This Is Apple's Next iPhone

From: http://gizmodo.com/

You are looking at Apple's next iPhone. It was found lost in a bar in Redwood City, camouflaged to look like an iPhone 3GS. We got it. We disassembled it. It's the real thing, and here are all the details.

While Apple may tinker with the final packaging and design of the final phone, it's clear that the features in this lost-and-found next-generation iPhone are drastically new and drastically different from what came before. Here's the detailed list of our findings:

What's new

• Front-facing video chat camera
• Improved regular back-camera (the lens is quite noticeably larger than the iPhone 3GS)
• Camera flash
• Micro-SIM instead of standard SIM (like the iPad)
• Improved display. It's unclear if it's the 960x640 display thrown around before—it certainly looks like it, with the "Connect to iTunes" screen displaying much higher resolution than on a 3GS.
• What looks to be a secondary mic for noise cancellation, at the top, next to the headphone jack
• Split buttons for volume
• Power, mute, and volume buttons are all metallic

What's changed

• The back is entirely flat, made of either glass (more likely) or ceramic or shiny plastic in order for the cell signal to poke through. Tapping on the back makes a more hollow and higher pitched sound compared to tapping on the glass on the front/screen, but that could just be the orientation of components inside making for a different sound
• An aluminum border going completely around the outside
• Slightly smaller screen than the 3GS (but seemingly higher resolution)
• Everything is more squared off
• 3 grams heavier
• 16% Larger battery
• Internals components are shrunken, miniaturized and reduced to make room for the larger battery

How it was lost

Here is a detailed account of how the phone was lost.

Why we think it's definitely real

We're as skeptical—if not more—than all of you. We get false tips all the time. But after playing with it for about a week—the overall quality feels exactly like a finished final Apple phone—and disassembling this unit, there is so much evidence stacked in its favor, that there's very little possibility that it's a fake. In fact, the possibility is almost none. Imagine someone having to use Apple components to design a functioning phone, from scratch, and then disseminating it to people around the world. Pretty much impossible. Here are the reasons, one by one.

It has been reported lost
Apple-connected John Gruber—from Daring Fireball—says that Apple has indeed lost a prototype iPhone and they want it back:

So I called around, and I now believe this is an actual unit from Apple — a unit Apple is very interested in getting back.

Obviously someone found it, and here it is.

The screen
While we couldn't get it past the connect to iTunes screen for the reasons listed earlier, the USB cable on that screen was so high quality that it was impossible to discern individual pixels. We can't tell you the exact resolution of this next-generation iPhone, but it's much higher than the current iPhone 3GS.

The operating system
According to the person who found it, this iPhone was running iPhone OS 4.0 before the iPhone 4.0 announcement. The person was able to play with it and see the iPhone 4.0 features. Then, Apple remotely killed the phone before we got access to it. We were unable to restore because each firmware is device specific—3GS firmware only loads on 3GS devices—and the there are no firmwares available for this unreleased phone. Which is another clue to its authenticity.

It is recognized as an iPhone
This iPhone behaves exactly like an iPhone does when connected to a computer, with the proper boot sequence and "connect to iTunes" restore functionality. Xcode and iTunes both see this as an iPhone. Mac OS X's System Profiler also reports this as an iPhone in restore mode, which is a natural consequence of remotely wiping the phone, but report different product identifiers (both CPID and CPRV) than either the 3G or the 3GS.

It uses micro-sim
The fact that it uses a micro-sim is a clear indicator that this is a next-generation iPhone. No other cellphone uses this standard at this point in the US.

The camouflage case
The case it came inside was a fully developed plastic case to house this phone to disguise it like a 3GS. This wasn't just a normal case; it had all the proper new holes cut out for the new switches and ports and camera holes and camera flash. But it looks like something from Belkin or Case-Mate. It's a perfect disguise.

