(Credit:
Video screenshot by Bonnie Cha/CNET)

In 1927, Professor Thomas Parnell of the University of Queensland in Australia set out to teach his students a lesson, and that lesson is still going on today and has at least another 100 years to go.

The physics professor wanted to demonstrate to his pupils that solid material could have viscous properties, so he used tar pitch, a derivative of coal once used to waterproof boats, in an experiment to prove his point.

At room temperature, pitch appears to be solid and can even shatter if hit with a hammer, but despite its look and feel, pitch can also flow at room temperature--just really, really slowly.

To conduct the Pitch Drop Experiment, Parnell melted some pitch into a glass funnel with a sealed stem and allowed it to settle for three years. In 1930, the funnel was unsealed, clearing the way for the pitch to flow freely, but it sure did take its sweet time.

Eight years went by before the first drop of pitch hit the beaker below, and it was another nine years before the second drop hit. Parnell passed away in September 1948, but a third drop was recorded in 1954, before the Pitch Drop Experiment was stored away in a cupboard.

more..

The 404 979: Where court is now in session (podcast)

Jeff gets a ticket for suspicious repairs on his vehicle.

(Credit:
Imgur)

Jeff almost didn't make it out of court this morning to be on the show, but he squirms out of Lady Justice's grasp just in time to join us, maybe with a few minutes in between to update his Facebook.

We'll talk today about Facebook's Timeline feature coming to a profile near you (whether you like it or not), last night's tech-heavy State of the Union Address, and who's responsible for the state of John Kerry's face.

Obama's made lots of promises in his speech this year, not the least of which is a pledge to give more technology training to Americans looking to expand their workforce skills.

He also mentioned an end to digital piracy and will host a Google+ video hangout on January 30 with questions accepted through the White House YouTube channel.

Finally, we play a couple voice mails from listeners whose opinions on the show range from helpful criticism to unflappable adoration to venomous hatred.

We must be doing something right!

Leaked from 404 podcast 979:

Ready or not, Facebook's Timeline is ... [Read more]Related Links:The 404 978: Where you're today's lucky winner (podcast)The 404 969: Where well...it can only get worse (podcast)The 404 973: Where no hoots given here (podcast)The 404 976: Where we're making ghosts turn red (podcast)The 404 975: Where we're making educated guesses (podcast) more..

Will Qmadix biodegradable cables untangle the future?

A biodegradable USB cable from Qmadix.

(Credit:
Qmadix)

You probably find yourself more often needing an extra cable than having too many, but in case you worry about what to do with your extra cables when you're done with them, Qmadix has one answer: just toss 'em.

The mobile-accessory company today announced its Ecoustic biodegradable cables. These are regular cables like those you have at home, such as USB cables, HDMI cables, auxiliary audio cables, and of course iOS-based 30-pin cables for the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. The difference is their coating, "a resin mixture made from biodegradable, plant-based by-products and other natural properties" that quickly degrades naturally, rather than staying in a landfill for hundreds of years.

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Qmadix says its cables also ship in eco-friendly, recycled packaging and offer the same functionality, durability, and reliability as regular cables, which usually have plastics coverings.

Qmadix actually showed off its cables at CES earlier this month, but at the time didn't share many details about t... [Read more]Related Links:Thunderbolt storage now gets bus-powered with ElgatoThe best of CES 2012WD teases with Thunderbolt drive demoToday's iPad rumor: Two products, two launches for 2012The future of home video limps forward at CES 2012 more..

Tardis safe is unlocked with your smartphone

Timelords-in-training won't need a Sonic Screwdriver to crack open this adorable Tardis safe. Instead, it's unlocked using a smartphone. We've gone paws-on with the Zeon Tech Tardis Smartsafe at the Toy Fair in London, so hit play on the video above to examine it for yourself.

Here's how it works. Once your secret items have been squirrelled away inside--no doubt you'll be able to store a surprisingly large amount of stuff--you shut the door and the safe locks itself.

Next, install a companion app (never has the phrase been more appropriate) on your iPhone or Android device, stick your phone into the slot atop the safe, and use the app to set a four-digit passcode.

To unlock the Smartsafe, put your phone in the same slot and key in your code. Press enter and the door pops open. Dead easy.... [Read more]Related Links:Parrot AR.Drone quadcopter gets better specs and softwareModai concept phone wants to be your friendMicrosoft bids adieu to CESAnonymous: Facebook is next, on January 28How to use face unlock on the Galaxy Nexus more..

Tokyoflash optical illusion watch will make your eyes cross

Can you tell what time it is?

(Credit:
Tokyoflash)

Remember those Magic Eye posters that were popular back in the '90s? You know, the ones where you'd focus your eyes on a 2D image and then boom, out of nowhere, a 3D image would appear? Well, that's the inspiration behind a new watch by Tokyoflash.

The Kisai Optical Illusion watch is the latest geeky accessory from Tokyoflash, and at first glance, the face of the watch just looks like a dizzying maze of lines. But of course, there's more than meets the eye.

As with the Magic Eye images, after staring at the display for a bit, you should be able to make out the hour and minutes presented in digit form. Tokyoflash says the time will be easy to see once you've trained your eyes, but if that's not the case, you can simply tap the touch screen to reveal the time.

The touch display also has four "hot zones" that you can tap to navigate though the time, date, alarm, and backlight.

The Kisai Optical Illusion is available now in your choice of silver or black and with a natural or green display. The company is currently selling the watch for $179 with free shipping as part of a launch special, but starting Friday, the price will go up to $199.

[Read more]Related Links:Meet Mr. Android 2011The $100K way to get 3D sharks in your houseWalking on walls in ParisPadintosh turns iPad 2 into classic MacCulture: Five predictions for 2012 more..

