Stories

Five Dollars Buys You A Fake Girlfriend On Facebook

2012-05-23T13:21:21Z

Are you tired of telling people about your "out-of-town" girlfriend who "goes to a different school," as you brandish that "photo of her" from your wallet like you're Napoleon Dynamite? Well, in just the latest proof that the Internet is "the best thing everything," you can now buy a fake Facebook girlfriend and let her do all the legwork.

MIT Students Create The Future With An iPad And A Glove

2012-05-24T04:15:06Z

You’ve seen Stephen Spielberg’s film, Minority Report, right? Tom Cruise’s character stands in front of virtual screens, puts on a pair of gloves, and manipulates the data and the memories without touching a thing.

Pirate Bay Simplifies Circumvention of ISP Blockades

2012-05-23T23:16:59Z

In their ongoing effort to circumvent the court mandated blockades in the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy, The Pirate Bay has added a new website. The site in question is operating from a new IP-address which makes it available directly to blocked subscribers. In addition, the new site is optimized to work with proxies in case the IP-address is blocked in the future.

World's first wireless TV remote rocked it like a ray gun

2012-05-23T16:08:41Z

Back in the mid 1950s we approached technology like everything else. We liked it big and space age. So it's no surprise that the first wireless TV remote control looked like a ray gun, and in a way it was a ray gun.

Intel Core i5 vs i7: A Beginners Guide

2012-05-23T12:34:12Z

There is a wealth of difference between Intel Core i5 vs Core i7 CPUs. We break it down and explain what it all means for your next desktop or laptop purchase.

Puny humans too slow for Windows 8′s high-speed booting

2012-05-23T16:36:38Z

Now you'll choose to enter the Windows boot menu before you reboot, not after.

A PC full of filth!

2012-05-23T13:29:17Z

How in the world did he ever allow this to happen....Wow!

How to Destroy the Internet

2012-05-23T17:13:45Z

Remember when Anonymous threatened to destroy the entire internet? We laughed, and ultimately their words were just hacker hubris. But it got us thinking—could someone actually destroy the Internet? We did some digging, and guess what:

London's flying cameras spy shoelaces nearly a mile away; Will drones in the USA?

2012-05-23T16:51:55Z

Will the capabilities of drones spying on Americans from above match what London's 'eye in the sky' cameras can see and hear? While monitoring for security threats from the air, London’s helicopter cameras can make out shoelaces from nearly a mile away! It can also captures audio. If you don’t like the idea of your local police station spy-flying drones, then the EFF said local governments have the power to limit drone surveillance.

Who Is Fairest Of Them All? Facebook, Amazon, Google or Apple?

2012-05-23T04:56:08Z

Google and Apple sell at bargain basement prices. Amazon is pricey but carries eye catching metrics for revenues and potentially enormous profit margin leverage. As for Facebook, the hype reminds me of Comsat's public debut in the early sixties.

Innovation isn't dead, it just moved to the cloud

2012-05-23T12:11:10Z

According to some doomsayers, innovation is dead and Silicon Valley is just a muck pond where social media companies breed and reproduce like mosquitoes. That's not entirely true, but the face of innovation has changed. Cloud computing has made innovation something anyone can do.

'Liberating' Your Data from Google, and What That Really Means

2012-05-23T04:57:54Z

Google Takeout, which lets you download a copy of your Google presence, turns one year old next month. Does Takeout truly let you liberate your data from the search behemoth, and what does that mean, anyway?

Kentucky Derby Winner Hoping He Won't Have To Repeat What Was Easily Most Traumatic Experience Of Life

2012-05-23T05:03:04Z

LOUISVILLE, KY—Shaken and trembling Kentucky Derby winner I'll Have Another, who came from behind and outside on the final turn to win the Kentucky Derby in a breathtaking display of speed and panic, is reportedly hoping that nothing like the 1-1/4-...

Spy agency seeks cyber-ops curriculum

2012-05-22T21:22:24Z

The National Security Agency is trying to expand U.S. cyber expertise needed for secret intelligence operations against adversaries on computer networks through a new cyber-ops

7 Online Resources To Trace The History Of Your House

2012-05-22T14:08:34Z

Our houses may not be anywhere on the tourist map as heritage buildings or famous landmarks. But rest assured every house has a history. Did you know that in some parts of the world, the worth of a house goes up if it has a legacy behind it? A legacy adds to the history of the house and its value. That aside, knowing the history of your own house is an exercise in understanding your own roots.

Raspberry Pi team teases camera add-on

2012-05-22T18:14:48Z

The Raspberry Pi $35 Linux computer, which is equipped with a 700MHz processor, 256MB of RAM, an SD card slot, two USB ports, an Ethernet jack and both H

Facebook's Zuckerberg sells $1.13 billion

2012-05-22T22:47:38Z

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has sold 30.2 million shares and director Peter Thiel has sold 16.8 million shares of the social-networking company, according to securities filings published late Tuesday. The sales confirm plans detailed in a prospectus before Friday's $16 billion IPO. Zuckerberg sold 30.2 million shares at a price of $37.58 for gross proceeds of $1.13 billion; Thiel sold 16.8 million shares for gross proceeds of $633 million. Facebook insiders had told prospective shareholders of their plans in an S-1 filing last week. Facebook sha

New York Legislation Would Ban Anonymous Online Speech

2012-05-22T19:54:03Z

Did you hear the one about New York state lawmakers who forgot about the First Amendment in the name of combating cyberbullying and

ACLU: DEA tracks Americans' movements, plans to data mine license plate records

2012-05-22T19:47:24Z

Do you ever feel like you are being watched when you drive? The ACLU believes that feeling of being watched is justified and not only while you're driving. The DEA is tracking Americans' movements by scanning license plates which go in a database. The ACLU believes there are plans to data mine those plate records to better track and build files on us for alleged 'suspicious' activity. If nothing is done about logging and data mining our every move, Americans will lose the freedom to drive around anonymously.

