Technology

Now You Can Print 3D Models of Your Internal Organs

The National Institutes of Health has joined the Maker movement with the launch of its 3D Print Exchange, a website that allows users to download, edit and share models of anatomy, bacteria and lab equipment. The goal is to provide a creative commons where people from all walks of life can advance medical research. For…

What Was Your First Computer?

Once we get a new technology, the cycle of renewal and replacement moves pretty quickly. Today, though, we want to know about your very first computer. Was it a desktop or a laptop? Shared or personal? PC or Mac? Tell us in the comments (with pictures, too, please!) all about your first computer, what made…

10 Worst-Case Scenarios of Computers Controlling Your Emotions

The internet is still reeling from recent revelations that Facebook workers have been conducting weird experiments with the emotions of Facebook users. Now it’s time to see what science fiction has to say about machines that control our feelings. Here are ten cautionary scenarios. 1. Nexus, by Ramez Naam The experiment conducted on Facebook was…

​”Happy Foot” And “NoseySmurf” — The NSA’s Programs All In One Chart

The Pulitzer Prize-winning news group ProPublica has compiled a list of all NSA programs revealed in the past year and plotted them on a chart based upon whether they are bulk or targeted, foreign or domestic. As is often the case with covert agencies, the codenames achieve the perfect balance of goofy and ominous. “Most…

The 10 Maddest of the Mad Science Projects Funded by DARPA

Founded in 1958 to prevent technological surprises such as Sputnik, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funds projects that are both outside the box and off the wall. Although DARPA gave us the Internet and GPS, plenty of its blue-sky ideas have crashed back down to Earth. Here are ten of them. 1) Mecha-Elephant In…

Is Second Life About to Become a Ghost World?

Second Life, one of the most hyped virtual worlds in history, is heading towards ghost town status. Intrepid tech reporter Wagner James Au broke the story over the weekend, noting that Second Life makers Linden Lab are at work on a top-secret new virtual world. It’s possible that this new virtual world is part of…

Futuristic Technology Makes Piping-Hot Pancakes On A Stick

Japanese engineers are known throughout the world as pioneers of robot technology. But, now they’ve perfected something even more paradigm-shredding: the pancake popsicle maker. As Rakuten and RocketNews24 report, Roky, which costs around $60, is the long-awaited solution for the spatula-challenged: The device, which looks a bit like a coffee thermos, certainly seems pretty easy…

Our Drones Are Crashing At An Alarming Rate

A yearlong investigation by the Washington Post reveals that more than 400 large U.S. military drones have crashed around the world since 2001, due to mechanical breakdowns, human error and bad weather. The report is certain to raise concerns about allowing drones to fly in U.S. airspace. https://gizmodo.com/the-u-s-has-designated-six-sites-for-testing-commercia-1491722114 The Post’s investigation is based on records…

Here’s What Yesterday’s Successful Missile Defense Test Really Means

On Sunday, a ground-based interceptor fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base destroyed a mock enemy warhead launched from the Marshall Islands. The Pentagon hailed it as a major success for the troubled national missile defense system, which has cost $40 billion since 2004. But, in truth, it changes little. As I previously wrote, the U.S.…

Privacy advocates are concerned that the U.S. Army is planning to launch two blimps over Maryland to watch for incoming cruise missiles. The Electronic Privacy Information Center has sued the Army for details of the equipment, noting that “a system that can survey a large area… could have profound implications.”

In a bipartisan vote, the House passed legislation that would prohibit the search of government databases for information on U.S. citizens without a warrant. It would also cut off funding for the CIA and NSA to build security “backdoors” into domestic tech products or services for surveillance purposes.

​DARPA Needs Your Help Creating An Instant Wall In A Can

The folks over at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have announced they’re looking for someone to construct a compact, cylinder-shaped delivery device that can instantly expand into a large structure (web, wall, blockade or barrier) without human intervention. In other words, no assembly required. The project is called “Block Access to Deny Entry”…

ISIS has become quite adept at employing social-media strategies that spread and control its message. One of its more successful ventures is an Arabic-language Twitter app called The Dawn of Glad Tidings, designed to inflate its online reach without triggering Twitter’s spam-detection algorithms.

Should The U.S. Unleash Killer Robots In Iraq?

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has asked the U.S. to deploy Predator and Reaper drones against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) fighters. And, today, Secretary of State John Kerry has confirmed that drones are definitely an option. But would they really make any difference? Patrick Tucker, the technology editor at Defense One, spoke…

NASA’s Decisions May Affect The Future Of The U.S. Nuclear Arsenal

If NASA decides to use liquid fuel for its new boosters, it could be a deathblow for domestic solid fuel manufacturing. That worries the Navy, since roughly 70 percent of U.S. nukes will soon be deployed aboard submarines—on missiles that use solid fuel. Under the terms of the New START treaty with Russia, the U.S.…

New “Bionic” Dildo Allows You to Feel Things You Never Felt Before

After the arrival of bionic arms and mind-controlled exoskeletons, it was only a matter of time before we began translating these new technologies into sex toys. The Ambrosia Vibe isn’t as sophisticated as other bionic technologies, but it is one step on the path to having that detachable penis you always wanted. The idea is…

The Marines Are Building An Anti-Drone Weapon—And, Yep, It’s A Laser

Now that pretty much everyone has surveillance drones, the U.S. Marines need to develop a weapon to knock them out of the skies—especially during the critical period when reconnaissance forces are landing on a beach. Faced with a shortage of anti-aircraft missiles, the Marines are looking for a few good lasers. Currently, Marines serving in…

This Enormous New Icebreaker Ship Is Flat-Out Incredible

This is concept art for an extraordinary new icebreaking ship currently under construction at the Arctech Helsinki Shipyard. Commissioned by the Finnish government, it will be able to smash its way through 1.2 meters of ice, creating a 25-meter wide channel. The ship’s engines will be capable of running on low-sulfur diesel fuel, as well…

Mind-controlled Exoskeleton Opens World Cup, But You’d Never Know

Talk about dropping the ball. Earlier today, Juliano Pinto — a 29 year-old paraplegic — successfully kicked off the 2014 FIFA World Cup by using a mind-controlled exoskeleton. But sadly, most TV networks failed to show it. After months of hype, the official broadcast of the opening ceremonies showed only a fraction of it, while…

Extraordinary Photos of Everyday Life in Oak Ridge, the Secret City

Here’s a collection of rare historical photos from Oak Ridge, Tennessee, a town established by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1942 on an isolated farm. It was a secret location that became one of the most significant sites of the Manhattan Project. Signs at Graphics Department, 1943-1944 Workers load uranium slugs into the X-10…