Just as "Guitar Hero" and "Rock Band" have created legions of rock 'n roll gods, the forthcoming motion-controlled game "Dance Central" will soon create an army of dancing queens and kings.
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Cheers to 'Dance Central' — the cure for two left feet
Posted: September 4th, 2010, 5:00am MDT
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Babes, bullets, bombs! Duke Nukem makes a comeback
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 10:31pm MDT
Game icon Duke Nukem will wield his over-the-top guns and attitude yet again. After more than a decade of delays, "Duke Nukem Forever" will debut on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC game systems in 2011.
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NASA advises Chile on trapped, isolated miners
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 7:00pm MDT
A team of NASA doctors and engineers recommended Friday that Chilean authorities regulate the day-and-night sleep patterns of 33 trapped miners, boost their Vitamin D intake and phase in an exercise program as their nutrition improves.
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Is the grand design within our grasp?
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 6:48pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: More than a decade ago, British physicist Stephen Hawking said there was a 50-50 chance that a unified "theory of everything" would be discovered within 20 years. Now he explains why he thinks the theory has been found.
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Amazon may be headed for another bad drought
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 5:02pm MDT
Drought has cut Peru's Amazon River to its lowest level in 40 years and it is already below the minimum set in 2005, when a devastating dry spell damaged vast swaths of South American rainforest in the worst drought in decades. -
Want to play with Kinect? Bring a sweat rag!
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 3:56pm MDT
Playing video games by moving your body rather than by pressing buttons on a controller is sweaty, sweaty work.
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Cosmic Log: Why the N.Z. quake is no Haiti
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 3:50pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: In January, a 7.0 quake hit Haiti, and 230,000 people died. Today, a 7.0 quake hit New Zealand, and early indications are that it caused relatively few major casualties. Why the difference?
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Texas opens inquiry into Google search results
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 3:27pm MDT
Google says Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is investigating whether its Web search rankings are fair. -
Google settles Buzz privacy lawsuit
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 2:25pm MDT
Google has settled a lawsuit alleging privacy violations in connection with its Buzz social networking service, according to a court document filed on Friday. -
Chinese satellites bump during secret maneuvers
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 1:35pm MDT
A Chinese satellite may have intentionally nudged another spacecraft during secretive space maneuvers in near-Earth orbit, according to analysts. -
Digg trying to avoid getting dug into obscurity
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 12:45pm MDT
Digg, one of the first Internet sites that let users "dig" Web news stories by voting them thumbs up or down, is trying to avoid getting dug into obscurity. -
New cables tie West Africa closer to Internet
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 12:23pm MDT
For a decade, West Africa's main connection to the Internet has been a single fiber-optic cable in the Atlantic, a tenuous and expensive link for one of the poorest areas of the planet.
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Mystery of the floating octopus solved
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 10:50am MDT
As far back as Aristotle, naturalists have wondered why the females of a strange group of octopuses sport a thin, papery shell when plenty of their tentacled cousins are essentially naked, letting all their slime hang out.
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Google gets bedbugs
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 10:45am MDT
Even the search giant isn't immune from the problem, discovered in its New York offices. -
Top 10 summer sky objects to see before fall
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 10:38am MDT
As the summer night sky draws near its close, there are still some cosmic objects that may beckon skywatchers equipped with a small telescope, binoculars or their own two eyes. -
Some ancient galaxies had wild youth
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 10:27am MDT
Ancient galaxies may be cosmic senior citizens today, but some have a wild streak in their past, one packed with frenetic star birth, astronomers say. -
Tether maneuvers spacecraft without fuel
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 10:17am MDT
A NASA team is preparing a bid to test a chemical-free propulsion system that taps the power of Earth's magnetic field to move satellites and spacecraft in orbit.
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Plant and spiders compete for food
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 9:03am MDT
Wolf spiders and carnivorous plants called sundews may compete with each other for food in the wild, a new study finds.
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Labor Day weekend for astronauts: Space toilet cleaning
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 9:03am MDT
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station won't be throwing any burgers on the grill this Labor Day weekend, but at least they'll get the U.S. holiday off after they clean the space toilet.
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Ancient Nubians drank antibiotic-lacked beer
Posted: September 3rd, 2010, 8:45am MDT
People have been using antibiotics for nearly 2,000 years, suggests a new study, which found large doses of tetracycline embedded in the bones of ancient African mummies.
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Kids prove they’re MoonBot masters
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 7:23pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Teen-agers from around the country put lunar rover prototypes through their paces in the MoonBots challenge, a spin-off of the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize program
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Facebook cross-dresser's photos incites family members
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 6:26pm MDT
Family members, upset about a male relative's cross-dressing photos he shared on Facebook, were indicted Thursday in Israel on charges tied to their kidnapping and punishment of the 19-year-old man. -
Mixed bag of space rocks found near Earth
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 5:52pm MDT
A new survey of asteroids near Earth by a NASA space telescope has found a much wider variety of the space rocks than previously thought, with some shiny and bright while others are dark and dull. -
Video: Bullets fly in 'Mafia II'
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 3:53pm MDT
You follow one wiseguy's rise to power from a lowly hood to mob boss taking control of an entire city. (msnbc.com)
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'Tweens,' ages 8 to 11, changing online game development
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 3:23pm MDT
A booming market of tweens, ages 8 to 11, is changing the landscape of online games.
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Facebook's new security feature: remote logouts
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 3:16pm MDT
Facebook is rolling out a new security feature that lets users log out of their accounts remotely from another computer. -
Facebook stalker continues to harass 12-year-old girl
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 2:56pm MDT
This dramatic tale of a Facebook stalker hacking and harassing young girls on Facebook speaks to a couple of issues regularly faced in this brave new world of social media — the dangers awaiting children online and Facebook's oft-complained-about lack of customer service.
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Verizon to sell smart phones for prepaid service
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 2:35pm MDT
Verizon Wireless on Thursday announced it's opening up access to smart phones for customers who prepay for service, such as people with poor credit and those who don't want to be tied down by long-term contracts. -
Apple, Google to clash in music space by Christmas
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 2:19pm MDT
Google is in talks with music labels on plans for a download store and a digital song locker that would allow its mobile users to play songs wherever they are as it steps up its rivalry with Apple, according to people familiar with the matter. -
10 products for a relaxing Labor Day weekend
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 2:17pm MDT
If you have an extended break this Labor Day weekend to relax, these products could help you do just that. But be warned that extreme relaxation can result in extreme laziness. -
Windows Phone 7 phones likely by holidays
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 1:35pm MDT
Windows Phone 7 OS was released to manufacturers Thursday, meaning that it's ready to be baked into new phones and carrier networks. -
A visual tour of new iPods, iTunes and Apple TV
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 1:33pm MDT
Rumors of 99-cent streaming TV shows were also true, available as rentals from Fox and ABC, but there's no iOS as some reports suggested, and no apps. Non-iTunes content will only come from Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, and whatever compatible media you've got stored on other devices. -
Supernova blast wave could shape galaxy evolution
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 1:12pm MDT
Hubble Space Telescope observations of the aftermath of a giant star explosion are offering a new glimpse into the events that follow the collapse of a massive dying star.
