Author: Rocco Penn

Despite dozens of designs and millions of dollars spent over the decades on engineering a true, usable personal jetpack that could transport someone high into the sky, none have ever gone more than 150 feet above the ground… until now. The Martin Jetpack easily broke 150 feet, going over 20-times that high in a recent test of its new parachute fitting. The test, which used a remote control and a test-dummy, was conducted at a secret location somewhere in Australia. The Martin Jetpack first made news when it was unveiled in America but failed to go higher than 3 feet off the ground. Now, it’s made…

PBS was hacked today by LulzSec, a notorious group of hackers who attack for “fun and infamy” rather than for financial or activist reasons. Through the database, they secured login credentials and posted an article claiming that rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls were found alive and well in New Zealand. Through the groups Twitter profile, they have posted images of other credentials and maps they were able to take from the site. The story they posted reported that a resident of the undisclosed small town named David File had died and left evidence and reports of the rappers’ whereabouts…

Microsoft always knew they would be successful in the mobile phone industry. With the Windows Phone 7 not making the splash that they’d hoped, they turned to another business model that seems to be working out just fine for them. With a mere 2 million licenses for WP7 sold so far (compared to 350,000 Android phones activated daily) and with an estimate $15 per WP7 license, revenues from that end are around $30 million. Compare that to the patent settlement they received from HTC over intellectual property infringement in which they receive $5 for every HTC phone running Android. At approximately…

Despite being surrounded by tons of controversy and doubts about its launch, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is getting the hype machine going for their launch in November. Here’s the first full trailer for the highly-anticipated game release. There aren’t a ton of details available about the story line, but this at least gives us a couple of clues. It’s not going to be a large country that starts the hostilities (Russia was the enemy in WM2) and it’s going to be staged in large cities rather than the small ones associated with previous titles. The excitement is building. Are you ready? …

Most geeks have had a longing at one point or another for some sort of remote controlled flying toy. We picture ourselves in dogfights with our friends using WWII planes, X-Wing fighters, or whatever other known flying device strikes our fancy. It took some imagination, skill, and creativity to bring the RC Superhero to life, but the results are pretty darn geeky. We approve. …

Energy is in high demand and the there are problems with every method of acquiring it. Most believe that oil is not the answer. Coal poses environmental problems. Nuclear has demonstrated potential for danger. Clean energy such as hydro, wind, and solar pose cost concerns. Many have pointed to natural gas as the middle ground, the compromise between clean and “dirty” energy sources that may be the direction to take. Is it safe enough? This graphic by our friends at 1bog asks the question and attempts to answer it. Note: 1bog clearly supports solar as the solution, so their views are biased, but the…

When Amazon rolled out their cloud player, it streamed sounds from the cloud flawlessly on Android and the web but wasn’t working at all on iOS. It wasn’t a Flash issue, nor was there any indication why it was so. It simply didn’t work. That changed today. No announcements, no updates. It simply started working. When you first visit Amazon’s Cloud Player from an iPhone or iPad, you get the standard warning that the browser is incompatible, but if you skip passed it you’ll see that it works. This would be an indication that the change was made on Apple’s end, not Amazon’s. That is not the case, and the warning…

Just over a month ago, American Airlines said it was installing Wi-Fi to its entire domestic fleet. Now, they’re going to allow streaming video to be played on Wi-Fi-enabled personal devices such as smartphones and tablets. While many airlines offer television channels and a selection of movies to be played on screens on the cabin ceiling or on the back of chairs, this new service will offer a wider variety of movies that travelers will be able to play on their own devices. No word yet on the cost, but it will likely be in line and in addition to the $8-$13 they charge currently for Wi-Fi. “By expanding…

Researchers at MIT have genetically modified a virus that helps carbon nanotubes self-assemble along solar cells to improve efficiency of electron collection. The virus, called M13, helps to separate the two types of nanotubes – those that enhance solar cell performance and those that inhibit it. According to Engadget, “Adding virus-built structures to dye-sensitized solar cells increased power conversion efficiency by almost one-third and, with only one additional step in the manufacturing process required, the new approach could be rapidly taken up by existing production facilities….

Communication is often the key to coordinating responses to disasters. From 9/11 to the Japan tsunami, keeping people on the ground in touch with the outside world can help to save lives and prevent further distruction. AT&T has released a “cell tower in a suitcase” aimed at corporate and government bodies to help first responders to be able to immediately set up their own phone coverage in disaster areas. Putting up a Remote Mobility Zone will allow up to 14 simultaneous calls and be able to transmit data at sub-broadband speeds. They will retail anywhere from $15,000 to $45,000. …