technology

Stories 201 - 220 | << Prev   Next >>

Goodbye, iPod; Hello, Portable Computer

Single-purpose devices' days are numbered: Manjoo

(Newser) - After yesterday's announcement that the iPod Nano now has a video camera, Apple's future direction is clear, writes Farhad Manjoo for Slate. Eventually, every iPod will be what Steve Jobs calls a “general-purpose device,” aka a small computer—a music player/phone/camera/web browser/GPS. Sure, Apple still sells dedicated music...

2 Much Kittehs on teh Interwebs; 1-Day Ban Planned

Can "9.9.09 — A Day Without Cats on the Internet" possibly fly?

(Newser) - Let’s face it: Cats own the Internet. But it’s getting a little much, and that’s why the Urlesque blog is organizing “9.9.09—A Day Without Cats on the Internet.” The master plan calls for cats not to be mentioned, emailed, viewed, nor blogged...

Algorithm Can 'Fill in the Blanks' of Ancient Texts

Algorithm could also be basis of search engine for old docs

(Newser) - A new computer algorithm could soon take some of the guesswork out of deciphering ancient texts, Reuters reports. The program, developed in Israel and currently used with ancient Hebrew, works with digital copies of unreadable texts and uses pattern recognition to “fill in the blanks,” says one of...

Gmail Outage Means Unprecedented Googling
Gmail Outage Means Unprecedented Googling
ANALYSIS
Sep 1, 2009 7:59 PM CDT

Gmail Outage Means Unprecedented Googling

(Newser) - The outage affecting Google’s email service today sent millions to its search function, Jennifer Van Grove writes on Mashable—with so many looking for an explanation that, for a time, Gmail-related topics were 18 of the top 20 US queries. “The frenzy of Google searches on its status...

Website Predicts Your Odds of Dying

Risk based on age, gender

(Newser) - Feeling morbid? A new website will give you your odds of dying in the next year, LiveScience reports. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon came up with DeathRiskRanking.com. Input some basic info—age, gender, place of residence—and the site spits out when and of what you're likely to die. "...

To Sell or Not to Sell?
 To Sell or Not to Sell? 



Aug 27, 2009 7:35 AM CDT

To Sell or Not to Sell?

(Newser) - The founders of Twitter keep insisting it's not for sale, but perhaps they should think again, writes Ben Parr of tech blog Mashable. Only two weeks ago Twitter looked smart for refusing its suitors—but then Facebook made a series of big moves, from buying FriendFeed to launching a speedy...

Kennedy First on Hill With Own Site
 
 Kennedy First on Hill 
 With Own Site 
APPRECIATION
Aug 26, 2009 10:00 PM CDT

Kennedy First on Hill With Own Site

(Newser) - Amid the praise for the late Ted Kennedy, one blogger reminds that the Massachusetts senator was the first member of Congress with his own website. “Back in 1993, this was no small feat,” writes Paul Blumenthal for the Sunlight Foundation. “At the time there were no congressional...

RIP, Mix Tapes, Porn Age Limits, Typewriters, and More

(Newser) - Word processors, dot-matrix printers, rotary phones, and other formerly state-of-the-art technologies are just about gone and nearly forgotten. Carrying the torch for the likes of holding up a cigarette lighter at a concert is JR Raphael of PC World, who lists 40 leading lights of abandoned technology:
  • Looking up numbers
...

Facebook Buys Rival FriendFeed for $50M

Purchase sets up battle with Twitter for real-time search market

(Newser) - Facebook is buying fellow social networking site FriendFeed for nearly $50 million, the Wall Street Journal reports. Friendfeed, a 12-employee outfit founded by former Google engineers, allowed users to share information across multiple social media services but never took off beyond a core techie user base. The purchase may help...

Families' Mornings Start with Tech Check

Families boot up computers, phones on waking

(Newser) - When it comes to morning routines, the modern family has a new set of priorities, many of which require a screen, the New York Times reports. “It used to be you woke up, went to the bathroom, maybe brushed your teeth, and picked up the newspaper,” says an...

