70 diggs We've tracked down the inside scoop on six of tech's most unforgettable names. Some of them have pretty surprising backstories -- like a well-known Web giant that was almost called "BackRub" -- while others, like our first entry, have almost no story at all.

79 diggs Democrats are panicking, Republicans aren't much better, and Obama is turning into Carter before our eyes

70 diggs Artist Ivan Lovatt makes remarkably lifelike sculptures of famous folks, icons and wildlife out of material so paltry it’s usually reserved for poultry – chicken wire.

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66 diggs Sony's typically the equal-opportunity offender, poking fun at everything from Wii to iPhone, but the company's latest marketing campaign is unmistakably aimed at Microsoft's motion-sensing peripheral. Head on over to www.yaybuttons.com to interact with a two-dimensional PlayStation Move, which will pop out a series of quotes from Kevin Butler -- Sony's fictional VP of Realistic Movements -- explaining Sony's tactile advantages over Microsoft's Kinect. While members of the Sony Defense Force will surely eat this up in spades, the rest of us will simply enjoy this latest tussle, and go back to waiting for both companies to put their money by their oral socket and make more games worth playing.Sony launches anti-Kinect attack website, yaybuttons.com originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 04:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.PermalinkJoystiq | yaybuttons.com |Email this|Comments

102 diggs A look into the science behind the thin, fatty, sodium propanoate-filled patties that went mold-free for 143 days.

96 diggs You get all-terrain vehicle babies, is what. Ben Gulak, the youngster that brought us the Uno electric unicycle, is back with a new transportation device, this time aiming to woo military procurement types with a rugged and extremely versatile one-man transporter. The DTV (Dual Tracked Vehicle) Shredder has enough torque to tow an SUV, but is also flexible enough to turn within a circle of four feet and scale slopes as steep as 40 degrees. To be honest, though, nothing we say can do justice to just how badass this thing really is, you'll want to see the videos after the break for that. Our favorite part? The Shredder can be remotely operated and its makers even advertise its ability to carry offensive weaponry and serve as a "robot attack platform." What self-respecting supervillain wouldn't want an army of those?Continue reading What happens when you leave a skateboard and a tank alone in a dimly lit room? (video)What happens when you leave a skateboard and a tank alone in a dimly lit room? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 05:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.PermalinkGizmodo | BPG Werks |Email this|Comments

61 diggs Beauty is in the eye of the retweeter. They are funny because they are true: meet some of the most clever, funniest tweets we've ever seen.

78 diggs The passing of 65 years has failed to dim Phil Mongillo's memory of the 36 harrowing days he spent on that awful island in the Pacific. And there is no more iconic image of American valor than the famous flag-raising on Feb. 23, 1945 which remains indelible to survivors like Mongillo who witnessed the real thing.

92 diggs Time to get down and boogie if you think the Android fragmentation issue is overblown. Google has dropped its latest platform version stats and Android 2.2, aka Froyo, has managed to corner a healthy 28.7 percent of all active Googlephones (those that accessed the Market within the two weeks leading up to September 1), rapidly closing the gap on version 2.1 and nearly matching in number the handsets still stuck on the Cupcake or Donut diet. When you consider that back in May those pesky 1.5 and 1.6 versions were on a whopping 62 percent of Android mobiles, you'll probably agree that phone makers seem to be getting their act together in terms of delivering Google's latest wares in a timely fashion. Who'd have thought it, the more practice they have, the better they're getting at their jobs!Continue reading Android 2.x now on 70 percent of all active AndroidsAndroid 2.x now on 70 percent of all active Androids originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 12 Sep 2010 07:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.PermalinkPhone Arena | Android Developers |Email this|Comments

81 diggs Don't tell Samsung and all the other companies who have Android-based tablets on the docket, but Google isn't exactly sure that Android is designed for use on tablet PCs. In fact, they're certain it's a mismatch. Hugo Barra, Director of Products for Mobile at Google, recently spoke on the issue of seeing Android pop up on so...

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62 diggs Looks like the Arrested Development movie is fast on its way of becoming a reality. What better way to celebrate than to remake the characters in the same vain as The Simpsons Movie.

79 diggs From potato chips to corn flakes, many of the things we consume today were an accident. The inventors are often held in high regard, but their inventions were a strange twist of fate. See our list of 9 things invented or discovered by accident.

93 diggs Seeing as how terrestrial radio is dying fast, there is an influx of content to sift through out there on the interweb. For you comedy radiophiles out there, it wont get any better than these 5. I assure you.

