Unselfish brain cells found in monkeys[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 22:49:05 GMT ]Brain cells that fire only when monkeys act unselfishly may provide clues to the neural basis of altruism, according to a new study.

A better pencil sharpener? Inventor dreams of erasing life's annoyances[ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:09:44 GMT ]Long lines at amusement parks. Traffic stalled at rush hour. Cycling uphill. To most of us, these are just minor problems we face in an otherwise comfortable existence. To Anwar Farooq, they are personal call-outs, challenges that he must answer with his own ingenuity.

The night sky's top sights for 2013[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 23:33:23 GMT ]Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: The coming year could bring brilliant cometary fireworks as well as eclipses, meteor showers and more. But there's also the potential for disappointment.

Five great video games to get your New Year's Eve party started[ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:50:26 GMT ]The New Year's Eve long weekend is upon us, and you know what that means — good friends and good times ahead. If you're looking to add that special something to the party, then may we suggest you fire up some video games?

13 technologies you won't see in 2013[ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 16:50:26 GMT ]The Maya apocalypse was only one of many products that missed their release schedule in 2012 — and the same will hold true next year as well. Find out about 13 talked-up technologies that won't see the light of day in 2013.

How to quickly set calendar times in OS X[ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 00:26:44 GMT ]If needed, you can take advantage of the OS X Calendar's ability to identify time frames to enter events faster. [Read more]

Netflix doubles down on CEO Reed Hastings' pay package[ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:04:29 GMT ]Movie streaming company gives its chief a hefty raise for 2013, a year after slashing his compensation in the wake of a botched plan to split the company. [Read more]

Suppliers hint at changes to MacBook Air -- Digitimes[ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:32:27 GMT ]While it's a given that the MacBook Air is coming up for a redesign, it's a question of degree. The industrial design won't change much, according to a report from the Taiwanese site. [Read more]

New iOS app shows NY subway arrival times[ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 01:51:07 GMT ]For the first time, New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority has release an iOS app that shows train arrival times on seven subway lines. [Read more]

The Audiophiliac's speaker of the year: The KEF LS50[ Sat, 29 Dec 2012 15:36:00 GMT ]The British have a knack for making exceptional-sounding small monitor speakers; the KEF LS50 is the latest example of the breed. [Read more]

The 10 best video games of 2012[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:24:57 EST ]With new installments of popular franchises such as "Halo" and "Call of Duty," expectations ran high for video games in 2012.

Zuckerberg OK after photo flap [ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:24:06 EST ]The sister of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says there are no hard feelings after a "leaked" family photo raised questions about online etiquette and privacy on the social network.

The top 12 tech stories of 2012[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 05:45:49 EST ]In the tech world, 2012 was the year of the reboot. Older, established tech companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Nintendo all tried to restart their brands with bold new products and fresh blood in the executive suites.

Oops! The year's top 10 tech 'fails'[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:56:52 EST ]Well, you can't win 'em all.

Oops! The top 10 tech 'fails' of 2012[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:55:51 EST ]Well, you can't win 'em all.

China tightens Internet controls, legalizes post deletion[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:37:10 GMT ]China unveiled tighter Internet controls on Friday, legalizing the deletion of posts or pages which are deemed to contain "illegal" information and requiring service providers to hand over such information to the authorities for punishment.

Over 17 million tablets and phones opened on Christmas[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 01:42:41 GMT ]Christmas day this year saw record numbers of devices coming online — over 17 million of them, according to app analytics company Flurry. And that's not counting the ones that stayed offline.

Fossil dealer's guilty plea ends dino dispute[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 22:29:53 GMT ]A Florida fossil dealer pleaded guilty to smuggling charges Thursday and agreed to give up a celebrated $1 million dinosaur skeleton that was seized by the U.S. government earlier this year for eventual return to Mongolia.

The year's top ancient mysteries (and missteps)[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 21:29:56 GMT ]The past year saw plenty of controversy over ancient mysteries — and we're not just talking about Maya prophecies. So what happened to "Franken-saurus," the Gospel of Jesus' Wife and the plan to clone a woolly mammoth?

Grumpy Cat! NASA Mohawk Guy! Gangnam Style! McKayla still not impressed?[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 19:36:44 GMT ]Here’s a look at 10 memes that made our Internet year worth living.

Snapchat, Poke videos don't quite disappear as promised[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 14:39:59 GMT ]Videos sent through Snapchat or Facebook's Poke app should vanish after several seconds, yet they're still viewable if someone knows where to look. [Read more]

China tightens the screws on Internet users[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:30:04 GMT ]The country will now require all citizens to use their real names when signing up for an Internet account and force Internet providers to delete posts deemed "illegal." [Read more]

Google's new VP9 video technology reaches public view[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:43:20 GMT ]The older VP8 hasn't taken the world by storm, but VP9 could give Google a fresh start in its attempt to popularize royalty-free video-streaming technology. [Read more]

DirecTV to hike subscription rates in February 2013[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 15:52:12 GMT ]The satellite TV broadcaster has announced an average increase of 4.5 percent increase in rates for subscriptions, effective February 2013. [Read more]

Apple's Christmas gift - 87 percent leap in app downloads[ Fri, 28 Dec 2012 16:01:05 GMT ]App downloads on Christmas Day rose 87 percent over the average for the month, leading to a 70 percent increase in App Store revenue, says Distimo. [Read more]

Instagram hit with lawsuit[ Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:32:50 EST ]A class action lawsuit against Instagram has been filed in San Francisco federal court, following user outrage regarding the mobile photo sharing app's changed Terms of Service.

