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The July 1, 1928 San Antonio Light (San Antonio, TX) ran a syndicated story titled, “Romantic Old Maids Can Hear the Words of Love They Long For.” The excerpt below tells the tale of a futuristic unmarried woman who keeps a robot under her bed. This automated man, which was naturally all the rage in…
We thought Android Donut sounded a bit too good to be true yesterday when we saw the latest code, and today that educated guess appears to be correct. According to one Android developer, multitouch is not in the cards. https://gizmodo.com/android-donut-build-out-full-multitouch-universal-sea-5322902/ That developer is one Romaine Guy, an Android framework engineer, and his big revelation today…
Love them or hate them, there’s no denying U2 has a knack for bending light to its will. Their latest creation is no different. At 74 tons, it’s an epic, morphing LED centerpiece for an already technology-heavy concert tour. https://gizmodo.com/bono-gets-laser-jacket-public-gets-dizzy-5305500 Based on a Hoberman Sphere, the criss-crossed network of aluminum, 25km of cables, and 888…
Traditional conspiracy theorists would have you believe classified military UFO reports are all about flying saucers and little green men. Truth is, at least in Russia, the aliens had a penchant for aquatic locales—not space. We know this because on Friday Russia declassified pages and pages of its Cold War UFO sightings. A full 50%…
After a last-second buzzer beater put them in the front runner position for the Netflix Prize on Saturday, it appears as though “The Ensemble” has held off any late surges from other developers to take top honors in the competition. The competition, which was kicked off by Netflix back in 2006 as a way to…
I simply don’t get the humor. Has the cartoonist even met an aggressive monitor-spawned cephalopod before? [Doghouse]
The rider undoubtedly has the best, straightest posture in the whole biker gang. Plus, it really hugs the body close on those tight corners. Next project: Motorcycle stadium seating. [There I Fixed It]
Apple’s successful iPhone 3GS launch might mean a new video format takes over the YouTubes of the world in the near future. They’re calling it “tallscreen,” and I wanted to know if you gave a hoot or not. https://gizmodo.com/apple-made-a-lot-of-money-as-traditional-ipods-march-5319722 As you can see, the medium is “catching on,” at least in the wacky Twitterverse: For…
"Honey, I’m amazed that we never have any un-popped kernels. How do you do it each and every time?!" "Well, it’s simple, hun, really. I just use this special bowl I made a few weeks ago. And your vibrator." At which point “honey” throws up and walks out on me. Again. Nevertheless, one 2-hour movie…
Science fiction is great fun, but should we really be quaking in our boots over dangerous A.I. anytime soon? A growing number of scientists say yes, and the results of their February conference at Asilomar are finally being made public. At the conference, the scientists debated research limits on AI, much like their colleagues in…
The slowly fading iPhone 3G and the still somewhat fresh and new Palm Pre both received price cuts today. The 3G is now a bargain bin $50 and $100 (8GB and 16GB, respectively), while the Pre is $100 at Best Buy. Both phones get the cuts with a 2-year agreement. Naturally. [BGR and Pre Thinking]
My love affair with Lifehacker’s Sunday lists continues today as I bring you word of the five best Instant Messenger clients currently available for your pinging pleasure. And I agree with them: I really don’t know how I grew up in the 90s without this invaluable tool. Sheer willpower, I suppose. [Lifehacker] https://lifehacker.com/five-best-instant-messengers-5322592
When the lauded Pioneer Kuro plasmas went off-air in May, many mourned the loss of what was arguably one of the world’s best HDTVs. With the launch of the Panasonic TC-P54V10 plasma, however, a worthy successor has apparently emerged. https://gizmodo.com/panasonics-2009-hdtv-lineup-de-mystified-5169098 This according to the guys at HDguru, who proclaimed the new $2,600 set was easily…
Jesus, we know you love Lego something fierce, but are you willing to live in a completely Lego house, like Top Gear star James May? May, known to many in the U.K. for his affinity of automobiles, speed being “Captain Slow,” and other wheeled insanity, is prepped and ready to construct the two-story Lego house…
Google Street View sees the Almighty, fights crime, and even does self-portraits. It’s a busy, relentless lifestyle. I guess what I’m getting at is… dude gets hungry once in a while, and you’re coming along for the ride. https://gizmodo.com/google-street-view-car-sees-the-light-5281593 Wait. What happened to West Pacheco? Why does it say I’m still on it?! And how…
Some people see those automated traffic light cameras and hate them for privacy reasons. Others, like this couple from Brooklyn we’re about to tell you about, take a look and see nothing but dollar signs. The thieving pair, Anthony Cintorrino and Tara Laburt, were the beneficiary of what those in the biz call an “inside…
Over at Healthcare Robotics, they’re still working on Project Clickable World, but what they’ve got so far is amazing. A green laser pointer serves as a “mouse” to select real world objects and command a robot to interact with them. The researchers explain how this clickable world interface is supposed to work: In our object…
The Winter, 1960 edition of Air Progress magazine featured two nuclear-powered aircaft on its cover. Much like the nuclear-powered car, which was a popular idea among forward-thinking automobile designers of the 1950s, this idea never really took off. (Get it? Took off! TOOK OFF! Nevermind.) Previously on Paleo-Future: Air Force Predictions for 2063 (1963) Nuclear…
Google’s dropped new code for Android Donut and it sounds too good to be true. People at XDA Developers are reporting it has system-wide multitouch, universal search, text-to-speech, automated backups, a new camera app, and somehow, supposedly better performance. https://gizmodo.com/google-android-2-0-donut-has-universal-search-and-text-5271590 Also intriguing is CDMA support—as in the kind of network that Sprint runs—adding on to…
Apple’s Puritanical app approval policy doesn’t let in any really inappropriate apps, but it’s clear that the people want to indulge their vices with their iPhones: The current top three most popular apps are focused on sex, drugs, and alcohol. The closest thing to porn you’re likely to see in the App Store, Swimsuit Illustrated’s…
