I have a soft spot for giant ground sloths. I think part of that affection comes from this old, stop-motion video on fossil mammals I watched countless times as a kid. Sure, Platybelodon, Glyptodon, and the other mammals were all quite strange, but the Megatherium just seemed so stupid and cuddly that I wanted to give it a hug. (But not the way the Smilodon does, at about 5:26 in the video below.)

I’m not alone in my fascination with the big ol’ fuzzy lug. Before the discovery of the dinosaurs, Megatherium was one of the biggest fossil celebrities. Even now, the bones of the immense sloth...

Microsoft patent shows how a modular smartphone could be realized. Image: RegHardware

We know Microsoft for its software chops, but the company is tinkering with some innovative hardware design concepts on the side.

A recent Microsoft patent describes a smartphone with a slide-out section that can house one of several modules, including a QWERTY keyboard, a gaming pad, a second display or a battery pack. Even better: The modules work wirelessly when they aren’t docked in the smartphone’s slider. Another useful way the modular smartphone concept could be used: The keyboard can be used as a...