BusinessWeek Online: Kathy Walsh was just 16 years old when her hair began falling out. She'd then fashion her own beehive wigs and decorate them with strings of pearls. In black and white photographs from back then, her hair looks a foot tall. After years of struggling with the problem herself, she finally decided to open up her own wig shop to help others suffering from hair loss.

Her niche business has bloomed. Continually outgrowing its locations, PK Walsh been forced to move into a bigger space several times, most recently in April. The salon has continued to expand its services, now including laser treatment, which helped make 2004 a record year. Although Walsh declines to provide specific figures, she says revenue has increased every year since the company's founding more than two decades ago.

Turning Hair Loss into Gain [BusinessWeek Online]

Gizmodo: The new iSkin eVo2 Wildsides are everything I hate about "hip" product design: gaudy colors, ridiculous X-treM advertising, gimmicky glow-in-the dark features, a naming scheme that sounds like it was first carved by ballpoint on a 7th-grader's notebook (Verve! Rebel! Diva!), and a price ($35) that far outweighs the amount of thought or effort that went into their creation.

And I think they're great. I don't know why—something is obviously broken—but when I look at them, I want to put them in my mouth and let them melt. Even better is their disclaimer: "Actual product may vary!"

iSkin eVo2 Wildsides [Gizmodo]

MarketingVOX: Creative outsourcing firm Aquent launched an online "reality show," pitting five designers against one another to create campaigns in several specific fields. The work will be shown online and judged by the public, winnowing down the numbers to get to the one designer best able to tickle the fancies of the web visitors. The Studio Smackdown will run through February 22, starting off with designers Andy Kendig, Toni Greaves, Brady Kazar, Matt Loftiss and Colleen Madden. The five have been given camcorders so as to upload their "confessions," as the work progresses.

Marketing 'Reality Show' Launches Online [MarketingVOX]

DailyCandy: There's something really, really gross in your bathroom.

Something that harbors millions of micro-organisms and tons of bacteria. A seething hotbed of icky contaminants.

It's your toothbrush (ew!), and, we hate to tell you, but it really ought to be cleaner. It can be — with the help of Violight, a new toothbrush sanitizer designed by Philippe Starck. Using UV rays (the same technology used by hospitals and doctors), it purports to kill 99.9 percent of the nastiness currently infesting your scrubby little friend. Just drop the sucker in head down, and let the sleek receptacle do its work. For ten minutes it glows a soothing shade of blue and then automatically shuts itself off.

Brush Off [DailyCandy]

PSFK: Call it lifestyle marketing. It's not enough for a company to just sell you a product any more. The goal, today, is for you to live the lifestyle any given product is supposed to represent - and for that company to create and cater to that lifestyle. The Toronto Star says,

"It's a major shift from designing advertising campaigns and expecting consumers to adapt their own interests and lifestyles to fit a product or brand. That condescending approach is no longer how marketing is done."

Social Life Of Brands [PSFK]

We Make Money Not Art: Oren Horev , Myriel Milicevic (who had worked also on the Zone project) and Marcos Weskamp designed the Amazing All-Band Radio, three innocent-looking devices that allow users to hunt short, medium and long radio waves from the comfort of their home.

The antenna of the Microwave Boombox captures the high-frequency signals of wireless communication devices and translates them into sound (pictures above).

Radio Radio tunes into different wavelengths physically, by extending the string-antenna. The longer the string the higher the wave frequency.

Tools For Radio Waves Hunters [We Make Money Not Art]

Trends in Japan: A new breed of tourist is beginning to attract the attention of tour operators and of localities where movies have been filmed. The main objective of these visitors is not to see famous landmarks or to go shopping but to visit the settings of popular movies and TV series. They are eager to experience for themselves the atmosphere portrayed in their favorite movies or TV shows.

Tokyo has recently welcomed quite a few Lost in Translation fans from overseas. Directed by Sofia Coppola, this movie, which won the Oscar for best original screenplay in 2004, was shot entirely in Japan and showcased some of Tokyo's best-known sites. The story involves a big Hollywood star who meets a lonely young American woman while both are staying temporarily in Tokyo. Coppola herself has visited Japan on numerous occasions, and her experiences here inspired her to make the movie.

On Location [Trends in Japan]

The New York Times: It sounds like a line from a spam e-mail: Work from home! Low risk! Flexible schedule! Earn hundreds of dollars each gig!

