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Common Sense Junction
Technology Blog Headlines

  1. Verizon and Redbox team up to battle Netflix

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 6 Feb 2012 | 2:19 pm MST

    Verizon and DVD kiosk company Redbox said Monday that they're teaming up on a streaming video partnership, a move that puts Netflix squarely in their crosshairs.

  2. Android nabbing more than half of new smartphone buyers

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 2:10 pm MST

    Apple sold the most smartphones in Q4 2011, but Android might win the race as it is attracting more first-time buyers than iOS, according to NPD research.

  3. Apple knocks IBM off top of Davis brands list

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 2:09 pm MST

    Apple unseated IBM as the top brand of 2011 according to a new study by Davis Brand Capital. The popular gadget maker came in seventh place in last year's tally.

  4. Amazon Stores Might Invade Your Neighborhood [Amazon.com]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 2:02 pm MST

    If you think Apple is a vertical corporate monolith, wait until you get a load of Amazon's reported plans: The e-tailer turned tablet maker turned publisher is said to be planning a physical store in Seattle with an eye toward building a national chain. And you thought the literati hated Amazon before. More »


  5. Gizmodo Is Hiring [Announcements]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm MST

    The person we're looking for knows and gets technology, gadgets, design and the internet crazy amazingly well. They're smart, and snappy, like cybernetic whips. That's you, isn't it? Sure it is. More »


  6. Target's Unlimited Item Policy Allows Miami Duo To Gobble Up Most Of Jason Wu Line At One Location

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm MST

    When Target releases a designer clothing line for a limited amount of time, shoppers go absolutely nutty. To wit: last year's Missoni fracas where shoppers seeking coveted items crashed Target's site, and rain boots showing up for $31K on eBay. So when one couple in Miami swooped in and grabbed most of one Target store's Jason Wu line, their fellow shoppers were inclined to go berserk. Electric Blogarella (via Miami New Times) says in her post "The Vultures That Ruined Jason Wu for Target" that she rolled out of bed at the crack of dawn to head over for the...

  7. Organize Your Apps by Action Instead of Category for a More Intuitive Find-and-Launch System [Organization]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm MST

    If you're having trouble remembering where you've filed away an app on your phone's home screen, you may want to consider organizing your apps by action. More »


  8. 3D printer produces new jaw for woman

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:59 pm MST

    In what's being called a first-of-a-kind operation, surgeons implant an entire titanium jaw made with a precision 3D printing technique.

  9. Why it pays to shop around for music

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:58 pm MST

    Though you may prefer to keep all your music downloads in one digital basket, you can save money by checking out different online music stores.

  10. Why it makes sense for Amazon to open its own stores

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:53 pm MST

    Amazon is reportedly preparing to dip its toes into the brick-and-mortar retail market with its first boutique test store in the Seattle area. The move, which could face a lot of challenges, makes sense as Amazon extends its buying experience to retail stores.

  11. Netflix launching original series amid competition

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:52 pm MST

    Netflix is launching its first original series to grow its streaming business and shift its focus away from DVD rentals.

  12. The Non Music Fan's Guide to M.I.A., from Truffle Fries to Her New Video [Video]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:52 pm MST

    Last night, a young British woman who goes by M.I.A. flipped the bird to 111 million Americans. Revenge for the Revolutionary War? Punk rock gesture? Involuntary muscle spasm? And who was that woman, anyway? We answer all your questions. More »


  13. Joan Rivers Has Had Plastic Surgery 739 Times [Trivia]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:42 pm MST

    Joan Rivers tells the Daily Telegraph she has had 739 surgical procedures to her Silly Puddy face. We all knew it was a lot, but, damn Joan, that is pathological. More »


  14. Scammers Use Impostor Apps to Flood the Android Marketplace With Malware [Android]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:42 pm MST

    Android apps such as Jetpack Joyride, Madden NFL 12, Pinterest and Batman Arkham City Lockdown are rife with malware. But these aren't the official apps. No, they're merely impostor apps that have snuck past the security gates of the Android Market. More »


  15. Steampunk your iPad with phonograph speaker

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:41 pm MST

    An Instructables project called the iPhonograph adds a powered, Edison-era horn speaker to your iPad.

  16. Lawmaker seeks tax on 'violent' video games

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:41 pm MST

    A bill proposed by an Oklahoma state legislator would place a 1 percent tax on games that are deemed "violent" by adding an additional 1 percent on top of the existing state sales tax.A bill proposed by an Oklahoma state legislator would place a 1 percent tax on games that are deemed "violent" by adding an additional 1 percent on top of the existing state sales tax.




  17. I Want These Rave Gloves So I Can Blow My Kid's Mind [Video]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:40 pm MST

    Okay, my rave days are long, long over. But I still want some of these EmazingLights gloves that the dude in this video has (who is apparently and unfortunately named Skidz) because I'm sure they would blow my one-year-old's mind. More »


  18. 7 signs that Android is faltering as iOS strengthens

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:36 pm MST

    Based on a growing number of data points, Android's sales dominance may be nearing its apex while iOS is on the rise. Even as a daily user of both an Android smartphone and tablet, I can't deny the facts that Android's future won't rival Android's past.

  19. Twitter hires Google executive: Asia as its next target?

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:35 pm MST

    Twitter snags a former Google Asia executive, who will start later this year, suggesting a potential push into Asia for the company.

  20. Fukushima Crisis Awakes After Reactor Heats Up Mysteriously [Video]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:35 pm MST

    Just when you thought it was over, the temperature at reactor number 2 at Fukushima's nuclear plant has soared 26.7 degrees Celsius in the last few hours. Worse: they don't know why the temperature is increasing after being stabilized for so long. More »


  21. Intel 520 Series drive to set new SSD benchmark

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:33 pm MST

    Intel announces the availability of its 520 Series solid-state drive that's slated to redefine consumer-grade SSD performance.

  22. The Always Up-to-Date Guide to Building a Hackintosh [OS X 10.7.3 UniBeast] [Always Up To Date Guide]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:30 pm MST

    Building a hackintosh—that is, installing Mac OS X on non-Apple hardware—used to require extremely restricted hardware choices and quite a bit of know-how. Now your options are vast and the installation process is fairly simple. With that in mind, here is our always up-to-date guide to building a hackintosh that will walk you through purchasing compatible parts, building your machine, and installing OS X all on your own. Thanks to a new process, it's even easier than before. More »


  23. Blocking The McDonald's Drive-Thru? That's A Tasering

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:30 pm MST

    A North Carolina woman is probably still feeling the sting -- at least the sting of public humiliation -- from being Tased by police for refusing to budge from the McDonald's drive-thru. According to the Fayetteville Observer, the woman entered the McDonald's drive-thru on Friday but rather than place her order at the menu board or pay at the first window, she went straight to the pick-up window to order her food. "She did not want to wait in line," a rep for the Cumberland County Sheriff's Dept. tells the paper. "They told her she had to go around and...

  24. Augmented Reality Will Help Future Astronauts Perform Surgery on Each Other

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:29 pm MST

    Augmented Reality Medical Exam The Computer Assisted Medical Diagnosis and Surgery System, CAMDASS, is a wearable augmented reality prototype that could someday allow space travelers to diagnose and treat their own medical issues. ESA/Space Applications Service NV

    Astronauts traveling to Mars or other distant destinations will face all kinds of medical problems, but rocket science isn't surgery. And vice versa. A new augmented reality system could help astronauts take care of each other, overlaying computer graphics over a real patient to guide diagnoses or even surgery. It could even improve telemedicine in developing countries or remote spots.

    For now, the Computer Assisted Medical Diagnosis and Surgery System, CAMDASS, only works with ultrasound, which is already available on the International Space Station. But the goal is to use it for any biomedical procedures future astronauts might need, according to the European Space Agency.

    CAMDASS users don a 3-D display headcam, which includes an infrared camera to track the ultrasound device. Markers placed on a patient's body denote sites of interest, and the system recognizes the patient and calibrates the display according to the CAMDASS wearer's vision, an ESA news release explains. The headset displays little floating cue cards in the wearer's field of vision, which match up with the markers on the real patient. Aligning the markers helps the user position the ultrasound probe, or whatever other device is needed. Then reference images show what the CAMDASS wearer should be seeing.

    The ESA tested a prototype of this device with medical and nursing students, paramedics and Belgian Red Cross workers at Saint-Pierre University Hospital in Brussels. The CAMDASS testers could perform a "reasonably difficult" ultrasound procedure without any other help, the space agency said.

    Augmented reality can be pretty fun to play with, but the practical applications of a real-life informational overlay are limitless. This is one reason why DARPA wants AR contact lenses that would require no bulky headgear. We've even seen an AR concept in which a would-be home mechanic can learn how to repair a car.

    Similarly, this ESA device could be useful long before anyone takes it to Mars. It could help improve diagnostics in developing countries, for instance, or in remote locations like Antarctic research stations. Workers there have had to complete their fair share of self-diagnostics. The ESA now wants to conduct further tests.



  25. Scientists revive the call of a Jurassic katydid

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:26 pm MST

    Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Researchers reproduce a katydid's call from 165 million years ago, based on an analysis of fossilized wings found in China.Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: Researchers reproduce a katydid's call from 165 million years ago, based on an analysis of fossilized wings found in China.




  26. Did Opie & Anthony cross line in Tom Green Twitter controversy?

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:25 pm MST

    Professor Tom Green blames the radio hosts for a flood of vile tweets after they fan the flames over who owns the Twitter account @TomGreen.

  27. Victim Responds to Latest Anonymous Hack: 'I Am a Supporter of Anonymous' [Anonymous]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:25 pm MST

    We've already pointed out that the collateral damage from Anonymous' latest online raid—the release of more than 2 gigs of email and other data from Puckett and Faraj, the law firm that represented the squad leader responsible for the Haditha massacre—included some unlikely targets. Now one of the partners of the firm has announced on his Facebook page that he supports Anonymous' goals, and once even offered to defend Anony-hero Bradley Manning. More »


  28. First-time smartphone buyers choose Android

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:24 pm MST

    Apple surged past Samsung and LG to have the best-selling phone brand in the United States, capturing 43 percent of the smartphone market in the last quarter of 2011. But among first-time smartphone buyers, 57 percent purchased Android phones compared to 34 percent who bought iPhones.Apple surged past Samsung and LG to have the best-selling phone brand in the United States, capturing 43 percent of the smartphone market in the last quarter of 2011. But among first-time smartphone buyers, 57 percent purchased Android phones compared to 34 percent who bought iPhones.




