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Tech NewsWhy Are URLs Full of So Many Garbage Characters?
#?&%! Why do some URLs look like cuss words in comic books? We have the answer. As you probably know, URLs (uniform resource locators) are basically “addresses” for websites. Type one into your browser, and you’re instantly reading news, watching videos, scheduling sketchy tête-à-têtes, and so on. That’s why URLs were originally supposed to be … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Reviews
Does Windows 10 Make Sense On a Big Touchscreen PC?
I own a Dell XPS One 27—a giant touchscreen PC. It’s basically a huge 27-inch monitor with an entire computer crammed inside. The Windows equivalent of an iMac. I like the compact, integrated design so much I’ve bought two of them over the years, but I’ve never really had a need for the touchscreen—it’s just … Continued
By David Nield -
Tech News
The Hustler Origins of Wearable Computers
Be healthier! Be less distracted! Be more efficient! The wearable tech market is gripped by the idea of quantifying positive change. Fitbits and Apple Watches are shilled as objects that will make us the best versions of ourselves. But the original wearable devices weren’t so cloaked in sanctimony about the quantified life: They were created … Continued
By Kate Knibbs -
Tech News
I’ve Ignored 1,383 Emails in the Last Three Weeks and Haven’t Missed a Thing
I had a sort of epiphany a few weeks ago when I was sitting in the sun looking at my phone one afternoon; How much nicer would my life be if I didn’t spend half of it deleting the emails of no consequence that appear on my phone every 15 minutes? So, just like that, … Continued
Gary Cutlack - Gizmodo UK -
Tech NewsWatch a Computer Attempt to Sing 90s Power Ballads—With Feeling
Computers do many things well, but expressing emotion is not one of them. So what happens if you ask one to try and sing a heartfel version of a 90s power ballad? “What do machines sing of?” is an art project by Martin Backes that “endlessly sings number-one ballads from the 1990s.” There is little … Continued
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ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
For the First Time an AI Machine Identified Galaxies All on Its Own
Researchers in the UK have developed a computer that can scan outer space and classify galaxy types on its own, without any human help. This image recognition AI could help develop robots that can “see” better on their own, possibly helping doctors spot tumors or airport security spot firearms. For example, in the image above, … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Tech News
Framing Pictures With Fingers Would Be the Best Google Glass 2.0 Feature
The first Google Glass might’ve died an ignominious death, but don’t give up on face computers just yet. Google will most likely launch some kind of updated Glass in the future, and when it does, features like framing up pictures with your fingers could make it a whole lot better than version 1.0. Google was … Continued
By Chris Mills -
Tech News
Okay, So Maybe You Won’t Get Windows 10 on July 29th
Are you entitled to a free copy of Windows 10? There’s a flowchart for that. However, there’s no flowchart to tell you when you might actually get Microsoft’s new operating system. Officially, Windows 10 is coming July 29th, but not everyone will get it that day—now, says Microsoft, it will roll out in waves. The … Continued
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Tech News
Would You Buy This Retro ThinkPad Stuffed With Modern Tech?
What goes around comes around, especially when it comes to design aesthetics. Now Lenovo design VP David Hill gas dreamed up a new concept: an old-school ThinkPad stuffed with ultra-modern guts. Would you buy one? In a blog post on the Lenovo website, Hill explains how his idle daydream about a modern remake of the … Continued
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Tech News
Lenovo’s Ideacenter Stick 300 Is a Windows PC on a Stick for $140
The computer-on-a-stick is not a new—nor always terribly successful—idea. But that hasn’t stopped Lenovo, which has announced its own stab at the concept: the Ideacenter Stick 300. The new device comes in several spec levels, featuring an Intel Baytrail CPU, up to 2GB of RAM, up to 32GB of storage, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, … Continued
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Tech News
Samsung Disables Windows Updates to Favor Its Own Crappy Bloatware
Windows updates are simultaneously very boring and incredibly important: they have a habit of shutting down your computer at the wrong moment, but also patch critical security flaws with alarming regularity. So if a manufacturer decided to disable Windows Update to favor its own crappy bloatware, that would be incredibly fucked. Oh hey there, Samsung! … Continued
By Chris Mills -
Tech News
Microsoft Finally Decides, No Free Windows 10 For Beta Testers
In a masterpiece of confusion and deception worthy of a Russian dictator making holiday plans, Microsoft spent the weekend thoroughly confusing users of the Windows 10 beta over whether they’d get a free copy of the final version. But in the latest (and hopefully final) post on the matter, Microsoft has settled matters: no freebies. … Continued
By Chris Mills -
Tech News
Microsoft Can’t Decide If It’s Giving Away Windows 10 For Free
In an announcement on Friday, Microsoft dropped the unusually generous news that it is giving away free copies of Windows 10 to anyone who participates in the beta Insider Program for Redmond’s latest OS. Sound a little too good to be true? You bet. As noted by Ars Technica, Microsoft has since sneakily updated its … Continued
By Chris Mills -
Tech News
What Was the Greatest Piece of Tech That Failed in the Market?
The history of technology is littered with the bodies of brilliantly innovative devices that failed in the marketplace. Maybe they were ahead of their time; maybe they were crushed by unworthy competitors; maybe we were all just too stupid to buy them. What was the very best machine that deserved to succeed and didn’t? I … Continued
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Tech News
This Official Raspberry Pi Case Houses Your Mini PC for $8
If you love your little Raspberry Pi computer dearly, you can now provide it with a little more protection using this official case for the device. And the good news is that it only costs $8. While many people have already crafted their own cases for the devices—in particular using Lego—this one has been designed … Continued
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Tech NewsYou Must Watch This Great Computer-Obsessed YouTube Channel
Do you like computers? The good folks at YouTube’s Computerphile really like them. In case you’re not familiar, let me introduce you to Numberphile’s equally nerdy, equally fantastic sister site that demystifies computer science. Nearly 400,000 subscribers strong, videos dive into 3D X-ray images, the disadvantages of JPEGs, the end of Moore’s Law, how hyperlinks … Continued
By Bryan Lufkin -
Tech NewsI Read This Mammoth Essay on Code To Make You 38 Thousand Times Smarter
Want to know enough about code that you don’t sound like a complete dunce? Bloomberg Businessweek has publisheda 38,000-word explainer/meditation/opus on coding called “What Is Code?” by programmer and writer Paul Ford. Here’s our TL;DR version. It is good! (“And thorough” – Maude Lebowski) But it’s SO long. Bloomberg takes a photo of your face … Continued
By Kate Knibbs -
Tech News
The Typographer Whose Elegant Work Shaped Your Emoji
When we think of the people who shaped early computing history, we think of inventors, engineers, CEOs. We might not think of Hermann Zapf, the German type designer who died this week at 96. But we should. Zapf’s name might sound familiar to you. Maybe because it’s eponymous with several typefaces on your computer right … Continued
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Tech NewsStanford Built a New Kind of Computer That Uses Water Drops
Dunking your laptop in a bucket of water while it’s running is just about the worst thing you can do to it. But researchers at Stanford University, led by assistant professor Manu Prakash, have developed a new type of computer processor that’s actually built around moving water drops, instead of electrons. What’s especially interesting about … Continued
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Tech NewsThe Crazy New Computers at Computex 2015
Every June, the PC industry descends on Taipei to show off its latest wares. The Computex trade show is a great place to see some awesome new gadgets and spot computing trends. So, what kind of promising new computers did they build on the eve of Windows 10? Let’s take a peek. Asus Transformer Book … Continued