Galaxy S4 vs. 50 Cal Sniper Rifle


How well does a new Galaxy S4 hold up when shot by a .50 cal sniper rifle? Watch the video to find out. Damn, that reminds me, we need to start shooting more stuff around here again.

BlackBerry CEO: Tablets Are A Bad Business Model


I know you guys are probably laughing at this guy right now but, considering his first hand experience with bad business models, maybe we should listen to him. big grin
"In five years I don’t think there’ll be a reason to have a tablet anymore," Heins said in an interview yesterday at the Milken Institute conference in Los Angeles. "Maybe a big screen in your workspace, but not a tablet as such. Tablets themselves are not a good business model."

See the birth of Pacific Rim's badass fighting robots in new trailer



Wanna see more awesome robot-vs.-monster brawling? Of course you do.

SpaceShipTwo fires rocket engine in supersonic flight

The space plane hits Mach 1.2 as Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson sees "full space flight" by the end of 2013.


If you've got $200,000 to spend on a ticket to suborbital space, your spaceship is nearly ready.
Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo, billed as the world's first commercial space plane, notched an important milestone today by firing its rocket engine during flight for the first time.

Apple, Huawei and the trade war with China


A month ago, Chinese state television aired an investigation of Apple's warranty policy, claiming that it discriminates against customers in China. Celebrities and public figures took to the nation's social media to denounce the company. The result, as we know, was farcical: One of these denunciations contained what appeared to be instructions for when it should be posted, leading to allegations that the network had orchestrated a smear campaign. Despite this misstep, and an apology by Apple, the attacks continued.

Xinhua ran an article blaming the company for student debt. More recently, the People's Daily – another state-owned publication – accused it of violating the country's pornography laws; and then, in an apparent victory lap, the paper released a survey showing that public opinion of Apple had fallen.

Let's call it tabloid protectionism, and be grateful for it. When Congress pulled a similar stunt last fall, the performance wasn't as entertaining.

This Transformers/Star Trek crossover toy should be mass produced



Fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation know that the Enterprise can separate in times of peril. Well, one artist has taken that concept a giant leap forward with his creation of the "Autobot E." DeviantART artist TJ Wilferd's (aka Unicron9) awesome creation is the clever combination of two existing toys and a good amount of skill with a paint brush.

Opera Sues Ex-Employee For $3.4M


Opera is suing an ex-employee for $3.4 million for allegedly taking trade secrets to Mozilla.
Hansen is a former employee and consultant of Opera Software ASA. Opera Software ASA is of the opinion that Hansen, after he left Opera, has acted contrary to his contractual and other legal obligations towards Opera, among other things, the duty of loyalty and his contractual and statutory confidentiality obligations.

Real Life Liquid Lifebar Project


Sure, we've seen stuff like this from the modders in our forums but it was usually for a case mod, not a real life health bar. cool

Cliff Bleszinski Keynote Presentation @ ECGC 2013


This video of Cliff Bleszinski's keynote presentation at the East Coast Game Conference this year is pretty interesting.

LG's curved 55-inch OLED TV now open for preorders

The 55EA9800, priced at roughly $13,500, will be available starting next month, but for starters will be limited to the Korean market.
LG Curved OLED TV

After being the first TV manufacturer to launch an OLED TV, LG is now taking preorders for a new model featuring a curved screen. The 55EA9800, priced at 15 million Korean won (US$13,500), will be available starting from next month, but this is limited to the Korean market for now. Unfortunately, both availability and pricing for other countries will only be announced later.

880-mph ping pong ball vaporizes watermelon



What better way to teach a group of youngsters about engineering and science than with a little watermelon demolition. A group of Boy Scouts in Des Moines, Iowa used PVC pipe to build a cannon capable of launching a ping pong ball faster than the speed of sound — at an unsuspecting watermelon.

Activision's CEO Got An 800% Raise


Damn, Bobby Kotick got a 800% raise? It sure must be nice to be a CEO these days. eek!
Robert Kotick, president and chief executive officer of Activision Blizzard Inc. (ATVI), increased his compensation almost eightfold to $64.9 million last year, becoming one of the highest-paid CEOs in the U.S. The bulk of the increase for Kotick came in stock awards valued at $55.9 million, based on regulatory reporting rules, that were tied to a new employment agreement signed in March 2012, according to a filing yesterday by the video-game software company.

Using GPS To Commit Burglaries?


Using GPS as a high tech burglary tool? You have to admit, it would be a good way to know if your victims were at home or not. eek!
The victim of a recent Overland Park home burglary thinks the thieves employed GPS technology so they could tell when she wasn’t home. The woman, who owns an area jewelry business, said that after the burglary in March, GPS tracking devices were discovered on her vehicle and one owned by her son.

Hyundai Motor Suicide Ad Draws Ire for S. Korean Company


SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean automaker Hyundai Motor Co has been forced to apologise for an advertisement that sought to promote the zero carbon emissions of one of its cars by featuring a man failing to commit suicide using a hose attached to the exhaust.

The ad debacle is the latest to hit the carmaker, the world's fifth largest by sales when combined with its Kia Motors affiliate, after it exaggerated fuel performance figures in the United States, and announced a large-scale vehicle recall this month.

