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Microsoft Beckons Journalists to Secret Event — a Tablet Unveiling, Perhaps?
06.15.12
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GeekMom Puzzle of the Week ??? #10
Each Sunday, a new quiz will be posted and you will have until 5 pm EST the following Friday to submit your answer. The kind folks over at ThinkGeek will be providing a $50 gift certificate for each week's winner.
06.17.12 -
The Father-Son Team of Lego Master Builders
Meet the father and son who hold two of the seven Lego Master Builder spots in the United States. The Lego apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
06.17.12 -
Dads of Disabled Kids – The True Myth Busters
Remembering the dads who carry a unique load on Father's Day this year.
06.17.12 -
Happy Father’s Day from Disney/Pixar’s Brave
We here at GeekMom are humming with excitement over the latest teaser image release showing Princess Merida sword playing with her father King Fergus.
06.17.12 -
Super Dad v2 by Errol Elumir
Just in time for Father's Day, Errol Elumir -- the Errol half of geek music duo Debs and Errol -- redid his video of Super Dad, a funny song that I think all parents will get greatly appreciate, especially the fathers out there who spend the day having make-up applied by their daughters.
06.17.12 -
Disney Father’s Day Extravaganza: A Rocky Horror Reunion, Joe Quesada Interview, and More! (GeekDad Weekly Rewind)
By now you've probably heard that we're taking over Father's Day, transforming it into National GeekDad Day. On top of all the other things already going on for the day, we thought it would be fun to talk to some of our favorite people at one of our all-time favorite entertainment companies about what Father's Day means to them. The great folks at Disney were, as usual, more than happy to oblige, coming through with some great interviews and quotes, in addition to a lot of good stuff about upcoming shows we can expect to see.
06.17.12 -
Hands-on Gameplay With Lego Lord of the Rings
Some ideas are destined to be. Just as the coming together of Lego, Star Wars and a video-game was written in the stars, LEGO Lord of the Rings has been looming on the horizon as inevitably as night following day. As Matt Blum recently posted, LEGO Lord of the Rings has recently been announced, along [...]
06.17.12 -
DIY Capsule Drop Test
We had a fantastic day performing drop tests of our DIY space capsule. Stay tuned for much more data coming soon. So far, I just want to share this fantastic photo with you.. Ad Astra Kristian von Bengtson
06.17.12 -
Our (Mostly) Electronics-Free Summer: Update #1
Some of you asked for updates on my summer experiment to eliminate or limit access to electronics for my kids. Here is my first update, two weeks after we first began.
06.17.12 -
Lego Batman 2 Restores Multiplayer to DS, 3DS and Vita
I discovered local multiplayer would be returning to the portable Lego games in LEGO Batman 2 DC Heroes!
06.17.12
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Google Honors (Geek)Dads With a Robotic Doodle
Happy Father's Day! And Happy National GeekDad Day! If you've got a GeekDad around the house, point him to today's Google Doodle. It features a cute remote-controlled robot, delivering Dad a steaming mug of coffee.
06.17.12 -
Shuttle-Era Manned Mars Flyby (1985)
Piloted Mars-Venus flybys enjoyed high-level support in the 1960s, but fell victim to budget cuts along with most other plans for NASA's post-Apollo future. The concept enjoyed a brief revival in the mid-1980s, after a CIA memo suggested that the Soviet Union might attempt such a mission in the late 1990s. Beyond Apollo blogger David S. F. Portree describes NASA's optimistic Shuttle-era piloted flyby plan, which would have used Space Station and Lunar Base hardware.
06.17.12 -
A Google-a-Day Puzzle for June 17
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.
06.17.12 -
Video: Secret Space Plane Shatters Orbital Record as Chinese Rival Looms
The second copy of the Air Force's X-37B robotic space plane landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California early Saturday morning, ending a record-breaking 469-day orbital mission. It's an indisputable triumph for the U.S. military and space industry. Much less certain is the X-37's future. Budget cuts, labor woes and the looming specter of a Chinese rival could blunt the diminutive robo-shuttle's orbital edge.
06.16.12 -
Happy Birthday, Barbara McClintock
Barbara McClintock: Nobel Prize Geneticist, a biography by Edith Hope Fine, is free on Kindle June 16 and 17.