  29. Alone on Valentine's Day? There's at least 'Gal*Gun'

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:23 pm MST

    Next week is Valentine's Day, which can be a little rough for those without a special someone in their life. But if you happen to be part of that club who does, and also happen have a PS3, here's a suggestion: grab the demo "Gal*Gun" demo.Next week is Valentine's Day, which can be a little rough for those without a special someone in their life. But if you happen to be part of that club who does, and also happen have a PS3, here's a suggestion: grab the demo "Gal*Gun" demo.




  30. Press-To-Open Keyring Just Blew My Mind (And Saved My Fingernails) [Genius]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:20 pm MST

    I'm really sorry dress pant sweatpants, but there's only room in my heart for one amazing invention at a time, and you've just been replaced by these brilliant Free Key rings that open with a simple press. More »


  31. Wolfram|Alpha Pro launching this week

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:18 pm MST

    Wolfram|Alpha's founder explains the next big step in the evolution of the "knowledge engine," which is touted to enable users to dig deeper than ever into its vast library and personalize their...

  32. Student Who Accused Jewish Professor of Anti-Semitism Still Working to Expose the Conspiracy Against Her [Video]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pm MST

    Last September, York University student Sarah Grunfeld accused her Jewish professor of anti-Semitism after failing to grasp that he was expressing an outrageous opinion to illustrate a point, rather than as a true statement of his beliefs. Sarah, who was roundly mocked for this, believes she is the real victim in this case. More »


  33. 4G Phones Are Fast But Spotty Service Is A Real Drain On Your Battery

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:15 pm MST

    With Verizon's 4G network covering a good chunk of the country and AT&T gaining ground, more smartphone users have access to the fastest wireless service available. But because 4G coverage isn't truly continuous in many locations, users' batteries are taking a big hit. "I love everything about the phone, but with 4G on, it just sucks down the battery," one Verizon Wireless customer explains to the Wall Street Journal. "It's very frustrating. Why can't I get a phone to last a whole day?" The problem, reports the Journal, is that 4G phones in areas with spotty 4G service spend an...

  34. Facebook photo sharing app for iPhone killed (rumor)

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:14 pm MST

    The Facebook photo sharing app for iPhone that never saw the light of day... will never see the light of day. Facebook is, however, planning to do something with mobile and photos.

  35. What it really means when someone says ‘Hadoop’

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:12 pm MST

    Hadoop features front and center in the discussion of how to implement a big data strategy, one of the biggest trends in IT. There’s just one problem that keeps cropping up: many people don’t seem to know exactly what it means when somebody says “Hadoop.”

  36. Russians reportedly hit buried Antarctic lake

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:10 pm MST

    Lake Vostok as viewed by space by a satellite. Several Russian news outlets are reporting that Russian scientists have successfully drilled to Antarctica's Lake Vostok, a massive liquid lake cut off from daylight for 14 million years and buried beneath 2 miles (3.7 kilometers) of ice.




  37. The folly of refreshing Android tablet product lines too often

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:06 pm MST

    Announcing new and improved tablets shortly after shipping the previous model is not a good business practice for Android tablet makers.

  38. From your couch, Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pm MST

    A few weeks ago, Stephen Hawking celebrated his 70th birthday. The famous cosmologist (who is probably more widely known than any other living scientist) has written several popular books including A Brief History of Time, The Universe in a Nutshell, and most recently, The Grand Design. A documentary series he created for the Discovery Channel in 2010, titled Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking, was recently released on Blu-ray, and Discovery sent us a copy of the set to check it out. Hawking hosts the program, but Benedict Cumberbatch (who played Hawking in a 2004 BBC movie) does the majority of the narration as Hawking’s inner voice.

    The three-part series starts off with an episode on the tantalizing possibility of life elsewhere in the Universe. It covers the usual ground (looking for water and the right temperature range to make it liquid) before moving on to more speculative endeavors. There are some enjoyable (and fairly well-animated) attempts to imagine strange forms of animal life, but the program also allows that evolution might hit upon similar structures to those that arose on Earth.

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  39. Judge Says Bank Of America Can Boot The $16 House Guy From McMansion

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pm MST

    Anyone who was rooting for the man who used Texas' adverse possession law to snag a McMansion for only $16 will be bummed to hear that he'll be forced to leave the home after Bank of America claimed ownership of it. Drat! Kenneth made waves in Flower Mound, Texas in July when he claimed the right to take over a $340,000 home in suburban Dallas, after filing a simple document and paying $16 to the city. He cited a law which said he could legally take possession of the house after living there for three years. His neighbors grumbled while...

  40. Get Nine Great Mac Apps for $39, Plus a Free Video Converter [Deals]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pm MST

    Software bundles are a great way to pick up some great new apps at a huge discount, and MacBundler's latest offering is no exception. It offers up a number of useful and fun media apps, plus a few practical downloads for your notes, finances, automation, and computer-cleaning needs. Here's the entire list, how much they normally cost, and what each app can do: More »


  41. This 8-bit Pixel Cube Construction Set Is Your Crate Deal of the Day [Dealzmodo]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pm MST

    The Super Bowl is a national extravaganzaculturafanfreakingtasia. You're forced to pay attention. Even if you don't pay attention, you know you're not paying attention so you still technically paid a little bit of attention (shout out to the people who really don't pay attention though). And if you don't like impossibly athletic giants who are paid a lot of money to hit each other like boulder sized chess pieces, that's totally fine with me. I'll just think you're un-American. It's the perfect game for us: watch a play, see a replay, hear analysis, peep Twitter, eat a wing, sip a beer and… next play. Repeat. Three hours later you've polished off a whole pizza, slathered your phone in buffalo sauce and passed out from all that beer. AMERICA. Mix it up next year by throwing in this 8-bit Pixel Cube Construction Set for $15 to play around with in between quarters. -CC More »


  42. Why Did Esquire and GQ Both Publish Huge Zoo Massacre Stories on the Same Day? [Media]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:00 pm MST

    Big new story hit GQ's website today: "The Insane True Story of the Zanesville Zoo Escape." Big new story hit Esquire's website today: "The Most Dramatic Story of the Year: Inside the Massacre at the Zanesville Zoo." HEY, WAIT A SECOND. Did someone fuck up here? More »


  43. European activists meet with Facebook to discuss privacy concerns

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:52 pm MST

    Facebook meets with student activists in Europe regarding concerns over how it handles users' personal information.

  44. Game makers face uphill battle proving copyright infringement in court

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:52 pm MST

    The idea of copying a successful game concept and profiting off of your own version is practically as old as the game industry itself—just look at the countless Pong clones released in the wake of the Atari original (which itself may have been copied from another source... but that's another story). The idea of game copying has gained added attention in recent weeks, though, as some high-profile social game companies have released games some say are a little too similar to their existing inspirations.

    Tiny Tower maker NimbleBit and Bingo Blitz maker Buffalo Studios both took issue with overly familiar titles recently released by Zynga, making their complaints known through large infographics that show near-identical side-by-side screenshots. But Triple Town developer Spry Fox went a step further, actually filing a lawsuit (PDF) against Yeti Town developer 6waves Lolapps, saying the latter company "unabashedly" cloned its popular social game. The lawsuit takes the matter away from the nebulous moral and ethical questions of what constitutes an "original" game idea to the codified legal realm of guilt and innocence. Yet the nature of copyright law as it applies to games, and the existing case law in the area, suggests Spry Fox has an uphill battle in protecting Triple Town in court.

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  45. Sony, Billabong team up for special-edition Xperia Active

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:50 pm MST

    If you're a fan of the surfwear company Billabong, then you might want to check out this special edition smartphone from Sony.

  46. Firefighter Rescues Man from Stuck Elevator, Both Immediately Get Trapped in Another Elevator [Elevators]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:49 pm MST

    Getting stuck in an elevator's rare, but you assume the experience would fall somewhere between the opening of Speed and a late-night Cinemax flick. A Chicago man turn it into Groundhog Day when, after being rescued from one elevator, he promptly got stuck in another on the way back down to safety. More »


  47. Senate Candidate Pete Hoekstra's Racist Super Bowl Ad [Video]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:48 pm MST

    Pete Hoekstra, Senate candidate and tweeting disaster Twitter Pete, aired a campaign ad during the Super Bowl targeted at his happily married opponent, Debbie Stabenow. The ad features a Chinese woman biking through a backdrop of rice fields and uh, recognizable music, thanking "Debbie Spenditnow" for giving all the money to "us." More »


  48. A Watch That Helps You Stop Watching the Clock [Desired]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:40 pm MST

    Days fly by no matter what, and if you're the type of stressed-out person who's always counting every second, sometimes a watch just makes you feel worse. Denis Guidone's "Sometimes" watch is intentionally disorienting, which might actually ameliorate your anxiety. More »


  49. How prejudice reveals the caveman in men

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:37 pm MST

    Like their cavemen ancestors who fought outsiders for land and potential mates, the modern guy still holds such prejudices against "outgroups," new research shows.

  50. Augmented reality could transform Web browsing (video)

    → CNET News | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:34 pm MST

    What will Web browsing look like in the future? SmartPlanet's Sumi Das explains how augmented reality will help museum paintings turn into talking art teachers and ordinary billboards play movie trailers.

