Daily News Courier

A Cheap and Easy Plan to Stop Global Warming

Intentionally engineering Earth’s atmosphere to offset rising temperatures could be far more doable than you imagine, says David Keith. But is it a good idea?

Here is the plan. Customize several Gulfstream business jets with military engines and with equipment to produce and disperse fine droplets of sulfuric acid. Fly the jets up around 20 kilometers—significantly higher than the cruising altitude for a commercial jetliner but still well within their range. At that altitude in the tropics, the aircraft are in the lower stratosphere. The planes spray the sulfuric acid, carefully controlling the rate of its release. The sulfur combines with water vapor to form sulfate aerosols, fine particles less than a micrometer in diameter. These get swept upward by natural wind patterns and are dispersed over the globe, including the poles. Once spread across the stratosphere, the aerosols will reflect about 1 percent of the sunlight hitting Earth back into space. Increasing what scientists call the planet’s albedo, or reflective power, will partially offset the warming effects caused by rising levels of greenhouse gases.

An easy to understand explanation of why data caps suck

Data caps suck. They don't address the problems that exist in any meaningful way, and are simply a method to get money from your pocket into someone else's bigger, fancier, designer pants pockets. All of us know this on some level, but if you're curious why and how they aren't the safety net carriers and providers claim them to be, you'll want to watch this video. It does a fine job explaining TCP/IP network congestion, "power users" that hog bandwidth, streaming services, and why none of that is addressed by capping a users data.

This won't likely change anything, but at least now we can be a bit better informed the next time someone on the other side of a counter tries to talk you into a higher priced data plan.

Source: Blogphilo; via Gizmodo

Medical Duct Tape That Goes Easy on the Skin

Pain-less Band-Aids may be in our future.

The flat ends of monitors that track vital signs are some of the first things to touch a preemie baby after it is born. But the tape that glues monitors in place to their feet or head or chest risks stripping away a generous layer of their new, tender skin when it is peeled off. For infants, this could lead to skin trouble or scarring that lasts through life.

Opinion: No easy way out in Afghanistan

In recent days, rogue Afghan security forces have killed six servicemen from the NATO-led military coalition, pushing the number of such fatalities past 50 in a single year for the first time. The death toll highlights one of the biggest challenges facing the coalition as it nears the end of its role in Afghanistan’s war.

Panasonic Flag Tags review – free and easy Olympic patriotism

Panasonic Flag Tags is another one of the handful of official London 2012 Olympics apps available for Android. Simply put, it takes any portrait photos and transposes a national map on top, to make it look like the subject is wearing patriotic facepaint. It’s simple, but the timing is perfect for hardcore Olympics fans that want to show their pride in social networking profile pictures.

There are a bunch of Olympics apps out there – feel free to take a look at our roundup if you're looking for more, particularly for live video streams or catching up on the latest scores. 

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8 months later, I finally rooted my Verizon Galaxy Nexus because WugFresh makes it too easy not to

Rooting my phone and then flashing a custom ROM is something I’ve done on every Android device

Pebble Smartwatch should see plenty of apps thanks to API so easy an app can be built in an hour [VIDEO]

Pebble. By now, that name alone should trigger an involuntary reaction of facts and opinions. It’s the biggest Kickstarter project ever, the ultimate Android companion, and the most overrated/long-awaited (depending on who you ask) tech accessory in quite some time. That’s a lot of weight to put on a product that wasn’t even finalized before 85,000 people fought for the right to be among the earliest of early adopters.

It just so happens that Pebble is among the featured presenters at the Google I/O 2012 Developer Sandbox, and the watch is still in the prototype phase that we’ve seen since its Kickstarter success. Thus, my plans to get a hands-on were cast aside, which is good; I found the developer aspect – the reason Pebble is attending I/O – to be much more interesting anyway.

Pebble today launched its SDK program that will provide a set of API’s developers can use to build apps. Considering that Pebble is a Bluetooth-enabled watch that links with Android devices to integrate with phone apps, it makes sense that its creators would want to encourage the 6,000 developers on-hand to support their hyped product.

The Pebble SDK is available at developer.getpebble.com. It should be worth a long look, especially once you hear that RunKeeper managed to create the foundation of an app within an hour. Here

Samsung wants iPhone users to switch to a Galaxy device using Easy Phone Sync

One of the most popular questions asked by individuals who switch cell phones is whether all of their data can be transferred to the new device.

Fancy Snap makes sexting fun and easy [AC After Dark]

We all want our sexting to be fun and easy, right? A new Android app dubbed Fancy Snap promises that with an ingenious way to send pictures so that they aren't saved on the phone you sent them to. Set a time limit, and your picture "self-destructs" when the limit is reached, keeping your goodies from ending up on some weird Tumblr blog that your dad might read. Neither party has to subscribe to anything or open an account anywhere, and the recipient doesn't have to have the app installed. There's a built-in photo editor for effects and accessory stickers, in case you want to add a touch of flair to your naughty bits. You can even tell if the recipient has read the message or not. Sounds fun and easy to me.

The app is free to send up to three messages per day. If you need to send more than three pictures of your rack or your wiener, you can buy the premium unlocker for $1.29. Grab it at the link below, then lock the door and turn the lights down low. If you're in my contacts, brace yourself …

Fancy Snap at Google Play

StockTouch Finance App Makes Keeping Track of the Market Easy and Fun