Aw, he's smiling at me! (Or is that a scowl?)

This one made me laugh, although it's a little creepy (ala Stephen King's "Christine"): Apparently, vehicles like this Honda ASV-3 get into fewer accidents. Researchers have found that when people see humanlike characteristics, they notice a vehicle more quickly, which I guess prevents them from flinging themselves into the vehicle's path. Read more about this weirdness at TechnoRide.com.

No one ever said that being lost can't be entertaining at the same time. Since I wasn't at the CES, I didn't get to witness this unique device.

Alpine Electronics' 16-channel Blackbird PMD-B100 GPS weighs 8 oz and comes with a 3.6-inch LCD, built-in antenna, 6 million pre-loaded U.S. & Canadian maps, a stereo headphone jack, and mounting cradle.

The coolest thing about the Blackbird is that while you're looking up directions, you can listen to music, either through its FM modulator or your downloaded MP3s and WMAs.

It won't be available until February for $750, but in the meantime, you can look up authorized Alpine dealers near you.

For a 3D tour, accessories, and more on the Blackbird PMD-B100, check out www.blackbirdnav.com.

[Found via MobileWhack]

Researchers at Wako Research Center and Honda found that vehicles with humanlike forms may be noticed more often and more quickly by motorists and pedestrians. In effect, the human brain (normally unused by most American motorists except when selecting a radio preset or flipping off a fellow driver in New Jersey) lights up in a hurry when it perceives something akin to a human face.

A Honda experimental motorcycle, the ASV-3 has a fairing that looks almost like a cartoon character. You can definitely make out eyes, nose, and mouth; the chromed struts add legs to the figure. Seven powerful white LEDs on the upper edges of the fairing (look to the right of the ASV-3 decal) give the bike more presence and help others judge distance.

Do you suffer from Paraskevidekatriaphobia (the fear of Friday the 13th)? If so, you're probably not even reading this; you're curled up in your warm bed with the shades drawn, refusing to go to work, eat out, even do the laundry. How many Americans actually suffer from this condition?

According to About.com, a psychotherapist named Dr. Donald Dossey concludes that the figure is as high as 21 million. That means eight percent of Americans believe that Friday the 13th is a bad, unlucky day.

I don't really believe in the whole superstitution, although one of my colleagues scraped her car today on a utility pole after a woman pulls out in front of her. Nonetheless, anything could happen, not just on this particular day.

Ever imagine what could happen? Lance Ulanoff, PC Magazine Editor of Reviews, dug real deep into his subconscious, imagining what the year 2006 could bring. For instance, Bill Gates gets his own reality show. Let's just hope he knows that Chicken of the Sea is tuna. Howard Stern could get the boot from Sirius, not because he's vulgar at times and crosses the line, but because Sirius can't afford their $500 million contract with him. And what about those eight holiday shoppers in Best Buy and Circuit City bawling like babies because they can't figure out which version of HD tech to go with--1080i, 1080p, CRT, LCD...it's too much for them to handle.

You gotta read his 2006 Year in Preview. It's just too funny...and scary!

Happy Friday the 13th!

In a story up now on PC Magazine, Oliver Kaven reports on the latest controversy about data collection. By using a packet analyzer, he found that the newest version of iTunes, v6.0.2, is indeed sending information about you back to the company. Apple claims that none of this information is kept and that it is just used to automatically send you targeted advertisements and discarded. Still, for the thousands of newbies that just bough (or were given) iPods this holiday season, this is distressing news.

Oliver wasn't able to suss out what information is being sent because it is encrypted. Whatever it is, the industry would be well-served by creating some common standards for personal information sharing. And making those standards public enough so that users didn't have to find out from bloggers that their song preferences are being beamed over the Net. A clear, click-though disclaimer in something other than 3-point type would have avoided this mess.