New 'smart skin' so sensitive it rivals the real thing

Researchers say their experimental arrays sense pressure in the same range as the human fingertip, which could result in better bots and prosthetics.
Using what they are calling "mechanical agitation," researchers out of the Georgia Institute of Technology say they've developed arrays that can sense touch with the same level of sensitivity as the human fingertip, which could result in better bots and prosthetics.

Galaxy S4 wins high marks for repairability from iFixit

The DIY tech repair site notes that Samsung "didn't reinvent the wheel" with the Galaxy S4, but in this case, it's a good thing.

Don't worry, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is easy to repair and disassemble.

 The folks at iFixit gave Samsung's phone an eight out of 10 for repairability, citing its removable battery and straightforward assembly.

Autonomous military robots should be banned, group says (video)

The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots tells CNET why lethal machines must remain under human control, for humanity's sake.
The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots kicked off its protest against self-powered military machines earlier this week.

CNET caught up with the campaign organizers to hear why they want killer 'bots banned -- play the video above to hear their reasoning and to witness the kinds of death-dealing devices the organization is trying to stop.

One thing I wanted to know is why the campaign is so averse to autonomous robots. As Noel Sharkey, expert roboticist and professor, told me, however, this movement is only about putting the brakes on autonomous killing machines.

Run for the hills, robots have begun to evolve


A team of researchers has done something remarkable: they've demonstrated simulated evolution in a visible, simple way. Also, they've doomed us all. In an experiment akin to that of Dr. Frankenstein, a team of researchers working at the Cornell Creative Machines Lab has provided the world with (further) proof of evolution by designing a program within which simulated robots "build" themselves out of cubes of virtual muscles and bones.

What a DDoS attack looks like


Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are fairly common in today's connected world. For instance, they were used a ton by LulzSec for taking down Sony in 2011. A DDoS attack happens when a computer network is bombarded with communications requests that render it to be useless or "taken down." And this is what it looks like visualized through a fancy data log.

Magic mirror lets you try on fully interactive virtual clothes


Although walking out of a store with a bag full of new clothes is fun for almost anyone, the tedium of trying on those clothes first remains something of a chore. Now, a new display in Japan is showing off what is almost certainly the best virtual try-on mechanism you've ever seen.

Morephone: the most deformed phone you'll see today


The phones of the future have been rumored to be watches or a bracelets for quite a while. But what's been missing is the crumpled piece of paper form factor.

Amazingly acrobatic Lara Croft


Have another Friday dose of cosplay to start off your weekend right!

As you can see, it takes more than just the right costume to be a Tomb Raider .. PHOTOS

Tesla plans big announcement that Model S owners 'will like'


The car company's CEO Elon Musk takes to Twitter to let customers know that Tesla will make a strategic announcement on Friday that's said to focus on service.
There's the possibility that Tesla may be looking to make its luxury all-electric cars a tiny bit more affordable. The company's CEO Elon Musk tweeted Thursday that Tesla will announce some big news on Friday.

Is the Galaxy S4 your top smartphone?

Samsung launches the latest volley in the smartphone wars with the Galaxy S4, but it still has incumbents from Apple, HTC, and BlackBerry to contend with.

There's a newcomer hanging around town. It has 5 spacious inches of screen space. It flaunts a 13-megapixel camera. You can't deny the allure of its 2,600mAh battery. All those specs may put it one up on its competitors, at least on paper. But just because the Samsung Galaxy S4 wants to be top dog, doesn't mean the other guys aren't going to put up a fight.

Why J.J. Abrams insists: 'Star Trek has to be sexy'

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek is many things. It’s an action-packed sci-fi film with adventure and heart at its core. But Abrams also insists that Star Trek "has to be sexy."

In an interview with Playboy (how … amusingly appropriate), Abrams talked about the sexiness of his Trek movies and The Original Series.
Star Trek has to be sexy. That’s in keeping with the original spirit of the series. In the 1960s they were limited because of the time, but so much was insinuated. Part of the fun of our first movie was playing with the idea that Uhura and Spock were a couple. This movie takes that further and asks how that’s possible. Why would she be interested in that kind of guy, and why would she put up with him? It’s obvious what he would like about her. I mean, it’s fucking Zoë Saldana.

Tony Stark can't seem to get over The Avengers in new Iron Man 3 clip


We’ve seen hints that Tony Stark could be grappling with some post-traumatic stress post-Avengers, and the latest Iron Man 3 clip shows he’s on the verge of cracking up.

It’s a great moment between Tony (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), and Tony Stark has never seemed so human. It’s not an action-packed clip, but it’s tense, and you’ll be hanging on every word by the time it teasingly wraps up.

Beach-walking 'FlipperBot' inspired by baby turtles

Copying turtle movements, this machine out of the Georgia Institute of Technology teaches how bio-inspired robots can shed light on scientific principles.
While it might look like a giant robotic pet, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology have actually created the "FlipperBot" to generate new data on how organisms move.

The robot mimics the movements of sea turtle hatchlings struggling to reach the ocean. These little creatures need to rely on dexterity and flexibility in their wrists to get around without moving a lot of the surrounding sand.

