Cellphone lane
There are slow lanes, fast lanes, and bike lanes. And now, at least for a little while, there’s a lane for cellphone users.
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New LED light technology sheds light on the future of food
LED growing lights, delivering sunlight whatever the weather.
This century, the challenges of growing enough food to feed the world have grown more severe. We need to feed more people with limited agricultural land and resources. We need to make better use of land, light and logistics for an increasingly urban population. And we need to incorporate zero-waste and low-energy technologies into the task of food production. (Video)
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‘Uncanniest valley’ – when robots know us better than we know ourselves
Robots don’t judge. Humans do.
Japanese roboticist Mashahiro Mori coined the term “uncanny valley” in 1970 to describe the strange fact that, as robots become more human-like, we relate to them better—but only to a point. The ”uncanny valley” is this point.
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Job growth is faster in states that raised minimum wage
The 13 states that raised their minimum wages on Jan. 1 have added jobs at a faster pace than those that did not.
The Department of Labor released new data that suggests that raising the minimum wage in some states might have spurred job growth, contrary to what critics said would happen.
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When Everyone Becomes Blackmailable
Futurist Thomas Frey: On a recent driving trip, my wife and I became immersed in the audio version of one of Tom Clancy’s last novels titled, “Threat Vector.” Without giving away too much of the plot, a Chinese super-geek villain has hatched a plan to hack into our most secure networks and blackmail people with their darkest secrets to subversively cause chaos and disruption for the American government.
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Blue Cross makes a $65B bet on value-based medical care
The traditional fee-for-service approach to medicine that can lead to overtreatment and unnecessary medical tests and procedures.
The country’s Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans say they are spending more than $65 billion annually, about 20 percent of the medical claim dollars they pay, on “value-based” care that rewards better outcomes and keeps patients healthy. This is the latest blow to fee-for-service medicine.
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Imprint Energy is developing flexible, printed batteries for wearable devices
Ultrathin zinc-polymer battery.
Imprint Energy is developing flexible, rechargeable batteries that can be printed cheaply on commonly used industrial screen printers. The California startup has been testing its ultrathin zinc-polymer batteries in wrist-worn devices and hopes to sell them to manufacturers of wearable electronics, medical devices, smart labels, and environmental sensors.
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Mcor Technologies improves their paper-based, full-color 3D printer
Mcor Iris 3D Printer
Most people think 3D printing involves a machine that either extrudes molten plastic, in a way similar to how a hot glue gun works, or think of one of the larger industrial level 3D printers manufactured by 3D systems or Stratasys. These huge machines print objects in a variety of materials, but come with price tags that are only affordable for a select few.
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Growing trend among young singles who treat pets like girlfriends and boyfriends
Lucy, a 1 year old Burmese Mountain dog and her owner Alfred Pretrone.
There’s “something special” about Lucy, says Alfred Pretrone about his female companion. She’s good-looking, “chill” and she makes the stress melt away at the end of a long day. But Lucy isn’t Mr. Petrone’s girlfriend. She’s his dog.
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Generating electricity from jumping water droplets
This process can generate small amounts of electricity.
Last year, MIT researchers discovered that when water droplets spontaneously jump away from superhydrophobic (water-repelling) surfaces during condensation, the droplets can gain electric charge in the process.
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Mobile and beacons will power travel in the future
Mobile tech will help squash millions of annoyances we encounter with traveling.
Our lives have the potential of becoming completely automated because of beacons. The tiny transmitters will seamlessly give companies information about us that help them provide better service; control real-time opportunities for us to save or enjoy; and simplify the exchange of funds. They will remove the many steps we go through to get something done today. Steps which are so engrained in us that we don’t yet even realize how much they are interrupting our lives. Traveling in particular is full of millions of annoyances that beacons, sensors, and other advances in mobile tech will soon help to squash. Just imagine a 36-hour business trip:
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Nimbus – a retro-futuristic off-roading electric SUV
Nimbus microbus
The Nimbus is a funky little hybrid that looks like a retro-styled SUV, but its actual story is even more intriguing. The Nimbus concept car is a microbus that can take electric hybrids off-road. The concept comes from Brazilian designer Eduardo Galvani who claims it offers a greater driving range and better fuel economy than any hybrid currently on the market. (Pics)
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