Solid Alliance’s ‘Crazy Earphones’ Are Just That

A new line of earbuds from Solid Alliance has drawn attention for its, shall we say, less than palatable designs, and as a public service to our readers, we would like to agree with all the haters. Beauty may reside in the eye of the beholder, but so does ugly.

The increasingly derided and aptly named Crazy Earphones line consists of four truly dumbfounding designs: sushi roll, banana, cat paw, and Frankenstein bolt. (And they’re only $22, or ¥2,000, a pair!) The kitty paw and Frankenstein ‘buds may appeal to a certain consumer, but sushi? Ripened bananas? We have a sneaking suspicion that whatever niche market Solid Alliance was attempting to target is nonexistent. Or, at best, still too small to cover production costs.

Google Maps gets a facelift, now easier to read

If nobody told you, you might not even notice it, but the team at Google Maps just introduced some subtle visual improvements that make their maps easier to read. Worldwide changes include narrower roads, better contrast between text and the rest of the map, and colors that don’t conflict with traffic and other overlays. You’ll also start to see road detail at a slightly more distant zoom level. In short, the map view just became more like the hybrid map-satellite view.