On Web, 'Time Has Come' for singer[ Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:09:49 EST ]His song is one of the enduring anthems of the turbulent 1960s, a soulful call to action awash in a psychedelic wave of sound.

Tweets from Netflix's Xmas outage[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 13:30:33 EST ]Aah, Christmas Eve. A time for family and friends, eggnog and mistletoe, carols and cookies ... and catching up on "Downton Abbey"?

The 10 best video games of 2012[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:24:57 EST ]With new installments of popular franchises such as "Halo" and "Call of Duty," expectations ran high for video games in 2012.

The top 12 tech stories of 2012[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:42:18 EST ]In the tech world, 2012 was the year of the reboot. Older, established tech companies such as Microsoft, Yahoo and Nintendo all tried to restart their brands with bold new products and fresh blood in the executive suites.

Peru's mysterious Nazca Lines form a labyrinth[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:57:03 GMT ]Some of the Nazca Lines, mysterious geoglyphs that span a vast swath of the rugged Peruvian desert, may have once been a labyrinth with a spiritual purpose, a new study suggests.

Survey finds increase in e-reading, drop in paper[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:11:23 GMT ]The tastes of the reading public are turning digital. The percentage of Americans aged 16 and older who read an e-book grew from 16 percent in 2011 to 23 percent this year.

Smart TV owners seemingly tuning out most apps[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:10:18 GMT ]They may be called smart TVs, but that doesn’t stop the vast majority of us from using them as basic boob tubes. A new NPD Group report claims that most people use their Internet-enabled televisions to stream video services like Netflix or Hulu Plus, and … actually, not much else.

2,750-year-old temple found near Jerusalem[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 07:51:15 GMT ]Archaeologists say they have uncovered a 2,750-year-old temple near Jerusalem, along with pottery and clay figurines that suggest the site was the home base for a ritual cult.

Weird Science 2012: Sex, drugs and doomsday[ Wed, 26 Dec 2012 22:24:44 GMT ]Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll and the Apocalypse: 2012 had it all. But only 10 stories about the past year's strangest scientific research can make it into our Weird Science hall of fame — so we're going to need your help.

Why are audiophiles afraid to admit they're audiophiles?[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:36:00 GMT ]You don't have to own an expensive hi-fi to be an audiophile. You just have to enjoy listening -- really listening -- to music. [Read more]

Internet on the TV? Meh, say consumers[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:54:49 GMT ]Facebook, Twitter, online shopping -- they're just a blip. The big draw by far on Internet-connected TVs is over-the-top video. [Read more]

Microsoft Windows Phone store adds 75,000 apps this year[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 15:59:59 GMT ]More than 75,000 new apps and 300,000 app updates wound up in the store this past year. [Read more]

Galaxy S4: Imagine it impossibly thin, with laser keyboard[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 16:26:50 GMT ]The expectations for the next Samsung flagship phone keep getting higher and higher. A new concept video shows some potentially iPhone-killing features. [Read more]

Apple rumored to be developing a smart watch[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 17:01:32 GMT ]New scuttlebut suggests that Apple is teaming up with Intel to fashion an iOS-based watch. [Read more]

Apparently This Matters: Meggings[ Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:52:19 EST ]GQ summed it up with one word: "No."

Steve Jobs' yacht impounded[ Sat, 22 Dec 2012 11:01:29 EST ]The megayacht that Steve Jobs commissioned in the final years of his life has been impounded in Amsterdam after a payment dispute involving the designer, Philippe Starck.

Instagram hit with lawsuit[ Mon, 24 Dec 2012 17:32:50 EST ]A class action lawsuit against Instagram has been filed in San Francisco federal court, following user outrage regarding the mobile photo sharing app's changed Terms of Service.

On Web, 'Time Has Come' for singer[ Wed, 26 Dec 2012 12:09:49 EST ]His song is one of the enduring anthems of the turbulent 1960s, a soulful call to action awash in a psychedelic wave of sound.

The 10 best video games of 2012[ Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:24:57 EST ]With new installments of popular franchises such as "Halo" and "Call of Duty," expectations ran high for video games in 2012.

Iran says it fended off cyber attack on industrial sites[ Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:14:34 GMT ]An Internet virus attacked computers at industrial sites in southern Iran, in an apparent extension of a covert cyber war that initially targeted the country's nuclear facilities, an Iranian official said.

LG’s latest projector system is powered by freaking lasers[ Wed, 26 Dec 2012 13:46:47 GMT ]Until now, all consumer front projector systems produced light using lamps or in rare cases LEDs. The new LG HECTO FP system, on the other hand, uses lasers for illumination instead.

Netflix suffers Christmas Eve outage, points to Amazon[ Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:12:49 GMT ]An outage at one of Amazon's Web service centers hit users of Netflix Inc.'s streaming video service on Christmas Eve and was not fully resolved until Christmas day, a spokesman for the movie rental company said on Tuesday.

Sea whodunit: How scientists solve whale deaths[ Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:45:38 GMT ]Sometimes the bodies show up floating in the ocean, other times they wash ashore. Then it's up to investigators to figure out what happened.

How to set up your new HDTV[ Tue, 25 Dec 2012 21:48:56 GMT ]It’s not possible for a TV to be set at the factory with the best settings possible for your home. Take 20 minutes or so on your end, and you can drastically improve the picture quality.