Inspired by the Lewis Carroll's novel ‘Alice through the Looking Glass,' designer Yasmin Sethi developed a chess set that features pieces that "magically turn transparent" when they touch the board. In other words, when removed from the playing surface, a pawn would be opaque—nearly indistinguishable from any other piece on the board. However, when in contact with the board, the piece reveals its true identity. This effect serves to remind the player that the pieces have no value unless they are in play.

The effect works thanks to a board made out of a glass material with embedded LEDs (LightPoints) and chess pieces made from clear glass with the negative shape of a traditional, delicate Staunton chess piece enclosed within it. Placing the chess piece on the board completes a circuit that illuminates the negative shapes, making them visible. There is even a clever nod to a passage in the book where the White Knight talks about being able to think better when he is upside down. In the Alice chess set, all of the white knights on the board will not illuminate unless placed in the upside down position. All-in-all, the 'Alice' concept is interesting new twist on the traditional game. With any luck, a real world product will come down the line sometime in the future. [Project Page via Pan-Dan via DVICE]

The image associated with this post is best viewed using a browser.Reader Olivier came up with this pretty interesting design for a form-fitting MacBook cooler that attaches to the bottom of your laptop and provides card readers, more USB ports and a gigantic fan to cool it. It might not look as slick as the Zefyr, but it's pretty damn functional despite being called the "iCool". On the other hand, Olivier's just some dude with Photoshop, so don't expect this to be coming out anytime soon. [Thanks Olivier!]

Believe it or not, AT&T actually does have other smartphones coming this year besides the iPhone 3G and BlackBerry Bold. Four sequel-y Windows Mobile phones all slated for winter, and 6.1 updates for existing ones. Besides the Pantech Tech Duo 2, there's the BlackJack 3 (with a better cam and a little faster hardware), Tilt 2 (similar hardware to BlackJack 3), and another unnamed Sammy, possibly the Omnia. There's also a "non-QWERTY" LG phone of some sort and a Wi-Fi version of the Curve (8320). Since these are all smartphones, we're guessing there's another consumer roadmap. [Gear Diary]

Apple marring the form factor of the iPhone to create a mutant with a slide-out keyboard just to please business users sounds about as far out there as it gets, but that's exactly what the Reg is suggesting. According to their reports (unclear whether it's from "inside Cupertino" or "inside mobile operators" 'cause of their wording), "whether or not [Steve Jobs] ever makes it work, he is already trying to make a 'slide-out' keyboard for a corporate version of the iPhone." If this thing ever came to light, it would be way next year and not aimed at consumers.

We're going to say this is unlikely—as much as Apple might want to crib marketshare from BlackBerry and Co. (which rests in part on the keyboard), we just don't see Apple making hardware just for business users, especially potentially bulky, less than aesthetically perfect hardware. (Though Apple would obviously pretty it up.) Besides, you do get used to the keyboard—though driving while texting your mom isn't as easy. [The Register]

Microsoft's upcoming Windows 7 might just be the salve to soothe Windows Vista ouchies, but what Windows fans really want is something that hasn't yet been announced. Mary-Jo of All About Microsoft says that internally, there's a project called Singularity that's designed to solve all kinds of shortcomings in current operating systems, upending the traditional way of thinking in favor of something dramatically different. And while Singularity won't be released to the public, Midori, which takes a lot of cues from it, will.

According to Microsoft 2.0:

“There’s a seemingly related (related to Singularity) project under development at Microsoft which has been hush-hush. That project, codenamed ‘Midori,’ is a new Microsoft operating-system platform that supposedly supersedes Windows. Midori is in incubation, which means it is a little closer to market than most Microsoft Research projects, but not yet close enough to be available in any kind of early preview form.

“What’s also interesting about Midori is who is running the project. One-time Gates heir-apparent Eric Rudder is heading up the effort. Midori is being incubated under Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie’s wing. ‘Everyone under him (under Rudder on Midori) is a multi-year vet, has a super fancy title, and is going back to their roots and writing code like they probably did in the old days,’ one Microsoft tipster told me.

“When and how Microsoft will roll out Midori is still a mystery. But it sounds like the company thinks the project is serious enough to dedicate a considerable amount of time/people/resources to it.”

So it won't be in Windows 7, but from the sounds of it, Midori might be far enough along to make it to Windows 8. Will they still keep calling it Windows to hold onto the brand, or will they call it something different to illustrate how dramatically separate it is from what we're currently using? [ZDNet]

The big day has now passed for California drivers and cell phones are effectively banned on the road. At least not without a hands-free device...which Californians will inevitably forget to charge or lose. Other states have this law, but California is the driving while talking state. California is regularly ranked the worst for traffic congestion, and its 40 million residents spend more time in traffic not driving than just about anybody else. It's a big deal, but also, this law is a joke: the fine is only $20. The most stupid thing, however, is that there is a laundry list of far more distracting gadget and non-gadget tasks that are still perfectly legal behind the wheel of a car:

California drivers 18 and older must use hands-free devices when talking on cell phones beginning July 1. Drivers under 18 cannot use cell phones or text message.

FOR DRIVERS 18 AND OLDER: Voice commands count as going hands-free for drivers 18 or older. BlackBerrys, GPS systems, etc., are OK to use.

FOR DRIVERS YOUNGER THAN 18: Cell phones are banned for these drivers. They also cannot text message or use laptops.

These kinds of laws are specifically about phones rather than distractions, and it really shows in the language. Cells are banned, but Blackberries are fine? Really? The intention of banning phones is reasonable and the law will likely benefit the state as a whole, but it could use some fleshing out. Primarily, it doesn’t give the police the discretionary power they would need to properly deal with more types of distracted drivers, many of whom are even more dangerous than you average talker.

