Silicon sweatshopsGlobal Post is running a five-part investigation into the dubious labour practices of the Third World factories manufacturing the First World’s favorite high-tech gadgets. How cool does your iPhone look now?
Life / Science & Technology
Move over, Apple: get ready for the Google Phone
It’s only been a rumour until now, but TechCrunch says it can now confirm: Google is making its own mobile phone, and it should be out early next year. Time for Steve Jobs to start sweating?
Why we need an R18+ classification for video games
Australia remains one of the few first world countries to lack an 18+ classification for video games. By restricting a large portion of the gaming market, we become victims of media censorship, says Joel Vaughan.
Meet the man who killed the letter
In 1971, engineer Ray Tomlinson was asked to find something interesting to do with the newly created ARPANET computer network. So he invented email, inadvertently changing human communication forever.
Scientists create landmine-detecting bugs
Scientists have used DNA manipulation to create a new type of bacteria that glows green in the presence of explosives, and may be the future of landmine detection
NASA discovers water on the moon — or did it?
NASA grabbed headlines around the world with its announcement it has found “a significant amount” of water on the moon. But is 25 gallons of water really all that “significant”? It all sounds like a galactic-sized cash grab to Jon Wiener.
What broke the Hadron Collider? A baguette? Or time-travelling birds?
Most scientists believe the recent breakdown of the Large Hadron Collider was caused by a rogue piece of baguette, but two “esteemed” physicists say it was a time-travelling bird, sent from the future to sabotage the machine.
The short-sighted epidemic
In some countries around the world, 80% of young adults are myopic, compared to only 25% a few decades ago. What’s driving this epidemic of short-sightedness? And can it be turned around before the world becomes a blur for entire generations?
The science of screams: why we love horror films
Horror films — at least the good ones — terrify, shock and repulse us. So why do we keep going back for more? Scientists explain why humans love to have our pants scared off.
PHOTO GALLERY: The Sea Shepherd’s new anti-whaling stealth boat
Forget rickety old ships manned by raggedy hippies, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society’s new high-tech anti-whaling powerboat looks like it’s straight out of a Bond film. Go inside the latest weapon against Japanese whaling.
Are CSIRO scientists being gagged?
Three years ago, the CSIRO found itself in hot water for gagging scientists from commenting on climate change. Today, it looks like the organisation may still be trying to censor scientists’ public comments.
The science of Chinese whispers gone wrong
It all started when Reuters published a story about the positive cognitive effects of bad moods. Too bad the “study” doesn’t exist and neither does the journal it reportedly comes from, says science blogger Michael Slezak.
The world’s first Twitter-only gadget. Er, why?
Tech company Peek has created a hand-held gadget that only does one thing: tweet. For US$199, you can’t make phone calls, send SMS or check your email, but you can tweet on-the-go. Perfect for friendless geeks with no need for a real phone, we guess.
One world, one phone charger
Why does every single mobile phone have a different charger? Not only is it annoying, making and delivering replacement chargers has a huge carbon footprint. The UN’s Telecommunication Union is finally creating a universal charger — and it could cut C02 emissions by 24m tons a year.
Why a high IQ doesn’t mean you’re smart
Why do “smart” people do stupid things? IQ tests are good at measuring things like logic, abstract reasoning, learning ability and working-memory capacity — but they can’t tell if you’re a dumb-ass.
Why computers are bad at maths
In theory, computers should be able to perform flawless calculations; but in fact, they’re terrible at maths. TechRadar explains why, and how the consequences can cost lives.
Dinosaurs wiped out. Again.
It’s Pluto all over again: a third of identified dinosaur species may be scrapped as scientists discover they aren’t distinct species at all — just other known species at different ages.
Why does every country have a different plug?
There’s nothing more infuriating than travelling overseas and needing a different hair-dryer or shaver for every. damn. country. So why do different countries have different plugs? Can’t we all just get along?
Toyota invents its own climate-cooling flower
Manufacturing the Toyota Prius produces more CO2 than normal cars, so the company came up with a novel solution: engineer a new species of flower to plant around factories that reduces the temperature and the energy needed for cooling, thus offsetting the carbon emissions.
VIDEO: Reinventing the mouse
With the rise of laptops and touch-screen computing, many have predicted the death of the computer mouse. But Microsoft is working on five cool new iterations of the device that integrates multi-touch technology to go well beyond the old point-and-click.
Bush wasn’t dumb, just superficial
A new paper analysing George Dubbya Bush’s psyche says it’s a myth he’s stupid — his IQ is in the top 10% of the population — he’s just “intellectually lazy”, and thus prone to make stupid decisions.
How much larger is a coffee bean than a carbon atom?
It’s a question we’ve all pondered at some point (*cough*): just how much larger is a coffee bean than a carbon atom? This great little flash app offers a unique perspective.
The earth-asteroid collision that didn’t make headlines
On October 8, a mini-asteroid screamed into the upper atmosphere over the Indonesia and exploded with the force equivalent to two to three times that of the atom bombs that incinerated Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
graph pr0n Internet access: more than just smut and piracy
New data shows Australia’s young people are overwhelmingly using the internet for education more than anything else — yes, even porn — but their access to the web is strongly tied to socio-economic factors. Should the government started subsidising net access for low-income families?
Is a Hummer-driving vegan greener than a beef-eater in a Prius?