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Going paperless: Tech-savvy travelers on board
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 1:05pm MDT
Don't disconnect your printer just yet. While some tech-savvy passengers may be ready for it, experts say paperless boarding won’t be successful until it is both reliable and universal.
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Earth's animals face grim future
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 12:34pm MDT
Corals, big mammals and many tropical species could all go extinct in the not too distant future, predict scientists who are attempting to forecast the fate of today's animals by studying what happened to those in the distant past.
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Booted off Facebook, woman sues
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 12:18pm MDT
In a lawsuit filed against the world's largest social network, Maryland resident Karen Beth Young claims Facebook disabled her account the day after she launched a petition page to raise the friend limit.
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Shape-shifting plane to aid maritime rescues
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 11:39am MDT
Gilligan might have gotten off that island a lot sooner if shape-shifting robot planes had been around.
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Ants defeat elephants to save a tree
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 11:19am MDT
Ants in your pants? That's nothing compared with ants up your snout. And that's what elephants in the African savanna must contend with when trying to snag a meal from a certain type of acacia tree.
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Google challenges Jobs over activation numbers
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 10:54am MDT
It seemed like a "mine is bigger than yours" kind of comment by Steve Jobs Wednesday, when he said that Apple is activating more mobile devices a day than Android because many of its activations are upgrades. Google says that's not so. -
Human-like brain found in worm
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 10:52am MDT
Brain structures directly related to the human brain have just been identified in a marine ragworm, according to a paper published in the latest issue of the journal Cell.
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Slabs of North America are layered like cake
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 10:33am MDT
The continent of North America is not a single, thick, rigid slab, but is instead more similar to a layer cake, with a section of 3-billion-year-old rock sitting atop much newer material, a new study that probes the depth of the continent finds. -
Hawaii plant thought to be extinct found in Kohala
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 10:20am MDT
A Hawaiian plant species thought to be extinct has been found on the Big Island. -
Hawaii plant thought to be extinct found in Kohala
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 10:20am MDT
A Hawaiian plant species thought to be extinct has been found on the Big Island. -
Amazon matches Apple with 99-cent download
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 9:50am MDT
Amazon.com Inc Thursday slashed the cost to download TV shows like "Glee" to 99 cents in a bid to take on Apple Inc as both companies battle to win the hearts of couch potatoes. -
At last! Starbucks mobile app for BlackBerry
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 9:19am MDT
As of today, BlackBerry owners can download the Starbucks mobile app — just like those snooty iPhone owners.
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TV's 'Top Chefs' cook up ultimate astronaut takeout
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 9:18am MDT
It will be bon appetit in orbit for some lucky astronauts who will soon savor a space meal of short ribs dreamed up by a contestant on television's "Top Chef."
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Video: Panda cubs go to school
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 9:18am MDT
A group of panda cubs are attending ‘panda school’ at a China panda reserve where they are being taught how to climb. TODAYshow.com's Dara Brown reports. (Other)
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Twitter on steroids in new iPad app
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 8:51am MDT
Call it Twitter on steroids: A new version of Twitter, especially designed for Apple's iPad, takes full advantage of the tablet's 9.7-inch screen real estate by weaving in Web pages, photos and videos related to tweets. -
UN official: BlackBerry data requests legitimate
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 8:46am MDT
The chief of the U.N.'s telecommunications agency urged the Canadian manufacturer of the BlackBerry to allow law enforcement agencies access to customer data, saying that governments all over the world had legitimate security concerns which should not be ignored. -
Samsung unveils iPad competitor Galaxy
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 8:27am MDT
Samsung Electronics Co. on Thursday unveiled a new tablet PC named Galaxy Tab as the latest device meant to rival Apple Inc.'s popular iPad.
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72 percent of adults are text-messaging now
Posted: September 2nd, 2010, 7:39am MDT
More American adults have taken to texting in the past year, but teens still take the crown when it comes to using their phones for text-messaging, with 87 percent of them doing so, a new study says. -
Stephen Hawking says God's not needed. So?
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 9:14pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: British physicist Stephen Hawking's latest book is already making waves with his observation that science can explain the universe's origin without invoking God.
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Eco-author baffled by a violent fan
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 6:13pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The "Ishmael" books are aimed at encouraging radical social change — but their author says hostage-taking is not the change he had in mind.
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Thanks to high-tech, storm track easier to predict
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 5:28pm MDT
Sophisticated computer models that replaced instinct with cold, hard math have helped forecasters predict where a storm like Hurricane Earl is going about twice as accurately as 20 years ago.
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Alien planet's weather forecast: Hot and extra cloudy
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 2:39pm MDT
Astronomers peering at a large alien planet have found it to be covered by an atmosphere unlike that of any extrasolar planet yet seen.
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For star-gazers, September brings new night sky
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 12:29pm MDT
The month of September marks many changes. For skywatchers it means the passing of the season's trademark Summer Triangle of stars and the arrival of the autumn constellations. -
Apple introduces movie and rental streaming, new Apple TV
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 12:07pm MDT
Apple introduced movie and TV streaming through its second-generation Apple TV Wednesday, a simpler device than its previous product. -
Starburst galaxy unleashes ‘superwind’
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 11:53am MDT
A striking galaxy buzzing with energetic star formation takes center stage in a new photograph that showcases an unusual "superwind" of out-flowing gas, researchers say.
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'Ping' social network for music announced by Apple
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 11:47am MDT
"Ping," a social network for Apple's iTunes Store music users was unveiled Wednesday by CEO Steve Jobs. -
Old star's super-hot water vapor surprises scientists
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 11:40am MDT
Scalding hot water vapor has been discovered in the atmosphere of an aging star, surprising scientists who thought the chemistry of such stars would forbid it. -
Phantom planet comes back from oblivion
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 10:42am MDT
Of the hundreds of exoplanets found so far, there’s one that’s remained elusive and infamous 12 years after its purported discovery. -
'Prancing Michael Cera' usurps 'Sad Keanu Reeves'
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 10:27am MDT
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Bacteria make gold nuggets
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 10:17am MDT
Gold nuggets are often the creations of bacterial biofilms, say Australian researchers who have demonstrated the process and even identified the bacteria at work. -
Sony to announce music, video subscription service
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 9:49am MDT
Sony is expected to enter an arena dominated by Apple's iTunes through a new music and video subscription service. -
Satellite traffic cop could be job of the future
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 8:58am MDT
Collisions in space don't happen very often, but when they do the impact is long-lasting. A coalition of satellite traffic cops, however, aims to prevent these episodes from occurring at all.
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Few asteroids look ripe for astronaut visit by 2025
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 8:42am MDT
NASA may appear to have its pick of thousands of known asteroids for a manned mission, but only two are good targets within the next 20 years.