06.16.12 -
12 Geeky Beverages for Father’s Day (National GeekDad Day)
A dozen suggestions for geeky drinks for Father's Day / National GeekDad Day.
06.16.12 -
GeekMom Puzzle of the Week #9 – Solution and Winner
As usual on Saturday's I get to announce our Puzzle of The Week winner who was selected at random from all the correct entries.
06.16.12 -
Proto Synthpop Turned Yellow Magic Orchestra Into Godfathers of Electro
You're mistaken if you think synth-pop started with Devo. In the '70s, YMO used tools like a programmable drum machine and a synthesizer to create a unique sound.
06.16.12 -
Giveaway: Neato XV-21 Pet & Allergy Automatic Vacuum Cleaner
Win a Neato XV-21 Pet and Allergy Automatic Vacuum Cleaner!
06.16.12 -
Aquabats Score One for Rock Oddballs, But Will Super Show! Get a Season 2?
The first season of The Aquabats! Super Show! delivered delightfully deranged comedy. It also greatly pleased its fearless leader, Aquabats vocalist The MC Bat Commander, better known to entertainment suits as Yo Gabba Gabba! co-creator Christian Jacobs.
06.16.12
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Who Invented Email? Just Ask…Noam Chomsky
Who invented email? That's a question sure to spark some debate. And where there's debate, the appearance of Noam Chomsky should come as no surprise.
06.16.12 -
A Lesson in Being Nice
It's no secret that people can be mean on the internet. You know the archetypes. Trolls. Flame warriors. Cyber-stalkers. And weirdos. As a writer, I receive my fair of the negative and the nasty. I would say the kind of feedback I receive falls into three categories: 1) You made an error. 2) I disagree with you. 3) I'm just crazy.
06.16.12 -
David Pogue Goes Hunting the Elements And Makes The Best Chemistry Video for Kids (GeekDad Weekly Rewind)
For parents and teachers wanting to raise curious children, "Hunting the Elements" is an amazing tool which shouldn't be missed.
06.16.12 -
Build Your Lego Set for a Good Cause
I could find many good reasons to build and play with Lego bricks. At the top of the list would first come creativity, then education, fun and art. But none of them could equal this project from GlobalGiving called Bricks for Good. When a true good cause meets the best toy ever invented, the result can only be exceptional. The Bricks for Good team has put together three different custom sets of Lego bricks, corresponding to three different charitable causes: Build a Well, Build a School, and Build & Plant a Tree.
06.16.12 -
Mercury Space Observatory (1964)
Piloted spacecraft differ from most other types of space vehicles in that they need to return precious cargo to Earth's surface. Beyond Apollo blogger David S. F. Portree describes how, a year after the last manned Mercury mission, a NASA engineer proposed that Mercury capsules be re-purposed to return a new precious cargo: photographic film containing high-resolution images of comets, stars, and galaxies.
06.16.12 -
A Google-a-Day Puzzle for June 16
Google's daily brainteaser helps hone your search skills.
06.16.12 -
Ultimate Spider-Man — Guest Staring Wolverine This Sunday
This week's Ultimate Spider-Man features Wolverine as the special guest star and GeekMom has exclusive images. After a run in with a telepathic mutant, Wolverine and Spider-Man find that they are not quite themselves. Actually, instead of being themselves, they're actually each other! In a Freak Friday like twist, our favorite web-slinger and bad attitude carrying mutant must work together find a way to get back to normal.
06.15.12 -
Infographics: Mark Zuckerberg Is Worth More Than Nokia
Here's one mobile strategy Mark Zuckerberg could try: Buy Nokia. If the 28-year-old cashed out all his Facebook stock today, he could buy up all of Nokia's and still have a little under $6 billion left for himself.
06.15.12 -
DIY Capsule Drop Test, Pyro Separation and Betty Page
Tomorrow is yet another fantastic day for Copenhagen Suborbitals. In cooperation with Lindoe Space Test Center and Blue Water Shipping will be performing a drop-test of Tycho Deep Space. The purpose is to validate how the capsule will react to water impact when landing with three large main parachutes. The parachutes are designed to create [...]
06.15.12 -
The GeekDad Manifesto
What does it mean to be a geek dad? Sure, it includes teaching your kids about Star Trek, Skyrim and superheroes. But it???s much more than that.
