Amazon Kindle Fire vs Apple iPad – an annotated graphic

And so it begins, as alphabetically aligned behemoths Amazon and Apple go in to battle, the former’s new Kindle Fire going toe-to-toe with the latter’s iPad.

At a glance on paper, the iPad seems to outperform the Kindle Fire in every respect. Bigger, faster, smarter – and of course that peerless integration with app content on the iTunes App Store.

But in these straitened economic times, money talks – and the Kindle Fire has a lot to say in that department, coming in at around $200 less than a comparable iPad. That’s a tidy saving for the gadget freak on a budget.

E&T covered the news about the new Kindle Fire in depth earlier today.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Amazon updates Kindle Fire

How much do you really love science? The T-shirt test…

When it comes to your passions, your intellectual proclivities, there’s nothing like wearing your heart on your sleeve. Proclaim to the world what makes you tick, what drives you on, what gets you out of bed in the morning.

One effective way to transmit to the universe the depth of your feelings on any given subject is via the medium of the T-shirt. This one made us laugh out loud here at E&T HQ earlier this week, but we should warn you that it does contain language that we all hope never to hear our own children using. We’re all grown ups here, though, right? We can’t be held responsible for the content on other websites, OK? OK.

With that caveat firmly in mind, enjoy this Imaginary Foundation Bonkers Collection T-shirt. Bad font, great picture!

E-cigarettes may be harmful to health – an annotated graphic

Finally, some good news for smokers. For all those still stoically puffing away on their death sticks, they may be intrigued to learn that research from the University of Athens suggests that electronic cigarettes may also cause damage to a person’s lungs.

Previously touted as a harmless alternative to tobacco cigarettes and an optimum way to quit smoking, this research claims that e-fags may cause airway resistance in users. Who’d a thunk it?

Of course, contracting one of the many forms of cancer or coronary heart disease for which smoking is directly responsible is far and away a more pressing concern for smokers, so if a user is genuinely concerned about their health, giving up smoking altogether is the only course of action with guaranteed health benefits.

Not smoking electronic cigarettes also obviates the need to explain 20 times a day to irate waiters, bar staff and fellow train passengers that it’s perfectly OK to use them indoors and that there is no danger from passive smoking. That gets old quickly. At least with real fags a user knows and owns their place in the world – outside on the pavement, in all weathers, like the addicted social deviant they are.

E&T covered the technology of e-cigarettes in a feature last year.

Click on the graphic for an expanded view.

Electronic cigarettes may be harmful