  51. Ask and Answer Questions About Searching for a Home [Help Yourself]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:30 pm MST

    Every day we're on the lookout for ways to make your work easier and your life better, but Lifehacker readers are smart, insightful folks with all kinds of expertise to share, and we want to give everyone regular access to that exceptional hive mind. Help Yourself is a daily thread where readers can ask and answer questions about tech, productivity, life hacks, and whatever else you need help with. More »


  52. Watch OK Go let a car drive its latest viral hit

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:27 pm MST

    OK Go's latest calculated viral success is so neato-mosquito, you can easily forget you're being sold something, not just the band but a car.OK Go's latest calculated viral success is so neato-mosquito, you can easily forget you're being sold something, not just the band but a car.




  53. Deals of the day: 'Pirates,' PlayStation and more

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:23 pm MST

    Here's what's worth considering today: The "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy on Blu-ray for $40, discounted PlayStation gear, deals on monitors and more.Here's what's worth considering today: The "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy on Blu-ray for $40, discounted PlayStation gear, deals on monitors and more.




  54. 3D ships dock at the Pirate Bay

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:22 pm MST

    A Canadian user of The Pirate Bay is one of the first to show off his 3D printed model downloaded and created via a torrent and online 3D printing service.

  55. Purify Your Water With a Burnt Stick [Beautiful]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:20 pm MST

    It uses the same principle as your Brita filter to purify water, but Black+Blum's Eau Good bottle does it with way more style using a stick of charcoal that's always visible through the bottle's lovely curves. More »


  56. Windows 8 may bid farewell to the 'Start' button?

    → msnbc.com: Technology & Science | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:18 pm MST

    The next version of Microsoft’s PC operating system will be a radical change for people who pick it up for the first time, with a primary screen based on tiles similar to the Windows Phone interface — relegating the old-fashioned-yet-familiar Windows desktop to a secondary status.The next version of Microsoft’s PC operating system will be a radical change for people who pick it up for the first time, with a primary screen based on tiles similar to the Windows Phone interface — relegating the old-fashioned-yet-familiar Windows desktop to a secondary status.




  57. Ticketmaster: Two Tickets Per Household Literally Means Two Tickets Bought From Within Your House

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:18 pm MST

    Consumerist reader Laura recently went online to buy two pairs of concert tickets, one for herself and a second pair in a different section for her boss and his wife. But when she went to go print out these tickets last week, she found that the second pair had been cancelled several weeks earlier without telling her. On its website, Ticketmaster writes: Please adhere to published ticket limits. Persons who exceed the ticket limit may have any or all of their orders and tickets cancelled without notice by Ticketmaster in its discretion. This includes orders associated with the same name,...

  58. Another reason why Apple may be limiting Siri to iPhone 4S

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:15 pm MST

    Siri, Apple's widely advertised voice-activated "intelligent assistant," has so far been limited to the latest iPhone 4S hardware after Apple's acquisition. Though observers have come up with various reasons for the restriction, a newly revealed piece of the puzzle suggests the issue is related to hardware after all. According to recent SEC filings from technology start-up Audience, Apple incorporated an improved version of its background noise filtering technology directly into the A5 processor used in the iPhone 4S—technology that improves Siri's speech recognition capabilities.

    Siri was originally a third-party app for the iPhone that ran on devices as old as the iPhone 3GS. Apple later bought the company behind Siri, and integrated the tech directly into iOS 5, which was released to the public in October of 2011. Siri is now only available on the iPhone 4S, however, and Apple subsequently pulled the old app from the App Store when the 4S was released.

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  59. HTC Prepares Quad-Core Edge, Razor-Thin "Ville" to Fight Sinking Revenue

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:15 pm MST

    HTC's January revenue was less than half of what it was last year

  60. State of Play: The World's Most Amazing Playgrounds

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:07 pm MST

    Wall-Holla 2 Its exceptionally efficient design compresses a colorful 3-D climbing ribbon between two mesh walls, creating a unique experiential environment that, due to its compact size, can fit into even the most limited playground site. © Carve V.O.F. Amsterdam
    Architecture and design firms are remaking the playground in ways you'd never expect

    Playgrounds are competing for kids' time and losing. Nearly 25 percent of children ages 9 through 13 have no free time for physical activity, and a child is six times as likely to play a videogame as to ride a bike. The playgrounds of tomorrow must offer something that even the most enticing virtual offerings cannot: real spaces that look at least as amazing as anything virtual. Architects and design firms are remaking the playground by taking virtualization head on. These spaces are complex and engaging, and some even have buttons to push.



  61. Anonymous May Have Completely Destroyed This Military Law Firm [Hackers]

    → Gizmodo | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:07 pm MST

    Anonymous' gutting of Puckett & Faraj, the firm that defended the Marines behind the Haditha Killing, might have been more than a major embarrassment. The hack attack might have killed the group entirely. More »


  62. Google’s stringing up its gigabit network after delay

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:04 pm MST

    Google is ready to start stringing fiber for its gigabit network in Kansas City. The news is a welcome update to the project after the local newspaper reported that Google fiber was delayed over a dispute on hanging its fiber on utility poles.

  63. Reverse alchemy: replacing precious platinum with ignoble iron

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pm MST

    Homogeneous catalysis, in which the catalyst is mixed directly in with the reaction components, sees widespread use in industrial settings. The catalysts themselves are often complex organometallic compounds that contain a precious metal atom/ion—platinum, rhodium, palladium, rhenium—at their molecular center. 

    From an engineering standpoint, a reactor for a homogeneously catalyzed reaction can often be described as a catalyst recovery system first, reactor second. The high cost of these precious metals means that recovery and reuse of the catalyst is essential to making the reactions economic. 

    A report published in last week's edition of Science discusses the work of a team of chemists who are looking at ways of obviating the need for the precious metals, replacing them with their more ordinary relatives. The paper focuses on chemistry that is important to the silicone industry.

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  64. Man Unwittingly Lets Grandkids Run Up $10,000 In Roaming Charges By Streaming Netflix

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pm MST

    Doting grandparents know how to keep kids distracted on a family vacation -- let'em watch videos to their hearts' content so they quit whining about visiting boring monuments. Unfortunately for one Canadian man, he wasn't banking on the roaming charges he'd rack up to stream Netflix in the states. The New York Daily News says Saskatchewan resident John was on a trip to Phoenix with his family, and when the kiddies started to get bored, he let them use the laptop, outfitted with a wireless card, to watch movies. Boy, was he surprised when he got the bill from his...

  65. musicForProgramming(): Focus-Boosting Mixtapes for Everybody [Work Sounds]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:00 pm MST

    Web site musicForProgramming(); distributes a series of roughly hour-long ambient music mixes intended to "aid concentration and increase productivity" while you work. More »


  66. I'm Sick of Waiting for TV Shows to Get Good [Television]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:59 am MST

    Last night while taking refuge from the Super Bowl I tuned into the second episode of Luck, HBO's new horse racing show. I fell asleep, just as I did during the first episode. Yes, I know this is supposed to be a "slow burn," but how long am I supposed to wait before feeling the heat? More »


  67. H&M Comes Up With Charitable Settlement Over Stolen Design

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:34 am MST

    You may remember a story from a few weeks back about Atlanta-area artist Tori LaConsay whose "You Look Nice Today" sign was plastered all over everything from shirts to bags to doormats by the folks at H&M, all without even making an attempt to notify LaConsay. At the time, the retailer said it was looking into the matter and was in touch with the artist's lawyer. Now the sides have worked out an agreement that should help out organizations that are in need of money. In a letter to Regretsy.com, which originally broke the story about the design thievery, LaConsay...

  68. Technorati

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:33 am MST



  69. Anonymous Spies on Secret FBI Conference Call, Posts Audio Clip

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:33 am MST

    The conference call discussed evidence and plans to arrest Anonymous members

  70. The Best Keyboard Remapper for Mac OS X [Mac App Directory]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:30 am MST

    If you don't like the way your keyboard is laid out, a keyboard remapper can change it. There are only a few for Mac OS X, and the lack of development on many of your options makes your choice pretty easy. Regardless, KeyRemap4Macbook would rise to the top thanks to numerous remapping options, customizability, and helpful bonus features. More »


  71. The details behind the Honeywell, Nest lawsuit

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:26 am MST

    Thermostat giant Honeywell has slapped startup Nest, and retailer Best Buy, with a lawsuit over patent infringement for smart thermostat technology. I read the lawsuit so you don't have to and here's the details you need to know:

  72. MacBook Air: The ultra Ultrabook and business Windows, too

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:23 am MST

    Ted Schadler lends some firsthand thoughts on using the MacBook Air in the enterprise.

  73. McDonald's Apologizes For Saying Pit Bulls Are More Dangerous Than Its Chicken

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:22 am MST

    Pit bulls have gotten a bad rap over the years and are too often associated with dog fights and violence, though that has significantly more to do with horrible owners than the rather pleasant pit bulls they mistreat. Somehow this escaped the people at McDonald's, who thought that these dogs would be a good way to epitomize the idea of "danger." In a radio ad for the Golden Arches for its new McBites chicken thingies, McDonald's states, "Trying a new menu item at McDonald's isn't risky. You know what's risky? Petting a stray pit bull." This has not gone over...

  74. Google: Madonna tops Tom Brady, Patriots and Giants in searches

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:11 am MST

    Mobile traffic saw a huge increase in Google searches during commercial breaks, likely with more viewers out and about at Super Bowl parties.

  75. Turn an iPhone into an in-dash stereo

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:08 am MST

    Your smartphone is already your mobile stereo. Why not make it the centerpiece of your car's sound system too? That's what makers of the Devium Dash, a kit you install in your car that makes your iPhone or iPod touch fit right in your car's dash.

  76. How Do I Calibrate My Computer's Monitor for the Best Picture? [Ask Lifehacker]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am MST

    Dear Lifehacker, More »


  77. Will Ferrell Brings His Love Of Old Milwaukee To Nebraska In Regional Super Bowl Ad

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am MST

    Will Ferrell is spreading his enthusiasm for Old Milwaukee through the heartland, taking on Nebraska in a Super Bowl ad shown only in that state last night. Regional ads for the beer aired in Davenport, Iowa and Terra Haute, Ind. in the last few months, after Ferrell asked the company if he could make commercials for them free of charge, an offer they clearly couldn't refuse. Funny Or Die's Tumblr (via NYMag.com) says: "No list of best Super Bowl commercials would be complete without this big-budget gem that only aired in Nebraska." Striding through a golden field, hoisting a fresh...

