Monsanto, the biotech company whose proprietary genetically modified corn has been fingered as the possible culprit in the collapse of the bee population, has gone ahead and purchased Beelogics, a research firm committed to "restoring bee health and protecting the future of insect pollination." More »

Plenty of people take vitamin supplements every morning, in many cases to make up for a poor diet. But a new study suggests that taking those morning tablets might not be quite as sensible as you think—and might evn increase your risk of death. More »

It probably comes as no surprise to you that men underestimate their weight and women overestimate theirs. But it's both amusing and saddening to hear that men also tend to overestimate the weight of their partners. More »

Doctors always suspected that our heavy reliance on antibiotics is what spurred the rise MRSA, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the staphylococcus "super germ." Turns out it may not have been us, but rather our porcine population. More »

Given the spate of closures, abandonments and wound-up projects, we can't help but suspect Google's mantra switching from "don't be evil" to "sic transit gloria mundi." Mountain View's winding up online-image editing site Picnik in preparation for integration with Google+, joining Wave, Knol, Friend Connect, Gears, Health, Powermeter and at least ten other services that have been shuttered as part of Larry Page's "spring clean." In a statement on the site, the guys are moving over to the Google+ team to "focus on even awesomer things," so expect to see live-editing of your photos appear there before the end of summer. In the meantime, you can enjoy Picnik's premium service until the doors close on April 19th and those who previously stumped up (with, you know, cash) for the added features will receive a full refund.

[Thanks, Henry]

Another one bites the dust as Google closes Picnik originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Picnik  | Email this | Comments

Continue reading NASA-sponsored study finds lengthy spaceflight can impair astronauts' vision

NASA-sponsored study finds lengthy spaceflight can impair astronauts' vision originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Nov 2011 07:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink TG Daily  |   | Email this | Comments

Concussions are a huge concern in virtually every sport—baseball, hockey, even women's lacrosse—but none more so than in football. And while the NFL is taking steps to better protect players, there's still much the medical community doesn't understand about the injury. The X2 Impact mouthpiece aims to change that. More »

I always thought it would be a hilarious conspiracy if all the wireless signals that invade our invisible space was really screwing with our health. I wasn't serious though! These people are—they avoid Wi-Fi like the plague. More »

At first glance, the FDA's Flickr stream of recalled products seems a bit ridiculous. But if you're constantly on Flickr and you care about your health, the life you save could be your own. Or, you, know, the laugh. More »

This one comes with a health warning: even if the leaked screenshot above is legit, it's easy to over-interpret. Nevertheless, it purports to show the account setup page from Blackberry Tablet OS 2.0 and it distinctly lacks any option to sync with Blackberry Enterprise Server or Internet Service. Instead, you're able to configure Exchange/Active Sync, IMAP, POP, CalDAV and CardDAV accounts, which suggests that RIM is switching to the same integrated email, contacts and calendar solutions as everyone else. Of course, it could be that the BES/BIS simply isn't enabled on this particular device, or that it'll be added in a later version of the OS. Then again, we can't help but recall those Colt rumors which also hinted that RIM's in-house service would be incompatible with QNX.

Another juicy tidbit: a second screen shot after the break reveals a green robot icon in the far left. So, even if it Android integration has been delayed, at least it hasn't been forgotten.

Continue reading Playbook OS version 2.0 leaked: is RIM really sacking BES?

Playbook OS version 2.0 leaked: is RIM really sacking BES? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 26 Aug 2011 04:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink This is my next  |  MaxPDA  | Email this | Comments

Kids are texting so much it's literally affecting their health; the President's secret iPad may or may not have a receipt; and today we learned over at the New York Times that families are too busy staring at screens to give a shit about family anymore. Are we beyond hope? More »

MobiUS is a simple medical ultrasound imaging system like many others—but it has one rather astonishing plus: All you need is the wand, some gel, and a smartphone. More »

Worried that former HP CEO Mark Hurd might not know what to do with himself after getting caught falsifying expense reports to hide girl #2 and being forced to resign? Don't be: ol' Mark's getting a $12,224,693 severance payment in exchange for agreeing not to sue HP. Yep, Mark Hurd just got $12 million in cash for fraudulently filing expense reports to conceal his mistress -- not a bad trick if you can pull it off, we suppose. (We don't know how much he'll have to pay back, but we're guessing he'll have a little cash left over.) Oh, and he's also having his option to buy 775,000 shares of HP stock extended to September, which is pretty groovy considering HP actually upped its quarterly forecast today, some other assorted stock-related compensation, and 18 months of health and dental benefits. Whoever said a little white collar crime doesn't pay?

Continue reading Former HP CEO Mark Hurd rewarded with a $12m severance after being forced to resign over fraudulent expense reports

Former HP CEO Mark Hurd rewarded with a $12m severance after being forced to resign over fraudulent expense reports originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 06 Aug 2010 19:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  SEC  | Email this | Comments

Ars Technica just pitted Google’s Android 2.2 against Apple’s iOS 4 in a JavaScript benchmark test…and Ars isn’t mincing words with their results. In a post titled ,”Android 2.2 demolishes iOS4 in JavaScript benchmarks,” Ars quipped: “The results show that the Android device delivers significantly faster JavaScript execution than the iPhone, scoring over three times better on V8 and almost twice as fast on SunSpider.” If you’re an Android fan you can go ahead and gloat, but this is exactly why a health mobile ecosystem is good for everyone. When companies — especially two with the resources of Google and Apple — compete, the consumers win.

Read

The incompatibility of glasses from 3DTV manufacturers has already led many of us to believe 3DTV is just a passing phase, but now that Samsung's let slip that they should work if worn upside down might just save it. More »

3dTelevision - Television - Samsung - Shopping - Health

Some pacemakers are accessible wirelessly for reprogramming, but the trouble is that this easy access could be abused maliciously. Sure, passwords would keep the devices safer from such intrusions, but the patient could forget or lose those. Solution? Password tattoos. More »

This week in Lifehacker, we've got a fix for lousy Windows menus, a better dock for your mouse, proof that not moving around is bad for you and a revelation that you're probably tying your shoes wrong.

• ShellMenuNew cleans up that "new" menu in Windows (About time)
• Add Chrome-like incognito mode to Firefox
• Keeping your muscles inactive for too long hurts your health, regardless if you exercise (Nooooo!!)

• Circle dock gives you shortcuts centered around your mouse
• Believing you can be smarter makes you smarter
• The best tech tools to keep in touch

• The world's most boring video teaches you how to tie your shoes correctly
• Make a minimalist desktop for productivity
• Make a PDF from any URL