Lifestyle

Artificial pancreas tells your tablet when you need insulin

As recently as the 1950s, one in three people diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes died within 25 years of diagnosis. People in the '50s had to monitor their glucose levels via urine testing and inject themselves with animal-derived insulin.

How far we've come. Today, researchers are working to develop an artificial pancreas for people with Type 1 diabetes that works with a smartphone or tablet to both monitors blood glucose levels and disperses insulin 24/7.

The goal, they say, is to reduce complications and improve the life expectancy of the millions of people with the metabolic disease -- because even though only 7 percent of them now die within 25 years of diagnosis, this rate is still far above general population mortality.… Read more

App lets you show a doctor your, um, rash down there

Sometimes my CNET handlers like to challenge me. Or perhaps they're sending me a discreet message.

Today, for example, one of my knowing leash-pullers sent me details of an app he thought might interest me.

I took one look and wondered what he might have meant, for this was not something I would ever Pinterest.

You see, I now have set indelibly in my mind that there exists an app called STD Triage.… Read more

The 404 1287: Where we just need a green bed (podcast)

Polygon's Russ Frushtick joins me in the studio today to talk about the lighter side of our recent trip to Los Angeles. Best of all, he'll help answer the most-asked question of last week: "What was the best food you had at E3?"

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Enter CNET's "From Old School to Tech Cool" contest.

- What do you think of the new "Anchorman 2" trailer?

- Follow Russ on Twitter.

- Listen to Russ' podcast, The Besties.

- Watch Human Angle on Polygon.… Read more

The shape-shifting seamstress of your cosplay dreams

Comic-Con is just a month away and Mel Hoppe definitely plans to be there. In fact, July is a busy month for the self-described cosplayer, gamer, and geek. Almost immediately after the big show in San Diego, she'll be heading up to Kintoki-Con, the Asian media and culture convention in Sacramento, Calif., where she'll be hanging out in the "Artist's Alley" under her alias, WindoftheStars.

That's because Hoppe isn't just a dedicated cosplayer, she also makes and sells her own costumes from her home base in northern Nevada. I came across the work of WindoftheStars on Google+ a few months ago and was blown away by the beauty, realism, and range of her creations (fortunately, she doesn't go as far as this real-life anime girl).

I reached out to Hoppe to learn a little more about how she got into her craft. She told me a story I'm sure many readers of Crave can relate to. It all started with a Commodore 128 and a joystick at a young age.… Read more

The 404 1286: Where we're tired of zombies (podcast)

On today's show we're welcoming Dan Chiappini from GameSpot Australia along with 404 veteran Scott Stein. We'll briefly recap Scott's time down at WWDC but then get right into some more E3 talk where we make Scott feel jealous about missing what was probably the biggest E3 in something like seven years. Dan think he knows why Nintendo refuses to open its "vault" of games and we all wonder how the company can rebound from a bleak E3 showing.

We're also chatting about the mundane abundance of shooters at E3, the lack of innovation, and which games actually piqued our interest.

And be sure to enter CNET's awesome "From Old School to Tech Cool" contest that's currently underway on our Facebook page!

- Follow our new buddy Dan Chiappini on Twitter.

- Make sure to do the same for 404 veteran Scott Stein.

- Catch up on Scott's and the rest of CNET's WWDC coverage.

- Give CNET's E3 2013 page one last skim.… Read more

Man proposes via language-learning app Duolingo

We've seen some pretty creative marriage proposals, but we never would have thought of proposing via a language-learning app. Flavio Esposito, on the other hand, seems to like thinking outside the down-on-one-knee box.

The Italian man's American girlfriend was using Duolingo to learn Italian, so he got in touch with the Duolingo team to come up with a surprise.

"She's learning my own language, and she enjoys it so much that I'm wondering if I could ask you to set up an exercise for her that would lead to the big question: 'Will you marry Flavio Esposito?'" he wrote.

The team, unable to resist either the challenge or the romance, set about writing some translation exercises for Kate to be dropped into her learning program. … Read more

$8 million speakers? Home theaters fit for a king

For some people, an ordinary old giant flat-screen television and Blu-ray player just aren't enough.

How much would you spend for the best of the best? Some hard-core videophiles and audiophiles dump incredible amounts of cash on home theater equipment (and fancy home theaters) that can cost as much as the average car or house. … Read more

The 404 1285: Where E3 is no place for fanboys (podcast)

I don't get it. I'm gone an entire week and there's not one show. I get back, Justin's gone, but I still have to do one. What's up with that? Luckily it's a non-issue. Today we've got CNET HDTV editor Ty Pendlebury on the program to help me wrap up the chaos that was E3 2013 and filter out some of the new-found disgust I have for videogame fanboys. You know, the worst kind of fanboy.

- Check out Jeff's slideshow showing the most exciting games of E3.

- Play catch-up by looking back at the rest of CNET's E3 2013 coverage.

- Follow Ty on Twitter.

- ESPN drops 3D, four years after the rest of world has already given up on it. … Read more

'Hell is Other People': Anti-social media to keep you alone

Like most social media, Foursquare is designed to connect people, but what if you feel like being alone?

Web app Hell is Other People takes friends' check-in data from your Foursquare account and calculates what the creator calls "optimally distanced locations" to make sure you don't bump into any of them.

Scott Garner, designer of the app named after Sartre's famous "hell is other people" quote from "No Exit," made a video in which he tests the effectiveness of these safe zones. You can watch it below. … Read more

Bad day? Hide from the world in this privacy-pod recliner

When everything is going pear-shaped and you want to escape to Mars, just imagine you had this quirky piece of furniture.

The Massaud Canopy is like a personal refuge in your office or living room. Just jump into the recliner, yank the hood down, and poof! The world is gone.

Recently shown off at NeoCon 2013 in Chicago, the chair seems like a mix between an old-school hooded hair dryer and this disaster escape pod from Japan. … Read more