Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Here’s a glimpse of “6,000 PCs, 800 servers, 800 networking devices and 130 terabytes of data” driving the Vancouver Olympics. There are no medals in this category of competition. [CNET via DVICE]
It may have taken the USPTO ten years to approve the original application, but they’ve finally granted TiVo a patent on “what looks like “season pass” prioritization, conflict resolution, and recording.” The patent description covers: The invention correlates an input schedule that tracks the free and occupied time slots for each input source with a…
So much for apologies! Google CEO Eric Schmidt yesterday described user discomfort over Buzz’s privacy issues as “confusion,” saying that “nobody’s personal information was disclosed.” This is, of course, complete and utter manure. https://gizmodo.com/google-admits-buzz-testing-sucked-and-they-are-very-v-5473660 Buzz’s privacy problems are widely documented. Google’s misadventure in social networking has already inspired an FTC complaint and a class action…
Rubbish powered the DeLorean’s Mr. Fusion Home Energy Reactor power source in Back To The Future, so it makes sense that now we’re in the future we can make ethanol fuel from fruit peel. It’s the work of professor Henry Daniell at the University of Central Florida, who can also turn newspaper into fuel fit…
Verizon’s Mobile Remote is an app for Windows Mobile and Android (though for the time being, just the Imagio and Droid) which lets you control your FiOS box locally over Wi-Fi, and share photos from your smartphone. While Verizon’s promo video implies that it’s a makeshift solution—”if you can’t find your remote”—from the looks of…
According to Steve Jobs, running Flash video on the iPad would cut its battery life from 10 hours to a measly 1.5. At least, that was his pitch to Wall Street Journal execs recently. But could it possibly be true? Well, yes and no. Jobs is picking and choosing here between hypothetical versions of Flash.…
According to multiple, reliable industry sources, this iSandwich 4G video is both real and delicious. How Microsoft will eat lunch knowing that this new menu offering exists, I do not know.
Random chat site ChatRoulette is absolutely nuts. It’s the best place on the internet to see a random naked fat man having intercourse with a piece of fruit or a stuffed animal. But it’s so rife with possibilities! What sorts of random pairings of people would be absolutely epic on ChatRoulette? What sorts of interactions…
No special technology to see here, just clever design. The Glimpse Mirror by designer Sarah T. Kang opens a door into any surface. Inside, you’ll find yourself—only a bit fatter than you’d remembered. [mocoloco]
One of the students involved in the class-action lawsuit against the administrators who used school-provided laptops to spy on them, contacted Gizmodo with details about what was happening. https://gizmodo.com/school-spies-students-through-their-laptop-cameras-5474614 Frequently, the green lights next to our [Early 2008 MacBook] iSight webcams will turn on. The school district claims that this is just a glitch. We…
Gadget-heads aren’t usually known for our upper-crust mannerisms, so if you want an invite to the next opera gala check out the free etiquette ebook. Now I can finally figure out what all those forks on my table are for. Top Deals: • Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty (PC) for $49.99 plus free shipping (normally…
Years of battling cancer have left film ubercritic Roger Ebert without a portion of his jaw, and consequentially, his voice. Esquire’s superb profile outlined his efforts to regain a voice—his voice—but left us wondering: How will that work? From Esquire: Ebert is waiting for a Scottish company called CereProc to give him some of his…
I think you’d have to nearly suicidal to attempt it—especially if you’re in NY or SF—but Apple’s doubled the max size of apps you can download over 3G to 20MB. [9to5Mac]
We’ve seen several new camera formats recently—micro four thirds, 3D cameras, heck, even Polaroid has made a return. But a camera where the lens and the screen can separate, so the subject can hold the screen? Madness. https://gizmodo.com/smiley-fujifilm-3d-point-and-shoot-camera-does-video-l-5320136 It is merely an idea in designer Xi Zhu‘s head unfortunately—but I can see Fujifilm being inspired…
GorillaPod, the bendy tripods you know and love, just announced its newest version: GorillaPod Magnetic. This guy has magnets on each of its feet, allowing you to stick it to pretty much any magnetic surface. Of course, it’ll still work without sticking to a surface, as it’s still a normal GorillaPod above the feet. But…
The Python is a huge snake of explosives, a fire whip half a kilometer long launched from Trojan bulldozer tanks. It opens safe passages for convoys in hostile territory. This video shows it in combat for the first time. The explosive whip is propelled by rockets from a barrel on board the Trojan. As it…
Both companies are dropping clues that Nokia and Intel are working on a new mobile chip—a move that could solve serious problems for both. Intel and Nokia’s love affair, it seems, is bigger than Meego. The theory congealed after Monday’s announcement of Meego, an awkwardly named laboratory child of the Nokia’s Maemo mobile OS and…
Bad news for both you and 3D. Your fancy receivers can’t pass 3D signals because they aren’t equipped with HDMI 1.4. And on top of that, even more bad news: only one of Sony’s 4 new receivers supports 3D. The 7.1 channel, 110W STR-DN1010 will be Sony’s affordable flagship 3D receiver. Priced at $500 this…
Beecem’s upcoming BCS500 4G chip is going to be able to handle both WiMax and LTE connectivity. Not only that, it’ll be able to switch seamlessly between the two, depending on which provides the best signal in your location. https://gizmodo.com/giz-explains-why-wimax-and-lte-wireless-4g-data-will-b-5168035 The chip is the result of a collaboration with Motorola, with mass production starting early…
Aspiral Clocks don’t use hands or digital displays, just a ball. The clock itself spins, driving the ball through a spiral until—every twelve hours—it disappears in a hole at the center. Confused? Here’s a video: I like it, but for $545, it will probably only excite fans of Bill Halley. [It’s Nice That]
