I have a serious case of the 'I-stayed-up-too-late-too-many-nights-in-a-row' Friday! These stories should keep you perked up and awake until the caffeine kicks in...

Would you believe it if I told you that your computer monitor can give you a tan? 30,000 people in one day did after a cancer charity set up a scam web site called ComputerTan (running through Feb. 9) to prove how ridiculous people can be about wanting sun exposure. By the way -- it's not true, that whole computer-monitor-tan thing. It's just an awareness campaign on the dangers of UV rays. Please don't send me angry e-mails.

Turning your nose up at the cold coffee dregs wallowing in your mug? Why not put them to good use with this ingenious, green printer that uses coffee as the replacement toner for its refillable ink cartridge! It requires a bit of elbow grease with the dregs, but the result is a sepia-printed document worthy of a tip of your green beret, at least! Good work, Mr. Korean designer who came up with hit. Side question: Why is it always the last sip that dribbles down my chin and stains my shirt 10 minutes into my work day -- but only when I'm wearing a white shirt?

Oh, Forbes and their fantastic lists. The newest one to strike my fancy is a list of the top 25 Web Celebs -- it features personal favorites Perez Hilton and PostSecret.com, plus some others that you may have heard about but not much beyond that. Take a look for some fun surfin' tips!

It was made official this week. Digital delay moves to June. Siiigh. You can lead a horse to water... But, the delay in officiating the change doesn't mean TV stations can't follow through with their plans to drop analog signals on Feb. 17. Look for some serious fallout on that front.

There is seriously a species of butterfly so intent on propagating its young that it releases a hormone that tricks ants into thinking its larvae are baby ants. When it becomes a caterpillar, the hormone scream 'Feed, I'm a queen ant!' Talk about deceptive marketing. Nature is so effing cool sometimes.

OK, that's all for me today. have a great weekend, and meet me back here Monday morning for your top headlines! Also, don't forget that Wednesday is the first annual Byte-Sized Valentine's Day Gift Guide! I'm compiling the list now, and there are some serious goodies...

Labels: ant butterflies, coffee printer, computertan, Digital TV conversion, Forbes' Top 25 Web Celebs

Why delay the inevitable? Oh yeah. To waste more taxpayer money amidst the biggest financial crisis the country has seen in 70 years and possible ever.

Siiiiigh.

Yesterday, the Senate approved a 4-month delay in the changeover to digital TV, moving the date to June 12 and the plan to the House for a Congressional OK later today.

Labels: Digital TV conversion

Morning, faithful readers. If I could make you all a pair of alapaca mittens for frigid days like today's up in Boston, I totally would. As a replacement, wrap your hands around a scalding cup of black coffee and sip away your shivers...

I'm not believing it, but venture capitalists have reportedly valued Twitter -- the 140-character miniblog -- at $250 M. That's a lot of money. I've never tried it, so I won't give you my opinion. If you have, please inform me: Do you think that's fair or ridiculous?

Still looking to get your tech fingers on Microsoft's new OS that it debuted at CES? According to the company's blog, the Windows 7 beta will be available for download until Feb. 10.

Best Buy will expand it's electronic recycling program nationwide on Feb. 15. For $10, you can bring in a small gadget and turn it in, but be aware of this hitch: Anything with a screen, Best Buy will charge you $10 to recycle. Of course, you get a $10 Best Buy giftcard at the same time, so the cost -- as long as you frequently shop at Best Buy -- is a wash. Well, I should say (being a former employee and well aware of that store's insane mark-ups), it's a wash for the consumer. But, they are trying.

So, June 12 is likely the new date for the digital TV conversion. Sigh. Unless someone decides that isn't enough time, in which case it'll keep getting pushed out and the hillbillies of the world who are resisting what I used to be able to call 'the inevitable changeover' keep getting extra chances.

... Let's take a break from our headlines to talk about this a little. As I've already posted on this ad nauseum, why waste more words when previous ones will do? Here is a re-broadcast of one of my previous post on the matter. I hope this helps clear up any confusion and the debacle...

My dear grandma has had the same TV for at least the past 25 years -- as long ago as I can remember -- and it is so blurry that it hurts my eyes to look at it. She tapes her soaps everyday on a VCR, and scoffs at the idea of a new TV and a Tivo. She rarely uses her cell phone, which she has only for emergencies, and doesn't know how to change the ringtone (which I used to my great amusement a few years back by uploading 'SexyBack' by JT onto it).

She, I suppose, is the target audience for the federal govt's $1.5B campaign letting folks know their TVs won't work as of Feb. 2009 unless they upgrade to a new TV (gasp) or buy a fancy new converter box for good ol' bunny ears due to the switch from analog to digital TV signals.

Leave it to the gov't to waste billions of dollars overcomplicating a simple idea. I mean, perhaps it's that I don't fully understand the technical concept that, much like the switch from black-and-white to color programming nearly 50 years ago, older TVs that use an antenna to pull down and translate TV signals will no longer function when that over-air method of transmitting the signals is turned off and replaced by a wired digital signal that more efficiently transmits the same information using 1s and 0s to streamline the industry and improve picture clarity and viewer experience.

No... no, I think I understand the concept fine. It's the idea that $1.5 B needs to be spent to inform the public of the switch. Now, granted, some of that money is going into a discount program in the form of gov't issued coupons to help these analog folks buy a special converter to plug into the ol' TV boxes so they can still tune into Nick at Nite.

But that still seems like a lot of money, doesn't it, to simply tell people, 'Hey, before you get your bunny ears in a twist, better upgrade the TV, k?' So, in the interest of saving the gov't a bit of money, let's all do the feds a favor and inform everyone we know with analog TVs older than dust of the Feb. 2009 switch -- it's your duty as a geek to help out the technologically impaired.

