housing

Mr. iPhone goes to Washington?

Members of Congress are apparently agitating for iPhones.

TheHill.com is reporting that the U.S. House of Representatives is testing a deployment of iPhones after receiving requests for the devices, according to the Chief Administrative Office.

Congress is a huge BlackBerry shop, but apparently, legislators and staff members are lobbying for the iPhone as another choice in wireless communications.

The catch is, according to TheHill, they'd have to pay for their iPhones out of their Members' Representational Allowance, the fund that each congressperson is given to hire staff members and offset the expenses of running an office. And … Read more

Former 'cyberczar' goes corporate

On Wednesday, HBGary announced that Andy Purdy has joined their advisory board.

Purdy, while a member of the White House, co-drafted the 2003 edition of the National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, then joined the Department of Homeland Security. There, he served on the tiger team that helped to form the National Cyber Security Division (NCSD) and the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT). He went to head both organizations and was dubbed by the media as the "cyberczar" of the United States until DHS appointed Greg Garcia as assistant secretary for cybersecurity and communications.

In 2006, Purdy … Read more

The 404 197: Where nobody wants a new DSi

We hope you're thirsty because Jeff is back on the show today and everyone is soaking wet with haterade. He hates on the new Nintendo DSi and the Wii, he hates on the upcoming Robin TV show, he hates on Jack Black, he even hates on his poor, innocent co-hosts. How ironic that the chat room had an unusually large crowd today.

Dan the Mantern here. Also on today's show, Wilson gushes about his love for Google. Perhaps he has "employment envy," but Wilson is really into the Goog. With Google's new plan to save the world by eliminating fossil fuels, the search engine goliath has reached a new level of ballsiness. Don't get me wrong, we all love our ubiquitous search box. I mean, what would the world be like without the power to know anything in less than .00001 seconds? But isn't anyone else afraid of an organization that stores mountains of data about people's Internet habits, purchasing habits, emails, personal calendars and, soon, telephone conversations? It's not what they do with the information, it's what they could do with it that makes me paranoid, like telling everyone how many times Justin watched the Mini-me sex tape. Look, I'm not going to cancel gmail or stop using Google, I'm just sounding off. Besides, as long as the search term "The 404" brings you to this blog, I think I can live.

EPISODE 197 Download today's podcast … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 820: Stupid cloud

Richard Stallman says anyone who puts their data in the cloud is stupid. Cooley thinks he's right about some things, but finds other parts of his statement stupid. Find out which is which. We also get into a discussion of why exactly the House of Representatives' Web site went down. Cooley doesn't buy any of it. Actually Brian's pretty cranky today. You'll enjoy it. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 820

Stallman rejects cloud computing http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080930-why-stallman-is-wrong-when-he-calls-cloud-computing-stupid.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/sep/29/cloud.computing.richard.stallman… Read more

Vertu phones dripping in jewels mark a big birthday

To celebrate its 150th anniversary, House of Boucheron, the posh French creator of jewelry, watches, and fragrances, is sharing the swankness with a set of Vertu bejeweled cell phones bearing names such as Magic, Audacious, Curious, and Voluptuous.

The Dangerous model (aptly named, as you wouldn't want to whip this one out on the Metro), for example, is a pink-gold phone with paved cabochon, white and yellow diamonds, rubies, and sapphires.

Maybe the fact that the cell phone charms are detachable and can also be worn as pendants or dangled as glittery hypnosis tools will help justify the cost. (… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 808: Apple, give us our Podcaster!

In today's show, Rafe joins us for a discussion of useless video blobs, the implications of, uh, Internet "shopping," the NPD numbers that read Tom's mind, and the U.S. Senate's "enormous gift" to Big Content (per Ars Technica). Also, we rouse the Buzz Militia from their stupor to launch an attack on Apple's arbitrary and annoying App Store approval process. Save Podcaster!

Listen now: Download today's podcast

EPISODE 808

Committee amends, approves 'enormous gift' to Big Content http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080911-committee-amends-approves-enormous-gift-to-big-content.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10039745-38.html… Read more

This little piggy went into your ear

If there's one piece of advice that we dish out regularly, it's to always ditch the stock earbuds that come with your MP3 player and get a better pair. Featuring this product may seem counter to that because there's very little likelihood it will sound much better than the earphones that come with your portable player. But truth be told, the novelty factor of these Buta Earphones from Japanese site Green House is too much to resist.

Available in three colors (pink, black, and white), one earbud has the front half of the pig, while the other … Read more

Re-arrange your house in 3D with MyDeco

We've covered a ton of floor planners on Webware, but none of them have been as cool as MyDeco. The tool throws in the usual assortment of tables, chairs, beds, and other living accouterments that you can price, purchase, and move around in a customizable space.

The tool lets you emulate single rooms or an entire house by plugging in the dimensions and adding walls, windows, and doors. It also manages to give you a 3D view of what those items will look like in that space, not just from the top down like most floor planners. In this … Read more

Crunch gyms use satellite technology to re-create Groundhog Day.

Everyone has their own way of dealing with extraneous flesh and respiratory deterioration.

Some control their diet with the rigor of Reese Witherspoon and go for long walks, waving their arms around like angry spouses. (Which many of them appear to be.) Others staple their stomachs like a two-page letter from a lawyer. And there are those of us who go to gyms, where at least one can bike, read a book and laugh (inwardly, of course) at the progress of leotard design.

I choose to exercise at one of the amiable horse boxes in the stable of Crunch gyms.… Read more