TECH

Why CERN is Recreating the First Web Page

The European science organization wants to remind the world that, 20 years ago, it gave us the World Wide Web for free

How Does a Plastic Bag Fix a Buggy Credit Card?

Reader Amanda writes, “I was a cashier for a few years and when the register wouldn’t read a credit card, we would wrap the card in a plastic bag and run it through again and it would work. What makes the register read the card when it’s wrapped with a pl

100 History-Making Cameras on One Poster

To celebrate photography or, more accurately, the devices that make it possible, Pop Chart Lab has designed a stunning new poster that tracks the history of the camera from 1888 to today.

Presidential Flight Before Air Force One

They’ve been called “flying Oval Offices,” presently contain some of the world’s most high-tech missile defense systems, and even starred in an action movie alongside Harrison Ford. Yet, contrary to popular belief, Presidential airplanes have been around

A Brief History of the Real-Life Invisibility Cloak

The evolution of the cloaking device, from its origins in Star Trek fantasy to intricate new metamaterials.

What Portable Computers Were Like in 1987

Our definition of portability has changed over the years, from 1975's IBM 5100 (what we used to call a "luggable" computer) all the way to today's ultrabooks, which are finally actually "notebook" sized -- and still have halfway decent battery life.

The Biggest Cyberattack in Internet History Happened Yesterday

A spat between a Dutch webhost and a spam-fighting organization is crippling the Internet.

Early Adopter Beware: 7 Huge First Gen Products

As tempting it may be to be the first in your circle to purchase and use a new product, there’s reason to abstain until the kinks of a first generation model have been worked out.

Einstein's Design for a Fridge to Last 100 Years

After establishing the theory of relativity as a founding principle of modern physics, Albert Einstein turned his thoughts to higher matters: home appliances.

Even early prams could not save children from hungry geese.

A Brief History of 7 Baby Basics

Let’s take a look at the origins of some of the baby basics on every new parent’s baby shower registry.

The Challenges of Building the Hubble Telescope’s Replacement

In the SXSW panel “Beyond Hubble: Building NASA’s Next Great Telescope,” scientists and engineers discussed what the Webb telescope will look for and all the engineering challenges that go into actually building the instrument.

5 Tech-Savvy Tricks to Help You Get a Good Night's Sleep

Kill the glow, fire up the white noise, and prepare to enter dreamland like a warmly bundled baby.

A Brief History of the Typewriter

A new episode of Mad Men or a rare airing of Murder, She Wrote isn’t the only time to stare longingly at a beautiful, sleek typewriter. There are 28 (sometimes 29) days dedicated to the once ubiquitous, now ancient device: International Typewriter Appreci

6 Crazy Things You Can Make with 3D Printers

"Printing" technology has quietly evolved over the past few decades to allow users to create—on demand, from files—everything from gun parts to DNA.

This is What a Fish Thought Looks Like

Akira Muto, Koichi Kawakami, and Junichi Nakai pioneered new technology enabling them to observe neural activity occurring in the zebrafish brain in real time.

A Brief History of SimCity

With a new SimCity coming soon, let's look back at the Sim franchise.

5 Bold Proposals For Cleaning Up Space Junk

A Short History of Revolutionary and Civil War Submarines

One Company's Bold Plan to Mine Asteroids

Brace yourselves for the coming asteroid gold rush. U.S. company Deep Space Industries this week revealed plans to send spacecraft on missions to mine near-Earth asteroids for precious metals. According to the announcement, the company plans to dispatch a

Some Full Body Scanners Are Being Removed

The Diabolical Motivations of 11 Video Game Villains

In video games, every violent gang and alien race in the known universe (this one and parallel) cannot stand human civilization. Have you ever wondered why, though?

Why Do We Measure Engines in Terms of Horsepower?

From your car, to your lawn mower, to your snow blower, to your chainsaw—the power of almost every engine you deal with is measured in terms of horsepower. None of these things seemingly have anything to do with horses, so where did that measurement come

How a Nickel and a Paperboy Brought Down a Cold War Spy

In 1957, Vilyam "Willie" Genrikhovich Fisher (aka Rudolf Ivanovich Abel) was convicted of conspiracy to “act in the United States as an agent of a foreign government without notification to the Secretary of State,” conspiracy to “obtain American defense i

How Did the Game Genie Work?

The Game Genie was the technological holy grail of my Nintendo-playing childhood. Here was a device that would let me play Super Mario Bros. with infinite lives, or get infinite rockets in Metroid. Here's exactly how it worked, and how people are still us

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