quasars

The biggest thing in the universe is really, really big

You and I are really, really small. And we're even smaller than we thought we were last month, at least when compared with the size of the largest known item in the universe.

Last week, a team of astronomers based in the U.K. discovered the largest object in all of our observable existence: a celestial structure made up of 73 quasars that is up to 4 billion light years long.

How big is that exactly? Well, it would take tens of thousands of our own Milky Ways -- the big, galactic one, not the one that comes in … Read more

With Quasar, jailbroken iPads get Windows

So far, true multitasking with the ease of use we came to expect on PCs has been hard to come by on most mobile devices, including the iPad. But a little hack called Quasar that's available for 10 bucks in the Cydia store seems to be the first to bring a decent windowed app management experience to jailbroken iPads.

Quasar brings much of the functionality of Windows to the touch screen ahead of the release of Windows 8 -- there's the ability to view multiple apps in windows simultaneously, resize, rearrange, close, or go full-screen. It's never been so easy to get some work done during a FaceTime conversation that's gone on just a bit too long.… Read more

Gadgettes 75: The "Superbug" Episode

'Baby Quasar': An electronic Fountain of Youth?

At first glance this might look like some kind of LED earbud, but it's actually not even close: Try an "electronic elixir" instead.

It's tough enough for us to have faith in such "anti-aging products," especially when one has a name like the "Baby Quasar." It sounds more like an astrological term or a crib toy than a wrinkle-zapping device.

That, however, is exactly what it's purported to be, exploiting the anti-inflammatory effects of red and amber light to "promote fibroblasts to increase the body's production of collagen," … Read more