06.15.12
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Join GeekDad Day Events Nationwide
This Sunday, June 17, we geek out as hard as we can with the first-ever National GeekDad Day. That's right, Wired has taken over Father's Day -- and asked that you join us. We've partnered with museums and science centers around the country for this special day. We've listed interactive exhibits, activities and events -- all centered around science and technology for you and your little ones to explore and learn together.
06.15.12 -
Build an Awesome DIY Slip ‘n’ Slide for Summer Fun
When I was a kid, I remember building a homemade Slip ???n??? Slide with my friends to have some outdoor fun on a hot summer day. We???d usually cut up a number of black garbage bags and try to overlap them to create a good run. Then turn a sprinkler or two on them, and get busy.
06.15.12 -
CSS Variables: WebKit Brings the CSS Jackalope to Life
The mythical beast known as the CSS Variable is about to be released into the wild. WebKit, the engine that powers browsers like Safari and Chrome, will soon support one of the most requested features for CSS -- variables.
06.15.12 -
#GeekDadDay Instagram Challenge
Unless you've been living under a rock or not reading Wired (which in our world is pretty much the same thing), you'll know that this Sunday we celebrate the first ever GeekDad Day. Wired has officially taken over Father's Day and is pulling out all of the stops for this special family of geeks day.
06.15.12 -
Etsy Find of the Day: Scouts Honor! A Twee Tribute to Summer
Inspired by the first days of summer vacation, and Wes Anderson's twee tribute to scouting in Moonrise Kingdom, we bring you this roundup of scout gear on Etsy.
06.15.12 -
Why the Scientist Stereotype Is Bad for Everyone, Especially Kids
To many ??? too many ??? science is something like North Korea. Not only is it impossible to read or understand anything that comes out of that place, there are so many cultural differences that it???s barely worth trying. It???s easier just to let them get on with their lives while you get on with [...]
06.15.12 -
Korra Going Strong
My kids and I were rabid fans of the first Avatar series and eagerly awaited Korra. We have not been disappointed.
06.15.12 -
Tell Us What You’re Doing for GeekDad Day
We are now only five days away from the first ever GeekDad Day. As of right now, over 86,000 people are registered to take part in events in 41 of the 50 United States (plus DC!), and 12 other countries. There will be GeekDad Day programs at 16 science museums around the country, and perhaps even some surprises yet to come.
06.15.12 -
Gadget Lab Show: MacBook Pro With Retina Display, Super Soakers, WWDC Highlights
This week on the Gadget Lab Show, we go hands-on with the MacBook Pro with Retina Display, splash around with some Super Soakers, and take a look at the latest updates surrounding iOS 6 and OS X Mountain Lion.
06.15.12 -
A Fish-Catching Smartphone Accessory — It’s About Time
Bringing technology down to the ol' fishing hole might anger rod-and-reel purists. But, it's hard to argue with a cooler full of fish.
06.15.12
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Why Safety Not Guaranteed Is a Must-See Date Movie for Sci-Fi Nerds
Safety Not Guaranteed pulls off an extremely hard hat trick: It's a smart movie about time travel that delivers comedy as well as heart and soul.
06.15.12 -
CIA Refuses to Confirm or Deny Drone Attacks Obama Brags About
The Central Intelligence Agency continues to refuse to confirm or deny the covert military use of drones to kill suspected terrorists overseas, despite President Barack Obama and even a former CIA director???s admission of the agency???s targeted killing program. Despite numerous public comments on the CIA???s drone attacks in far-flung locales such as Yemen from [...]
06.15.12 -
Why Apple’s New Maps App Faces Challenges Ahead
When Apple announced a bold new mapping platform in iOS 6, it provoked two important questions: Why did turn-by-turn navigation take so long to implement, and how will Apple compete in a relatively mature mapping landscape?
06.15.12 -
Simply Say ‘Siri’: How Automakers Can Integrate Apple’s ‘Eyes Free’
Apple's announcement that Siri is coming "Eyes Free" into cars left more questions than answers at WWDC this week. But after talking with automakers, examining how voice controls are currently embedded in vehicles and looking at Apple's own patent filing for a steering wheel-mounted remote, we have a clearer view of how Apple's personal assistant will integrate into your next ride.
