Roumen.ganeff

By Liam McCabe This post was done in partnership with The Sweethome, a buyer's guide to the best things for your home. Read the full article here. After running more than 30 cleaning cycles over two months with four of the top robot vacuums, we've...

Michigan illustrator David Zinn (previously) has brightened the streets of Ann Arbor with his off-the-wall (or technically on-the-wall) chalk drawings since 1987. The artist works with chalk or charcoal to create site-specific artworks that usually incorporate surrounding features like cracks, street infrastructure, or found objects. Over the years he’s developed a regular cast of recurring characters including a bright green monster named Sluggo and a “phlegmatic flying pig” named Philomena.

Many of Zinn’s artworks are available as archival prints, and he recently published a new book titled Temporary Preserves. You can follow his almost daily street chalk adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

NASA knows a way to get humans to Mars in about a month, and to land unmanned probes in just three days.

In a NASA 360 video University of California Santa Barabara professor Philip Lubin describes the process of "photonic propulsion." It involves propelling objects with mass-free particles of light (photons). Basically, pushing spaceships with a great, big laser.

Lubin explains that the proposed system would require about the same amount of energy as the upcoming Space Launch System to get to "relativistic speeds." Which is to say speeds matching a significant percentage of the speed of light. In this case, 30 percent in about 10 minutes.

Continue reading…

Bill Gates says that Apple should help the FBI break open the San Bernardino shooter's iPhone. Talking to the Financial Times, he said this was a very specific case: "They are not asking for some general thing." Gates has taken a different view compa...

An eight-year-old bug in the Internet's Domain Name Service (DNS) could be used to widely spread malware, according to security research Dan Kaminsky. He says a flaw found in the Gnu C standard library, aka "glibc," can trick browsers into looking up...

Check out this sweet breakdown of the visual effects in the comic book movie blockbuster Deadpool.

The reel below -- posted by CGMeetup (via Latino-Review) -- details the before and after of the VFX work done to bring the merc with a mouth, the mighty X-Man Colossus, and more to cinematic life.

The visual effects companies that worked on Deadpool include VFX Studios Atomic Fiction, Blur Studio, Digital Domain, Weta Digital, Luma Pictures, Rodeo FX, and Image Engine.

Deadpool is a huge hit for 20th Century Fox, having grossed $325.4 million worldwide so far. With a current domestic cume of $172.4 million, Deadpool has already outgrossed X-Men, X-Men: First Class, and The Wolverine and will quickly eclipse X-Men Origins: Wolverine's final tally.

Continue reading…

The LG G5 brought its friends to Barcelona. They range from actual robots to a DSLR-like grip. Meeting so many new gadgets at once may be intimidating, so here are some videos and an infographic to handle the introductions. First, a one minute video to dip your toes. It shows the two unique features of the G5 - the modules (camera grip and B&O DAC) and the dual camera on the back. If you want to know more, here's a four minute video. It demoes how easy it is to swap out modules, LG even made a dance out of it. Also, LG G5's friends include a robot that keeps your home safe and your cat entertained. There's a 360° camera and a VR headset you can use to view the photos. Here they all are, G5 and friends, in an infographic that gives you some more details about the sociable gadgets. And if all this seems too much to handle, the LG Friend Manager app will help you pair with and control the...

By Nick Guy This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer's guide to the best technology. Read the full article here. Over the past four winters, we've tested more than 30 pairs of touchscreen gloves while moving half a ton of stum...

There hasn't been a lot of news out of Richard Branson's commercial space flight company Virgin Galactic since the company's SpaceShip Two broke apart during an October 2014 test flight, killing one of the two crew members. However, today the company...

Many now credit government for past progress in gender equality, mostly because of late 20th-century legislation that appeared to benefit women in the workplace. This is a distorted view. Few know that government at all levels actually sought to prevent that progress.

A century ago, just as markets were attracting women to professional life, government regulation in the United States specifically targeted women to restrict their professional choices. The regulations were designed to drive them out of offices and factories and back into their homes — for their own good and the good of their families, their communities, and the future of the race.

By 1910, fully 45 percent of the professional workforce was made up of women. 

The new controls — the first round of a century of interventions in the free labor market — were designed to curb the sweeping changes in economics and demographics that were taking place due to material advances in the last quarter of the 19th century. The regulations limited women’s choices so they would stop making what elites considered the wrong decisions.

The real story, which is only beginning to emerge within the academic literature, is striking. It upends prevailing narratives about the relationship between government and women’s rights. Many cornerstones of the early welfare and regulatory state were designed to hobble women’s personal liberty and economic advancement. They were not progressive but reactionary, an attempt to turn back the clock.

Women’s Work Is Not New

It was the freedom and opportunity realized in the latter period of the 19th century that changed everything for women workers, opening up new lines of employment.

The growth of industrial capitalism meant that women could leave the farm and move to the city. They could choose to leave home without having married — and even stay in the workforce as married women. Th...

