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A homeless man who claims he wasn't paid the promised $20 for standing in line.

As long as there is still excitement about an iPhone, capitalism survives to crow another day.

So while many smiling faces and giddy torsos were witnessed around the world as the new iPhones went on sale Friday, some people were left grim.

At the Pasadena, Calif., Apple store, there was more than the average level of commotion.

A businessman had allegedly hired around 100 homeless people to stand in line on his behalf. Their remit was to get vouchers for two iPhones each. For this they say they were promised $20 for each phone they could secure. (Apple imposes a two-phone limit.)

However, as Rich DeMuro of KTLA-TV reports, some claim they didn't get their money.

One homeless man spoke to DeMuro on camera. He said he'd stood in line from 6 p.m. on ...read more...

A reassuring pop-up on the NSA's Web site.

The US National Security Agency has posted an ad for a "Civil Liberties & Privacy Officer," offering critics of the NSA a well-nigh irresistible chance to play the time-honored game of reading between the lines of a job listing.

Some of the potentially more ironic phrases:

• The candidate "rapidly adapts to...unexpected obstacles,"
• "deals effectively with pressure; remains optimistic and persistent, even under adversity,"
• "complies with established control systems and rules," and
• "perceives organizational...reality and acts accordingly."

The NSA surveillance scandal is no joke, of course. It threatens both the Constitution and, possibly, the agency's effectiveness at fighting terrorism. But given the NSA's perceived double-talk on the issue, one might be forgiven a snigger or two at the job post. (Besides, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has said himself that the debate surrounding the agency's spy programs needed to happen -- surely that ...read more...

Meet Andrew Miller, part of an elite group of costumers who seek movie-quality perfection in their outfits.

Three types of people generally inhabit costuming (cosplay) culture: those who buy elementary outfits from places like Party City; those who pursue advanced costumes that tally up hundreds of dollars; and truly dedicated folks like Andrew Miller, who invested hundreds of hours into creating his own custom-made Boba Fett getup.

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• Watch video of Boba Fett's first screen test

For Miller, a Michigan office worker, being Boba Fett -- or at least looking and acting a whole lot like the intergalactic bounty hunter -- has become a second life of sorts. The pictorial below explores Miller's "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"-inspired Boba Fett outfit, which took many years of dedicated work, research, and painting -- and, of course, extraordinary attention to detail -- to achieve.

You'll learn ...read more...

Компания Lenovo представила компактный планшет S5000. Толщина планшета составляет всего 7,9 мм, а вес устройства – 246 граммов. По словам компании, это почти на двадцать процентов меньше, чем у его современных конкурентов премиум-класса.

Lenovo S5000

Планшет получил 7-дюймовый HD-дисплей (1280х800 пикселей) с яркостью 350 нит и широкими углами обзора. Фронтальная камера обладает разрешением 1,6 Мп, а задняя камера - 5-мегапиксельная.

Lenovo S5000 работает под управлением операционной системы Android 4.2 Jelly Bean и на основе четырехядерного процессора Media Tek 8389 с тактовой частотой 1,2 ГГц. Кроме того, предлагается опциональная возможность подключения к сотовым сетям с помощью 3G HSPA+. USB-порт с поддержкой OTG позволит подключить к планшету внешний жесткий диск или подзарядить другие устройства. Аккумулятор емкостью 3450 мАч дает возможность использовать Интернет в течение восьми часов или же отдыхать за просмотром HD видео шесть часов без подзарядки.

Планшет S5000 поступит в продажу в четвертом квартале 2013 года. В Европе модель на 16 ГБ и с Wi-Fi будет продаваться по рекомендованной цене в 199 евро, а ...read more...

NASA's LADEE lunar probe takes off from Virginia aboard a Minotaur V rocket.

There's a bizarre glow on the moon and scientists have launched a probe to figure out what it is.

A Minotaur V rocket roared into the skies above Virginia late Friday carrying the super sleuth robot, NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), which will examine the moon's infinitesimal atmosphere and dust.

The $280 million mission began with a textbook launch, visible to millions along the East Coast, as the probe was carried aloft at 11:27 PM EDT from Pad 0B at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.

