Sci-Tech news

• US Army's'all seeing' surveillance blimps lift off above Maryland

  29-12-2014 23:46 via
  
  The US Army has launched the first of two controversial 'all seeing' blimps designed to detect and destroy cruise missiles or rogue aircraft incursions targeting America's East Coast cities.
  
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• Would YOU ride MIT's handmade wooden rollercoaster?

  29-12-2014 23:44 via
  
  Known as the East Campus Roller Coaster, the stunt has become a tradition among engineering students for rush week at MIT.
  
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• Microsoft to kill off Internet Explorer? Windows 10 to come with new browser

  29-12-2014 23:43 via
  
  Experts say the new browser, codenamed Spartan, will be unveiled on January 21st when Microsoft shows off Windows 10 for the first time.
  
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• US Army's controversial 'all seeing' surveillance blimps get go-ahead to guard against cruise missiles - and can spot objects as small as a person 340 MILES away

  29-12-2014 23:19 via
  
  The US Army has launched the first of two controversial 'all seeing' blimps designed to detect and destroy cruise missiles or rogue aircraft incursions targeting America's East Coast cities.
  
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• NASA envisions city of solar-powered helium airships above Venus

  29-12-2014 23:15 via
  
  The High Altitude Venus Operational Concept program would eventually send a manned mission to the atmosphere of Venus, say researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia.
  
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• Would YOU ride MIT's handmade wooden rollercoaster? Students build ride for incoming freshmen (but much to parents relief, aren't allowed a loop)

  29-12-2014 22:23 via
  
  Known as the East Campus Roller Coaster, the stunt has become a tradition among engineering students for rush week at MIT.
  
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• Is Microsoft set to kill off internet explorer? Windows 10 set to come with new 'Spartan' web browser

  29-12-2014 21:37 via
  
  Experts say the new browser, codenamed Spartan, will be unveiled on January 21st when Microsoft shows off Windows 10 for the first time.
  
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• Facebook says sorry for 'Year in Review'

  29-12-2014 20:22 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Facebook has apologised over its Year in Review feature, after some users complained about the images chosen to sum up their 2014.
  
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• Netflix reveals on demand NYE countdown parents can use to fool kids

  29-12-2014 20:00 via
  
  Netflix has revealed an on-demand New Year's Eve show for kids that can be played at any time. The three minute show includes a countdown and music.
  
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• How to get your kids in bed early on New Year's Eve: Netflix reveals on demand fake countdown show parents can use to fool children

  29-12-2014 19:55 via
  
  Netflix has revealed an on-demand New Years Eve show for kids that can be played at any time. The three minute show includes a countdown and music.
  
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• Gmail appears to be blocked in China

  29-12-2014 19:49 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The remaining way to easily access Google's email service Gmail is now blocked in China, according to reports.
  
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• The most pirated movies of 2014 REVEALED

  29-12-2014 19:37
  
  THE top 20 most illegally downloaded movies have been revealed, with Frozen, The Wolf of Wall Street and Gravity topping the list.
  
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• Twitter users locked out of accounts over weekend and problems continue

  29-12-2014 19:30 via
  
  Twitter users were facing another day of disruption today as the San Francisco firm struggled to fix issues that have locked millions out of their accounts.
  
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• Google's Gmail is being blocked in China

  29-12-2014 19:19 via
  
  Gmail users have been unable to access accounts since Friday. The block is said to be a move by the government to crack down on outside web services, but the Foreign Ministry has denied involvement.
  
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• 'Drunk' birds slur their songs after being given alcohol

  29-12-2014 19:14 via
  
  Scientists from the Oregon Health and Science University gave zebra finches (stock image) alcoholic juice to drink and then carefully analysed their songs, finding that they were slurred.
  
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• The 'most popular word' of 2014 was the heart emoji

  29-12-2014 19:05 via
  
  The top word of 2014 was not actually a word at all, but instead an emoji in the shape of a heart which means love. The list has been compiled by the Global Language Monitor in Austin, Texas.
  
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• Hanukkah dig reveals a 1,600-year-old glass bracelet embossed with menorahs in Israel

  29-12-2014 18:59 via
  
  The decorated glass bracelet remains were found in Mount Carmel National Park, which was once a large settlement during the late Roman or early Byzantine period.
  
