Technolog-a.d.d. [What the Tech?!]

I read about two hours of tech news a day, all from various sources.

Some are geared to alert consumers about new products coming to market, some are more business oriented (startups, acquisitions, etc.), and some of the stuff I read veers into the dark trenches of R&D. So deep your mind probably can’t handle it.

Technology, science and discovery are moving at such a rapid pace that fifty years from now, 90% of what we know won’t resemble anything we know today. I’ll let that marinate with you for a second.

This week I’ve decided to bring you a ton of random information about this past week in technology and serve it up in no logical order or interrelation between topics. I call this Technolog-A.D.D.

1. AT&T is sending HTC back their Facebook phone because no one’s buying it.

I feel like an asshole here because I should’ve called it in my review of Facebook Home.  But yes, it’s true.

Just four short weeks after HTC revealed their First Facebook Phone, which included Facebook Home as its native OS, sales were so slow the price dropped to $0.99.

One week later, it’s DONE. People have said this could be due to the fact that AT&T sales reps hated it, but also because Samsung and Apple are taking over the world. Go figure.

2. Somebody 3-D printed a gun and shot it without exploding their head off.

First of all, this guy is a total freakin’ idiot. I, personally, would’ve loved to have seen the entire barrel combust in his hands and blow his face off. Unfortunately, it fired without doing any fun damage to the dummy.

Don’t get all upset though, as the same thing could be made with a piece of metal tubing, a spring or rubberband, and a nail.

So no, 3D printers don’t kill people. People kill people, and unfortunately TERRIBLE ideas don’t always kill the people who attempt to execute them. But look forward to the fun legislation and press this shit is gonna get now!

Also, it should be noted that if this boy had blown any body parts off, he could conveniently just 3D print himself some bionic ones to slap right back on and get back to his gunsmithing.

I just bought my own 3D printer so I could make myself an invisibility cloak. That way you can’t even see me to shoot me. I can smack you upside the head and you’ll have no idea WTF hit you.

3. It has been proven once again that the only reason our energy isn’t sustainable is because of politics.

Twenty years ago, second graders were inventing water-powered automobiles at their school science fairs. If America could sacrifice a few miles of tourist beach, wave power could fuel the entire country.

Soccer balls have been invented which, after being kicked around for a day, can light an entire home for the duration of an evening. Now a device has come to market which harvests ambient vibrations and converts them into energy. Seriously!

It makes power just by freaking sitting there!!! Somebody, please, give these people a million, bajillion dollars and the keys to the city. If it weren’t for bringing down what’s left of the economy as we know it, we’d all be driving flying cars powered by our trash and the energy created when we blink our freakin’ eyes.

4. A tablet designed for the zombie apocalypse is headed to market

Sqigle has designed a ruggedized tablet which surpasses anything in its class by ensuring that you can still use this thing if you’re the last person on the face of the planet.

They’re using e-paper, Android, a 20 hour battery and solar powered recharging, plus an ANT+ sensor to make sure that you can get around when the zombies have taken everyone else out. Oh, also, there’s a carabiner attached. But seriously, this thing is pretty sweet.

Get out there and hike with live map updates regardless of connectivity or power supply for only $249.

That’s all I have for you today, fierce nerds. Check back next week when What the Tech goes on location to somewhere awesome. I’m not telling you where, but you’ll love it. I promise.

Stay fierce and nerdy my friends.

Feature Image Credit: Blog CDN