The everything phone for (almost) everyone Compared - Samsung Galaxy S4

The good: The Samsung Galaxy S4 has Android 4.2.2, a fantastic camera, a powerful quad-core processor, and software solutions for just about every scenario -- including working as a TV/DVR remote. It's also comfortable in-hand and has NFC, a user-replaceable battery, and a microSD storage slot.

The bad: Its screen is dimmer than competitors', its plastic design gives it a cheaper look than rivals', and the Galaxy S4's power button turned on at undesired times. Not all camera modes work as promised, and a long list of software features can quickly overwhelm and confuse.

The bottom line: Its laundry list of features requires time and effort to truly master, but the Galaxy S4 is the top choice for anyone looking for a big-screen, do-everything smartphone. LINK

Samsung Galaxy S4

Price: AT&T (16GB, $199.99; 32GB, $249.99).

Availability: Q2 on AT&T, Cricket, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon. Preorders for AT&T and U.S. Cellular start April 16.

The outlook: Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, follows the major success of the GS3. It runs the latest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, has plenty of bumps in hardware (like a bigger 5-inch screen and a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor), and it piles on the software features.

What's smart (and dumb) about the latest smartwatches - NEEDS RE-DO



Why wear a smartwatch? You might have said the same thing about carrying a smartphone before those got smart enough to be truly useful. Smartwatches are a sort of mini tech trend of the moment, but here's the brutal truth: we wouldn't recommend that our friends buy any of these, unless they're early-adopter watch fetishists. The smartwatches of today have a muddy mix of good, bad, and flat-out ugly features. At best, they're quirky and stylish. At worst, they're hobbled with short battery life or don't work at all.

None of the smartwatches we've reviewed have earned more than three stars, and with good reason: they all have serious limitations while being questionably practical.

Just What the Mexican Drug War Needs: More Vigilante Militias

Mexico’s drug war isn’t just a conflict between the government and heavily-armed cartels. There’s a third faction: vigilantes who have proliferated across nearly half of Mexico’s states and dozens of municipalities, and who operate in the space between the law and the lawless. Now the vigilantes are getting legalized.

This week, Bruno Placido — the leader of one of Mexico’s largest militia groups — signed an agreement with Angel Aguirre, governor of the state of Guerrero, to effectively legalize Placido’s army of 800 vigilante fighters. Called UPOEG, for “The Union of Peoples and Organizations of the State of Guerrero,” the militia went from being a community activist group five months ago to a force of hundreds of armed and hooded vigilantes that promised to expand further.

According to El Universal, the details are still being worked out, but the plan is to regulate the militia under a “Community Security System” where the fighters are to coordinate with local, state and federal police, not agitate for political causes, and not patrol outside their own communities. In exchange, the plan sets up “training in human rights and protection and self-defense strategies, that will be taught by the Mexican Army.”

Electrified Specialized Turbo makes cycling as easy as driving (hands-on) : NEEDS RE-DO

Specialized Turbo

The last time I'd found myself astride an electric bike was over four years ago, when CNET reviewed the Schwinn Tailwind in March of 2009. That bike was jerky and awkward, very heavy, and a bit of an eyesore.

Fast-forward just under half a decade to April 2013, when I find myself standing in front of the sleek, red frame of the new Specialized Turbo. Electric bike, you've come a long way, baby.

Design
The Specialized Turbo is a good-looking bike. Period. And I don't just mean "good for an electric bike."

Taking Google Glass Into The Men's Restroom?

Ewww, aside from being a perv, what the hell was this guy doing going into all those public restrooms wearing Google Glass?

Scoble explained to a befuddled Keen that he had been wearing Glass non-stop all week; that he had walked into 20 men's restrooms wearing the device on his head; and that not once had anyone raised a stink, stared at him askew, or punched him in his nose. LINK

Workers Demand Social Media Rights

Since when did slacking off at work become a right? Employers should not be able to ask for social media passwords at all but claiming it is your right to use Facebook on the clock is just dumb.

Employees no longer see using Facebook in the office as luxury or a business tool, but as a right, new research shows. A quarter of employees say they would not work for a company that banned social media at work. In total, nearly one-third of employees are spending an hour or more a day on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites during work hours, a study by virtual office space franchise Intelligent Office found.

Who knew typewriters had this many parts?



The "Things Organized Neatly" Tumblr has to be one of our favorites. Here's an anonymous submission of a typewriter that was taken apart very systematically.

Isn't it kinda neat to see all of the small components that fit together to make something work? Maybe now this person could reassemble the typewriter bits into something like this?

"Things Organized Neatly" Tumblr, via Boing Boing

Inspection robot shimmies out onto spinning wind turbine blades


Have you ever wondered how they inspect those giant wind turbines blades after the turbine is up and running? I suppose you could stop the thing and bring in some climbing gear, but that would be both dangerous and expensive. Luckily, this robot is ready to do the job, using powerful magnets to cling tenaciously to the metal surfaces as it spins around.

Renault's new EV has racing at its heart, under the hood


A little bit of Formula One has rubbed off on Renault's Twizy concept car. We first covered the Twizy concept line when Renault unveiled the Twizy Z.E. back in 2009. The Z.E. was a little pod of a car with a decidedly sci-fi twist. This time, the concept car's influence comes from the world of Formula One racing, and it's literally blown the doors off the Twizy Z.E.

