Tooling

A Times Square T-shirt vendor noticed a suspicious truck and alerted police, who found an explosive device inside.

This alarm clock syncs with Google Calendar - considering drive time, traffic, and weather - and boasts home automation features. via Hackaday

A website called Stupid Fight lets you compare the intelligence of Twitter fans based on indicators like excessive exclamation points and "OMG" usage. FlowingData readers fall in the "yellow" category, smarter than Justin Bieber fans but not top-tier. via FlowingData

SHOW AND TELL features elegant pictogram designs for public bathrooms by Sérgio Bergocce. via STILL LIFE

Tyler Cowen links to an article about a new app that allows citizens in Eindhoven to report local issues directly to the city council using GPS and maps. via Marginal Revolution.

Science fiction author Charles Stross explores Steve Job's reasoning behind his well-known hate of Flash and how it plays into Apple's strategy within the evolving landscape of cloud computing.

via Charlie's Diary

Facebook launched Open Graph to replace Facebook Connect, allowing websites and apps access user data for personalized experiences. via Mashable

It appears that following this Miracle_man link leads to an AWS error message instead of the intended content.

via The source of this content is Amazon Web Services (AWS).

The author of Reversing Everything details their process of accessing and analyzing the Kindle's software and firmware. via Reversing Everything: kindle

This Hackaday article from 2010 recaps the Embedded Systems Conference in Silicon Valley, highlighting cool tech like an iPhone-controlled car and a Rubik's Cube-solving robot. via Hackaday

FlowingData reviews Indiemapper, an online thematic mapping application, highlighting its strengths such as user-friendliness and diverse map projections, while also noting areas for improvement. via FlowingData.

This discussion from 2010 questions whether PowerPoint itself is flawed, or if it's just commonly used poorly. via FlowingData