fired

Here on planet Earth we're used to flames -- whether from a candle or campfire -- reaching upward to the sky with slender limbs hungry for oxygen and driven by rising hot air. But in space, sans our planet's strong gravitational pull, flames are more likely to take the shape of eerie fireballs.

Within the flame of a regular candle wick, there's quite a bit going on. As the video below released this week by NASA explains, molecules from the wick are being cracked apart and vaporized by the flame, then combined with oxygen to produce light, heat, carbon dioxide, and water, as well as soot.

In recent years we've become quite familiar with how flames can extend and expand quickly in their greedy quest for more fuel and oxygen; witness countless western wildfires of the past decade. But researchers aboard the International Space Station have observed that flames in microgravity behave much differently, staying in a small spherical shape and letting oxygen molecules come to them.… Read more

The Amazon Kindle has officially landed in China.

On Friday, both the Kindle Fire HD tablet and the Kindle Paperwhite e-reader popped up for sale on Amazon's Chinese Web site. The Fire HD tablet costs 1,499 yuan ($244) for the 16GB version and 1,799 yuan ($293) for the 32GB version, while the Paperwhite e-reader costs 849 yuan ($138).

The Kindle devices will also be sold locally through Suning and Tesco Shi, two retail chains in China, according to Chinese news site Sina Tech. Chinese consumers will be able to find the Kindles at stores in Beijing, Shanghai, … Read more

In 2012, 83 firefighters died in the line of duty in the U.S. alone, and another 37 fatalities have been reported thus far in 2013. But, with better scouting tools, these numbers could be lowered.

Thank goodness for robots.

A new one out of the University of California, San Diego, may soon help first responders survey a fiery scene with its ability to enter a burning building and immediately transmit data on the state and location of the fire, the building's structural integrity, and the presence of any volatile gases -- all while on the lookout for survivors.… Read more

Little did Ashley Payne know that the festive photo of her holding both a pint of beer and a glass of red wine would lead to her losing her high school teaching job.

The 24-year-old educator posted the image to her Facebook profile, and after a parent complained, school officials told Payne she'd have to choose between resigning and suspension, according to IOL News. She resigned.

If those same school officials were hiring and found a candidate with a similar photo shared on the social Web, it's most likely that person wouldn't even get an interview.

According … Read more

Amazon may finally open up shop for its Kindle devices in China.

Citing information from "multiple sources," blog site Sina Tech said today that the Kindle Fire tablet and Kindle e-readers will officially launch in China on June 7. Amazon will reportedly sell the devices through Chinese online retailer Suning.

The Kindle Fire HD (either the 7-inch or 8.9-inch version) will sell for 1400 to 1500 yuan ($228 to $244), while the Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi e-reader will go for 849 yuan ($138), according to Sina Tech.

Amazon has slowly been moving into the Chinese market. Last December, … Read more

Amazon plans to begin shipping the 7-inch and 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD tablets next month to over 170 countries.

In an announcement Thursday, the Internet giant said that the Kindle Fire tablets are now available for preorder through the company's Web site and that shipments will start June 13.

The Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is available for preorder today and is priced at $284, whereas the 7-inch version retails at $214.

The Kindle Fire HD is a Web-enabled and Bluetooth-supporting mobile device. The 8.9-inch version comes with a customized HD display of 1920x1200 pixels -- equivalent … Read more

Sadly, I find it easier to build a computer than a kick off a successful grill fire. The up-and-coming BBQ Dragon could be the breath of fresh air -- literally -- to change my poor fire-starting fortune.

Essentially working the same way as a fan, the cordless BBQ Dragon shoots a large amount of cool air into a fire and accelerates the burning process. The stainless steel device, which has a variable air speed controller and flexible arm, easily clips onto the side of a grill or smoker. The designers say the Dragon works great with bonfires, the Big Green Egg, wood stoves, and more. … Read more

It's that time again where certain people on Earth are lucky enough to see an annular eclipse, or "ring of fire."

People on the ground in much of Australia, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands will be able to gaze toward the sky Thursday evening and witness the eclipse. However, the rest of us, who aren't in that part of the world, can watch the action live on the Slooh SpaceCamera Web site via an Australia-based telescope.

Amazon is expected to bring out a bigger version of the Kindle Fire, as it gradually grows the size of its tablets.

Amazon arguably started the small tablet fad when it launched the 7-inch Kindle Fire in November of 2011. And it followed that with 8.9-inch model, announced in September 2012.

Now it's moving up to the 10-inch class, Richard Shim, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch, told CNET.

The biggest Kindle Fire yet will sport a stunning 2,560x1,600-pixel density 10.1-inch display, according to Shim. That's about 300 pixels per inch (PPI), considerably denser than … Read more