CellPhones.org has announced a Swine Flu news update service that will broadcast breaking news as it develops. According to Cellphones.org:

Text PIGFLU to 41411 and we will send updates as news develops about the Swine Flu. The only cost is your cost for receiving regular text messages, and there will be no other billing. We are providing this service in the public interest.

1. Magic is just stuff science hasn’t made boring yet

2. Get Real, Be Rational

3. I am not a geek

4. There goes the neighborhood

5. Shirt of Invisibility

6. Snailbot

7. 2600: A Video Game Odyssey

8. I’d Hit That T-shirt

9. I Am Away From My Computer Right Now

10. Firefox Logo T-shirt

Oh, and if you’re curious, I found all of these t-shirts using the geek t-shirts search over at Teenormous.

Decorating your home office isn’t an easy thing to do. The first thing that you need to accomplish is to blend great aesthetic design with products that are going to allow you to maximize your productivity in the work space. The next thing to tackle is how to create the feeling that you’re in a professional work space while allowing for that space to exist within the rest of your home. And finally you need to consider the types of products that really express who you are and what you believe in whether that’s ergonomic or eco-friendly design.

Your workspace can be funky or sexy, minimalist or post-modern, neutral toned or filled with bright colors – as long as you create it in a way that is true to your heart. To create the right space, you need to be able to find these products and to set them up in a way that makes the home office all your own. Here’s a look at 25 of the best, most unique products out there which can assist you in achieving these goals of home office design.

1. Bibliochaise: Toss out those boring old bookcases and make life more convenient by putting your reading materials right inside the chair that you use to sit in while you read them. It adds a funky design flavor to a cool home office and serves to help you maximize your space while reducing the number of separate furniture items that you have to arrange.

2. Antique Modern Chair: If your home is decorated with antiques and vintage decor, it may seem inappropriate to add a modern home office to the space. So why not decorate with modern furniture that’s been designed to look like antiques? You’ll get the function that you need with a look that doesn’t seem out of place in the rest of the home.

3. Computer Armoire: People who have a small home may need to place their office in the corner of a room that serves as a multi-functional space. A great way to do this is to use a computer armoire to keep all the cabling, printer cartridges, paper, pens and the usual office clutter out of the way when not in use. Choose any design that suits the rest of a room’s decor and then tuck all your belongings in there where no one has to see them (or mess with them) but you.

4. Bobo Lazy Chair: If you’re ever going to have clients over to visit you in your home office, you’ll need somewhere for them to sit. A chair like this fits perfectly on the other side of your desk for use by clients and it’s comfortable enough that you can use it when you’re reading through documents or doing other tasks around the home office.

5. Glass Desk: This type of desk is ideal for a home office that gets a lot of natural sunlight. It adds to the design of a room that has big windows and is particularly suited to someone who has a great view from their home. The home office that seeks to be modern can do well with colored furniture and a glass desk.

6. Art Stools: Instead of hanging art on the walls of your home office, choose furniture that reflects your artistic tastes. Furniture with painted upholstery and artistic designs can be made in such a way that it still has a professional air to it. Choose wisely, though, because this kind of furniture can make a room look ugly really fast.

7. Concrete and Glass Bench: If you’re lucky enough to have a home office that allows you some patio room outdoors then you should get furniture that has a more outdoors feeling to it such as this bench made of concrete and glass. This is particularly good for someone who works in the industrial or construction fields but could be suitable to anyone who finds it pleasing to the eye.

8. Ergonomic Chair: Every good home office has an ergonomic chair to keep your body comfortable while you work. This one from Ambience Dore is the kind of chair that considers every part of your body and makes it so that you’ll never again get that ache in the shoulders from having spent too many hours on the computer. Of course, you’ll have to feel secure in yourself to sit in a chair as funky as this every day.

9. Brass Knuckle Chair: Forget ergonomic – you want a chair that no one will ever forget after they’ve seen it. Ideal for the video game reviewer who works from home, this is a truly different chair that’s distinct from anything else that others are going to have in their home office.

10. One of a Kind Desk. This creation by Tom Spina Designs is an example of a one-of-a-kind item that you could have custom built for your office (or that you could make yourself). This one has got a sci-fi theme that’s cool for some professionals but you could express yourself in any way that would suit your business.

