Science / Technology News

Apollo 11 Hoax - Sometimes Roswell That Ends Well

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 23:41:01 GMT

In case you've been living under a rock, you probably know that Monday is the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.

Vinland Map of America no forgery, expert says

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:52:27 GMT

The 15th century Vinland Map, the first known map to show part of America before explorer Christopher Columbus landed on the continent, is almost certainly genuine, a Danish expert said Friday.

Orwellian: Amazon.com Remotely Deletes "1984," "Animal Farm" from Kindles

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 02:48:02 GMT

This morning, amazed Amazon Kindle owners realized that someone had seemingly managed to "steal" some of their e-books from their Kindle. In reality, the books had been remotely deleted by Amazon.com. Not because the books were illegal copies (which has happened in the past), but because the publisher decided it no longer wanted to sell e-book versions of George Orwell's "1984" and "Animal Farm."

Amazon Cracks Under Pressure, Will Replace Kindles Damaged by Cases

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 01:18:14 GMT

People usually buy cases to protect their technology. In this case, the $30 case Amazon.com has been selling as a Kindle 2 accessory has apparently been causing cracks in the Kindle where the case clips to it, that eventually cracks the screen. Not good, and also not good that it took a lawsuit to prompt Amazon.com to offer replacements without a $200 charge.

Social robots offer a preview of tomorrow's classroom

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 23:07:45 GMT

Of all the qualities that distinguish humans from other species, how we learn is one of the most significant.

Study Links Cell Phone Use, Salivary Gland Cancer Increase

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:42:33 GMT

Many studies have said that use of cell phones is perfectly safe. Then there are studies that link cell phones to cancer. In effect: depends who you listen to, and who you believe. The latest study, by Israeli researchers, purports to link cell phone use and an increase in salivary gland cancer in that country.

Microsoft - Yahoo Search Ad Deal Near: Report

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 20:10:46 GMT

We knew earlier that Microsoft and Yahoo! were talking again, and now reports indicate that a deal is all but done. On the other hand, the companies have been oh-so-close to a deal before, and until the pen is placed to the paper, the deal can still fall apart.

Google Adds "My Location" to Search on iPhone OS 3.0

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:29:43 GMT

Google continues to show that for the iPhone, it's not necessary to release an app, but rather, seemingly easier to make adjustments and enhancements via the Safari browser. On Wednesday, Google added "My Location" to their search page when used with iPhone OS 3.0 and Safari.

Palm Releases webOS SDK to All

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:40:55 GMT

The word finally comes to mind. On Thursday, Palm announced that it was releasing the Mojo SDK for webOS, its new platform, to the public. The company has been criticized for withholding the SDK at a time when it desperately needs more applications for its nascent App Catalog.

Microsoft: Retail Stores Open This Fall, Some Next to Apple Stores; "Laptop Hunters" Ads Work

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 03:33:15 GMT

In February announced it was going to being opening retail stores. On Wednesday, the company announced stores would be opening in the fall, some of them next to Apple Stores.

Apple Releases New iTunes Version That Blocks the Pre

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 23:38:36 GMT

It was expected, and here it is. Apple has updated iTunes to 8.2.1 and by doing so, has blocked the ability of the Palm Pre to use iTunes. One of the release notes you will see when installing the app is:

iTunes 8.2.1 provides a number of important bug fixes and addresses an issue with verification of Apple Devices.

Scientists Developing Robots That Can "Feed" on Corpses

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 18:40:20 GMT

Sounds like a horror movie, but a company is working on steam-powered robot for the Pentagon, which will refuel itself with biomass, which could, in a war zone, include corpses.

Google Voice Goes Mobile (Sans WM, iPhone)

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:34:14 GMT

Google Voice is great. It gives you a one number that you can give out which rings different phones (or goes straight to voicemail) depending on the caller. You can even call someone and have them see your Google Voice number by calling your Google Voice number, logging in, and pressing 2. Ah, but how much easier would it be if we didn't need to take that extra step. That's the point behind these mobile apps.

Global Warming - Why Our Best Guess Is Probably Wrong

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 06:03:47 GMT

A So how much Earth's climate will warm due to carbon emissions is open to speculation but a new study this week suggests scientists' best predictions about global warming are likely incorrect.

Newly discovered element 112 named for Copernicus

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 05:36:28 GMT

In honor of scientist and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus , the discovering team around Professor Sigurd Hofmann suggested the name a zcopernicium" with the element symbol "Cp" for the new element 112, discovered at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fA1 4r Schwerionenforschung in Darmstadt.

YouTube to Dump IE6 Support Soon

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:17:59 GMT

It's hard to believe people are still using Internet Explorer 6, but it's true. In fact, Net Applications says that around 17% of users are still using the creaky old tab-less browser . You can expect it to be a lot less popular once YouTube dumps support of it, however.

App Store at One Year: 65,000 Apps, 1.5 Billion Downloads

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:14:04 GMT

The App Store passed its one-year mark recently, and Apple took some time to do some number-crunching. 65,000 applications and 1.5 billion downloads? "Catch us," Steve Jobs challenged.

With a Donor Heart's Help, Young Girl's Heart Regenerates, Heals

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:37:19 GMT

In 1995 British doctors implanted a donor heart directly onto Hannah Clark's failing one, rather than risk a heart - lung transplant. Now, after 10 years with 2 hearts, and the donor heart removed, her original heart has healed.

iPhone Showed Off (?) Running Windows 95

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:17:01 GMT

This is obviously not an app that has made it through the App Store approval process, but someone has managed to install Windows 95 on an iPhone (realistically, an emulator). The obvious question "why" is probably answered with "why not?"

Boeing's Two Flying Lasers Face Different Futures

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 05:10:05 GMT

For years, the Pentagon's research budget has funded not one, but two planes armed with laser turrets.