Bayern Munich vs. Barcelona and Borussia Dortmund vs. Real Madrid: A Preview of the Champions League Semi-Finals

There was a joke doing the rounds on Twitter yesterday, in anticipation of Friday morning’s Champions League semi-final draw. The remaining four sides come from Spain and Germany – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund – and the first part of the gag was that if the teams from the same country were drawn against each other, it might be seen as a fix by soccer fans. The payoff? If the teams were kept apart, it would still be viewed as a...

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Posted in: Football

Microsoft Mulls a Smartwatch; Here Are the Company’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Jared Newman / Microsoft / TIME Tech Illustration If smartwatches become the next big thing in tech, Microsoft apparently doesn’t want to be left out. Citing supply-chain executives, the Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft is working on designs for a touch-enabled watch. Microsoft reportedly asked suppliers in Asia to ship components for a potential device earlier this year. Still, it’s unclear if Microsoft will actually go ahead with the product. In lieu...

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Posted in: IT N GADGET

Logitech’s New Harmony Remotes: One’s a Deluxe Model, and One’s Your Phone

Logitech's new Harmony Ultimate In January, Logitech announced that it’s trying to sell off its division that makes Harmony universal remotes. But it’s going out with a bang: the company has announced its highest-end Harmony model to date, plus one aimed at people who don’t realize that they need a universal remote at all. The top-of-the-line model is the Harmony Ultimate, a $350 unit with a 2.4″ color touchscreen along with tactile buttons for standard...

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Posted in: IT N GADGET

Toshiba’s New KIRAbook Is an Ultra-Ultrabook

  One of the things I like about Intel‘s Ultrabook concept is that it’s surprisingly elastic. As long as a PC maker builds a laptop that’s relatively thin, relatively light and relatively fast-booting, it has wiggle room to go off in its own direction. With the KIRAbook, which was announced today — I got a sneak peek in person last week — Toshiba has moved aggressively upscale. The company’s been making Ultrabooks all along, but this is by far its highest-end model to date. Actually,...

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Posted in: IT N GADGET

Masters Preview: Can Bubba Watson, Rory McIlroy Take Down Tiger?

  The words uttered by Tiger Woods in the build up to this week’s Masters might make the rest of the field in Augusta feel a little less comfortable about their chances of slipping on the famous Green Jacket. Woods, 37, is bidding to win his 15th major, which would be his first since 2008, and fifth victory at the Masters, which he hasn’t won since 2005. One of the great storylines in golf is Woods attempting to top Jack Nicklaus’s record haul of 18 majors, and if Woods can justify his...

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Posted in: Other Sport

Beer’s Taste Alone Can Trigger Desire for Drink

The latest research shows that even the taste of beer is sufficient to activate the brain‘s pleasure circuits. “It’s the first drink that gets you drunk,” Alcoholics Anonymous warns its members, reminding alcoholics that even a sip can set off cravings. Now the latest research offers support for this effect, providing evidence that a tiny taste of beer raises dopamine levels in desire-related brain regions, especially in people with a family history of alcoholism. The study, published...

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Posted in: Health

How Walmart Plans to Bring Back ‘Made in America

  Walmart doesn’t make anything. But the giant retailer could play a part in the manufacturing rebound that is taking place in the U.S. with its promise to buy $50 billion more U.S. made goods over the next decade for its Walmart and Sam’s Club stores. It’s a bit ironic, given Walmart’s vast global sourcing organization. But the same forces that are making the U.S. a more hospitable place for manufacturing —higher shipping costs and wage rates overseas among them—have prompted the company...

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Posted in: Economics