Where else could this come from than Japan… makers of great TVs and weird, kinky crap?

The Angel Kitty Tail Cam is a webcam mounted on the end of the tail on a weird combination French maid/kitty kat costume that appears to be made of shiny plastic and white fur.  It’s about $145 after the currency conversion.

The kinky implications of this kind of thing are staggering, but it begs the question as to “why”.  Of course, the Japanese were also the ones who brought us the simulated lap pillow to lay on.

A three-month sting run by the popular consumer-protection blog Consumerist bagged ‘dem a Geek Squad “Agent” (DORKY Best Buy, DORKY) who stole naughty pics and video when he was supposed to be installing iTunes.

There’s both logfiles (csv) and a video (that’s safe for work) to prove it.

Honestly, I think they need to be more ashamed of charging $30 to install iTunes.

via digg

An article over on GearLog details that the one route to get third-party apps onto the iPhone—web applications—may turn out to be easier said than done.

Far from being “first class citizens” with the web applications they tested (among them Google Docs, Meebo and iZoHo), the iPhone had a multitude of problems from not popping up the keyboard in the rich text editors to allowing a “read only” view of Meebo (not very useful for an IM client).

This is disappointing coupled with the fact that the iPhone ships with very limited text editing for documents (email or “notes” seem to be it) and no IM support at all. It also clashes with statements from Steve Jobs at the WWDC keynote.

It appears lousy Ajax support and completely MIA support for Flash is to blame for most of the problems experienced by users of these web applications. Many of the rich internet applications use heavy doses of Ajax and Flash to make the user interface more responsive. Flash is also used to provide on-client storage when the application needs to store more than the small amount allowed in a cookie.

A new combination of software and a specially-built webcam will soon allow officials to monitor at-home test takers (think online university courses and certifications).

The solution, produced by Software Secure, is undergoing testing at Troy University.  It consists of software that does the standard online-test lockouts of Google searches and the like as well as a special webcam that can see in 360 degrees.  The camera (which is a bit scary and looks like a mini version of the sphere in the movie of the same name) monitors the room for suspicious movements and sound events and tags them as “questionable” for later review by the professor or testing center official.

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A new weapon in the “enforce the law while being as lazy as possible” war has been announced. A company has announced that it has developed a system to detect drivers using their cell phones while driving. The system would then (similarly to traffic cameras) initiate the legal proceedings against the ghastly offender with no real involvement from law enforcement.

Aside from the obvious Constitutional issues with what I like to deem “auto enforcement” of laws, I’d be very interested to find out how this system differentiates between a driver making a call as opposed to a passenger. Considering the accuracy of triangulation is a lot bigger than most cars, it would be very difficult for an automated system to figure that kind of thing out. Never mind that in most places where phoning and driving is illegal, using a headset or other hands-free device is generally allowed.

Add to these issues the fact that the article mentions some very bizarre things like marking the car with a paint gun or using EMP to disable the cell phone, and this smells of a hoax. Regardless, I’m sure there are some cash-starved municipalities out there who’d give their eye teeth for yet another way to soak drivers without the pesky need for costly law enforcement officers.

Via TechDirt

Declare your unhappiness with Steve Jobs’ WWDC keynote in a shirt available from MacMerc.

The lack of an iPhone SDK (seriously Steve, web apps are the best you could do to squelch that particular flame?), no new hardware, Safari for Windows (we don’t need another browser on Windows) and an overall underwhelming set of “new” Leopard features (the 3D dock is lame and will look like crap on the side of the screen) combined to make this one of the lamest keynotes ever from the turtlenecked one.

Apple really should have held the new MacBook Pros for this event, it probably would have helped keep their stock from taking a temporary nosedive.

If you’re looking for a gift for the geek (preferably female, or a huge LoTR fan) who has everything, take a gander at the USB Fairy Lights from Find Me A Gift across the pond.

Actually, scratch that. Just get them a NewEgg gift card or something.