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Road Trip Pic of the Week, 9/30: What is this?

Update (Wednesday, 12:55 a.m. PST): The answer to last week's challenge--which 38 people got--is the Allen Telescope Array, currently the world's first large-scale telescope meant for the full-time use of the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) project. It is located in Hat Creek, California. Thanks to all who played last week, and to everyone, please come back Thursday for this week's challenge.

Those are some funny-looking objects, aren't they? And it's hard to tell how tall they are as well. So what are they? And where are they located? If you know, you … Read more

Improve monster memory

Flipn' Monsters is a clever, comical take on traditional card-matching games like Memory, and it's easy enough for kids but with an arcade mode that's addictive even for older gamers.

The object of the game's classic mode is simple: You flip cards over one at a time with a single tap, matching identical pairs on a three-by-six grid. A timer clocks your speed and records your best time. The cards feature nine different colorful monsters, which are distinct enough to be memorable but similar enough to provide a challenge. The game's arcade mode is much more … Read more

Hands-on: Let's Golf 2 for iPhone

One of the first games I downloaded when I got my iPhone 3G was Let's Golf and I couldn't believe how good it looked on the small iPhone screen. I was a big fan of Hot Shots golf on PlayStation 2, the console game that Let's Golf seems to be largely based upon, so seeing the familiar graphics and gameplay on the iPhone screen was truly a delight.

About a week ago Gameloft released Let's Golf 2 ($4.99), and it is even more beautiful graphically (optimized for the iPhone 4's Retina display) and adds … Read more

X Prize group eyes oil spill cleanup

Can you come up with the ideal solution for cleaning up the BP oil spill? If so, millions of dollars in prize money could be yours.

The X Prize Foundation on Tuesday said that its new Oil Cleanup X Challenge will dare people to devise the most innovative ways to clean up oil spills, dangling a prize purse of millions of dollars as an incentive. The challenge is designed to inspire entrepreneurs, engineers, and scientists around the world to create quick, creative, and efficient ways of capturing crude oil from the surface of the ocean, according to the foundation.

Full … Read more

NBA 2K11 will let gamers be like Mike

2K Sports recently announced that Michael Jordan will grace the cover of the company's acclaimed basketball game, but now we know that Jordan will not just be another typical cover athlete.

In fact, NBA 2K11 will offer an entire Michael Jordan-focused gameplay mode called The Jordan Challenge. We got a chance to speak with Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports, who explained that this addition to the traditional game will allow players to relive 10 of the most legendary games and moments from Jordan's illustrious career.

These historic game scenarios will task players with matching the hall-of-famer's mind-bending stats. A few of these just-announced scenarios include moments like "The Shrug," where on June 3, 1992, Michael gave the now infamous "I'm not even sure how I'm doing this" shoulder shrug after draining his sixth three-pointer in the first half of Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

Better yet, these throwback games will feature the look of the era in which they were played, including accurate uniforms, court paint, and even Jordan's specific appearance from the actual game. Players will also be able to take control of the classic Chicago Bulls teams from '85-'86, '89-'90, '90-'91, '94-'95, '95-'96, '96-'97, and '97-'98 seasons.

NBA 2K11 hits stores on October 5 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PC, PlayStation 2, and PSP, though the Jordan Challenge will only be available on the 360, PS3, Wii and PC versions of the game.

Be sure to check out the full list of 10 Jordan Challenge game scenarios.… Read more

What's more American than a muscle car? (concept car Friday)

More than trucks, more than minivans and SUVs, I believe that there's no better vehicular representation of America than the muscle car. However, with muscle cars come deep seeded loyalties to and rivalries among the three manufacturers and their respective vehicles. Specifically, we're talking about Ford's Mustang, Dodge's Challenger, and Chevrolet's Camaro. In a recent episode of Car Tech Live, we three hosts were asked which modern muscle car we'd each have and came up with three very different answers. Rather than spend our Independence Day weekend arguing over which is best, we've … Read more

Michigan takes first place at the 2010 American Solar Challenge

For the sixth time, the University of Michigan Solar Car Team won the 2010 American Solar Challenge, a long-distance road rally across the U.S in a car powered only by the sun.

Seventeen teams took part in the 1,200-mile race, which alternates years with the Global Green Challenge (formerly the World Solar Challenge) held in Australia. The North American race began in Tulsa, Okla., on June 20 and ended six days later in Naperville, Ill.

The University of Michigan's Infinium solar car was an obvious front runner. With five wins under their belt and boasting a top speed of more than 100 mph, … Read more

Ford hypermiles Mustang V-6 to 48.5 mpg

Since it became the first vehicle to deliver both 31 mpg and 305 horsepower, Ford has really been emphasizing the efficiency of its new 2011 Mustang V-6. The automaker's latest stunt, dubbed the Mustang 1,000 Lap Challenge, was an attempt to demonstrate that a stock production Mustang V-6 could run 1,000 laps (533 miles) around Bristol Motor Speedway on a single of tank of fuel. When the dust settled, the Mustang not only completed the challenge, but had actually gone on to complete 1,457 laps (776.5 miles) before the tank ran dry, averaging an impressive … Read more

Low-tech design wins Betacup Challenge

It turns out that the winner of the Starbucks-sponsored Betacup Challenge, a design competition aiming to solve the problem of the billions of disposable coffee cups discarded annually, isn't a cup at all. Rather, it's a chalkboard.

Called "Karma Cup," the jury-selected winning concept envisions a chalkboard at the counter of every Starbucks. Bring a reusable cup for your coffee, and you get to put a check mark on the chalkboard. Every 10 check marks, the next person to come in with a reusable cup gets his or her coffee on the house. "Think of … Read more

UM solar car tops out at 105 mph

The 2010 American Solar Challenge isn't until next week, but records may have already been broken. In testing, the University of Michigan Solar Car Team's Infinium clocked speeds of more than 100 mph for 30 seconds at Ford Motor Co.'s Michigan Proving Ground, achieving a top speed of 105 mph.

"No one we have spoken to has ever heard of a solar car reaching 100 mph, and a U-M car has never reached it," said Rachel Kramer, the team's project manager. "Our goal for the 2010 American Solar Challenge is to win Michigan'… Read more