http://cache.jezebel.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png http://jezebel.com/tag/technology http://jezebel.com/tag/technology

Here's some research that should make Olds feel vindicated: texting a lot apparently makes people less accepting of words they've never heard before. Which is weird because texting is basically a process of sending things that aren't words to people. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5886091&view=rss&microfeed=true

We use our phones for most things these days—scheduling meetings, throwing birds at pigs, keeping track of everything from our grocery lists to our periods, checking Facebook, calling our mothers. So is there a limit to how far we're willing to let these little devices into our lives? As much as you love your phone, would you want it to tell it your secrets and let it be your therapist? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5883264&view=rss&microfeed=true

On Sunday, Best Buy ran an ad showcasing a bunch of tech innovators — all of whom were dudes. Let's give them the benefit of the doubt — maybe those poor ad execs just didn't know how to find cool women in tech. So we did the work for them. Here are ten awesome ladies they could've featured. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5882670&view=rss&microfeed=true

Instant messaging is kind of a no-man's-land where etiquette is concerned, inhabited by tweens and people who type like them. And yet most of us must use it — often even for work. Let's take a look at how we can do so in a less dickish fashion. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5881671&view=rss&microfeed=true

The more time we spend on Twitter, the better most of us get at tweeting so that we don't annoy the hell out of all of our followers. And, yet, there are still those people who just can't seem to do it right. They mean well, but their tweets are just, well, annoying. In an effort to actually quantify what constitutes a good and bad tweet, researchers Paul André of Carnegie Mellon, Michael Bernstein of MIT, and Kurt Luther of Georgia Tech have done a new study examining what we want from tweets and what we hate. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5881498&view=rss&microfeed=true

These days, it's hard to go 5 minutes without getting some sort of alert from Twitter, Facebook, text messaging or email. Being wired in has it's perks, but there are times when it can feel pretty damn inundating. Filmmaker Chris Crutchfield portrays this modern dilemma quite charmingly in his short Digitals: A Musical, Sort Of. Now, let's see how many retweets and Facebook shares we can get this thing. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5881278&view=rss&microfeed=true

Online dating is practically quaint at this point, so comfortable have we become with trusting our love lives to the interwebs. With that in mind, developers have come up with a whole new crop of apps and sites to make love, sex, and dating better — or at least more complicated. Let's take a look at a few of the new arrivals. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5878826&view=rss&microfeed=true

Remember back in the innocent time before computers and smartphones, when teenagers were all about swapping handwritten notes and bodily fluids? Well, things have changed considerably in this era of heavy teching, and now the youth are finding new and horrifyingly sad ways to connect—like swapping passwords with their boyfriends. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5877080&view=rss&microfeed=true

We haven't noticed many more pink electronics on the market, yet amazingly, it seems women buy more tech products than men. While in the past companies have tried to market products to women by making them purse shaped and pointing out how they can be used to look up diet tips, it turns out women are buying electronics even though they have no stereotypical lady features. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5874659&view=rss&microfeed=true

Microsoft is drawing some criticism for what some people are calling the "avoid ghetto" feature, which would supposedly let Windows Phone users steer clear of bad neighborhoods. What would this product mean for women's safety? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5874473&view=rss&microfeed=true

Kanye West stayed up late last night in London, and he shared his long night of the soul with his 5,826,998 Twitter followers. West is spending time in the city working on his fashion line, which he expects to show again in Paris this March, and this got him thinking about design, contract law, and shopping for "discount furs" with his mother at the age of 5. You'd never guess his teachers told him he "couldn't focus." More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5873249&view=rss&microfeed=true

British tween Charlie Le Quesne and his mom were shopping at a store in England when he picked up an iPhone 4S on display and innocently asked Siri, "How many people are there in the world?" The 12-year-old, expecting the phone's automated assistant to give him a number, got a real shock when instead Siri answered, "Shut the fuck up, you ugly twat." Whoa, girl, watch your mouth!!! Charlie's mother, Kim, couldn't believe what she'd heard, so they asked the same question, thinking it must have been an error. But crabby Siri fired back with the very same expletive-laden rant. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5872319&view=rss&microfeed=true

More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5871641&view=rss&microfeed=true

Watch out, teenagers! New market research shows baby boomers know how to use smartphones just like you do. What will they learn next? More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5870882&view=rss&microfeed=true

This scene from a short '80s film (that once appeared on MTV!) highlights the frustrations of a young girl at the computer lab. She, apparently, is what some bully's Dad calls a "techno-dunce." Obviously this leads to the classroom teacher bringing the boy to the principals office; when she shuts the door behind her, and the kids launch into what's possibly the most ridiculous musical number ever portrayed in film. I'm not sure how the theatrics helped to teach the young lady how to get over her fear of computers — or even use them at all — but I suppose the collective bullying by a classroom of peers through songs is enough to get anything accomplished. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5869704&view=rss&microfeed=true