  78. 83-Year-Old Woman Gets the World's First 3-D Printed Jaw Transplant

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:57 am MST

    3-D Printed Jaw The 3-D printed lower jaw was coated with a biocompatible ceramic, and surgeons added a secondary structure to support false teeth. LayerWise
    A titanium jaw, made to order

    A European octogenarian is the recipient of the first-ever 3-D printed jawbone, made of titanium powder that was sintered together one layer at a time. The recipient regained her ability to speak a few hours after the surgery, Belgian doctors said Monday. It could pave the way for a new wave of 3-D printed body parts - maybe not full organs yet, but certainly bones or joints.

    The 83-year-old patient who received the implant had developed a chronic bone infection in almost her entire lower mandible, and doctors removed it rather than risk reconstructive surgery, according to LayerWise, the Belgian company that built the new jawbone. Doctors and 3-D printing engineers designed an entirely new jawbone to fit the patient.

    It is a pretty complex design, with dimples to increase the surface area, holes to promote muscle attachment and grooves to direct the regrowth of blood vessels and nerves.

    Once the team designed the jaw, it was just a matter of sintering it together, according to LayerWise. A high-precision laser heated titanium powder particles to melt them together in successive layers. It took 33 layers to build just one millimeter, so the whole jaw consists of thousands of layers, BBC reported. Doctors coated the jaw in a biocompatible ceramic layer and attached it to the woman's face in a four-hour surgery. That's one-fifth the time it would have taken to perform a reconstructive surgery using the patient's own mouthparts, BBC said. It weighs 107 grams, which is one-third heavier than her previous jaw, but doctors said she'll be able to get used to it.

    Doctors performed the surgery last summer in the Netherlands but it was announced today. "Shortly after waking up from the anesthetics the patient spoke a few words, and the day after, the patient was able to speak and swallow normally again," said Dr. Jules Poukens of Hasselt University, who led the surgical team. The woman went home after just four days.

    She has to have follow-up surgery to attach a dental bridge and some false teeth, the BBC said.

    [via Engadget]



  79. PC bill of materials creep higher amid hard drive shortage

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:56 am MST

    Hard drives represent 11 percent to 12 percent of the PC bill of materials.

  80. Brightcove’s IPO: What you need to know

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:56 am MST

    Brightcove just reiterated its desire to go public with an amended SEC filing. The company could raise as much as $59 million as it sells 5 million shares, but its filing also reveals that making money with online video is really, really hard.

  81. Android still 1st choice among virgin smartphone buyers

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:49 am MST

    The iPhone may have passed over Android in total U.S. smartphone sales, but Google’s platform still has one key advantage: it’s attracting more mobile data newbies. According to the NPD Group, 57 percent of first-time smartphone buyers last quarter chose Android handsets.

  82. Five Reasons why Windows 8 will be dead on arrival

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:48 am MST

    Microsoft's Windows 8 and Vista will have several things in common: Both are unwanted operating system updates that will flop in the marketplace.

  83. Poll Technica: should Apple more strictly police app ripoffs on the App Store?

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:36 am MST

    Apple has begun to take action against iPhone app ripoffs that have been crudding up the App Store. Over the weekend, the company removed a number of apps that bear a striking similarity to ones that are already popular among iOS users—the list includes Angry Ninja Birds, Plant vs. Zombie, and Temple Jump, which correlate to the popular titles Angry Birds, Plants vs. Zombies, and Temple Run (hat tip to Gamasutra). The move is encouraging to developers who have been struggling with knockoffs attempting to steal their business on the App Store, but there's plenty left to do if Apple wants to show it's serious about tackling the problem once and for all.

    Apps attempting to clone—or at least ride the popularity wave of—other apps has been a problem for iOS developers for years now. Ars first started covering the phenomenon in early 2009, but examples continue to pop up on both the mobile App Store as well as the Mac App Store.

    Read the rest of this article...

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  84. Save Big on Airfare by Booking a Car Rental with Your Flight [Travel]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:30 am MST

    It might sound counterintuitive to add an expense in order to save more on travel, but you can actually access hidden discounts by booking more than just a flight, at least with British Airways. Independent Traveler writer Jamey Bergman saved $1,400 by adding a car rental to his flight. More »


  85. KFC Becomes First U.S. Fast Food Chain To Enter Palestinian Territories

    → The Consumerist | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:30 am MST

    After nearly two decades of attempts by U.S. fast food titans like McDonald's to open up outlets in the Palestinian territories, it was Colonel Sanders from Kentucky who finally was able to be the first when a KFC opened up in the city of Ramallah over the weekend. According to the L.A. Times, the main reason that no such eateries had opened in the Palestinian territories was an alleged insistence by Israeli franchisees that any such outlets be acquired through them and not independently, which contradicts Palestinian Authority law requiring that franchisees in the territories deal directly with the parent...

  86. ITC attorney says Barnes & Noble shouldn't be found in violation of Microsoft patents: Report

    → Resources | ZDNet | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:29 am MST

    Barnes & Noble, maker of the Android-based Nook, shouldn't be found in violation of Microsoft patents, an attorney with the ITC has said before hearings in the matter commence.

  87. Woody Harrelson Lets Reddit Ask Him Anything, Is Asked About Taking High School Girl's Virginity [The Internet]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:25 am MST

    Woody Harrelson experienced what is known on the internet as a 'fail' on Friday, when he hosted an "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) thread on the social news site Reddit. He was promptly asked if he remembered taking some random high school girl's virginity. More »


  88. Whatever happened to that "six strikes" P2P notice system? It's coming soon

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:25 am MST

    Whatever happened to the "six strikes" system that was to help civilize the American Internet?

    Three years ago, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) gave up its mass litigation strategy of targeting tens of thousands of alleged file-swappers. Instead, the group announced that it would pursue a "graduated response" system in partnership with Interent providers. Infringement notices would be sent on to subscribers, who would be hit with increasing penalties as the notices stacked up.

    Read the rest of this article...

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  89. How to Get Yesterday's Games on Today's Mobile Devices

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:09 am MST

    Pocket Arcade QuickHoney
    An emulated arcade in your pocket

    Fans of classic video games have long been able to mimic old game systems on their computers using apps called emulators. Now, smartphones and tablets can also run them. With the right emulator and game files (downloaded separately), virtual versions of the Nintendo Entertainment System, Sega Genesis and other consoles-as well as dozens of vintage arcade titles that can't be found as standalone downloads-will be available anywhere.

    1. FIND EMULATORS

    The Android Market has several emulators, but some of the best ones exist in a separate app marketplace called SlideME or as a mobile app. Search for "yongzh" (the name of a software developer) on the site or app to get the emulator files. Apple generally doesn't allow emulators in the App Store, so you'll need to jailbreak your phone or tablet. Go to Lifehacker for instructions. Once the device is ready, the icon for a new app store called Cydia will appear on its home screen. Note that some emulators have confusing names [see table below].

    2. GET ROMS

    The next step is to find game files, called ROMs, and transfer them to the phone or tablet. Start by checking Emuparadise and CoolROM. If these sites don't have what you're looking for, Google the title of the game and the word "ROM."

    On Android, ROMs can be stored on an SD card or internal storage. On iOS, many emulators have an integrated Web browser for downloading ROMs. For others, connect the iOS device to a computer and transfer them manually. An application such as iExplorer, (free) will let you access your device's file system and copy ROMs via drag-and-drop. The location to place ROMs varies depending on the emulator, so consult its Help files. Once the games have been transferred, open them in the emulator and start playing.

    3. ADD A CONTROLLER

    It's generally easier to play with an external controller than a touchscreen. Emulators for iOS let users pair (via Bluetooth) a Nintendo Wii Remote or a controller designed for mobile gaming such as the attachable iControlPad ($63). Simply turn on Wii Remote support in the emulator and follow the onscreen prompts to pair the controller. On Android, gamers can download Bluez IME to pair controllers to a phone. The free app tells Android that the controller is an input device and helps set up the buttons.

    THE BEST RETRO GAME EMULATORS

    Original System Android iOS
    Atari 2600 Ataroid 2600.emu
    NES NESoid NES
    SNES SNESoid SNES4iPhone
    Sega Genesis Gensoid Genesis A.D.
    Game Boy and Game Boy Color GBCoid Gameboy4iPhone
    Sega Game Gear/Master System Gearoid iMasterGear
    Nintendo 64 N64oid N64iPhone
    Sony PlayStation FPSe psx4iPhone

    Note: all of the iPhone apps are available from the Cydia app store--just search for their names. All Android apps can be found through these links on SlideMe.



  90. Divide Your Tools Into Project-Specific Toolkits to Streamline Repair Jobs [Organization]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 10:00 am MST

    If your toolkit is organized by shoving everything you own into a box, it might be time to organize the mess. DIY blog Apartment Therapy outlines a trick pulled from the new issue of Martha Stewart Living for dividing your tools by project to give you better access to what you need. More »


  91. The 2012 Pinnacle of Non-News [Rants]

    → Gawker | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:51 am MST

    Did you catch the Super Bowl game on television? Perhaps you were one of the millions of fans who shared your opinions in the largest simultaneous outpouring of tweets in history. Mmm, illusion. Bathe in it. More »


  92. Verizon teams up with Redbox to cash in on video

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:44 am MST

    Verizon and Redbox are creating a joint venture to provide content online and through Redbox's physical DVD rental kiosks around the country. The deal is a chance for Verizon to make money from streaming content and show off how awesome its network is.

  93. Woman Receives World's First Complete 3D Printed Lower Jaw Implant

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:41 am MST

    She will receive a follow-up surgery later this month

  94. Hands on with the remastered Rdio for Android

    → GigaOM | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:34 am MST

    I took a look at Rdio's new Android client and it's a vast improvement. The application is a full re-write, rather than an update, and better supports Android 4.0 smartphones and tablets, allowing the app to be controlled on a device's lock screen.