But an emerging group of resourceful entrepreneurs says there is no catch. The rising popularity of Apple's sleek iPod has created a new niche service: the professional iPod loader. There are housekeepers to tend homes and gardeners to tend landscaping. Why not iPod loaders to take care of music collections?

For $1 to $1.49 a CD, the professional loaders will embark on the time-consuming process of copying a music collection onto an iPod, often providing a digital backup copy as well.

"It's a booming aftermarket of the iPod economy," said Bill Palmer, a 27-year-old entrepreneur who has created a nationwide network of iPod loaders called Loadpod. Each loader picks up the iPod and CD's at the client's home, then returns a fully loaded iPod in a few days.

The loaders say they are finding growing demand, especially after the holiday season, which increased the number of iPods sold to 10 million. Consumers are realizing that the digital wonder that was supposed to unify and simplify their musical existence actually eats up time, lots of it. Converting enough CD's to fill a 40-gigabyte iPod can take 60 to 100 hours, depending on the computer's speed. "The prospect of spending all this time was daunting," said Nell Eckersley, a 35-year-old educator in Brooklyn, who was excited when she received an iPod for Christmas. Then she began converting her collection of 400 CD's. "I spent all day Sunday doing it, and said, `This is crazy,' " she said.

Hearing such frustration has inspired many would-be businessmen. College graduates, computer technicians and D.J.'s are setting up shop. The business is even attracting medical doctors.

Birth of an Industry: IPod Loading [The New York Times]

Trendwatching: Prefer soap shows over reality TV? Then check out this case of GRAVANITY par excellence from The Netherlands: Soapshow, a multimedia concoction that enables any needy individual to create his or her own soap series, for all the world to see. Users create their own soap by posting texts, voice, pictures, and video of their daily lives onto their own dedicated soap page, with 'fans' signing up to receive updates via email and cell phone (soap stars are encouraged to actively manage and involve their fan club).

Fans and visitors can then vote for their favorite show, increasing a soap star's celebrity status and popularity ranking. The amount of content uploaded on a regular basis also helps to up one's ranking. Soap stars with high rankings are eligible to win prizes such as a feature in a 'real' celebrity magazine (courtesy of publisher Sanoma, who initiated the concept), lend their face to product labels, have their own branded VIP booths at glam parties, and so on. Participation is free, though users can purchase credits to buy promotional tools which may increase traffic to their show. And, in a B-on-GO twist (see above), soap stars can now promote themselves on Soapshow TV as well, in short video clips airing on Soapshow's streaming media page. Let a billion GRAVANITY shows grow ;-)

GRAVANITY [Trendwatching]

BusinessWeek: ProfitLogic's software is already at work in Gap and Target stores, and President Scott Friend sees many more retailers following suit.

The transformative technology that entails tagging merchandise with radio frequency computer chips (RFID) is on the horizon. But ask anyone at the 2005 annual convention of the National Retail Foundation (NRF) and it's clear that most of the industry's players see plenty of smaller fish to fry before undertaking something as massive as the adoption of RFID.

Scanning the Future of RFID [BusinessWeek]

The Economic Times: These two gentlemen personify the global ambitions of their companies. Jalaj Dani, the thirty-something scion of Asian Paints practically lives out of his suitcase.

He has to. Asian Paints, manufactures in 21 countries, are a licensee in 4, and sells in 65 countries, employing 1,400 people outside India from 22 nationalities .

Since 1999, the company has gone on an acquisition spree, lapping up companies around the world, including the troubled paint maker Berger. "It's our aim to be among the top paint companies in the world," says Dane.

In another part of the world, Chuanzhi Liu, chairman of Lenovo Group, acquired IBM's PC business some days ago. With this acquisition, he created the world's third largest PC company, with approximately $12 billion annual revenues for 2003, and has even shifted the headquarters to New York. The total deal was worth $1.75 billion.

"As Lenovo's founder, I am excited by this breakthrough in Lenovo's journey towards becoming an international company. I have been delighted to watch Lenovo become a truly world-class company," Liu was reported to have said.

The two companies that these gents represent portray the rise of their respective country's businesses into multinational companies.

New emerging trends in India, China [The Economic Times]

We Make Money Not Art: Backseat Playground , developed by John Paul Bichard, Liselott Brunnberg and Oskar Juhlin at the Interactive Institute in Stockholm, is a mobile gaming research project that will enable kids to play with the world outside their window from the back seat of a car. This augmented reality game uses a digital compass and a GPS-receiver to connect the game to the passing landscape. By aiming the device towards objects, players can defend themselves against creatures or pick up magic artefacts.

