A functional, homemade paraglider, pieced together from old fertilizer bags by a fellow named Cyril Mazibuko in South Africa. Link (Wired, via Afrigadget).
Privacy advocates and regulators are eyeing Google's collection of your personally identifying information for the purpose of targeting ads. Google responds that ads are a form of "information that is useful to consumers," and a form of speech. Link to analysis on Wired Threat Level blog.
At a recent conference in Seoul, experts gathered to discuss the fate of rare wildlife that call the biologically-rich DMZ their home. The Demilitarized Zone is the
250-kilometer-long, 4-kilometer-wide "no-man's land" which has divided North and South Korea since 1953. Link (Worldchanging).
Bob Marley's family is not very happy about the fact that Universal Music Group has agreed to sell Marley ringtones to Verizon. Link (Wired Listening Post blog).
In Uganda, a different kind of mobile phone. Link (Afrigadget).
Japan's internet cafe homeless: "There are over 5,000 "internet café refugees" eking out a living at the bottom of the social strata, taking what temporary work they can and dossing down in 24-hour internet cafés in the absence of a home of their own." Link. (Futurismic via Bruce Sterling)
Genealogy of features on the iPhone. Everything new is old. Link (Core 77 blog, thanks Susannah).
Video: Mad turntablist skillz from "DJ Sara, 8 years old, and DJ Ryusei, 5 years old." Video Link. (thanks, Andrew Tonkin)
CP/M is an operating system dating to the mid-1970s that found its niche giving cheap 8-bit home computers the flexibility, if not the power, of expensive workstations. The Brother SuperPowerNote… READ THE REST
Brian Merchant hails the worst tech of 2023, an anti-gift guide for the holiday season that "sits atop an intersection of so many discouraging trendlines that I can't help but… READ THE REST
It seems like just yesterday that tech companies were fleeing California's high costs and setting up shop in cheap, hip Texas cities such as Austin. But TechCrunch reports that the… READ THE REST
TL;DR: Revamp your digital world with this incredible lifetime license to Microsoft Windows 11 Pro, with its seamless interface and top-notch security, for only $29.97 (Reg. $199) until 11:59 PM on 1/07.… READ THE REST
TL;DR: Save over $350 on a refurbished Apple iPad Pro 10.5" 256GB, plus a free accessories bundle, with this sweet deal on sale for just $315.99 right now. Tech fans, it's time… READ THE REST
TL;DR: The perfect last-minute holiday gift for an aspiring rocker, the 2024 Guitar Lessons Training Bundle is only $15.97 (Reg. $480) until 11:59 PM on 12/25. It's really never too late to make… READ THE REST