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Will the single kill the album?

Is an album a more substantial work of art than a single? Or is a well-crafted single all we need? There were always singles, but in the days before the Internet, fans were sometimes "forced" to buy albums to get the music they wanted, even when most of the album's tunes weren't great. The hugely entertaining "The Great Debate: Singles vs. Albums" held last Monday at the New Music Seminar in NYC covered the issue in depth.

Robert Christgau, one of the first generations of professional "rock critics," was there to defend … Read more

3D-printed guns may face regulations, bans in New York

New York lawmakers are the latest to crackdown on 3D-printed guns.

Both a member of the New York city council and a state assemblywoman have introduced two different pieces of legislation that would either regulate or ban the manufacture of 3D-printed guns, according to New York Daily News.

The bill for New York City was introduced by Council Member Lewis Fidler on Wednesday. This bill aims to make it illegal for people to produce any part of a firearm using a 3D printer unless they are licensed gunsmiths. Also, each weapon must be registered with the police within a 72-hour … Read more

Telerobotics helps sick teen toss a baseball 1,800 miles

There are some baseball players known for their strong arms, but a lot of people probably stood up and took notice when 13-year-old Nick LeGrande threw a baseball 1,800 miles today.

Before you scoff at the physical impossibility of such a notion, take solace in the fact that technology was very much behind LeGrande's feat, telerobotics to be precise. The Kansas City, Mo., teen, who suffers from severe aplastic anemia, a rare blood disease, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the Oakland A's-New York Yankees game in Oakland, Calif., tonight. … Read more

Bill would force you to give police phone after accident

You may feel that everyone wants to peek inside your cell phone just at the moment.

Please, therefore, allow me to make you a little more insecure.

State legislators in New Jersey would very much like to make it easier for the police to go through your cell phone, should you be in any way involved in an accident.

The wording of their proposal -- Bill S 2783 (PDF) -- is quite precise in its breadth:

Whenever an operator of a motor vehicle has been involved in an accident resulting in death, bodily injury or property damage, a police officer … Read more

Google Glass in casinos? Don't bet on it

It's looking like gamblers aren't going to be able to use Google Glass to enhance their poker face.

Even though the high-tech eyewear has not yet been released to the general public, casinos across the U.S. are banning Google Glass, according to the Associated Press.

Taking photos or videos is strictly prohibited in most all casinos, so it makes sense that a gadget touted as being able to record a video with a slight head movement or snap a photo with the wink of an eye wouldn't be allowed.

According to the Associated Press, casinos in … Read more

Xbox overdose makes home-arrest prisoner beg for jail

When given the choice, most people would opt for home detention over serving time in a jail cell, eating prison food, and sleeping on a hard bed. As it turns out, not everyone can handle the comforts of home with its cushy chairs and video game equipment. Too much time with his Xbox caused a New Zealand man to ring up the local police and request a jail stint instead.

Details are a little sketchy, but the cry for help was enough to capture the notice of the local news. The Northern Advocate spoke with Senior Constable Paul Nicholas of the Whangarei police. "Mr. Nicholas said the 19-year-old had already served 10 months of an 11-month home detention term and with one month to go 'had run out of Xbox games to play,'" the paper reports.… Read more

Sorry, Z10. BlackBerry A10 coming soon

CNET Update is prepared:

Monday is going to be a wild day with announcements about Apple, Xbox One and the PlayStation 4. This episode of Update breaks down the questions we need answered at the E3 video game conference, along with what to expect from Apple's WWDC keynote. Case maker Gumdrop is so confident that the iPad 5 will be announced, that it already is selling a case for it!

CNET's live coverage of Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote

… Read more

The 404 1,283: Where we whirlybird this picture disc (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Weird Al Yankovic says next album will be his last.

- Australian scientists uncover "God's bathtub."

- These Blu-ray discs will last 1,000 years.

- You guys, Xanga is about to shut down unless we give them $60k.

- This teenager would rather go to jail than play his Xbox 360.… Read more

Cab-hailing apps get green light in NYC

Clearing the way for services like Uber, an appellate court Thursday lifted a temporary injunction on New York City's pilot plan to allow travelers to hail yellow cabs via smartphone. The plan, which challenges the traditional curbside street hail, has faced strong opposition from New York's livery and black-car operators.

Uber had just launched its New York taxi-hailing pilot program at the end of April when the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division issued the emergency injunction.

Today's news came just hours after another related legal victory for Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration. His plan to expand … Read more