Samsung: 'Lawyers didn't design the Galaxy S III'

2012-05-22T15:50:17Z

Samsung design VP Chang Dong-hoon has refuted accusations that the Galaxy S III was designed 'by lawyers.'

File-Sharing Prospers Despite Tougher Laws

2012-05-22T12:03:39Z

New and tougher laws are always on the agendas of rightsholders. They tend to believe that through legislative change and the strict application of law the habits of millions of file-sharers can be changed. But a new survey of 15 to 25 year-olds shows that despite the threats, file-sharing levels remain stable because those carrying it out feel they are doing nothing wrong.

Study reveals that people are more truthful while text messaging

2012-05-22T15:26:19Z

Somewhere around 200 thousand text messages are sent every second, so it’s no wonder that studies are being done to see how people’s communication with each other is being affected. According to researchers, people tell the truth more over text messages than while talking on the phone.

Russian Researchers Aim at Replacing Physical Body With Humanoid Avatars by 2045

2012-05-22T14:34:20Z

Since time immemorial, human has tried to defeat one natural phenomenon: death. Despite the prolonged struggle, death still sweeps people off the time line even in the digital era. Now, a social initiative named Russia 2045 aims at achieving this goal by creating humanoids, which are robot replicas of living human beings.

Google buys Motorola Mobility

2012-05-22T15:46:12Z

Google's deal to buy Motorola Mobility has closed, the company has announced on its blog.

Google Seals the Deal on $12.5B Motorola Acquisition

2012-05-22T15:10:25Z

Google Seals the Deal on $12.5B Motorola AcquisitionGoogle has officially closed its acquisition of Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, putting the search giant in charge of a major smartphone, tablet and set-top box maker.

Choose your OS! (a guide)

2012-05-22T06:49:57Z

NASA - Meet Kimberly Casey: Studying How Debris Influences Glaciers

2012-05-22T06:11:43Z

NASA glaciologist Kimberly Casey has visited six remote glaciers around the world to study what satellites can tell us about particulate pollution on glaciers, and how these particulates impact glacier melting rates.

SpaceX Trying Again Early Tuesday to Reach International Space Station

2012-05-21T18:43:43Z

SpaceX’s history-making mission to the International Space Station is on hold, following a valve malfunction Saturday morning that caused a last-minute launch abort. But the California ...

Supreme Court declines to hear $675,000 file-swapping case

2012-05-21T21:33:12Z

Boston student Joel Tenenbaum may be in for a second federal trial.

Adam Savage's 13-Year Quest to Build Zorg Industries ZF-1 Sci-Fi Gun

2012-05-20T21:13:50Z

Mythbuster's Adam Savage's man cave is where he keeps amazing movie props and collectibles, as well as works on his own projects. Today, Adam tells the story of his Zorg Industries ZF-1 replica from The Fifth Element, which he's been working on for over 13 years.

You Built What?!: A Portable X-Ray Machine

2012-05-21T19:57:28Z

In his free time during high school, Adam Munich built himself a machine to see inside other machines

Court won't reduce student's music download fine

2012-05-21T16:28:51Z

U.S. Supreme Court won't reduce the $675,000 verdict against a Boston University student who illegally downloaded 30 songs and shared them on the Internet Read more by CBSNews (Hidden Byline) on CBS News' Tech Talk.

Hulu teams up with Kevin Smith on new original show for the summer

2012-05-21T14:15:18Z

The summer season is usually when the lesser-known cable channels decide to debut their own original programing, and this year Hulu is jumping into that game -- with three original shows and seven exclusives.

Local Governments Have the Power to Restrict Drone Surveillance in the US

2012-05-21T16:12:01Z

A series of events in the last two weeks have set the stage for how surveillance drones will be operated by local law enforcement in the United States and how citizens can demand privacy protections as domestic use escalates

Dream come true! Two 'mad scientists' create sleep mask that lets people CONTROL their dreams

2012-05-21T02:14:52Z

Two developers from Brooklyn created the Remee sleeping mask that allows people to control their dreams thanks to blinking lights that alert them that they are dreaming.

Apple and Samsung begin settlement talks

2012-05-21T02:25:02Z

"It's very important that Apple not become the developer for the world," Tim Cook, Apple chief executive, told analysts last month. "We need people to invent their own stuff."

$74 Android Mini-Computer Hits The Market

2012-05-21T02:53:51Z

Want a cheap computer that runs Android on an ARM processor and isn’t a Raspberry Pi? Now you can have it. I’m talking about a new system, called AllWinner, that is now shipping out of China.

WATCH: This Is How Easy It is For Thieves To Steal Everything In Your Wallet

2012-05-20T18:41:41Z

Watch your back. The idea that you could be pick-pocketed without anyone actually picking your pocket at all is frightening enough. Seeing it in action is a whole different story. Providence's NBC 10 took an identity theft expert to the streets to show consumers how easy it is. He slipped an RFID card scanner (you can find them on eBay for as little as 50 bucks) into an iPad case and went to town. The worst part is there's virtually no way to protect yourself from scanners other than investing in special wallets or credit card sleeves that block them – though one guy in the segment found

The Facebook Offering: How It Compares

2012-05-20T07:56:39Z

What has happened after 2,400 technology, Internet and telecom I.P.O.’s.

California considers DNA privacy law

2012-05-20T15:44:02Z

Academic researchers fear measures would prohibit work with genetic databases.