Caesar Augustus died two thousand years ago, on August 19, 14 AD. He was Rome’s first emperor, having won a civil war more than 40 years earlier that transformed the dysfunctional Roman Republic into an empire. Under Augustus and his successors, the empire experienced 200 years of relative peace and prosperity. Here are 40 maps that explain the Roman Empire — its rise and fall, its culture and economy, and how it laid the foundations of the modern world.
The death of newspapers is sad, but the threatened loss of journalistic talent is catastrophic.
By Clay Shirky: The Roanoke Times, the local paper in my family home, is a classic metro daily, with roots that go back to the 1880s. Like most such papers, it ran into trouble in the middle of last decade, as print advertising revenue fell, leaving a hole in the balance sheet that digital advertising couldn’t fill. When the 2008 recession accelerated those problems, the Times’ parent company, Landmark, began looking for a buyer, eventually selling it to Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Media Group in 2013. The acquisition was greeted with relief in the newsroom, as Buffett had famously assured the employees at his earlier purchases “Your paper will operate from a position of financial strength.” Three months after acquiring the Times, BH Media fired 31 employees, a bit over a tenth of the workforce.
Continue reading… “The end of the printed newspaper”
One hundres dollars goes further in some states than others. A map released by the Tax Foundation, via Elliot Turner, shows the relative value of $100 in every state compared with the national average using the data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Continue reading… “How much $100 is worth in every state: Map”
Kindle readers performed significantly worse on the plot reconstruction measures.
Readers that used a Kindle to read were “significantly” worse than paperback readers at recalling when events occurred in a mystery story. This new study is part of major new Europe-wide research looking at the impact of digitization on the reading experience.
Continue reading… “People absorb less on e-readers than print book readers”
Social media is changing the way we relate to each other.
Social media is still a young and new form of communication. It’s too early to take anything as a given, so we’re all experimenting, testing and learning together. New studies and research are showing us more about how social media is changing the way we relate to one another, share information and even form our identities.
Continue reading… “Top 7 social media psychology studies that will make us better marketers”
Chairless Chair
Noonee, a Zurich-based startup, is looking to change the way production line workers work. Most production line workers are often required to stand for a majority of their shift. Noonee’s solution is a futuristic exoskeleton that’s simply called the “Chairless Chair.” (Video)
Continue reading… “The ‘Chairless Chair’ – an exoskeleton that lets you sit anywhere”
Engineering students design a bike that cannot be stolen.
Three engineering students at Chile’s University of Adolfo Ibáñez have designed a bicycle that cannot be stolen. More than a novel idea, Project Yerka solves a very common problem. This innovative cycle will be a game changer. (Videos)
Continue reading… “Project Yerka: The world’s first unstealable bike”
CultLab3D Scanner
The Smithsonian opened a virtual museum last year. The Smithsonian X 3D Explorer allows users to take a virtual tour of (and even 3D print) high-definition digital models of artifacts like Lincoln’s life mask or the Wright Brother’s plane. (Video)
Continue reading… “CultLab3D scanner digitally immortalizes invaluable artifacts in 5 minutes”
John Goodenough created the cathodes used by rechargeable lithium-ion batteries.
When it comes to innovation, older people are as capable of new thinking as the young. Below, in order of age, are seven innovators over the age of 70 who have been at it for decades.
Continue reading… “Seven innovators over 70”
GDP growth
The is growth of the U.S. economy still so slow and weak? One reason is that average American consumers account for the vast majority of the spending in the economy and they are still strapped.
Continue reading… “Why America’s economy stinks: Because business owners are greedier than ever”
How will AI and robotics impact the economic and employment picture in the future?
A majority of people who responded to the Pew Research 2014 Future of the Internet canvassing anticipate that robotics and artificial intelligence will permeate wide segments of daily life by 2025. They anticipate there will be huge implications for a range of industries such as health care, transport and logistics, customer service, and home maintenance. But even as they are largely consistent in their predictions for the evolution of technology itself, they are deeply divided on how advances in AI and robotics will impact the economic and employment picture over the next decade.
Continue reading… “Pew Research: AI, robotics, and the future of jobs”
The worldwide market for submarine electrical cables has surged over the past decade.
Eighty wind turbines are now under construction in the German North Sea. They will eventually generate enough power for some 400,000 homes. That power will travel via advanced cables buried along several miles of ocean floor, part of a growing move toward undersea transmission of electricity.
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.