close encounter

Just like in the movies, they attack when you least expect it. It had been months since we'd encountered any spherical alien vehicles, but they're back--disguised a harmless air filter.

The "Antibac2K" claims to be a lightweight air-cleaning device that eliminates 99.99 percent of bacteria and other contaminants. That's a whole 0.02 percentage points more than other air filters, and we germaphobes all know how important that difference is.

But benefits aside, this circular menace is betrayed by its LEDs, which we all know the classic alien calling cards. We hope only that … Read more

While so many other computer companies are trying to hide their CPUs, a handful of brave mavericks are actually trying to draw more attention to them. But that doesn't mean they're building the standard and deadly boring old gray boxes.

Directron, for example, is selling one that looks more like a rubber ball than a PC--hence its name, the "Ball PC System." Not much is offered in the way of specs, pricing or availability, but SCI FI Tech says the shiny sphere splits open, spaceship-style, to reveal a 40GB hard drive between its hemispheres.

That means … Read more