Has Western culture grown too attached to their social networks? It’s possible, according to a recent study led by Wilhelm Hofmann at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. While the nuts and bolts of the study were far from a compelling, comprehensive bit of scientific research (205 adults were put into a heavily-weighted situation and were told to describe their “conflicts” via text) it is apparent just looking at how we go about our lives on a daily basis that many of us are indeed addicted. This video by SourceFed gives us the details of the study. …

The Potter-era may be over in Hollywood, but those who want to reminisce without sitting through 16 hours of film can get their fix in under 15 minutes with this epic fan-made homage titled, “Harry Potter: A Tribute to the Magic”. There are spoilers, of course, so only watch it if you have either already seen the whole series or never plan to (but want a Cliff’s Notes version). Compiled beautifully by YouTube user themanbatman, this video takes us through on a chronological journey through the world of wizards as defined by J.K. Rowling in her 7-book/8-movie master series. As the description says,…

It’s one thing to take a handful of foam into one’s hand and apply a 7,000-degree torch to it for 20 seconds. It’s another thing to then take a large spoonful of the foam and eat it. The demonstration by the Aarmourtherm Foundation is both crazy and fantastic. The possibilities of having a bio-degradable insulated foam like this deploying during plane crashes, covering homes, or filling our lunch boxes are endless. …

Nearly a year ago, Corning put out a video called “A Day Made of Glass.” In it, they showed a future that was enhanced by the use of touchscreens and other variations of glass products that seems less like “Minority Report” and more like a not-so-distant reality. This week, they’ve added to the video by releasing another titled “A Day Made of Glass 2: Same Day. Expanded Corning Vision.” First, here’s the original video: It was inspiring to see the potential, but didn’t quite take the world to the next level that many of these technologies promise. Now, their most recent video finishes the job with kid-attacking…

Quadrotor technology developed at the General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) lab at the University of Pennsylvania is able to fly with better accuracy than anything we’ve seen to date. Their ability to run complicated formations is both beautiful and terrifying. The beauty is obvious. They may sound like bugs and look exceptionally creepy as they do flips and run tight formations (the figure-8 is amazing), but they are “geek beautiful” in ways that few robotic devices have achieved. They are terrifying because the possibilities are endless. When possibilities are…

As much as it deserves a tirade about professional recruiting, brand positioning, and using human relations as a public relations tool, the video that Twitter released recently as a recruitment tool will do one thing very well. It will work. Forget the fact that it was intentionally, professionally done unprofessionally. Forget the cheesy attempts at satirical humor that may or may not elicit a chuckle depending on the disposition of the viewer. Forget the clear buy-in by CEO Dick Costolo. Instead, let’s consider that it will be the second most-watched video Twitter has put out in nearly a year…

Every year, IBM takes a stab at telling the future by examining what they’re working on in their 5in5 series. This year’s list was surprisingly bland compared to past ones as they explored technologies that many would agree aren’t necessarily 5 years away; in two cases, we should see these technologies enter our daily lives within 1 or 2 years. It’s not an insult of what they’re trying to do – they’re the scientists and we’re just bloggers. It’s just that their predictions are a bit conservative. Energy Applying kinetic energy solutions to our lives is something that makes complete sense other than…

“Quite frankly, I feel like I’m in Minority Report and that’s really awesome,” said Ashley Esqueda from Mobile Nations. If there was any doubt that technology was reaching a tipping point where things from our imaginations were becoming a reality, the Samsung “Transparent Smart Window” technology may be enough to squash it. The touchscreen aperture designed for use in the kitchen and other rooms where we spend time in front of a window gives you Twitter, virtual blinds, weather reports, and likely many other things that people will find useful (in a novelty sort of fashion, of course). Take a…

Most people fall in the “maybe” category. There are others who are absolutely certain there are no extra-terrestrial UFOs, that they’re just government experiments, fabrications of modern video editing, or misunderstood phenomenon. Others are positive that there are visitors from other planets (or other dimensions) flying around abducting people and mutilating cows. Regardless of which of the three camps you’re in, one thing is certain – the sightings are on the rise. Many say that the frequency of sightings aren’t going up but that we now carry personal camcorders in the form of smartphones…

One of the most important ongoing stories in tech for 2011 was the incessant legal maneuvering between Apple and Samsung. The patent wars have crossed the globe with battles being fought every day in different countries and over different patents. Both sides have had major victories. Both sides have suffered devastating losses. In the middle of it all, a new type of infringement popped up on the internet this month. MacRumors noted that the ad (below) “feels a lot like an Apple iPad ad” but what they didn’t notice is that Samsung used the same young actress that appeared in an iPhone 4S commercial….