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Here’s some more bad news to add to the pile of concern over email vulnerability, a brief filed by Google’s attorneys has just surfaced and revealed that Gmail non-Gmail users who exchange emails with a Gmail user should have “no legitimate expectation of privacy”—ever. https://gizmodo.com/another-secure-email-service-silent-circle-is-shuttin-1075763867 The brief, unearthed by Consumer Watchdog, was filed on July…
It may not be quite as fast as Elon Musk’s plan for the Hyperloop, but back at the turn of the 20th century the moving sidewalk was The Future™! I was doing some research on World’s Fairs at the L.A. Library this past weekend when I found an absolutely gorgeous rare book from 1900. Paris…
Radar was the key technology to win the Battle of Britain against the Nazis. To protect their secret weapon, British Intelligence invented a propaganda campaign that claimed their pilots could see in the dark because they ate a lot of carrots. https://gizmodo.com/youve-been-lied-to-about-carrots-your-whole-life-becau-1124868510
Indirect glimpses of skylines, sailboats, signage, and selfies. Sometimes the indirect approach can yield amazing results. WINNER: Fist So I saw the guidelines and realized I was going on vacation to see my family, and so I’d have access to my camera and my dad’s. We went around the Chicago Museum of Art looking for…
Fans of British sci-fi series Dr. Who will ooohaaah endlessly at this amazing easter egg in Google Streetview. Put your Chrome in incognito mode and follow these instructions to get from the real world Police Box at Earl’s Court tube station into the TARDIS, the Timelord’s spacetime craft. https://jalopnik.com/google-maps-has-an-incredible-dr-who-easter-egg-1121878011
You’ve probably heard the myth that eating lots of carrots will magically improve your vision. The bad news is that it’s a total lie. The good news? It’s one that helped the Allies defeat the Nazis. Here’s the truth: Carrots are rich in beta carotene (Vitamin A), and thus, eating lots of carrots helps promote…
Facebook is testing out a new VIP-only app that encourages celeb(rity publicist) interaction with fans. By trying to get famous Facebookers to interact with the people liking and sharing their statuses and photos, Facebook hopes to foster some Twitter-style conversation. [Valleywag]
Coming fresh on the heels of the news that scientists are successfully 3D printing live, working, mini human kidneys, a new report in Nature is giving another burst of hope to the future of organ transplants. For the very first time, a research team has been able to grow human heart tissue that beats totally…
At a mere $144, “impulse buy” would be an understatement when describing this refurb used Samsung Chromebook deal. Priced at $26 below our last deal of the day mention, we obviously have no trouble recommending it. [Amazon] Update: I’m not actually sure what Amazon Warehouse’s process is, I’ll look into it, but we’re gonna go…
Johnny Manziel is a college football star currently in trouble for allegedly selling his own autographs. Yet his Texas family is supposedly loaded with cash, from Texas redneck pursuits such as oil drilling, small-time scams and … cockfighting. [Photo via Shutterstock.] https://deadspin.com/the-long-con-how-the-manziels-conquered-america-1040593220
We’re one step closer to a true internet of things with the development of new technology that lets devices communicate with each other using existing TV and Wi-Fi signals. The most impressive part? They don’t require batteries. https://gizmodo.com/will-the-internet-of-things-make-our-lives-any-easier-508710992 A team of researchers from the University of Washington just unveiled this new communication technique that doesn’t…
Yesterday afternoon, Elon Musk revealed his plans for a system that could revolutionize transit. This isn’t the first time a private entrepreneur has taken on transportation in America, though. In fact, another wealthy businessman and inventor named Alfred Ely Beach attempted to do the same thing in New York, in 1869. Except instead of Hyperloops,…
There are wealthy people out there sharing their opinions on college—that it’s a poor investment, that student loans are insane, that even having a degree from a good university is no guarantee you’ll get a job in your chosen field. Fine. Meanwhile, those of us without degrees are facing a crazily hostile world. [Photo via…
What do you get the jolly baker who already has everything? How about some silicone cupcake molds in the shape of pants that look like an overweight person when you bake muffins in them? They’re called “Muffin Tops,” and they go on sale in October. They’ll cost you $13 for a set of four, which…
Gmail’s latest in a series of changes, the updated compose window, will soon go from opt-out to your only choice. Today’s Gmail blog post says that all Gmail accounts will switch to the new compose window in the next few days. If you’re not a fan of the new default, Google says you can expand…
Back in 1994, Microsoft’s first ergonomic keyboard showed us that the traditional design maybe wasn’t as comfortable as it could’ve been, and that we didn’t have to deal with a crippling pain in our wrists just to send an email. An age of ergonomic accessories was born, and the piece de resistance of the past…
In the mid 20th Century, hard-boiled detective stories and moody crime movies made Los Angeles, its scheming people and its endless decaying sprawl the main characters. The upcoming Grand Theft Auto V takes over “sunshine noir” by making the crime-ridden and corrupt boomtown of Los Santos the star of a video game that’s supposedly just…
Take any completely outlandish idea and put the word ‘Florida’ in the same sentence and all of a sudden it makes a lot more sense. The state, known for its roaming gangs of blood-sucking mosquitoes, is hoping to take to the skies to help battle the menace by using camera-equipped drones to spot shallow pools…
308,745,538 color dots, each representing one inhabitant of the United States of America. The color is the race: blue is white, green is black, red is asian, yellow is hispanic and brown is native american, multi-racial or other races. Zoom in and see if you can find yourself. https://gizmodo.com/the-entire-racial-distribution-of-the-us-person-by-per-1118626554
Today if your car breaks down or you’re in an accident, help is little more than a phone call away. It’s something that many drivers of the 21st century take for granted, what with our Space Age smartphone technology. This automotive safety net, of course, wasn’t available in the 1930s. But one visionary who was…
