Items tagged with Misc
How does one even begin a post with the above headline? In what is either a massive troll or an uncomfortable sign of the times, a pair of Brits named Matt Gray and Tom Scott are touting a new social network launching soon that will use only emoji. Dubbed “emoj.li”, the social network contains no words--no...
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We first caught wind of Microsoft’s next version of its Windows OS back in December (and learned a bit more in January), and Redmond’s strategy for unifying the Windows experience across various types of devices is becoming more clear. According to a report from ZDNET’s Mary Jo Foley, Windows...
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There are many ways to get beer from a container into your mouth, but the founders of a curious machine called SYNEK believe they’ve developed the best method of all time. SYNEK is a portable (all you need is an outlet) machine that dispenses cold beer on demand, like a tap, but without the need for a keg. The...
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Here’s an interesting psychological factoid: Emotional states can be transferred to other people via text-based messages on social media, such as Facebook. That means that if, for instance, you view a bunch of sad posts, you’re more likely to pen a sad post yourself shortly thereafter even though you...
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AT&T and DirecTV are trying to convince lawmakers that a proposed $48.5 billion merger between the two companies--that’s forty-eight and a half billion dollars--and so far the best argument they have going in their favor is the promise of lower costs when comes to pricey negotiations for rights to video...
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While Tesla is making waves with its all-electric fleet of cars, Toyota is exploring a non-fossil fuel alternative vehicle as well. The company announced that it will release a hydrogen fuel cell sedan next year, coming to Japan by April and in the U.S. and Europe sometime next summer. Why hydrogen? “Hydrogen is a particularly promising...
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Google is undeterred; after brilliantly failing to wedge itself into our living rooms with Google TV (though it’s made modest inroads with the Chromecast dongle), the company is rumored to be mounting another effort by partnering with other companies to put out set-top boxes loaded with Android. According to...
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Who would have thought that the standard bearer of the Internet of Things (IoT) wave would be a company that makes smart, connected thermostats and alarms? Yet indeed, Nest announced the Nest Developer Program with numerous partners that should lead to a rapid proliferation of Internet of Things (IoT) innovations and...
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Biometric monitoring via wearables appears to be the Next Big Thing, as far as the biggest tech companies are concerned. Samsung is on its second generation of smartwatches (with a new generation already rumored), Google is expected to reveal much more about its Android Wear wearable platform next week, and...
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Although the FCC is drawing the ire of many for its new stance on net neutrality, it’s important to remember that the agency is also doing good work to get Internet access to people who will certainly benefit from it. The FCC is “modernizing” its E-rate program to increase broadband Internet...
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There’s a little mess of wires and solder that started it all--the world’s first microchip for which its creator, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments, eventually won the Nobel Prize in physics. And although at auction, the thing stirred up bids as high as $850,000, it failed to reach the reserve bid nor hit the $1 million to $2 million...
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Following Google’s initial foray into the connected home front with the acquisition of Nest is an acquisition of Dropcam, a startup that makes a cloud-based WiFi video monitoring service. Rumors had emerged a few weeks ago that this was happening, but now the deal is going through for $555 million. According to...
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Even when the government conducts secret activities, those ventures have to be funded, and a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives last night took a swipe at the NSA’s domestic spying practices by cutting some of its funding. According to Ars Technica, Representatives James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), Zoe Lofgren...
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Kids have never had it so good. As if having myriad digital entertainment options in addition to marvelous physical toys such as LEGOs weren’t enough, now they get both. LEGO is coming out with Fusion kits, which consist of 200 pieces and let you build facades on a special “Fusion Capture Plate”. The...
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Facebook doesn’t go down all that often, but when it does it’s big news. The social network reportedly experienced an outage at approximately 1 a.m. PST that affected users all over the world. Users in countries including Australia, New Zealand, England, South Korea, India, were unable to access Facebook...
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MakerBot announced a new line of 3D printers at CES that run the gamut from smallish and more affordable to large (and less affordable, for the average Joe). The latter is now shipping, and MakerBot believes that it’s more than just a big 3D printer. “This is a massive scale for a 3D printer and comparable to 3D printers that cost...
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Tesla has faced sales bans of its electric cars in multiple states, but there’s reason for optimism for the company in New Jersey. The state is considering a bill that would allow Tesla to sell its vehicles directly to consumers in the state, and it has just passed the state Assembly. It still must pass the state Senate, which is a significant...
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Microsoft wants to be more open with the web developer community, and thus the company has a new developer channel for Internet Explorer. It’s a fully-functioning browser designed to give an early sneak peek at new IE features, and it’s currently available for download for both Windows 8.1 and Windows 7...
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It’s hard to imagine what else the CEO of a company that makes streaming media boxes would say, but Roku CEO Anthony Wood boldly claimed that it’s just a matter of time before DVRs become a thing of the past. “To me, it's pretty clear that all TV is going to be streamed. It's either going to be streamed to a smart TV, a gaming...
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Portland, Oregon is one of the nearly three dozen additional lucky locales slated for a Google Fiber rollout, and the city is now one step closer to being wired for the search giant’s gigabit Internet service. Portland’s commission has approved a franchise agreement with Google, which was a big hurdle to overcome before the service...
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Tesla and it’s fervent visionary founder, Elon Musk, made a bold move this week by open sourcing its patents in hopes of jumpstarting the electric car industry. It’s a calculated move that wagers that Tesla can make the best electric cars even while allowing other companies to use its innovative technology...
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Health monitoring is all the rage in the mobile market these days as evinced by giants such as Apple and Google announcing new technologies with HealthKit and Google Fit, respectively, and the growing pile of wearable devices coming to the fore. A new technology from a team at MIT could either take that trend to a...
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