Do you find sometimes that you just need a hug? What if no one's around to reciprocate though? Apparently, Singapore scientists are searching for ways to transmit the sense of touch over the Internet. Among those ideas are using a vibration jacket for chickens and electronic children's pajamas.

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) explained, "A wireless jacket for chickens or other pets can be controlled with a computer and gives the animal the feeling of being touched by its owner...The next step would be to use the same concept to transmit hugs over the Internet."

The children's pajama suit would use the Internet to adjust changes in pressure and temperature to simulate the feeling of being hugged while parents wearing a similar suit could be hugged back. This idea could revolutionize the Internet. Maybe people won't get lonely anymore when they're away from family and significant others?

I first heard of something similar to this when a Japanese phone company, NTT, announced that it was developing a technology that would let you smell fragrance before you buy it over the Internet.

[Found via Yahoo! News]

There was a time when I used a lot of wireless minutes every month. Recently, I've been using a lot less. So, the obvious thing to do is stop paying for minutes I don't use. The problem with this is that when a cell company changes your plan, they try to obligate you to a contract--even if you've already been their customer for many years.

This is robbery, pure and simple. I understand--but don't like--that to subsidize hardware costs cellular companies in the US obligate new customers to a contract, typically two years. But, if you aren't getting subsidized hardware, why should they be allowed to require a new contract just to change your plan?

This should be illegal, but since the FCC is the lapdog of the industries it's supposed to regulate, they are able to get away with this. The answer? Don't let them!

Here's what happened: 

I called Sprint, spoke to some nice Indian guy who said he was in Charlotte, NC, and told him I wanted to lower my monthly bill.

He first tried to sell me a two-year contract. Then a one-year contact.

"You need to understand that the way this is headed you'll be lucky if I remain your customer," I told him.

Guess what? The "deal" I'd been offered on a one-year contract became available with no contract obligation. Will wonders never cease? My bill is now half what it used to be, still leaving me with more minutes than I am likely to use.

The moral of this story is that, yes, you can get a reasonable deal from your cellular company, provided you make very clear that if they don't do what you want you're more than happy to change carriers. Which I may still do, anyway, if I can find a much better deal that includes a new phone at a good price.

While the Friday after Thanksgiving, called "Black Friday," is the "official" start of the holiday shopping season in retail stores, the real online action waits until the following Monday, according to comScore, quoted in this Reuters report. Why is this? Because many people, who presumably don't have broadband at home, wait until they return to the high-speed Internet world of work to begin their online shopping. Or maybe it's that they were at the brick-and-mortars on Friday and over the weekend, or perhaps they want to shop on their employers' time, or perhaps...

So far, it seems to be a good year for consumer electronics. Led by the iPod Nano and the Xbox 360, consumer electronics retailers, both online and off, reported brisk business over the weekend. Today may give us a better take on whether the weekend's glad tidings can be sustained. Or maybe the most-wanted items won't be available in sufficient quantity to meet demand. If so, how many buyers will be willing to wait and how many will buy something else instead? How long before Entertainment Tonight starts tracking iPod and Xbox sales the same way they follow movie ticket sales?