Are You Living in a Bubble? How Google and Facebook Secretly Censor Your World

Isn’t the internet great? It puts you in the driving seat of what you can read, watch and listen to, right? Wrong. Our Technology Guru, Ben Good, exposes the shadowy way the web is becoming increasingly ‘personalised’. Whether you like it or not, your world is becoming increasingly small..

To say someone is living in a bubble has many different meanings and connotations. It might prompt thoughts of someone ignoring reality or images of someone with Severe Combined Immune Deficiency syndrome forcing them to live in a germ free ‘bubble’ (as in the particularly bad Jake Gyllenhaal film Bubble Boy).

Take heed, because the concept of living in a bubble now has a new meaning. It has come to refer to the way in which websites are automatically ‘personalising’ our view of the internet and are secretly isolating us… (more…)

The iPad 3: What we hoped for and what we actually got [VIDEO]

It’s March time and so it’s time for the mighty Apple to boast about their new wares. Since the iPad 2 was launched a year ago, tech-pundits have been wondering what the next generation of iPad would be like. How could they better their already widely-acclaimed tablet?

To find out, you could of watch the 1 hour 25 minute keynote speech. But in short, the new additions have left many critics a little underwhelmed. The iPad 3 (officially just called the ‘new iPad’) has a better display, better camera, faster processor and can connect to new 4G mobile networks.

Apple won’t say much about the fact that the new iPad is thicker and the battery life is worse on the 4G model. Neither will they be forthcoming about 4G networks only being presently available in 18 countries worldwide. Or the ugly black strip that has appeared on the top of the back casing.

So here’s a quick rundown of the new features, so that you can decide for yourself whether it’s been worth the wait. You can also watch Apple’s new TV advert. But first, here’s what everyone had been hoping for… (more…)

The 2012 Oscar Results! According to twitter… [INFOGRAPHIC]

The 84th Annual Academy Awards are now hours away. Most punters think the French silent movie ‘The Artist’ will scoop best picture (a $1 bet will only net you 8 cents at current betting odds).

The winners of the celebrated ‘oscars’ are decided by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, an elite group of motion picture professionals. But what if the general public were allowed to decide?

This insightful infographic (courtesy of Flowtown in partnership with Column Five) shows who would win based on social media popularity. If your tweets and facebook comments counted, ‘The Artist’ would come in first for best picture with George Clooney and Meryl Streep picking up best actor/actress… (more…)

Wonders of Geology: An Aerial View of America’s Mountains (iPad App Review)

The only rock I ever thought was entertaining was the loud, distorted guitar variety. Mind you, the hard candy type isn’t too bad either. The prospect of a book on the grey and brown lumps in the ground is assured to fossilise anyone’s fun faculties – except geography teachers, of course. Or so I thought…

Whilst most print publishers languish behind, National Geographic has been at the forefront of electronic publishing. Famed for its breath-taking photography, the National Geographic Society already has a showcase of acclaimed mobile games and applications. Mikaya Digital are hot on their heels and are now also making a dignified attempt to breathe digital life into what’s often considered the dullest of all scientific disciplines: geology. (more…)

Your guide to getting free iPad Apps!

Want to get iPad apps for free? Like games, utilities and educational Apps but don’t want to cough up the cash? Well there’s some good news: many App developers periodically run offers or give their products away for free (EA are a great example). Giveaways are done to boost a company’s profile or get better reviews in iTunes. Such deals are usually time-limited (e.g. 24 hours) so unless you’re observant most will pass you by.

How can you find out when the best Apps are up for grabs? We like getting stuff for free, and if you do too (who doesn’t?) then here is a simple guide so that you need never miss out… (more…)

Five ways to measure the speed of light (and with a microwave oven)

The speed of light is as much a part of popular culture as Chewbacca and Mr Spock. The scandalous suggestion last September that neutrinos had exceeded the universal limit of 299,792 km per second – a violation of the seemingly inviolable and a threat to science’s very own poster boy, Albert Einstein – understandably captured the popular imagination. Particle physicists the world over (once they’d got the jokes out of their system) have been poring over the results of the OPERA experiment looking for sources of possible error, and coming up with pet theories of their own for what might have happened beneath the Swiss Alps. Now, in addition to Einstein’s theory of special relativity, it appears even the first law of thermodynamics (the principle of conservation of energy) might be at stake.

