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Midori-san - the world's highest-profile blogging houseplant

A company called KAYAC has developed a "botanical interface" that allows plants to speak and emote with us humans. And, as is any sentient life form's right, the plant has now started up a blog to air its inner angst.

Midori, as the plant is known in the Japanese blog-o-sphere, has an auto-generated blog which can be found here. It's in Japanese, so won't make much sense, but should you have an understanding of the squiggly language you'll be able to read Midori's feelings - based around changing electrical currents in its leaves and stems.

The surrounding temperature, the humidity levels and vibrations created by clumsy humans are also measured, somehow, to allow Midori to communicate with the outside world. "HUMAN GIVE WATER" we'd imagine most of those posts to say.

(Via Pink Tentacle)

Related posts: Live-blogging Apple | Soon she will be angry

Posted by Gary Cutlack on October 7, 2008 4:20 PM in Biotechnology| Weirdness
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Top 10 Tuesday: Expensive Kitchen Gadgets

With the bottom falling out of just about every market the papers can think of, it might be time to start cutting down on those expensive dinners out. So, instead have some expensive dinners in by kitting yourself out with any or all of this high price, hi-tech kitchen gadgetry in Tech Digest's Top 10 Expensive Kitchen Gadgets.

Click the image below to start thinking about emptying your wallet

Related posts: Credit Crunch Top 10 | Top 10 OSs

Posted by Daniel Sung on October 7, 2008 2:10 PM in Top tens
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AMD to split into two companies

Business news anyone? It might not be very exciting, but if you don't have an Intel chip in the PC you're reading this on, then you'll almost certainly have one from AMD in there, so pay attention.

AMD is splitting its business into two companies. The first will be focused on designing microprocessors, and the second will actually manufacture them - a process which is expensive and debt-laden. The new manufacturing company will be called the Foundry Company, and AMD will own 44.4 percent of it, with the rest being owned by an Abu Dhabi company called Advanced Technology.

Posted by Duncan Geere on October 7, 2008 1:23 PM in Computers| Peripherals
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BT Vision to get Five On Demand service this month

BT Vision customers will soon be able to catch up with a range of Five's programming thanks to a deal which brings the On Demand service to BT's broadband TV service.

Users can pay 99p to watch single episodes, or get unlimited access by subscribing to Vision TV for six quid per month.

If you're feeling the pinch and want to save some cash, it's worth noting that you can watch a lot of UK-based shows from Five on your computer at the Demand Five web site, although many of the US favourites such as CSI and NCIS must be paid for.

Posted by Andy Merrett on October 7, 2008 1:15 PM in Online TV
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Humans hit evolutionary limit - here's how SCIENCE should intervene and make man BETTER

According to some scientist, humans have stopped evolving. This means we're not going to get any better - at least not naturally.

So I propose science steps in to make us better, seeing as Mother Nature can't be bothered any more. Here's how. These are the evolutionary steps scientists need to introduce to our gene pool ASAP.

1. SIDE EYES Seeing as our ears are always in use listening to MP3s of 1980s cover versions, it's hard to hear cars, bicycles and lorries coming toward you. I therefore suggest moving our eyes to the sides of our heads, like horses, so we're less likely to step out in front of buses because we can't hear them coming. You never hear about horses getting run over because they're too busy listening to the new Oasis album to listen out for cars, do you?

2. WIDER EAR CANALS Dunno about you, but my ear holes are never big enough to accommodate all these so-called "in ear" earphones. You know, the ones you're supposed to ram right in. I ram them in so hard it hurts and my brain pops, yet they still fall out after three minutes when the cable snags on my shirt. I therefore suggest scientists develop wider ear holes for better audio clarity and comfort "on the go."

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Lightbulbs to replace Wi-Fi?

Researchers at the University of Boston have managed to come up with a way of transferring data through lightbulbs. It's not quite as crazy as it sounds - fibre-optics uses light to transmit data, but in a much more focused way. The researchers propose to use LEDs flickering at imperceptible speeds to communicate with network-enabled devices at speeds between one and ten megabits per second.

Although that's not very fast for video streaming or online gaming, it's more than enough for an internet enabled fridge, photoframe or printer. Those kinds of devices are the target that the researchers are going after - bringing the digital home one step closer to reality.

Posted by Duncan Geere on October 7, 2008 12:45 PM in Wi-Fi| Wireless home
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Curb your teenage tearaway with Ford's MyKey

New MyKey technology, developed by Ford, will be rolling out next year. The development will allow parents to put limits on their kids' driving. They can implement speed restrictions, give fuel warnings, or prevent kids from using the radio until their seatbelt is fastened.

The full listing of features is over the jump, but as someone who has never driven, teenage or otherwise, the only message this sends is mistrust of your poor kids. Unless you have a particularly troublesome child, this seems remarkably unnecessary. Speeds artificially limited? Reduced radio volume? If you don't trust them not to exceed 80mph, then why let them drive at all?

Posted by Duncan Geere on October 7, 2008 11:29 AM in Transport| Vehicles
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