How should the iPhone integrate multitasking?

One of the main gripes about the iPhone/iPad operating system is that it doesn't support multitasking. You can't run more than one app at once, which is annoying. But rumor has it that that will change when the iPhone 4.0 software is released this summer.

So how would multitasking work? Similar to Expose in OS X. Hit the home button twice and all of your apps will spread out as small icons across your screen. Tap one to go to it. It's a pretty easy.

Would you do it differently? On Android, you can pull a menu down from the top of the window to access things like text messages, so you don't need to leave your app at all. It's an elegant solution. What are you looking for in iPhone 4.0?

Don't get burned! HDMI cable ripoffs, graphically explained

As an astute DVICE reader, we're sure you're aware of what a horrible ripoff Monster HDMI cables are. In case you haven't heard, you can get an HDMI cable that works as well as Monster's $250 sucker bait for $8.14 at Monoprice.com. Take a look at the full-sized graphic below for details from the clever artists at Mint.com. [Read more...]

Strap-on porch for high-rise dwellers? Sounds crazy, but here it is

Bolt this shed onto your high-rise apartment, and suddenly it's like you're living down on terra firma. Not only does it give you a lush patio garden, but it solar-heats enough water for one person, collects rainwater in a tank, and shades your apartment to keep things cool on those roasty toasty summer days. Is that grass growing on the top of each one? Maybe that's the worm farm touted by the designer.

This design concept, an entry in The Sustainable Habitat Challenge, might not be something you just attach to the outside of your apartment without checking with your building manager. See the picture in the gallery below, and notice how they look as a coordinated effort — these clip-on porches could seriously modernize a boring glass box building.

Mars mission simulator: six men to spend 1.5 years in a bubble

No, it's not the next big reality TV show (though it sounds like it could be): six researchers are going to spend a whopping 520 days inside Mars500, a Russian-built, facility-sized simulator that approximates the enormous effort a trip to Mars would entail. The simulator is made up of three main segments, with an area that represents the surface of the planet, space for a Mars lander, and the interior of the "spaceship" that would have taken the team from Earth. [Read more...]

Could the pavilions from the Stark Expo 2010 site be real, please?

Stark Industries just unveiled its website for Stark Expo 2010, coming to Queens, New York, May 7. Between the gargantuan pavilions, sleek monorail and an array of huge, skyward-pointing spotlights, this thing's going to put the Beijing Olympics to shame. Even better, there's a good chance you'll see Iron Man there!

Or actually, it's the opposite: There's a good chance you'll see the Stark Expo when you go see Iron Man 2. Too bad it's fictional — this promo site for the movie makes the Expo look like the best thing to happen to Flushing Meadows in a while. We particularly like the retro video on the Stark Expo from 1974 with Mad Men's John Slattery. Quick question, though: What is Burger King doing there?

The future of space: U.S. private contractor to resupply ISS

Never before has something like this felt like the definitive future of space flight. However, with NASA's shuttles about to be grounded forever and the agency left without a manned delivery vehicle as per Obama's orders, it's going to be up to companies such as SpaceX to shoulder the logistics of America's efforts in space. And that's exactly what SpaceX aims to do. [Read more...]

Glove Mouse: MIT nails Minority Report's hand waving interface for less than $100

Just when we thought our days of writing Minority Report in a headline were over, MIT students Tony Hyun Kim and Nevada Sanchez had to roll up with a concept so faithful to the movie it has us excited all over again. Called "Glove Mouse," the device has microprocessors on the back of each glove to translate the movements of fingers into button presses, allowing all the pinching, pointing, grabbing and waving you saw in the movie. Hell, they even added sexy little LEDs to the tip of each index finger.

The most amazing part isn't actually the Glove Mouse itself, though — it's that the entire rig only cost the pair $100. Check it all out in Kim and Sanchez's (decidedly rockin') video above.

HP 12-core workstation is 34% faster, consumes same power

The beautiful HP Z800 workstation knocked our socks off last year, but now it's packing even more serious heat. This new $10,483 workstation, designed by BMW DesignworksUSA, looks the same as last year's model, but inside lurks a pair of Intel's fastest six-core Xeon Westmere EP X5680 3.33GHz processors. We knew the machine would be faster, but putting the pedal to the metal, the results were even better than we expected. [Read more...]

Kijiji begone: EBay rebranding U.S. classified site

EBay Inc is rebranding its Kijiji classifieds business in the United States as eBayClassifieds.com, as it strives to replace Craigslist.com as the dominant player in the world's largest classified advertising market.
"It's game-on between Craigslist and eBay," said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis. "It's the difference between having a subsidiary trial brand versus leveraging the big brand." [Read more...]

