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Tech/Sci
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RIM Now Worth Less Than Apple’s App Store Alone
20 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
It’s no secret that Blackberry’s stock has been falling. The company that once dominated the world of business smartphones has been heavily hit by the likes of Apple and Android, causing it to market itself to the masses with cheaper handsets. This move has done little to help the company’s falling stock, with the entire company now valued at less than Apple’s App Store alone.
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British Banks Scrap Foreign Currency Debit Card Exchange Fees
20 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Banks know they make too much money, and South African banks could learn a thing or two from this. Five of the UK’s biggest banks, including Lloyds, Barclays and RBS, as well as other credit card companies, have agreed to scrap the charges associated with buying currency with a card while abroad.
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IBM Releases Predictions For Technology In 2017 [VIDEO]
20 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
IBM have released their annual predictions for the future of technology, via the IBM “5 in 5” project, which looks at five innovations which they figure will transform modern life within the next five years; these include mind-reading computers, human-generated electricity, and biometric scanning replacing passwords.
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HTC Android Phones May Be Banned In The US Next Year
20 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
This is big. And it’s a row that has been on-going for quite some time too. Just as Android devices started making sales headway against other major brands, they might be in for a little setback. It’s not hardware, but software, luckily.
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New Drug Could Make You Never Forget
19 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
According to the exciting world of Science, the men in white coats have discovered a molecule in the brains of mice that, when switched on, gives these mice super memories. This could work for humans too – but the question is, do you really want to?
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Science: Loud Music Makes You Drink More
15 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 4 Comments
It’s always nice when researchers employing a loosely scientific method produce results you were more or less expecting. Folks at the University of Portsmouth have determined that loud music makes people want to drink alcohol in greater quantities and at a much faster rate because the music makes it taste sweeter. Science!
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The U.S. Congress Has Authorized The Pentagon To Wage War Online
15 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Well, it’s nice to see that the House and Senate can agree on something. Although in this case they’ve agreed to a provision snuck into the U.S. military’s 2012 funding bill that grants the military power to conduct “offensive” strikes online — including clandestine attacks. And won’t that be fun for everybody.
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Infographic: Where Not To Be Gay In Africa
14 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association has compiled an infographic showing the penalties targeting gays and lesbians in Africa. Parts of the continent are known to discriminate against gays and lesbians, but did you know that more than half the countries on our continent carry at least a prison sentence for the “crime”?
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Scientists Capture Video At The Speed Of Light
14 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have done the unthinkable. They’ve captured video at the speed of light, or, one trillion frames per second.
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Voyager 1 Is About To Leave Our Solar System
14 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Space probe Voyager 1 is about to do what no man made object has done in our history. It is about to burst through the outer reaches of our Solar System, almost 11 billion miles from the Sun.
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Rare 1980’s Steve Jobs Presentation Emerges Online [VIDEO]
13 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Regis McKenna has very kindly donated rare vintage footage of Steve Jobs giving a presentation in the early 1980’s to the Computer History Museum. It shows Jobs discussing the early history of Apple, and speaking in his usual inspiring manner.
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British Police To Test Temporary Blinding Laser
12 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Police in Britain will soon be testing a shoulder-mounted laser that is capable of emitting a blinding wall of light from up to 500 metres away. It’s hoped the laser will help repel rioters and other troublemakers in an effort to prevent a repeat of the rioting that took place there earlier this year.
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Dutch Architects Apologise For Twin Tower Blast Look-Alike Design
12 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
A highly embarrassed Dutch architectural firm has had to apologise for its design of twin skyscrapers in central Seoul, South Korea, because they look pretty much like freeze frames of New York’s late World Trade Center, as both towers exploded. The design for the luxury apartment buildings has enraged families of the victims of the September 11 attacks.
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Tech Vibe: Ep. 7 – Get Your Degree On The Internet
09 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Ryan chats to Rob Paddock, the MD of GetSmarter.co.za, about trading in the daunting exam hall for online education. He also reviews a budget friendly tablet, the WindPad Enjoy 7. And as always, the latest tech news.
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Earliest Known Human Beds Found Near Durban
09 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Not only are the beds about 77 000 years old, but it appears they were also designed to ward off insects like mosquitoes. The fossilized material has been found at an ancient cliff shelter known as Sibudu, which is near to Durban on our east coast, and continues to fuel the debate that modern man evolved out of Africa.
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Self-Diagnosis App Being Developed For Smartphones
09 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Pulling a sickie for work or school might soon be a thing of the past as a pair of Korean researchers are trying to integrate advanced bio-detection software into a smartphone app.
