Game on – Do you want to know how to become an almost-millionaire? Well, it's easy. All you have to do is sell your entire videogame collection on eBay to a buyer with money to burn. This is exactly what Andre, 23, from France did (that's all the detail we have, so we're picturing him as a Madonna-type character that only needs one name) and he got £700,000 ($1.2m) for his troubles.
The reason: the collection included around 7,000 games, which comprised all Nintendo and Sega games ever released, as well as every game for every NEC PC Engine/TurboGrafx console ever made. Oh, and each game was factory-sealed – meaning the bloke never even played the titles. The kicker of the story is that he still has thousands of other titles to sell. Bit greedy, we say. [Sky News]
Pole to pole – And there was us thinking that pole dancing was something done by people named Morris. But there's another type of pole dancing out there in this big bad dangerous world – where scantily clad ladies show off their wares – and there's an iOS app that teaches people on how to do it.
Children's charity BIG Ministries isn't happy about this as the app is rated 12+ – and is petitioning to get it banned. Given that you have to pay for the app with a credit card, we're guessing not many 12-year-olds will be getting their hands on Pole Dancer Pro, but it's little details like this that get in the way of a vitriolic petition. Ban this sick filth etc etc. [Gizmodo]
Jobs, is that you? – Steve Wozniak is so impressed with the Microsoft Surface that he believes the tablet is exactly the thing Steve Jobs would have made. In fact, he reckons Jobs may have been reincarnated at Microsoft. That, or Microsoft made a pact with the devil. In exchange for creating decent hardware it must make Internet Explorer the most evil programme on the planet. Which won't be too difficult. [AppleInsider]
Not-so-super fly – Physics has once again come along and crushed childhood dreams with its rigid conformity to facts. This time it is the turn of Batman, everyone's favourite caped crusader. According to the University of Leicester, Batman wouldn't actually be able to glide like he does in the movies because "he would definitely need a bigger cape".
Okay, there's more analysis than that – researchers compiled a paper called 'Trajectory of a falling Batman' – but seriously, just give it a rest with what superheroes can and can't do. You'll be telling us next that Superman can't actually catch a speeding bullet. He can't. He's not real, but that doesn't mean you have to write a stupid paper on it. Sheesh. [Reuters]
50 Cents of grey – Rapper and hip-hop mogul 50 Cent has teamed up with O2 to launch his SMS Audio headphones range. To publicise this, he will be appearing at the O2 where you have the chance to get your headphones signed by the rapper – all you need is your headphones, a proof of purchase and to get there between 5pm and 7pm.
Do believe the hype(r) – The Pentagon is looking into the possibility of hypersonic flights and has put some money in the pot to help fund its speedy endeavour. DARPA is looking to spend $70 million on the project, which will hopefully come up with a super-speedy vehicle by 2016. One of the main problems it is facing is the searing heat caused by high-speeds – around 35,000 degrees Fahrenheit – so we're guessing a chunk of the money will be spent on a massive fan to keep its aircraft nice and cool. [NextGov.com]
Virtual insanity – With the help of Kinect-like technology, augmented reality glasses and the type of mind needed to conjure up such a bizarre idea, a man has created his very own virtual girlfriend that follows him every where. And you can interact with 'her' by patting her head. Just like a real girlfriend then… a real girlfriend born from the mind of a computer geek. [MSNBC]
Rain check – A real-time flood map of the UK has been released, offering updates on the state of Britain's weather and pin-pointing where the flood risks are. Considering the UK seemingly had its summer back in April, the FloodAlerts map has arrived just in time for many who want to know if they need to buy an umbrella, wellies or go all out and get an ark. [BBC]
Game, jet and match – Times are so tough at RIM that the company is selling its private jet to help plug the $1 billion hole in its operating costs. It's all right, though, the company has two private jets and it's just one that's up for grabs. The other has probably been booked out by Thorsten Heins for a quick getaway after the company's next AGM. Probably. [Business Week]
Pipe down, light – Researchers have managed to capture the sound made by the Northern Lights for the first time. That's right, according to the folks at Finnish Aalto University, the aurora borealis actually make sounds. Although it's not clear what sounds have been made. We are hearing whisper's that the phrases 'all right, ar kid' and 'by 'eck, love' were muttered numerous times. [SlashGear]
