Is facial recognition software discriminatory?[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:58:08 GMT ]A video posted on YouTube shows HP's facial recognition software tracking the movements of a white face, but not a black one, something the video's maker calls "racist," but the computer giant says is definitely not.

Texting drivers six times more likely to crash[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:40:49 GMT ]The research adds to a mountain of evidence showing that texting or talking on mobile phones while driving is dangerous. Texting seems to be the worst.

White House picks new cyber czar[ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 02:28:24 GMT ]After months of wrangling and delays, President Barack Obama has chosen a national cyber security coordinator to take on the task of organizing and managing the nation's digital networks.

First Jesus-era house found in Nazareth[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:27:46 GMT ]Days before Christmas, archaeologists on Monday unveiled what they said were the remains of the first dwelling in Nazareth that can be dated back to the time of Jesus.

Chimps master first step in controlling fire[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 19:02:50 GMT ]Chimps remain cool under fire, possessing a near human ability to predict how wildfires spread and react accordingly.

Mom calls 911 over son's video-game habit[ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:42:21 GMT ]Police say a frustrated Boston woman called 911 to say she couldn't get her 14-year-old son to stop playing video games and go to sleep.

Terrific tech gifts for $200 or less[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:12:06 GMT ]Strapped for cash? Keeping up with the latest technology doesn't always require pinching pennies. From Blu-ray players to Bluetooth devices, you can find a plethora of useful technology gear, each item priced less than $200.

Lavish gadgets for those with rich taste[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:30:06 GMT ]Is there a technophile on your list with tastes that run a little rich? You may want to consider custom-made PCs starting at $8,000 or an uber-chic cordless phone for $1,100.

Slide show: Year in Space 2009[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:48:38 GMT ]Click to see images of Hubble's revival and other outer-space highlights from 2009.

Cosmic Log: The year in space[ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 01:08:30 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The highest highlight of 2009 was the revival of the Hubble Space Telescope. Or was it? Weigh in on the top stories of the past year and 2010's top trends.

The five most welcome digital audio products of 2009[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:30:38 PST ]Despite the economic toll on the industry, five stand-out products did much to move the state of digital audio forward this year.

BioWare: Japanese RPGs don't get American audiences[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 13:55:00 PST ]Company co-founder says Japanese role-playing games just aren't evolving from where they started, causing most American gamers to look the other way.

Meebo Bar now available for all[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 14:12:22 PST ]Previously only available to large blogs and businesses, the Meebo Bar, which features a variety of sharing and chat options, is now available to everyone.

Big Facebook privacy void: Controls on Connect[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:20:00 PST ]If you're sharing info on your news feed with Facebook Connect, it's visible to either all your friends or none of them, something that Facebook can and should change.

Tax prep preview: Which DIY app is right for you?[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 15:26:00 PST ]In anticipation of the 2009 tax season, we've gathered some preliminary information about tax prep software for the DIY tax-doers among you.

Google's creed: 'Open will win'[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:04:00 PST ]In a 4,000-word manifesto recently penned by Google's Jonathan Rosenberg on the importance of being open, the company once again swears it is a force for good.

Virtual world designer Metaplace to shutter[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:34:00 PST ]Saying it hasn't been able to gain traction as a consumer user-generated content service, Raph Koster's leading game design company is shutting down.

Broadcom, Nvidia bring HD video to new Netbooks[ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:00:00 PST ]Consumers who want to watch high-resolution video on new Netbooks will need special chips from Broadcom or Nvidia.

Accused 'Wolverine' pirate calls charges 'ridiculous'[ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:00:00 PST ]In a newspaper interview, Gilberto Sanchez acknowledges uploading the film, but says he obtained it from a street vendor. Has the trail for the original leak gone cold?

Valley VC learns to embrace government[ Tue, 22 Dec 2009 04:00:00 PST ]Famous venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson avoided politics--as long as he could. Now dealing with the feds is a job skill.

A car that turns into a speedboat[ Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:23:00 EST ]California-born Dave March has always had a passion for cars and boats.

Microsoft help desk less busy after Windows 7[ Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:49:08 EST ]There are many ways to measure how Windows 7 is doing. There are reports on new PC sales, tallies of boxed copy sales, and surveys of planned enterprise adoption, to name a few.

BlackBerry users hit by e-mail outages[ Thu, 17 Dec 2009 14:16:28 EST ]Users of BlackBerry phones in North America reported widespread interruptions in sending and receiving e-mail Thursday.

Official: Iraqi insurgents hacked Predator drones[ Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:53:40 EST ]Insurgents were able to use a mass-market software program to view live feeds from U.S. military Predator drones monitoring targets in Iraq, a U.S. official indicated to CNN Thursday.

Review: 'Avatar' delivers on the hype[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:15:03 EST ]James Cameron has done it again.

Twitter hackers appear to be Shiite group[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:46:34 EST ]The popular microblogging Web site Twitter was briefly hacked early Friday by the "Iranian Cyber Army." The Web site was down for nearly an hour before service was restored.