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Famed Tasmanian devil euthanized after tumor found
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 8:29am MDT
A Tasmanian devil named Cedric, once thought to be immune to a contagious facial cancer threatening the iconic creatures with extinction, has been euthanized after succumbing to the disease, researchers said Wednesday.
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Touch screen, price hike to cheapest Sony e-reader
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 8:05am MDT
Lately, the electronic-reader market has been a race to the bottom, with major players such as Amazon.com Inc. and Barnes & Noble Inc. tussling over which can offer consumers the best, cheapest e-reader.
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3,000-year-old Iron Age temple unearthed in Jordan
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 7:48am MDT
The Jordanian antiquities department announced Wednesday the discovery of a 3,000-year-old Iron Age temple boasting a trove of figurines of ancient deities and circular clay vessels used in religious rituals. -
India says will ask Google, Skype for data access
Posted: September 1st, 2010, 7:37am MDT
India on Wednesday launched a clampdown on major Internet communications firms, including Google and Skype, and began accessing some BlackBerry traffic in a campaign driven by security fears. -
Collider court case finally closed
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 7:33pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: A federal appeals court has shot down a challenge to Europe's Large Hadron Collider that was based on claims it could destroy the world.
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For bonobo males, mom is best wingman
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 5:41pm MDT
To most human males, the thought of your mother anywhere near your sex life is probably horrifying. Not so for the bonobo, one of our closest primate relatives. A new study confirms that hanging out with mom boosts male bonobos' chances of getting intimate with a fertile female. -
Amazon trying to offer subscription TV, movies
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 5:14pm MDT
Amazon.com Inc. is talking with major media companies about offering unlimited views of older TV shows and movies online, in an attempt to stay relevant as consumers flock to Apple Inc.'s iTunes a la carte store and Netflix Inc.'s all-you-can eat subscription plan. -
Satellite burns up in Earth's atmosphere
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 4:48pm MDT
A NASA satellite that spent seven years studying Earth's polar regions ended its successful mission Monday by plunging back to Earth on purpose to burn up in the atmosphere. -
Researchers rescue Moore’s Law
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 3:43pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: A new breed of memory device could keep the decades-long speedup in computer power going for decades longer, researchers say.
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Arcade Fire HTML5 video is awesome — but no Flash killer
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 2:31pm MDT
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Location-based services not connecting with consumers
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 2:07pm MDT
Location-based services may not be as popular as some start-ups would have you believe, according to a recent study by Forrester Research. Despite Foursquare hitting 3 million users, the media surrounding Facebook's and Twitter's attaching locations, Gowalla, Loopt and Shopkick, only about 4 percent of people have used it and only 1 percent regularly let others publicly know where they are, Advertising Age reported. -
Report: Samsung's Galaxy tablet Verizon-bound
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 1:54pm MDT
Samsung will reportedly partner with Verizon Wireless on its recently announced Android-based Galaxy Tab tablet. The partnership, reported by BoyGeniusReport, is based on an alleged screenshot of Verizon's internal systems, which list the Samsung tablet. -
Bite-sized iPod Nano evidence grows
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 1:42pm MDT
Apple may be losing its knack for keeping secrets, as rumors of a tiny, square-shaped iPod Nano become more convincing by the day. -
Expedition explores violent Russian volcanoes
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 1:13pm MDT
A group of scientists is hiking in one of the most remote areas on the planet in pursuit of new information about the recurring deaths and rebirths of two volcanoes.
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Dead spacecraft on Mars lives on in new study
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 12:50pm MDT
Data collected by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander before it went silent for good on the Red Planet is providing valuable insight for a new study on the interactions between the Martian dirt and atmosphere. -
Gamers' vacations come with virtual girlfriends
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 12:49pm MDT
In Japan, players of the hugely popular Nintendo DS dating simulation game, "Love Plus," go on vacation with their girlfriends, using iPhones and augmented reality. -
Classic NASA photos rocket onto Flickr
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 12:39pm MDT
NASA has posted almost 200 pictures to the photo-sharing site Flickr in what is the first of many batches of photos the space agency plans to share for public feedback.
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It's time to make standardized ratings for gadgets
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 12:08pm MDT
Earlier today, the Environmental Protection Agency and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed off stickers that would give car buyers standardized info on a particular model's fuel economy and environmental impact. Gadgets should have standardized ratings, too.
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Web video: Woman throws puppies in river, 4chan tracks her down
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 12:03pm MDT
This latest example of all-too-human behavior, originally posted on LiveLeaks, became the subject of international outrage this week, hot on the heels of the "Cat Bin Lady of Britain."
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Facebook 'like' spam not spam, startup company says
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 11:46am MDT
Yesterday, we wrote about a wave of new sites clogging up Facebook news feeds, called 'like pages' or 'like farms.' -
Google set to unveil 'priority inbox' for Gmail
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 11:15am MDT
Google is set to unveil a new feature to its Gmail service that aims to separate a user's important e-mails from the ones that do not get read often. -
Are volcanic eruptions increasing?
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 11:01am MDT
Eruptions in Iceland and Indonesia captured the world's attention, leading some to wonder whether volcanic eruptions are on the rise. Experts say the reports are indeed increasing, but that's not because volcanoes are more active.
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Music still dominates iTunes Store purchases
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 10:53am MDT
A survey finds that music still rules the iTunes Store experience, with more than half of buyers purchasing music exclusively, despite the encroachment of software apps, games and movie rentals. -
Magna Carta getting a new gas to lie in
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 10:36am MDT
The Magna Carta helped form the foundation for modern English and U.S. law. Now one of two copies known to exist outside England is headed for a special new case to preserve it. -
NASA test-fires Ares I rocket motor in Utah
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 10:27am MDT
NASA test-fired a new first-stage motor in the Utah desert Tuesday for a rocket that is facing a shaky future.
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Microsoft hiking Xbox Live subscription prices
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 10:02am MDT
Microsoft is raising subscription prices for its popular Xbox Live Gold online gaming service in the U.S. and three other countries. -
George Lucas' Jedi powers work
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 9:53am MDT
Threatened with a $5 million lawsuit by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, Jedi Mind Inc. has changed its name to Mind Technologies and its "Jedi Mouse" to "Mind Mouse." -
Foursquare, MTV to reward STD checkups with 'badge'
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 9:28am MDT
You can "check in" to restaurants and bars, so how about health clinics while you get tested for sexually transmitted diseases? Foursquare, the phone application for telling friends and strangers where you are, is offering a special virtual "badge" through September to people who do just that. -
Historic Mercury launch pad reimagined as classroom
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 9:19am MDT
The launch pad used by the first United States astronauts to enter orbit around Earth may soon be revived as an engineering classroom for a new generation of rocket builders, where laid off space shuttle technicians are the teachers.
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The most fragile eggs came from huge flightless birds
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 8:54am MDT
Giant extinct flightless birds apparently had the most fragile bird eggs discovered yet.
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Dust-zapping tech for Mars could work on Earth
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 8:35am MDT
Technology developed to prolong the lives of robotic probes on the moon and Mars is being tested for a new use on Earth: keeping solar panels dust-free.