Back Seat Gaming [We Make Money Not Art]

Gizmodo: The PetsMobility PetCell is only a concept for now, but the patent-pending collar could be great—if you don't mind spending a lot of extra cash on your pets. The idea is simple: it's a cell phone and GPS unit on a collar, with its own private number. Using caller ID, it automatically picks up when an approved number calls, allowing you to speak to your dog or cat (but probably dog) from wherever you are. And with the GPS service enabled, you'll even be able to yell at them when they've wandered too far from home.

No word on an actual shipping product yet (their first announcement at all was in September), but it looks like something that could be surprisingly fun and useful for people who will spend any amount of money on their pooch.

PetsMobility PetCell [Gizmodo]

NewsFactor: Ogo from Cingular provides mobile workers with a relatively inexpensive way to send and receive e-mail and SMS messages. It will appeal to small businesses that want to communicate with their employees but do not need all the features of complicated PDAs or smartphones.

Developed under the direction of AT&T Wireless, the pocket-sized Ogo is a low-cost, data-only terminal that is designed to deliver ready access to e-mail and SMS text messages. The compact, hiptop device also doubles as an instant messaging (IM) platform that lets end-users exchange e-mail and text messages with fellow workers or clients in real-time.

Product Review: Ogo Mobile Messaging Device [NewsFactor]

Business Wire: During Thursday's season premiere of "The Apprentice," Trump's management team served up a mammoth task to the latest crop of contestants: name, build, market and sell a new menu item at BURGER KING(R) restaurants. What the Trump trainees didn't know is that Burger King Corporation would actually flip for the winning burger - the Western Angus Steak Burger - and begin serving it nationwide the next day.

As the smoke cleared atop Trump Tower, BURGER KING restaurants from coast to coast began to prepare for the fastest new product launch in the company's 50-year history.

"At BURGER KING, our HAVE IT YOUR WAY(R) philosophy puts our customers in charge. It's all about empowerment and getting what you want, when you want it," said Russ Klein, chief marketing officer, Burger King Corporation. "That's why we couldn't wait even a day to take this burger from the boardroom to the lunchroom."

BURGER KING(R) franchisees and employees nationwide didn't know they'd have to fire up the grills for a new product until minutes after the first contestant was fired. On Friday morning, each store received a shipment including ingredients, instructions and "Apprentice"-themed promotional materials, giving them a matter of hours to add the new item to their menus. The high-speed turn-around was a first for both "The Apprentice" and Burger King Corporation, and is unprecedented in the chain restaurant industry.

For fans of "The Apprentice" who are hoping to try the winning product, the new Western Angus Steak Burger will be available for a limited time now through February 4, 2005.

Burger King Corporation Takes Reality TV to the Next Level on the Season Three Premiere of "The Apprentice" [Business Wire]

bTang reBlog: I love simple genius ideas. To sell small living plants for your keychain is a genius idea.

Soroban Geeks reports about the latest fad in Japan. Tiny plants are placed in plastic domes to be carried around on keychains. They cost about $10 and measure 41x25mm.

Japanese Keychain Mini Plants [bTang reBlog]

BusinessWeek: Often technology companies think just because a product is technically feasible that it will be commercially desirable. So they mix two products -- a watch and an Internet news feed, for example -- and come up with a technological jackalope, a hybrid product that does neither of its functions particularly well.

So when I first heard of the Oakley Thump -- sunglasses with a digital music player built into the frame -- I was ready to dismiss it as the bizarre love child of street-cool designers and tech-savvy gearheads. But then I used them.

As wacky as the Thump might sound, it's really good at what it does. It's nowhere near as heavy as you might imagine, weighing in at just 1.8 ounces. And performance-sunglass maker Oakley (OO ) hasn't spared any of the industrial chic for which it's known, coming up with a pair of high-end specs that wrap around your face and come in five color options. But what's most striking about the Thump is its easy-to-load and easy-to-use music players.

Cool Look, Hot Sounds [BusinessWeek]

NYTimes.com: Dressed in a sober business suit, Jorge Lima, 30, a salesman for a pharmaceuticals company, looked out of place among the gyrating house music mavens at Cielo, a lounge with a futuristic theme in the meatpacking district known for a rotating cast of celebrity D.J.'s.