Iowa 911 Now Accepts Texts
 Iowa 911 Now Accepts Texts 
Aug 5, 2009 2:18 PM CDT

Iowa 911 Now Accepts Texts

(Newser) - An emergency call center in the basement of the county jail in Waterloo, Iowa, today became the first in the country to accept text messages sent to 911. "I think there's a need to get out front and get this technology available," the county's police chief says, adding...

A Digital Pill a Day May Keep the Doctor Away

Wireless monitoring aims to cut visits and billions in health costs

(Newser) - As Congress debates ways to save on health care, Silicon Valley has an idea of its own: cutting costs through wireless technology, the Wall Street Journal reports. One startup has built a tiny, edible chip that attaches to pills and keeps track of whether patients are taking their medication. Remote...

Google Voice Worth More Than Beloved iPhone

(Newser) - Apple and AT&T rejected the Google Voice app for the iPhone, driving TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington to drop the mobile device entirely. Why are Apple and its carrier blocking an innovative program that has amazing call-forwarding features and transcribes voicemail into text? “Because they absolutely don’t want...

Tweeting Beethoven a Noteworthy Development
Tweeting Beethoven a Noteworthy Development
analysis
Jul 30, 2009 10:23 AM CDT

Tweeting Beethoven a Noteworthy Development

Tech assist enhances classical experience

(Newser) - In a bid to win over multitaskers and technophobes, the National Symphony Orchestra will tweet along with tonight's performance of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, the Washington Post reports. Audience members with appropriate gadgets can sit in a special section on the lawn at Wolf Trap, in suburban Virginia, and follow...

Cameron Previews 3D Film at Comic-Con

Hi-tech Avatar combines animation with live acting

(Newser) - James Cameron offered Comic-Con attendees a 25-minute preview of his first commercial film since Titanic 12 years ago—and it looks “every bit the spectacle” of his 1997 effort, writes Denise Martin in the Los Angeles Times. The film’s new technology superimposes computer-made humanoids onto actors to create...

Twitter Plans Homepage Facelift

Co-founder wants to 'better show who we are'

(Newser) - Twitter will introduce a new homepage next week “to better show who we are,” its co-founder tells Kara Swisher at All Things Digital. As it stands, the homepage is confusing to visitors intrigued by media reports, Biz Stone says. “We need to do a better job of...

Switchover to Windows 7 a Big Pain
 Switchover to 
 Windows 7 a Big Pain 
Tech review
Jul 23, 2009 9:56 AM CDT

Switchover to Windows 7 a Big Pain

Move from XP may require external hard drive, patience

(Newser) - The latest Windows incarnation beats Vista and XP, but don’t expect a smooth transition: upgrading from XP to Windows 7 is an ordeal, writes Walt Mossberg in the Wall Street Journal. “In fact, the process will be so painful that, for many XP users, the easiest solution may...

Artificial Brain Could Be Just 10 Years Away

(Newser) - A functional artificial brain could be built within the next decade, leading scientist and brain-builder Henry Markram told a tech conference. Markram, who leads a project seeking to reverse engineer the mammalian brain from lab data, says his team has already duplicated parts of the rat brain, the BBC reports....

Worker Kills Himself Over AWOL iPhone 4G Prototype

(Newser) - A Chinese worker accused of stealing an iPhone 4G prototype jumped to his death from the 12th floor of his apartment building in the southern city of Shenzhen, the BBC reports. The man, 25, responsible for shipping 16 iPhone prototypes to Apple, had reported one missing. His friends say he...

Keep Computers Out of Class, Prof Argues

(Newser) - An SMU dean has a message for his fellow college professors: Ditch the PowerPoint. Jose A. Bowen isn't anti-technology, explains the Chronicle of Higher Education, he just thinks too many instructors rely on it as a crutch. He's challenging others to "teach naked," without computers in the classroom,...

Stories 201 - 220 | << Prev   Next >>