To Zombies From Google, re: Our Brains

by Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Good news! Google, in addition to servicing most of your Internet-related needs, is also fighting hard to save your brains. Today, their robots.txt begins with the lofty declaration:

User-agent: zombies
Disallow: /brains

That’s right: zombies are disallowed from accessing /brains today. I for one feel much safer knowing that Google is on my side.

Of course, every good war with the undead needs some background music, right? The obvious choice is “Re: Your Brains,” by geek musician Jonathan Coulton. As you may remember from our previous post about Code Monkey, he releases his songs under Creative Commons and encourages fans to make videos. I’ve seen some pretty good zombie-themed Coulton music videos, including one featuring the World of Warcraft undeads, but I think this recent addition is my new favorite though, for pure storytelling:

See? That’s what can happen to an office environment that doesn’t use Google’s services.  Happy Halloween, everyone!


Question of the Day: Would You Use This Toilet?

By Jimmy Rogers
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Sorry for the odd title, but check out this ridiculous toilet.

It’s similar to the kind found in prisons, but there are two main differences.  For one it’s out on a public sidewalk.  Also…it’s in a box of one-way glass.  That’s right, you can see them but they can’t see you.  It’s a real mind-trip!

I’ll ask again: Would you use this thing?  Discuss in the comments!

[Via VVORK]

Let Current, Twitter, and Digg Guide Your Election Night Antics

By Jimmy Rogers
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

If you’ve been following the election recently and happen to be a geek, odds are you get a bit of your news coverage from social networks.  Well on November 4th, two of those networks, Digg and Twitter, will be coming together on Current TV to bring you an election night watch party.  Of course the party’s not just for you…it’s for everyone on the internet!

How is it going to work?  Good question.  It looks like Current TV will have people contributing via Twitter, as usual, with Digg articles integrated as well.  On top of that,12seconds.tv (with video clips) and DJ Diplo (providing background beats) will be getting into the mix too.  I think it will definitely be worth a look on election night.  It’s about as close to a party as you can get while still sitting in front of your computer!

For more info, check out this blog post by Kevin Rose on the Digg blog and this post on the Current blog.

Look out Microsoft, here comes the Google Air Force!

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

Microsoft should start building some anti-aircraft defenses at Redmond because Google executives now have a fighter jet as part of their fleet of planes, or to be more precise, a Dornier Alpha of joint German and French design.   Nice the things you can get a hold of when you have a huge bank account eh?

The plane is part of a company controlled by Google’s top executives, including Larry Page and Sergey Brin, called “H211 L.L.C.”  The fighter jet is sitting at Moffett Field which is close to the Google campus and which is controlled by NASA.    The plane is equipped with scientific instruments for NASA missions.

NASA released some documents under the Freedom of Information Act about H211 L.L.C.   They don’t explain though why Google bosses have a NASA equipped jet and what it has to do with an internet search company.  Is this just a case of rich boys showing off their toys?    Or does Larry and Sergey have a radical business plan to wipe out their rivals in one quick bombing run?   Watch out Bill.   They’re coming for you!  Arm those surface-to-air missiles!

The Beatles go digital with Rock Band-type video game

By Mark O’Neill
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

For years, the Beatles have frustrated their fans with refusing to have their back catalogue released online on sites such as iTunes and others.   Now the surviving members of the Fab Four have done a sudden U-turn by deciding to digitally release their music in the form of a Rock Band–type video game.

In case you don’t know what Rock Band is, it allows you to play along to your favourite bands and songs.   So the Beatles version would be pretty much the same.  It would play the Beatles back catalogue and you can sing, play the guitar or the drums, while pretending you’re part of the legendary band.   Cue female screaming, worldwide fame – and Yoko Ono.   OK, try to forget Yoko.    Concentrate on the worldwide fame and the screaming females.

No doubt this digital game will be a huge cash cow for the Beatles, especially since Paul’s recent expensive divorce from his wife.  He can probably use a bit of cash at the moment.

Now all we need are the iTunes songs.  After a hard day’s night, eight days a week, in my job as a paperback writer, I could use some of that music.   You might say all you need is love and that we can work it out.   But from me to you, I would say that you can’t buy me love and that I will feel fine if Paul and Ringo just get those songs on iTunes.

Amazing Geek Toy: The Van De Graaff Levitation Wand

I just ordered this today for my son from Thinkgeek. Ok, ok, not ONLY for my son. God, I can’t believe I’m 34 and still buying toys like these. I think I’m a lost cause.

This battery powered wand features a mini Van de Graaff generator inside. Push a button on the handle and the static charge built up in the wand causes the included 3D mylar shapes to levitate at your command. You can also do some cool tricks causing the shapes to jump back and forth from your hand to the wand. Not quite Harry Potter… but hey, we do our best for you.

[Product Page]

Epic Fail: Animal (From the Muppets) Outsmarts German Police

No this is not a fake picture; it’s a real shot, taken by a radar camera, of Animal (From the Muppets), driving a British Audi, and driving the German police absolutely crazy.

At first, I’m sure the policeman thought this was an amusing situation, but the culprit continues to appear on camera again, and again, and again. The reason these pictures can’t be used to find the driver is because according to German law, clear evidence of who is driving a car is needed before someone gets fined for speeding. The problem with these photos is that the German radar cameras are calibrated to take pictures of a driver sitting in the right side of a car, so in this case, the driver’s face is out of focus and makes the shots useless for prosecution.

I don’t know about you, but there’s just something about this picture that cracks me up. Kudos to the British driver for a great sense of humor. Now let’s just hope he doesn’t go and kill anybody because of it.

[Via]

Creepy Talking Robot Head Wants to Destroy Humanity

Robotics engineers at the University of Bristol, UK, have developed a super-creepy robotic talking head that can mimic many “human” facial expressions as well as generate synched speech lip movements. Fortunately for humanity, the bored robot doesn’t have a body yet. This is a good thing because, as it says below, it wants to wipe out humanity.