At Vancouver Olympics, straw battles sun, rain[ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:42:00 PST ]With the Winter Games taking place so close to sea level, event organizers at Cypress Mountain are using bales of straw to lessen the amount of snow they need.

Oracle climbs up the food chain[ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 09:56:00 PST ]Oracle has long been seen as a software company. With the acquisition of Sun, it's now an integrated IT player with a scope of operations akin to that of HP and IBM.

Endeavour set to blast off in February[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:34:40 EST ]NASA will launch Space Shuttle Endeavour on February 7, which will be the first of five launches this year before the shuttle fleet is retired.

Feds to invest $8 billion in high-speed trains[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:58:07 EST ]President Obama announced Thursday that the federal government will spend $8 billion developing a nationwide high-speed train system -- an investment the White House says is needed to help spur long-term economic growth.

Study: Cell phone bans don't reduce accidents[ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 05:57:46 EST ]A new study suggests laws banning the use of hand-held devices while driving have not reduced the rate of accidents in three states and the District of Columbia.

Samsung takes top spot from HP[ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 02:33:28 EST ]Read full story for latest details.

Muslim inventions that shaped the modern world[ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:53:56 EST ]Think of the origins of that staple of modern life, the cup of coffee, and Italy often springs to mind.

'Mass Effect 2' picks up where first left off[ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:12:34 EST ]When you finish one video game in a series and begin the next, you're basically forced to start from scratch without carrying over any of your accomplishments from the previous game.

Gates Foundation makes $10 billion vaccine pledge[ Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:05:35 EST ]Bill and Melinda Gates announced plans Friday to invest $10 billion in the fight against a number of illnesses including AIDS, the largest financial commitment their charitable foundation has made.

iPad name draws jokes online[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:52:19 EST ]Punch lines about hygiene products flooded the blogosphere on Wednesday only moments after Apple Inc. announced it would call its new touch-screen computer the "iPad."

Your reactions to the 'oversized iPhone'[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:07:36 EST ]Kyle Aevermann is a tech-savvy, Apple-loving kind of guy. Despite his love of his iPhone, though, the iReporter says he won't pick up Apple's iPad.

Print media hail iPad's potential[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:10:10 EST ]Now that they've gotten a peek at it, publishers of books, newspapers and magazines are hoping Apple's forthcoming iPad tablet device will breathe new life into their struggling industry.

Power plants, other infrastructure face hackers[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:00:24 GMT ]More than half of the operators of U.S. power plants and other "critical infrastructure" say in a new study that their computer networks have been infiltrated by sophisticated adversaries. In many cases, foreign governments are suspected.

India plans first manned space flight in 2016[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:39:34 GMT ]India's space agency is planning the nation's first manned space flight for 2016, if it gets government approval of the project budget, an official said Thursday.

First U.S. commercial spaceport is taking shape[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:48:37 GMT ]The initial phase of building the rambling complex within remote desert scenery in New Mexico is quickening as loads of asphalt and concrete are being spread.

Mayan tomb may explain culture’s collapse[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:01:52 GMT ]Mexican archaeologists have found an 1,100-year-old tomb from the twilight of the Maya civilization that they hope may shed light on what happened to the once-glorious culture.

Why can’t ostriches fly[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 20:17:25 GMT ]As the Age of Dinosaurs came to an end, some flying birds swooped in and took up the newly available niches, foraging on the ground, eventually losing the ability to fly suggests new research.

Levitating magnet coaxes nuclear fusion[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:34:35 GMT ]Physicists may be one step closer to achieving a form of clean energy known as nuclear fusion, which is what happens deep inside the cores of stars.

Hacker cracks 49 House sites, insults Obama[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:00:12 GMT ]A hacker broke into 49 House Web sites of both political parties overnight to post a crude attack on President Barack Obama.

Apple iPad could write new chapter for e-books[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:45:18 GMT ]The company whose CEO proclaimed in 2008 that people don't read anymore may now be poised to sweep in and school the electronic book reader market.

iPad reactions: Nothing could have met hype[ Wed, 27 Jan 2010 23:05:56 GMT ]The expectations — and hype — were wildly high for Apple's "iPad" tablet device, which had been rumored for months. The reality, say some analysts, is still pretty impressive.

Apple announces ‘iPad’ touchscreen tablet[ Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:58:50 GMT ]Apple Wednesday announced a touchscreen tablet computer, the "iPad." Pricing starts at $499, and it should be available in 60 to 90 days.

Adobe speaks out about iPad Flash omission[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:59:00 PST ]Adobe finds out Apple's new iPad doesn't support Flash and it isn't too happy about it. A group manager mentions that frustration in a blog post.

Efficiency start-up bets on greener colleges[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:01:00 PST ]With colleges and universities feeling the heat to act on the environment, Energy Climate Solutions launches with energy efficiency and sustainability services.

$1 million for first perfecto in MLB 2K10[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:13:00 PST ]Almost any major league pitcher who threw a perfect game would be a millionaire. Now 2K Sports is offering a million dollars to the first gamer to toss one in its hit baseball video game.

