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The lighter side of IT

The Playstation Vita won't make phone calls, but a future Vita OS device might

Posted February 14, 2012 - 8:30 am

The OS that powers the Vita could be ported to other devices such as smart phones, according to Sony execs. But where does that leave Android?
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1984 video on microprocessors shows early mobile phones in action

Posted February 13, 2012 - 5:15 pm

The AT&T Tech Archives are the gift that keeps on giving. After last week's video showcasing the Infoquest center, the team over there are adding new videos based on those shown at the exhibit.
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Google Maps help you find love at the Mall (of America)

Posted February 13, 2012 - 2:12 pm

I've never been to the Mall of America, but I hear it's pretty big. So big that you might need GPS on your phone in order to find anything, instead of going up to the giant kiosk and looking for the "You Are Here" sticker and remembering that you're in standing in front of the Orange Julius.
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MySpace: The next hot social network?

Posted February 13, 2012 - 9:31 am

Don't call it a comeback, but MySpace's new owners may actually be breathing life into the late, great social network. Specific Media, which bought MySpace from News Corp. in June is expected to announce Monday that it has added one million new members since December. Specific Media CEO Tim Vanderhook says MySpace went from having zero new signups per day to averaging 40,000, according to The New York Times.
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Playstation Vita's biggest challenge? Gamers love to hate Sony

Posted February 10, 2012 - 8:06 am

We're a week or two (depending on what you pre-ordered) away from the launch of the Playstation Vita, but gamers seem determined to be angry with Sony no matter what they do.
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Is this the best file on Steve Jobs the FBI could come up with?

Posted February 9, 2012 - 1:58 pm

The Federal Bureau of Investigation's file on Apple co-founder Steve Jobs contains no bombshells, unless the fact that some people in Silicon Valley didn't trust jobs comes as a shock to you.
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Every Super Bowl ad from 2012 in about 2 minutes

Posted February 9, 2012 - 12:13 pm

I didn't think I would be writing about the Super Bowl advertising any more, but then Adweek put out this video, an edited-down-version of every Super Bowl ad that ran during the game, in a very tight 2 minutes, 14 seconds.
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When you're president, you get to fire marshmallow cannons

Posted February 8, 2012 - 11:46 am

I don't normally comment on political items or videos, but when the President of the United States gets to fire a marshmallow cannon (as part of the White House Science Fair), and it gets captured on video, well, I just have to comment.
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President Obama shoots marshmallow at White House Science Fair

Posted February 8, 2012 - 10:11 am

With help from Joey, an 8th grader from Arizona, U.S. President Barack Obama loaded a homemade rocket launcher and fired it inside the White House.
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Telepresence robots less creepy when used as more than just a way to bug co-workers

Posted February 7, 2012 - 5:09 pm

Telepresence gets big every time travel budgets get small, but the number of situations in which someone would need to remote-control an avatar in a distant office are pretty small. oVideo conferencing does the trick in most cases; in the rest, apparently, there's the VG0.
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The 3 Star Wars prequels in under 3 minutes (and in LEGO!)

Posted February 7, 2012 - 12:28 pm

Prepare for the 3D prequels by watching all three in under 3 minutes.
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Why a chain of brick & mortar Amazon stores makes little sense

Posted February 7, 2012 - 8:30 am

A rumor making the rounds yesterday suggests that Amazon is exploring the idea of a chain of boutique stores. Here's why I don't think you'll be seeing Amazon in the local mall any time soon.
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The AT&T InfoQuest Tour from 1986 is 6 minutes of Awesome

Posted February 6, 2012 - 4:41 pm

Singing about databases was never cooler in the 1980s.
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Mobile app may help schizophrenics tame the wild voices in their heads

Posted February 6, 2012 - 4:15 pm

Auditory hallucinations -- hearing voices in your head is one of the most frustrating symptoms of schizophrenia. Even schizophrenics who know the voices aren't real have a hard time ignoring them due to abnormalities in the frontal lobe. A mobile app under development in Norway may help train them to filter the noise and hear the right voices.
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Atlantis disappears again!

Posted February 6, 2012 - 3:52 pm

The lost city of Atlantis just can't catch a break. First, as legend describes, it sinks to the bottom of ocean some 10,000 years ago. Now Google is making it disappear.
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Three things of note about the Galaxy Note Super Bowl ad

Posted February 6, 2012 - 11:19 am

After the one-and-a-half minute spectacular, my wife asked me, "So, it has a pen that's going to be easy to lose?"
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Super Bowl commercials: Our Take

Posted February 6, 2012 - 10:14 am

My 4-year-old son summed up the Super Bowl ads quite nicely yesterday when he said, "These commercials are all weird."
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Friday fun: The Middle Earth Olympics

Posted February 3, 2012 - 4:23 pm

Are you on Team Gandalf or Team Saruman?
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Bizarre nestfellows: Angry Birds and KISS

Posted February 3, 2012 - 2:27 pm

KISS frontman Gene Simmons says the band will be teaming up with wildly popular video game Angry Birds.
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Are you afflicted by 'tech envy'?

Posted February 3, 2012 - 12:24 pm

A new survey shows that the Bring Your Own Device ethos sweeping enterprises is creating "tech envy" among some workers.
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New Xbox 720 rumors dampen our enthusiasm

Posted February 3, 2012 - 8:15 am

So maybe last week's rumors were a bit too optimistic and we'll have a longer wait than expected for the next Xbox. Or perhaps something's been lost in translation. Also a few news bytes from the current generation of Xbox gaming.
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Obama web site crushed by Republicans' when it comes to download speeds

Posted February 2, 2012 - 4:28 pm

If the presidential election were determined by how fast the candidates' Web pages download, President Obama would lose to any of his Republican challengers, according to a review by the president of Web optimizing vendor Strangeloop.
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Man torches hand to prove foam's safety; eats foam to prove it's biodegradable

Posted February 2, 2012 - 2:20 pm

To show how cool and safe their insulating foam is, YouTuber "George4title" covers his hand with the foam and then aims a welding torch directly at it. God, I love YouTube.
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Steve Jobs lives on in endless Apple stories, marketing schemes

Posted February 2, 2012 - 11:28 am

Although it's been nearly four months since Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died, there has been little slowdown in Steve Jobs news since then. In fact, some days there seems to be more than ever.
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Smartphones in a sub-zero environment: Can your phone stand the cold?

Posted February 1, 2012 - 12:14 pm

Some smart phone manufacturers don't allow their devices to be used in cold weather while others guarantee smooth functioning even in -20 degrees Celsius (-3⁰ Fahrenheit).
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