Pure evil discovered, but don't worry, we still have 252 years before it comes after humanity

Artist rendition of TrES-2b. Click for full-size image

Planets aren't supposed to be dark. They're supposed to be bright, brimming with majestic colors rarely seen on our life-infested blue planet. Our imaginations need it...but in the case of TrES-2b, we're SOL. The Jupiter-sized planet about 750 light years away reflects less than 1 percent of its orbiting star's light.

"It's darker than the blackest lump of coal, than dark acrylic paint," astronomer David Klipping told Space.com. "It's bizarre how this huge planet became so absorbent of all the light that hits it." NASA's Kepler probe found TrES-2b orbiting just 3.1 million miles away from it's star, with no reflective clouds. Flummoxed, researchers have no idea how the planet can reflect so little light and be so dark.

Kepler spotted the phenomenon because the planet let's off a dim Cylon red of its own light, not reflected from the sun. Scientists believe it does this because of how hot the planet is, like burning embers or superheated metals glowing red. That makes sense, especially since scientists have no idea why it's so dark. It's pure evil. The most terrible intelligence imaginable.

Space.com

Gig.U joins universities together to make the internet a faster place

College internet sucks. It's one of the worst parts of college, right behind going to class, studying, and leftover ramen. Plenty of schools have great overall bandwidth, but when spread across tens of thousands of students, it can be worse than a 56K modem. Especially if you stream Netflix, play games online, or use the internet as intended.

That's where Gig.U comes in. The organization, currently working with 29 universities, is working to bring schools into the Gigabit per second range. And not just colleges in the program, but communities near those schools where students and teachers reside. That way, research, communications and general education isn't stifled by slow ISPs and a weak infrastructure.

It's a cool initiative, one that with enough time and schools can actually boost our country's internet speeds to something respectable. Obviously the government doesn't have the money to support it, so Gig.U is relying solely on non-profits, business and individual contributors, and the universities themselves. That means if you're going to one of the 29 schools currently a member of Gig.U, tuition costs might be higher...but oh it'll be so worth it. Assuming they actually finish before you graduate.

Scientific American

5 gadgets to make your flight suck less

Flights are always a pain in the ass. Getting through security, hanging around the airport, standing in lines for everything...until you finally get on the plane. Then what? Sitting in place for 3-10 hours sucks.

Here's five things that will make your flight way less painful, no matter how long you're in the air.

1) Neck Pillow

Fine, it looks stupid, but if you're on a long flight, who cares? The last thing anyone wants is to wake up after an hour nap feeling like the grim reaper hit you with the wrong side of the scythe. Plus they're cheap and easy to pack. I'm partial to TravelMate's, which has worked for me on countless flights, and is only $15.75.

2) Sleeping Pills and a Face Mask

It goes without saying that the best way to get through a flight is to sleep through it. Actual sleeping pills are pretty cheap, and you can get them at any pharmacy and plenty of supermarkets. And if you're flying during the day, or worse, not by the window, make sure to pick up a sleeping mask in case your flight doesn't have any for free. Some do, but I always travel with the Dream Essentials Snooz Silky Soft Eye Mask just in case. It's $2, you can't lose.

3) Mini Air Filter

I've never gone this far, but colleagues and other travelers have sworn that having an air filter for flights helps. It makes sense...I've gotten on more than my fair share of flights with mucus-filled infection-ridden travelers, and cooped up for five hours with just one coughing person nearby sucks. More times than I care to count, I've left a flight woozy, and ended up with a minor cold.

Still, I like to tough it out in this case, but if you don't pick up the Ultra-Mini Air Supply by Magellan's for $135. Who knows, maybe it works, or maybe the placebo effect is good enough.





4) Lenovo X220 with Battery Slice

When sleeping fails, rely on technology. I've tried bringing my iPad and various different laptops on flights, and while each flight may require something different, the Lenovo's X220 has one thing nothing else can beat: a huge battery life. If you're flying from LA to London, the X220 will last the whole flight and then some. With the 9-cell battery and battery slice, you're looking at ~14 of video playback, if not more.

The X220 starts at $849, and the battery slice goes for $179. That's a hefty sum, and so worth it. It's actually amusing wondering when you should plug that battery in again.

5) Audio Splitter Cable

When all else fails, be prepared to share with fellow passengers. We've all been seated next to cool people on rare occasion, and eventually talking only goes so far. So why not offer to watch a movie together? It may sound creepy, especially if there's a big age gap, but a plane is no place to feel awkward. Plus, if you're really prepared and have a decent selection of movies to watch, you might get off that plane with a new friend. Or, if you're already flying with a friend, you'll be able to shut them up for at least the duration of the film, for practically nothing.

Discovery made Shark Week awesome with this camera alone

Time for some camera porn. Check these stats:

• 1080p video at up to 1,052 frames per second, and 720p at 1,576 fps
• Need more resolution? Shoot at 2K (2048x2048) at up to 555 fps
• Screw resolution? 256x256 shooting at 4,400 fps
• Depth of field equivalent to that of a 35mm camera (8-, 10-, 12-, and 14-bit pixel adjustable depth)
• Records 2.3Gpx (that's Gigapixels) per second

That's just the basics of the Phantom HD Gold, one of only 150 produced so far. It records to solid state drives up to 512GB in size. Which means using the Phantom means having a ton of SSDs to fill up...recording 1080p video at full speed (1,052 fps) will fill up the 32GB of internal memory in 8.45 seconds. It's basically Team Fortress 2 Heavy's weapon, in camera form. All that sheer power for a mere $118,000.

