2019 – Page 92 – Impact Lab

Using molten salt to store electricity isn’t just for solar thermal plants

January 5, 2019

Startup follows on a number of innovative ideas to make renewable energy more flexible.

How can we make wind a more versatile energy source? By adding storage.

An energy storage startup that found its footing at Alphabet’s X “moonshot” division announced last week that it will receive $26 million in funding from a group of investors led by Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a fund that counts Jeff Bezos and Michael Bloomberg as investors and whose chairman is Bill Gates. The startup, called Malta, uses separate vats of molten salt and antifreeze-like liquid to store electricity as thermal energy and dispatch it to the grid when it’s needed.

Continue reading… “Using molten salt to store electricity isn’t just for solar thermal plants”

Apple, Augmented Reality, Google, Science & Technology News, Virtual Reality

Magical new AR demo transforms 2D photos into ‘Harry Potter’-style 3D animations

January 5, 2019

Imagine if you were able to point your smartphone, tablet or augmented reality (AR) headset at a still image, and watch it come to life before your very eyes. This is something that’s possible using the latest augmented reality technology, such as Apple’s ARKit or Google’s ARCore. However, while we have seen it done before, typically it has been limited to just one or two select images — for instance, as a tool for animating advertising billboards.

Researchers from the University of Washington and Facebook have built something that’s a whole lot more versatile. Their new “Photo Wake-Up” project will animate stationary characters in any image, resulting in them springing into action to sprint toward you out of the background. Because who has time for boring old still images as we reach the final days of 2018?

Continue reading… “Magical new AR demo transforms 2D photos into ‘Harry Potter’-style 3D animations”

Engineering, mobile technology, New Inventions, new technology, Science & Technology News

Here’s why the future of haptic technology looks (or rather, feels) like

January 4, 2019

This graspable haptic device, called Foldaway, is the size of a drink coaster when flat, making it conveniently portable. The user places a joystick where the three hinged arms meet, and the arms offer resistance, to give a sense of the objects being manipulated. (Screenshot of image series by Alice Concordel)

Bringing the sense of touch to virtual reality experiences could impact everything from physical rehabilitation to online shopping.

Continue reading… “Here’s why the future of haptic technology looks (or rather, feels) like”

Architecture, Green Friendly, Housing, Science & Technology News

Harbor town in Germany unveils urban- chic hostel made out of repurposed shipping containers

January 4, 2019

Berlin-based Holzer Kobler Architekturen and Kinzo Architekten have collaborated on Germany’s first upcycled hostel and its nothing short of spectacular. The Dock Inn is made out of multiple repurposed shipping containers that have been carved out to create 64 guest rooms which all feature a vibrant interior design that mixes urban chic with industrial charm.

Continue reading… “Harbor town in Germany unveils urban- chic hostel made out of repurposed shipping containers”

Bitcoin, Blockchain, DaVinci Institute, Science & Technology News

DaVinci Speakers Series : Bitcoin and Blockchain

January 3, 2019

By now the mainstream media has been flushed with headlines about bitcoin and it’s underlying technology, the blockchain, but how will they actually change society? Is this all about creating a new form of money or will industries from all areas be impacted and disrupted? As a matter of fact voting, energy management, ride sharing, insurance, education, and virtually every single industry is about to undergo a paradigm shift. Come discover the present and future world where decentralized currencies and systems dominate.

SPEAKER BIO:

Cameron Schorg, also known as “The Bitcoin Guy” to many, was recently named 1 of 15 “People to Watch in 2018” by the Des Moines Register. The last 6 years of his life have been devoted to evangelizing and harnessing the disruptive nature of Bitcoin and its underlying technology, the Blockchain. As a pioneer, he launched an exchange startup at the age of 16, organized grassroots movements at more than 75 Universities worldwide, and works with some of the world’s most prominent cryptocurrency companies. Schorg is regularly featured as a subject expert at FinTech industry events, educational seminars, media coverages, and frequently consults companies and individuals. His relentless devotion stems from the will to free us all from economic slavery, truly democratize the worlds markets, and push humanity into an age of abundance. This starts with Bitcoin.

