There are few things in this (first) world that are worse than trying to cancel your internet and cable service.
In fact, Comcast has folks that are dedicated solely to the mission of retaining those who wish to graze in other internet pastures, complete with a guidebook on how to keep a customer on the phone and persuade them to keep their Comcast service. We have seen this go horribly awry.
Even in the best case scenario, you’re stuck arguing with a stranger over something you no longer want or need for far longer than you want.
But a service called Airpaper is looking to take that mess off of your hands for the relatively cheap price of $5.
All you have to do is offer up your name, address, phone number, and Comcast account number and Airpaper will make that nasty phone call for you. The company promises it won’t use your information for any reason other than to cancel your service, but it’s worth noting that handing over so much personal data to a third party is never 100 percent safe.
That said, I’d still pay $5 to have someone else handle the the process of canceling my Comcast service.
[via Geek.com]
You know what would make gaming even more fun? Pain. Or at least that is what the folks at Mindwire would like you to think. Their new MindwireV5 unit helps you get into the action with sensations ranging from a "crashing car to the blast of a machine gun's multiple bullets hitting you; a sharp zap all the way through to a soft massaging feeling." Five self-adhesive pads are connected to the arms, legs and stomach that administer a range of electric shocks to create sensations that mimic in-game action. 
The system works with most PS2, Gamecube, and XBox games as well as PC games that support force feedback. Next gen consoles are also supported--in certain configurations (a full list of compatible games is available on the website). So, I'm not sure about all of this electric shock business, but tell me more about this "soft massaging feeling?" The Mindwire is available for £99.99 (or $200). [
After losing our Paul Frank calculator watch to our arch nemesis the washing machine, we've been searching the Earth (a few internet sites a handful of times a month) for a suitable replacement. Our latest contender is this metal link Casio Data Bank watch, a sort of upper middle class citizen of the retro calculator watch world. While we debate as to whether or not this geek badge is worth our $80, we'll turn away so you can shyly remove that calculator watch you've been wearing for the last 15 years...without the snarky, ironic intent. [
Made of hardened, laminated steel, and based on the design for police-issue manacles, the bike cuff is all kinds of wonderful. You can lock up to three bikes at the same time, and the ring is big enough to secure to signposts to deter would-be tea-leaves. The heat-treated lock is pick-proof and there's a hardened pivot link, which means no busting your bike using leverage. There is, however, one downside to the cuffs: price. Expect to pay $158.50 for them. [
Designed by Greek geeks-at-heart Supermandolini, these floppy coasters are cute things to stick beneath your drinks. Measuring 3.5" square, a set of six will cost you $41 and make you wish you were still licking your brother at Asteroids all over again. [
Moritz Waldemeyer, London-based shiny, spangly design person, has designed what must be the most expensive pair of spoke lights evah. Auctioned off at the ICA Gala Fundraiser in London last week, the Joyrider LEDs, which put a smile on the wheels of your bike, went for almost $4,000. Perhaps that's because they came attached to a couple of vintage-style bikes that Waldemeyer has designed.
The new iBird comes from the same makers as our favourite R/C 
I have never been a big fan of 
If you were concerned that you had cancer, would you go to see a doctor or would you consult some bees? I bet you said doctor, didn't you? No fun! If you used one of Susana Soares "alternative diagnosis tools" you'd be relying on bees instead for some goddamned insane reason. 
