Customer service representatives at a number of airports across the states are being replaced by avatars that provide travellers with basic information while smiling manically.

Who wants to hire someone who might get sick, express their opinions or have feelings? That kind of rubbish could cause all sorts of problems, so let's take tips from James Cameron and create an avatar to work for us instead. YEAH. Well that seems to be the thinking behind the new airport avatars that are being installed at LaGuardia, JFK and Liberty Newark airports in early July.

More than 70 life-sized flat screens in the shape of a smily and crazy-looking woman will provide passengers with flight information, tips about services and pick-ups, which will begin when someone approaches. Unfortunately the avatars won't be able to interact with people just yet, which maybe renders them a little useless for now, but we're interested in seeing what the next iteration of the devices can do.

This all sounds like a step forward in the world of customer service, right? If avatars can dispense standard bits of information, then maybe real people (the kind made of flesh and blood and muscles and things, remember?) can deal with more complicated problems. But the thing that worries us a little is what the new avatar says when you first meet her. We'll let her do the talking:

"I am the latest and greatest in next generation public guidance and advertising!

"I never take a break, don't charge overtime, hardly ever take sick leave, and I don't need a background check!

"I'm so versatile, I could be used for just about anything!

"I can say what you want, dress the way you want, and be just about anything you want me to be!"

We know what you're thinking you bad, bad people. But, she's REALLY just designed to tell you about flights and stuff and not become someone's filthy sex avatar. Not yet anyway...

But other than the fact she has no self respect, we don't really understand why she has to exist in the first place. Do people really feel more comfortable talking to a creepy fake woman than say interacting with screens crammed with tonnes of information?

[Via Jezebel via WNYC]

A new social networking site has been launched to ensure your furry friends have innocent play dates or serious mating activity with the right partner. We genuinely couldn't make this up.

New to the realm of "WTF WHY DOES THIS ACTUALLY EXIST?!" comes MatchPuppy, which is essentially a New York-based online dating site for your dog.

You start by signing your dog up to the site and creating a profile, including information about what kind of match you're looking for, where you like to walk and of course a super flattering avatar with a filter over the top of it.

Just like regular human online dating you can specify whether you're looking for a loving relationship, or in this case a walkies buddy, or someone just to have a bit of fun with, or in this case another dog to breed with. How. Romantic.

Despite the fact we think it's a bit of a crazy idea, we do like the fact MatchPuppy is being turned into a mobile app soon (obsessed dog owners have iPhones too you know) and it has a parks feature too, which connects you to other walkies regulars.

We can see this working if you're the type of person who dresses your pets up in coats and little booties, or if you've exhausted online dating yourself and you're willing to settle for someone who has a cute dog.

[Via Mashable]

A recent study looked into how well we'd cope without internet access and the results are rather worrying (yet totally unsurprising) with more than 27% saying they'd rather have no water. Well, it's not like we really NEED water is it.

STOP. Imagine a world without the internet. Yeah, we know you're shuddering right now. How would you know how to get to your house from the tube? How would you know who your ex is planning to date next week? How would you know what Kim Kardashian had for dinner? It just doesn't bear thinking about does it.

Well, new research from Infosecurity Europe proves that we'd rather trade basic human needs in exchange for a quick peek at Twitter and Perez Hilton. More than 27% of people admitted they'd be more distressed by not having internet at home than a lack of heating and water. Wow, talk about first world problems.

72% of those polled admitted that they wouldn't be able to copy for more than a few days with internet access at their homes and a shocking 17% said they wouldn't cope at all. We're not entirely sure what that means, but we know it's very VERY disturbing.

When asked what people would do to combat their lack of internet 17% said they'd stay at work and a third said they'd go sit in a coffee shop, just to get their hit of Facebook crack.

We're scared by these stats. We really are. But hell, we'd happily give up part of an arm or an insignificant relative if we were guaranteed to ALWAYS have uninterrupted internet access, so we're not ones to judge.

Infosecurity Europe commissioned a street survey of 1,000 people conducted in London 26-30 March 2012.

