You put a quarter in at the top, and it falls onto a tray that pushes a pile of coins toward you. Any coins that fall off the front of the machine are yours to keep. Sometimes you’ll find other prizes interspersed among the coins.

on’t call it a point-to-point phone network, that might scare small children. How about network-free communication or a self-organizing self-powered temporary network? Mobile phones and tablets communicating with each other without the need of infrastructure, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!

The idea that you can take a picture in an emergency situation and have it instantly uploaded is handy. If you were attacked by a mugger or witness some type of assault or accident, the pictures are instantly backed up online. But what about privacy issues? Putting your media online creates the potential for problems that are outside of your control.

The Nexus One was released today! Built by HTC, the unlocked version is $530 (the phone works with “nearly all” GSM SIM cards, according to Google) or you can pay $180 for the typical two-year contract with T-Mobile. if you already have tmob service, but don’t have a data plan, it will cost $280 for the phone. Google says there will be other carriers and plans coming sometime in the future. I think the arrival of the Google phone pretty much spells the end for the Droid.