fly

Flies have been crawling across our computer screens for decades, and no doubt the Ancient Programmer who coded the first digital fly had a good chuckle over it. Since then, flies have probably been the most common digital vermin dragooned into desktop duty. Much like real flies, the simulated kind have never quite gone away and have even gotten more realistic over time. Fly on Desktop by Drive Software is the most evolved specimen yet, closely simulating the look and behavior of Musca domestica, the common housefly. It's not really a screensaver; it's just pretty cool.

We extracted … Read more

Aim is important not just for billiards, sniper operations, and pitching. It's imperative for keeping men's rooms clean. "We aim to keep this bathroom clean; your aim will help" isn't just a pithy phrase to put on a placard above the urinals. It's a real problem. All kinds of factors affect where the stream settles: attention to detail, being considerate, and sobriety. That last one's kind of a pass, I suppose, but still.

The 21st century may not have provided us with the flying car yet, but the whizzes at White Rabbit Express are selling a surefire way to combat this pernicious problem. It's the Thermal Urinal Fly. This crafty little sticker (thanks, Japan!) is supposed to help prevent backsplash by giving prospective pee-ers a target to aim for. The best part is that since the sticker is temperature-sensitive (sort of like those Hypercolor shirts, except you pee on it), once the stream hits the fly, the heat makes it disappear. This is high technology at work, folks. … Read more

I'm about to disappoint a few hardened alienists here, though I'm trying to do it with the finest of intentions.

For I've just learned of a new book called "Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base." It offers a radically different theory as to what happened that strange, stormy day in Roswell, N.M., in 1947.

Stories of the hush-hushedness of America's reaction have created legends that will live forever. That these were aliens crash-landing into our lives is, perhaps, the most beloved explanation of a strange phenomenon in … Read more

Frisbee Forever is the fully licensed flying disc app that lets you guide a Frisbee disc through colorful obstacle courses. Against a cartoonlike 3D backdrop, you start by flicking your Frisbee onscreen, then guiding the disc through rings and around obstacles, all the while gathering stars as you go. You have the option to use onscreen control arrows, but I found the tilt controls to be much more fun. If you gather all the stars and make it through all the gates to the finish line, you'll be awarded a gold medal along with experience points and Star Coins. … Read more

Most everyone has probably heard about the controversy over the location-tracking behavior on iOS devices since last June. Recently, when a developer made a program to show users' location data on a map, people were understandably concerned that their whereabouts could be tracked through their location logs without their knowledge. Apple promised in an open letter that it would resolve the issue, though the company claims it was not using the information for anything.

On Wednesday, Josh Lowensohn reported that Apple made good on its promise with the release of iOS 4.3.3, reducing the size of the "crowdsourced" location cache, and the device no longer backs up the cache to iTunes.

Even though I downloaded the software and checked out the map to see that my iPhone did indeed track my location, I was never terribly worried about it and took Apple at its word that the location data wasn't being used for anything nefarious. Still, I'm glad to see the company has listened to user concerns. Hopefully this will lay this latest Apple controversy to rest.

What do you think? Were you nervous that your information was being used without your consent or do you even care? Let me know in the comments.

This week's apps are a piano app that lets you play hit songs and a flying disc game that's both graphically beautiful and challenging.… Read more

We're not sure if the man in the promotional image above is petrified or having the time of his life in the latest flying contraption to come out of Germany. The FlyNano is what we think a floatplane--a plane that lands and takes off on water--might look like in the future.

According to the brochure (PDF), the FlyNano is a personal flyer that can't be classified as a plane due to its light weight. It weighs less than 155 pounds in total and has an engine and drivetrain that's less than 45 pounds. This isn't surprising considering that it's made of an expensive carbon fiber composite, unlike the "cheap" aluminum alloys used in regular planes. What's really impressive, though, is that the FlyNano can lift a person of up to 285 pounds, with its maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 450 pounds.

Prices range from 25,000 to 27,000 euros ($36,080 to $38,966), and three models--electric, gas, and "racing"--will be available starting this summer. FlyNanos are apparently able to hit speeds up to 86 mph and can go up to 1.8 miles high.

While we aren't sure if pilot licenses are required to fly this thing in your own country, for the safety of future owners, we sincerely hope they are.

(Source: Crave Asia via Uncrate)… Read more

If you're a fan of the graphical adventures of yesteryear and/or the beloved "Back to the Future" movies, today's your lucky day.

Game developer Telltale Games is offering Back to the Future: Episode 1 for PC and Mac absolutely free. All you need to do is sign up for a Telltale account (also free), then download and install the game.

As I wrote in my recent review of the iPad version, the Back to the Future game is kind of an anachronism, a wonderful throwback to the graphical adventures of the past. If you ever … Read more

PALM DESERT, Calif.--If you're going to spend the cash to charter a private jet, shouldn't it be easy to book the plane?

You would think the industry would simplify things for the wealthy, but that's not the case, according to start-up FlyRuby, which unveiled its service at the Demo Spring conference here today. Indeed, company CEO Michael Leek says that it can often take hours to figure out a suitable private plane charter between two cities. And that's just not efficient.

That's where FlyRuby comes in, Leek said. A former U.S. Marine with … Read more

Among the sea of trite and unimaginative first-person-shooters is Bulletstorm, the latest offering from developers Epic Games and People Can Fly, some of the fine folks who brought us the Gears of War franchise.

Bulletstorm has been touted as a departure from the typical cookie cutter first-person-shooter. Does it achieve that distinction or sink to the bottom?

Jeff: In the weeks leading up to its release, the marketing minds behind Bulletstorm sent shockwaves through the gaming world by attempting to attract gamers who were sick of the same old shooter experience. To reinforce the campaign further, a parody game called "Duty Calls: The Calm Before the Storm" was developed to poke fun at modern shooters and their redundancies, clearly singling out the Call of Duty franchise as major culprits.

Now that we've actually had some time with the game, we're pleased to report that Bulletstorm does in fact separate itself from the monotony of the average shooter. In playing and reviewing Bulletstorm, a new genre popped into mind; we're calling the game a pinball shooter.… Read more