[Image via bbaunach]

Not content with having all of the Apple products, Apple hair cuts and Apple tattoos (YES REALLY), Apple fan boys and girls all over the globe can now smell like Apple products. But not just any old Apple products, those that have just been birthed into the world from their boxes. Ahh, we wish we were kidding.

As if the world's obsession with Apple wasn't creepy and disturbing enough already, it seems devoted fans may soon be able to get their hands on an elusive scent specially designed to mimic that magical moment when you open the box to see your new gadget smiling up at you.

Now luckily a big fan with too much time and money on their hands hasn't decided to make the scent, but fragrance marketing agency Air Aroma was given the challenge by art group Greatest Hits for some kind of odd exhibition they're holding soon. Oh you crazy art world you.

According to Creativity Online, the scent is layered, meaning you'll be able to identify the distinctive top notes of plastic wrapping and cardboard, along with the fresh, subtle hints of paper. Then, the sensual climax, the aluminium and plastic fusion of the gadget underneath. Hot.

We hope the scent is just sprayed onto pretentious arty types at the Greatest Hits exhibition and doesn't start being stocked at your local Apple store. Although we really wouldn't be so surprised if it was...

[Via Creativity Online]

Noel Edmonds met the online troll who wanted him dead and afterwards, like some kind of prophet for the digital age, urged the nation to take more responsibility for what they say and do online.

If you found out you had an angry little online troll who'd set up a group about killing you what would you do? Rant about them to everyone you see? Contact the police? Become crazy and start hurling abuse right back at them under a pseudonym? Well they'd all be normal, human responses but all round nice guy and Deal or no Deal presenter Noel Edmonds put the world to shame by just meeting up with his very own troll for a little chat. We're not sure whether this gives us faith in humanity again or it's just far too sickly sweet and proves that Noel is in fact some softly spoken alien here to brainwash us all with his cosmic ordering malarky.

In a video over on iwannameet.com, Noel Edmonds admitted that he knows very little about social media, but pays a company to monitor all mentions of him online to weed out weird stuff, like crazy impostors or death threats. The company found a Facebook page called 'Somebody please kill Noel Edmonds' (no laughing there in the back) and told him to alert the police about the matter. Of course that's hardly necessary given how many trolls are out there right now aggressively typing awful things about EVERY celebrity to have ever graced our screens, but for someone who knows very little about the ins and outs of interweb crazy it's no surprise Edmonds was worried.

However, instead of go to the police he met up with the troll after his monitoring company tracked him down. He turned out to be a student who was super apologetic and seemed genuinely worried about his consequences when he spoke with Edmonds. HA, no deal angry troll (SORRY).

But the most fascinating thing to come out of the meeting was Edmonds' wise words about online responsibility. Here's an excerpt from the video on iwannameet.com:

"It taught me so much about social media. And it proved to me that this is an incredible communications weapon, but like all weapons it can be used for bad as well as good. And what we've got to encourage people that use social media to do, is act with more responsibility. Because if people are not more responsible you know what's gonna happen. The state, those politicians are going to take that huge freedom away. They'll try and control it in the way they control so many things and THAT I believe would be an absolute disaster for society and would have massive ramifications for all of us in the future. So responsible use of social media is absolutely vital to life in Britain."

Now I think we can learn a lot from Edmonds right here. Firstly, DO NOT FEED THE TROLL, if someone is angry and saying a lot of hurtful stuff maybe it IS better to just chat with them about it or outright ignore them. Sure it may not seem as fulfilling as signing them up to a load of porn spam or setting up a hate blog, but it'll work wonders for your karma.

Secondly, Edmonds is right when it comes to online responsibility, people need to be aware of what they're saying and what consequences that TOTES HILARE Facebook page will have in a few weeks. We just wish we could have seen the troll's face when he realised he'd been tracked down.

[Via The Guardian Image via Press Association]

UPDATE: So it IS an April fools day joke. Or just a random hoax, no one's quite sure.

When we read on Gizmodo this morning that Kanye West was setting up his own tech company we were excited.. Really excited. This is it, the first step in Kanye taking over the world. Next there'll be Kanye snacks, Kanye clothing, Kanye housing. Our imaginations are running wild. The sensible ones in the office told us (ok me) to hold our horses. Could this be a prank for April fools day they said. No I said. This is it. This is the beginning. First whodat.biz, next the globe. Scrap that. The universe.