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Parched English fields reveal ancient sites
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 7:37am MDT
The exceptionally dry early summer months in Britain have revealed the ghostly outlines of several hundred previously unknown ancient sites buried in fields across the English countryside.
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Man accused of torturing woman over Facebook post
Posted: August 31st, 2010, 12:59am MDT
Authorities say a California man jealous over a message on his girlfriend's Facebook page tortured and imprisoned her for four days while their children were in the house. -
Satellite-watchers worry about China
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 7:54pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: A strange set of Chinese satellite maneuvers has some experts worried, in large part because the Chinese haven't explained what's going on.
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Cosmic Log: Saturn floats on gossamer rings
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 6:07pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: It's been a year since Saturn's equinox, but the pictures from that magical moment are still being processed and shared by Cassini orbiter's team.
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NASA funds suborbital cruisers
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 4:56pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: NASA says it's awarding about $475,000 to two of the pioneers of the suborbital spaceship business — Armadillo Aerospace and Masten Space Systems — for test flights that will approach the edge of outer space.
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Backup plan devised to salvage ailing satellite
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 4:52pm MDT
A propulsion system glitch aboard the U.S. Air Force's first Advanced Extremely High Frequency secure communications satellite has forced the service to devise a new orbit-raising plan utilizing smaller thrusters that will delay the craft's arrival at its operating orbit by six months to seven months, according to a service official. -
Plans for manned asteroid mission gains ground
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 4:37pm MDT
Plans for sending humans to visit an asteroid are heating up, with at least one company already scoping out the technological essentials for a deep space expedition within a decade, given the go-ahead. -
MySpace users can now sync posts to Facebook
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 4:17pm MDT
MySpace, which recently revamped itself to look more like Facebook, is now allowing users to sync their posts to Facebook, too. -
Americans are watching less live TV
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 4:08pm MDT
With the growing accessibility of online video, on-demand cable and recording services such as TiVo, Americans are putting live broadcasts on the backburner. -
Samsung sells 1 million Galaxy S phones in U.S.
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 3:30pm MDT
Samsung sold more than one million Galaxy S Android smart phones in the U.S., the company announced. In a month and a half, the combined sales of T-Mobile Vibrant and AT&T Captivate topped one million, in a boon for Google Android's fight for supremacy against Apple's iPhone.
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Foursquare hits 3 million users
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 3:30pm MDT
Foursquare hit the three million user mark over the weekend, less than two months after the location-based service passed the two million users mark in July. This success comes despite predictions Foursquare would be crushed by Facebook's recently launched location-sharing feature called Places. But Foursquare's recent user milestone suggests Places may actually be helping Foursquare's growth by popularizing the concept of checking-in and sharing your location. Foursquare's three-million-user milestone was first reported by TechCrunch which derived the number based on its own research. Foursquare has not made any formal announcement of its traffic. -
Hurricane Earl from space
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 3:09pm MDT
Astronaut Douglas H. Wheelcock just uploaded this stunning image of Hurricane Earl from space. He's aboard the International Space Station.
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Velociraptor's kickboxing cousin discovered
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 2:25pm MDT
A deadly, heavier relative of Velociraptor, which had twice as many giant sickle-like claws on its feet and was more of a kickboxer than its famous sprinter-like cousin, has been discovered in Romania.
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ThinkPad maker Lenovo creating eBox game console
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 1:50pm MDT
Lenovo, best known for buying IBM's ThinkPad line of notebooks, is venturing into the world of game consoles by creating its own dubbed the eBox. -
Ew! Bedbugs invade the Internet
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 1:49pm MDT
Fear of bedbugs makes perfectly rational people go totally insane. Can a website do the same?
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Astronaut from first operational shuttle mission dies
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 1:22pm MDT
Former NASA astronaut William "Bill" Lenoir, who flew aboard the first operational mission of the space shuttle in November 1982, died Saturday at age 71. -
Nintendo to drop DSi and DSi XL prices by $20
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 1:17pm MDT
Nintendo is dropping the prices by $20 on its DSi and DSi XL handheld game devices as of Sept. 12, the company said Monday.
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Cosmic Log: Prehistoric feasting hall found
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 1:10pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Archaeologists find a cave in Israel that was clearly used for funerals and feasts 12,000 years ago, during a time when humans were just starting to settle down in villages.
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Dolphin snot offers less painful source of DNA
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 12:57pm MDT
The fluid that spews out the top of a dolphin or whale's head when it exhales can provide scientists with valuable genetic information, giving them an alternative to shooting the animals with a retractable dart to collect a small tissue sample, new research suggests. -
Hurricane hunters fly into Earl
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 12:39pm MDT
Hurricane Earl is gathering strength over the Atlantic, and NASA scientists are flying planes into the heart of the storm to catch Earl in the act of intensifying.
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Sony PSPs help trapped Chilean miners waiting for rescue
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 11:53am MDT
Sony PlayStation Portable devices have been sent down to 33 Chilean miners to help them pass the time as they wait to be rescued. -
Google, AP reach new deal on licensing rights
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 11:05am MDT
Google Inc. has retained the right to publish content from The Associated Press under a new licensing deal that thaws the sometimes-frosty relationship between the two companies. -
Google may offer pay-per-view movies on YouTube
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 10:38am MDT
Google is reportedly negotiating with Hollywood studios to launch a pay-per-view service on YouTube by the end of the year. -
Chronic hipsterism pwned the dinosaurs
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 9:39am MDT
That's the awesome hypothesis one might draw from "Hipster Dinosaurs," a TwitPic series by YouTube-famous ukulele artist Molly Lewis .
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Video: How to check out e-books from library
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 9:39am MDT
As more Americans turn their reading habits toward e-books, many are finding they can get free book content at their local libraries. NBC's Kristen Dahlgren reports. (NBC News Channel)
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BlackBerry to offer India access: govt source
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 9:16am MDT
Research In Motion will give India access to secure BlackBerry data beginning September 1, a government source said on Monday, leading New Delhi to put off a decision on whether to shut down the smartphone.
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Israeli researchers find ancient disposable cutlery
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 8:48am MDT
Israeli archaeologists believe thousands of ancient shards of flint found scattered around a fire pit in a cave near Tel Aviv might be the world's oldest known disposable knives.
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Amateurs aim to rocket themselves into space
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 8:36am MDT
Kristian von Bengtson and Peter Madsen of Denmark don't have a death wish, or even a mid-life crisis. Yet they're the first to admit that their efforts to put themselves in space on home-built rockets certainly begs the question.
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Indian officials to meet to decide BlackBerry ban
Posted: August 30th, 2010, 7:32am MDT
Indian authorities are scheduled to meet Monday evening to decide whether to ban some BlackBerry services in India, one day ahead of a government-imposed deadline for the device's maker Research In Motion Ltd. to give security agencies access to encrypted data.
