French tourism company Bocages has created a pop-up cabin for four that is designed specifically for stargazing. Each cabin features a transparent dome in the roof, a telescope and a sky observation kit. Just launched this year, Carré d’étoiles, portable and reversible cube-shaped structures crafted with recyclable wood, have been installed in several holiday spots in France.

“Included in each parquet-floored cabin are a double cabin bed, a sofa bed for two, a kitchenette with refrigerator and hot plates, shower, toilet, wardrobe, electric heating, a bio-ethanol fireplace and cast-iron garden furniture for outside. In addition to modern conveniences like flat-screen TV and connections for MP3, phone and Internet, Carré d’étoiles cabins also come equipped with bedding and towels, and extra services such as cleaning and breakfast can be added. Black-out blinds, meanwhile, facilitate use of the telescope and stargazing kit.”

Pretty cool, eh?

For a more in-depth story about this gadget on the go, read “KeepMClose so your kids won’t get lost” By Karin Kloosterman at Isreal21c.

“The cell phone audio tour is a relatively new idea, and we are so excited to be able to offer this feature free of charge to our visitors,” said Laurel Weller, museum educator. “Our guests become active participants. They simply dial the designated telephone number and then enter the exhibit number of one of our displays to hear more about it.”

Part of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the Mütter Museum was founded to educate future doctors about anatomy and human medical anomalies. The College of Physicians uses this collection to enhance the museum experience and promote health literacy, while teaching visitors what it means to be human. The Mütter Museum embodies The College of Physicians of Philadelphia’s mission to advance the cause of health, while upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine.

The Audio Tour Guide is free and available to everyone. Using commentary provided by the Mütter Museum staff and other experts, this interactive tour provides visitors with in-depth information about the museum’s exhibits, while allowing them to explore the museum’s collection at their own pace. Visitors design their own tour by choosing which object they would like to learn more about and in what order.

For more information, visit www.collphyphil.org/mutter.

In a press release, Peter Aloumanis, vice president, Motorola Sales & Services, is quoted as saying: “As a global technology company with a significant presence in South Florida — and a major facility literally down the street from Wannado City — it only made sense that we should have a venue [there]. With Motorola’s more than 75-year history in technological innovation, we feel it is particularly appropriate to invest in the future by introducing children to innovation at a young age.”

Designed by Gensler for children ages 8-12, the Motorola M-Lab simulates a scientific laboratory. Each visitor plays the role of an M-Ventor(TM) tasked with helping different organizations solve difficult problems using technology, teamwork and innovation. Assigned a sub-role within the M-Ventor teams, children must work together using an interactive video game to solve the problem.

“Wannado City is excited to have Motorola join our city,” Luis Laresgoiti, chief creative officer of Wannado City said in the press release. “With the introduction of a science and technology venue, Motorola will provide kids with a fun and educational experience that is a perfect compliment to our existing professions.”

Located in South Florida’s Sawgrass Mills, the state’s largest mall and the number two tourist destination in Florida, Wannado City is an indoor 140,000 square-feet facility — the size of three football fields. Here, “kids can do what they Wannado”(TM), enabling children to experience a variety of occupations, from fire fighter to doctor to airline pilot.

For more information:
www.wannadocity.com
www.motorola.com/m-lab

The friend’s name is Jill Testa and she has a unique product line: coffins for wedding rings from dead marriages. Check out the About page — its an interesting story.

For more information: www.weddingringcoffin.com.

I thought you migh find it of interest. The gadgets covered are pretty cool, but they included a Dell laptop. And, being a diehard Mac user, I say “Boo!” to that.

The high-definition, interactive screen, which is 10 feet wide and 7 feet tall, is aimed primarily at business travelers and allows users to access information such as stock quotes, news, lifestyle tips, and sports updates. It is operated by touch and can be accessed by two people at one time.

“Accenture has already partnered with CNN Pipeline and the Weather Channel,” said Dale Herigstad, executive creative director at Schematic, the company that developed the technology for Accenture.

Accenture hopes this new technology could evolve into a network of interactive, wall-sized screens. The Accenture Interactive Network could one day link multiple screens at airports, shopping malls and other locations. And, because they are so large, the person interacting is not the only one who will view the content, as passersby will also be able to see what is going on on the screen.

“It’s going in two directions,” Herigstad said, “completely private, where you’re doing your own thing, but public as well.”

“The immersive experience fosters collaboration by allowing multiple users to simultaneously manipulate content, a feature lacking in other commercially-available, wall-sized screens,” Accenture published in a press release.

“Video is wallpaper,” said Herigstad, who consulted on Minority Report, “screens are getting better and cheaper.”

“Accenture has been a pioneer in airport billboard advertising and we view the Interactive Network as another example of our ability to use innovation to cut through the clutter,” said Teresa Poggenpohl, Executive Director, Global Advertising & Brand Management, Accenture. “It entertains travelers, while
simultaneously delivering our advertising featuring Tiger Woods. In the future, users might be able to request a brochure or white paper, or even order a product or service.”

The O’Hare screen was unveiled in May and Accenture plans to install another interactive screen at New York’s JFK airport, as well.

For more information, visit www.accenture.com/xd/xd.asp?it=enweb&xd=newsroom%5Cepresskit%5Cinteractive_network%5Cinteractive_network.xml.

• 85 percent bring cell phones
• 75 percent bring digital cameras
• 35 percent bring portable CD players
• 33 percent bring portable gaming devices

On top of that, 87 percent of those surveyed said they plan to check personal e-mail, with 36 percent keeping up on work-related e-mail.

“In this age of connectivity, it’s not surprising that 63% of all respondents and a full 75% of the ‘wired vacationers’ own three or more electronic devices,” InsightExpress, the online market research firm who conducted the study, reported in a press release.

InsightExpress surveyed 530 adults over the age of 18. Each participant had at least one child under the age of 18 and planned on taking a family vacation this summer.

“Although the study deliberately focused on families,” Erik Sass wrote in his article about the survey in Online Media Daily, “it contradicted conventional wisdom that children adopt gadgets more readily than adults: according to Insight, only 7 percent of respondents said that “love of technology is just a kid thing” during vacations.”

“As technology continues to creep into every aspect of our lives,” said Kevin Kruper, Group Director of the Technology Sector at InsightExpress, “it’s clearly becoming harder for Americans to take a vacation without it.”

Of course, as genre travelers, we probably were ahead of the back, since people with an interest in speculative fiction are more likely to be early adopters of technology products.

“While some vacation purists might balk at the idea of packing a charger in their carry-on,” said Kruper, “the reality is that Americans embrace technology because it makes their lives easier. And since the point of most vacations is to relax and have fun, it makes a lot of sense for families to incorporate their favorite devices into travel plans.”

The online study was conducted from June 15 – 22, 2006.

For More Information:
InsightExpress: www.insightexpress.com
Online Media Daily Article: publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=45139&Nid=21415&p=361241

In case you aren’t aware of The Ring’s plot, here’s a summary. When someone watches a mystical short film, a spell is cast and the viewer dies within seven days. In the movie, the viewer usually receives a phone call that predicts their demise.

Well, if you visit www.7daysleft.com, you can enter the mobile numbers and e-mails of your friends. They will then receive an e-mail inviting them to view the film trailer. Once they click the link to view the trailer, they will receive a phone call featuring a whispering voice foretelling their approaching death. After a moment’s horror, they are then asked to continue the chain and supply more names to receive the same treatment.

Now that’s one way for a chain letter to jump out of the Internet!