Top Tech News - New Stuffs - Inventions - Applications

[techieguy]

If you happened to miss out on the first half of Round 1 last night, shame on you. You can catch up here.

When we last left our heroes, Watson and the undefeated Jeopardy champion Brad Rutter were tied for the lead with $5000 apiece. Ken Jennings, meanwhile, trailed with $2000. Watson had some shaky moments in the early stages of Round 1, but kept it together enough to stay on top and frustrate the Mormon Machine. Let's rejoin the action...

Source: IBM Jeopardy Challenge, Night 2: Watson Runs Wild [Man Vs Machine]

[techieguy]

This Is Not a Lost Scene From AliensWhen I first came across this image, I thought it was from a lost Aliens scene. But it is real. That's Staff Sgt. Sarah Mrak, from the 4th Special Operations Squadron. And she's inside a U.S. Air Force AC-130U aerial gunship.

Source: This Is Not a Lost Scene From Aliens [Image Cache]

[techieguy]

I never thought I would live to see something like this: A hand held scanner that can detect if a patient is healthy or not just by pointing it at the skin. It seems out of Star Trek, but it is real and it works today.

The scanner has been developed over a five-year period by a group lead by professor Jürgen Lademann of the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergy of the Charité-University Medicine in Berlin (and sponsored by the German's Federal Ministry for Education and Research). Right now, it is being tested in Germany using a group of 19-year-old students.

Source: This Star Trek-Style Scanner Tells If You're Healthy Or Not [Medicine]

[techieguy]

Tonight is the final battle between IBM's Jeopardy-playing Watson computer and humanity's two greatest quiz show gladiators. And because I just moved to a state that buries epic man vs. machine battles at 4:30 CST, I'm going to liveblog it early for you all. Spoilers, and the possible end of mankind as we know it, ahead.

For a quick primer on how the contest has shaped up so far, check out our round-ups of the first scrimmage, the evenly matched first round, and last night's total computer domination. Tonight's the rubber match. Let's rumble.

Source: IBM Jeopardy Challenge Finale: Follow It Here Live [Jeopardy]

[techieguy]

                      Hot damn. It's like Shazam for your TV.            More »

Source: IntoNow for iPhone [Video]

[techieguy]

    Steve Jobs took another medical leave of absence earlier this year with no estimated return date. The National Enquirer has now published some scary looking photos of Steve, which depict him looking thinner and perhaps more ill than ever. (Photos in the spread above by Nick Stern)            More »

Source: Steve Jobs Has "6 Weeks to Live," Says the National Enquirer [Rumors]

[techieguy]

Here are the best stories on Gizmodo, February 16, 2011. Enjoy them!

This Is Not a Lost Scene From Aliens

When I first came across this image, I thought it was from a lost Aliens scene. But it is real. That's Staff Sgt. Sarah Mrak, from the 4th Special Operations Squadron. And she's inside a U.S. Air Force AC-130U aerial gunship.

Steve Jobs Has "6 Weeks to Live," Says the National Enquirer

Steve Jobs took another medical leave of absence earlier this year with no estimated return date. The National Enquirer has now published some scary looking photos of Steve, which depict him looking thinner and perhaps more ill than ever.

Source: Best Stories of Today, February 16, 2011 [Total Recap]

[techieguy]

If you missed the first round, shame on you. Catch up on the action here and here.

Let's be honest: Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter had slim chances of winning the IBM Jeopardy Challenge after the bludgeoning they suffered at the hands of theIBM supercomputer Watson last night (their final score is the combined total from the first two rounds). But they did have their pride to play for. We covered the match as it happened, so I won't bore you with a second play-by-play, but a few things stood out in this round.

Source: IBM Jeopardy Challenge Finale: Watson Is Victorious [Man]

[techieguy]

When tax expert Bob McIntyre's daughter bought a cellphone for $25, he was surprised to learn she ended up paying almost $60 in total, once taxes were added in. What followed was his adventures into the messy world of the government's cellphone taxing scheme, which is calculated based on the original sticker-price of a phone, and not the post-rebate and discount price.

Source: Why Are Cellphones Taxed So Massively? [Cellphones]

[techieguy]

The ubiquity of voicemail made sense when our phones lived in the kitchen, not our pockets—before SMS and twitter and the dozens of other ways we now stay perma-connected. So when does it make sense to use voicemail?

Source: Is it Ever OK to Leave Voicemail Anymore? [Etiquette]