TV and Internet Are Turning Teenagers Into Loners

A new study found a direct link between the time teenagers spent staring at screens and their inability to have meaningful relationships with their parents and peers.

You've likely been at one end of this debate—either you were a teenage TV zombie being told by your parents to go play outside, or you were that parent trying to keep your kid from spending another mindless hour on the Internet. In this battle, it turns out, the wisdom of age prevails.

The study, published in this month's Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, found that every hour of TV watched increased the teen's likelihood of detachment from friends and family 4% and each hour of Internet increased it 5%. Let's break that down: If you're 16 and watch 4 episodes of 24 after school, you're 20% more likely not to like hanging out with your parents.

 

 

Gorillatorch Switchback Is Half Headlamp, Half Lantern

Sometimes you need a light that you can set on a table. Sometimes you need a light you can strap to your forehead. The 130 lumen Gorillatorch Switchback just happens to be both.

The Switchback's main module has 5 LEDs—one XP-G LED spotlight and 4 white and red LED flood lights—which are adjustable from 5 to 130 lumens. Clip it to a supplied headband and it's a headlamp. Pop it in the supplied shell and it's a lantern. Pop Gorilla's signature magnetic spider legs on that lantern and you can wrap this thing pretty much anywhere you damn please. $60 over at Joby.

Concept-to-Reality Watch Has Gone at Sale at Tokyo Flash

The readability on this watch design is actually pretty simple. The top circle on the face represents hours, the bottom left is minutes (in groups of five) and the bottom right circle is single minutes. For a more detailed look at how they're read, check out the video below or the product page here. The Satellite costs $93/ £60

Visual Sound Is A Phone Concept For The Deaf With Transparent Touchscreen

We don't give much thought to deaf users of phones, but Pratt Institute student Suhyun Kimhas worked hard on this stunning Visual Sound concept, which converts voice to text and vice versa.

The scroll-like device has a touchscreen for text to be typed in, which then gets converted to voice for the other person on the line, whose audio then turns into text for the deaf user of the phone to read. If the Visual Sound concept ever got put into production, I'll be one of the first to snag one—not only does it look great, but it might help when phoning from noisy locations.

 

 

Roly Poly Iron Prefers Not to Burn Down Your House

I can't speak for everyone here, but who hasn't burned down 2, 3 even 4 dwellings with a rogue iron? The Roly Poly, an iron concept by Wonkook Lee, may be our last hope.

The Roly Poly Iron is loaded with an extra set of weights. When you hold it, these weights shift inside the handle, making the horizontal positioning natural. But as soon as you let go, sensors note your recklessness and shift the weights properly to actually stand the iron back up on its hind legs.

 

 

Minimalist SD Reader Also Looks Like a Toaster

There's usually nothing very interesting about transferring files off an SD card. But! Elecom's newest, adorable little reader lets you pop in four of your cards (SD, microSD, and miniSD) at once. Then, sit back and stare at them.

I dig the plain cube look (who wants their SD reader to stand out?) that makes the cards themselves part of the visual charm. And for $48, sucking down data off four cards at once (up to 64 GB at once) ain't such a bad deal.

 

 

Samsung Nexus S: The New Official Google Phone

The new Google phone has 16GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM, as well as a gyroscope and VoIP support. It's got a 1GHz Cortex A8-based Hummingbird and 4-inch 800x480 Super AMOLED screen, just like the Samsung's Galaxy Seseseses, which are available on every carrier. So it's not a tremendous leap forward in terms of specs, but it's still an attractive option for those looking for a pure, Google-approved Android experience. It'll be available unlocked or on T-Mobile, though according to Google's product page it doesn't support T-Mo's 4G-ish HSPA+ network.

There's a 5MP camera on its back and a VGA camera on the front, and, maybe most uniquely, its 4-inch "Contour Display" is curved to better cradle your face when you're chatting someone up,

But they also noted that "the case also feels somewhat cheap, unlike the solid feel of the iPhone and some previous Android phones."

