“Don’t make me dig out my claws!”
Quote of the Day: “A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.” – Baltasar Gracian
Continue reading… “Top 14 Photos of the Week”
Conversnitch: Listening device planted in public locations post straight to Twitter
Conversnitch
Everyone eavesdrops but few people will admit to it. However, two artists decided to bring the popular pastime into the digital age, with a lamp that can listen in on conversations and post the juiciest details straight to Twitter. Kyle McDonald and Brian House created Conversnitch to raise the issue of privacy in a world where internet-connected mobile devices make it so easy to share other people’s secrets.
The military will get a flying car before the rest of us
Advanced Tactics Black Knight Transformer
The Advanced Tactics Black Knight Transformer is a scaled up multicopter with a wheeled cargo compartment below. It took to the air for the first time recently. (Pics and video)
Continue reading… “The military will get a flying car before the rest of us”
What you need to earn in every county in the U.S. to afford a decent one-bedroom apartment
San Francisco is in the top 10 of most expensive counties.
A report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition shows how much a worker would have to earn to afford what the Department of Housing and Urban Development considers “fair market rent” in local communities across the country. The government sets these housing rates, which include rent plus utilities, based on the local market for decent-quality apartments of different sizes — neither dumps nor luxury flats. These are also the rates that HUD uses to establish local housing subsidies.
Why there’s a big opportunity to revolutionize the financial system
There’s a huge fortune to be made if you can solve the problem of cheap payments. Payments are one of 10 big problems that are crying out for a solution (others include cheap battery storage, water desalination, and a pill that makes you lose weight).
Continue reading… “Why there’s a big opportunity to revolutionize the financial system”
Fewer high school graduates enroll in college after graduation
Just 65.9 percent of students who graduated from high school in spring 2013 had enrolled in college by last October.
The proportion of high school students in the U.S. who go on to college rose regularly for decades but now appears to be declining.
Continue reading… “Fewer high school graduates enroll in college after graduation”
Who is at fault in a driverless car crash?
How do you apportion blame between a human driver and a car’s automated systems?
Driverless car research is booming. Millions of dollars are being spent by Google, the major automakers, and government agencies both in the U.S. and abroad to support the development of vehicle-automation technology with the potential to make road travel far safer than it is today. But what will happen when automation is suspected of causing, as opposed to avoiding, an accident?
Continue reading… “Who is at fault in a driverless car crash?”
Waiting for patent reform is costing the U.S. billions of dollars
The U.S. economy has lost $1.1 billion due to inaction on the issue during the Senate’s two week recess.
After almost three weeks of heated debate the Senate Judiciary Committee left for April Recess on the doorstep of an historic deal to curb the scurrilous practices of patent trolls.
Continue reading… “Waiting for patent reform is costing the U.S. billions of dollars”
Italy’s old bridges will become inverted high-rise communities
Huge concrete bridges will be turned into vertically-stacked neighborhoods.
Along an old highway that winds through the mountains in southern Italy, a series of huge concrete bridges will eventually be turned into vertically stacked neighborhoods–as long as the government can come up with the cash to build the project. (Pics)
Continue reading… “Italy’s old bridges will become inverted high-rise communities”
Bitcoin will go far beyond payments in the future
Bitcoin and other digital currencies have captured the attention of the media, entrepreneurs, and regulators. The coverage has described exchange meltdowns, price volatility, and government crackdowns. However, the focus on Bitcoin as a currency may distract businesses and governments from its disruptive impact: as a technology.
Continue reading… “Bitcoin will go far beyond payments in the future”
Solar Roadways offer an asphalt alternative
Solar Roadway panels
Sandpoint, Idaho could be the first city in the nation with solar roadways thanks to an Idaho inventor. However, the inventor behind the revolutionary idea needs help from the public. (Video)
Continue reading… “Solar Roadways offer an asphalt alternative”
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to build an orbiting solar farm
Mirrors in orbit would reflect sunlight onto huge solar panels.
What if you could imagine looking at Tokyo Bay from high above and seeing a man-made island in the harbor, 3 kilometers long. There is a massive net stretched over the island and studded with 5 billion tiny rectifying antennas, which convert microwave energy into DC electricity. Also on the island is a substation that sends that electricity coursing through a submarine cable to Tokyo, to help keep the factories of the Keihin industrial zone humming and the neon lights of Shibuya shining bright.
Continue reading… “The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to build an orbiting solar farm”
