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23 Mar 2011 16:08

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Tech: Probe: Blame design flaws, not just BP, for Gulf Oil Spill

  • Hey, let’s not forget about this: A report compiled by risk management firm Det Norske Veritas on last year’s oil spill in the Gulf came out today. (They were hired by the federal government, not BP, by the way.) They claim that design flaws scuttled the blowout preventer; as the well lost control, the drill pipe bent and buckled, which blocked the shear rams. Shear rams are the means by which the blowout is supposed to be prevented, as they’d cut through the drill pipe to safeguard against the well’s pressure level. Sadly, these sort of industrial fail-safe systems don’t always work as well in reality as in theory. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 15:44

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Tech: Appocalypse Now: Controversial apps wither under scrutiny

  • drunks Four U.S. Senators (Schumer, Lautenberg, Reid, and Udall) have asked that app stores stop selling map apps designed to help drunk drivers avoid random sobriety checkpoints and police cars.
  • “cures” Answering not to elected officials, but to the pressure of public relations, Apple has pulled the religious “Gay Cure” app from its store, which supported “freedom from homosexuality.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Mar 2011 10:33

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Tech: China responds to Google’s Gmail accusations with just four words

  • This is an unacceptable accusation.
  • China Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu • Regarding Google’s claim that China has been infiltrating users’ Gmail accounts lately. We bet you’re wondering if she had any elaboration on this quote, considering its brevity. But, no, she didn’t. That’s all she said. Kinda awkward, isn’t it? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Mar 2011 10:24

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Tech, World: Google: China’s messing with users’ Gmail accounts

  • then Google reported they had been victim of cyberattacks around January of last year. Come to find out it was China. They made a big stink about it, had their access temporarily revoked in China, and eventually moved to Hong Kong. It was kind of a big deal.
  • now In the wake of potential Jasmine Revolution uprisings, Google’s now accusing China of messing with Gmail — hurting users’ abilities to send e-mails and mark them read. Google thinks China is using a vulnerability in IE to compromise Gmail’s usability. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Mar 2011 01:17

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Tech: Great job, jerks: Twitter decides to block new third-party clients

  • Developers have told us that they’d like more guidance from us about the best opportunities to build on Twitter. More specifically, developers ask us if they should build client apps that mimic or reproduce the mainstream Twitter consumer client experience. The answer is no.
  • Twitter platform team leader Ryan Sarver • Revealing that the company, which built itself on the back of third-party clients, will no longer allow new ones to crop up. However, the ones there can still operate – well, that is, as long as they uphold high standards set by the company. Hear that? That’s the chirp of a bird that got really arrogant after it learned how to fly. We’re sorry – third-party clients basically built this platform and for Twitter to change the game now seems completely uncool. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Mar 2011 20:45

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Tech: iOS 4.3: Now unsuspecting Smurfs can’t drain your bank account

  • If you’ve ever prowled the iPad App Store, you may have noticed a game called “Smurfs’ Village.” It’s one of the top-grossing apps in the entire iPad ecosystem, but there’s a reason behind that – it’s very expensive to play. The app, which is free, encourages you to buy random Smurf crap while playing – something you can do without a password for fifteen minutes after you download. The combination of popular brand, cute format and expensive in-app purchases is straight up deadly for kids unknowingly draining their parents’ credit cards. It even led to congressmen complaining and sending letters to Apple. Which is where iOS version 4.3 comes in. Now you need a password to buy in-app. Why wasn’t this a feature before, Apple? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Mar 2011 23:32

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Tech: Zite: A Fluent News Reeder that Flipboards our Pulse like Instapaper

  • We admit it. We’ll probably download this app and really like it. Hopefully we’ll like it and stick with it like Pulse, instead of ignoring it after a week like Flipboard. This app (called Zite) is really cool, because it works like Pandora for your reading preferences. As you keep clicking, it gets smarter, to the point where it knows everything about you. Including your extreme favoritism of funny robbery stories and Charlie Sheen news. Yeah, you. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

09 Mar 2011 10:54

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Tech: HP’s making WebOS an option – for your laptop and desktop (Whoa!)

  • Need any more proof Windows will die someday? Well, here you go. Starting in 2012, HP will start offering WebOS on its PCs, allowing users to choose between Windows and the Web-oriented operating system. This is a huge step, because it means two major companies – Google and HP – are pushing away from the traditional Windows model. But HP’s corner-stoned on the model, so it’s even bigger than Google’s Chrome OS. This is huge. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2011 21:23

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Tech: “Tissue-engineered urethras”: Weird phrase, awesome result

  • what Five Mexican boys with damaged urinary tracts now have had their urethras fully repaired by doctors using an experimental procedure we’ll totally tell you about in the next box.
  • how?! Science! Well, and their own cells. The boys, injured in separate accidents, had their cells isolated and grown in a lab into new urethras using a process called tissue engineering. Neat. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2011 15:02

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Tech: New research may foreshadow leap in heart disease prevention

  • 13 gene regions linked to heart disease by scientific research source
  • » Cracking the heart disease code: As anybody with a family history, or personal history of heart disease knows, it’s a frightening and pervasive concern. It should come as thrilling news, then, that a group of scientists believe they’ve located thirteen different gene regions that may indicate a vulnerability to heart attack. Though the knowledge is admittedly limited, and is likely years from practical application in a doctor’s office, advancements like these are what give us hope for a brighter, healthier future, with fewer people unexpectedly dropping dead.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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