west virginia

Don't Glass and drive -- lawmakers seek to ban Google Glass on the road

Dabbling in politics can bring troubling consequences.

So here at Technically Incorrect, we prefer to keep our distance, because, from a distance, our laughter can still be heard quite well.

However, I received a curious message last night from Gary G. Howell, a Republican in the West Virginia Legislature.

It read: "Your article on Google Glass prompted this bill."

The only bills I'd ever previously inspired were $20 ones accompanied by the words: "Here's money for a taxi. Get out of here."

So I wondered what sort of bill this could be. It transpires that West Virginia has decided to think proactively about Google Glass.

This bill seeks to make it illegal to drive while "using a wearable computer with head mounted display." … Read more

Lego spill tangles up West Virginia highway

One lane of Interstate 79 in West Virginia was closed down on Sunday for a tragic spill of Lego bricks. The bricks scattered across the highway, no doubt giving drivers traumatic flashbacks to the last time they stepped on a Lego brick in bare feet.

As hazardous as Legos are to unshod humans, they also pose a potential risk to vehicles. They may not be able to puncture a tire, but I imagine Legos could be pretty slippery, especially in the damp, cold conditions at the time. The only thing worse than a bunch of loose Legos on an interstate would be a bunch of wet, half-frozen loose Legos.… Read more

'Allergic' to Wi-Fi? Move to West Virginia

There's a place where Wi-Fi and cell phones are non-existent. It's not in the middle of the rain forest or from a time long, long ago. It's in Green Bank, W.Va.

Green Bank may sound like geek hell, but it's heaven for people who believe electromagnetic radiation makes them sick. The BBC chatted with a couple of these refugees from technology and they described symptoms ranging from physical pain to fatigue.

"When I'm exposed to the cell phones, it hurts to think," Green Bank resident Diane Schou told the BBC. She describes herself as a "technological leper" who has found relief since moving from Iowa to West Virginia.

Electromagnetic hypersensitivity has been the subject of some controversy. The symptoms may feel very real, but a 2007 study led by Elaine Fox of the U.K.'s University of Essex showed that short-term exposure to a typical GSM base station-like signal did not affect well-being or physiological functions in sensitive or control individuals. … Read more

The 404 902: Where logical fallacies beg the question (podcast)

If you had to guess, how many pages exist on the Internet, including advertisements and computer-generated articles? Google just gave The World Wide Web Foundation a million dollar grant to answer that question.

We also want to talk about the next evolution of augmented reality apps, like a Google maps extension that overlays historical images on modern locations, and an Android app that shows you objects that would otherwise be invisible to humans- stuff like gamma rays, X-rays, and ionized gasses.

Finally, we'll examine the Electromagnetic Field (EMF) phenomenon that'd led a group of "Wi-Fi refugees" to live in the West Virginia mountains, where a Quiet Zone bans wireless signals across 13,000 square miles.

The 404 Digest for Episode 902

How many pages are on the Internet? Historypin overlays historical images on modern day Google Map. " Wi-fi refugees" shelter in West Virginia mountains. Kevin Rose goes full honeybadger on Gizmodo. Does 7-11 still have chilli and cheese for Nachos/Super Big Bite? Your daily 404 bathroom break: Boy scared of dinosaur.

Episode 902 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Fancy pants headed to Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a rugged country. How rugged is it? It's so rugged the U.S. Army has commissioned special pants for soldiers fighting there.

The new Army Combat Pants are designed to take whatever Takur Ghar and other Afghan mountain ranges have to hand out, according to the Army.

The new pants feature built-in hard knee pads that adjust up or down and side to side. They are made from 7.3-ounce, fire-resistant twill, (compared with the 6.5-ounce stuff soldiers are wearing now) and sport a reinforced, stretchable seat, perfect for glissading after the jihadis. Larger cargo pockets … Read more