The fact that it's in the wild right now
Logic can also narrow down why this phone is this year's iPhone, rather than next year's model or one from the previous year's, just because it was found in the wild right now. It makes no sense for Apple to be testing 2011's model right now, in super finished form—they wouldn't be nearly finished with it. The phone also can't be last year's test model, because last year's model (based on the iPhone 3GS teardowns) components were way different. No micro-sim, much bigger logic board, no flash, no front camera, smaller battery and an inferior camera. That only leaves the 2010 model.

The guts, the definitive proof
And finally, when we opened it up, we saw multiple components that were clearly labeled APPLE. And, because the components were fit extremely well and extremely conformed inside the case (obvious that it was designed FOR this case), it was evident that it was not just a 3G or a 3GS transplanted into another body. That probably wouldn't even be possible, with the size constraints of the thinner device and larger battery.

The New Industrial Design

At first sight, this new iPhone's industrial design seems so different from the previous two generations that it could be discarded as just a provisional case. Even while the finish is so perfect that it feels right out of the factory, some of the design language elements that are common to all Apple products are not there. Gone is the flushed screen glass against the metal rim. Gone is the single volume button, replaced by two separate ones. Gone is the seamless rim, and gone are the tapered, curved surfaces.

Despite that, however, this design is not a departure. Not when you frame it with the rest of the Apple product line. It's all the contrary: This new iPhone gets back to the simplicity of the iMac and the iPad. In fact, you can argue that the current iPhone 3GS—with its shiny chrome rim and excessively curved back—is out of place compared to the hard edges and Dieter-Ramish utilitarianism of the iMac and the iPad. Next to the iPad, for example, the new iPhone makes sense. It has the same feeling, the same functional simplicity.

But why the black plastic back, instead of going with an unibody aluminum design? Why the two audio volume buttons? Why the seams? And why doesn't the back have any curvature at all?

Why the plastic back?
The plastic back is the most obvious of the design choices. The iPad, with its all aluminum back, has seen its Wi-Fi reception radius reduced. The 3G version comes with a large patch on the top, probably big enough to provide with good reception. But the new tiny iPhone doesn't have the luxury of space: It needs to provide as much signal as possible using a very small surface. I'm sure Jon Ive is dying to get rid of the plastic back, and go iPad-style all the way, but the wireless reception is the most important thing in a cellphone. A necessary aesthetical-functional trade-off.

Why separate volume buttons?
This new iPhone uses separate buttons for the volume instead of the single button that you can find in the iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. It's one of the factors that may indicate that this is a provisional case, until you think about one of the most requested features for Apple's phone: A physical button for the camera. The new iPhone has a bigger sensor and a flash, which means that the camera function keeps gaining more weight. It's only logical to think that Apple may have implemented this two-button approach to provide with a physical shutter button. It makes sense.

Why the seams?
The seams are perhaps the most surprising aspect of the new design. They don't seem to respond to any aesthetic criteria and, in terms of function, we can't adventure any explanation. But they don't look bad. In fact, the whole effect seems good, like something you will find in a Braun product from the 70s.

It's doubtful that the seams are arbitrary, however. Either they will disappear from the final product, or they have a function we can't foresee at this time.

Why no tapering or curves?
As you will see in a future article, the new iPhone is so miniaturized and packed that there's no room for the tapered, curved surfaces. Everything is as tight as it could get, with no space for anything but electronics.

The hardware specs

The phone measures 4.50 by 2.31 by 0.37 inches. It weighs 140 grams. The 3GS weighs 137 grams on a postal scale (and 135 on Apple's official measurements). So, in comparison, it's 3 grams heavier. The battery is 5.25 WHr at 3.7V, compared to the 3GS battery, which is 4.51 WHr at 3.7V. On the back of the phone, it said it was XX GB, but since we were unable to get the phone to a running state, we couldn't see exactly how large it was.

How it feels

Freaking amazing. As a person who never really liked the round mound of a back in the 3GS, the sleeker, flatter, squarer design is super welcome. It feels sturdier than the 3GS, and much less plasticky. The metal buttons give it a heftier feel—less of a toy—than all previous generations. The closest analog to it would be the original iPhone, which is more square and heavy than its newer brothers.

