Tech's Next Global Challenge

In the early 1960's, Japan began to re-industrialize. Eventually what was once viewed as a nation who produced cheap and sub-standard electronics became the world leader in the manufacturing of automobiles and technology. The same is happening in developing nations such as India and China in regards to the IT industry. Today we outsource much of our development to these countries but in the near future, these countries could take over the IT industry altogether, once again changing the face of the global economy forever.

We can choose to ignore this change or embrace it. We as an industry can live or die by it. Let the games begin!

Read: Tech's Next Global Challenge

SEGWAY RIDING SWAT TEAM!!!

To be fair, this CRAZY HAPPY FUN POST!!! doesn't hail from Japan, but China where police in Jinan prepared for the Olympics by putting their SWAT team on knock-off Segways. Those tiny guns are so cute! Accept for the guy in the back with an AK, and the other guy (middle back) with what appears to be some sort of sniper rifle. Good luck with that, guys.

Read:The Chinese Segway Division Seemed Unstoppable... Until Criminals Started Using Staircases

Computer Job Employment Hits Record High!

The IT unemployment rate hit a record low of 2.3% last quarter, with over 4 million employed in IT jobs. Compare that to the current overall unemployment of 5.5% which is double that of computer-related fields. So, if you're currently unemployed in a computer-related field, you now have to stop blaming it on the economy like everyone else.

Computer Jobs Hit Record High

This is Sand

All of us who were once kids (which is all of us) have made those sand art bottles, where you fill a bottle with layers of colored sand. Well, this is the digital version and equally as addictive. Bring your inner 8-year-old artist back to life and play in this sandbox. Oh, and don't forget to check out my piece in the gallery. :)

thisissand.com

Shortcut Key for New Folders in Windows Explorer

I don't spend much time in Explorer (I'm a Total Commander fan, myself.) In my opinion the biggest pain in the butt about Windows Explorer is that there's not hot-key for creating a new folder. Well, this little app takes care of that as our friends at LifeHacker explain:

"There's never been an elegant or efficient way to create new folders in Windows without getting the mouse involved. Alt+F+W+F? Definitely not quick. But lightweight application mdAxel can assign a keyboard shortcut to the act of creating a new folder."

Featured Windows Download: MdAxel Creates New Folders Faster

Clip-On Geotagging for DSLRs

I'm not a big camera buff, but this is just too cool to not post. The Kato is an add-on that works with any DSLR camera to add Geotagging to your photos.

"It slides into the hot-shoe of a DSLR and, when you take a photograph, captures a snapshot of the satellite data. Back at the ranch, the client software takes the data and turns it into GPS coordinates, which are then embedded into the photographs."

Clip-On Geotagging for DSLRs | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

1-UP Mushroom Burger

Combine the love of old-school NES paraphernalia with grilling in your back yard on a warm summer day and what do you get? The 1-UP Mushroom Burger. Quite simply, this is a burger that looks like the 1-UP mushroom from Super Mario Bros. This Instructable is for vegetarian mushroom burgers but if you're as carnivorous as myself and don't mind missing out on the irony of your 1UP mushroom burger consisting of actual mushroom, you can use plain ol' hamburger meat instead. And you thought grilling was for nerds!

"1UP Mushroom" Mushroom Burger! - Instructables

42 GB on a Single DVD (Not Blu-Ray)

"Japanese researchers have figured out a way to cram a Blu-ray slaying 42GB onto a single, old fashioned DVD. How have they managed this? By making the small pits that hold the data bigger."

If they can do that with an old fashioned DVD, imagine what they can do with a Blu-ray Disk!

Japanese Eggheads Fit 42 GB Onto a Single DVD | Gadget Lab from Wired.com

Really Pretty iPod Stickers

I never leave my house. If I did become someone who ever leaves the house, I would totally get an iPod. I keep my music going as if it were my pacemaker. I also am all about some customization. That's why if I ever left the house and got an iPod I'd most definitely pick up some of these Shufflesome stickers for it.

Forget bulky rubber, silicone or rubber protective sleeves and cases - they're ugly, and who needs that? Besides, how much protection do you really need for your Shuffle? These cast vinyl stickers should protect your musical friend from scratching just fine, I imagine. And Dear Lord are they lovely. They should start making these for cellphones.

Shufflesome stickers for iPods

GoDaddy VP Caught Bidding Against Customers

An employee of GoDaddy had been bidding against customers for domain names. It turns out this is unbelievably not against GoDaddy's policies.

"A GoDaddy Vice President has been caught bidding against customers in their own domain name auctions. The employee Adam Dicker isn't just any GoDaddy employee; he's head of the GoDaddy subsidiary that controls the auctions. Dicker won some of the domains he bid for, and pushed up the bid price on auctions he didn't win."

It does seem however that in an effort to lessen this obvious PR nightmare that GoDaddy is changing its policy now that an employee has been caught by the public with their hand in the cookie jar. What is said to be a response from GoDaddy has been posted in this Digg comment:

"Go Daddy has reviewed the auction and found nothing improper.

Adam Dicker's knowledge on the auction was no different from what any customer coming to our TDNAM site would have had.

To ensure customer confidence and to avoid any possible future questions of impropriety all GD employees are now and in the future prohibited from participating in TDNAM auctions, purchasing, sales & back orders."

Digg - GoDaddy VP Caught Bidding Against Customers