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Teen Streams His Own Suicide Live on Web

by Tim Stevens, posted Nov 21st 2008 at 10:44AM

19 Year Old Streams Suicide Live on InternetWe've covered no shortage of Internet-related suicides, particularly the epidemic of student deaths in Wales, but we haven't seen anything like this before. On Wednesday, 19-year-old Abraham K. Biggs chose to end his life with an overdose of pills, and also chose to stream his death live on Justin.tv -- apparently while being encouraged by members of the bodybuilding.com forum.

Viewers of the stream watched and commented until Biggs appeared to no longer be breathing, then called police. In the live video stream, police were seen to storm the house before covering the camera. Unfortunately, they were too late to save Biggs, who in his suicide note indicated "I hate myself and I hate living." While it seems Biggs was intent on taking his life, online or off, we're certainly hoping his choice of making it known doesn't start a new trend. [From: NewTeeVee]

Medical ID Theft Growing Concern, Security Experts Say

by Will Safer, posted Nov 21st 2008 at 7:03AM



When most people think about ID theft and fraud, their concern is over bank accounts and credit ratings. But have you thought about the security of your medical identity? It turns out medical ID theft is a major and growing concern among security pros, who say that once your medical ID is compromised it can take years to undo the damage.

Most hospitals, they say, don't do much to confirm identity when patients check in, which means a crafty criminal can get procedures (everything from getting a prescription to giving birth) done under someone else's name. If someone else's procedures, allergies or injuries end up listed on your medical records that could make getting insurance more difficult or impossible for you. Robert Sciliano, head of IDTheftSecurity.com, told CBS News that "You're screwed," if your medical ID is stolen.

The quick remedy you can prescribe yourself? If your wallet is stolen or lost, don't just call your bank. Call your medical insurance company immediately to report the card missing. And when you get paperwork from your insurance company, don't just file it or throw it away. Read the document carefully to make sure everything they state is accurate. And there's plenty more you can do to protect yourself from identity theft.

The long-term remedy is for hospitals and medical centers to do a better job of confirming patient identification. Some already have hand or fingerprint scanners in place, where a simple wave of your palm confirms your ID and brings up a medical history. But most don't yet have that modern tech in place, so it's up to you to protect yourself. [Source: CBS News.]

PETA Makes Scary Version of 'Cooking Mama' Game, Majesco Replies

by Terrence O'Brien, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 7:15PM

PETA Grinch Tries to Steal Thanksgiving
Animal rights activist group PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has never been known for its subtlety. Actually, that's an understatement. PETA has long been known for its over-dramatic publicity stunts. It's not that we always disagree with PETA's goals, it's just that their methods make us so uncomfortable we start to think that maybe Ted Nugent isn't such a bad guy after all.

The group's latest target is Thanksgiving. PETA has created a flash version of the Nintendo Wii hit 'Cooking Mama' (we hear the lawyers warming up their suing pens right now) that gruesomely details the steps involved in gutting and dressing a turkey.

Even if you lose, PETA still rewards you with a video that shows off the terrible conditions at commercial turkey farms. We agree it's not pretty, but they're gonna have a hard time convincing people that their food should be treated better. Especially if their main method of preaching is a flash version of an incredibly frustrating video game.

Majesco (publisher of 'Cooking Mama') responded with a press release noting that the new title 'Cooking Mama: World Kitchen' features plenty of vegetarian dishes, including miso soup and rice cakes. The gaming publisher doesn't appear to be taking the offense too seriously, since half of the release consisted of quotes from the fictional game's protagonist, 'Mama,' including her claim that her, "...only goal is to ensure you leave the table well fed."

We don't know about you, but we're hungry now. Maybe the Nuge can go kill us some grub. [From: Download Squad]

FOX News Anchor Shows His Creepy Facebook Page on Live TV

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 6:35PM



The host of FOX News's 'Fox & Friends,' Steve Doocy spends a good bit of time on Facebook, according to a video of the morning show on ValleyWag.com.

Apparently, Steve updates his Facebook Status every day with such mundane notices as, "Steve is tired from a busy weekend," and posts marginally creepy profile pictures, like the one of him, as a kindergartener, in a Santa suit. All weirdness aside, Mr. Doocy is in clear violation of Facebook Guidelines One and Eleven.

We'll let one of you Doocy fans send him a private Facebook message informing him of his infractions, since he's "pretty much maxed-out" and hasn't yet accepted our friend request. [From: ValleyWag.com]

Is E-Mailing, Texting, and Chatting Online Really So Bad for Teens?

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 2:56PM



While many a parental unit is concerned about his or her teenager's constant texting, instant messaging and Internet surfing, as well as the impact such activities could have on a developing personality, researchers at the MacArthur Foundation are assuring parents that the kids are alright, the New York Times reports.

Much of the cause for parents' trepidation, according to lead researcher Mizuko Ito, is a basic confusion about how kids are spending time online. Primarily, Ito says, kids are socializing with friends, not making themselves vulnerable to "stranger danger."