You'll be able to get your hands on a Nexus S on December 16, unlocked for $529 or with a 2 year T-Mobile plan for $199, at Best Buy locations or directly through Google.

Daily Aspirin Can Reduce Your Chances of Dying From Cancer Up to 60%

Researchers have found a drug that's unexpectedly effective at reducing one's chances of dying from many common forms of cancer, in some cases lessening fatalities up to 60%. It's a small, long term daily dose of aspirin.

In a new report, stemming from eight long term studies including some 25,000 patients, British researchers found that a small, 75 milligram dose of aspirin taken daily for at least five years reduces risk of dying from common cancers roughly 10 to 60 percent. Here are some of the findings, published today on the website of medical journal The Lancet:

• After 5 years of daily aspirin, death due to gastrointestinal cancers decreased by 54%.
• After 20 years, death due to prostate cancer decreased by 10%
• After 20 years, death due to lung cancer decreased by 30% (among those with adenocarcinomas, typically seen in nonsmokers)
• After 20 years, death due to colorectal cancer decreased by 40%
• After 20 years, death due to esophageal cancer decreased by 60%

 

 

The Last Word In Toilets

This is the Giovannoni Washlet. And while I don't recognize exactly what each component of its feature set is supposed to do, I do know what awesome sounds like. And "tornado flush" sounds awesome.

The toilet—pardon me, washlet—also has a "triple-jet rimless flushing system" and a "hygienic glazing" for its ceramic surface. To me that says this bad boy will flush anything, anywhere, any time. This toilet is a vortex from which nothing shall emerge. And it also deodorizes!

According to TOTO, the company producing this über-potty, the Giovannoni Washlet "captures both the essence of Italian style and the sophistication of Japanese bathroom culture." I can't argue with that. Especially since the only culture in my bathroom is growing between the shower tiles.

Solar Camera Strap

The modern DSLR requires so little power that, you can forget to charge its battery. But this concept by Weng Jie would solve the problem. It's simply a camera strap with solar paneling.

This strap would be more useful as DSLRs require less power. But on top of that, the solar rig here has a lot more surface area (I'm guessing double or triple) than that of your average pocket solar adapter.

So with less power requirements and more power output, a solar camera strap seems like a pretty brilliant idea in my book.

 

 

Sennheiser's New Gaming Headsets Will Make Your PC Games Sing

Sennheiser's expanding its gaming headset lineup with four new sets o' cans—the flagship Sennheiser PC 360, the surround sound PC 333D and PC 163D, and the PC 330 G4ME. Hey, if they're good enough for your music, then they probably will make your games sound pretty great too.

The flagship PC 360s have been available overseas for awhile, but now they're making their way stateside for $299. They use Sennheiser Open-Aire speaker tech, have a volume control on the right ear cup, and their mic can be muted simply by lifting it up.

The $209 PC 163Ds have virtualized 7.1 surround sound so no one will sneak up on you in the game and an open ear design so no one will sneak up on you in real life. The $239 PC 333D also has pseudo 7.1 surround with a closed cup design, as well as a noise canceling mic, and rounding out the set is the PC 330 G4ME for $169.95.

This Generator the Size of a Pencil Tip Shakes Up Big Power

Japanese researchers have cooked up a minuscule kinetic battery capable of generating more energy than anything of its kind. Through only the slightest vibrations, the tiny device cranks out 22 milliwatts—20 times more than anything similar before it.

Twenty two milliwatts might not sound like terribly much—certainly a long way from powering your PS3—but could revolutionize the way we use smaller, button-sized batteries—just imagine a tiny way to store and generate power that could be tucked away anywhere. Devices that suck small amounts of juice could power themselves just by being in your pocket.

The secret behind the microgenerator lies in its use of Galfenol, a magnetic material developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory in 1998—it's super tough, and can take temperatures over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 

Scosche solBAT II Sun-Powered USB

What if you could charge pretty much any gadget, from iPhones to Blackberries, with a pocketable solar panel? Well, you can now with the solBAT II. It's a small plastic box that's far lighter than any cellphone, the SolBAT II is essentially a solar panel connected to a battery connected to AC and USB ports.

