On Monday, Apple introduced a slew of new products. From hardware to operating systems, it seemed like every corner of the Apple universe saw a little innovation. The refreshed Mac Pro might be the item our office techies are drooling over, but it's also worth taking a closer look at the visual updates to Apple's mobile operating system, iOS.
Summer 2013 may just turn out to be the summer of the bike.
The biking revolution has been gathering steam. In 2010, 3 times as many new bicycles (15 million) as new cars were sold in the US. Bicycling is now the second most popular outdoor activity, and between 1990 and 2009, the number of bike commuters rose by 64%. That number may be about to get another giant boost.
When was the last time you logged into Google+? Like many of us, you probably rushed to claim your username early on, checked the site a few times, and let your interest slowly taper off. Despite some truly clever innovations and an enormous pool of users, Google+ has never really achieved the critical mass necessary to make it a Facebook contender.
As our digital lives become ever more linked to our personal lives, a new digital-disconnection trend is emerging. Now, we all have that one friend who staunchly refuses to upgrade to a smartphone, but this is different-- it's not a backlash, or some kind of neo-luddite movement. Instead, it's intended from the beginning as a temporary break, a vacation.
The internet certainly isn't lacking in user-generated content, and over the years many have tried - with varying degrees of success - to filter and organize the constant flood of new material being uploaded to the web and turn it into something curated and readable. The latest attempt might have a better chance of success, though - it's being orchestrated by Wired Magazine, elder statesman of internet culture and no stranger to experimental journalism.
What we all need in the morning is a hot cup of coffee and a fully charged cellphone. But if your coffee is hot and your phone is dead, a new innovation promises to bring that gadget back to life. The Epiphany onE Puck looks like a high-tech coaster, and inside is a Stirling engine that converts heat to electricity. Leave a steaming mug of joe on it, and it'll send a standard 5 watts of power coursing into your phone.
We've all heard an old-timer tell us, at one time or another, how cheap things used to be. But soon, you could be regaling your friends with similar stories about a beer you bought... an hour ago. For better or worse, we've noticed the beginnings of a trend toward by-the-minute price changes developing in the nightlife scene.
Drinking on Margin
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