I mean, hell, it even supports RAW shooting. The kind of computer and hardware you'd need to process 2K video at 555 fps, and the handful of SSDs after a few hours of filming must be a technical nightmare. The Phantom does come with it's own software, CineMag, built specifically to handle and edit footage taken. 

It makes sense that Discovery would throw down that much cash - the $118,000 plus at least another $100,000 on additional equipment, not to mention the hiring a top-notch team of cinematographers, editors and crew - Shark Week is the channel's prime week of viewing. That, and sharks are wicked cool. How much better to see their ferocity slowed down so we can see the ripples in time themselves. So worth it.

[Techland.Time]

Study finds physical endurance my cause intelligence

Ever wonder why humans are the smartest animals on the planet, and not piranha, jackrabbits or beets? Perhaps it's from having physical muscular endurance.

According to anthropologists David Raichlen and Adam Gordon, of the University of Arizona and University of Albany, respectively, being able to run, swim, and fight longer may have pushed humans to the next stage of intellectual evolution. Why? Having that physical endurance offers more opportunity to act intelligently, and which means higher brain function had a better chance of becoming an evolved trait.

What Raichlen and Gordon found is that big brains take more energy, so on in evolutionary terms being smarter isn't always better. All that extra thinking could lead animals to starve to death, not mate, or not ensure the best line of evolution possible (sound familiar?). Primates, which have more physical endurance than, say, big cats, are smarter because of it, not the other way around.

The premise makes sense, which kind of sucks for us. The last couple hundred years humans have all but given the finger to evolution in favor of humanitarianism, which keeps the weak and stupid mating right alongside you and me. So humans aren't moving forward anywhere. Then again, we'll all have robot bodies by 2099, so it's cool.

[PhysOrg]

Feeling down? Inflate that ego with fake Facebook birthdays!

I may never understand birthday cheer. As a kid, fine, but getting older means getting a little feebler, a little slower, and another year closer to doom and away from that prime youth. But sometimes even unbirthdays feel downtrodden. What are we to do?

Tell Facebook to pucker up, because it's about to mass-inbox-rape your friends with birthday cheer.

Slate genius David Poltz decided to see just how important Facebook birthdays are. Far from a true experiment (he says himself that he uses his Facebook page almost exclusively for work, not for socializing with actual friends), Poltz' findings aren't so odd. Most people sent their best regards and wishes not just the first time, but the second and third time he had a birthday, all in the span of a month. Now there's one way to feel great about yourself.

Armed with this knowledge (and the information that Facebook has no policy about constantly changing your birthday), go out into ye internet and spread false cheer! Who cares if it's for yourself or for others...everyone deserves a little happiness. And if not, it's an entertaining read nonetheless.

[Slate]

The next Valve title (not DOTA2) gets its first news direct from Gabe Newell

This.

That is all. Carry on.

[Reddit]

Maximum Destruction RC car breaks marketing trend, saves 6 soldiers lives

Next time you send a present to soldier friends in the Middle East, send an RC car. That's what Ernie Fessenden did for his brother Staff Sgt. Christopher Fessenden, and with a (frickin' cool) camera mounted on it. Then Chris hooked up his rifle monitor to the camera and use it to scout for bombs.

Then, last week, a friend borrowed the toy and according to the soldiers, it tripped a wire which exploded about 500 lbs. of explosives out in the desert. Those soldiers would have otherwise tripped the wire from their Humvee. In effect, Maximum Destruction (the name of the specific RC car) had a blast, and possibly saved those six soldier's lives.

The sad part of the story is that IEDs (improvised explosive devices) are everywhere in Afganistan, and hundreds of soldiers die each year from these bombs. The military hasn't found a good solution to the problem as of yet, but the Fessendens have. Sgt. Chris, in correspondence with his brother Ernie, said he's found four IEDs thanks to the toy. Ernie's sending another one over, which costs about $500 for the car and mounted camera, and has started a nonprofit Fuel My Brain. There is no better way to support our troops than sending toy monster trucks to soldiers to help find bombs.

[ABC News]

Study shows meditation nearly twice as effective as drugs at killing pain

I think the most powerful piece of technology is the human body. It's gone through millions of years of evolution, so why the hell shouldn't it be? It can adapt to almost any environment, deal with almost any situation, and I'd say it's worked out pretty well for us so far. So what's a little pain?

A pain in the ass, that's what. Pain sucks, and we spend most of our lives avoiding, dulling or killing it. But a recent study showed just how kickass the human body is: by meditating, subjects had "about a 40 percent reduction in pain intensity and 57 percent reduction in pain unpleasantness," said Dr. Fadel Zeiden, who ran the trials. It's like Morpheus said, the mind makes it real.

