Security

The mystery of a missing mom's disappearance on December 6 could have been ripped from a screenplay out of a Law & Order TV episode. Strange disappearance of a 28-year Susan Powell while husband Josh Powell takes toddlers camping in a wintery Utah desert the night she disappeared.

Need to subtly pass some data to someone?  These hollow coins may be the answer.

A recent Mashable report couldn't have been more on target when it recognized YouTube as the top social media innovation of the decade. That social media tool in the able of hands of  Mohsen Sazegara, an opposition activist is being used as a military resource to rebel against Iranian tyranny that has swept the land since the disputed presidential elections held back in June. Like David versus Goliath, this is a classic tale of choosing the right weaponry.

Soon kids ages 6-12 will have their own social network according to Smart Kids Group Inc., a global provider of children's digital education and entertainment. A site called, "Live At The Hive" will launch with specialized content within a safe community that can be supervised by parents.

There is so much activity in the location-based social network space with even Facebook and Twitter jumping into the fray. Companies like Foursquare, Gowalla and Brightkite are getting a lot of attention with successful rounds of funding added to their coffers.

Its almost as if a 'perfect storm' is about to hit Copenhagen on the eve of world leaders coming together to solve the age-old global issue that continues to pit science against politics.

My pooch generally sleeps while I drive, which delights me because if he wasn't sleeping, he'd be back-seat driving like every other passenger in my car.  Problem is, he does get up and walk around the back of my SUV occasionally, especially when wild smells whiz by his whiffers.  Until now, I never found a safety belt that would accommodate my dog's movements and still offer plenty of security in case the car in front of me comes to a short stop... (ahem)

Popular Science recently released its Best of What's New awards for 2009 in 10 categories.  The Grand Prize Winner in the Security category wasn't a super lock or a 360 degree multi-directional security eye... It was a bombproof wallpaper!

These concept wheels provide an interesting new reason for thieves to pass your bike over (or at least spend an extra 3 minutes stealing it).

In today's volatile global scenario, the Scanmail 10K offers an element of safety against... well, getting blown up by a letter.

Not only are teenagers 17 and younger allowed to watch certain movies, Xbox 360 just banished them from accessing social networks. Strange that the teen demographic that is the target market for Xbox systems are restricted from from the Xbox Live's new integration of Facebook, Twitter and Last.fm. And with Christmas right around the corner!

Did the "voice of jihad" just get a little louder? Afghan tribalism has origins that date back 1400 years to the early Muslim and Islamic civilizations. With a lifestyle based on jihad and an economy that thrives on opium trade, who would have thought that these warring factions in Afghanistan and Pakistan would ever embrace social media as a means to communicate.

The Mini Pig Keychain Light v2.0 is a welcome update on the cute Pig LED Keychain Light featured here a couple years back. Oink if you want one!

This little USB flash drive isn't a Transformer - but it's definitely more than meets the eye...

You may have already packed up your pet's necessities for the possibility of an evacuation. But have you centralized all the information you will need if your pet gets lost or stolen? I can tell you from more than one experience, it's hard to think straight when your pet disappears. Here are two more resources I would add to your list now: Amber Pet Alert™ and Find Toto.

First came Transformers the action figures, then came Transformers the movie, now comes Transformers the USB flash drive. Let Tigatron or Jaguar store your precious data, then transform into fearsome guardians few evildoers will want to mess with!

It's becoming more and more difficult for traditional gatekeepers like the government to control the flow of information to the people. In years past when the authorities issued a "gag order" against the media, they could easily enforce it. Not the case in today's social media world!

It started with a helium aircraft  hovering over Fort Collins, Colorado and the belief that a  6-year-old boy climbed in and floated away Thursday, October 15, forcing officials to come up with a rescue plan to save him. Update at 3:35 p.m. ET:The balloon slowly spun to a crash-landing, surrounded by rescuers. Mystery widens, no one was inside balloon? It was at this time we learned that the father was a stormchaser, thus the balloon, and the family was involved in ABC's "Wife Swap," thus the reason for part of the craziness that unfolded. But the story didn't end there. The rest is only something that could make up a real-time Reality Show! Was it Truth or Hot Air? Or Balloonacy?

At first glance, Lufthansa's new service called MySkyStatus sounds like a very cool and cutting edge social network feed. However upon closer scrutiny, one needs to ask the question: Is a service that automatically posts the current position of your flight a dozen times or more to all your followers and friends on Twitter and Facebook such a good idea? Isn't there a security risk involved?