Scientists have found a way to create diamonds in a lab December 1, 2015 A discovery by scientists in the US could make it possible to create diamonds under simple lab conditions. The team from North Carolina State University developed a new kind of carbon structure, called Q-carbon, which is fundamentally different from all other solid forms of the material. When Q-carbon is treated with laser pulses followed by [...]
Parents will spend hundreds on gadgets for kids this Christmas December 1, 2015 It's not just adults eyeing up the latest gadget for their Christmas stocking. Parents will splash out £225 on buying tablets, games consoles and smartphones for their kids at this time of year, on average, with Apple and Samsung topping Santa's list. More than a quarter are budgeting even more to shower the latest technology on their kids, a whopping [...]
Layabouts? Well-educated kids are more likely to rely on their parents for cash December 1, 2015 Having a PhD or a master's degree might help you become an expert in your field, but it doesn't help you fly the nest. The better educated a person is, the less likely they are to break free from their parents and become financially independent in adulthood, according to a new study from North Carolina State [...]
Cyber Monday 2015 UK: Paypal down for some as online payments firm buckles under shopper pressure November 30, 2015 Paypal has buckled under the pressure of Cyber Monday shoppers, experiencing technical issues when users try to pay during the checkout process. A technical notification on its website, posted at 2.20pm said: We are experiencing a system issue which may be affecting PayPal APIs and PayPal Website on the PayPal Live Site. Users may be intermittently experiencing [...]
Apple Cyber Monday 2015 deals: Best UK sales for cheap iPhones, Macs, iPads, iPad Pro the Apple Watch and more – at Tesco, Argos, Currys PCWorld, John Lewis, eBay and others November 30, 2015 Just like Black Friday, Apple's not one to get on the Cyber Monday discounting bandwagon, but that doesn't mean you still can't bag a bargain on iPhones, iPads Macs and more. We've hunted high and low so you don't have to when it comes to bagging an Apple deal. Here are the bargains we found. Read more: [...]
Radio waves from outer space could be a sign of alien life, scientists suggest November 30, 2015 Radio wave signals from outer space have baffled scientists in Australia, leading them to suggest they might come from alien life in a distant galaxy. By studying a series of fast radio wave bursts (FRBs) using data from the Parkes radio telescope in New South Wales, Emily Petroff and her team at the Swinbourne University [...]
Swatch’s Bellamy watch with Visa lets you pay with just a swipe of your wrist (but it’s not a smartwatch) November 30, 2015 First there was Oyster, and not far behind were contactless cards. Then came Apple Pay in the pay technology revolution, liberating commuters from pesky cash and flimsy tickets. It may have put paying with something other than a ticket into the popular consciousness, but there are other (admittedly less high-profile) options for non-Apple fans seeking to streamline [...]
Microsoft Band 2 review: An improved but still flawed technology November 27, 2015 Even Microsoft (very quietly) admits that the previous iteration of its flagship fitness band was a clunky old thing, about as comfortable as wearing a Twix around your wrist. The Band 2 is Microsoft’s second attempt at designing an everyday wearable you might actually want to keep strapped to your arm, with this version featuring [...]
Black Mass review: Johnny Depp’s sinister portrayal of gangster James “Whitey” Bulger November 27, 2015 ★★★★☆ | Cert 15 Try as you might, you’ll never quite get used to the layers of greasy, ham-like prosthetics strewn across Johnny Depp’s face in crime thriller Black Mass. In particular, his brittle strands of slick receding hair look like nothing that has ever grown out of a human head, prompting unbidden thoughts about [...]
ZTE Axon Elite review: finally, a phone you can lick November 27, 2015 ★★★★☆ The Axon Elite is a phone you can lick up and down all day long, either in the privacy of your own home or while out on the street, safe in the knowledge that its antimicrobial glass screen is killing 99 per cent of bacteria and potentially saving your life. Not only is the [...]