It feels completely natural up to your face, and the fact that both the front and the back are glossy makes no difference on how well you can hold it without the phone slipping. And because it's thinner, it feels even nicer in your pants.

What all this means

Apple has updated the exterior drastically different from the 3G and 3GS. That design is old, it felt out of place compared to the rest of their products and needed desperately to be killed. Now you have a thinner body, a much more pleasant form factor with no wasted space and lots of hard lines. But the design isn't the most important part that's changed.

They've delivered many of the features people have been waiting for—that damn front camera!—while at the same time upgrading everything else. Flash, better back camera, better battery life and another microphone for better voice clarity. People who bought the 3G two years ago and are now in the perfect position to upgrade and get a dramatically different, and better, phone. If confirmed this summer, and if it performs as we expect, this next-generation iPhone looks like a winner.

Much additional reporting and design analysis by Jesus Diaz. Rosa Golijan also contributed.

If you want to link to this article, here's a YouTube video you can use to illustrate your post:

For iPhone OS 4 coverage: the hidden secret features, our hands on video, describing (and showing) how it is, and the best features overall.

And for more next-gen iPhone coverage: the rumored announcement date, AT&T blocking vacation days for iPhone launch and video and group chat code in the OS.

Camera gear and lenses courtesy Borrowlenses. Check them out if you need camera supplies but don't want to own it forever.

Any media who wishes to get in contact with us should email ccmascari@gawker.com

The author of this post can be contacted at tips@gizmodo.com

Hold on, where do you think you're going? Skydiver grabs glider's tail fin as they fly 2,100 metres up at 100mph

By Daily Mail Reporter

From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/

A skydiver has pulled off an astonishing stunt by climbing out of a glider's cockpit, crawling along the wing and then somersaulting underneath and stepping onto the wing of a second glider flying below.

Paul Steiner then moves back onto the main fuselage of the second glider while the first glider turns upside down and flies overhead so that he can reach up and hold the tail fin at 100mph, forming a human link between the two aircraft. He then leaps off and parachutes back to the ground.

The spectacular stunt, captured on YouTube, was carried out by the Red Bull skydive team 2,100 metres above the mountains in Styria, Austria. And they look mightily relieved as they returned to their airfield.

SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH THE VIDEO

Austrian skydiver Paul Steiner reaches up to grab the tail fin of the upturned glider which he had been flying in only minutes before

Steiner sits on the wing of the lead glider at 100mph as he waits for the second glider to approach below

Steiner flips over the wing in preparation to jump on to the second glider as it approaches

Steiner sits on the wing of the second glider and lets go of the lead glider 2,100 metres above the mountains in Austria

Texas High School Gets $60 Million Football Stadium

Dr. Wedge Buster
From: http://thepigskindoctors.com/

Everything is bigger in Texas. And that includes high school football.

Allen High School, located in a growing suburb of Dallas, has approved the construction of a new stadium to house their football team that will break ground next month. The price tag is a whopping $60,000,000 and comes at a time when most school districts are slashing budgets just to keep their doors open.

So how does a school of 5,000 students justify a new, state-of-the-art stadium that seats 18,000 and a video scoreboard?

It’s because football is big business in Texas. Heck, they have the largest high school band with 800+ people (see video) so you can see that they go all out in Allen, Texas.

Allen High School is one of the largest schools in the state and their football team is one of the best. The Allen Eagles are winners of the Texas 5A state title and finished as the No. 2 team in the RivalsHigh Top 100 football rankings in 2008.

The new stadium will feature:

• Video Scoreboard
• Two level press box with film deck and Observation deck
• Home side reserved seating with seat backs
• 1,5000 additional parking spaces with 4,500 total parking spaces
• 18,000 seat Stadium with upper deck seating including:
  • 5,000 reserved seating,
  • 2,700 General Admission
  • 4,000 Students
  • 5,300 Visitor
  • 1,000 Band

Their old stadium seats around 8,000 and was built 30 years ago. They bring in another 7,000 or so portable seats for fans to max it out. Many people stand to watch the game and a trip to the bathrooms can take quite awhile.