11. Light Sculptures: Add some ambience to the home office with light sculptures that are both artistic and purposeful. Make sure that you find something that actually lights up the office, or consider getting a bigger, brighter computer monitor if you’re only going to have weak accent lighting!

12. Pencil Bench: This is an example of how every day office items can be used to create functional furniture art for the office. In this case, it’s a bunch of pink pencils that serve as a bench for seating in the office. Get creative or find a store out there that will get creative for you.

13. Vision One Computer Workstation: This is an ergonomic workstation designed specifically for computer gaming. Of course, it’s the fact that this looks cool which makes you want to buy it but it’s also nice that it’s good for your body’s health.

14. Treadmill Desk: Have you noticed that you’re getting what appears to be a beer gut and you’re not even drinking a lot of beer? It’s probably because you just sit at your computer all day long. Hop on a treadmill and get work done at the same time from the comfort of your home office by adding a treadmill desk to the home’s decor.

15. Trunk Station: This type of furniture is similar to a computer armoire but it’s not stationary. You just fold up your entire workspace and move it around the house. This means that your home office can be in the bedroom, the living room or even outside as you see fit throughout the day. Just don’t spend so much time moving it around that you fail to get your work done.

16. Design Pod: Another mobile office space that you can use around the home office is the design pod. It folds up into neat little furniture that can be stashed away anywhere in the home. Then it folds out to offer you a complete computer desk and storage of your files and important papers. This is another one that’s good for the home office that’s got to exist in different parts of the home due to limited space.

17. Vector: This looks like a cool piece of design furniture intended to hold random things around the home office. Indeed, that’s what it is. But it’s also supposed to allow you to note your successes by offering a ‘green for good work’ side and a ‘red for in trouble’ side which means that you can turn the piece around depending on how you feel about work that day.

18. Elefant Bar and Shelf: On those days when you’re not feeling so good about work, perhaps the only thing that you want is a stiff drink. You can have one accessible to you in the home office by including a mini-bar in your decorating. This one offers you a design that’s going to let you hide that booze from clients who will never guess that this shelf is holding drinks inside. And the colorful design is going to give a boost of freshness to a tired office.

19. Light-Emitting Wallpaper: If you want to include something really different in the design of your home office, consider this wallpaper that actually lights up the room. When you turn it on, the lights add ambience to the room and give a 3D effect to the wall. You can turn it off to make it look just like plain old wallpaper for those times when you’re inviting people to the home office who are a little more on the stuffy side.

20. Ball Chair: There are several variations on the ball chair, including one that hangs down from the ceiling to function like a swing, but they all offer a sense of fun style to the home office. They’re different in design from other home office furniture and can serve as the centerpiece around which you decorate the rest of the room.

21. Bike Furniture: One of the most important messages that you can be sending to others about your business is that it’s a business that cares about being green. What better way to do this than to deck out your home office with bike furniture? This stuff is designed in a way that looks classy and professional but it’s made from bike parts so it’s got that whole recycling / repurposed / functional art thing going on.

22. Moebler Bookcase: Take something really traditional about the home office, like the bookcase, and replace it with something that’s just a little bit different. It will throw off perspective in the room, creating a unique style that suggests a little bit of fun for the office. And it will make people who visit your home office think about you as a more creative person to work with.

23. Comfy Furniture: If you’ve got the luxury of working from a home office then you should make the space as comfortable as you possibly can. Forget the hardwood desks and the leather chairs; choose the bean bag chairs and flexible furniture that will make you feel right at home.

24. Copacabana Table: This table brings a curvy design to the home office and adds some color to the room. For the professional who is looking to get just a little bit funky while retaining the function of the professional space, this is a good way to get started.

25. Hand-Le Doorknob: You love working from home but sometimes you’ve just got to miss the camaraderie of working from a cubicle with a bunch of other cubicles around you. Take some of the sting out of being lonely at work by adding a doorknob to your home office door that will greet you with a handshake as you walk in. At the very least, it will be something to break the ice when clients come over even as you get more and more anti-social from always working at home alone.

Ryan is helping to develop Brainz, the top secret online information project.

