At long last, Apple has finally equipped some of its developers with the tools needed to begin authoring iPhone background applications. This will eventually remedy problems with the iPhone regarding running applications in the background. The same thing could happen to a drug dealer trying to convert ounces to grams. He/She suddenly gets a phone call then, BAM, all that hard work leaves business dry and sales at a stand still. Apple is fixing this by adding the “Push Notification Service” they mentioned at the WWDC.

AppleInsider writes:

Instead of allowing potentially dozens of third party services to simultaneously access an iPhone directly, the push service would funnel all transmissions from developers’ servers through a central Apple server, which would then relay the data to iPhones through a single persistent and well-managed background connection.

This is the best news on the iPhone we’ve heard all week. Wait a minute, this is the only news on the iPhone we’ve wrote all week. That’s not like us at all. It’s because Vince got that new Sierra Nevada Sidekick, which pretty much renders any other phone pale in comparison.

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Two new buildings are being built in Tinajin, China that are sure to rival the Dubai tower in design. The 1175-foot Sinosteel International Plaza and the 288-foot hotel next to it may not be as tall as the Ultima tower, but they’ve got something to prove with the hexagonal windows installed in them. The windows are placed in such a way that will take the most advantage of the sun and wind that it possibly can, allowing the structure to use as little energy as possible from conventional energy sources.

The Chinese architects, MAD Ltd, came up with this innovative honeycomb design for their windows not only for energy efficiency but also for stability and space. I’m hoping they’re shatter-proof in the event that someone throws a wild mud wrestling party in one of the hotel rooms.
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Never get caught eating at a French restaurant without a mustache again. With this $16 handkerchief from Avril Loreti, a designer on Etsy, you’ll have four stunning mustaches to choose from whilst you wipe your punim. The ’staches were inspired by Dali and Tom Selleck, among others.

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Rush and Nas were on the Colbert Report playing Tom Sawyer on Rock Band for the Xbox 360. Kotaku says Nas outperformed Rush on their own song, and for the most part he did. In Rush’s defense, playing guitar solo on Rock Band is way easier than having an entire band set up with vocals and drums in addition to the guitar. We still think Rush rocks.  Plus, Nas is using a Guitar Hero guitar. What a hack.

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Dean Cheesman has spent the past two years perfecting his set of iTunes smart playlists. Fortunately for us Internet dwellers, he was kind enough to open up and share his technique of creating smart playlists and explains what it takes to make it extremely easy to play what you want to hear.  That means more Beatles and less death metal. Unless you’re Yanni.

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Tomorrow is August. Where the hell has the year gone already? No matter. Time for delicious, plump links. Like a buttermilk biscuit, baby.

The main reason you bought a Playstation 3 was probably due to Killzone 2 or Playstation Home, Sony’s new online service that’s supposed to be something like Xbox Live meets Second Life. You and your friends can meet up with your avatars, talk, chat, shoot the shit and so on. Oh, and more importantly, you can play games together too.

As of today, Sony is accepting applications for the closed beta test of the Home service. Right now it only looks like Japan is lucking out but the US market could soon follow:

Applications are initially being accepted from Thursday until Aug. 11 from users in Japan only. Sony expects to offer access to about 10,000 gamers during the beta, which will begin in late August.

During the beta stage users will be able to play the games that make up Bandai Namco’s “Namco Museum” package, which include PacMan, in the service’s “Game Space.”

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What better way to “accidentally” burn down your home and all of your loved ones sleeping peacefully inside  than with this Travelmate portable fireplace by Conmoto. Oops! I didn’t mean to kick it over. Now all of my possessions are burning around me. The Mexico City fire fighting force does not approve. Good thing I have insurance. Alright, horrible thought, but what makes this portable fireplace noteworthy is it burns on bio-ethanol liquid fuel. It is a smokeless flame, preventing any chance of suffocation in the middle of the night while your hot boxing your room with one of these suitcase-looking fireplaces.

At $3,300, you better hope that insurance fraud bit you’re trying to pull will pay off. Otherwise, you’re down the three grand, all of your belongings, and are officially a single bachelor again. One who also happens to be homeless. If only that Porsche Cayenne fire truck got to your house faster.

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Designed by fellow New Yorker and Brooklyn-based artist William Lamson, this lifehack is probably the easiest way to eliminate a public security camera. First, you’ll need a helium-filled balloon and some string. A weight won’t hurt either. Get the balloon full of static electricity and then raise it up to the camera.

As it sticks, tie the string to the weight and enjoy your new found privacy. I’d imagine that many a shitty graffiti artist will be using this method in weeks to come. Running low on static? Use duct tape.

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The crew at my old puking grounds, Gizmodo.com, have whipped up one of the most comprehensive guides to cables on the ‘net. Whether it’s USB to Firewire or CAT-5 or even DVI, you will leave incredibly educated on the subject of tech-related cables. Been trying to figure out what kind of charger that weird phone you got off Craigslist takes? This will help you find out.

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