New album from ex-Groupon CEO fails to crack iTunes Top 100

I confess that I have never bought a Groupon, because it always seemed to require paying money to do something I didn't want to do.

I feared I might feel the same way about listening to former Groupon CEO Andrew Mason's new album "Hardly Workin'."

I had understood that Mason was a bit of a wag and a prankster, and I thought that when his opus hit iTunes Tuesday morning there might be, well, a Groupon. Or at least a deal.… Read more

Pebble smartwatch rumored to be sold at Best Buy soon

Pebble was one of the first smartwatches to debut and it looks like the device soon may become more mainstream.

The Pebble smartwatch is rumored to be sold at Best Buy within the next few weeks, according to claims from two employees who said they were briefed on the matter and a leaked document given to 9to5Mac.

The document shows an inventory form for a device classified as a "digital communication appcessory" that is to be in stock as of July 7. As 9to5Mac points out, the date could mean when the device goes on sale or just … Read more

Bill Gates' reported $8.7M Florida equestrian estate

Microsoft founder Bill Gates is putting down roots in Florida, according to the blog Gossip Extra.

A trust called the Mallet Hill Trust is linked to Gates through one of the trustees, Bill McCaughan, Gossip Extra reported last week. McCaughan is a partner at the Miami branch of the Seattle-based K&L Gates law firm founded by Gates' father. Mallet Hill Trust is named as the buyer of the property which was recently purchased for $8.7 million in cash.

That's pocket change for Bill Gates, who as the richest American, is worth around $66 billion.

An anonymous … Read more

Smell 'camera' preserves odors for posterity

It's been said that smell ties directly and strongly to our memories, yet our ability to capture important moments is based almost entirely around our other senses. We take photographs and record audio and video, but a photo just doesn't convey the smell of cut grass and flowers on your wedding day.

Designer Amy Radcliffe has developed an odor-capturing "camera" based on technology developed for the perfume industry. Her device is called Madeleine. "The Madeleine works in much the same way as a 35mm camera," Radcliffe writes. "Just as the camera records the light information of a visual in order to create a replica The Madeleine records the molecular information of a smell."… Read more

Need for speed? How coasters are getting faster and scarier

On some of the newest roller coasters, there is no long, steady climb up a track before the screaming begins. The screaming starts right away when rides are launched using electromagnetic technology, called linear synchronous motor or LSM, that can catapult a coaster from zero to up to 100 miles an hour in just seconds.

The technology and speed allow for near vertical climbs and drops, gravity-defying stunts and record-breaking roller coaster designs. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom ride supervisor Charles Laureano says the electromagnetic technology, which was first installed on coasters in 1996, has improve dramatically. "It's a … Read more

MIT startup offers highly engineered dress socks

It sounds like the start of a joke: "A group of MIT people walk into a sock factory..." But the punch line is a pair of socks that have been so thoroughly engineered, they make tube socks look like something a triceratops would have worn back in the Cretaceous Period.

MIT startup Ministry of Supply has turned its plentiful resource of engineering and high-tech minds to the problem of dress socks. The result is the Atlas performance dress socks Kickstarter project, which has already more than doubled its $30,000 funding goal. There is good reason for this outpouring of sock support.… Read more

Microsoft shows off 3D mapping, voice commands for Bing

Microsoft showed off some new capabilities for mapping, including 3D imagery and voice command integration, on Wednesday at its Build conference for developers.

Bing VP Gurdeep Singh Pall highlighted some new possibilities with Bing. He told developers that the search engine can now be "a canvas for a whole lot of interesting things."

The Windows 8.1 app will now come with 3D imaging, Singh Pall told developers. He then showed how developers can use the 3D imaging and voice command to create new Bing search experiences. While viewing a demo of a foreign country map, Singh Pall … Read more

Microsoft highlights start button return at Build

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer highlighted the return of the start button on Windows 8 at its Build developers conference Wednesday in San Francisco.

The news got a round of applause from the audience, but it may not be everything users had hoped for. Ballmer said users can also boot to the desktop and the Start screen has been tweaked to see many applications at a glance.

Check out CNET's review of Windows 8.1 here and read more news from the conference on CNET's live blog.

'Biowire' could be major step toward viable cardiac patches

Be still my beating heart. Or, rather, be very, very fast, so that it can be used by science.

This is the battle cry out of the University of Toronto, where researchers are unveiling a biowire that could lead to the production of mature cardiac patches that are derived from real human cardiomyocytes (heart cells). Reporting this week in the scientific journal Nature Methods, cardiac researchers say the tech could lead to the development of mature cardiac patches in a range of sizes.

Let's back up, because when it comes to matters of the heart, things get complicated fast.… Read more