Have you ever wanted to work and travel? Obviously, people have been combining the two for a long time. However, the Internet and all the mobile technology available makes it much easier for people to be Digital Nomads.

What is a Digital Nomad?

Digital Nomads are fans of the ultimate in mobility. They take a mobile lifestyle to the maximum, working while traveling long-term, and staying connected to the Internet to complete their web-based work or run a web business.

Why So Many Converts to This Lifestyle?

There are a number of current workplace conditions that might be contributing to the increasing number of Digital Nomads – namely the ability to work from anywhere and the technology to stay connected. Throw in the fact that humans are probably adventurers by nature, so integrating work and travel just suits so many of us.

The point is, people are becoming bored with their complacent lifestyles, and with the widespread availability of the Internet, we’re becoming more consciously aware of other parts of the world. Technology now enables us to satisfy our curiosity, to go and “wander” while maintaining a means to work and pay the bills.

Digital Nomad Toolbox: 10 Gadgets or Technologies or Services You Probably Want

1. GSM cell phone and service. Most of the world use GSM. So if you’re traveling, chances are very good that you’ll need a GSM phone to match the local service. (Of course, if you’re staying longer-term in a country, you might decide to go for a land line. Then again, a VoIP phone and service is another option instead of GSM.)

2. Netbooks/ notebooks/ laptops. It’s obvious these are your most important tools – your means of staying connected and productive. You could occasionally use one of the newest breed of smartphones to run an application or two, but getting a day’s web work done on one seems out of the question – not to mention, probably expensive in terms of data bandwidth costs… and eyestrain. One of the coolest new Netbooks, in my opinion is the Dell Mini (though it’s not without its faults, and isn’t really meant for ultra-high daily production).

3. Webmail. Sure, you’ll have your laptop computer with you when you travel, but there’ll be times you don’t have access to it. If you use a desktop email reader, you’d have to wait until you have your laptop again. With webmail like GMail, you can read your email messages wherever you can find Internet access. E.g., a cell phone with data plan, a friend’s computer, or an Internet cafe.

4. Cloud technology and other computing applications + services.

1. Access to productivity/ office applications. E.g., Google Docs + Spreadsheets or the equivalent, Calendars/ to-do lists.
2. Travel planners. Not strictly necessary but certainly helpful. Especially useful is Schmap, which has mobile options.
3. Supplemental communications. E.g., Chat/IM apps or even micro-messaging with Twitter.
4. Team management. If you’re both a digital nomad and a webpreneur, it’s possible that you have either colleagues or a team of employees whom you need to communicate with regularly. Or you might need interaction with clients that goes beyond email and voice communications. Team management applications such as Campfire or even a customized install of BuddyPress will be valuable to your remote operations.
5. Music. Some people just can’t get through a day without music. So having access to the music you like means supplementing your MP3 collection with web services such as iLike, Last.fm and Pandora (though the latter is unfortunately unavailable to users outside of the U.S., at the time of this writing, due to copyright issues).

5. Digital camera. Also strictly a necessity, although few people would travel the world and not take pictures. Sure, you could go for a non-digital camera, but exactly how will you upload your pics to your Flickr account or website in short order? You can use your cell phone for pics, though upload cost of your cellular data plan might get prohibitive, especially in certain regions.

6. Gadget charging devices. Imagine traveling some where with all your tech gear and leaving behind the chargers. Not only not fun, but it might be impossible to get replacements quickly without buying new gadgets.

7. Universal converters. If you’re traveling close to your home country, this might not be a necessity. However if you’re traveling between North America and most of the rest of the world (or vice versa), you will need electrical converters for your gadget chargers.

8. Convenient gadget bag(s). If you’re going to be traveling with a few gadgets, you’re going to need a good bag for your tech, accessories and converters. For those who can afford it, gadget bags are getting increasingly more sophisticated.

9. Online banking. Unless you have a trustworthy friend back home taking care of this for you, you’ll need access to online banking to take care of expenses. Even if you have online banking, it still pays sometimes to have a friend who’s willing to deal with financial emergencies like making sure a check gets cashed properly.

