Video: Samsung's Soulful dinosaur takes tour around England
[Thanks, Claudio]
Posts with tag england
[Thanks, Claudio]
Kent County Council bans mosquito gadgets from buildings
For the love of all that's humane in this world, it's about time someone stepped up and put an end to this lunacy. Okay, so maybe that's overstating things a bit, but we're joyous nonetheless to hear that the Kent County Council in southeast England has "become one of the first in the UK to ban mosquito gadgets from its buildings." Here's a refresher: so-called mosquito tones are high-pitched frequencies that can only be heard by the younger sect (you know, those with outstanding hearing abilities). Apparently some businesses have been using said gizmos to keep kids from loitering and the like, but higher-ups in Kent feel this method of detraction isn't fair. If all goes to plan, councilors are hoping to ask the government to ban the devices altogether, but only time will tell if the notion will catch on elsewhere in the country.[Via Digg]
Telectroscope lets Londoners and New Yorkers gaze at one another in real-time
Don't get too excited -- that image you see to the right isn't actually a transatlantic telescope. Rather, it's a transatlantic broadband network "rounded off on each end with HD cameras." Still, the 11.2- x 3.3-meter Telectroscope is a real marvel to look at, and it actually does enable viewers in New York and London to peer at each other in real-time. The creation will be on display and open to the public around the clock in both cities until June 15th, so if you've been meaning to ask for that dame's hand in marriage but couldn't afford the JFK - LHR ticket, why not set up a surprise meeting at the 'scope?UK planning to monitor and record every phone call, web page, and email sent by citizens
We're not sure if these plans will ever make it to reality, but the Telegraph is reporting that Britain's Home Office is working on database designed to store the details of every phone call, email, and web page accessed by British citizens in the previous year. The idea is to have various telecom providers hand over their records, which will all go into the database and then be accessible by police upon receipt of a court order. Of course, there's no reason why police couldn't simply ask the ISPs for the appropriate data when they get that court order, since records are already required to be kept for a year, but sometimes it's important for a government to build a massive scary database of personal information with endless potential for abuse by embittered low-level bureaucrats, you know? The plan is still in draft stages, so hopefully it dies on the table -- and if not, well, the NSA welcomes you with open arms, British expats.[Via National Terror Alert]
FreeSat TV service goes live across the UK
We knew it was coming, and after waiting for quite some time for FreeSat to go from concept to reality, television viewers across the UK can finally indulge. If you'll recall, a recent survey found that just 5-percent of Europe's HDTV owners actually bothered to tune into HD programming, but now that number is likely to change. Effective today, 98-percent of the UK can fork out a one-time fee of £49 ($96) to £120 ($234) in order to acquire a FreeSat set-top-box, and after an £80 ($156) installation, users will have subscription-free access to BBC HD, ITV HD (coming soon), Channel 4's digital service and around 70 other TV / radio channels. Better still, that number is slated to rise to 200 before the year's end, and unsurprisingly, the launch is expected to boost available high-def offerings in the region. Anyone across the pond have their equipment set up already? How's the service?[Thanks, Ivan]
Parrot shows off Andrée Putman-designed digiframe in UK
Indifferent souls may have no qualms just snapping up the first digiframe they see, but that sect isn't the target market for Parrot's latest. The Andrée Putman-designed device is being shown around the UK at the moment, and aside from boasting a 7-inch display, a glossy black motif, rear-mounted buttons, auto-rotation, 10MB of built-in storage, an SD expansion slot and integrated Bluetooth (but no WiFi), you also get to hand over £250 to take it home. Right now, the piece is only available in London's Few and Far store, but the company may try to roll it out nationwide if demand necessitates. Check it out on video in the read link below.[Via CNET]
English towns equipping crossing guards with cameras
England is already drowning in CCTV cameras, so it looks like Big Brother is starting to get creative in finding ways to deploy more: local councils are now outfitting crossing guards with camera-equipped stop signs. Yeah, crossing guards. With cameras in their stop signs. The cameras in the £890 ($1765) poles are fairly conspicuous, and the hope is that it'll curb aggressive driving around crossing zones, which resulted in 1,400 incidents last year. There's no word on how anyone plans to measure the effectiveness of the program, but we're certain the crossing guards who get passed over for the poles and end up with the hat-mounted cameras also being deployed will have a few choice words about things.UK exam rooms could be equipped with CCTV cameras
Quite honestly, we can't imagine anyone finding this the least bit surprising -- after all, aren't CCTV cameras and the UK an inseparable pair by now? Nevertheless, the Examination Officers' Association across the pond is currently mulling the idea of installing surveillance equipment in exam halls in order to keep an eye on test-taking cheaters. Apparently students are turning to their mobiles more and more (no way!) to plug any holes in their memory, and while the project hasn't been set in stone just yet, it seems to be headed in that direction. Ah, whatever happened to those old fashioned cram sessions?[Thanks, Tomek]
David Beckham gifted with gilded iPod touch for 100th England cap
BBC broadcasting Rugby Six Nations match in 3D
Not happy letting us Yankees get away with all the 3D sporting action, the BBC plans to test a 3D HD broadcast of a Rugby Six Nations match next month. A lot like the NBA's test with last year's All-Star Game and NBA Finals, the March 8th game between Scotland and England will be captured by three camera rigs and then transmitted via satellite -- unlike the fiber connection used by the NBA -- to an audience watching a big screen with 3D glasses. Can Communicate, Inition and Axis are the companies forming 3DFirm, which is partnering with the Beeb to make the whole thing happen, including working out a new style of camera work and post production. We won't say we're waiting for a 3D broadcast of real football to get excited about these tests (we'll just think it.)
Nintendo files Wii accessory patent for everything, includes the kitchen sink
[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy and The Register]
Venturer SHD7001 goes on sale in UK for 170 pounds
[Via RegHardware]
SMS-based SatLav service guides Londoners to public toilets
If you've ever found yourself stuck in London with the insatiable urge to urinate in an alleyway, help is on the way. Believe it or not, a new SMS-based toilet finding service actually has the aforementioned predicament as a top priority to solve, and the Westminster City Council is hoping that people utilize the system to keep streets a bit cleaner. Cleverly dubbed SatLav, the technology enables individuals passing through London's West End to text the word "toilet" to 80097 in order to receive a (hopefully hasty) reply with details to get to the nearest public restroom. Unfortunately, the service will cost users £0.25 ($0.52) each time they use it, so we're a bit skeptical that alleyway urinators will happily cough up some coin rather than just sticking to old ways.[Image courtesy of BBC]
The digital TV switchover begins... in Britain
We're still quite a few [Image courtesy of BBC]
BT Group hooks up with FON for widespread WiFi