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Wandering goat gets Facebook fan page
Posted: August 29th, 2010, 10:20am MDT
A goat that has been wandering around the eastern Missouri town of Mexico has gained enough attention to have his own Facebook page. But animal control officers are not amused. KXEO reported that the goat was first seen by a motorist on Saturday near an underpass on the east side of town.
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Internet wiping out printed Oxford Dictionary
Posted: August 29th, 2010, 9:55am MDT
It's been in print for over a century, but in future the Oxford English Dictionary — the authoritative guide to the English language — may only be available to peruse online. -
YouTube stars earn big money — but why?
Posted: August 28th, 2010, 8:51am MDT
The top 10 YouTube stars on YouTube have one thing in common. They're awful. Yet these guys – and one gal – earned more than six figures over the last year.
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Titanic expedition takes its first pictures
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 7:32pm MDT
Hurricane Danielle forces researchers to withdraw from the site where the Titanic sank, but not before they get fantastic 3-D imagery of the historic wreck. Follow the adventure with NBC News' Kerry Sanders.
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Cosmic Log: Tour the solar system ... on Earth
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 6:42pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: One of the wonderful things about "Wonders of the Solar System" is that the TV series shows off the wonders of Earth as well as the cosmos.
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Boot on Mars? Get the big picture
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 5:20pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The past month's big pictures from space include the European Space Agency's enigmatic view of a giant "Bootprint on Mars."
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Microsoft's $1B smart phone bet? That's chump change
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 4:34pm MDT
Microsoft is rapidly developing Windows Phone 7, a smart phone platform to compete with iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. The launch will probably cost the company at least a billion dollars. But is that enough? Let's look at what a billion really means in the wireless business.
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Security problems abound in Egypt's museums
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 2:26pm MDT
The Egyptian Museum houses some of the world's prized antiquities, including the gold mask of King Tut that draws millions of tourists a year. But it also has an outdated video surveillance system that doesn't work around the clock and guards who snooze, read the Quran or are seemingly too bored to pay attention.
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British scientists crack wheat's genetic code
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 2:20pm MDT
British scientists have decoded the genetic sequence of wheat — one of the world's oldest and most important crops — a development they hope could help the global staple meet the challenges of climate change, disease and population growth.
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Hey 'Cat Bin Lady!' Here's 100 ways to love a cat
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 2:07pm MDT
There 100 ways to love a cat, according to a new YouTube video. And not one of them includes dumping it in a wheelie bin.
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Young Mars crater contains water ice, photo shows
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 2:03pm MDT
A fresh crater on Mars has revealed a hidden cache of frozen water in some of the latest photos from a powerful NASA spacecraft.
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Tech that will save the trapped Chilean miners
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 2:00pm MDT
As the plight of the trapped miners in Chile wears on, rescuers will rely on a number of technologies to keep the 33 men alive until they can be freed from nearly half a mile down – a process that could take several months. -
Facebook sued in California over teen endorsements
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 1:54pm MDT
Two Los Angeles County teenagers are suing Facebook, claiming the social network effectively sold their names and images to advertisers without parental permission. -
Next gen mining safety tech saves lives with sensors
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 1:51pm MDT
Although they won’t attain field readiness in time to help workers trapped by the mine collapse in Chile, a number of new technologies will enter service in the next few years that could drastically increase mine collapse survival rates. These technologies differ in their use, but all use advanced sensors to help miners locate fallen colleagues, alert rescue teams and flee to safety. -
Five issues still facing the Gulf Coast post-Katrina
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 1:29pm MDT
Five years after Katrina, much has been done to help bolster the Gulf Coast against devastation if another Katrina comes along. Still, problems remain, many tied to Mother Nature. -
Nike patents plan for self-lacing shoes
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 1:16pm MDT
Nike has filed a patent for a self-lacing shoe that resembles the sneakers from "Back to the Future 2" so closely, one has to wonder whether a hover-board and flux capacitor could be far behind.
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Paul Allen sues Apple, Google, almost everybody else over patents
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 1:09pm MDT
Billionaire tech investor Paul Allen sued nearly every major tech company today including Apple and Google, on the grounds that they violated e-commerce and social network patents held by a company he invested in heavily during the late 1990s, according to the Wall Street Journal. -
'Avatar' director Cameron stars in NASA videos
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 12:30pm MDT
Filmmaker James Cameron, known for out-of-this-world science fiction movies like "Avatar" and "Aliens," gives a thumbs-up to NASA's earth science programs in a series of new videos. -
E-reader price wars heat up
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 11:46am MDT
The battle for tech-savvy bookworms is on, with Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Sony competing to sell e-book reader hardware. And as the major players struggle for better position in the electronic-publishing industry, recent months have seen price drops, new devices and defeats. -
Fewer travelers unplug while on vacation
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 11:45am MDT
People used to go on holiday to unplug. Now they're demanding to be plugged in. -
Etsy's crafts are a hit, even in crap economy
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 11:10am MDT
In an era when stores go out of business and many shoppers bemoan the souless results of mass-produced junk, the Brooklyn-based website Etsy offers an alternative. What's more, that alternative is making a whole lot more money than the casual Etsy fan might surmise.
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Older adults are flocking to social networks
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 9:27am MDT
Pew study says Facebook and Twitter use by those ages 50 and older nearly doubled in the past year, going from 22 percent in April 2009 to 42 percent in May 2010. -
Female whale sharks save sperm, study suggests
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 8:50am MDT
The giant whale shark is an elusive quarry for study, especially when it comes to spotting the spotted sharks' mating and breeding. But a new analysis of rare whale shark embryos suggests that females may save up sperm after mating, queuing up multiple litters of the filter-feeding fish.
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NASA aims to ease doubts over private space taxis
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 8:18am MDT
Space.com: NASA is reassuring commercial space firms that it will be a supportive customer for privately built space taxis even as it cautions that Congress could stymie efforts to foster development of such vehicles. -
Size matters in canine smarts
Posted: August 27th, 2010, 7:44am MDT
There are theories galore about why some dog breeds appear to be smarter than others, but new research suggests that size alone might make a difference.
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Cosmic Log: How to create space vomit
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 9:05pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: It takes a whole team of white-coated NASA researchers to come up with just the right mix for artificial space vomit. -
UFO book based on questionable foundation
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 6:52pm MDT
A new book is causing a fresh buzz over a long list of sightings of unidentified flying objects, but the book's claims are based on a questionable assumption: that airline pilots make the best witnesses of unidentified flying objects. Commentary by NBC News' James Oberg.
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L.A. Zoo is home to 22 baby Komodo dragons
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 5:48pm MDT
Twenty-two Komodo dragons have hatched at the Los Angeles Zoo this month, giving a modest boost to the world's endangered population.
