Category: Science

  • Distributed computing comes to Android with BOINC

    Our understanding of the world around us has grown by leaps and bounds since the invention of the computer. The simulation of complex systems in particular involves crunching a ton of numbers, a task computers excel at. Unfortunately, the very best number crunchers happen to be extremely expensive, both to buy and to maintain. Through…

  • How technology companies are improving voice recognition software

    While voice recognition software has certainly improved in the two decades, it hasn’t exactly been the blockbuster tech that Ray Kurzweil predicted. My first experiments with the technology were playing around with Microsoft’s Speech API (circa Windows 95) and early versions of Dragon Naturally Speaking. Both were interesting as “toys” but didn’t work well enough…

  • What will technology be like when Generation Y gets old?

    When I think about the future, I wonder what technology will be 40 years from now. Today’s older generation love to boast to the younger crowd about how they got through life without computers, tablets, or smartphones. However, when I’m older, what am I going to say to the younger generation? “When I was your…

  • Spice Up Your Android Wallpaper With Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Once you’ve grown tired of Android’s multitude of live wallpapers, or if (God forbid) you’re still rocking whatever default wallpaper your phone came with, it might be time for a change. Add some science to your day and keep your wallpaper fresh with Astronomy Picture of the Day. Astronomy Picture of the Day scrapes the…

  • Progress Bars use Optical Illusions to Appear Faster

    I’d rather not think about how many hours I’ve spent staring at progress bars in my life. They’re a lot faster than the used to be because of better processors and internet connections, but we still have to wait patiently while transferring large files, downloading video games on Steam, or streaming videos online. Have you…

  • One Small Step for Android, One Giant Leap for Synthetic Robotic Organisms

    You might remember that we gave away some pretty sweet limited edition Android collectibles a few months ago.  As it turns out, these Androids had a few buddies that recently took a trip to the upper stratosphere (about 100,000 feet above the Earth’s surface) to take part in a research experiment by Google. A team…

  • HP and Hynix are Creating the Next Generation of Memory

    HP is currently working with Hynix Semiconductor to develop the next generation of computer memory.  This new non-volatile memory, dubbed Resistive Random Access Memory, or ReRAM for short, will be built upon memristor technology.  Memristor technology has been considered only theoretical since 1971, but changed in 2006 when HP Labs was able to develop the…

  • Perseids Meteor Shower Peaks Soon, Find the Best Time to Watch Where You Live

    Depending on where you live, the Perseids meteor shower will be reaching its peak sometime during the night of August 12th and the morning of August 13th.  Since many factors can impact the visibility of astronomical events like meteor showers, NASA provides a great Java applet called the Fluxtimator that can show you the best…