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Apple iPhone voice command technology rumors are nothing new, but a new patent uncovered over at CNET borders on Star Trek LCARS computer-level complexity. Want to play a track with four stars and make a Genius playlist? Just ask. [CNET]
It was only two years ago that IBM showed us an image of a complete molecule, atomic bonds and all, but today’s news does that one infinitesimally-sized breakthrough better. Ladies and gents, behold the first image of an electron’s path. https://gizmodo.com/ibm-takes-first-3d-image-of-atomic-bonds-5346964 Utterly amazing stuff! The IBM breakthrough was amazing enough, but now we have images…
The nice man explaining the in’s and out’s of this slingshot cannon looks and sounds exactly like he did the other day when I was imagining what slingshot cannon aficionados might look and sound like. This is not an insult. If it were, I’d no doubt be pavement paste by now, my head and body…
As denizens of the East Coast emerge from their storm shelters and temporary Starbucks bunkers in Manhattan, they were greeted with a scene of such utter, well, vanilla that many were no doubt wondering, as we were, “That was it?” Editor’s Note: An important update regarding upstate New York and Vermont has been added to…
Step right up, my pretties, and crawl into the belly of the beast! Place those eager feet on accepting pedals, and the Fledgling nearly takes flight! Nearly, of course, because Fledgling is a massive metal skeleton at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011 and is not capable of flight. To which Irene says, bring it on…
That hunk of metal to the right is the world’s most accurate clock, say people with more knowledge of time and atomic clocks than anyone else. Called a cesium fountain clock (aka atomic clock), this British ticker is accurate to within two 10 million billionths of a second and won’t lose a second for the…
Fitness fanboy Joseph Tame is passionate about running, as his latest 13-mile trek confirms, but did you know he’s pretty into Steve Jobs as well? For confirmation of that, look no further than this Tokyo satellite photo. Tame created it using the Runkeeper app to track his progress using GPS and a special harness called…
An insecure loser who was rejected by a Buddhist society and then used Twitter to stalk and harass its leader with more than 8,000 tweets has inadvertently started one of the more interesting social media debates in recent memory. Mainly, was what William Lawrence Cassidy did when he sent those thousands of hateful, violent messages…
Ваше здоровье! Let us toast the Russians and their $65 billion Siberian-Alaskan underwater train tunnel! At 65-miles, the proposed tunnel would be twice as long as the Chunnel between France and England, and could connect New York City with London. Unfortunately for vagabonds, the high speed rail system proposed by the Russians would be used…
Apple’s “fifth Beatle,” Ron Wayne, sold his 10% stake in the company two weeks after it was founded to avoid pushing paper and startup risks. That $35 billion would have been a lot of paper, Ron. I would have pushed. Wayen was brought on by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs (with whom he had worked…
Old sea walls, water-filled dams and other man-made obstacles to Hurricane Irene’s wrath have failed along the East River, and parts of the city are now flooded. Do not do as the reporters do in this footage. Stay inside! [AP]
Are you still there? Has power cut out yet? It’s Irene, baby, and she’s barreling down the New England seaboard as I type this! But don’t panic. The FCC is here with some last-minute tips on communicating during the storm. The list arrived yesterday in handy a .pdf format, but in case you don’t have…
Look, if you’re getting pelted in the face with bad-smelling, bad-tasting “organic material,” maybe it’s time to pack up and take it to the studio, yeah? Poor Tucker Barnes learned that the hard way in Ocean City, MD, where he got covered head-to-toe in sea foam probably caused by raw sewage backup from Hurricane Irene.…
It all happened so fast. First Best Buy denied being able to sell the HP’s all-but-dead tablet during last weekend’s firesale. A few days later they did, selling out quick. Now reports say they have more to sell. What gives? https://gizmodo.com/best-buy-is-not-selling-discounted-touchpads-5832891 According to Droid Matters, Best Buy employees have gotten memos letting them know that…
Engadget has shots of the upcoming HTC Holiday, which is ready to be one of the first to run on AT&T’s 4G LTE network. It’s got a 4.5-inch qD touchscreen, 8MP camera, and 1.2GHz processor, and will ship with the latest Gingerbread update. Only thing is it might get renamed the Waikiki. …Why? [Engadget]
As you’re buying plywood, calk, rations, and cowering in fear, some guys are wringing their hands in anticipation. Surfers. Hurricane season is what east coast surfers absolutely live for. Yes, right now, as most people are fleeing coastal areas, there are surfers in the water. Why? Because the east coast gets very little swell during…
It’s Saturday night, and you’re feeling randy. You turn to your significant other, and without a word you start nuzzling close. And without a word she pushes you off, too wrapped up in the Tudors on Netflix. You’re not alone. According to the Ikea-funded study—which really does wonders for its credibility—people have become much too…
Last weekend, a 26-year-old woman decided to go paintballing with some friends. She got shot. It happens. But while in routine surgery the following Monday, it was found that the fire she took tore through damaged one of her breast implants. What?? I mean, I suppose it shouldn’t be terribly surprising. Paintballs can move at…
And it’s very clever. I guess hurricanes need love, just like the rest of us. Check out Irene’s OK Cupid page. She’s also on Twitter, and has a multiple personality disorder. See, there’s @Irene, who is full of information and “Doesn’t want to hurt anyone.” And then there’s @HurriicaneIrene, whose about section reads, “I’m a…
I don’t know where that lovebird got his axe. I don’t know why. But I’ve decided to name him Conan. And Conan abides no fools… Plus he’s too cute. [The Mary Sue]