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Russian scientists said March 7 that they might have found a new form of bacterial life that had been entombed in a lake deep under Antarctica for millions of years. But Saturday AFP reported that the Russian scientists retracted the statement.

The 3D-Printed Urbee 2 Hybrid Car is Light, Strong, and Nearing Production by Morgana Matus, 03/03/13 Nothing says “Welcome to the Future” like a 3D-printed runabout vehicle with a hybrid engine, three wheels, speeds of up to 110 mph, and capacity to carry up to 1,200 lbs. The Urbee 2 is the result of Jim Kor’s dream for a modern, sustainable vehicle that will someday revolutionize the way that we commute. The exterior’s lightweight construction of ABS plastic allows for a minimum amount of drag and fuel required to operate the car, and it’s stronger and more easily manipulated than...

Is it too much to hope that even some catastrophists and peak-oil cultists will find it impossible to ignore the latest numbers? When the final figures for the fourth quarter of 2012 are in, the world will have a new crude oil production record: the total for the first three quarters was about 1 percent ahead of the 2011 total. This is a remarkable achievement for a commodity with annual output that now surpasses, for the first time ever, 4 billion metric tons and which has been, for decades, the largest source of fossil energy and the most valuable item...

As most of you have read or seen by now, a journalist and NBC/MSNBC media consultant named William “Bill” Arkin has created quite a stir by viciously insulting American soldiers in Iraq. He wrote at his Washington Post blog, “Early Warning: William M. Arkin on National and Homeland Security” column (1/30/07), that “… this NBC (Nightly News) report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary - oops sorry, volunteer force that thinks it is doing the dirty work” re Iraq. The “report,” according to Arkin, featured “a number of soldiers (who) expressed frustration with...

On January 26, 2013, the Librarian of Congress issued a ruling that made it illegal to unlock new phones. Unlocking is a technique to alter the settings on your phone to use your phone on a different carrier. Doing so could place you in legal liability for up to 5 years in jail and a $500,000 fine (specifically the Librarian of Congress allowed the existing exception to lapse). This prohibition is a violation of our property rights, and it makes you wonder, if you can’t alter the settings on your phone, do you even own your own phone? The ruling...

Typing on computers that have replaced typewriters, which previously replaced ink-pen and paper, some reporters write about the concern that increased productivity is leading to irreversible job losses for workers. "Some experts now believe that computers and robots will take over much of the work performed by humans, raising critical concerns about the future of jobs," wrote business and economics columnist Rick Haglund in MLive. Haglund’s piece came after a recent Associated Press article, “Recession, tech killing middle-class jobs” that also questioned advances in technology. "For decades, science fiction warned of a future when we would be architects of our...

In February 1933 the Boeing Aircraft Company -today enduring an extremely difficult period- flew a groundbreaking new plane for the very first time- the Boeing 247. This design could be called the first true airliner, as it featured major innovations -plus the safety and power of twin engines- that made commercial long-range air travel feasible: all-metal construction (no wood frame), retractable landing-gear, variable-pitch propellers, pneumatic de-icing system- even autopilot. With a top speed of 200mph/cruising at 189, the Boeing 247 was able to run a NYC to Los Angeles route in an impressive 20 hours (including 3 fuel stops),...

In December, a New York newspaper inspired a heated debate about transparency of public records after it published a (somewhat inaccurate) interactive map showing where all the gun owners in its community lived. After much criticism, a few death threats, and some legal concerns, the newspaper pulled the map down. This week, there’s an interesting development in the ongoing saga as to whether we should be able to map-stalk people with guns. A New York appellate court ruled in a different case that the NYPD doesn’t need to provide the New York Times with the addresses of gun owners because...

Get ready to hear a lot more about technological unemployment. The theory holds that automation, especially of the digital variety, is happening more quickly than entrepreneurs and human capital can adjust. And it’s why, says Andrew McAfee, co-author of Race Against the Machines, a boom in US manufacturing wouldn’t bring a boom in job creation: – Manufacturing employment has been on a steady downward trend in the U.S. since 1980 (it increased some after the end of the Great Recession, but this boost appears to be leveling out).– Manufacturing jobs have also been trending downward in Japan and Germany since...

