Jamie Condliffe

The World’s Fastest Camera Can Capture Chemical Reactions in Action

If you thought high-speed photography was already advanced, think again: two universities in Japan have unveiled a new camera that’s 1,000 times faster than the previous best—and it captures chemical reactions in a single shot. A joint venture by the University of Tokyo and Keio University, the new hardware uses a technology called Sequentially Timed…

Divers retrieve NASA’s Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator —that’s a flying saucer to you and me—off the coast of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility in Kauai, Hawaii following its successful test on June 28th. [NASA]

Imagine Owning a Magical Universal Converter Box Like This

These days, there’s a connector for almost everything: if it’s not MagSafe 2 it’s that weird USB connector or RCA or who knows what else. Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a single converter box to interconnect them all? That’s exactly what Randall Munroe has imagines in today’s XKCD. It is something to dream…

Inside Apple’s Secretive University-Style Training School

Deep within the bowels of Apple, there’s a secretive school where employees learn about the company and how to work for it. Some call it education, others indoctrination—but either way, a new report explains what it’s like. We’ve already heard what Apple’s Genius Finishing School is like, but this new report from the New York…

This Is How We’ll Grow Salad on Mars

Dining on alien planets might be a way off, but at least when we do there will be salad—because we’ve already developed the means to grow lettuce on other worlds. This image shows the set-up used by researchers at the German Aerospace Center, who have been pioneering the techniques required to grow “space lettuce.” Bathed…

The Ebola Outbreak Is Now an ‘International Public Health Emergency’

The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency—though it is currently not recommending bans on travel or trade. The international organization points out that the outbreak—the longest and largest in recorded history—is affecting countries whose health systems are “fragile with significant deficits in human, financial and material resources.” That,…

If only our phones had these options as standard. [Truth Facts]

How Your Hotel Room Price and Wi-Fi Speed Are Linked

Ever wondered if you’re paying for the bed linen or the Wi-Fi? The network-analyzing super-wonks at OpenSignal have crunchedthrough some data about public Wi-Fi, and analyzed in detail the network performance in different hotel rooms. Here’s how your room price and download speed are linked. By probing its database of large hotel chain Wi-Fi results…

Facebook Has Banned Likes-For-Content

Yesterday, Facebook tweaked its Platform Policies, and while some of the changes are subtle, there’s one which is very welcome: from now, the concept of offering access to apps or content in return for Likes is banned. Straight outta the mouth of Zuckerberg & Co., the new rule reads like this: You must not incentivize…

Everything You Need to Know About Ebola in Four Minutes

Ebola has been hitting the headlines hard recently, so now is the best moment to learn more about it. This video tells you everything you need to know about the deadly virus in just four minutes. Once you’ve digested that, why not go read about the experimental new serum to treat ebola, that’s being grown…

Verizon has added its push-to-talk service to Android phones, so now for $5 a month you can use (one of a range of selected) Android handsets as a walkie-talkie. If you sign up right now, you can try it for free for 6 months.

Yahoo and Google Working Together on Unified Encrypted Email For 2015

Google hasbeen working towards offering end-to-end encryption for Gmail. But now, it’s teaming up with Yahoo to make both webmail services encrypted in such a way that they both work together. Yahoo has been a little slower to the encryption party than Google. But yesterday Alex Stamos, Yahoo’s chief information officer, announced at the Black…

These Smart, Bendable Bricks Could Build Truly Flexible Robots

These may look like Lego pieces, but don’t be deceived: the smart building blocks are made of flexible plastic and stuffed with fluidics channels and electronics, designed to build simple, adaptable robots in double-quick time. The basic 6×9 stud blocks are 3D-printed using a soft and flexible plastic—a type of elastomer—and can be easily trimmed…

Report: Windows 9 Will Ditch the Charms Menu, Add Virtual Desktops

While thenext update to Windows 8.1 is set to be minor, new reports suggest that Windows 9 will see Microsoft distance itself yet more from the bold Metro styling of the current OS. The Verge claimsto be able to confirm reports that Microsoft plans to remove the Charms bar from Windows in the next iteration…

Edward Snowden Has Been Granted 3 Years of Residency in Russia

Edward Snowden has been avoiding U.S. authorities for some time. But his lawyer has now confirmed that Russia has granted him a three-year residence permit so he can remain there for the foreseeable future. He received temporary asylum in the country last summer, butRussia Today reports that Snowden is now official for the next 36…

Simply Layering Solar Cells Could Make Them as Cheap as Natural Gas

It’s not uncommon to focus on excotic solutions to making solar power more efficient: new materials, complex tracking systems or unusual physical phenomena. But what about just stacking them on top of each other? Technology Review reports that a startup called Semprius is doing just that, and it reckons it could make solar as cost-effective…

Report: Microsoft Wants a Flash New York Store Near the Apple Cube

Microsoft has long been playing catch-up with Apple in terms of physical stores. But now rumor has it that it wants to open a fancy new store on Fifth Avenue, just a couple of blocks from Apple’s iconic glass cube. While Microsoft has over 50 stores in the U.S., it doesn’t have one in the…

Pinteresters Can Finally Talk to Each Other

Pinterest is fun for planning and daydreaming about all kinds of things, but it can turn into a compulsive solo habit. Now, though, Pinterest users can finally actually talk to each other. While Pinterest has always told you when people like your pins, it never allowed you to communicate properly with them; for that, you…

Google and Barnes & Noble Are Taking on Amazon at Book Delivery

Google and Barnes & Noble share a common rival in Amazon—and now they’re teaming up to take it on. From today, the duo will be offering a same-day book shipping service in select areas of the U.S.. TheNew York Times reportsthat the expedited delivery process will allow customers in Manhattan, West Los Angeles and the…

New Li-On Material Survives 30 Times the Charges of Current Batteries

Aside from capacity, the worst thing about batteries is that they degrade with time, holding less power with every charge. But now scientists have developed a lithium ion material that can endure 30 times as many charge cycles as current cells. Part of a collaboration between Sharp and Kyoto University, the new material—made of a…