Apple and Google have each announced visually dazzling 3D mapping software that lets you pan around major metropolitan areas rendered in beautiful, photographic detail from a bird’s eye view.
In Google’s case, it’s an update …
Alt Tech
Game Boy Beats: Reaching Music’s Next Level at Blip Festival 2012
My memories of the original Game Boy are inextricably linked with the Tetris theme, a jaunty 8-bit rendition of the Russian folk song Korobeiniki playing out of tinny speakers. It was addictive, yes, but not something you would …
Like to Brag on Facebook or Twitter? That’s Because Self-Disclosure Is like Eating and Sex, Says Study
We love talking about ourselves, we really do — that’s what a group of Harvard neuroscientists found while testing the theory that we’re big on self-disclosure, anyway. In fact, say the scientists, we love self-disclosure so …
The Collapse of Moore’s Law: Physicist Says It’s Already Happening
Moore’s Law is finally breaking down, according to theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. He’s talking about the so-called law that says the number of transistors that can be fit on a computer chip will double every two years, …
Is Apple CEO Tim Cook Right? Are Laptop-Tablet Hybrids Dead in the Water?
Apple CEO Tim Cook says the idea of a laptop-tablet hybrid is tantamount to shoving a toaster into a refrigerator. It’s a clever, sound-bite-y analogy. It’s also wrongheaded. But before we go there, let’s give Cook’s comments the …
World’s First Quantum Network Built with Two Atoms, One Photon
We’ve just heard about a working quantum computer tucked inside a diamond, and we’re already talking about quantum networks that could herald a quantum Internet? Yep, and in fact more than just talking: Scientists say they’ve …
Meet the Quantum Computer Inside a Diamond — Does It Run ‘Forever’?
What happens if you embed an ultrafast quantum computer inside a diamond (you know, aside from qualifying for sale in one of Tiffany’s catalogues and inviting “forever” computing quips)? Answer: You get a quantum computer that …
With Mobcaster, Your Next Favorite TV Show May be Crowd-Funded
“Find it, fund it, view it,” reads Mobcaster‘s punchy tagline, a pithy, no frills invitation that sums up what it’s about: crowd-funded online TV honed to discover, fund and broadcast independent television online. If you’ve ever …
How to Auto-Embed Album Art in Your iTunes Tracks
It’s that time again: When the evil, obsessive-compulsive, mirror-verse me starts picking at piles of disorganized digital information, speaking in sepulchral tones: “Time to get to work, Matt.” This time it’s my iTunes library …
Fifty Cameras, a Fake Home and Virtual Reality: How Tide’s New Detergent Came Together
Laundry detergent is not my regular beat. But when Procter & Gamble invited me to check out one of its secret lairs, with a PR rep touting “advanced modeling and virtual reality” within, I couldn’t resist.
Yes, the maker of …
Is Music Piracy Really ‘The New Radio’? Yes and No
Canadian folk-rocker Neil Young is making waves this week after telling reporters at a conference that piracy is “the new radio.”
“It doesn’t affect me because I look at the Internet as the new radio. I look at the radio as …
World’s Smallest Gaming Desktop! Wait, Do We Still Need Desktops?
Remember what Charles Ingalls used to call daughter Laura on Little House on the Prairie? That’s right, “Half Pint.” Those two words popped into my brainpan when I got a look at Alienware’s new X51, something it calls its …
