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Latest Video: Bleeding Edge TV 325: HP Envy 13 and Envy 15 notebook computersx

Get a look at the new HP Envy 13, Envy 15, and Envy 15 Beats Limited Edition notebooks in this episode!
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LED Illuminated Message Board lights up your life, and drawings

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Accessories, Household, Misc. Tech

LED Illuminated Message Board

When I first saw the Illuminated Message Board, I wondered who could need such a showy product.  Then I thought of all the businessmen who could use some extra attention-getter for their small shops, and I began to see a market for it. 

You will notice that I didn’t say who would want the LED Illuminated Message Board.  The idea of owning a board that I could write glowing messages and pictures is a never-granted wish plucked from my own childhood.  Sadly, the luminescent pics are not forever, but they do last 50,000 hours.  All in all, it sounds like a good deal, as you should be able to get it at Chinavision for about $20. 

 

Read More | Chinavision via Tech Fresh


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YouTube Blocked By Chinese Government

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet

YouTube/ChinaYouTube spokesperson Scott Rubin claims that the site is currently blocked in China and has been since Monday. It has not been formally determined whether it was purposeful or a technical glitch. This is not the first time this has happened, as earlier this month access was denied because of the 1 year anniversary of protests by Tibetans. Since January, the government has closed several sites that were popular with Tibet. Not the first to censor the site, China joins Turkey and Thailand’s previous blockages.

Read More | Reuters

Chinese Sites Apologize to Government

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Google, Internet

Internet ChinaWord has come down that after the Chinese government decided to limit Internet usage, 3 of the sites in question decided to apologize. Gaming sites NetEase and SINA were two of them. Baidu also issued one “to the netizens at large for the negative impacts we brought upon the society.” They also claimed that they had deleted the content and links in question. The oddest remark came from the BBC’s Micky Bristow who said China is trying to protect its young people. We will see where this goes and get back to you “youngsters.”

Read More | BBC

China Limits Internet Usage, Cites Porn and Obscene Content

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Editorial, Google, Internet

Chinese on PCsChina has decided to cut back on their country’s Internet access to porn and obscene content by blacklisting 19 portals and sites. Included in that list are Netease, Baidu and Google. The deputy director of the State Council Information Office, Cai Mingzhao, said “Immediate action is needed to purify the Internet environment.”

Supposedly the Chinese Google has links to porn sites and although China’s Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center asked them to take them off, nothing was done. A spokesperson there said, “Google is neither the owner of those Web sites and porn nor does it spread (that) information intentionally.” We figure if someone wants to find that sort of content, there is always a way.

Read More | CNN

HealthyToys Chemical Consumer Guide

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Internet, Toys

chemicalsLeapster 2

Worried about those toxic toys? HealthyToys has a database of more than 1,500 of them that were tested for chemicals. They include lead, mercury and PVC. The organization found lead in some that came from China as well as several manufactured in the U.S. This is the second year that the organization has created its consumer guide. We suggest you head over there before you hit your local dollar store or discount retailer. And if you are out shopping, you can SMS text 41411 with the toy name and HealthyToys will let you know the chemical levels.

Read More | HealthyToys

HK Lego User Group Beijing Olympics

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Misc. Tech, Toys

Lego Beijing

We love those Lego gadgets and couldn’t pass this one up. About 4,500 people that comprise the Hong Kong Lego User Group were so inspired by the Beijing Olympics that they created their own version. The mini-tribute measures 10 x 26 ft. and took over 300,000 bricks. Included are the Birds’ Nest Stadium, the Water Cube aquatic center (inside and out,) equestrians, cyclists, ping pong, and beach volleyball. It was recently on display at the Grand Century Palace in Hong Kong. We think it should go on tour. More pictures available via the link of the Daily Mail.

 

Read More | Daily Mail

China Does A Milli Vanilli

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Design, Editorial, Misc. Tech, Music

Olympic Fireworks

First we hear that some of the fireworks displayed during the opening night ceremonies in Beijing were a 3D CGI. Created by Crystal Digital Technology Co, the excuse was “for convenience and theatrical effects.” Now we hear that China has used one little girl’s pretty face to lip sync to another’s voice. Okay, but is this the kind of image China wants to project? About 1 billion watched the ceremonies with about 34.2 million from the U.S. alone.

 

Read More | CNN

RoboCup Rescuers Work through Mazes

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Videos

Bots recently competed in Germany as part of the RoboCup to be held in July in China. A sub-competition, RoboCup Rescue, allows robots to practice on dolls in such critical situations as chemical spills and other disasters. Robotic teams must go through a maze and scores are based on how well they can navigate and generate a 3D map of the course. A Manipulation Challenge gives extra points for delivery of radios or water bottles to victims. Currently, it takes about 5 to 10 minutes to scan the area and the same amount of time to create the image, but that should decrease as the bots become more advanced.

 

Read More | New Scientist Tech

Buick Riviera Concept

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Design, Transportation

Buick Riviera

We didn’t really see anything to write home about with this Buick Riviera Concept, although it is obvious that they believe big grills will make a comeback. But when we looked around the back, we noticed some Chinese lettering. We were told that the car was made in China for the company and that the words translate into “Buick Future.” Be that as it may, we suspect that if American Car Companies spend more on concepts than on keeping their workers from losing their jobs, there won’t be much of a future left. More images after the jump.

 

Click to continue reading Buick Riviera Concept

Read More | NAIAS 2008

Gakken Recalls Smart Globes

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Corporate News, Misc. Tech, Toys

Smart GlobeTokyo’s Gakken has recalled 10,000 of their Smart Globes after customers complained about a mislabeling. Taiwan split from communist China in the late 40’s and is still being identified as part of the People’s Republic on the device. It seems that Gakken agreed to the factory based in Shenzhen, China to label the country “Taiwan Island” for its audio pen reader in order to get them manufactured. There have been so many complaints that the globes were recalled with full refund. A similar fate befell Takara Tomy’s Talking Globe, which was also made in China and similarly labeled.

Read More | Pink Tentacle

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