75 diggs We previously posted an entire guide on how to Jailbreak the PlayStation 3 with an Android Phone and also that iPhone Dev-Team member MuscleNerd confirmed that the hack would soon be coming to iPhones. Well guess what, it’s here folks! The PSGroove / PSFreedom has been ported over to jailbroken iPhones but the interesting thing is that it is not by the same team which MuscleNerd talked about. It’s actually by a hacker who goes by the name of NTAuthority! and he has used OpeniBoot method which was previously used to port Android on iPhone 2G, 3G and iPod touch.

69 diggs I'm going to attempt to write an article about the 1970 Buick GSX, as it happens to be one of my favorite American muscle cars and they are getting to be few and far between. Now, a lot of you may not even know that Buick built a muscle car, but they did, and as it turns out, one of the most powerful ever built.

70 diggs A recent study from the Department of Justice produced a disturbing figure: 1 in 4 college women will be victims of rape or attempted rape before they graduate within a four-year collge period.

94 diggs Obama’s approval rating is weak, and many Democrats now accept the conventional wisdom that they may lose the House, even the Senate, in November. Some reasons why were unavoidable. The messianic hope that Obama inspired was destined to dissipate almost as quickly as it arose.

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72 diggs Just like a couple of weeks ago, this weekend again we’ve got something unusual and creative to lift up your spirits and challenge your creativity over a lousy Sunday. Particle animation is a beautiful concept from motion graphics. Using specialized software, you can simulate the movements of particles depending on the environment — for instance, music rhythm.

79 diggs Sometimes it just isn't fair. Europe always seems to get the cooler stuff. All their Ford's use the crisp Kinetic design style. They have a massive amount of super-efficient diesel engines to choose from. They got the new Fiat 500 years ago. Their Triumph TR-6s were fuel-injected. Their mid-seventies sports cars didn't have horrible black rubber bumpers bolted on to them. I could go on for hours.

74 diggs Sean Malto won the second stop on the new Street League Skateboarding tour Saturday night, earning $150,000. The 21-year-old Malto won after Chaz Ortiz fell on the last trick in the final section. Malto finished with 120.4 points to Ortizs 118.4. Nyjah Huston, who won the tours inaugural event on Aug. 28, was third with 105.9 points. Street League skateboardings three-event series features participation from some of the worlds top street skateboarders including stars such as Ryan Sheckler, Paul Rodriguez Jr. and Chris Cole and core street skateboarders P.J. Ladd, Mike Mo Capaldi, Brandon Biebel and Dylan Reider a combined roster of athletes that includes winners of past X Games, Dew Tour and Maloof Money Cup events.

75 diggs Facebook has launched a new way to “Discover Facebook’s Popular Pages” called Browser. It shows icons of Pages that are popular in a user’s country, but factors in which Pages which are popular amongst their unique friend network. When the Page icons are hovered over they display a Like button. Browser could cause popular Pages to get more popular, widening the gap between them and smaller Pages, similar to the frequently criticized and since abandoned Twitter Suggested User List.

71 diggs Created by Robinerd using DrPetter's Musagi chip-esque softsynth and sequencer.

71 diggs The minimum purchase in Zynga's underground "Platinum Purchase Program" is $500, payable by wire transfer (see email below). The reward over buying online with your credit card: Extra points with which to buy virtual goods for the company's Facebook games. If you refer a friend to the program, you get even more points. Zynga, meanwhile, gets word of mouth, which is especially important since Zynga keeps this bulk sales program hush hush; it's not mentioned on the company website, nor within its games. If you Google for it, you'll get a few complaints for disgruntled customers and a couple of posts from a blogger named "Loot Lady," who writes that it was "hard to find a lot of information out about this" program.

92 diggs Rocky, a baby squirrel that fell out of a tree, was placed with a litter of newborn kittens and was adopted by the mother cat. The squirrel adapted so well to his new family so well that he eventually learned how to purr. via I Can Has Cheez Burger

