Inspired by the graphic novel “Five Fists of Science” — and perhaps encouraged by the plucky MIT student who made his own Tesla coil hat and survived — a DIYer named Rob designed a Tesla coil gun, which he says is fully functional.

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Tesla coil gun exists, may shoot lightning

Facebook has been making a lot of promises during a tour to drum up interest in its ever-nearing IPO , but the one gadget-heads have been wanting to hear the most, a commitment to its mobile apps , has been elusive — until now.

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says mobile apps the top focus, we say it’s about time

All those minutes reading your news feed in bed, messaging friends over lunch, and browsing photos on the bus really add up.

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Americans Now Spend More Time On Facebook Mobile Than Its Website

Thunderbolt’s 10-gigabit interface is only just making its way to Windows after spending more than a year as a Mac-only feature , so it’s not surprising that a lot of questions surround how well the Apple- and Intel-developed connection works for those of a Microsoft persuasion. A thorough test at AnandTech of one of the first motherboards to support the spec on Windows PCs, an Ivy Bridge -ready board from MSI , has shown some positive signs along with a few flies in the high-speed ointment. The good news

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Thunderbolt on Windows gets hands-on, lacks Mac’s hot-swapping

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If social media mattered in elections, Ron Paul would have a realistic shot at being the Republican nominee and Barack Obama would be on track to crush Mitt Romney in the biggest landslide in American history. Despite the hype over follower counts, a new study shows that there’s no credible evidence that Twitter can be used to predict how elections will turn out. “It can be concluded that the predictive power of Twitter regarding elections has been greatly exaggerated,” writes computer science professor, Daniel Gayo-Avello, in an unusually strident rant (for an academic).

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The Importance Of Social Media In Elections: Mostly Hot Air

We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol’ Federal Communications Commission’s site.

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FCC Fridays: May 11, 2012

I had no idea that Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie would be such a big deal. I bet you even he didn’t think it would be such a big deal. Now don’t get me wrong: thanks to Mark, coders/hackers all around the world have proudly incorporated hoodies into their uniform.

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Boy in the Hood(ie)

Olivia Wilde! If anyone can withstand seven minutes of awkward conversation in a closet it’s her, right? At least let’s hope she does! Because then she might be willing to do it again someday, with you, near a beach.

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This Week’s Top Web Comedy Video: Seven Minutes With Olivia Wilde [Comedy Videos]

As Europe rebuilt itself after WWII, the Raleigh Bicycle Company’s popularity exploded—in large part because their bikes were faster, stronger, and lighter than anything else on the market. Heck, by 1946, Raleigh and other English bicycle makers were responsible for 95 percent of the bikes on American roadways. This short film explains how Raleighs were designed and built.

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How to Build a Bike in Postwar Britain [Video]