One setback in the rush to corroborate the original experiment’s results was that a key particle accelerator in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) had been damaged in the March 2011 earthquake. But now, after almost a year’s worth of repairs, it’s about to be switched back on. With the Japanese T2K experiment once again firing off neutrinos and with speed cameras poised, maybe we’ll get some new neutrino news.

Nevertheless, through all this waiting I’ve been left with a simple question: How on earth do you measure the speed of light in the first place? I don’t think Chewie ever got round to that. So, ever the investigative reporter, I did a little googling and looked in a book. Here’s not one, but five ways to measure the speed of light… (more…)

BBC Tomorrow’s World’s hilarious predictions!

On the first day of Christmas, my Guru gave to me… Some hilarious retro videos!

Recently, during one of my procrastination-fuelled trips across the internet (the kind where you begin on Wikipedia and end up fifteen minutes later watching a YouTube video about bog snorkelling), I came across an undiscovered gem.

Until 2003, the BBC made a science-themed television programme called Tomorrow’s World. It was often a showcase for new inventions, giving a nation of goggle-eyed TV viewers their first ever glimpses of PCs, compact discs, and mobile phones. (more…)

What does your smartphone say about you?

Mobile phones have always been a status symbol. When the first briefcase-sized cell phones emerged, they were the preserve of 1980s yacht-owning yuppies. Who had Armani suits. And bad hair cuts.

With the advent of the Blackberry, iPhone and (more recently) Android phones – we are in a new age of smartphone snobbery. Blackberry, with endorsements from rock band U2 align themselves with the modern day businessperson. iPhone market themselves as aspirational. Android phones are for everyone else.

Westerners live in a consumerist culture, and our identity is often associated with what we buy and how we adorn our homes. To a degree, smartphones serve the same purpose. But does how you see yourself and your smartphone purchase reflect how others really see you?

This rather amusing and insightful infographic sums it up quite nicely: (more…)

What iOS 5 means for iPad owners: 5 new enhancements not to miss…

It’s been the talk of the town within techie-circles for weeks. Accompanying the fan-fare of the iPhone4S launch, telegenic Apple executives have announced iOS 5 is their ‘most exciting’ development yet (haven’t we heard this before?)

iOS 5 – the Operating System for iPads (iPhones, and the like) has finally been released. It’s the first major software upgrade for Apple’s portable devices for… well, quite a while… and Apple programmers are clearly very proud of it – boasting ‘over 200’ new enhancements. However, In keeping with all Apple products, their new release doesn’t come with an instruction manual – the Apple philosophy being that their products are intuitive enough that you can work it out yourself.

So after plugging in your iPad to your computer for the upgrade, and returning an hour (or so) later … everything looks remarkably similar. So what’s all the fuss about?

Initially designed for iPhones, many of the new operating system upgrades are subtle. You might not notice them from the off, but lurking in there are some pretty nifty enhancements. Here’s five of our favourites: (more…)

Steve Jobs Dies: Creator of Everything ‘i’ loses Battle with Cancer

Steve Jobs, former Apple CEO and mastermind behind everything ‘i’ – has lost his battle against cancer. The man who put the letter ‘i’ firmly into the English lexicon with the iPod, iPhone, iPad and iMac was admired by many for his ability to motivate and ‘think outside the box’.

Amongst his achievements were his ability to (near single-handedly) recreate the floundering Apple Inc from a tech-head peculiarity into a coffee-table must-have brand. He drove a new generation of technology, turning gadgets and computers into something useful and that the everyday Jo(e) wanted to use. With market-savvy Jobs at the helm, the last ten years of Apple’s creations have been both fashionable and sophisticated.

Steve defied the odds by surviving pancreatic cancer for an unusually long time and he will continue to be admired by marketing experts and technology fans for decades to come.

Here’s an infographic charting Apple’s history – with share prices and key innovations. Note that Steve Jobs was running the company from 1980 – 1985 and then again from 1997. See if you can spot a correlation with innovations and share prices…

Click to enlarge (source: Technology News Blog)

Cancer touches the lives of many – no least us here at Guru. Co-founder Dr Stu was diagnosed three years ago with a malignant brain tumour and so the story hold particular poignancy – if you would like to send your condolences, thoughts or memories – Apple have invited you to email them to rememberingsteve@apple.com