Lightpack - Ambient lighting kit extends TV's onscreen action onto your walls


Now funding on Kickstarter, Lightpack amounts to a handful of LEDs, a few wires and a little black box. But this is one device that is truly more than the sum of its parts. Once installed along the back edge of your display, Lightpack can create glowing effects that mimic whatever you've got on.

Explosions in the film you're watching will bleed across your wall. Candles lit onscreen will glow across your room as they pass across the screen. And this immersive light show isn't even the extent of what Lightpack can do.

These Classy Defense Contractors Are Already Looking to Cash In on Boston


The newly-limbless victims from the Boston Marathon attack are still being treated, and the alleged bomber has only been in custody for a few days. But for a handful of defense and intelligence contractors, it’s never too early to start pimping their products as the solution to the next terrorist strike.

“The Boston Marathon bombing has proven the need for real time video and data analysis from all types of cameras, including user mobile devices, surveillance cameras, and network footage,” Chris Carmichael, CEO of Ubiquity Broadcasting Corporation, says in a press release. As it happens, his company offers an intelligent video system that does just that.

US tourists survive ship sinking near St. Lucia

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The fishing trip off the rugged north coast of St. Lucia was supposed to last all day, but about four hours into the journey, the boat's electric system crackled and popped.

Dan Suski, a 30-year-old business owner and information technology expert from San Francisco, had been wrestling a 200-pound marlin in rough seas with help from his sister, Kate Suski, a 39-year-old architect from Seattle. It was around noon April 21.

He was still trying to reel in the fish when water rushed into the cabin and flooded the engine room, prompting the captain to radio for help as he yelled out their coordinates.

It would be nearly 14 hours and a long, long swim before what was supposed to be a highlight of their sunny vacation would come to an end.
Yosemite Rainbow Lightning
The extraordinary one-of-a-kind sighting was captured by keen photographer Nolan Nitschke, 27, in Yosemite National Park in California. Nitschke knew a storm was approaching the area and that the incredible rocky peaks throughout the park act as lightning rods. After spending hours painstakingly trying for the perfect shot he finally hit the jackpot as the bright lightning crashed through the colourful rainbow lighting up the dark sky. PHOTOS

SKorea to withdraw workers at factory in NKorea

South Korean Unification Minister Ryoo Kihl-jae leaves after a news conference at Government Complex in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, April 26, 2013. Seoul said Friday that it has decided to withdraw the roughly 175 South Koreans still at a jointly run factory complex in North Korea, raising a major question about the survival of the last symbol of inter-Korean cooperation. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Seoul said Friday that it has decided to withdraw the roughly 175 South Koreans still at a jointly run factory complex in North Korea, raising a major question about the survival of the last symbol of inter-Korean cooperation.

The statement by the country's minister in charge of inter-Korean relations came after North Korea rejected Seoul's demand for talks on the factory park that has been closed nearly a month.

Seoul said it issued a Friday deadline for North Korea to respond to its call for talks because it was worried about its workers not having access to food and medicine. North Korea hasn't allowed supplies or workers to cross the border since early this month.

China finds new bird flu case in eastern Fujian province: Xinhua

A breeder, whose business has been affected by the H7N9 bird flu virus, walks his ducks along a road in Changzhou county, Shandong province, April 24, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese authorities discovered on Friday the first case of a new strain of bird flu in the eastern province of Fujian, signaling the spread of the virus which has killed 23 people in China, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

The flu was first detected in March. This week, the World Health Organisation called the virus, known as H7N9, "one of the most lethal", and said it is more easily transmitted than an earlier strain that has killed hundreds around the world since 2003.

This Is 'The' Stock to Profit From the Mobile Revolution

What do you expect from a company that is right in the middle of the mobile device revolution? Rapid growth, estimate-topping numbers, presence inside the hottest mobile devices, and the potential to get better -- these would be some of the things that would come to your mind. Well, I have the perfect candidate for you that satisfies all these yardsticks.

Although the stock hasn’t done great so far this year and is selling-off as I write this, I believe this is an opportunity you shouldn’t miss. Radio frequency component maker RF Micro Devices (NASDAQ: RFMD) is down around 3% as of this writing after releasing its fourth-quarter results. Reason? Well, after reading the following, even you would be befuddled as to why such a thing happened.

RF Micro Devices saw its revenue zoom 49% from the year-ago period to $280.6 million in the fourth quarter, comprehensively beating the $252.8 million analyst estimate. Also, the company’s adjusted earnings of $0.06 a share surprised the consensus estimate of $0.05. Most importantly, the company posted a profit whereas it had posted a loss of $0.02 on a non-GAAP basis in the year-ago period.

Listen to world’s first recording of Alexander Graham Bell’s voice


Researchers have discovered the world’s first voice mail: an audio recording of Alexander Graham Bell made on April 15, 1885, using a mixture of cardboard and wax.

The Smithsonian Magazine has posted the audio recording, in which the inventor of the telephone announces, “In witness whereof—hear my voice, Alexander Graham Bell.”

Cancer Doctors Protest 'Astronomical' Drug Costs

With some new, potentially lifesaving cancer drugs costing up to $138,000 a year, about 120 leading cancer specialists have joined forces in an unusual protest aimed at getting pharmaceutical companies to cut prices.

