Google Audio music service launching soon? (update: seems it!)

So TechCrunch has it from multiple sources that a US (at least) music service launch from Google is imminent. Possibly named Google Audio, it's unclear whether the service will stream music from the major labels and/or offer it as downloadable tracks. Scuttlebutt says that the service will differ from Google's free, search and download music offering available in China since 2008. Now go ahead, kick back and imagine a Google music service tightly integrated with Android while we dig for more details.

[Via Pocket-lint]

What Happens to Birds when They Eat Plastic

We’ve featured Chris Jordan’s work before, but this is too compelling not to share. A little while ago, he took a trip to the North Pacific gyre to see what all the fuss was about. From the project description:

These photographs of albatross chicks were made just a few weeks ago on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world’s most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

It almost looks like these birds exploded from all the plastic inside them. View all the images at his website.

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[via Designboom]

Apple Introduces Multi-Touch ‘Magic Mouse’

By Chris Scott Barr

Remember that cool video I showed you not long ago from Microsoft? I’m referring to the one that showcased all of their ideas for a multi-touch mouse. Well in a completely unsurprising move, Apple has released their own such mouse, dubbed the Magic Mouse.

This new mouse is the first to incorporate multi-touch technology. It uses only a single button, much like every other mouse Apple has released. However, the surface of the mouse tracks exactly where your fingers are, and issues commands based on that. For instance, clicking on the right side will result in a right-click. You can also use some gestures (much like the trackpads on newer MacBooks), though they are limited to scrolling, zooming and navigation back-and-forth through web pages.

Apple hasn’t always delivered the best mice, so I wouldn’t be surprised to find that this one isn’t quite up to snuff. However, I’m curious to try one out myself. You’ll find these being sold along with the new iMacs, or you can purchase it separately for $69.

[ Apple ] VIA [ Gearlog ]

Barns & Noble Announce ‘Nook’ eBook Reader

By Chris Scott Barr

The last month has been a pretty big one for e-book readers. Some of the highlights include Sony’s touchscreen e-reader, another from Irex and the international version of the Kindle. Well another big name has decided to throw their hat into the ring, and it’s a damn-good looking hat.

Barnes & Noble announced that they will be launching their own reader, dubbed ‘Nook’. The first thing you’ll notice about the Nook is that it has a pair of screens (not unlike the Alex Dual Screen we saw on Monday) instead of just the traditional one. There’s not much to say about the top 16-color e-ink screen, but the bottom is a full-color 3.5 inch touchscreen LCD. This can be used to browse through your library, or as a virtual keyboard for input.

The second screen isn’t the only thing the Nook has on most popular e-readers. In addition to having 3G service (through AT&T) for downloading content, it will also feature Wi-Fi. Why this has been left out of readers like the Kindle, I still don’t understand. As for content, it will support PDF’s natively, along with EPUB and various other eReader formats. They claim that you’ll have access to over a million ebooks.

Other notable features include 2GB of internal storage (expandable by 16GB via microSD), the ability to play MP3 audio (but no text-to-speech) and the ability to share books. That’s right, you can “loan” out an e-book to friends using compatible devices for up to 14 days at a time. How cool is that? The only requirement is that your friend needs to have a device that is running the Barns & Noble software.

The Nook is going to go on sale sometime in November for the price of $259. With all of these features, you have to wonder what’s going through Amazon’s mind right now.

[ Barns & Noble ]

Scubacraft Just As Happy Under The Water As On

By Andrew Liszewski

If you’ve got an extra $164,000 laying around, and a sense of adventure, you might want to get your name on the waiting list for the Scubacraft. It’s essentially a speedboat with a specially designed trimaran hull that makes it just as comfortable on the water as it is under. And while technically you could refer to it as a submarine, it can only dive to depths of about 100 feet, and you’ll need to bring your own SCUBA gear since it doesn’t have an enclosed cabin. But thanks to a high-powered jet propulsion system you’ll be able to zip along under the waves or on top of them, depending on your mood, or escape plan. Orders for the Scubacraft are currently being taken, and delivery is expected somewhere near the end of 2010.

[ Scubacraft ] VIA [ Luxist ]

Drug Money. $205 million in cash! (12 pics)

"Have you ever seen such a big sum in one place? No? Here it is.
Every one knows that drug traffickers have the most luxurious and the most expensive houses in the world with exotic private zoos etc..
One of the Mexican drug leaders, native of China who gained Mexican citizenship, had all this money at his house. He fled before the police came into his house in one of Mexico City’s wealthiest neighborhoods and found this pile of money that was hidden inside walls, suitcases and closets.
All the money came from the profits of methamphetamines sold in the United States.
It was estimated that major narco-traffickers were now US $205 million poorer.

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