So if you’re down about the new rules and/or understand the world much like an eight-year-old boy might, here are some alternatives that are totally (probably) more acceptable in the eyes of the law than dialing and driving:

USE A LAPTOP

If you’re under 18 it looks like you might be out of luck here. If you’re a legal adult though, the coast is apparently clear. Invest in EVDO or one of those new 3G-equipped Chryslers and browse the net, fire up your favorite racing game or install Skype and make some non-hands free calls. If you’ve got big hands you can even hold it like a cell phone for bonus points.

USE A BANANA



If your incessant phone usage is a function of some kind of strange cranial fixation, hold something else against your ear. Talk into a banana, or a boomerang. Or a kitten. All of these things offer at least the tactile satisfaction of your average handset, and each has an added benefit (snacking, hunting and affection, respectively).

DEAL WITH YOUR HYGIENE: The sights of a man struggling with an electric shaver or a woman gracelessly applying lipstick are common enough already, so take that concept as far as you want. It’s easy to forget about your toenails, for example. You should really take care of them, otherwise you might trip and have an accident.

BUY A KINDLE



Impress the cute driver next to you with your brain, via your Amazon e-book reading device. For handsfree use just strap it to your wheel, or windshield. You can peruse your favorite quarterly, dig into some obnoxious book by Ron Paul about why making cell phones (or anything) illegal is totally illegal or even download every statute of California law, just to have around.

MAKE A SANDWICH



If you’re bored, hungry or both, why not just make yourself a hoagie on your dashboard? You’ll find that getting a decent sandwich together there is pretty easy in spite of (or maybe because of) all the ArmorAll residue. Extra kudos if you can convert your Foreman grill to DC power without popping a fuse. Also, extra sandwiches.

USE A GPS DEVICE



Mio's upcoming Moov 380 GPS device has calling and texting built right in, but it's A-OK under the new law. If you've got a Dash system, have a ball drawing your own customized routes. Or just buy a map. Make sure to unfold it all the way so it blocks your windshield.

WRITE A NOVEL



Can be combined with the laptop option, but spiral notebooks and legal pads work fine too. You’ll regret not doing it for the rest of your life, and self-publishing is cake nowadays. With your new mobile data connect, you could even print on demand while you, say, merge onto the freeway.

TAKE A SNAPSHOT



When the world is zipping by at 45mph it's easy to miss things. With the camera tech that's available today, there's really no reason for that. A Casio EX-F1 will never let you miss a moment, with helpful features like pre-recording for still shots and slow-motion video up to 1200fps. The faster you go, the cooler the video.

HAVE CHILDREN:



While the first two stages of producing a child are almost definitely not allowed during driving, there’s no law about bringing birthed kids in your car. The more the merrier. Give them some toys, preferably loose and with plenty potential as projectiles. You don’t want to be one of those distant, uncool parents, you want to interact with your offspring. It’ll be fun because kids are wacky, but also because the stakes are much higher. Don’t screw up!

Again, I'm no lawyer, but I'd bet much of the crazier distractions are probably covered under generic distracted driving laws in many states. But the point remains that there are far more distracting things you can do than talk on the phone while driving, like trying to type on a touchscreen iphone keyboard while driving stick, and so this law is woefully out of date for Gizmodo readers in particular. So, technophiles, how will you pass the time in the driver's seat now?

Kind of the inverse of the psychedelic LED effects we showed you earlier, this relaxing Light Bench is makers Frellstedt's idea of the future of seating. You know, the future where even garden furniture uses up electricity and contributes to global warming. Okay, its stuffed with LEDs, so it only consumes 95W, but you know what I'm saying. With its shifting, selectable color patterns, it's way too nice to end up in all but the best municipal parks, where it'd just keep tramps awake in the wee small hours. Ed. note: In case you didn't get it, "bum" is a double entendre. [Trendir]

We've seen a couple Xbox 360 controller mods that supposedly make it more first-person shooter friendly by shoving extra buttons on the back. F00 f00 at Acid Mods goes a step further and actually moves the buttons to the back, making for a butter smooth front and action-packed back, the theory being you never have to take your thumb off the joystick. (Still no substitute for a keyboard and mouse.) Yes there's a video of this thing working. No, it won't actually help you beat me in a Domination match in Call of Duty 4.

[Acid Mods via BBG]

TiVo has a lot of data on their 1.7 million users and now they're tapping it to make some money on the side. TiVo is licensing their information to media-marketing research company TRA, including demographic-based data regarding live TV, recording, time-shifting, digital/analog cable, satellite, OTA channels and even the stuff their viewers have purchased. It's not a complete first—in 2007 TiVo offered much lighter data through its Stop Watch service—but that was only from 20,000 units. However, before the internet cries that it's an invasion of privacy, know that all data has been packaged in anonymous statistics. Still, it'd be nice if TiVo users saw some subscription subsidies for the favor... [Multichannel][Original artwork]

TiVo has a lot of data on their 1.7 million users and now they're tapping it to make some money on the side. TiVo is licensing their information to media-marketing research company TRA, including demographic-based data regarding live TV, recording, time-shifting, digital/analog cable, satellite, OTA channels and even the stuff their viewers have purchased.

It's not a complete first—in 2007 TiVo offered much lighter data through its Stop Watch service—but that was only from 20,000 units. However, before the internet cries that it's an invasion of privacy, know that all data has been packaged in anonymous statistics. Still, it'd be nice if TiVo users saw some subscription subsidies for the favor... [Multichannel][Original artwork]