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squirrels

In battle with squirrels, solar panels finally claim victory

For the most part, solar panels can safely be ignored and simply keep turning your meter backwards. But thanks to some local squirrels, I realized the perils of not regularly monitoring solar panels' output.

These days, it's not difficult to view the electricity generated by solar photovoltaic panels online. And homeowners are increasingly choosing to lease panels, rather than buy them upfront. That means a solar installer or financing company will own the panels and they'll have a financial interest--in the form of renewable energy credits--to monitor rooftop panels' output.

When I had my PV panels installed four … Read more

Excellent ninja climbing game

NinJump Deluxe HD is the souped-up version of the free, popular NinJump, an infinitely scrolling vertical-climbing game with a super-simple one-tap interface.

As with other games in this genre (whether vertically or horizontally oriented), the goal is to get as far as you can without dying. You play an ultranimble ninja, jumping between two walls on the left and right of the screen to avoid obstacles and enemies. You're always moving up--quickly!--and you tap anywhere on the screen to leap between the two walls. In the game's classic version, you scale generically pagoda-like structures and fight ninja-esque … Read more

Dark Side of the Moon goes 8-bit

Adding to all the cover versions of Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" that are out there--the recent one by the Flaming Lips and guests, the dub version by The Easy Star All-Stars, the brilliant parody by The Squirrels--comes this.

Video game programmer Brad Smith has taken the Pink Floyd classic and reworked it as a bunch of sound files for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), Nintendo's classic 8-bit video console. And he has posted the whole album as a YouTube playlist. (YouTube seems to be having some technical issues as I write this, … Read more

iPhone apps of the week

I scout several Web sites every week for new iPhone applications to try to find what I think are the most useful (or the most fun) for everyone who reads this column. A couple of weeks ago, I featured a budgeting application that I thought had some nice features, but a user quickly pointed me in the direction of something much better.

Mint.com (Free) is an excellent money management tool that automatically syncs up with your accounts to help you follow a budget on your iPhone. The interface is well designed, letting you quickly navigate several accounts, track spending, … Read more

iPhone apps of the week

I hope everyone had a great holiday! Coming back after the break has been a whirlwind for all of us at CNET. With the one-two punch of Macworld here in San Francisco and the simultaneous Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, we've been working around the clock to bring you the latest news and announcements from both trade shows.

I was lucky enough to walk the show floor at Macworld and although it wasn't as exciting as previous years, there was still plenty of excitement. Some highlights include software launches, third-party hardware, and--of course--Mac, iPod, and iPhone accessories. … Read more

'Twirl-a-Squirrel' is really just a YouTube video stunt prop

This 'Twirl-a-Squirrel' markets itself as a way to keep pesky rodents off your bird feeder. But honestly, it's really just a playset for making funny YouTube videos. I can imagine the squirrels got a little bit ticked off, though. Seriously, why is it bad to have these little guys around? Don't you think they're kind of cute?

Besides, the Twirl-a-Squirrel video is nowhere near as funny as the one about the squirrel who ate fermented pumpkins and got hammered.