Of course, theories of this exact premise have been considered for centuries. We've all seen people walk on coal, sleep on spikes and do crazy grotesque things with their bodies without flinching. The study, however, found one very remarkable thing: "Meditation produced an even greater reduction in pain than even morphine or other pain-relieving drugs, which typically pain ratings by about 25 percent." I guess that explains why when my infected tooth got yanked, Vicodin did nothing but getting into a ridiculous match of Halo 2 practically numbed the pain.

[Telegraph] (Image via Meditation Guidance)

First plastic heart sold, not on the black market

You could say that Matthew Green is a lucky guy. He's the first person to ever receive a heart made entirely of plastic - no weak fleshy bits included - and walk out of the hospital with it. Most cold-hearted bastards aren't allowed to leave, at least until they get a fleshy, warm heart. But screw that, we're on the path to becoming cyborgs. What better way to start than the heart?


Green, a victim of "arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a heart muscle disease that causes arrhythmia and heart failure," is the lucky man with a (mostly) mechanical heart. It's plastic, which makes it more pliable, which is crucial because otherwise it wouldn't fit in the chest cavity. The heart itself has two valves and costs £100,000, plus £20,000 annually for maintenance and battery replacements. Not exactly steampunk or cheap, but Green's not complaining. 


Of course, this brings up a rather interesting question: how expensive is a regular, boring human heart? According to Google, anywhere from $90,000 to $300,000, depending on the country. Might want to wait for technology to deal with that financial burden.


[Guardian]

Li-Fi: Visible light that’ll matter when we turn into machines

Wi-Fi and radio signals are too easy to steal, and they're also expensive to maintain, require lots of power, and the infrastructure is constantly strapped for bandwidth. Just make a call on AT&T during peak hours if you don't know what I'm talking about. So let's turn to...Li-Fi?

Harald Haas, a professor of Engineering at Edinburg University, decided to use something we all have to remedy the problem: boring ol' visible light. That tiny bit of spectrum we rely on so heavily is completely untapped for data transfer, and Haas has developed a method to transfer up to 10 Mbits/second with nothing but an LED and a chip with the data to transmit.

Practical applications aside - like restaurants transmitting menus directly to smartphones, or cars using their headlights to communicate with other cars, or Walmart uploading a Google-Maps map of where you are so you don't get lost in that giant black hole - using light to transmit data has a couple of kickass benefits. It only transmits where the light hits, meaning you could make a flashlight that transmits data. Haas also believes that by the end of the year he can bring transfer rates to 100 Mbits/second, and eventually reach 1Gbit/second. Even at just 10 Mbits/second, we could all have high-speed connection anywhere with lights just by including a light sensor on our laptops and cellphones.

Now to get everyone to switch to LEDs...

[TED]

Proper use of tank: plow over expensive cars

It’s hard being a soldier these days. All those fancy toys and rarely the opportunity to use them. Peacetime is boring...unless there are assholes in the world. Thankfully, we’ve got plenty.

Like this Lithuanian citizen who decided to park his Mercedes in the bike lane. Maybe he was trying to give those damn cyclists a taste of their own medicine, but his lazy attempt prompted the local 43 year old mayor to pick that exact moment for a mid-life crisis. Steal the car? Nah dog, it’s tank time!

What’s worse is that the car’s owner actually watched it all go down. He saw who did it - suit, tie and all - and couldn’t do a damn thing. It’s not like he’s tank man.

[Small World News]

Bill Nye Briefly Befuddled By Brainless Fox News Anchor

You probably are used to this kind of stupidity, but elementary school student savior Bill Nye is shocked into what can only be described as a mix between simultaneous Post-traumatic stress and postpartum depression. You can see his utter look of dismay at around 35-seconds in.

What could cause this gentle wizard such suffering? A bumbling Fox News anchor trying to connect the global climate debate to volcanoes recently discovered on the far side of the moon. God bless Bill...after a delusional Queen "Is this the real life" moment, he calmly answered the funny man like he would any child. Slowly, calmly, and without those annoying big words.

[MMTV]

How to be your family's tech support without going crazy

Chances are that if you're reading this, it's because you are the one that fixes everything in the house. Maybe your mother can't get the TV to turn on, or your roommate doesn't know how to unfreeze his computer, or someone you know is paying $60 a year for a virus which pretends to be an antivirus program. These facepalm moments are painful, and living with them is no easy task, even for the most patient, most kind-hearted individuals.

So how do you not rip out all your hair by the age of 30 because of these often ridiculous cries for help? I have several methods that will keep you from going mad.

1. Never fix. Teach. Ever heard about teaching a man to fish? The same holds true in the home. Not everyone can be as mind-bogglingly intelligent as you are, but that doesn't mean they can't figure out how to switch the batteries on the remote or reboot something. 95% of all tech support issues are simple, two-step fixes, and constantly going out of your way to fix those little things will reduce you to dust, destroy any ambition you may have had, and make you dead on the inside.
   
   The way to handle this is simple: don't ever fix anything. Make the person who needs help fix it on their own, with your guidance. That means take the time and actually work with them, like a teacher and student. If the TV isn't coming on, show them how those magical buttons on the remote work to fix it. If the computer won't shut down, show them how to hold down the power button for five seconds or to just unplug power. If need be, tell them to write it down, or even write it down for them.
   
