One Browser to Rule Them All

For web developers like myself, testing in multiple browsers is a mundane excruciating fact of life. This testing must be done because different browsers use different rendering engines that display content in different ways. Most rendering engines layout content in almost identical ways. Some have a mind of their own. Enter Lunascape. Lunascape is a Japanese browser that has just been made available in an English language alpha version, but that's not the cool part. The cool part is that Lunascape has three rendering engines not just one, they include the big 3: Gecko(Mozilla), Webkit(Safari, Chrome), and Trident(IE). Lunascape gives the user the unique ability to switch between rendering engines. If your an everyday web surfer, you don't care. If you're a web designer, your already drooling. Lunascape also supports all Firefox and IE addons. The makers claim that the browser is faster than anything out there, even Safari and Firefox. Although currently the reviews are less than stellar, that's what alpha software is all about. Reviews are available here: CNET, Lifehacker, OStatic.

IBM's "Next Five in Five"

IBM has once again unveiled it's venerable "Next Five in Five" list detail five innovations that will change our lives in the next five years. The third annual list is based on current technologies, market and society trends to predict the technologies that will have the biggest impact on our lives in the next five years. They include:

Solar Power: Citing advancements in solar power technology IBM believes solar power gathering surfaces will be placed on nearly every man made surface including roof tops, side walks, paved roads, painted surfaces, tinted windows and portable devices such as phones, laptops even clothing. Solar panels used to be big, bulky and very expensive. But thanks to advancements in solar "film" from companies like First Solar, energy gathering cells can be "stamped" onto film and placed on nearly any surface.

DNA Analysis: IBM predicts that DNA analysis, which the company predicts will cost less than $200, will give us a so called "crystal ball" to view what health risks we will be exposed too ,much like the basis of the futuristic world of Gattaca. We will also be able to see what we are not at risk for. IBM also says that DNA mapping will lead to new more effective medicines.

The Talking Web: IBM predicts that searching the internet with our voices will become a wide spread technology that will make the web more accessible worldwide, particularly for those who cannot read or write.

Digital Shopping Assistants: IBM predicts that the advancement in mobile technologies will change the way we shop enabling devices to read product ratings from other consumers, download coupons and send photos to contacts for opinions. IBM also predicts that there will be digital shopping assistants in fitting rooms, touchscreen and voice activated kiosks that can also alert employees to your needs.

The Memory Aid Network: IBM says forgetting will become a thing of the past thanks to a vast network of portable and smart devices that will record every detail of our lives and conversations to propagate "smart" notifications such as reminding to pickup a prescription when we drive by a pharmacy. The legal ramifications make this a difficult one to swallow.

Nov. 28, 2008: The Week in Weirdness

"It's amazing, it's astounding, but it's no B.S."
- George Carlin(RIP)
News involving your fellow man at their less than stellar moments.

You wear too much perfume, I'll see you in court!
DETROIT (AP) - A federal judge says a Detroit city employee can proceed with a civil suit claiming she couldn't work because of a co-worker's strong perfume. I for one have thought there should be a law against too much perfume / cologne for years and sincerely hopes she wins.

Man executed for selling ant farm for $439Million!
BEIJING (Reuters) - China has executed the leader of a bogus scheme for breeding ants to make aphrodisiacs that conned investors out of 3 billion yuan ($439 million), the official Xinhua news agency said on Thursday.

Crappiest Christmas ornaments ever, $5:
Madison, Wis. (AP) - The Christmas ornaments for sale at the Miller Park Zoo's gift shop are partly manufactured by reindeer. Honest! Staffers make decorations out of droppings from the zoo's two reindeer, Ealu and Rika. The droppings are dried, then clear-coated and either painted or rolled in glitter.

Name your baby Mussolini, get $2k!
ROME (Reuters) - An Italian right-wing party is offering 1,500 euros ($1,930) to parents who name their babies after wartime fascist dictator Benito Mussolini or his wife Rachele, saying their names are under threat.