Luckily i wrote that it could well be a prank (see, in the final paragraph) and a number of sources have revealed that yes, it was all one big joke. We're sorry for falling for it. But admit it, you did too. However, rather than being embarrassed, we're actually just really disappointed. Come on Kanye, you owe us a tech startup and you owe us it NOW.

[Via The Huffington Post]

Although Watch The Throne is one of Shiny Shiny's all time favourite albums, we haven't been sure what to make of Kanye West since he replaced his teeth with ACTUAL METAL and then began the most insane Twitter tirade in which he shared his arrogant (yet kinda creative) views about tech, architecture, design, education. Oh let's just elect him as KING OF THE WORLD and be done with it already.

Well now according to Gizmodo, details of his first venture since he set up his start-up Donda Media have been revealed.

Drum roll please... It's called WhoDat.biz (of course it is) and the tagline is "the Facebook of websites", which is so fabulously cryptic. It basically tells you who owns websites, which we're pretty sure a LOT of other companies do already. But, we're hoping Kanye has something pretty special up his sleeve with this one and doesn't think he's come up with the idea himself.

Here's Kanye's explanation, which is of course IN ALL CAPS:

"EVER WONDER WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE ABLE TO FIND OUT WHO'S BEHIND YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES? WHODAT DOES JUST THAT. SIMPLY ENTER THE WEB ADDRESS OF A WEBSITE IN THE BIG-BAR-BELOW AND DISCOVER THE CREW BEHIND ANY WEBSITE ON EARTH."

At first we thought this might be some kind of April Fools' Day joke, but we're now convinced that it's such a strange move it could have only come from the mind of Kanye West.

[Via Gizmodo Image via Socialisbetter]

A recent study has found that we're all a little bit too obsessed with owning the newest tech products, so much so that we'd even be willing to pay extra to get our hands on the latest gadgets before anyone else in the office. What a smug bunch we all are.

As well as teaching us that the new Retina Display screen is better than our actual eyes, the recent third generation iPad launch has proved that we're all a little bit obsessed with getting our hands on the latest tech before everyone else we know.

A new study from MyVoucherCodes.co.uk has even found that 52% of us would be willing to part with a few more pennies to be the first with the latest tech and new gaming releases sooner than the planned release date.

The study into our tech purchasing behaviour initially asked respondents if a new game, gadget or DVD was released, would they be more likely to purchase the new release online or in store. 54% admitted that they purchased new releases on the high street ASAP, so they could get their hands on the newest releases straight away.

Those polled were then asked if they'd be willing to pay more to get the gadgets sooner, as a kind of VIP purchase, and 52% said they'd jump at the chance, with most admitting they'd pay at least £10 more to be the first on the tube with the latest iPad in their hands.

So are we just becoming even more passionate about the latest tech or are we a nation of show-offs?

1,744 UK adults were polled as part of the poll by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk.

PhotoGee from Kobi Ka on Vimeo.

There's nothing quite like opening an email on a Monday morning to be greeted by the line, "I thought you may be interested in my new project. It's a doll that poops photos". Yes, really.

But fortunately (or maybe unfortunately) it's no joke. The new toy/printer/freaky gadget called the PhotoGee is a quirky doll with a weird face that will 'produce' your photos instantly from its tiny little body. It's a bit gross, funny and ideal for kids.

You can pair PhotoGee up with most smart phones that are Bluetooth-enabled, so you're able to print your photos out instantly, then they're either tiny little keepsakes or stickers.

Of course PhotoGee is essentially just an odd doll with a Polaroid Pogo printer stitched into its tummy, but where's the fun in using a regular printer?!

The PhotoGee was dreamt up by artist and doll-maker Grace Shortlidge who came up with the idea at the last Burning Man festival and makes all of the dolls herself by hand.

You must check out the Photogee video above, which starts of as a fairly normal demonstration, then a guy with a husky voice kicks in singing 'Oh Photogee, oh Photogee'. Priceless.