The catch is that the solBAT II takes a long time to charge—4 to 5 days in all, according to the package. After sitting that long in my window, the device still hadn't reached its 1500mA capacity.

Price: $30, but as low as $20 on Amazon.

The Mouse I Would Like to Have

The OM wireless optical mouse is a flat surface the size of a hand, only 10 millimeter thick at its highest point. In theory, it makes your hand relax. In the practice, it's a very cool concept.

Apparently, most of the hand strain comes from the sides of current mouses. Buy getting rid of them, the OM would solve this problem, the designer says. Whatever. I just think it looks great.

Samsung's Big Time, Pocket-Sized Pico Projector

You may not be able to tell from this context-deprived picture, but Samsung's SP-H03 pico projector is small. Really small. Like, hockey puck small. And it puts 854x480 resolution and 1GB of internal memory in the palm of your hand.

The SP-H03 weighs just half a pound, and brings grownup specs to the pico category. In addition to that WVGA resolution, it's got impressive 30 lumen brightness, microSD memory expansion up to 16GB, and an itty bitty 1W stereo for media presentations.

It'll be available this month for $300 and if you end up using it more for putting home movies up on the garage door, well, who's gonna know?

 

 

Fold this iPhone Speaker Out to Increase the Volume

As far as iPhone speakers go, this one looks more like an educational toy from a museum shop than a speaker. It's got a novel twist however, if you can pardon the pun, with each fold making the volume increase/decrease.

A typical Yanko Design concept, it was designed by Chun-Chieh Yang and folds up to a small square-shaped size for easy transporting. 

 

 

Lens Bracelets Are the Ultimate Stocking Stuffer for Your Fave Photog

You could buy your photographer friend a nice new lens this holiday season—and drop several hundred bucks—or you could buy one of these charming lens bracelets. Not exactly, say, functional, but totally more cute!—and cooler than Silly Bandz.

You can pick up the set of two bracelets (in 24-70mm and 50mm models) for $15.

 

 

An Inelegant Solution To an Unserious Drinking Problem

Classic dilemma: you'd like a shot. You'd like a beer. You have limited cabinet space. Never fear! The Shot in a Pint glass holds both beer and liquor better than you ever could.

Sure, it's not the most practical solution, since it can only hold one libation at a time. But in terms of saving space, and adding a touch of whimsy to your crippling dependency, you really can't do much better. Twenty bucks for a set of two, and I'd suggest not putting anything more expensive in them.

 

 

Don't Worry, the Balloon Bench Won't Float Out of Your House

Japanese design firm h220430's whimsical Balloon Bench isn't exactly traditional. But it looks a whole lot more fun to sit on than your average sofa—even if the balloons aren't real. Or, have some drinks and pretend you're floating.

The bench's trick is a little less graceful than actual levitation—the plastic "balloons" would have to be bolted into your ceiling to support your weight. And I'm not so sure how comfortable a bench made from aluminum would be (quick guess: not very). But still—I'll trade comfort for looking a little more awesome the next time I sit down.

Complex $1.2 Million Manufacture Royale Accordion Watch Plays a Simple Tune

Manufacture Royale's Opera $1.2 million watch doesn't just open up for show, there's some functionality built into that unfolding, accordion-like action too. Minute hand repeater plays C#, hour hand plays in A. Your wallet weeps to the tune of "empty."

The watch will be limited to a run of only 12 timepieces, each comprised of 319 gears, springs and other bits of 18k rose and gray gold. The band is unashamedly alligator skin.

Match Your Adidas Shoes With Sennheiser's HD 25 Originals Headphones

I adored my shell-toed Adidas sneakers as a youngster. If only these Sennheiser HD 25 Originals had been around then, I could've matched them with my shoes. If you've got the shoes, the attitude, and $360 spare, step right in.

