Instaplaudits

Dinosaurs May Have Been A Fluffy Lot

2005-09-04T14:02:00.000-07:00

T-Rex may have looked more like Big Bird than his Jurassic Park portrayal, experts say.

Destroy the earth

2005-08-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

It's so fiendishly simple--all you need is scientific knowledge, a lot of time, and infinite patience.

Not Ready For Primetime

2005-06-13T07:04:00.000-07:00

India has made amazing technological strides in the last decade--which makes seeing this in a major newspaper so bizarre.

Going For Broke

2005-06-13T07:02:00.000-07:00

Will Intel buy Apple to conquer Microsoft? Fat chance, but it makes for a good read.

Commuting To Work By Gyroplane

2005-06-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

A funny thing happened on the way to the office.

Deep Throat Revealed!

2005-05-31T21:23:00.000-07:00

Richard Nixon turned down W. Mark Felt's bid to head the FBI. It was a move the President came to regret.

This is it!

2005-05-25T16:56:00.000-07:00

Here it is!

What If Nobody Is Talking?

2005-05-22T15:05:00.000-07:00

A SETI expert considers the possibility of a lurker universe in which everyone is listening and nobody is talking.

Watching Star Wars 28 Years Later

2005-05-22T15:03:00.000-07:00

Are rebels clad in matching khakis really the signs of an advanced society?

To Catch A Thief

2005-03-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

The blogger was furious when he learned his identity had been stolen. Two hours later, he'd caught the thief. Here's how.

God Bless America

2005-03-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

A 10-year-old boy from Vermont has claimed top honors in a national contest to determine the country's smelliest shoes.

UK professor concludes: cellphones don't cause gas station fires

2005-03-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

A professor from University of Kent in the UK has decided to settle once and for all whether cellphones can cause gas station fires. He studied all 243 gas station fires from the past 11 years that were supposedly sparked by cellphones and determined that not a single one was actually caused by a handset. The actual cause? Static electricity. Via his number on that great big wireless tower in the sky.

Not Yet Auto Immune

2005-03-19T15:52:00.000-08:00

With the industry trend toward automating autos, some are asking whether a computer virus could place them behind the wheel of a car bent upon its own destruction?

A Step Ahead?

2005-03-19T15:51:00.000-08:00

The new Adidas-1 sneaker uses an on-board microprocessor to ensure that runners receive proper cushioning on the go. Or, you could just use an elliptical machine...

First Thing We Do, Let's Kill All The Cats

2005-03-16T21:53:00.000-08:00

Wisconsin is considering allowing the hunting of cats. Not cougars or mountain lions or tigers on the loose but putty-tats: Sylvester the cat. Morris the cat. Garfield.

Pay your taxes pa-rum pum pum pum!

2005-03-13T08:36:00.000-08:00

Some Indian authorities find that having drummers bang away outside taxpayers' homes all day is an effective means to encourage timely payment.

Israel's kosher phone

2005-03-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

An Israeli wireless carrier called MIRS Communication is offering a line of Motorola cellphones that have been modified to make them more appealing to the country’s community of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Via Engadget.

Frustrated Inventor Dies In Obscurity

2005-02-27T12:32:00.000-08:00

What if you invented one of the world's most popular devices—and everyone stole it? One of the saddest stories I've read in a long time. Thanks to For The H*ll Of It for the link.

Getting The Number On Autism

2005-02-22T07:31:00.000-08:00

Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it. Now scientists are asking whether his exceptional abilities are the key to unlock the secrets of autism.

Finally, A Reason To Eat Carbs

2005-02-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

When it comes to carbohydrates, it's not how much you eat, but which kind, that makes a difference to your bathroom scale, new research shows.

Elephant Art Fetches Jumbo Price

2005-02-21T15:35:00.000-08:00

It's rare enough when living artists fetch outrageous fortune for their work. When the modern-day Matisses are Thai elephants, however, they charge into the record books.

Dead May Tell No Tales, But They Cast Votes

2004-10-31T15:04:00.000-08:00

An untold number of ballots from people who have died since casting them will be counted this year because of the haphazard and cumbersome process of enforcing laws in many states to weed out these votes.