Planetarium converted to 200-player space game

(Credit:
Babycastles)

The planetarium at New York's Museum of Natural History will play host to a 200-person space exploration game that starts with the birth of the universe.

The Space Cruiser game, set for tomorrow night, will transform the roof of the Rose Center for Earth and Space theater into a "living, breathing, spaceship where participants will be able to navigate around a beautiful fictitious universe" according to Babycastles, the creator of the game.

Based on the promotional video, the game lets players explore new worlds and even travel through a Doctor Who-style worm hole.

The ship's computer is played by musician Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields, a man obviously keen for adventure (his new album is called "Love at the Bottom of the Sea").

The game is the main event of the "Cosmic Cocktails and Space Arcade" evening, which will also feature live music and games from indie developers.

Unfortunately, tickets for the event got snapped up quickly, but check out the video for a taste of what the lucky few will experience.

SPACE CRUISER from Ivan Safrin and Babycastles from Ida C. Benedetto on Vimeo.

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Boxee now selling Live TV tuner for cord-cutting users

(Credit:
Boxee)

Boxee Box users now have a way to watch traditional TV as well as online content.

The company has just started selling its new $49 Live TV tuner, which connects directly to the Boxee Box to deliver over-the-air broadcast television channels, potentially making it a useful option for cable TV cord cutters.

Of course, as CNET's Matthew Moskovciak pointed out in a column in November, all HDTVs these days include a built-in ATSC (Advanced Television Systems Committee) tuner, so most cord cutters already have a way to grab broadcast TV without coughing up extra dough.

Still, the folks at Boxee are touting several advantages offered by their new TV tuner, according to a blog by Team Boxee yesterday.

On the plus side, the Live TV tuner provides an all-in-one interface, so you can see what's available both on TV and on the Web and easily jump from one to the other. You can also edit your channel listings to remove stations you don't watch or re-title the default station names to something more user friendly.

The Live TV tuner is also into sharing. You can not only view what's on TV but also check out what your friends are watching and see how many people altoget... [Read more]Related Links:The future of home video limps forward at CES 2012Hands-on: Simple.TV might be the next big cord-cutting deviceThe big picture: What truly stood out at CES 2012Comcast AnyPlay will stream live TV to your iPadSimple.TV is a next-gen DVR for the cord-cutting crowd more..

Quad-core smartphones: This is their year

Samsung has sold millions of the dual-core Galaxy S II. Can they do it again with quad-core?

(Credit:
Josh Miller/CNET)

This year's Consumer Electronics Show may not have produced much in the way of quad-core Android phones, save one Fujitsu-made, Android prototype that was encased and untouchable, but make no mistake: this is their year.

Thanks to abundant and well-defined product leaks, we have strong expectations for next month's Mobile World Congress (MWC). Thanks to quad-core devices already in existence, like the Asus Transformer Prime tablet, we also have a real-world example of just how big a performance leap we'll see between dual-core and quad-core speeds.

Quad-core phones on the horizon
Last November proffered the first peep about the HTC Edge, an Android phone that's expected to have a 4.7-inch 1,280x720-pixel HD display, an 8-megapixel camera, an Nvidia Tegra 3 1.5GHz quad-core processor, and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. (Read more on ... [Read more]Related Links:Smartphones you can bet on at CESAsus Memo 370T changes the game by offering four cores for the price of twoApple lists quad-core chip in iOS 5.1 beta, report saysAcer teases tablet with highest screen resolution yetLG could introduce Intel-powered smartphone at CES more..

Apple makes more iPhones than humans make babies

(Credit:
Good Mama Diapers)

Apple has been busier making and selling iPhones of late than all of humanity has been at getting busy.

The company smashed most expectations yesterday when it announced its iPhone sales for the last three months of 2011 totaled over 37 million units, a figure that exceeds the number of babies born on planet earth--using the global average daily birth rate --during a comparable period (about 98 days).

Digital design guru Luke Wroblewski first noted on Twitter that Apple has been more productive than humanity has been reproductive in recent months.

There are more iPhones sold per day (402k) than people born in the World per day (300k). twitter.com/#!/asymco/stat...

— Luke Wroblewski (@lukew) January 24, 2012

While Wroblewski's numbers seem a bit off based on the Apple and Wolfram Alpha figures cited above, the conclusion remains the same--if iPhones ever start feeding on human flesh (what I call the "Digital Walking De... [Read more]Related Links:iPhone rings up quarterly sales of at least 12 million, says analystiPhone 5 rumor roundupiPhone 4S to take center stage in Jan. 24 Apple earnings calliPhone demand still 'incredibly strong,' but declining, study findsVerizon suffers $2B loss on pensions, iPhone costs more..

PixelPeers, where shutterbugs can flock together--for a price

(Credit:
Photo Rumors)

Stand aside Facebook, there's a new social-networking site in town. Targeted at shutterbugs, PixelPeers.com aims to bring professional and amateur photographers together on a common platform.

Members enjoy privileges such as discounts from online camera retailers and learn how to gain exposure online via search engine optimization (SEO). Users can also communicate with other photographers in forums or live chats, while others can buy and sell used gear in its marketplace section. There's even a studio directory, where photographers can list their businesses for prospective customers--a rating system is implemented for clients and other photographers.

To encourage photographers to join, the site also has an affiliate program where users can earn $10 upon referring a new member. If you're inclined to join, you have several membership options to choose from, starting at $4.97 for a network trial up to $95.64 (or $7.97 per month) for an annual membership.

With active photographic communities such as ClubSnap.org and Photo.net offering free classified services with loyal user bases, we wonder if a paid service would appeal to photographers. Only time will tell.

(Source: Crave Asia)

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Source: CNET