But Mr. Lima didn't mind. On a recent Saturday night, sitting at a private table with a bottle of overpriced vodka, he was having the time of his life watching his pal Sam Oro awkwardly navigate the sunken dance floor and listening to Veronica Vega, a trim and attractive 28-year-old, urging him to dance with her as she poured him a drink.

By day Ms. Vega is a makeup artist, but on Saturdays she works for a company called PartyBuddys and is paid to accompany people like Mr. Lima and his friend from club to club, making sure the velvet ropes always part and that they are shown the best tables.

Ms. Vega, who was dressed this evening in Seven jeans and a Phat Farm top, was to earn $200 plus tips for her night's work from PartyBuddys, a six-month-old service that is basically a nightlife tour company.

An In With the In Crowd, for a Fee [NYTimes.com]

The New York Times: Electronic Arts, hoping to shore up its eroding dominance in the sports video game market, said yesterday that it had signed a 15-year deal giving it the exclusive right to use the ESPN brand in games.

Under the agreement, Electronic Arts, the largest independent video game publisher, will pay $750 million to $850 million for the right to use the ESPN brand for games based on at least nine sports, including baseball, basketball and football, according to people briefed on the contract's terms. Some of that money will pay for commercials promoting the games on ESPN channels, they said.

Electronic Arts and ESPN Sign 15-Year Deal to Sell Games [The New York Times]

Entrepreneur.com: Spending an uncomfortable afternoon in an airport inspired Mark Eberhardt, 51, to come up with a relaxing way to wait for a flight—he imagined how nice it would be to sit in one of those fancy massage chairs he'd seen before in high-end stores.

With a background as a stockbroker, however, it was a challenge for him to modify the chair to accept cash—not to mention the hurdle of getting it into malls and airports. Many people, without really understanding the concept of the chair, recoiled at the word massage, thinking it was something illicit. And getting a foothold in airport concourses is not generally an easy prospect for any company—let alone a new business. Eberhardt had to meet with people face to face and actually show them the chair to get them to appreciate his idea.

In 1996, Eberhardt got the chair into Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee. To date, First Class Seats are in 125 shopping malls, and Eberhardt has plans to expand into more airports and malls around the country. With 2004 sales expected to hit $4 million, it seems like relaxing is the way of the future.

Take a Seat [Entrepreneur.com]

Reuters: It may only be a matter of time before we will be using our shirts to charge our cellphones.

Researchers at the University of Toronto have invented a flexible plastic solar cell that is said to be five times more efficient than current methods in converting energy from the sun into electrical energy.

Team leader Ted Sargent, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university, said the cell harnesses infrared light from the sun and can form a flexible film on the surface of cloth, paper or other materials.

And the film can turn 30 percent of the sun's power into usable electrical energy -- a far better performance than the 6 percent gleaned from the best plastic solar cells now in use.

Canadian Researcher Invents New Solar Cell [Reuters]

We Make Money Not Art: The HangOut is a 2.9 meters diameter housing module designed -- by Vancouver-based Tom Chud -- to be suspended from a tree. It comes with a double bed, counter, table, bench seats and storage lockers. Four attachment points on the top and four on the bottom carry the weight of the dwelling. The spheres are made of laminated wood with the outside surface covered with fiberglass, and best of all, it is finished like a fine yacht.

Now the Robinson Crusoe note: Access to the sphere is via a suspended spiral stairway (wrapped around a tree) and short suspension bridge.

The spheres will also be available for rent in the future.

Suspended Spherical Home [We Make Money Not Art]

Wired News: Any geek worthy of the moniker has dreamed of connecting his or her brain directly to a computer for blissful freedom from keyboard and mouse. For quadriplegics, that ability would give life a whole new dimension.

If people with physical handicaps could control a computer by just thinking, they could also operate light switches, television, even a robotic arm -- something the 160,000 people in the United States who can't move their arms and legs would surely welcome.

Work in that brain-computer interface, or BCI, technology has ramped up considerably in the past five years. More than half of the scientific papers on the topic were published in just the past two years. Also, by connecting their patients' brains directly to a computer, researchers have seen improvement in patients' ability to control a cursor.

Cyberkinetics is leading research on BCIs in the private sector. Last year the company enrolled its first patient, Matthew Nagle, in a clinical trial to test its BrainGate system. From his wheelchair, Nagle can now open e-mail, change TV channels, turn on lights, play video games like Tetris and even move a robotic hand, just by thinking.