It marks the first use of Wallops Island for a moonshot, as well as the debut mission for Orbital Sciences' Minotaur V booster.

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• NASA rocket launch to the moon visible ...read more...
  
  
  

The incomparable dance maestro, David Brent.

Let's discuss the word "daft."

It is a very English -- Ye Olde English -- word that some would translate as "foolish." And others would translate as "utterly, mindbendingly insane."

There is a band called Daft Punk, which, though French, got its name when an English music magazine described the music its members originally created as "daft punk."

Here is the denouement: It's a daft idea to get an interviewee to dance to Daft Punk.

When I say "interviewee," I don't mean interviewing for a place in the band. I mean interviewing for a job in an electronics store.

Yet 21-year-old Alan Bacon insisted that is exactly what people at the Currys Megastore in Cardiff, Wales made him do.

As the BBC reports, Bacon is a university graduate who loves cameras.

He ended up being asked to do a cameo that seemed to come ...read more...

Uber's DeLoreans allegedly cannot fly, nor can they travel through time.

Uber may occasionally fit the Silicon Valley stereotypes of unnecessary excess, what with its helicopter rides on the 4th of July and boat service during the BART strike. But how can you knock the company when it gives its customers a chance to step back in time, through those glorious gull-wing doors and into a simpler time of Chuck Berry covers and vest-and-flannel combos?

So for the truly diehard Back to the Future fans already dusting off their limited edition pair of Nike Air MAGs, Uber is offering free DeLorean rides to San Francisco users thanks to a partnership with General Motors. The promotion will last for this weekend only.

It's all part of a ...read more...

Some Apple parody videos are better than others and the one going viral on the Internet right now, simply entitled "Introducing the iPhone 5S," ranks a solid 8 out of 10 with some pretty amusing lines.

Some of the better quotes include:

"To create the new iPhone, we started with a design we really loved. And then...stopped."

"We have found a way to sell the exact same iPhone a year later...and sell millions."

"We decided to spend more money on marketing because all the time added up is time...added up."

"We laid off our who engineering staff to show how dedicated we were to this new direction."

Enjoy.

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Компания Samsung Electronics представила на выставке IFA 2013 UHD OLED телевизоры. Новинки обеспечивают реалистичное и детализированное изображение разрешения Ultra HD с высокими показателями яркости и контрастности, которых удалось достичь благодаря OLED-технологии.

Samsung UHD OLED TV

UHD-телевизоры обеспечивают яркие впечатления от просмотра, благодаря 8 млн пикселей и разрешению в 4 раза выше, чем у Full HD моделей. Как отмечает производитель, также сочетание технологий OLED и самоизлучающих суб-пикселей позволило вывести качество и контрастность изображения на новый уровень.

Телевизоры Samsung UHD OLED TV представлены на стенде компании в обычном и изогнутом форматах с диагональю экрана 55 дюймов каждый. Экспозиция компании также включает в себя Samsung Curved OLED TV и полную линейку UHD-телевизоров Samsung с диагональю 110, 98, 85, 65 и 55 дюймов.

NASA's Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer will orbit the Moon to gather information on its atmosphere and surface conditions. It launches from Wallops Island, Va. tonight at 11:27 p.m. ET.

If the typical bevy of Friday night activities seem just too boring to bear, try out a rocket launch instead.

At roughly 11:27 p.m. ET tonight, NASA will launch its Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) onboard an Orbital-made Minotaur V rocket. The launch is the first to take place at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Va., and will be visible to a wide array of East Coast onlookers lucky enough to catch a patch of clear sky with enough visibility.

The goal of the $280 million mission, pronounced "laddie," is to investigate age-old unknowns surrounding the moon's atmosphere first poised by NASA's Surveyor 7 mission in 1968. Back then, astronauts caught sight of unexplainable "streamers" of light on ...read more...

This purported images of an iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C side-by-side is just one in a growing abundance of leaks.

Apple's next iPhone is headed to China Mobile and its more than 740 million subscribers, according to a new report.

Citing sources, The Wall Street Journal says Apple plans to sell the upcoming, and highly-rumored low-cost iPhone model on the carrier, which does not currently offer Apple's mobile phone.