  95. Intel Launches SandForce-Based 520 Series Solid State Drive with Impressive Performance

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:31 am MST

    The new Intel SSD 520 series is outfitted with a SATA III interface with sequential reads and writes speeds in the 550MB/s to 520MB/s range, respectively. Intel has also worked a bit magic with the SSD firmware to improve performance, reliability, and compatibility. The controller has also been paired to selectively-binned 25nm NAND flash memory, which reportedly offers optimal performance and longevity as well. Performance-wise, the benchmarks show Intel's new SSD is one of the fastest currently available on the market.

  96. Inform Hotels of Special Occasions Ahead of Time to Score Free Perks [Travel]

    → Lifehacker | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:30 am MST

    When you're planning a hotel stay for a monumental occasion like a birthday or honeymoon, hotel office manager Trang Phan suggests it's good to let the hotel know so they can deliver a special treat before you arrive. More »


  97. As Apple and Samsung accelerate, HTC's sales fade away

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:26 am MST

    HTC reported weak fourth quarter results and forecast an even tougher first quarter as competition from Apple and Samsung squeezed the Taiwanese smartphone maker. HTC said it was expecting first quarter revenue of between 65 billion and 70 billion Taiwanese dollars, well below analyst expectations.

  98. Apple plant workers complain of militant culture

    → CNN.com - Technology | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:10 am MST

    Miss Chen stares curiously at the iPad. Even though she works overtime in a factory in southwestern China that manufactures them, she's never seen the finished product.


  99. Antarctica's Frozen Lake Vostok, Isolated for 20 Million Years, Breached By Russian Drills

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:09 am MST

    Lake Vostok's Location The location of Lake Vostok within Antarctica NASA

    The Russian scientists drilling into ancient buried Antarctic Lake Vostok have reached their destination, the Russian news agency Ria Novosti reported today. The team is apparently alive and well despite a week of suspicious radio silence, but more details are to come about what they've found buried under two miles of ice.

    "Yesterday, our scientists stopped drilling at the depth of 3,768 meters and reached the surface of the sub-glacial lake," the source reportedly said in a story posted Monday, Feb. 6.

    If true, this is a feat several decades in the making. Russian scientists have been attempting to drill into Antarctic ice since the 1970s, and they discovered Lake Vostok in 1996. In 1998, the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, which protects the frozen continent, forced them to stop drilling until environmental concerns could be addressed. They started up again last winter (the austral summer) but had to cut and run just 30 meters from the lake source, as the Antarctic winter bore down.

    Last week we thought that might happen again - if anyone could even hail the scientists - because conditions are getting worse, but no one heard from the team in several days. Then on Monday, the Russian news agency announced the team's success.

    Lake Vostok has been buried for 14 million years and contains high oxygen and nitrogen levels, which could cause the lake water to fizz like a shaken soda can when breached. But scientists want to reach it because it could hold weird forms of life that survive in deep cold and with no sun, which could have implications for alien life on Europa, Enceladus or other icy celestial bodies.

    [via Slashdot]



  100. 2/6/2012 Daily Hardware Reviews -- Intel 520 240GB SSD Edition

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 9:04 am MST

    DailyTech's roundup of hardware reviews from around the web for Monday

  101. AMD Concedes Die-Shrink Race to Intel, Considers ARM Cores

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 8:45 am MST

    AMD's roadmap indicates 2013 will be a big year with a 28 nm exodus, three new CPU cores, and a new GPU core

  102. Torrent search engine BTJunkie voluntarily shuts down

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 8:38 am MST

    Torrent search engine BTjunkie is the latest file-sharing service to fall on its sword in the wake of the Megaupload sting. Junkie, one of the largest BitTorrent indexes, decided to shut down voluntarily.

    A statement on the website reads, "This is the end of the line my friends. The decision does not come easy, but we've decided to voluntarily shut down. We've been fighting for years for your right to communicate, but it's time to move on. It's been an experience of a lifetime, we wish you all the best!"

    The site was never directly targeted by copyright holders, an unnamed BTJunkie founder told TorrentFreak. However, the site was reported to the US Trade Representative (USTR) in 2011, the RIAA and MPAA listed the torrent index as a 'rogue' site, and Google censored the search term.

    Despite avoiding legal attention so far, the site's founder told TorrentFreak that the legal action against file-sharing sites Megaupload and The Pirate Bay played an important role in its closure.

    Online storage locker Megaupload was seized and shut down by the US Department of Justice in January 2012, for allegedly breaching copyright infringement law. The site's staff members were arrested and founder Kim Dotcom was recently been denied bail.

    Meanwhile, the founders of The Pirate Bay were arrested for copyright infringement in 2009. This month, the supreme court of Sweden made the ruling final, and announced that the founders will not be able to appeal their months-long prison sentences or combined fines of 46 million kronor (around $6.83 million).

    In response to Megaupload's shutdown, a raft of popular Web lockers have neutered the ability to share files with others. FileSonic, FileServe and Uploaded.to all cut off file-sharing in the days after Megaupload was seized.

    The Pirate Bay, on the other hand, moved its domain name from .org to the Swedish .se. A Pirate Bay insider told TorrentFreak that this was to prevent US authorities from seizing the popular domain.

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  103. The PopSci Flash Arcade

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 6 Feb 2012 | 8:32 am MST

    Five web-based games-all playable right here-that are redefining the way we have fun with video games online


    In our February issue, Popular Science explores the Future of Fun. Here on PopSci.com, we've teamed up with the video game experts at Kill Screen to bring you a week-long special feature exploring the unexpected ways we have fun with games today-and how what's even considered a "video game" is ever-changing.

    In our first feature this week, Kill Screen's Filipe Salgado pulls together five web-based Flash games (all playable right here) that showcase this new creativity.

    On November 8th, 2011, Activision released the latest entry in the popular Call of Duty series, Modern Warfare 3. It sold 6.5 million copies in its first day, and stands as the highest-grossing entertainment launch of all time. The game was well received, but in almost every review a lack of innovation is brought up. The game iterates instead of innovates. It still remains a military shooter set in a present-day conflict. Its look and the way you play it remain largely the same as its predecessors. Big explosions and big setpieces, like videogames Michael Bay would make. And why change? With a budget in the millions, there is little room for experimentation. Game makers have found a recipe that sells well. Deviating from it can only hurt.

    While big-budget games get further entrenched in big returns and big budgets, a lot of innovation has shifted to the internet. Developers, by themselves or in small teams, have turned the small scale of the browser into an asset, creating little Flash-based distractions that don't have to worry about commercial viability, and that innovate excitingly, either through theme, subject matter, or game play. They work outside the system. And the best part? They're all free.

    PoleRiders


    Launch the game in a new window

    If you don't know Bennett Foddy by name, perhaps you've played his games, or at the very least, had an overzealous aunt forward you the link. The Oxford professor's first game, QWOP, has been played by millions. While walking is one of the most basic activities in a typical game, QWOP turns it into a daunting challenge. You play a track runner, and use four keys to control each of his calves and thighs separately so he can move down the track. It's even harder than it sounds.

    His latest project, PoleRiders, is a two-player game involving competitive combat pole vaulting. A ball is suspended above the players' heads. The goal is to pole vault and hit it into the opponent's castle to score a point. Another case of easier said than done. The left and right keys control the players legs, but up and down control the pole. The fast and frantic play harkens back to competitive arcade game classics like Joust. The counter-intuitive controls create panic and chaos enough that newcomers can laugh with their friends when they accidentally land on each other's pole, and that seasoned players can enjoy as a genuine game of skill.

    "It's definitely true that mainstream videogame publishers have made a radical, drastic push towards making games easier and less frustrating." But Bennett Foddy has been frustrating millions of players for years.

    "I think of my games as being incredibly hostile to the player, but I hope they are also respectful of the player." says Foddy. "For me personally, frustration is part of what I want out of a game. Without that slowly building feeling of frustration, and subsequent relief, there would be no sense of mastery. And that sense of mastery is, I think, one of the most valuable things a skill-based videogame can offer the player."

    Sweatshop


    Launch the game in a new window

    Flash games have the ability to tax not only a player's skill, but also a player's principles. In Sweatshop, an educational game from Littleloud, you place workers on the assembly line to make clothes. Water coolers and repairmen are costly necessities to be placed sparingly. Your desire to save money and get a high score puts your workers at risk. As time goes on you start to realize that the urge to do well in the game is at odds with your compassion.

    Oiche Mhaith


    Launch the game in a new window

    Oiche Mhaith, by developers Terry Cavanagh and Stephen Lavelle, has you playing a young girl. Her mother is overbearing and abusive, her father ignores her, and her dog doesn't like her. When she retreats into her room, she takes out the abuse onto her pet doll. When her family dies, she tries to resurrect them using a computer program. Following the girl's wishes, we're complicit in her quest. Even if we think she's better off without her awful family, playing the game makes us accomplices in the cycle of abuse she's a part of.

    Both Oiche Mhaith and Sweatshop ask the player to take an active part in something they might object to, just to progress and get some closure. These games aren't as disposable as simple games of desktop solitaire. Although they take as much or as little time, they cannot be shrugged off as casual diversions. They make you think about them long after you've finished playing.

    One Chance


    Launch the game in a new window

    One Chance, by the artist "Beans," also deals with mature subject matter, but allows for more freedom. Many games offer moral choices, but the choices themselves tend to feel simplistic and flatten morality into an easy and obvious good-and-evil pet-or-kick-the-puppy dichotomy. One Chance's choices are more ambiguous. You play as a scientist who ends up creating a lifesaving vaccine with an unforeseen deadly side effect. Each day you're given a choice of what to do. You can walk to your car and go to work. Try to work on a cure that might not come? Spend time with your family? Have an affair with a co-worker? All the choices are tinged with the underlying question: how would we spend our last days on earth?

    Another problem with moral choices is that restarting a game can undermine their impact. Uniquely, One Chance doesn't allow players to restart. Try playing again after reaching an ending and you find that it's not possible. Whatever ending you received the first time is the ending you're stuck with, its static image lingering every time you try to restart the game.

