SYDNEY — The 'Death Cult', as the politicians are calling what we commonly know as Islamic State (ISIS), has taken over the media in Australia.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott is making plans, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is lifting the terror alert level and rolling out new spy laws, terrorism suspects are being arrested and people are looking suspiciously at their neighbour.
In recent weeks, the terror threat at home suddenly felt real. People are talking about it at the pub, at the cafe, on the bus
The social media networks connected to terrorism in the Middle East have entangled Australians. Security guards with AK-47s surround parliament house. Beheading videos are played in loungerooms across the country. Read more...
A second trailer for Dumb and Dumber To dropped this week, showing more shenanigans from Harry (Jeff Daniels) and Lloyd (Jim Carrey). The not-so-brainy twosome embark on a journey to find Harry's long-lost daughter on whom Lloyd develops a crush.
The sequel comes 20 years after the first film, but it seems Lloyd's catchphrases — as well as other '90s nostalgia — have yet to retire. Check out the trailer, above, to watch the dumb duo navigate difficult concepts, including bicycle racks and phone calls.
Dumb & Dumber To is set to hit theaters on Nov. 14.
New Clippers owner Steve Ballmer is a Microsoft loyalist who joined the company in 1980 as its 30th employee. He's so loyal that he refuses to use anything created by Apple—he does not like Apple , man—and now it appears his personal policy is becoming his team's.
Texas head coach Charlie Strong has dismissed nine players from his team so far this year, leading most of the football-viewing public to wonder what the fuck is going on at Texas. Thanks to the Austin American Statesman, we seem to have at least a partial answer to that question. The players are getting drug tested at an extremely high rate.
A mother, with an AK-47 slung over her shoulder, walks her child to a playground. A man driving a car orders a woman to cover her face: "God loves women who are covered." A woman in an Internet cafe, in flawless French, tells her mother that she won't be coming home: "I did not take the risk by coming here to go back to France."
The world got a rare glimpse at life inside the ISIS-controlled city of Raqqa thanks to an intrepid, unnamed Syrian woman who wore a hidden camera under her niqab as she walked around the northern Syrian city, which fell to ISIS militants 18 months ago.
For someone not versed in Jurassic Park lore, this photo probably looks like a piece of wood covered in dirt and leaves. Which — you know — it is. But it's also a clever reference to a specific moment in Jurassic Park, the first film. The "East Dock" sign refers to the section of the dinosaur-infested island where humans can board a boat to return to the mainland. It might be the same sign Dennis Nedry, played by Wayne Knight, hit with his jeep while attempting to hand off a batch of stolen dinosaur embryos before his untimely demise Read more...
If it seems like the rich are getting richer, well, the data might just back you up.
A new graph based on data from times of growth backs up growing concern that the current economic system is disproportionately favoring those that are already wealthy.
The graph shows how the benefits of economic growth used to be spread far more evenly, with post-war expansion being almost proportionately split between the the rich and everyone else. Since then, a consistent theme has emerged in which those not among the most wealthy 10% of the population are seeing diminishing benefits from growth. In fact, the rich not only reaped all the benefits of the 2009-2012 period, lower classes suffered a contraction in overall wealth despite the growth, which further benefitted the wealthy. Read more...
It looks like it jumped right from a science fiction film and onto the street, and is nothing short of exceptional. The Mike Vetter Extra Terrestrial Vehicle is a true,...
Apple began shipping the device to customers and selling it in stores last Friday, and since then, some rumblings have appeared on social media that the 6.22-inch by 3.06-inch phablet had a propensity for bending — especially when placed in a pocket of tight pants for a long period of time Read more...
If there is one criticism of today's smartphones that I hear the most often, it's the dearth of physical keyboards.
For those who began typing on phones when BlackBerry and Palm ruled mobile, the move to pure touchscreen design has been a mixed blessing. They're responsive and natural, but nothing lets you crank out an email at top speed like those trusty QWERTY keys.
BlackBerry, which never fully went away, now has something new for that crowd: the BlackBerry Passport, a huge phone with a big screen and the most sophisticated keyboard you've ever seen on a mobile device. Read more...
One of the best reasons to use Chrome over any other browser is the wide variety of extensions and apps available. Google makes it so you can do everything you’d ever want right in the browser. For the things you still can’t do in Chrome Google is hoping Android apps will bridge the gap. A few weeks ago they released the first batch of apps, but we’re hungry for more.