Journalists in China say Yahoo accounts hacked

BEIJING – Yahoo e-mail accounts belonging to foreign journalists appeared to have been hacked and Google's Chinese search engine was intermittently blocked Tuesday, the latest troubles in China's heavily censored Internet market. [Read more...]

Who is David Brian Stone, leader of the Hutaree militia?

Members called him "Captain Hutaree" or, somewhat cryptically, "RD." A federal indictment calls him the “principal leader” of the Hutaree militia – an extremist group federal authorities say was preparing to "levy war" against the US government by killing police officers. [Read more...]

Prototype carbon fiber child seat takes inspiration from racing

The Art Center College of Design has turned out some of the most highly regarded designers in the automotive industry, including Chip Foose, Chris Bangle, Henrik Fisker and Frank Stephenson. One of the college's current students has now unveiled a prototype carbon fiber child seat modeled after a Sparco racing seat, for the parent that can't get enough motorsport in their child's life.[Read more...]

Ferrari office chair looks fast even when sitting still

Those upscale Herman Miller chairs aren't cool enough for you, Mr. Midlife Crisis Executive Dude. That's why you need to go all luxo-sport with this office chair by OMP made of a real Ferrari F360 Challenge car seat.

Every one of the seats started its life inside an actual Ferrari, and now each slightly-used throne is placed atop a carbon-fiber office chair frame, giving you adjustable armrests, along with the usual seat-height and tilt adjustments.

So get out your $8,000, Mr. Corporation Man, or for those of you who are less well-heeled, go to the junkyard and pull a seat out of an old beat-up Dodge Omni. Kitsch does have its own intrinsic value.

ATI's Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition Graphics Card Can Run Six 1080p Monitors Simutaneously

The Radeon HD 5870 Eyefinity 6 Edition card itself costs under $500. However, each of the six display will run you about $220 each, and setting up the system is a hassle. The results may be worth it, although the system that hold the monitors together can be a bit distracting, especially while gaming. Senior Editor Jason Cross gives you the tour. [Watch Video]

Lower Cost Nvidia Cards This Summer

Friday we reported that Nvidia finally revealed its GeForce GTX 480 and 470, two powerhouse DirectX 11 graphics cards that certainly won't come cheap: around $500 for the GTX 480 and $350 for the GTX 470. Both cards will be manufactured "in-house," and won't appear on the market until the week of April 12. Gamers wanting Nvidia-style DX11 graphics but unwilling to donate organs for the 480 and 470 will eventually look for cheaper, value-priced versions. [Read more...]

NVIDIA graphics cards could be the fastest ever

You're looking at the future of graphics cards, NVIDIA's GTX 480 and GTX 470, touted as the world's fastest. This is the next generation, the first cards with superfast tech NVIDIA calls Fermi — that means faster frame rates at higher resolutions, a guaranteed lure for serious PC gamers.
These two ultra-fast cards, with their red-hot graphics processing units (GPUs), are especially well suited for the latest trend in computing: getting the GPU itself to do much of the heavy lifting, leaving the CPU to work on other data at the same time. These two hotshots are NVIDIA's first DirectX 11 graphics cards, and the company is betting that DirectX 11's tessellation (a way of tiling graphic elements for more speed and efficiency) will be the prevalent way of displaying computer games in the near future.
With serious graphics comes a sobering price — the full-bore 1.5GB GTX 480 costs $499 and sucks up 250 watts of power. If that's too much for you, there's the slightly scaled-down 1.2GB GTX 470 for $349. Both will be available mid-April. And if these aren't fast enough for you, you can gang up two of them in an SLI configuration that will give you 90% faster performance. 

IPad could be Kindle's first big threat in e-books

Amazon.com, which has dominated the young but fast-growing electronic book market for the past few years with the Kindle, could get its biggest threat Saturday, when Apple releases its iPad multimedia tablet.

The Kindle starts at $259 and is designed mainly for reading text on a gray-and-black screen. The iPad starts at $499, but with the higher price comes more functions: a color touch screen for downloading books from Apple's new iBookstore, surfing the Web, playing videos and games and more. [Read more...]

Take a look: transparent solar panels

Imagine if instead of looking out your window to see your solar-panel array, your windows were your solar panel array? Sphelar solar cells can be built into windows, whether they're flat or curved. Instead of chasing the sun, they'll capture the sun from all angles.

Sphelar solar cells, from the Kyosemi Corporation, debuted at the PV Expo 2010 in Tokyo. They are solidified drops of silicon, 1.8mm across, that are embedded into glass of any shape. Potentially, the technology could be integrated into a decorative dome on top of a building, glass bricks, or just an ordinary office or home window. Because they're round drops, they'll pick up the sunlight at all times of day.

Just think if all those shiny glass skyscrapers gracing most city skylines were actually generating their own power?