    Realm of the Mad God


    Launch the game in a new window

    Years ago the thought of creating an independent massively multiplayer game would be laughable. It was a genre reserved for the big leagues. World of Warcraft, the most popular massively multiplayer game, has over 10 million subscribers, with each player paying a monthly fee, and has been the subject of a South Park episode.

    When Rob Shillingsburg and Alex Carobus started Wild Shadow Studios after leaving Google in 2007, they decided to go big right away with Realm of the Mad God. Big studio games like World of Warcraft or Everquest demand large amounts of the players' time to learn all the nuances and methodically increase characters' power. Shillingburg and Carobus wanted to make their game as easy to get into as possible.

    "We picked Flash as the client platform for two related reasons. First, it had the greatest reach: 99 percent of computers have Flash installed (compared to 73 percent for Java, for example). Second, it runs in the browser so players could simply navigate to a web page and start playing. There was no need for any software to be installed on the user's computer." Carobus says.

    The game is also tremendously flexible. Anybody can play the game right away. It plays fast too, with arcade-like controls and less reliance on grinding, or repetitive gameplay, to advance a character. Characters die and stay dead. If World of Warcraft is a long marathon, Realm of the Mad God is a sprint. All of these features go against the conventional wisdom of the genre, which demands a slow and steady approach, yet they have been able to attract and keep an audience.

    Carobus says, "WoW is like a Hollywood blockbuster. It has a huge budget and a huge number of people working on it and generally polishes and revises an established formula until it is very refined. RotMG is like an indie movie. We have a tiny budget and small number of people so it may not impress with its special effects, but competes instead by showing you something you haven't seen before. "

    Like all of these developers, Wild Shadow works in the shadow of the big developers. But their small scale makes them agile, able to try new things and offer unique experiences. That, rather than following in the footsteps of Hollywood-style behemoths, may be the direction to the future.



  104. The 20 most entertaining Super Bowl tweets

    → CNN.com - Technology | 6 Feb 2012 | 8:28 am MST

    In the social media age, you don't need to be at a party to enjoy clever or catty comments about the Super Bowl.


  105. Google Hires Former Senior Apple Director for "Secret" Project

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 8:20 am MST

    Simon Prakash will be working on a secret Google project

  106. Verizon, Redbox team up to build video streaming, DVD service

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 8:17 am MST

    Verizon and Redbox are developing a new video service to compete against Netflix, which will combine Redbox's kiosk DVD and Blu-Ray rental service with streaming and downloadable video content made possible by Verizon's network.

    Verizon and Coinstar (Redbox's parent company) announced the partnership today with a press release and press conference, saying a subscription service "and more" will become available in the second half of 2012. Details were limited due to "competitive reasons."

    The joint venture will apparently not include DVDs through the US Postal Service, as Netflix offers. Redbox has kiosks at 29,000 locations nationwide, including grocery stores, convenience stores, drug stores, and at some Wal-Mart stores. "By offering instantly available online and mobile content with immediate access to physical media through rental kiosks, Verizon and Redbox will be uniquely positioned to deliver the best of both worlds—digital and physical—to consumers across the country," the companies said.

    Verizon owns 65 percent of the new joint venture, which is also described in an SEC filing, with Redbox owning the other 35 percent. While Netflix is struggling after a shaky 2011, Verizon and Redbox will still have their work cut out for them. No mention of specific content was made, but Verizon said it will use its "industry-wide relationships with entertainment content providers" to ensure a good selection of movies online.

    Read the comments on this post



  107. Corning, Samsung Mobile Display Announce OLED Glass Partnership

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 8:13 am MST

    The screens produced will be used by Samsung and other companies in Korea

  108. Coca-Cola, Acura Websites Crashed During Super Bowl

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 8:09 am MST

    Most Super Bowl advertisers' websites fared pretty well, but Coca-Cola's, Acura's and one for the movie Act of Valor crashed Sunday night.

  109. Researchers release new map that pinpoints Lyme disease risk areas in U.S.

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 7:54 am MST

    Researchers who spent three years dragging sheets of fabric through the woods to snag ticks have created a detailed map they claim could improve prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.

  110. NASA - Remnant of a Supernova

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 7:31 am MST

    Vital clues about the devastating ends to the lives of massive stars can be found by studying the aftermath of their explosions. In its more than twelve years of science operations, NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory has studied many of these supernova remnants sprinkled across the galaxy. The latest example of this important investigation is Chandra's new image of the supernova remnant known as G350.1+0.3. This stellar debris field is located some 14,700 light years from the Earth toward the center of the Milky Way....

  111. Samsung Wants Customer Loyalty Like Apple, Ribs Apple Fans Again in Super Bowl Ad

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 6:58 am MST

    The new ad promotes the new Samsung Note

  112. Micron Appoints Mark Durcan as CEO and Board Director

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 6 Feb 2012 | 6:49 am MST

    Durcan promoted after death of former CEO Steven Appleton

  113. Namibia Sponge Fossils Are World's First Animals: Study

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 6:29 am MST

    Scientists digging in a Namibian national park have uncovered sponge-like fossils they say are the first animals, a discovery that would push the emergence of animal life back millions of years.

  114. BuddyPress Codex Gets a Refresh

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 6 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    If you’re a fan of WordPress, you probably know about the WordPress Codex, the massive community-editable source of WordPress documentation. Just yesterday, the BuddyPress core team gave a massive update to the BuddyPress Codex, making it easier than ever to learn how to use the #1 social networking platform plugin for WordPress. Even though the new BuddyPress Codex may function like a traditional Wiki, it’s actually built on top of WordPress and BuddyPress. After all, why not show off some of the cool things you can do with a platform while you learn how to use it?

  115. Volcanoes, rather than a quiet Sun, may have triggered the Little Ice Age

    → Ars Technica | 6 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    I’m not a big guy. It doesn’t take a tremendous shove to send me crashing to the floor. But what does it take to knock the Earth’s climate off balance? In the case of the Little Ice Age, a recent 400-year cold snap, a new study suggests a few well-timed volcanic eruptions might have done the trick.

    Major glacial periods are controlled by the Earth's orbit. Summer temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere have been on a slow decline for the last 8,000 years as the orbital precession cycle pushed summer closer to aphelion, the point in Earth’s orbit where it’s farthest from the Sun. That’s just the first few steps on the road that would eventually lead us down from the peak of our current interglacial and into the next glacial period. But there have been bumps along this road, the most familiar of them being the "Little Ice Age."

    Read the rest of this article...

    Read the comments on this post



  116. Canadian-made HIV vaccine approved for human testing

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 3:20 am MST

    Many have tried and failed to create a vaccine that could prevent infection with HIV. Now, Canadian researchers say they have developed a vaccine that takes a different approach.

  117. MPAA Sues LimeWire Back From The Dead

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 1:38 am MST

    Several major Hollywood studios don’t care that LimeWire is all but dead and buried, nor that the service was a pretty poor way to share large files such as movies. After the record companies of the RIAA settled with LimeWire last year for $105 million, Twentieth Century Fox, Viacom, Disney, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. [...]

  118. New Digital Spam: How Bad Guys Try to Trick You; How to Avoid the Traps

    → Top News | 6 Feb 2012 | 12:04 am MST

    The latest forms of digital spam include clickjacking, junk apps, bad QR codes, and much more. Here's what you can do to stay safe.

  119. Q&A: Apple's China supplier in the spotlight

    → CNN.com - Technology | 5 Feb 2012 | 11:00 pm MST

    Earlier this month Apple released its annual supplier responsibility report which detailed alleged workplace health and safety protocol violations by its suppliers.


  120. Guy Retrieves Over 1,000 Images from Apple Store and Makes Art

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 9:51 pm MST

    That impulsive duck-face kissy photo you took of yourself and your friend at the Apple store to test out the new iPad's camera may be destin...

  121. Tom Brady Pirated The Super Bowl Last Year

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 9:35 pm MST

    Several sports streaming sites had their domain names seized by the Department of Justice and Homeland Security’s ICE unit this week. The operation was planned a few days in advance of the Super Bowl to prevent “rogue” sports fans from watching the game through unofficial channels.

  122. Obama will watch Super Bowl, wishes Bears playing

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 5 Feb 2012 | 8:09 pm MST

    INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- The First Fan has only one complaint about Sunday's Super Bowl: his favorite team isn't in it.

  123. A license to link? Lowe's has one

    → Ars Technica | 5 Feb 2012 | 7:00 pm MST

    In the course of building a large framed mirror last month—a process which cemented my belief that doing pro-quality wood staining is a black art best left to necromancers—I visited the website for hardware giant Lowe's. While exploring the site, I came across something peculiar: a short Lowe's "customer care" statement on how other website operators can link to Lowe's.

    I know what you're thinking: “there are instructions for this?” Indeed there are; Lowe's has actually drafted three separate legal agreements to cover the practice. Two cover situations in which the linking site might use Lowe's images and marks, and for which some kind of license deal makes more sense. The third says only, "If you're linking to Lowes.com, but not using our mark(s)/logo(s) on your site, download the Version A link agreement."

    Read the rest of this article...

    Read the comments on this post



  124. Heliophysics - NASA Science

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:42 pm MST

    The exploration of the Sun, its effects on Earth and the planets of the solar system, and space environmental conditions and their evolution.

  125. Over 3 years later, "deleted" Facebook photos are still online

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:09 pm MST

    Photos that you think you're deleting from Facebook are still remaining on their servers years later. Ars has been following this story for nearly three years now; Facebook says it's still working on fixing the problem, but that a solution should be ready within months.

  126. Roger Boisjoly, 73, Dies; Warned of Shuttle Danger

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 4:53 pm MST

    Mr. Boisjoly wrote a portentous memo six months before the Space Shuttle Challenger’s explosion, warning that if it was too cold, seals connecting sections of the shuttle’s rocket boosters could fail.

