Wonder what your pets are doing when you’re not home? Here’s a simple homebrew iPhone app that’ll allow you to spy on your dog, and shower him with treats, no matter where you are! With a CD-R spindle, some cardboard and wood scraps, a giant syringe, a webcam, and some glue, Stephen Myer created the body of a doggy-treat dispenser

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Homebrew iPhone App Lets You Reward Sparky From Afar [Homebrew]

It may be extremely difficult, but even after its death , NASA scientists have been trying to resurrect the Phoenix Mars Lander at all costs. Sadly, they gave up last week. Happily, there’s still hope. The Phoenix Lander’s Mission Manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory—Chris Lewicki—said that they “were hoping that another variation in weather might give [them] an opportunity to contact the lander again.” In other words: If the Phoenix’s hardware survives the extreme—150º F of the Marian winter—NASA controllers will begin trying to revive it again in Spring. They will do so by issuing commands from the two Mars orbiters, and wishing that the probe would have enough strength to restart.

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NASA Scientists Give Up on Phoenix Resurrection [Single Tear]

You know what’s fun? When Chinese fakes actually turn out to be more useful (and would possibly sell better) than the real product. Case in point: This cellphone designed to look like Mattel’s Barbie B2 mp3 player . Called the Barbie P520, this clamshell phone is in no way sponsored by Mattel

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Fake Chinese Barbie Phone Better Than the Real Thing [Fakemodo]

So you want a rotary telephone. You don’t want a cheap plastic copy.

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A perfect, no-bullshit black rotary telephone that works

Scott Cleland / The Precursor Blog : Google uses 21 times more bandwidth than it pays for — per first-ever research study   —  The 27 page research study can be accessed at this link:  —  Contact: Scott Cleland 703-217-2407  —  First-Ever Study of U.S. Consumer Internet Usage and Cost Finds  —  Google Uses 21 Times More Bandwidth than it Pays For

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Google uses 21 times more bandwidth than it pays for … (Scott Cleland/The Precursor Blog)

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Well, that adage will definitely apply to those who actually fall for the antics of the Annoy-a-tron , which is now available in version 2.0 . This time round, it comes with six sound choices along with volume control, making sure that you are twice as fun and annoying at the office! Some of the sound and volume combinations found on the Annoy-a-tron 2.0 include :- 15kHz (Mosquito tone – young folks can hear it, older folks cannot!) (full volume) Cricket chirping (medium/low volume) IM Doorbell (low volume) Grating Electronic noise (full volume) Typical Electronic Beep (medium volume) What would make this most interesting would be setting the cricket sound – make sure you place the Annoy-a-tron 2.0 somewhere a few feet off the ground, since most people would look for that dastardly cricket at floor level and will most probably miss the Annoy-a-tron 2.0’s secret location. Well, only your clueless colleagues will be irritated – our loyal CG readers will definitely throw a knowing wink at the prankster

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Annoy-a-tron 2.0 is back for more

The definitions for netbooks and MIDs , and the distinctions between the two (and regular laptops, for that matter), have always been more than a little nebulous, but it looks like Intel is doing its part to clarify things a bit (for itself, at least), and it’s now sharing its internal definitions for the categories with the general public. According to jkOnTheRun, Intel sees netbooks as “clamshell notebooks” with 7-inch to 10.2-inch screens that are “purpose built for Internet use.” MIDs, on the other hand, are “pocketable devices” with 4-inch to 7-inch screens, which can also be clamshell devices, or come in slider or tablet form, each of which must also be built specifically for “internet-based targeted usages.” In related, confusion-inducing news, Intel also says that it expects to see an increasing number of specialized MIDs that focus on more narrow uses like navigation, entertainment or, yes, even gaming. Filed under: Handhelds , Laptops Intel shares its internal netbook and MID definitions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Read  |  Permalink  |  Email this  |  Comments

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Intel shares its internal netbook and MID definitions

John Paczkowski / Digital Daily : Real Depressing: The Entire Real Networks Layoff Memo   —  Earlier this afternoon, Peter Kafka reported in Media Memo that RealNetworks (RNWK) was “next up in today’s layoff parade.”  Here’s the official internal memo from RealNetworks founder, chairman and CEO, Rob Glaser:

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Real Depressing: The Entire Real Networks Layoff Memo (John Paczkowski/Digital Daily)

If Nintendo were to create a real-life version of Mario Kart, we can only hope it’s as interesting as this fan-made version.

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Feature: What Mario Kart Looks Like in Real Life

For $5,500 on eBay , you could purchase an original Nintendo Punch-Out machine — “includes the muscular boxing arms on the sides.” Though the machine itself may be nothing special, this is the first one we’ve seen with the boxing arms (custom?). Auction page .

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eBay Watch: Original Nintendo Punch-Out Arcade Machine Includes Arms