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• Pictures inside North Korea after US is accused of shutting down rogue state's internet in revenge for Sony hack

  29-12-2014 18:43 via
  
  During five years of visits, photographer Eric Lafforgue uncovered a republic wrestling with the need for the knowledge the World Wide Web offers, and the desire to censor and control its citizens.
  
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• A medical eye opener! Fish with cataracts is fitted with a glass eye to stop it being 'bullied' by other marine creatures

  29-12-2014 18:08 via
  
  The copper rockfish from Vancouver Aquarium had its eye removed after developing cataracts. A replacement was fitted (pictured) to make it appear stronger to other fish.
  
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• Robo-hawks could be heading for the front liney

  29-12-2014 17:55 via
  
  Virginia-based Darpa want hawk, and insect drones, to be able to travel through buildings (illustrated) independent of communication with outside operators, and without relying on GPS.
  
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• Rising sea to claim 7,000 properties

  29-12-2014 17:42 via bbc.co.uk
  
  An estimated 7,000 properties around England and Wales will be sacrificed to rising seas over the next century, according to the Environment Agency.
  
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• Solving the spaghetti mystery: Expert explains the physics behind why it's almost impossible to snap a strand of pasta in two

  29-12-2014 17:32 via
  
  YouTube star Destin Sandlin, who is an engineer in Alabama, filmed spaghetti snapping at 250,000 frames per second to unravel why it fractures instead of breaking in half.
  
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• Game Wire: Resident Evil leak reveals next title, new GTA 5 weapons for Online Heists

  29-12-2014 17:15
  
  THE EXPRESS brings you the top video game rumours from around the world-wide-web, including the next planned Resident Evil title launch and the incoming weapons list for GTA 5 Online Heists.
  
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• Heart emoji was most widely used character on social media, blogs and global news outlets in 2014

  29-12-2014 17:12 via
  
  The top word of 2014 was not actually a word at all, but instead an emoji in the shape of a heart which means love. The list has been compiled by the Global Language Monitor in Austin, Texas.
  
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• The new Samsung Smart TV app that will bring Playstation's top titles to your set

  29-12-2014 16:09
  
  SAMSUNG TV owners are set to receive a new upgrade to their sets that will give them access to Playstation 3 games.
  
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• Apple Pay's UK launch could be delayed over privacy concerns: Major bank said to be 'uncomfortable' with sharing data

  29-12-2014 16:06 via
  
  Reports claim talks between the California firm and a bank have 'proved tricky'. This could mean the release is delayed, or Apple may launch without signing a deal with the unnamed bank.
  
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• Young people can't fix gadgets because they live in a 'disposable' world, claims engineer

  29-12-2014 15:47 via
  
  Danielle George, Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering at the University of Manchester (pictured) said that people under the age of 40 expect gadgets to ‘just work’.
  
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• Did Venus once harbour life?

  29-12-2014 15:45 via
  
  Scientists at Cornell University in New York say the immense atmospheric pressures on Venus in its early days would have allowed huge oceans of supercritical carbon dioxide to form.
  
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• Latest Mercedes concept car will take over controls if you fall asleep

  29-12-2014 15:27 via
  
  The concept car will be unveiled at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. It will use LG’s Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) that uses cameras to monitor the road ahead.
  
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• The 'lost generation': Young people can't fix gadgets or appliances because they live in a 'disposable' world, engineer claims

  29-12-2014 15:21 via
  
  Danielle George, Professor of Radio Frequency Engineering at the University of Manchester (pictured) said that people under the age of 40 expect gadgets to ‘just work’.
  
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• Why GTA 5 and Destiny are extending the holiday fun for Xbox Live and PSN users

  29-12-2014 15:13
  
  XBOX LIVE and PSN users have been given a holiday boost after Rockstar and Bungie confirmed they would be extending their online events.
  
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• New Xbox One and Xbox 360 games for Microsoft's 2015 countdown sale

  29-12-2014 15:11
  
  BATTLEFIELD 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts and Assassin's Creed: Unity have all had price cuts on the Xbox One, Microsoft have announced.
  
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• Did Venus once harbour life? Simulations suggest organisms could have thrived in oceans that once covered the planet

  29-12-2014 15:07 via
  
  Scientists at Cornell University in New York say the immense atmospheric pressures on Venus in its early days would have allowed huge oceans of supercritical carbon dioxide to form.
  