  127. Crystalline Materials Enable High-Speed Electronic Function in Optical Fibers

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 4:37 pm MST

    Scientists at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with Penn State University have, for the first time, embedded the high level of performance normally associated with chip-based semiconductors into an optical fiber, creating high-speed optoelectronics

  128. Preference For Fatty Foods May Have Genetic Roots

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 4:15 pm MST

    A preference for fatty foods has a genetic basis, according to researchers, who discovered that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those who have other forms of this gene.

  129. Super Bowl 46 mobility by the numbers

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 2:10 pm MST

    On average, 100 million people watch the Super Bowl. With connected devices everywhere, we'll be tweeting about it and sharing thoughts on social networks. So will fans at the game. Here are some staggering numbers showing how Super Bowl 46 is ready for such mobility.

  130. To Compare Human and Monkey Brains, Humans and Monkeys Watch a Clint Eastwood Film

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 5 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am MST

    Rhesus Monkey Whoever double-crosses me and leaves me alive, he understands nothing about Tuco. Nothing! Einar Fredriksen via Wikimedia

    Scores of animals exist in scientific laboratories for the purpose of serving as our proxies, their cortices mapped and their flu responses studied so scientists can figure out how humans work. But in many cases, there's little agreement between their functions and ours, and scientists need to figure out how to draw useful comparisons. To get a better handle on this, brain researchers had humans and monkeys watch "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" inside an MRI machine.

    The goal was to monitor how both creatures' brains responded to the same stimulus, tracking correlated activity even if it was centered in different brain areas. The idea is that seeing hands and faces should spark similar activity patterns in both species, even if the neurons fire in anatomically different locations.

    Dante Mantini and colleagues devised a method called interspecies activity correlation to contrast brain activity in four rhesus macaques and 24 human volunteers. First they compared brain activity in areas that are known to match up pretty well between the species, and then tried it in areas that are still unknown. Then they set out to monitor activity in the visual cortex.

    All the study participants watched 30 minutes of the Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, listening to the dialogue through headphones. The humans watched it once and the monkeys saw it six times, during which the participants' eye movements were scanned and their neural activity monitored via functional magnetic resonance imaging.

    The researchers found some similarities in brain activity locations among the species, but several differences, too. Monkey brain areas that fired up during movements on screen were quiescent in the humans, yet both species shared activity in other areas. This is a function of the species‘ separate evolutions - brain regions that may once have been very similar have adapted to focus on different tasks.

    "The method may clarify whether specific functions are preserved in areas that anatomically correspond, are absent in one of the two species, or are shifted to other cortical locations," Mantini and colleagues wrote. This, in turn, could shed light on how human cognitive function evolved, as compared to cognitive function in our closest cousins.

    As University of Colorado neuroscientist Tor Wager points out in a review of this paper, the ISAC method does have a few kinks to be smoothed out - namely the effect of a visual stimulus' narrative aspects. The human participants saw much more than cinematography and moving figures as they watched the film; there was a whole storyline, too, which can influence eye movements and fMRI activity throughout the whole brain. When Eastwood spoke, the humans reacted to much more than his facial movements, and so there may have been some false correlations (or the lack thereof) when comparing species.

    But it could still be a valuable way to compare and contrast physiological activity in the brains of different species, Wager notes.

    "This wealth of parallel information must be integrated to bring insights from animal models to bear on the human condition in increasingly precise ways," Wager wrote. The research was published online Sunday in Nature Methods.



  131. Research: a group’s “intelligence” depends in part on its members’ ignorance

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 7:34 am MST



  132. Technorati Help: Tags

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:50 am MST



  133. Technorati: Tags

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:50 am MST



  134. Technorati: Home

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:50 am MST



  135. Top Blogs on Twitter - Huffington Post, TechCrunch, Engadget, and more - Twittorati

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:47 am MST



  136. Become a Blogcritics Writer - Blogcritics

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:47 am MST



  137. My Profile - Technorati

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:47 am MST



  138. WordPress Theme Releases for 2/5

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 5 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    Blush is a soft, warm, feminine theme in tones of rose and cream. Boozurk is a clear theme with a lot of features. The Frances Wright is a clean and elegant theme.

  139. Did Early Humans Ride the Waves to Australia?

    → Top News | 5 Feb 2012 | 1:25 am MST

    Until 150,000 years ago, all our ancestors lived in Africa—and then they started spreading out. Matt Ridley examines the theories around the exodus.

  140. Bitsplitter Blog Technorati

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 4 Feb 2012 | 10:34 pm MST



  141. APOD: 2012 February 5 - Lunation

    → Top News | 4 Feb 2012 | 10:10 pm MST

    Our Moon's appearance changes nightly. This time-lapse sequence shows what our Moon looks like during a lunation, a complete lunar cycle. As the Moon orbits the Earth, the half illuminated by the Sun first becomes increasingly visible, then decreasingly visible. The Moon always keeps the same face toward the Earth. The Moon's apparent size changes slightly, though, and a slight wobble called a libration is discernible as it progresses along its elliptical orbit. During the cycle, sunlight reflects from the Moon at different angles, and so illuminates different features differently. A full luna

  142. Contentious meeting reflects N.Y. community divided by medical mystery

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 4 Feb 2012 | 8:09 pm MST

    A community meeting Saturday at a school where over a dozen children have developed tic-like symptoms quickly became contentious, further dividing an already-polarized community.

  143. A Plugin to Make All Themes Responsive, Coming Soon

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 4 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    It’s no secret that I’m a fan of responsive themes. Knowing that your WordPress blog will look just as good on a tiny mobile screen as it does on a huge desktop screen is one of the most important factors of design to me, especially in today’s age where mobile device usage is growing so rapidly. Sadly, there aren’t many responsive themes out there, but Responsive Plugin aims to change that. Once released, Responsive Plugin will make any theme scale perfectly on any screen size. There is no definitive release date, but it is definitely coming out sooner rather than later, and you can find a signup form at the bottom of the site if you want to follow the action.

  144. Technorati: About Us

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 4 Feb 2012 | 5:05 am MST



  145. テクノラティ

    → Delicious/tag/technorati | 3 Feb 2012 | 10:57 pm MST



  146. U.S. government, military to get secure Android phones

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 3 Feb 2012 | 6:49 pm MST

    Some U.S. officials this year are expected to get smartphones capable of handling classified government documents over cellular networks, according to people involved in the project.

  147. This Week in the Future, January 30-February 3, 2012

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 3 Feb 2012 | 3:45 pm MST

    This Week in the Future, January 30-February 3, 2012 Baarbarian

    Whoa, you guys. This is one of our favorite Baarbarian illustrations ever. That weird story about the blue goo spheres dropping from the sky did seem like something dreamt up by a sheep.

    Want to win this sleepy Baarbarian illustration on a T-shirt? It's easy! The rules: Follow us on Twitter (we're @PopSci) and retweet our This Week in the Future tweet. One of those lucky retweeters will be chosen to receive a custom T-shirt with this week's Baarbarian illustration on it, thus making the winner the envy of their friends, coworkers and everyone else with eyes. (Those who would rather not leave things to chance and just pony up some cash for the t-shirt can do that here.) The stories pictured herein:

    And don't forget to check out our other favorite stories of the week:



  148. The Future of Fun Is Repetitive Drudgery

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 3 Feb 2012 | 3:13 pm MST

    Where's the Pixel? wheresthepixel.com

    Look at this video game. It's a great motivator to keep your monitor spotlessly clean -- go on, get your chemical-impregnated microfiber cloth and give it a wipedown right now -- but is it actually fun? I contend not.

    Next week on PopSci.com we investigate, adumbrate, and celebrate the Future of Fun, including a tour of modern playgrounds, an online arcade of the most innovative games you can play in your browser, and yes, the contention that fun is becoming more and more quotidian and effortful as it gets repurposed for dubious utilitarian ends.

    (After playing for an hour, my score is now averaging under 3 seconds on Where's the Pixel -- can you beat that?)

    See you next week.



  149. The Most Amazing Science Images of the Week, January 30-February 3, 2012

    → Popular Science - New Technology, Science News, The Future Now | 3 Feb 2012 | 2:45 pm MST

    Moon-Printed Houses We've seen this idea before--Enrico Dini of D-Shape talked to us awhile back about a giant 3-D printer that'd print houses on the moon, out of moon-rocks and moon-dust. But a bunch of professors at USC created this futuristic mockup of their own version, and it looks great. Read more at FastCoDesign. Behrokh Khoshnevis, Anders Carlson, Neil Leach, and Madhu Thangavelu

    This week's Images of the Week gallery includes a cocktail that looks, according to the person who made it, like an "alien brain hemorrhage," we've got the other side of that amazing "blue marble" picture of Earth, we've got a handmade net fort we are dying to play in, and we've got internal organs made out of elegantly rolled paper. It's a good week, is all we're saying.


    Click to launch this week's Images of the Week gallery.



  150. Germany Bans Apple's iCloud; iPhone 4, iPad 2 Spared From Second Ban

    → DailyTech Main News Feed | 3 Feb 2012 | 2:24 pm MST

    Apple surely is bitter for having to pay a top Android phonemaker for its "innovation"

  151. U.S. officials to get secure Android phones

    → CNN.com - Technology | 3 Feb 2012 | 1:49 pm MST

    Some U.S. officials this year are expected to get smartphones capable of handling classified government documents over cellular networks, according to people involved in the project.


  152. WordPress Plugin Releases for 2/3

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 3 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    New plugins Quick Notice Bar will help you to display a sticky message in your site’s header. RePress allows you to circumvent internet censorship by proxying traffic to websites that have been blocked by repressive regimes. Widget Logic Visual lets you control on which pages widgets appear using conditional tags. WP Really Simple Health allows you to view memory utilization, server uptime, and CPU load on the new admin toolbar. Updated plugins Tallyopia Analytics provides analytics that you can embed into your site using shortcodes or view in your admin dashboard. Ultimate TinyMCE beefs up your visual editor with a plethora of advanced options.

  153. Really, he's on Twitter? 10 unlikely tweeters

    → CNN.com - Technology | 2 Feb 2012 | 4:43 pm MST

    See CNN's list of 10 well-known people whose Twitter accounts will cause you to do a double-take.


