It’s been a while since we brought you a post of geeky tattoos (or more geeky tattoos!) – so here are more of the latest plucked with love from Flickr.
The best part of this binary armband? It reads “this is a binary armband.” – mezdeathhead (CC)
HOW TO: Build a Cheap Burning Laser
Youtube user Styropyro built this cool burning laser out of parts he salvaged from an old computers. Total cost of the project: $3.55. Oh, and if you decide to build one for yourself, be sure to act responsibly and don’t go pointing this thing into people’s eyes.
[Via]
How Much Would You Pay for an E-Book?
The New York Times reported a couple of days ago that for some newly released books on Amazon, the Kindle version actually costs more than the hardcover. For obvious reasons, this has not exactly been well received by their customers. Reviews for James Patterson’s new book Don’t Blink are overwhelmingly concerned with the price rather than the book itself, with a slew of one-star ratings (though one of these unhappy reviewers did note “I read the hardcopy of this and can tell the people who are boycotting the e-book because of the price, that they’re not missing anything”).
Meanwhile, Amazon is blaming the publishers (going so far as to write in italics underneath the $14.99 on the Kindle version this price was set by the publisher) and the publishers are blaming Amazon for lowering hardcover prices too drastically. Though the real victims here seem to be Kindle owners who were relying on that $9.99 price point – or maybe the authors, who now have crappy reviews of their books because of things beyond their control.
So what do you think? Is $14.99 too much for an e-book in general, or only if the hardcover happens to be $14.00? Or what about $19.99 for the Kindle version of Ken Follett’s new book Fall of the Giants? What do you think is the perfect e-book price point?
I own a Kindle, though my purchase choices on it usually have little to do with price – more like whether the book is important enough to me that I want it on my shelf, or if I’d be embarrassed to be seen reading it in public. But I do think I’d be wary about paying more than I’d pay for the hardcover.
Ninja Unemployment Graph
[Via]
Uncle Matin’s AMAZING Sword Trick
This is AMAZING! Be sure to watch this one from start to end, and don’t skip ahead! You’ll ruin the whole experience if you do.
[Via Topless Robot]
Help Needed: Demographic Data Needed for Geeks are Sexy (Reward Included!)
Hey Everyone, The IDGTechNetwork, the company that handles some of our advertisements here on geeks are sexy, have asked us to compile some demographic data on our audience. In the past, we’ve asked you to fill out a survey to help us, but this year, we’ll handle things a little differently. We’re asking you to join a tech panel to simplify the whole procedure. By doing this, you’ll be entered to win tons of cool prizes (Paypal, Amazon, and retail gift cards), and we’ll get the data we need to get some relevant ads on the site. Since running this place costs a small fortune, this will definitely help us pay the bills at the end of each month.
First, when a panelist joins he has to fill out a profile, which will put him in a certain category of people (Gamer, IT Pro, etc.). This will give me a strong understanding about exactly what kind of people visits G.A.S.
Then, OCCASIONALLY (you decide about the frequency), you will be invited to take some surveys. There is NO FORCING and NO SPAMMING. It’s all completely opt in. For these surveys, you will get paid. We’re not talking about sweepstakes here. A simple, short survey might give you $1, but for something more specialized, say blade servers, you might get something around $20. You can then cash that money out and get gift certificates / paypal gift cards / etc.
If you already joined, thank you! And if you didn’t, I’ve just been informed that all accounts will now get a $5 bonus at sign up and be entered to win a free iPad. Yes, it also includes those of you who already joined in the past by the way!
The Iron Man Croc
An Iron Man costume custom crafted by Youtube user MorRokko for her pet dwarf caiman, Hadies.
[Via Neatorama]
Awesome Tech: LightSpace from Microsoft Research
LightSpace combines elements of surface computing and augmented reality research to create a highly interactive space where any surface, and even the space between surfaces, is fully interactive. Our concept transforms the ideas of surface computing into the new realm of spatial computing.
[Via Microsoft Research]
Futurama Wedding Cake [Pic]
Cover Flow Means Cashflow for Patent Victor
Apple has been ordered to pay $208.5 million for violating a patent, despite holding a patent on the same technology.
The patent, on the Cover Flow system for browsing albums visually, is one of three patents held by Mirror Worlds that Apple was found to have infringed. The others were for the Time Machine backup file and the Spotlight search system.
The court awarded the same penalty for each offense, totaling $625.5 million, one of the largest ever awards in a patent suit. The large amount is partly because Apple was held to have willfully infringed the patent, rather than it being unintentional.
Mirror Worlds was formed by David Gelernter, a professor of computer science at Yale. He was among the people injured by letter bombs from Theodore Kacynski, better known as the Unabomber.
What makes the case particularly complicated is that Apple was itself granted a patent on the Cover Flow system earlier this year. The two patents aren’t necessarily incompatible (they may deal with different aspects of the same technology), but it’s clearly far from an open and shut case. Legal records show the Mirror Worlds vs LLC case has been a particularly complex legal process running for three and a half years.
Apple has now filed an emergency motion seeking a stay of the ruling: that would mean the company wouldn’t have to pay up until any appeal has been heard and ruled upon.
Though Apple hasn’t detailed any appeal, it says there are “outstanding issues” with two of the patents. It’s also taking issue with the decision to apply the damages figure to each of the three claims rather than as a single penalty.