Articles by Rollin Bishop
Swift, Apple's Programming Language, Now Open Source
Time for people to create some truly weird stuff using Apple's programming language. As of today, Dec. 3, Apple's Swift programming language is officially open source.
Watch Crow T. Robot And Tom Servo From 'Mystery Science Theater 3000' Audition For 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens'
Why can't a robot play Han Solo? As it turns out, the role for BB-8, the plucky ball-shaped droid featured in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, wasn't always so ball-shaped or plucky.
Ahead Of Their Time: The Philips CD-i, A Multimedia Gaming Machine With Proprietary Problems
Some might argue that the Philips CD-i would have been trash in any decade. Ahead Of Their Time is a recurring feature by Rollin Bishop focusing on technology from the past that came a little too early for it to be effective, for whatever reason.
The Lyrics To The 'Mario Bros.' Theme Song Are Not Very Good
Maybe they're better in the original Japanese? Hard to say. Did you know that the Mario Bros. video game theme has a set of official lyrics? Well, about as official as it gets, anyway: they date back to 1985.
Popular 'Super Smash Bros. Brawl' Mod 'Project M' Calls It Quits After 6 Years
The team behind 'Project M' is on to 'new projects,' as announced on its website. And under slightly mysterious circumstances.
New 'Arrow' Trailer Sees Vandal Savage Issue Threats Galore
Not that the Flash takes them very seriously, anyway. A new trailer for the second half of the two-part The Flash/Arrow crossover event on the CW has been released.
What To Buy On New Comic Book Day 12/2: Daredevil, Hulk And More
What's good this week? A lot. Like, a lot, a lot. This is a new weekly column by Rollin Bishop suggesting new comics to grab that clock in under $20 total.
New Law Means Companies Actually Own The Stuff They Mine From Asteroids
Granted, it's a United States law, but still. President Barack Obama managed to sign into law a fairly big step forward in terms of space mining while most folks were more concerned with turkey and all the fixings last week.
Scientists Create A Sponge For Soaking Up Oil Spills
It's kind of like a special version of the sponge under most folks' sink, only, you know, for oil. This one uses nanometer-thick flakes of boron nitride.
No Risk, No Reward: kGoal Boost and Decibullz
This week: Kegels for men and cool music stuff. No Risk, No Reward is a recurring weekly feature that spotlights two very different crowdfunding campaigns: one for a somewhat serious technology project, and one for a somewhat less serious technology project.
The 'Ghost In The Shell' Virtual Reality Experience Looks Incredible
There's ghosts, shells, and the former in the latter in an upcoming VR app. The seminal Ghost in the Shell franchise remains just as relevant now as it did when the anime film released in 1995.
Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Why He Prefers The 'Enterprise' Over The 'Millennium Falcon'
According to Tyson, 'there's no question' as to which is better. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has become somewhat infamous for picking apart the various scientific nuances of pop culture films and the like.
Researchers Propose 'Urine Black Hole' To Solve Messy Bathroom Adventures
Ever peed on yourself by accident in the bathroom thanks to wayward splashing? You're not alone.
PlayStation Plus Brings 'Freedom Wars' and 'King's Quest' In December
It's a fairly lean month for free games on the subscription service, but there's still some gems to be had.
Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis And Steven Spielberg Turned Down Directing The 'Star Wars' Prequels
Oh, what a world we could have lived in. There are few constants in the universe, and one of those is perhaps the fact that the Star Wars prequels are generally considered to be bad films.
New Self-Healing Gel Could Help Electronics Bend And Not Break
When it breaks, it heals itself — and it doesn't need any help doing it. One of the problems with standard electronics is that the circuits inside aren't really built to deal with the kind of wear and tear the future of the medium intends to put on them.
First Full 'Captain America: Civil War' Trailer Sees Heroes Fighting Heroes
What, exactly, is justice? The first full trailer for the upcoming Marvel sequel Captain America: Civil War has finally released, and it's a doozy.
Marvel's 'Uncanny X-Men' Gives Magneto A Team To Eliminate Threats
Magneto doesn't always get his way, and he can't handle every single threat to mutantkind himself. That's why he's got a team now.
Apple To Reportedly Launch Apple Pay In China By Early 2016
China could soon be tapping their phones to pay for things even more than they already are. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Apple is looking to launch Apple Pay, its mobile NFC payment system, in China by February 2016.
'Legends Of Tomorrow' First Look Pits Heroes And Villains Against An Immortal Dictator
One wonders just how many legends are needed to fill one show. CW has released a fairly lengthy first look at its upcoming Arrow/Flash crossover television series, DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
Android Pay To Donate To Charity For Every Purchase Made Until End Of Year
Donating $1 for every purchase adds up fast, and it's all going to help kids in need. Starting Tuesday, Nov. 24, any purchase made with Android Pay—the NFC payment system attached to Android smartphones—will see Google.
Licensed To Kill: 1990's 'Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers'
How good was the 1990 'Rescue Rangers' video game? Well ... Some of my earliest memories related to video games involve sitting around trying desperately to play the 1990 NES video game Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers, a platform game developed by Capcom and based on the Disney cartoon of the same name.
New Square Reader With Apple Pay Support Launches At Select Businesses
Eventually the wireless readers will be pretty much everywhere, if history's any indication. Square has officially launched the company's new NFC reader at several local businesses in select cities like Chicago and San Francisco.
Watch Mark Cuban From 'Shark Tank' Stomp Intel CEO Brian Krzanich in 'League of Legends'
The current and former pro players they were teamed up with showed absolutely no mercy. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks and notorious Shark Tank investor, took on Intel CEO Brian Krzanich in a game of League of Legends in San Jose, California this past weekend as part of IEM San Jose, a tournament organized by ESL.
'Gravity Falls' Creator Reveals Series To End After Season 2
Every summer vacation has to end at some point. Alex Hirsch, creator of the popular original Disney animated series Gravity Falls, revealed via Tumblr on Friday, November 20th, that the fan favorite would be reaching its natural conclusion soon.
This Small Attachment Turns Smartphone Flashlights Into Tiny Lamps
Can't afford a real lamp but want a much smaller version of the same experience? This is for you.
Forgotten Board Game Pieces Found in 2,300-Year-Old Chinese Tomb
Nobody knows how to play the game, but we're pretty sure they didn't find the whole thing.
Crunchyroll Adds Highly Anticipated 'Digimon Adventure Tri' Anime to Streaming Lineup
The anime film series celebrates the 15th anniversary of the franchise by going back to the original heroes several years later.
Amazon Announces Plan To Build Wind Farm In Ohio
Just the latest in Amazon's investment in renewable energy. It's the fourth major renewable energy effort from the online retailer's Amazon Web Services division.
'Jessica Jones' Full Title Sequence Offers A Dark Look At The New Series
It's probably the last tease we'll see before the actual premiere. The good folks at Netflix have released the title sequence to their latest Marvel collaboration, Jessica Jones, in advance of the series' release tomorrow.
