Mafia bosses are never on Facebook in the big famous films, and it really seems that they should keep it that way.

A Facebook session went a bit wrong for Mafia hitman Pasquale Manfredi after the Italian police used high tech tools to work out where he was accesssing Facebook from and arrested him.

Manfredi is wanted for the murder of a rival with a bazooka and other high-profile crimes. While he may have avoided more traditional police snares, the high tech electronic surveillance equipment combined with a weakness for social networking, caught him out after a 2 hour session under his Facebook name Georgie.

But Mafia News Today reports that Facebook works in the favour of the Mafia as well - apparently they use it a recruitment tool.

Be careful with friend requests from hairy Italian men called Georgie.

[via mafianewstoday]

I am so sorry to inflict this on everyone before lunch, But the creation of this Mozzerella-based monstrosity must be noted. I'm sure it's an important stage in human evolution or something.

A geeky cook blogger who loves Macs and likes getting creative with uh cheese has carved a recogniseable sculpture of Apple's CEO Steve Jobs in Mozzerella. He suggests you serve it with crackers and fruit - probably accessorising the cheese head with a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles.

His blog post contains an entire How-To. Please don't is my only I think it's the beard (flecks of ground pepper) clinging to the puce mottled colour of the skin that I find most repulsive.

Here's a photo from the How-To section. Meanwhile, excuse me while I go off and retch slightly.

[via thecooksden]

So, you want a vase but you just don't want to have it hanging around taking up space when you're not using it - well, how about the flat vase? It's not Waterford Crystal, it's not even glass, it's not something to be very proud of, but it *is* functional.

The Flat Vase from Brando, is flat plastic and fills up when you put water in it. As it swells into 3D, pop some flowers in and it's a vase.

Yes it is like putting your flowers in a turgid plastic bag. What of it.

Flat Vase, $9 from Brando

Okay so this isn't strictly speaking a technology story but it does show brand advertising Going To The Next Level.

An online Bingo company are offering £5000 to a couple in return for sponsoring their wedding. That means the fiancees get to spend the dosh on the reception, wedding gear or a honeymoon, but in return almost everything from the invitations to the bride's dress have to bear OnlineBingoClub.co.uk's logo.

Okay not everything - only the wedding invitations, table settings and menus. The logo on the dress will be stuck on with velcro. Apparently the bride can take it off for personal photos. I don't know if she needs it walking up the aisle or not, but even if she doesn't, this is product placement in the extreme.

"Our logo is really colourful and I think it will stand out well against the backdrop of a traditional white wedding dress." said Online Bing Club's CEO.

You bet it will.

Will other website start-ups do this? Will weddings be sponsored by dating sites? Clothes shops? Niche social networks? Perhaps christenings by nappy companies? Who knows. Would you? take our poll:

To enter the competition brides to be must send in pictures of themselves and their partner, a short biography about their relationship and 100 words on what it would mean to them to become the world's first bingo bride, to BingoBride@OnlineBingoClub.co.uk

For more information please visit www.OnlineBingoClub.co.uk .

Where *is* that pesky dog/lovable pooch/furry soulmate of yours? Well if you had only embedded a GPS tracking device into his collar, you would know exactly. And you could track his progress on your phone as he mooches from one side of the garden to the other side and then runs around in circles for five minutes.

You can now get GPS-enabled dog-collars that connect to your mobile phone. Oh GPS collars are old news but ones that come with compatible apps, now that's a step forward.

GPS dog-collar manufacturer Retrieva and mobile phone sat-nav specialists ViewRanger have unveiled new updates to their dog collar and software combination that allows you to track your dog on your mobile phone. Watch the video above for all the details you could ever want.

The Retrieva Tracking collars, from www.retrievatracking.com: £199.99 and £9.99 per month to cover all network communications.

Yes, if you do coat your TV set in rose gold and embed it with round cut flawless diamonds - it will cost more than average. In fact if you do it through Liverpool jewellers Stuart Hughes it will cost more than any other TV set in the whole world. A round £1.5 million.

Sigh. I don't know what the existence of this TV says about the state of British society, but let us tell you about it anyway. That's what it looks like up there, and this is what Stuart Hughes himself has to say about it:

"Top of the industry technology 55" screen with the most beautiful materials used. The base and outer frame consist of circa 28 kilograms of solid 18ct rose gold, outer frame is adorned with 72 brilliant round cut 1ct IF Flawless diamonds with the remaining area set with Sunstone & Amethyst. The inner screen layer is made up from Alligator skin , all hand sewn."

