Tech News

Artificial intelligence outsmarts humans for the first time in history

For the first time ever, a computer program has been able to fool a human into thinking it was another human, passing the Turing Test—the benchmark for artificial intelligence.

Sploid Jesus Diaz

Would You Resell Your Ebooks and MP3s Even If You Could?

The MPAA doesn’t want you to resell the movies you buy on iTunes and other services. The U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on the Judiciary’s Subcommittee Intellectual Properly and the Internet hearing is now discussing if they are right or wrong in a—but does it matter? Would you resell your digital goods online if you…

Tech News Pranav Dixit

First-person point of view video recorded by a wild polar bear

US Geological Survey’s biologists attached cameras and radio collars to four free-ranging female Alaskan polar bears last April. One of the resulting videos shows one of the bears in action in the Beaufort Sea, checking out a potential mate, swimming below ice, and trying to eat a frozen seal (which is kind of gross.) Female…

Sploid James Baker

How they made the classic Old Spice “I’m on a horse” commercial

I thought that the classic Old Spice “I’m on a horse” commercial was entirely made with green screens and video compositing. I was so wrong. This video shows that, for the most part, it was made with clever use of movable backdrops and camera work on a beach, in one single take. Reader bacondreamer found…

Sploid Jesus Diaz

A Computer Program Has Passed the Turing Test For the First Time

This is big. A computer program has successfully managed to fool a bunch of researchers into thinking that it was a 13-year-old boy named Eugene Goostman. In doing so, it has become the first in the world to have successfully passed the Turing Test. The test is named after computer pioneer Alan Turing. To pass…

Artificial Intelligence Pranav Dixit

Playing with Science and Technology for Fantastic Costumes

As convention season heats up, we get a steady stream of fan tributes to various media characters in the form of elaborate costumes. While this is independently awesome, I’m particularly fascinated by just how much science, technology, and mathematics goes into design. I don’t get to many conventions — this summer I’ll be visiting Comic…

Tech News Mika McKinnon

D-Day battle images merged with photos of tourists on the same spots

I love to see before and after D-Day photos like the extensive series published in The Guardian or The Globe and Mail to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Allied Invasion. But I love to merge them into single photos even more, so couldn’t resist merging some of them in Photoshop. Above you can see…

Sploid Jesus Diaz

First person video of a 34-foot-high jump on a motorbike

Watch motocross freestyle biker Ronnie Renner clearing 34 feet (10.36 meters) to win the Moto X Step Up—a bike high jump competition at the Summer X Games 2014 in Austin, Texas. It’s amazing to see how high he got. According to Renner, the jump is really hard, especially the landing. The impact becomes a real…

Sploid Jesus Diaz

On June 15 Join in to Discuss Daphne Oram’s 1971 Book ‘An Individual Note’

A proper online discussion forum was recently introduced on Disquiet.com. The implementation is still in beta, but it seems to be functioning well. One of the things the forum will support is an occasional book club. After much deliberation, the first book we’ll be collectively reading and talking about is the out-of-print volume An Individual…

Tech News Marc Weidenbaum

This Week’s Top Comedy Video: Amazon’s Mystery Product, Revealed

This week, Amazon put out a teaser video of people reacting to a mystery product the company will reveal on June 18th. The first version of the video never showed the product, but we got our hands on the uncut video. Now you can see exactly what those smiling people had their fingers in. For…

Tech News SplitSider

New Android Feature Wakes You Up For Your Bus or Subway Stop

Android Police just discovered a cool new Google Now feature: when you’re taking public transportation, you can set an alarm to make sure you don’t sleep through your stop. No more waking up stranded at the end of the line! Apparently, you just open Google Now while you’re on the train or bus, and it’ll…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich

Transit Strikes and Corruption: What’s Ruining Our Cities This Week

Another crippling transit strike for San Francisco! A mayor stealing the money that Venice should be using to save itself from flooding! It’s a depressing look at What’s Ruining Our Cities. The mayor of Venice is not only ruining the city, HE COULD BE THE REASON IT DROWNS As thousands of artists and architects from…

Tech News Alissa Walker

OS X Yosemite, iOS 8, Woz the Tetris Whiz, and More

It started with WWDC, Apple’s annual conference where it announces all the year’s new software stuff. It ended with Detroit decay and Steve Wozniak telling us about his tenure as the World’s #1 Tetris Player. What a week it’s been! Here’s all the good stuff you might’ve missed. OS X Yosemite First Impressions: Apple’s Biggest…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich

