American Madness

It’s been a good long while since we have had really ridiculous product to mock discuss here.

Today though is just a jackpot of a day where we have come across not one, but two totally different products worthy of being called out for this distinction.

First up we have Phone Fingers. “What’s a Phone Finger?” you ask (and I’m glad you did). A Phone Finger is, essentially, a condom for your finger. Made of very thin durable latex, you just roll it up your index finger and you’re protected.

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Remember about 5 years ago when everyone was all abuzz about the new “Do Not Call ” Registry? You signed up and it prevented telemarketers from getting your information and calling you. Great idea, and for the most part it worked. If you are still receiving what you believe to be are telemarketer calls, well that is probably because you have done business with the company, they can retain your number and harass you for up to 18 months after the initial business was conducted.

Anyway, when you initially signed up for the National Do Not Call Registry it was for a 5 year period, and those 5 years are just about to elapse (well if you signed up during the first year at least). It might not be a bad idea to head on over to their website and re-sign up for the registry to keep your cell phone and home phone telemarketer free for the next 5 years, or you can simply call them at 1-888-382-1222.

Oh and if you feel like you have still been getting telemarketers calling and it was unrelated to something you purchased (and your name is on the registry) you can report them and they will receive a fine up to $11,000 (though charitable organizations, political or survey work are all exempt).

Have you ever found yourself lost in the woods, scrounging for food and forced to make a life or death decision on weather you think that mushroom there is poisonous or not?

No?

Well then maybe you won’t find this too useful- But for other adventurers out there, Austrian scientists have developed a software program for cell phones that can identify over 600 different types of mushrooms just by their pictures and tell you if they are poisonous or not.

All you need to do is snap a shot of the mushroom with your camera phone and load it into the program and after the comparison is made it will inform you if the mushroom is going to make you keel over and die, or provide the sustenance you need to make it through just one more day lost in the woods. Seems like a neat and interesting program, but really, how useful will this actually be? Maybe a little fun to determine what types of mushrooms you are actually buying at the supermarket or if those ’shrooms you just dropped a bundle on are the real deal, but, how many people searching for mushrooms in the woods, people who will need to know the difference between one mushroom and another are going to be carrying a charged cell phone on them?

Have you ever gotten yourself into a situation you wish you had an out from? A bad date maybe? A business meeting you just couldn’t take anymore?* Or, Maybe you just feel like all of your friends are always getting so many phone calls and you never get any? Well, now you can change all of that with the Popularity Dialer!

Basically, you sign up to have the Popularity Dialer call your phone at a specified time., There are 7 different calls you can have come through- The Guy “Friend,” The Girl “Friend,” who both beg you to join them and try to make future plans with you and ask what you are currently up to. The “Boss” calling to with a problem- though the problem is a ink leak from the copy machine, so, unless you are a copy technician or a janitor, not necessarily something you are going to want to play on speaker phone. The Cousin In Need who sounds bit like Dubya and is in a fix and needs some cash and finally the affirmation call which just tells you how cool you are and how much “flavor” your style has. You can’t listen to the 2 new ones on line yet, but there is the English Lover (male) and the Band Practice call.

Though the service is totally free for now, be cautioned you can only have your number called 5 times, so make sure you make those 5 times count.

*Okay, so I wrote this up prior to reading the website for details about the Popularity Dialer, so I was a bit surprised when I read the line “Have you ever been in a situation where you wished your cell phone would ring? Maybe you wanted to look extra important or popular on that hot date. Or maybe you just needed an excuse to escape from an unpleasant meeting.” I guess there just aren’t that many other uses for it

According to Pocket-lint Motorola just inked a deal with Microvision to produce a prototype of a cell phone with a laser projection unit built in. Folks are saying that while this is an innovative concept it is going to add a significant bulk to cell phones as well as such an added drain to the battery life that it won’t be worth while.

I am taking an alternative view on this one. First off they say the prototype is probably at least a year away. I foresee a smartphone, like the Motorola Q, bulked up a bit with this projector, replacing laptop PowerPoint presentations. Just sync up your presentation to your phone, attend you meeting and boom, instant projection, lightweight and mobile, no need to carry a bulky projector or laptop. Once this becomes integrated into business phones it will expand out to phones like the iPhone. No more watching movies on a tiny 3″ screen, just load the movie up and you have you own portable movie player. (more…)

It’s just a mobile phone day around these parts-

I am a comparative price shopper. I will spend a day pricing a single item at 3 or 4 different stores, return to the second store, you know, the one that had the cheaper price, and then decide to wait until I check how much the item is selling for on the internet when I get home later.

