April 2010
A grand unified theory of AI →
A new approach unites two prevailing but often opposed strains in the history of artificial-intelligence research.
The Best Free Software of 2010 →
Get what you DON’T pay for: Here are 196 programs that cost nothing but will make your computing life richer—all while keeping your wallet fat.
March 2010
Amnesty says China Executed Thousands in 2009 →
Outside of China, Amnesty says 714 people were executed in 18 countries in 2009. The countries that carried out the highest number of executions were Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
Art of the Steal: On the Trail of World’s Most... →
Gerald Blanchard could hack any bank, swipe any jewel. There was no security system he couldn’t steal.
Grigori Perelman, Reclusive Russian Math Genius,... →
Dr Grigori Perelman, a reclusive Russian genius, is refusing to accept the prestigious $1 million “Millennium” mathematics prize awarded by the Clay Mathematics Institute in Cambridge, MA.
975,000 Reasons for the Reversal in Google →
After trading down nearly $10 earlier in the day, shares of Google (GOOG) have reversed and rallied back to the unchanged level. As shown in the Bloomberg chart below, it seems that at least part of the rebound has been spurred by a single trade of 975K shares done at 1:11PM. Block trades of close to a million shares are rare enough, but trades of a million shares for a $500 stock? Unheard...
Google Shuts its Chinese Search Engine →
Google has carried out it’s threat to shut down the Google.cn search engine following its censorship dispute with the Chinese Government. All users are now redirected to the Hong Kong-based Google.com.hk. Although Hong Kong is part of China, it retains a level of independence and its search engine delivers uncensored results.
Warriors are officially for sale–Cohan out by... →
Chris Cohan has officially put the Warriors up for sale and isn’t trying to deny it any more.
Check-In Fatigue. Or, Why I’m Rooting For An... →
I didn’t have the same problems at SXSW this year that some people did. Was it too crowded at some events? Sure. But there were plenty of alternative things to do. Did some of the keynotes bomb? Yes. But there were plenty of other things to listen to. Did AT&T fail? No. Actually, they did an awesome job keeping the network up. Instead, I had a problem of a different kind: check-in fatigue.
Large Hadron Collider sets new record for beam... →
Operators of the world’s largest atom smasher on Friday ramped up their massive machine to three times the energy ever previously achieved, in the run-up to experiments probing the secrets of the universe.
Japanese Researchers Turn Mosquitoes Into Flying... →
Here’s a study to file under “unworkable but very cool.” A group of Japanese researchers has developed a mosquito that spreads vaccine instead of disease. Even the researchers admit, however, that regulatory and ethical problems will prevent the critters from ever taking wing—at least for the delivery of human vaccines.
Twitter Looks to Extend Its Reach →
Twitter Inc. announced Monday a new feature that will enable users to send and receive its short messages while they are browsing other Web sites, a step that seeks to extend the popular messaging service’s reach.
Twitter Expected To Take The Wraps Off Its... →
Later today, Twitter CEO Evan Williams will be interviewed by Umair Haque of the Havas Media Lab at the SXSW conference in Austin, Texas. We’ll of course be covering any announcements that will be made by Williams on stage, but we expect that at least part of the keynote address will be centered around the company’s advertising platform.
Apple To Add Multi-Tasking In iPhone 4.0 →
iPhone users who’ve been longing to be able to run multiple applications on the device at the same time may soon get their wish.
Facebook To Announce Plans To Take Over The... →
Mark Zuckerberg has long signaled that the future of Facebook will be off Facebook.com. His social network will take a big step toward that future at a developers conference in April.
A Computer That Processes Faster Than The Speed of... →
Pushing the Limits of Physics Exceeding the speed of light opens one up to all kinds of theoretical problems, but two Austrian researchers claim there’s no reason we can’t build a computer that processes information at superluminal speeds.
