The colorful internet group known as “Anonymous” donned masks and descended on Scientology centers in major cities throughout the world yesterday to protest the Church’s questionable ethics, devious practices, free speech violations, and their requirement that believers pay tens of thousands of dollars to participate in their “religion.”

Rob Sheridan attended the Los Angeles rally and snapped these photos of some of the hundreds of diverse and passionate anons, many wearing Guy Fawkes masks, as they flooded Sunset Boulevard in front of the Church Of Scientology.

I’ve been watching HD DVD’s plummeting popularity since Warner’s decision to jump on the Blu-ray bandwagon, especially evident following CES. But Toshiba’s apparently not going down without a fight. In Bryan Gardiner’s article for Wired, he explains what may be their “Hail Mary” effort to stem the tide.

You’ve got to hand to Toshiba. Even now, when faced with overwhelming evidence that Sony’s Blu-ray has won the high def format war, the mortally wounded HD DVD backer just keeps on prolonging the inevitable.

First, Toshiba decides to dramatically cut prices on its HD DVD players in the U.S. following Warner Bros. Blu-ray defection earlier this month. Now, for reasons that also escape us, the company has decided to buy a 30-second Super Bowl spot for $2.7 million to advertise its desperation those marked down HD DVD players.

Of course, none of this is really convincing consumers. As Ars Technica recently noted, in the week following the Warner Bros. defection, weekly HD DVD player sales tanked big time, falling from 14,558 the week previous to a measly 1,758.

Meanwhile, Blu-ray saw a reverse trend, climbing from 15,257 to 21,770. In fact, the format ended up capturing approximately 93 percent of the market that week, according to NDP. …

We’ve watched the format war rage for nearly two years. The world’s apparently made its choice. Maybe it’s time for Toshiba to throw in the towel on this one.

Davey says, “Following the recent crash landing at London’s Heathrow Airport, there have been some modifications to runway lighting…”

Al Gore has convinced me I should do my part to help save the world from the perils of man-made global warming climate change. So I’ll be ordering this bio-fuel car when (and if) it becomes available in California.

Gee, I feel greener already!

Labeled as the 430 Spider Bio Fuel, the roadster runs on the familiar mix of 85% natural ethanol and 15% gasoline, which reports suggest yield a modest 2% increase in power. That’s enough to bring the 4.3-liter V8’s output up to 500 from the standard 490 with torque rising 4% and fuel economy improving by 5%… More

Here’s some good news for AT&T broadband subscribers: Free Wi-Fi at AT&T’s 10,000 or so Hot-Spots! I haven’t read all the particulars yet but it appears that Premier and Basic service levels benefit. Key for me will be learning what “additional” locations are included since I don’t spend a lot of time at Barnes & Noble or McDonald’s. But hey, anything that adds to the puny number of free HotSpots in my area is a bonus!

Measuring almost 3,500 feet long, covering 20 acres and holding 66 million gallons of water, the San Alfonso del Mar Resort’s seawater pool in Algarrobo on Chile’s southern coast was just named the world’s largest outdoor swimming pool by the Guiness Book of World Records. Story and more photos.

It’s refreshing to see a major news source take issue with the way the Clintons are twisting the words of Barack Obama, their primary political foe in the primaries. It’s certainly not a new tactic for the Clinton camp, but it seems as though most mainstream news media rarely call them on it, not wanting, it would appear, to rain on their parade. It helped get Bill elected and it’s probably helped Hillary to this point in time.

I’m not surprised that Obama told South Carolina’s The State newspaper that former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, are lying about him and his record purposefully. “There is a concrete strategy by the Clintons,” Obama said.

What surprised me was the response by ABC News Senior National Correspondent Jake Tapper. In the article, he writes, “Any objective review of how Bill and Hillary Clinton have been twisting comments Obama made about Ronald Reagan and the Republican party would concur.”

Tapper provides a link to the interview of Obama by the Reno Gazette-Journal that, though lengthy, is well worth viewing. Listen to what Obama said. Contrast that to what the Clintons claim he said. It leaves little room for doubt that Hillary (and Bill) will say anything to win.

Today we celebrate Martin Luther King Day. I ran across a well written article by Carolyn Garris that I recommend everyone read in its entirety. Take a few moments and remember, if you can, how racism once so divided our nation that we were, quite literally, at war with ourselves, and how King carried the banner of unification that ultimately led us to the better America we enjoy today. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Martin Luther King, Jr. was no stalwart conservative, yet his core beliefs, such as the power and necessity of faith-based association and self-government based on absolute truth and moral law, are profoundly conservative. Modern liberalism rejects these ideas, while conservatives place them at the center of their philosophy. Despite decades of its appropriation by liberals, King’s message was fundamentally conservative.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott, triggered by Rosa Parks’ refusal to abide by local segregation laws, sparked King’s rise from ministering a small church in Montgomery to national renown. King’s primary aim was not to change laws, but to change people, to make neighbors of enemies and a nation out of divided races. King led with love, not racial hatred. From a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, his message inspired the nation. And his message and achievements inspire us today.

