According to an annual survey by Cisco, the number of Internet connections will reach 18.9 billion by 2016, driven by a proliferation of smartphones, tablets and other handheld devices. That’s 2.5 for for each person on Earth. [More]
technology
Scientists Translate Brain Activity Into YouTube Videos
By 9.26.11
Science is getting closer to letting people see through the eyes of others. California scientists have determined a way to read brain activity and reconstruct YouTube videos subjects watched with the information. The research could be the foundation of taking the lifecasting concept a step further by broadcasting the mental images people create, meaning you could watch your own dreams as well as those of others. [More]
A Best Buy Flyer From '96
By 9.20.11
A Best Buy flyer from 1996 has resurfaced and it’s full of hilarious old technology and high prices. Gotta snag me a copy of Muppet Treasure Island for $34.99! [More]
Startup Swears Hardest Of Hard Discs Can Save Data Forever
By 8.9.11
The trouble with traditional disc-based data storage products is they decay over time, potentially allowing information that isn’t backed up to vanish. A startup, working with LG, plans to rectify the problem with a disc that promises to etch data in virtual stone. [More]
Cornell Software Can Spot Fake Reviews
By 7.27.11
It’s not always easy to sort out genuine rave reviews from online users from those made by company plants, but technology may be able to sort out what the gullible human eye cannot. Cornell University researchers say they’ve developed software that can identify fake reviews. [More]
Dial-Up Modem Noise 700% Slower Becomes Ambient Opus
By 6.30.11
Remember that Bieber track that turned into a symphonic masterpiece once it was slowed down 800%? Yes? No? Well you might as well kill yourself, Brian Eno, because here’s an old-school dial-up modem slowed down 700% , becoming an epic soundscape of terrifying drones and robotic wails, punctuated by tsunamis of static. Ah, it really captures the essence of what connecting to AOL in 1995 felt like. [More]
Text 4ER411 To Find Nearby ER With Shortest Wait
By 6.17.11
A new service called “ER Texting” lets you send a text message to 4ER411 and get a report on the expected wait times at nearby emergency rooms. [More]
Car Of The Future Will Sense When You're Having A Heart Attack
By 5.25.11
Some people feel so attached to their vehicles that it seems their minds and hearts are locked into the same wavelength as the machinery. The feeling could one day become a reality. [More]
DirecTV To Offer Receiver-Free Service Later This Year
By 5.19.11
DirecTV is field-testing technology that frees TVs from the need to hook up to receiver boxes. New RVU servers, available in October, will allow viewers to let compatible TVs in their homes share central servers that access the same programming and recorded shows. [More]
What If Someone Told Edison About The iPhone?
By 4.21.11
What would have happened if someone from the future traveled back in time to tell Thomas Edison about the iPhone? What would he have done? This cute comic from reader Ken Fager explores the possibilities… [More]
Toyota, Microsoft Team For Cloud Automotive Project
By 4.7.11
In a wacky team-up worthy of a comic book crossover or a buddy cop film, Microsoft and Toyota are joining forces in a $12 million initiative that will grant Toyotas the ability to stream music and connect online to information services, along with other superpowers. [More]
Doctors: Nighttime Gadget Use Can Screw Up Your Sleep
By 3.8.11
A Sleep America poll finds more than half of Americans fail to get adequate sleep almost every night, and scientists say electronic distractions are the culprit — getting you all riled up before it’s time to hit the sheets. [More]
Get Unlimited Data Back On AT&T iPhone If You Downgraded To Limited Plan
By 1.26.11
If you’re an iPhone user on a limited AT&T data plan but had an unlimited one in the past, AT&T will let you switch back for free, the AP reports. [More]
NFL Considering Real-Life First Down Laser Marker
By 12.16.10
When an inexperienced football fan attends his first game, he might wonder aloud why there’s no yellow first down line on the field — while everyone laughs at him. An inventor has nailed down some technology that may eliminate such awkward circumstances. [More]
Virus Could Make Batteries Last 10 Times Longer
By 12.9.10
“Virus” and “tobacco” are not two words you usually think of in a positive light, but they could be the secret to making batteries last ten times as long. [More]
DHL Pays Urban Denizens With Coupons To Deliver Packages
By 12.3.10
DHL is trying out a new program called bring.Buddy where regular people can pick up and deliver packages along their daily route that they’d be traveling anyway. In return, the recruits earn free train tickets, coupons and carbon offset credits. And, of course, badges. The goal is to reduce costs and carbon emissions within dense urban environments. [More]
Robots Are Stealing Your Jobs
By 10.21.10
When you shake your fist, screaming “They took our jobs!” You can stare at your computer rather than the day laborers standing outside Home Depot. [More]
Hackers Infiltrate D.C. E-Voting System, Force Testing Delays
By 10.6.10
While testing out its electronic vote-by-mail program for overseas voters, the District of Columbia invited hackers to do their worst to break into the system. The programming geeks answered with decisive force, with someone making the site play the University of Michigan’s fight song after a test subject submitted the ballot. D.C. officials suspended testing before patching things up and getting back online. [More]