Charging high prices for drugs cancer patients need to survive is like “profiteering” from a natural disaster by jacking up prices for food and other necessities, leading cancer doctors and researchers from around the world contend in a new paper published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology.

Of 12 new cancer drugs that received FDA approval last year, 11 of them cost in excess of $100,000 a year—prices that the specialists attack as “astronomical,” “unsustainable,” and maybe even immoral. What’s more, only three of these drugs were found to improve patient survival rates and of these, two only increased it by less than two months, according to the Washington Post.

Syrian Blood Tests Positive for Sarin Gas, U.S. Spies Say

The U.S. intelligence community has uncovered strong evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria. Several blood samples, taken from multiple people, have tested positive for the nerve agent sarin, an American intelligence source tells Danger Room. President Obama has long said that the use of such a weapon by the Assad regime would cross a “red line.” So now the question becomes: What will the White House do in response?

Top U.S. Spy: Don’t Blame Us for Boston


Congressmen are already lining up to label the Boston Marathon bombing as yet another failure of the U.S. intelligence community. The head of America’s 16 spy agencies has a response for the Capitol Hill critics: back off.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper urged Americans today “not to hyperventilate for a while before we get all the facts.” In his most substantial public comments on the Boston attacks to date, provided at a suburban Washington intelligence conference, Clapper warned that finding the bombers in advance would require an invasion of Americans’ privacy by the government that citizens would likely find intolerable.

Welcome to the Age of Big Drone Data


Lt. Gen. Larry D. James has about all the drone designs he needs.

James is the Air Force’s deputy chief for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, giving him the flying service’s drone portfolio. During a rare public talk yesterday in Washington, James let on that “sustainment” of the drone fleet is his next big task. That means focusing less on designing new robots, as the Air Force’s new budget indicates, and more on the human problem of managing the absolutely enormous amount of data that its Predators, Reapers, Global Hawks and Sentinels generate.

“The future is going to be taking all sources of information and developing knowledge and intelligence from that,” James said. He’s working on some software fixes for that, as well as some data-storage farms. Welcome to the age of Big Drone Data.

Death-defying circus of the sky


It sounds like something out of a magical children's book: acrobats and jugglers in the sky. But the Paragliding Circus is something that happened in the real world, thanks to acro paragliding pilot Gill Schneider.

The U.S. Droned His Village, And The White House Wants to Meet


Powerful Americans are beginning to listen to Farea al-Muslimi, a 23-year-old, California-educated Yemeni who wants to stop the drone strikes in his country. Including some in the White House.

Danger Room has confirmed that before he leaves Washington D.C. on Friday, al-Muslimi will meet with White House officials to tell them what he told a Senate subcommittee yesterday: CIA and military drone strikes are strengthening al-Qaida’s Yemeni affiliate and making average Yemenis hate America.

Here’s Your Chance to Win a Celeb Workout With David Petraeus


Journalists and junior officers and even, um, biographers used to trip over themselves to work out with David Petraeus, the former four-star general, CIA chief and fitness freak. Now, a chance to get sweaty with the world’s most famous ex-general will cost you a little more than a sandwich.

It’s all in the name of charity. For the price of a $10 raffle ticket, you and a friend have the chance to see “whether General Petraeus can kick your butt in a 5K,” notes a description for an upcoming event benefiting veterans’ group The Mission Continues. After the run with “The Celebrity” — Petraeus — around the National Mall in Washington, there’s a session of “mental” exercises “discussing military strategy over a well-deserved coffee.”

Spain's jobless above 6 million for first time

MADRID (AP) — With over 6 million unemployed for the first time ever, Spain's jobless rate shot up to a record 27.2 percent in the first quarter of 2013, the National Statistics Institute said Thursday, in another grim picture of the recession-wracked country.

The agency said the number of people unemployed rose by 237,400 people in the first three months of the year, a 1.1 percent increase from the previous quarter. The total out of work stood at 6.2 million people, the first time the number has breached the 6-million mark.

Unsurprisingly, the details of the report make for grim reading.

The number of people considered long-term unemployed — out of a job for more than a year — increased to 3.5 million while the unemployment rate for those aged under 25 was a staggering 57 percent. The government body also said its survey found the number of households without any one working had risen by 72,400 to a 1.91 million.

Tech Demo Showcases CryEngine3

I have no idea who this company is or what they make but this demo reel using the CryEngine 3 is pretty neat.

Robert Downey Jr. Makes Superhero Entrance at 'Iron Man 3' Premiere

Robert Downey Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. has been jumping and dancing his way around the world during the "Iron Man 3" global press tour. But he saved the best for his homeland, driving up -- at a snail's pace -- to the Hollywood premiere of his latest soon-to-be blockbuster film in luxury style.

With wife Susan in the passenger seat, the 48-year-old Iron Man himself steered a bright, shiny red Audi R8 e-Tron right into the center of the action at the El Capitan Theatre on Wednesday -- where throngs of press and fans were gathered. Downey was quick to point out to Yahoo! Movies that no one was in harm's way because he was driving "0.05 miles an hour."

