Amazon’s Kiva Robot Acquisition is Bullish for Both Amazon and American Jobs
You can imagine an episode of The Office in which Michael Scott has to tell warehouse supervisor Darrell that he’s being replaced by a squat, turtle-like orange robot. In that world, odds are it would end with the robot carrying Michael out the door holding his pink slip, and Darrell…
Lafuente Proposes WiFi in City’s Parks
Ward 4 Alderman Tony Lafuente would like Somerville’s parks and public areas to be WifFi hotspots. At the Somerville Board of Aldermen meeting held Thursday night, Lafuente presented a resolution asking the city to explore options for expanding WiFi capabilities to such areas. At-large aldermen Dennis Sullivan and William White also…
WiFi’s free, but you may be charged to plug in
Meeting the people and exploring the inventions that are shaping our horizons. The cost to power up and logon at your favorite coffee shop may soon be more than the price of a double-tall latte thanks to a new plug developed by Sony that can track your laptop’s energy usage…
iPhone 5 to have 4.6-inch Retina display
This next generation iPhone, whatever it may end up being called by the end of the year when it will almost certainly be announced and launched, will continue the iPhone trend of having a Retina-quality display, this time at a larger 4.6-inch size. This update to the iPhone or any…
Rugged Atom netbook chosen for 5-week North Pole expedition
Consumers are spoilt for choice when it comes to selecting a new laptop. You can maximize on portability, or go with a desktop replacement instead. Select a cheaper Windows machine or give in and pay for a shiny MacBook Air or Pro. But then, the worst conditions the laptop you…
Allen Stanford’s Twitter Complaint Fails to Win Retrial
R. Allen Stanford, found guilty ofrunning a $7 billion Ponzi scheme, lost a retrial bid in whichhis lawyers argued that Twitter comments by courtroom newsreporters may have influenced the jury that convicted him. “The defendant’s motion for a new trial is denied,” U.S.District Judge David Hittner in Houston ruled today withoutelaboration…
Porn star accepts prom date over Twitter, gets banned by school
A high school student recently posted over 600 Twitter messages in an attempt to get a porn star almost every female porn star, really to be his prom date. He got lucky and found one who’d happily attend the dance with him, but then his school’s administration banned the adult While…
Jellyfish-like Robot Takes a Very Simple Swim
Researchers in the U.S. have developed an aquatic, hydrogen-powered robot that mimics the simple and efficient swimming motions of a jellyfish. Robojelly, as the unmanned submersible has been dubbed, uses eight contracting “muscles” to eject water and propel itself forward. Theoretically, the experimental robot would never need to be…
BlackBerry Maker Seeks iOS Developer For Apps
The PlayBook tablet, which was the BlackBerry maker’s answer to the iPad, went on sale in April 2011. Since then, RIM has lost $485 million on unsold units.At the beginning of January, RIM slashed the price of all models of its tablet to $299. The special pricing will last until…
Finally, a Foursquare Badge for People Who Hate Taking Taxis
Foursquare, the location-based social app, has been on quite the run with issuing new badges for those who like to get out and explore beyond their city…but into the world. From Baltimore to Moscow, the focus has been on highlighting individual cities. Today, however, the table turns to transportation and…