2. Remember that you are the wizard. Part of being more knowledgeable about any subject than most people is actually knowing that you're smarter than most people. Besides giving you the basic comfort that you are in command, it will also help alleviate stress. Older people sometimes say they know things they really don't, or younger people pretend they understand something they clearly don't. But you aren't Nick Burns, and don't be (see 1). Interrupting know-it-alls can be easily shut down - and more importantly, kindly - when you clearly explain that they asked you for help, and you're taking time out of your day to give it to them.
   
3. When you aren't sure yourself, look up the answer with them. I'll admit, most of the time something needs to be done in my house, I know how to fix it. It's usually simple. But sometimes there isn't an easy answer. Sometimes I just don't know, but if I've learned anything, it's that the internet knows all. And I know how to find answers online. So do you.
   
   This singular point may be the most important of all, because if you can show them how to find answers on their own, you may never be called in for help again. Here's a quick example: I taught my sister how to find appropriate applications, and which work best for what, and how to find which work best for what. That was over two years ago. She hasn't come back to me for help with opening files since...and this is someone who checks their email weekly.
   
   (And if you're asking how to find answers, just type the question in Google. That works almost every time.)
   
4. Be prepared to give up extra cables and other cheap parts. Doing free tech support - especially for family - can be surprisingly costly. When a computer needs to be replaced, or singular components, then the culprit should pay. But if they broke a USB cable and didn't realize it, or can't remember how to plug a camera into the TV to share pictures and lost the Component cables, you're not going to charge them for it. If you're like me, you keep cables for when you need them, and that time always comes around. What better way than to give them to the needy!
   
   Not only cables, but cheap components too. SD cards, thumbdrives, power cords, mice, keyboards, and sometimes even old but functional components like hard drives. These are all things we tend to throw away, only to look for when we really need them. How many iPhone cables have you owned? How many memory cards? Instead of dumping these old-but-still-working parts, stuff them away in a cupboard somewhere for the day that they're needed. Because when someone needs help, the one thing you don't want to do is to be guilted into giving them your own things.
   
   I have an elegant solution: buy a small drawer cart and organize the various cables and components by composition. My system employs a 5-drawer cart with the following setup, top to bottom: USB cables, media center cables (like RCA, HDMI, audio cables, etc.), computer cables (DVI, VGA, other), power and ethernet cables, and components. Whenever an extra cable or part comes my way that I don't use, it goes in the corresponding drawer until the day it's needed.
   
   Whatever solution you use, the point is simple: if the part is cheap, there's no reason to drive down to Radioshack in a rush and pay 10x the actual cost or buy it online and wait a few days for shipping. Have spares, and if you don't have an extra, call up a buddy who might.

Op-Ed: Media centers are today's fireplace

I rarely watch TV anymore, at least not on my television set. I have a Vizio VX32L, which four years ago was considered the best low-end 32" TV for the price of $600. Mine only cost $450 with shipping. I threw down another $150 for a surround sound system from Spherex (now discontinued). From that couch, I've sat and watched TV from my Verizon cable box, which sits beside an Xbox 360, Apple TV and a test desktop I sometimes use for side projects.

Mr. Case, who I admire because of his extraordinary expertise with all things tech, has a slightly better setup. I feel exactly as he does. My old Vizio needs a reboot to something bigger and with more ports to work with my OnLive microconsole, Logitech Revue and PS3. A new set of speakers can move in, preferably wireless ones, because far too many guests and family members have tripped over the cables. A new TV stand, or perhaps a wall-mount would do some good as well. Heck, the whole room should really be redone to optimize the family viewing experience.

In the non-TV movement - where we all slowly move to watching our favorite shows away from a set time on the old-fashioned box, and instead watch it whenever we want online, streaming to our computers, phones or tablets - his purchase of a new 30" monitor (a badass display at that) is absolutely fine. An old TV doesn't necessarily need to be replaced. But it shouldn't be forgotten, or left alone simply because nobody is watching it right this second.

Growing up, I remember enjoying shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation, Transformers, Scooby-Doo and others as a family. Sometimes I watched alone, and sometimes with friends, but there were always times when the family would huddle around the glowing box and be enthralled by a movie, or spend a lazy Sunday night curled up on the couch enjoying the newest episode of NewsRadio, or even watching the game during a barbecue. These are activities we could only do with a TV.

I agree wholeheartedly, I don't want my family watching any more TV than need be. At the same time, I recognize that over the past 60 years the television set has taken over the role of family storyteller. No longer do we sit around a fireplace telling stories. And I'm content with that. So long as I decide on what's a good story to watch, and for my family to see, why not have a more entertaining, more visually stunning and pleasing method? People get paid handsomely well to write stories just for this purpose, better than we can hope to for our children.

Would I buy a new TV? Yes, once the need arises. At this point, the 32" screen works just fine, though I recently replaced one TV in the house because the display lost it's ability to produce colors. I fantasize about buying a new TV like I do buying a new computer; I don't need it, but have that human want for the latest and greatest. And when that need pops up, I will put down for a bigger, better screen.

