Author / Xavier Voigt-Hill

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Posts by Xavier Voigt-Hill

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by Xavier Voigt-Hill

Mattel to (finally) release the Back To The Future hoverboard

Finally! The iconic hoverboard from Back To The Future will finally be put into production by Mattel! The board doesn’t actually hover but glides and it won’t work on water, but it’s actually going to be real! Preorders will start on MattyCollector on March 1st and, if enough orders are taken, the board will be produced and shipped in November or December. It’s going to cost a lot, but my life is now complete.

From the Mattel press release:

Finally! This totally awesome 1:1 replica of the hoverboard from the BTTF 2 and BTTF 3 films includes multiple whooshing sounds and will glide over most surfaces (does not actually “hover” – check back in 2015 for that feature). We’ll be taking orders for it March 1 – March 20, 2012, and the final product will be shipped around November/December 2012. Because this is such a high-cost item, there will be a minimum number of orders required to go into production. If we don’t receive the minimum orders, won’t go into production and customers will not be charged. The price will be announced later this month. (Note: Hover board does not work on water.)

by Xavier Voigt-Hill

Horse_ebookmarklet turns the internet into engaging gibberish

You’ve probably heard of the @Horse_ebooks Twitter account. If you haven’t, why not? Unlike other bots on Twitter, @Horse_ebooks sends out cryptic messages that have oddly mesmerised the internet. @Fart says it best:

@Horse_ebooks is a Twitter bot designed and automated by apparently some Russian guy to sell worthless, horrible ebooks about horses. In order to avoid being detected as a spam bot, it occasionally posts a text snippet or two from one of its ebooks, chosen at random. I will never buy an ebook from it, but I will follow this Twitter account until I die or horses become extinct, whichever comes first.

Now, Ben Nyberg has developed a bookmarklet to spread the @Horse_ebooks hilarity all over the internet. When the Javascript is run, every image on a page becomes the trademark horse and all the text becomes delightful gibberish. Nyberg himself expected this to amuse people for about 20 minutes, but all I know is that I am doing it to every site I see. Here are some examples.

Carphone Warehouse

Digixav

Facebook

Google

Pinterest

So, what are you waiting for? Install the bookmarklet and try it yourself.

by Xavier Voigt-Hill

Protesting ACTA and TPP

This Saturday, activists worldwide will take to the streets in protest of ACTA. Like SOPA and PIPA, ACTA would criminalize users, encourage internet providers to spy on you, and make it easier for media companies to sue sites out of existence and jail their founders. TPP goes even farther than ACTA, and the process has been even more secretive and corrupt. Last weekend (we wish this was a joke) trade negotiators partied with MPAA (pro-SOPA) lobbyists before secret negotiations in a Hollywood hotel, while public interest groups were barred from meeting in the same building.

Please help the internet by standing up for your rights.

Thank you.

Kill ACTA

6 Reasons to oppose ACTA

  1. ACTA locks countries into obsolete copyright and patent laws. If a democracy decides on less restrictive laws that reflect the reality of the internet, ACTA will prevent that.
  2. ACTA criminalizes users by making noncommercial, harmless remixes into crimes if “on a commercial scale” (art 2.14.1). Many amateur works achieve a commercial scale on sites like YouTube. ACTA, like SOPA, could mean jail time for the Justin Biebers of the world.
  3. ACTA criminalizes legitimate websites, making them responsible for user behavior by “aiding and abetting”. (art 2.14.4). Like SOPA, the founders of your favorite sites could be sued or (worse) thrown in jail for copyright infringement by their users.
  4. ACTA will let rightsholders use laughably inflated claims of damages (based on the disproven idea that every download or stream is a lost sale) to sue people. As if suing amazing artists, video makers and websites for millions wasn’t hard enough!
  5. ACTA Permanently bypasses democracy by giving the “ACTA Committee” the power to “propose amendments to [ACTA]” (art 6.4). In other words, voting for ACTA writes a blank check to an unelected committee. These closed-door proceedings will be a playground for SOPA-supporters like the MPAA.
  6. Trade agreements are a gaping loophole, a backdoor track that, even though it creates new law, is miles removed from democracy. It’s a secretive process that’s tailor-made to serve politically connected companies. And the movie studios behind SOPA? They’re experts at it. If we can’t make secretive trade agreements harder to pass than US law, our internet’s future belongs to the lobbyists behind SOPA.

 

by Xavier Voigt-Hill

Google finally announce Chrome for Android but only 4.0

Ever wondered why the stock Android browser isn’t Chrome? We all certainly have, and now Google have gone and released Chrome Beta for Android. Over time it will become THE Android browser, but for now it is only available for devices running Ice Cream Sandwich. We will try it out when we get our hands on such a device, but for now we will read this review from TechCrunch and enjoy Chrome Beta on PC.

by Xavier Voigt-Hill

Nokia confirm white variant of Lumia 800

Nokia today confirmed that a white variant of the popular Lumia 800, our best gadget of 2011, will hit stores this month. The polycarbonate shell is glossy unlike the black, cyan and magenta versions and is internally identical to its pigmented siblings. The end result looks awesome, but I think I still prefer the cyan. What do you think? Have a look at all of the models below and give us your thoughts in the poll.

by Xavier Voigt-Hill

PPF: Apple tells developers to stop using white iPhone images

Today’s ridiculous story comes from Michael Arrington on PandoDaily, reporting that Apple have told developers to stop using images of white iPhones.

by Xavier Voigt-Hill

Steve Appleton, CEO of Micron, dies in plane crash

Steve Appleton, CEO of Micron Technology, died in a plane crash today at the age of 51. He was piloting a Lancair aircraft around Boise, Idaho when the incident occurred shortly after takeoff. He had worked at the company, best known for the Crucial and Lexar brands, since graduating from Boise State University in 1983. He became COO in 1991 before taking over 3 years later. He leaves behind his wife and 4 children.

Micron’s Board of Directors

We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Appleton, Micron Chairman and CEO, passed away this morning in a small plane accident in Boise. He was 51.

Our hearts go out to his wife, Dalynn, his children and his family during this tragic time.

Steve’s passion and energy left an indelible mark on Micron, the Idaho community and the technology industry at large.

The company expects to provide additional information later today.

Dave Bieter, Mayor of Boise

Steve Appleton was a dynamic leader who skillfully guided Micron through both prosperous and difficult times. He was a philanthropist and a great friend to Boise.

He will be remembered as a major force in Idaho history — a man who transformed our state’s economy by redefining what is possible for Idaho business. Idaho’s future will be brighter because of Steve Appleton. My heart goes out to his family and the employees of Micron around the world.