From a highly informative post, Obama, Romney, and GOP Technology: A Chilling Analysis at Red Mass Group: This post is about technology, but is written for a non-technical audience.You may think you know what happened with the technology of the Obama and Romney campaigns because of what you read about Orca. You don’t know. This article is incredibly long. It will be worth it, and you will never look at technology and politics in the same way. If someone knows where to post or put this so that the RNC sees it, please do so. I am designating this content...

(Reuters) - China's largest auto parts maker won U.S. government approval to buy A123 Systems Inc (AONEQ.PK), a maker of electric car batteries, despite warnings by some lawmakers that the deal would transfer sensitive technology developed with U.S. government money. The sale of the lithium-ion battery maker to a U.S. unit of Wanxiang Group was approved by a U.S. government committee on foreign investment, according to a statement from the Chinese company. Last month, Wanxiang's U.S. unit agreed to pay $257 million for A123's automotive battery business and related assets in a bankruptcy auction, beating U.S. rival Johnson Controls Inc...

1911: Chester E. McDuffee’s patented diving suit The suit of Chester E. Macduffee is a fantastic suit to see. Although Macduffee patented 4 inventions and pictures of the actual diving suit are still available it is very strange nothing could be found about the inventor. In the book from Hermann Stelzner there are some references to Macduffee. The name of the inventor is often written in different ways. Stelzner calls him Macduff. He is also called McDuffie – MacDuffie – MacDuffy – Macduffie but the true name of the man was Macduffee. Stelzner wrote: Macduffs ADS was tested in 1915...

The Next 10 Years Are Going To Be Mind-BlowingWe are living in an extremely exciting time in terms of science and technology. Things that have always been considered science fiction are becoming normal day-to-day components of our lives. And while we have been seeing invention after breakthrough over and over in the last couple of decades, this next ten years is going to blow everything else out of the water.The awesome thing about all these scientific discoveries it that they create technology that allows us to make more breakthroughs even faster. Our ability to innovate is increasing exponentially as the...

The China problem is not just that China is raking in trillions of dollars because of Obama's spending and borrowing binges, and it's not just that government policies encourage well-paying U.S. manufacturing jobs to move overseas. An even bigger problem is that the Obama administration is about to give Communist China some of our most precious and up-to-date military technology. This particular chicanery started when the Obama administration foolishly tried to use taxpayers' money to force green energy to replace fossil fuels. But green energy can't compete in the free market because it's so much more expensive to produce. Obama...

CNET, one of the Internet's first and most influential authorities on gadgets and tech news, watched its editorial integrity spiral out of control Monday, with staffers quitting and editors left to explain themselves in the wake of explosive new charges over its annual Consumer Electronics Show awards — a scandal, it would appear, that goes all the way to the top of its corporate umbrella, and could shake the entire ecosystem of online tech journalism.

A German company used a futuristic laser weapon to cut through a half-inch thick steel girder from 2/3 of a mile away. But don’t try running away just yet: Dusseldorf-based Rheinmetall Group also reported that its new 50kW high-energy weapon technology can successfully detect and engage targets. The company announced its 2012 year-end operational testing at the Ochsenboden Proving Groud (EZO) in Switzerland, where it successfully overcame tough environmental conditions including snow, ice, rain and blinding sunlight to neutralize targets. Since 2011, the company has increased the power of its lasers five-fold, producing twice the laser output within the same...

Coffee with Friends A day at the beach Cheering for your team Dinner out with friends On a date Lunch with BFF Enjoying the art museum Crusin' with friends... h/t Roberto

NEW DELHI—India has proposed sweeping curbs on the import of technology products ranging from laptops to Wi-Fi devices to computer-network equipment. The proposed regulations, which were reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, would create an expansive "Buy India" mandate requiring a large percentage of the high-tech goods sold in the country to be manufactured locally. If implemented, the rules could wreak havoc on the business plans of a wide range of U.S. and other foreign firms, including hardware-makers Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO and Dell DELL Inc.; services companies such as International Business Machines IBM Corp.; and telecom-gear suppliers such as...

What if I told you that we have a new source of fuel? It's cheap, it burns cleaner than coal, it's found right here in America, and there's enough of it for the next hundred years. The fuel is natural gas. And the new source? Gigantic deposits of shale rock, miles underground. This one is called the Marcellus Shale. It covers 95,000 square miles, across four states. The gas is locked in the rock. If you crack a piece off you can actually smell the gas inside.

Roboy is a tendon driven robot so it will move almost as elegantly as a human. University of Zurich is lead designer. Roboy has more than 1000 Friends on Facebook!