Experts predict the Internet will become more ‘like electricity’ — less visible, yet more deeply embedded in people’s lives for good and ill.
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A telescope bigger than a galaxy
Abell 2744 cluster
Astronomers have announced a view of the universe though a lens more than 500,000 light years wide, as part of a program called “Frontier Fields” to search for the first galaxies. (Video)
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‘The car must not become a data monster:’ Volkswagen
Cars could become data monsters.
Future cars that can drive themselves—or otherwise make the driving experience safer and more pleasant—is here. But fanfare aside, there’s a far less pleasant issue that needs to be addressed: There is a profound potential for companies to misuse our data.
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Kuka robot plays table tennis world champion Timo Boll
Kuka Agilus robot
We expected a fair fight when robot maker Kuka announced that it would be pitting its Agilus robot against table tennis star Timo Boll last month. Conditioned professional human athlete against a cold, merciless, bright orange mechanical arm on a small wooden field, both wielding the same armament: a miniature bat. Boll was once ranked world number one, but Kuka claimed its robot was the quickest in the world. The Agilus was named for its lightning-fast movements, and would presumably be able to rapidly spin into position and return Boll’s balls from anywhere on the table. (Video)
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World Science U: Physicist Brian Greene’s new experiment in online science education
Physicist Brian Greene
Companies and universities that run massive open online courses are struggling to prove their value. But Columbia University professor and physicist Brian Greene thinks he has a new and potentially more effective way to teach students online: World Science U, a science education platform that offers everything from two-minute educational videos to full-fledged university-level classes.
China to deploy drones to control pollution
Drones will freeze pollutants in midair with 176 pounds of chemicals.
China has decided to use drones on the front lines of its “war on pollution.” The drones will fire chemicals into the air, which will freeze pollutants and cause them to fall to the ground. Armed with 176 pounds of chemicals, which is expected to clear a five-kilometer radius, the drones will launch later this month.
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Why today’s digital publishers are creating print magazines
Digital publishers are creating magazines to supplement their websites.
It seems like a really bad time to start a magazine with circulation numbers sinking and print ad rates dipping just as fast. But digital publishers like Politico, Pitchfork and Pando are doing just that: backwards-engineering their online publications for the physical page.
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IBM puts Watson supercomputer in a food truck
IBM’s Cognitive Cooking
IBM’s Watson, the artificially intelligent supercomputer, is known for beating the pants off Jeopardy contestants in trivia. But soon it might also be known for giving foodies on Top Chef a run for their money at cooking.
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Pew Research – Lifestyles of the Young and Restless
Millennials are detached from institutions, networked with friends.
The Millennial generation, now ranging in age from 18 to 33, is forging a distinctive path into adulthood. They are relatively unattached to organized politics and religion, linked by social media, burdened by debt, distrustful of people, in no rush to marry— and optimistic about the future.
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Researchers discover marijuana’s anxiety relief effects
The discovery of cannabinoid receptors may help explain why marijuana users say they take the drug mainly to reduce anxiety.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University have found cannabinoid receptors, through which marijuana exerts its effects, in a key emotional hub in the brain involved in regulating anxiety and the flight-or-fight response.
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Average U.S. adult spends 11 hours a day with electronic media
Watching TV and listening to the radio are the top two digital activities in the average American adult’s day.
Fifty-eight percent of American adults own smartphones. Pair that with the fact that digital culture permeates almost every aspect of our lives, and we can already assume the average person spends a lot of time with gadgets.
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Millennials see financial institutions as irrelevant
Millennials are looking for ways to live bank-free in the future.
Scratch polled 10,000 millennials to find out which industry was most prime for disruption. The results from the poll found that banks make up four of their top 10 most hated brands, but millennials increasingly viewed these financial institutions as irrelevant.
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