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Universe expansion: dark matter’s out, anti-gravity’s in, matter and antimatter still can’t get along

Dark matter, we barely knew you, but before we ever found out if you were, in fact, the invisible hand pushing the cosmos apart, an Italian scientist ginned up a new theory that has anti-gravity doing the Yoko Ono to the universe’s merry band of galaxies. Massimo Villata’s theory assumes that both matter and antimatter have positive mass and energy density, which gets particles attracting particles and antiparticles attracting antiparticles through the force of gravity. To give dark matter the heave-ho from the galactic expansion equation, Villata supposes that the theory of general relativity applies in reverse to antimatter particles to create anti-gravity. And just as gravity pulls particles together, anti-gravity shoves them apart — giving the universe its burgeoning waistline, no clown, king, or colonel required.

Universe expansion: dark matter’s out, anti-gravity’s in, matter and antimatter still can’t get along originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Universe Today  |  sourceEPL  | Email this | Comments

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ASUS Eee Pad Transformer hits US on April 26th for $399

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer

We recently deemed the ASUS Eee Pad Transformer the “best Honeycomb tablet yet.” Admittedly that was before we got our hands on the T-Mobile G-Slate, but it’s still an awfully nice hunk of glass, and now we know just how much you’re going to have to pay to get one — and exactly when you can plunk down that credit card. The 10.1-inch Transformer with its 1280 x 800 IPS panel and 16GB of storage will cost you $399, while the 32GB version will set you back $499. That docking station, which kinda sorta turns it into a laptop? That costs $150. Units are expected to hit retail on Tuesday, April 26th, meaning you have just five days to scrounge together four or five Benjamins — plus tax, of course.

ASUS Eee Pad Transformer hits US on April 26th for $399 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 21 Apr 2011 04:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fascinating Facts About Internet Sex [Porn]

You already know that everything under the sun is available as Internet porn. But in a new book, two scientists investigate what our online porn searches say about human sexuality. Their work isn't without its problems, but they turn up some pretty interesting data on age, body size — and dicks. More »







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Apple and Samsung Are Still BFF Despite Suing Each Other Into Oblivion [Fights]

Apple’s suing Samsung! Samsung’s wants to sue Apple! But Samsung sells Apple lots and lots and lots of components every year! So how are the legal squabbles affecting their relationship? According to Apple COO Tim Cook on Apple’s earnings call today, Samsung remains a “very valued” partner, no matter what the lawyers say, despite having “crossed the line in mobile.” I’ve seen this episode of Divorce Court. I just want to know who gets to keep the dog. More »







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Reflecting the ever-changing world around us

Yesterday we opened the map of the United States in Google Map Maker, enabling you to add your local knowledge of the U.S. to Google Maps. With this addition, the maps of 187 countries and regions—including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands—are now available for editing by users to improve freshness and detail.

These edits are often visible immediately on Map Maker, but aren’t seen by most users until they’re published on Google Maps. In the past we would process edits in large groups, which meant it could take weeks before approved edits appeared on Google Maps. In preparation for yesterday’s launch, we recently added a new publishing system to reflect Map Maker user contributions on Google Maps more quickly. Once a Map Maker edit has been approved, it will now appear on Google Maps within minutes.

You often have the latest information about changes that occur in the places where you live and work. If a new coffee shop opens along your way to work, or you discover a tennis court nearby, you can add to or update the map and help other users find those spots just minutes after your edit is approved.

Map before user contributions

Map after user contributions, showing tennis courts in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

With our new publishing system and the efforts of the Map Maker community, we’re working together to make Google Maps a more detailed, up-to-date reflection of the world around us. You can see the results of these efforts through real-time edits by users around the world at mapmaker.google.com/pulse. To add your local knowledge, learn more or get started mapping at mapmaker.google.com.

Posted by Jamie Zyskowski, Software Engineer, Google Maps and Chandan Shanbhag, Software Engineer, Google Map Maker

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Did Apple Really “Steal” Their iPhone Design From Samsung? [Pot, Meet Kettle]

This image has no alt text

Take a look at this picture. Take a good look at it. On the right? an iPhone. (I’m not sure which revision, really.They all look the same to me.) On the left? Well that’s a little fellow from Samsung known as the Samsung F700. The image alleges that the phone was announced in 2006 and released in February 2007, but only the latter is fact. The iPhone was announced and released in 2007.

So that begs the question: who’s really stealing from who? (If you didn’t know, Samsung is being sued by Apple for the Galaxy S’ resemblance to the iPhone.) Samsung clearly had something going with this design way before they thought up the Samsung Galaxy S and before we even knew of the iPhone’s existence. And the user interface isn’t looking too much different form iOS, either. (If we’re just talking about grid-based layouts.)

The answer: no one is stealing from anyone. Apple didn’t invent icons, nor did they invent the grid in which they sit. They didn’t invent the rectangle. They didn’t invent the touchscreen. They surely didn’t invent the nice looking button sitting at the bottom. And last, but not least, they didn’t invent phones.

And all of the same applies to Samsung and any other OEM. This image should serve as a good reminder that with innovation comes imitation. A standard is always set and manufacturers will always look to meet or surpass that standard. Apple can’t go around suing everybody because their phone was the first one that looks like it to be successful. Fall back, Apple – you really have no case here. [Thanks, Suriv!]

PS: Feel free to use this as ammunition in your court battles, Samsung – we’re on your side.