DIY LED deck lighting turns your porch into Tron

Seeing this LED deck lighting instantly makes me wish two things: the first, that I had a porch to pimp out with LED lighting, and the second, that I would get sucked into an arcade machine and find myself in Tron. Unfortunately, finding a place with porch space is just about as likely as getting to meet the Master Control Program here in NYC.

I'll just have to live vicariously through whoever owns the deck in the video below, which is made all pretty by the installation of 12 LED rope lights. You can try your own hand at it if you've got a fancy outdoor space of your own, as company usLEDsupply has posted a full tutorial on how they did it at Instructables.

iPad sells out, manufacturers plan to double output

With some 240,000 to 500,000 pre-orders rumored for the iPad, it makes sense: Apple has run out of launch-day iPads. Now, before you take to rioting in the streets, don't worry, you'll still get yours. You won't have to wait too long, even, as Apple is reported to have a second wave of iPads going out around April 12th.* [Read more...]

Asus's iPad fighter, a 10-inch convertible netbook, ships April

Can't decide whether you want a tablet or a netbook? Have both, says Asus. The company's touchscreen convertible netbook, the Eee PC T101MT, is set to ship in April for an iPad-fightin' price of $500. That's a price-point that's even-steven with the iPad, but offers both a more traditional laptop experience mixed with tablet-like functionality — the kind you used to see all the time with Toshiba's Satellite line.

For your money, you'll get a netbook that has a swiveling, 10-inch touchscreen so that it can operate like a netbook or a tablet, the kind of Intel Atom N450 processor you'll find in almost any netbook, a built-in GPU, 1GB of RAM, 160GB of storage and Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, a webcam, three USB ports, and an SDHC card reader. Oh, and it runs Windows 7.

For a little more money, you will also apparently be able to double both the RAM and the hard drive storage space, as well as upgrade the Windows 7 Starter Edition to Premium. If we're to believe the studies that business users want an iPad over a netbook, though, the T101MT could be in for a rough landing.

Steve Jobs, Eric Schmidt Meet

This pic of Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Google CEO Eric Schmidt was taken outside Calafia in the Town and Country shopping center in Palo Alto, Calif., Friday afternoon and sent to Gizmodo.


The pic was taken after Apple rejected Google Voice as an iPhone app in July, invoking the Federal Communications Commissions' scrutiny. But a lot more has happened since then. [Read more...]

HP demos a new take on flexible displays, but Kinks

It felt like just yesterday we were writing about flexible displays as if they were some far-flung concept. Now, several companies are pursuing the technology, and HP is making some great strides at streamlining the processes behind the bendy displays so that they could make their way into consumer gadgetry.

HP is working on refining a production method it's calling Self-Aligned Imprint Lithography, or SAIL. Instead of making the flexible displays in sheets, HP manufactures them as rolls, which cuts down on the time and money involved — key, if we ever want to see those awesome flexible concepts we keep showing you come to life.

There's a problem, though. Right now, HP is finding that a screen can only be rolled up barely more than half a dozen times before kinks and creases form and ruin it. "It already starts getting kinks and bends in it," HP CTO Phil McKinney said, demoing a unit to Hardware.info. "So if you tried to roll and unroll it, you're probably good for about half a dozen times before the material will just fail."

Still, HP's new SAIL method is promising in that it's just what flexible displays need to get ready for prime time: a cheap, efficient and fast production method. Now, if only HP can smooth out those kinks, we'll be in business. See the video below for the demo by Phil McKinney.

RC Fishing Boat makes everyone an expert angler

Fishing, one of the oldest and simplest of pastimes, has gone high tech in a fun way. If you've ever gone fishing, you know without a doubt that the fish are always biting just "over there." Unless you're an expert fisherman, casting your rod to exactly the right place can also be a challenge.

This remote-controlled Fishing Boat from Chinavision ($142) will putter out to where the fish are, and then drop your bait into the water, literally with the hook, line and sinker. The boat can carry a impressive payload of about four pounds, run at speeds up to 4 knots, and will run for 4 hours on the built-in rechargeable battery. It even has LED running lights.

What a great idea: combine remote-controlled boating and fishing into one fun sport. [Read more...]

In the future, our cars will look like melted gumdrops

Well, here it is, folks. Portuguese designer Tiago Alves has melted down car design just about as far as it will go, and all we're left with now is a blob of a car. Another one of those fancy Peugeot designs, his is called the Nimble, and he's made it so it can turn all 360 degrees on a dime.
From the designer:

The Peugeot 1001 intends to be a compact and nimble vehicle, conceived for short travels, clearly a City Car. The vehicle's body rests on four equal spheres, sized approximately 350mm diameter, each one driven by two electric motors, magnetically coupled, allowing easy and free movements in all directions, including 360° rotation around itself, even on travelling.

There's another shot of the Nimble right below. So, who's hungry for some candy, now?

