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Amazon Threatens to Dump Two Major Publishers (Read: They Just Lost the Price War)

Amazon is getting serious about getting its way with ebook pricing, threatening to do what they did to Macmillan (pull physical and digital books) unless publishers agree to certain demands. https://gizmodo.com/the-apple-amazon-ebook-war-begins-amazon-deletes-macmi-5460203 Among Amazon’s requirements is that publishers enter into a three-year deal so that no other distribution method (read: Apple) will be able to get…

The Return of the Commodore 64

Brace yourself, lovers of all things retro, because the Commodore 64 will rise from the dead in all its keyboard form factor glory. It will probably be based on the Cybernet ZPC-GX31, although I hope it looks like this: https://gizmodo.com/cybernet-zpc-gx31-a-pc-in-a-keyboard-sized-case-371525 Utilitarian clean lines, hefty chunkiness, and glorious beige. That’s the Commodore 64 everybody loves, not…

Amazon Kindle App for Mac OS X

Oh hey, the Kindle app for OS X is out. It’s free, but you have to buy the books, of course. It doesn’t have multitouch, like the Windows app, though. [Amazon via TUAW] https://gizmodo.com/every-win-7-tablet-is-a-multitouch-color-kindle-with-t-5387663

HTC: We Disagree With Apple’s Actions and Will Fully Defend Ourselves

As if a big, bold “HTC DISAGREES WITH APPLE’S ACTIONS” doesn’t sum things up, HTC has taken the chance to remark that they will fully defend themselves and to remind us of their history of innovation. Here’s what they wrote: https://gizmodo.com/apple-sues-htc-for-infringing-on-20-iphone-patents-the-5483632 HTC DISAGREES WITH APPLE’S ACTIONS Seattle – March 17, 2010 – HTC Corporation today…

The Secret to “Ripping” Your Books

It’s easy to rip your CDs and turn them into easily stored digital files: You pop in a CD, click a few buttons, done. Now try ripping a book into a digital format. Struggling? Here’s setup you’ll wish you had. All you have to do is flip the pages of a book and they’re captured…

Google Maps 4.1 for Android Has Latitude Widget, Better Search Results Pages

Google Maps 4.1 for Android allows for switching of Google accounts, has a Latitude widget, Maps live wallpaper, neater search pages, and the option to swipe for more results. The update is available through the Android Market now. [Google Mobile]

The 20 Cell Phones That Leak the Most Radiation

Cell phone radiation. Some consider it a heath-hazard of paramount importance. Others couldn’t care less. Whichever camp you’re in, there’s some perverse satisfaction in clicking through CNET’s countdown to see which is the most mind-melting gadget on the market. [CNET] Image credit Pong Research

Angry Jobless Man Remotely Disables Over 100 Cars

Omar Ramos-Lopez was recently laid off from the Texas Auto Center and he was angry about it. So he used a former coworker’s password to log into software allowing him to remotely disable cars and got his revenge. Webtech Plus, the software Ramos-Lopez accessed is “repossession software that allows the dealership to disable a car’s…

Watch a Neuron Go Bad

Just like hard drive sectors can fail, neurons can go bad as data processing, memory-storing units in your brain. In this video, a neuron lacks the protein needed to make connections with other cells, essentially becoming a bad sector. While the neuron on the left looks undeniably sinister, those tendrils extending from it actually signal…

Magnets and Metal Nano-Particles Can Build You a New Liver

Between alcohol-fueled holidays and everyday health issues, some of us might eventually wind up needing new livers or some other organs. Turns out scientists could build us those new organs using metal nano-particles suspended in a magnetic field. The basic idea is that while researchers have been able to “build” organs in the past, they’ve…

What Happens (Online) When We Die: Twitter

One day, you’re going to die. And when you do, your online presence—like your social network profiles, your blog comments, and your web services—will serve as your very first memorial. Here’s how it’ll play out. Twitter is supposed to let people share their lives in something close to real time, so it’s especially jarring to…

Sony Gets Catty About the Competition in PlayStation Move Ad

We’re used to feeling oddly insulted by Sony ads, but for once it’s everyone else who might need a hug. Because in this PlayStation Move ad, the competition gets named, shamed, and leaves crying for mommy. [Ars Technica via Kotaku] https://gizmodo.com/lets-make-believe-sony-ads-make-sense-5486339

Kick Ass Artist John Romita Jr. Talks Kick-Ass The Movie

John Romita Jr. has illustrated almost every Marvel hero, but in Kick-Ass, his work delves into brutally real superheroics. With the Kick-Ass movie due soon, Romita discussed the film’s animated segment he directed and his encounters with flesh-and-blood vigilante superheroes. io9: First off, you directed an animation sequence for the Kick-Ass movie. What’s it about?…

Build Your Own Futurist Theory With This Handy Chart

Want to market your awesome new theory of the future, but can’t come up with a buzzword? This spiffy chart can help. [via Russell Davies (no not the Doctor Who one)]

8 Things Made Out Of Carbon Fiber That Really Shouldn’t Be

Things made of carbon fiber tend to be appealing-looking, light-weight, and durable. But sometimes we just plain wonder how on earth someone decided to choose the often pricey material for a particular piece of gear. If you really don’t like the gallery view, you can see everything on one page here. https://gizmodo.com/8-things-made-out-of-carbon-fiber-that-really-shouldnt-5495851 Lamps I’ll admit…

Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World Roller Coasters

This article originally placed the roller coasters in Dubai, not Abu Dhabi. Apologies for the mistake. It still looks pretty darn dangerous, though. Okay, Dubai. Your largest building gets shut down for “electrical problems.” Your two million gallon shark tank sprang a leak. So what do you do to bounce back? Build the fastest roller…

Scientists Surprised To Discover Shrimp Deep Beneath the Antarctic Ice

A group of polar scientists were testing out a new method of drilling through layers of ice in the antarctic. When they dropped a camera deep into the dark waters, they were flabbergasted to discover this tiny orange crustacean. What you’re seeing here, and in the movie below, is a camera looking up from inside…

GM’s Enhanced Windshield Uses Lasers to Make Your Road Trips Safer

It makes it feel like you’re in the middle of Tron, but GM’s new heads-up display’s not just a way to play out childhood fantasies. The system projects laser-generated images onto windshields, providing a great looking enhanced vision display. The idea is that unlike some of the HUDs on the market now, this display would…

This Is the Cloud: Inside Microsoft’s Secret Stealth Data Centers

“The cloud” isn’t some nebulous thing existing just beyond your computer’s consciousness. As Microsoft showed us, it’s stacks of hard drives packed into shipping containers, parked in secret data centers all around the world. Physically real, but still beautiful. Microsoft’s cloud capability isn’t just interesting because Ballmer told us it was. It’s the only serious…

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