Has Peter Higgs found the ‘God particle’?If British professor Peter Higgs has found the ‘God particle’, scientists stymied by a conundrum known as the ‘Infinity Puzzle’ will finally have a formula to measure the previously unmeasurable, writes Frank Close.
Culture / People & Ideas / Science & Tech
Visions of future flying machines: a 200 mile high club, a zero G bridal suite…
How about a zero G bridal suite in earth orbit, or an inter-city tilt rotor aircraft with room for thousands of commuters? These are among the latest visions of future flying machines by the Yelken Octuri design studio, writes Ben Sandlands.
Mario maestro Shigeru Miyamoto on the future of Nintendo
Shigeru Miyamoto’s greatest stamp on popular culture was Super Mario Bros, which he created in 1985. Miyamoto talks to Wired about Nintendo’s ongoing quest to expand the definition of video games, the company’s future and his desire to work on smaller projects.
An eclipse, when astronomy meets designer drugs
If you had clear skies and thought the total eclipse of the moon looked good early Sunday, then just wait until early morning in far north Queensland and parts of Arnhem Land on November 14 next year.
aviation industry The awesome eeriness of planes
Why is that so many awe-inspiring feats of engineering hare so hard to separate from deliberate mass death and misery? asks Robin Cameron.
Wired’s top 5 toys of all time
Wired’s selection of the top five toys in history isn’t exactly a crop of techno delights. Coming it at number one: a good ol’ fashioned stick, writes Jonathan Liu.
Road-train of the Week: ‘The Bitch’ and her sisters
Bob Gosford managed to squeeze past her on the way to Borroloola in NT’s Gulf country. She jumped and bounced like something possessed. She is ‘The Bitch’, one almighty big mumma of a truck. And she has sisters…
Translating ancient manuscripts via crowdsourcing
Since the 1990s, scientists have recruited idle home computers to help with data analysis. These days a much broader range of research questions can be tackled through crowdsourcing techniques that harness genuine human intellect, writes Piers Kelly.
Does war sell better than sex? The phenomenon of Modern Warfare 3
In its first 24 hours of launch, Activision Blizzard’s new computer game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 earned the company a staggering $400 million in sales. The game may not explore the subject of war but it sure exploits it, writes NAJ Taylor.
Brooker: the real problem with video games is not the violence, it’s the characters
Sampling the blockbuster new video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Charlie Brooker was struck by the following conclusion: that all the characters are loaded with “dick-swinging machismo.”
Reversing the panopticon: police officially relaxed about being filmed
The proliferation of mobile phones is infuriating American police, who object to being filmed at work. Australian police say they’re a lot more relaxed.
20 things Steve Jobs didn’t invent
Steve Jobs was an incredible inventor, but he didn’t create everything to do with the internet, music and personal computing. Michelle Collins examines the 20 inventions we should be grateful Jobs never touched.
Nobel winner puts pressure on lazy reporting
Brian Schmidt, the Australian National University astrophysicist who became a brilliant new star overnight when named a joint Nobel Prize science winner should also get an award for putting pressure on lazy science reporting.
Why I dumped my smart phone
Early adopter Sam Graham-Felsen was an iPhone addict from the minute it came out, until realising it had taken over his life. He explains why he quit back in 2009 for a plain old Nokia and won’t be trading it in for the latest model.
Apple unveils new iPhone: it’s not the 5 but it’s alright
Apple launched its new iPhone 4S this morning, including a new, powerful voice recognition technology, but stopped short of releasing an all-new iPhone 5. Patrick Stafford reviews the changes.
Guy Rundle: The pole stars to navigate a future only just begun
Watching the news, two stories catch one’s eye, and remind one of how much things are changing, and how fast. The journey from bits to atoms is not as simple as that from atoms to bits.
Mapping ethics of Aboriginal genome research
New research mapping the Aboriginal genome garnered international attention last week and is re-writing the history books on human migration, but scientists fear the news raises an ethical quagmire here in Australia.
Is your son gay? Find out with this handy Android app
A new Android app called “Is My Son Gay?” claims to determine sexual orientation through 20 questions including “does he like musical comedies?” reports Jason O. Gilbert.
NBN retail pricing neither a bargain nor an extravagance
With the National Broadband Network retail pricing announced by iiNet yesterday, it becomes clear that claiming the NBN is too expensive, a bargain, or little-bear just right for the punters is a tad premature.
The birth of the emoticon :-)
Twenty years ago American Scott Fahlman posted two messages to a bulletin board at Carnegie Mellon University. He instructed readers to tilt their heads to the side and thus the emoticon was born, reports Tony Long.
The need for speed: test riding China’s new rail network
The Chinese love and admire their trains and ride them in the millions. They now have a $32 billion high-speed line between Shanghai and Bejing and experiencing it is quite something, writes Simon Winchester.
A new, Twitteriffic alarm clock
A new alarm clock app for Apple devices has an innovative way of ensuring you wake up in the morning. If you sleep in, it will log into your Twitter account and embarrass you, reports Lauren Dugan.
PHOTO GALLERY 
Time to know the world’s best watches
As wristwatches continue to slink into smartphone-inflicted nostalgia, now is a good time to reflect, courtesy of The independent, on the best 50 watches from around the world.
Star Trek gadgets that crossed the bridge from fantasy to fact
From flip phones to voice activation calls, GPS and even iPads, Star Trek pre-empted a number of real life technologies. Mashable spotlights eight of them.
Half of cancer sufferers don’t understand why they have it
Despite cancer research increasingly unveiling more about the ‘big C’, we still see myths thrive. What effect does this have? Myths are just part and parcel of the great unknown — right? It shouldn’t be this way, says Freddy Sitas.