Designer Hung Chih Wang thinks the inkjet printer market has room for an ultra-mobile concept: his "Trak" design is a mini printer that snaps onto the lid of your laptop. Handy for hardcopies on-the-go, it's small enough to be USB powered and even has a detachable print head for easy travel storage. There's no mention of how you keep the ink from spilling in your bag, but that should please those dollar-craving ink manufacturers, eh? [
Nokia has committed to bring Microsoft Silverlight video services to its S60 devices. Further, Nokia will also add support for the video content to its S40 based handsets at later stages. Given the immense market penetration of Nokia's Symbian based cellphones, this partnering will have a large affect on mobile content support, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Adobe is a feeling a little sick right now. [
Just unveiled at CeBIT, Gigabyte's M700 UMPC comes with a surprising 2GB RAM. In addition to its hefty memory and bright design, the M700 manages to pack in a 7-inch, 1024x600 touchscreen and a 1.2 GHz Via C7-M processor. It also has Windows Vista Home Premium. Details on pricing and release are hush hush at this point. [
Nurses and Doctors rejoice: you can now buy Crocs for your cellphone! Ok, so the Crocs "O-Dial" [sic] is actually a shoe-themed cellphone holster, but it is official. Why your phone would enjoy the lightness, comfiness... um, waterproofness and stain-proofness of those lovely rubbery, resinous shoes is another matter, though. Oh -- its got raised inside surfaces to protect device screens, and an adapter so you can use it to store credit cards? Ah yes, we understand now. It's a marketing thing. And yet, cunning Gix reader, what better uses could you put your croc holsters to? 
Looking like it belongs in Jeff Vader's Coruscant bachelor pad, the hand-made Schimmel Pegasus has an ergonomically curved keyboard, over 200 strings under a total tension of 176,520 newtons, and a key assembly composed of 10,000 pieces. Only 14 were made ten years ago for people like Eddie Murphy, Lenny Kravitz, and granfunkmeister Prince. Now you can get into this exclusive club because there's one for sale until March 15th. More pics and technical details after the jump. UPDATED WITH PRICE AND OTHER INFORMATION
A businessman in the UK has come up with a novel way to deal with potential thieves: firing chickenshit at them from a 30-foot catapult. Joe Watson-Webb, a retired showman, had the iron trebuchet left over from his days as a showman, and gets his avian ammo from the farm next door. Local cops have said that they will prosecute Watson-Webb if he uses the catapult to defend his property against arsonists and robbers--but what would they think about the other weapon he has up his sleeve? Watson-Webb is also the proud owner of a 20-foot-long cannon, out of which he used to fire his wife! 
Signs up at the entrance to Watson-Webb's flooring business warn of the fate that will befall anyone who attempts to get onto the Nottinghamshire property. SmartPoo, it seems, is no laughing matter. "This is a serious issue. People all over Britain are sick and tired of feeling like prisoners in their own homes and seeing yobs get away with it."
After trying just about every security product on the market--fencing, motion-sensor lights and CCTV cameras--the 70-year-old is unrepentant, and has pooh-poohed the attitude of the law. "Maybe the police think I'm joking, but the only people laughing are the criminals. That's why I fully intend to take the law into my own hands." [
This is awkward…during the testing phase for the Shark Shield, an electronic device that is designed to go on the back of surfboards to keep sharks away, one of the devices was actually eaten by a shark. 
CERN's scientists, the fine people who brought us the W and Z particles, anti-hydrogen atoms and hyperlinked porn sites web pages, are now hard at work building the Large Hadron Collider to discover something even cooler: the Force. Yes, that Force. Or like physicists call it, the Higgs boson, a particle that carries a field which interacts with every living or inert matter, which could bring us closer to understanding how the Universe works: Most physicists believe that there must be a Higgs field that pervades all space; the Higgs particle would be the carrier of the field and would interact with other particles, sort of the way a Jedi knight in Star Wars is the carrier of the "force." The Higgs is a crucial part of the standard model of particle physics--but no one's ever found it. 
Over 100,000 construction workers on the 2012 Olympics venue in London will be subjected to biometric tests while they build the site. The two-tier system will scan hands and faces, and should be up and running by June this year, when work starts on the 50-acre site. And these measures, part of the $700 million security budget, will not just be for the building contractors, either. 
PQI's new Intelligent Stick USB flash drives may be a boon for those clumsy people, like myself, who often spill coffee on their electronics or get them soaking wet in pockets that let the rain in. I can't think of a time when I've got a gadget too dusty to use, but these tiny flash drives can even cope with that. Manufactured with a special COB process, they're available in 2GB and 4GB in a number of colors, and are due to be unveiled at CeBIT this week.
