Steve Jobs Cancer Rumors, Underwater Laptops, Consumer Jetpacks, And More.

So, you don't fancy yourself a "serious" market trader. Or maybe you just don't have the attention span for the technical side of life. Here's a reprieve from it all, stories that are shaking the tech world right now with a financial impact soon to come, or way down the line. You probably won't be able to do any trading off these little news bits, but atleast your friends won't go cross-eyed when you talk about them. So let's see what's floating around the e-world right now.

MarketWatch columnist John C. Dvorak is asking for witnesses to come forth and confirm a rumor-spreading story regarding the health of Apple CEO Steve Jobs. According to an unnamed source, a high level individual with a personal vendetta spread the rumor to several Apple shareholders that Jobs was suffering from a relapse of pancreatic cancer and at imminent risk of death. If you have information contact Dvorak at John@Dvorak.org, because the sooner someone comes out, the sooner we'll know who trashed Apple's stock after a very solid earnings announcement.


Underwater laptop?
Have you ever sat at the bottom of a pool and wished you could take a picture of yourself with your camera phone? Well, that technology may not be too far off. According to an article on Gizmoto.com, a company called Golden Shellback has announced that they've created a clear-coated composite that protects electronics from water damage inside and out. What's more, their application process seals the internal components of an electronic device, making it fully functional under water. This technology could be available to the public within the next year or two. So taking pictures under water with your iPhone will soon be a reality, but we don't recommend talking on it while you swim.

Putting the deserts to work
At the Euroscience Open Forum in Barcelona, scientists discussed the advantages of using the vast landscape of the Sahara desert, cracked and dried from the intense sun exposure it gets year-round. According to proponents of the idea, the use of more efficient DC cables could make it feasible to power Europe using only 0.3% of the desert's total sun exposure.

Xbox 360 Netflix merger
Blue-Ray or HD-DVD? When was the last time you heard that question? While the competing mediums were at war with each other, a new approach to home entertainment started peeping its head out: online digital video. Netflix, which has been offering on-demand video streaming for quite a while now, has already taken the idea to the next level: full integration with the Xbox 360. In late fall, Netflix subscribers will be able to view movies from their X360 consoles at the push of a button.

Good riddance to traffic
New Zealand inventor Glenn Martin claims to have built the first feasible jetpack. According to Martin the jetpacks will be available to purchase next year for $100,000. So with traffic getting worse in almost every major city in America, it's time the average working man asks himself, should I buy a bus pass or a new jetpack?

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