twin

The 404 1,251: Where we find the cipher in the sound (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Did 4chan just find the Boston Marathon bomber?.

- 4chan's Boston bombing Google Doc culls photos, speculation, and accusations.

- Internet tough guys and girls already pointing fingers at the Middle East. Response: "Please don't let it be a Muslim."

- Beating conspiracy theorists at their own game.

- Using Microsoft Photosynth to recreate a panoramic photo of the bombsite.

- Encode hidden messages in your Facebook pics with "Secretbook" extension.

- Demonic portraits and other evils lurking beneath waves of musical spectrograms.… Read more

Does Mark know? Winklevii claim they own 1 percent of all Bitcoins

As I understand it, Bitcoin is the currency we will all use to buy gruel and grits when the current financial world's gills turn green.

It seems to be based on the idea of one person trusting another, which is an idea that has caused more wars, divorces, tears, and surgeries than any other.

Recently, Bitcoin endured something of a correction in value. This has not stopped those who have ideas ahead of their time, and even above their station, to invest.

The New York Times tells me today that the Winklevoss brothers -- yes, they who claimed Facebook was their ideaRead more

Make Your Twin falls flat

We get that some apps exist purely for good, silly fun and nothing more. Make Your Twin sounds like it would fall under that category since it claims to "make your twin" by switching the faces of two or more people in the same picture. However, when we put it to the test, it failed to work.

Make Your Twin's main menu offers a Help feature, which explains how to use the app. First, you're supposed to take a picture in good lighting, and the faces shouldn't be covered or at an angle. Once you … Read more

SuperTooth readies two budget portable Bluetooth speakers for CES

I gave high marks to the original SuperTooth Disco bookshelf speaker when it dropped into stores last year, but I took issue with its inability to travel and of course, the lack of true stereo sound.

This year, the company will take to CES again to announce a portable listening solution called the Disco Twin that includes two separate speakers, giving you option to perch them wherever you like.

Wireless Bluetooth channels stream music to each device powered by 16 watts of audio juice, and the company's legacy "bass reflex system" in the back keeps the low … Read more

T-shirts let you wear a snapshot of camera history

Photography diehards and fans of printed T -shirts will like Dodge and Burn's latest camera-inspired collection. The New York-based company's latest Evolution TLR design highlights the history of the Twin Lens Reflex camera, a medium format film camera used in the '60s.

The site also offers a variety of other print designs, from the iconic Leica rangefinder camera to the classic SX-70 Polaroid film camera. Each shirt is printed using plastisol inks to create designs with textures that have a vintage and worn-out effect. … Read more

Winklevoss twins lead $750K investment in shopping startup

The Winklevoss twins, known for their long legal battle with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, have made another investment as venture capitalists in their post-Facebook lives.

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, also known as the "Winklevii," led a $750,000 investment round for Hukkster, an online shopping startup that lets shoppers track online merchandise and receive notifications when prices drop, The New York Times reported today.

New York-based Hukkster was founded by two former retail consultants, Katie Finnegan and Erica Bell, and has more than 10,000 users. Retailers such as J. Crew, Bloomingdale's, and ShopBop pay a referral … Read more

Winklevii snag $18 million L.A. mansion, report says

With the hordes losing their shirts, trousers and camel-haired overcoats on Facebook shares, it's heartening to see that not everyone lost out.

Though Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss often thought they deserved a little more for allegedly being at the heart of Facebook's creation, they did still manage to spirit $65 million away.

Now, my religious reading of TMZ has revealed that they have used some of that money, perhaps, on an exciting new abode.

For they have reportedly dropped $18 million on a quite stunning mansion in L.A.'s Hollywood Hills.

TMZ is fully adorned with pictures … Read more

Scientists release first 'cinematic MRI' of live birth

Let's get one thing straight up front: the term "cinematic" does not in this instance mean it's time to order up some popcorn. There's no color, no dramatic score, no super slow-mo to announce the climax. This is gritty black-and-white footage of a woman giving birth.

But don't let the grit fool you into thinking it's low tech. The world's first birth in an MRI machine was announced by scientists at Charite University Hospital in Berlin back in December 2010, and they're only now releasing the 25-second video, which was made … Read more

Thinly sliced cells slash solar power costs

Startup Twin Creek Technologies is attacking the cost of solar by getting more bang from a wafer of silicon.

After four years of work, the San Jose, Calif.-based company today is coming out of stealth and introducing its product, a machine designed to slash the cost of solar cell manufacturing. The company claims its Hyperion system cuts the cost of making a solar cell in half and brings total production cost from about 85 cents a watt today to around 50 cents.

Hyperion is now being evaluated by leading solar manufacturers and the company expects to have a number … Read more

U.K.-market Audi BiTDI engine adds extra turbo, oddly placed speaker

Pop quiz, tough guy: How do you make VW/Audi's direct-injected, turbodiesel engines better? If you answered "add another turbo," then congratulations. You're now ready to work for Audi's R&D department!

Okay, so I'm sure that Audi's engineers are a bit more qualified than that, but "adding another turbo" is exactly what they did with the advent of the new BiTDI 3.0 V-6 engine. The new engine, which will find its way under the hood of diesel-powered A6 and A7 Sportback models in the U.K. market, features … Read more