The facilities are outdated and overrun so having a new stadium constructed is not unexpected. Dropping $60 million is a little outrageous but this is the team that helped fill Texas Stadium with 50,000 last year.

And one way to look at it is that the new stadium is just half of the expenditure.

The stadium was part of a larger $120 million bond package passed in May 2009 that included nearly as much money for a state-of-the-art auditorium for performing arts.

The new Allen Eagles Stadium is set to open in 2012. You can take a virtual look at the new Stadium by clicking here.

20 Most Inventive Cupcakes Known To Man

By B.Z.
From http://blog.koldcast.tv/

Cupcakes are the new black. From kids’ birthday parties, to weddings, to any festive event, you will likely run into them. And why not? Who doesn’t love a good cupcake? But leave it to the creative culinary freaks of the web to take the trend to some crazy new levels. Whether in the form of a bakery devoted exclusively to cupcakes, a book, a blog, or even our new web series, “Copy & Pastry“, cupcake madness is clearly here to stay. But don’t take our word for it. Below, check out 20 of the most inventive cupcakes known to man. For some, we’ve even included links to recipes for you to try at home if you’re bold (or bored).

1. Cookie Monster Cupcakes

What says “yum” like two desserts in one? This creation is made up of vanilla cupcakes, blue icing and blue-dyed desiccated coconut to give Cookie Monster his puppet-like face. Just add the signature cookie in his mouth to round it out. Move over kids—nothing tempts adults like edible nostalgia.

2. Big Quench Slushie Cupcakes

It takes a true “Glee” fan to come up with a cupcake to honor Fox’s hit TV show. Or any red-blooded American who’s been hooked on slushies and 7-Eleven since they were a kid. Just start with some basic cupcakes, add colored icing, colored sugar, a Twizzler for the straw, and you’re all set.

Make your own

3. Toilet Cupcakes

We’re not sure what sort of person finds culinary inspiration in a toilet, but we have to admit, this is pretty impressive. And since most of us have hung our heads inside a bowl on a Sunday morning, the thought of eating one isn’t that far-fetched.

4. Obama Portrait Cupcakes

There is certainly no shortage of creative imagery and photography of the President flying around. But this cupcake craftsman took it to another level, using over 1,200 mini cupcakes with several colors of frosting to create this imaginative, tasty mosaic.

Make your own

5. iPhone Apps Cupcakes

It’s official: Apple has taken over the world. When iPhone apps become things we want to eat, it sure feels that way. This recipe uses plain chocolate cupcakes with grey icing and fondant to create each signature app. These puppies won the 2008 Cupcake Decorating Championship.

6. Mojito Cupcakes

Now you can have your cake and drink it, too. Nothing says dessert like sweets mixed with booze. Add the mint, lime juice, rum and lime zest to traditional vanilla cupcake batter, flavor the frosting with dark rum and garnish. Salud!

7. Pac Man Cupcakes

Take a basic cupcake and that ever-malleable paste, fondant (it’s the sugary, gooey stuff inside a creme egg that can be molded for decorative purposes) and you can make just about anything. Think World of Warcraft cupcakes and Grand Theft Auto cupcakes are in our future?

8. Brain Cupcakes

Interesting. It looks like a kid made the cupcakes, then just messed up the icing. But there is more thought behind brain cupcakes than meets the eye. Make them for your next graduation party.

9. Cheeseburger Cupcakes

Looks savory, tastes sweet. The recipe is a little demanding. You’ll be baking two different cupcakes, slicing off tops, adding the burger part, etc. But you’ll be the hero of your next Super Bowl party with these guys.

Make your own

10. Popcorn Cupcakes

Movie popcorn? Love it. Cupcakes? Always awesome. Combined? Brilliant. Take plain white cupcakes and add mini marshmallows (using the yellow ones with the white to create the popcorn look). For an extra touch, stick some of those butter popcorn-flavored Jelly Belly jelly beans in the frosting.