British design house launches augmented reality fashion show

The UK isn't always at the front of the pack when it comes to developing new technologies, but when it comes to deploying cutting-edge tools, they have mastered the art of innovative mashups. For its most recent show British fashion house Cassette Playa employed the use of augmented reality by embedding their designs with special codes.

When viewed through a camera, which projected an image to a screen above the catwalk, guests were treated to fashion visions far stranger than even the late great Alexander McQueen could generate. You can see video of the behind-the-scenes process as well as the end result here.

GoDaddy Draws Line in China

Go Daddy Group Inc. told members of Congress that it will discontinue offering new ".cn" domain registrations in China, following new Chinese government requirements for information about registrants.

Go Daddy, an Internet domain-name registry company, is the first U.S. Internet company to follow in the steps of Google Inc. by cutting back on business in the world's largest market of Internet users.

What to do with your old CDs - trade 'em in for an iPad

Let's hope you didn't let your significant other talk you into getting rid of your old CDs after you ripped them. If so, your S.O. owes you an iPad. There's a company, iPodMeister, that will take your old CDs, DVDs, and even Blu-rays discs, digitize them (or not), and in return, you can choose from a variety of iPods, iPhones, and even an iPad.

iPodMeister will take any and all genres of music, but will not accept scratched discs, porn, promotional discs, compilations, bootlegs or home-made discs. Discs must have album art, and track lists. iPodMeister can rip the discs you submit and send you a DVD with all the MP3 files, but more discs be required to get your freebie iPod. Blu-ray discs get double credit, and each disc in a multi-disc collection counts. Just 220 DVDs or CDs will get you an iPhone or iPod Nano, and 600 discs gets you a 16GB iPad. How can it be? Supposedly they'll sell your used discs in other countries. They'll even send you a prepaid shipping label to send off your discs.

Sound too good to be true? I think so too, but I'm willing to try them out — if I get ripped off, you'll be the first to know. Let us know if you've tried them out and how it worked for you.

April 12th Release of Adobe CS5 Good for nVidia Users

Adobe will release Adobe Creative Suite 5 at an online launch event at 11:00 a.m. EDT on April 12.

Included in the new suite will be Mercury, a better HD Video rendering engine. The reason Mercury is an improvement is that it uses the power from nVidia graphics cards to do decoding for a better overall experience. ATI users will not get this benefit due to the fact that software developers do not yet have full access to ATI’s OpenCL API for driver support.

The other touted benefit of this upgrade is Flash Catalyst, which is a development engine used to create Flash programs focused on designers and graphic artists, similar to Microsoft’s Expression Studio.

Sprint HTC Evo: First 4G cellphone is a doozy

HTC's Evo, the first 4G cellphone, has to be the greatest cellphone ever, and likely will be until the Verizon iPhone 4G hits the market in, maybe, two years. It is leaps — Superman leaps — ahead of anything on the market, and will be for a while.
First, it runs on Sprint's WiMax 4G network, available to 30 million people in 27 markets right now, and 44 markets and 120 million potential 4G surfers by the end of the year. 4G powers all sorts of nasty never-seen-before functions on the Evo [Read more...]

GM developing twin-turbo 3.0L V6 to combat Ford’s EcoBoost

According to engineers within General Motors, the automaker is currently far along in developing a new twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 that will help to combat Ford’s EcoBoost offerings which also feature twin-turbochargers. GM has been rumored to have a twin-turbocharged V6 in the works for years, but now it appears they actually may be close to introducing a TT V6 with production intent as this engine has been reportedly assigned a PRO code. [Read more...]

HP launches mini workstations

The Z200 SFF has Intel's six-core, 32nm Xeon 5600 processor and HP is targeting the smaller chassis anywhere that space might be constrained in health care, engineering, education and financial businesses and for OEMs.

According to HP, the Z200 SFF is three times smaller than the standard tower chassis and supports up to 16GB of memory and 2TB of storage. It has a tool-less case for easier servicing and sports green credentials with an 89 per cent efficient power supply plus Energy Star 5 qualified components. They are also 90 per cent recyclable. [Read more...]

Google deals in doubt amid spat with Beijing

A popular Chinese Web portal said Wednesday it is taking over operation of two services developed and formerly operated with Google just days after the search giant took a risky stand against China's strict Internet censorship rules by moving its search engine offshore.

It wasn't immediately clear what prompted the decision by Tianya.cn to take over two sites it used to run jointly with Google. [Read more...]

It's the law of the land: Health overhaul signed

After more than a year of hyperpartisan struggle — and numerous near-death moments for the measure — Obama declared "a new season in America" as he sealed a victory denied to a line of presidents stretching back more than half a century. Democratic lawmakers cheered him on, giving the White House signing ceremony a rally-like atmosphere as they shouted and snapped photos with pocket cameras or cell phones. [Read more...]