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Gmail calling takes off, but not without bumps
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 4:31pm MDT
Gmail calling has remarkable ease of use, making it almost phone-like, although it's not without some early bumps. -
Sound waves on distant star reveal sun-like cycle
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 4:03pm MDT
Astronomers studying sound waves on a distant star have discovered that it has a magnetic cycle similar to our sun's solar cycle. -
Iceman may have received ceremonial burial
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 3:49pm MDT
Ötzi the Iceman, the 5,300-year-old mummy found in the Italian Alps, may have been ceremonially buried, according to a study which mapped the items found near the frozen corpse.
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Google polishes real-time search, launches site
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 3:10pm MDT
Google Inc launched a website on Thursday for users who want to sift through news, comments and other information on the Internet in real time, letting them follow conversations on social network hubs such as Facebook and Twitter in one place. -
"Cat Bin Lady's" Internet infamy grows
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 2:14pm MDT
The infamous "Bin Cat Lady" of Britain inspired Facebook groups, a faux Twitter account and at least one saterical video, "Revenge of the Cat."
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The 10 greatest (accidental) inventions of all time
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 2:02pm MDT
"Everything comes to him who hustles while he waits," Thomas Edison once said. But is hustling all it takes? Is progress always deliberate? Sometimes genius arrives not by choice—but by chance. Below are our ten favorite serendipitous innovations. -
Computers take a closer look inside the Earth
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 1:36pm MDT
More detailed pictures of the processes that continuously reshape the Earth from the inside out are being generated by new, more sophisticated computer models, yielding new insights into the hidden world beneath our feet.
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How a cadaver made your car safer
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 12:39pm MDT
A highly-promoted feature in the 2011 Ford Explorer are its new inflatable rear seat belts. The not-so-highly-promoted working stiffs that helped make it happen? Human cadavers. Here's how automakers still quietly use dead people to make your car safer.
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Can't beat pirates? Then off with their ads
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 12:36pm MDT
In an attempt to starve websites that help people illegally download movies, Disney and Warner Bros. are suing the sites' biggest advertising partner, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Cosmic Log: Planets’ clockwork goes crazy
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 11:54am MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The Kepler planet-hunting probe has spotted a system where two giant planets are locked in constantly changing orbits — with a super-Earth potentially pinned down in the crossfire.
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Cosmic Log: Planets spotted in changing orbits
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 11:54am MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The Kepler planet-hunting probe has spotted a system where two giant planets are locked in constantly changing orbits — with a super-Earth potentially pinned down in the crossfire.
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Big Facebook sues little Teachbook
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 11:31am MDT
Facebook is suing Teachbook.com, an online teachers' site, contending it is infringing on Facebook's trademark — the "book" part of its name.
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Sun caused partial collapse of Earth's atmosphere
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 10:25am MDT
As the sun's energy rises and falls, so goes the Earth's atmosphere, a new study suggests. These fluctuations in the sun's energy explain a recent collapse of the Earth's upper atmosphere, which had previously puzzled scientists. -
In post-Katrina era, floods will still win
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 9:36am MDT
New Orleans has only gradually resurrected itself after the city drowned five years ago this week following Hurricane Katrina. That process echoes an unpleasantly familiar drama that has played out countless times around the world during human history. -
Aquanauts living on ocean floor come up for air
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 8:48am MDT
University of North Carolina Wilmington grad students and technicians have been living deep under water for nine days in the only seafloor laboratory and habitat in the world.
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Cosmic Log: Was Darwin right or wrong?
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 8:15am MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Several reports have stirred up a debate highlighting how far evolutionary biology has come since Charles Darwin's day. Here's your chance to join the debate. -
First cannibals ate each other for extra nutrition
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 7:25am MDT
The world's first known human cannibals ate each other to satisfy their nutritional needs, concludes a new study of the remains of cannibal feasts consumed about one million years ago.
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Beware the smart phone data plan con
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 6:32am MDT
While it may seem obvious that the true cost of your smart phone is its sticker price plus service, it pays to sit down, read the fine print, and calculate it out. You may be surprised how much you can save — or end up in the hole.
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India holds crucial meeting on BlackBerry security
Posted: August 26th, 2010, 2:16am MDT
India insisted on Friday it would block some BlackBerry services next week if the smartphone maker did not address security concerns, and government officials said they were hopeful for a solution soon.
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What lies beyond ‘What the Bleep’?
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 7:50pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: JZ Knight — one of the prominent players behind the science-meets-self-actualization movie "What the Bleep Do We Know!?" — discusses what lies ahead for her and for Ramtha, the 35,000-year-old warrior spirit she says she channels.
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Where are you? Tips for using Facebook's Places
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 6:50pm MDT
Services based on your location, such as Foursquare, are popular in the tech-centric bubbles of Silicon Valley and New York City. But for many people, these services remain odd — and potentially creepy — tools on your smart phone to let friends or even strangers know you just showed up to a restaurant, gym or the corner deli.
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Facebook game 'I Woo You' will not woo you
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 4:41pm MDT
This new dating game from MTV is a good example of what's wrong with Facebook games.
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MIT to debut oil-slick absorbing robot
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 4:23pm MDT
Researchers at MIT have created a fleet of robots that can cruise the ocean and clean up surface oil slicks. The system, called Seaswarm, is a group of vehicles that may make cleaning up future oil spills both less expensive and more efficient than current skimming methods. -
You can catch a crescent Venus in telescopes
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 3:58pm MDT
If you look low in the western sky just after sunset, you will see three planets in an irregular row: from left to right, Venus, Mars and Saturn. Venus is the brightest of the three and, with the use of a telescope or binoculars, appears as a narrowing crescent. -
Harry Potter-style wand conjures big money
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 3:08pm MDT
The Kymera wand buttonless remote control claims no direct affiliation with J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter empire, but there's a reason it's selling like pumpkin pasties on the Hogwarts Express.
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Google to allow phone calls from Gmail
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 2:05pm MDT
Google Inc said users of Gmail will now be able to call telephones directly from their e-mail, putting it in direct competition with Web calling service Skype and more traditional operators such as AT&T Inc and Verizon Communications. -
Space-based detector could find anti-universe
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 1:53pm MDT
A huge particle detector to be mounted on the International Space Station next year could find evidence for the anti-universe often evoked in science fiction, physicists said on Wednesday.
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2008 military PC attack 'most significant breach ever'
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 1:09pm MDT
The Pentagon is confirming a 2008 attack on military computers where a foreign spy used a USB flash drive to infect systems used to command combat activity in Iraq and Afghanistan. Deputy secretary of defense William J. Lynn 3d called the attack "the most significant breach of U.S. military computers ever." -
Man charged in Facebook stalking case
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 12:07pm MDT
An man was accused of stalking an ex-girlfriend and of trying to persuade her to come back to him by using a Facebook account he created in the name of another ex-girlfriend he raped last year. -
Jupiter and the moon take over the night
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 11:52am MDT
After Venus sets, it's Jupiter that takes over for the rest of the night, outshining everything in the night sky but the moon.
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Adjustable glasses eyed for astronauts
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 11:47am MDT
Deteriorating eyesight is nothing new for the over-40 crowd, but the fix for astronauts isn't so simple.
