Homebrewing, or "amusement terrorism" as it’s known is certain circles, has always been a thorn in the side of Nintendo. It’s cited as the main reason the big N waited so long to transfer over to disc format in the first place. They have a paranoia about it that borders on the schizoid. So, when the homebrewing community set up stock in the Wii, we all knew it wouldn’t be long before their homes were foreclosed and their adorable kittens were kicked out on the street.

That time has come. A Wii System Update released last night blocks new installations of the Homebrew Channel and anything existing therein. Previous installs are unaffected but you won’t be able to get anything new and, as any homebrew enthusiast will tell you, that’s half the fun.

However, this increased vigilance on the part of Nintendo could be in response to a a program making the rounds called the Wii Backup Loader, which lets people run pirated Wii games right on the system. Still, it’s kind of sad given that a great percentage of the homebrew software available does nothing illegal. Oh well. They’ll figure something else out. They always do. The homebrewers will outlive us all.

Aigo has released a nifty little USB speaker that uses the power of elasticity to pump up the bass of your favorite jams. The Aigo E086 portable speaker is a 1.7 watt USB speaker that features a single 36mm driver, a 3.5-mm headphone jack and a 3-hour charge for up to 4 hours of usage.

The Japanese company has released the speaker for 27 American dollars or ¥2,580 if you happen to live in Tokyo. If you do live in Tokyo, may I suggest eating this. Yes, those are hot dogs in the crust.

The guys over at NTT in Japan have designed a pair of power-packing shoe. The shoes store up energy as you walk. A nifty concept, for sure. Not so nifty? They look like a hurricane just tore through them.

Now, us techies aren’t prone to flairs of fashion, but these things are ridiculous. I adamantly refuse to wear energy-generating shoes until it’s safe that I would be laughed at as I walk down the street. Well, not for that anyway. There is a whole host of other reasons why I could be laughed at. Sigh.

Here’s a link to more information.

Hitachi is aiming to replace your GPS with a cell phone / GPS combo. The newly announced W53H (AKA Wooo) will come in 3 colors: Japan Black, Nordic White, and Euro Purple. With its 2.8″ OLED TV like screen, you’ll see where you are going, even if you have no clue where you are.

It accepts microSD cards, has a 2MP camera, an infra red port, and even a TV receiver which can you watch up to 4.5 hours after a full charge. And of course, the GPS!

Available via pre-order in Japan.

Rumble is available for the PS3, but not without jumping through some hoops. To make it easier, just buy Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction (the first retail game with built-in rumble support) and you will have the firmware. The controller is a more difficult as it is set to release next month in Japan.

Get on those forums and make friends in Japan!