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Rare footage captures real sound of 1953 A-bomb blast

Odds are that not many folks out there have seen a nuclear explosion up close. And it turns out that most of the films we've seen are dubbed or contain stock blast sound effects, a point I wasn't aware of before coming across a blog curated by Alex Wellerstein, an historian of science at the American Institute of Physics.

Most films of nuclear explosions got dubbed. If they do contain an actual audio recording of the test blast itself (something I'm often suspicious of -- I suspect many were filmed silently and have a stock blast sound … Read more

Rumor: Apple to include quad-core A6 in next iPhone

Sources in the industry speaking with DigiTimes (via AppleInsider) have reportedly been expecting the competition in the smartphone world to heat up around the adoption of quad-core processors as early as this year's holiday quarter.

HTC, Samsung, LG, and China's Meizu already have quad-core processors in their phones, leading industry sources to believe that indeed, Apple will have to include a new chip to stay competitive.

That new iPhone is largely expected to be released this fall.

While its competition is mostly using Qualcomm's dual-core technology (quad-core is forthcoming later this year), Apple is expected to use … Read more

Lick this: Tongue-controlled Play-A-Grill MP3 player

Bone conduction audio, retainers, and shiny hip-hop teeth grills aren't new inventions, but tech hacker Aisen Caro Chacin had the clever idea to put them all together.

The Play-A-Grill MP3 player prototype fits in your mouth like a retainer, shines on the outside like a precious metal rap grill, and plays music through bone conduction through your teeth.

Some of the hardware actually sits outside the mouth, so you have to deal with wires extending from your teeth. It's not all self-contained. To get the best sound, you have to plug your ears, but video of test subjects shows them bopping along to the beat only they can hear.… Read more

Friday Poll: How important is it to buy U.S.-made tech?

The Fourth of July is coming up next week. It's a good time to take stock of where the country stands in the world of technology manufacturing.

We've been hearing quite a bit lately about how feasible (or not) it is to make tech products right here at home.

Manufacturing plants in Asia pretty much have the cell phone and gadget market cornered, but there are some blips on the U.S.-made tech radar. Google has managed to design and build the Nexus Q streaming media player in America.

Is this a sign of a reboot for technology manufacturing in America?… Read more

Top five affordable portable drives that ain't cheap

When it comes to storage, you definitely don't want to risk getting stuck with a lemon. That's because, unlike other commodities like a car or a TV, when a storage device breaks down, chances are you lose a lot more than just the drive itself. It's a painful experience to see your invaluable data vanish. Take my word for it on this.

But you likely don't want to spend too much, either, and want your storage device to be easily accessible, especially on the go since there's not much use for your data if it always has to stay at home.

Bearing that in mind, compact and portable external hard drives are arguably the most popular form of storage. They have room to hold lots of data, often more than your laptop or ultrabook can, without being big or heavy. Following is the list of the top five portable USB 3.0-based drives that are the best among their peers, offering great performance, large storage space, compact design, and sometimes even the kind of toughness that will withstand drops and submersion in water. Most importantly, you can easily find them for less than $100. Have more to spend? You can get larger capacities that cost more.

Note that these drives also work with USB 2.0 (MacBook Air owners, you're included here) and they are all bus-powered, so you don't need a separate power adapter to use them.… Read more

Internet co-creator Vint Cerf welcomes IPv6 elbow room (Q&A)

"Predicting is hard, especially about the future," quips Vint Cerf -- and he should know.

That's because about 30 years ago, when the now-famous engineer was helping to design the technology that powers the Internet, Cerf decided just how many devices could connect to the network. His answer -- 2 to the 32nd power, or 4.3 billion -- looked awfully big at the time. A few decades later, we now know it's far short.

Accordingly, Google's chief Internet evangelist and one of the few people at the company who looks natural in a suit … Read more

Apple's iPhone, iPad 'engine' made in U.S., says Cook

Foxconn may assemble the iPhone and iPad in China, but key components are made in the good ol' USA, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, speaking today at the D10 conference.

"This is not well known...but the engine for the iPhone and the iPad are built in the U.S. in Austin, Texas," Cook said.

Cook is almost certainly referring to Samsung's Austin chip plant, where the A5 -- and presumably the newer A5X -- chips are made.

"The glass is made in a plant in Kentucky," he added, referring to the Corning's Gorilla Glass facility. … Read more

The paradox of Microsoft's Skype acquisition integration

Microsoft paid $8.5 billion for Skype and it's trying to walk a line between leaving the Internet communications service independent and integrating it with its vast array of products.

It's one tough line to walk. The New York Times details Microsoft's integration of Skype so far and the software giant has erred on the side of independence. Skype is developing software for Android, iOS and other services as usual. Ironically, Skype is having issues with Windows Phone.

You see where Microsoft wants to go. Skype for Xbox with cool features. Integration with Windows 8, Lync, Windows … Read more

Build your own desktop stereo for under $70

My quest for the best-sounding/lowest-cost desktop system is finally over.

I paired the tiny 20-watt-per-channel $24.49 Lepai LP-2020A+ amplifier with the $44.50-per-pair Dayton Audio B652 bookshelf speakers. The total price (excluding taxes) on Amazon is just under $70.

First, the caveats: I'm assuming that you, like me, will already have an audio source -- an iPod, smartphone, or CD player -- so I'm not including that expense. And you may need to invest in some speaker wire, which could run you another $10 or so. I also name a handful of optional accessories below that … Read more