A study by researchers at Harvard University offers an intriguing look behind the veil of China’s extensive Internet censorship effort, and suggests that censorship behavior around specific topics could serve as a predictor of government action. The group found, for example, that censors began removing a higher-than-normal percentage of comments referring to outspoken artist and political activist Ai Weiwei several days before his surprise arrest in 2011.

The research, which the authors call “the first large-scale, multiple-source analysis” of social media censorship in China, is certainly comprehensive. And its publication comes … Read More → "A peek behind China’s ‘Great Firewall’"

Facebook recently bought Instagram for $1 billion. That’s quite a lot of money for a photo-sharing app that lacks a revenue stream. But if the Instagram purchase wasn’t enough to provoke concerns about a modern dot-com bubble, Facebook’s ensuing public stock offering — an IPO “dud,” by at least one estimation — only reminds us of the unchecked investment lunacy that occurred some 15 years ago.

Between 1995 and 2000, a slew of companies were either acquired or secured investment without turning a profit. That led to the big dot-com bust of 2001, … Read More → "9 chilling TV ads from the first dot-com bubble"

In 1996, the mathematical logician George Boolos published a paper describing “the hardest logic puzzle ever” which he attributed to the logician Raymond Smullyan.

The puzzle has gained much attention.Here it is in all its glory:

“Three gods A, B, and C are called, in some order, True, False, and Random. True always speaks truly, False always speaks falsely, but whether Random speaks truly or falsely is a completely random matter. Your task is to … Read More → "‘The hardest logic puzzle ever’ made even harder"

Some of the most exciting developments in technology are coming from innovations in interface design and control mechanisms. Now a new system uses a bit of augmented reality inspiration to offer a new way of manipulating 3D projects.

The T(ether) system was created by MIT students David Lakatos and Matthew Blackshaw as way to collaboratively edit 3D virtual objects in mid-air, in real-time using an iPad  … Read More → "Augmented Reality glove lets you edit virtual objects in mid-air"

Remember all that handwringing that went on around the time as CERN prepared to fire up the Large Hadron Collider? Some people were concerned that the enormous particle accelerator would destroy all life as we know it. Thankfully that turned out to not be the case, but it looks like someone thought it sounded like a dandy sci-fi flick.

According to the Vulture, the forthcoming film will be called The God Particle — a name often given to the Higgs boson, a theoretical particle. Though little is known about the movie, which … Read More → "J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot to produce sci-fi film about the Higgs Boson"

If you’re struggling for cash, maybe the idea of robbing a bank has idly entered your mind. Don’t do it! Because a new study by a team of economists shows that it doesn’t make any financial sense whatsoever.

The research, published in the journal Significance, studied bank raids from across the UK and the US in order to work out what makes for successful robberies, and whether it’s a sensible earning strategy in the long-term.
via Gizmodo</ … Read More → "Mathematical proof that crime doesn’t pay"

If you take your drinking water seriously, you probably have a filter system hooked up to your faucet. That’s cool if you want to remove gross impurities, but what if you want real control of your H2O? That’s where the Tyent Extreme 9000T water ionizer comes in.

Like any water filter the Tyent will clean the water using both ionic and carbon filters, but it also allows you to control … Read More → "High-tech purifier puts you in command of your tap water"

Solar attracted nearly twice as much investment as wind, according to new reports issued by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21).
via the engineer

Read More → "Solar investment more popular than wind in 2011, reports say"

Rayguns & Robots! is a group tribute art show to classic science fiction, guest curated by Chris Jackson, at Ltd. Art Gallery in Seattle, Washington. The opening reception is Saturday June 16, 2012 at 7 PM and the show runs through July 22, 2012.
via Laughing Squid

More info … Read More → "Rayguns & Robots!, a group tribute art show to classic science fction"

Navy personnel in Southwest Asia tend to a Global Hawk drone, 2009. Photo: U.S. Air Force

The Navy was all set to roll out its upgraded spy drone, a 44-foot behemoth. Then one of its Global Hawks crashed into an eastern Maryland marsh on Monday. It’s the latest setback for the Navy’s robotic aircraft.

An unarmed RQ-4A Global Hawk went down … Read More → "Navy loses giant drone in Maryland crash"