PetSugar

What's Your Take: Korea Clones Glow-in-the-Dark Doggies?

PetSugar — Fri, 01 May 2009 09:00:46 -0700

It seems that Korea just can't get enough of cloning, and this time it includes sea anemones and beagles. What does one have to do with the other, you ask? Normally nothing, but recently scientists have incorporated a glowing protein into a set of cloned beagles that makes them glow under infrared light. Not only does it make for an interesting (albeit creepy-looking) combo, but it also proves that you can insert specific genes into an animal, even if it's not from their own species.

This video I caught on AP, shows why the scientists engineered the beagles with the protein in the first place. Check it out, then tell me if you think this advancement is for the best . . . or for the worst.

The Scoop: First Cloned Pet Dogs Make Their Debut in Korea!

PetSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:40:37 -0700

Even if you're not totally on board with the pet cloning idea, you'd have to have a cold, cold heart not to at least melt at these pictures. I mean, baby puppies of any sort are awwww-worthy in my book.This is Bernann McKinney from Hollywood, California holding up a clone of her late pitbull terrier, Booger, at the Seoul National University animal hospital in Korea on August 5. Five clones were created by South Korean scientists in the world's first commercial cloning of a pet dog . . . and the price of her love was nearly $50,000. She looks super happy with her new babe – they kinda look like twinsies– so I bet it's all worth it in her (check) book.

See more pics of the pups when you read more.

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Source

Closer Look: Fake Korean Shuffle Returns

GeekSugar — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:00:14 -0700

When I first shared a sneak peek at this faux shuffle that a friend of mine found in Korea most of you were mesmerized by its octagonal navigation and suspiciously familiar body shape and color. Some of you even wondered if the packaging for the fake shuffle was anything like the real Apple packaging. I was able to get my mittens on some additional pictures and the verdict is in: The creators of this noteworthy knock off may have focused on making the iClip.Se MP3 look just like the shuffle, but they went for more modern, iPhone-inspired packaging. (Note the plain black cardboard and the sleek plastic case.) Is it just me, or is this thing more entertaining the second time around?

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Photos courtesy of chuger

Would You Order Food Via RFID?

GeekSugar — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 16:00:41 -0700

We've all agreed that the idea of organizing your wine rack with RFID technology, an automatic identification method that relies on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders, is completely geek chic. We've also agreed that the prospect of H&M allowing shoppers to purchase items via a Semacode bar that is read by a cell phone may revolutionize shopping, but is the notion of ordering food via RFID as intriguing?

This week The Korea Times reported that McDonald's and SK Telecom have unveiled a new ordering system that will allow customers to use mobile phones and infra-red sensors to make orders from their table. The system will send customers a phone message when their meal is ready. Apparently, the "Touch Order" menu is the first in the world to utilize the radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology in a self-ordering system at a restaurant. Do you think you would use this service?

Source: Korea Times

Korean Knock Off Shuffle Goes Octagonal On Us

GeekSugar — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 03:00:13 -0700

Remember Molly's Dispatches From The Future (i.e. awesome diary from her trip to Hong Kong)? Well, consider this a Back 2 The Future part two moment. A friend of mine is in Korea for work and managed to snap us a picture of this fantastic faux iPod shuffle, which provides us a tiny window into the Korean iPod Black market. Oh. I love it so. It doesn't look as authentic as the ones Cult of Mac's Pete found in San Francisco's Chinatown, but its octagonal navigational bar gives it a fun twist and a fair chance should a copyright lawsuit ever come up. ("No, your honor, it was inspired by the Apple shuffle, but it's completely different, see the octagon? It looks nothing like the Apple wheel!") No word on whether it comes in light green or purple. I've spent the last five minutes trying to make out the other MP3 player copy cats in the background. Yeah, I'm just geeky like that.

Thanks, Chuger!

David Beckham Takes Off His Shirt For The RAZR2

GeekSugar — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:50:06 -0700

We've all seen David Beckham's new sharp Motorola RAZR2 ads, which feature Becks showing off his RAZR2 in a chic suit, but who really wants Becks or his phone when his shirt is on? Motorola's Korean site has released some saucy pics of our favorite celebrity gadget endorser showing off his new phone in all his shirtless, tattooed glory. They've also created a fun "Becoming Becks" flash feature that I can't understand, but I can totally appreciate. Did I mention the RAZR2 is now available in the US? I may have been overwhelmed by his beauty.

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Source

South Korea Plans To Build 'Robot Land'

GeekSugar — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 03:00:00 -0700

When it comes to real robot love and adoration the US is light years behind other nations. Sure, we're down with dancing robots and fancy robot parking garages, but we don't seem to be as obsessed as other nations.

Case in point: Word is South Korea is investing in a huge industrial park dedicated to robotics. Construction of the industrial city, aptly named 'Robot Land,' will begin in 2009 and cost more than $500 million. Unlike our geek Mecca Lego Land, which is purely an amusement park, Robot Land will house research centers, manufacturing sites and exhibition spaces for robot competitions. The location will be announced later this year.

(Photo from this year's Maker Faire in California.)

Welcome to 2007, Where's Your Robot?

GeekSugar — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 12:44:14 -0800

After months of playing coy with the press, EveR-2 Muse, the world's first entertainer-robot, has finally shown her many, creepy faces. Designed by KITEC (Korea Institute of Industrial Technology), EveR-2 Muse was first introduced to the world last October at the Robot World 2006 at COEX in Seoul, and is apparently quite the singer.

According to the Korea Times, EveR2-Muse has the "appearance of a typical Korean woman in her 20s, can talk and sing, thanks to an embedded dialogue engine." She sang the new Korean ballad "I Will Close My Eyes For You" during the opening ceremony of the robot festival. For more about EveR2-Muse - and a full body shot, just read more

Korea Times says: EveR2-Muse, which received enthusiastic applause, will see her singing career flourish; she is scheduled to appear on television and star in music videos.

The robot has motor functions, enabling her to walk, stand up and sit down. Her predecessor, EveR-1, was stationary and couldn’t move. Also, EveR-2 is larger than EveR-1 - 165 centimeters and 60 kilograms versus 160 centimeters and 55 kilograms.

You all know I love a geeky girl, but this may be too much!

Oh Snap! South Korea Is Ready to Kick North Korea's Butt

TresSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 13:00:15 -0700

With North Korea getting all the attention these days, let's turn our eyes to South Korea. The country's "special warfare" command soldiers took part in a sea-infiltration drill today. The military is preparing against possible threats from communist North Korea - the neighbors have technically been at war since the 1950s.

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Dick Morris: Clinton's Deed Comes at Too High a Cost

TresSugar — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 11:30:57 -0700

Now that Bill Clinton has helped bring journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling home safely from North Korea, prominent politicos are speaking out against the way the release was handled. Appearing on Fox News today, former Clinton adviser Dick Morris argued that negotiating with North Korea gives the rogue state "an opportunity to rehabilitate its image globally simply to get two reporters out of jail."

Former UN ambassador John Bolton makes a similar argument that the trip is a "propaganda victory for North Korea," claiming that involving dignitaries like Clinton could create more danger to Americans in the future.

So what should we do with the journalists, just leave them there? Pretty much, says Morris: "What were they doing in North Korea in the first place?" Well, here's what I think.