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Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web.

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Stats Appeal

I was dimly aware that OkTrends drew its conclusions from mining the data of OkCupid, a dating site. But I never thought much about that; I'm not in the market for online dating. Even so, this informal distribution of entertaining research is also a de facto distribution of buzz for the OkCupid brand. Here, it seems, is data mining as marketing.

Watch:

• Motion control gaming injury #1: Elbow to the face
• Meryl Streep guest-stars in Lisa Kudrow's 'Web Therapy' series

Know:

• An 'Asteroid Impact' gets visualized. [From: Geekosystem]
• The next sickly-sweet version of Android, Gingerbread 2.3, is expected to land this week. [From: Crave]
• Keep an eye out for the 'OMG! Look What this Kid did to his School after being Expelled' Facebook scam, which perfectly simulates the tone and content of most of your aunt's e-mail forwards. [From: Sophos Naked Security]

Got a tip? Want to talk to us? In need of more choice links like these? Drop us a line on Twitter and check out our Tumblr blog.

Tonight at the Westin hotel in Manhattan, Samsung took the wraps off the Continuum, the latest entrant in its high-end Galaxy S line of Android phones. Destined for Verizon (landing November 11 for $199 on 2-year contract after $100 mail-in rebate), the Continuum is internally almost exactly the same as its brethren. You'll find the same 1Ghz Hummingbird processor and super AMOLED screen already stashed inside the Fascinate, Captivate and Vibrant. Unfortunately, the Continuum also keeps Samsung's Touch Wiz Android skin, running on top of Android 2.1. We hope that when Gingerbread, the latest version of Android, lands in the coming days, it puts an end to the era of custom-themed Android installs. Instead of a 4-inch panel, the Continuum goes with a smaller 3.4-inch main display (that retains the 800x480 resolution) and sticks a smaller 1.8-inch screen that Samsung is calling "the ticker" below it. The ticker can show news, weather, message previews and updates from your social networking contacts without interrupting what you're doing on the primary display.

Like other recent Android devices showing up on Verizon, the Continuum ditches Google in favor of Bing for the default search and mapping engine. While you're free to download and install Google Search and Google Maps from the Marketplace you'll never be able to sever the Bing umbilical chord entirely. It's tightly integrated into this particular install, and it's frustrating that Verizon continues to refuse to allow you to pick your own preferred search engine.

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Consumers unceasingly fall prey to faulty GPS units, but military organizations -- with access to cutting-edge communication systems and navigation technology -- might seem invulnerable to such aimless mistakes. [Ed. Note: Not if they use Google Maps, apparently.] Several units of Poland's 2,600-troop force in Afghanistan recently disproved that notion, though, when their GPS devices reportedly induced them "to simply lose their way."

According to the Telegraph, the GPS units displayed erroneous location data, operated incredibly slowly and offered only two hours of battery life. The devices allegedly (and, obviously, incorrectly) placed the Polish troops in incredibly distant and arbitrary lands, including an assortment of African nations. Poland's military officials apparently attributed the mistakes to defective antennas, but Polish prosecutors -- who are currently looking into corruption in the military's procurement practices -- are inquiring why they would buy GPS units that had underwhelmed them during field tests. Again, it was because of "corruption" -- so don't even go there.

Taking your laptop in for repair typically involves long lines, condescending tech support workers and hefty bills. With a new prototype laptop called Bloom, however, conducting open hard-drive surgery is so easy, a 10-year-old could do it.

Created by a group of students from Stanford and Finland's Aalto University, Bloom can be completely disassembled within just two minutes, and with relative ease. As one Stanford student explains in the video after the break, users won't even have to get a screwdriver to dig into the gadget's guts, as everything inside connects with slot mechanisms. According to DVICE, the prototype also features a detachable keyboard and mouse, which can be used on any surface. And, because it's all made from just one material, the device is "highly recyclable," which is always a nice perk.

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By the year 2014, the Web will be nothing but Like buttons. We were foolish to assume that the Like button (that simple and clickable way of telling everyone, regardless of OS or site of origin, that you really thought the article about those miniature cupcakes with the little kitten faces was so damn likable) had hit the zenith of its usefulness on Facebook. But things can never be that easy. Instead of putting an end to other methods of "liking" or sharing things, the Facebook button merely ushered in a tidal wave of companies playing copycat. Everyone -- from Twitter to Google to Evernote -- has some spin on the Like button. And now, apparently, Amazon is testing one, presumably to help improve its recommendation engine.