Right now you can only run four Android apps and they only work with Chrome OS devices. What if you could run any Android app you wanted? And what if all you needed was a Chrome browser? That would be pretty awesome. Luckily it’s not just something we can dream about. Thanks to some clever hackers it’s really possible. Here’s how you can do it!
Why does this work?
First, a little history lesson. The software that makes it possible for Android apps to run in Chrome is called the App Runtime for Chrome, or ARC. This software works in the same way that ART allows apps to run on Android phones or tablets. Using these two runtimes allows developers to make their apps available on Chrome without any rebuilding. A nifty trick.
ARC was designed to run only on Chrome OS. Developer vladikoff created something called ARChon Custom Runtime so it can be used in Chrome for Windows, Mac, and even Linux. In the process he also removed the limit on how many Android apps can be run in Chrome. So before we get started we must tip our caps to vladikoff for making this possible.
Install the ARChon Custom Runtime
The first thing we need to do is get the custom version of ARC installed in your browser. In order to do this you will need Chrome version 37 or higher.
Go to your extensions page in Chrome by going to Menu > Tools > Extensions
Enable Developer mode in the top right corner
Select “Load unpacked extension”
Choose the folder where you unzipped ARChon
ARChon is now running as a Chrome extension. You will probably see the warning below, but it’s nothing to worry about. Let’s move on to the next step.
Install Android apps
We’re ready to install some Android apps now. This is the real tricky part. Getting an Android app to work in Chrome is not as easy as using the Play Store on your Android device. Luckily the Android/Chrome community is already hard at work finding which apps can work in Chrome. This subreddit and Google Drive spreadsheet are a good place to start looking for apps.
But first, a disclaimer. The distribution of modified apps is not strictly speaking legal. Downloading APKs of free apps is probably not going to make the developer too upset, but paid apps are another story. Don’t use this as an opportunity to steal a bunch of Android apps. Only download APKs from free apps or apps that you already purchased.
Okay, once you have a .zip file containing the APK we are going to install it like we did with ARChon.
Unzip the file and place the folder somewhere you will remember
Go back to the Extensions page in Chrome
Click “Load unpacked extensions”
Select the folder with the modified APK you downloaded
The app should now appear in the app launcher in Chrome, with or without the correct app icon. You will likely see another error message on the extensions page, but it’s fine.
What if the app you want to use hasn’t already been modified for Chrome? It’s time to take matters into your own hands. Proceed with caution. These next steps are not for the faint of heart.
What if the app I want isn’t listed?
Getting an Android app to work in Chrome requires some modification. There is a handy tool that can do all of it for you, but first you will need to obtain the APK of the app you wish to modify. You can use Astro File Explorer to pull installed APKs from your device. Here’s how:
Open Astro
Slide open the menu from the left and tap the tools icon
Tap “App Mgr”
Tap on the apps you wish you pull
Select “Backup”
Go to the new “Backups” folder on your SD card and send the APK to your PC
Now it’s time to install the ChromeOS APK Tool to automatically modify the APK. Follow the instructions for the desktop OS you use.
Windows
Download the node.js .msi file (not the .exe) from here.
Install node.js.
In a command prompt, run the command: npm install chromeos-apk -g
OS X/Linux
In a terminal, run the command: sudo apt-get install npm
(Ubuntu only): Run the command: sudo apt-get install lib32stdc++6
Open a terminal to the unzipped folder containing node.js. Run these commands in order:
./configure
make
make install
Run the command: sudo npm install chromeos-apk -g
The ChromeOS APK tool should be successfully installed on your PC. Now it’s time to use it!
Open a command prompt or terminal in the folder where you saved the APK
Run the command: chromeos-apk [NAME OF APK]
Enter the package name of the app if prompted. You can find this in the URL of the Play Store listing. For example: “com.phandroid.droidpress”.
Wrap Up
We can’t guarantee that every app you try will work flawlessly. This is a nifty way to bring some of your favorite Android apps to the desktop. Hopefully Google makes the process easier someday. How cool would it be if the Google Play web store could install apps to Chrome? The line between operating system and browser is getting thinner every day. What apps are you going to put on Chrome? Did you get this to work for you?
The U.S. military unleashed a multitiered assault on ISIS militants in Syria overnight that included a mix of fighter jets, bomber planes, drones and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, according to the U.S. Central Command.
The AFP reports at least 120 militants were killed in the strikes.
#BREAKING: At least 120 jihadists dead in US-led Syria strikes: monitor
The airstrikes mark the United States' first military action inside Syria, news of which first broke on Twitter.