They've got a frequency response of 16-22000 Hz, a sound pressure level of 120dB, and weighs 162g. Plug into your chosen media player, and hit up some old skool Run DMC.

This Three-Person Bathtub Is Made From a Single Rock Crystal

I love big bathtubs and crazy jacuzzis, but this thing defies imagination. It's an 8.3-feet diameter bathtub made from a single rock crystal. If Superman had a tub in his Fortress of Solitude, this would be it.

And he will use it with Lois Lane and Wonderwoman, because it can fit three people. Made by Italian company Baldi using diamond cutters, the bathtub took six months to carve out of a giant quartz rock. The rock itself was found in the Amazonia rainforest.

I can't decide if the effect of the halogen lighting through the rock is the coolest or the tackiest thing ever in a bathroom. Probably both, and that's why I want to spend an hour inside.

 

 

Monster Vision Max 3D Glasses

3D is a bit of a mess in itself, but to make matters more complicated, a pair of shutter glasses that work with your Samsung TV won't work with your Panasonic TV or not very well. Monster is changing that, almost.

Their Vision Max 3D glasses promise universal compatibility on all 3D TVs—which is fantastic—but you'll need to use Monster's base station to make said TVs work with the glasses.

$250 buys you a base station (transmitting shutter sync information over 2.4GHz) and one pair of glasses. $180 buys you an extra pair of glasses.

It's not a bad idea—not at all. But so long as you can't just bring your glasses to a friend's house to watch a movie, so long as the glasses themselves can't decode every manufacturer's particular 3D timing, so long as you need a intermediary piece of equipment to make it all work, Monster's solution doesn't look much more tempting (or flexible) than that of the original manufacturers.

 

 

Bring Pleasing Visual Conformity to Cabling With the Rigid E-Line Cord

Turn your death-trap of precarious wiring into a design feature with E-Line. By placing a grooved, flexible exo-skin around the inner power cord, E-Line creates a semi-rigid cable you're able to spend hours obsessively tidying into a pleasing shape.

But don't throw out your last-gen floppy cables in a frenzy of excitement—the E-Line Cord is only a design concept at the moment. It'll be several weeks at the least before the Chinese can ship a supertanker full of clones of these out to the US.

 

 

Humans Can Only Walk In Circles and We Don't Know Why

Humans can't walk in straight lines. If there's no fixed point of reference, we just walk in circles and inevitably get lost. Nobody knows why, but researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics have confirmed it in several experiments.

If you walk, drive or sail blindfolded, in the middle of the fog or at night, with no stars in sight, you will not be able to keep a straight line. No matter how hard you try, you will end going in circles because, for some mysterious reason, humans have a tendency to lean to one side more than the other. Some people speculate that this is because one side of the brain is the dominating one. Others point out that the reason may be purely mechanical, because one of our legs is always sightly shorter than the other. But, according to the results of the study, these are not the causes for this unique behavior. At least, there's not one single explanation and it may be a combination of many.

Whatever it is, don't get into a dark forest without a compass—screw the GPS.

The Starship Enterprise's Universal Remote

The Cyclops universal remote would fit in so well in someone's Star Fleet quarters, I'm surprised it doesn't have a replicator button on it. Fortunately, you won't have to wait for the far-flung future to own one.

The Cyclops, from GenosTV, is a wireless universal remote that's meant to be ergonomically superior for two-handed use. One version will be designed for all consumer electronics, while apparently there will be another that's geared more specifically towards gaming systems. They'll also incorporate Bluetooth, meaning you can use this bad boy to send text messages as well.

As for what star date you'll be able to have one of your own: there's no official word yet, but apparently the Cyclops is "ready to go to manufacturing" and should be available in time for the holidays this year. Presumably the instruction manual tells you how to set it to stun.