‘Iron Man 3′ Flies High in First Reviews

Iron Man 3

The reviews are starting to zoom in, and it looks like "Iron Man 3" is going to be a hit -- with critics, at least. And they all seem to be noting one thing: The film is funny, in spite of all that dark seriousness that's been in the film's trailers.

Of course, barring disaster, everyone knows that Robert Downey Jr.'s latest turn as Tony Stark will dominate the box office when it opens in the U.S. on May 3. But the picture debuts today in several European and Asian markets, opens in the UK tomorrow, and has been screened for the international entertainment press.

‘Wayne’s World’ Cast Reunites More Than 20 Years Later

Mike Myers and Dana Carvey
"Wayne's World" was an unexpected runaway hit when it came out on Valentine's Day in 1992, eventually earning $183 million worldwide to become the eighth highest grossing film of the year. But back when Mike Myers (Wayne Campbell) and Dana Carvey (Garth Algar) were making the classic comedy, they were unsure … about a lot of things.

U.S.: Syrian regime may have used chemical weapons against rebels

The U.S. on Thursday accused Syrian President Bashar Assad’s regime of having used chemical weapons, specifically the deadly nerve agent sarin, against rebels seeking to topple him.

But top officials, citing the flawed intelligence that led to the invasion of Iraq, said Washington needs to build what one called an “airtight” case before escalating America's military role in the Syrian civil war.

“We still have some uncertainties about what was used, what kind of chemical was used, where it was used, who used it,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Still, he said, “it violates every convention on warfare.”

President Barack Obama has repeatedly warned that he would consider Assad's use of chemical weapon a "red line" that could trigger the use of American military force in Syria, where the two-year conflict has left at least 70,000 dead.

Boston suspects planned bombs in New York: Mayor Bloomberg

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - The two men accused of carrying out last week's bombing of the Boston Marathon planned a second bomb attack on New York's Times Square, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Thursday.

The brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev's original intent when they hijacked a car and its driver in Boston last Thursday night was to drive to New York with bombs and detonate them in Times Square, but their plan fell apart when they became embroiled in a shootout with police.

"Last night we were informed by the FBI that the surviving attacker revealed that New York City was next on their list of targets," Bloomberg said at New York City Hall. "He and his older brother intended to drive to New York and detonate those explosives in Times Square."

5 Technologies That Will Change the World in 2013

Keeping up with the newest technologies can be a challenge for even the most tech-savvy business owners and entrepreneurs. However, that challenge got a bit easier, thanks to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Technology Review, which today (April 23) released the 10 technologies they expect to change the world this year.

For the list, MIT focuses on groundbreaking advancements that give people a new way to use technology.

"Every year we pick the 10 technologies we think most likely to change the world," said Jason Pontin, publisher and editor in chief of the MIT Technology Review, which published the list. "We are interested in how technologies can solve really hard problems, whose solution will expand human possibilities. These technologies are an expression of our preferences and emphases, and they grow out of our reporting over the previous year. This is the stuff we like."

Video Games – From 1947 to Today [Infographic]

Video Games   From 1947 to Today [Infographic] image NatGeo VideoGames FINAL edits.fw You may be surprised to learn that basic video games have been around since 1947—during that year, Goldsmith and Mann created a missile simulator game inspired by WWII missile displays. The classic game controlled a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) beam that appeared as a dot on the screen. Spacewar!, a multiplayer game programmed by MIT students in 1962, is widely considered to be the first influential game. The 1970s was dominated by Oregon Trail and Pong, two games that may have been a part of your childhood. Oregon Trail, developed by three student teachers at Carleton College in Minnesota, is used as a teaching tool. Pong is an astonishingly simple game that offers players a surprisingly dramatic experience. The game involves two paddles, a dotted line for a net, a dot for a ball—all in black and white.

Google: More Government Removal Requests Than Ever Before

This seems like one of those times where setting a record isn't necessarily a good thing.

As we’ve gathered and released more data over time, it’s become increasingly clear that the scope of government attempts to censor content on Google services has grown. In more places than ever, we’ve been asked by governments to remove political content that people post on our services. In this particular time period, we received court orders in several countries to remove blog posts criticizing government officials or their associates.
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Tsarnaev questioned for 16 hours before he was read Miranda rights


Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, suspected of bombing the Boston Marathon with his older brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, was questioned for 16 hours by authorities before being read his Miranda rights, the AP reports today.

Tsarnaev, a 19-year-old college student, confessed his role in the crime during the questioning in his hospital room, but that confession may not be admissible in court. Once he was advised of his right to seek counsel and remain silent by a representative from the U.S. attorney's office, the suspect stopped talking.

Spain's jobless above 6 million for first time

MADRID (AP) — With over 6 million unemployed for the first time ever, Spain's jobless rate shot up to a record 27.2 percent in the first quarter of 2013, the National Statistics Institute said Thursday, in another grim picture of the recession-wracked country.

The agency said the number of people unemployed rose by 237,400 people in the first three months of the year, a 1.1 percent increase from the previous quarter. The total out of work stood at 6.2 million people, the first time the number has breached the 6-million mark.

Unsurprisingly, the details of the report make for grim reading.

The number of people considered long-term unemployed — out of a job for more than a year — increased to 3.5 million while the unemployment rate for those aged under 25 was a staggering 57 percent. The government body also said its survey found the number of households without any one working had risen by 72,400 to a 1.91 million.

