Tech News

Ukraine Officials Shut Down Demonoid to Impress the US Government

Just before an official state visit with the US, Ukraine’s Interior ministry seized all of Demonoid’s servers, rendering the torrent site non-functional. Serving the most popular torrent destination following the neutering of The Pirate Bay, TorrentFreak believes the site was a target because Ukraine wanted to prove to the US that they take copyright infringement…

Towering PC Heat Sinks Call for Ridiculous Amounts of Space

Sure, you can go with a fan to cool your PC if you’re boring and concerned about things like space. If you’re more towards the insane side, you might drool over these ludicrous custom heat sinks. Given that each sink stands about 16 inches tall, and the whole rig weighs about 11 pounds, it’s probably…

The Beautiful Video Game That Drives NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover

So MSL Curiosity has landed. It survived the seven minutes of terror and safely touched down on the surface of Mars. A miracle in its own right. Now that it’s there, it needs a way to move around. Anyone who played Lunar Lander and Moon Patrol already knows how they’re going to do this: Video…

Is It Possible to Make a New Tablet Look Exciting?

As Apple and Samsung continue to battle over product design, a possible new HP tablet has popped up in their marketing fluff with an intriguing look (see those tapered edges?! SEE?!). But considering that a successful tablet design is one with as little weight and volume around the screen as possible, is there still room…

Wikipedia’s main page is down and other entries are loading slowly. Bad news if you’re writing a term paper. [The Verge]

Chemotherapy Can Make Cancer Growth Worse

Chemotherapy is an extremely aggressive way to treat cancer, because it’s indiscriminate about which cells it kills, cancerous or healthy. But while aggressive, it is at least thought to be effective—which is why a new study suggesting chemotherapy can sometimes encourage cancer growth is shocking doctors. The study, which is published in Nature Medicine, suggests…

Nuance Wants Voice Recognition To Take Over Your Entire Phone

Nuance’s voice recognition software already crops up in plenty of places—most famously to power Siri, but also in standalone app Dragon Go!, some smart TVs, and even cars. Now, though, Nuance is planning to have its software power each and every app you use. https://gizmodo.com/this-cadillac-is-powered-by-linux-5913252 That’s made possible by a new software development kit that…

Staff of China’s Biggest Search Engine Delete User Content For Cash

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Baidu, China’s biggest search company, is sacking staff because they’ve been deleting users’ posts for cash. The “professional post-deleting”, as it’s come to be called, is a way of removing negative press and reviews from websites. The deletion is a major problem in China, but cross referencing a…

An Enormous Galaxy Note For Stylus-Wielding Arty Types

If you were a fan of the original stylus-packing Galaxy Note, but always thought that 5.3-inches was just too small: good news. Samsung’s finally released the long-awaited quad-core 10.1-inch version of the Note, and you should be able to get your hands on it by the end of this month. Samsung’s not messing around with…

Bloomberg: Nokia to Announce Windows Phone 8 Handsets Early September

Bloomberg is reporting that Nokia will announce its new range of Windows Phone 8-powered devices at the start of September—with the intention of shipping them in time for the holidays. The report cites “a person with knowledge of the matter”, who explains that the company plans to announce the new devices—perhaps unsurprisingly—during a new roadshow-style…

These Are the First Images from the Mars Curiosity Rover (Updated)

The Mars Curiosity Rover has landed successfully! And here’s the first image, from the hazard cameras that will help it navigate through the surface of Mars. This is a phenomenal achievement. And here are the first images! https://gizmodo.com/the-mars-curiosity-rover-has-landed-live-coverage-fr-5932039 The image shows the shadow of the rover, securely positioned on the surface of the red planet.…

The Mars Curiosity Rover Has LANDED! — Live Coverage from JPL

The Mars Curiosity has landed—a phenomenal success that completes an incredible journey against all odds. NASA still has the chops to make interplanetary magic happen. I will keep updating this post through the night. Live coverage Comments on reverse chronological order. Local Pacific Coast time. 8:16 — Good morning everyone. I still can’t believe that…

The Mars Curiosity Delay Will Drive Everyone Crazier Than NBC’s Olympic Coverage

Ben Thoma is one of the crucial people in the Mars Science Laboratory mission. He has this mind blowing thought to share with you: When we get the signal that we hit the atmosphere, we’re already on the surface… yet we don’t know in what condition. So you are sitting there going “our rover right…

How the Most Important Parachute In the Solar System Works

In just a few hours the Mars Curiosity Rover will be on the surface of Mars. During the seven minutes of terror that will precede touch down, many things must work perfectly. The first critical piece is the parachute. https://gizmodo.com/why-nasas-mars-curiosity-rover-landing-will-be-seven-mi-5920588 Here’s Dr. Douglas Adams, MSL Parachute Cognizant Engineer, to tell you why and how it…

Chronicle: A Wonderfully Depressing Take on the Superhero

By now, you’ve all but certainly seen The Dark Knight Rises, but I’m willing to bet that some of you haven’t seen Chronicle. Before anyone gets too upset, I’m not about to say that the two universes are on par or anything, but Chronicle’s dark take on superheroism is interesting to consider up against Nolan’s…

Cymbals Eat Guitars: And The Hazy Sea

“And The Hazy Sea” is the lead track from Cymbals Eat Guitar’s debut album Why There Are Mountains. It’s also one of the most amazing songs I’ve ever heard. Yeah, it’s on the long side, but it takes a journey work going on. The ebb and flow of the dynamics, along with the ethereal guitar…

Hang Out With These Cats and Watch a Little iPad Magic

Simon Pierro is relatively well known for his tech-friendly iPad magic. Now he’s back with a new set, some cats, and a soundtrack that sort of sounds like it should be coming from a Nintendo Wii. Nonetheless, the tricks are neat enough to be amusing, and simple enough that they’re fun to try and figure…

This Rustic Milk Crate Stereo Goes Hammer

Sleek angular speakers sharp edges and shiny finishes can be nice, but sometimes you need something more rugged and raw, something with a bunch of hammers on it. This one-of-a-kind milk-crate stereo and end table is a good fit for that niche. This handmade piece by Devin Kain features a real milk-crate housing, and real…

En Garde Amazon, eBay Rolling Out Same-Day Shipping Service “eBay Now”

All the speculation about Amazon’s same-day shipping service may have been wishful thinking, but it seems like eBay is really going to give it a shot. The auction service has started sending invites to the beta of “eBay Now,” which provides just that. https://gizmodo.com/amazon-same-day-delivery-might-have-been-wishful-thinki-5929414 Local to San Fransciso at the moment, eBay Now will apparently…

Microsoft Changes Up Its Windows 8 Activation Policy To Curb The Rampant Piracy It Seems To Expect

OEMs that want to have the latest version of Windows on their machines are going to find that things are a little different this time around. The new process should be more secure, cutting down on any piracy that may or may not happen. In the past, many OEMs who were shipping PCs with the…