Minutes before midnight, after a landslide House vote of 250-153, President Obama signed legislation backing a four-year extension on the controversial USA PATRIOT Act. (Did you know that's an acronym for Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism? Now you do.) Yay, habeas corpus denials, warrantless searches and carte blanche wiretapping! Four more years! Four more years! More »
It's only natural that a criminal who's banned from using the Internet is going to log on the first chance they get. But if you're going to violate probation, you probably shouldn't do so in public. Next to a sheriff. More »
In case LEGOs aren't cool enough for you on their own, how about if we throw a gold-visor space helmet, USB drive, and some comic books into the mix? That's the ingenious thinking behind Jonathan Robson's concept design for the LEGO Audio Comic.
Don't worry if your battery dies at a concert this summer. Just find Vodafone's VIP recharging truck. It can charge 2,000 Vodafone handsets at the same time. More »
If you've already filled up your tank ahead of this holiday weekend, you know the price of gas is up over a buck since this time last year. Don't panic! Just use our comprehensive guide to help you cut the cash you're sending to big oil in no time. More »
The mechanical love-child of an industrial assembler and articulated centrifuge, a Robocoaster can flick, flip, and spin riders better than any traditional coaster could. Our friends at Oobject.com have eight great examples of them in action. More »
Cornell is the place to go if you like looking at small things with expensive machinery. The University recently made its $500,000 micro-CT scanner available for public as well as academic usage. More »
If Google has its way with Google Wallet, your bank and credit cards will be obsolete. The only things you'll need a wallet for are IDs and cash. But is Google's vision really the future of money, here today? More »
Texas lawmakers are standing up to the TSA, saying that invasive patdowns amount to sexual harassment. In response, the federal government has threatened to "cancel any flight or series of flights for which it could not ensure the safety of passengers and crew." More »
Google has added flight schedule and airport destinations to its search results, with an emphasis on non-stop routes. More »
The image above is the most complete map of our local universe to date. It took more that ten years to create, has 43,000 galaxies and extends out 380 million light years from the earth. The 3D coordinates of each galaxy was recorded so the raw data could potentially be used to build a realistic 3D model of the universe. Throw in some holographic technology and you have something straight from Star Trek. More »
According to TechCrunch sources, the iOS 5 update will come complete with a revamped notifications system and widgets of some form. I would normally explain more here, but that's all they said. [TechCrunch] More »
The world was denied a breakthrough in food-in-a-can technology and deliciousness when a petty thing like money kept Candwich, the sandwich in a can, off of store shelves. But now it's here. More »
Selling plastic bags on the internet just might earn you a visit from the FBI. That's what happened on Wednesday to 91-year-old Sharlotte Hydorn from California, who sells "suicide kits" through the mail for $60. From The San Diego Union-Tribune: More »
Despite there being no original parts left of the Tunny machine post-WWII, a crack-team of British computer boffins were able to rebuild the code-cracking machine, which played a huge part in intercepting Hitler's commands. More »
