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Future Soldiers Could Go to War Wearing Fish-Scale Armor [War]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Piranha have a well-earned reputation for being able and willing to eat just about anything in their path. One of the few exceptions is the Arapaima, a six-foot long, 300-pound Amazonian predator with bony scales capable of withstanding the toothy onslaught. Researchers are now working to adapt the Arapaima's defenses to protect our own squishy bits. More »

Super Mario Bros. Theme on NYC Subway

2012-02-11T07:26:10Z

Best subway performance ever! If you ride the subway in New York City enough you’re bound to hear musicians of all skill levels busking on both the trains and the platforms. Sometimes you get an annoying off-key mariachi band and sometimes you get Gypsy Joe Trane jamming out the Super Mario Bros. Theme Song on guitar on the uptown R train in Manhattan. Check out the video:

Since nobody on the train seems to give him applause, consider this your Internet applause Gypsy Joe. Bravo. Well played, but the real money on the subway is selling M&M’s, not for no basketball team but to raise money and stay off the streets- oh and only having peanut M&M’s right now.

Super Mario Bros. Theme on NYC Subway

Instagram Now Automatically Beautifies Your Snapshots [Apps]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Rejoice iPhone photogs, the newest version of Instagram is now available! The immensely popular app has just updated to version 2.1 and boasts some impressive new features. More »

Facebook Already Knows What You'll Be Listening to the Next Time You Get Dumped [Facebook]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Facebook knows when you've met someone and it knows when you break up. We tell Facebook these things. For some, a relationship doesn't officially start until it's reflected in the Relationship field on Facebook, and it's not really over until Facebook says it is. More »

Foursquare adds NFC support for Android 4.0, wants to touch base

2012-02-11T06:47:52Z

We knew the folk at Foursquare had been trying NFC out for a while, and Symbian's had it since November, but now tap check-ins are available for Android 4.0. Okay, so that means it's pretty much limited to Galaxy Nexus owners at the minute, but the chosen few can now share their Venue, Lists, Me pages, initiate friend requests and, of course, check-in at the touch of a phone. Foursquare claims it'll save vital seconds when checking in, but we're just glad there's another way to use Andoid Beam.The update's available now, so if you're snacking on an Ice Cream Sandwich, head on down to the source link and get your download on.

Foursquare adds NFC support for Android 4.0, wants to touch base originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Delta Spirit: California [Video]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

I am from California. Now I live in New York. It's great, but I still miss California. A lot. As such, songs like Delta Spirit's latest single make me a little homesick. More »

This Week's Top Web Comedy Video [Video]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

You know how it is: you walk into the bar with all of your bros, and all of a sudden girls are buying you shots, touching you in appropriately, and flirting to the point of suffocation. Oh, wait, right; it's usually the other way around. More »

HTC Endeavour to be shown off at MWC 2012?

2012-02-11T07:26:34Z

HTC has been taking the first part of its slogan pretty seriously of late – by being quiet more than brilliant, but we’re pretty sure it will have something to amaze us in a few weeks time at MWC 2012. The Taiwanese company is rumored to have the device that might just steal the show. Called the HTC Endeavour, it is supposed to feature a 4.7″ display with 720p HD resolution, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, an 8-megapixel camera, and of course – a quad-core Tegra 3 processor from NVIDIA.

Sounds like a nice large phone that Android users might be looking for – especially if they liked the HTC TITAN, but wished that it had better specs and ran on Android instead of Windows Phone. Definitely something to look forward to in the coming weeks, stay tuned.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: HTC to unveil 3 quad-core devices at MWC 2012?, HTC Primo specs rumored (updated),

Motorola Droid 4 advertises 16GB internal storage, only reports 8GB -- here's why

2012-02-11T06:47:52Z

After the numerous leaks that preceded the Droid 4's launch, you'd think we'd have a handle on every detail (read the review here) but some day one buyers have one more question. While the spec sheets indicate 16GB of internal storage, a few readers noticed their units only report 8GB. So why the variance in what's being reported and what the phones actually show? While Android vets may be used to this, not all are aware of how some phones are partitioned, and Motorola has opted to go with an 8GB for the user / 3GB for apps / 5GB for OS and updates split (just like the Razr). So the phones do have the 16GB you were promised, it's just how it's being used that may not be immediately evident -- and now you know.