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Iran Parades US Drone, Russia And China Want To Inspect It
09 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
US officials previously confirmed that an RQ-170 Sentinel, otherwise known as a drone, did, in fact, crash land somewhere in Iran. They however weren’t keen to confirm that the footage Iran broadcast on state television yesterday was in fact real. In other news, Russia and China want to inspect the US craft.
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Harley Davidson Powered F-15 Mini Speed Boat
08 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
What do you do with R240 000? You order yourself the Harley Davidson powered mini speed boat from St. Martin Mini Speed Boats, of course. As you’d expect, it comes complete with a Harley Davidson V-twin engine, and that authentic Harley sound. And then you hit the water like a boss.
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Red Cross Debating Whether Or Not Virtual Killing Violates International Humanitarian Laws
08 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
There’s a Red Cross committee presently debating whether or not people playing war video games should be subject to the same humanitarian laws as people involved in real wars with real people and real weapons. So far as I can tell they’re doing this entirely seriously.
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Blueprints Of Apple’s Proposed New HQ – Inside The Mothership [PICS]
08 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
A few months ago Apple announced their plans for their new headquarters in the Silicon Valley, and submitted plans to the Cupertino City Council. The late Steve Jobs claimed the spaceship-like structure would be “the best office building in the world”, and judging by these recently released documents, he wasn’t kidding.
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Old Spice MANta Clause [VIDEO]
08 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Old Spice is at it again. This time, Isaiah Mustafa is MANta Claus, and he’s on a mission to give the world’s seven billion residents gifts before the festive season ends. His mantra is, “One Man, Seven Billion Gifts.”
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The New Apple Store At NYC Grand Central Is Rather Nice [PICS]
08 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Apple will be opening it’s new retail store tomorrow at the iconic Grand Central Station in New York City. Here are some pics. It’s rather nice.
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Helen Zille Lashes Out At Independent Newspapers
07 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
The DA, and Helen Zille in particular, is furious about a letter they received from Independent Newspapers, inviting the them to advertise in a special feature on the ANC’s centenary celebrations. The proposition for advertising in the supplement appeared on a letter with the Independent Newspapers letterhead alongside an ANC logo, and may be perceived as endorsement, according to Zille.
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Facebook Memology 2011: The Things People Talked About The Most This Year
07 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Facebook yesterday released a big ol’ lump of data about the most shared content of 2011, both globally and for specific countries. Osama Bin Laden’s death was far and away the most popular status update topic, followed distantly by the Super Bowl results and and the Casey Anthony trial for second and third most popular, respectively.
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SETI Resumes Hunt For Aliens After Six Month Hiatus
07 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) was put on hold for six months due to lack of funds – but, following donations from the public and the US Airforce, SETI’s Allen Telescope Array in northern California is operational again. So man, we’re going to feel pretty stupid if aliens called at some point during those six months.
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DA launches Petition Against Info Bill
06 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
The Democratic Alliance today launched an aggressive campaign to protest the current form of the draft Protection of Information Bill. The political party is calling on all South Africans to join forces and show their support against the legislation, while also planning more protests.
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“iPhone” Most Searched-For Term In 2011
06 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 1 Comment
Prepare yourself for the end of the year folks, we’re about to start receiving the Top 10 lists from all the various self-proclaimed authorities. This includes top ten cakes, top ten storms, top ten albums, etc, etc. One list that has some authority, is the Yahoo! Top Ten Searches of 2011. At the top? The iPhone.
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The Amazing Beer Ice Bucket That Blocks Photos
06 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / 2 Comments
Office Christmas party time is in full swing again, and those trigger-happy camera folk will be out in full force snapping and sharing photos with total disregard for the consequences. That’s what Norte beer’s Photoblocker is for: when a sensor built into this beer chiller detects a flash, it emits its own flash in order to overexpose any photograph.
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Flying Robots Build Six Metre Tower [VIDEO]
06 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Hello, future. A group of autonomous flying robots – “quadcopters”- have been used in an installation by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology to construct a six metre tall tower out of 1 500 foam bricks. The robots are completely autonomous, with a networked computer vision system directing the placement of the bricks.
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Scientists Are Going To Clone The Woolly Mammoth
05 Dec 2011 by Jasmine Stone / No Comments
Scientists have thus far cloned sheep, mice, cats, horses and even a water buffalo, but now they want to clone a woolly mammoth. They also think they’ll be able to clone said mammoth within five years, all owing to a recovered thigh bone that has well-preserved bone marrow from permafrost soil in Siberia.
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