If you follow the tech world or just like Jeopardy, one of the coolest things to happen to that long running game show in a long time was when IBM’s Watson computer came to the show to challenge the human champions Ken Jennings and that other dude that nobody can remember. Watson cleaned up although there were reports that the computer crashed during taping. Those reports were later claimed to be false.

Now that Watson’s days on TV are over, IBM is looking for new jobs for the supercomputer. IBM used Jeopardy as a way to show how well the Watson line of supercomputers responds to naturally spoken human questions. The computer did so well that IBM sees a future for Watson in jobs like telemarketing and sales calls. Watson could be used to call us like a human salesperson and then answer questions like a human would. I wonder if Watson would take “not interested” as an answer.

Watson also has uses in e-commerce and tech support where it could answer questions for people having problems or wanting more details on a product. Interestingly, one of the first uses for Watson may be at IBM helping sell itself. That makes Watson sort of a pimp and the pimped rolled into one.

[via ExtremeTech]

Bicks noted that it took over four hours to tape the show thanks to the delays with Watson. However, Bicks came back later and announced that he had misspoken and it wasn’t Watson that crashed, rather the interface between Watson and the Jeopardy computers. The crash was unrelated to Watson, and it’s not clear if that interface was an IBM machine or something that Jeopardy was using. It’s impressive that Watson was able to beat the humans so easily.

Why is it that I can’t think of Jeopardy without a couple things popping to mind? Things like “Suck it Trebek!” and Weird Al always come to mind.

[via CNET]

Kasparov demanded a rematch, but IBM refused and dismantled Deep Blue, *ahem* because it’s technology obviously dangerous to the survival of the human race (WTF?). Watson was made for Jeopardy. Watson will face two of Jeopardy’s most successful players, Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, in three episodes that will be broadcast February 14th to 16th, 2011.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

So who will you bet on this time? Man or machine?

[via NY Times]

Look at that perfect handwriting. Astonishingly, Watson also rings-in on its own, although it looks like humans can still beat it at ringing-in. And if you think that Watson just goes online and Googles for answers, you’re wrong. Watson will join Jeopardy! armed with whatever knowledge its creators can stuff inside it and nothing else.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Maybe Watson knows how to clean up BP’s oil spill. Read more about Watson on IBM’s website.

[via Engadget]

So why is the SPPS200 200 Wh Portable Power Station the BMW M6 of battery packs? Because its little brothers, the 118 Wh and 130 Wh models, are the BMW of battery packs, that’s why. So why are they the BMWs of battery packs? Because they’re expensive. So why are they expensive? Because they can power your laptop, for up to 30 hours. Vrooom.

The SPPS 200 can power PC laptops for 20-30 hours, while MacBooks owners can expect 16 hours of extra runtime. BMW of runtimes if you ask me.

And that’s not all: As you may have guessed from the picture, you can adjust the output voltage of the PPS so that aside from giving your laptop the BMW of battery lives, it can also power and recharge your cellphone, your PDA, your PSP, your iPhone, your iPod and other mp3 players.

And that’s not all: You don’t even need to bring the chargers for any of those devices because the PPS comes with adapters that will fit with your gadget. You can check out the link to Battery Geek below for the BMW of supported laptops and mobile devices. And that’s not all: while Macbooks are supported, Battery Geek charges an extra $20 for the Macbook/Macbook Pro adapter. G4 and Powerbook adapters are already included with the PPS.

And that’s not all: The PPS weighs only 4.4 lbs. and is just over an inch thick. What’s the catch? The BMW M6 of battery pack prices, of course. The list price of the SPPS 200 is $800 (USD). Fortunately, you can buy it straight from Battery Geek for the BMW of discounted prices of $500. And that’s not all: when you buy the SPPS 200, you’ll get the BMW of freebies, a free leather & canvas travel case.

And that’s not all: Here are the BMWs of introductory videos for battery packs:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Now you know the BMWs and the BMW M6s of the tech world. Next time we’ll take a look at the Scot Pollard of rap.

Update: a couple of commenters have pointed out that the spps200 may in fact be the Ford Edsel of battery packs. Apparently Battery Geek also has poor service. Caveat emptor.

To learn how to make your very own set, check out this instructional video. Spoiler alert: he opens up hard drives, takes them apart, and makes them into wind chimes.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

My favorite part of the video is when he refers to one of his trashed hard drives as an “IBM scuzzy ultrastar.” Is that the official name? It turns out not to be so “scuzzy” when it yields “a whopping six platters!” This guy has an infectious enthusiasm for hard drives of all shapes and sizes. I like him! The wind chimes, meh, not so much.

[via Make:]

The Das Ultimate Keyboard is completely blank. That’s right, each and every one of its 104 keys (105 in Europe) is devoid of letters, numbers, or special characters of any sort. For those of us who are completely in touch with our touch-typing capabilities, I say, why the heck not?

Your friends and co-workers will certainly think you’re way too cool for them, what with this stealthy black beast on your desktop. Never mind the fact that Das Keyboards are designed to be the best and fastest keyboards on the planet. Featuring German-engineered gold-plated mechanical switches, each key offers up a satisfying tactile and audible “click” when pressed (supposedly reminiscent of the “legendary” IBM model M keyboard).

Also along for the ride is a built-in high-speed USB hub, and a nice long 2-meter (6.6 foot) USB cable, giving you plenty of slack for efficient typing. But if your QWERTY often reads QSFRTG, you can go for the Das Professional – which still has all its letters – but what are you, some sort of wimp?

Das Ultimate and Professional keyboards normally retail for $129, but if you pre-order now you can grab one for just $99. (They’re supposed to be released on 7/14, so you better get a move on!)

[via Gear Diary]