Variable velocity rifle turns from lethal to non-lethal

Sometimes, you want a gun with the power to kill someone. Other times, you want a gun that'll just get them to stop making all that noise while you're trying to sleep. The Lund Variable Velocity Weapons System gives you both options in one convenient rifle.

It does this with variable velocities, allowing you to select low velocity for non-lethal use and high velocity for lethal use. And since if you're close enough even low velocity could kill someone, it also has a safety system on board to prevent close-range firing. Perfect! I'll take three.

British military developing tank force fields

Looking for some evidence that we officially live in the future. Here you go: the Brits are "using supercapacitors to create deflector shields for tanks." Zzzzzap!

Essentially, they're working on creating huge bursts of energy to be unleashed whenever a projectile is about to hit a tank or other heavy vehicle. This would deflect any rockets or bullets. It would then be able to quickly recharge. The trouble is figuring out how to get the timing right, as if the burst comes too soon or too late its all for naught.

But still, force fields! Awesome! [follow]

Sometimes the simplest and cheapest solutions are best

Sure, you could spend money on a cable organization system for your desk to keep all the junk running up from the floor nice and neat. Or, you could be resourceful and just use a few binder clips to do the same job for you for next to nothing. The choice is yours!

Mercedes prepares new four-door AMG sedan

In 1990 at the Geneva motor Show Mercedes unveiled the 190E 2.5-16 Evolution II sedan, a model that was capable to develop a total of 232 bhp. Now, after more than two decades the company is preparing a successor for it. The new model will compete with models like the forthcoming Audi RS3 and BMW M1 and will be based on the next B-Class.

Codenamed C117 EVO, the new model will be placed below the next generation C63 AMG and will measure around 4500 mm. The new model will be powered by a new supercharged 3.2-liter V6 engine rated at 400 hp. It will be a front-wheel-drive model based on the MFA chassis that will also be used in the next A-class.

As for the car’s exterior proportions and dimensions, they were previewed at the Geneva Motor Show by the F800 Style Concept.

Virgin Galactic completes maiden voyage, brings space tourism even closer

Just think: in your lifetime, you may be able to pay a visit to space without having to be a NASA-trained astronaut. Admittedly, you may have to be a little rich.

Our best hope for busting open the frontier of space tourism took to the skies from the Mojave Air and Space Port for the first time on Monday, as the Enterprise, carried 45,000 feet over the Mojave Desert by Eve, completed its first maiden voyage. The Enterprise is Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo spaceliner, which will be able to carry six lucky passengers and two pilots into suborbital space. It's launched by its WhiteKnightTwo carrier aircraft, Eve — the two outside fuselages joined at the wing you see flanking the Enterprise above — which completed its own maiden voyage back in December of '08.

To secure your own ticket to ride you'll need to plunk down a cool $200,000, a sum that Virgin Galactic reports over 330 customers have already paid. Test flights for the pair will continue into 2011 as the Enterprise and Eve increase their operation height and range, before finally testing out a drop-test where the Enterprise fires the hybrid rocket booster that will one day take it into suborbital space.

We just hope the photography of that momentous event is as beautiful as it was for this. Check out more breathtaking views of the Enterprise in the gallery below.

Eye-Fi intros faster wireless SD cards for cheapos

When the gadget news was flying fast and furious at CES, you may have missed that Eye-Fi introduced an 8GB SD card with 802.11n Wi-Fi connectivity, letting you wirelessly transfer your pics to your computer ultra-fast. The Pro X2 card sounded great, but it was pricey at $150. Now Eye-Fi is extending its abilities to more affordable cards, the Explore X2 ($100) and the Connect X2 ($50).

The 8GB Explore X2 is similar to the Pro, but you lose the ability to upload RAW photos and send files directly to your computer (as opposed to sending through the Web). The Connect X2 does everything the Explore does except for geotagging, and it only has 4GB. All the X2 cards have "Endless" memory, which automatically erases old files after your capacity is filled to a certain point, but only if the files have been already uploaded.

We love that our Eye-Fi cards let us post our party pics on Facebook right away, so these upgrades are welcome. But TransferJet tech, which allows for near-instantaneous wireless uploading is finally here, so are Eye-Fi's days numbered?

zenPad, the $155 Android tablet you could buy today

The Enso zenPad isn't going to wow you with its specs. Compared to something like the iPad, it comes up short in almost every category. Then again, it's quite a bit smaller than Apple's upcoming offering as well. There is one area where it beats pretty much all-comers, though: it's price.

The fact that the zenPad is $155 could be the only reason we're talking about it. It's got some pretty spare specs to go with, too: a 667MHz processor, 8GB of storage, six hours of battery life and a five-inch screen. You can get GPS or an external 3G adapter for extra. Still, if you were looking around for a cheap way to play around with Android, this could be it.