Apparently this type of behavior can drive some people crazy, especially when they have been walking with me all day and at the end of the day I end up making the purchase online, or worse, returning the next day to make the purchase.

Well, now there is an easier answer. Frucall is a service that allows you to call in, enter a barcode and it will tell you the price of the item you are looking for as pulled from major websites. Frucall also saves your search information so when you get home you can sign on and purchase the item.

Looks pretty interesting so, log on now and sign up (it’s free). Worth having around if you find yourself yearning for the ease and pricing of Amazon while you are out shopping.

Have you ever been pissed at your mobile phone?

I mean really pissed, to the point where you just want to take it throw it across a room.

Apparently the Finnish get that way some times, in fact it occurs so much that they started the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship. The competition has been going on since 2000 and has 3 different categories in both men and women’s divisions, as well as a junior category.

In a FAQ about the competition the question is asked Why do People Throw[the phones]?:

Finland is known as the home country of the mobile phones and Finns have always been very fashion-conscious about the phones. Many Europeans wonder why the Finns buy brand new phones when the old one is still working. For the interpreters and translators who work globally the mobile phone is a common tool when working and a part of accessory in the freetime.

Mobile phone is an essential part of us that connects us to nearly anywhere in the world but when you most need it the battery runs out or your sweetheart doesn’t answer or some one doesn’t return your call. Hope, anticipation, passion and frustration concentrates on mobile phone.

So, wind up your throwing arm, get it in shape and get your ticket to the Finlan for the 2007 World Championships, held at the end of August.

As many people know today is D-Day* for the long awaited iPhone, the next generation iPod that is also a phone, is being released today at 6pm. While I am sure lines have been forming for the last few days for the new AT&T phone (because it is a sure sign a product will be good when they sign on to America’s least reliable or used carrier) companies like T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon are fearing the loss of some customers today.

In a bid to retain their customer base and maybe even gain a few new customers, Verizon issued a press release yesterday announcing: “Verizon Wireless Stores Open All Day June 29 For Customers To Test Drive The Nation’s Most Reliable Wireless Network, Purchase Any Of 18 Multi-Media Music Devices.” For the record, this is the same promotion that Verizon has been pushing in their television commercials for the last 2 months.

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So, while you are at the park doing your work you realize maybe you shouldn’t have had that Extra Large Coffee and the bottle of water cause now you are in the middle of Bryant park and your really need to pee. You have a few options, finding a restaurant and buying the cheapest item to gain entry to their bathroom, looking for a dark doorway or corner without a lot of people walking by or you can text MizPee.

MizPee is a service that allows you to text them with your general location and it will tell you were the nearest bathroom is and how clean it is. You can also access their map online if you have a computer handy.

There was another dashboard widget I found as well which allows you to find the nearest bathrooms, but I managed to lose that page, when I come across it again I will add the link.

Another useful tool (if you have a Mac Laptop) is the Public Toilet Finder Widget Just enter your city and location and you’ll receive a list of where public toilets are to be found. Again this seems like a great idea (if you have access to your computer and a Wireless Network).

So, at first I thought it was going to be a slow news day for the blog. After last nights rant on Citysearch, I was a bit warn out from ranting and there was nothing particularly topical that I wanted to write about today. Then I came across this tidbit that writes itself, so here we go:

Carole Migden is a Democratic State Senator from San Francisco. Apparently, well, at least according to her Wikipedia entry, she is familiar with scandal so this latest tidbits, puts her back into familiar territory. After having pushed for a ban of driving and using your cell phone at the same time (which passed)**, this past weekend she rear ended another vehicle. Now none of that is exactly hypocritical, in fact it seems almost those two statements have nothing to do with each other until you find out- wait for it- You got it, she was distracted by her cell phone which caused her to rear-end the other vehicle.

The exact details are a bit sketchy, but it seems like she was reaching for her ringing cell-phone, according to a statement her office released.

Let’s see how her office spins this one (after being the ones who released a statement that she was going for the phone).

Here is the San Francisco Chronicles coverage

**ok, so yes, all the blogs are reporting that she pushed for the whole cell phone ban thing. Well, maybe she just voted for it, if that is the case she gets a downgrade to Hypocrite of the Hour, but still, practice what you preach