Twitter has blocked U.S. intelligence agencies from accessing Dataminr, a social media tool that sends out real-time alerts based on an algorithm that includes keywords and geotags, according to a report on Sunday night from the Wall Street Journal. … [Read more...]
Fort McMurray Fire Burns Larger than City of Chicago
Amid record heat, dry air and strong winds, the destructive wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta has grown nine times larger during the course of this week. As of Friday morning, it had burned an area larger than the city of Chicago, and was still burning out of control. … [Read more...]
Star Wars, May the 4th Be with NASA
If you're NASA, you seize every opportunity to chime in about pop culture — which means going all out for space movies, and the intergalactic holiday known as May the 4. In honor of this year's Star Wars day, NASA has posted a list of real planets so fascinating and unfamiliar that they seem right out of the Star Wars universe. … [Read more...]
Smartphone Traffic Lights for Walkers with Heads in Phones
A German city put traffic lights on the ground to prevent smartphone users from walking into oncoming traffic. According to the Guardian, officials in Augsburg, a southern municipality near Munich, chose to launch the safety experiment after numerous accidents were caused by people who crossed tram tracks while looking down at their phones. … [Read more...]
Australians Will Soon (Already Do?) Have to Pay Top Dollar for Cancer
If you come to Australia, leave your naughty habits at the door. Australians, if you live here, get back in your box. The Australian government announced in the Federal Budget on Tuesday that it will be slogging smokers top dollar for a pack of ciggies. … [Read more...]
Northern Ireland Stamps Game of Thrones
Stamps are coming. To tie in with Season 6 of Game of Thrones, Northern Ireland (i.e. the place where much of the show is filmed) is releasing some limited edition stamps. … [Read more...]
New Planets with Possible Life Only 40 Light Years Away
Three new planets appear to be the universe’s most likely locations for alien life. The planets, all of which are about the size of the Earth, were located by a telescope in Chile called the Transiting Planets and Planetesimals Small Telescope, or TRAPPIST, according to Fox News. … [Read more...]
Disaster Relief Center Built in Nepal by REI
April 25 will mark the one-year anniversary of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that devastated Nepal. In memoriam of the event, REI Adventures — the travel agency arm of the outdoor gear retailer — is announcing the opening of a disaster relief area in the foothills of the Himalayas. … [Read more...]