Please Disperse

For those enjoying media bliss thanks to a little MediaSmart box humming away somewhere in the corner life just got a even more lovely. HP has announced a partnership with TiVo that allows MediaSmart users to install a Windows Home Server add-in, enabling the two devices to talk sweet nothings to each other. From within the WHS console you'll be able to […]

Another day, another CEO with more lip gloss than brain matter. Jeffrey Katzenberg has been talking to USA Today on what seems to be his favorite topic these days, 3D, and telling us that the glasses ain't no big deal. After all, "many many many people" wear glasses -- that's three lots of many for those keeping count at home -- and the n […]

David Riesenberg obviously had his head in the clouds when he dreamed up the OO High Definition Wireless Projector, but it's not like we're kvetching about his imagination's ability to go far beyond the limits of most humans. For one thing, the concept 1080p projector looks (and lands) like a stunning orange UFO; for another, the specs are oth […]

Ready for your daily dose of ingeniousness? That word is actually real, and so is the Happy Hour Timepiece -- a watch that doubles as a bottle opener, because as the tagline reminds us, "it's 5 o'clock somewhere." It has just become available to buy from Time Tap's website, and its black leather-strapped awesomeness can be yours for […]

Did you know there was a Digital Inclusion Summit going on? We already know the FCC isn't best pleased about the fact 93 million Americans are making do without access to home broadband, and this latest event was an opportunity for it to dish some more info on its forthcoming National Broadband Plan. The major obstacles to broadband adoption identified […]

While the verdict is still out with regard to consumer appetites for a 3rd portable computing device, PC makers are betting the farm on consumer interest in tablets that fill the gap between small-screened smartphones and bulky (by comparison) netbooks/laptops. We've already seen an uptick in tablet devices on display at the big CES and CeBIT trade show […]

In 2007, steampunk musician Yoshi Akai wrote his master's thesis on how to turn color into sound, and he's been dreaming up unorthodox ways of producing music ever since. Case in point: the Lego Sequencer MR II, a contraption that uses three-dimensional Lego structures to emulate a three-channel, eight-step sequencer, where each differently colored […]

Tired of the limited legroom, bad food, and worse movies you have to put up with during a flight? Well, it's time to bust out your company credit card and get yourself a Martin Jetpack, which has just become the first commercially available jetpack. Driven by a pair of washing machine-sized fans strapped to your back, this personal transporter will give […]

Man, MIT is making all of these other places of higher learning look silly. For what seems like the fortieth time this month, scientists at the university have revealed yet another breakthrough that might just change the way we compute in the future. Polyethylene, which is about as common a polymer as they come, could very well become a vital part of the way […]

Whether you covet your Irish friends' ability to make in-flight cellphone calls or value your aerial naps too much to care either way, you must admit that the promise of in-flight SMS, MMS, voice messaging, and text email is tantalizing. To this end, the kids at Asiq have announced a little something called the Bluetooth Access Point. This device uses t […]

The US vice-president renews criticism of Israel over an East Jerusalem building project and urges bold steps to peace. […]

Administrators at Portsmouth FC start to make employees redundant, with 85 people losing their jobs. […]

A BBC Newsnight poll suggests that the Conservatives are failing to win over voters unsatisfied with Labour's record on education. […]

The internet is among a record 237 individuals and organisations nominated for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. […]

Two women raped by their father over 25 years - bearing nine of his children - are given a public apology by the authorities. […]

The eggshells of long-dead and extinct species are a particularly good source to find preserved DNA, researchers say. […]

China is to lend Sri Lanka just under $200m to build a second international airport in the south of the island. […]

London's Royal Opera House is to host the world premiere of an opera about the life of ex- Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith. […]

Police searching for a Dundee mother who went missing two weeks ago say they have found a body. […]

An elephant in a Sydney zoo shocks vets by giving birth to a live baby elephant who appears to have survived labour in a coma in the womb. […]

The father of a British boy kidnapped in Pakistan has returned home against police wishes, the BBC learns. […]

David Beckham believes his AC Milan side can overturn a 3-2 deficit and send his former club Manchester United crashing out of the Champions League. […]

A Shanghai company denies it used sweatshop labour to produce World Cup mascots, as Fifa suspends its manufacturing contract. […]

South Africa's ruling ANC asks Winnie Mandela to clarify comments attributed to her that starkly criticised her ex-husband, Nelson. […]

Lost Boys actor Corey Haim dies at the age of 38, the Los Angeles coroner's office confirms. […]

The Conservatives pledge to reverse what they say is the UK's "shrinking" influence in the world if they win power. […]

British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia offer to give up take off and landing slots in London and New York, say EU watchdogs. […]

A Spanish woman aid worker kidnapped in West Africa last year has been freed, the Spanish government says. […]

Gordon Brown warns of economic storms ahead but vows not to "let you down" as the date of the Budget is announced. […]

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says it is the US, not Tehran, that is playing a "double game" in Afghanistan. […]