Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Video: ‘Mass Effect 2’ will blow you away
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:01:33 GMT ]

"Mass Effect 2" is an exceptionally written 30-plus hour love note to the science fiction genre.  Msnbc.com's Todd Kenreck gives it 10 out of 10.  (msnbc.com)"Mass Effect 2" is an exceptionally written 30-plus hour love note to the science fiction genre.  Msnbc.com's Todd Kenreck gives it 10 out of 10. (msnbc.com)


Cosmic Log: Mars rover will rove no more
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:33:19 GMT ]

Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Nine months after the Spirit rover sank into a Martian sand trap, NASA mission managers say they don't expect the troubled traveler to rove any farther.Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Nine months after the Spirit rover sank into a Martian sand trap, NASA mission managers say they don't expect the troubled traveler to rove any farther.


10 overhyped tech products
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:03:49 GMT ]

As gadget geeks get ready for an expected Apple reveal of its tablet, lets look at several other overyhyped tech products.


Apple tablet may be announced Wednesday 
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:04:22 GMT ]

Jan. 23: Msnbc's Alex Witt talks with CNET.com's Caroline McCarthy the buzz caused by Apple's new product.  (Other)Yes, there is a lot of buzz — maybe too much for some and not enough for others — about Apple's expected tablet. The reasons it's generating excitement vary, and it's not even clear whether everyone will want or need one — despite its Apple nameplate.


Microsoft eyes clean break with Windows Mobile 7
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:22:00 PST ]
Long-delayed Windows Mobile 7 to debut at Barcelona event and arrive on phones before year's end, sources tell CNET. Plus: Here comes a Microsoft-designed consumer phone.

McNealy's bittersweet memo bids good-bye to Sun
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:22:00 PST ]
Signing off after 28 years leading the company he helped found, Scott McNealy says he's come to grips with Sun becoming part of Oracle.

Intel Core i3, i5 laptops make inroads at retailers
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:26:00 PST ]
Laptops based on the new mobile Intel Core i3 and i5 processors from Dell and Acer continue to roll into retailers at sub-$700 price points.

A migraine treatment for needle-phobes
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:30:00 PST ]
The Sumavel DosePro sumatriptan delivery system comes to market this month to treat migraines subcutaneously. Instead of using a needle, it blasts the drug through skin using high air pressure--to mixed reviews.

Yahoo grounds the 'hover' on its home page
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:15:00 PST ]
A rollover-activated pop-up window within Yahoo's home page redesign from last year covered up too many prominent ads on its actual home page, and that can't be.

PS3 has landed at Hong Kong airport
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:25:00 PST ]
You can't play your own games, but you can play Sony's for free.

Twitter adds local trends to Web site
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:27:00 PST ]
New feature shows you what's hot on Twitter near you.

Mars rover no more, but Spirit lives on
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:12:00 PST ]
The Mars rover Spirit is still operational, but NASA scientists will stop trying to free it from a sandtrap and focus on the rover's survival and ability to conduct experiments where it's stuck.

FeedDemon update takes cues from Google
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:19:48 PST ]
The new FeedDemon 3.1 is a good effort to move beyond the controversy that came with version 3, introducing new multiple new features that mostly bring it into parity with Google Reader.

Report: Apple seeks books pricing plan for tablet
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:30:00 PST ]
The company is in secret negotiations with book publishers over a new e-books pricing scheme for Apple's highly anticipated tablet computer, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Phone app helps save man in Haiti
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:33:41 EST ]
Alone in the darkness beneath layers of rubble following the earthquake in Haiti, Dan Woolley felt blood streaming from his head and leg. Then he remembered -- he had an app for that.

Opinion: U.S. enables Chinese hacks
[ Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:20:31 EST ]
Author says the U.S. government inadvertently aided the Chinese hackers who allegedly attacked Google.

Top 5 sexiest video games
[ Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:27:05 GMT ]

Video games can be sexy. No, I don’t mean the curvaceous female characters that perform feats of heroism while wearing … very little. I’m talking about believable chemistry between characters, flirtatious banter and sexy attitude that has more to do with butt-kicking than butt-baring. 


Internet companies voice alarm over Italian law
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:19:56 GMT ]
Internet companies and civil liberty groups have voiced alarm over a proposed Italian law which would make online service providers responsible for their audiovisual content and copyright infringements by users.