Kim Kardashian: Hollywood was a massive success. Niccolo de Masi—CEO of the game's publisher, Glu Mobile—spoke at the DICE Summit in Las Vegas on the game's impact.

Image via GameSpot

According to GamesSpot, the free-to-play game brought in over $100 million in its first five months, and a total of $200 million over Kim Kardashian: Hollywood's first year. That money came from in-game purchases using real-world money, buying items like personal jets, cars, or clothes.

Continue reading…

Stephen Amell has taken to social media to show off the first images of Old Oliver Queen on DC's Legends of Tomorrow.

The first video promo has also dropped that teases the upcoming episode, which will guest star Stephen Amell. Check that out below.

Amell posted two pictures to Twitter with the accompanying captions "I count 6 Legends and.......... 2 GA's?" and "Get up old man."

I count 6 Legends and.......... 2 GA's? pic.twitter.com/n8V1niHlte

Continue reading…

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has passed the #unlockthebox proposal, taking the first major step in freeing set-top boxes from the grip of cable and satellite providers.

"The set-top box - and app - markets need more competition," read part of a tweet from the FCC announcing the passage.

The partisan 3-2 vote approves a plan that would allow customers to turn to third-party set-top boxes rather than being forced to rent one from their cable provider, a $20 billion-a-year business. Customers would also be allowed to hook up devices they already own, like the Roku 3 or PS4, instead.

Additionally, cable providers would have to work with third-party set-top box makers to develop a new standard that everyone could use, so that set-top boxes like TiVo would work just as one leased to you by Comcast.

Not only does it allow for greater competition, but the proposed plan would result in lower cable bills for customers who wouldn't need to rent a box from their cable provider. According to FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, the price of set-top boxes has gone up 185% since 1994, while the costs of computers, phones and TVs has dropped 90%.

What's more, the thinking is that wresting control away from cable companies would allow for new types of boxes and apps that make it easier for customers to hook up to internet-based services, like Netflix and Hulu.

Cable companies have opposed the #unlockthebox movement from the start. Comcast SVP David Cohen penned a blog post shortly after the proposal passed criticizing the decision. Cohen and other critics have said the FCC should be looking at "market-driven" app-based solutions and not set-top boxes, which some say are quickly becoming antiquated technology.

The proposal now goes to a comment period, during which citizens and businesses can weigh in on the proposed changes. After that, the proposal will be revised and put up for another vote, which won't happen for another several months.

• What you need to know about the fight for your cable box

The new CAT S60 is more than a smartphone - it's a professional tool. It's the first smartphone to feature an integrated thermal camera. It can measure the temperature of objects from 15m-30m (50ft-100ft) away and can even see through smoke. It can, for example, be used by firefighters to look for people in a smoke-filled building or just a contractor to check your insulation. The thermal camera is courtesy of Flir, a Lepton module, and shows 80 x 60px thermal video. Anyway, the CAT S60 goes beyond casual smartphone toughness. If you batten down the hatches (closing the mouth and earpieces with the yellow covers), it can go under 5m of water. Otherwise, the limit is 2m. CAT dropped the phone 26 times from 1.8m (6ft) to make sure it survives hard hits. The display is covered with 1mm Gorilla Glass 4 (normal phones get 0.4mm) and very bright - 540nits. The touchscreen works with gloves, of course. You also get a beefy 3,800mAh battery to last you a long day at work and a 105dB loudspeaker. The rest of the CAT S60 put it in the mid-range - 4.7" 720p screen, Snapdragon 617 with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. The phone runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and offers 4G LTE connectivity. There's also a 13MP main camera, 5MP selfie cam. The CAT S60 will be shown off at the MWC and will retail later this year for $600/€650. Keep in mind that a Flir One (a smartphone add-on thermal camera) alone costs $250. Source |...

Companies have been promising us futuristic, paper-like displays since forever, but so far we remain unimpressed. The ReFlex, a prototype flexible smartphone from Queens University is tantalizingly close to what we've been waiting for, though. To bui...

Tim Cook did not mince words in a lengthy open response to the FBI's order that Apple create a backdoor to allow the agency access to a terrorism suspect's iPhone. Plenty of privacy groups and Apple customers have praised Cook's words thus far, and n...

Deadpool's Ryan Reynolds is reportedly in talks to star in Life, a large-scale Skydance Productions film that follows a Mars space mission.

According to Deadline, Reynolds could star in the movie alongside Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation's Rebecca Ferguson. Written by Deadpool scribes Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese—and directed by Safe House's Daniel Espinosa—Life explores "intelligent alien life" on Mars.

The talks have been ongoing, reportedly, since before Deadpool's widespread success.

Deadpool smashed box office records on Friday, landing itself the the title of biggest opening day for an R-rated movie. It's numbers put it among the top 10 comic book movie openings of all time, and higher than any of 20th Century Fox's other X-Men-related films.

