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Tech NewsMicrosoftHow the Hell Do I Fix My Windows/Mac/Linux Computer?
If you live in the twenty-first century, you’ve no doubt endured the unutterable agony of a computer breaking down on you. Then comes the excruciating part: bargaining with the incapable hunk of metal to—”Please, for the love of God”—sputter back to life. Well, the next time this happens, perhaps you can use this handy Guide … Continued
Matthew Inman, theoatmeal.com -
Tech NewsApple
You Might Actually Learn Something With History Channel’s Civil War iPad App
History geeks everywhere will likely salivate over History Channel’s new Civil War iPad app, which lets you relive each day of the 19th century American war. Updated once daily, you can read news blasts from the front lines, stay updated on casualty counts, get inside the head of Lincoln, view interactive battle maps and do … Continued
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Tech NewsPower this Little RC Car with Soda Can Tabs
The car manufacturers have it wrong—we don’t need hybrids or electric cars. We need cars that run on discarded junkfood containers—like the DAlH2Orean remote-controlled car! Two Spanish engineers from the Polytechnic Institute of Catalonia figured out a way to power the little car with soda can tabs. The aluminum tabs are mixed with sodium hydroxide … Continued
By Husain Sumra -
Tech News
Are Cops Using Devices to Illegally Extract Data from Your Cell Phone?
The American Civil Liberties Union is accusing the Michigan State Police of using cellphone extraction devices on people that they pull over. Those devices can snag personal and sensitive data stored on your cell phone without you even knowing. Scary. The problem right now is that no one knows the extent of what the Michigan … Continued
By Casey Chan -
io9
Hear King Tutankhamun’s trumpets played for the first time in 3000 years
Among the remarkable treasures found in Tutankhamun’s tomb were two ornate trumpets, one made of silver and the other of bronze. In 1939, BBC radio broadcast the trumpets’ music to 150 million people, and they’re now re-releasing the original audio. The trumpet music – performed 72 years ago by bandsman and soldier James Tappern – … Continued
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Tech News
RDTN Project Wants to Arm Japan with Geiger Counters
One of the worst factors of the Fukushima crisis is clarity of information—and the distinct lack of it since the quake first hit. The people behind RDTN say to hell with the government and TEPCO—let citizens report radiation. The idea has yet to crack from its Kickstarter egg ($9,700 out of $33,000), but its ambitions … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
io9
Drone weapons systems risk leading us to “a Terminator-like reality,” warns a British government study
The U.S. government isn’t the only one using more robotic weapons in places like Iraq and Afghanistan — the British government is doing it too. But a new study from Britain’s Ministry of Defence warns we could be creating Skynet. The Guardian got a look at the MoD’s report, called “The UK Approach to Unmanned … Continued
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io9Television
Why did the BBC’s tribute to books ignore genre fiction?
Britain’s BBC 2 had a whole evening of book-related programming in celebration of World Book Night, including the promisingly titled The Books We Really Read: A Culture Show Special. So why did the featured books not include genre fiction? That’s what a host of writers, including genre authors like Michael Moorock and Iain M. Banks, … Continued
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Tech News
This is What You Get When You Get Lots of Mentos and Soda Together
You know what’s a good way to celebrate the beginning of Easter? Take hundreds of carbonated beverages, mix them with a bunch of Mentos, and watch the chaos ensue. That’s what educational group Mad Science did for Alton Towers Resort in the UK. [The Telegraph]
By Husain Sumra -
io9
The Euthanasia Coaster, the last roller coaster you’ll ever ride
Royal College of Art PhD student (and former amusement park employee) Julijonas Urbonas has drafted designs for a project he calls “The Euthanasia Coaster,” a fast and fatal thrill ride designed to starve the rider’s brain of oxygen. Urbonas designed this deadly contraption to give the rider agency over their final voyage. Here’s his description … Continued
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Tech News
Top Stories: Monday, April 18, 2011
Get Over Yourself | Why nobody cares that you still don’t have a Facebook account https://gizmodo.com/if-youre-not-on-facebook-its-time-to-get-over-yourself-5792570 Sex Offender Screening on Dating Sites Is Messy-But It Needs to Happen Last week, a California woman sued the mega-popular Match.com after a post-date rape. She later discovered the man was a convicted sex offender. Now the site will … Continued
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io9
Legendary “royal star” was an actual supernova
In 1660, Britain restored the monarchy after a decade of Oliver Cromwell’s puritanical dictatorship. Charles II’s supporters pointed out that his birth was marked by a glorious noon-day star, proving his divine right to rule…and that wasn’t necessarily just propaganda. Royalist pamphleteer Edward Matthew offered this predictably flowery description of the star in 1661, the … Continued
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Tech News
Fukushima Needs This Gigantic, Water-Spewing Truck with Football Field Reach
TEPCO is desperately trying to keep Fukushima’s scalding fuel rods from overheating. So they need water. Swimming pools of it. Pumping that much water isn’t easy—but this massive rig 700 gallons per minute with an astounding 70-meter boom. The $2 million Putzmeister 70Z (aka THE JUGGERNAUT) is the big brother of another Putzmeister model currently … Continued
By Sam Biddle -
io95 Minutes of Falling Skies footage shows how the alien invaders will kill us all
Spielberg’s new show Falling Skies may be much darker than we anticipated. Watch this five-minute sneak peek (which was shown to the crowd at WonderCon) of little kids drawing pictures of how their parents died in the alien invasion. Chilling. The more we see, the more we’re starting to warm up to this post-apocalyptic alien-invasion … Continued
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io9Movies
The glamorous, thrilling life of a television writer on the job market
Daniel Thomsen, a television writer who has worked on staff at Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and Melrose Place, explains just what goes into the “staffing season” for television writers. This piece originally appeared at John August’s blog, and you can follow Daniel on Twitter here. Here is what it means to be a TV … Continued
Daniel Thomsen -
Tech NewsApple
iTunes 10.2.2 Clears Up Slow-Syncing Issues
Apple released a new iTunes update today and it is expected to resolve some nagging issues users have been experiencing while syncing and previewing video. Among the notable fixes, iTunes 10.2.2 addresses an issue where iTunes hangs when syncing an iPad, another issue where syncing pictures takes forever, and a problem where video previews in … Continued
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Tech News
You Might Actually Use This Screwdriver-Level-Ruler-Pen To Write
I had about a dozen multi-tool pens in grade school. I had pens that fired lasers and told time and wrote in invisible ink, but for the life of me, I can’t remember using any to actually write something. That won’t be the case with the Metal Pen with Level and Screwdriver. This thing is … Continued
By Kyle Wagner -
io9
28 Science Fiction and Fantasy Movies That Could Rock Your Summer
Could this be the biggest movie summer of all time? It’s sure looking like it. Almost every weekend features at least one, and maybe two or three, movies with a science fiction, fantasy or comics pedigree. https://gizmodo.com/is-summer-2011-going-to-be-your-ultimate-movie-nerdgasm-5681270 There are superheroes, mutants, alien invasions, barbarians, monsters, tributes to Steven Spielberg, giant robots, boy wizards, weird horror … Continued
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Tech NewsGadgets
The Best Tech Toys to Spend Your Tax Refund On
It’s tax day! Which to the “average American” means you’ll be getting a $3,070 check as your tax refund. Yeah, I gasped too. But anyway! If you are that average American with a nice chunk of change coming, here’s the best ways to spend your newfound money. Sure you can be responsible and pay off … Continued
By Casey Chan