72 diggs Social media changes from month to month. Trends come and go quicker than the seasons change. The latest trendy site could be next years Myspace and the hottest new site probably hasnt even been conceived yet or is at the couple of guys in a garage stage. Having said that there are some trends that I think will continue over the coming year and with that in mind I wanted to share them here. Rather than focusing in on the finer detail I have compiled the list below in broader terms with all the main players represented. All in all it should be an exiting year ahead in social media and these should be seven of the main trends Group Buying This really has been the huge power house of online commerce in the last year. Services like Groupon have come on the scene in a big way (Even Microsoft entered the market today) and the idea behind it really is so simple that it makes you think Why didnt I think of that. Like all kick ass ideas this one is incredibly simple and instantly understandable and there is something in it for everybody. The idea is nothing new but giving it legs through things like apps and the ability to share deals with friends makes the whole sector spread faster. Expect this to continue in a big way over the next couple of years with copy cat services and the big players rolling in to more territories and rolling out better and more extensive deals. Question And Answer Sites These sites are hardly new and have been around for years but a new range of social features and bigger audiences have seen existing sites and some innovative start ups make this an interesting space once again. The big boys like Facebook are rolling this out as we speak to their huge user base and will be making it front and center on profiles as they look to tap in to the collective knowledge of the site. Another innovative start up that is making some serious noise within the tech community is Quora which should break out in to the main stream this coming year. Collective knowledge is incredibly powerful and social media is making that knowledge easier to spread. Mobile I was going to call this section location but I really do think the opportunities in this sector extend far beyond people checking in to bars for free coffee. There is no doubt that services like Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook places will continue to grow and be adopted by a larger audience but I dont even think the most exciting technologies have even been invented in this space yet. The best is yet to come. The really exciting thing to consider is what can be achieved with mobile advertising and with all the big players including Google and Apple trying to crack this market the real innovation has yet to come. People all over the world are walking around with mini computers in their hands and you can basically let your imagination run wild with the endless possibilities that offers to the social media industry. Facebook Credits Facebook have been dipping their toes in to the credits system of micro payments over the last 6 months by giving users free credits to help them get used to the system as well as doing a massive deal with Zynga to add the credits to their games. I strongly believe Facebook credits will become one of the defining moments in Facebooks history and be the cash cow that drives them forward towards IPO. With Facebook taking a cut of the credits and brands and businesses scrambling to use them there really will only be one winner in all of this. Expect Facebook credits to be ubiquitous across the web within 2 years as people use the trusted platform to by all sorts of things. Branded Content Brands and businesses are starting to realize that one of the main ways of engaging their customers and offering value is to create content that enriches the users social media experience rather than just blasting messages out at them. With users starting to get more and more aware of ads and adding their own filters the smart brands will create bespoke content that engages users in a meaningful way and offers value. Building that content in to Facebook and other social sites while all hooking back to their own website will be crucial with video playing a more and more important role in the branded content play. Twitter Monetizing They sure are taking their time on this one but they are very much at the stage Facebook were 18 months ago when they just went on a land grab of users and made sure their service was as stable as possible. Twitter have started rolling out some monetization features like promoted tweets but they havent really come in with the hard sell just yet. Id expect Twitter to keep focusing on growth for the best part of the next year before switching on the revenue in a major way just like Facebook are at the moment. Google To Keep On Failing I dont care how many people Google hire or companies they buy they are always going to struggle in the social media space. They dont have it in their DNA as a company to be social as far as I can see and Facebook just keep pushing further and further ahead anyway. Google have had big launches with Wave and Buzz over the last year and even though they are giving Google Me a bigger push and dedicating more resources to it than ever I just dont see it being a big success. Where I do see them having success is in the social games sector because I think their portal for this along with some of their acquisitions have been very shrewd. Expect another disappointing year for Google in the world of social media. Original title and link for this post: Seven Important Social Media Trends For The Next Year

115 diggs It'd be kind of cute if these guys weren't total maniacs.

86 diggs An epic story, incredible pacing, and a spot-on mix of old and new elements make Reach’s campaign Halo’s best yet. Oh, and when you’ve finished the story mode, plan on spending a large chunk of your life in the massive online universe. Any way you cut it, Halo: Reach is a fantastic swan song for Bungie, and it leaves behind a Spartan-sized set of boots for 343 Industries to fill.

67 diggs Did you guys know that a Halo MMO was under development?

82 diggs After more than 70 years of misinformation about this botanical remedy, I am delighted that we are finally gaining a mature understanding of its immense therapeutic potential.

66 diggs In case you're not up to date on products created for the sole purpose of making the Snuggie seem reasonable, there is a new cloth product available called the "Snazzy Napper."

86 diggs Loose lips sink starships!

79 diggs Diagnosed with a degenerative motor-neuron disease at 21, theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking was told he had only a few years to live. Nearly five decades later, he has married twice, raised three children, and done more than anyone since Albert Einstein to expand our understanding of the cosmos.

