Alien(ware) encounters

Like many of you, I was initially wondering why the Kindle has a keyboard - after all, its for reading, right? Well, it turns out that the device has (albiet limited) e-mail capability and you can apparently use it to write a book, using Amazon's Kindle Author service. Take that, publishing industry! Well, maybe not,
you could just get it out of your system by writing a blog.

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9820251-1.html

To combat the Kindle's general ugliness, may we suggest the new gaming laptops from Alienware, complete with an (optional) gloss black finish, a multi-colour backlit keyboard, and a flush touchpad the borders of which are apparent only because of another backlight? All I can say is ...pretty....... (*drools*)

http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9820049-1.html

But what do you do with the old beige box you threw out when you got you Alienware goodness? Well, recycle it, of course, using one of the reputable services popping up in urban centers across Canada and the US. Because it seems that our junk electronics are killing the Chinese. A report from the Associated Press (via Wired) says that most of our discarded electronics end up in China where sweatshop laborers take them apart to salvage any usable components. The rest is thrown away, leaving high levels of mercury and other nastiness in the water and soil. I suppose some of you are yelling, "Take that eventual military and economic superiority!" but please have a heart.

In lighter news, National Geographic reports that wild turkeys have invaded New England. It appears efforts to re-introduce the walking Christmas dinners to forested areas have been so successful that the gobblers are now overpopulated and moving into suburban areas, where the brazen birds occasionally become aggressive towards humans and pets. Open season!!

Closer to home (mine, anyways), Irving-owned Cavendish farms has abandoned efforts to trademark the name "Freedom fries", which cropped up just prior to Iraq Invasion part duex when the French refused to support the US "coalition of the willing" effort. Why Irving would want the trademark is beyond me, we continued to call them
french fries up here, perhaps the wanted to one-up competitor McCain's "Super Fries", or maybe the Irving family has finally gotten so wealthy that they just don't know what to spend it on anymore.