PhotoGee is currently a project listed on indiegogo looking for funding and for $30 you can get your hands on a doll yourself.

It may be the stuff of dreams, but an LA-based bakery has ACTUALLY created a cupcake vending machine in real life...

They may not be very fashionable anymore (we're trying to act like we care), they may be super girly and sickly pink, but wow do we love cupcakes. It could be down to the creamy frosting, the cute colours, or the fact that if you put in some effort you can get the whole thing in your mouth at once.

Well cupcake lovers your dream machine is here, an LA-based bakery (called Sprinkles, obviously) has opened the world's first cupcake ATM. It's pink, it's cheesy, it doesn't boast particularly advanced tech (kinda just a regular vending machine), but wow do we want to try it out for ourselves.

[Via LikeCool]

Japanese scientists have created a new device designed to silence annoying people who talk too loudly and too often in public places.

I'm sure most of us have been at a coffee shop, bookstore or restaurant when someone with very little social awareness walks in and starts talking very loudly about all kinds of personal rubbish.

Well now a new gadget from scientists in Japan called the SpeechJammer could shut them up for good. The device works on the premise that it's impossible for anyone to continue speaking when their own voice is played back to them right away.

Of course this does mean we'd have to hear their stupid words twice, but if it means they're a bit embarrassed and quiet straight after, then we're not complaining.

The SpeechJammer consists of a microphone attached to a speaker, which records people's voices. The sounds are then transferred to a speaker, which replays everything about 0.2 seconds later right back at them.

According to The Telegraph, the microphone and speaker are very sensitive to the direction noises are coming from, so can direct audio at people "like a gun". Lovely.

Of course the device was designed to facilitate discussion in meetings and teach people more about turn taking as well, but we like the fact it'll stop shouty, obnoxious people from telling strangers in the room far too much about their health problems and sex lives.

[Via The Telegraph]

It seems that none of us have learned from the recent spate of celebrity photo scandals, as according to a recent study more than a quarter of Brits have sex photos on their mobile phones right now, and that's just the ones who are willing to admit it. Maybe we're not such an uptight and prudish nation after all...

The study, carried out by GoodMobilePhones.co.uk, found that 26% of the 1,976 respondents with a camera phone have taken a sex photo or video of themselves and sent it onto someone else. We're not entirely sure what constitutes a sex photo or video by the way, but imagine it's anything that would need a NSFW warning on Twitter.

It may seem pretty innocent and normal (don't judge us) to send a naughty snap to someone you're seeing, but BEWARE, more than 34% of those who admitted to receiving any kind of sex photo or video also said they shared it with their friends shortly after. Awh how charming.

The findings started to get a little weird after that, when 12% of those with a photo in their possession admitted it was of an ex, despite the fact 53% of those were seeing someone new. Ew.

The lesson here is to think before you start posing à la Miss Johansson. If you wouldn't be happy with the thought of your boyfriend's (or girlfriend's) mates seeing you naked, then you probably shouldn't send it, or at least make sure you look really damn good in it.

Alternatively you could try an app like Picaboo, which flashes photos up on mobile phone screens for a matter of seconds, that why you're sending it without the worry of everyone in the pub laughing at your sexy posing face.

We've come across our fair share of weird beauty gadgets here at Shiny Shiny, but this one has to be the strangest (and most useless) we've seen for some time. We genuinely couldn't care less if it works, because it makes the person wearing it look ridiculous, and... someone's gotta say it... it looks far too much like a crazy sex toy.

The Face Slimmer Mouth Exercise Mouthpiece is a new Japanese beauty gadget, designed to tighten and firm your face muscles. It promises great results if you use it for around three minutes a day while making a series of expressions and saying vowel sounds out loud.

Granted the idea behind this crazy contraption makes sense, by working out the muscles in your face with that kind of resistance in your mouth would (we presume) tighten everything up a little over time. Whether that tightening is noticeable and worth looking like some kinda caricature for, we're not quite sure...

