Net Sieve

One of the best parts of technical innovation is when the technology reaches the living and working space. If you need an example of what I mean, take a look at the Workbenches from Formaspace. I really dig the layout of their LAN stations, which you can have customized to fit your tech needs.

Formaspace focuses on serving the technical, drafting, industrial, laboratory, and material handling fields by providing unique and indispensable furniture, accessories, and services.

Mmm … Maple tool benches.

Nerds program a robot to dance … now that is news. How did they know where to begin? Pray god not their old “Thriller” videos. This is like a train wreck. You have to see it no matter how horrifying it is.

I say anything we can make more human-like, the better. And if they follow Asimov’s Three Laws at least we’ll have some decent human-like behavior in the world again. It’s been far too robotic or at the other extreme, animalistic, for some time now.

I have a great link here today for all you vintage gaming geeks. Take a look at Nintendo NES used Consoles and Games all for sale at great prices at nintendosforsale.com.

These are some really nice looking units – especially for being used. (Some new complete sets are also up for grabs.) You can find more than Nintendo products here: look for Atari, Sega, Gameboy, Gamecube and even some XBOX for the really adventurous. They also have a nice selection of controllers and accessories.

Did I mention games? Lots of Legend of Zeldas, Mike Tyson’s Punch Out (remember him?), Super Mario and other old favorites.

Now if this doesn’t get you behind the One Laptop Per Child program you’re extremely cold-hearted and evil and/or you work for Microsoft, Google or the RIAA.

Look at those faces. Man, the world just opened up for those kids and they’ll even see their own little chunk of it in a different light. This is one of the coolest projects of the millennium.

Great. Yet another opportunity to lose my money.

Actually I’m thrilled. I’m always on the look out for ways to use my money without actually carrying cash. I’m getting pretty good at it already. In the past two months I’ve only used cash to pay my favorite windshield-washing homeless guy. I can’t wait for him to start accepting PayPal.

Finally, a chance to use more fingers than just the middle one while driving.

Now if you’ll put down your phone, your Big Mac, your mascara and/or your electric shaver, you’ll be able to concentrate on lane changes and turn signal use. No? Well, you can’t blame me for trying.

Leave it to Japan to take backseat drivers to the ultimate level.

I guess I could stand to develop a better relationship with my car … really, we don’t talk the way we used to. But the idea of having it boss me around. Not so much into that. Is it going to start bitching to me about the quality of gasoline I put in?

China is jumping on the wearable bandwagon by putting out some interesting new products. This field is sorely lagging. We need much more innovation – and practical innovation at that – to reach the potential that was visualized ages ago.

We’ve got the device size down really well, now it’s time to concentrate more energy on… well, energy. Compact power units are a necessity now.

Cool. But are we ever going to get to the point where “hand held” conjures up images of the banks of whirling thimgamajigs that used to make up a single computer?

I’m not saying that I don’t think an MP3 player embedded in my brain is a bad thing. I want that and I’ll put out for nano technology any day.

It’s just that it starts looking ridiculous when your ear bud is larger than your player. Already it’s a joke to try find my iPod in my pocket between the pack of gum, my nail clippers, my Pilot pen and the clump of lint.

Sweet! This is a great idea and proof to all you anti-nerds out there that science has real applications to your life. Yes, not only can research help your gaming experience, it can improve your health.

So learn math! Learn science! Learn … oh who am I kidding? Shoot ‘em! Damn it – there’s a sniper to the left! Shoot you fool!