February 2010
Finally: Facebook Silences App Notification Spam →
Facebook is about to become a quieter, less annoying place for users. The company just announced that it has deprecated “application notifications” and will require apps to use other, less…
Apple Reports Discovery of Child Workers In Their... →
February has not been a good month for the Apple supply chain. After the assault, the arson, and the poisonings, now Apple’s annual supplier report reveals that this year 11 minors were…
What Comes After the iPad? [Humor] →
When the iPad was unveiled in January, everyone could agree on one thing: it did look a lot like a big iPhone. Begeek.fr extends Apple’s consistent design to its logical conclusion in the…
They say that our code is sauerkraut →
(Note: This video may be offensive to some people.) You may have watched some parodies on YouTube using a scene from the movie “Der Untergang” (The Downfall). This time, Hitler is not happy about…
Engineers Solve 80-Year Old Puzzle to Make... →
A quantum physics breakthrough that can predict the kinetic energy of electrons in simple metals—and semiconductors—will enable computers to simulate the behavior of new materials up to…
Comic for February 27, 2010 →
Facebook Granted Patent on the News Feed - This... →
Facebook has been granted a patent on the Newsfeed, “displaying a news feed in a social network environment.” Nick O’Neill at AllFacebook found the patent first and says it could be “one of the…
Na-na Na-na Na-na Na-na Batplane! [Image Cache] →
Meet Bat. Bat is an unmanned aircraft system with a 12-foot wingspan, short wave infrared camera, real-time moving target indicator, and dual payloads. In other words, this is what Batman…
Decorating Cables Instead of Hiding Them [Cables] →
Instead of hiding dust-ball-hunting spaghetti cable monsters behind furniture, I’ve decided to embrace chaos and transform it. Actually, my wife has. These decorative cable clips seem perfect…
The Indie Phone Maker's Last Stand [Palm] →
The Palm Pre unveiling stands in my memory as one of the most refreshing moments in modern history. Palm had done it—they had created a great phone Nokia would’ve killed for. But today, that’s…
Underfull Table Cloth by Kristine Bjaadal →
Norwegian designer Kristine Bjaadal showed her Underfull Table Cloth at the 2010 Stockholm Furniture Fair and since then it has been getting quite a bit of press. This special table…
Why are So Many Android Owners Male? →
…and other interesting smartphone statistics. When compared with some of the other smartphones on the market, owners of phones running Google’s Android mobile operating system are…
Problematic Problem, Problem supply, and a... →
Problematic Problem (from Ben)
Way back when, I was responsible for doing on-site support for a fairly complex ERP solution that our company sold. My support radius was 100 miles, which meant I…
Gmail Retires Some Gmail Labs Features, Promotes... →
After 18 months of Gmail Labs being in operation, Google’s killing off some unpopular features, but also promoting the oft-used ones to permanent functions. Say hello to the forgotten…
Rotary Kettle lets hand impaired make and pour... →
Life becomes difficult for physically impaired at every step, for they have to depend on others for even a cup of tea or coffee. Making life a bit easier for the handicapped, designer Adrian…
End of Support for Windows 2000, Windows XP SP2... →
Back in October 2009 we talked about upcoming dates for end of support for certain Windows XP and Windows Vista versions. Those dates are getting closer and this is the time to remind customers…
An In-Depth Look at Microsoft's Spy Guide →
We recently reported that a watchdog site, Cryptome, was removed from the Web for refusing to take down a copy of a Microsoft document. This document, called the Microsoft Online Services…
Casttoo X-Ray Cast Wraps Replace Pity with Awe... →
I’ve never had the pleasure of breaking a bone, but if I did, you can bet I’d be wearing a Casttoo to share my innermost threshold for pain with the world.
Casttoos are customizable cast decals….
Android App Store Is 57% Free Compared to Apple's... →
App store analytics firm Distimo recently released a bunch of juicy info about the major mobile app stores, and the results are pretty interesting. For one, Android has a much higher…
Microsoft Kills Watchdog Website Due to Leaked... →
Due to Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) complaints filed by Microsoft, whistleblower website Cryptome [link to a backup version of the site] has been disabled by its ISP, Network…
The Secret Government Surveillance Document... →
Microsoft has a 22-page document which outlines how they store all your private data in their online servers. The document also tells government agencies how they can get it. But, oh surprise,…
Ant Lifts Weight 100 Times Heavier Than Own Body... →
What you’re looking at is not only the winner of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council photo competition, it’s also the moment when humans became fearful of the mighty…
Priorities. [Image Cache] →
Godspeed, friend. And on another note, the use of dated clipart in what’s essentially a gadget obit seems particularly fitting. [ScaryIdeas]
What's Old Is New Again With Latest Nvidia 300... →
Not the first time Nvidia’s slapped bigger numbers on older cards, PC Perspective reports that a bunch of the 300 series cards are reincarnated versions of previous cards.