I rarely watch TV these days. Most of what I watch is on online. When I do use my TV, it's with the family. We share that time and enjoy it, even if at times it's something completely mind-numbing. Because in the end, I want those family moments to be the best experiences they can be.

5 gaming accessories to go pro

That day job you have is a joke, and you know it. All those hours playing videogames are finally paying off. Every new game you get, you're hitting the top of the leaderboards without breaking a sweat. And now it's time to step up your game and go pro.

Don't expect to do it with your current gear. Here's five accessories to make you faster, stronger, and better.

Astro A40 

Astro Gaming's acclaimed gaming headset isn't famous among pro gamers because it's pretty (and yes, it really is). Not only is the A40 the official headset of Major League Gaming, this wireless set offers some of the best audio you can find on any gaming headset today. Large and comfortable, the A40's work on all consoles and PCs without drowning your rig with cables and clutter. It's wireless, and with the MixAmp 5.8 accessory the audiophile-quality stereo jumps up to 7.1 surround. Such a serious piece of audio equipment doesn't come cheaply, but the guarantee of excellent sound to hear that guy sneak up behind you is priceless. For $280.

Steelseries 7G

There is no such thing as too fast in gaming, so even a millisecond of latency is too slow. That's why the keyboard you use has to avoid USB altogether and stick with the old PS/2 connector, which provides zero-latency keypresses and eliminates ghosting. Steelseries combines the importance of these two features with old-fashioned mechanical keys, gold connectors to improve speed by nanoseconds and prevent corroding, which will also keep the 7G running for five times as long as your typical keyboard. So long as you can stand the clackety-clack of the loud mechanical keys, there's no other keyboard with the longevity, speed and expert touch as the 7G. A fairly priced $150.

Logitech G500

Just like the keyboard, mice have to be wired. Using the same famed design as the G5, the G500 is Logitech's newest wired mouse and doesn't fail to please. Supremely solid, quick as lighting and super comfortable, the G500 is also customizable with weights, speed settings and macro button control. The frictionless scroll wheel is an absolute blast, and with all customizations saved directly on the mouse you don't even need to play on your own rig to keep your settings. Not only is it agile in the hand, it's also light on the wallet at $70.

Razer Onza Tournament Edition

Not all pros stick to PC gaming, and big-time competitions on the Xbox 360 are pretty big these days. So if you want to be at the top of your game, you're going to need something better than Microsoft's standard controller. That's where the Onza comes in, with an enhanced D-Pad, wired connection for minimal latency, adjustable analog sticks, mouse-like low-profile face buttons, and two programmable shoulder buttons. The Tournament Edition model ups the ante with backlight face buttons and a quick-release USB, and the best part is that these controllers kick ass for just $50.

Viewsonic VX2739WM 

A real hardcore gamer may want an old CRT for gaming, because CRT's offer zero-latency visuals, but nobody really makes CRT monitors anymore. They're old, outdated, and while oddly superior in this one way, in no way are comparable to today's top-of-the-line displays. That said, Dell's Ultrasharp U3011 is a beast: 27" screen, 1ms response time, 1200:1 contrast ratio, and it's only 20lbs to boot. With HDMI and DVI ports, you can plug your computer and game console into this bad boy at the same time, and all without breaking bank. Just $329.

Scientists keep antimatter for over 16 minutes, soon we'll watch it fall up

Does antimatter fall up or down? Just how anti is it? Because heck, we don't have any of the stuff ourselves, and even if we did, not like you just take a handful and drop it. The second it touches anything, boom.

Now, the fun guys at CERN have figured out how to keep antihydrogen (that is, hydrogen of the anti-kind) on ice for 16 minutes and 40 seconds (1000 seconds), which is more than enough time to see if it falls up, down, or in any other funky direction.

Honestly I don't see how antimatter can fall up. If it did, any universe made of antimatter would need to have planets the inverse of spheres...and just thinking about that gives me a headache. What are your thoughts?

(Technology Review via Cornell)

How to make a real cell call from home when reception sucks

For some of us, using a cellphone instead of a landline is awesome. No extra bill, just one phone that's always on you, and all that jazz. Then there's me, and maybe a bunch of you. I can't get a damn call to go through on any carrier from my home office. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Alltel...nothing works. Ten steps away from the tiny radius and behold! I can make a call on all of 0-1 bars. Then last week two things happened: T-Mobile sent over the Samsung Galaxy S 4G which supports calls over Wi-Fi, and AT&T offered me a free Microcell for being a customer for over three years.

Both offerings sound like a godsend. A free service and a free box to stream calls through my internet? Sweet! Before you say "why not just use Skype?" know that I can, have, and it's just not convenient. I spend $80/month for my iPhone on the bare minimum plan, and hell, I'd better be able to use those minutes. I can use other VoIP services, but they cost money and don't work with my phone plan. All I need, and all many of us want, is literally one phone: our cellphone. Thus, AT&T's Microcell and T-Mobile's Wi-Fi calling.