 

 

Traditional Terracotta Roof That Happens to Harness the Sun

There are plenty of technical hurdles keeping the masses from decking out their roofs withsolar panels, but their general ugliness doesn't help much either. Tegolasolare puts their photovoltaic panels second to the surrounding architecture, not the other way around.

The Italian company's red clay roof tiles look just like traditional terracotta and incorporatephotovoltaic panels, as opposed to merely accommodating them. It's a perfect example of how forward-looking, sustainable technology can exist in harmony with traditional architecture.

Of course, lose the drab solar roof look and you lose your eco-savvy neighbor visibility along with it, and really, what fun is having an Earth-saving roof if it looks just like your regular old one?

Are the Aliens Coming?

NASA and SETI and countless other groups have been searching for evidence of extraterrestrial life for as long as humanity has been looking at the stars. On Thursday, December 2, several NASA astrobiologists will announce results “that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life”.

What does that mean? Judging by the research interests of the scientists involved in the upcoming announcement, this astrobiological discovery will have something to do with water, evolutionary biology, and aquatic bacteria.

The press conference and the discovery will be announced on Thursday after 11AM PST (2PM EST), NASA will also show a video broadcast of the press conference to journalists at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View.

Until then, what do you think this discovery will be? Has extraterrestrial bacterial been discovered preserved in a meteorite? Have we seen evidence of life on a ocean-covered exoplanet?

Toshiba Libretto W100 Is a Full Windows 7 Dual-Screen Curiosity

The Libretto has the specs of a halfway decent ultraportable: a 1.2 GHz Pentium U5400 processor, 2GB DDR3 RAM, 62GB SSD, a USB port and a microSD slot. But that body isn't really like anything else, unfolding to reveal two 7-inch multitouch displays. The screens can either be used together or independently meaning one web page can span the whole device, or be sequestered on top while the bottom is filled with email, documents, or an on-screen keyboard. Pricing has been set at $1,100.

 

 

A Vinyl-CD Hybrid To Keep the Hipster-Yuppies Satisfied

Can't vinyl and CDs get along? That's the reasonable question posed by electronic/techno musician Jeff Mills, who has released his latest album on a two-for-one hybrid format. Thoughtful mediation, or sixth sign of the apocalypse? Check out the flip side:

Personally, I'm always fan of the convergence of analog and digital. The album, called The Occurrence and the latest in a series from Mills called The Sleeper Wakes, is a limited edition release from Axis Records.

Turn a KFC Double Down into Chicken Cordon Bleu

Over at food weblog Slashfood, they've made the observation that the new KFC Double Down (you know, that heavily marketed sandwich that uses fried chicken instead of bread) is actually not that original. In fact, it's barely different from Chicken Cordon Bleu, a popular French dish. In an effort to prove their point (and eat lots of KFC, no doubt), they've shared their recipe for Chicken Cordon Bleu, using only 1 KFC Double Down and some organic French tarragon.

Sure, it sounds silly, but we love KFC so much we've learned how to make it at home—so all logic has already been thrown out the window. Plus, it's a great way to make a great tasting "fancy" dish at the last second, when you've set the duck on fire and your guests are arriving in 20 minutes.

Google Employees Sleep In Alien-Like Pods

How does Google keep its employees fresh for long days and nights of working? With sleep pods.

FT reporter Richard Waters was in Google's Mountain View headquarters and snapped this photo of an anonymous Googler catching some rest. When Richard walked past the pod later, he said a pair of female legs were sticking out from the pod.

This contraption is a MetroNap EnergyPod. Metronap says it "harnesses science and NASA technology" to deliver a refreshing nap for users.

On its site, Metronap says, "Occupants are reclined into the optimal napping position to promote blood circulation and reduce pressure on the lower back and ambient sounds help nappers drift into light sleep."

When it's time to wake up, the EnergyPod delivers a light vibration.

Facebook Like and Dislike Button Rubber Stamps Now Available

The Facebook Like rubber stamp was so popular, that its creators are now selling them. Not only that, but they've created what everyone wants for the real Facebook: A dislike button stamp. Come on, Zuckerberg, you know you want it.