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Apple's iPad to remain king of tablets
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 11:29am MDT
Apple Inc's iPad will not face a serious competitor until next year, and when tablet rivals do emerge, they will have a hard time matching iPad's customized applications, according to a report from market research firm iSuppli.
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Pea-sized frog rates among world’s tiniest
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 11:08am MDT
One of the tiniest frogs in the world, and the smallest ever seen outside of North and South America, has been discovered in the forests of the Southeast Asian island of Borneo
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Apple to announce iTV on Sept. 7
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 9:05am MDT
Apple surprised industry insiders Wednesday afternoon with an invitation to its exclusive event at the Yerba Center for the Arts Theater in San Francisco on Sept. 1, where the company is expected to announce its next hot list of toys. -
Germany to prevent Facebook checks
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 9:00am MDT
Ever thought twice about posting a party picture on Facebook, fearing it could someday hurt your chance at a dream job? -
Amazon says latest Kindle is its fastest selling
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 7:29am MDT
Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday that its latest model of the Kindle e-reader is selling faster than any of its previous versions. -
Slideshow: Great views from outer space
Posted: August 25th, 2010, 6:41am MDT
Get an astronaut's-eye view of the Great Barrier Reef and see other space highlights from August 2010.
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One fifth of Americans play social network games
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 8:12pm MDT
You may claim to hate "FarmVille" and other Facebook games, but the secret's out: You, and 56.8 million other Americans, play games on social networks.
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Cosmic Log: Smashing news about planets
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 7:44pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The pace of planet discoveries beyond our own solar system is accelerating — but some of those discoveries just raise new puzzles.
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Trapped Chilean miners get NASA survival tips
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 7:02pm MDT
Facing one of the most complex rescue operations ever attempted, Chile is looking to space and the ocean depths for survival tips to help 33 miners endure months underground awaiting rescue. -
'Portal' to be required 'reading' at school
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 5:51pm MDT
Wabash College puts thought-provoking puzzle game on freshman book list.
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Cosmic Log: Mice trained to sniff out disease
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 5:39pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Scientists have trained mice to recognize the whiff of bird flu in duck poop, hinting at a new line of defense in the fight against epidemics.
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NASA gears up for big asteroid encounter
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 4:43pm MDT
NASA has begun the countdown for its Dawn spacecraft's encounter with the giant asteroid Vesta, slated for less than a year from now. -
Touch-enabled iMac, MacBook in Apple patent filing
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 4:01pm MDT
Apple appears to be extending its touch offering from mobile devices to desktop-bound hardware, based on a patent application showing a touch-enabled iMac.
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Woman dumps cat in garbage, becomes Internet villian
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 3:16pm MDT
Sometimes you just have to make a stand, sit down at your computer, and click a Like button on Facebook to let the whole world know that you are against putting perfectly good tabby cats in wheelie garbage bins.
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Colombian teens murdered after Facebook threats posted
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 2:42pm MDT
Three Colombian teens were murdered in that country after death threats against them and 66 others were posted on Facebook, according to news reports from Colombia. -
Exclusive e-deal with Amazon is cut back
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 2:33pm MDT
An exclusive e-book deal between Amazon.com and the agent for such Random House classics as "Invisible Man" and "Lolita" is no longer exclusive, and no longer a deal. -
State AGs: Craigslist should drop adult services
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 2:22pm MDT
State attorneys general nationwide are demanding that Craigslist remove its adult services section because they say the website cannot adequately block potentially illegal ads. -
Virus-built wearable batteries could power military
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 2:18pm MDT
Batteries, built by viruses, could someday be sprayed onto military uniforms as wearable power sources. -
iTunes users are the app's big security flaw
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 1:40pm MDT
iTunes users are the app's big security flaw. Here's what you need to know in order to keep yourself and your iTunes account safe. -
56-year-old chimp gives birth at zoo in Kansas
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 1:07pm MDT
A 56-year-old chimpanzee has surprised officials at a zoo in northeast Kansas by giving birth.
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Baby diving beetles have bifocal eyes
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 12:52pm MDT
Baby diving beetles sport bifocals, researchers now report. The specialized eyes let larvae switch their vision from up-close to distant in order to catch their favorite prey, mosquito larvae.
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Dell launches $100 smart phone in US on AT&T
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 12:36pm MDT
Dell said Tuesday its Aero smart phone is now on sale in the U.S. for $99 with a two-year AT&T contract.
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Yahoo's search results now coming from Bing
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 12:21pm MDT
Internet search results on Yahoo are now coming from Microsoft's Bing search engine, company officials said Tuesday. -
'Porn mode' browsing not really that private
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 12:10pm MDT
New evidence shows that dedicated attacks can retrieve the information. -
New microbe found eating Gulf oil spill
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 11:49am MDT
A newly discovered type of oil-eating microbe suddenly is flourishing in the Gulf of Mexico and gobbling up the BP spill at a much faster rate than expected, scientists reported.
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Apple's next gadgets: What six months may bring
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 10:39am MDT
Gazing into Apple's future is always daunting — real information is hard to find and misinformation comes in droves. But thanks to compelling leaks and some crazy rumors, not to mention regular product turnovers, there's never been a better time to take a peek.
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Alien solar system is like ours ... only weirder
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 10:29am MDT
Astronomers have discovered a group of at least five planets — with hints of two more — circling around a star in an arrangement similar to our own solar system.
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Hungover Owls — a hoot-larious new Tumblr blog
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 10:19am MDT
Not since Disapproving Rabbits has a single service blog so perfectly anthropomorphized an animal genus to reflect a celebrated aspect of the human experience.
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Eggshells look more colorful through birds' eyes
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 8:59am MDT
Birds see a more colorful world than we do, especially when it comes to their eggs, a new study suggests.
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Secret X-37B space plane has changed orbit
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 8:31am MDT
The U.S. Air Force's secretive X-37B space plane apparently boosted itself into a new orbit Aug. 9, according to reports from seasoned satellite trackers around the world, Space..com has learned.
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Lucas sues to stop 'Jedi Mind' wireless headset
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 8:00am MDT
"Star Wars" creator George Lucas has filed a $5 million trademark lawsuit against a company marketing a technology that allows users to control computer applications directly with their minds.
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Naughty bits will stay in Facebook movie
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 7:47am MDT
Days after producer Scott Rudin said that a scene of wild partying might be cut from "The Social Network," The Hollywood Reporter has learned that the full scene will remain in the film after all. -
Facebook Places: Be your friends' 'big brother'?
Posted: August 24th, 2010, 5:24am MDT
Red Tape Chronicles: Are your friends trustworthy? If they aren't, they might tell the world you are in some pretty crazy, or even disturbing, places, thanks to Facebook's new 'Places' tool. -
Cosmic Log: Inside a celestial super-volcano
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 6:08pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: The galaxy M87's supermassive black hole may not look like an erupting mountain, but it has an effect similar to that of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano.