Make your own

11. Apple Pie Cupcakes

It doesn’t get more American than this. This wise baker mixed apple pie filling right into the batter. On top, Dutch apple jam and cinnamon vanilla bean buttercream create the beautiful apple pie look. Clever, indeed.

12. Van Gogh Cupcakes

Take 24 cupcakes and the patience and artistry to attempt to recreate Van Gogh’s “Starry Night” and you get some visually impressive dessert options. With just a mix of icings and a masterful brush stroke, you, too, can create edible art.

13. Christmas Tree Decorative Cupcakes

Cupcakes fit with every holiday—Christmas, especially. Take some of that sneaky fondant (again) and a little icing, and make your cupcakes look just like the balls you hang on your Christmas tree.

14. Apple for Teacher Cupcakes

This one is a little more complicated, and a half donut coated in red sugar creates that full apple look. But it’s worth the extra effort to become the teacher’s pet.

Make your own

15. South Park Cupcakes

With icing and patience, it’s possible to put anything on a cupcake. And with their round faces, the “South Park” kids fit perfectly on a cupcake. Keep an eye on the Cartman cupcake. It might eat itself.

16. Werewolf Cupcakes

While Twilight mania continues to grip women of all ages, Taylor Lautner and New Moon reminded us that werewolves are cool, too. This recipe also contains a lot of detail (get ready for some serious face time with marshmallows and red Fruit Roll Ups), but you’ll surely impress your guests with these cool, creepy cupcakes.

Make your own

17. Corn on the Cob Cupcakes

From the same masterful duo that brought you the Apple and Van Gogh cupcakes, here’s a summertime treat made a little sweeter. Just use colored jelly beans to make the corn, then add colored sugar for the butter, salt and pepper, and see if you can fool anyone at the barbecue.

Make your own

18. Shark Attack Cupcakes

Another representative of the macabre cupcake genre, these shark cupcakes are made with Twinkie halves, icing and red fruit leather. Add some chocolate wafer cookies for the fins, and you’ve got yourself a sweet shark surprise.

Make your own

19. Coffee and Donuts Cupcakes

Wow. Make a coffee-flavored cupcake with icing, and then put a mini glazed donut on top. Simple genius. Cops’ health insurance may skyrocket, but who wouldn’t want to devour all those things rolled into one?

Make your own

20. Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

You read correctly. It’s an Irish Car Bomb shot, cupcake style. Guinness, Bailey’s and Jameson never tasted so sweet They may not be as pretty or as kid-friendly as some of the others, but booze and chocolate mixed together for an edible shot is incredibly inventive.

Apple patent application for 3D viewing glasses

by Lin Edwards
From: http://www.physorg.com/news190620130.html

Enlarge

(PhysOrg.com) -- Apple has filed a patent application for electronic video spectacles that will allow wearers to watch films in 3D on the inside of the glasses. Fans have already nicknamed the gadget iSpecs.

Users would attach their iPhone, iPod, or other device to the spectacles, which have a special lens that can split the image into two frames — one for each eye — and then project the image onto the spectacles. The two images would create a stereoscopic effect since they would appear to have been taken from slightly different angles, and this would simulate 3D.

According to the patent application (number 20100079356) the images would be equivalent to high definition in quality, and sensors inside the spectacles would detect the precise location of the wearer’s eyes to ensure the image is projected at exactly the right place and is comfortable to watch. The device could be controlled by the wearer’s head movements, such as nodding or head shaking, or by voice control. Sound would be provided by earphones fitted into the device. To enhance the viewing experience, the spectacles could even vibrate in response to content such as explosions.

The spectacles would also incorporate a small camera and infrared sensors embedded in the frames to stream video of the surroundings to a smaller screen in the glasses if anyone approached or tried to gain their attention while they were watching the film. The aim of this system is to make people feel more comfortable about wearing the glasses in public, such as during plane, train, or bus trips.

