February 2012
2 posts
2 tags
Spray-on antenna revealed: best thing to come in a...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
Ever found yourself without a signal and wished you could just spray one on like magic? Well, maybe soon, you’ll be able to do just that. Chamtech Enterprises has developed a spray-on antenna it says is more lightweight and energy-efficient than current technology. Revealed at Google’s inaugural Solve for X shindig, the antenna can be...
2 tags
U.S. Gov: We can update Android phones in 2 weeks
[shared via Google Reader from Mobile]
The U.S. government has settled on Google’s Android platform for secure phones, mainly because the software is open and can easily be modified. CNN reported the news this morning, noting that Apple was asked to provide access to its code so the operating system could be modified specifically for secure government use. Apple declined to offer such access.
...
2 tags
Amazonian Mushroom Eats Indestructible Plastics...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
We use polyurethane to make just about everything—garden hoses, furniture, the entirety of my local 99-cent store. It’s easy to produce, durable, and dirt cheap. What it isn’t is recyclable—there isn’t a single natural process that breaks it down. That is until a newly-discovered Amazonian fungus takes...
2 tags
360-Degree Trucks Make This Skateboard Ride Like a...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Fixed skateboard trucks, no matter how loose, just can’t flex enough to match the carving ability and dynamic movement of a surfboard. The SurfSkate’s specially-designed front truck, however, lets you carve tarmac like swells in the Pacific. More »
January 2012
30 posts
2 tags
BOXX electric bike: two wheels, four corners,...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
Has bicycle design reached its pinnacle? Or are electric bike manufacturers just not trying hard enough? The YikeBike begs to differ, and here joining it is BOXX Corporation’s diminutive BOXX. Coming in at just under a meter (or 36-inch inches) long, the 120 pound aluminum “bike” has a top speed of 35 miles per hour and can even haul up...
2 tags
Use Your Hand to Estimate Your Portions [Diet]
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
When you’re staring down the barrel of a new diet, your portions are one of the most difficult things to measure and keep track of. Your kitchen scale may be great in the comfort of your home, but it’s not practical to carry with you all day. Instead, just get to know the rough estimates with your hand....
2 tags
Could This 5.4-Megapixel, 0.61-inch MicroOLED...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
For purist photographers, there is no alternative to the optical viewfinder. Current LED screens are, by comparison, like looking though the bottom of a bottle. But could this tiny, high-res display change that? More »
2 tags
F-BOMB $50 surveillance computer hides in your CO...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
What happens when you take a PogoPlug, add 8GB of flash storage, some radios (WiFi, GPS) and perhaps a few sensors, then stuff everything in a 3D-printed box? You get the F-BOMB (Falling or Ballistically-launched Object that Makes Backdoors), a battery-powered surveillance computer that costs less than $50 to put together using off-the-shelf parts. The 4...
2 tags
This Simple Wood Contraption Lets the iPhone 4...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Billed as the “lowest-tech accessory” for the iPhone 4, the limited edition Love Box lets you record both sides of a conversation through the use of a simple sliding mirror. Without the need for a special app or any post-production. More »
2 tags
Decide for Android Monitors Electronics Prices,...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
Android: Free app Decide lets you scan barcodes in the store and see if that item is at a low price point or if you should wait for an upcoming drop. More »
2 tags
Quantum dots could increase fiber optic bandwidth...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
Nothing screams World of Tomorrow quite like quantum dots. Alongside the possibility of paint-on solar cells, the technology could also multiply optic fiber bandwidth by up to ten times. The Photonic Network Research Institute at NICT has been able to crank up the capacity of the data transmission system by combining a light source and photonic crystal...
2 tags
Pentax Optio VS20: hold it any way you want, as...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
Standing on the Hoover Dam, you’re trying to encapsulate the majesty of the engineering feat before you. Turning the camera on its side, you try and get a perfect portrait shot, but find the vagaries of evolution mean your fingers won’t stretch to the buttons anymore. If you’ve ever experienced such horrors, Pentax has the solution with...
