Technology Blog

…NASA Flashes a Full Moon…Disney Buys a Piece of Another Lifeless Rock…Move Without Moving (aka How To Get Fat Fast)…iPhone Screens Fixed at a Store Near You…

These beautiful hi-res shots of the Moon appeared after the camera on NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter started shooting two days ago. On one hand, it gives me a tingle that the Moon is once again in our sights, but on the other hand, hey, it’s the damn Moon—Pink Floyd told us everything we need to know about it. (”It’s all dark,” for instance.) I figure we move on to some new celestial body. [Wired]

Remember Asteroids? That game with so much story, it caused JRR Tolkien’s nephew Froederick to exclaim, “My uncle has been upstaged!”? Well, Disney bought—wait for it—the movie rights. Yes, there will soon be a movie of Asteroids. Why am I even bothering to tell you this? Because you will probably see the trailer first here, embedded on Gizmodo. I am not proud of that, but you know it’s true. [Slashdot]

Reason Why We’re Doomed #84713: Treadway motorized footwear. Yes, some designers are hard at work contriving a way to keep you from using that fine leg musculature God gave you to walk “the last mile.” I for one resent this, not just because so many Americans are already so heavy they make the people in Wall-E seem fit, but because, as somebody glued to a chair all day, I relish being able to get out and walk. So hear me now: I will never wear your damned motorized shoes. Ever. Except maybe once. [Unplggd]

People who will remain nameless who broke their iPhone screen a few weeks after someone was nice enough to give them their old iPhone (you know who you are) will be relieved to know that Apple Stores are now replacing screens on location. This is not 100% confirmed, and seemed like too minimal a rumor to run as its own post, but it is good news for certain people, because it means you won’t need to ship your phone off to a repair facility and wait. (Hint, hint.) [MacNN]

Here’s what Facebook for iPhone 3.0 looks like—pretty nice. Besides the new giant button home screen, you’ll be able to actually RSVP to events and create new photo albums. No push yet, but here’s the full list:

1. The “new” News Feed
2. Like
3. Events (including the ability to RSVP)
4. Notes
5. Pages
6. Create new photo albums
7. Upload photos to any album
8. Zoom into photos
9. Easier photo tagging
10. Profile Pictures albums
11. A new home screen for easy access to all your stuff, search, and notifications
12. Add your favorite profiles and pages to the home screen
13. Better Notifications (they link to the comments so you can reply)
14. Quickly call or text people right from the Friends page
15. Messages you are typing will be restored if you quit or are interrupted by a phone call

I’m sure Jesus will love being able to finally zoom in on photos. It’s coming “soon,” but no exact date yet. Later this summer, 3.1 will finally bring push notifications. [Facebook via Inside Facebook]

The Computer History Museum is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the integrated circuit, pictured above, with a multimedia exhibit called “The Silicon Engine” to explain why many claim the IC as one of mankind’s greatest and most important inventions ever.

Using oral histories from those who experienced the creation and development of the integrated circuit, the Computer History Museum compiled a documentary on this invention that irrefutably changed the world. The year-long exhibit will feature examples of early transistors, the vacuum tubes they replaced, and early integrated circuits, as well as explaining who was behind the inventions, especially the so-called “Traitorous Eight” engineers that largely developed the IC back in 1959.

After departing from the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, engineer Jean Hoerni and the rest of the “Traitorous Eight” moved to Fairchild Semiconductor in 1957. There, Hoerni developed the planar process which would become the foundation for the integrated circuit. The planar process involves using an oxide layer to protect the joining of the p-n semiconductors on a silicon chip, named because of the flat surface in which it results. The planar process is more electrically efficient than the then-common method of stripping the oxide layer for fear of contamination, but more importantly, the design allowed for a complete circuit to be built on a silicon chip.

Later in 1959, fellow “Traitorous Eight” member Robert Noyce demonstrated that the combination of the oxide coating and the flat surface allowed for a complete integrated electrical circuit, with diodes, transistors, resistors and capacitors, to be built within a planar chip. Simultaneously, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments independently developed a similar idea based on the planar process, though his was based on a germanium chip, rather than Noyce’s silicon. This new integrated circuit, called the “monolithic integratic chip,” is the basis for pretty much everything we love today, including computers, radio, television, audio equipment, cars and anything else that uses a microchip.

It’s no exaggeration to call the IC an invention that profoundly changed the world. Microchip technology has exploded since its invention 50 years ago, and few (if any) other inventions have become so essential worldwide in such a short amount of time. The technology is kind of tough to wrap your mind around, but the Computer History Museum’s exhibit sounds like an illuminating look at how Silicon Valley and our favorite hobby began. [Computer History Museum]

Dell Taiwan accidentally priced one 19-inch monitor, normally costing around $150, at only $15, and received a whopping 140,000 orders within the 8 hours it was live. Now, the Taiwanese government is forcing them to honor the sales.

This kind of thing isn’t too uncommon, and normally a company like Dell would either honor the price (if relatively few orders were placed) or offer some kind of discount, so as not to, you know, go out of business. But the Taiwanese government is now saying Dell must honor all 140,000 orders or face prosecution for violation of fair trade laws (and no, we have no idea what fair trade has to do with this situation).

Dell has apologized and says it will compensate buyers for the mistake, but they probably mean some sort of discount instead of a loss of millions of dollars. [Channel Register via The Raw Feed]

Come on, this isn’t much of a transformation. This powered USB gadget is in the shape of Optimus Prime’s severed head, and the ears (or whatever) swing out to reveal the speakers within.

There should also be a version in the shape of something called “Ultra Magnus,” which we’re going to assume is another Transformer, and is available for pre-order now. It’ll sell for $50 when it arrives sometime later this month. [BigBadToyStore via Chip Chick]