Check out the video down below to see the zenPad in action, though keep in mind this is from a while ago, and it was back when the zenPad was still flying the Smit banner.

America's Most Underwater Housing Markets

Negative equity--what you have when you owe more on your home loan than the property is worth--is one of the defining features of the still-unfolding mortgage crisis. It's a particularly nasty problem because it can lead to all sorts of unpleasant outcomes for the real estate market and the economy as a whole. [Read more...]

Indian military to weaponize world's hottest chili

GAUHATI, India – The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: the world's hottest chili.

After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized "bhut jolokia," or "ghost chili," to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize suspects, defense officials said Tuesday.

The bhut jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world's spiciest chili. It is grown and eaten in India's northeast for its taste, as a cure for stomach troubles and a way to fight the crippling summer heat. [Read more...]

Fed cracks down on gift card abuses

The Federal Reserve issued new rules on Tuesday to protect Americans from getting stung by unexpected fees or restrictions on gift cards.

Gift cards have grown in popularity — with more than 95 percent of Americans having received or purchased them, the Fed said. [Read more...]

Google's action angers China, divides Web users

 Google Inc.'s partial withdrawal from China brought condemnation and signs of pressure from the government Tuesday while leaving Chinese Web surfers to wonder whether the company's new offshore search engine site would be blocked by censors.

Google's decision to move most of its China-based search functions from the mainland to Hong Kong opened a new phase in a two-month-long fracas pitting the world's most powerful Internet company against a government that tightly restricts the Web in the planet's most populous market. [Read more...]

Bill Gates and Toshiba building commercial mini nuclear reactors

While most of us would be content to retire if we were one of the richest men on the planet, Bill Gates is turning his sites to nuclear power. His startup company TerraPower is working with Toshiba to create small nuclear reactors, designed to help developing countries.


TerraPower and Toshiba are creating traveling-wave reactors that use depleted uranium that only has to be replaced once every 60 to 100 years. Conventional light-water reactors require refueling with enriched uranium every 4 or 5 years. The new traveling-wave reactors are small and can generate enough power for small countries with secondary units that can be used as a backup during maintenance. Toshiba's already been working on mini reactors that run for about 30-40 years, and they believe that about 80% of the technology used in those can be used in the traveling-wave reactors.


Gates will be investing billions to develop the traveling-wave reactors, The first model could be produced as soon as 2014, although it could be 10 years before they are available for commercial release. I hope my retirement is as productive.

New Soyuz spaceship for tourists: window or aisle?

Right now, tony tourists can book five-star hotels, first-class flights and luxury rental cars — everything the well-heeled traveler can ask for. In the very near future, you can add space travel to the list. Russian space manufacturer Energia announced that they plan to start building another Soyuz spacecraft specifically for tourists.

Russia had pulled the plug on space tourism to dedicate the Soyuz trips to support the International Space Station. Right now, Energia builds four Soyuz for trips to the ISS. However, by building just one more this year, the skies are open again for commerce. How much would you pay for a trip to space?

Korean building displays otherworldly beauty of Asian script

Taking the idea of "the medium is the message" to the extreme, the designers of the South Korea Pavillion for the Shanghai Expo created a building literally made of words. Composed of 25,000 panels which will be sold off individually at the end of the event, the characters are Han-geul letters from the Korean alphabet.

According to the organizers, all sales proceeds will be donated to a foundation advocating minority and multiculturalism in Korea. You can see more art and animation that led up to the structure's completionhere.

HomePipe makes fetching and sharing files a no-brainer

Want to share files or access data from your PC from the road? Sure, there a lot of ways to do it, but now there's a free one called HomePipe. It's a service for PCs, Macs, iPhones, and Android phones (coming soon) that lets you designate directories on your computer, and then send a link to whomever you want to access them.

Install the HomePipe app on your PC or phone, and when you log in to your HomePipe account, all the files and folders you've designated are sitting right there, ready for downloading. Or, you can send a link to those whose email addresses you've approved, and they can download files from whichever directories you specify. And the good part is, to receive your files, they don't have to download an application.

HomePipe is still in beta, but its development is pretty far along — in our limited testing, we noticed everything working quite well and quickly. We especially like the fact that while a cache of your files resides in the cloud, the bulk of your files stay on your home computer until requested.

Company CEO Chris Hopen tells us there will always be a free version of HomePipe available, and if you want to transfer huge files, the more-capable premium version will still be cheap — as he put it, "it'll cost less than an ATM fee per month." So far, HopePipe looks good enough to take the place of more-expensive services like GoToMyPC, and more versatile than file transfer services such as YouSendIt. 

