Did you know Apple first filed for a phone patent all the way back in 1982? Well, now you do! Although it was filed in 1982, the patent wasn’t issued until 1985.

Okay, so they didn’t file for the name “iPhone”, but it is still interesting to see that it took over twenty-five years for an Apple Phone to finally come to life. Based on the sketches, I’m glad it took them this long - who’d want to be carrying around a big, clunky old phone shaped like an apple?!

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Plantronics announced that they are working with Quiksilver/Roxy Apparel to bring us premium Bluetooth-enabled snow wear and accessories. What does this mean? Next time you hit the slopes, you can easily use your cell phone, iPod, and other electronic devices without getting tangled up in wires.

The first four products that will be released are:

Quiksilver Double Daffy Snow Jacket featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth?: The jacket is part of Quiksilver’s Limited Edition Outerwear Collection and is both iPod and cell phone ready. The Double Daffy will be available in the 2007/2008 Outerwear season and will retail for $370.00 at Quiksilver Stores and better retailers nationwide.

Quiksilver Pulse Helmet featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth?: The lightweight helmet, constructed from injected ABS, has adjustable side vents and comes in a black camo print. The Pulse will be available in the 2007/2008 Outerwear season and will retail for $249.95 at Quiksilver Stores and better retailers nationwide.

Roxy Teen Angel Snow Jacket featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth?: iPod and cell phone ready, this jacket will be available in the 2007/2008 Outerwear season and will retail for $340.00 at Quiksilver Stores and Roxy retailers nationwide.

Roxy Shiver Helmet featuring Plantronics stereo sound and voice technology with Bluetooth?: The Shiver Roxy Women’s Ski/Snow Safety Helmet will be available in the 2007/2008 Outerwear season and will retail for $249.95 at Quiksilver Stores and Roxy retailers nationwide.

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In Scotland, children in select schools will soon be receiving their very own, shiny new PDA, compliments of the Lothian councils, and possibly, the National Lottery. Up to 60,000 children over the age of 10 will get their hands on one. Some 6,000 teachers will also be receiving a unit, undoubtedly to help assist their students and incorporate the PDAs into their daily learning exercises.

This move comes after a trial program in Wolverhampton which showed that the children had improved results in science and mathematics after being allowed to use the PDAs full-time. Along with the PDAs, the children and teachers will also receive free wireless internet to use with the devices.

While the devices may help children access their coursework and assignments online at home, and a number of other benefits, I do wonder how long it will be before they have to monitor the kids more closely when they find out they’ve been downloading games or chatting with friends when they’re supposed to be doing work. You know kids will do it.

The initiative is expected to cost approximately ?25 million (or about $50 mil. USD). At this time, four Lothian councils are involved in the project, and are considering pooling their assets to form a charitable trust, which would thus make them eligible for Lottery funding.

Well this is certainly an innovative cooking method, and I’m not sure if it’s one I’d try, but don’t let me stop you from having a little fun. I found a way online to cook an egg utilizing two mobile phones. Yep, that’s right - you can cook with your phone!

To get started, you’ll need two mobile phones with activated service. They can be on different networks, etc. Next, you’ll need an egg cup. Whatever you do, make sure that the egg cup is not made of stainless steel or any other metal (bad things could happen). Instead, find an egg cup made of an insulated material, such as plastic, wood, china, or glass. You’ll also need an AM/FM radio and a flat surface.

To starting frying up your egg follow these steps:

1. Get a fresh egg or one from your refrigerator and put it in the egg cup in the middle of the table.

2. Get your radio, turn it on, and set the volume to a comfortable level.

3. Get Phone #1 and put it on the table so that the antenna is about 1/2″ from the egg.

4. Get Phone #2 and call phone #1. Then, place phone #2 on the table on the other side of the egg, with the antenna also facing the egg and about 1/2″ away.

5. Answer phone #1 without moving it from its position on the table.

Now don’t hang up either of the phones. Allow them to sit there “talking” to eachother - this is how the egg gets cooked. Cooking time may vary from phone to phone, and largely depends on the power output of your phones. To give you an idea, if both phones had an output of 2 Watts, then it would take approximately three minutes to cook a large free range egg. You can check your phone’s manual to see what the output is, and adjust times accordingly.

When you think your egg is done cooking, turn off both of the phones. Remove the shell and enjoy your mobile-cooked egg!