By Patrick Biz
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
It is time for Part II of our 10 Must-Read Books for Geeks series. If you have missed last week’s article, just click here and you’ll be taken back in time to Part I. Here’s the next 5 titles to complete this great collection of books all geeks should own.
By Patrick Biz
Contributing Writer, [GAS]
A lot of people are saying that Wikipedia is loaded with errors, and for good reason. Wikipedia contributors aren’t forced to verify their sources before posting anything, but if they were, it would greatly improve the quality of the online encyclopedia. Here’s a very good example of such a dumb error:
On March 31st, blogger Patrick Curl from There’s a Blog in my Soup, published an April Fool’s prank saying ProBlogger Darren Rowse is filling for bankruptcy. For those who don’t know Darren, he’s the man behind ProBlogger, one of the biggest blogs in the blog-and-make-money online niche. Darren has more than 45,000 RSS subscribers!
Guess what happened next? Someone who read the prank went to Wikipedia and updated Darren Rowse’s page, reporting the man is going bankrupt (see the very last line)! The information has no references, but still, it is still there as I am typing this post. If it’s gone by the time you read this, just check out the page history and look for the March 31st version @ 17:01.
Guys, it should be illegal to post April Fool’s jokes on March 31st ;-)
When American Astronomer Clifford Stoll speaks, you can’t really help yourself but listen. He may look and sound like a total nutcase, but take the time to listen to what he has to say, you’ll be glad you did. For the next 18 minutes, you’ll be listening to Mr. Clifford as he talks about things such as the atmosphere of Jupiter, computers in classrooms, KGB hackers, and many, many other things. Asking a men such as him to stay focused on a single subject would be pure folly, because as he says: “Once I do something, I want to do something else.” Enjoy the presentation!
The new Segway RMP is a robotic concept vehicle that uses the same parts as a regular segway – it just uses twice as much of them. It can carry up to 400 lbs and can move smoothly in any direction from a central point, thanks to a set of very strange wheels. Wait until you see this thing in action… it actually looks a bit creepy.
Since the RMP is still a concept device, it’s not available for purchase yet, but we’ve heard that it might run for around $50,000, compared to about $4,500 for a regular segway model.
[via Make]
I don’t know exactly why, but Germans have the reputation of having absolutely no sense of humor. Just ask Mark, our resident German contributor, he’ll tell you so. So if you’re planning to visit Germany during your next vacation and want to experience German gastronomy, don’t expect to get a smile from employees when going to the restaurant. However, if this really bothers you, you could always visit this cool automated Robo-Restaurant we’ve writen about in the past.
The last article we did only had a picture, but recently, a BBC news crew went to have a look at this unique concept and filmed the whole ordering process, from selecting what you want from the menu, to having your meal delivered to you via a rail system. Hit the more link below for the video preview.
Since I saw the first Iron Man trailer a few months ago, I’ve been feeling like a little boy getting behind the wheel of his dad’s car for the first time. Ok, in this case, the comparison may be just a bit exaggerated, but you understand the feeling, right? Preview after preview, Paramount has successfully been able to build up the hype surrounding the movie, and today, they’ve done it again with a new trailer named “Run before you can walk.” Check it out below, and let us know what you think in the comments!
By Mark O’Neill
There’s an interesting discussion over at Universe Today about whether we would be told by governments if aliens were to contact us via SETI (Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence).
Maybe I’ve watched too many science-fiction movies but I’ve always had the impression that if an alien race were to pop in for a chat, we would know about it pretty much right away. I mean, look at that movie with Mel Gibson when he found an alien in his kitchen. Try covering that one up!
But Universe Today raises an interesting question – if an alien species were to contact Earth, would governments choose to tell us or would they keep it secret for the sake of their economies and political agendas? Would an alien message unite the world or cause absolute mayhem?
In this day and age of technology, can an alien transmission really be kept secret or can anyone with a transmitter pick it up?
Think this picture is photoshopped? No, it’s not. Before hitting the link, it might be fun if some of you try to guess what this thing really is. Give it your best shot, and then check it out!
Via [H]
American memory manufacturer Super Talent has just unveiled a new line of cheap, tiny micro USB flash drives that weigh less than 6 grams! the Pico Series USB drives offer a lifetime warranty and come in 1 to 8 GB varieties. Some models are even water resistant, for those of you who feel like taking a bath with their beloved drive.
[Product Page] via [OhGizmo]
