IBM's Watson: Now for 'Top Chef'?

Watson in his "Jeopardy" days.(Credit:IBM/YouTube; screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)Great chefs are crazy.There are many kinds of crazy. Some of these culinarians rant, rave, and spit fire and brimstone. Some pore over their ingredients like scientists: quiet, brooding, and deeply serious.All believe they can create their own particular gastronomic dreams, ones nobody else can copy. Especially...

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Kick a Soccket soccer ball, power an LED lamp

You'll get a kick out of energy generation with Soccket.(Credit:Uncharted Play)Portable generators just got a lot more fun with the introduction of the Soccket, an energy-harnessing soccer ball raising funds on Kickstarter. Kick the ball around, play, and have a good time. When you're done, connect an LED lamp into a port built into the ball, and light up your night.Playing with the Soccket for 30...

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Buy your ticket for the new Titanic (no iPads, thanks)

Icebergs be damned.(Credit:Clive Palmer)Tempting fate is a very human pastime. We know it will all end badly sooner or later, so why not see whether we can skirt the edge of disaster and experience how it feels?Such an impulse will surely drive many to book an early ticket on Titanic II. No, this is not another Donald Trump project. It is, instead, the idea of Clive Palmer, an Australian mining tycoon...

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What is the Eicar testfile?

When Apple updates its XProtect anti-malware system in OS X with new definitions, it often means a new or updated threat has been found for OS X. Earlier this morning, Apple issued an update to XProtect, which now includes a new definition for a malware package called "OSX.eicar.com.i," that comes from Eicar.com. This update suggests the new definitions are for a novel malware package, but this is...

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Countdown begins for Galaxy S4 reveal

Monday's CNET Update does it with stylus: Countdown begins for Galaxy S4 reveal The mother of all mobile trade shows, Mobile World Congress, kicked off in Barcelona. Today's video roundup highlights the buzz over Samsung, WebOS and a new way to talk to your phone: - Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S4 on March 14- Visa's mobile payment program will be built into the Galaxy S4- More on MasterCard's mobile...

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Nvidia Tegra 4 supercharges smartphones (hands-on video)

See the Nvidia Tegra 4 (and 4i) in actionBARCELONA, Spain--Nvidia's latest mobile processor, the Tegra 4, and its little brother, the Tegra 4i, will soon be turning up in all manner of smartphones and tablets. I went hands-on with some of Nvidia's reference devices at Mobile World Congress and found the new silicon to deliver some impressive results.Like the Tegra 3 chip before it, the Tegra 4 is...

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Was a texting pilot behind JFK runway fail?

Texting? Or just trouble getting a signal?We all know that we shouldn't use our cell phones while driving.Yes, of course we do it anyway, but always with a tinge of guilt. Surely, though, few would take that same cavalier attitude if they were piloting a plane. Somehow, one imagines that this task requires a little more concentration, amid the prospect of even more serious danger.Yet it seems that...

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The 404 1,213: Where Sphere says no to Yes to the Dress (podcast)

Sphere's Law of Recurring Subject Matter argues that, given enough time, all conversations with Steve Guttenberg will inevitably become audiocentric. As usual, The Audiophiliac brings a ransom list of talking points today, including Spotify robbing musicians, Benford's law, Say Yes to the Dress, and a Monoprice controversy. Justin Yu Justin Yu covers headphones and peripherals for...

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Egypt accused of crowdsourcing censorship

The film has incited riots all over the Arab world.(Credit:Russia Today/YouTube; screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)The Web has made it hard to censor things.Principally because it is both so open and so Byzantine that there are simply so many things out there for a budding censor to sink his opprobrium into.I can remember when I lived in Singapore and my NFL VHS's -- mailed to me from Switzerland...

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Cell phone germs as art: Gross or gorgeous?

Ick? Actually, this cell phone appears to be one of the cleaner of the bunch.(Credit:Simon Park/University of Surrey)It's not news that cell phones harbor bacteria, but there's a difference between knowing that about your device and seeing the germs up close in all their furry, florid glory. Molecular biology undergraduates at the U.K.'s University of Surrey recently got a stark view of just how...