A new chart issued by Nielsen reveals that the reason people defriend others on Facebook is pretty much the reason the same reason they cut them off in real life — making obnoxious comments. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5869470&view=rss&microfeed=true

Two scientists have developed a chemical coating for fabric that causes it to clean and deodorize itself when exposed to sunlight. This means that unless the world is too polluted to occupy in the future, we'll never have to do laundry again. Now, let's all twirl around in our dream kitchens! More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5868202&view=rss&microfeed=true

People have been joking for year that women will do whatever Oprah tells us to, but recently this has been thoroughly disproven. Mercifully, sequined Uggs never became America's "favorite thing," we refused en masse to even locate the OWN Network on our cable lineup, and now, despite Oprah's demand that we only text on the road if we're being chauffered, we're using cell phones while driving more than ever. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5866577&view=rss&microfeed=true

Earlier this week, it was widely reported that Siri won't locate abortion clinics. It's a troubling thought that the magical device you carry in your pocket may not share your views on women's reproductive rights. However, today an Apple spokeswoman told the New York Times that Siri isn't necessarily harboring conservative views: More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5864395&view=rss&microfeed=true

The makers of Fear of Spiders Phobia Treatment claim the new app will eradicate your spider phobia, using "NLP (neuro-linguistic programming), visualization, and mind mapping methods." Essentially, the app lets you choose scary photos of spiders, then stare at them until you aren't afraid anymore. At $2.99, the app is way cheaper than therapy, but more expensive than looking up photos of spiders on the internet, which might have the same effect. The company, Self Study Apps, also offers apps for getting rid of your fear of flying and dentists. They do not have any apps to deal with fears of rare diseases, used towels, or the mail, though, so they are useless to me. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5864274&view=rss&microfeed=true

At this point, we know that most, if not all, of the commercial, non-news images we see are digitally enhanced. Still, studies show that women — of all sizes — feel bad and/or think negative thoughts about their bodies after viewing pictures of models in magazine ads for just three minutes. And many magazine readers are not yet women; they are girls, with still-developing physiques, self-esteem and brains. Yet extensive Photoshopping persists. But what if you could measure just how much a photograph had been altered? Would it help in countering the effect of these misleading images? We may find out: A proposal for a program is in the works. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5863412&view=rss&microfeed=true

The new Buddhify app claims to help you practice loving-kindness, even when you miss your train by one second and have to spend the next ten minutes watching rats eat trash while one guy screams about Jesus and another guy creepily asks you what your temporary tattoo means (it means "dinosaur," asshole). The app offers "urban meditation tracks" that say things like, "When traveling around have you ever noticed that despite being among so many people we're often just stuck in our own little stories?" It costs $2.99, which might be worth it if it replaced my "little story" of oh-god-all-the-people-are-terrible with serenity. However, many users in the App Store currently say it doesn't work, which can only add to one's anxiety. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5859236&view=rss&microfeed=true

A blogger has created a fun new tool that switches the gender of all gendered words on webpages, yielding some amusing and thought-provoking results. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5858717&view=rss&microfeed=true

The generation currently entering the workforce can barely even remember the dark days before Al Gore invented the internet. These "digital natives" would — nay, will — have their phones implanted into their arms someday, and if they're forced to go more than 20 minutes without checking Facebook they may start shaking uncontrollably and begging you to "like" them. It's all terribly frightening for adults who spent their formative years playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt with a stick, but thankfully Cisco has performed a study to bridge the generational gap in the workplace. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5858155&view=rss&microfeed=true

According to a new study, a certain Nigerian prince would have had more luck if he was a woman, and could supply a sexy photo. A study of 1,500 American and British internet users by the anti-virus software company Bitdefender found that men are more willing to share personal information online, particularly if there's a beautiful woman involved. More men were willing to hit "confirm" on a request from an unknown yet clearly attractive friend. 64.2% of women always accept friend requests from strangers, but the number is only 55.4% for men. Plus, only 16% of women let anyone view their personal information, compared to about a quarter of men who make themselves available in case any hot women want to get in touch with them (or steal money from their bank accounts). More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5857797&view=rss&microfeed=true

Much unlike many a magazine editor who recommends you buy all sorts of crap that they most likely got for free, your Jezebel staff doesn't get jack shit (other than books, unsolicited). And that's how it should be. But on our own time, in our personal lives, we still buy stuff. So this is Worth It, our daily recommendation of random things that we've actually spent our own money on. These are the things we buy regularly or really like, things we'd actually tell our friends about. And now we're telling you. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5855139&view=rss&microfeed=true

There's been a lot in the media recently about electronic devices frying kids' brains, but a Houston 2-year-old's ability to use a phone turned out to be a good thing. Though Larissa Taylor never taught her daughter Lia Vega to use the phone, somehow the girl was able to call her grandmother when Taylor collapsed. Bobbie Gonzalez says that when she picked up the phone, "It was Lia and she said, 'My mom fell down,' I said, 'Let me talk to your mom,' and she said, 'She won't wake up.'" Gonzalez called 911 and went over to the house. Taylor didn't know that she's diabetic, and doctors say she could have died if she didn't get to the hospital when she did. Taylor says Lia has been "wearing a towel around the house, calling herself a superhero, because mommy has told her about it ... So definitely she's my little superhero." More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5853374&view=rss&microfeed=true

