David Lidsky's Blog, page 4588

NASA Cuts 8-Foot Hole In a 747, Bolts In Huge Telescope

Can you tear an eight-foot hole in the side of a 747 jet and have it fly not only safely but in a stable way? This isn't a terrorism-related quiz--it's a real problem that NASA tackled with its flying telescope project. The answer is a big "yes."

The telescope is a 17-ton monster called the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) designed to make high-resolution infrared imagery of space objects, and its installation in a modified 30 year-old 747 is the culmination of a...

Infographic of the Day: The Best Visualization of the World Cup Matches

Simplicity is the key, in this infographic created by Mike Deal for Umbro.

IDEA Spotlight: A Robot Cleaner For The Stylishly Lazy

Mint is a robot that propels itself around your floors, mopping up dirt at the press of a button -- which means that even really lazy slobs don't have an excuse anymore.

Indestructible: The Design of Old Glory

While you can't deny its visual and historical significance, our flag will inevitably change again. Ken Carbone illustrates the options.

Insiders Dish on What's Ahead for Crispin, Porter + Bogusky Without Alex Bogusky

The so-called Ad Jesus announced yesterday that he'd quit the biz he so heavily influenced. What's that mean for the powerhouse "ad agency of the decade" that traded on his name?

Aside from the twenty-four foot tall wooden box of Kraft Mac & Cheese hovering in Crispin Porter + Bogusky's foyer--its latest client win--there wasn't much indication that anything at the hottest ad agency in the country had changed. "It's no big deal, nothing's happened," Alex Bogusky reassured me a few weeks ago...

Apple Says iPhone 4 Reception Mystery Is Solved! AT&T's Signal Was Never Really There!

Never mind all of those quick fixes and videos about iPhone 4 reception dropping out when you hold the new phone a certain way. Never mind the fake Steve Jobs letters telling a customer to relax (or not).

In a newly released letter to customers, Apple -- the real Apple -- says it's figured out why some iPhone 4 users are experiencing lower bars in their reception when the phone is held a certain way:

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many...

Facebook Adds Face Detection to Photos, Recognition Next?

Facebook is testing a new technology it says will save its members lots of time and effort: face detection for easy cataloging of people that appear in pictures. It sounds neat, but is this going to turn into Facebook's next privacy nightmare?

Facebook's spin on the face-detection tech is pretty simple. In a blog post announcing the news, the site notes, "This might surprise you, but within the photos product most people spend their time uploading, browsing and tagging photos. As a result...

Now Adidas Winning the Battle of the Buzz, Says Survey

For the past three days, the World Cup has been on hiatus, as the eight remaining teams limber up for the semi-final stage, which starts today. The buzz, however, continues, with Adidas, according to a survey* by NM Incite, taking the top spot from Nike, which had the top spot three weeks ago, despite its German rival being an official sponsor for the tournament. Adidas now has just over a quarter of the online chatter, up from 14.4% to 25.1%, while Nike is down by 9.8% to just 19.4%.

Now...

Intel's Smart Car Knows When Thieves Are Breaking In

For car owners: a way to see if triggered alarms are legit; for everyone else: relief from blood pressure-spiking, piercing, random car sirens.

If you have a car, chances are you've had the experience of having the vehicle alarm go off for no apparent reason. (If you've lived in New York City, you've contemplated throwing a brick out of your fourth-floor window onto said car at 4 a.m. to give it a reason.)  But what if there was a way to both make sure that thieves aren't actually breaking...

iFive: Life as a Clean-up Worker, Murdoch's Paywall Goes Up, the Centenarian Gene, Lexus Recall, Cycling Tech in London

While you were sleeping, innovation was whisking its love away for a cruise on its private yacht, and then erecting a paywall around her so that no one could see her. Strange, that.

1. The Los Angeles Times has documented what life is like as a clean-up worker in Louisiana. The protective suit is so hot that the workers are forced to take regular breaks, making locals think that they're lazy. Speaking of suits, the top brass at BP--which is selling off its South American assets to China in an...