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While the Nintendo Wii ought not to run as hot as its other more powerful competitors, the action still gets pretty warm after flailing your arms in front of the TV for a few hours. The Crystal Chameleon Hot Rock Case dispels all doubts about the current Wii temperature, giving you a digital readout on its integrated LED thermometer at a glance. Each time the Wii gets hotter by 5°C, the color will change to reflect the temperature increase. When the mercury hits 55°C, the entire Hot Rock Case will glow a fiery red, giving you a visual clue to stop and take a break. Some basic assembly knowledge is required to install this $54.99 mod. Xbox 360 owners need not be envious - their green ring signifies that everything is running fine and cool, while a red ring signals otherwise.

Taking a flight these days seem to get more and more stressful as passengers are required to walk through numerous security checkpoints before boarding. Even liquids and gels in small bottles need to be inspected as these could potentially be terrorist threats, holding up the line even longer. A new device known as the Sencion has been invented that can detect whether the contents of a bottle is a potential threat liquid without the need to take the top off. The Sencion utilizes electro-magnetic wavelengths to detect flammable or explosive liquids contained within glass or plastic bottles almost instantaneously, cutting down waiting times in security queues. Hopefully the Sencion will see action in airports all over the world soonest possible, with Japan’s Kansai International Airport already using it.

Racing in a game just got a little bit more realistic, and this is made possible by a set of gauges taken from a real vehicle that are subsequently connected to a computer via a maze of wires and a little help from a USB cable. Not just meant for cosmetic purpoes, the real gauges actually respond whenever you floor the pedal in the game. The entire setup consists of a fuel gauge, a tachometer, and a speedometer. No idea on how to pull this neat mod off, but you will probably need a whole lot of D.I.Y. knowledge and some mean soldering skills. Digital gauges on your monitor? Pffft, why settle for that when you have the real thing at your disposal?

Barely a year after its release, Apple has dropped an announcement concerning a hardware upgrade to the Apple TV. Available in a few weeks’ time, the upgraded Apple TV will ship with a 160GB hard drive, four times the capacity of current 40GB models. This new model will retail for a rather steep $399, enabling users to watch online videos when the service starts in the middle of next month, with more videos to be available as time goes by. Does anybody else think that the revamped Apple TV will be a contender with the Xbox 360 when it comes to media-centric features?

Lenovo are priming themselves to unveil the latest line up of X-series laptops and tablet PCs which are powered by Intel’s new Santa Rosa platform. The X61, X61s and X61 Tablet all come with WAN cellular connectivity, 802.11n draft support, Gigabit Ethernet, and Bluetooth connectivity. All these models also feature a battery life of at least 10 hours with the extended battery, boasting the ability to turn off unused features on the notebook dynamically to reduce overall power drain. The X61 Tablet is certainly interesting, featuring a SuperView SXGA+ display coated with scratch-resistant and an anti-reflective coating for added durability. The ThinkPad X61, X61s and X61 Tablet PC will be approximately priced at $1,484, $1,474 and $1,779 respectively.

I had hoped that the book “Dishwasher” would give me a few professional scrubbing or soaking tips, or perhaps a mini-essay on the vexing questions related to glassware. I am a dedicated amateur washer of dishes, and I take my hobby seriously. I learned…

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I had hoped that the book “Dishwasher” would give me a few professional scrubbing or soaking tips, or perhaps a mini-essay on the vexing questions related to glassware. I am a dedicated amateur washer of dishes, and I take my hobby seriously. I learned…

Read full story

AP - A 27-year-old man described as one of the world’s most prolific spammers was arrested Wednesday, and federal authorities said computer users across the Web could notice a decrease in the amount of junk e-mail.

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AP - GlaxoSmithKline PLC revealed Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declined to grant a priority review to its experimental cancer vaccine Cervarix, adding to pressure on the drug maker after controversy surrounding its diabetes drug Avandia.

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AP - President Bush envisions a long-term U.S. troop presence in Iraq similar to the one in South Korea where American forces have helped keep an uneasy peace for more than 50 years, the White House said Wednesday.

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Playbill - The Debate Society, the Brooklyn troupe that creates new plays through collaboration, resurfaced in the East Village May 24 with their new piece, The Eaten Heart, part of a trilogy of new plays based on stories originating from The Black Plague.

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AP - Not long ago, fax machines and e-mail inboxes at Vogue, the world’s premier fashion magazine, were briefly assaulted with thousands of angry letters. Not about the latest gorgeously photographed fashion trends or beauty products in its influential pages, but about a single, colorful ad: for Camel No. 9 cigarettes.

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The American Civil Liberties Union is suing a subsidiary of Boeing, for helping the CIA fly suspected terrorists as part of its “extraordinary rendition” program. The ACLU says this is a first for them — to accuse a blue-chip American company of “profiting from torture.” The lawsuit claims the company, Jeppesen Dataplan, provided planes and logistical help for at least 70 flights.

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The troop surge in Iraq has put more soldiers in outposts where they are vulnerable to attack. May has been one of the bloodiest months for U.S. troops since the start of the war, and retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey anticipates more violence during the summer. The U.S. Army and Marine Corp can’t keep this up with equipment wrecked and a decrease in readiness, he says. It’s hard to imagine that by September is the magic date for any underlying change in the war.

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The Georgia man who flew to Europe while infected with a dangerous form of tuberculosis reveals a fundamental problem in controlling the disease. It takes doctors weeks, sometimes longer, before they are able to conclusively diagnose suspected TB.

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