Were you aware that emoticons are being used by adults, not just 14-year-olds on AOL Instant Messager, MySpace, Twitter, or whatever the kids are using these days? Now professionals are signing off emails with a smiley or winky face, and it's either a helpful way to convey tone, or a sign that we've all become illiterate and will soon be watering crops with Gatorade and taking health advice from Dr. Justin Long. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5852581&view=rss&microfeed=true

Ever wonder why so many automated voices—think the iPhone's Siri, your GPS lady, the woman who gives you your voicemail—are female? NPR's Scott Simon did a little digging into this topic, and the consensus seems to be that women's voices are used because they're perceived as being more comforting. As one expert put it, More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5852494&view=rss&microfeed=true

Social networking is changing our lives in a variety of ways, and now it's entirely revolutionized how you get hot soup into a sick friend's belly. Heinz has launched a U.K.-only Facebook app that lets users send real cans of Cream of Chicken or Cream of Tomato to a friend for about $3 per can. The package features a "Get Well Soon" message and your ailing friend's name, but as it still relies on a series of humans to convey the can to your friend's doorstep, the process could take three or four days. Heinz, please alert us when you've invented a Star Trek-style replicator that can instantly put this vital medical treatment into our loved one's hands. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5851976&view=rss&microfeed=true

Here's a vintage segment from an episode of Sesame Street in 1984 that shows a teacher sitting down with her class and asking them what they know about computers. Before you laugh at how little the kids know about computers, remember that 1984 was the first year Apple started widely promoting their personal computers through their celebrated television commercials. So try not to giggle at poor little Kim (not to be confused with Lil Kim) when says describes a PC as "something that you write on and press buttons on." My, how the world has changed in such a short amount of time! More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5851819&view=rss&microfeed=true

Good news, New Yorkers! You can now use facebook to stalk not only your college boyfriend's new girlfriend who sort of creepily looks like you, but also high risk sex offenders who sort of creepily live by you. Well, the ones compliant enough to register, at least. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5851069&view=rss&microfeed=true

Celina Aarons has two brothers who are deaf and unable to speak, and she communicates with both of them using primarily text messages. Because one of them is in college full time and don't have a job, she added him to her cellular plan. And because that brother of hers went off to Canada, she should've made sure that the plan included international texting. But it didn't. And last month, Celina opened her cell phone bill to find that she was being charged $201,005.44. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5850934&view=rss&microfeed=true

You know how you're not supposed to give your personal information to random people you meet on the Internet? Well, 75% of IT workers and hackers did just that, when researchers posed as the sexy lady above. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5850820&view=rss&microfeed=true

Did you or a loved one spend the entire weekend making increasingly offensive comments to your phone? Now you can share the fruits of your iPhone 4S obsession with others on the Tumblr Shit iSay to Siri. Apparently Siri knows who the walrus is and can commiserate when you need to poop, but the tiny lady trapped in your phone is still having trouble coming up with tactful replies to users' romantic advances. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5850342&view=rss&microfeed=true

Here's a horrifying video for all of you technophobes. iPad-savvy Babies don't understand why they can't use gestures to scroll and zoom in print publications. Though, perhaps this little girl would make the same hand motions when trying to operate a hat. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5849697&view=rss&microfeed=true

The latest in fake-girlfriend technology allegedly has a purpose beyond momentarily making your friends think someone likes you — it could help men snag real girlfriends. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5847003&view=rss&microfeed=true

As part of its continuing mission to improve our lives/make money/creep everyone out, Google has rolled out its own version of gaydar. Now when you type a celebrity's name followed with the word "gay" or "straight," Google will suggest their probable sexuality based on statements they've made in interviews. The company never announced the new feature, and its list is far from extensive. Nothing shows up for most celebrities, and you won't find any answers about stars who are rumored to be in the closet like Anderson Cooper, Queen Latifah, Tom Cruise, and John Travolta. However, people can stop speculating about James Franco, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Ryan Seacrest's sexuality because Google says they're straight. And if there's one thing we can trust when it comes to people's private sexual preferences, it's Google's algorithm. More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5844935&view=rss&microfeed=true

In a major breakthrough in gaydar technology, an Android app sold for €1.99 in France promises to pin down your son's sexual orientation with 20 horrible, stereotypical questions. You can read the questions here en français, but for those of us who took eight years of French and can barely read the language [cough], here's a rough Google translation: More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5843730&view=rss&microfeed=true

Have you ever thought, "This ice cream is delicious but I wish one bite had a multiple flavor-release aspect to it?" Well, you're in luck! Food scientists know how important that is and are working hard to give you the three, three, three flavors in one magical ice cream of your dreams! More »
]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5843521&view=rss&microfeed=true