When it comes to thieves and technology, the latter usually proves to be their biggest nemesis. Earlier this summer, for example, one thief was caught after logging into his Facebook account at the victim’s home, then forgetting to log back out. The newest dumb criminal? A man who stole a pair of Google Glass and unknowingly broadcasted his day. 

The story goes, a Google Glass Explorer was hanging out at … Read More → "Google Glass thief unknowingly live streams his day"

The UK government has announced that driverless cars will be allowed on public roads from January next year.

It also invited cities to compete to host one of three trials of the tech, which would start at the same time.

In addition, ministers ordered a review of the UK’s road regulations to provide appropriate guidelines.

The Department for Transport had originally pledged to let self-driving cars be trialled on public roads by the end of 2013.
via Read More → "UK to allow driverless cars on public roads in January"

We’ve seen a number of glasses-free 3D technologies in recent years, most famously in Nintendo’s 3DS, but now researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and MIT have created a prototype device that allows those with vision problems to ditch their eyeglasses and contact lenses when viewing regular 2D computer displays by compensating for the viewer’s visual impairment.
via … Read More → "Vision-correcting display lets users ditch their reading glasses"

A legal scholar says he and colleagues have developed an algorithm that can predict, with 70 percent accuracy, whether the US Supreme Court will uphold or reverse the lower-court decision before it.

“Using only data available prior to the date of decision, our model correctly identifies 69.7 percent of the Court’s overall affirm and reverse decisions and correctly forecasts 70.9% of the … Read More → "Algorithm predicts US Supreme Court decisions 70% of time"

In recent work, “we found evidence that data on Google searches for financially related words and views of financially related pages on Wikipedia could have provided early warning signs of stock market moves,” says Suzy Moat, a data scientist at the University of Warwick. “However, the financial markets constitute a large, complex system, which influences and is influenced … Read More → "Google searches about politics predict the stock market"

Large-scale artworks are certainly in vogue at the moment. Recently we’ve seen giant puppets walking the streets of Liverpool and a giant solar-harvesting duck in Copenhagen. For his part, designer Rob Ley has created a huge car-park façade that changes color as the viewer moves around it…

Urbana was commissioned to design and implement the installation in August 2012 and … Read More → "Morphing building facade changes color as you move around"

Not to be outdone by eBay, Amazon today opens the doors to a new 3D Printing Store that allows the customization of “more than 200 unique print on-demand products.” Personalized dog tags, credit card holders, iPhone cases, and even custom bobbleheads are among the first selection of items that Amazon has on offer. The massive online retailer won’t be involved in the … Read More → "Amazon opens a ‘Create Your Own’ 3D-printing store"

Because it’s a useful tool. And imagine what Louis XIV could have accomplished at Versailles if he’d had one.

There’s been a lot of discussion and a tremendous amount of speculation lately about the nature of drones and their role in our society as useful tools and hobbyist toys.

Last year, while celebrating my birthday in Maine, I was given a drone fitted with a high-definition camera. After a quick introduction to the mechanics of operating the contraption and a few words about its idiosyncrasies, I … Read More → "Why Martha Stewart loves her drone"

What happens when a physicist decides to become a chef? If they’re anything like Manuel Linares, then you can expect a fusion of food and science to come out of their kitchen. For instance, one of the Spaniard’s masterpieces is an ice cream that changes colors when you lick it. He calls it the Xamaleón, a play on the Spanish word for chameleon, and it originally starts as a … Read More → "Physicist concocts ice cream that changes color when you lick it"

If humanity hopes to realize its dreams of exploring the stars, we’re going to need to find ways to recreate life on Earth aboard a spaceship. Simply stockpiling enough vital supplies isn’t going to cut it, which is what led Julian Melchiorri, a student at the Royal College of Art, to create an artificial biological leaf that produces oxygen just … Read More → "The first man-made biological leaf turns light and water into oxygen"