AI, Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, government, Science & Technology News

The welfare state is committing suicide by Artificial Intelligence

January 3, 2019

Denmark is using algorithms to deliver benefits to citizens—and undermining its own democracy in the process.

Everyone likes to talk about the ways that liberalism might be killed off, whether by populism at home or adversaries abroad. Fewer talk about the growing indications in places like Denmark that liberal democracy might accidentally commit suicide.

As a philosophy of government, liberalism is premised on the belief that the coercive powers of public authorities should be used in service of individual freedom and flourishing, and that they should therefore be constrained by laws controlling their scope, limits, and discretion. That is the basis for historic liberal achievements such as human rights and the rule of law, which are built into the infrastructure of the Scandinavian welfare state.

Yet the idea of legal constraint is increasingly difficult to reconcile with the revolution promised by artificial intelligence and machine learning—specifically, those technologies’ promises of vast social benefits in exchange for unconstrained access to data and lack of adequate regulation on what can be done with it. Algorithms hold the allure of providing wider-ranging benefits to welfare states, and of delivering these benefits more efficiently.

Continue reading… “The welfare state is committing suicide by Artificial Intelligence”

2019 Predictions, Employment, Science & Technology News

The hottest jobs going into 2019

January 3, 2019

Technology is continuing to change the landscape for the job market.

PayScale recently released a report of its “hottest jobs” of 2018, and technology dominated the list of fastest-growing occupations. Design and communication positions also cracked the top 10.

“The abundance of data has necessitated [hiring people] to analyze, model, store, and protect this important commodity,” PayScale Chief Economist Katie Bardaro told Yahoo Finance. “Therefore, the jobs we see as the most in demand are those that fall into these categories: data scientist, data warehouse engineers, and cybersecurity specialists.”

Continue reading… “The hottest jobs going into 2019”

Analysis, Big Problems, Birth

Older adults projected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history

January 3, 2019

If you’re feeling old, you’re in good company and apparently a lot of it. New statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau show that for the first time in U.S. history, older people are projected to outnumber children. And they expect it to happen in a little over a decade.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2017 National Population Projections, the year 2030 will mark an important demographic turning point in the country’s history.

Continue reading… “Older adults projected to outnumber children for the first time in U.S. history”

City Planning, Culture, Economy, People Making a Difference

From coworking to a smart city.

January 2, 2019

This year is the 10th anniversary of my decision to devote myself to the creation of the models of social changes. After banging my head against the wall, trying to scale the default coworking business model, I realized that only city-wide catalyst models such as smart city can survive and are ones of the pillars of the future of coworking business as well as cities itself.

It took some time when I tried to persuade the atomized community of small coworking owners that our model will not sustain and will probably end up very, very soon, but they didn’t want to listen. Next year, the network of publicly financed spaces turned up into business, disrupting the co-working space in every major city.

Continue reading… “From coworking to a smart city.”

Amazon.com, government, Shopping

India bans ecommerce companies from selling their own products

January 2, 2019

“An entity having equity participation by e-commerce marketplace entity or its group companies, or having control on its inventory by e-commerce marketplace entity or its group companies, will not be permitted to sell its products on the platform run by such marketplace entity,” the commerce ministry said in a statement.

Ecommerce companies can make bulk purchases through their wholesale units or other group companies that in turn sell the products to select sellers, such as their affiliates or other companies with which they have agreements.

Continue reading… “India bans ecommerce companies from selling their own products”

2019 Predictions, Automobiles, Environment, Science & Technology News, Transportation

Why Palladium’s suddenly an especially precious metal

January 2, 2019

For the first time in more than a decade, palladium is rivaling gold in value. A key component in pollution-control devices for cars and trucks, the metal’s price has surged as much as 50 percent in about four months, making it at times more expensive than gold. The rally shows few signs of fizzling.

Continue reading… “Why Palladium’s suddenly an especially precious metal”