StevenCarlson.org

Hungarian attendees seemed more pessimistic than I did about...

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:06:57 +0100

Hungarian attendees seemed more pessimistic than I did about what we saw this week at BarCamp Budapest, at least according to my random sample of conversation. I enjoyed thoroughly being one of the only foreigners at hand, along with TechCrunch Europe editor, Mike Butcher and a handful of presenters. The best English-language tweet of the day came from Julia Krysztofiak-Szopa (AdTaily). with all due respect for the #barcamp #budapest speakers – powerpoint presentation suicide & u don’t have to speak magyarul to notice it. (via What I learned by ignoring the presentations at BarCamp Budapest and talking to the audience | nowEurope

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“These funky chickens, oddities of nature that they are, will...

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:34:02 +0100

“These funky chickens, oddities of nature that they are, will provide new perspectives on questions of sexual identity long thought to have been resolved,” wrote Duke University cell biologists Lindsey Barske and Blanche Capel in a Nature commentary accompanying the findings. (via Half-Cocked? Hermaphrochickens Challenge Gender Determination | Wired Science | Wired.com

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At TED2009, Tim Berners-Lee called for “raw data...

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:43:21 +0100

At TED2009, Tim Berners-Lee called for “raw data now” — for governments, scientists and institutions to make their data openly available on the web. At TED University in 2010, he shows a few of the interesting results when the data gets linked up. (via Tim Berners-Lee: The year open data went worldwide | Video on TED.com

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“I looked over my husband’s shoulder and said...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:51:18 +0100

“I looked over my husband’s shoulder and said ‘Jesus Christ’,” Mrs Brooks told Australia’s ABC news. “My husband said ‘what is wrong now’, and I said ‘Jesus Christ’.” “It was a message of some sort but I’m just waiting to find out the answer,” she added. (via BBC News | ASIA-PACIFIC | Caravan park ‘Christ’ draws the faithful

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It may not be immediately obvious to everyone, but one family...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:49:09 +0100

It may not be immediately obvious to everyone, but one family are convinced they can see the face of Jesus on the lid of a jar of Marmite. (via BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | Family see Jesus image in Marmite

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A raid on suspected militants in the West Bank was cancelled...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:29:00 +0100

A raid on suspected militants in the West Bank was cancelled yesterday after an Israeli soldier updated his Facebook status to read “On Wednesday we clean up Qatanah, and on Thursday, god willing, we come home.” The solider has since, unsurprisingly, been relieved of combat duty for being a moron. He’ll also spend 10 days in prison for his update. (via Israeli Raid Cancelled After Very Stupid Facebook Post - Facebook - Gizmodo

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How Mark Zuckerberg Hacked The Harvard Crimson

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 19:01:51 +0100

How Mark Zuckerberg Hacked The Harvard Crimson

"A South Korean couple who were addicted to the internet let their three-month-old baby starve to..."

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 13:35:30 +0100

“A South Korean couple who were addicted to the internet let their three-month-old baby starve to death while raising a virtual daughter online, police said.”

- BBC News - S Korea child ‘starves as parents raise virtual baby’

The collision in early February of the 60-mile-long B-9B iceberg...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 11:39:57 +0100

The collision in early February of the 60-mile-long B-9B iceberg with the protruding tongue of the Mertz Glacier in East Antarctica is captured here in a series of satellite radar images. (via Animation of Giant Iceberg Collision as Seen From Space | Wired Science | Wired.com

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15 iPad mysteries remain

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:58:10 +0100

15 iPad mysteries remain

I want to have a solar powered suspension car! I want to drive...

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 14:05:37 +0100

I want to have a solar powered suspension car! I want to drive through a tubular highway! Magic Highway USA (HQ) (via GreeboWorshipper)

Google has said it wants to go carbon neutral. With the FERC...

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 13:48:18 +0100

Google has said it wants to go carbon neutral. With the FERC order, it can now effectively erect as many solar panels and install as many fuel cells as it likes without worrying about having purchased too much capacity; the company can now sell off the extra power it generates.

But more importantly, Google can now exploit its massive data centers to provide services for controlling power consumption in commercial buildings, industrial sites, and homes. It is largely a task that should be handed off to large computer rooms. (via It’s Official: Google Can Sell Power Like a Utility | Epicenter | Wired.com

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An anti-gay clergyman in Uganda has screened gay pornography in...

Thu, 18 Feb 2010 13:03:27 +0100

An anti-gay clergyman in Uganda has screened gay pornography in his church, in an attempt to gain support for proposed anti-homosexuality laws. “We are in the process of legislation and we have to educate ourselves about what homosexuals do,” Pastor Martin Ssempa told the BBC. Gay rights activists suggested the pastor “needed medical help”. (via BBC News - Uganda cleric shows gay porn film

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"Social networking has been a graveyard for the media industry, with users happy to leave behind..."

Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:59:20 +0100

“Social networking has been a graveyard for the media industry, with users happy to leave behind sites that fail to continue innovating, in favour of younger, faster rivals. Friends Reunited, bought by ITV in 2005 for £120m, was sold off last year for a mere £25m, while AOL is said to be looking to offload Bebo, which it bought for $850m in 2008.”

- Turmoil at MySpace blamed on News Corporation | Technology | The Guardian

It’s fun to speculate what you will get… | Engrish.com

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 16:26:26 +0100

It’s fun to speculate what you will get… | Engrish.com

"God bless those hard-working techies in Silicon Valley for inventing this constant stream of things..."

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:45:57 +0100

“God bless those hard-working techies in Silicon Valley for inventing this constant stream of things that serve mostly to make me feel guilty because I don’t want to use them even though everyone else says they’re the greatest thing ever.”

- Google Buzz? More Like Buzz Kill - Techtonic Shifts Blog - Newsweek.com

NASA officials announced today the successful launch of the new...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 20:49:57 +0100

NASA officials announced today the successful launch of the new shuttle Moonage Daydream, marking the beginning of a long-anticipated two-week conceptual mission inspired by British rock star David Bowie. (via NASA Launches David Bowie Concept Mission | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source

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The first crowd-designed car—the Rally Fighter—is already...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:59:10 +0100

The first crowd-designed car—the Rally Fighter—is already available, with production limited to 2,000 units (41 already sold). A price of around USD 50,000 adds to the exclusivity, but customers are not just buying a car: realising the high value today’s consumers place on unique experience and status stories, Local Motors invites every buyer to help build their own vehicle over two weekends. Owners can even host their own competition on the website for a custom “skin” design for their vehicle. (via Crowdsourced dream cars inspired by destinations - Springwise

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Researchers say the Sun is awakening after a period of low...

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 16:43:05 +0100

Researchers say the Sun is awakening after a period of low activity, which does not bode well for a world ever more dependent on satellite navigation. (via BBC News - Sat-nav devices face big errors as solar activity rises

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"[I]t turns out that readers have more exalted tastes, according to the Penn researchers, Jonah..."

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:20:18 +0100

“[I]t turns out that readers have more exalted tastes, according to the Penn researchers, Jonah Berger and Katherine A. Milkman. People preferred e-mailing articles with positive rather than negative themes, and they liked to send long articles on intellectually challenging topics.”

- Findings - People Share News Online That Inspires Awe, Researchers Find - NYTimes.com