" has awakened from hibernation to explore the streets of Liverpool. This £1.5m beast is supposed to aid tourism and spur the local economy—which will just mean that La Princesse has more goodies to eat. We're not quite sure what strange marching bands and snow have to do with taming giant arthropods on a rampage, but we're not ones to judge the miracles of science. [
It's been a few days since 
As part of their 
Sending a 
On September 11th, Data-forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski will guide law enforcement personnel "and anyone else who has a need to access the 
While Kevin "Father of Digg" Rose 
Brando is known for quirky and 
The Gadget: 
Designed by artist Francesca Lanzavecchia, NightMates are "soft anthropomorphic pillows and warming lamps" that are supposed to keep you company (and comfy) at night. They come in different sizes, depending on how much anthropomorphic love you need, but you might wanna stick with the smaller ones that are more like Glo-Worms—the full sized ones are more than a little creepy, like something that slithered off the cover of one of my roommate's NSFW manga collection to do wrong things to you while you sleep. [
People 
DARPA is investing in developing a new kind of helicopter, one with what they're calling a Disc-Rotor. What makes a Disc-Rotor Helicopter different than a boring old helicopter? Well, when the blades start spinning fast, they're retracted into a disc. This disc continues to rotate, and it acts as a "rotating circular wing." The benefit of such a system would be to provide "mobility and responsiveness for troop and cargo insertion, satisfy an ongoing military interest for higher speed VTOL and hover capable vehicles, be survivable and bridge the gap in helicopter escort and insertion missions." Ho-Kay! I don't get it, but it sure will be neat looking, so I guess I'm on board. [
At US$6,000, this OSIM uSpace full body massage chair better do what it says in addition to just looking all sci-fi and space Pac-Manish. According to the manufacturer, the chair fixes you using mood lighting, massage, and music. They say the uSpace has three different modes: "revitalize", "relax" or "balance" you.
These pixel drink coasters are made of paper and come in 50-unit packages for US$8. Nothing special there until you notice that they have different shapes, which are not actually made at the factory: The coasters come in a single sheet, folded in 50 segments that you can cut in any way you want using the one-centimeter-long square perforations that divide each segment into 110 pixels. The results are beautiful, including an obligatory Space Invaders theme.
The professional bullshit artists and dumbass fleecers over at Monster have devised another way to remove money from the wallets of the ignorant: cleaning sprays.
Scuba Steve, a 7-inch figurine, seems like a nice enough guy. His round face and charming monocle seem perfect for children's parties and lending an extra hand in bathroom sterilisation. But then you read his description and see that "if a shark won't listen to reason, then Scuba Steve pulls their teeth out (but still lets the shark live.)" And you realise, yeah, that Scuba Steve really is a great guy. US$350. [
Confession: I actually very much enjoyed the new 
Put simply, CEDIA is a trade show that trains its attendees to prep a home for MTV Cribs. Simple as that. So as a result, the audiophile gear on display is a sight (and an expenditure) to behold. Especially if your Cribs client prefers speakers that cost more than some small countries' GDPs in their champagne room to better reproduce the low-end punch of his John Mayer SACDs.
Samsung is already the world's largest maker of flash memory chips—seriously, their chips are 
We've been following this for a little while to let some meat stick on the skeletal rumours, and it's finally feeling substantial enough—though definitely still a rumour—to throw your way. It looks like Nikon's got a 
According to the Wall Street Journal, Dell is restructuring their production in a massive overhaul that will send the entire manufacturing process overseas. According to one insider's account, most or all of Dell's factories, which are based in the US, will be sold off in 18 months.
Lisa Katayama at Boing Boing has found a manga gem from the 80s: the story of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, from the moment Woz started to get interested in gadgets until the Apple II was created and launched. Into space apparently. Truth is that I don't have a clue of Japanese, so that's probably why I find it funny, thinking about what the hell they are saying, and why on Earth there's an space octopus involved in this whole thing--I just like to imagine that's related to Jobs' experiences with LSD. [
There's a good reason why Washington has generally veered away from 80s robot cartoons. And now we know that reason. [