Big Brother Has A New Face, And It's Your Boss

Health
Recently, the CVS Caremark Corporation began requiring employees to disclose personal health information (including weight, blood pressure, and body fat levels) or else pay an annual $600 fine. Workers must make this information available to the company’s employee “Wellness Program” and sign a form stating that they’re doing so voluntarily.

CVS argues this will help workers “take more responsibility for improving their health.” At one level, this makes a certain sense. Because the company is paying for their employees’ health insurance, they naturally prefer healthier workers. But at a deeper level, CVS’ action demonstrates a growing problem with our current system of employer-provided health insurance. If our bosses must pay for our health care, they will inevitably seek greater control over our lifestyles.

Secrets to Your Success: Dori and Ilissa Howard

It's a well-known fact that women love shoes, and Dori and Ilissa Howard, sisters and founders of Milk & Honey Shoes, know no one would try to dispute it. They also know every woman has an idea for a pair of shoes she just can't find in stores, but Milk & Honey Shoes can make your shoe dreams come true. "If you want a crazy pair of green glitter shoes," says Dori, "well, then you should have them."

Dori and Ilissa say they had a typical upbringing, and even though they had opposite personalities while growing up, they have always been close. Dori and Ilissa both headed off to college to pursue separate careers. Dori was a film studio executive and Ilissa worked in product development for the toy industry. Dori says her job at Paramount was "glamorous" and "exciting and thrilling," but she didn't see anyone over the age of 40. "That concerned me," she says. "I just couldn't see the future in it." Meanwhile, Ilissa loved working in the toy industry, but didn't love working for large companies with no recognition for success.

China urges U.S., after Boston bombings, to condemn Xinjiang "terrorism"

BEIJING (Reuters) - China urged the United States on Thursday, 10 days after the Boston Marathon bombings, to condemn what Beijing has called terrorist attacks in its western Xinjiang region instead of lecturing the country on human rights.

Nine residents, six police and six ethnic Uighurs were killed on Tuesday in a knife, axe and arson attack, the deadliest violence in the region since July 2009, when Xinjiang's capital, Urumqi, was rocked by clashes between majority Han Chinese and minority Uighurs that killed nearly 200 people.

Chinese authorities called the violence terrorism and Xinjiang spokeswoman Hou Hanmin was quoted on Thursday by the popular Chinese tabloid the Global Times as comparing it to the recent Boston Marathon bombings.

Please Shut Up With All This Apple Is The New Microsoft Nonsense

tim cook apple
AP
Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh.

That's my reaction to stories like this from Quartz that say Apple is the new Microsoft.

The New York Times said the same thing earlier this week, when it said Tim Cook was the new Steve Ballmer.

You know what? I thought the exact same thing back in December. I was going to write it out. I was going to be so clever. I was going to point out that Apple's stock is probably going to trundle along, stuck in a $400-$500 range for the next ten years, just like Microsoft.

Fuel barges explode, causing large fire in Ala.

A massive explosion at 3a.m. EDT on one of the two barges still ablaze in the Mobile River in Mobile, Ala., on Thursday, April 25, 2013. Three people were injured in the blast. Fire officials have pulled units back from fighting the fire due to the explosions and no immediate threat to lives. (AP Photo John David Mercer) Three people were hospitalized with burns. Information on their conditions was not immediately available.MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — A huge fire resulting from explosions aboard two fuel barges in Mobile, Ala. has been extinguished.

Mobile Fire-Rescue spokesman Steve Huffman said in a statement to The Associated Press Thursday morning that the fire was out and that it appeared to be accidental.

Collapsed Bangladesh factories ignored evacuation

<p> Rescuers lower down a survivor from the debris of a building that collapsed in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, April 24, 2013. An eight-storey building housing several garment factories collapsed near Bangladesh’s capital on Wednesday, killing dozens of people and trapping many more under a jumbled mess of concrete. Rescuers tried to cut through the debris with earthmovers, drilling machines and their bare hands. (AP Photo/A.M.Ahad)SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) — Deep cracks visible in the walls of a Bangladesh garment building had compelled police to order it evacuated a day before it collapsed, officials said Thursday. More than 200 people were killed when the eight-story building splintered into a pile of concrete because factories based there ignored the order and kept more than 2,000 people working.

Wednesday's disaster in the Dhaka suburb of Savar is the worst ever for Bangladesh's booming and powerful garment industry, surpassing a fire less than five months earlier that killed 112 people. Workers at both sites made clothes for major brands around the world; some of the companies in the building that fell say their customers include retail giants such as Wal-Mart.

Hundreds of rescuers, some crawling through the maze of rubble in search of survivors and corpses, worked through the night and into Thursday amid the cries of the trapped and the wails of workers' relatives gathered outside the building, called Rana Plaza. It housed numerous garment factories and a handful of other companies.

MacBook Pro Declared 'Best Performing' Windows Laptop



Want the best laptop to run Windows? According to this chart, you need to buy a MacBook.

Apple’s Next Big Thing - It’s not a watch, or TV, or smart glasses. It’s the iPad.