Enlarge

There are already a few video glasses that can be plugged into an iPod to allow viewers to watch films, but none offer 3-D viewing or high-quality images. Another drawback of the previous gadgets is that wearers are unable to see what is happening around them, which makes them reluctant to wear them in public.

Some have suspected the patent application is a hoax since news of it was published on the Web on April 1st, but the US Patent and Trademark Office is unlikely to be involved in a hoax and the application was filed in late 2008. Apple never comments on patent applications.

© 2010 PhysOrg.com

Glee's 'Vogue' Vs. Madonna's 'Vogue': A Comparison

The Sue Sylvester video remake of "Vogue" debuted after Glee last night and it was pretty flawless. We thought we'd put it side-by-side with the original to see how the two stack up.

The biggest difference seems to come at the end, but the Glee version is very faithful to the original with some simple alterations here and there. Jane Lynch does a great job as a stand in for Madge, even if her dance moves seem a little overly rehearsed. The vocal track is all Sue Motherfucking Sylvester, but the spirit is all Madonna. Caution: this video will definitely make you excited for next week's all-Madonna episode of Glee and may possibly turn you gay. Thanks to commenter Rina for the idea.

[Video by Matt Toder]

Send an email to Brian Moylan, the author of this post, at brian@gawker.com.

Journeys to the International Space Station - The Big Picture - Boston.com

From Boston.com
Journeys to the International Space Station - The Big Picture - Boston.com

The Space Shuttle Discovery hurtles toward space after liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:21 a.m. on April 5th, 2010. The seven-member is delivering the multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, filled with supplies, a new crew sleeping quarters and science racks that will be transferred to the International Space Station's laboratories. The crew also will switch out a gyroscope on the station's truss, install a spare ammonia storage tank and retrieve a Japanese experiment from the station's exterior. (NASA/Tony Gray and Tom Farrar)

2

The Soyuz TMA-18 space ship is rolled out of a hangar to the launch pad at Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, March 31, 2010 for the start of the new Soyuz mission to the International Space Station on April 2, 2010. (REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin) #

Click here to see the whole gallery 38 pictures in total - Journeys to the International Space Station - The Big Picture - Boston.com

Giant hammerhead caught off NSW

• By Jeremy Pierce
• From: The Courier-Mail

MONSTER: The hammerhead shark caught off the northern NSW coast. Picture:Claude Williamson, Northern Star Source: Supplied

A MONSTER hammerhead shark caught off NSW's northern coast could soon become a Queensland tourism attraction.

Famed Hervey Bay shark hunter Vic Hislop has bought the 1200kg, 5m monster and this week transported the amazing catch to Queensland.

The huge shark made headlines in northern NSW last month when it was caught by a fishing boat four nautical miles off the coast of Evans Head.

It had eaten a smaller shark hooked by the fishing boat and then became trapped itself.

At 5m long, the shark is longer than a family car and could probably comfortably fit a few family members inside its massive belly.

Researchers estimate the shark was at least 40 years old.

Speaking to The Courier-Mail, Mr Hislop said he had not decided whether to house the spectacular specimen at his Hervey Bay shark show.

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"It's a magnificent specimen that's for sure," he said.

"I haven't decided what I am going to do with it yet though.

"If I keep it there (at the shark museum) I will freeze it first."

Some species of hammerheads are on the global endangered list, but they are rarely implicated in attacks on humans.

Although that would be of little comfort to someone faced with a shark bigger than most Great Whites, the most feared of all sharks.

And Mr Hislop had even more chilling news.

"That's not the biggest one I've seen either," he said.

"I've caught bigger.

Crazy Old Man Growling Like a Dog

This old man gets all excited and paints a perfect picture for you. I think had he stayed and showed the dog this, he would of won the battle for sure. I can see the dog running away now.

Browser Speed Tests: iPhone's Mobile Safari vs. Opera Mini

From: http://lifehacker.com/

This morning Apple surprised everyone by approving the Opera Mini web browser for the iPhone and iPod touch, bringing one of the most popular mobile browsers to the most popular smartphone. So how does it stack up?