The report comes on the heels of others in recent weeks, claiming Apple and the carrier have been involved in business discussions.

According to a report from Barclays on Thursday, a deal with China Mobile could bring in an extra 20 million iPhone unit sales within a year, and boost Apple's revenues in the region, which were down 14 percent from the previous year last quarter. Other estimates have ...read more...

An enormous feature in the northern Pacific, Tamu Massif has been confirmed as the largest single volcano on Earth.

Scientists have discovered a staggering colossus that once spewed fire but now slumbers deep in the Pacific Ocean. Sadly it's not Godzilla, but it is a volcano with a footprint comparable to Olympus Mons on Mars, the largest volcano in the solar system.

Covering an area of 120,000 square miles, which makes it about the size of New Mexico or the British Isles, the formation dubbed Tamu Massif is one of the biggest ever found, according to a study led by University of Houston professor William Sager.

"We show that the Tamu Massif is a single, immense volcano, constructed from massive lava flows that emanated from the volcano center to form a broad, shield-like shape," Sager and colleagues write in Nature Geoscience (PDF).

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Среди череды официальных анонсов, проводимых компанией Toshiba в рамках IFA 2013, можно отметить презентацию первого фирменного Windows-планшета с диагональю экрана 8 дюймов. Новинка под названием Encore ожидается на рынке в ноябре по цене $330, а в основе ее лежит четырехъядерный процессор Intel Atom из свежей линейки Bay Trail. Кроме того, благодаря сотрудничеству Toshiba и Microsoft данный планшетный компьютер оптимизирован для операционной системы Windows 8.1, а его фронтальная 2-Мп камера и система микрофонов будут сертифицированы для работы со Skype.

Toshiba Encore

Прочие характеристики Toshiba Encore включают вполне стандартное для такого рода продуктов разрешение экрана 1280 x 800 пикселей, а для хранения контента предлагается использовать 32 ГБ внутренней памяти, ...read more...

Zeus takes its place in the pantheon of 3D printers.

We're already used to 2D copiers and printers. Slip a piece of paper in, push a button, and a copy comes out. Now, that same sort of capability is coming to the 3D world with the AIO Robotics Zeus all-in-one 3D scanner, copier, and printer on Kickstarter.

The process is fairly simple. You place an object inside Zeus, the machine scans it, and then creates a copy. You can also load your own 3D files for printing.There is a one-touch automatic-copy button if you want the machine to just go to town. All of this is controlled through a friendly 7-inch touch-screen interface.

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• 3D printer made almost entirely out of Legos
• Home 3D printer for under $500 excites Kickstarter

The $2,500 machine has a fax function, which may seem like a curious feature at first glance. ...read more...

Somewhere, your life depends on boxes and cables.

When all else fails, we always assume our favorite Web sites will be there.

We feel reassured that we'll have the comfort of sitting on our sofas, clutching our little iPads and communing with the same outside world that doesn't always like us in person.

Yet, for one reason or another, sites are going down. Sites are being attacked. Servers go down for reasons that don't always seem understandable.

Which means that Americans are beginning to realize that the fundaments of their lives are being assaulted and insulted.

I lean on my exclusive possession of new research that asked Americans whether outages were upsetting them and why.

You will end this post prostrate at the way respondents bared their souls. Did they declare that server outages were hurting them because this was a serious threat to their way of life?

In a way.

Fifty-two percent said that their biggest ...read more...

The "Spinal Tap" reference to the volume control that goes to "11" notwithstanding, there's a lot of confusion surrounding volume controls. There shouldn't be; the volume control setting has nothing to do with how loud an amp can play. Some folks mistakenly think that if you don't have to turn the knob up very far from the minimum setting to achieve high volume, that "proves" it's a powerful amp. No, not at all; the maximum volume level of any amp is determined not by how far you turn the knob, but by the amp or receiver's power output. The position of the volume control doesn't indicate the amount of watts driving the speaker; the only real concern is whether the amp can play loud enough to suit your needs, and it doesn't matter in the least whether the volume control is at 9 o'clock, 12 o'clock, or 3 o'clock.

Here's another volume control/output power myth: The lower position for ...read more...