Tag: SAN FRANCISCO

Here at Switched, we try our best to refrain from taking pleasure in the misfortune of others. But, when said misfortune involves a game as odious as 'Mafia Wars,' we really can't help ourselves. This is Zynga, after all, the same game producer that unleashed the pestilence of 'FarmVille' upon the world -- and made untold millions in the process. Forgive us, then, if we couldn't hold back a smile ...

A useful tip to all would-be iPhone thieves: when stealing said iPhone, it's a good idea to make sure it's not running a real-time GPS tracking program. Unfortunately for Horatio Toure, he had to learn this life lesson the hard way. As the San Francisco Chronicle reports, the 31-year-old Toure recently stole an iPhone from a seemingly ordinary woman, Jordan Sturm, whom he stealthily targeted ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... Extremity-bias typically materializes in the form of southpaw prejudice, as lefties frequently bemoan the frustrating faults of can-openers, scissors and subway turnstiles. Apple may actually employ a crew of vengeful left-handed developers, though, because the layout of its iPhone 4 apparently contributes to an inordinate amount ...

In our humble opinion, the best possible task for a robot to perform would be serving drinks. Yeah, we said it. We don't care if they can help old people, or even if they can cook Ramen noodles. But we would love a robot that could whip up a good cocktail. Apparently, plenty of other folks would, too. Let us tell you about BarBot 2010. If you're fed up with human bartenders, with all their ...

Highlights from this morning's other big tech headlines.... Google's holiday gift of free airport Wi-Fi may have expired, but the kind and giving gesture has definitely produced some impressive returns. The program, which covered 47 airports and all Virgin Atlantic flights, raised over $250,000 for various charities, a total that Google then matched. [From: Business Insider] San ...

What do you get when you place a bunch of hip, wireless-gadget-loving folks in a city crammed with historic, pre-World War II homes? Apparently, a serious Wi-Fi problem. According to The Wall Street Journal, many San Francisco residents have trouble accessing wireless Internet, and, in some cases, receiving a cell phone signal -- all because the chicken wire that may line the walls of their ...

The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management wants to make earthquakes, or at least learning about earthquakes, fun. In order to accomplish this, they created a Quake Quiz Web site, which features tips on how to prepare and react when an quake occurs. The site features an interactive quiz that places the user in six different scenarios -- at home, on the beach, in the car, at work, and ...

Who isn't in on the Twitter craze these days? No, seriously. Is there a single person, organization, or company that hasn't hopped on the microblogging bandwagon? Everyday, it seems, we're inundated with news and announcements of someone else joining the glorified status updater of a social networking service. And we usually ignore them, because at this point, who cares? But last week we got ...

Homelessness and technology may seem incongruous, but they are not as far away from each other as one might expect. Cities like San Francisco and New York are helping the homeless to become more connected, through the unlikely means of Facebook and Myspace. Although the homeless may not have physical mailing addresses, they want to have virtual ones through free social networking sites. ...

An unlikely trio of cities can lay claim to the United States' most energy-efficient buildings, thanks to a report in USA Today. Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston have been named by the EPA as having the most efficient buildings in the U.S., with annual energy savings of $87.2 million, $83.8 million, and $70.6 million, respectively. While we would love to jump on the bandwagon and slap ...

If General Motors has anything to say about it, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. will be the first early adopter markets for its plug-in hybrid Chevy Volt. The company is currently working with the local municipalities to flesh out the details. The goal is to make tax incentives for purchasing electric cars and build an infrastructure that'll support them. San Francisco is already part of the ...

Tanya Vlach, a San Francisco-based artist, lost her eye in a 2005 car accident, and now keeps a blog chronicling the "monocular life." She's got a real-enough looking prosthetic peeper, but Tanya's a self-described "sci-fi geek," and, with the approval of her doctor, she's put out a call for engineers to build her a camera... for her fake eye. \ Likening her possible future self (the one with ...

digg_url = 'http://digg.com/apple/Apple_to_announce_new_laptops_next_Tuesday'; The rumors were true folks. Apple is staging an invitation-only Town Hall event in Cupertino next Tuesday, October 14th at 10AM PST. It's absolutely safe to say they'll be showing off new laptops... and you know we'll be there live! Will this be an unveiling of a whole new form factor? Will this "Brick" mystery be ...

We dig the idea in theory, we really do, but we can definitely see this causing more harm than good. Starting this fall, San Francisco will begin a trial involving wireless parking sensors in 6,000 of its 24,000 metered spaces, enabling antsy drivers to be alerted via street signs or cell phones when a spot becomes available. Only one problem -- give 50 anxious motorists the same message that a ...

Google's one phone number for everything service, GrandCentral, is getting a new trial of sorts. Google is taking its 'Do no evil' mantra to the streets of San Francisco -- literally. A partnership between Google, the San Francisco city government, and Project CARE (Communications and Respect for Everybody) is offering a free phone number and voicemail box to every homeless person in the city for ...