06.15.12 -
CIA Refuses to Confirm or Deny Drone Attacks Obama Brags About
The Central Intelligence Agency continues to refuse to confirm or deny the covert military use of drones to kill suspected terrorists overseas, despite President Barack Obama's and even a former CIA director's admission of the agency's targeted killing program.
06.15.12 -
Game|Life Podcast: We Answer Your E3 Questions
We know you all want to know, desperately, what we thought of E3. Right?
06.15.12 -
Navy May Need to Design Ships With Laser Guns in Mind
After more than 20 years of research and development, the Navy's dreams of laser weapons are about to come true. But like the dog who chases the car and doesn't know what to do when he catches it, the Navy's thoroughly unprepared for its coming arsenal of focused-light weapons. A new congressional study warns that the Navy runs the risk of outfitting its surface ships with laser guns that their on-board power systems can't handle.
06.15.12 -
Origin of the Creepy Species, Prometheus-Style
New book Prometheus: The Art of the Film sheds light on the alien evolutionary biology of Ridley Scott's new sci-fi movie. Enter to win a copy.
06.15.12 -
Tracking The Evolution of 8-Bit Art, From Atari Era to the Present Day
A documentary on the history of 8-bit art, on PBS? The Evolution of 8-Bit Art is the latest installment in PBS' fantastic OffBook web video series, which has showcased Reddit, graffiti, generative art and Lego-based art in previous episodes.
06.15.12 -
Chevrolet Volt Outselling Corvette in 2012
Chevrolet’s plug-in hybrid sedan is in its first year of full production, and after six months of sales, the Volt has toppled the Chevy Corvette in the retail race. So far in 2012, Chevy has offloaded 7,057 Volts, compared to the the Corvette’s 5,547 sales. It deserves noting that the figures General Motors — Chevrolet’s [...]
06.15.12
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Q&A;: Why It’s Sometimes Rational to Be Irrational
In his new book, The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking, science writer Matthew Hutson argues that we're all believers -- even the staunchest of skeptics.
06.15.12 -
Book Excerpt: Why We Blame God for Our Problems
Read an excerpt about why people tend to blame god for their problems from the new book The 7 Laws of Magical Thinking by science writer Matthew Hutson.
06.15.12 -
Multicolored Watertower Lights Up Brooklyn
A Brooklyn artist has added a striking multicolored water tower made from 1,000 pieces of reclaimed Plexiglas to his neighborhood's skyline.
06.15.12 -
Hands On: Dust: An Elysian Tail Has Pretty Talking Swords
Throw in a talking sword, a chirpy fairy companion and a main character with an almost uncomfortably detailed and animated crotch, and you've got a game that's too weird to show up on any platform other than Xbox Live Arcade.
06.15.12 -
Amazon Cloud Outage Lesson: Pilot Error?
While IT vendors and the private cloud folks are sure to seize upon Amazon's cloud outage late Thursday, it's important to remember that power outages -- like massive snowstorms and hurricanes -- happen, so smart cloud adopters should take this as a lesson to spread workloads across data center locations. But does a pilot-error message serve the cloud well?
06.15.12 -
Microsoft Beckons Journalists to Secret Event — a Tablet Unveiling, Perhaps?
Microsoft has scheduled a super-secret press event for this coming Monday, and if reports prove true, the world will be introduced to a Microsoft built-and-branded Windows 8 tablet.
06.15.12 -
IBM Overcomes Apple Secrecy to Stream US Open
Even IBM is fed up with Apple???s famously secretive approach to new hardware and software. This weekend, as the world???s best golfers are competing at the US Open in San Francisco, Big Blue is teaming with the US Golf Association to offer both mobile and web apps that let fans follow the action.
06.15.12 -
TableTop Goes Co-Op With Castle Panic
After a nasty game of back-stabbing last week, Wil and his guests elect to play a little kinder and gentler this week with one of the best family-friendly co-op games, Castle Panic. At GeekDad, we are big fans of Castle Panic and Wil and Yuri Lowenthal, Tara Platt, and Andre the Black Nerd show why it's such a wonderful game during this week's episode.