AT&T Microcell ($199, free to some customers)

The AT&T Microcell is a small tower that, according to the box, offers 5,000 square feet of coverage using your current internet connection. Like many others, I got a letter in the mail with a thank you card praising my choice in staying with AT&T, and telling me to go collect my prize for sticking with the company. After reading the legal mumbo-jumbo, the deal is surprisingly great for customers: get the Microcell for free and keep it for as long as you want without paying. Once a year is up, it's officially your property. If you switch carriers or don't renew your contract before a year is up, you'll have to return the Microcell or AT&T will  bill you the full price of $199.

So I drove down and talked to the AT&T representative about it. He was surprisingly helpful, set me up within minutes, and showed me what I needed to do once I got home. Following his simple instructions (connect Microcell to internet connection, put serial number in AT&T Microcell website, and wait 30 minutes for it to work), the thing was set in just five minutes. My iPhone 3GS now displays "M-Cell" whenever I'm in range.

I was bluntly told in-store that the 5,000 feet radius is with no interference, which means I'd be lucky to get 500 feet with a few walls. I lost my Microcell's signal about 100 feet away, through several walls and outside the building. Luckily for me, AT&T actually works outside of my home, and the few calls I made where I left my home, switching between the Microcell and a full-blown cell tower, went off without a hitch. No dropped call, no connection problem, just a purely stable phone call.

Calls are clear and even under heavy internet use, I had no problem making or receiving calls with the Microcell. The few limitations aren't a big deal; only 10 people can be registered to use the Microcell at once, meaning you and up to nine friends and family members (so neighbors don't hijack your network); and only five calls can go through the Microcell at once. Besides that, I'm more than satisfied with the Microcell. I set up my friends and family to connect whenever they walk in, and now have a side benefit of keeping people off their phones in my office.

Now I'd never pay $200 for the Microcell (because I'm a cheap bastard), but that doesn't mean you have to just because you aren't as good a customer as I am. Call up or walk into your local AT&T store and tell them you can't make a call from your house, that you're dissatisfied with the service quality, and they'll practically hand over a Microcell. There's no guarantee they will, but if they're giving them out to people who don't ask for it, who's to say they won't give them to people who do?

T-Mobile Wi-Fi Calling (free, uses minutes on your current phone plan)

Someone at T-Mobile a brilliant idea, especially considering how poor their service is nationwide relative to the other tier-1 service providers: use a Wi-Fi connection to make or receive a call instead of your crappy reception at home. In theory, it's ingenious. T-Mobile takes minimum strain using Wi-Fi customers can actually make calls from home. In practice, it doesn't pan out so good.

I have a centralized Wi-Fi router sticking on my wall that reaches every room in the building at full strength. As you can see, it sticks to the wall (with velcro...that's how I roll Lifehacker). The effective radius of Wi-Fi is about 200', and I sit about 20' away. Using the Galaxy S 4G, there was a real hit/miss element to Wi-Fi calling. The Galaxy S drops calls when I walk around. It drops calls when I sit in place. So I kept trying until I realized what was happening: if the phone picks up a strong enough cell tower signal, it will switch over and shut down Wi-Fi to conserve power. This kills any chance of making a stable call because cell reception can vary even if you stand still.

As good as the concept is, you'll need to put aluminum foil around your house to make sure the connection sticks to Wi-Fi instead of finding a cell tower. The function has no settings to change this, so there's nothing to be done at this point.

Stick with a dedicated box

The Microcell, if you have to pay for it, definitely isn't worth $200. But if your choice is an AT&T or T-Mobile handset, neither of which will work wherever you need to make calls most, Ma Bell's Microcell is what will keep your phones on the network. T-Mo's concept is smarter, but probably won't be refined to the point where it actually works for awhile. So stick with a dedicated box. Verizon and Sprint customers, sorry, you're SOL if service sucks. Just be glad your carriers have better coverage.

Sagan's Pale Blue Dot, brilliantly visualized

For Earth Day, there's nothing better than to look at our planet in the eyes of a scientist, as our beloved Carl Sagan once described as a "Pale Blue Dot." Recent Sheridan College of Ontario graduate Adam Winnik, for his final thesis project, animated Sagan's dictation, reinvigorating it for us to remember and enjoy today.

No more Bill & Ted for China, all hope officially lost

At least, that's what the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in China now claims based on new standards put into effect on March 31st. You know, so that the Chinese people don't get any funny ideas. That's why media involving "fantasy, time-travel, random compilations of mythical stories, bizarre plots, absurd techniques...ambiguous moral lessons, and a lack of positive thinking" are forthwith banned.

That sounds like all the good American TV. Ironically Bill & Ted never re-wrote history, but used historical figures to teach classmates about the importance of history. Well played Chinese government.

The dirtiest almost-SFW video you'll watch all day

If NatGeo could put out TV like this, I'd never get off the couch.

iPhone 5 production starting in September?

I jumped on the iPhone bandwagon early. I had the original iPhone, and now have the 3GS. For the past nine months I've wanted an iPhone 4, but have been stuck in my contract and couldn't get a good deal. The iPhone 5 was supposed to put me back in front of the curve.

