Author archive - Charlie White

Steve Jobs Bio to be Released in Paperback on Sept. 10

The critically acclaimed and bestselling Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson will be released as a paperback on September 10 by Simon & Schuster, the publisher said on Sunday.

According to All Things D, Simon & Schuster said the paperback version of Steve Jobs: A Biography will have an afterword that wasn't included in the hardcover when it was published in November, 2011 — one month after the late Apple CEO's death on Oct. 5, 2011.

The cover of the paperback version of the Steve Jobs biography will feature a much younger Jobs, in a photo taken in 1984 by South African photographer Norman Seeff. The photo was taken at Jobs' Woodside, Calif. mansion, at the same time as the iconic picture was taken of Jobs sitting in a lotus position, resting his arms on a Macintosh in his lap. Read more...

Cockatiel’s Song with Piano Accompaniment Is the Cutest Yet

Get ready for a cuteness attack when you watch this little cockatiel whistling the theme to the animated classic, My Neighbor Totoro.

It's especially amusing the way the wee bird and his piano-playing accompanist work together to get 'er done. We've seen plenty of singing, talking and even driving birds of various species before, but this one has to rank among the cutest ever

Don't you think?

Front page thumbnail and video courtesy YouTube, pokomarichard Read more...

Awesome Audi S6 Is the Car of the Future, Now

Buckle up, because you're about to experience the Audi S6, one of the fastest sedans in the world. Besides its muscular performance, it's bristling with the latest car tech, so advanced that it gives you a hint of what's to come in the future of self-driving cars

Audi lent us this car for a week, giving us a close-up look at the most advanced technology available in cars, circa mid-2013. The option-packed Audi S6 we tested ($87,720) is not the most expensive car from this upscale German automaker, but it's high enough on Audi's hierarchy to show off the tremendous power and astonishing technology of today's best cars. Read more...

This Jet Bike Is Insane and Dangerous, But It Works

Self-described British garage inventor/videomaker Colin Furze built a portable "big-ass pulse jet," and naturally, the first thing he wanted to do was strap it onto what he calls "an old woman's bike built for shopping." The result? It's a jet bike.

Isn't this dangerous? Of course it is. Colin admits it himself, titling his video "The JET bicycle — the most dangerous unsafe bike EVER." You can plainly see in the video the open flames that get just a little too close to that fuel tank. You'll notice the location of the fuel tank has been changed later in the video, too — to make it "safer," we suppose. Read more...

Foursquare Time Machine Teleports You Down Memory Lane

Okay world travelers, now it's time for some humble bragging, thanks to the new Foursquare Time Machine. On Thursday, the company announced this new way to visualize all of your past check-ins on its Foursquare blog, and what a gorgeous visualization it is.

The animation flies you around all those haunts you've visited in times past, served up in a lovely 3D effect that you can autoplay to your heart's content. You can zoom in or out of its map showing all the places you've been, checking out each of your check-ins. The interface helpfully provides places Foursquare has recommended for you as well. Read more...

Study: Car Infotainment a Looming Public Safety Crisis

Just as Apple starts bringing a special version of Siri into cars, an AAA study throws a bucket of cold water on the next step in "safe infotainment" for the latest vehicles. The study found that of all the typical in-car activities studied, speech-to-text systems were "the most cognitively distracting."

The study results were expressed in workload ratings, where a baseline number of 1.0 was assigned to a single driver without any distractions inside the car. Listening to the radio was rated 1.21, having a passenger in the car, 2.33, and talking on a cellphone, 2.45 (with hands-free cellphone use rated at 2.27). Most dangerous was listening and responding to email using speech-to-text, garnering a 3.06 rating on the cognitive distraction scale. Read more...

Report: Google Close to Buying Waze for $1.3 Billion

The bidding war for crowdsourced navigation app Waze has reportedly been won by Google, which will pay "more than $1 billion" for the startup, according to Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz. Update: The newspaper later added that the deal will be worth $1.3 billion.

The deal hasn't been finalized yet, but according to the report, Google agreed not to lay off Waze workers at its development center in Israel, and will allow the company to continue its development in Israel "for at least three years."

According to the report, the conditions of the deal will keep Waze CEO Noam Bardin at the helm of the company, and Waze will retain its brand and won't be integrated into Google. Read more...

Unsuspecting People Get a Live Photoshopped Surprise

Take a look at the priceless reactions of these people who are secretly photographed while waiting for a bus, and then Photoshopped into amusing positions and implied relationships. It's part of a "street retouch" stunt by Adobe, featuring quick-draw Photoshop master Erik Johansson.

We especially liked the way people's "street faces" turned to soft smiles and delight as soon as they realized what was going on.

This Photoshop trick, reminding us of both Candid Camera and Mission: Impossible, took place in Stockholm, Sweden as part of a promotion for Adobe Creative Days, to be presented live online beginning June 11 Read more...

377-Foot Migaloo Submarine Yacht Is Perfect for James Bond Villains

James Bond villains, take heed: Here's a way to one-up all those other yacht owners in the bad-guys club — the Migaloo Private Submersible Yacht. This luxury design concept for a 377-foot submarine was created by design firm Motion Code: Blue, and could become a reality if some well-heeled buyer steps up.

Of course this vessel features all the usual super-luxury features that are so important for taking over the world on your yacht, such as a helipad for quick escapes, a two-story owner's suite with a private patio on the bow, eight VIP suites for all your henchmen, and plenty of room for those white cats you love to pet as you concoct your diabolical schemes Read more...

Rip-Roaring New ‘Man of Steel’ Trailer Explodes Online

The countdown to the June 14 premiere of Man of Steel continues, and now Warner Bros. has released the most dramatic trailer yet for the highly anticipated Superman reboot.

After watching this exquisitely paced montage, we have to ask: Are there any spectacular shots and effects from the movie we haven't seen yet? Be warned: This preview does an exceptional job of telling a story — however, that story might include most of the movie.

So if you want to be completely surprised by Zack Snyder's super extravaganza, you've been warned. For the rest of you looking for a cheap thrill, be prepared for a hell of a two-minute-and-14-second ride. Read more...