If you're still convinced this is the magic answer to younger looking skin (it's probably not) then you can get your hands on one from the Japan Trend Shop for $84. Just don't leave it hanging around the house, even the most innocent minds are bound to get the wrong idea about your new "beauty gadget"...

[Via Chip Chick]

We've heard of creepy 'porn detection' software and devices before, but now a new gadget called the Porn Stick Detection Pro will snoop around in the dark depths of your computer and uncover any kinds of pornographic images or videos that it deems to be a little too inappropriate.

It may look like a regular flash drive (aside from the fact it's got 'porn' written on it in caps of course), but it uses advanced software and algorithms to work out what's a bit too adult and what isn't. Whether it actually works is another question, but according to its manufacturers it will be able to thoroughly look through all kinds of video files, like MOV,MP4, MPEG1 - MPEG4, DV, Ogg, Real, ASF, AVI, SWF, FLV and pretty much every image file you could imagine. It'll look everywhere too, it can search all your different drives, the browser cache and deleted folders.

What worries is us why people are using it, as the website stresses that it "works covertly". Some of the top ways it's suggested that people can put the gadget to good use are to monitor what their family are doing online, find out if their other half has a porn addiction (what a trusting and mature way to go about it), check that their employees aren't doing anything naughty in company time, or just find out if they've accidentally (yeah, right) downloaded anything dodgy in the past. Oh, and one funny commenter suggested he could use it to find all of his porn and put it in one safe place. Ahh, there's always one.

Whether it works in practice and weeds out everything pornographic on a computer remains to be seen, but is it good this gadget exists so parents can keep an eye on what their kids are looking at? Or is it a creepy spying device that's all a little too Ninteen Eighty-Four for your liking?

If you're less freaked out and more excited at the thought of playing a fake detective, then you can get hold of a Porn Stick Detection Pro from Gadgets and Gear for $99.

[Via Chip Chick]

Over Christmas more than 1.33 million Brits received a shiny new Kindle. However, it seems that just over a month later many of us have discarded our fancy eReaders like a sad, abandoned puppy we can't be bothered with anymore. Awh.

According to a study carried out by leading discount website MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, 48% of respondents revealed they'd received a Christmas gift that they haven't used since opening it up on Christmas day. From those, a huge 22% admitted to having not used the Amazon Kindle they received for Christmas from a loved one Strangely, of those that admitted to not playing around with their Kindle yet, 52% simply said it's because they hadn't downloaded any books to read on it yet. How. Lazy.

In future guys, remember a Kindle is for at least a few years, not just for Christmas.

The study polled 1,461 Britons and took place in January 2012.

Yes it's a total cliche to feel a bit blue in January, but what can we say, it's hit us hard. Whether it's the gloomy weather here in London, the post-CES comedown or the agressive commuters that elbow-barge us into oncoming traffic, we're all a bit down and need some picking up.

So here are some of our favourite gadgets, accessories and neat little tech tips that should (hopefully) lift your mood just a little because they're colourful, practical or just plain silly.

A group of inventive German engineers has created a 'dynamic luminous ceiling', which basically means they've brought the illusion of being outside inside.

The team, based in Stutgartt, Germany, believes that if your brain thinks it's outside under the clouds it'll be much easier to focus and work away in a happy, serene office rather than getting panicked and flustered every time the phone rings.

The ceiling may look like a child's bedroom wall, but it isn't just big fluffy clouds painted onto some tiles, the clever technology enables the light levels to change and mimic how the sun would shine through clouds on a typical day (not a typical day in the UK obviously, then there'd need to be a sprinkler system fitted).

The ceiling is made up of lots and lots of tiny tiles and each has 288 LEDs inside it in different colours to create more than 16 million hues, which again are all designed to mimic the subtle changes in daylight.

Dr. Matthias Bues, head of the team developing the crazy ceiling, said:

"The LEDs allow us to simulate these dynamic changes in lighting in a way that is not directly obvious to the naked eye. Otherwise the lighting might distract people from their work. But it does need to fluctuate enough to promote concentration and heighten alertness."

The idea may seem a little strange and like working in a Dali painting, but according to recent studies, many participants admitted feeling much more productive when they're sitting under the (fake) clouds as apposed to sitting in a regular dull office.