The GeForce…
YoxView – A Free jQuery Image Viewer Plugin →
YoxView is a free image viewer for websites. It’s written in javascript using jQuery and is available as a jQuery plugin. YoxView is inspired by Lokesh Dhakar’s Lightbox. Like it, YoxView…
Google Cancels Chinese Nexus One Developer Event... →
Joking they were not, when Google vowed to take down China. Ok, that’s not exactly what they said—but after refusing to launch two Android phones there mid-January, they’ve now pulled out of…
Despite Tough Talk, Google Still Censoring in... →
On January 12 Google claimed that hackers from China had attempted to break into its infrastructure, in order to access the Gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists. Because of those…
Microsoft named the UK's top business superbrand →
Microsoft has taken top spot in the eighth annual Top 500 Business Superbrands survey, revealed today.
Google, which ranked first in 2008 and 2009, has now slipped to 5th place, whilst Microsoft took…
Italian Court Finds Google Employees Guilty Over a... →
Some shocking news reaches us via the Google blog today—apparently three Google employees have been convicted in an Italian court over a video uploaded to Google Video back in 2006. Scarily,…
Freedom →
This Is How Google Voice Will Ruin Your... →
Long ago, someone wrote about how Google is out to control your dog and marry your wife. I don’t know how right he was about all that, but I certainly know that Google Voice is out to…
Now Europe Is Probing Google For a Monopoly... →
Obama’s anti-trust guy thinks Google has some monopoly in them, and now so does Europe. If you remember back just a few years, you’ll recall that Europe was the big battleground that Microsoft had…
America's First Wave Power Farm Consists of Ten... →
Ten 200 ton buoys—each measuring 150 feet by 40 feet—are being installed off the coast of Oregon to build America’s first wave power farm. They’ll power 400 homes by harnessing “the energy…
Apple's Supplier Responsibility Progress Report... →
Apple released their 2010 update on Supplier Responsibility today. And hey! According to Apple, Apple’s doing a great job! But given recent events, should they really have given themselves such…
Google Earth's View of the Boneyard, Where Planes... →
The 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), also known as the Boneyard, is a four square mile site in Arizona housing 4,000 retired aircraft—or at least one of almost…
So, Apple, How Do You Avoid Corporate Hubris?... →
During a Goldman Sachs tech conference today, Apple COO Tim Cook revealed Apple’s secret to success: High standards, and a low tolerance for half-assed proposals. Except, that wasn’t the…
YoxView – A Free jQuery Image Viewer Plugin →
YoxView is a free image viewer for websites. It’s written in javascript using jQuery and is available as a jQuery plugin. YoxView is inspired by Lokesh Dhakar’s Lightbox. Like it, YoxView…
Apple Suppliers Foxconn Will Pay Arsonist Workers... →
Last Friday’s situation at the Mexican Foxconn factory (the company that supplies components and products to Apple) where enraged employees burnt the place down over being forced to work unpaid…
IVECO OEX overland truck for more efficient and... →
The OEX by Hamid Reza Bekhradi seems to be the future of the “overland trucks,” currently in use for the touristic overland expeditions. Developed for the year 2020, in collaboration with Fiat…
Apple Suppliers Foxconn Will Pay Arsonist Workers... →
Last Friday’s situation at the Mexican Foxconn factory (they supply components and products to Apple) where enraged employees burnt the place down over being forced to work unpaid overtime …
A huge wave of Windows Live Wave 4 screenshots:... →
Following the screenshots of Messenger, Writer, and Photo Gallery Wave 4, a whole set of screenshots were leaked by cnBeta.com again, this time showing us a first glimpse at Windows Live…
Inside Google's Secret Search Algorithm [Google] →
Wired’s Steven Levy takes us inside the “algorithm that rules the web“—Google’s search algorithm, of course—and if you use Google, it’s kind of a must-read. PageRank? That’s so 1997.
It’s…
10 Reasons to Avoid Talking on the Phone [Humor] →
As important as phones can be in our daily lives, there are some reasons to avoid them entirely. Here are ten such reasons which may actually succeed in turning you into an anti-social,…
"Typeface" Creates a Typeface From Your... →
File Mary Huang’s Typeface, a piece of software that analyzes your face in real time to create a custom font, in the “projects preceded by their puns” category. But unlike some things with…
UK Nixes Internet Ban for P2P Infringement →
In November, we told you about a move in the UK to monitor P2P sharing and permanently ban users who infringed on copyright from using the Internet. In our reporting on P2P issues, it’s rare…
Gaia Chair by Tuyo Design →
The Gaia Chair designed by María Margarita García Munzer and Pål Jacob Jacobsen of Tuyo Design features what looks to be felt in between wood slats. On the back, the felt protrudes in the…
Becoming Market Leader: Finding and Beating the... →
In the late 90’s, a spokesperson for the Coca Cola corporation said, “Our primary competition isn’t Pepsi. Our real competition is water, tea, nimbupani and Pepsi… in that order.” While…
Bitspace Launches HTML5-Based Streaming Music... →
There is no dearth of streaming music services on the web today, so it takes quite a bit for a new service to stand out from other popular services like Spotify, MOG and Lala. Today, we…
Hiring Programmers: Screening Out Liars and Duds →
Every entrepreneur will tell you that recruiting the right candidate is important. While startups are constantly trying to find programmers that mesh well with their culture, team and…
Facebook Shutters Political Fan Page, Users Cry... →
We don’t know about you, but we’re sort of a fan of being a fan of things on Facebook. It can be useful a way to keep up with what’s going on at the White House, for example. Or you can let…