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Ear Infections Could Cause Long-Term 'Lazy Ear'

Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:28:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Some folks who don’t seem to listen may just have a lazy ear. A new study in rats shows that short-term hearing impairments at any stage of life can lead to rewiring in the part of the brain that processes sounds, making the ear seem as if it is loafing on its duty to make sense from noise

Acorn Filmmaker's Fresh Tapes: Inside HUD

Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:01:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Conservative activist and guerrilla filmmaker James O'Keefe has a habit of posing as someone he's not in order to get 'news' about politicians and others he wants to paint as dirty. Yes, he's the same guy who taped Acorn workers, so Andrew Breitbart, the ex-Drudge crony and conservative media provocateur, could smear the organization.

How Andrew Breitbart Hacks the Media

Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMTLogin to discuss

How Andrew Breitbart -- Matt Drudge's former right hand -- infiltrated the media machine and fought the vast left-wing conspiracy.

Minister of Truth: Meet Britain's Top Data Cop

Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMTLogin to discuss

The U.K. Statistics Authority's Richard Alldritt is an expert in how governments fudge the numbers. He and his math-police squad are rooting out the truth, whether it's to reveal the real gender pay gap or the actual rate of knife crime.

March 11, 1985: ConnNet Lets the Public Jack In, X.25 Style

Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMTLogin to discuss

A Connecticut telephone company starts the first local, public packet-switching network. It paves the way for the always-on internet access we know today.

Classic Videogames Mutate in 'Game Over' Art Show

Published: Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:00:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Street Fighter gets bendy. Ms. Pac-Man hops a tandem bike. And plenty of other classic characters get similarly strange treatments in Giant Robot's videogame-inspired exhibit.

Classmates.com's Facebook Mimicking Prompts Privacy Suit

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:30:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Angry users sue Classmates.com after it decides to make previously private data public, just as Facebook did in December. Will its defense be, 'I learned it from watching you, Zuck?'

Pink Floyd's 'Dark Side' Eclipses Concept Album Classics

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:52:00 GMTLogin to discuss

With its heady mix of heavy themes and technology, The Dark Side of the Moon remains the best concept album ever, even 37 years after its release. Plus: 10 more concept albums in Dark Side's shadow that deserve a slice of the spotlight.

'Galactica: Sabotage' Creator Discusses Her Brilliant Beastie Boys Sci-Fi Mashup

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 21:58:00 GMTLogin to discuss

A YouTube artist whips up a precise, shot-for-shot re-creation of Spike Jonze's amazing music video using clips from the late, great Battlestar Galactica.

European Parliament Rips Global IP Accord

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:56:00 GMTLogin to discuss

European Parliament is coming out in opposition to a U.S.-backed intellectual property treaty accord, and is demanding the treaty's secret text become public.

Google Launches Web Store for Cloud-Based Apps

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:30:00 GMTLogin to discuss

App stores aren't just for mobile phones anymore. Google has launched a store that lets Google Apps customers add third-party browser-based apps to their existing stack of Google's productivity tools.

Apple Beware: Dell (With A Little Help From Amazon and Google) is Taking on iTunes

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:19:00 GMTLogin to discuss

The formidable triumvirate of Amazon, Dell, and Google is apparently poised to give iTunes the first serious run for its money just as the iPad is about to take Apple’s downloadable media megastore where no computer has gone before.

Google's Schmidt: China Negotiations Should End 'Soon'

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 20:07:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Google is actively negotiating with China over web censorship according to CEO Eric Schmidt.

No-Fly List Includes the Dead

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:40:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Even though people might be dying to get off the government's no-fly list, it includes names of the dead on purpose. Following the 'Underwear Bomber' incident Christmas day the list has ballooned.

Playlist: Gorillaz, Freelance Whales and a Tribute to Mark Linkous

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:28:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Hear a track from Dark Night of the Soul, a collaboration between the late Sparklehorse leader, David Lynch and Danger Mouse. Also on the podcast: more music from The Ferocious Few, Flying Lotus and Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings.

Big Designers Find Satisfaction in Small Games

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:26:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Moving away from high-budget blockbusters to scaled-down treasures built by small teams proves enticing to veteran videogame developers. Part of the appeal: A nostalgic remembrance of the early days of game development.

Brain Scans Depict Damage From Gulf War Syndrome

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:17:00 GMTLogin to discuss

A massive effort to understand Gulf War Syndrome finds physiological differences in the brains of healthy veterans and those suffering from Gulf War Syndrome.

Half-Cocked? Hermaphrochickens Challenge Gender Identity

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Funky chickens that are half male and half female reveal a different biological system for gender determination.

Multitasking Earbuds Stress Great Design, Not Sound

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:50:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Cool looking and inexpensive, the Remix earbud from VMODA doesn't quite deliver solid sound quality.

iPad Could See 50 Tablet Rivals This Year

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:20:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Microprocessor company ARM says there will be more than 50 new tablets launching worldwide to compete with the iPad.

MotoCzysz Puts the Sizzle in Electric Motorcycles

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:07:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Strange name. Sexy bike. And it's headed for the racetrack.

Mach 6 Cruise Missile, Ready for Prime Time?

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:42:00 GMTLogin to discuss

This spring, the Air Force was preparing for a groundbreaking test of the X-51 WaveRider, a hypersonic cruise missile that would reach speeds of up to Mach 6. But it looks like the WaveRider’s debut flight will have to wait while some technical issues are addressed.

10 Movies That Should Never, Ever Be Converted to 3D

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:39:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Why, really, did the 3D movie trend start? Does anybody remember, before the trend began, thinking 'You know the problem with movies? They’re too two-dimensional?' Anyway, some work, and some don't and some would be bad ideas. Here are 10 that should never be attempted.

Call Me Google. (And Call Me, Google)

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:23:00 GMTLogin to discuss

Google's announcement that it intends to build and test super fast fiber-optic broadband networks in a few communities around the US has a few communities in the US pulling out all the stops to be selected with some attention-getting stunts that scream to the search giant 'Pick me! Pick ME!'

Google Maps Finally Adds Bike Routes

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:01:00 GMTLogin to discuss

With a click of a mouse, cyclists can get the quickest, and flattest, route between Point A and Point B.

Obama Supports DNA Sampling Upon Arrest

Published: Wed, 10 Mar 2010 05:00:00 GMTLogin to discuss

President Barack Obama supports mandatory DNA testing of Americans upon arrest, regardless of whether charges are filed or whether the suspect is convicted. It's the latest example of the chief executive mirroring the views of his predecessor when it comes to civil liberties.