10. WiFi locator services or device/ card. Depending on the duration of each stay, you might need to find WiFi. A service locator website will give you a rough idea, but for accurate sniffing, a WiFi locator device for your laptop will help. If you’re staying long-term, you might be able to subscribe to local paid service. A couple of options are gWiFi and OpenWiFiSpots.

… and 15 You Don’t Always Need But Might Want

1. Online payments processors. E.g., PayPal. This option is a matter of choice, depending on the kind of work you do. If you get paid directly into your bank account, then you don’t need PayPal. If you don’t, then an online payments processor such as PayPal is a necessity while you travel. If you’re in a country where you cannot access PayPal, you might need for a friend back home to transfer money into your bank account for you or use a widely accepted credit card.

2. Money apps: Personal finance, business invoicing applications. While you could use desktop-based money management software, using Web-based versions of this software give you more freedom. If for any reason you don’t have access to your regular laptop, you’ll still be able to access your personal finance records. If you’re not running your own web-based business, you could simply use a web spreadsheet to track finances.

3. Specialized web apps. E.g., web conferencing, remote login (to a PC), file sharing, VoIP.

4. Website or blog or Twitter. Keep your friends and family updated en masse about your travels and daily goings on. Many digital nomads prefer the convenience of Twitter. Not only can you easily post updates via SMS, but Twitter is also maintenance free (no webserver to maintain, no fees to keep up with).

5. GPS device. These will come in handy if you plan to go adventuring while you’re traveling – possibly to do some travel photography or video. There’s also a type of digital adventure game where GPS coordinates are posted on a website and participants make there way to each destination using their GPS device.

6. Video camera. While not strictly necessary if you have a typical digital camera (which often can take a few minutes of video), if you want to do any video blogging, you’ll want a reasonable video camera. Or maybe you want to produce a web video series about your travels and how others can do it too.

7. Extra memory cards, especially for still and video cameras. If you’re using DV tape for video, the alternative is a video capture device for transfer content to your computer.

8. Video editing software. With the cost of producing web video so low compared to even a few years ago, an increasing number of Digital Nomads are producing webisodes for their websites/ blogs. Editing software such as Apple iMovie (Mac) or Windows Moviemaker (PC) or Sony Vegas Pro (PC) becomes a necessity.

9. Cloud storage. Video sharing sites tend to have limits on file size and hence video quality. If you have a business need for high-quality web video (or images or other large files), consider a cloud storage option such as Amazon S3.

10. Photosharing account. For travel photos to share with friends and family, maybe you can’t justify the cost of cloud storage. There are free photo sharing options such as Flickr, which also has premium plans.

11. Additional cellular services. Increase your overall connectivity with some extra cellular provider services.

1. Global text messaging plan. There are a lot of things you can do with SMS/ text messaging services, including tracking expenses and paying bills.
2. Cellular data plan. For Internet access via your sexy smartphone.

12. Specialized PCDs. Get even more wired with additional Personal Communication Devices.

1. iPhone or iPod Touch. Both are WiFi-enabled, so if you use a mobile VoIP service such as Truphone, you have an additional free or low-cost communication channel. An iPhone combined with AIM even lets you send free SMS/ text messages.
2. NFS-enabled phone. NFS phones use electronic chips similar to RFiD that allows a type of shortwave wireless communication between devices. These phones are being tested mostly in parts of Europe, Korea, Japan and select other places. They allow cell phone users to make payments (public transit, movies, parking) and even download a hotel “key” code.

13. Specialized gear.

1. Headset. Headsets are great for productivity if you’re on a lot of mobile or VoIP calls, since they allow you to keep working while talking.
2. Solar cells. If you lose a gadget charger, a portable solar panel is a relatively compact way to be mobile and continue to use your gadget. Solar cells are also available on gadget bags and specialized outerwear.

14. Specialized Outerwear.  For more serious mobility.

1. Clothing + nomad fashion.
1. Secret compartments. The more you travel, the more likely you’ll find that it’s sometimes worthwhile being able to hide your gear in your clothing.
2. Solar cell jackets and vests. If you opt for wearable solar cells, these are especially handy for people out in the field who need to power cameras and other gadgets, while staying hands-free.
2. Hardshell backpack. Boblbee backpacks have an award-winning hardshell case designed to protect the contents (hint: laptop, gear), with a modular system to add other carrying components. Meanwhile, your back is made comfortable for extended backpack use thanks to the form-fitting, lumbar-supporting padding. (Author’s note: Boblbee Metropolis is the best backpack I’ve ever used, and worth every expensive cent.) Main drawbacks: it’s rigid (i.e., not collapsible when empty) and draws attention.