Or so I thought. Rumors of the iPhone 5 arriving holiday season 2011 to match the Verizon iPhone release may leave current AT&T iPhone owners stuck between service contracts. According to Avian Securities, "conversations with yet another key component supplier indicates that production for iPhone 5 will begin in September." That is to say, it'll likely hit Apple stores in November.

The rumors could be true, and it does make sense. The holiday season is the best time to sell phones. 4G is quickly becoming a requirement for high-end smartphones. The obvious downside is anyone on a two-year contract will get screwed. 3GS owners would have to keep their phones for another 5-6 months and iPhone 4 owners wouldn't be able to get the upgrade unless Apple/AT&T made exceptions like they did with the iPhone 3G.

Or Apple just hates me. There's always that.

[Business Insider]

Amazon offering cheaper, ad-based Wi-Fi Kindle for $114

Everyone just wants a piece of Groupon. That's what Amazon is doing by throwing an even cheaper Kindle - for just $114 - which includes advertised deals like "a $20 Amazon gift card for $10" or "an album from the Amazon MP3 store for $1." Best of all, it does it all through the screen saver, so your reading is never interrupted...but after a long day, you could "open" your book to see a sweet deal. Or possibly a worthless one that is still prettier than the wallpaper sitting on the e-reader's screen.

The Kindle with Benefits will release on May 3rd.

Uneasy about Google Streetview? Soon thermal imaging can catch you in the act

It's one thing to get an odd photo taken by the Google Streetview bus. It's another to have an entire city photographed using thermal imaging. Because, who knows, you could be doing something where body heat is disproportionately below the waste for that time of day, or growing something that just gets really hot. Springfield and Hamilton residents will soon find themselves in this conundrum, but Bostonians can relax for a little while thanks to the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

The camera system, deployed by Sagewell, is intended to find hot spots to determine where excess energy is being expended, which in turn could help curb energy usage and save money. The problem is we don't necessarily want all of our homes completely visible, even if it's just a blob of reds and blues. The last thing I need is Predator stalking me during the day to watch me typing away.

[CBS Boston] (image from Time.com)

If AT&T is buying T-Mobile, why are these antagonistic ads still running?

News that AT&T was buying T-Mobile stirred the industry. Verizon would drop to send place, T-Mobile customers (and, well, everyone) could get the short end of the stick, and Verizon could buy Sprint, even if they don't think so just yet. Then why are we still seeing ads like this:



I just saw this ad run on TV. If you're wondering why they're still showing, and why T-Mobile is still competing in full force against their possible buyer, here's the reason: if the deal doesn't pan out, especially for legal concerns, then T-Mo will have to fight for it's life to succeed even harder than it is now. As the smallest of the tier-1 wireless providers, AT&T's buyout makes the no-metal company part of the gold-winning team. So while AT&T might see it as a loss for any customers switching from iPhones to Android devices on the smaller network, T-Mobile has a win-win opportunity, even Deutsche Telekom doesn't make a cool $39 billion.

But really, who switches from an iPhone on AT&T to Android on T-Mobile. Seriously guys, you can do better than that.

Google Labs chatbot makes coworkers believe you actually have friends

Lonely at the office? Need to look like someone will actually talk to you online? Chatbots are so old school, and the good ones moved to the web, so who would even remember. Google's Talk Guru is a Google Labs project that essentially puts an "I'm feeling lucky" search in the form of instant messages, but without the search. It's great for finding information, like a calculator or translation or weather patterns, and it works pretty well. It works across any client that support Google Talk just by inviting guru@googlelabs.com to a conversation. Send it an invite and voila, someone to finally talk to! Never be lonely again.

[Techcrunch via Google Labs Guru]

Analyst predicts 100 million iPhone 5 sales, what a surprise

Analysts and investors just love Apple. Go to any meeting with these number crunchers or golf players and it's "Google this" and "Apple that". The only thing you'll hear more of than that is "but does it work on the iPhone?" So, surprise surprise, one analyst at Asymco has determined that the iPhone 5 will sell about 100 million units in it's lifespan. That's one for every third person in the US, give or take a few hundred thousand.

How analyst Horace Dediu determined this is pretty simple, as seen in the chart above: historical data based on current iPhone model sales per year. According to Dediu, they've basically doubled with each new iteration. Based on this data, he's probably not wrong, considering two interchangeable factors: Verizon picking up the iPhone, and the possible delay of the iPhone 5. If the iPhone 5 is announced at WWDC, as expected, then we'll be seeing long lines at Apple, AT&T and Verizon stores, which in the US alone is over 200 million people. And more people on Verizon will likely switch, because they're waiting for the newer iPhone. If the release is delayed, then we may not have an iPhone 5, but an iPhone 4G, which besides for helping Apple out on the nomenclature of their beloved iOS device, it would sell even more units because both AT&T and Verizon are shelling out the big bucks for 4G.