Foursquare Badge List →
TripIt - Online travel itinerary and trip planner →
Build your itinerary, Get Organized, Stay informed
Space Shuttle Debate Goes Ballistic →
Obama to defend plan to kill the shuttle as GOP Senator introduces bill that would save the program.
Bill calls for NASA to continue push to Moon →
President Barack Obama’s proposal that NASA scrap its plans for a new manned mission to the moon and to contract with commercial companies to build space taxis is meeting with some resistance in Congress.
Apple vs HTC: proxy fight over Android could last... →
Apple came out swinging Tuesday against smartphone maker HTC, filing a federal lawsuit and a complaint with the International Trade Commission, both alleging that HTC’s phones violated numerous Apple patents. Some believe the suits are the beginning of a protracted legal battle against Google’s Android OS, and analysis of the patents in question suggest Apple’s two-pronged...
Anti-Gay SoCal Senator at Gay Club Before DUI... →
Scientists Have Discovered Booze That Won't Give... →
Booze, for all its magical wonder, still has big drawbacks: You can’t sober up quickly, and you often get a hangover. Now Korean researchers have found a way of tweaking booze to limit the fallout — without cutting its strength.
Opponents Question Meg Whitman's Unpaid Taxes,... →
When you run for office, your life will be scrutinized. For former eBay CEO and gubernatorial Republican candidate Meg Whitman, she’s been hit hard over the last week. Today, the California Democratic Party called attention to over $1,600 in unpaid employment taxes for household servants when she lived in Boston during the 1990s.
Chile earthquake may have shortened Earth's day →
Earth’s days may have gotten a little bit shorter since the massive earthquake in Chile, but don’t feel bad if you haven’t noticed.
Jerry Brown Enters Race For Governor | Jerry Brown... →
Promising to use his knowledge and skills to end “partisan bickering” in Sacramento and fix “this state I love,” Attorney General Jerry Brown formally announced his candidacy for governor of California today.
There's no room for The Idea Guy →
Startups need people able and willing of doing the actual work. They need programmers, designers, and eventually folks to do marketing, support, and more. What they don’t need, though, is someone who’s just going to be The Idea Guy.
Netflix on the iPhone? Yes, Please! →
Recently, Netflix sent out a survey to select subscribers in order to determine interest in an iPhone application for streaming movies via mobile phones. According to the survey’s wording, the proposed app would be Wi-Fi only and would offer the same content that the Netflix “Watch Instantly” service provides. Currently, subscribers are able to stream movies and TV shows to...
Apple sues HTC for infringing 20 iPhone patents →
Looks like Apple’s going on the warpath, kids. Just a few months after Cupertino got into it with Nokia over phone patents, Apple’s filed suit against HTC, alleging that the company is infringing 20 patents “related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture, and hardware.” Steve, you have something to say?
Hobo Signs →
These are actually really cool. Click the link to see a full glossary of signs that hobos use to communicate with each other.
LeBron a Laker? →
The greatest NBA free agent of all time, LeBron James, is quietly making overtures to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Medvedev Fumes Over Russian Team’s Showing →
The Olympic flame in Vancouver had barely been doused before President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia, angered over his country’s disappointing performance at the Winter Games, began calling for athletic officials’ heads. [read more]
Google launches person finder after Chile quake →
Google is using a tool to help people locate friends and loved ones who might have been affected by Saturday’s 8.8.-magnitude earthquake in Chile. [read more]
AppleInsider | Apple iPad production hit by... →
Availability of Apple’s forthcoming iPad may be limited when it launches later this month, due to an “unspecified production problem” that could restrict the number of shipped units to just 300,000. [read more]
Jailbreaking in the iPhone 3.0 era →
In a few short years, Apple has established the iPhone as the mobile platform to beat. Each successive firmware update opens new, and often unmatched, features for users and developers to explore. Many of these features, however, find their roots outside Apple’s walled-garden approach to the iPhone, as the jailbreak community proves time and again to be an innovative environment for off-limits...