Lego
We’ve seen some pretty awesome Lego creations in the past, including a Volkswagen van, Angry Birds, and even the heart of the Large Hadron Collider. But what about Lego inventions that actually work? Here are some of our favorite, fully functional Lego creations. (pics and videos)
Continue reading… “5 cool Lego inventions that really work”
There can be years of decisions, learning, analysis, thought and effort to become an “overnight success”.
Rovio spent eight years and almost went bankrupt before finally creating their massive hit Angry Birds. It was their 52nd game they had created. Pinterest is one of the fastest growing websites in history, but struggled for a long time. Pinterest’s CEO recently said that they had “catastrophically small numbers” in their first year after launch, and that if he had listened to popular startup advice he probably would have quit.
Continue reading… “Overnight success a myth”
58% of college students prefer digital over print for textbook reading.
According to a new survey from the Pearson Foundation, the majority of U.S. college students now prefer digital formats whether they’re reading textbooks or “fun” books.
Continue reading… “Most college students in the U.S. prefer digital over print when reading”
Futurist Thomas Frey: In the late 1980s, I spent some time as a mainframe programmer at IBM. Conversations around the water cooler often had to do with some of the cryptic code written 2-3 decades earlier, buried deep within the system, that was incomprehensible to what anyone was writing at the time.
Continue reading… “The Coming Coder Wars”
Today’s young Americans are less environmentally conscious—and often less civic-minded overall—than previous generations.
Are today’s Millennial generation altruistic and civic-minded or materialistic and self-absorbed? In the latest installment: a study that says the popular view of young adults as more caring, interested in social issues and concerned about the environment compared to previous generations is mostly false.
Continue reading… “Study finds Millennial generation might not be so special after all”
U.S. income, while solid among its peers around the world, still leaves many grappling to make ends meet.
An “average” American earns close to $40,000 a year. That’s pretty good money compared with the rest of the world.
Continue reading… “Income gap growing faster in the U.S. than the rest of the world”
Upside-down house in Malaysia.
Did you ever wonder when you were a child what it would be like to walk on the ceiling? If you did, you are probably among the millions who, even as adults, continue to be enchanted by the idea of an upside-down house. (Pics)
Continue reading… “Crazy upside-down house in Malaysia”
Tweet-friendly media can now be shared by musicians.
As South by Southwest transforms from a massive tech party to a massive music festival, Twitter has unveiled Twitter for Musicians and Artists, a page offering tips on how musicians can use the service to connect with their fans.
Even if you’re not a world-famous musician, many of the suggestions will be pretty familiar…
Continue reading… “Twitter to musicians: share Tweet-friendly media, and skip the publicists”
Are genetically engineered mosquitoes the best way to go?
The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, just held a meeting about potential trials involving the release of genetically modified male mosquitoes into the delicate ecosystem of the Florida Keys. The stated purpose of the trials is to investigate controlling the spread of dengue fever.
The company behind the technology, British firm Oxitec, explains that sterile males would be released to compete with wild males for female insects, which would then have no offspring and reduce the population of the next generation…
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found several examples of galaxies containing quasars, which act as gravitational lenses.
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have found several examples of galaxies containing quasars, which act as gravitational lenses, amplifying and distorting images of galaxies aligned behind them. Quasars are among the brightest objects in the universe, far outshining the total starlight of their host galaxies. Quasars are powered by supermassive black holes…
Continue reading… “Hubble finds Quasars acting as gravitational lenses”
This may just be the best TED Talk video I’ve seen: listen.com/Rhapsody founder and extremely funny person (and soon-to-be debut science fiction author) Rob Reid examines the math behind the claims made by the copyright lobby and explains the mindbending awesomeness of the sums used to justify SOPA, PIPA, ACTA and the like. Here’s Ars Technica’s Ken Fisher discussing Reid’s philosophy…
Continue reading… “Copyright Math: the best TED Talk you’ll watch all year”
Pharmaceuticals found to be more harmful than beneficial?
There’s always that part at the end of drug commercials that goes something like: if you develop sausage fingers, webbed feet, or a three-week erection, call your doctor! But as exhaustive as those auctioneer-style lists sound, they barely scratch the surface when it comes to the side effects pople are actually experiencing.
Stanford researchers created an algorithm that identified 1,332 drug side effects not currently listed on labels. They estimate that each drug has 329 adverse reactions on average, nearly five times the 69 currently listed…
Continue reading… “Drugs cause about five times more side effects than realized”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.