Like them? Then hit that like button in Facebook and go buy one. They are only $15 plus shipping each.Shop

 

 

Scientists Discover the First Planet With a Tail

Scientists have discovered the first cometary planet, one with a huge tail, a stream of gas being ripped off by solar winds at 22,000 miles per hour. This jovian world is located 153 light-years from Earth.

The planet—called HD 209458b—orbits 100 times closer to its home star than our Jovian neighbor, traveling in an astonishingly fast 3.5-day orbit. For comparison, Mercury—our solar system fastest planet—has an 88-day orbit.

Since HD 209458b is so close to the sun, the stellar winds are ripping the planet's atmosphere apart. Scientists have used the Hubble's Cosmic Origins Spectrograph to gather evidence that support the theory that its 2,000ºF atmosphere is being ejected from its body at 22,000 miles per hour.

 

 

Samson Q2U Mic Is a Cheap USB/XLR Solution For Home Foley Action

You can easily make your own 1080p movies with relatively inexpensive gear at home now, but what if you want quality sound effects? Samson's (a name brand for microphones) Q2U might be your ticket for do-it-at-home Foley times.

The Q2U supports both XLR and USB cables, letting you plug it into basically any machine you have in your house. Now you can break glass, stomp on light bulbs and do whatever it is those crazy sound recording artists do to get effects to seem more exciting than they actually are in real life. It also has a 3.5mm headphone port so you can listen to what you're recording while you're recording it. Price $117.35

Tokyo Flash is Making This Watch a Reality

Enough people voted on this "Kisai RPM" concept watch submitted to Tokyo Flash by Brit James Fursedon, that the Japanese company is making it a reality. There's even better news—it's on sale now!

Thankfully, it's one of the easiest-to-read designs we've seen by the crazy watch manufacturer. Inspired by DJ decks, the glowing blue LEDs indicate the hours and minutes around the brushed stainless steel center. It costs £132 in the UK, which is around $208—get in quick!

 

 

LG's Got a Tablet Too. A Windows 7 Tablet, in Korea

Would you buy a 10.1-inch tablet, running Windows 7 with mediocre specs? LG's hoping Koreans will, because the tablet's launching there first. Citizens are probably better off waiting for LG's Android tablet, due out in January.

 

 

This Is the Fanciest Farm House You Can Imagine

This beautiful 4564-square-foot house reminds me of Magneto's base in Secret Wars, with its second floor almost fully suspended over the air. At night it looks like the Jawas' Sandcrawler. It's actually a farm house on the Minija Valley, Lithuania.

The owner of the Utriai Residence, who is dedicated to the production of chicken eggs and pigs, and his wife, an art college student interested in furniture design, wanted a house that looked like a place "made from huge logs". Like Noah's Ark, "where the family with all their belongings and animals moved from the city."

And on top of having an awesome house, they can have fresh eggs and bacon every morning.

2010 DeLorean Nike Dunk 6.0

As part of the Nike 6.0 Dunk series, the company teamed up with the DeLorean Motor Company to create a stylish shoe inspired by the retro-cocaine-era-cool car. But, just because they've got the DMC label doesn't mean they're magic. Let's get a few misconceptions out of the way:

1. They are dunks, but they will not help you dunk.

2. They say Belfast on them, but they were not made in Belfast.

3. If you can run 88 mph you will not go back in time, but you'll still be running 88 mph. Which is pretty cool.

4. There's no secret pocket for transporting cocaine.

5. They don't auto-lace or auto-dry

It's almost a shame to wear them as the material slightly deforms when you do — the only drawback to the look. For just $90, the shoes are cheap, which will make tracking down a pair of the limited edition, 1,000-copy shoes is the real challenge.

 

 

Chameleon Lamp Copies the Color of His Surroundings

While it won't cast enough light to read by, Huey the chameleon lamp would make a great night-light. Like a true chameleon, he adapts to his environment and glows in the same color as whatever's underneath him.