The iPad has always labored under the shadow of its little brother the iPhone. When Apple launched the tablet back in the spring of 2010, everyone thought it was derivative—it’s just a big iPhone! Even now, after proving itself a worthy alternative to personal computers, the iPad rarely gets its due. When investors and financial analysts think about Apple’s future, they tend to focus on the iPhone, which remains the company’s cash cow. It has been estimated that Apple keeps about 50 to 60 cents in profit from ever dollar it makes on iPhone sales. This makes the iPhone the most profitable product in the world. In its 2012 fiscal year, Apple sold 125 million iPhones, generating $80 billion in revenue and probably around $35–$40 billion in profits. To put that in perspective, Apple likely made as much in profit from the iPhone in 2012 alone as Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Samsung combined made from each and every one of their products.

Virgin America Flights Allow Mile-High Flirting

Heh, what a great idea. I think all airlines should allow you to send drinks and texts to other passengers.

It's done through the airline's in-flight entertainment system. Passengers pinpoint their designated hottie with Virgin's digital seat map, browse the menu and have a drink, snack or meal sent over. Passengers can also follow up with a text through the seat-to-seat messaging system.

General Motors, Ford form unusual alliance

General Motors and Ford Motor Co. have formed an unusual alliance designed to help them meet increasing stringent fuel-economy standards by jointly development a new 10-speed automatic transmission.

The announcement underscores the increasingly difficult challenges manufacturers face as they shoot for a 54.5 mile-per-gallon mandate set to take effect in 2025.  That has led a growing number of automakers to set aside traditional rivalries and form potentially far-reaching alliances aimed at development new engines, transmissions, even entire vehicles that can be shared among various brands.

The new gearbox envisioned by GM and Ford will be utilized on a variety of different front- and rear-wheel-drive products, the makers said, noting their shared goal of bringing the technology to market sooner, and at a lower cost, than if they worked together.

Assaulted teen had drawings, name on body


SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Awakening in a friend's bedroom after drinking too much at a sleepover, 15-year-old Audrie Pott looked down and realized she had been sexually assaulted and her attackers had written and drawn on intimate parts of her body, her family's attorney said Monday.
Over the next week, she pieced together one horrifying detail after another. She went online and tried to confront the three boys she had known since junior high who she believed had done it.
At school, she saw a group of students huddled around a cellphone and realized that at least one humiliating photo of her was circulating.

Darpa’s New Navigation Tool Is Smaller Than a Penny

It’s the Second Korean War of 2020, and things aren’t looking good for the U.S.-South Korean side. North Korea has used its jamming gear to disrupt low-power GPS signals accessible in South Korea for navigation. Luckily for Washington and Seoul, in 2013, the Pentagon’s blue-sky researchers created a positioning tool for use when GPS goes down — and even back then, it was smaller than a penny.

Russia Has an Upgraded Flamethrower Tank Now


When you absolutely, positively have to destroy everything within 300 square meters, leave it to Russia to roll out an upgraded flamethrower tank during recent military exercises.
In late March, a battalion of Moscow’s Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops stormed a simulated enemy position in eastern Russia — armed with upgraded shoulder-fired and vehicle-launched thermobaric weapons. In a video from news agency RIA Novosti, shown above, the launchers are seen hurling 24 220-millimeter unguided thermobaric rockets at a time.
Just before reaching their targets, the rockets released a mixture of combustible gas. Within seconds, the gas is ignited, and “all living things within 300 square meters are destroyed by high pressure and temperature,” RIA Novosti observed.

Man shoots self in infield at NRA 500



The death of a man in the infield of Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday night during the Sprint Cup Series NRA 500 has been ruled a suicide from a gunshot to the head, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office.
The incident happened late in the race when Kirk Franklin, 42, of Saginaw, Texas, apparently got into an argument with other campers, according to the Associated Press. Track spokesperson Mike Zizzo said Saturday night that the incident happened "in or around a pickup truck" in the infield.

Hot Wheels: Great Wall shows new streamlined SUV

<p> A model poses with Great Wall H7 SUV at the Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition (AUTO Shanghai) media day in Shanghai, China Saturday, April 20, 2013. China's most successful SUV producer, Great Wall Motor Co., is coming out with a model that offers the room of a luxury SUV at a mid-range price. The Chinese brand, which exports SUVs to 80 countries, unveiled the H7 and its sister sport model, the H6, on Saturday ahead of the Shanghai auto show. Great Wall is one exception to the trend of independent Chinese brands struggling against foreign competition in their home market.(AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

SHANGHAI — China's most successful SUV producer, Great Wall Motor Co., is coming out with a model that offers the room of a luxury SUV at a mid-range price.
The Chinese brand, which exports SUVs to 80 countries, unveiled the H7 and its sister sport model, the H6, on Saturday ahead of the Shanghai auto show. Great Wall is one exception to the trend of independent Chinese brands struggling against foreign competition in their home market.

YouTube Defeats Viacom Copyright Lawsuit Again


As you might imagine, Viacom isn't too happy with today's verdict. Chad Hurley's tweet to Viacom's CEO is just insult to injury. smile
"The burden of showing that YouTube knew or was aware of the specific infringements of the works in suit cannot be shifted to YouTube to disprove," he wrote. "Congress has determined that the burden of identifying what must be taken down is to be on the copyright owner, a determination which has proven practicable in practice."