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Russian meteorite fragments pop up for sale online

This little guy once packed enough of a punch to shatter a city's windows.(Credit:eBay/danieldeffo)Capitalism is certainly alive and well in today's Russia, as demonstrated by the growing number of attempts to cash in on the recent and much-recorded (thanks to the help of ubiquitous Russian dashboard cams) meteor strike in Siberia.The meteor that broke up over the city of Chelyabinsk while also producing...

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Sony trims Vita price, adds new color

In Japan, gamers can now choose from silver, white, black, red, and blue PS Vitas.(Credit:Sony Computer Entertainment Japan)With a little less than 48 hours to go before the world gets a glimpse at the PlayStation 4, there's some news for the PS Vita coming out of Japan today.Sony announced that the company lowered and equalized the price point for the Wi-Fi and 3G/Wi-Fi-versions of the PS Vita to...

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The making of Bungie's Halo successor: Destiny

Halo's Master Chief watches over Bungie headquarters in Bellevue, Wash.(Credit:Bungie)BELLEVUE, Wash.--Halo, the multibillion-dollar-grossing video game franchise, set an incredibly high bar for its creator, Bungie, to meet with its next title. "After Halo, a bunch of us thought, 'What comes next?'" Bungie co-founder Jason Jones told a group of journalists visiting Bungie's Bellevue, Wash., headquarters...

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Microsoft job post gives more info about 'Windows Blue'

If there's any doubt that the Windows client team is laser-focused on the coming Blue refresh of Windows 8, a new Microsoft job post makes it even plainer.A February 15 post for a software development engineer in test on the Microsoft Careers site (to which Charon at Ma-config.com alerted me), mentions "Windows Blue." According to that posting, the Core Experience team in Windows Sustained Engineering...

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The 404 1,208: Where we're a heartbeat away (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode: - Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn Google internship trailer debuts - NY restaurant offers fake "homemade" meal to go for amateur chefs, pre-dirtied cookwear included. - In high-tech Japan, the fax machines roll on. - Most definitely the scariest Valentines day app around. - Guns in movies: Find your favorites in the Internet Movie Firearms Database.Bathroom break video:...

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Bodum bounces clear into baking

Even with a clear transparent top, the Bodum stand mixer stands out.(Credit:Bodum)Kitchen appliances for generations have been sleek, shiny things not designed to particularly appeal to our senses as much as to convey a sense of almost clinical utility. The hearth of the home, being what it is -- a place of warmth and sustenance -- has in recent years seen a growing trend of kitchen gear and gadgets...

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Bill Gates defends Bing and Windows 8

Bill Gate hearts Reddit.(Credit:Bill Gates)Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates told Reddit users today that Bing is a "better product" than Google and that Windows 8 is a "huge advance."A Redditor asked the ridiculously wealthy philanthropist during a Reddit Q&A event, dubbed an an "ask me anything" session , "Do you guys really use Bing? I mean seriously..."Gates respond and referenced Bing's campaign...

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Bang With Professionals goes out with a whimper

It was all over before it even began. So sad.(Credit:Screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET)There is a sudden trend for casually obtained sex.By "casually," I mean effortlessly, entirely without trying or even seeming to try.The New York Times noticed it, describing how contemporary dating in New York is little more than the booking of an appointment.Then along came "Bang with Friends," a site that,...

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Parents appalled that school principal is sexy YouTube rapper

Junior High School 80, where the principal is El Siki.(Credit:Google Street View)We all have an alter ego.For some of us, it comes out when the drinks are flowing and the inhibitions have taken a vacation.For Emmaneul Polanco, principal of Junior High School 80 in the Bronx, it comes out when he makes rap videos and posts them online, hangs out with comely ladies, and parties as a good rapper should...

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How we test: TVs

Go behind the curtain with David Katzmaier (left) and Ty Pendlebury, your friendly neighborhood TV geeks. Did you know CNET reviews TVs by comparing them directly in a side-by-side lineup, after each has undergone a thorough calibration? Did you know that the main instrument we use to calibrate and measure those televisions costs about $28,000? Did you know that last year we reviewed and rated 54...

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