Engineers have used a flying drone to peer into the damaged reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant on Sunday. The drone has been used by the US military and reportedly weighs about 23kg and has the propensity to withstand winds of up to 20 knots.
Hooray for science. US government scientists say they have discovered three powerful HIV antibodies, the strongest of which neutralizes 91% of HIV strains, more than any HIV antibody yet discovered. Details inside.
Yesterday, Virgin America held an opening ceremony for their new Terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport; press were ushered onto a waiting aircraft, and told to keep an eye out for Virgin-Galactic-related-things after takeoff. After about 20 minutes they were asked to look out of their windows, because White Knight 2 and Spaceship 2 were doing fly-byes.
Midway into March Silverstreak reminded us of one of the beautiful things about the English language – the numerous emotive properties created by combining words not often combined, especially so in central African news reports. Now, a Malawian man has been killed by too much “sexual sweetness” while having sex with a hooker.
In a much anticipated move, the social media giant has finally unveiled its next step in advancing the power of journalism through social networking. It’s described as a central resource tool for journalists and the public to share, interact and find sources on the site. Try and stop us now Julius, Jimmy, Floyd and the other haters out there.
Two years ago I sought the counsel of a brainy acquaintance of mine on the subject of my flagging and flaccid career as a broadcaster. In his study was a device that was to be the prop that formed the basis of his argument. Here was a gizmo that allowed this pale and interesting fish to tune into digital radio in far flung territories at the flick of a dial. This, he said, is the future of broadcasting. Go forth, he said, as casually as he might buy some more Japanese stocks.
How often do you forget where you parked your car in a packed parking lot? It’s one of the annoying little ‘jokes’ that life loves to play on us. And it makes you look really lame on a first date when you can’t find your wheels after dinner and a movie. An Australian schoolboy has developed an app to help you.
I was amazed to see, on Gizmodo, that a company has brought out a USB cartridge that actually allows you to take digital photos with your old 35mm film camera. But all my hopes were dashed when I read that it was all just a terribly cruel April Fools joke.
It seems it’s all the rage to voice ones displeasure with how one finds things are going in court these days. Instead of it being an advocate this time, it’s a 71 year old “Brett Kebble-type character” from the Strand near Cape Town facing fraud charges. He had recently celebrated his 71st in Pollsmoor too.
It’s safe to say that tests are still in their early stages but it’s also safe to say that scientists are quite a bit closer to helping people overcome their fear of heights. They have discovered that by giving people a tablet of the stress hormone cortisol, they can help reduce their phobia.
It can be extremely annoying to be heading up or down in an elevator, only to have to stop 10 times on your way because some tannie, delivery guy, or bored hipsters keep pressing the elevator buttons on other floors. But say goodbye to those days my friends, because apparently an override put in for use by emergency personnel, has leaked onto the internet.
Google introduced their revolutionary new addition to Gmail on Friday and its name is Gmail Motion. Of course most people knew it was a joke, but the brains over at the ICT MxR Labs, the FAAST team, decided to make it a reality.
It seems this is a common problem that the US Naval Academy faces. Another midshipman was expelled from the force for using or having a banned weed-like substance known as “spice”. No spice. This brings the total number of expulsions to 12.
Two vegans who fed their 11 month old daughter only on her mother’s breast milk went on trial in northern France on Tuesday. They have been charged with neglect after their baby died as a result of suffering from vitamin deficiencies and could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
A UK study by a British-based funeral arrangement firm has found that women feel past their prime at the ripe old age of 29. Guys, on the other hand, only feel so at the age of 58. Or when they can’t get it up anymore. Whichever comes first.
What with radiation being the topic du jour at the moment (Google Japan), I thought it my civic duty to share this chart that shows very simply just how much radiation you’ll need to absorb before turning into a sludgy mass.
Here’s a story that would make Oprah and every other daytime TV host giddy with delight. It’s called Bully Block and it helps the bullied collect all sorts of evidence against their cyber-bully.
The new platform, which is still currently in its design phases, will allow users to create the perfect girlfriend who will allegedly write on your Facebook wall, possibly tweet sweet nothings at you and keep your virtual happiness in mind using other social media platforms.
Jacob Barnett has an IQ of 170. According to some, this is reportedly higher than Albert Einstein’s was, although Einstein himself never took the test. Jake is now so far advanced in his Indiana University studies that professors are lining him up for a paid PHD research role. He also finished high school at eight years old.
Not even designers of world class video games have thought of this one yet. I bet the Qatari engineers are hunched up and sniggering through their beards into their cupped, fist-shaped hands right now. Their World Cup is only in 2022, but these guys clearly have the money to blow to make magic. Very Bruce Almighty of them.
I’m all for advances in alternative medicine but this is a little too alternative. A German doctor has been found guilty of endangering the lives of 25 patients due to his highly eccentric methodologies which included using lemon juice to sterilise his surgical procedures.
Borre Erstad and Paul Age Olsen from Bergen in Norway waited patiently for the search engine’s car after receiving a tip off that the drivers were in the area. This is the sort of stunt that you can only dream of pulling off, but, these guys actually did it. Awesome ambushing footage after the jump.
At the beginning of this month a story caught our eye that almost seemed too shocking to be true. We can now happily report back to you that the lunacy surrounding these pricey renovations has been met with trepidation by Public Works Minister Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde, and for the most part, been put on hold.
If you say the word ‘protest’ too frequently in a cell-phone conversation in Beijing, your call gets cut off. No spice. We have pretty strict phone etiquette policies here at 2ov, granted, but generally we allow calls, once placed, to proceed without Big Brother intervention.
At last, a way to find pornography on the internet. You guys are reading the words ‘porn’ and ‘xxx’ and getting really excited, but believe me when I tell you that this is almost 99% technology news. Pornography is sort of besides the point here, so to speak. But click through, anyway.
A report about a month ago attributed that South Africa indeed stared a water crisis directly in the eye. Experts told the inaugural South African Water and Energy Forum in Johannesburg that we even face the possibility of chronic water shortages as early as 2020. Now Eskom-esque tariff hikes loom too.
Google has set up the first of its startup-funding offices in Cape Town, under the ‘Umbuno’ flagship. “Umbono” is isiZulu for ‘vision’ or ‘idea’. Google also showed that it knows how to make a girl feel special, saying it chose Cape Town because the city is in “the process of positioning itself as a hub for innovation and technology”.
It was a matter of time before the wristwatch had its biggest redesign moment since the croc-like invasion of the big-faced bling disaster that took hold and made hipster fashion designers rich. Smart watches are on their way, but there’s one feature we’d include in ours, if we designed these things, which we don’t.
Unfortunately yes, you did read that correctly. Sam, a somewhat timid and reserved 19 year old, is standing up for what he feels is right. He has decided enough is enough and it’s time that he joined the rebel forces on the front line in the Libyan Desert.
The European Union is attempting to establish the “right to be forgotten online,” as a legislative response to embarrassing old data – risque photographs, stupid statuses – that refuse to disappear. The proposed bit of legislation would enforce higher privacy settings and offer greater user control.