Patients Put on Thinking Caps [Wired News]

Wired News: Delicious Monster is the Mac software company behind the hit Delicious Library, a program for cataloging collections of books, movies and games. The software is selling like hot cakes and has garnered rave reviews and awards, yet the company's headquarters is a Seattle coffee house.

Co-founded by graphic designer Mike Matas and programmer Wil Shipley, the company's first title, Delicious Library, was launched in November 2004. It generated $250,000 worth of sales in its first month, and the company has a crowded, popular booth here at Macworld.

Monster Fueled by Caffeine [Wired News]

Influx Insights: Great ideas need to be relevant, yet unexpected. And everywhere the idea lives should feel like the right home. A recent collaboration between Kidrobot and fashion and art publication, Visionaire, is an example of how to develop an idea that feels fluid rather than forced. An idea that exploits a cultural trend, but doesn't scream, "me too!"

For their 44th issue themed Toys, Visionaire has collaborated with urban toy creator, Kidrobot, to create an original Visionaire soft vinyl toy, and then further collaborated with 10 fashion designers - including Donatella Versace, Heidi Slimane, Karl Lagerfeld, Dolce & Gabanna, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, and Viktor & Rolf - to customize the toy into 10 different characters. The issue is released in two sets of 5 toys, but each set contains photographs of all 10 characters. The characters and booklets are packaged inside an opaque molded plastic case, and sold with the magazine for $175.00. While not super-limited by toy standards (small batch is usually less than 500), the 2000 run are still limited edition.

Couture Toys [Influx Insights]

Business 2.0 Blog: Here is a sweet story courtesy of Josh Rubin's hot products site.

Neighborhoodies is the success story of a couple kids running a t-shirt business out of a basement apartment and 2 years later having a thriving 30 person company. As the name suggests, their t-shirts, hoodies and underwear shout out local pride. It's taking I Love NY to down to the street level, recognizing the individuality of different parts of town. But don't worry, it's not just about NYC and LA. They got many more places covered.

What Works? Neighborhoodies [Business 2.0 Blog]
Proud to be living in NoLita, Juhu, de Pijp or Harajuko? [Springwise]

wirelessIQ.info: Motorola, Inc. and Oakley, Inc. today announced a joint venture to introduce new Bluetooth(TM)-enabled wearable wireless communications devices for innovative hands-free operation of electronic devices.

Motorola is collaborating with Oakley — a leader in eyewear design, technology and innovation — to fuse Motorola's latest Bluetooth technology with Oakley's advanced eyewear concepts. Motorola is a Fortune 100 global communications company. Details and designs are set to be unveiled by mid-2005.

"By teaming with Motorola, we're dramatically expanding the possibilities for our new electronics category," said Cos Lykos, Vice President of Business Development. "Oakley's engineering team now has an expanded technology arsenal to develop new and innovative electronic products."

Motorola and Oakley Form Joint Venture [wirelessIQ.info]

Popgadget: Battery-less radios and flashlights, powered by hand cranking, have been out for a while now but Hisatomi Electric Ind. Co in Japan has put a new twist on these emergency gadgets. Their new flashlight will also power up a cell phone for about three minutes of talk time after a minute or two of twisting the crank. There are already phone chargers available which do this, like the Sidewinder, but the Hisatomi device is compact and combines the functions of several tools which could be of great use in emergencies.

Hand Crank Radio Cell-phone Charger [Popgadget]

Iconoculture: Too swamped to hit the food court? Deskbound diners keep their workspaces clean with Vessel’s workplace dish set, a stylish, professionally minded mess kit that wraps up neatly in a desktop-size placemat. The pert, practical kit packs a complete personal workplace place-setting, including a plate, bowl, cup, and utensil set. It’s designed to fit in front of a keyboard and can be stored flat or upright, so it easily squeezes into cramped communal fridges or overcrowded desk drawers.

In the age of professional multitasking, desktop dining is as common as off-task Net surfing. The dedicated desk utensils may make it seem like you’re giving in to your inner workaholic, but why fight it? Vessel’s lunch set’s designed for how people really eat – not how they wish they ate. Now it’s just a matter of mastering simultaneous chewing and typing.

Feeling Crumby? [Iconoculture]

The Mobile Technology Weblog: SMSeenHuis ("Text a House") is a Dutch service that allows mobile users to text the Real Estate boards outside residential houses.