[Thanks, Chaz]

Motorola Droid 4 advertises 16GB internal storage, only reports 8GB -- here's why originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A Chipotle Burrito Is Not an iPhone [Food]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Disgusting food advocate Matthew Yglesias has a story in Slate that makes the case that "in many ways, the Chipotle burrito is very similar to the iPhone." Which would be true, if iPhones were completely disgusting. More »

12 Wind-Slipping Designs from the Father of Streamlining [Design]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Boat-planes, trains, flying cars, or school desks—you name it and Norman Bel Geddes could make it sleeker. He helped bring the Streamline style—one that balances aesthetics with aerodynamics—to the mainstream. Were Steve Jobs alive in the 1930's, he would have been all over this. Our friends at Oobject have 12 of his finest works. More »

World of Warcraft recreated in Minecraft

2012-02-11T07:26:34Z

If you’ve always wondered what World of Warcraft would look like if it was an 8-bit game, you don’t have to wonder anymore. A Minecraft player who goes by the name of “Rumsey” is attempting to create a replica of Azeroth (the World of Warcraft) in the correct scale in Minecraft. So far he’s managed to successfully recreate Kalimdor, one of the continents in the game. While it wasn’t done manually (he developed a program to help him do the job automatically) it isn’t any less impressive.

This is only the beginning as Rumsey plans to recreate everything in Minecraft, including all the continents and dungeons found in World of Warcraft. Talk about ambitious! When the world is completed, he plans to put it online so other people can come in the world and have fun as well. Let’s hope Blizzard won’t give him any trouble for doing so. Imagine if people quit World of Warcraft to immerse themselves in Minecraft World of Warcraft instead?

Head here for more images and to keep up with the project.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: World of Warcraft loses another 100,000 players, Lego and Minecraft team up?,

Blow the Scent of Failure From Your Life With a Big Wooden Fan [Desired]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Just as the spice must flow, the air must circulate. If the air doesn't move in your apartment, you'll always be steeping in the malodorous scent of your constant debauchery and the SHAME of your errors. That's why the BIG FAN exists. More »

HP Veer 4G, Pre 3 and TouchPad celebrate a melancholy birthday

2012-02-11T06:47:52Z

Just one year ago, HP officially introduced the TouchPad, Pre 3 and Veer to its lineup. Much has happened in the 365 days since that time, which marked the end of the Palm brand, the discontinuation of the company's webOS hardware development and the decision to open source the crown jewel, webOS. Today, we hope you'll join us after the break as we bow our heads, sing some praises and remember the final three members -- for now, anyway -- of HP's webOS lineup. We'll have fireworks at the end.

Continue reading HP Veer 4G, Pre 3 and TouchPad celebrate a melancholy birthday

HP Veer 4G, Pre 3 and TouchPad celebrate a melancholy birthday originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ocean's 11 Just Happened in Real Life [WTFriday]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

$500,000 of jewelry is missing from a Chicago store after thieves drilled their way from a sushi restaurant into a jewelry store next door, evaded a state-of-the-art security system, and cracked a supposedly theft-proof safe. More »

A Dollar For Your Thoughts: Silicon Valley's Famed Single-Digit Salaries

2012-02-11T07:25:58Z

CIA website hacked by Anonymous

2012-02-11T07:26:34Z

Another week, another site take down by Anonymous; and today, the group decided to pull off another huge hit. According to an announcement posted by the hacktivist group on Twitter it claims responsibility for hacking the website of the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. Sure enough, at this time of writing the website for the CIA (cia.gov) isn’t responding – hours after the attacks were reported.

The taking down of the CIA website is part of its ongoing F***FBIFriday campaign: a series of attacks by Anonymous against US law enforcement agencies and copyright holders, in retaliation for a raid on Megaupload. Previous targets have included the US Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. This latest attack goes to show that not even the websites of such agencies are safe from hackers who “do it for the lulz”. I wonder who’s next on their hit list?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Anonymous: September 24 is day of vengeance in US, #Antisec hackers release 10GB of law enforcement data,

Steam transaction backup file possibly stolen

2012-02-11T07:26:34Z

Last year in November, it was reported that Steam’s forums were hacked and a database of encrypted information might have been compromised. That was then, and earlier today, Steam’s Gabe Newell gave another announcement about the situation. Apparently the data that was possibly compromised is a backup of transactions that happened between 2004 and 2008. So for those of you who didn’t use Steam back then, you should be safe.

