World of Warcraft helps boy survive moose attack

A Norwegian 12-year-old and his sister were walking through the woods near their house when they encountered an angry moose. (Is this a common problem in Norway?) Fortunately, the boy had picked up some skills from his time playing World of Warcraft that allowed him to defuse the situation and get everyone out safely -- including the moose. ...continue reading 'World of Warcraft helps boy survive moose attack'

Infidelity a problem? Offset your cheating online

A Web site is offering people the chance to offset their infidelity by paying random strangers to remain faithful in a satirical bid to highlight its view of carbon offsetting as an 'inadequate' and 'misguided' response to climate change. ...continue reading 'Infidelity a problem? Offset your cheating online'

'Human calculator' tops own record

Alexis Lemaire, a 27-year-old Frenchmen, wowed the world of mathletics with his latest feat: determining the 13th root of a 200-digit number that had been randomly generated only moments before -- all in his head, and in under 70 seconds. ...continue reading ''Human calculator' tops own record'

Flirty Russian bots pass Turing test, steal personal data

If you're having a sexy chat online, watch out: you might actually be talking to "CyberLover", a bot used by Russian gangs to collect personal data from the onwary. The automatons, based on natural language dialogue systems that are already deployed within video games, are reportedly indistinguishable from real people -- or so say their victims. ...continue reading 'Flirty Russian bots pass Turing test, steal personal data'

Computerized personal motivator almost as good as people, and much cheaper

Do you think a robotic voice on the phone could motivate you to get off of the couch and start exercising? Well, most of the participants in a recent study conducted by Stanford University didn't think so -- but it turns out that getting an automated phone call during an exercise program was just as inspiring as a call from a real human being. ...continue reading 'Computerized personal motivator almost as good as people, and much cheaper'

Digital enhancements ruin perfectly good end to a lovely film

Remember the touching end to the movie 'Lost in Translation,' where Bill Murray whispers something into Scarlett Johansson's ear just before they part forever? Director Sofia Coppola says that the line wasn't scripted and only the two actors know what was said -- until someone used some audio enhancement to make it audible. Hint: It's nowhere near as good as whatever you had imagined. ...continue reading 'Digital enhancements ruin perfectly good end to a lovely film'

Geek comic of the week: Michael's Exciting Life

This comic, featuring slacker twentysomethings in the UK, takes the photocomic to a new level. Most of the characters are played by real people, photographed in the positions they'll actually be in in the comic, with word balloons added later. The next step would be to just watch them do it in person, I suppose. ...continue reading 'Geek comic of the week'

Top ten scientific discoveries

From the crucial (stem cells that can be grown from ordinary skin tissues) to the wacky (real-life kryptonite - of a sort), these discoveries from 2007 showed that the march of science continues. ...continue reading 'Top ten scientific discoveries'

The Top 10 Worst Gadgets of 2007

From the Ironman Resolution Vibration Trainer to the Palm Foleo, and with the Microsoft Zune and Apple TV in between, this list recognizes the worst in over-hype, missed opportunities, mysterious fumbles, and the just plain awful. ...continue reading 'The Top 10 Worst Gadgets of 2007'

Top 10 reasons IT should not support the iPhone

If you're an IT worker and dreading the day that your company's employees start demanding iPhone support, you'd better get the CIO's ear on the subject now -- before he gets one. ...continue reading 'Top 10 reasons IT should not support the iPhone'