Rooftop solar panels are becoming such a powerful factor in the energy market that they now can push the price of electricity to negative territory in the sunniest regions of the world. This is possible because powering down fossil fuel energy generators during peak solar power periods would be more expensive than paying customers to use the electricity.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
Is the tide starting to turn inexorably against the hugely unpopular proposed Comcast–TWC merger? The Los Angeles Times brings us word that satellite TV company Dish has officially come out against the merger and has told the Federal Communications Commission that it should block the deal.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
A research team at the University of Alberta may have made a breakthrough that ultimately leads to dramatic improvements in the batteries that power everything from laptops and smartphones to medical devices and tools. According to lead researcher Xinwei Cui, the lithium-ion battery technology his team is currently developing charges faster, lasts longer and outputs more power than current lithium-ion batteries.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
Microsoft’s first venture into the tablet market didn’t exactly go well but the company has been doggedly refining and improving its products to the point where it may be starting to see some sales success. ZDNet’s Ed Bott does a nice job of digging through Gartner’s latest report on PC sales and has found that there’s one category of PCs that has been surging this year: Premium ultra-mobile PCs such as the MacBook Air and the Surface Pro 3.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
For some people, working at Google is a dream job — but getting there isn’t easy. Google has some very interesting hiring practices meant to ensure only the most successful candidates get in the door, including some questions that may seem out of this world, yet Google wants candidates to answer. Business Insider has put together a collection of 17 ridiculous questions Google used to ask interviewees, and they were taken from an extensive collection of 140 questions Google used to ask clients of Seattle job coach Lewis Lin in recent years.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
Officially, the LG G3 is not waterproof, but just as the case was with other hot new Android devices that were dunked in water despite not being water-resistant, a user wanted to see how the G3 fares in the event of unexpected water accidents. As such, he submerged the phone under water in an extensive test. iTechWorld11 posted a video showing the G3 in a prolonged water test, which it successfully survived.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
Are there more empty taxis than usual rolling around Manhattan today? It seems that way — and it would be no wonder, because the New York transportation system is going through its biggest upheaval since 1900. And as you may have guessed, one of the world’s hottest mobile apps is the new omen of turmoil in 2014.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
Nintendo’s recent release of Mario Kart 8 breathed new life into the company’s struggling Wii U console. In fact, we called it a killer Wii U game when we reviewed Mario Kart 8 back in May, and we said it was just what the Wii U needed. The newest edition in Nintendo’s popular racing series was apparently so good that it inspired a group of 12 people in Japan to reenact Mario Kart on the streets of Tokyo.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
We’ve already seen some pictures of the iPhone 6’s rear shell but we’ve never seen it quite this close up in HD before. MacRumors directs our attention to a new video posted by Moscow-based luxury retailer Feld & Volk that shows off the iPhone 6’s rear casing in the highest quality footage we’ve yet seen.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report
Those gamers who no longer find first-person shooters amusing enough should check out a new Kickstarter project that wants to offer players a “real-life in-person combat shooter and horror survival experience.” In other words, players get real weapons and combat gear, and experience real combat and pain. Blood, Guts ‘n Glory (BGnG) is an event that will take place in Atlanta Georgia this October, assuming the project is fully project. The project places teams of players into realistic combat scenarios where they’ll have to fight zombies and mutants or battle insurgents and other special forces.
Read more here: Boy Genius Report