Dr. King believed in the principles of the American Founding. He maintained, “We will reach the goal of freedom in Birmingham and all over the nation, because the goal of America is freedom.” Throughout American history, racism has posed a peculiar obstacle to the achievement of that goal. However, Dr. King believed that the Founders had set the nation on the right course. He did not reject the principles of our nation because contradictions existed; instead he hoped that racial groups would put aside their differences and acknowledge the principles that unite all Americans. Today, it is conservatives who seek to unite. In a nation divided by cultural diversity, conservatives defend and celebrate the characteristics that we share as Americans. As America drifts from the ideas and ideals of the Founders, conservatives stand with King as believers that the principles of the American Founding are as relevant today as in 1776…More

Remember that today isn’t just another day off. It stands for something important in our nation’s history, a time when we made a wrong turn and yet managed to find our way back. It’s a day to celebrate just how far we’ve come since then.

The Lexus LF-A Roadster concept, unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show, is a stunner! Mid-front mounted 500 hp V10, speed adaptive rear wing and a carbon fiber and aluminum body add up to a top speed over 200 mph. Photos

Regular contributer Michael D is in the market for a flat screen TV and has been doing the requisite due diligence. In the process, he came across an article in c/net about Sony’s OLED technology, shown earlier this month in Las Vegas at CES, and graciously passed it on for IM readers’ perusal.

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) promises better picture quality, smaller size (the XEL-1 measures just 3mm thick!) and more efficient operation. Sony claims a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, indicating amazingly deep black levels. Since OLED can turn the light emitted from the diodes on and off quickly, Sony also claims rapid response times for “smooth, natural reproduction of fast-moving content.”

The XEL-1 is supposedly 40 percent more efficient than traditional LCD panels in terms of power consumption, and unlike other LCDs, its manufacturing process doesn’t require the use of harmful mercury.

It’s the same concept utilized in Apple’s new MacBook Air introduced earlier this week at San Francisco’s Macworld which uses LEDs to backlight the notebook computer’s screen, provide “instant on” when the lid is opened, and uses no mercury in its manufacture. Clearly a sign of greener things to come.

Although Sony already introduced its 11-inch OLED HDTV in Japan, the company’s big splash announcement at the 2008 CES is that the model, dubbed XEL-1, is now available in the U.S. for the cool price of $2,500. While the relatively tiny, exorbitantly expensive HDTV itself won’t attract many buyers, it represents an important milestone by shepherding in the latest flat-panel TV technology, which may eventually replace plasma and traditional LCD.

The tech world has been speculating, and prognosticators have been prognosticating, about what new wizardry Steve Jobs will announce in his keynote address tomorrow morning at the 24th annual Macworld Expo in San Francisco.

Most expect a new ultra-light sub-notebook with some innovative bells and whistles that will likely spread to the rest of the MacBook and line which is due for an update. Many have speculated that a new devise along the lines of the old Newton tablet but sized more like a slightly enlarged iPhone would be introduced, but that seems premature given the current state of Apple’s touchscreen technology. Maybe next year.

Of course, it’s almost a forgone conclusion that Jobs will announce Apple’s new iTunes movie rental program and formally adopt the Blu-ray hi-def video standard which may drive the final nail into Toshiba’s HD-DVD format. Sorry Microsoft. Some predict something new to add sizzle to the iTV. And the new chipsets for the Mac Pro were announced last week at CES…

But the real buzz is emanating from the banners draping the halls on Mosconi Center that say, quite simply, “There’s something in the Air.” WiMax Mobile? Predictors are guessing wildly about what Jobs has behind the curtain but, if the past is any indication, he won’t let the cat out of the bag until tomorrow.

Proving that prayers are answered and miracles do happen, Eric Volz, the Sacramento-born surfer and entrepreneur who was wrongly imprisoned in Nicaraqua 13 months ago for the rape and murder of his former girlfriend, is finally free and back with his family and friends on American soil. It’s a great way to start the new year!

Eric had a small army of supporters, many of whom regularly read this blog and wrote letters, sent emails and donated money toward Eric’s defense. His mother, especially, worked tirelessly to regain his freedom. Thanks to her efforts, Eric was never forgotten. And, thanks to the faith and support of those who believed in Eric’s innocence, Eric is home. A miracle? You bet!