"The decision to conduct theses strikes was made earlier today by the U.S. Central Command commander under authorization granted him by the commander in chief," Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby said in announcing the strikes late Monday night." Read more...
Some bike for exercise, others for transportation, but Felix Starck hopped on his bicycle to travel the world.
What started off as a joke between friends and an inspiration to break away from the everyday life turned into a 365-day, 11,200-mile journey through 22 countries. Starck wanted to meet new people and explore different cultures, but a standard backpacking trip wouldn't suffice.
Starck credits his bike as being "the most environmental and economic way to travel." So instead of driving through cities and watching the world pass by at 50 miles-per-hour, Starck was able to experience moments with locals. Read more...
The land of late-night skits is vast, but Jimmy Fallon's lip flip is the perfect level of creepy and hilarious.
Sofia Vergara stopped by The Tonight Show on Monday, and requested she interview herself. So, Fallon granted her wish, using technology to swap mouths for his recurring skit "Lip Flip."
Things got weird, but Fallon looks great with red lipstick, especially while singing "The Conga".
Google showed us the way with Chromecast, but now everyone wants to build a video streamer out of a dongle
The latest entrant in this market is Microsoft, which revealed its Display Adapter as the latest way to get the videos and presentations from your PC onto the nearest TV.
Microsoft's solution is different from Chromecast, though, in that it's much simpler. It's a straight-up mirroring device, simply projecting whatever is on your computer to the TV screen. That means it's entirely dependent on your PC — it's not taking ownership of the stream like Chromecast does — but it's also dirt-simple, and doesn't need its own Wi-Fi connection. Read more...
We know the NFL season has already started, but it's not too late to start following along. If you want to casually keep up with the NFL and at least know what teams are playing every week, it's easy to add the schedule of your favorite team to Google Calendar. Or if you're a diehard fan, you can add and follow every single team in the league — we won't judge. It's a simple process either way, and we're going to show you how to do it.
Now that everyone seems to be carrying around smartwatches, Bluetooth headphones, and various other bits of electronic detritus, we need ways to keep them charged up when they inevitably die before the end of a long day. Samsung wants your Galaxy phone or tablet to be the backup battery for other stuff, like a Gear watch, via the brand new Power Sharing Cable. It's a little double-sided MicroUSB cable that allows one gadget to charge another, without any AC adapter or portable battery pack.
It's common for companies to eliminate redundancy when an acquisition takes place. So it should come as no surprise that Apple is reportedly in the process of shutting down Beats Music, the streaming service it picked up when it bought the company for $2.6 billion earlier this year. The timeline isn't clear, but the wheels are allegedly already in motion.
TechCrunch reports it talked to multiple people at Apple and Beats, all of which said the same thing.
The tale goes something like this: Grylls and then-girlfriend Shara Cannings Knight were skinny dipping in the Atlantic Ocean when the adventurer attempted to propose
"I pulled out the ring from my butt cheeks," Grylls said, according to The Daily Mail. "She was standing there going 'what are you doing?'... A massive Atlantic roller came in and I went, 'will you' — and it went —- took me up the beach." Read more...
One of the most innovative and friendly cities in the U.S., Austin welcomes its visitors with open arms and an overflowing wealth of activities for foodies, music festival goers, BBQ lovers and techies, too. The "Live Music Capital of the World" hosts a number of culturally resonant events like Austin City Limits, SXSW and Austin Film Festival — but even during its "off seasons," Austin knows how to entertain, and does so especially well for those seeking an eclectic, tech-infused stay
LG today announced a brand new flip phone for select markets. The Wine Smart matches the latest version of Android KitKat 4.4 with the retro styling of clamshells. While not appealing to majority of consumers today, there's still quite the fan base for said form factors.
It looks like it jumped right from a science fiction film and onto the street, and is nothing short of exceptional. The Mike Vetter Extra Terrestrial Vehicle is a true,...
Now that everyone seems to be carrying around smartwatches, Bluetooth headphones, and various other bits of electronic detritus, we need ways to keep them charged up when they inevitably die before the end of a long day. Samsung wants your Galaxy phone or tablet to be the backup battery for other stuff, like a Gear watch, via the brand new Power Sharing Cable. It's a little double-sided MicroUSB cable that allows one gadget to charge another, without any AC adapter or portable battery pack.
t's common for companies to eliminate redundancy when an acquisition takes place. So it should come as no surprise that Apple is reportedly in the process of shutting down Beats Music, the streaming service it picked up when it bought the company for $2.6 billion earlier this year. The timeline isn't clear, but the wheels are allegedly already in motion. 
