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Tech NewsAll the Rivers in the US Look Like Veins With Blue Blood
This gorgeous map by Nelson Minar shows every single river in the United States. Look how many veins America has! The vector data Minar used to make the visualization is on GitHub if you’d like to make your own. In case you forgot, geography can be beautiful. Also, so much for Nevada being a desert. … Continued
By Leslie Horn -
Tech NewsAirbus A350 XWB First Flight Video: The Dreamliner’s Nightmare Is Real
What you’re looking at here is history; the triumph of seven years of design and engineering. Today, the Airbus A350 XWB completed its first flight. Here’s the video of the mammoth taking to the skies: Far from just another tin tank, the A350 is a carbon fiber miracle. It’s frame is made from 53-percent composite … Continued
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Tech NewsNew Elysium Trailer: High-Tech Dystopia Never Looked So Good
It feels like we’ve been waiting ages for the release of Neill Blomkamp’s latest movie, Elysium. But in this new trailer, we’re given a more in-depth look at what’s to come when the film comes out on August 9th: sublime space habitats, an earth sliding into chaos, and Matt Damon making robot jokes. We already … Continued
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Tech NewsThis Corona Billboard Makes the Moon the World’s Biggest Lime Wedge
If you happen to find yourself taking an evening stroll past 15th Street and 9th Avenue in Manhattan tomorrow night, you’ll have the opportunity to full enjoy this clever Corona billboard. Playing off the fact the drink is usually served with a lime wedged in the bottle’s mouth, from the right angle, and on the … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Microsoft Office For iOS Is Here (Finally)
After plenty of rumor and speculation, Microsoft has quietly launched its version of Office for iOS—but as of yet there’s no iPad version. Oh, and you need a subscription. That’s right, the app requires an Office 365 subscription, before allowing you to view and edit Powerpoint, Excel, and Word files which are stored on the … Continued
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Tech NewsDesignHow 3D Animation Works, From Start to Finish
It’s sometimes easy to forget when you’re watching an animated movie just how complex the underlying technology is. In this video, Steve Carell explains the 3D animation processes involved in taking an idea from the storyboard to the movie theater. Really a promo for Despicable Me 2, the video gives a refreshingly accurate explanation of … Continued
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Tech News
Ice Sheets Were Terrifyingly Thick 20,000 Years Ago
Since our planet was born, it’s gone through periods of extreme cold known as ice ages—but you might not realise just how of the cold stuff came with them. Spoiler: a lot. This neat visualization by Randall Monroe of XKCD fame shows just how thick the ice sheets covering our planet were 20,000 years ago. … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Yahoo Tried Real Hard–But Failed–to Avoid Joining PRISM
While everyone’s skeptical about how and why so many tech companies are involved with PRISM, the New York Times has run a heartening piece which describes how Yahoo fought hard—but ultimately failed—to avoid joining the initiative. https://gizmodo.com/the-tech-companies-in-prism-arent-telling-the-complete-512052926 A document dating back to 2008 shows that a company now identified to be Yahoo petitioned the secret … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and Security
Bloomberg: Tech Companies Got Access to Classified Info in PRISM Deal
Bloomberg is reporting that the recent NSA Prism scandal is just a tiny scratch on the privacy surface. Citing “four people familiar with the process”, the agency claims that in fact thousands of technology, finance and manufacturing companies work with US national security agencies. In return for providing “sensitive information”, Bloomberg claims these companies receive … Continued
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Tech NewsGoogleGoogle Fiber Helped a Sick Boy Throw a Baseball Pitch with Robots
When you combine Google Fiber, a robot and a boy 1,800 miles away from a baseball game, you already know it’s going to be a good story. But this is better than just good. Google Fiber helped a boy with a rare blood disorder throw out the first pitch at a baseball game that was … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsThe Weirdest Thing on the Internet Tonight: Hands Up If You’re Lost
Who would have thought a song sung for a dying mouse by fraggly imps could be this wonderful? We Show Up on RadaR (WSUOR)—comprised of singer-songwriter-producer-instrumentalist-creative visionary Andy Wright—crafted this serene melody ahead of his new album’s release July release, Sadness Defeated. Polymath Pictures produced the official music video while a team of six puppeteers … Continued
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Tech NewsAppleiOS 7 Finally Lets You Zoom While Recording Video on Your iPhone
Here’s an under-reported feature of iOS 7: you can finally zoom in while video recording now. It seems like it could get a little choppy, as you have to pinch to zoom while already recording video but from the looks of the video above shot by 9to5Mac, the results are pretty seamless. On top of … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsWatch Christmas Lights Recreate Star Trek’s Beam Me Up Scotty Effect
Even non-Star Trek fans have dreamed about teleporting away to space by just saying Beam Me Up, Scotty. And though it’s unlikely to ever happen in our lifetimes (prove me wrong smart people!), the special effects maestro Shanks FX has cooked up a slick way to recreate the Star Trek teleportation effect with Christmas lights. … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech NewsApple
The Evolution of the iPhone Home Screen
A lot has happened since 2007. Just look at how much the iPhone home screen has changed. Or how little it has? Back in the days of the first iPhone (it wasn’t even called iOS yet), we couldn’t get third party apps or even move apps around. Now, we have a bigger screen and all … Continued
By Casey Chan -
Tech News
Mob Stoolie: Il Cosa Nostra Wanted UAVs for Hits
The US military may hold the crown for most people whacked from an autonomous weapons platform but it is far from the first to try remotely-piloted death machines. According to one former mafioso, the Graviano family was testing radio-controlled, explosives-laden kamikaze craft for the handling of its staffing issues two decades ago. Gaspare Spatuzza, former … Continued
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Tech NewsLamb – Wise Enough
Take a tour through a surreal industrialized dystopia in the latest video from legendary British trip hop duo. After a five year hiatus following the massive success of their breakout singles “Górecki” and “Gabriel,” Lamb, exploded back onto the music scene with their fifth album, 5. For the first single off the 2011 album, the … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Syria Uses Chemical Weapons On Rebels; Sarin Gas Confirmed by U.S.
A secret memo leaked to the New York Times proves that the United States knows the Syrian regime is using sarin gas against rebels there. John McCain wants a war. Barack Obama, the president, is more cautious. [URL http://gawker.com/white-house-sa…] http://gawker.com/white-house-says-syria-crosses-red-lines-with-use-of-513265502
By Ken Layne -
Tech NewsSploid
Explosion At Louisiana Chemical Plant Kills 1, Injures 73
A monstrous explosion at a Louisiana chemical plant has killed one person and injured another 73, said authorities in the town of Geismar 50 miles from New Orleans. The dangerous factor produces 1.3 billion pounds of ethylene per year, along with 90 million pounds of propylene.
By Ken Layne -
Tech NewsControl This Beautiful Ceramic Radio By Touching Its Palladium Surface
Engineers and gilders might not seem like the most intuitive design partners—after all, their crafts hail from entirely different centuries—but the results of those kinds of unconventional collaborations can be magical. Behold: Hibou (meaning Owl, in French), a ceramic radio that’s controlled by touching the palladium patterns on its surface. Hibou is the work of … Continued