85 diggs Somehow, some way, a nearly blind cat that was taken more than a year ago from the San Francisco Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) showed up on the streets of New York City earlier this month. What happened over that time remains a mystery for now, but thanks to technology and the kindness of a few people, a happy ending is on the horizon for the black cat named Jack Daniels.

87 diggs Today, we are showing you Beautiful Moments Captured in Cold (Photographs). I be grateful for to all those talented photographers who taken these excellent photos with their efforts, imaginations and creativity to give us a chance to see these photographic wonders from their creative eyes.

63 diggs Acer may be planning a major break from traditional notebook design with a dual-screen model reportedly leaked late Saturday.

99 diggs ...sweet pics....

79 diggs How much more of a description do you need? It's one of the more badass things you will watch today.

84 diggs Blasphemy laws are instituted when members of a religious group decide that their belief system should be unassailable, immune from any real or perceived criticism, and protected from any disrespect or display of dissent.  As with any other laws, they are enforced through thethreat of punishment or dire consequences. During the past ...

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104 diggs The Restore is the third eco-friendly Samsung cell phone to be carried by Sprint. The Restore is built with a more mainstream slider design than its predecessor, the Reclaim. While there were some features in the Reclaim that we enjoyed there was plenty of room for improvement...

125 diggs GoDaddy.com, the closely held website that registers Internet domain names, has put itself up for sale in an auction that could fetch more than $1 billion, people familiar with the matter said. Qatalyst Partners, the boutique firm run by veteran technology banker Frank Quattrone, has been hired to shop the Go Daddy Group Inc., which runs the world's largest domain name registrar, these people said. Private-equity firms are expected to bid for the company, which currently has more than 43 million domains under management.

78 diggs Volkswagen of America has been without a CEO since Stefan Jacoby resigned earlier this year, but a report from the Wall Street Journal suggests the American arm of the German automaker will have a new leader as early as tomorrow.

99 diggs Saying the wrong thing on a first date is like bringing the hairball from your shower drain instead of flowers. It might work for Shrek, but it isn’t going to work for you. Everyone has at least one horrible first date story, and if you don’t watch what you say, you could find yourself topping someone’s list of worst dates ever.

67 diggs The Americans won their first World Championship gold medal today since 1994. Led by tournament MVP Kevin Durant.

71 diggs or win, if you're not afraid of ducks.

76 diggs In our Kindle Vs. iPad battle, we pit the best features of each gadget against each other to determine a...

86 diggs In a column dated September 12, 2001, Hunter S. Thompson predicts a 'guerilla warfare on a global scale' between the United States and the merciless fanatics responsible for the four plane crashes Tuesday.

69 diggs New study reveals how fish do it. (Of course, when pigs fly, that'll break more 'serious' ground.)

69 diggs For your honesty, your contribution of absolute zero to the tech community and the sheer geekiness of your creation, we salute you Sir.

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91 diggs The above image is one of several from Alejo Malia that depict a world in which all the elements of Google Maps place markers, public transit symbols and even the yellow street view guy are completely real and physical objects looming over our buildings, streets and heads. Malia is a Spanish illustrator and designer who, while relatively unknown, has a very strong social media presence. He's on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Blogspot and Flickr.He uploaded this set of images (titled "Google's World") yesterday, but it's not his first literal imagination of the technological world of the web; he also produced an image that incorporated Facebook's "Like" button into a real photograph.Here's the rest of the "Google's World" set. Enjoy, and be sure and tweet your appreciation at Malia if you like his work.[Via Gizmodo]For more Tech coverage:Follow Mashable Tech on TwitterBecome a Fan on FacebookSubscribe to the Tech channelDownload our free apps for iPhone and iPad

76 diggs Californian cops think Pedobear is a mascot used by pedophiles to signal their predilections: "Disguised as innocence, this underground community that would make victims of our children teasingly reaches out in to the light of day." [Gawker]

64 diggs Of the 3,466 Medals of Honor awarded since Parrott received his, only 619 have been awarded posthumously, according to the U.S. Army.

83 diggs Did you take a vacation this summer? If you did, it was because your company generously allowed you a few paid vacation days. Unlike businesses in these other countries (all members of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development), U.S. companies are not required to give employees time off. Despite working some of the longest hours in the world, we take very little vacation. No wonder you're feeling burnt out.

105 diggs Most people have a problem for more than a decade before they get appropriate help, so it's important to have greater awareness of OCD so more people get attention sooner.

