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Tech NewsThe NSA Is Funding a Project to Roll All Programming Languages Into One
Why bother having to learn HTML5, JavaScript, PHP, CSS and XML, when you could just learn one? Well, that’s exactly what an NSA-funded project at Carnegie Mellon University seeks to achieve. The“polyglot” programming language is called Wyvern—the name comes from a a mythical dragon-like reature with two legs instead of four—and is designed to help … Continued
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Tech NewsPrivacy and SecurityHow Digital Security Is Being Inspired By Nature
Cyber security is vital in our modern digital world, but it’s not ruled entirely by traditional computing techniques. In fact, it’s learning from the natural world—and something called The Danger Theory could help keep our computers safe. In fact, The Danger Theory is really quite new itself—a piece of cutting edge immunology which explains how … Continued
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Tech NewsFirst Footage From Blackmagic’s New Modular 4K Camera Is Just Gorgeous
Blackmagic’s new 4K URSA camera is a crazy modular device with an insane swappable sensor. Now, the first footage filmed by it is available to view online—and it is just gorgeous. As you’d presumably hope for from a $6,000 camera that shoots 4K video at 60fps, the footage is rich, fluid and… well, just watch … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Leonardo Da Vinci would be proud of these cardboard flying machines
These flying machines created by Daniel Agdag make me think of those designed by Leonardo Da Vinci in the 15th century. The difference is that Leonardo based his designs in precise calculations while Daniel builds his spectacular cardboard sculptures guided only by his intuition, with no previous sketching. Daniel Agdad is an Australian based artist. … Continued
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Tech News
The World’s Fastest Camera Can Capture Chemical Reactions in Action
If you thought high-speed photography was already advanced, think again: two universities in Japan have unveiled a new camera that’s 1,000 times faster than the previous best—and it captures chemical reactions in a single shot. A joint venture by the University of Tokyo and Keio University, the new hardware uses a technology called Sequentially Timed … Continued
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Tech News
Imagine Owning a Magical Universal Converter Box Like This
These days, there’s a connector for almost everything: if it’s not MagSafe 2 it’s that weird USB connector or RCA or who knows what else. Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was a single converter box to interconnect them all? That’s exactly what Randall Munroe has imagines in today’s XKCD. It is something to dream … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
Inside Apple’s Secretive University-Style Training School
Deep within the bowels of Apple, there’s a secretive school where employees learn about the company and how to work for it. Some call it education, others indoctrination—but either way, a new report explains what it’s like. We’ve already heard what Apple’s Genius Finishing School is like, but this new report from the New York … Continued
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Tech NewsMicrosoftNew Microsoft Project Makes Shakey Timelapse Video Watchable
Trying to keep first-person video steady involves skill and the right equipment, but a new Microsoft Research project aims to help the everyday adventurer create hyperlapse creations that won’t induce unintentional nausea. Microsoft researchers Johannes Kopf, Richard Szeliski, Michael Cohen, and Richard Szeliski, developed the software and soon-to-be Windows app to help create time lapse … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech NewsSlip Into the Sweet, Ambient Sounds of Science Fiction
A specific number of variables need to be in place so I can shrug off procrastination and get some real work done. Chief among them is setting the right aural mood. Now, I love listening to music, but the kind of audio I consume—mostly hardcore and post-punk rock—is only a distraction. It’s hard to focus … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech NewsApple
Microsoft’s Snipp3t App Helps You Virtually Stalk Celebrities
On Saturday, Microsoft pulled the cover off of Snipp3t. This free iOS app looks a lot like any other endlessly scrolling news reader, but it doesn’t aggregate based on trending topics, specific outlets, or Facebook friend “likes.” It’s completely based on people. Famous people to be exact. Snipp3t acts as a streamlined interface for Bing … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech NewsGadgets
What Is the Weirdest Gadget You’ve Ever Seen?
This week we’ve witnessed some weird wearables. First, was the SexFit (pictured above), which—as I’m sure the form factor gives away—is a wearable to help quantify a man’s sexual prowess. Then, we saw the Sproutling Baby Monitor, a health tracker for infants. Now, it’s rumored that the Samsung’s Gear Solo, a smartwatch with its own … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech NewsGoogle
Google Boosts Secure Sites in Search Results
In a bold and welcome move to protect users, Google announced on Wednesday that they have started prioritizing sites offering HTTPS (HTTP over TLS) in their page ranking algorithm. Google’s Online Security Blog explains that domains with transport layer encryption have a slight advantage in search results, and the preference may grow stronger in the … Continued
BILL BUDINGTON -- EFF -
Tech News
Once Again, Yellowstone Is Not Erupting And Killing Us All
Someone, somewhere, decided that Yellowstone was in a period of unusually high geologic activity and facing major road closures and evacuations, and therefore was in danger of imminent eruption. This is all so ridiculously untrue, I hesitate to even use the “debunkery” tag because it’s hard to believe it needs debunking. An erupting geyser and … Continued
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Tech News
ISS Astronauts Use Sleeping Pills Unsuited for Hazardous Occupations
Welcome to Reading List, Gizmodo’s weekend roundup of the best and most interesting writing from around the web. This week, we’re featuring great work from Wired, Pacific Standard, The Wall Street Journal, and more! Fred Barbash explains the long-simmering problem of sleeplessness on the International Space Station. Researchers have just completed the longest and most … Continued
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Tech News
YouTube Sizes Up to a Higher Resolution for New Mobile Displays
The LG G3 surprised us when it was released earlier this year. It has useful design, with a removable battery and MicroSD options, and its metal-skinned finish sets the handset off with “premium” flare. It also has the most eye-popping screen on a smartphone with its almost bezel-less 5.5-inch 2560×1440 Quad HD display. Of course, … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech NewsUnmanned Drones Landing Autonomously Next to F-18s Is a Very Big Deal
The days of piloted combat aircraft are quickly coming to an end, soon to be heavily augmented if not outright replaced by UCAS, or Unmanned Combat Air Systems. Just yesterday, the Navy’s X-47B demonstrator proved that manned and unmanned operations can take place on the same flight deck. The X-47B has already shown that is … Continued
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Tech News
Toxic Algae, Razor Blades, Olympics: What’s Ruining Our Cities This Week
Lake Erie turned an eerie shade of green due to a toxic algae bloom, steering Toledo away from the taps. Someone putting razor blades in parking meters is making New Jersey residents wary. And 10 years later, poor Athens is still paying the price for hosting the Olympics. It’s What’s Ruining Our Cities. An algae … Continued
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Tech NewsApple
A New Samsung Galaxy Alpha Image Leaks Full Specs
Last week, we got a pretty revealing look at the rumored Samsung Galaxy Alpha’s iPhone-esque exterior. Now, a new leak from TecMundo is giving us a possible glimpse inside that iFacade. If you can’t make out the fine print on the image above, here are a few highlights: 4.7 Super AMOLED Display 12 mega-pixel rear … Continued
By Darren Orf -
Tech News
Watch ISEE-3’s Lunar Flyby at 1:30pm ET
At 1:30pm today, you can live stream coverage of ISEE-3’s lunar flyby. The broadcast will come live from McMoons, an abandoned McDonald’s near NASA’s Ames Research Center which was retrofitted for the event. The live stream will also interview past NASA scientists affiliated with ISEE-3 as well as the new team that is at the … Continued
By Darren Orf