Yes I think you'll know by now whether you want this or not.

My verdict if you're considering buying this: immediately hand over control of your bank account to a trained accountant. You shouldn't be in control of £1.50 never mind £1.5 million.

PrestigeHD TV SUPREME Rose Edition, £1.5million from www.stuarthughes.com

Err, this isn't exactly a breaking news story, but I came across a photo and post on Flickr recently that shed a little light on the inner workings of the world of tech, and though the gender imbalance in technology may be something chronic, it seems that women who do work there don't do too badly in some respects.

And, yes, I mean in respect to getting free tampons.

Popvulture, a Flickr user and former Microsoft and Yahoo employee posted the picture above, and shared some insights into working life at the tech giants:

After having worked at Microsoft's campus in Mountain View for 2 years followed by the last 3 years spent at Yahoo!'s campus in Sunnyvale," she says. "I've come to the conclusion that while it may not always be easy to be a woman working at largely male-dominated technology jobs in Silicon Valley (I've had hundreds of meetings where I was the only person in the room of the female gender) -- the free tampons found in the women's restrooms on these tech company campuses are a nice goodwill gesture."

And it's not just a nice gesture, they actually make for a valuable financial contribution too, apparently. Popvulture goes on:

"In fact, they may be one of the more valuable benefits we receive. Seriously, have you checked the prices that a box of tampons sells for at Walgreens? Those things aren't cheap! How can some cotton and string (and possibly carboard) cost $6 per box?! When you take that into account, Yahoo!'s free tampons are almost as helpful a money saving benefit as the free lattes. What say you? P.S. Does anyone know if they have free tampons at Google? ;)"

Well and do they have free tampons at Google? Fortunately some commenters were able to shed light on this question:

Boo d shared some knowledge about Apple:
"i don't know if google offers free tampons, but apple does. i think every woman at yahoo appreciates this perk. i have a lot more specifics to add, but i'll have to tell you in person."

carrievision told us about IBM
"Interesting. IBM in Research Triangle Park also offers the free tampons, and I have to agree not having to carry a purse around or shove a tampon in your pocket is a very nice feature."

leh4 says:
"in santa monica, we get free snacks but not free tampons. i see no logic here."
[Does she mean the Google offices in Santa Monica? We think so - please add corrections in the comments.]

So the line-up is:
Free Tampons @ Microsoft, Yahoo, Apple & IBM.
No Free Tampons @ Google (but you do get snacks).

Now you know.

Bring a little crystal maze to your desk with this flashing apple-shaped puzzle.

Brando describes the game's functions as Decoration, Brain Training, Home and Office Fun. Piece the deadly-looking 3D puzzle together and once you've managed to the whole thing flashes. Like a reward. Lovely eh.

I have to say this looks utterly deadly, and if you lost one of the pieces - well, the game really would be over.

3D Crystal Puzzle - The Flash LED Apple: $15.95 from Brando

Okay this is a bit out there, but what a sweet idea: a pop-up card that transforms into a minature living Victorian-style garden.

It's like an allotment in a card.

The pop-up postcards from CuteBitz opens out into the shape of a garden and comes with a packet of cress seeds. Unfold the card, sprinkle the seeds out, add some water... wait a few days and pretty little cress seeds start pushing out of the card.

CuteBitz say: "PostCardens will brighten up any desktop, windowsill or sideboard all year round! Simply open and shape into the design, place on a flat surface and add water."

Sweet or what? A nice card for Mother's Day as well..?

Postcardens come in 3 designs: Allotment, City and Botantical: all £6.90 from CuteBitz

Sci-fi flick District 9 has just picked up the movie accolade no film director wants to win: the most bit-torrented Oscar nominee. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d7/District_nine_ver2.jpg/75px-District_nine_ver2.jpg

Filesharing blog TorrentFreak, listed the most illegally downloaded Oscar "Best Picture" nominee films for 2010: it's one download, one vote and top of the polls was District 9. While the Hurt Locker might have picked up the actual one: this is how the internet voted:

1. District 9 - 12,639,000
2. Avatar - 11,326,000
3. The Hurt Locker - 7,930,000
4. Up - 5,437,000
5. Inglourious Basterds - 5,376,000
6. Precious - 4,922,000
7. Up In The Air - 4,855,000
8. A Serious Man - 3,836,000
9. The Blind Side - 1,845,000
10. An Education - 683,000

[via Torrentfreak]

I know we seem a bit obsessed with Chatroulette on this blog - that's because we are. From the get-go this whole shebang has always looked like A Great Thing To Do With Friends. Doing Chatroulette with a friend is like when you go to a club and sit in the corner making snarky comments about the other people in the room - but way more fun because the people on Chatroulette are actually weird and there are loads more

Anyway, someone's done a Chatroulette party I am delighted to say, in New York of course. All it takes is a hall with a seating area and a good projector. Oh and a hostess too.

