A developer has added tabbed browsing of e-mail messages to Mozilla’s Thunderbird e-mail client, mimicking one of the most popular features of the Firefox and Opera Web browsers. It is unlikely the feature will be found in Mozilla’s imminent release of Thunderbird 1.5 — currently in testing — but software developer Myk Melez has put test versions of Thunderbird online with the tabbed browsing feature included
A new laser welding technique is repairing power station turbine rotor blades in minutes, rather than days, through advances in the way repair metals fuse together. Called In Situ Laser Surfacing, the development is the product of a collective effort by several research institutions and power station operators and has prompted a flurry of international interest
A company called PetsMobility has come out with PetCell, the first mobile phone for dogs. The phone will allow users to call their dogs in case the dog gets away and also includes a GPS tracking device if the dog doesn’t respond to the call. In addition, the PetCell will feature GeoFence, which will alert owners whenever their dogs wander outside a prescribed area
I was going to write an article on my pick for game of the year in various formats, but realised that it would largely be a repeat of my enthusiastic blurb about Resident Evil 4. That being the case, I’ll assume you’ve all dutifully obtained a copy of RE4 and are now dying to know which board game to rest the console of your choice on. Read on…
In a strong year for board games, my choice for board game of the year is Bonaparte at Marengo by Bowen Simmons. For those unfamiliar with the game (which I imagine is most of you, given that it’s self-published), BaM is a block wargame of the Battle of Marengo.
As a block game, one of Bonaparte at Marengo’s distinguishing features is that information about a player’s pieces is hidden from his or her opponent. The pieces are blocks with information on one face only, and the information side is kept facing the piece’s owner (as in the classic 1950s game game Stratego). When a battle occurs, the pieces are revealed and the winner determined.
Close-up of wooden blocks showing hidden unit markings
Why do I like BaM better than any other board game released this year? There are many reasons, but the main ones are:
- It’s lavishly produced: the blocks are made of wood, the board is attractive and properly mounted (a rarity in wargames, which commonly use paper or cardboard maps), and two copies of the rules are provided.
- There’s plenty of strategic interest: both sides have different pieces, objectives, and playing styles, with an emphasis on manouvering that feels like chess with a wide open board
- A game takes 90 minutes, which means that you can play a game, switch sides, then have a rematch, and still get to the pub before closing time.
- The rules are brief (10 pages) and comprehenisble, though admittedly it’s not the sort of thing you could play with a random family member.
Bonaparte at Marengo will be hard to find in a retail store, but if you’re interested in it you can buy it direct from Simmons Games, or from an online retailer such as Boards and Bits. The BaM page on boardgamegeek.com has reviews and other information if you’d just like to check it out.
BaM photo by Kurt Tolley used under CC licence.
The US Air Force has unveiled its first hand-held laser weapon that gives security forces a non-lethal
option for controlling crowds and protecting areas like checkpoints. While only in prototype form and years away from fielding, the weapon, known as the Personnel Halting and Stimulation Response (PHaSR) system, they claim it holds great promise
Nissan has created a paint that repairs scratches on its own, restoring a car’s surface to normal within a week — via digg
Bunny Suicides is a large collection of cartoons of depressive bunnies showing great enthusiasm and inventiveness for removing themselves from the gene pool
Gay couples are now allowed to legally marry, tying the knot with what is officially known as a civil partnership, and among the first to do so will be veteran rock star Elton John’s civil and long-time love David Furnish
A shear thickening material, it is flexible when moved slowly, but when it is compresssed by an impact, its molecules lock together. The Ribcap is a combination soft, flexible beanie and tough helmet. Unfortunately, you will look like a dork wearing it — via digg
In the dense central forests of Borneo, a conservation group has found what appears to be a new species of mammal. WWF caught two images of the animal, which is bigger than a domestic cat, dark red, and has a long muscular tail — via digg
Shortly after learning of the New Orleans plan for free city-wide wireless internet, Bellsouth withdrew an offer to donate a damaged building to be used for police headquarters
MP3tunes, a company created by MP3.com founder Michael Robertson, has launched an unlimited online digital music storage service, called Oboe. The service costs US$39.95 yearly and lets customers back up and consolidate their music files and also stream their music to various computers
Seems like customers are at a huge disadvantage when dealing with dishonest retailers. This is the story of Thomas Hawk, a man who had a horrible experience with online camera retailer, PriceRitePhoto. In short he was lied to, yelled at and threatened to be sued if he posted the experience on his blog
South Africa’s highest court has ruled in favour of same-sex marriages. The Constitutional Court has struck down a law that bans gay unions and ordered Parliament to draft new legislation within a year. Justice Albie Sachs ruled that the common law definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman
is inconsistent with the Constitution because it does not permit same-sex couples to enjoy the same benefits as heterosexual couples
Mr T, Burt Reynolds and Dennis Hopper have all signed up to deliver celebrity voice content for turn-by-turn driving directions in the Navtones car navigation system produced by Los Angeles-based Wanderlust Media and digital map and location content provider Tele Atlas: Turn left, Fool — via digg
A BellSouth executive is arguing for his company’s right to degrade Internet services coming from people he doesn’t like. If they like Yahoo, they should be able to slow down Google — via digg
Apple disables the OSX screenshot capability while a DVD is playing. There is a work-around, though, for those times when you want to make a screenshot of your DVD player — via Boingboing
- Put your DVD in your computer and open DVD Player (Applications < DVD Player) if it does not open automatically. Go to Video < Maximum Size, or hit Command-3. Fast forward to the frame you want to capture, or select the scene to start at.
- Open the Terminal (Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal). Type this, or copy / paste it right in the Terminal:
screencapture -i ~/Desktop/dvd.jpg
Your mouse should turn into crosshairs. Now hit the space bar. Your mouse should now be a camera. Click the window the DVD is playing in. A file calleddvd.jpg
will appear on your desktop.
Scratch-Less Discs are blank CDs with small raised bumps around their perimeters that keep the disc’s data from coming into contact with your desk when you set it down, reducing the likelihood of scratches that render discs unreadable. The discs have some other clever features, like a bevelled edge to make it easier to lift them off of flat surfaces. The manufacturer claims compatibility with 99% of CD burners and says that the remaining 1% merely have some problems ejecting the discs — via Boing Boing
Sun has announced that it will bundle much of its software and provide it free to customers. Sun said that it would make its Java Enterprise System, Sun N1 management software and developer tools available at no charge. A year ago, Sun started offering its Solaris version of the Unix operating system for free
A device called the Mosquito, invented by Howard Stapleton, is designed to drive teens away by emitting a high frequency noise at 75db. Apparently most older people can not hear the sounds, but teens cannot stand it. Reports are that it works quite well, but some older people can hear it too. He found the prefect irritating sound by experimenting on his children
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