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Spinning stars help scientists 'weigh' planets
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 5:02pm MDT
A new method for "weighing" the planets in our solar system one that relies on the radio signals delivered from highly magnetized spinning stars has been developed by an international research team. -
Death Valley's mysterious wandering rocks
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 4:52pm MDT
A section of California's Death Valley is home to a strange phenomenon: Rocks that litter the landscape seem to move on their own, leaving long trails behind them in the cracked, bone-dry clay.
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Deep water dead zone predicted in Gulf
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 4:32pm MDT
The oil gusher on the Gulf seabed may be stopped, but much of the spilled oil still lurks in a plume of oil and dissolved methane gas 3,200-4,300 feet below the surface. -
Farthest full moon of 2010 is smallest, too
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 3:14pm MDT
The moon reaches full phase Tuesday. But as far as full moons go, it's not the most impressive. In fact, it's the smallest full moon of the year.
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Why it's OK for birds to be gay
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 3:09pm MDT
In greylag geese, nearly a fifth of all long-term couples are composed of two males. They're not alone: More than 130 bird species are known to engage in homosexual behavior at least occasionally, a fact that has puzzled scientists.
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Drug helps addicts quit smoking...and 'StarCraft'
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 2:41pm MDT
New study suggests bupropion reduces the desire to play games obsessively
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New Chatroulette? World yawns with anticipation
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 2:33pm MDT
Turns out Chatroulette 1.0, the video conversation Web sensation that introduced giggling adolescents, nonplused computer shut-ins and shocked – SHOCKED – journalists to random male genitalia worldwide was just an experiment. And now it's over
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Can fuel cells power the future?
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 2:22pm MDT
An electricity-generating fuel-cell system known as the Bloom Box sparked a huge buzz in the energy debate six months ago — and since then, still more ventures have surfaced to promise better living through chemistry.
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Some iTunes Store accounts hacked, unauthorized charges made
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 2:10pm MDT
Some customers of Apple’s iTunes Store, particularly those who use PayPal for transactions, are reporting their iTunes Store accounts have been hacked and that various charges, sometimes for thousands of dollars, are showing up on their credit card bills. -
Diamonds could store millions of times more information
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 12:13pm MDT
Diamond sheets filled with holes could be the key to the next generation of supercomputers.
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Mark Zuckerberg is unblockable … at least on Facebook
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 11:03am MDT
Some suspect the block is a humorous Easter egg planted by developers. According to Facebook however, the "error" isn't a joke, nor is it specific to Zuckerberg's account.
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Video: Whale frolics close to Aussie shore
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 9:27am MDT
A giant humpback whale puts on a spectacular show for on-lookers close to the Australian shore. TODAYshow.com's Dara Brown reports. (Other)
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iPhone 'kill switch' would use voice, facial recognition
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 9:10am MDT
Apple patent proposal includes Big Brother-ish ways to detect those who jailbreak their iPhone, or hack into others' devices. -
Facebook's Zuckerberg furious over coming film
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 7:57am MDT
It was bound to happen. Facebook, the subject of a big Hollywood movie — is now coping with becoming a cultural icon and a corporate monolith. And they don’t like it one bit.
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Tips for taking great photos at night
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 7:06am MDT
Follow these photography tips to get exciting shots of the city in motion, capture lit-up buildings and monuments and take photos in dimly lit concert halls and clubs. -
E-textbooks starting to turn a page
Posted: August 23rd, 2010, 7:06am MDT
While ordinary e-books are catching on like wildfire — Amazon reported that in July Kindle e-books outsold hardcover books — e-textbooks are not yet pervasive at traditional universities.
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Cosmic Log: Another news flash from Jupiter
Posted: August 22nd, 2010, 5:30pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: A Japanese amateur astronomer has captured video of what appears to be yet another meteor flash in Jupiter's atmosphere.
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Chimps invent, share back-scratching tool
Posted: August 22nd, 2010, 1:27pm MDT
By learning an utterly superfluous technique for scratching their backs, wild chimpanzees are displaying even more evidence that humanity's closest living relatives are capable of what might be deemed culture.
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Solar system may be 2 million years older than thought
Posted: August 22nd, 2010, 12:55pm MDT
The solar system may be up to 2 million years older than previously thought, a new study has found.
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UK official decries video game with Taliban role
Posted: August 22nd, 2010, 9:35am MDT
A video game that allows players to adopt the role of the Taliban is a "tasteless product," Britain's defense secretary said Sunday, calling on retailers to show their support for troops by not selling it.
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California overdue for major quake, study says
Posted: August 21st, 2010, 9:57am MDT
Earthquakes strike along California's San Andreas Fault more often than scientists previously thought, and think it's more than likely a major quake could happen soon. a new study suggests. -
Newsweek: McCain is no 'Twitter Genius'
Posted: August 21st, 2010, 9:00am MDT
A new study measures the “Digital IQ” of U.S. senators, based on presence on sites like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, as well as mentions in the blogosphere and traffic on their own Web sites. -
Cosmic Log: ‘Piranha 3D’ unfair to the fish
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 9:47pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: Toothy, terrorizing fish are the stars of this summer's scariest movie, but scientists say piranhas aren't the man-eaters they're made out to be.
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Going to Mars? It’ll be one wild trip
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 6:36pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: "Packing for Mars" tells you pretty much everything you always wanted to know about sex, poop and vomit on the final frontier. But that’s not the point of the story.
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Going to Mars? It’ll be one wild trip
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 6:36pm MDT
Science editor Alan Boyle's Weblog: "Packing for Mars" tells you pretty much everything you always wanted to know about sex, poop and vomit on the final frontier. But that’s not the point of the story.
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Help Jimmy Fallon tweet a star onto the Emmy stage
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 6:06pm MDT
Jimmy Fallon wants your tweet to be part of the Emmy Awards. Fallon, host of the ceremony on NBC, said Friday the public will get to submit an introduction through Twitter for up to 15 Emmy presenters.
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SpaceX calls capsule drop test successful
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 5:44pm MDT
The California rocketry firm SpaceX says this month's test of a parachute system to land a cargo or crew capsule safely in an ocean was fully successful. -
Asteroid threat early warning system proposed
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 4:58pm MDT
Scientists are taking a hard look at a proposal to keep a high-tech, yet low-cost, eye on the heavens for asteroids or comets that may have Earth in their crosshairs.
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Mysterious 'bearded' antelope photographed
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 4:09pm MDT
In Kenya, a photographer captured images of a mysterious "bearded" antelope, covered with a strange, thick coat of hair, in stark contrast to the sleek Thomson's gazelles in its company.
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Hot Android smart phones in short supply
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 2:53pm MDT
The seemingly recession-proof smart phone is suffering from a side effect of the rough economy: Manufacturers simply can't build enough of the gadgets because chip-makers that rolled back production last year are now scrambling to play catch-up.
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Malware implicated in fatal Spanair plane crash
Posted: August 20th, 2010, 2:48pm MDT
Authorities investigating the 2008 crash of Spanair flight 5022 have discovered a central computer system used to monitor technical problems in the aircraft was infected with malware.