Barnes and Noble to use Paperlogic's Superthing e-Reader

Barnes and Noble Will use superthin e-Reader from Plastic Logic.

The reader will also be able to access wi-fi connections.

Fareed Zakaria at PostGlobal: The Sky Isn't Falling - PostGlobal at washingtonpost.com

"the world today looks nothing like it did in 1918. Public health-care systems are far better and more widespread than anything that existed during World War I. Even Mexico, a developing country, has a first-rate public-health system -- far better than anything Britain or France had in the early 20th century."

"Bear in mind, unemployment in the non-farm sector in America rose to 37 percent in the 1930s. Unemployment in the United States today is 8.9 percentÖ . And government benefits -- nonexistent in the '30s -- play a vast role in cushioning the blow from an economic slowdown."

More: Fareed Zakaria at PostGlobal: The Sky Isn't Falling - PostGlobal at washingtonpost.com

OpEdNews � Gang of Sickos: Six US Senators Sell Out Constituents for $11 Million from Health Industr

A bipartisan group of six "moderate" US senators, dubbed the "Gang of Six" by news agencies, issued a demand July 17 for a slowdown on Democratic health care reform. These senators - including three conservative Democrats, one conservative Independent who caucuses with Democrats, and two moderate Republicans - asked for a slowdown on health care reform not because their constituents wished it so: recent polls show that a clear majority of Americans want health care reform now including a public health care option such as that proposed by President Obama and progressives in Congress. No, these senators asked for a slowdown on health care reform because the for-profit health, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries have bid them to do so in the hope that reform can be stopped, and because these same industries have generously provided them with career campaign contributions totalling more than $11 million.

These six senators - whom I'll call the "Gang of Sickos" in honor of Michael Moore's film on America's health care crisis similarly titled - are Democrats Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and Ron Wyden of Oregon; Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut; and Republicans Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine (Paul Krugman calls them "the six deadly hypocrites"). Their career total and average daily contributions from the health, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries are summarized by Paul Blumenthal at the Huffington Post based on figures from the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP).

More: OpEdNews � Gang of Sickos: Six US Senators Sell Out Constituents for $11 Million from Health Industr

Could Google Voice be a game changer?

I got mine today. :-)

Google Voice is the company's latest attempt to shake up the wireless telecom industry and is a follow-up of sorts to its open-source Android mobile platform. Just as Android was developed in part to spur innovation within the mobile development community and also to give users the ability to switch to new carriers without swapping their mobile devices, Google Voice was created in part to make it easier for users to change mobile carriers without sacrificing their phone numbers. In this FAQ, we'll discuss what Google Voice does, how it's different from other Web-based voice providers and how it could challenge the telecom industry to add more value to its services. (See also: Google grabs 1 million phone numbers for Google Voice)

Read the rest from PC World.

Webkit CSS photo viewer demo

Showcasing amazing new Webkit CSS possibilities. More at satine.org

Electronic Ruler Measures Relative Distance

The Digital ruler is a 15 cm wooden ruler, which uses technology of electric-resistance and measurement in order to calculate length of line or distance. Unlike any other ruler, it is relative, not absolute. The 0 point of the ruler is defined by every new measurement with any pen. Electronic Ruler is a functional surprising object, offering new ways of using an old device.

Via Design Reaktor Berlin

House Passes 'Cash for Clunkers' Bill

The House passed a plan to boost auto sales by providing vouchers of up to $4,500 for consumers who turn in their gas-guzzling cars and trucks for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Under the House bill, car owners could get a voucher worth $3,500 if they traded in a vehicle getting 18 miles per gallon or less for one getting at least 22 miles per gallon. The value of the voucher would grow to $4,500 if the mileage of the new car is 10 mpg higher than the old vehicle. The miles per gallon figures are listed on the window sticker.

Owners of sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks or minivans that get 18 mpg or less could receive a voucher for $3,500 if their new truck or SUV is at least 2 mpg higher than their old vehicle. The voucher would increase to $4,500 if the mileage of the new truck or SUV is at least 5 mpg higher than the older vehicle. Consumers could also receive vouchers for leased vehicles.

More from the Wall Street Journal

The Robot Snake

Very, very cool.

Amazing waves/ surf photos

From Less than Dot.

This guy is from Oahu, but he is gaining International fame.
He's a surfer himself and often gets wiped out just getting the shot.
And you can see why!
These incredible images of waves were taken by the
number one photographer of surf: Clark Little.
He has dedicated his life to photographing the waves
and has published a selection of the the best images of his career.
He captures magical moments inside the "tube", as surfers say.

Home-made Wolverine Claws

Cardboard boxes beware!