2 tags
How to Build a (Nearly) Hack-Proof Password System...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
It seems like every day there’s news that a new site or service has been hacked. The intruders make off with usernames and passwords, and even if they’re encrypted the service forces users to change them. This week it was DreamHost, and last week it was Zappos. More »
2 tags
The BackJoy Adds Proper Back Support to Any Chair...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
Everyone knows that having good posture while sitting is important, but not all of us have the resources (or the generous office managers) to afford quality chairs that support our backs. I’ve been testing out the BackJoy Posture+, a little seat cushion type thing that forces you to have good posture. It...
2 tags
McDonald's Is Spraying Robbers with an Invisible...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Apparently, robbing McDonald’s has become a thing in Australia. McRobbery’s are so rampant down under that McDonald’s locations in Aussieland are taking measures to protect themselves by spraying criminals with an invisible mist of DNA. I repeat, AN INVISIBLE MIST OF DNA. The DNA seeps into the...
2 tags
Clever 1-Minute Video Shows How Airplane Wings...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
You probably think that a wing lifts an airplane because the airflow moving over the top has a longer distance to travel and “needs to go faster to have the same transit time as the air travelling along the lower, flat surface.” Well, you are wrong. More »
2 tags
Report: Steve Jobs Met With Lytro's Founder to...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Before Steve Jobs passed away in the fall, he apparently had made it known he was interested in meeting with Lytro CEO Ren Ng about the possibilities of light field capture technology in iPhones. And as the story goes, Ng obliged, setting up a meeting as swiftly as is humanly possible. More »
2 tags
Dolphin Browser releases Skitch and Evernote...
[shared via Google Reader from Android Central - Android Forums, News, Reviews, Help and Android Wallpapers]
The folks at Dolphin Browser, one of the most popular third party browsers for Android devices, have unveiled two new add-ons today — Skitch and Evernote. Both integrate seamlessly with the Dolphin Browser app, and look to be simple and elegant. We love simple, especially when...
2 tags
180,000 Tiny People Are Holding Up This Floor...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Stand on the shoulders of giants? Pshaw, how about on the hands and heads of 180,000 very tiny people. This incredible art piece lets you do the latter and look down upon your new helpful friends. More »
2 tags
Who Needs Gas When You Can Run Your Car On...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Some folks bang on about biofuels being the future of car fuels. In reality, though, they’re expensive, and that’s largely because they’re a pain in the ass to make. The solution might be seaweed. More »
2 tags
Famous Photographers With Their Even More Famous...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
There’s a good chance you’ve seen most of the photos featured in Tim Mantoani’s new book, Behind Photographs. But I doubt you’ve seen the faces of the photographers behind those shots, who are finally given the notoriety they all deserve. More »
2 tags
A Month-by-Month Guide to Grocery Sales [Saving...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
Grocery items go on sale in predictable cycles, thanks to seasonality and weird holidays like National Oatmeal Month (January). This means you can save tons on your food budget with careful planning—and this guide to grocery sales. More »
2 tags
Camera-less iPhone 4S now available in Singapore,...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
Rhyming schemes aside, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would want a camera-less iPhone 4S. But that’s exactly what Singaporean operator M1 is offering today, with the launch of a new line of “non-camera” iPhones. As it turns out, Singapore’s military prohibits its soldiers from owning camera-equipped cellphones, which...
2 tags
BASF, Philips team up to create transparent OLED...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
If you’re the sort who wished your car had a transparent roof when the rain falls down but want some shielding when the sun’s up (or, you know, vice versa) then BASF have good news for you. It’s showing off the transparent OLED technology it developed with Philips that behaves like glass when inactive, turning opaque when activated....
