News and Views
Hyperspectral Sensor Works Like Star Trek Tricorder to Monitor and Protect Against Pollution
When I was a little kid, I remember thumbing through an old family photo album with my mother and noticing that all the pictures of her as a little kid were in black and white. Not really understanding that this was a limitation of commonly available technology in the 1950s and not the condition of [...]
Is Local Radio Dead?
Local FM and AM radio stations in the US have been struggling for years, and the proliferation of in-car satellite options and mobile device connections that allow your smart phone to link directly to your in-car speakers may just be what finally does the old format in. While these technologies have been around for years, [...]
Squashing the Bugs That Cause Computer Crashes in Multithreaded Systems
Programmers have long cursed the scourge of data races — bugs that plague multithreaded applications (pretty much everything used on computers these days, from Microsoft Windows to Mac OS X to Web browsers). One of the most frustrating traits of data races is the ease with which they can cause the dreaded computer crash, which, [...]
Is Minecraft a Game, or a Gaming Platform?
When we posed the question of whether or not Minecraft is a game to the community, we received some really good responses. Carter, a member of the LockerGnome community, answered: “It does have objectives and challenges, though not properly exclaimed. Collect resources, discover strongholds, dungeons, and new terrain. Build structures of great magnitude. I consider [...]
Credit Score Poor Indication of Trustworthiness in Job Screening
If you’ve ever submitted a resume or filled out an application for a prospective job opportunity (I think most of us can hold up our hands as being included in partaking of this often stressful life experience), you may have been asked for credentials allowing your potential future boss to look into your credit score. [...]
LEGO and Love: About Relationships and Geeks
So many would-be long term relationships begin with insincerity from both parties. Many of us dress and act in ways contrary to our nature to attract and impress that person who we hope could be “the one,” but how long can such a game go on before one’s true colors begin to show? Wouldn’t it [...]
Construction Toys (Like LEGO) Effective in Spatial Language Development
Blocks and bricks and beams (and logs and buckyballs and other toys that build stuff), oh, my! It’s not hard to imagine that construction toys (one in particular represented plenty by LEGO fanatic Chris Pirillo right here on LockerGnome) offer a cognitive benefit to the formative (and even post-formative) minds that engage in their use. [...]
What Do You Dream About?
Airwolf, a member of the LockerGnome community, asks: “Have you ever tried to Google the things that you dream about after you wake up?” One time when I was skiing down an ice cream cake the size of Everest, I accidentally bit my tongue (which for some reason was made out of three hummingbirds). I [...]
Five Alternative Uses for a Vacuum Sealer
You’ve probably seen those vacuum sealers around at various stores, on infomercials early in the morning, or at someone’s home. While they can certainly save your food from freezer burn or early spoiling, there are other ways you can put one of these systems to good use. Here are five of them: Perserve Valuable Documents [...]
How to Keep Your Things Organized While Traveling
Suitcases have a tendency to go from perfectly organized to a jumbled mess very quickly during travel. Often, we’re faced with having to rush out the door to our next destination. Between random searches by the TSA and baggage handlers jostling your luggage around (and the contents within), you’re lucky if your things are still [...]
