Technology Archive

  • Why are we so afraid of technology ‘ruining’ soccer? It’s not like technology hasn’t been all over the sport since its inception.

    Why are we so afraid of technology ‘ruining’ soccer? It’s not like technology hasn’t been all over the sport since its inception.

    Posted on March 8, 2010 | No Comments
    There's a myth out there that technology will ruin soccer, what Pelé (and others) once called "the beautiful game." Let me ask you something: is this Cristiano Ronaldo free kick any less beautiful because he's wearing the latest Nike boots? Do you have any idea how many hours are spent developing the technology that's built into things like the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II? Rest assured that Nike pays top-tier engineers a handsome wage to ensure that its boots are state-of-the-art. Should we take away Gonzalo Higauaín's goal against Germany because he's wearing Adidas TechFit? Or maybe we should cancel the World Cup altogether because players will be kicking around the Jabulani, a ball that Adidas' engineers had been working on since the day after World Cup 2006? This fear of technology "ruining" soccer is not only unfounded, but it's simply ignorant of the fact that technology has always been part of the beautiful game, and it always will be. Arguing that the sport needs to be kept "pure" should result in a direct red card. (See what I did there?)

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  • The motherboard as art: The Mona Lisa

    The motherboard as art: The Mona Lisa

    Posted on November 12, 2009 | No Comments
    Well, I think we finally know what Asus does when they get a dead motherboard. They take it apart, and turn it into a picture! Behold the loveliness that is the Motherboard Mona Lisa, a model of PCI and AGP slot beauty and mystery.

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  • What’s YOUR favorite protocol?

    What’s YOUR favorite protocol?

    Posted on November 6, 2009 | No Comments
    Yesterday's trip down memory lane with the Gopher protocol got me thinking about all the other protocols I used to use, and those that I continue to use on a regular basis. There's little doubt that hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is one of the most widely used protocols on the Internet today. But there are a host of other protocols used every day! Let's look at a few of my current favorites, and some that have gone the way of the Dodo bird.

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  • Graphene makes a gra-fine photodetector

    Graphene makes a gra-fine photodetector

    Posted on October 13, 2009 | No Comments
    Graphene, as everyone knows, "is a one-atom-thick planar sheet of sp2-bonded carbon atoms that are densely packed in a honeycomb crystal lattice." (Seriously, I didn't just check Wikipedia for that.) Scientists have been using the material for lots of different applications for some time now. Recent work at IBM's T. J. Watson Research Center has focused on using graphene as a photodetector, and it turns out that it does a pretty good job in that role.

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  • NASA announces a contest to choose the next contest

    NASA announces a contest to choose the next contest

    Posted on September 29, 2009 | No Comments
    Apparently you don't have to be a rocket scientist to help NASA. The space agency just posted a request for suggestions for future prize contests on their website, and anyone may submit an idea.

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  • King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

    King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

    Posted on September 21, 2009 | No Comments
    kaust invitation I'm in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for the inauguration ceremony of KAUST, the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology. This is a 30-square kilometer state-of-the-art research institution with faculty and students from all over the world. For the next couple of days I'll be getting some behind-the-scenes access to technology in use here, both for education and research, as well as the tools used to bring this place together. Read on for my initial impressions of some of the tech here.

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