vulcan

Trekkies conquer contest to name Pluto moons

Earlier this month, astronomer Mark Showalter and the SETI Institute asked the Internet to help name two Plutonian moons. The results are in after 450,324 votes from around the world on the Web site Pluto Rocks.

Pending authorization from the International Astronomical Union, the new names for Pluto's smallest moons -- currently called P4 and P5 -- could end up changing to Cerberus and Vulcan.… Read more

You can now use Paul Allen's personal movie-sorting app

Must be nice to be a billionaire like Paul Allen and have your own movie-sorting app. Well, now the Microsoft co-founder's technology is available for the rest of us too, in the form of the Fayve app.

Fayve started out as a way for Allen to manage his own collection of videos, according to GeekWire. His staff, tasked with developing technologies and tools for managing Allen's stuff, created the product for his use and then found it to have a broader appeal. They altered it to make it ready for public use, the report said.

"Paul has … Read more

iPhone case turns you into a Vulcan

The deluge of smartphone cases out there means you can choose from nearly every color and style imaginable. But as far as we know, only one delivers Spock ears.

Etsy artisan Jeff Chris currently sells a $15 "Spock ear design" iPhone 4/4S case that features the familiar elven sideburns and pointed ear commonly seen on most Vulcan profiles. The silicone rubber case comes in either black or white, and should illicit gazes of wonder and curiosity as you mindlessly chatter away while walking in public. Just make sure to look both ways so you live long and prosper. … Read more

Paul Allen starts tweeting

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has started tweeting, following in the footsteps of fellow co-founder Bill Gates, who became active on Twitter earlier this year.

Allen has quietly become more active on the microblogging site in recent days, having posted several updates to his account, including a post on September 22 that he was in Hawaii working on a book and more recent updates talking about his NFL team--the Seattle Seahawks--and a brain research summit he recently attended.

David Postman, a spokesman for Allen, said the @paulgallen account has been registered for a while, but was formerly private and not really … Read more

Paul Allen wants to clean your Outlook in-box

It's been quite a while since Paul Allen worked to make Microsoft's products better, but he's doing just that.

While he hasn't rejoined the software maker he left more than 25 years ago, Allen is backing an effort to improve Microsoft Outlook. Allen's Vulcan Ventures announced on Monday the launch of its Xiant subsidiary and a beta of its first product, Xiant Filer. It is available as a free, 60-day trial, and Vulcan plans to eventually sell downloads of the product directly as well as through other Web sites.

"It's a return of … Read more

Stop. Picnic time!

As the weather warms up, it's time to get a move on. Spring has sprung, the baseball season is about to get underway, and everywhere people are going to be spending more time outside. Those people are going to be hungry. Nothing beats spending a warm afternoon surrounded by fresh air and the sweet smell of grilled meats and vegetables. This year, plan on taking your grilling show on the road and really perk up your picnics.

The Picnic Time Vulcan Cooler With Grill can help you achieve your grilling mobility. In one convenient package, you can carry all … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 752: This episode is not called 'BOLympics'

There's no way we'd bait the International Olympic Committee like that, knowing how notoriously aggressive they are about controlling their content. They hardly want anyone to see it. That's why all the digital content is Vista only this year. Rimshot! In other news of the day, Nokia bought Symbian, leading analysts to predict everything from global market takeover to complete and utter destruction.

Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 752

Nokia buys Symbian, turns software over to Symbian Foundation http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/24/nokia-buys-symbian/ http://news.cnet.com/Symbians-new-role-in-mobile-apps-drama/2009-1039_3-6242423.html http://mashable.com/2008/06/24/nokia-acquires-symbian/… Read more

New brief on DARPA's Vulcan engine

DARPA has released some tidbits of information in a briefing on how one might build a propulsion system that combines a Constant Volume Combustion (CVC) engine and a full-scale turbine engine to accelerate a hypersonic jet to multiple Mach.

It's called the Vulcan, and it's a demonstration program designed to power a full-scale reusable hypersonic cruise vehicle like the Falcon HTV-3X, and to do it by 2012. The key, according to the DARPA briefing, is to integrate a currently produced turbine engine like the F110-129 or the F119, with minimal modifications and a CVC (PDF).

The CVC, or &… Read more

Mapping the U.S. carbon footprint

Which parts of the United States emit the most global-warming gases? The best view until now came via satellites, which could capture only snapshots at about the state level. Total carbon emissions were known, but their distribution remained a mystery.

That changed on Monday with the release of the most detailed map to date of U.S. carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

The map, by the Vulcan Project, took more than two years to complete and cost nearly a quarter of a million dollars, with backing from NASA and the Department of Energy. The result, named after the Roman god … Read more