If your whole house is void of color, he can otherwise cycle through the whole color range. A small squeeze of his body when he settles on your preferred color locks it in. Surprisingly, this lamp only costs $30, which I think is a great price for something that uses a couple of white LEDs and an optical sensor to recognize and emulate the color under his belly.

 

 

Playboy's Hard Drive Has 250GB

Got National Geographic's external hard drive on your Christmas wish list? You may want to replace it with Playboy's $300 250GB drive which contains every single issue of Playboy, from vintage 1953 gals to current-day plastic zombies.

 

 

Self-Charging Batteries Powered by Vibration

Brother Industries has developed an AA battery sized generator powered by vibration, which can be used to charge another AA battery. Shaking your remote every once in a while could soon be all that's needed to keep it alive.

Inside the generator battery sits an "electromagnetic induction generator and an electric double layer capacitor" and although you'd have to do an impossibly vigorous amount of shaking to power a DSLR, for low-drain gadgets like remotes and LED torches a quick shuffle should dribble out enough energy for a brief spell of use. 

 

 

Imagine You Had a Camera With a ZillionX Zoom

This colossal star nest 5000 light years away, in the Sagittarius constellation, is the heart of the Lagoon Nebula. Now, imagine you could operate the Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys like a gigantic DSLR camera with telephoto lenses.

If that would be possible, this is how the zooming on this titanic dust and gas cloud would be like.

Of course, that's not how Hubble works. The video trip is composed with multiple images, merged onto each other in a digital composition program.

The intricate shapes of the nebula are caused by the ultraviolet radiation glowing from the infant stars, which disperse the gas and dust around them as they form. In fact, scientists found here the "first unambiguous proof that star formation by accretion of matter from the gas cloud is ongoing in this region."

Your Batteries Could Take Down A Plane

Ready for mass hysteria? Apparently the FAA has acknowledged that airplane cargo holds can get hot enough to cause lithium batteries to ignite. And there's more! There was a large quantity of such batteries on a plane that crashed recently:

The Federal Aviation Administration also acknowledged publicly for the first time Friday that a United Parcel Service 747-400 plane that crashed in Dubai last month killing both pilots was carrying a large quantity of lithium batteries.

Since the early 1990s, there have been dozens of incidents of batteries igniting in flight. But it has not been known what triggered many of the fires.

Now this announcement doesn't exactly seem like it's revealing anything novel. After all, batteries come with plenty of warnings regarding the temperature ranges they can tolerate and airplane cargo holds have little to no climate control—it makes sense that combining the two isn't a great idea.

What is fresh and new about this announcement is the potential for an extra huge wave of public hysteria and crazy demands that we leave our batteries off planes entirely despite cabins being air-conditioned.

Supercharge Your iPad and iPhone Right Now with iOS 4.2

Multitasking lets you quickly switch back and forth between apps, while Folders gets rid of flipping through page after page of apps. Mail gets a unified inbox, finally. Oh, and it forever changes the orientation lock to a mute switch—you now lock the orientation by double-tapping the home button and swiping to the left to reach a soft switch.

The other big feature is AirPlay. New to the iPhone too, it lets you wirelessly stream videos and music from an iPad or iPhone to an Apple TV, hassle-free. AirPrint does the same wireless magic thing, but for docs and webpages—lets you wirelessly print stuff easily.

The free Find My iPhone service is slightly limited: Only iPhone 4, iPod touch (4th-gen) and iPad get it. Once you activate Find My iPhone using one of those, though, you can use the service for free on your older iOS devices too. Find My iPhone, if you didn't know, shows where your lost iOS device is located on a map—as long as it has service—allows you to ping it with alarms and messages, or remotely detonate the information on it once all hope is lost.

Other things in iOS 4.2: new text ringtones for iPhone 4 (and only iPhone 4, weirdly), text searching inside of web pages in Safari, and the ability to use different fonts in the Notes app.