Etc.

Helping the homeless
Virgin Mobile USA said three recording artists have joined it’s The RE*Generation initiative that focuses on issues surrounding at-risk youth and homeless teens. Deftones, Lil’Boosie and Zero 7 all have signed on to the effort. Existing artists include Gnarls Barkley, James Blunt, Jewel and Panic! At the Disco. The three new artists will donate their ringtone royalties on selected tracks to the initiative.
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LG to host national text-off contest
LG Electronics Co. Ltd. announced it will hold a “National Texting Championship” competition in order to promote its enV and V cellphones, which are selling through Verizon Wireless. The phones feature a flip-open screen and a tiny, QWERTY keyboard.
“LG created the LG National Texting Championship to honor those who have mastered the art of rapid text messaging,” said Jon Maron, senior director of marketing for LG. “The LG National Texting Championship gives our customers the opportunity to put their text messaging skills to the test in the ultimate battle for money and prizes.”
LG said it will hold a West Coast texting competition in Hollywood, Calif., on March 31. The winner will get $10,000 and a chance to play the winner of an East Coast competition in New York City for a grant prize of an additional $15,000.
The catch: Participants must own and use an activated LG enV or V phone. ————————–
ACHOO! Move that microwave
A U.K. woman has gone to great lengths to protect herself from modern technology, according to an article in the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail. Debbie Bird said she is allergic to electromagnetic fields created by electronic devices like cell phones, computers and microwave ovens. Such devices cause Bird skin rashes and facial swelling. So Bird turned her home into an EMF-free zone by painting the walls with a carbon paint, covering her windows with a protective film and sleeping under a silver-plated mosquito net, all of which are designed to deflect radio waves.