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Peel the power and fix the pix

EVEN AS THE REAL world went into hysterics over the Mumbai carnage earlier this week, the virtual world with its bloggers and other denizens too went into an overdrive – blogs carried opinions, analyses and social network sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter buzzed with debates and minute-by-minute news updates, helplines sprung up and helpful data was made readily available for public consumption.

The world, which has been for long regarded as an amorphous medium, suddenly took a shape that was not only informative, but proactive as well.

And that was not the only thing that stretched our imaginations. YouTube adopted the widescreen format that should make a lot of video junkies very, very happy. Also feeling happy were Endeavor astronauts, Don Pettit and Stephen Bowen who sipped their coffees from zero-gravity mugs that the former invented. And even though it looks somewhat like an airplane’s wing, it means that the space cadets will no longer have to sip from sealed pouches (liquids are transformed into spherical blobs under weightlessness). Of course they still have to find an alternative to the dehydrated turkey that they had up there for Thanksgiving.

Top picks

1. Paper business cards are, according to me, nothing more that professional baggage. And if you are the kind that likes to offload them in a hurry, click-to-send is a much better way of doing it. But, first make something that suits your sense of individuality and style by logging on to nuebbo.com. Fill in the information field, and send it to yourself in a jiffy. From then it is just about sending it to people that matter, and if they are smart enough to catch on to your trick store that in your cardholder online.

2. Want to add some cool special effects to your photos. Simple enough, just download the Composer FX Image 1.8.4 program from VersionTracker. Then it is all about drag-drop-apply and export and you have a funky looking snap for your album. It's for the geeks really and for those who need to impress their friends on iMesh.

3. The Wired world takes British researchers very seriously. No sooner did these guys discover that that belting your favourite song, when you are behind the wheel, can help avoid a fender-bender did they come out with the essential list of mototown songs. Topping the list is Prince’s Little Red Corvette, followed closely by Sir Mix-A-Lot’s My Hooptie, even as Sammy Hagar’s I Can’t Drive (ironic, isn’t it) and Chuck Berry’s No Place to Go squeeze into the top ten.

4. Of all the weird things that you have heard recently, one man’s discovery that he could actually charge his iPod using an onion in electrolyte solution surely takes the cake. No sooner did he put up the video on YouTube, along came an avalanche of copycats who did their own versions and put it online. As for the veracity of the claim, most people who tried it at home thought it was bunkum. As for me, I would rather smell of onions than plug them.

5. If you haven’t been to the NASA site lately, there is an interesting interactive called The Clickable Spacesuit. It’s interesting because it dismantles every aspect of the space gear in terms of information. Check it out.

Easy listening

Nokia has gone live with its Music Store in the UAE. It boasts of a comprehensive catalog from four main international labels - Universal, Sony BMG, Warner and EMI – as well as Arab label Rotana and content aggregator Qanawat. Once subscribers set up an account on http://music.nokia.ae, they can access the service through their computer or mobile device. Individual tracks, irrespective of language or genre, will cost Dh3 and complete albums will be priced at Dh30. Additionally, subscribers can also enjoy unlimited PC streaming of the entire online catalog at a competitive price of just Dh20 per month.

Caught and framed

Kodak has introduced the new Kodak Wireless Digital Frame W1020, the world’s first consumer-available wireless digital frame that allows you to access pictures on your home computer and leading photo sharing sites featuring KODAK Gallery and Flickr with built-in Wi-Fi capability. Moreover, also accesses the latest news, weather, sports and more – powered by FrameChannel.

The frames come in 8 and 10 inch sizes and combine the twin attributes of the framed picture and the variety of the photo album. Hi-tech features include built-in MP3 speakers providing outstanding sound reproduction when enjoying videos, digital music and online content.

Gamezone

Flatout 2, PS2

If you have been playing the Burnout series, then Flatout 2 on PS2 is something that is right up your street. It’s fast, slick and packs in all the destructive mayhem you would expect from a demolition racer. The cars are all chrome, metals that disfigure on impact and are capable of unleashing mayhem on track. The stunts are done stylistically and there is a marked improvement in the narrative. However, the drawback is that you have seen it all before, and the game lacks the gritty realism. So no matter how many cars you actually smash or the dirt and debris that is thrown up, it still remains a game that you can quickly tire of. And then despite the multiple vehicle options that are thrown up, most people tend to stick to the same car across the board. It’s a good game to play with your buddies.

International Cricket Captain 2008, PC

While cricket crazy fans might relish the opportunity to play both captain and team manager, this game in terms of pure sporting action offers little more than a statistical update to the previous year’s edition. The good part is that, both the roles don’t overlap - so when you are on field as the captain you decide the bowling, fielding and batting roles, off it, you don the mantle of the team manager who supervises game strategy. With its 3G engine, the graphics indicate a marked improvement, however the who idea of juggler players, and decoding averages could become rather cumbersome specially when you have to manage two teams - domestic as well as international. Cricket buffs will nevertheless find this game an engaging treat and while they might not be bowled over, the will take whatever they get.