Christian Science Monitor

The Consumer Electronics Show doesn't technically start until Thursday, but announcements are already flowing. This enormous trade show – the Super Bowl for technology reporters – sets the gadget tone for the rest of the year, and often years to come. Here are some of the sleak machines, software, and ...

The messages are sent by friends, family, and trusted acquaintances. Some appear to carry embedded images or videos. Most arrive under innocuous subject lines: “You look just awesome in this new movie,” or “Funny moments.” But when users of popular social networks Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo click on the link inside ...

This year's Macworld keynote had the potential to be a real stinker – what with über-CEO Steve Jobs sitting things out for health reasons and the company's announcement that this was the last time it would attend the annual trade show. But even with Jobs out, the Cupertino-based company ...

While Nintendo's Wii grabs most of the media buzz, the 8-year-old PlayStation 2 is still 2008's most played video system in America, in terms of actual minutes used. That was one of several interesting stats that came out of Nielsen's top ten of everything list for 2008. Here are some ...

Televisions from LG today joined the growing list of products able to stream movies instantly from Netflix. The Korean electronics maker announced it would debut a line of broadband-enabled TVs at CES, the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas this week. The high definition sets join LG and Samsung Blu-ray ...

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New tune: Music Industry to Abandon Mass Suits "After years of suing thousands of people for allegedly stealing music via the Internet, the recording industry is set to drop its legal assault as it searches for more effective ways to combat online music piracy." [via The Wall Street Journal] Profile: The ‘micro’ ...

Could hot rocks miles below the earth’s surface be the “killer app” of the energy industry? Google thinks so. It’s investing more than $10 million to develop new technology that would make this subterranean resource a widespread, economically viable competitor to fossil fuels. Geothermal heat could meet 10 percent of America’s energy ...

At the General Theological Seminary in New York City, thoughts, if not eyes, are meant to be cast heavenward. But the oldest Episcopal seminary in the United States also is looking deep underground for a way to heat and cool its buildings. Earlier this year seven wells were completed that drilled ...

It’s hard for one guy to declare the “best of” anything. So here’s a list that feels more natural to me: the most intriguing devices or fascinating tech developments in 2008. Feel free to add your own ideas in the comments section below. Coolest device: Apple iPhone 3G Slick, elegant, and easy ...

So you’d like a little more free time to kick back during this holiday season? Enjoy New Year’s Eve’s leap second. On Wednesday, at 11:59:59 pm Universal Time (6:59:59 p.m. Eastern time), atomic clocks around the world will add one second to the day. The idea of adding time at the end ...

Would Facebook's much-debated breastfeeding photo ban be solved with a "cinema-style" ratings system for websites? Or would labeling sites as "rated-R" to keep away the easily offended just compound the conundrum? In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, British Culture Secretary Andy Burnham suggested the possibility on Saturday of such a ...

The year 2009 is now a little further away than we thought it would be. The world's official timekeepers have slipped an extra second into New Year's Eve, a chronological fudging to make up for Earth's slightly slowing rotation. Wednesday will be 24 hours and one second long, according to the ...

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Our regular roundup of sci-tech stories from across the Web includes: Should electric cars get new federal funds? What should you know before powering up your new computer? Should we look back on 2008 as a good year for technology? Let’s kick it off: Accelerate: Electric-car battery makers seek federal funds "In ...

Apple's announcement last week that its CEO, Steve Jobs, wouldn't deliver the keynote address at the Macworld Expo and Conference Jan. 5 left many scratching their heads. The keynote has traditionally been the stage from which the company launches the products that make the most waves – from the original OS ...

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Every week, Kristin Shoemaker boots up her computer and webcam and plugs in her Yamaha keyboard. More than 8,000 miles away in Macha, a tiny, remote village in Southern Zambia, 8-year-old Merel van Stam sits in front of her computer and Yamaha keyboard and waits for her music teacher’s instructions. Soon, ...

Last year, two MIT students won a prestigious international design award for a novel idea: Turn footsteps into electrical energy. The proposal imagined that an Italian train station would install a special floor. As passengers raced to catch their trains, the energy in their stomps would feed through an electrical ...

The search company responsible for countless hours of sitting by a computer screen can help you burn calories, too. To plan jogging routes and track mileage, running enthusiasts are turning to independently produced sites that tap online mapping services from Google Inc. and its rivals. As someone who has logged every ...