Because we all dreamed about being Bruce Wayne once upon a time (or to this day), here’s something you can get that he could never: a batman logo coffee table. Made by Charles Lushear of the Bohemian Workshop, the coffee table is carved from wood with hairpin legs and is a must for any comic book geek still living with his parents or someone who has a really understanding girlfriend (or boyfriend). More »
If you’ve frequently been sifting through the Chrome Web Store for content, you’ve probably been stymied once or twice by search results that didn’t initially show the content type you were looking for. At least some of us shouldn’t face that problem following a quiet update from Google. Searches now show the top hits for apps, extensions and themes on one page, and a click of a category header is all that’s needed for more detail. Just fire up Chrome (or a Chromebook) to see the remade results page.
Via: Joe Marini (Google+)
Source: Chrome Web Store
It’s never easy to share news of job losses, but that’s the state of things at T-Mobile’s US headquarters in Bellevue, Wash. Today, the carrier confirmed to us that layoffs are currently underway, which comes in advance of the UnCarrier’s merger with MetroPCS. While T-Mobile representatives withheld specifics, The Seattle Times reports that somewhere between 200 and 300 employees have been laid off, whose jobs range from administrative assistants to senior vice presidents. This news follows reports of job cuts earlier this month, which are said to have affected more than 100 people in the marketing department and other divisions. For its part, T-Mobile suggests the decision was made in order to better focus its resources, which seems plausible, given its scrappy new approach in the mobile industry. It’s certainly a bitter pill to swallow, but you’ll find the carrier’s statement after the break.
Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile
Source: The Seattle Times (1), (2)
Though most video games never involve a player having to drop a deuce, video game worlds always seem to have dirty toilets in even dirtier restrooms. Who uses these toilets and why are they universally dirty! Video Game Toilets rounds up the toilets found in video games—it spans from like the early 80’s until now—in a hilarious Tumblr. Here are a few we love (the one above is from F.E.A.R. 3). More »
The Microsoft Research team is building an epic map of the universe using data and photographs collected from the many telescopes around the world, including NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. They call it The WorldWide Telescope.
There are roughly 300 billion stars in the Milky Way Galaxy, and about the same number of galaxies in our universe (give or take a couple). With the WorldWide Telescope, scientists and developers have pieced together a detailed 3D view of the universe that lets a user do a fly by of any planet, star or galaxy known to man. You can even view the entire universe in a single frame, which makes us all seem insanely insignificant.
But the WorldWide Telescope is more than just a neat exploration tool for astronomy and physics nerds. Program Director Dan Fay hopes NASA can use it as a research tool and that students from the elementary to graduate levels can use it as an educational resource. The Microsoft Research team has made it simple to manipulate data on a touch surface or desktop. With the touch of a couple of buttons and pinch to zoom, you’re off and flying through the universe. The team plans to bring this magic to mobile devices soon.
Microsoft has also released an API to allow developers to build custom tours and lessons. I was fortunate enough to be given a tour of the nebula of the Milky Way Galaxy, and admittedly it was beautiful. The lessons can be as simple as a fly by of every planet in our solar system, or as complicated as analyzing photographs of the deepest known space objects. The map also lets you look at any part of the sky in a number of light wavelengths, including infrared and X-ray.
After the demo, I took a tour of a scale model of the James Webb Space Telescope, which is due to launch in 2018. The telescope is about 100 times more powerful than Hubble and about seven times as big. It includes a 21-foot reflective mirror and a slew of instruments to study the sky.
NASA hopes to look through dust clouds surrounding the formation of stars using the onboard infrared instruments to finally see how stars are born and to look far enough through the universe that they will get a better sense of how all of this madness is shaped. It will also be able to detect water vapor in atmospheres outside our solar system, and where there is water, there’s a significant chance at life.
(mind = blown).
At GDC 2013, Intel has revealed some details of its 4th Gen Core Processors, including details about their upcoming graphics processors features (all Intel Core processor comes with a graphics processor or integrated GPU inside). Not surprisingly, DirectX 11.1 is supported, but what was not expected was that Intel actually extended upon the DX11 specifications to include two new features: Instant Access and PixelSync. Instant Access provides a more straightforward, more convenient and faster way to access the GPU memory, PixelSync does provide a more fundamental improvement in how computer graphics work and performs, especially when it comes to handling transparency. (more…)
By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Otoy Cloud Tools: A Vision for Ultra-Realistic Games and Movies, Chromebook Samsung Series 3 Review, 
Sen. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.) received a fundraising boost Thursday from the group LGBT Democrats of North Carolina following her endorsement of gay marriage a day earlier.
The group’s initial fundraising target of $1,000 for Hagan was surpassed in five hours, so the goal was raised to $2,500, Matt Comer of Q Notes reported. As of Thursday evening, the effort had pulled in $2,128.
Hagan, up for reelection in 2014, announced her support for marriage equality on Wednesday.
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DENVER (AP) — Prosecutors said Thursday they are not ready to accept an offer from Colorado theater shooting suspect James Holmes to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
In a court filing, prosecutors criticized defense attorneys for publicizing Holmes’ offer to plead guilty, calling it a ploy meant to draw the public and the judge into what should be private plea negotiations.
They say the defense has “steadfastly and repeatedly” refused to provide key details they need to consider a plea.
It looks like Facebook‘s got an Android-related event up its sleeve next Thursday April 4th right here in the Bay Area. So, what’s this about? A major revamp of Facebook’s Android app? An Android-based Facebook phone like HTC’s rumored Myst? Whatever it is, we’ll obviously be there to liveblog the announcement in great detail, so be sure to tune in at 1PM ET (10AM PT). While focusing its recent efforts on features like Graph Search and News Feed, Facebook’s been clear that mobile is a top priority for 2013. Let’s just hope this event brings something more exciting to fruition than HTC’s half-baked Status.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Internet, Mobile, Google, Facebook
This week’s “Idol” results are in and Devin Velez is going home.
He sang Perry Como’s “It’s Impossible” in both English and Spanish, bringing Mariah Carey to tears. Carey, Randy Jackson and Keith Urban were on their feet. However, the judges decided not to keep Devin around, despite the audience chanting, “Save! Save! Save!”
Unsurprisingly, the three remaining men — Velez, Lazaro Arbos and Burnell Taylor — wound up in the Bottom 3. After Wednesday night’s Detroit-themed performances, many believed the trio of guys would wind up in the bottom. The judges, Nicki Minaj in particular, annihilated their take on The Four Tops “Can’t Help Myself.” Angie Miller also fell slightly out of the judges’ favor with her solo performance of guest mentor Smokey Robinson’s “Shop Around.”
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