In response, they get details of asking price, address, number of rooms and square footage, along with the Real Estate Agent contact details. Participating real estate agents pay a EUR 20 fee (USD 27 / GBP 15.50) subscription fee, EUR 50 per unique property code, and EUR 0.50 per text message (capped at EUR 50 per month).

Text a House [The Mobile Technology Weblog]

Iconoculture: Yep. Skateboarding’s popular, but not everyone’s ready to stick the sick tricks. Garage Manufacturing’s Softrucks practice (non)wheels for skateboard decks that let newbies learn, practice, and perfect tricks without wheels (or the outdoors) getting in the way. Made from flexible urethane, these stationary trucks simulate actual skating conditions to let the rider master footwork while maintaining balance.

Skateboarding is attracting the little dudes. Experts estimate that some 12 million Americans skateboard, and Tony Hawk Foundation member Miki Vuckovich notes that tweens are the sport’s fastest-growing segment (AP 8.16.04). Which means that the sport’s developing a side stream of safety and coaching products – from helmets, learning ramps, training videos, electronically enhanced boards – for mini–Tony Hawks to ollie up … not ollie-oops.

On Deck [Iconoculture]

Mobile Digest: Not entirely sure if they appeal to our environmentally-friendly side but a company called Cellboost is offering the first ever disposable battery recharger for mobile phones. As soon as your handset battery goes blink you plus the cigarette lighter style charger into the socket and you have power. Might be worth keeping a few handy in your bag for emergencies.

It has been on sale in the US for a while, but completely slipped under our radar.

Disposable Phone Charger [Mobile Digest]

LinuxElectrons: As memory modules have evolved from slower single data rate (SDR) solutions to double data rate (DDR), the need for increasingly precise signal control has led to the increased use of registers. To address this design need, Royal Philips Electronics today announced a new family of high-speed registers for memory-intensive applications such as high-end servers and advanced computing.

Optimized for DDR2 DIMM loads, the new registers maximize DDR2 registered memory module performance by precisely controlling the signals going to each DRAM on the module.

The memory module market is evolving toward the higher DDR2 speeds, a trend that requires registers to be optimized for speed and signal integrity. Many millions of DDR2 modules will be manufactured in 2005, and a significant percentage of them will be registered modules. Philips’ registers are ideal for customers who require advanced and reliable performance, as they offer the highest speeds available with 1.8ns maximum propagation delay time (tPD), thereby exceeding industry standards for improved margin and high-speed operation. Two of the new devices also feature a parity checking function for increased reliability.

“As the performance requirements of workstations and servers increase, memory manufacturers need to develop solutions that operate at ever-faster speeds,” said Pierre-Yves Lesaicherre, general manager, Interface Products Business Line at Philips Semiconductors. “Designed to help computing companies and module makers meet this requirement, Philips’ new registers set the bar in terms of speed, signal integrity and feature innovation.”

Philips Targets DDR2 With New High-Speed Registers [LinuxElectrons]

The Register: A Dutch company has developed a PC to ease old people's fear of computers. In May 2005 Secure Internet Machines (SIM) will introduce three versions of its simPC, which comes preloaded with software and services, such as online banking.

The basic model costs €299. One model is just a flat screen with all electronics built-in. There is also a wireless model. However, users have to pay €10 a month for services such as spam filters, virus scanners and online storage. They also need a DSL line.

The PC will be idiot-proof, simPC promises. It runs on a proprietary OS; and to prevent problems, users won’t be able to install software, download big files, burn CDs or DVDs or edit videos. The PC also comes with accessories such as a old-user-friendly printer and a simPhone to make VoIP calls. The makers of simPC, founders of unified messaging firm XOIP (sold off to Tiscali), guarantee a boot up-time of less than 40 seconds.

Initially, the PC will be available in the Netherlands and Belgium only, but SIM plans to expand beyond the Low Countries.

New PCs for old people [The Register]

Yenra: Jacuzzi has announced a new initiative called Morphosis and unveiled a new series of whirlpool baths -- Alpha, Gamma, and Sigma -- that were designed in conjunction with Pininfarina, legendary for their Ferrari car designs.

Morphosis is a new and important Jacuzzi initiative focused on seeking out ventures in order to combine the best design aspects from outside the bath industry with the performance and technology of Jacuzzi.

From the Greek word morphosis -- to take shape, and also Morpheus, the god of dreams, the new Alpha, Gamma and Sigma whirlpool baths merge high-end design with hydrotherapy innovation. The fluid shapes of the bath tubs pair ergonomics with artistic design for a pr