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SIMsystem Underwear Detect and Text Reports of Any, Uh, Accidents

Don't snicker at these knickers. Incontinence, or involuntarily leakage, is no laughing matter, especially for the elderly. But now, Australian company Simavita has created a new system that could revolutionize caring for the elderly and infirm. According to Engadget, the SIMsystem is the world's first texting underwear. By outfitting a patient's underwear with a replaceable pad equipped with moisture sensors, caretakers can be notified via text message when a patient needs new linens. The pad sends a wireless signal to a computer, which then either sends a text message or pages a nurse. Compared to walking around and peeking underneath the sheets, this new system saves both time (for the nurse) and dignity (for the patient).

The SIMsystem has already been implemented successfully in clinical trials in Australia, meaning that it could be a matter of time before it's implemented at nursing homes worldwide. While it's designed for the elderly, we wonder if somebody will try and use these texting undies for other purposes. Lazy parents and marathon gamers are probably already foaming at their respective mouths. [From: Engadget and Physorg]

People Going Lights Out Worldwide Tonight for Earth Hour

Sure, you've heard of Earth Day, but have you heard of Earth Hour? No, it isn't just a more abbreviated time of environmental remembrance for those with particularly busy schedules. It's a global event organized by the World Wildlife Fund and hosted annually on the last Saturday of every March -- that just happens to be tonight.

The event started in 2007, when 2.2 million Sydney, Australia residents turned out their lights for an hour. It has been growing ever since and this year people worldwide are asked to put out any non-essential lights tonight from 8:30 until 9:30. That's local time, to be clear, so no worries about daylight savings or trying to figure out when sundown is in Australia.

There seems to be quite a bit of traction behind the event this year, with even Google getting in to the action. And we think you should too -- it's certainly easy enough. Just remember: only turn off the non-essential lights. Headlights definitely do not fall in that group. [From: My Earth Hour, via: Google, The Boston Globe]

Burger King Uses Digg '404 Error' Pages to Promote Massive Cheeseburger

In what could be the next big trend in online marketing, Burger King has launched a '404 error page' campaign on the social news site Digg to promote its latest cheeseburger deal. According to Brand Freak, when a user visits Digg and enters an incorrect search, this error message will appear on the screen: "Looks like your search had a typo. Maybe you've got tiny hands?" If that reference is lost on you, then you probably haven't seen those commercials for BK's $1 double cheeseburger. (Don't worry; you can watch one after the break.) The joke is that the burger is so "big and beefy" that it makes your hands look small.

Okay, so the joke isn't that funny. But taking this advertising campaign to a major site, like Digg, is pretty darn clever on the part of the King. Of course, BK isn't the first company to market products with 404 error pages. A while back, ketchup giant Heinz created a clever 404 error page on its own Web site. However, using a third-party site like Digg, which sees a ton of traffic each day, could make the "Tiny Hands" campaign more successful than others.

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Social Networking Aids the Ill, But More Connections Are Vital

Facebook's population officially outnumbers that of the entire United States, and Twitter has obviously become firmly established within pop culture. That being the case, the creation of specifically marketed social networks capitalizing on the online networking boom should be completely expected. Some of the demographically geared services cater to white collar professionals and others to nerdy sci-fi fans, but one target group is experiencing a dramatic period of success that has escaped previous attempts.

People suffering from chronic illnesses and disabilities are not only creating, but also flocking to, health-related social networking groups. Sherri Connell and her husband developed the My Invisible Disabilities Community in 2008, and it has since attracted more than 2,000 members who discuss issues pertaining to a variety of debilitating issues.

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Microsoft Says Seinfeld Ads Were Intentionally Strange, Like 'Lost'


If there's one universal opinion about the series of Microsoft ads featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld, it's that they were confusing as all get out. If Microsoft marketing strategist David Weber is to be believed, that was the whole point.

In an interview with TechFlash, Weber explained, "We figured that that sort of obscure nature of the communications would make people lean in a little more closely to see what we were going to next." In that sense, Weber believes the three-part ad campaign was a success. People certainly reacted (albeit in an overwhelmingly negative fashion), but, when Microsoft moved on to the "next phase" of the ad campaign, everyone's eyes were focused on the boys from Redmond.

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ElliptiGo Mashes Together an Elliptical and Bike, IKEA Gets into Electronics

There's a load of great tech news happening out there every day, and, unfortunately, we just can't cover it all. Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web. We're not quite sure how we missed this last year, but Segway tours now have a competitor for sheer nerdiness. The ElliptiGo 8S is the world's first elliptical bike, ...

Air America in Hot Water After Auctioning Off Listeners' E-mail Addresses

Liberal talk radio station Air America has had nothing but trouble since it arrived on the scene in 2004. The station was meant to be the progressive answer to Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and other conservative radio stars. Yet, either progressives aren't as interested in listening to hyperbolic affirmations of their points of view, or liberals (outside of Michael Moore) just don't know how to ...

Nearly Half of Poor Americans Rely on Library For Internet Access, Study Says

As part of its push for the adoption of its National Broadband Plan, the FCC has continually argued that Internet access, in today's economy, has become a necessity for anyone seeking to climb the rungs of society. Now, a newly published study shows just how important it is for the poorest American populations, in particular. The report, based on the first large scale study of public library ...

Woman's Facebook Status Update Tips Off Burglars to Her Location

A Virginia woman who left her home for a concert came back to a crime scene, and Facebook might be to blame. According to News Channel 8 in Arlington, Virginia, Keri McMullen claims her status update on the social-networking site tipped off burglars to her whereabouts. Soon after McMullen posted the band, time and location of the concert, and left her house, burglars broke in and stole about ...

Spotify Coming to U.S. in 'Third Quarter,' BlackBerry App in Tow?

Those of us in the U.S. have been waiting rather impatiently for the arrival of music streaming service Spotify. We were originally told that the top notch music service, which allows you to select what you stream, would hit the states in late 2009. Of course, 2009 has come and gone, and we're already entering spring of 2010 with very little word from the folks at Spotify. Bloomberg News reports ...
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