Jamie Condliffe

We Need a Ubiquitous Share Icon

The share icon is broken. There are all manner of graphic elements designed to convey the action of sharing—but because we can’t settle on a single design, most of us are left confused about what button to press in order to spread our love. Min Ming Lo writes an impassioned plea for unification of the…

How and Why Your Computer Crashes

Despite technology constantly improving, there’s one eternal truth in computing: your computer can and will crash, probably at the most inconvenient point. But why is that? And why is it still a problem? In this video, Dr Steve Bagley explains how computer crashes come to happen, using an Atari Falcon—really!—as a simple example. But he…

One User Controls Over Half of Bitcoin Mining—and That’s a Security Risk

For the first time in its history, a single user has begun to provide over half the computational power used to mine the digital coins. But with much of Bitcoin’s security stemming from its decentralized structure, that could prove a large security risk. Ars Technica reports that researchers from Cornell University have noticed that single…

Watch The Daily Show Hilariously Troll Six Glassholes Right Here

Last night, The Daily Show aired a piece of biting social commentary on technology. In other words, it mocked a bunch of Google Glass wearers—and you watch it all right here. Speaking to six Explorers—”Excuse me, did you just call yourself an explorer?”—The Daily Show’s John Stewart tried to get to grips with the souls…

What Your Email Signature Really Means

You can tell a lot about a person from what comes at the end of their email. This cartoon, from the Truth Facts comic by New Creations, does a wonderful job of translating the awful nonsense some people choose to include at the end of their correspondence. Ouch. [Truth Facts via Flowing Data]

Apple has announced that it’s replacing European iPhone adapters sold between October 2009 and September 2012 because they can overheat. It’s model A1300 and it came with the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S. You can replace it here.

The FBI Is Auctioning Off Its Seized Silk Road Bitcoins

Late last year, the FBI seized Silk Road and the assets of its founder. Now, it’s planning to auction off the hoard of Bitcoin, worth around $18 million, that it took control of. The stash will be put up for public auction between 6am and 6pm on June 27th. The total of 30,000 BTC will…

The Netflix site has been given a design overhaul. Gone is the old logo in favour its flatter, more simplistic new one, and the background is lighter and brighter. It looks a whole bunch better, doesn’t it?

A New Xbox Ad Is Turning on Consoles By Accident

The Xbox One has a new advert starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul. Standard. But what is strange is that as he shouts “Xbox On” near its start, consoles around the world are firing up. It seems that—perhaps unsurprisingly—the voice command triggers the machine’s Kinect voice/motion sensor, activating the console. People have been taking to Twitter…

Report: Google in Talks to Buy Stake in Virgin Galactic

Google is apparently in talks to buy up part of Virgin Galactic, but not to take a leisure cruise: Sky News claims that it will buy “crucial access to satellite-launch technology” to help put its new low-Earth orbiters into the sky. The report claims that negotiations between the two parties have “been taking place for…

Facebook Messenger now has a tap-and-hold video sharing function. Yes, just like Snapchat. What a coincidence!

Facebook Is Now Using Your Browsing History to Target Advertising

Facebook has announced that it’s to start using app and website data from your browsing habits to provide more targeted ads—and you’ll have to opt out if you don’t like it. Update: We’ve put together a handy step-by-step guide for opting out here. The feature, which will hit Facebook accounts in the coming weeks, will…

Samsung’s Smart Bike Uses Your Phone to Keep You Safe

Samsung has teamed up with Giovanni Pelizzoli—an amazingly talented frame builder—to create a bike which uses a smartphone, combined with onboard sensors and devices, to try and keep you safe. Unveiled at a show in Milan, the bicycle is centered around a curved frame which is designed to reduce the road buzz that gnarly city…

What Is Space, Exactly?

We inhabit a 3D world with space all around us: I’m here, you’re there and there’s a distance separating us. But what really is is that seperates us? Think a little more deeply about it, and you’ll realise that the distances certainly aren’t fixed—travel fast enough, and they appear smaller. This video explains how three…

Starbucks Is Installing Wireless Charging in Stores Across the U.S.

Starbucks has announced that it plans to install Powermat wireless charging in stores across the U.S. after a small-scale trial proved successful. The Powermat Spots will first be installed in stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, before being rolled out in the company’s coffee shops nationwide. The west coast will see the wireless charging…

iPad Split-Screen Multitasking Might Work Like This

Ahead of iOS 8’s launch, there were tantalizing rumors that the iPad would get split-screen multitasking. They were roundly ignored by Cook & Co. but persists because developers have found code which hints at its presence—and here’s how it might work. This GIF and video, below, have been put together by Steve Troughton-Smith after playing…

Amazon’s Streaming Music Service Is Here

Amazon has just launched Prime Music: a free streaming music service for its Prime members that provides access to more than one million songs without ads. Free to all Prime subscribers—though there’s a 30 day free trial available if you’re not—the service seems to be centered on playlists, with a number of pre-curated choices being…

HP Invented a New Computer That Could Make Data Centers Obsolete

Hewlett-Packard is developing an entirely new kind of computer. But this isn’t some cheap laptop, quirky mobile device, or whatever else you assume HP makes these days; this is a snarling industrial-strength beast that could replace an entire data center with a single unit the size of a refrigerator. Nicknamed “The Machine,” the new hardware…

Ford Wants to Make Car Parts Out of Leftover Ketchup

Forget making cars more green—Ford and Heinz have a plan that adds a little red to the mix. In fact, they’re entering into a collaboration to use remnants from ketchup to make parts for new cars. The pair plan to use leftovers from the ketchup production process—skins, peels, stems and seeds—to make components like wiring…

The Most Influential People Ever, According to Wikipedia

Measuring the influence of people is no easy task, but researchers from the University of Toulouse have given it a damn good try by mining the pages of Wikipedia. The results may surprise you. A team led by Young-Ho Eom has used the Google PageRank algorithm and applied it to the Wikipedia corpus. That code…