If you’re unfamiliar with Eric’s story, please take a few minutes to read my earlier posts here, here, and here. And here’s an email address for Eric (via Friends of Eric Volz). Why not send him a “Welcome Home”. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.

You may already be aware that the 2008 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) has been running in Las Vegas this week (ending today). It’s a gigantic annual event for companies that want to introduce their latest consumer gadgetry and for consumers who love to drool over it. I keep saying I’m going to go one year, but the thing is so big, I know I’d have to fight huge crowds for four long days and that just isn’t in my genes.

But I’ve been following the “goings on” at technology sites like engadget, Gizmodo, TechCrunch and Wired (more on their respective sites), enough so that I thought I’d link, in no particular order, to a few of the things I thought looked and sounded pretty cool. See what you think:

• Optimus Maximus Keyboard - The oh-so captivating, completely configurable keyboard everyone’s been talking about. Watch the video hands-on…

• Panasonic’s 150-Inch Plasma TV - Movie theaters should start to worry! (Crap, I’m going to need a bigger house!)

• Panasonic’s 1-inch Thin Plasmas - Check out the photos! Thin is in!

• SHOGO - the World’s First WiFi-enabled, Touchscreen Digital Photo Frame.

• FlyTunes - Brings Internet Radio to Your iPhone.

• Avis’ Upgraded Where2 GPS - A customized Garmin Nuvi 780 that will replace the StreetPilot-based units currently in Avis’ arsenal…

• Pioneer Kuro Concept Plasma - Video Shows How Thin This Thing Really Is!

• Canon’s Flash Camcorders - New Vixia line of nine-ounce HD flash-based camcorders.

• Alienware’s Monster Wraparound Monitor - Humungous wraparound DLP rear-projection monitors aimed at gamers.

• New Apple Mac Pro - Eight Cores and support for eight 30-inch Cinema Displays. Not sure why they announced this a week or so before Macworld; I assume it’s because Intel announced the new chips…

• Control4 Home Automation - Centralized command over your media, home theater, lights, security system and temperature…

• New Apple Xserve - Most Powerful Ever…

• LG.Philips 52-inch multi-touch display - Watch the video and view the images. Very cool!

• Heineken/Krups BeerTender - This looks cool! Built to hold a 5-liter Heineken keg and keep it tasting fresh and cold for about 30 days. The LCD indicates temperature and lets you know when beer is running low…

• Panasonic/T-Mobile Wireless Lumix Camera - Integrated access to T-Mobile HotSpot and will give owners the ability to beam images directly to Picasa Web Albums…

• Linksys Wireless-G Internet Home Monitoring Camera - Pretty straightforward home monitoring camera system…

• iRobot Looj - A robot that treats gutters like an olympic event. Watch the video…

• iRobi Helper Robot - Another domestic robot designed to help around the house…

CES, as you’ve probably surmised, includes thousands of products. I grabbed just a handful that caught my fancy while perusing the technology sites that had reps attending the four-day show and reporting what they saw. It’s an amazing event, at least for those of us who really love gadgets.

Thought I’d forgotten about the Nebraska Republican Presidential Primary? No, but that one surprised me, too. I know he was favored, but… CNN has an analysis.

Sen. John McCain’s victory in New Hampshire’s Republican primary Tuesday came with the help of critics of a war he supports and independents who gave him the edge eight years ago, exit polls found.

The result highlights a remarkable rebound for McCain, whose campaign was largely left for dead over the summer.

“When the pundits declared us finished I told them I’m going to New Hampshire where the voters don’t let you make their decision for them,” he told supporters in Nashua after his leading rivals conceded.

McCain had alienated the party’s conservative base with his support of a controversial immigration bill, his poll numbers dipped against his rivals, and his disappointing fund-raising prompted a shakeup of senior staff.

“I’m past the age when I can claim the noun ‘kid,’ no matter what adjective precedes it,” McCain said. “But tonight, we sure showed them what a comeback looks like.” …

According to CNN, Hillary Clinton has overtaken Obama and been declared the winner in Nebraska.

Solid support from registered Democrats and women in New Hampshire were crucial Tuesday as Sen. Hillary Clinton rebounded from her third-place finish in last week’s Iowa caucuses, narrowly defeating Sen. Barack Obama in the New Hampshire primary, with 39 percent of the vote to Obama’s 37.

Forty-three percent of self-styled independents said they voted for Obama, and 31 percent said they backed Clinton. Independents made up 43 percent of all voters polled. But Clinton was ahead of Obama 45 percent to 34 percent among those who said they were registered Democrats. Those voters made up a majority — 54 percent — of all those respondents. Clinton also claimed the majority of women’s votes, according to the polling…

What can I say? I’m speechless.