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If Earth had rings like Saturn, the sky would look like this

If Earth had rings like Saturn, the sky would look like this

The sunsets would be impossibly beautiful. The evening sky would glitter with a thousand silver arcs. If Earth had rings like Saturn, you'd only have to look up to get a spectacular show.

Veteran astronomy artist Ron Miller has created some stunning views of what our skies would look like if Earth were a ringed planet, and they make me want to launch a Kickstarter campaign to make it happen.

In a recent article for sci-fi blog io9, Miller presented his wild visions of a ringed Earth and what the sky would look like from various places on our … Read more

Xbox One preorders point to Nov. 30 arrival

Xbox One preorders point to Nov. 30 arrival

Gamers desperate to splash out on Microsoft's blocky new Xbox One console needn't wait until Christmas, as U.K. retailers have already started taking preorders for the upcoming gaming gadget.

Green-hued tech retailer Zavvi is asking for a whopping 400 pounds ($608) for the Xbox One, which was revealed Tuesday at a bespoke Microsoft shindig.

That's a very high price, even for a new console, though Zavvi's 'price promise' policy should mean that if the price comes down before the console goes on sale, you'll only end up paying the final price.

Zavvi's also … Read more

Logitech intros classroom-friendly Wired Keyboard for iPad

Logitech intros classroom-friendly Wired Keyboard for iPad

We review a lot of wireless Bluetooth keyboards and keyboard cases for iPads and other tablets, but we've yet to review a wired keyboard for the iPad. It comes as little surprise then that Logitech, which makes plenty of Bluetooth keyboards, has unveiled the Wired Keyboard for iPad, which it dubs "the first iPad keyboard made specially for the classroom environment."

The keyboard will come in a Lightning connector or 30-pin connector versions and have an MSRP of $59.99. The Lightning version is due to ship in August; the 30-pin version will ship in October. … Read more

Amazon proposes a colossal biospherelike Seattle campus

Amazon proposes a colossal biospherelike Seattle campus

The latest fad for tech companies' new office buildings seems to involve making them as far-out and avant-garde as possible. And Amazon is the newest firm to jump on that train.

The e-commerce giant and gadget maker unveiled a slew of new drawings (PDF) on Tuesday that reveal a series of colossal, mirrored, biospherelike domes alongside a taller rectangular building that could be its new campus. The designs were created by architecture firm NBBJ and also include a copious amount of green space and landscaping.

The intent behind the design, according to the project proposal (PDF), is to "create an alternative environment" where "employees can work and socialize in a more natural, parklike setting."

"The generative idea is that a plant-rich environment has many positive qualities that are not often found in a typical office setting," the proposal says. "While the form of the building will be visually reminiscent of a greenhouse or conservatory, plant material will be selected for its ability to co-exist in a microclimate that also suits people." … Read more

GIF creator: It's a soft 'g', Mr. President

GIF creator: It's a soft 'g', Mr. President

You thought it had been settled, didn't you?

You've been practicing the new pronunciation (or the old one).

And now you're going to have to think again.

Recently, the White House very presciently decided to open its own non-purple Tumblr account. It took the occasion to declare with seeming finality that GIFs -- those very files that so many people find funny -- are hard, not soft.

Hard as in hard "g." Gif like "gift." Not like "jiffy."

Some giffers fell in line. Now they will have second thoughts. For the … Read more

Comics Web site Comics Alliance to relaunch?

Comics Web site Comics Alliance to relaunch?

Web site Comics Alliance, a three-time winner of the Eisner award -- went mysteriously silent toward the end of April, to the distress and consternation of comics fans.

No word -- official or otherwise -- was heard from either parent company AOL or any of the Comics Alliance staff members. However, the lack of updates on the site since April 29, where it usually updated several times a day, seemed to confirm that Comics Alliance was being shelved and archived. This apparent move was puzzling, as the site was not losing money; quite the contrary, in fact.

A new post on the Web site, however, seems to indicate that perhaps the whole thing was merely a hiatus.… Read more

Staying at the Burj Al Arab? Enjoy a 24-karat gold iPad

Staying at the Burj Al Arab? Enjoy a 24-karat gold iPad

It's the most golden hotel perk since gold-bar vending machines: gold iPads.

As if the Rolls Royce and helicopter services weren't enough, guests at Dubai's opulent Burj Al Arab now have access to gold-plated iPads.

The 24-karat tablets are engraved with the property's logo on the back, which also features a black Apple logo. Ironically enough, the hotel chain's slogan is "Stay different." … Read more

Used games are here to stay with Xbox One but details hazy

Used games are here to stay with Xbox One but details hazy

Fears of a death spiral for used games with the Xbox One may be a little premature.

A Microsoft spokesman confirmed to CNET that Microsoft will support used games with its new console, though it declined to provide much information at this time.

"We are designing Xbox One to enable customers to trade in and resell games," the spokesman said. "We'll have more details to share later."

What we do know is that users have to install games from a disc onto the console's hard drive to access the information. Users can then play … Read more

Watch the F-35B jet make a vertical take-off and landing

Watch the F-35B jet make a vertical take-off and landing

The latest round of cutting-edge aerospace technology feels very Zen to me. Much like SpaceX's Grasshopper Vertical Takeoff Vertical Landing vehicle, this Lockheed Martin F-35B jet is capable of vertical take-offs and landings and appears to hover in the air in a sort of meditative state that seems odd for a military fighter.

The first vertical take-off and landing test of the production model was successfully conducted earlier this month and captured in the official video below. … Read more

Will you buy an Xbox One or PlayStation 4?

Will you buy an Xbox One or PlayStation 4?

What's hotter -- the Xbox One or the PlayStation 4?

This year kicked off a new chapter in gaming history as Microsoft and Sony revealed their next-generation consoles, which are destined to rule living rooms (and hands) around the world. Of course, Nintendo also had its fun with the Wii U, but hard-core gamers don't seem to really be jumping on the device.… Read more