The virtual sky will be exhibited at the CeBIT trade fair in Hannover later this year.

[Via io9 Image via Fraunhofer]

Embarrassing stories from the likes of Christiano Ronaldo, Scarlett Johansson and Vernon Kay prove that dirty images, sexts and general smuttyness on your mobile phone is always a little bit dangerous. But soon any kinds of remotely naughty words (and plenty that aren't) are going to be banned in Pakistan.

According to PCMag, more than 1,600 dirty words and phrases are soon to be completely banned from text messages by The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). Carriers in the country have been given a long list of dirty words and phrases (as well as a range of others that are rather puzzling) and have then been told they have a matter of days to make sure they're all blocked or they could face serious legal action.

Words on what is allegedly the list include lots of dirty terms (go have a look and try not to giggle like a 10 year old), as well as some that seem a little silly to ban, like "barf" and "lotion."

On a more serious note, it doesn't set a good example to young teens that the word "condom" is considered a banned word, does it?

An official from one of the carriers in question told the AFP:

"There are more than 1,600 words in the list including indecent language, expletives, swear words, slang etc, which have to be filtered. The filtering is not good for the system and may degrade the quality of network services -- plus it would be a great inconvenience to our subscribers if their SMS was not delivered due to the wrong choice of words,"

Go see what Twitter thinks by searching for the hash tag: #PTABannedList.

[Via Wired Via PCMag Image via Dominic Syka's Flickr]

In recent years the use of various kinds of body scanners and x-ray machines at airports across the globe has caused a great deal of controversy, with many concerned about the health implications and of course even more worried about being seen naked by random airport officials.

According to io9, a recent PBS NewsHour investigation over in the states found that 100 passengers could develop cancer each year due to the high levels of radiation emitted when they have x-ray scans in airport security.

Although those numbers aren't officially confirmed, it's still quite a worrying statistic and unsurprisingly has prompted the EU to address the health implications of security methods within its remit.

In a press release issued earlier this week, the EU announcement makes it clear that each airport can decide which security procedures they follow, but they must adhere to a new set of guidelines:

"It is still for each Member State or airport to decide whether or not to deploy security scanners, but these new rules ensure that where this new technology is used it will be covered by EU wide standards on detection capability as well as strict safeguards to protect health and fundamental rights. Experience to date shows that passengers and staff generally see security scanners as a convenient method of screening."

[Via io9 Image via francoiscuccu's Flickr]

I'm sure many of us have experienced that heart sinking moment when the mobile phone which cost us as much as our monthly rent drops into a toilet/sink/river. Of course even if you do manage to retrieve it, chances are it's damaged beyond repair after its little swim (although the rice trick is meant to be very effective).

A new study from mobile comparison website GoodMobilePhones has found that these kinds of accidents happen far too frequently, with more than 31% of the 1,937 questioned revealing they've had a water-related incident with their phone in the past.

Interestingly (and pretty unsurprisingly in my opinion) men are the worst for hurling their phones into puddles and sinks, making up 73% of all reported water damage incidents.

However, what we find most worrying is a huge 47% of all the water mishaps are from people dropping their phones in toilets. Now this does make us wonder whether these slip ups are due to simple clumsiness or a few too many drinks... We just hope that the toilets in question were nice and clean, we'd hate to think you'd have to embark on some kind of Transpotting-esque retrieval mission. Eugh.

Oh and the 3% who reported leaving their phones in clothes which were then put into the washing machine should be ashamed of themselves. Come on people of the UK, let's start treating our mobile friends with a little more love and respect in future.

[Image via jurvetson]

There's no denying that online shopping has come a long way, giving customers even more choice and information about the products they're buying than ever before. For instance, ASOS was one of the first big online retailers to feature a catwalk option, giving shoppers a sneak peek at what clothes look like on a walking model and now there are all kinds of services to make sure clothes are likely to fit when you finally get your hands on them, like online fitting room fits.me.

However, there are just as many interesting developments and technological advances when it comes to in-store shopping too, so we've picked a few of our favourite interesting in-store shopping ideas to take a closer look at.