Breakthrough made in nuclear-waste sequestration[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:13:12 PST ]A Venus flytrap-like response at the molecular level captures and sequesters radioactive waste in liquid while letting water pass through.

New objections in Google Books case due[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:27:00 PST ]Once again, deadline looms in the Google Book Search settlement process, as a new round of objections to the revised settlement must be filed by the end of Thursday.

It's been 10 years: Why won't people pay for privacy?[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:55:00 PST ]On Data Privacy Day and well into the Internet era, a look at a decade of failed business models that had hoped to make billions protecting customers' personal information.

Hello Oracle stack. Bye-bye best of breed?[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:23:13 PST ]The Oracle stack says that the era of buying and integrating best of breed computing infrastructure has ended.

Debating the merits of Apple's iPad[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:42:00 PST ]CNET editors Ina Fried and Josh Lowensohn hash out some of the pressing issues about the iPad: its merits, its faults, and what to look forward to in future iterations.

Kayak.com lets you book the 'Lost' flight[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:54:14 PST ]The final season of the hit sci-fi series premieres next week, and travel site Kayak has what appears to be an unofficial tie-in. Or is it?

Could open source abandon the Google train?[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 12:10:00 PST ]Google has long been a friend and partner to a variety of open-source communities, but its growing power and patent policies may fracture the amity.

Flying radio station broadcasts help to Haiti[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:37:39 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.

New rule for truckers: No texting[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:29:22 EST ]Drivers of commercial trucks and buses will be prohibited from texting under federal guidelines that U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today.

Google Voice finally on iPhone, in the browser[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:37:37 EST ]Google's end run around Apple's App Store is complete: Google Voice is ready as a Web application.

Facebook 'unnamed app' bug is fixed[ Wed, 27 Jan 2010 18:33:39 EST ]Word of a Facebook bug spread on the social networking site Wednesday before the "unnamed app," which officials say wasn't harmful, was fixed.

Twitter, Facebook abuzz with Obama reaction[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:17:00 EST ]The tone of tweets on Twitter and posts on Facebook in reaction to President Obama's State of the Union speech Wednesday night were in contrast to the optimistic comments on his speeches to Congress in September and during his inauguration.

Apple unveils its ... iPad[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:29:01 EST ]Apple CEO Steve Jobs lifts the veil on the iPad, a "magical" tablet-like device that starts at $499 and will begin shipping in two months. For more updates, follow @cnntech on Twitter or read complete coverage on CNNMoney.

Your reactions to the 'oversized iPhone'[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:07:36 EST ]Kyle Aevermann is a tech-savvy, Apple-loving kind of guy. Despite his love of his iPhone, though, the iReporter says he won't pick up Apple's iPad.

10 things missing from the iPad[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:20:56 EST ]The iPad was supposed to change the face of computing, to be a completely new form of digital experience.

'Magical' or worthless? Blogs react to iPad[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:34:33 EST ]Within hours of Apple CEO Steve Jobs's breathless iPad presentation -- he called the device "extraordinary," "unbelievable" and "a dream" -- the independent reviews from techie types began rolling in.

iPad name draws jokes online[ Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:10:20 EST ]Punch lines about hygiene products flooded the blogosphere on Wednesday only moments after Apple Inc. announced it would call its new touch-screen computer the "iPad."

Caltech cosmologist Andrew Lange dead at 52[ Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:48:25 GMT ]The California Institute of Technology says physicist Andrew Lange, who conducted award-winning research into the remnants of the Big Bang, is dead at age 52.

NASA flights check Haiti for more quake signs[ Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:09:22 GMT ]The U.S. space agency NASA will send surveillance flights over Haiti and the Dominican Republic to look for signs that more earthquakes may hit the area after a giant quake that killed as many as 200,000 people two weeks ago.

FCC seeks wireless termination fee explanation[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:02:08 GMT ]Federal regulators are asking the nation's largest wireless companies whether they give customers adequate notice about early termination fees for breaking a service contract before it expires.

Feds bar commercial drivers from texting[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:06:59 GMT ]The Transportation Department said Tuesday it is prohibiting truck and bus drivers from sending text messages on hand-held devices while operating commercial vehicles.

Apple tablet could stir up video game business[ Tue, 26 Jan 2010 20:29:04 GMT ]When Apple introduced the iPhone, it shook up the cell phone business but it also changed the way people play video games. About a quarter of the 100,000 applications that you can download to the iPhone are games, ranging from the simple "Doodle Jump" to a version of "Grand Theft Auto."

Did McGraw-Hill chief spill Apple's secret?[ Wed, 27 Jan 2010 02:22:46 GMT ]McGraw-Hill's CEO spoke on CNBC Tuesday and appeared to confirm speculation that Apple will indeed unveil a tablet computer running on iPhone software during a highly anticipated media event Wednesday.

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)

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.