[Wired via 9to5 Mac via Asymco]

Subscribe to the New York Times on Kindle? No more NYTimes.com workaround

Blip

Instead of using a workaround to read content off the New York Times website, or, you know, paying, current Kindle users who already subscribe to the digital newspaper version of the New York Times can view all content on the site for free. The catch, of course, is that it costs $20/month to get the NYTimes sent daily to your Kindle, as opposed to paying $15/month for the current online-only subscription or finding interesting and fun ways around the paywall. But if you already get the NYTimes on your Kindle, easier for you!

iPad 2 available at Radioshack tomorrow

Having trouble finding an iPad 2? That's no surprise with recent shortages, but look no further than your local Radioshack, where several stores have confirmed that the new Apple tablet will be in stock after eagle-eyed readers found the above ad in a local paper. The store closest to me has several units arriving later today, but these darn Malibu folks already gobbled them up by calling in ahead of time and putting them on reserve. Most stores don't allow that, but with all the rich people here, exceptions are made.

If, however, you've been looking for one, drop by your local Radioshack tomorrow before they're all gone. Because even with iPad 2s available in 500 stores, that's still only going to be a few per store.

[Macrumors]

HTC Thunderbolt Dropping Wi-Fi Hotspot Connections Intermittently?

We've received a few reports that the recently released HTC Thunderbolt has been selectively dropping it's Wi-Fi hotspot connection, even with good to great coverage. As you know I've got one on-hand, and just tried it out myself. In the process of writing this post, I lost my connection (3G, not 4G) twice, both while sitting still and not moving the phone at all. Meanwhile the connection has fluctuated between 2-4 out of four bars.

Have you new Thunderbolt owners had similar problems when in a good service area? The same happened for me yesterday while playing with the handset, but with a poor connection it didn't seem like a big deal. Now it does. Since I've been able to replicate the problem, here's how it works:

When using the Hotspot feature, my computer connects and it works fine for 5-20 minutes. Then suddenly web pages stop loading, and on the Thunderbolt a message saying how many connections the Hotspot app has pops up. It should of course only pop up when first connecting, which means that the connection was dropped. Then the connection will flicker in and out.

I've reached out to Verizon and HTC, and will update with their response. Let us know in the comments if you're experiencing similar problems.

Oh, that's why Kinect is so much more fun

Humor

Oh, that's why Kinect is so much more fun

And here I thought it was because most of us grew out of pretending to be Harry Potter. Or waiting an hour after every firmware update.

[Penny-Arcade]

Blackberry Playbook Officially Supports Android 2.3 Apps, Takes 200k Apps To The Bank

Rumors since CES about the Blackberry Playbook - from an iPad 2 killer to the biggest thing since sliced bread for enterprise users - included the possibility of the tablet being capable of running Android applications. Now, straight from the horse's mouth, RIM announces just that: the Playbook will support applications made for Android 2.3 through an emulator sort of application, thereby giving the app base around 225,000 available apps from launch (200k from the Android App Marketplace and 25k current Blackberry apps). Which is definitely a bold step in the right direction, but begs the question: isn't Android 2.3 old already?

Sure, most of us are still using 2.1 or 2.2, but the Motorola Xoom runs on Honeycomb, which is made specifically for tablets. Having a wide selection of apps available through the Android Marketplace really is great...but these are going to be phone apps.

RIM also announced that the Playbook will support C/C++, Adobe Flash and Air, and the Airplay and Unity 3 game engines. The developer SDK will be available this summer, presumably before the Playbook officially releases around the same timeframe.

Photography Page Online!

As I learn more and more about photography, I decided it would be a good idea to just show off my best works on the site. So now there's a photography page on the top bar. If that's too difficult a link to find, click here.

Here's the short history of photography for me. I started taking pictures seriously when editors started asking if I have a good camera for product shots. So I started borrowing my mom's Nikon D40x. Around the same time I'd just started classes at CSUN, so I signed up for a introductory photography class. The two went hand-in-hand. The first week we had an assignment and my teacher was amazed at how well I did. I used a photo similar to the shot above. Cheers all around made me feel like a pro.

Ironically, I had no idea what I was doing and just played around with various settings. But I did have my research on what cameras were good, and ended up giving a short 10 minute lecture to the class about DSLR brands. Fun stuff.

As I worked for Tom's Guide, I never had a need to produce high-quality and unique pictures. The site didn't really push photography much, and I was never asked to do something special. Some of the better ideas for shots I had were either too difficult or too time-consuming to do. In fact, I can't think of a single article that demanded any significant thought or effort into photography.

Then I pitched Gizmodo to review the Alienware M11xR2 and got the greenlight. I know Matt Buchanan is a photography freak, and that the senior staff drools over good pictures. Mark Wilson - who gave me the go-ahead to write the review - is especially big on photography, so I knew I had big shoes to fill. Joel Johnson even recently returned, and he oversaw the review's editing and photography (which I didn't know until after I submitted the review).

So when I sent in my shots and was told how good they were, it meant a lot. Now I aim to have at least one excellent shot - usually the headlining image - for every review. I carry my camera around more for great shots, because you never know when the moment strikes. In any case, my best stuff I'll put on the photography page for all to see.

Why you should never go to a convention sick

When you get sick, two things happen. One, you just don't care about most anything. Probably due to some chemical imbalance so we focus on getting better. This makes us uncaring in one of two ways. This way:

Or this way:

That would be fine, except for the second thing that happens when you get sick: you feel like crap. Guess how I turned out at CES?