Study: How to catch a fly ball? Keep an eye on it
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:29:11 GMT ]

In this Sept. 29, 1954 photo, New York Giants center fielder Willie Mays, running at top speed with his back to the plate, gets under a 450-foot blast off the bat of Cleveland Indians first baseman Vic Wertz to pull the ball down in front of the bleachers wall in the eighth inning of Game 1 of the World Series at the Polo Grounds in New York. In making the miraculous catch with two runners on base, Mays came within a step of crashing into the wall. The Giants won 5-2. A new study finds the way that baseball outfielders catch fly balls is simple: by keeping their eyes on the ball.


Bill Gates says Internet needs to thrive in China
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:10:46 GMT ]
Microsoft Corp Chairman Bill Gates on Monday said the Internet needs to thrive in China as an engine of free speech and described official online censorship by Beijing as "very limited."

Are we alone? We may soon find out
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:49:42 GMT ]

UFO investigators see references to rocket ships, aliens and astronauts that go back to the days when humans first put chisel and paintbrush to rock. More than 6,000 years later, objects that are unidentified - at least at first - continue to appear in the skies and generate buzz.Rapid technological leaps forward in the last 10 years mean mankind is closer than ever before to knowing whether extra-terrestrial life exists in our galaxy, one of Britain's leading scientists said on Tuesday.


Video: ‘Mass Effect 2’ will blow you away
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 00:01:33 GMT ]

"Mass Effect 2" is an exceptionally written 30-plus hour love note to the science fiction genre.  Msnbc.com's Todd Kenreck gives it 10 out of 10.  (msnbc.com)"Mass Effect 2" is an exceptionally written 30-plus hour love note to the science fiction genre.  Msnbc.com's Todd Kenreck gives it 10 out of 10. (msnbc.com)


10 overhyped tech products
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:03:49 GMT ]

As gadget geeks get ready for an expected Apple reveal of its tablet, lets look at several other overyhyped tech products.


Apple tablet could be ‘new category,’ some say
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:04:22 GMT ]

Jan. 23: Msnbc's Alex Witt talks with CNET.com's Caroline McCarthy the buzz caused by Apple's new product.  (Other)Yes, there is a lot of buzz — maybe too much for some and not enough for others — about Apple's expected tablet. The reasons it's generating excitement vary, and it's not even clear whether everyone will want or need one — despite its Apple nameplate.


Google prepares 3G fix for Nexus One
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 07:56:00 PST ]
An over-the-air update to Google's Android phone could help with 3G network connections and may arrive in about a week.

What we'll pay for on the Web
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:05:00 PST ]
Digitization makes content completely free, which most of us actually don't want, at least not most of the time. Instead, we'll happily pay for filters to make digital abundance manageable.

No news except Apple news
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:14:17 PST ]
Apple rumors engulf technology news, Nintendo releases a new Wii controller, and the PlayStation 3 finally gets hacked.

Justin.tv makes it easier to start streaming
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:00:00 PST ]
Justin.tv on Tuesday is rolling out a tweaked version of its broadcasting tools that the company says is bringing in a 700 percent increase in the number of people who begin a live stream.

EMC reports better-than-expected earnings, outlook
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:04:00 PST ]
Storage giant reports strong fourth quarter as both earnings and revenue come in ahead of expectations.The company also raises its outlook for this year.

Google beefing up new 'Social Web Team'
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:06:00 PST ]
Will Norris, an open-standards advocate, joins new Google hires Chris Messina and Joseph Smarr on a new squad to tackle a niche of the Web that's completely dominated by Facebook.

Digital camera sales set to rebound in 2010
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:18:00 PST ]
Digital camera shipments plunged 16 percent in 2009 but are expected to turn around this year, a camera trade group says. Digital SLRs still outpace the overall market.

YouTube to host Q&A with President Obama
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:19:00 PST ]
Those who watch the State of the Union address on YouTube can pose questions that President Obama will answer next week.

U.S. wind power capacity up in 2009
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:45:00 PST ]
Industry group says power-generating capacity rose 39 percent, but the number of U.S. jobs associated with wind energy was flat last year, thanks in part to the recession.