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• The car that knows when you're feeling sleepy: Latest Mercedes concept will take over the controls if you doze off at the wheel

  29-12-2014 14:23 via
  
  The concept car will be unveiled at next month’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. It will use LG’s Advanced Driving Assistance System (ADAS) that uses cameras to monitor the road ahead.
  
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• These shoes were made for CHARGING: Footwear generates enough power to recharge a phone as you walk

  29-12-2014 13:57 via
  
  Former students from Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, came up with the smart insole, which they claim provides two-and-a-half hours of phone charge from a one-hour walk.
  
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• Fingerprint 'cloned from photos'

  29-12-2014 13:43 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Hacker Jan Krissler claims to have cloned the fingerprint of a German politician using standard photographs taken at an event.
  
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• Do violent criminals believe they are doing the right thing? Many murderers are 'morally motivated', claims study

  29-12-2014 13:41 via
  
  Researchers at the University of California claim that, apart from psychopaths, 'hardly anybody harming anybody else is doing something that they intend to be evil'.
  
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• Alien hunters spot a 'COFFIN' on Mars - and they want Nasa to take a closer look at the mysterious box-shaped rock

  29-12-2014 12:47 via
  
  The 'coffin', which is about 3.2 ft (one metre) across and 1.5ft (0.4 metres) wide, was spotted by Will Farrar from Maryland-based UFO site, WhatsUpintheSky37 from pictured sent back from the Curiosity rover.
  
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• Sony's PlayStation network is back online after Christmas Day hack - but heavy traffic may still stop players accessing the service

  29-12-2014 12:30 via
  
  The Japanese firm said the online gaming platform is back online after days of disruptions, but people may still struggle to connect as thousands of players attempt to access the service.
  
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• How exaggerating on Facebook can make you paranoid

  29-12-2014 12:22 via
  
  Almost two-thirds of social-media users lie to make their lives seem more interesting, claims a new study by the Society for Neuropsychoanalysis.
  
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• VIDEO: Technology's biggest trends of 2014

  29-12-2014 12:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Rory Cellan-Jones looks back at the big technology trends of 2014.
  
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• Hackers can steal your fingerprint from a PHOTO: Copycat print could be used by criminals to fool security systems

  29-12-2014 12:05 via
  
  A hacker known as Starbug told attendees of the Chaos Computer Club’s (CCC) 31st annual congress in Hamburg, Germany, that the copied print could be used for 'biometric authentication'.
  
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• University opens Magna Carta centre

  29-12-2014 11:55 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A centre to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta is to open to examine issues of personal freedom in the digital age.
  
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• Wolf 'most pirated film of 2014'

  29-12-2014 11:26 via bbc.co.uk
  
  The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese's true-life tale of corrupt New York stockbrokers, leads the pack of the most illegally downloaded movies of 2014.
  
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• Sony's Interview makes $15m online

  29-12-2014 11:13 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Controversial Sony film The Interview becomes the studio's most downloaded film ever, just four days after its release online.
  
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• Google's Gmail is being blocked in China: Activists claim the government is stopping people from checking their emails

  29-12-2014 11:11 via
  
  Gmail users have been unable to access accounts since Friday. The block is said to be a move by the government to crack down on outside web services, but the Foreign Ministry has denied involvement.
  
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• Record 2014 freeze for parts of UK

  29-12-2014 10:09 via bbc.co.uk
  
  Temperatures plunge as the UK has its coldest night of 2014 with a low of -8.8C recorded, BBC Weather says.
  
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• Moscow State University to cryogenically freeze DNA of EVERY creature that has ever lived

  29-12-2014 09:53 via
  
  Moscow State University has received the country's largest-ever scientific grant to embark on the project, which is scheduled to be completed by 2018 and will hold the DNA of every creature to have ever lived.
  
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• How exaggerating on Facebook can make you paranoid: People suffer sadness and shame when they fail to live up to online image

  29-12-2014 09:38 via
  
  Almost two-thirds of social-media users lie to make their lives seem more interesting, claims a new study. And experts say some suffer from ‘digital amnesia’ - forgetting real versions of events.
  
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• Vast underground complex where the Nazis developed WMD is discovered in Austria 

  29-12-2014 09:24 via
  
  The facility, which covers an area of up to 75 acres, was discovered near the town of St Georgen an der Gusen, Austria. It is believed that the complex is connected to the B8 Berkristall factory, pictured.
  
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