First of all, it's worth pointing out that Opera Mini has one big roadblock for iPhone and iPod touch users: Apple doesn't allow you to set any other application as the default for web browsing, so if you're opening links from other applications, like Mail, you'll still launch Mobile Safari when you click that link. (To use Opera Mini, you'd have to copy the link, close Mail, open Opera Mini, and paste the link.) That's a pretty big hurdle, but it's not the end of the world, especially since more and more apps display links in-app unless you explicitly choose to open a link in Safari. All that aside, you probably still open Safari directly when you want to do a lot of basic web browsing, so nothing's standing in the way of just launching Opera Mini in those instances instead.

So let's talk speed and performance. I don't have all the same options for testing these as we have when we do our normal browser performance tests (most notably, memory use is missing, but since multitasking isn't on the iPhone yet anyway, that doesn't much matter), but we'll try to tackle as many of the same tests as we can. (Also like our other performance tests, these aren't exactly scientific, but we do follow our own set of guidelines to get as accurate of results as we can on limited equipment. For these tests, I'm using my iPhone 3G.)

Browser Boot Up/Load Time; Split Decision... Probably Mobile Safari

This is a little bit of a tricky category. What I found when pitting the two against each other in launch time is that, while the Mobile Safari took significantly longer to launch from a cold start—that is, after having rebooted my iPhone entirely—it apparently resides in the iPhone's system memory from that point forward, meaning subsequent launches are nearly instantaneous. Opera, on the other hand, had a better cold startup time, but it doesn't have the benefit of sitting in the system memory, so every launch for Opera Mini is a "cold" launch.

Page Load Time; Winner: Opera Mini

To measure page load times, I timed five or so page loads on several popular sites over Wi-Fi, threw out the highest and lowest for each site, and then averaged them all out. In this category, Opera Mini absolutely pummeled Mobile Safari, especially on full versions of web sites like the New York Times front page (which partially rendered in Mobile Safari before it finished loading, but continued loading for over 40 seconds time and again).

JavaScript, DOM, CSS Speed; Winner: Mobile Safari

We used Mozilla's very cool Dramaeo browser performance testing tool to pit Mobile Safari's JavaScript, DOM, and CSS chops against Opera Mini's. Unfortunately, we learned pretty quickly that, while Mobile Safari slowly chugged through the test (slowly compared to desktop browsers, that is), Opera Mini failed to run with any of them.

That's not necessarily a huge black mark against the speed of Opera Mini, per se, since we couldn't actually pit the two against each other, but it speaks pretty loudly about which browser is currently capable of offering a more desktop-like experience, and that's Mobile Safari.

Keep in mind that we're not saying that a more desktop-like experience is necessarily preferable; you're on a mobile device, after all, and that desktop performance does seem to come with some trade-offs—like the page load times mentioned above.

Takeaway

It's pretty clear that, while Opera Mini features seriously impressive page load times, it's still behind Mobile Safari on several levels—some of its disadvantages are due to Safari's advantaged position as the system default, some of them probably have more to do with the youth of Opera Mini on the iPhone platform. You will, however, notice the considerably faster page loads when you're using Opera Mini, and with the web, speed is everything. If Opera could keep the speed and fix some of the rough edges, it could be really impressive.

Speed aside, use Opera Mini for a while and you'll quickly miss the smooth zooming of Mobile Safari and the nice font rendering. (When you're looking at a desktop version of a site zoomed all the way out on Opera Mini, the type renders as big blocks of color and is generally unreadable.)

(Click the image above for a closer look.)

Still, I'm holding out hope for Opera Mini. The speedy page loads alone make it an ideal browser for a quick lookup, and its tabbed browsing interface is, in my opinion, superior to Mobile Safari's.

If you've been kicking the tires on Opera Mini since its release this morning, let's hear how its measuring up for you in the comments.

Send an email to Adam Pash, the author of this post, at tips+adam@lifehacker.com.