A view from Microsoft's disaster central
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:00:00 PST ]
From a standard conference room on Microsoft's headquarters, the software maker coordinates its emergency response, such as the effort still underway in Haiti.

Scanner may detect PTSD
[ Sat, 23 Jan 2010 08:43:08 EST ]
Post-traumatic stress is estimated to afflict more than 300,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan, but until now, it's been labeled a "soft disorder" -- one without an objective biological path to diagnosis.

Is the end nigh for soccer's Twitterati?
[ Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:09:38 EST ]
Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo may be the latest high-profile star to sign up to Twitter but it seems the days of savvy, social-networking soccer players could soon be numbered.

Haitian radio station becomes post-quake lifeline
[ Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:57:45 EST ]
In the aftermath of Haiti's devastating earthquake, a small radio station became an informational lifeline for people in Port-au-Prince and beyond.

Phone app helps save man in Haiti
[ Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:15:32 EST ]
Alone in the darkness beneath layers of rubble following the earthquake in Haiti, Dan Woolley felt blood streaming from his head and leg. Then he remembered -- he had an app for that.

Opinion: U.S. enables Chinese hacks
[ Sat, 23 Jan 2010 17:20:31 EST ]
Author says the U.S. government inadvertently aided the Chinese hackers who allegedly attacked Google.

China denies role in alleged cyber attacks
[ Sun, 24 Jan 2010 20:44:59 EST ]
China's information technology ministry called accusations of government involvement in cyber attacks alleged by Google "groundless" in an interview with state-run media on Sunday.

Scientists debut tongue-controlled wheelchair
[ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:27:19 EST ]
Cruise Bogle, 18, was skimboarding with friends in Delray Beach, Florida, when he took a wave that whipped his board out from under him. Bogle was thrown backward, and his head hit the ocean floor. When friends saw him lying still in the surf, they knew something was wrong and rushed him to the hospital.

China's super-rich look for love online
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:50:18 EST ]
In China it can be hard for millionaires to find love. Just ask Xu Tianli.

Flying radio station broadcasts help to Haiti
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 10:05:07 EST ]
Sixty miles west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, an Air Force C-130 makes slow and lazy ovals over the Golfe de la Gonzave, a 264-foot weighted wire dangling from its belly like a plumb line.

Has Twitter peaked?
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 08:13:10 EST ]
It was the upstart rock star of the Internet in early 2009. But for the past six months, Twitter's number of visitors has flatlined.

Monday, January 25, 2010

NASA crew to provide coin for Super Bowl toss
[ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 22:48:05 GMT ]
The crew of space shuttle Atlantis plans to deliver to the Pro Football Hall of Fame a coin that traveled into space for use in the official coin toss at Super Bowl XLIV.

Scientists find smallest known Pluto sibling
[ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:54:47 GMT ]
The Kuiper Belt region is filled with objects believed to be left over from the solar system's formation. The discovery links solar system formation to planet-forming debris disk around other stars.

Despite threats, Google tries to stay in China
[ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:06:08 GMT ]
Even if its stand against censorship leads it to close its search engine in China, Google Inc. still hopes to maintain other key operations in the world's most populous Internet market.

China denies involvement in Google hackings
[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 02:22:19 GMT ]

Jan. 25: Google does not agree with the Chinese government's censorship rules. Who wins? Global Voices Online's Rebecca MacKinnon offers further insight.  (Nightly News)The Chinese government denied involvement in Internet attacks and defended its online censorship Monday after the United States urged Beijing to investigate complaints of cyber intrusions in a dispute that has added tension to bilateral relations.


Facebook's FarmVille attracting millions
[ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:20:56 GMT ]

From Crasher Squirrel and Kanye West to Balloon Boy, these are the running gags that made the year's Internet life worth living. Even while calling Chicago home, Laura Hawkins Grimes is a country bumpkin. Her scenic rural spread has three dairy farms, two ponds and a log cabin, all skirted by a white picket fence as scarecrows stand sentry over her blackberries.


10 mind-bending dinosaur discoveries
[ Mon, 25 Jan 2010 13:54:50 GMT ]

Dinosaur discoveries aren't just about finding fossils, recent evidence has also revealed a ‘Mini Me’ version of the T. rex and links to dino-bird connection, among other surprises.