3D printer uses bio-ink to create the first 'printed' human veins

It sounds like science fiction, but researchers from the University of Missouri have a 3D printer that could one day recreate human organs by using a cocktail made from human cells. If your liver was failing, for instance, cells from your liver could be used to print a healthy one, or cells from your heart could be used to create a new heart, and so on.

Right now, all of that is still a long way off. What has been done, however, is recreate a human vein using "bio-ink," or the liquid sludge that's produced using human cells and printed onto "bio-paper." This paper slowly dissolves as the layers of ink bind and start to take on the shape us humans would recognize.

Gabor Forgacs, the man who created the Organovo NovoGen prototype printer, told NPR that the blueprints for the organs, or "schemes" as he calls them, can be created using x-ray technology and the like, giving researchers an outline and floor plan to each organ. It's not as simple as it sounds, though, and you probably won't hear about printed organs replacing a failing liver. Human testing could begin within five years, according to Forgacs, whose team is currently perfecting the process to print out a human vein.

Each vein starts as a series of circles and then, like layering flattened donuts one on top of the other, the entire stack creates a cylinder — a vein.

NPR has an interview with Forgacs you can listen to here.

Nothing says 'I'm classy' like a wooden computer

If you're just too damned sophisticated to be seen using a computer made out of metal and plastic, why not slap a wooden case around it? It'll snap right on and you'll feel like a time traveller from the 19th century in no time.

Cases for iMacs start at $265, and you can get a custom typewriter-like keyboard to match it for $345, if you're really committed to the idea.

Google ends 4 years of censoring the Web for China

Google Inc. stopped censoring the Internet for China by shifting its search engine off the mainland Monday but said it will maintain other operations in the country. The maneuver attempts to balance Google's disdain for China's Internet rules with the company's desire to profit from an explosively growing market. [Read more...]

Counter Surveillance Camera: what are you looking at?

The first line of defense is knowing what you're up against. How can you protect yourself if you can't see what's checking you out? The CS300K Long Range Counter Surveillance Camera from JETprotect not only detects cameras and scoping devices aimed at you, but it even can pick up binoculars, cameras and even the human eye. Creepy, right?

"The software alerts the target BEFORE that first shot by detecting if someone is watching with field glasses or rifle scope," said Gregory Johnston, CTO of JETprotect. "When combined with the company's automatic surveillance detection software, the system becomes a 24/7 guard against snoopers and automatically annunciates and archives the event.

The product is aimed for military and security applications to protect high-risk individuals, but in time, it could trickle down to us common folk. Would you want to know if someone is checking you out?

Chinese media launches new attack on Google

China's state-run Xinhua news agency launched a new broadside against Google Inc on Monday, saying in an angry commentary that the company had reneged on promises to abide by Chinese law.

Speculation is swirling that Google will soon announce a decision to pull out of China, or at least shut down its Chinese search engine.

The Financial Times, citing a person familiar with the situation, said the company could say on Monday that it will close its Chinese search engine. [Read more...]

Chinese media chastise Google over threat to leave

China's state-controlled media intensified criticism of Google on Monday, accusing the U.S. company of playing politics by threatening to shut down its China-based search engine.

Chinese news reports say Google Inc. is on the verge of making good on a threat to shutter its China site, Google.cn, because Beijing forces the Internet giant to censor search results. [Read more...]

Microsoft's browser loses market share in Europe

Microsoft's Internet Explorer has lost market share in major European markets, such as France, Britain and Italy, after the U.S. software firm started to make it easier for European consumers to use competing browsers. [Read more...]

'Augmented reality' travel app bolsters smartphone

The travel industry is starting to grab onto radical new "augmented reality" technology to give people a feel for vacation sites with the point of a smartphone. The technology — which combines a camera, GPS and compass in a smartphone — enables the phone's camera to "recognize" an object or place that a user is pointing to by overlaying the screen's image to location data. [Read more...]

Ferrari 599 GTO specifications revealed

While everyone expected to see the 599 GTO in march at the Geneva Motor Show, Ferrari decided to postpone the launch date until April 7th. The 599 GTO will be limited to only 500 units, each priced at around half a million dollars. This will be the first time that the Italian automaker has used the GTO badge since the F40 super car inspiring 288 GTO.

And until April 7th, we can tell you what to expect from the future GTO: a V12 engine with a total output of 670 horsepower and 620 NM of torque. The sprint from 0 to 60 mph will be made in 3.3 seconds (less than 0.3 seconds faster than the Ferrari Enzo). A round at Fiorano is made in one minute and 24 seconds, one second faster than an Enzo on normal street tires.

Twin-Turbo Ferrari F430 by Underground Racing

Underground Racing is well known by now for its Twin-Turbo models. And while last time the tuner customized a Lamborghini, this time turned their attention to another Italian sports car: a Ferrari F430 Spider.