Here’s What Happens When A Pigeon Tries To Fly In Zero Gravity

The United States Air Force set up the Aerospace Medical Research Laboratories to determine what would happen to our astronauts before we launched them into space. A brief documentary from the dawn of the Space Age is a fascinating time capsule of early research, accomplishments, and fears. The documentary covering the then-cutting-edge bioastronautics research is…

Tech News Mika McKinnon

Soviet Doctors Cured Infections With Viruses, and Soon Yours Might Too

In the Soviet Union, western antibiotics couldn’t make it past the Iron Curtain. So Eastern Bloc doctors figured out how to use viruses to kill infectious bacteria. Now, with antibiotic-resistant bugs vexing doctors, that eerie yet effective method might come our way. In post-antibiotic world, infection cures you! The technique actually dates back thousands of…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich

Fear of Science Now Available in the Yogurt Aisle

While Chobani has backed down on its anti-science claims, they’re still insisting their yogurt is 100% chemical-free. I am downright confused, or possibly astounded, at the concept we’ve found a new form of non-chemical matter, and waste it in yogurt. I get that fear of chemistry is right up there with fear of mathematics for…

Tech News Mika McKinnon

Piano mysteriously washes ashore under NYC’s Brooklyn Bridge

A baby grand piano has mysteriously appeared under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York, right on the Manhattan side of the East River. Everyone in the city is speculating about its origin: Some people think it may be a viral marketing action, others think it may be an art project, but nobody really knows why…

Sploid Bob Sorokanich

How to Outfit Your Entire Home With LED Light

Now that incandescents have gone the way of the dinosaur and everybody’s generally agreed that CFLs are terrible, it’s finally the dawning of the age of LED. And there has been no shortage of bulb makers stepping up with offerings to hang in your house. Here are some of the latest and greatest options available…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola

Report: Google Nearby to Bring Android Next-Level Contextual Awareness

AndroidPolice got an exclusive look at an alleged new feature that’s said be coming soon to Android devices: Google Nearby, a next-level contextual awareness suite that would give Google-powered devices an even deeper understanding of where you are and what you’re doing, no user interaction required. While it’s not confirmed, AndroidPolice’s Liam Spradlin says he’s…

Tech News Bob Sorokanich

The Most Popular Tweets From @Everyword’s Esteemed Career

Since 2007, the @everyword Twitter account has been tweeting out every single word in the English language. This morning, after tweeting one word every half hour for for the last seven years, the account will finally shut down. In honor of its completion, here are @everyword’s greatest hits:

Tech News Leslie Horn

Artificial intelligence outsmarts humans for the first time in history

Would You Resell Your Ebooks and MP3s Even If You Could?

First-person point of view video recorded by a wild polar bear

How they made the classic Old Spice “I’m on a horse” commercial

A Computer Program Has Passed the Turing Test For the First Time

Playing with Science and Technology for Fantastic Costumes

D-Day battle images merged with photos of tourists on the same spots

First person video of a 34-foot-high jump on a motorbike

On June 15 Join in to Discuss Daphne Oram’s 1971 Book ‘An Individual Note’

This Week’s Top Comedy Video: Amazon’s Mystery Product, Revealed

New Android Feature Wakes You Up For Your Bus or Subway Stop

Transit Strikes and Corruption: What’s Ruining Our Cities This Week

OS X Yosemite, iOS 8, Woz the Tetris Whiz, and More

Here’s What Happens When A Pigeon Tries To Fly In Zero Gravity

Soviet Doctors Cured Infections With Viruses, and Soon Yours Might Too

Fear of Science Now Available in the Yogurt Aisle

Piano mysteriously washes ashore under NYC’s Brooklyn Bridge

How to Outfit Your Entire Home With LED Light

Report: Google Nearby to Bring Android Next-Level Contextual Awareness

The Most Popular Tweets From @Everyword’s Esteemed Career

Apple Removes iPhone Vibe Coding App from App Store

China’s Biggest Social Media Celebrity Is… Kris Jenner?

Up to $1,550 Off on pCloud: Pay Once, Protect Data Forever for World Backup Day

National Film and Sound Archive of Australia Adds ‘Succulent Chinese Meal’ Guy

Feds Sniffing Around Polymarket After Suspicious Bets

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Don’t Get Too Attached to Any AI App

‘Paradise’ Writer Teases What’s Coming in Season 3 After That Huge Twist

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

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