A Homer In The Electoral Ballgame

2004-10-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

Doughnut-chomping, beer-guzzling Homer Simpson may not be the model father but he has won the hearts of British TV fans who want the nuclear power plant worker to be the next U.S. president.

Lawyers, Lawyers Everywhere

2004-10-20T13:41:00.000-07:00

And not a chad to plink. Democrats will have more than 10,000 lawyers at the polls in battleground states to identify and address voting problems.

Not A Program For Success

2004-10-15T09:02:00.000-07:00

Once symbols of hope as the nation shifted from manufacturing to service jobs, programmers today are an endangered species, challenged to extinction by competition from foreigners.

Ferreting Out The Mind's Secrets

2004-10-15T08:54:00.000-07:00

Roughly 80 percent of our cognitive power may be cranking away on tasks completely unknown to us, if the brain activity of Matrix-watching ferrets is comparable to our own.

Nuclear Material Missing

2004-10-12T08:10:00.000-07:00

Equipment and materials that could be used to make nuclear weapons have disappeared from Iraq, warns the chief of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency.

Virgins in Space!

2004-09-27T07:52:00.000-07:00

Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson has signed a £14m agreement with the California-based team behind SpaceShipOne that will see his company take passengers into space for about £100,000 in about three-years' time.

Sound Of The Future

2004-09-15T07:48:00.000-07:00

A WiFi-based internet radio offers thousands of channels--as long as you stay within range of your internet connection. Will we return to the days when families huddled around a radio in the living room? Somehow, I doubt it.

New iMac Computer Is All Display

2004-08-31T09:11:00.000-07:00

First came the original iBook, a giant makeup compact for your desk. Now comes the makeup mirror in the form of a new iMac. Does anyone else see shades of NeXT design in this new release?

A Real Potty Mouth

2004-08-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

The citizens of Amsterdam may now take counsel of talking toilets that expound on the perils of smoking or the futility of war and berate them on hygiene and cleanliness.

You Scream, I Scream

2004-08-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

Armed bandits stole Edvard Munch's renowned painting "The Scream" and other masterpieces from a lightly-guarded museum in Oslo that didn't even have alarms. Something tells me that its insurers will refuse to pay this claim.

Just Leave Us Alone

2004-08-17T07:59:00.000-07:00

Dave Pollard sees in the rise of Islamic fundamentalists a simple desire to be left alone. But is that desire stronger than the urge to kill?

Gilderoy Lockhart Rides Again

2004-08-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

Resplendent Mango sees a fictional counterpart to the democratic nominee. If Osama Bin Laden stars as Voldemort, who is Dumbledore--surely, not GWB? Via Jen Speaks.

First Day In The Navy

2004-08-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Posts like this one prove you're missing one of the web's great blogs if you don't read Neptunus Lex. Shame on you.

Excusé Moi!

2004-08-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Another reason to hate the French: A wheelchair-bound woman with no limbs sued Air France for discrimination on Friday, alleging she was kept off a flight by a gate agent who told her a "torso cannot possibly fly on its own."

Cave Of John The Baptist Found

2004-08-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Archaeologists have found a cave where they believe that John the Baptist anointed many of his disciples--fascinating proof, if true, of one of the bible's stories.

Is Sci-Fi About To Go Blind?

2004-08-16T07:35:00.000-07:00

Soon the convergence of fields such as artificial intelligence and biotechnology will push humanity past a tipping point, ushering in a period of wrenching change. Is science fiction imaginative enough to to envision a world as different as this one is from the Stone Age.

Game Plan For A New World Order

2004-08-15T22:48:00.000-07:00

Before 9/11, we almost always knew how to end a war. If you think war has become complicated, peace is messier still.

What Me Worry?

2004-08-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Your daughter is almost of dating age. How will you fend off unwanted suitors? By burying a body in your front lawn, of course.

