Fiber optic and digital camera pioneers honored

Three scientists have shared the Nobel prize for physics for two technological advances. And without their work you might not be reading this article or looking at pictures on this site. This year’s prize has been jointly won by the men behind fiber optic cables and the digital camera. Half the $1.4 million prize grant […]



New Verizon Commercial Spoofs iPhone Ad: “There’s a map for that.”

Apparently if you were watching the Vikings play the Packers on Monday Night Football (and weren’t taking a bathroom break during the commercials), you saw the new Verizon ad that spoofs Apple’s “there’s an app for that” campaign. Are you wondering why you (you, being the dude with the Verizon phone) can use all your […]

Language meets logic as computers mark English papers

A British exam board plans to grade written responses to English tests with computers. It’s the first time machines have been used to assess language rather than merely mark multiple choice tests. At the moment, the marking will only be used for a test designed to check if students have the English skills necessary for […]

The death of digitally altered advertisement?

You’ve seen the Photoshop nightmares: the wonky fingers, the “sliced off” hips, the chiseled faces, the flawless skin. To the geeks among us, this kind of digital alteration in advertising might not be as effective, since we know how it works–and we like to laugh at it when it’s done poorly. It doesn’t take more […]