Hasta La Gadget!

Animation of the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn.

(Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/ Screenshot by CNET)

Ready for some — literally — out of this world plastic? A chemical commonly used to make everything from food-storage containers to car bumpers has been detected on one of Saturn’s moons.

NASA revealed Monday that the Cassini spacecraft detected propylene, a chemical ingredient of plastic, on Saturn’s moon Titan. This is the first definitive detection of the chemical on any planet or moon, other than Earth, NASA said.

“This chemical is all around us in everyday life, strung together in long chains to form a plastic called polypropylene,” Conor Nixon, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. “That plastic container at the grocery store with the recycling code 5 on the bottom — that’s polypropylene.”

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After months and months of endless speculation, BlackBerry finally confirmed last week that it would rollout BBM for iOS and Android over the weekend. The company first announced back in May earlier this year that it is going to open up its instant messaging service to other platforms. On the eve before the official rollout, the APK file of BBM for Android was leaked online which caused a number of issues. This lead to BlackBerry halting the rollout for both iOS and Android, despite the fact that BBM for iOS had already gone live on the App Store. Earlier today the company reiterated its commitment to rolling out BBM for these platforms via Twitter.

BlackBerry said through Twitter that it is “still 100% committed to Bringing BBM to Android and iPhone.” It invites users to sign up to be notified immediately when the rollout commences once again. BlackBerry has not provided a concrete release date as yet, so it can not be sure exactly when BBM for both Android and iOS will go live again. Those who were able to download the iOS version when it was live will be able to use it nonetheless, while those who had sideloaded the Android APK will not be able to use BBM as that version has been disabled.

BlackBerry Reiterates Commitment To BBM For iOS And Android After Halting Rollout original content from Ubergizmo.

A couple of weeks back Twitter announced, via what else, Twitter that it is seeking to go public. The company filed a S-1 form confidentially with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The luxury to do so confidentially is allowed by the JOBS act to emerging growth companies. The form itself isn’t an offer for sale of securities, it basically lists the company’s basic financial and business information that is related to its securities offering. Reuters reports that Twitter’s IPO filing may finally be made public later this week.

Currently, Twitter is said to have an estimated value of $15 billion. It is believed to be the second biggest technology related IPO since Facebook went public last year. Specifics about the initial public offering are not available as yet, it is not known what the IPO date is and what the target price is going to be. Still, there are a variety of factors that can delay Twitter’s IPO, from changing market conditions to changes made to its prospectus. Apparently the company is inclined more towards the New York Stock Exchange over Nasdaq for the initial floating of its securities. Rumor has it that Twitter aims to have its shares trading in the open market before Thanksgiving, which falls on November 28th.

Twitter IPO Filing Will Reportedly Be Made Public This Week original content from Ubergizmo.

Leaked from today’s 404 episode:

– Bad Beats: Why was the original Beats Studio headphone so popular?

– Why is the engineer who recorded Nirvana still using analog tape?

– 40 Bowers & Wilkins speakers and the art of sound.

– I hear voices: Could highly directional sound advertising be the next big thing?

Ep. 1353: Where we go 50 light-years away from Steve Guttenberg

Episode 1,353

Listen Now: Download Today’s Podcast[Read more]

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Upping the ante: The Schiit Asgard 2 headphone amplifier

Global Grover takes over Google Earth. (Click to enlarge.)

(Credit: Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)

Google Earth can now tell you how to get to Sesame Streets all over the world. A new interactive layer on Google Earth lets you explore Sesame Street Workshop co-productions in international locations such as Ireland, Israel, Germany, and South Africa.

“Takalani Sesame” is the South African version of “Sesame Street.” When you click on the signpost stuck at the tip of of the Google Earth South Africa map, it opens a page with facts about the show and a video of the show’s intro. Naturally, Elmo makes an appearance.

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Each production of the show also provides a special message from a local muppet, giving kids an opportunity to see and hear muppets from around the world. It’s a fascinating peek into what other cultures lo… [Read more]

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