89 diggs "The great majority of Americans do not know much about Islam but nonetheless fear it as violent, expansionist and alien to their society. The problem to overcome is not hatred, but ignorance." -Tariq Ramadan

69 diggs Filmmaker J.J. Abrams and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman talked about their plans for the next Star Trek movie, and while they remained maddeningly vague about it, they say there's a very real possibility that we'll see another new villain introduced to the franchise. And we may see our old friends the Klingons too.

89 diggs While many may scoff at the thought of preparing for the end of the world, there are thousands of people worldwide who are doing just that. They're stockpiling canned food, planting gardens, installing solar panels, buying up ammunition and building survival bunkers. You may think these people are crazy, but if the apocalypse happened tomorrow, where would you go? Check out our list of the top places in the U.S. to wait out the apocalypse and maybe we'll see you in 2013.

68 diggs The DTV Shredder was built as a first responsemodular platform to better equip the soldier to deal with crisis situations. The DTV is a new class of vehicle that can handle any terrain at high speed. Its low center of gravity and rugged design make it ideal for a wide variety of applications including, reconnaissance, rescue/recovery, mobile surveillance/offensive platform, med-evac, rapid response and more. The DTV is customizable and can be outfitted depending on the intended application. These modifications are interchangeable and stackable in the field.

89 diggs Halo: Reach - The First 15 Minutes In-Game is now available for your viewing enjoyment. Watch the beginning of the game unfold as you join Noble Team, find out what happens when The Covenant come to Reach for the first time and see the start of an epic invasion.

110 diggs In short, Facebook believes that if you use Facebook in a way that Facebook doesn't like — as defined by its terms of use — you commit a federal crime.

110 diggs Before we start ripping apart these soccer players, we have to keep in mind that soccer is one of the most physically and mentally taxing sports to play.

72 diggs T-Mobile's other upcoming HSPA+ phone, the myTouch HD, has potentially been validated through an internal document that suggests it may be the fastest and most advanced Android phone this year. The sheet handed to TmoNews lists it as having a dual-core 1GHz processor that would line up with testing of the HTC Glacier earlier in the summer. Backing the chip and the connection, it would be T-Mobile's first phone with an enabled front video camera for chat or live streaming.

82 diggs Japan knows that its economy is hurt when China buys up its bonds. It’s the same for our economy, but our policy makers just don’t get it.

79 diggs Apple may make an aggressive inroad into the Amazon Kindle's territory with an expansion into Target stores. Six versions of a mystery device have appeared in Target's inventory system, all of which line up with Apple's iPad pricing and which would show up October 3.

68 diggs Carrot farmers want to convince young eaters to put down that bag of chips and pick up a pack of baby carrots. So, a new ad campaign will use weapons favored by the junk-food giants: flashy snack bags, video games, humor and YouTube videos.

146 diggs It seems the prohibitionists have a little problem with the truth. They are so eager to stop what they see as the menace of marijuana, they are willing to play fast and loose with the facts, and it's not too hard to catch them in some whoppers. I believe in the direct approach. The best way to fight lies is with the truth: fight back with the facts.

199 diggs Most 'journalists' would get fired over something like this.

87 diggs Tasty healthy eats.

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131 diggs We’re not sure which moment was the best, but these are the five that definitely jumped out on an initial watch of the season three finale.

120 diggs Along with a $129 (give or take) price tag, the GeForce GTS 450 is more affordable than any other DX11-class GPU out there right now. Performance-wise, the cards measure up pretty well versus competitive offerings from AMD.

115 diggs After Apple revved the iPhone in June and the iPod lineup in September 1 the next logical candidate for an upgrade is the iPad -- and it might be coming sooner than originally expected.

85 diggs For the last six days, a 50-foot-long right whale has been stranded on a beach in Brazil, still alive but too weak to return to the sea - and for the last six days, authorities have been puzzled with what to do with it.

191 diggs The newest Pew Research Center's survey of where and how people get their news has been released, and while Fox News is still polling the oldest viewership, Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart are pulling the youngest. As Stewart educates his young viewers in the ways of FNC on a nightly basis, it is clear that he is the biggest long term media threat to Fox News.

139 diggs Strapped for cash? Hope is on the way!

91 diggs What were the automakers thinking when they added these not-so-standard features?

72 diggs Yes, he broke NCAA rules. Yes, he would have been ineligible. But history and common sense dictate that he should keep his award, live with his media-anointed shame, and continue to underachieve for the world champion Saints. Let’s examine nine reasons why we should walk away from this whole thing as is.