A reader sent screen shots of the new feature into TechCrunch, and mentions of the new button are popping up all over Twitter. But, we haven't seen it ourselves yet. When it does arrive, you'll spot it just to the left of the box for ordering or adding to your Wish List. Click the little beige button with the blue thumbs up, and it'll turn orange. You'll also have the option to exclude that Like from affecting your recommendations. Are you seeing the new button? Let us know in the comments.

As our fearless Jon Chase noted mere days ago, the robots will conquer the world by first earning the trust of our children and old folks. As befits the country that brought smallpox to our northeastern shores, a laboratory in Bristol, England is developing the race of robo-nurses that will inevitably turn hospices into hostage situations.

A joint project between the University of Bristol and the University of the West of England, the Bristol Robotics Laboratory is hard at work on Mobiserv, a robot that can help elderly people tend to their everyday business (e.g., taking medication, grocery shopping, etc.). With a £3.5 million ($5.6 million) grant from the European Union, some Brits, and some citizens of the six other countries involved, believe that the project will buttress Europe's ailing health care system.

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Congratulations, Microsoft! You've finally shaken off the shackles of your aging mobile OS, and joined the class of modern smartphones with Windows Phone 7 (WP7). Starting today, WP7-powered devices are available though Microsoft retail channels, on Amazon, and from AT&T and T-Mobile. T-Mobile customers have only one choice right now for WP7 devices: the HTC HD7. It packs a large 4.3-inch touchscreen and an HD video camera -- basically an Evo loaded with WP7 and T-Mobile-friendly radios. AT&T customers can choose between two models: the HTC Surround, which hides a pair of slide-out speakers behind its 3.8-inch screen; and the Samsung Focus, which is like a WP7-outfitted Galaxy S, and sports the Galaxy's same 4-inch Super AMOLED screen.

Outside of size and a few hardware features, the current crop of WP7 devices are more or less the same. They all pack 800x480 screens that match high-end Android devices, 5-megapixel cameras that can shoot HD video, and 1 Ghz processors that push the pretty interface and plow through data from your social networking accounts. The similarity might be an intentional move on the part of Microsoft, as the company's ad campaign argues that we're too involved with our phones. WP7 is designed to tell you what you need to know at a glance; the subdued UI displays the most relevant information right up front.

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So my city is cracking down big time on driving while talking, but my kids call me to pick them up from school. I need to use my phone on-the-go. I'm going to breakdown and ask for some help with a solid, non-flashy Bluetooth headpiece. I don't want to be that lady muttering to herself, but safety first. Also, I am a complete ditz when it comes to recharging my devices, so I need something with good battery life. Please... Just Tell Me What To Get!

Ah, the old Bluetooth conundrum: to look a fool and be hands-free, or to balance your touch-screen on your greasy face while driving. Well, if you must go wireless, we've got a solution for you. When looking for a new Bluetooth headset, you want something that is comfortable, provides consistent sound quality (on both ends of the line), sports a solid battery life, and won't break while it's hopping between your ears, drawers, glove compartments and pockets. BlueAnt's T1 fits the bill, and can be found for less than $60 online. Most importantly, its clean, understated design means you won't feel like a goober when it's attached to the side of your head.

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It seems like only yesterday that an ingenuous, doe-eyed George W. Bush was innocently extolling the virtues of the ol' Internets. Well, a touching talk with Matt Lauer (previewed in advance of tonight's interview special on NBC) indicates that our W. has finally shed his n00b status. The former President recently made his Facebook debut, and he now apparently owns an iPad, too. Bush purportedly loves to "surf the Web" for "places that feed [his] political curiosity," but -- so far -- those places seem limited to Politico and Real Clear Politics (when he's not reading the Bible or the Wall Street Journal). Dubya does admit that he has an affinity for lurking, but also claims to harbor "zero desire to mix it up" in the comments sections or message boards. Just give it time, little one, give it time. See Bush talk tech after the break.

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