Chandler Woman Renting Out Retired Drug Dog to Patrol Teens' Bedrooms

By James King
From http://blogs.phoenixnewtimes.com/

www.tf.com

Attention Valley teens: Just when you thought your weed stash was safely hidden from your parents, get ready to say "fuuuuucccck!"

A Chandler woman has started a business called Desert Drug Dog, where she rents out her retired, drug-sniffing dog to parents who suspect their teens of using drugs.

Amy Halm and her dog, Dargo, will come to your house and flip it for drugs like it's a mini-van at a border-patrol checkpoint. She'll even do it when the kids are at school so they'll never know how you found their stash.

Amy Halm Dargo hard at work

​Dargo used to work for a police department in Indiana but has since retired and come to live with Halm in her Chandler home.

Halm tells New Times that Dargo had to leave his job as a working drug dog because, while he was great at sniffing out dope, he would often freak out if -- while he was searching for drugs -- a loud vehicle sped by.

Dargo's specialties are cocaine, marijuana, crystal meth, and just about any other mind-altering substance your kids probably don't want you to find.

Halm's operation is fairly unobtrusive to parents -- Dargo doesn't scratch or dig when he finds something, just indicates that it's there, at which point Halm will come and put a sticky note where the dog suspects drugs to be hidden. Parents can handle what they find as they see fit.

Halm isn't limiting Dargo's work to suspect teens, though, Dargo's services can be used in businesses and schools, too.

For more information on Desert Drug Dog, click here.

Galatea SPA chair with laser touchscreen would relax Gen-X geeks

By Pankaj
From: http://www.bornrich.org/

When was the last time we heard of people spending more time and more money on those beautifying treatments? Um…sorry, we can’t even remember, since we have been noticing an upward rise in trend of people bringing these aromatherapy spas or whirlpool spas to home. However, there’s always a better way to experience that maximum comfort in the confines of your bathroom, and this is the reason why the personal SPA chair concept is being thought up. This personal SPA chair with an adjustable privacy dome provides personal entertainment on a laser touchscreen as you are being given a body massage. Dubbed Galatea, this SPA chair is equipped with internet access, electronic books, TV, music player, etc. and is operated through voice commands. Hiding the voice recognition receiver and speakers inside the dome, Galatea can talk to the individual and acts according to the command. Sounds like Minority Report!

STRIPPER LOVE! - The Wonderful World of Strippers (Graphic)

imagebath.com — There’s more to strippers than dollar bills, revealing clothes (or none at all), and a long slippery pole! Here are some interesting facts about the less risqué side of exotic dancing.


Via: Online Schools.org

Dutch Comedy Central Makes Real-Life South Park

From: http://tv.gawker.com/

To promote the new season of South Park, Dutch Comedy Central made this live-action video featuring our favorite kids. It seems some things are better animated, and Cartman's girth is one of them...this kid doesn't have nearly enough authori-tay.

[via The Daily What]

The author of this post can be contacted at tips@gawker.tv

The Roof...The Roof...The Roof is on FIRE!!

Definition Of Calm

Lemme just finish my cig...then my beer...then I'll go. Maybe.

The Best 5 Year Old Baseball Player … EVER!

Ariel Antigua is The Best Five Year Old Baseball Player Ever!

April 12, 2010 – Matt Anaya

Wow, this kid is a stud.

Five year old Ariel Antigua from Lyndhurst, NJ is a do-it-all middle IF who is already hitting 85 MPH fastballs in the cage. A slick fielding potential shortstop, Antigua is on his way to something special and everyone around him knows it, just watch how people talk about him.

I do not know what I like most about him, yet. Perhaps his ability to go the other way so well as a five year old, or his slick fielding abilities. Either way, I love him.

Matt Anaya
Twitter.com/MatAnaya
Twitter.com/DugoutDoctors

Winscape - something out of Back to the Future 2

ryanhoagland — April 13, 2010 — Introduction to the Winscape. See http://www.rationalcraft.co... for more details.

Happy Van Damme Friday!! - Baby Birth!!