The meaning of "Doom" — www.economist.com — Readability

The meaning of "Doom" — www.economist.com — Readability: "TWENTY years ago today, a small Texas company called id Software uploaded a file to an FTP server at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. That file was "Doom", one of the few video games that almost everybody has heard of. It sold in the millions, has been converted to run on almost any computing hardware available, and still boasts a dedicated community today, something virtually unheard of for something as ephemeral as a video game."

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Final design of Platypus underwater exploration vehicle revealed

Final design of Platypus underwater exploration vehicle revealed: "After four years of development and months of prototype testing, Platypus founder Francois Alexandre Bertrand and his team have decided on the final design for their Platypus underwater exploration vehicle that will be launched next year. Aside from sporting a more polished look, the final production version also includes a number of newly-announced features."

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"Coolest" cooler chills, blends and plays music

"Coolest" cooler chills, blends and plays music: "A good cooler keeps your drinks chilled during a picnic, backyard BBQ or camping trip. The Coolest not only does that, but it also mixes up frosty margaritas and plays music for your party. With the docking grill, it even cooks your food. Its designer hopes to get the feature-packed cooler to picnics and tailgates next year"

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Google reportedly launching a Nexus-branded set-top box — www.techhive.com — Readability

Google reportedly launching a Nexus-branded set-top box — www.techhive.com — Readability: "Google is nothing if not persistent. The Information (warning: paywall) reports that Google will be launching a Nexus-branded set-top box as early as the first half of next year."

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New on Netflix, five of 2013's best films — www.techhive.com — Readability

New on Netflix, five of 2013's best films — www.techhive.com — Readability: "It’s almost the end of the year, which means soon we’ll start seeing various tastemakers trotting out those traditional lists of the best music, books, and of course movies. But this year is better than usual—as it happens five of the best, most enjoyable movies of 2013 are newly available streaming on Netflix. We also picked some of the best films from past years, from 2009 all the way back to 1950, also new to Netflix. Of course, it’s all a game, choices are personal, and opinions change over time. But for now, these 10 are a great start—see if any make your own best-of-all-time list."

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Ultimate Ears Boom Review and Giveaway — www.makeuseof.com — Readability

Ultimate Ears Boom Review and Giveaway — www.makeuseof.com — Readability: "In the past year, I’ve had the chance to review two excellent and portable Bluetooth speakers. Both the UE Mobile Boombox and the Jawbone Mini Jambox have impressed me so much, I was almost tempted to keep them both, redundant as that may seem. So imagine my excitement when the chance cropped up to review what should be superior to them both — the Ultimate Ears Boom."

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DARPA developing giant folding space telescope

DARPA developing giant folding space telescope: "DARPA has announced planes to use a foldable plastic lens to “break the glass ceiling” of space telescopes. It’s part of the agency’s Membrane Optical Imager for Real-Time Exploitation (MOIRE) program, which aims at replacing conventional glass optics with lightweight polymer membranes that may one day make possible a foldable plastic orbital telescope 20 m (65 ft) wide that will be capable of seeing a medium-sized dog on Earth from 36,000 km (22,000 mi) away."

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Wokart: The 70 km/h go-kart for the water

Wokart: The 70 km/h go-kart for the water: "The Wokart is a featherweight asymmetric catamaran with a centrally-located 70 hp outboard motor that's designed to have the driving characteristics and low power-to-weight of a go-kart."

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Effective, safe, and pleasant-smelling mosquito control could be on the way

Effective, safe, and pleasant-smelling mosquito control could be on the way: "Methods for controlling mosquitoes usually take two tacks: luring the mosquitoes into a trap away from humans, or discouraging them from biting at the source. Both methods can be expensive, unhealthy, cumbersome, or disgusting (the smell of rancid butter, anyone?) and generally aren’t scalable for the countries that suffer the most from mosquito-borne disease. New research explores how a mosquito’s neurons actually detect humans, and presents a promising class of chemicals, screened for safety, cost, and an appealing scent, some of which attract mosquitoes and others of which mask the smell of tasty human skin."

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US Navy launches drone from submerged submarine — www.gizmag.com — Readability

US Navy launches drone from submerged submarine — www.gizmag.com — Readability: "Today, the US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) announced that it had successfully launched a drone from a submerged submarine. The all-electric eXperimental Fuel Cell Unmanned Aerial System (XFC) was launched in the Bahamas from the Los Angeles-class nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Providence (SSN 719) using a system that allowed the drone to be deployed without modifications to the boat, or requiring it to surface."

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National Geographic puts more than 500 historic maps on Google | The Verge

National Geographic puts more than 500 historic maps on Google | The Verge: "National Geographic and Google are trying to recreate the thrill of cracking open one of the magazine's signature paper maps, but in the digital world. A new project puts more than 500 of National Geographic's 800 historic maps online using Google's Maps Engine platform."

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Research Your Family Tree Online

Research Your Family Tree Online: "Your computer plays games, and with it you can check email or browse the web. You might develop presentations, run your finances through a spreadsheet and even contribute to a crowdsourced research project. But did you know that your computer can also tell you who you are, and where you came from?"

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