Birth Month Affects Brain Cancer Risk

2004-08-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

The time of year in which a person is born may somehow sway the risk of developing brain cancer in adulthood, new research suggests. One more thing to blame your parents for in therapy.

Death For The 747?

2004-08-15T15:06:00.000-07:00

The number of U.S. carriers flying the bulbous-nosed 747 has fallen to two: United and Northwest--and United is nearly bankrupt. Looks like this aircraft is headed the way of the Condor. Via Gadgetopia.

In Search of Columbus

2004-08-15T13:36:00.000-07:00

A row over the whereabouts of Christopher Columbus's body was solved yesterday when Spanish scientists conceded that the corpse at Santa Maria cathedral was Father Guido Sarducci, not the famous explorer. Via Cronaca.

Kill Moqtada al-Sadr

2004-08-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

Iraqi cleric Sadr and his Mahdi army have called for a truce with the U.S. military, but they aren't getting any quarter in the blogosphere or, apparently, much sympathy at home.

Nukes On Campus

2004-08-14T21:59:00.000-07:00

Six U.S. universities house reactors that use weapons-grade plutonium. If the fuel were stolen, experts say it could give terrorists or criminals a major head start on an atomic bomb.

M.A.D. for the 21st Century

2004-08-12T18:29:00.000-07:00

Mutually assured destruction kept the peace in the Cold War. Can it keep the peace on the war on terror--or is peacekeeping of this kind too repugnant to contemplate?

Shades Of The Flintstones

2004-08-12T08:08:00.000-07:00

Teenage T-Rex dinosaurs grew at the astonishing rate of 4.5 pounds a day, new research suggests. One Bronto burger to go, Wilma!

Matt Is Sexier Than Paul?

2004-08-12T07:14:00.000-07:00

One more thing to talk about in therapy: Studies show that the right name could have made you sexier. So much for plastic surgery and Botox.

Toys "R" Us May Leave Toy Business

2004-08-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

Stung by competition from Wal-Mart and Target, the retailer contemplates life without toys. Does anyone else see pitfalls in this from a tradename perspective?

Linux to Overtake Mac This Year

2004-08-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Linux will soon overtake Macintosh as the second most popular desktop operating system, according to a report cited by Technically Speaking.

Like A Madison Avenue Acid Trip

2004-08-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

What do Mr. Clean, a crash test dummy, and Tony the Tiger have in common? How about a reenactment of the cover from the Beatle's Abbey Road album.

Transdimensionally Modified

2004-08-08T20:51:00.000-07:00

Do people have plastic surgery to transform themselves into humans who look like alien creatures? People do. Via The Superficial.

Apple Was No Microsoft

2004-08-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

The always provocative John Gruber of Daring Fireball weighs in on whether Apple could have been Microsoft if it had licensed the Macintosh.

Broadband For Mars

2004-08-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

Roland Piquepaille reports on NASA and MIT efforts to build the first interplanetary laser communication link between Mars and Earth. But who will they be talking to?

Blogging With Mac OS Tiger

2004-08-08T11:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome news: The next major release of the Mac OS will include Blojsom, a weblog interface that uses a simple file system (folders and files) as its content database. Blojsom offers comment and trackback support, appearance themes, and remote posting via popular weblog interfaces. Are iBlog's days numbered? We shall see.

You Can Tell By The Way I Walk

2004-08-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Watch this video to the end and be amazed at the dance moves a human body can perform. Well, at least this guy's body. Link via Honest Dave.

From Papa With Love

2004-08-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

A UK company says it has delivered the first synthetic diamond made from the ashes of a man. Brian Tandy's wife and daughters plan to wear gems created from the remains of the late geologist as a "very personal memorial." That it is.

The Making Of The President

2004-08-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

Photomatt.net has created a mosaic of George Bush comprised entirely of photographs of soldiers killed in Iraq. I strongly disagree with the use of soldiers' images in this fashion, but the mosaic is a remarkable artistic achievement and a powerful political statement.

Black Like Me

2004-08-08T08:12:00.000-07:00

David Anderson spent an afternoon reading black conservative blogs. The experience left him speechless.