  154. 'Bayou Billionaires' brings gas boom to reality TV

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 2 Feb 2012 | 2:01 pm MST

    The fracking-led oil and natural gas boom that's received widespread attention in the mainstream press has moved to a new medium: reality TV.

  155. What will the Facebook millionaires do?

    → CNN.com - Technology | 2 Feb 2012 | 9:19 am MST

    Whenever a hugely popular and successful company goes public, many people wonder what will happen to all the newly created millionaires. What will they do now that they are financially "set for life"? Will there be "1,000 millionaires"? Will they suffer "sudden wealth syndrome"?


  156. Bird flu data should be kept under wraps, science panel says

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 1 Feb 2012 | 1:11 pm MST

    Details of a genetically altered strain of the deadly avian flu virus are "a grave concern" to public safety and should be kept under wraps, a federal advisory board declared Tuesday.

  157. How not to annoy people via e-mail

    → CNN.com - Technology | 1 Feb 2012 | 8:23 am MST

    E-mail can be a lovely way to connect, an easy and instant medium for getting back or keeping in touch, a canvas for hellos and sorrys and XOXOs.


  158. Alaskan volcano could erupt, disrupt international air travel

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 1 Feb 2012 | 8:05 am MST

    Officials are monitoring a remote Alaska volcano that could launch an ash cloud, potentially threatening intercontinental flights.

  159. WordPress Theme Releases for 2/1

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 1 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    Dusk To Dawn is a dark theme that melds old-style organic ornaments with modern design and typography. Grisaille is a classic and simple two-column design adjusted for mobile browsing. Stark has 2 columns with a left sidebar, is of fluid width, has both an upper menu and a vertical menu, and is high contrast with vivid red, black and white.

  160. France's Dassault frontrunner as India jet supplier

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 1 Feb 2012 | 1:04 am MST

    France's Dassault has been awarded frontrunner status in the hotly contested $20bn race to supply 126 fighter jets to India, providing a much-needed boost for French economic and industrial prestige.

  161. Amazon earnings OK, but stock slides 10%

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 31 Jan 2012 | 9:38 pm MST

    Amazon's fourth-quarter sales results weren't awful, but investors went ahead and punished the stock severely anyway.

  162. Andy Staples: For top football recruits, behavior on social media has consequences

    → Science and Technology: News & Videos about Science and Technology - CNN.com | 31 Jan 2012 | 4:20 pm MST

    In most football locker rooms, the words recruit Yuri Wright used on Twitter tend to pepper casual conversation between teammates -- provided no coaches are around. Most players would not use the kind of language Wright used around their mothers, their grandmothers or their teachers. Nor would they stand before a room packed with more than 1,600 people and repeatedly yell out their favorite slang term for a particular part of a woman's anatomy.

  163. The WordPress Theme Review Team Needs Your Help

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 31 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    Are you a WordPress blogger? Do you enjoy having thousands of safe themes to choose from in the official directory? Did you know that a small group of volunteers goes through every single line of code in every submitted theme to make sure that they work properly on a basic installation and are free from malicious code? Chances are, you didn’t know that last bit, but now you do. The Theme Review Team could use your help, especially if you know your way around a theme or two. At this time, there are typically many more theme submissions than active reviewers, so if you’re looking for a great way to help out the entire WordPress community, join the Theme Review Team today! If you’re a theme developer, but don’t have the free time to volunteer, you can at least help the team out by ensuring that your theme meets the guidelines [...]

  164. WordPress Plugin Releases for 1/30

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 30 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    New plugins No Soup allows you to block users from a specific IP or range(s) of IPs and redirect them to another site. WhatElse is a widget that lets you manually add related content to every post or page. Updated plugins Joemobi allows you to create native Android and BlackBerry applications from your WordPress site. Social Login for WordPress lets your users log in and comment via their accounts with popular ID providers such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, Yahoo, Live, and over 15 more.

  165. WordPress Theme Releases for 1/28

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 28 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    Putte is a clean and beautiful theme with great features. Red Modern is an elegant theme with red modern menus and elements.

  166. UFC's White hacked after scrap with Anonymous

    → CNN.com - Technology | 27 Jan 2012 | 11:26 am MST

    Dana White loves a good fight.


  167. PressTrends Releases Plugin for WordPress Blogs

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 27 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    PressTrends has released a rather fascinating plugin for WordPress blogs. The plugin will allow you to measure various metrics for your posts, comments, and plugin usage, and compare these to averages across the entire PressTrends community. The feature list may be just a bit basic now, but there are more features on the way, the design is very clean-cut, and if you’re interested to see how you’re doing versus “the status quo,” this is definitely the way to do it. If you’re a theme designer, you might also be interested in their core product, which provides metrics for theme usage.

  168. Pinterest helps users catalog their passions

    → CNN.com - Technology | 26 Jan 2012 | 9:05 am MST

    For Heather Neroy, it used to be a tedious process: Whenever she came across an interesting arts-and-crafts project or recipe on the Internet, she would save it for later by copying the link, pasting it into an e-mail and sending it to herself.


  169. WordPress Plugin Releases for 1/26

    → Weblog Tools Collection | 26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am MST

    New plugins Site Background Slider uses fullscreen images (read from a specified folder) to create a slideshow inside your background area. Updated plugins Fast Secure Contact Form lets your visitors send you a quick e-mail message and blocks all common spammer tactics. Additionally, the plugin has a multi-form feature, optional extra fields, and an option to redirect visitors to any URL after the message is sent. FoxyPress is a custom plugin made to integrate FoxyCart e-commerce functionality into your WordPress website. Slick Social Share Buttons allows you to add Facebook, Twitter, Google +1, Digg, Google Buzz, Linkedin, and Stumbledupon social media buttons in a floating or slide out tab. WPtouch automatically transforms your WordPress blog into an iPhone application-style theme, complete with ajax loading articles and effects, when viewed from an iPhone, iPod touch, Android, Opera Mini, Palm Pre, Samsung touch and BlackBerry Storm/Torch mobile devices.

  170. WordPress 2.7 Almost Here :)

    → Testing... 123 | 31 Oct 2008 | 5:41 am MDT

    OK, so to be honest I haven’t yet got around to upgrading from 2.6.2 to 2.6.3 yet, but that was just a minor security update that doesn’t effect this particular site. I’m looking forward to WordPress 2.7 mainly for a silly minor reason – I’ll hopefully be able to move the category selection area back [...]

  171. Here Goes Nothing?

    → Testing... 123 | 15 Jul 2008 | 5:19 am MDT

    3.5 months after the last upgrade, WordPress 2.6 is now out. Again, rather than risk damaging the larger ChrisMerriman.com blog, I’ll try it out on this one first. Back soon hopefully…

  172. Post Testing Plugins Post WordPress 2.5 Install

    → Testing... 123 | 2 Apr 2008 | 7:23 am MDT

    As previously mentioned, Sticky Post is not yet compatible with WordPress 2.5, and the WP Random Tagline plugin also has issues. I’ve contacted the author to see if they have the time to fix the issue. Fuzzy widgets does not follow the expected behaviour now found with WP 2.5; whereas in the past you had [...]

  173. WordPress 2.5 Installed

    → Testing... 123 | 30 Mar 2008 | 3:59 am MDT

    I have just finished upgrading this blog to WP 2.5, see this post on my main blog for further details. Basically, all went well, though I’ve had to (temporarily??) disable the Sticky Post plugin, and the Automatic Upgrade plugin was unable to clean up its temporary files straight away. If anyone notices any issues on [...]

  174. Hoping To Get…

    → Testing... 123 | 19 Mar 2008 | 6:54 am MDT

    Amazon wishlist Some of which aren’t for me Some Dogs Do How Do You Feel? Reflex bedside travel digital talking alarm clock Handbag Hook – Foldable Lilies on Black BENEFIT LEMON AID (2.7G) BENEFIT DR. FEELGOOD (24G) Twin Peaks – Fire Walk With Me Twin Peaks: Definitive Gold Box Edition HTC Touch Pro2 Sim-Free Windows [...]

  175. Ooops

    → Testing... 123 | 10 Mar 2008 | 11:59 am MDT

    I went ahead and installed a new plugin called Shout Stream, deciding to use this blog instead of the main one, in case problems arose. The installation and configuration went fine, however I forgot to check if shoutcast server software was available to install on your own server. Long story shortened is that I ended up canning the project. Oh, and before I forget, I'll be testing out Wordpress 2.5 on this blog first, once it is released, so if there is any downtime, that is the likely cause.

  176. Badly Behaved Blog…

    → Testing... 123 | 6 Dec 2007 | 2:35 pm MST

    As visitors of this blog’s older brother (www.ChrisMerriman.com) will have already read, I had problems changing the site’s settings, due to a problem with an anti-spam plugin (Bad Behavior). I was attempting to update this blog, and came up against the same issue. Knowing already that my home PC’s internet IP address is not in [...]

  177. Another UK Trip Coming Up…

    → Testing... 123 | 5 Dec 2007 | 7:33 am MST

    This Christmas, we (myself, my wife Ira, and her parents) are going to Britain. My in-laws will be there for Christmas and Mum’s wedding, and then returning to Kazakhstan for New Year. Ira and I will be staying for a total of 3 weeks (22nd December – 15th January) so we can catch up with [...]

  178. Back Home In Kazakhstan

    → Testing... 123 | 20 Oct 2007 | 1:33 pm MDT

    As you may have read at my other blog (www.ChrisMerriman.com), I am now back in Kazakhstan, after a little under a month in Britain. I have a few reports/reviews to write from my time there, but you will have to be patient a little longer, as I still have around 400 e-mails to plough through. [...]

  179. Blog Upgrade

    → Testing... 123 | 19 Oct 2007 | 8:38 am MDT

    As I found I was unable to login to my CPanel interface, I decided to see what else I could break. This blog is now running on WordPress v2.3 I needed to upgrade one plugin, and am now unable to save options within the ‘Reading’ subset, as well as receiving a few strange errors in [...]



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