06.15.12 -
A Toast to Mike the Durable
A ragtag group of Prohibition-era schemers tried to kill a local drunkard with poison alcohol, but their plan backfired. Elemental blogger Deborah Blum retells the classic story of what happened next.
06.15.12 -
Dogs ‘Grip It and Rip It’ in Annual Surf Contest
Man's best friend takes to the most awesome of all sports this weekend in -- where else? -- Southern California. Eddie would go, if he had a dog.
06.15.12
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Happy Birthday, Neil Patrick Harris!
The multi-talented actor turns 39 years old today!
06.15.12 -
‘Gray Eagle’ Drone Fails All the Time, But Army Still Wants More
The Gray Eagle is supposed to be the Army's own version of the Air Force's famous Predator drone. The Army wants its own version of the Predator so much, it's spending hundreds of millions of dollars to develop and buy 164 of the things through the year 2022. Problem is, the Army is having trouble getting the drone to, y'know, work.
06.15.12 -
Review: 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid Is a Pleasant Populist
Until I passed the radar-equipped eye of the local constabulary, nobody had noticed the Toyota Camry I was driving. “Do you know how fast you were going?” the officer predictably asked. I was dumbfounded — before I’d been pulled over, the drive had been a total blur. Outside of speed traps, the Camry beats Buster [...]
06.15.12 -
Mozilla Celebrates a Year of Shrinking Firefox Memory
One year ago Mozilla began trying to tame Firefox's appetite for memory. Now Firefox is, by some measures, one of the least memory-hogging browsers on the web.
06.15.12 -
A 3-D Printed Father’s Day Video Card from MakerBot
A lovely stop-motion video Father's Day card from the fine folks at MakerBot. I love how they carry their supply spools on their backs!
06.15.12 -
National Geographic Awards Ocean Dive, Mountain Climbs
The National Geographic Society posthumously awarded ocean explorer Jacques Piccard with the Hubbard Medal -- the Society???s highest honor -- while mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner was crowned Explorer of the Year.
06.15.12 -
Behind the Scenes of the 2012 MIT Mystery Hunt
On Martin Luther King Day weekend, hundreds of puzzle solvers converged on the MIT campus to tackle the annual mystery hunt, designed by the previous year's winning team, Codex Alimentarius. Alex Calhoun, one of the members of Team Codex, recounts the process of designing puzzles for such a large audience.
06.15.12 -
Acidifying Ocean Threatens California Coast
A new computer model suggests that, over the next 40 years, rising ocean acidity could upend the entire marine ecosystem off the West Coast of the United States and affect millions of people dependent upon it for food and jobs.
06.15.12 -
US Outsources Its Africa Spying
Africa is important enough to the United States to spy on. Just not with official U.S. military personnel. The military's Africa Command is outsourcing dramatic amounts of surveillance missions. And if something should go wrong, the contractors are on their own.
06.15.12 -
Late to the Game: The Diagon Alley Board Game
I am always on the lookout for a new family board game so when one of my neighbours was selling off a copy of the Harry Potter Diagon Alley game, I snapped it up without ever having heard of it before. The aim of the game is to travel around Diagon Alley collecting all the items you need to begin school at Hogwarts; robes, book, wand etc. You begin at The Leaky Cauldron and travel clockwise around the board, stopping into shops to buy your supplies and withdrawing additional money as you pass Gringotts. The first player to collect all their supplies and make it back to The Leaky Cauldron is the winner.
06.15.12
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Create a Custom Dark Knight Rises Tumbler, Then Rev Its Virtual Engine
Batman's ride was gleefully destroyed by the Joker in The Dark Knight, but you can't keep a good Batmobile down. Starting Friday, you can create your own custom version online and race it around a virtual track.
06.15.12 -
Dear Necktie…Why??
Why do we give neck ties for father's day? This is something that has puzzled me since I was a teenager. I don???t recall getting my dad a tie for Father's day, but it seems like that is what every dad should expect to get.
06.15.12 -
Dork Tower Friday
Dork Tower is an online comic created, written and drawn by John Kovalic. It chronicles the lives of a group of geeks living in the fictional town of Mud Bay, Wisconsin.
06.15.12 -
How Kids Benefit From Chores
Sharing household responsibility with kids has a major impact on their learning, emotional intelligence, and long term success.
