October 2011
Exposed Copyright Trolls Dump Mass-BitTorrent... →
The ongoing mass-BitTorrent lawsuits in the U.S. have led to some creative collaborations between lawyers and copyright holders.
Perhaps the most eye-catching is the setup used by a company…
More Google searches to be encrypted →
Introduced last year, the ability to use SSL encryption with Google searches is to become the default for registered users logged in to their accounts
The True Cost of Commuting [Commute] →
Your daily commute costs a lot more than what you pay each trip to the gas station. Personal finance blogger Mr. Money Mustache details the true cost of commuting, walking through how to…
Key logging virus infects US military drones →
The virus has so far resisted all attempts to remove it; however no data loss or damage has been reported
September 2011
Adobe announces emergency patch for Flash Player →
Adobe is planning to release an update for its Flash Player to close several security vulnerabilities and a cross-site scripting hole. The XSS hole is already actively being exploited
uTorrent server delivered malware for two hours on... →
The servers of the BitTorrent company were compromised on 13 September, and for almost two hours served malware to anybody downloading the uTorrent client
August 2011
Best Foods to Buy in Bulk →
Go big or go home. It’s true for job interviews, sports games and reality TV competitions — and often, trips to the grocery store.
Checking the unit price on the shelf tag, which…
"Everyone Is a Genius" [Quotables] →
…”But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” Einstein’s quote reminds us to think twice before measuring ourselves (and…
June 2011
Torrential torrenty torrents! →
A fellow named Brian Wilson (not that one) is currently hosting a colossal torrent of MP3s of Atheist Experience shows from 2004 through 2010. No idea if this includes my final episodes with…
May 2011
U.S. To Introduce Draconian Anti-Piracy Censorship... →
Internet censorship is a hot topic this year.
During the past 12 months the U.S. Government seized more than 100 domain names it claimed were promoting copyright infringement. But this was…
Manvotional: Call of the Wild →
Call of the Wild
By: Robert W. Service
Have you gazed on naked grandeur
where there’s nothing else to gaze on,
Set pieces and drop-curtain scenes galore,
Big mountains heaved to…
Antivaxxer Mark Geier has license revoked in... →
I do so love to report these wins for reality, as rare as they are: the very vocal antivax advocate Mark Geier has had his medical license revoked in Maryland. Why?
The Maryland State Board of…
Pat yourselves on the back, godless folk →
Read the latest from Gregory Paul and Phil Zuckerman. Are we smug and arrogant? Damned right, and with good reason. A growing body of social science research reveals that atheists, and…
April 2011
This is low →
Oh, look what’s on the pharmacy shelves! It’s “medicine” for cute little babies! Everyone loves babies, and we want them to gurgle and coo and be happy, so when their widdle tummies make them…
Christian barbarians →
The destruction of the Buddhas of Bamiyan by the Taliban was a clear example of the destructive power of religious intolerance — it takes a religious mind to turn the demolition of art into a…
Fell for a “free” credit report? You may be part... →
Photo: Brian Turner
Have you ever heard of a company called Consumerinfo.com? You probably have not. But, chances are that you have heard of (or seen) FreeCreditReport.com and…
TuneIn Radio Streams Local Radio Stations on... →
Most mobile platforms: TuneIn Radio is an online radio streaming service that brings you favorite local radio stations (commercials and all) to a ton of different platforms. They are on…
Artists Don’t Think Piracy Hurts Them Financially,... →
Yesterday, the Dutch Government announced plans to outlaw downloading of all copyrighted material and measures to make it easier to block websites that facilitate copyright infringement. An…
Results of a poll from 1950 two weeks ago →
On the Venn diagram of politics, the intersection of Mississippi and Republican is a very ugly place. Read the comments on this post…
I get email — it's not always loons! →
For a change of pace, here’s an email from a reader who is not a crazy creationist, but instead an atheist scientist with a problem. Hmmm…maybe I should work on being the scientist version of Dan…
Why the US needs to blacklist, censor pirate... →
Piracy runs rampant on the Internet, but Daniel Castro says it doesn’t have to be this way. He wants the US government to start creating a blacklist of Internet sites; once approved by a judge,…
March 2011
When beauty and science collide →
I’ve been posting a lot of nice astronomical images lately, but sometimes one comes along and blows me completely away. How fantastically gorgeous is this?
Holy Haleakala! [Click to…
Sponsored Accounts Update: Volume Pricing and... →
Recently, we unveiled Evernote Sponsored Accounts, which make it easy for teams, schools and businesses to purchase and manage Evernote Premium subscriptions for everyone in their organizations….
Ray Comfort - on the show this Sunday →
I just got off the phone with Ray and he’ll be on the show this Sunday for an interview/discussion. He’d like those of you with questions to e-mail them to me and I’ll pick some of them to use on the…
Money Management Tips for the Self-Employed →
Photo: {Guerrilla Futures | Jason Tester}
Right now, I’m sitting at my favorite cafe, drinking green tea and having my face illuminated in an unflattering way by my laptop screen.
