Philippe Matthews Show Guru Advice, Author Reviews, Tech Reviews, Entertainment News

By Ron Cowen of Nature magazine Newly released observations of the top quark -- the heaviest of all known fundamental particles -- could topple the standard model of particle physics. [More]

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists of the CDF collaboration at the Department of Energy's Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced the observation of a new particle, the neutral Xi-sub-b (Ξb0). This particle contains three quarks: a strange quark, an up quark and a bottom quark (s-u-b). While its existence was predicted by the Standard Model, the observation of the neutral Xi-sub-b is significant because it strengthens our understanding of how quarks form matter

PGT: Tiger Woods not only decimated a generation of his peers with his play, but he suffocated the current crop of young American players that are expected to live up to his standard.

(PhysOrg.com) -- In April, scientists at one of Fermilab’s two particle detectors, CDF, observed what they thought might be a new particle not predicted by the Standard Model. But now, scientists at the lab’s second detector, DZero, have cross-checked the observation with their own independent data and analysis tools, and have found no evidence of a new particle. Instead, the DZero data are in agreement with predictions from the Standard Model.

By Eugenie Samuel Reich of Nature magazine Research groups at the Tevatron, the proton-antiproton collider at Fermilab in Batavia, Illinois, have reached starkly different conclusions about a possible sighting of new particles beyond what is expected under the standard model of particle physics. In April, researchers on the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) experiment reported tentative evidence that particles not predicted by the standard model had surfaced in collisions that produced a W boson--a particle of the weak nuclear force--and jets of other particles. [More]

True, body-enveloping 3-D virtual environments come to everyone's living room with Nintendo's new Wii U controller. Living room entertainment just got one step closer to having a true three-dimensional virtual environment: Nintendo's new Wii U tablet remote control scans a virtual world in true 360 degrees as the user moves it in orbit around his or her body. The brand new technology opens exciting possibilities for not just gaming, but for the exploding tablet market.

This past December Jim Weatherall and I wrote " A Geometric Theory of Everything " for Scientific American , describing progress on unified geometric theories of gravitation and the Standard Model of particle physics. My personal contribution to this progress, a developing model called E8 Theory, was introduced three years ago in a paper titled " An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything ." Almost immediately after this paper appeared, physicists and the interested public began a lengthy process of considering and discussing this new theory's merits and faults. Not surprisingly, the initial response was largely critical, with most commenters encountering some unfamiliar mathematical structures in the paper and responding with appropriate skepticism

Ensuring a pound of butter is indeed a pound, or a gallon of milk a full gallon, has long been the province of government agencies that deal with weights and measures. But now it seems scientists are having a little trouble with the golf-ball-size piece of metal that is used to set the standard weight for a kilogram, or kilo.

Physicists sifting through data generated by the Tevatron particle collider in Illinois have uncovered a signal that neither they nor the long-standing Standard Model of particle physics can explain. [More]

This week, Amazon unveiled an Appstore for mobile devices that run on the Android operating system. Here are three business-friendly offerings currently available in the store: Scan2PDF Mobile 2.0 Using this app, you can scan multiple documents with your phone's camera and turn them into a single PDF that you can store on your phone and e-mail to your main computer. Cost: $4.99 SwiftKey This app replaces your standard Android keyboard, and accurately predicts the next word you are most likely to type based on what you've already written

The Cadillac Escalade is the standard-bearer for a uniquely American brand of opulence: It’s substantial, swift, and silent, with bold good looks and acres of chrome. Becker Automotive is an American company whose over-the-top Mercedes-Benz Sprinter conversion, the JetVan, is one part limousine, one part motor yacht, and one part ...