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Pull out a master control knob, strum the strings, and the screws start turning themselves. In seconds, the guitar is in tune. It's also easy to switch between tunings. A rechargeable battery in the body is good for 250 tunings, according to Gibson's Aljon Go. The guitar, manufactured by humans in Nashville, lists for $2,499. Retrofit kits will be available for older Gibson guitars. -- At Taser International Inc.'s booth, it was easy to forget that the company sells a weapon. Four Playboy Playmates were signing autographs. Then there were new stun gun models in Fashion Pink and a leopard-print scheme. The leopard one costs $379, while regular Tasers cost $349. Chronicle News Services .
The self-appointed critics
You could say that Kim Muncey loves to eat out. But that would be an understatement. The 28-year-old Montreal CEGEP tutor finds herself reaching for her cellphone camera in restaurants, snapping close-ups of forkfuls of linguini glistening with sauce or a platter of charred Portuguese barbecued chicken. "It's probably not normal, but I get really excited about food. Sometimes I just wish I could chew a taste forever and not have to swallow," Muncey explained. "And, of course, whenever I find a fabulous new place, or taste a really delicious dish, I want to tell everybody all about it." .
Unlicensed, underage driver runs over a three-year-old
Private healthcare centres have tabled an 8.33% ward and theatre tariff increase, while medical aid fees have gone up by around 9% since the start of the year.
The Health Department's Anban Pillay says private institutions have been called to justify their planned fee increases.
Meanwhile, the Hospital Association of South Africa's Kurt Worralclare says the good news for consumers is that both parties are talking. Back to headlines .
Serious investment in higher education needed
That evidence confirms a severe public under-investment in Australian higher education, a trend alarming industry and employer groups and the university sector itself. Globally acknowledged universities are judged on the strength and achievements of their research and teaching, so what must Rudd do to truly revolutionise the system? High-quality graduates emerge from high-quality teaching, so the average dollars allocated per student must increase. Under Howard that figure roughly halved, say from about $12,000 to about $6000. In later Howard years different disciplines fell even further - agriculture students attracted about $16,000 a year in government funds, law students only $1500. The theory was that disciplines such as law attracted numbers anyway, while agriculture needed to be built.
Australia in the dock
An opinion poll in the Sydney Daily Telegraph showed 82% of Australians believed Ricky Ponting was not a great ambassador for the country, and 79% felt the national team did not play within the spirit of cricket. Abusive phone calls were made to Ponting’s parents. The country has its jingoists – three years ago, spectators at Perth, the venue for this week’s third Test, racially abused the South African team – but in the main it is a conservative nation embarrassed by the sharp practice of its representatives. Geoff Lawson, the Australian fast bowler turned Pakistan coach, accused Australia of arrogance and disrespecting the baggy green cap, while John Bertrand, the America’s Cup-winning yachtsman, called on Cricket Australia to tell its players to show the game more respect.
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