who

Study: No link between brain tumors, cell phones

A new study out of Denmark suggests that cell phone use may not increase your risk of some types of noncancerous brain tumors.

Reuters reported this week on a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology that found people who used a cell phone for 11 to 15 years were no more likely to develop an acoustic neuroma, a noncancerous brain tumor, than people who have been using cell phones for either a shorter period of time or who have never used a cell phone.

Even though acoustic neuroma, or vestibular schwannoma, as it is also known, is noncancerous, … Read more

Life-size pet Daleks roll and rotate

One thing had always perplexed me about Daleks. As a "Doctor Who"-watching kid, I contemplated the thorny issue of how they got up stairs. Now, I have the opportunity to do some testing on my very own life-size Dalek.

U.K. company Firebox.com is offering officially licensed Dalek replicas. Each one is more than 5 feet tall and is hand-built to order. A variety of classic colors are available.

Sci-fi fans love to obsess over prop accuracy. Firebox.com uses the original molds and specs from the BBC prop department, so that every nob, plunger-looking attachment, and laser shooter is dead on.

The Dalek replicas won't try to exterminate you, but can get some action out of them by playing with the rotating dome, extendable plunger arm, and casters. I'm imagining taking one of these for a stroll around the neighborhood on a leash.… Read more

Cell phones and the radiation risk (roundup)

Based on new findings, the World Health Organization classifies cell phones as a potential cancer risk much like exhaust from gasoline-powered vehicles and lead. Meanwhile, CNET launches a series on the state of cell phone research and what consumers can do to protect themselves.

Cell phone radiation: A self-defense guide (FAQ) For many people, it's just not practical or realistic to avoid cell phones altogether. And it may not be necessary, if you take some of these suggestions for reducing your exposure. (Posted in Signal Strength by Marguerite Reardon) June 6, 2011 4:00 AM PDT

The trouble with the cell phone radiation standard … Read more

Gates: 'Decade of Vaccines' can save 10 million lives by 2020

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is pushing harder than ever for government leaders around the world to increase vaccination investments.

In a keynote address yesterday to the 64th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates spoke for nearly half an hour to health ministers from 193 countries about the importance of "seeking good health care for every human being."

"I believe we have the opportunity to make a new future in which global health is the cornerstone of global prosperity," he said.

Gates called on the assembly to make this "the Decade of Vaccines," with some basic goals: eradicate polio early in this decade; build a system capable of delivering vaccines to every child; make five or six new vaccines available to all children around the world. With these investments, Gates said, the world "can save 4 million lives by 2015 and 10 million lives by 2020."

Another challenge Gates cited was lowering the cost of antigenic materials, such as pentavalent, pneumococcus, and rotavirus vaccines. The Gates Foundation is working with vaccine manufacturers to cut prices of those inoculations in half by 2016. Lower costs would be beneficial to many countries around the world that are reeling from budget woes. … Read more

Digital City 126: Apps a-go-go (or no-go), and the social media effect

In this episode, we talk about how cable companies' attempt to port their services to digital apps both frustrates and confounds us, the debut of the NFL 2011 iPad app, what's new in Netflix streaming, and how busy broadcast news was this week--from the royal wedding to the reported death of Bin Laden.

Bonus: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time! … Read more

Google Voice phone booths Dr. Who might love

Watching "A Single Man," which is set in the '60s, over the weekend, I had a serious flash of nostalgia for the good old phone booth. Turns out I needn't pine too much for times past, as Google is bringing back a version of the booths here in 2010.

As we reported Wednesday, Google is integrating phone calling capability into its Gmail service and plans to install vintage-style Google Voice phone booths in airports and universities around the U.S. to promote this new capability.

The booths come in the style of traditional red U.K. phone boxes … Read more

Nerd alert: Free 'Doctor Who' PC/Mac game coming June 5

We may publicly scoff at the Star Wars and Star Trek fanboys in our tech/games social circle, but still maintain our secret loyalty to a certain BBC-based time-traveling hero. Sadly, following the 47-year (on and off) run of "Doctor Who" has never paid off in the form of a decent mainstream video game. That may be about to change with the just-announced release date for the first episode of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, a four-part DLC series that will be offered for free on the BBC Web site. The series kicks off with the June 5 … Read more

'Doctor Who' game: Interactive episodes on the way

The new Doctor, fresh from saving the world with nothing more than a laptop, a camera phone, and a ginger kissogram, will be appearing on your laptop in a new series of downloadable games.

The BBC has pulled out the big guns for Doctor Who: The Adventure Games, with full voice-overs from the Doctor and his lovely companion Amy Pond.

Automotive sci-fi vs. reality, or, where's my flying car?

Science-fiction movies show us many futuristic cars we wish we could drive. People still demand flying cars, promised to us decades ago by the Jetsons cartoon series. Science-fiction fan site IO9.com posted an article comparing driving as depicted in various movies and television series with today's reality.

The article covers all of our favorites: Batman, James Bond, Knight Rider, Doctor Who, and finds real-life equivalents. It even takes on the flying car and includes clips from Top Gear.

Check out Your Future Automotive Awesomeness: Fiction vs. Reality for a fun Friday read.

Maplock drives off GPS thieves

GPS sales have risen more than 700 percent in recent years, according to Who-Rae, an Australian company that develops and manufactures a range of consumer products. With increased popularity and usage comes crime, however--GPS are now the most commonly stolen item from vehicles, the company says.

Who-Rae is reacting with Maplock, a security device that latches onto a GPS unit and cables it to the steering wheel.

The Melbourne-based company suggests that suction cup marks or empty mounts left on the windshield are signs that criminals look for, so even if a GPS is removed from the car, thieves will … Read more