NJ police have Hollywood style standoff with . . . no one!
MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - A standoff at a New Jersey bank is over after police learned a "person" seen inside was actually a full-size cardboard figure.

Tourist season officially open, GPS to lure game in!
RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Three Norwegian tourists came under fire and one was shot after the satellite navigation system in their car guided them straight into one of Rio de Janeiro's most dangerous slums.

Stop! Or I'll run myself over!
Santa Fe, N.M. (AP) - A man is in a northern New Mexico jail, accused of driving drunk and leading police on a chase that finally ended with him running over himself.

Ireland to Russia, "Get your priorities straight"!
MOSCOW (Reuters) - The global financial crisis has grown so bad that Russians are cutting back on vodka.

How Dr. Seuss stole Christmas from Louisville children:
Louisville, Ky. (AP) - The city of Louisville is scrapping plans to use the iconic Dr. Seuss village and characters as part of its annual Christmas display after receiving a cease and desist letter from Dr. Seuss Enterprises.

Germany faces Santa shortage:
BERLIN (Reuters) - Wanted: Cheerful, chubby men, preferably with fluffy white beards and no criminal record, ready to work hard for one month.

Maverick Thai general does the hand-grenade waltz.
BANGKOK (Reuters) - A maverick Thai general who has threatened to bomb anti-government protesters and drop snakes on them from helicopters has been reassigned as an aerobics teacher, the Bangkok Post said on Friday.

Winner of the annual sexism award? The mayor of course!
CANBERRA (Reuters) - An Australian outback mayor's plea for lovelorn female "ugly ducklings" to move to a remote mining town to reverse a shortage of eligible women has won him the country's yearly award for outrageous sexism.

Happy Thanksgiving from Digistenz!

Just a quick post to wish all my readers, their friends and loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving!

Tesla: its powerful, fast and it's electric

No, it's not the Tesla roadster new to the automotive scene, it's the worlds first personal super computer. Yes, I did just call a super computer "personal". For $10k you too can have a massively parallel processing computer with up to 960 cores, processing 4 TeraFLOPS that the company says is 250 times faster than standard PC's and workstations. The CPU and GPUs are programmed using C and Nvidia's proprietary parallel programming model, CUDA.

The Element Four WaterMill

The WaterMill is a new device from Element Four that promises to magicallty pull water right out of thin air sans top hat. The device which uses roughly the same amount of energy as three light bulbs works by drawing air through filters to remove dust and particles, then cooling it to just below the temperature at which dew forms. The condensed water is passed through a self-sterilizing chamber that uses microbe-busting UV light to eradicate any disease causing bacteria.

Our current water obtaining situation is putting strain on our economy and our environment to the tune of about $11Billion and 1.5Million Barrels of oil a year in the U.S. alone. While the new device is currently priced at $1,200, as prices come down it could help to alleviate this situation and become a staple of the modern kitchen in the same fashion as a microwave has become common place in today's homes.

Trapster: Avoiding Smokey in the 21st Century

Greetings techies and speedsters. Today you unite into one voice proclaiming your love of a fairly new social app that will touch both your hearts. Trapster is a small and free application designed to keep the pitfalls of motoring down the road at a elevated speeds. Social in nature, Trapster works much like the CB's of the old timers (sorry, but I just can't help a crack at the baby boomers when ever I get the chance). This time rather than shouting a message to anyone who may be in range, now we can leave that message behind for all to find at any time. If you spot a speed trap or red light camera, give a click and the trap is noted. When a Trapster user stumbles through the area an alert warns of the impending fine. So rejoice all, and speed on!

Project Splitwheel: The Peoples Car

In a first for the auto industry Caterham Cars is taking a page out of Pepsi Co's play book involving the internet community (you) to develop their next product. Where the beverage maker opened an internet forum to get the opinions of it's customers to develop a new soda, Caterham wants you to tell them how to make their next car. At www.Splitwheel.com you can offer your opinions and ideas to develop the next big thing on 4 wheels.