News and Views
How Music Critics Adapt to the Social Media Landscape
Remember when music critics were a little bit like respected, but much-feared royalty? They wielded the power of life and death over the musicians they both loved and hated, and they were courted almost as lavishly by record labels as the spotlighted stage denizens, themselves. On a critic’s whim, praise or damnation doled out in [...]
How Solar Power, Mirrors, and Steam Can Change the World
It doesn’t take much digging to discover that I am a big fan of the Steampunk genre. The idea of steam power being incorporated into modern technology is intriguing, and little did I know that it could actually be more practical than many of the power-generating systems we use today. The science of generating power [...]
Does Gaming Cause Depression?
Depression is an often misunderstood issue that affects one in 10 adult Americans. Commonly termed as a mental illness, the symptoms and signs of depression are often overlooked and/or ignored. A recent study out of Victoria University in Australia is reported to have found a link between increased levels of anxiety and gaming. The media [...]
Five Days in Geek History That Should Be Holidays
As we head into the new year and out of what has been dubbed by the media to be the “holiday season,” I can’t help but think about all the great accomplishments we’ve made that don’t receive any official recognition on your typical calendar. I’m not talking about the anniversary of a national movement or [...]
Will 2012 Be the Year of Subscription-based Services?
Are you terrified of commitment? I’m not talking about the kind of commitment that requires a diamond ring, or even a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. These days, it seems more people are afraid of committing to long-term contracts or even purchasing valuable items — especially those that they may not always want to keep forever, let [...]
Why You Should Be Glad You’re Not Attending CES 2012
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is one of the largest technology trade shows in the world. Close to 129,000 people attended the event in 2011, though the question this year, as Microsoft makes its final appearance, is whether or not CES has lost its relevancy in the world of tech. Most of the content unveiled [...]
How Robots Are Slowly Taking over the Job Market
It could be said that some innovations are a double-edged sword. Smartphones, for example, are extremely handy except for the fact that we’ve seen an increase in traffic fatalities as more and more people become distracted by whatever it is being displayed on the tiny screen. But what about robotics? Robots of all shapes and [...]
Five Interesting Alternatives to Traditional Bank Accounts
It seems that every day we hear about one bank or another being either at the brink of failure or otherwise riddled with controversy. For years now, the ongoing topic of debate over the American economy has centered around the role of a few central banks with corporate management in the crosshairs of conspiracy theorists [...]
Free Resources and Tools to Improve Your Blog
Creating and maintaining a professional blog can be a lot of work. Often, bloggers are faced with having to do everything themselves from research, content creation, image gathering, and even editing. Maintaining a professional blog means having to keep in mind all the legal details surrounding any commercial site while building a rapport and reputation [...]
Why It’s Important That Han Shot First
Did Han Solo shoot first? This question has plagued Star Wars fans for decades — more so after the original series was reworked in 1997, which included some dramatic (and subtle) changes that have Star Wars fans scratching their heads. Further tweaks and adjustments were made for the 2004, 2006, and most recent 2011 Blu-ray [...]
