29.10.10

File-Sharing Group Mulls a Floating Pirate Ship of Servers in the Sky

Pirate Parties International, the central group that unites all of the disparate political Pirate Parties in other countries, recently had a meeting wherein a particularly bonkers proposal was discussed. The problem: Where can servers that store data frequently seen as unsavory
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After $19 Billion Spent Over Six Years, Pentagon Realizes the Best Bomb Detector Is a Dog

The Pentagon's best (and best-funded) engineers have toiled for years, only to realize the supremacy of the canine schnoz After six years and nearly $19 billion in spending, the Pentagon task force assigned to create better ways to detect bombs has revealed
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Intellitar's "Digital Clones" Creepily Preserve Your Legacy For Future Generations

What do you get when you cross a 1990s AIM-bot with the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks? Today, a company called Intellitar is set to release Virtual Eternity, a bit
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After 14 Years of Drilling, the World's Longest Tunnel Breaks Through the Swiss Alps Today

The Gotthard Base Tunnel, two parallel tubes of over 35 miles each through the Swiss Alps, is a ridiculously ambitious undertaking, one that has taken 14 years so far and still has a few left to go before it'll be operational. But the Swiss have achieved a major milestone
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World's First Robot Census Prompts Existential Robot Questions

At Carnegie Mellon University, one robotics student estimates that there are more robots than students in the department, but in a shameful display of mammalian arrogance, the precise number and type of said robots is unknown. That realization led the student, Heather
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All About the A380

Everyone is talking about the A380 today. Find out why here I live in the upper North Shore
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Science Confirms the Obvious: Men Look At Porn

Also: The Sky is Blue, Water is Wet? An overseas study into the differences between the
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DIY Helicam Takes Awesome Aerial Videos

A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the BeetleCam, a remote-controlled roving camera that lets photographers take pictures of wild animals up close. While clawed critters present one sort of obstacle to a great photo, the perfect shot is often blocked by something
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At physics conference, scientists say they are closing in on 'God particle'

As particle physicists gather this week for a conference in Paris, they're reporting progress toward finding the elusive Higgs boson, with two groups suggesting a Higgs discovery may not be far off. Physicists from Fermilab in Illinois announced they combined the results of two experiments
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Video: Military's New Water Guns Can Rip Through Steel, Disabling IEDs

Need to disarm an IED? Make sure you've got your Super Soaker handy. Sorry, make that your "Fluid Blade Disablement Tool." The Stingray, the military's newest bomb-fighting tech, is a small water gun developed
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A huge week in photography

In the days leading up to the industry-stopping Photokina event, the major players have lifted the lid on all-new and exciting camera bodies that are sure to command the attention of conference attendees when it finally kicks off.
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Dog Poo Powers a Streetlight In Massachusetts Park

Good dog parents might think they're doing their part by using biodegradable baggies to pick up after their pooches. But after Fido's feces go in the trash can and to a landfill, they release methane gas, a significant contributor to the greenhouse effect. A dog
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New Electric Skin Could Bring the Human Touch to Robots, Artificial Limbs

Human skin is primed for touch - even minuscule pressure from a fly is enough to make you flinch. This ability does not yet extend to artificial limbs, however, and robots are a long way from having sensitive tactile abilities. Now two California research teams have announced
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Munich Deploys Custom Bacteria at Oktoberfest to Devour Ubiquitous Stink of Stale Beer

Bavarian beer purveyors concerned about a smelly Oktoberfest are hoping bacteria can make the experience more enjoyable. They plan to pour a solution of live bacteria on the
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Samsung's New Notebooks

Samsung has announced three new models to add to its lineup of notebooks - the QX series, the RF series and the SF series. We haven't had a chance to test any of these units yet, but the press release offers the following information: QX Series: This Core i5-driven notebook is made for professionals
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Attack of the clones

I was recently reinformed that the word ‘science’ is derived from the Latin word ‘scientia’ which translates simply to ‘knowledge’. This is a rather apt name for science as it is, at its core, concerned with the gathering of knowledge. We can attribute this gathering of knowledge
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Astronauts have it easy

When we’re knee-high to a grasshopper, our dream jobs are often more impractical than we understand at the time. Doubtlessly, many of us can relate to playing the “When I grow up I wanna be…” game, with common responses often along the lines of “Hollywood movie star”, “Prime Minister”,
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Technological advancements aren’t as exciting as they used to be

It was only last week that I was looking for suggestions for science-fiction technologies that could help to advance science actual. But upon reading
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Humans are antiquated technology that should be replaced

Regardless of whether you’re a football (read: soccer) fan, you’ll doubtlessly have some awareness that the World Cup is scheduled to kick off this year. And even though the thought of the 2014 World Cup is far from most minds, it hasn’t stopped news cropping up about a World Cup that
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What’s the deal with the iPad?

You’ve got to hand it to Apple and their cunning marketeers; put simply, they’ve got the formula right. Once upon a time the humble Mac used to be a niche computer when compared to the dominance of the PC, but now it’s difficult to walk into a university or office without seeing a plethora
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LEGO is still the coolest toy for kids (and kids at heart)

For years now I’ve been trying to come to terms with the fact that I find it hard to resist the urge to walk through the so-called ‘kids’ section of your average K-Mart, Target or Big W to check out the toys. Toys have always been of interest to me and even though I’m no longer an adolescent,
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Technology + lifestyle efficiencies = all work and no play

At one point or another in our lives, most of us would have had the hypothetical conversation surround which era of time we’d like to visit or have been born in. For some, living at the time of knights and fair maidens has chivalrous appeal. For others, living at a time when technology was
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Technological advancements continue to encourage ‘irrational’ fears

You know you’re destined to spread your opinions on a larger scale than your average Joe when you find yourself capable of coming up with a darker/weirder/funnier real-life story when partaking in story swapping. I’m sure that most people can relate to having that one friend who seems to
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New approach to treating human disease wins top international computational science prize

Dr Peer Bork, a bioinformatician from
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Welcome to the new PopSci website!

Welcome to the new popsci.com.au – bigger and better than ever! Apologies for any issues you may have encountered during the last few days while we have been testing the site. Hopefully we have now resolved all the glitches and you will enjoy our new look and many great new features. Make
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