Thanks to a new Twin-Turbo Systems the F430’s V8 engine delivers an impressive 1000 hp (up from a standard 485 hp). The tuner revealed no details on the car’s performances, but we have big expectation from it.

Stay tuned for more details!

eBay Find: Rare, almost new 6,000-mile 1975 BMW 2002!

It’s hard for any car enthusiast to ignore the power of the BMW 2002; the unassuming, boxy coupe with a high-performance (relatively speaking), smooth and efficient 2.0-liter four-banger shaped the world of sports sedans as we know them. A Colorado owner has put up for sale this remarkably original, rare Italian-market 1975 BMW 2002 on eBay – and it shows around 6,000 original miles! [Read more...]

Why loud stereos and cheap cars don’t mix – T.K.O. edition

Without fail it seems that the louder the stereo, the cheaper the car blasting the music as it drives by. In this instance, this driver got a little too into his music and proceeded to suffer a face shot from his airbag – knocking him out cold.

We all appreciate a good, loud, clean stereo from time to time – but this unsuspecting driver taking a break in a parking garage got a little too carried away while enjoying his Queen rock-out session.
Maybe it was a faulty or overly sensitive airbag system, or maybe the acoustic advantages of his hatchback proved too much for this entry-level car. Then again, the pounding on the dash likely didn’t help much, either.
Whatever the cause, everything seemed to be going fairly well leading up to the pinnacle of the chorus – until his airbag deployed about six inches from his face.
Ouch! That oughtta learn ‘em.

Biggest 747 ever built takes its maiden flight

The biggest plane ever built in the U.S. just took to the air. This Boeing 747-8 freighter prototype flew its maiden test flight, proving that a plane that's even longer than that huge Airbus A380 can actually fly.

After Boeing cranks out a few cargo versions, this plane that weighs about as much as 5,100 fat American guys will be built in a passenger version. Those lucky enough to have a window seat will be able to peer out of peepholes that are 8% larger than those on today's 747s.

President Obama might soon be flying in one too. Boeing is urging the Air Force to get rid of its old 747 VC25s and instead use one of these behemoths as Air Force One.

Adjustable Light Lamp, modulated by a quartet of Venetian blinds

We like to interact with our lighting, dimming it, and pointing every which way. This design takes that idea one step further, suspending an orb-shaped bulb inside a box, and surrounding it with perforated Venetian blinds. Let's let designers Enric Jovani and Mariona Cruells explain it:

Surpassing the on/off routine, the lamp opens a whole univers of nuances and luminosities, a fan of ambients and situations within reach, allowing even to give form to diverse moods. Is not just an object, is a new way to interact with the light.

It is a cool looking lamp, isn't it? We'd like to see it available perched atop a stalk, as an alternative to the wall-mounted version you'll see in the gallery below.

It's a design concept so far, but this one has possibilities.

Ferrari roller coaster car seats four, not for the faint of heart

One of these days we'll take a Ferrari F430 to its top speed, but until then, maybe a trip to Abu Dhabi to ride this Ferrari roller coaster would suffice. The cars are currently zipping around the Ferrari World theme park in Abu Dhabi, with the tracks set up in pairs so it'll feel like you're racing.

Even more enticing is word of an F1 roller coaster in that same theme park that goes 149 mph. That would make it the fastest roller coaster on the planet. Good lord, these roller coasters are getting fancy!

Abu Dhabi is awash in cash — no wonder it bailed out Dubai a few months ago. Never thought we'd say this, but perhaps there are too many Ferraris in that neck of the woods already.

Related Sections: Apparel Art & Design Medical 'Masked in Flight' medical masks double as Halloween costumes

"Masked in Flight" is a project by Iceland's Sruli Recht that studies what kind of masks air travelers might wear — travelers that wanted to look like serial killers and creepy stormtroopers, that is. Would you feel comfortable on a plane with the person next to you wearing something like this?

Recht made the masks out of laser-cut parchment. You can read all about them in the gallery below, with a caption from Sruli Recht's website that describes each.

Scary, but I love them.

5 artificial organs getting better by the day

Artificial body parts are here today, but they still have a long way to go before they can rival our original equipment. As the movie Repo Men reminds us, total body replacement is on the way, but in the meantime, scientists and technologists are taking small steps toward the development of a complete cyborg. Let's take a look at artificial organs you can use today, and what's in store for the future. [Read more...]

Kaboom! Large Hadron Collider triples its own world record

The only thing better than claiming a world record is utterly smashing it, and that's exactly what the Large Hadron Collider did this morning in Geneva, Switzerland. The LHC previously managed to reach an energy of 1.18 TeV. I guess I should be embarrassed I ever reported that as news, because that was apparently small potatoes: the LHC has pretty much tripled that previous benchmark and is now circulating beams at a whopping 3.5 TeV. [Read more...]