[Note]: Yes, we’ve seen the debunk article at Apple Insider. Even if Samsung did release the F700 a month after Apple showed the iPhone, it takes months for a design of any product to be finalized. Unless Samsung had some insiders at Apple leaking design information and documents, then it’s not right to say that the F700 copied the iPhone.

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First day BlackBerry PlayBook sales estimated to be 50,000

Waterloo-based Research In Motion launched the BlackBerry PlayBook yesterday in Canada and the United States. This tablet was practically available in every retailer possibly plus also available for the past couple weeks on pre-order. So how did first day sales go? RIM hasn’t announced official results but RBC Capital Markets analyst Mike Abramsky says “the […]

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Researchers display evidence that iOS 4 records all your travels, again (updated)

If you didn’t already think your smartphone knows too much about you, here’s a handy reminder. A duo of UK researchers have uncovered a potentially worrying (and oddly enough, undocumented) feature in iOS 4: it asks your iPhone to record your location constantly, then timestamps that data and records it for posterity. The trouble with this unsolicited location tracking is that the hidden file that holds the data — consolidated.db — is relatively easy to uncover and read, making any desktops you’ve backed your phone up to and the phone itself even bigger privacy dangers than they would usually be. Some extra digging revealed this behavior has been known about for a good while (see Courbis and Alex Levinson links below), though mostly by people involved in computer forensics. Additionally, restoring a backup or migrating to a new device keeps the data logging going, which the researchers point to as evidence that what’s happening isn’t accidental. See a couple of visualizations of the extracted results on video after the break.

[Thanks, Tom]

Update: The original text of this article was updated to reflect that this was already a known issue, albeit in limited circles. The ability to easily visualize the data is new.

Continue reading Researchers display evidence that iOS 4 records all your travels, again (updated)

Researchers display evidence that iOS 4 records all your travels, again (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink The Guardian  |  sourceiPhone Tracker, O’Reilly Radar  | Email this | Comments

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Exclusive: Chrome notebooks confirmed to be released June/July

To be sold as a subscription.

You may or may not have seen the news about the Google Chrome production notebooks floating around the web today. Ariotech reports that “Google product manager Sundar Pichai said, Google were still fixing some bugs and improving compatibility with devices such as digital cameras…

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YouTube starts transcoding all new uploads to WebM, already has a third of its library ready

Google’s resolve to bring WebM video streaming to the masses doesn’t seem to have been weakened by a general lack of interest from the rest of the tech world, and the company’s announced that each and every new YouTube upload will now be automatically transcoded into a WebM version. Nearly a third of YouTube’s archives have already made the transition to the open source format, though if you think that’s a small proportion, you should probably know that those 30 percent account for 99 percent of all views on the site. Apparently, we all have a narrower set of interests than we like to believe. So, with all popular vids encoded and every incoming one getting the transcoding treatment, all you really need now is a compatible browser — Chrome (naturally), Firefox 4, Opera, or IE9 with a plug-in — and to enroll in YouTube's HTML5 trial linked below to get rolling with WebM playback. Appending "&webm=1" to a search string or a video's URL will also help you ensure you're getting the good stuff.

YouTube starts transcoding all new uploads to WebM, already has a third of its library ready originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 04:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceYouTube Blog, YouTube.com/HTML5  | Email this | Comments

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Toshiba’s 10.1-inch Regza AT300 Honeycomb tablet hits Japan in June

Toshiba’s first Honeycomb tablet, which we first laid hands upon back in January, has finally been priced with an honest to goodness ship date. Unfortunately, this 10.1-incher with 1,280 x 800 pixel display, USB, HDMI, and 5 megapixel rear-facing cam is Japan-only for now, where the Tegra-2 powered Android 3.0 tablet has just made its official debut as the Regza AT300 with a ¥60,000 price (about $723). Look for it to hit the hard streets of Nippon in late June. Now if we could just get a name, date, and price for locations a bit closer to home we’d be all set.

Toshiba’s 10.1-inch Regza AT300 Honeycomb tablet hits Japan in June originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 20 Apr 2011 01:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Engadget Japanese  |  sourceDynabook  | Email this | Comments

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Vince Vaughn sums up Roberto Luongo’s Game 4 effort

(As heard through the glass as Roberto Luongo skated to the bench, having given up six goals on 28 shots in the Vancouver Canucks‘ 7-2 Game 4 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.)

"I'm gonna ask you a simple question and I want you to listen to me: Who's the big loser here tonight at the casino? Huh? Roberto, that's who. Roberto's the big loser. Roberto loses! Make me a bicycle, clown! Dorothy Mantooth was a saint!

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna make Gretzky's head bleed for super fan 99 over here. …"

Thanks, Vince. For the record: Fantastic, prideful win for the Blackhawks in Game 4. But we doubt any of the Chicago dailies will publish an accurate headline about it, which would be "Delaying The Inevitable." This is still Vancouver's series, no matter how putrid the effort was Tuesday night.

Photo by Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune. Stick-tap to Frankie Monahan for the image.

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The official map of an NHL rink

NHL fans learned something new this week when Colin Campbell revealed the existence of a “hitting zone” behind the net where, apparently, headshots are legal.

This got me to wondering: what else don’t we know about the NHL rink? So I dug into my old cartography library, and came up with this original map that lays it all out:

It all makes sense now…

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NHL signs $2 billion-deal to stay with NBC, Versus

The NHL is staying on NBC and Versus for the next 10 years with a deal Commissioner Gary Bettman calls the most significant in league history. In a joint announcement Tuesday, the NHL and the NBC Sports Group said the new deal will run through the 2020-21 season.