15. Post office box. If you are planning to return to your home country but have decided to let go of your place of residence, it’s a good idea to have somewhere that mail can be sent. That’s especially important if you’re planning to move around a lot. Just make sure that someone will be picking up mail.

Thanks to Cell Phones.org for the inspiration behind this post.

The Internet has changed the way we work, the way we interact and the way we learn. Here I’ve put together a list of five ways I see the Internet having re-invented the learning process.

1. Information about everything and anything, readily available
The two biggest contributors to information access are Wikipedia and Google. While both receive plenty of criticism for inaccuracies or for rewarding bad information, there is no doubting that on balance, they both do a good job of making authoritative information easily accessible. This makes the initial stages of research go much more quickly and can be a spring board to find the sources to go in more depth. Plus, with Google, we now literally have access to thousands if not millions of living experts in various fields.

2. Free software makes work more efficient and productive
With the Internet, there are now boatloads of free or open source software for students to help with research, collaboration, communication and everything in between. Free software gives us the opportunity to learn new skills, and get hands on with our projects. The best software helps people do things that weren’t even possible in the past. Plus, it makes jobs that were hard in the past, accessible to everyone.

3. Online learning tools customize the learning experience
New, more dynamic learning tools are available online then ever before. Everyone has a different method of learning, and different tools tap into different learning styles. Plus, learning has never been more engaging and interactive. Sure, sifting through the good ones from the bad ones is a chore, but that becomes much easier thanks to lists like this one from MakeUseOf.

4. You can get educated from the comfort of your home
First of all, there is self-study. People use the Internet all the time to listen to free lectures, read free books, take free classes and everything in between. But now, more than ever, people are actually doing their full college education online. As more reputable colleges enter the online fray, more employees will see online degrees as legitimate, and more students will avoid the hassle of commuting or paying room & board. Online learning adds an amazing amount of efficiency to the education system by removing various inefficiencies like traffic jams, walking between classes, and accommodating the lowest common denominator. Plus, you get to customize the amount of time you put into learning based on your own learning patterns.

5. Plagiarism and laziness
A list about how the Internet changed education couldn’t be complete without reference to the negatives. In my experience, the biggest negatives about the Internet are that it removes structure from the learning process and encourages laziness. Obviously, a self-motivated person can overcome these obstacles and reap all the rewards that the Internet provides. However, on average, I suspect that most people are like me and inclined to the principle of least action. The Internet provides so much information about any topic that we might be inclined to not take the time to understand what we are researching. Even worse, we might be tempted to simply copy someone else’s ideas. This isn’t bad just in principle. It’s bad for the learning process. Why? Because learning requires understanding, and understanding requires engagement. Plagiarism is a short cut that undermines the process of learning.

Ryan is the co-founder of The Firewall Blog.

I got a Wii Fit for Christmas and was super excited. Not only do I love the idea of having an easy, indoor exercise solution during the cold days of winter, but as a geek there was just something beautiful about the idea of my video game system doubling as my exercise gym.

My expectations were high, but did Wii Fit live up to them? The short answer is no. Here’s why.

There are three major shortcomings with Wii Fit in my opinion.

1) Wii Fit Is Missing Defined Exercise Programs
Perhaps the most glaring problem with Wii Fit is that it has no prescribed exercise program. You are left to your own devices in putting together a daily regiment. But I found this to be a major defect, because most of us would like to optimize the time we put into working out, and instead we are left guessing as to what is most effective. What Wii Fit should have provided, but didn’t, was the ability to take a quiz to determine what’s most important to you (weight loss, strength training, etc.) Each day, it would ask “How much time do you have to work out today?” Based on this information it could suggest 3-5 workout programs custom fit to your needs. But alas, nothing like this was present.