Okay it is a bit weird, but no weirder than fox hunting and people do that for pleasure.

Apparently the C'roulette partners get a bit freaked out by suddenly facing a room full of people. But some of them really like it and start acting up something major.

Okay, so who wants to organise one of these in England?

[full account here, NYMag]

If laying your head down on an inflated plastic bag placed on top of your laptop is your idea of comfort... My God.

Anyway, if you do find yourself yearning for such an accessory, you now purchase a professionally made one: the iSleep USB pillow - specially honed for powernaps. It plugs into a USB port on your laptop and auto-inflates when you shut your laptop, deflating when you open your laptop again. I suppose the advantage is that you don't have to move to snooze.

Even better than the actual product is the description of it on the German site where the inventor explains the concept with an evocatively-described late-night scenario:

"It is almost midnight, the eyes get heavier and our "to do" list waits with several prettily marked points of work, which have to be done until 8:00 o'clock in the morning. Yes, sleep is luxury and our working place "NO SLEEP" area.

This continues:

"Because of this sad fact our upper neck hurts for days after slaming on a wooden table or against the keyboard...even after consuming 3 bottles Club Mate!"

Tell me about darling, the slamming on the desk, the Club Mate... my head does hurt.

"This painfull experience will now stop! Now there is i -sleep, a comfortable soft pillow which can be attached on the top of each leptop and functiones like a rescue west in an airplane - with the difference...it really saves us. If we tend to fall asleep, we just close our laptop, a pillow gets filled with warm air, music is being played and after 10 minutes the alarm clock rings. Bonne nuit!"

Alternatively go have a hot bath while eating chocolate ice-cream, truffles watching Friends and drinking - you won't get any work done, but you will learn the true meaning of comfort.

The iSleep USB pillow is actually a university project, so not commercially available, but do see digital.ukd for more information.

Humorous by-products on display at the Samsung Forum in Vienna included disco fridge, a fridge with LED panels and some speakers bolted on playing pop music and flashing trippy patterns - the sort of fridge Lady Gaga would own, sadly disco fridge was just a one-off, but I'd consider it if it becomes commercially available.

Samsung were also showcasing this funky outdoor display screen, which wasn't humorous at all but was kept in a box of rain proving that it was indeed waterproof. Intended to replace public signs with this instantly updateable and interactive touchscreen, you could see how Samsung's Outdoor Display could be very useful. Updateable and accurate information would be great in everything from bus stops to tourist placards. A speaker allows for audio information to be played as well.

The Display has an inbuilt heating and cooling system that protects its LCD screen from weather conditions.

It did claim to be vandalism proof too, though they didn't demonstrate that.

Related: Samsung NaviBot - hands on with the robotic vacuum cleaner and Samsung's OmniPro - hands-on with the clever microwave

Okay so this story is more to do with films and supermarkets than consumer technology - but Tesco's ie the British supermarket chain which sell supermarket things like food - have just set up a film studio. To make films with.

According to the Observer, Tesco plans to make film adaptations of popular books with the launch of a multi-million-pound production arm. I have to say, that this does slightly strip the glamour out of the movie industry. In my head, film is associated with Hollywood and sunglasses and starlets and glitz, not value yoghurt, good though it may be...

The first film release will be a straight-to-DVD number called Paris Connections, based on a Jackie Collins tale being shot on location in Paris early next month. Set in the fashion world, it's a whodunnit starring Size Zero models and coutriers, adapted from Collins's 1999 bestselling murder mystery LA Connections. Tescos are also planning to do works by Phillip Pullman and Judy Blume.

It could well be a good thing for authors - Tescos plans to give them more control over the film than they would get from a traditional studio: giving them a say in casting decisions for example. It could certainly make them more money:
"Tesco sells an enormous amount of books, of course; so for an author to have his DVDs on the shelf alongside his books and to sell them simultaneously sounds like a very good thing," said producer Ileen Maisel.

