The first known domesticated dog in the Americas lived some 9,400 years ago and likely provided its owner with company, security, and, eventually, dinner, an ancient bone fragment suggests. A University of Maine researcher found the bone fragment in a prehistoric sample of human waste in Texas. DNA testing…
Continue reading …That’s right, the 787 Dreamliner, which has airlines all aflutter over promises of increased fuel efficiency, has been delayed yet again. Boeing announced yesterday that customers can expect to see the plane in the third quarter of 2011: one in a long line of setbacks that have put it three years behind schedule. However, despite delays, it seems customer confidence hasn’t waned. In fact, the New York Times reported that 787 buyers still find a summer release perfectly practical, leading to a three percent rise in Boeing stock. Trouble for the 787 started back in 2008, with the FAA warning of hacker vulnerability, followed by a 2009 discovery of structural weakness, and an on-board fire last November. Even with delays, and cancellation of at least 60 orders, the 787 still has about 850 pre-orders: more than any other mid-size commercial liner in history. So what’s keeping the 787 Dreamliner afloat? Well, mostly promises of a 20 percent increase in fuel efficiency, thanks to a design that’s 50 percent composite materials. Clearly, testing the 787 hasn’t been a dream, but it seems nothing can keep this plane grounded for good. Boeing 787 Dreamliner delayed again, expectations still sky high originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …3D technology has been the wave of the future for more than fifty years now. Yet despite decades of work, today’s 3-D technology offers, at best, an incomplete illusion, and at worst, makes people uncomfortable or even sick. (Jan. 20)
Continue reading …John Travolta’s wife gave birth to their new son, Benjamin, without a peep because that’s what Scientology demands. Why? Science-fiction-crazed founder L. Ron Hubbard believed the “reactive mind” causes “different words and commands” to “come back to affect you later in life” and can become the “single source of aberration,…
Continue reading …Controversial Florida preacher Terry Jones is persona non grata in the United Kingdom. British authorities say Jones—who made headlines around the world last year with his plan for International Burn a Koran Day —has been banned from entering the country because the government “opposes extremism in all its forms,…
Continue reading …Nebraska schools would be safer places if teachers were allowed to carry concealed weapons, claims a state politician. State Sen. Mark Christensen has introduced legislation in the wake of this month’s Omaha school shooting that would allow school districts to set their own gun policy subject to a vote from…
Continue reading …Oh look, even more evidence that the next generation iPad will be equipped with cameras. The image above showing the three new iPad apps was discovered in the iOS 4.3 beta 2 by MacRumors . To be effective, the iPad’s Camera and FaceTime apps would require both back- and front-facing cameras just like the iPhone 4. The Photo Booth app is new to iOS but already ships on Macs running OS X — it could, presumably, use either camera to record snapshots (with filters) and video. And really, at this point, with such overwhelming evidence the only surprise would be for Apple to announce a new iPad without a camera. iPad camera apps discovered in iOS 4.3 beta, nobody surprised originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …As creators bust boundaries with a raunchy view of teen sex and substance abuse in MTV’s new program Skins , network executives are now worried they they may be close to breaking federal child porn laws. MTV executives have already ordered that some scenes involving underage teens be toned down, reports…
Continue reading …Passengers enjoying a hot air balloon ride over an Australian bay had a scare when their balloon missed its landing and briefly splashed into the water a mile from shore. Police said all 11 passengers on the Thursday morning ride were unhurt. (Jan. 20)
Continue reading …South Sudan has won the majority of votes needed in order to become the world’s newest state, with just 60 per cent of results declared from a landmark referendum. Preliminary figures collated by the AFP news agency on Thursday indicated that some areas of Sudan returned 99 per cent landslides for independence. According to AFP, at least 2,224,857 votes for a separation of the mainly Christian, African south from the mainly Muslim, Arab north had been counted from the previous night. A simple majority of 1.89 million votes was needed from a total of 3,932,588 registered voters. In Lakes state, which carried a rebel stronghold during a devastating 1983-2005 civil war with the north, 99.9 per…
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