OMG! I FELL IN #2 :-(

If you’ve never bumped into someone or something while attempting to text and walk at the same time, you’re either smart, lucky, or lying. But according to reports, one teenager from New York took such an unfortunate situation to new heights… or depths.

15-year-old Alexa Longueira of Staten Island was walking along a local street and typing a message. Presumably engrossed by the screen, the next thing she knew was that she’d dropped five feet through a manhole.

The amusing element of the story is that the manhole was open to allow workers to flush a high-pressure sewer, meaning Longueira fell straight into what a local CBS affiliate described as “smelly darkness.” (It also noted “Alexa lost one of her sneakers in the sewer. She does not want it back.”)

The less amusing side is that the girl suffered deep cuts and bruises to her back and shoulders from scraping the side of the manhole.

It’s worth noting that conflicting reports have Longueira admitting that she was sending a text at the time, while her mother denies this was the case. That might have something to do with the mother confirming she is considering taking legal action.

Given that the manhole was allegedly unmarked with no warning tape or cones (apparently left unattended while staff went to get just such equipment), there is something of a genuine complaint there. That said, a good lawyer would probably have advised it was a good idea to keep quiet about the whole texting thing.

Of course, while texting while walking can be dangerous, the potential consequences are even more serious while driving. Amazingly just six US states (plus DC) currently ban drivers from using handheld phones while in control of a car, though doing so elsewhere would certainly put a driver at risk of breaking general safety laws.

[Pictures via Flickr 1 | 2 (CC)]


If you thought Torchwood wasn’t kid-friendly, wait ’til you see these aliens

Torchwood

This past week, the five-part Torchwood miniseries “Children of Earth” aired on BBC 3. This was a replacement for a typical season-run for the third season of the show, much like Doctor Who is interspersing four “specials” (one down, three to go) throughout the year rather than the usual thirteen-episode season.

Torchwood has always been darker than Doctor Who, but “Children of Earth” really takes it to a whole new level. I can’t reveal too much without spoiling the plot, but let’s just say that even if you’re not a fan of the show, if you appreciate science fiction with complicated ethical dilemmas and don’t mind the social commentary a tad heavy-handed at times, this is not to be missed. Plus, creepy children and really, really, really creepy aliens. When every kid in the entire world freezes in place and starts speaking in unison, you know you’ve probably got an alien problem – and the image is all very Children of the Corn.

Though I should offer two warnings: (1) you may be forced, as I was, to stay up until 3am watching all five episodes; and (2) Russell T. Davies, who pinned most of the scripts, is the type of writer who seems to delight in slowly carving fans’ hearts out with a spoon.

There has not yet been any word on whether there will be more seasons of Torchwood, abbreviated or otherwise, though I suspect that if there is an announcement it will be made at Comic Con, since both Davies and star John Barrowman will be there. However, it would not appear to be the last time we’d see Captain Jack Harkness in any case, as Barrowman has been seen on the set of the upcoming Doctor Who specials.

If you are in the U.S., “Children of Earth” will begin airing on BBC America on Monday, July 20. You’ll want to give your kids a hug after this one.

Good things come to those who get up early

You know what they say: “Good things come to those who get up early.” Anyway, when I spotted this nice 3D animation on my pal Korben’s French-language blog, I just knew I had to post it to remind everyone that those who sleep in until Saturday afternoon miss wonderful opportunities Saturday morning. Video after the jump.

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100 Essential Skills for Geeks

geekdadGeekDad posted what he calls “a good sample of the skills required to be a true geek.” I started reading the list of 100 Essential Skills for Geeks and realized I am not a geek at all. But rather than giving up, I, like a true geek, kept reading the list. At about #47, the list turned from depressing to things that I know and can do. I did #100 just yesterday! So I guess I may be a geek after all, I’m just not a tech geek. How many of these skills do you really think are required for geekitude? And how many do you have?

Scientists: USA #1! Public: Meh.

Almost half of America’s scientists think they are the best in the world – but the public disagrees. That’s the most striking finding of a new survey which shows the perceived importance of US achievements in the field has slumped in the past decade.

A study by the Pew Research Center for the American Association for the Advancement of Science found that 49% of more than 2,500 US scientists questioned said the country’s scientific achievements were the best in the world, a view backed by just 17% of non-scientists who took part in the survey.

The country’s achievements in science, medicine and technology have also lost some perceived importance. In a similar survey in 1999, 47% of people ranked successes in the field as the nation’s “greatest achievement”. Today that figure is just 27%: still the highest ranked category, but losing ground to “civil rights/equal rights”.

That’s not to say the public has turned its back on science: 60 per cent said government funding was essential for research, while just 29% thought purely private financing was sufficient.

Scientists ranked a lack of funding as the biggest obstacle to research, with 87% describing it as a very serious or serious problem, while around two-thirds said visa issues for foreign scientists wanting to research in the US was a serious problem. However, most of those questioned rejected regulatory issues such as those on animal testing as being a serious problem.

There’s still a big disparity between the views of scientists and the public on key issues: while 87% of scientists believe in the general principle of evolution, just 32% of the public share this belief. And while 84% of scientists believe the earth is getting warmer because of human activity, 49% of the public agree.

Surprisingly, attitudes to scientific issues don’t have a major affect on how people assess the importance of science. 78% of evolution believers say scientists contribute a lot to society’s well-being, compared with 64% of creationists. Even among those who said science conflicts with their religious beliefs, 67% still said scientists contribute a lot.

Portable VLC 1.0

Most of you have heard that VLC, the open-source media-playing software is now officially out of beta. Even better, they have released a portable version of the software, which means you can keep VLC on your USB drive and use it on other people’s machines.

Have you tried watching a video on a friend’s computer only find out that they don’t have the proper codecs to play the file?  Putting VLC on a USB thumb-drive prevents that problem.

All you have to do is download the file and install it to your USB drive  When you’re prompted for the installation directory, make sure it is actually on the USB drive – everything you need will be put in that directory, so it is completely registry independent.

If you’re unfamiliar with VLC, it’s a multimedia player famous for being able to play most audio and video formats.  For example, it’s one of the ways to play DVDs in Windows without having to buy a seperate program, it plays H.264 MP4 files, Matroska videos, and various streaming protocols.  In short: It plays almost anything, including HD video.

For advanced users, it can also be used as a streaming server or a transcoder (re-recording video files from one type to another.)

Do you have something specific you use VLC for?  Or do you have another favorite media player?  Please leave some comments!

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Karl L. Gechlik spends all of his free time helping technically challenged individuals on his blog www.askTheAdmin.com.