NASA reveals photo of liquid on Saturn moon[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:26:11 EST ]NASA scientists revealed Friday a first-of-its-kind image from space showing reflecting sunlight from a lake on Saturn's largest moon, Titan.

Ode to Saab, a car that follows its own road[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:23:44 EST ]My name is Steven Wade and I'm a Saaboholic.

Facebook campaign creates No. 1 song[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 11:02:38 EST ]Rage Against the Machine has claimed the prestigious No. 1 spot on the British singles chart on the last Sunday before Christmas, marking the first time in five years the winner of Simon Cowell's "X-Factor" has not won.

Contest tests nation's top hackers[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:56:44 EST ]Elite young hackers from around the nation competed in the U.S. Cyber Challenge -- a national talent search for future cybersecurity experts. The idea is to recruit these youths to help defend the government against cyber attacks.

Verizon defends higher smart phone fees[ Sat, 19 Dec 2009 00:08:18 GMT ]Verizon Wireless said Friday that it doubled the fees for customers to break service contracts for smart phones because those devices cost much more.

Twitter temporarily hacked, now up[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 16:17:19 GMT ]Micro-blogging site Twitter said its domain name system records were temporarily "compromised" Thursday night, but that the problem was fixed later.

10 best Xbox 360 games of 2009[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:45:43 GMT ]With all the incredible games that have been released for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 this year, trying to write a “Best of 2009” list feels an awful lot like trying to stick 20 pounds of sand into a 2-pound sack.

Earth's upper atmosphere cooling dramatically[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:48:26 GMT ]When the sun is relatively inactive — as it has been in recent years — the outermost layer of Earth's atmosphere cools dramatically, new observations find.

Even bacteria get lonely[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 18:42:41 GMT ]Scientists are reporting that bacteria locked in solitary confinement know they are locked up, talk to themselves, and try to break free of their imprisonment.

Maine to consider cell phone cancer warning[ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:12:57 GMT ]A Maine legislator wants to make the state the first to require cell phones to carry warnings that they can cause brain cancer, although there is no consensus among scientists that they do and industry leaders dispute the claim.

Eight ways to cool a warming planet[ Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:32:29 GMT ]Cuts to greenhouse gas emissions are widely considered the most prudent strategy to cool the planet, but some scientists say the politics and economics of this process are unfolding too slowly. Could geo-engineering be the answer?

Cosmic Log: The decade's highs and lows in science[ Sat, 19 Dec 2009 01:17:34 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Some may call the decade that's ending the "aughts" or the "noughties," but you could also think of the 2000-2009 time frame as the double-oh decade. In the world of science, the past 10 years had plenty of "Oh! Oh!" moments – and a few uh-ohs as well.

Slide show: ‘Polar Obsession’[ Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:48:06 GMT ]National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen captures images of life in the polar reaches and the effects of climate change.

Crew blasts off for Christmas space mission[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:46:18 GMT ]A Russian rocket has blasted off from a cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, shuttling an American, a Russian and a Japanese to the International Space Station.

U.N. climate talks end with bare-minimum deal[ Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:54:34 PST ]Accord "may not be everything everyone had hoped for, but this...is an important beginning," says U.N. secretary-general after talks end with U.N. "noting" nonbinding agreement.

No Nook by Christmas? Here's a $100 gift card[ Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:47:48 PST ]Barnes & Noble alerts some customers who preordered the new e-reader that they might not get the device in time for Christmas. Company says it will send a $100 gift certificate, with apologies.

iPhone, BlackBerry Storm offer contrast in browsers[ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:42:00 PST ]The BlackBerry Storm 2 has some catching up to do in the browser department.

Three station fliers set off on flight to lab complex[ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 08:51:00 PST ]Cosmonaut Oleg Kotov, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi, and NASA's Timothy Creamer blast off on a two-day flight to the International Space Station aboard a Russian Soyuz ferry craft

Microsoft sued over Bing name[ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 10:15:53 PST ]A company called Bing Information Design is suing Microsoft, alleging "trademark infringement, unfair competition, and tortious interference with business expectancy."

The best Tiger Woods online gift ideas[ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 13:25:11 PST ]Somehow, many exciting and exacting entrepreneurs still try to make money out of Tiger Woods' woes. Here are some of the finest, led by one of Tiger's alleged lovers for BidHere.com.

Facebook group 1, Simon Cowell 0[ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 15:58:31 PST ]A Facebook group formed to ensure a Simon Cowell reality show product doesn't become Britain's No. 1 persuades more people to buy an old song by Rage Against the Machine.

Report: O2 to buy VoIP start-up Jajah[ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:45:00 PST ]The mobile arm of Telefonica Europe has apparently won a bidding war for the Internet telephone company with a $200 million offer, according to published reports.

Intel launches redesigned Atom chip for Netbooks[ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:00:00 PST ]Chip giant announces radically redesigned Atom processor. New Netbooks on the way.

How NORAD keeps track of Santa[ Mon, 21 Dec 2009 04:00:00 PST ]For decades, NORAD has been providing real-time information on Christmas Eve about Santa's whereabouts. These days, technology plays a bigger role than ever in bringing the program to the world.