Regardless of whether you used Steam back then or not, it’s a good idea for all Steam users to just keep an eye out on their credit card activity and statements – since Steam can’t confirm if anything was stolen, who knows what the hackers could have taken? Using Steam Guard wouldn’t be a bad idea either; keep your eyes peeled.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Steam hacked: credit card and personal information compromised, Valve's Steam service goes official on iOS and Android platforms,

La Jetée: The Inspiraton for 12 Monkeys (and Probably The Terminator) [Movie Night]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Who would ever figure that a 28 minute film, comprised entirely of black and white still shots and voiceover narration, would go on to serve as the foundation for a major hollywood production? In the case of Chris Marker's 1962 work La Jetée, it most likely inspired two. More »

Hack Your Gadgets and Void Your Warranties This Weekend

2012-02-11T07:26:04Z

There's nothing inherently wrong with a product you buy off the shelf, but there's definitely something awesome about hacking it to make it better. This weekend, throw your warranties aside and bring something new to the things you already own. More »

Upgrading Your AT&T Phone Is About Cost You Twice as Much [At&t]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Not content with increasing the price of its data plans, AT&T apparently is planning to double the cost of upgrading your phone to $36 come this Sunday. More »

Motorola Droid 4 review

2012-02-11T06:47:52Z

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. For a phone that single-handedly resuscitated the business prospects of its parent company, gave a much-needed boost to Google's fledgling Android and finally added a compelling product to Verizon's lineup, the Droid can't get no respect. Initially billed as the anti-iPhone, the OG flagship embodied an aggressively tech for tech's sake design ethos, with its masculine, hard-edged build, geeky OS and Lucasfilm licensed moniker.

That was all once upon a time. Now, two years later and sucked of its disruptive significance, the only legacy remaining for the red-eyed Droid franchise is its brand equity and QWERTY slider appeal. Aside from BlackBerry addicts, most consumers appear none too chuffed to see those slide-out keypads become the stuff of mobile lore, and instead prefer those increasingly ubiquitous slabs (namely, of the 4.3-inch-and-up persuasion). So, where did it all go wrong? Why is the Droid 4, now imbued with LTE, getting the B-list treatment? Does a $200 price tag and a host of minor spec bumps (a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1.3 megapixel front-facer and beefier 1,785mAh battery) merit another spin around the two-year contract pole? Head on past the break to see whether this former trailblazer can still do what it's namesake robot supposedly does.

Gallery: Motorola Droid 4 review

Continue reading Motorola Droid 4 review

Motorola Droid 4 review originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Touchscreen Van Gogh's Starry Night Is So Stunningly Beautiful It Should Be Made Into an App [Video]

2012-02-11T06:47:57Z

Petros Vrellis has turned Vincent Van Gogh's The Starry Night into an animation that changes when the user touches it. The effect is so beautiful and mesmerizing that I'm now craving an app that would let me do the same. More »

Amazon prepares Kindle Touch for April launch in Japan?

2012-02-11T06:47:52Z

According to one of Japan's big dailies, The Nikkei, Amazon will attempt to brave the tricky e-reader waters of Japan, aiming to launch its Kindle Touch as the flagship device in April. The newspaper reports that the device will land for less than 20,000 yen ($260), teaming up with Japanese mobile carrier NTT DoCoMo for 3G access to the Kindle's online store, gratis. Amazon hopes that the device's very competitive pricing, at least in comparison to existing 3G-friendly e-readers, will make in-roads to the notoriously frosty Japanese e-reader market. It will also bring Amazon's e-readers to the home turf of one of its biggest rivals; Rakuten.

Amazon prepares Kindle Touch for April launch in Japan? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Everything You Need to Survive Losing Your Laptop [Video]

2012-02-11T06:47:58Z

So I lost some laptops. Three. Three laptops. I got the last one back, but even if I hadn't, I've learned enough about the hell that that puts you through to have some advice if you end up unexpectedly computerless. More »