06.15.12 -
This Week With the GeekMoms
See what the writers of GeekMom are up to this week!
06.15.12 -
Good Luck Charlie: What’s in a Name?
Disney Channel's Good Luck Charlie is building up to the birth and naming of the latest Duncan family member and offered me an inside look at the show this month in preparation for the new episodes. Last week, I talked to the actors playing the parents, Leigh-Allyn Baker and Erik Allan Kramer. This week, the co-producers of the show talked about why they created the show, why it's so personal, and how their kids are involved.
06.15.12 -
Steampunk Tarot
The Steampunk Tarot is the perfect marriage of favorite geeky things. Zombie Tarot and Chibi Tarot are fantastic geek tarot mash-ups.
06.15.12 -
Rock of Ages‘ Music Geek on the Power of ’80s Pop
Call Chris D'Arienzo, once a music geek with glasses and headgear, a keytar hero. Here's what the guy behind Rock of Ages likes about the big-screen adaptation.
06.15.12 -
Bender: The Fabulous Nerd Weddings of Facebook Big Shots
Between their surprise nuptials, showtune-sing-alongs, Princess Bride readings, and computer-coded wedding programs, it's starting to seem like Facebook geeks are remaking the rites of marriage just as they remade how people socialize.
06.15.12 -
The Secret of a Successful Programming Language? A Really Great Beard
According to Tamir Kahson, there's a direct correlation between the success of a programming language and the length of the facial hair on the face of the man who built it. And he may have a point.
06.15.12
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App Lets Friends Catch ‘Glympse’ of Mercedes A-Class Owners
For social media???s most ardent adherents, there???s no such thing as oversharing. We???re not convinced that anyone cares that you just liked Frank Bacon on Facebook, tweeted some mundane thought that twitched through your brain, Instagrammed moody snapshots of your surroundings or checked in on Four Square at a hipster watering hole where you can [...]
06.15.12 -
Awesome Gifts For Geeky Dads — And Total Father’s Day Luddites
We may be hardcore gadget freaks at Wired, but that doesn???t mean our dads are cut from the same nerdy cloth. In the lead-up to this year???s Father???s Day -- it???s this coming Sunday -- we hand-picked a variety of presents to give to our patres familias, and the gear runs the gamut from borderline Luddite to full-fledged geeky.
06.15.12 -
Geeks Who Drink Leads the Pub Trivia Nerd Pack
It was 10:45 pm, and the sixth annual Geek Bowl went to overtime. A hundred and fifty teams from around the US had trekked to Texas and paid to battle it out in the Austin Music Hall early this year. By the end, two master trivia squads???the locals of Team Dong, and Independence Hall and Oates from Philadelphia???were tied, vying for the $5,000 grand prize. The grueling contest featured questions that merged the brainy and the profane in a way that you'd never see on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. (For instance, you need a deep familiarity with both Italian architecture and gross Web memes to arrive at the answer to one question: "two girls, one cupola.") And as the teams headed into the final bonus round, the 1,000-plus people in attendance were almost sober enough to care.
06.15.12 -
Contest Alert: Calling All Makers, Hackers, and Backyard Inventors
Amazing things happen when designers are given a set of constraints. To celebrate makers everywhere, high-octane sponsor Red Bull is running an online contest in which contenders face off against the ultimate constraint: time. The event, called Red Bull Creation, is a 72-hour competition that will run in late July.
06.15.12 -
Gallery: Rayguns and Robots! Will Zap Your Eyes With Retro Sci-Fi
The constant rebooting of science fiction franchises -- Alien, Battlestar Galactica, Total Recall -- left gallery owner James Monosmith missing the classics. To fill that void, he's holding a show called Rayguns and Robots! dedicated to art influenced by the sci-fi stylings of the 1940s and 1950s. Get a sneak peek at the cool artwork that will be on display in Seattle.
06.15.12 -
Patented Mirror Tech Takes Cues From Disco Ball, Eliminates Blind Spot
Blind spots have been plaguing drivers for decades, but a new mirror technology developed by a Drexel University professor has the potential to eliminate the no-vision zones for good.
06.15.12 -
Observation Deck: Saving the Planet With Pavement
A not particularly modest proposal: Pave roads with lighter colors to save the world. But can you really fight climate change with silver-white streets?