Tesco's already sells films: DVDs and suchlike. Tesco also runs a mobile network and banking services. What next for this corporate powerhouse..?

There is an amazing trend for big companies (Google) to start doing everything, from a search engine, to emails, to hardware, to challenging the Chinese government over domestic policy.

What next? Tescos space exploration? Who knows.

Do you get caught out by fly-a-way hairs or weird curly bits midway through the day? At a time when your bedroom and the implements need to sort it out are far away? Catering to this disastrous scenario, manufacturers Cloud Nine have brought out minature hair straighteners that fit in your handbag.

At 6 inches long and only 200g heavy, these are pretty small, though quite fierce too, reaching 150 farenheit.

The micro-iron is a traveller's hair straightener, made for travelling and featuring universal voltage so it works at the same power all over the world. The iron also features a hibernation mode where it automatically switches off after 10 minutes..

Cloud Nine micro iron is available from salons in the UK, priced at £45.00. Also available to buy online at www.cloudninehair.com

Couldn't let this one go without comment - it's a sugar-powered phone, from a collaboration between Nokia and Chinese designer Daizi Zheng.

Just pour in some glucose solution - or any sugary drink, Coke for example, and the phone runs for several hours - up to three or four times longer than a lithium battery according to Zheng. The phone produces water and carbon dioxide as the battery runs down, but then can just be recharged with a new shot of sugary water.

The concept is to use a pollution-free bio battery to replace the traditional battery. this particular bio battery uses enzymes as a catalyst to generates electricity from carbohydrates.

In this era of green-focussed technology, having a phone which runs off sugar is the ultimate in eco-bling. We're not sure if the technology will become widely available, but certainly its application in places with poor electricity like that developing world could be really useful. Just don't drop it or you'll get Coke everywhere.

[from Daizi Zheng via Engadget]

That's the shock findings of a recent survey of 1,000 people conducted by web analytics specialists Webtrends. Yep 37% of us will trawl through sites like eBay, puchase second hand gifts and, here's the naughty bit, claim that we purchased them new.

We also like to keep tabs on what we are going to to get for Christmas with the survey concluding that one-in-four of us will take a sneaky peek at what our partners have bought for us online.

The big surpise of the survey though is that only 16% of people will sell unwanted presents on eBay. It has got to be a much larger figure hasn't it?

Amelia Wise a Chartered Psychologist and founder of Bloom Psychology comments, "Perhaps men want to know what's been bought for them by their partner so they can make an informed decision about what they buy in return. The findings suggest that men are less confident in their judgement of what is an appropriate gift for their partner, be this in terms of the type or the cost, so in order to buy an appropriate gift they need to do this elicit 'research' to help them out."

I know cakes aren't really gadgets. They're more like foodstuffs, but surely technical masterpieces like these cakes pictured below are worthy of admiration from geeks and normals alike.

This is a Jesus cake. Great for friends who love Jesus. Is eating Jesus cake similar to the sacrament of Holy Communion? Your call... but if you substituted it for a Christmas pudding it would certainly be a novel way to remind you of the true meaning of Christmas.

This of course is a cat. A Siamese cat.

While we're on weird cakes... there is some serious geek creativity out there in the cake field. This beautiful dolly-mixture and chocolate dalaek for example.

And some detailed piper work from an html-literate cake-decorator.

So many everyday items are becoming Wii accessories that I'll barely bat an eyelid when someone informs me that you can buy Wii-compatible cats.

The latest addition to the roster of Wii accessories is the Rubik's cube. Now available in Europe, this brain-teasing WiiWare is available with a series of games from Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy.

One for spatial puzzle fanatics - I'm sure this is amazing for your brain. It lets players explore 3D cube and structure problems on the screen and it also gives you virtual tutorials on how to solve real-life Rubik's cubes, letting you compare your time with masters of the cube.

Rubik's Puzzle Galaxy: RUSH will be released on December 11th on WiiWare in Europe and on December 14th in North America.

See Puzzle Galaxy site for more information

I like it when scientists use top-flight technology to do cute little things.

So was pretty pleased to see this cute ickle snowman created by the National Physical Laboratory - which at a slender 0.01mm wide is probably the smallest snowman in existence. It's approximately a fifth the width of a human hair.

Disappointingly, it's actually made of tin beads rather than snow. Still, it's real pretty.

This tree sculpture came from a slab of silicon of the type used to make computer chips and was carved into shape using an ion beam.

[via New Scientist]