I'll take the first step and ring up my grams... 'I'm bringing sexy back... you other boys don't know how to act... '

Labels: Best Buy recycling, Digital TV conversion, Microsoft, Twitter, Windows 7 beta

Morning everyone! Thanks for tuning in to your tri-weekly dose of Byte-Sized!

(After a discussion between editors, we have determined that tri-weekly denotes 3 times a week, not once every three weeks -- just wanted you all to know that there was rhetoric.)

Before we get to it -- let me make a bold preface: I've been awake since 3:45 a.m. scraping 2+ feet of snow off my hybrid after waking up to a 2.5-year-old who walked up 2 flights of stairs at 2 a.m. to stand right next to my sleeping face and announce to the room that he pooped, which, upon inspection, he did not.

Thus, I'm a bit tired and in a mood not even hot coffee can fix. Please take this into consideration when reading more...

Are they ever going to let this go? Gah... Microsoft has been brought up on anti-trust charges by the EU for bundling its IE browser with its operating system. Could someone please call the EU and explain to them what year it is and what the current state of technology is? With companies giving away browsers for free online, like Firefox and Chrome, people certainly have a choice whether to adopt IE. Give it an effing rest and let the top be the top. Seriously.

A couple months back, we talked here about invisibility cloaks getting closer to reality -- well, they're even closer. No wait, don't whip our your HP spellbooks looking for a deathly hallow -- 'Researchers at Duke University, who developed a material that can "cloak" an item from detection by microwaves, report that they have expanded the number of wavelengths they can block.' See? pretty cool technology from some incredibly brilliant minds. Seriously.

Trouble on the fruity front: Reports are suggesting that Apple shareholders may bring up lawsuits over loss money in the wake of CEO Steve Jobs announcing his leave of absence. Apparently, people are kinda pissed that he went public a week before assuring them that he was fine, nary a problem save for a hormone imbalance, just to u-turn. Why can't people just tell the truth anymore? Seriously.

And, now there are reports that Jobs is considering a liver transplant as part of his treatment for pancreatic cancer, which the CEO suffered in 2004. Says Jobs to reporters questioning him on the rumor: "Why don't you guys leave me alone -- why is this important?"

Hey Steve, when your high-profile company is on the tongues of every world citizen ages 5 through 100, plus you've been lying to your shareholders (see above) about an illness that will affect their stock prices and nest eggs, it's important. Welcome to celebrity -- or do you not want your big paycheck or sucessful business anymore? I am pulling for you, bud, but please -- don't be dumb.

I humbly apologize for my ranting today. But, apparently Congress has proposed giving *more* money to the digital TV crossover fund! Excuse me? This has to be the biggest... I mean, what a waste... Such a debacle... I have not other words for this.

OK, more coffe. And maybe some chocolate. yeah, that'll help make this snowy holiday that I'm working on a bit more comfortable. See you all on Wednesday!

Labels: Digital TV conversion, EU, invisibility, liver transplant, Microsoft, Steve Jobs

Good late morning everyone! I've spent my time scouring the 'Net for you this morning gathering all of the preview stories of CES! Our coverage begins tomorrow morning with a recap of Steve Ballmer's keynote address tonight (oh, Bill Gates, we will miss you...), and continues until the show ends on Sunday! So stay tuned to Byte-Sized every night for a daily recap of the big news and, of course, coolest gadgets coming out of CES!

Here are your CES stories:
CNet has an entire page dedicated to coverage -- take a look for video and all the early buzz.
Digital Trends, as always, has some great CES coverage to check out.
SFGate's Tech Chronicles blog check out all the cool electronics before they hit the floor.
And of course, USAToday wraps up Macworld and previews CES in this story.

And here are some of the day's big headlines:
An FCC official has randomly decided that online gaming is a leading cause of college dropouts. This isn't just placing the blame generally on the gaming industry, she is specifically targeting World of Warcraft, the best selling and most-played online gaming series, like ever. SO much so that it has been spoofed as a wicked funny car commercial and as a full episode of geek-tastic The Big Bang Theory (how much more could I love Sheldon?).

So, you'd think that was the most ridiculous story of the day. Until you read this one...

OK, so I'm not the most even-tempered person ever -- but who wouldn't start fuming in indignance at this news? The gov't fancy-schmancy program to let the 10 people in the US who don't have a digital TV or haven't heard of the conversion to digital TV has run out of money. As in, it's spent over $1 B dollars on specialized TV commercials and awareness programs and is now flat broke and unable to make good on its promise to help consumers (apparently there are more than 10) convert their TVs to digital. Now, I've written on this in the past here, so it's clear I mean no disrespect -- but come on people! This has literally been *years* in the making... and it's your tax dollars at work. As if that means anything anymore. Gah. Thus concludes my rant of the day... now back to your regularly scheduled programming...

Some good news, please? OK how about this:
Shake it ... sh-Sh shake it like a Fujifilm piiiiicture... OK, not quite what Andre 3000 wrote, but the concept applies -- Fuji is filling the instant-gratification void left when Polaroid announced it was no longer making its iconic cameras. It's Fuji Instax Mini generates instant card-sized pictures and comes in pink, blue and white! Woo hoo! I've got to get one of these to try out...

OK, see you all tomorrow when Byte-Sized correspondent Peter Szabo updates you live from the CES floor!

Labels: CES coverage, CES preview, College Dropouts, Consumer Electronics Show, Digital TV conversion, FCC, Fuji Instax Mini camera, Polaroid, World of Warcraft