2 tags
Starbucks Builds a Drive-Through Out of Shipping...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Even industrial shipping containers wear out eventually. But rather than scrap them, Starbucks’ in-house architects upcycled the containers into a unique drive-through cafe. More »
2 tags
You Don’t Need All Those Chargers: How to...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
Every new device you buy seems to come with its own charging brick and cable—which is good, until you have a drawer full of them in your office, or wind up having to pack a dozen charging cables, bricks, and wall adapters before you so much as go to the library with your laptop. Thankfully, most of them are...
2 tags
Watch This Earthquake-Proof Desk Easily Shrug Off...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
I don’t live in a high risk area for deadly tremors, but after watching this earthquake-proof table easily survive having a 2,200 pound block dropped on it, I think I still want one for my office—just in case. More »
2 tags
Nike's Fuelband Is an Awesome Fitness Wristband...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Nike+ was a super sweet tool for runners to keep track of their workouts. But what about the rest of your life? What if Nike+ could keep track of that? That’s what the brand new Nike+ Fuelband, an evolution of Nike+ in a simple Livestrong-styled wristband, tries to do. More »
2 tags
Everything You Need to Legally Protest SOPA...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
SOPA sucks. PIPA sucks. The proposed anti-piracy bills are terrible in pretty much every way. But they aren’t laws yet, and there’s plenty we can do to keep it that way. Here are six tools to help you fight SOPA online. More »
2 tags
Microrockets Could Travel Your Gut and Fix It Up...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Scientists have created a teeny tiny rocket that could swim around in your stomach and fix whatever ails you. You may have heard similar tales before, but this version has an excellent chance of landing in your gut thanks to a hydrogen-powered motor fueled by a hydrogen bubble. More »
2 tags
StartWire Automatically Updates You on the Status...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
StartWire is designed to solve one of the most frustrating problems for job seekers: Spending countless hours sending out applications and customizing cover letters then following-up only to never hear back. StartWire tracks your applications so you’re not in the dark. More »
2 tags
Backpack Scooter Has Already Made My Essential...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
Airports can be a daunting place to navigate, and trudging to your gate can be time consuming and exhausting. And since Segways are downright obnoxious, I like Gustavo Brenck’s Gig Pack concept which straps a collapsible scooter to your backpack. More »
December 2011
75 posts
2 tags
Find All the Hackintosh-Compatible Parts You Need...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
We’ve looked at how to find the right parts for a hackintosh on your own, but now hackintosh expert tonymacx86 has posted a comprehensive list of builds and parts for creating Intel-based machines of all kinds. It includes a quite a few sample builds as well as a very helpful, long list of compatible graphics...
2 tags
Jaybird Freedom Bluetooth headset review: Great...
[shared via Google Reader from Mobile]
Finding good Bluetooth headphones is a pain, and even big names with strong reputations in audio don’t always come through for this category. But niche headphone maker Jaybird has done a terrific job with its Freedom headset, which is most at home in the gym, where we might all be spending a lot of time in a couple of weeks working off turkey dinners and...
2 tags
Prejudice comes from a basic human need and way of...
[shared via Google Reader from ScienceDaily: Latest Science News]
Where does prejudice come from? Not from ideology, say the authors of a new article. Instead, prejudice stems from a deeper psychological need, associated with a particular way of thinking. People who aren’t comfortable with ambiguity and want to make quick and firm decisions are also prone to making generalizations about...
2 tags
This Lens Is Bigger Than Any Camera Lens Ever...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
The Canon 5200mm super telephoto lens may be the world’s largest camera lens, but it’s no match for lenses the size of an entire galaxy, so massive that they deform the light of objects behind them. They’re called gravitational lenses. More »
2 tags
Floating Fireplace Produces No Smoke, Requires No...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
The problem with real fireplaces is they’re usually impractically far from a couch to be used for anything other than heat. However, without the need for a chimney, this ethanol powered flame can be dragged wherever your marshmallows need toasting. More »
2 tags
The Stupid Things You Do When Dating (and How to...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
Our emotions and hormones are powerful forces that can make us do things that may feel right but are not actually in our best interest. On a regular basis you may think you’re attracted to someone when you’re not, make yourself uglier when you’re trying to look good, and generally cause...
