DASH GPS device shows off Zillow API Mashup

I'm eagerly awaiting the release of the DASH GPS device and this little preview of it in action just made me want it all the more. I didn't realize they were making it open source.

Mobile GMaps & My Location

Great new pseudo-GPS feature in Google Maps For Mobile

Reminiscent of the old AT&T "Find Friends" technology we used to know and love.

New magical blue circle on your map

Plus, I'm starting to really love these new "demonstration" videos Google does when launching new features.

QL Fanfic Movie

The long rumored Quantum Leap "Bold Leap Forward" sequel series on Sci-Fi sill hasn't quite made it off the ground yet, but now someone is taking matters into their own hands:

QL Fanfilm: A Leap To Di For

Award Winning Filmmaker Christopher Allen has announced the title of his company’s next film production, a fan based effort to re-launch the popular “Quantum Leap” television series that ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993.

“I just want to re-launch the (Quantum Leap) series in some way or another. I don’t care about not making any money on this. It’s not about money... its about quality stories and characters people still care about to this very day. Above all else, it is ultimately for the fans.”

Watch the Teaser Trailer

High Compliment

From The Blog Readability Test

The Do Not What List?

This is great just for how brazenly ridiculous their loose interpretation is:

DirecTV Telemarketing

DirecTV is defending automated sales calls to Do Not Call List subscribers as "informational," and "not telemarketing." The satellite TV provider recently called customers to say: "Because you are on our Do Not Call List, we can't call you with all of our super-awesome special promotions."

Link includes letter to a customer from DirecTV lawyer explaining the reasoning:

Since our calls were informational in nature, and not telemarketing sales calls, they fall outside the scope of the Telemarketing Sales Rule and related federal and state laws and regulations governing telemarketing sales practices. As such, our calls did not violate any of these statutes or regulations.

Pas d'Internet pour vous

France Sets Sanctions Against Internet Piracy
Internet users in France who frequently download music or films illegally risk losing Web access under a new anti-piracy system unveiled on Friday.

The Truth About Viral Videos

A fascinating TechCrunch expose:

The Secret Strategies Behind Many “Viral” Videos

Gmail Interview (& Parody)

Interesting Lifehacker interview with Google's Product Manager in charge of Gmail.

Gmail Product Manager on IMAP and Greasemonkey

Strange aside:
Direct Lifehacker post links don't seem to be working in the new Tiger version of Safari 3.

Funny aside:
What if Microsoft Designed Gmail?

Windows Live Gmail

The Tryptophan Myth

My favorite iNet Thanksgiving question/answer pair:

Thanksgiving Myth: Turkey Makes You Sleepy

The sleepy-turkey myth lingers around each year because it sounds so logical.

Alas, it is only marginally true. What's making you sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner is any combination of booze, bad conversation and a carbohydrate-heavy meal, but not the turkey itself.

Turkey does have tryptophan. But all meat has tryptophan at comparable levels. Cheddar cheese, gram for gram, has more.

In essence, big meals with any food containing tryptophan can cause sleepiness. The real culprits are all those carbohydrates from potatoes, stuffing, vegetables, bread and pie. The massive intake of carb-heavy calories stimulates the release of insulin, which in turn triggers the uptake of most amino acids from the blood into the muscles except for tryptophan.

With other amino acids swept out of the bloodstream, tryptophan—from turkey or ham or any meat or cheese, for that matter—can better make its way to the brain to produce serotonin.

Bonus Thanksgiving Funny via JibJab

Kindle

Amazon's new EVDO powered (via Sprint) eBook, Blog, Newspaper, Magazine, and Wiki reader device.

Amazon Kindle

The next iPod? Or the next Newton?

Apple Newton
"Although the Apple Newton was produced for six years, it was never as successful in the marketplace as Apple had hoped. This has been attributed to two primary reasons: the Newton's high price (which went up to $1000 when models 2000 and 2100 were introduced), and its large size (it failed the "pocket test" by not fitting in an average coat, shirt, or trouser pocket)."

Capturing the Power of CAPTCHA

Stumbled into this via a Webware post about Southwest shutting down boarding pass sniping site Pass-a-Matic.

Re-CAPTCHA is a Carnegie Melon University project that repurposes those CAPTCHA verification boxes (last discussed by us here) to help digitize books.

The basic idea is to take words that optical scanners can't recognize, turn them into CAPTCHAs, and then use crowdsourcing ala Mechanical Turk to do the heavy lifting. It's all pretty clever.

More details here.

Take TV

Found this in a banner ad of all places...

This is an intriguing device that allows you to take video from your computer and play it directly to your tv. Great design - cool integrated USB/Remote control.

Annoying flash intro - skip right to the demo.