A while back, my luddite cat had a run-in with an R/C dragonfly. It left her jaded and frightened of the device, so much that we topped our Christmas tree with it to keep her ornament attacking at bay. It was remarkably effective. Since then we’ve relocated to an apartment and she has a new nemesis…the washing machine.

I think it’s the spin cycle. The little water-efficient unit rotates with amazing speed, making a sound that’s somewhere between a pneumatic drill and a jet engine launch. During the first load of laundry we washed, Anya (the cat) stood three feet away trembling in fear.

She’s a tough cat, so it’s a bit disturbing to see her scared.

Anya raised one paw, ready to smack the mechanical beast down if necessary. We couldn’t approach her to assuage her fears with pets/snuggles. She was busy in a battle for her/our lives.

Since that evening, it’s gotten better, but only a tiny. Frequently, she sits in front of the washer when it’s not in use, studying the slumbering beast for any weakness and knowledge of what makes it tick.

It’s just a lousy situation, as there’s no good solution here. (Imagine that conversation with our landlord. “You have to purchase our cat new laundry equipment, sorry.”) We’ve to give it time—time for our very loved pet to become less and less intimidated by an electronic device that doesn’t even know she exists. Because there’s simply no way to tell an animal that inanimate objects mean them no harm.

And while it’s kind of funny for a moment or two, eventually you begin to feel like a real jerk for keeping such electronics around. Has anyone out there had similar issues with their pets and gadgets?

Via [Gizmodo]

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I’m loving how with a few modifications, these next-gen consoles are becoming true media centers. From running third party apps to installing Linux, it seems that this stuff is just a couple clicks away (if you’re willing to fiddle with your hardware a tiny bit). One easy mod is this one at Lifehacker: how to […]

I’m loving how with a few modifications, these next-gen consoles are becoming true media centers. From running third party apps to installing Linux, it seems that this stuff is just a couple clicks away (if you’re willing to fiddle with your hardware a tiny bit). One simple mod is this one at Lifehacker: how to make your 360 stream Netflix movies. The trouble is it requires Vista. Yes, there’s the rub.

Still, if you’ve got the setup, why not take advantage of it? The steps look pretty easy, so get on it, fool! And let us know if it works.

Via [crunchgear]

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If I need to spend a hundred words explaining to you just why the $18 Channel Changer Ray Gun is worth your time, then you really shouldn’t be reading Gizmodo at all. Seriously, do yourself a favor. Unplug your computer and—very carefully—carry it to the trash can and—gently—drop it in. And when you’re finished doing that, toss in any aspirations you had for this life, too. Because you are obviously a worthless human being. Sorry, I don’t make the rules; I just call ‘em as I see ‘em. [Play via nerdapproved]

Via [Gizmodo]

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Jacob Whitehill of UC San Diego’s computer science Ph. D program has developed software that recognizes common facial expressions and then translates those expressions into commands that either speed up or slow down the playback of certain video lectures.� According to Science Daily, “The proof-of-concept demonstration is part of a more massive project to use […]

Jacob Whitehill of UC San Diego’s computer science Ph. D program has developed software that recognizes common facial expressions and then translates those expressions into commands that either speed up or slow down the playback of certain video lectures.�

According to Science Daily, “The proof-of-concept demonstration is part of a larger project to use automated facial expression recognition to make robots more effective instructors.” The software can detect when a person is smiling or when their brow is furrowed, for instance. Whitehill also found that people have a tendency to blink less frequently when they’re trying to grasp difficult subject material.

“If I am a student dealing with a robot teacher and I am absolutely puzzled and yet the robot keeps presenting new material, that’s not going to be very useful to me. If, instead, the robot stops and states, ‘Oh, maybe you’re confused,’ and I state, ‘Yes, thank you for stopping,’ that’s really good,” stated Whitehill.

The software currently appears to work with off-the shelf webcams, which could be used to control the speed of remote lectures. There’s a video located here (sorry, WMV/ASX only) with more information and some demonstrations.

Via [crunchgear]

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Starting July 2nd, existing T-Mobile customers will be able to add unlimited VOIP home phone service for $10 extra per month, plus a one-time outlay of $50 for a T-Mobile-branded Linksys wireless router with built-in VOIP functionality. The router has two SIM card slots inside and, as such, can handle two separate phone numbers. You’ll get […]

Starting July 2nd, existing T-Mobile customers will be able to add unlimited VOIP home phone service for $10 extra per month, plus a one-time outlay of $50 for a T-Mobile-branded Linksys wireless router with built-in VOIP functionality. The router has two SIM card slots inside and, as such, can handle two separate phone numbers.

You’ll get an additional number on top of your current cell phone number or you can port your existing landline number over if you have one. The offer is available for individual mobile plans running $39.99 and up per month or family plans over $49.99 per month. The VOIP service requires a broadband connection and includes unlimited local and nationwide calling, voicemail, call waiting, and caller ID.

I’ve been testing the service for the past couple of weeks and I’ve been very impressed. The setup was dead simple and the call quality has been outstanding. I’ve had Vonage, SunRocket, and Lingo in the past and there have always been occasional hiccups and audio dropouts here and there but this is the first service I’ve used that’s actually been mostly transparent. I had the whole system up and running in about 15 minutes and haven’t touched it since, which is a good sign.

If I were a T-Mobile customer, I’d absolutely add this to my account for $10 per month. It’s a no-brainer unless you’re on an unlimited mobile plan. And if you’re on a plan with a ton of minutes that you don’t end up using each month, you could even drop down to a cheaper calling plan and then add the @Home service to make up for the difference in minutes.

The service has been available in Seattle and Dallas for a while now but will be available nationwide on July 2nd. It’ll be interesting to see how (or if) other carriers react with similar offerings. The pricing is really aggressive for something like this so I wouldn’t be surprised to see current and new customers adding it to their accounts.

HotSpot @Home [T-Mobile.com]

Via [crunchgear]

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