2 tags
Scientists create first solar cell with over 100...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
Researchers over at the National Renewable Energy Lab have reportedly made the first solar cell with an external quantum efficiency over 100 percent. Quantum efficiency relates to the number of electrons-per-second flowing in a solar cell circuit, divided by the number of photons from the energy entering. The NREL team recorded an efficiency topping out...
2 tags
Brain-Eating Amoeba In Tap Water Kills Two In...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has issued a weird warning: if you have to irrigate your sinuses with water for some medical reason, don’t use tap water. The reason: your brains may get eaten by the Naegleria fowleri. More »
2 tags
Ho-ho-hold the phone: Santa’s on the line
[shared via Google Reader from The Official Google Blog]
Last year, Santa got his very own Google Voice number, and people around the U.S. received a special personalized holiday phone call from Santa Claus.
This year, Santa wants you to reach out to him (after all, reindeer are only so-so conversationalists). If you or your family members have a special request for Santa, you can call him...
2 tags
Dabble in Doodle history on our new site
[shared via Google Reader from The Official Google Blog]
Have you ever seen a doodle you loved, but when you went to see it again it was gone? Ever curious about what doodles in Italy look like, or how your favorite holiday has been celebrated each year? Or wanted to get a behind-the-scenes scoop on the recent Les Paul doodle, and maybe share it with your friends on Google+? If you answered “yes”...
2 tags
Coming soon: pick airline seatmates via social...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines plans to launch a service in 2012 that will enable you to pick who you sit next to on an airplane by visiting their Facebook or LinkedIn pages. “Meet & Seat” will be an opt-in service (similar to that already toyed with by Malaysia Airlines), so you can still fly anonymously — as anonymous as air travel...
2 tags
PocketCloud Explore arrives for Android, enables...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
A new product has hit the Android Market and we think you might find it quite nifty. Known as PocketCloud Explore, the app allows users to search for and view files across their PCs and Macs, all without ever needing to surrender data to the cloud. Simple file management is also part of the game, as users can remotely create, rename and delete both...
2 tags
Pastmapper looks to take Google Maps back in time
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
There’s not exactly a ton to see there just yet, but a new website called Pastmapper has some pretty ambitious plans, and it’s off to a fairly decent start. With a little help from the Google Maps API, it’s aiming to provide maps of cities as they were in the past, complete with local business information, accurate streets, and even...
2 tags
Sir Isaac Newton's notes get a digital makeover,...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
It isn’t a rarity for the folks at the University of Cambridge to introduce us to some of their digital findings, and on this occasion they are delivering 4,000 of Newton’s manuscripts right to your virtual door. These gems are part of an abundant collection of over 12,000 handwritten notes and hardcovers that the University holds under...
2 tags
Get 3 Months of Hulu Plus for Free [Deals]
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
Hulu is offering three months of its premium TV streaming service for free for three months. Previously, Hulu offered just two months or one month with Internet Explorer, but now you can try the service for longer, a $24 value. More »
2 tags
Nowbox Turns YouTube Into a TV Guide for Better...
[shared via Google Reader from Lifehacker]
iPad: If you’ve ever wanted YouTube to look more like a TV guide, Nowbox is a new app for iPad that pulls your channel subscriptions and lays them out in the same way as cable television. More »
2 tags
The Vending Machine of Tomorrow Will Lure You in...
[shared via Google Reader from Gizmodo]
There’s the potential for the next generation of touchscreen LCD vending machines to be an all out assault on our senses. So here’s hoping more companies More »
2 tags
Palo Alto Library to loan out Google Chromebooks...
[shared via Google Reader from Engadget]
Google has teamed up with the Palo Alto Library to offer its Chromebooks on loan, as part of a pilot program slated to kick off in January. As Wired explains, the Silicon Valley library has long offered laptops for visitors to use, though these devices were only available for two-hour windows, and were forbidden from leaving the premises. A few months...