Conducted over a three-year period, the study demonstrates the extent to which new media -- including cell phones and social networking sites -- have become integral to young people's social lives. Far from calling this a problem, Ito claims that this new form of socialization prepares kids for the tech-heavy work environments they will undoubtedly encounter in their later years.

If Ito is, in fact, correct in her assessment, and this article is correct in its own, it might be Facebook that winds up getting us out of this economic crisis. [From: The New York Times]

Cat Takes a Ride on Roomba

by Lee Bains, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 1:49PM



Our dear friends at Engadget posted this video of a kitty taking a joy ride on a Roomba, the world's finest vacuuming robot. As we all know, cats and technology have long been embattled opponents, so we find a lot of hope in this instance of feline-robot cooperation.

In the interest of perpetuating cuteness, we encourage you to introduce your kitty to a Roomba. Just keep him away from this Roomba. [From: Engadget]

Should Employees Be Paid While Slow Computers Boot?

by Tim Stevens, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 11:42AM

Should Employees Be Paid while Computers Boot?
If you spend your day sitting at a desk at a computer, when do you boot up your machine? If you do it when you get in, do you count that time spent booting toward your overall workday? Or, do you come in ahead of time to let it boot up? We're guessing there aren't many people getting out of bed 15 minutes earlier just to make sure their computers are logged in and warmed up precisely at 9:00 am (or whenever their workday starts), and whether or not they should is a subject currently being debated in a legal battle between employees and companies like AT&T, United Health Group, and Cigna, a case many will be watching.

The employees contend that installation of Windows Vista on aging hardware, plus the enforcement of some rather draconian security policies, result in machines that take somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes to complete. That's upwards of an hour lost per day, during which time the employees can't really do anything about it.

The companies contend, however, that those employees go take smoke breaks or head to the water cooler while their machines boot, meaning they're not getting any work done, anyway. Who is to blame? That is something the courts will decide, but it seems a wee bit crazy to give your employees slow hardware and then punish them for it! What do you think? [From: Electronista]
Engadget

Apple TV Update Adds AirTunes Streaming, Support for Other Remotes

by Darren Murph, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 11:03AM


For home theater junkies who've been having a difficult time taking the Apple TV seriously, you should definitely have a look at what the latest software update brings to the dinner table. First off, we should warn you that any non-Apple TV software (like, you know, Boxee) will be banished should you choose to update, but if you're kosher on that front, we'll continue on.

Apple's changelog notes that AirTunes streaming is now enabled, meaning that tunes can be streamed from the STB to AirPort Express speakers or other ATV units nearby. Additionally, the box can now learn other remotes, meaning that you can probably get your universal remote to handle this bugger, too. The last big addition is that Playlists in iTunes can now be seen on Apple TV, and there's also support for volume control in Music.

Grab the download from within your box now if you dare, and feel free to chime in with any other noteworthy changes you happen upon.

[Via TUAW]

Man E-Mails Drawing of Spider to Pay Bills, Becomes Internet Sensation

by Dan Reilly, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 10:22AM


Who knew paying bills could actually be fun? We certainly didn't, but an Australian man changed our minds after he attempted to settle a bill with a drawing of a spider. The prank has since become hugely popular on the Web.

When a utility company rep told David Thorne that he owed them $233.95, he emailed her back with the above drawing of a seven-legged spider, saying that he valued it at exactly the same amount. When the rep refused the payment, he asked her to "return" the drawing, then said it wasn't his because he would've drawn it with eight legs. Thorne continued the correspondence and posted it on his Web site, 27bslash6.com, where he has plenty of other humorous posts.

News of the prank spread and Thorne's site crashed after receiving hundreds of thousands of hits. He's since said that the utility company rep thought it was hilarious, and somebody purchased the spider drawing on eBay for $10,000 without any intent to pay up. You can check out the entire hilarious correspondence here. [From: news.au.com]

Google Rolls Out 'Themes' for Gmail

by Tim Stevens, posted Nov 20th 2008 at 9:40AM

Google Rolls Out Themes for Gmail
Google is certainly not a company satisfied to leave a product well enough alone. Gmail, the already hugely popular free online e-mail service, has seen a number of upgrades in the past few weeks. First, it was integrated text messaging, then came easy to use video chat, and now Google is releasing a series of themes to make your Gmailing experience a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Google enabled people to apply custom themes to the Google.com search page many months ago, and since then, a variety of colorful and fanciful styles have been added to let you personalize your search. It's similar here, with Gmail starting with 30+ themes that range from wood-grained to modern and sophisticated. To enable a theme, click on the "Settings" link at the top of the page and click on "Themes." Don't see the link yet? Fear not; Google's doing their typical thing of rolling it out slowly -- it should be there in a few days.

And why is the company being so generous with the feature upgrades lately? Maybe they're still trying to make up for that painful downtime... [From: The Official Gmail Blog]

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