2) Too Much Downtime Between Exercises
As others have noted, it takes too much time to move onto the next exercise once you are finished with the previous one. Sure, if you’ve just taken a 10 minute jog, the minute or so it takes to move from the end of one exercise to the beginning of another is fine. But if you’re doing simple 1-2 minute, low-impact exercises, you quickly find that you spend half your time navigating the menus rather than keeping that heart rate up. Most of us have trouble fitting exercise into our daily routines. When it takes 30 minutes to do 15 minutes worth of exercising on the Wii Fit, it takes a psychology toll, and it feels like time is wasted.

3) Wii Fit Fails To Motivate
One of the most promising things of an exercise system built into a video game is the ability to motivate. Motivation is usually the number one inhibitor to daily exercise. Wii Fit could have easily implemented a deeply addictive RPG leveling up component to the game. But all we have to motivate us to use Wii Fit is the prospect of unlocking new exercises, losing weight and putting in more exercise hours….hardly things unique to Wii Fit. If anything, the Wii Fit is de-motivational because you know that if you take a few days off, you’ll get lectured. To drive home the idea that Wii Fit fails to motivate: I only lasted two weeks before I thoroughly lost interest.

At the end of the day, as a Geek, I needed more structure, more efficiency and more gaming elements built into the system. As it stands, not only was I bored with Wii Fit, but I also constantly felt like I was wasting time.

Ryan is a co-founder of the online information project Brainz.

I’m a sucker for addictive flash games. I don’t know about you, but I think the best video games are almost always simple and fun. Flash games tend to have both qualities.

Now, I know that Flash games often don’t have much depth. But that’s ok for me. I just like to jump in and have some mindless fun. And Flash games do that for me.

TechCult put together a list of the 150 Best Flash Games currently available. Lots of new gems on that list that I hadn’t seen before.

What do you think of their list? Are there some great games they left out?

Roku is a set-top box that plays Netflix movies. The box itself costs about $100. It enables you to watch unlimited “instant” movies via the Netflix service for less than $10 per month. Unfortunately, the movie selection available for “instant” viewing over the Internet leaves something to be desired.

If it weren’t for XBox 360 relationship with Netflix, the sheer quality of this product would bring me to predict marketshare dominance for Roku. However, that remains to be seen, given the current market penetration that XBox 360 has.

Getting Roku setup was a breeze. It took me all of 3 minutes (including the unboxing!). The user menus feel intuitive and tight. Using Roku reminded me of using the Nintendo Wii – family friendly. To watch movies you just add movies to your “Instant” queue in Netflix and these movies automatically appear on your Roku system.

After getting the Roku setup, I watched about 10 minutes from a few different movies. The picture quality is basically like watching a DVD. It’s alright, but on an HDTV you wish it was a little better. Given that this is a first generation product, that’s not bad though. The biggest frustration was the load time which was sometimes up to 30 seconds.

While the movie selection isn’t great, there are some good movies available on Netflix for instant viewing on the Roku box. There are thousands of movies to download but most of them are older movies. There are some recent releases, and some that are excellent. But, for the most part, the movies you really want to see just aren’t available for viewing using Roku and Netflix.

At the end of the day, I see Roku as proof of concept for the mechanism of subsription based online video distribution. Up until now, our only choices have been to pay per movie or to sacrifice quality and download movies for free (often illegally). Roku shows us the promise of IP based movie watching on our HDTVs … and that’s exciting!

Ryan blogs his thoughts on pop-culture at Thrive and is a co-founder of CC Matcher.

I came across this list of free and open source software for college students and was surprised to find some gems I hadn’t known of before. Here are my 3 favorites:

1. GIMP

GIMP is an open source photo and image editing software that runs on Windows, Linux and Mac. GIMP is fun to use and has lots of online community support.

2. Pidgin or Adium

Pidgin runs on Windows and Linux. Adium runs on Mac OS X. They are both lightweight pieces of software that can consolidate all of your various Instant Messenger accounts. No need to have 3 or 4 different pieces of software running at once.

3. VLC

Just as Pidgin consolidates IM accounts, VLC is a single piece of open source software that can play almost any video format you ask it to play. No more “video format not supported” errors.

Source: College Crunch