…
So that's what they mean by the “War on... →
Minnesota is leading the way. Our Rethuglicans have figured out how to end poverty: by making it illegal to have money if you’re poor? Wait, that makes no sense. Minnesota Republicans are…
White House: Streaming Should Be a Felony, Wiretap... →
The Obama administration’s IP Enforcement Coordinator, Victoria Espinel, has finally released her list of proposals for changes in intellectual property law. While there is a strong presence in her…
Next up for Congress: repeal the law of gravity →
Today, House Republicans made it clear just how antiscience they are (as if we didn’t know already): they voted down a simple amendment declaring the reality of climate change. Not that it was…
March 08, 2011 →
Are you a fan of Discover Magazine? Make sure to pick up the April edition. They have a section on webcomics!
Did scientists discover bacteria in meteorites? →
No. No, no, no. No no no no no no no no. No, no. No. Fox News broke the story, which ought to make one immediately suspicious — it’s not an organization noted for scientific acumen. But even…
Has life been found in a meteorite? →
Richard Hoover, an astrobiologist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, thinks he may have found bacteria in a meteorite.
Yes, you read that right. The question is, is he right?
I don’t know….
Third-grader ‘heals’ friends with magic, Fox News... →
Below is a news clip from our local Fox station. I feel very, very sorry for Leif Reffsgaard, who is being rewarded with a lot of attention for being gullible. He’s a third grader who claims to be…
Lies wrapped in piety →
I sat through another horrid performance from our creationist visitor, Terry Mortenson. He lied and lied and lied for a couple of hours again, and once again refused to answer questions. Once again,…
February 2011
It's open season on women and doctors out there! →
The economy sucks, so why are Republicans making such obnoxious noises over abortion and birth control lately? (That was an entirely rhetorical question, and it’s obvious why: they’ve got no…
Creationists suffer defeat in Oklahoma →
A few weeks ago I wrote about Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern, who had submitted a bill to the state legislature that would significantly weaken science education in that state….
Amazon Gives Prime Members Unlimited Streaming →
Amazon Prime Members can now enjoy unlimited, commercial-free, instant streaming of more than 5,000 movies and TV shows, Amazon announced in a press release. Prime Members, who already pay…
Redbox Confirms Streaming Service is Coming →
We’ve been hearing rumblings for months now that Redbox has been laying the groundwork to challenge Netflix in video streaming. Redbox president Mitch Lowe has now confirmed this fact in a…
Microsoft Patches out AutoRun for USB Devices →
Remember when you could insert a USB key into a Windows machine and have it auto-run any application stored on the device? Of course you do, it was only patched out for non-Windows 7 users…
Sagan destroys astrology →
I imagine that a lot of folks who read my blog have already seen this, but just in case: go read Carl Sagan and his fully armed spaceship of the imagination. One panel is here, and the rest…
January 2011
Governor of Alabama apologizes…sorta →
Robert Bentley must have been feeling some political heat. After openly announcing his sectarian bias in a MLK Day speech, Bentley has offered a not-pology. If anyone from other religions felt…
The professional victim squad is patrolling again →
Okay, let me get this out of the way first:
Dude in the commercial totally looks like me. It’s uncanny, but it’s not me.
Pause the video at about 20 seconds to see the guy. (You…
Get Quick Google Maps Directions from Your House... →
Chrome’s custom search engines, like Firefox’s keyword bookmarks, are great at getting information with fewer key taps. One Lifehacker commenter recommends creating a search that auto-fills…
How to keep your customers safe at your business'... →
Public WiFi is insecure. But it doesn’t have to be. If you own or manage a venue, like a coffeeshop or restaurant, and provide free and open WiFi, you can help protect your customers without…
December 2010
RunKeeper Pro—Our Favorite Mobile Running App—Is... →
iOS/Android: Our favorite run-tracking app (and yours) RunKeeper, available for both iOS and Android, is offering a free download of their pro version through January (normally $10).
The free…
Most Popular Firefox Extensions and Posts of 2010... →
Firefox isn’t the only browser for power users anymore, but that didn’t stop it from having a great year of updates, extensions, and tweaks in 2010. Here’s a look back at the most popular…
Microsoft Security Essentials 2 Released, Still... →
Windows: We’ve learned to stop worrying about antivirus software since Microsoft released their great Microsoft Security Essentials suite, but today it gets even better, improving Windows…
Senator: New net neutrality plan worse than "doing... →
We’re five days and counting from the Federal Communications Commission issuing new net neutrality rules. Nobody beyond insiders at the agency has seen the draft Order in question. But Senator…
Why Most Hardware Specs Are Total Bull →
To measure is to know, said Lord Kelvin. But as marketing departments get more and more creative with their published specifications, what we’re left measuring—and by extension,…
Netflix Licenses More TV Streaming Content →
Netflix announced today that they have acquired streaming licenses to a plethora of ABC and Disney owned TV shows. The entire run of Lost will be available, and will popular programs like…
Truly Decentralized BitTorrent Downloading Has... →
BitTorrent is a great technology to share files both quickly and efficiently, but like all other P2P-technologies it has an Achilles’ heel. The download process relies in part on central servers that…