06.15.12 -
Book Excerpt: Aliens Go Crazy for Rock ‘n’ Roll in Year Zero
Read "Chapter Zero," the prologue to comedic sci-fi novel Year Zero, which deals with the unexpected consequences of extraterrestrials' addiction to Earth's powerful pop music. The book, written by Listen.com founder Rob Reid, will be published July 10.
06.15.12 -
Sweden Will Imprison Assange When Extradited
Julian Assange will be kept in a Swedish prison when he is extradited to face questioning over sex charges, Sweden announced Friday. But he'll have a hearing on whether he has to stay in custody within 4 days of extradition from the United Kingdom.
06.15.12 -
FBI Ordered to Copy 150 Terabytes of Data Seized From Megaupload
The US government has been ordered by a New Zealand High Court judge to immediately prepare to copy the 150 terabytes worth of data held on Megaupload servers seized by the FBI in preparation for turning it over to its indicted founder Kim Dotcom.
06.15.12
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9-Year-Old Who Changed School Lunches Silenced By Politicians
Nine-year-old student Martha Payne took photos of her school lunches in western Scotland, but had to shut down her blog because she's now forbidden to take a camera into school. Superbug author and blogger Maryn McKenna reports.
06.14.12 -
Wait, We Still Like Paper!: Think the iPhone Is Cute? Check Out This Cell Phone Nesting Doll
The nine nesting cell phones in Kyle Bean???s Mobile Evolution are a new take on an old toy, by a young artist interpreting an evolving industry. From 1984 to about 2010, as mobile phones gradually took over the world, leaps in cellular technology allowed phones to shrink, while processing power exploded. Bean, a British artist, was interested in the phenomenon, and started collecting old phones from a local junk shop. Placing them beside each other, he drew an unusual parallel ??? to him they looked like the old Russian nesting dolls, or Matryoshka dolls, that have been resurging in new variations.
06.14.12 -
.WTF? — 20 New Top-Level Domain Names That Should Exist, But Never Will
On Tuesday, the list of new proposed top-level domains, and the companies seeking to control them, was published by ICANN. The new contenders to the throne of .com’s dominance include Amazon with .book, Google with .youtube, and three companies seeking .sucks. There are also applications for .lol, .bar, and .beer. While the list is interesting [...]
06.14.12 -
Mystery of the Missing 1258 A.D. Eruption Solved?
A geologist now claims to know where a gargantuan eruption in 1258 A.D. occurred. Volcanologist and Eruptions blogger Erik Klemetti reports.
06.14.12 -
Storyboard: 20 Years Later, a Look Back at Wired‘s Beginning
The first issue of Wired hit newsstands almost two decades ago. This inaugural edition is now available digitally on tablets, complete with behind-the-scenes notes and pop-up annotations???even for the ads. Plus: An oral history that interviews people who played a key role in getting that first issue out the door.
06.14.12 -
Lone Senator Blocks Renewal of NSA Wiretap Program
The Obama administration wanted a quick, no-questions-asked-or-answered renewal of broad electronic eavesdropping powers that largely legalized the Bush administration's illegal warrantless wiretapping program. That's despite President Barack Obama's campaign promise to revisit and revise the rules to protect Americans' rights.
06.14.12 -
Free From Sony Deal, Journey Creator Seeks Pixar-Sized Audience
Thatgamecompany, developer of the arthouse PlayStation 3 games Journey and Flower, has big aspirations.
06.14.12 -
Kindle App Updated With Batman and Curious George Support
Amazon updates the Kindle app for iOS and Android to include graphic novel and children's book support.
06.14.12 -
Big Tech: Nokia Fires 10K, Looks to Undercut Cheap Android Phones
Nokia says it's cutting 10,000 jobs and expects its second quarter to be worse than the first. This is bad news for Microsoft, which has teamed with the company formerly known as the world's largest cell phone maker in hopes of finally capturing a piece of the mobile market.
06.14.12 -
US Stealth Jets Choking Pilots at Record Rates
The Air Force's F-22 Raptor stealth fighters poison or suffocate their pilots nearly 27 times per 100,000 flight hours -- a rate at least nine times higher than other fighters and far worse than anyone outside of the military previously realized.
06.14.12
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