Beheading Video A Hoax

2004-08-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

He's unapologetic, but Benjamin Vanderford says he faked a beheading video widely circulated on the internet as a stunt to draw attention to his one time campaign for city supervisor. How San Franciscans passed up a chance to elect this guy, I'll never know.

Ireland As Atlantis?

2004-08-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

Talk about a boon for tourism: A Swedish scientist argues in a forthcoming book that the measurements, geography, and landscape of Atlantis as described by Plato match Ireland almost exactly.

Affluence Kills

2004-08-06T06:51:00.000-07:00

Smoking and obesity diminish in an economic downturn. Shouldn't the government do everything in its power to keep us in abject poverty?

Goodbye iPod, Hello Convergence

2004-08-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

Why Real Networks' dispute with Apple marks the beginning of iPod convergence, the death of the iPod, and the birth of something even better.

No War Hero?

2004-08-05T21:30:00.000-07:00

John Kerry's former military colleagues are speaking out about his candidacy. But with friends like these, who needs enemies? Via Cry Freedom.

My Millionaires Are Tougher Than Yours

2004-08-05T18:54:00.000-07:00

David Anderson says: "I find the whole debate about who is funding the mudslinging going on in the campaign hilarious ... Let both sides' Millionaires spend their fortunes. It is American Democracy at work..."

In Search of iRobot

2004-08-05T06:39:00.000-07:00

If the manual of life is encoded in our DNA, where do we look to find the blueprint of consciousness? Via Ray Kurzweil.

They'd Rather Be An Army Of One

2004-08-04T06:06:00.000-07:00

A growing number of Fiinish soldiers are being discharged for internet addiction. How long can it be before this rationale is used as a defense in a court martial?

Soyuz To The Moon?

2004-08-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

Sure, it's 1960s technology built with communist Russian engineering, but with the shuttle fleet grounded, Soyuz capsules may be the best hope for returning to the moon in this decade, Comrade. Happy landings! Via Slashdot.

Riding A Fine Line

2004-08-02T16:13:00.000-07:00

A grad student has built a bicycle that receives text messages and prints them in foot-high chalk letters, then blogs a digital photo and GPS map of the printing, all while moving. But what will he do when the phone receives SPAM? Via Volokh Conspiracy

Stalking The Star Trek Vote

2004-08-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Bush-Cheney 2004 boldly goes where no campaign has gone before, with a subliminal campaign pitched to Star Trek fans, starring Dick Cheney as a Ferengi.

The Big Freeze

2004-08-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

Directed energy weapons that freeze muscles and fry skin may save lives, but like Han Solo in Star Wars, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Jobs Doing Well After Cancer Surgery

2004-08-02T11:06:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs is recovering from weekend surgery for pancreatic cancer. Tim Cook, a shrewd and smart exec with whom I once worked at Apple, is filling in. Wishing Steve a speedy (and lasting) recovery.

E.T. Found Within 20 Years?

2004-08-02T07:40:00.000-07:00

Astronomer Seth Shostak says technology will advance enough in the next two decades to find intelligent life elsewhere.

Bring On The Air Car

2004-08-02T07:39:00.000-07:00

A Berkeley Exhibit shows off imaginative visions of a future that never came to pass. Via Gizmodo.

Annie Jacobsen's Legacy

2004-08-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

How can we live as a society in a world dominated by fear?

Put A Trainer In Your Pocket

2004-08-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

A jogger can now use Bluetooth to store data from a road sensor attached to her, while the device delivers music, tracks pulse rate, and shouts encouragement.

This Song is Whose Song?

2004-08-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

Woody Guthrie lifted the melody to "This Land Is Your Land" from another song. Now, his executors are threatening legal action over a parody. Where's the love?

Look, Up In The Sky!

2004-08-02T07:35:00.000-07:00

New technology lets 4th-6th graders produce a film with special effects recalling those in the original Buck Rogers. I need teachers this cool when I was in school!

Walking On Water

2004-08-02T07:33:00.000-07:00

Yoav Rosen's invention lets him walk on water, but will it make him wealthy?