There are skilled locksmiths out there that can reproduce a key from high-resolution images, but new software developed by computer scientists at UC San Diego has simplified the process to a frightening degree. In fact, their "Sneakey" system can reproduce a key with only a grainy mobile phone image or, in one case, a picture taken from 60 metres away with a five-inch telephoto lens.

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NASA is set to begin work next month in Boston on a four-year, $US1.74 million project called the Virtual Space Station. The project is supposed to create a program that can independently counsel depressed astronauts by supplying solutions to their typed insecurities. AP writer Jay Lindsay insists that it's nothing like HAL 9000, and he's totally right: that was a movie, and this is terrifyingly real.

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I'm glad I had my tonsils out years ago, or this would make me think twice about it. A 76-year-old man admitted to the hospital in Chiba, Japan, for respiratory failure was about to have a new tube implanted in his trachea when the one already in there caught fire as the doctor cut into his throat with an electrosurgical knife. The flames reached as high as 10 centimeters, and scorched his respiratory passage, mouth and face.

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My friend Steve the Audiophiliac published this crazy video of a guy who recounts all the reasons his Nordost Valhalla reference power cable is better than a woman. I know it's supposed to be funny, but the horror-film lighting, the intensity of the delivery and the reasons themselves—snapping his scissors, he says, "She doesn't care if I cut her shorter"—make me fear for the women, however few, who may possibly be in this dude's life. [The Audiophiliac]

Meet the manikins (not to be confused with mankinis), medical dummies (spelled "manikin", apparently) used to train future doctors on how to do the bare minimum to keep you alive that the HMO will pay for. There are all types, from the sexy Overweight CPR manikin to the Deluxe Child Crisis manikin. My favourite is the Multi Man CPR manikin, because it reminds me of last weekend. Vote on your favourite, then report back here and we'll compare notes. Next week we'll feature Manikin II: On The Move. [Medical Mainikins on Oobject]

Standing 2.3 metres high, this ultra-realistic alien statue made of steel, resin and rigid foam--with transparent dental acrylic lips—is designed to kill everyone who tries to break into your house with the sheer power of pure fear. The only bad this is that, most probably, it will also kill you when you go to the fridge in the middle of the night. As you can see in the nine-image gallery, the detail is amazing.

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Leave it to obscure Chinese manufacturers to come up with the CJ7 Dog Doll MP3 Player--a device so hideous it looks as if it was spawned in the fires of hell. Outside of its appearance, the device features 1GB of flash memory, a built-in loudspeaker and a conveniently placed USB butt port. It will only set you back US$18.67, but that is still a high price to pay for a device that will surely give you nightmares. [DealExtreme via anythingbutipod]

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After losing track of six nuclear warheads last year, you would think that the crack security team at Minot Air Force Base would pull it together for their much anticipated nuclear security inspection. Unfortunately, you would be mistaken. Inspectors from the Defence Threat Reduction Agency failed the security wing based on a number of infractions—including an incident where an airmen was observed playing video games on his mobile phone while standing guard at a "restricted area perimeter" during a simulated attack.

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A quick cigarette break by Business Week employee Nicholas White turned into a nightmare when his elevator stopped dead in its shaft and trapped him there for a crazy 41 hours—all of it caught on a security camera. It seems like all of the technological developments in elevator design, from Archimedes through Otis' security brake to modern 60-kph cars couldn't help him: even the alarm system didn't work properly. Though it happened a while ago, over at the New Yorker they're running a time-lapsed video of the security footage, and it will send chills down your spine, let me tell you.

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Some iPod classic owners who installed the recently released 1.1 firmware are reporting that their iPods are sending electrical pulses through the headphone jack and docking port, even when the units are turned off. The pulses, estimated to be 500mv worth of DC, may be enough to damage equipment that is plugged in.

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