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• Clap Trap October 25, 2011
  When I worked in a clinic in Baltimore in the late 1990s, I saw plenty of patients with gonorrhea. The men knew they had a sexually transmitted infection: The classic yellow drip from the penis couldn’t be much else. But the women, more often than not, had no symptoms. They were flabbergasted when I’d tell them that a routine screening test had been positive […]
  Anna Reisman
• Jobs the Jerk October 25, 2011
  In the aftermath of his resignation and then his death, the Web erupted with stories about Steve Jobs—anecdotes from friends, employees, and rivals that were meant to burnish our image of the Apple co-founder as an otherworldly genius, a guy whose quirks and bruising personality could be excused by his admirably fanatical devotion to making world-changing pr […]
  Farhad Manjoo
• When Groupons are bad for small businesses October 13, 2011
  “Sorry we ripped you off. Your best bet is to go to Groupon and get your money back. We’re too chicken shit to answer the phone, so you got this message anyway. Sorry for your problems. Better luck next time.” That’s the actual voicemail that greets potential customers looking to make an appointment at Viper Auto Detailing in Eugene, Ore., which ran Groupon […]
  Rocky Agrawal
• Hulu owners terminate sale, decide to grow the service instead October 14, 2011
  Owners of streaming video service Hulu have terminated their plans to sell the company, Hulu announced today. The company issued the following joint statement on its website from News Corporation, Providence Equity Partners, The Walt Disney Company and Hulu’s senior management team: “Since Hulu holds a unique and compelling strategic value to each of its own […]
  Tom Cheredar
• Skype and Rdio founder to challenge Netflix with Vdio (updated) October 17, 2011
  One of the founders of Skype and Rdio has decided to make a run at Netflix and Hulu with a mysterious new video service called Vdio, according to a GigaOM report. Janus Friis, the co-creator of Skype, Kazaa, Joost and Rdio, has kept Vdio a secret for as long as two years and received $5.6 million in funding in Oct. 2010 while the company was listed under the […]
  Sean Ludwig
• Why can’t we be friends? Facebook and Google+ relationship remains complicated October 20, 2011
  Facebook has no plans to integrate with Google+, Facebook’s chief technical officer Bret Taylor said today at the Web 2.o Summit in San Francisco. “Every service is better when it’s social,”  he said. Apparently that dictum doesn’t apply, however, when it comes to services like Facebook and Google+ socializing with each other. The sitdown with Taylor followe […]
  Chikodi Chima
• The Marriage Decision Matrix: Is Staying Single Better for Your Finances? October 20, 2011
  You know you’re in love and you know you want to spend your life with your partner — but does getting married help your finances, or leave them worse off? Before you walk down the aisle and commit to each other “for richer or for poorer,” make sure you understand the financial ramifications of your nuptials. That knowledge will help you set out on a “for ric […]
  CreditSesame.com
• Talk Dirty to Me, Siri October 18, 2011
  The quick and the curious received the new iPhone 4S on Friday. The new iPhones are a lot like the old iPhones—except for Siri. She's the new voice-aware "personal assistant" designed to do your bidding. I've seen people speaking to their Android phones while holding them in horizontal fashion, as if smoking a peace pipe, and I vowed neve […]
  Michael Agger
• Harmony Link Makes Any iOS or Android Device a Universal Remote [Stuff We Like] October 19, 2011
  I've checked out many make-your-iPhone-into-a-universal-remote devices before, and there would always be one factor that made the whole setup hard to use. Whether it's unrefined, crashy software, limited range for IR blasting, or the fact that you need to shove (and keep track of) an IR device into the headphone jack for it to work, none of these p […]
  Jason Chen
• DIY "Book" Shelf October 17, 2011
  This week I am going to go over a bunch of small projects we completed in our upstairs room and end with a big reveal of the entire space. I think it turned out great, but I'll let you be the judge of that! :) Bookshelves are a staple in most homes, but very rarely do you see the idea taken literally. Today I am going to show you how to make a "boo […]
  Kara Paslay
• Why Does God Love Beards? October 18, 2011
  An Amish splinter group has gone on a crime spree, forcibly cutting the beards off of their rivals. Many religions, including Sikhism, Islam, and sects of Judaism, encourage or require their men to keep beards. Jesus Christ is often depicted with a beard. Why does God like facial hair so much?
  Brian Palmer
• The Mother Majority October 17, 2011
  A few months ago, I was late. You know what I mean: My usual period day came and went without a spot, and suddenly every wave of exhaustion, every twinge of anxious nausea, became a harbinger of a very unintended pregnancy, a sign that my NuvaRing had failed me. I’m married, happily at that. And I’m a mother, happily as well. But our family feels “complete,” […]
  Lauren Sandler
• AeroShot Pure Energy: Ready, Aim, Caffeinate October 18, 2011
  Far safer than sticking an actual shotgun shell in your mouth, these AeroShot cartridges provide as much caffeine in one shot as a large cup of strong coffee. Minus the stained teeth and bad breath. Each cartridge contains six to eight puffs of a fine powder composed of vitamin B and 100 milligrams of caffeine. Enough to wake you up in the morning, or keep y […]
  (author unknown)
• Famous Gadget Wars of the Past & Present October 14, 2011
  Today’s gadget wars may be bloody and well-publicized, but the battles between gadgets are nothing new. Long before the Kindle and the Nook started throwing punches, there was Sega Genesis vs. Nintendo and BetaMax vs. VHS. Click on the image above to expand the infographic and check out some of the gadget wars of the past and present.
  Ross Crooks
• The Future Is Machine-Readable October 11, 2011
  This article arises from Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, the New America Foundation, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, visit the Future Tense blog and the Future Tense homepage. You can also follow us on Twitter.
  Frank Swain
• Canon projector makes 80-inch screen from an inch away October 11, 2011
  Shared by Laura Cool! Canon's new projector can produce 80-inch images when positioned an inch away from a screen or wall, it announced on Tuesday.
  (author unknown)
• Buy Out of Ads on Subsidized Amazon Kindle for $30 [Kindle] October 6, 2011
  Shared by Laura That's cool. Amazon is now allowing users who purchase the cheap, ad-supported version of the Kindle to buy out of the ads at a later date for $30, the same price it would cost to purchase a non ad-supported version. More »
  (author unknown)
• A Nutrition Label For Building Products October 4, 2011
  We know what ingredients are in many of the products we buy, but often have no idea what the buildings we spend our lives in are made of. The Building Product Transparency Project is trying to change that. Transparency is becoming increasingly important for a number of industries; you probably have some idea about the ingredients in your food, and thanks to […]
  Ariel Schwartz
• An Alarm Clock App That Sends an Embarrassing Tweet Every Time You Hit Snooze [IPhone Downloads] September 30, 2011
  iOS: You could make the argument that, on the whole, the Japanese are more disciplined than we are. Part of that might be because they impose harsh consequences on failure. For example, who else would come up with an alarm clock app that sends out embarrassing tweets whenever you hit the snooze button? More » […]
  Jason Chen
• Cutting Corners September 8, 2011
  I recently returned from a trip to Argentina, where I spent the majority of my time in Buenos Aires. Of the many times I have been to Buenos Aires, this was by far the most interesting intellectually. My mom is Argentine, so I grew up traveling south every couple of years to visit her family. Because of this, I hadn’t seen many of the “touristy”--but of cour […]
  (author unknown)