Monthly Archives: November 2010

TSA Misses 12 inch razor blades while looking at Adam Savage’s tiny penis

This entry was posted in technology TV and tagged adam savage airport security security theater tsa on by

Adam savage of the Mythbusters demonstrates yet again the ineffectiveness of American airport security theater. Like most frequent fliers Adam has a plan that he executes before heading off to the airport in order to minimize his hassle factor.

For me that includes moving all loose change and other metallic items to my carry-on before even leaving the house so that I’m not fumbling around in the line holding up everyone else. In my case I do it as much as a courtesy to my fellow travelers as for myself. I know I hate standing in lines and I’m sure others do as well especially if they are running late or have kids that may end up whining. But as usual I digress.

The nature of the work that Savage does on Mythbusters means that he frequently has odd-ball items in his bag when he goes home from the “office.” Fans of the show might get a kick out of such items, but airport rent-a-cops tend to have a less nuanced view of things. Prior to a recent trip to Seattle, Savage neglected to remove a couple of items from his bag before heading to the airport while he was worrying about the way his genitals tend to shrivel when observed through a full body scanner. He tells the tale about a minute into the video above.

Microsoft Kin phones hoping for a comeback

This entry was posted in Uncategorized on by (updated 5106 days ago)

Earlier this year the spectacular failure of the Microsoft KinOne and KinTwo came to epitomize Microsoft’s efforts in the mobile phone market. The two phones weren’t horrible devices in and of themselves, but they were saddled with a smartphone label and pricing that they clearly did not live up to. After selling fewer than 10,000 units in the first six weeks, Microsoft and Verizon summarily canceled the devices and sent all the unsold units back to the warehouse.

It now appears that the Kins might be back, at least for a little while. A leaked Verizon product roadmap for the rest of this year shows the renamed Kin OneM and TwoM coming back as “enhanced” feature phones. The feature phone designation means that they are no longer subject to the data plans that are mandatory for all Verizon smartphones.

Features like the Kin Studio that automatically backed up photos and video to the cloud are expected to be dropped now that a data plan is optional, although Zune Music is still available over WIFI. Those that want data access now have the option of Verizon’s new tiered pricing that gives 150 MB of data for $15 a month. If Verizon had offered this kind of pricing when the devices had originally launched, they might have had a chance. Unfortunately they are coming back just as a slew of low-end Android devices like the Motorola Citrus are arriving with real smartphone capability and the type of social connections built in to the Kins. This might be enough for Verizon to unload the remaining stock of phones but it probably won’t make it a lasting success.