Is it time to give Java the boot?

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PCWorld:

Is it time to give Java the boot? Experts say yes.Java, the programming language designed to make the web fun and interactive, has become one of the weakest links in a PC’s and Mac’s defenses against external threats.The risks don’t outweigh the rewards, security experts say. “I’d say 90 percent of users don’t need Java anymore,” says Dominique Karg, the founder and chief hacking officer of AlienVault, a security software company. “I consider myself a ‘power user’ and the last and only time I realized I had Java installed on my Mac was when I had to update it.”

When was the last time you used Java on your Mac?

Control your house with an iPad

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Savant is a Cape Cod, Massachusetts-based maker of home automation systems that strongly feature Apple hardware and software.

Layoffs at Freeverse

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Freeverse, one of Mac gaming’s stalwart indie supporters and early iOS game pioneers, has had a significant layoff, according to reports – coming on the heels of their cofounders’ departure.

“Desserts for dudes”

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Cool Material:

For some inexplicable reason, dessert has never been seen as a man’s game. Yeah, we’ll eat it, but baking never seemed to be nearly as manly as tossing a steak on the grill. If you’re ready to put your ego aside (at least partially) here are some desserts you could whip up that have a bit of macho in them.

“Chocolate-Dipped Beer Marshmallows”? “Bourbon Marshmallow Bacon S’mores”? “Beeramisu”? Well, there goes my diet.

TiVo Stream ships Sept. 6

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TiVo is releasing its Stream transcoding box for iOS devices in the first week of September.

Swedish Chef: What do Swedes think of him?

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Slate:

If you’ve ever met a Swede, chances are you asked her the following question: “What do you think of [ABBA/Ikea/The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo/socialized medicine/the Swedish Chef]?”

For Swedes, it’s the last of these questions—the one about the unintelligible, shotgun-wielding, and much beloved chaos Muppet—that is especially vexing.

Remember the Fawlty Towers episode where Basil says, “don’t mention the war!” Well, apparently Swedes can be a bit touchy about being asked about The Muppet’s Swedish Chef – who knew!? Turns out, he’s probably Norwegian.

Panorama lets you stand on the moon with Neil Armstrong

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Wired:

Though 12 men have walked on the moon, only one could be the first. When Neil Armstrong, who died Aug. 25, touched down in 1969 on the lunar surface, he and fellow astronaut Buzz Aldrin made history and photographed their landing site in detail.This fitting panoramic tribute transports you to the Apollo 11 landing site and lets you see what Armstrong saw. Stitching together photographs taken by Armstrong himself, the full 360-degree view shows the flat volcanic regolith where the Apollo Lunar Module landed.

This is another in a long line of amazing panoramas created by the brilliant Hans Nyberg.

Chinese gamer returns dozens of spacebars stolen from internet cafe

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The Verge:

According to a bizarre story reported by Chinese state newspaper The People’s Daily, a man recently turned up at an internet cafe in the country with dozens of stolen spacebars. Irritated by the noise made by players of the rhythmic game Audition Online, which involves repeated tapping of the keyboard, the disgruntled gamer had surreptitiously removed the offending keys from the establishment more than seven years previously.

But he decided to make amends in order to enjoy a fresh start following his upcoming wedding, returning the spacebars in bulk earlier this month.

Gamers are so odd.

Astronaut Neil Armstrong, first man to walk on moon, dies at age 82

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NBC News:

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died Saturday, weeks after heart surgery and days after his 82nd birthday.Armstrong commanded the Apollo 11 spacecraft that landed on the moon on July 20, 1969, and he radioed back to Earth the historic news of “one giant leap for mankind.” He spent nearly three hours walking on the moon with fellow astronaut Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin.

Sad day.