Continue reading…

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments

American Airlines has jumped into bed with Uber in order to create a service that's as "door to door" as the pair can make. The idea is that fliers who can afford not to take the airport shuttle will get a "seamless travel experience." For instance,...

While motorized human transporters have yet to truly take off, the folks over at Nissan have come up with something more practical for the time being: self-parking office chairs. With a single clap, these futuristic furniture will automagically tuck...

Deadpool performed incredibly well at the box office on Friday, setting the new record for an R-rated film's debut day.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fox's new film—starring Ryan Reynolds as its smart-mouthed antihero—earned a whopping $47.5 million Friday, putting it among the top 10 comic book movie openings of all time, and at number one for an R-rated feature, regardless of genre. The opening day is also higher than any of 20th Century Fox's other X-Men-related films to date.

Thanks to its impressive debut, Deadpool is on track to gross $117 million during its first three days and $130 million over the course of the four-day President's Day weekend. Seeing as how only ten superhero movies have ever crossed the $100 million mark during a weekend debut, Fox is undoubtedly pleased with how its film is currently performing.

Continue reading…

Sony's new e-Ink based universal remote is called Huis (allegedly pronounced "house"). The always-on display means the remote is always ready to use (smartphone IR remote apps always need to wake up the screen). The Huis is designed to stand upright to blend in with the rest of your electronics (it measures 123 x 68 x 24mm, 130g). The 1,500mAh battery is rated at about a month (based on 100 uses per day). The remote also has Bluetooth LE built-in, which will be enabled in the future. You can download remotes for various gadgets - TVs, air conditioners, anything IR-based really. You can also use a PC app to design your own remote interface, complete with cute images to appeal to children. The Sony Huis is a product of the First Flight crowd funding platform (which previously brought an e-paper smart watch). The Huis will be available only in Japan for now, starting in March. Pre-orders run for JPY 27,950 (around $250), putting it against the Logitech Harmony remotes on price. Source (in Japanese) |...

Whatever takes place in a Deadpool sequel, Avatar’s Stephen Lang appears to want a role as Cable in the film.

The 63-year-old actor, who bears a striking similarity to Cable, posted an image of himself flexing during a workout on his Twitter account.

He also uses a not-so-subtle Shakespeare quote to reference the time-traveling X-Man, and ends the post with the hashtag “#Deadpool”.

Shakespeare:"CABLEs of perdurable toughness". Slang: Just staying fit. Training another story. Let's go! #Deadpool pic.twitter.com/cCZ2WTzPi9

Continue reading…

Chicago-based band OK Go has released a fun and colorful music video shot entirely inside a parabolic plane. Since a parabolic flight goes up and down like a wave, it induces periods of microgravity and hypergravity (1.8 times the strength of gravity...

Silicon Valley is coming back in April, and in the meantime HBO has released a teaser of what's to come.

Continuing from the cliffhanger ending of season two, Richard (Thomas Middleditch) has been ousted from his own company. That sets up a season three that has him feverishly attempting to regain control, in his own hapless way.

Silicon Valley was renewed for a third season last year, the day after its season two debut. It also earned a Golden Globe nomination for the most recent season. IGN's review of season two called it a "fantastically funny season" despite a few underdeveloped plotlines and characters. Season three begins April 24.

Continue reading…

The Internet Archive has spent many years gathering and storing digital content from the past. It now hosts millions of web pages, texts, videos and audio snippets, but recently the site expanded its collection to include software, or more specifical...

What an insane ride to another universe that was, FLASH fans! So much happened in the short space of 43 minutes, making “Welcome to Earth-2″ one of the best episodes of the series to date. Dare I say it was even better than “Enter Zoom”? I actually believe it was, which was no small feat, […]

While there's been no official announcement either way regarding the Season 3 prospects for Marvel's Agent Carter, a new casting item has many fans wondering about the ultimate fate of the series.

Per THR, Carter star Hayley Atwell has joined a new ABC pilot called Conviction, in the lead role. Of course, this is just a pilot and the show is a long way off at this point from being considered for a series pickup, but the fact that Atwell is seeking out new TV roles places Agent Carter's future in doubt. As is was, ABC's choice to renew the show for a second season was a late-in-the-game decision.

Continue reading…

Deadpool writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick are preparing a script for Deadpool 2, which has reportedly already been greenlit, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Deadpool director Tim Miller is apparently not attached to the follow-up at this stage but The Hollywood Reporter claims Fox is determined to keep the creative team of Miller, Reese, and Wernick together.

Last week Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds confirmed to IGN that, while he never wants to play another comic book character again, he remains keen to play Deadpool for the rest of his life.

Continue reading…

Since 1988, Warner/Chappell has had an iron grip on the copyright for "Happy Birthday to You." Artists couldn't sing it on a recording without paying up, even though it's virtually ubiquitous in real life -- it's widely considered the most popular En...