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Business, Current Events, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, New Viewpoints

Amazon Instant Video reaches 100,000 on-demand titles

August 18, 2011

Amazon grows again.

Amazon is constantly growing and expanding its catalog of videos available for on-demand streaming. The service just reached the 100k mark with 9,000 of those available under the Prime streaming plan. The bulk of the library is set aside for à la carte renting and buying with TV titles starting at $.99 cent and movies for $3.99. With deep living room penetration, all Amazon needs to do is flip the switch, offer a reasonably-priced subscription plan open to all titles, and effectively shut down Netflix…

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Animals, Science & Technology News

Scientists reverse evolution to create chickens that grow alligator-like snouts

August 18, 2011

Altering the DNA of chicken embryos can give them qualities they lost millions of years ago.

Chickens and other birds are thought to have descended from dinosaurs through a series of genetic changes. Scientists have rewound 65 million years of evolutionary history by tweaking chicken DNA to create embryos that grow alligator-like snouts rather than beaks.

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New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

Candle flames contain millions of tiny diamonds

August 18, 2011

As if a candlelit dinner wasn’t romantic enough.

Scientists have shown that each flickering candle flame contains ‘millions of tiny diamonds that are created and disappear in the blink of an eye’.

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government, Historical Perspectives, New Inventions, Photo Perspectives, Science & Technology News

USPTO’s major milestones from one to eight million patents

August 18, 2011

USPTO issues 8,000,000th patent on August 17, 2011.

The first patent granted by the USPTO was in 1836 and 175 years later, the government body now has a database that is eight million strong.

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Big Problems, Health & Fitness, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Prescription drug shortages lead to price gouging, patient safety

August 18, 2011

Pharmaceutical price gouging isn’t illegal, it is sleazy — and potentially dangerous.

You can be arrested for scalping tickets to a rock concert. But reselling lifesaving medications at a hefty markup is a thriving business.

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Analysis, Business, Economy, Globalism, government

Ten developed countries with the most debt

August 18, 2011

Japan takes No. 1 spot with the most debt.

People in the United States have spent a lot of time worrying about our national debt lately. But while the U.S. owes plenty of money, we may not be in nearly as bad of shape as some of our peers.

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, Medical Breakthrough, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints, Plant Life, Science & Technology News

Major breakthrough on how viruses infect plants

August 17, 2011

CSIRO plant scientists have shed light on a problem that has puzzled researchers since the first virus was discovered in 1892 — how exactly do they cause disease?

In a major breakthrough that helps us better understand how viruses cause diseases in plants — and potentially in animals and humans — Dr Ming-Bo Wang and Neil Smith of CSIRO Plant Industry have revealed a genetic mechanism that enables viral organisms to infect hosts and cause diseases…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Great New Product, New Inventions

Repairable, modular ‘Ironbuds’ could end the reign of poorly made earphones

August 17, 2011

Are you tired of crappy earbuds?

If you use earbud headphones, you’ve probably owned more than one pair. They break easily and often, pushing users to spend less money on a product they know won’t last. That in turn pushes manufacturers to make them more cheaply, and crappily. But a new product has stepped in to end the vicious cycle: Ironbuds…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Corporate Manipulation, Crazy Stuff, Globalism, government, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, New Viewpoints

Silicon Valley Billionaire funding creation of Artificial Libertarian Islands

August 17, 2011

Seasteading Institute city design (Anthony Ling)

The Seasteading Institute has plans to build floating cities out in the ocean. Now Paypal founder Peter Theil has recently given 1.25 million dollars to the group in an effort to create Libertarian countries out of these floating cities…

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Analysis, Health & Fitness, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

Caffeine in sunscreen could provide greater protection against skin cancer

August 17, 2011

Caffeine in sunscreen could add greater protection against skin cancer.

Putting caffeine in sunscreen could provide greater protection against skin cancer, suggest scientists. They believe the chemical found in coffee absorbs ultraviolet radiation when applied to the skin and prevents tumors after exposure to sunlight.

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Great Videos, Robots, Science & Technology News

World’s fastest running two-legged robot

August 17, 2011

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlOwk6_xpWo&hd=1[/youtube]

MABEL is a robot in a University of Michigan lab can run like a human. That is a feat that represents the height of agility and efficiency for a two-legged machine. MABEL is believed to be the world’s fastest bipedal robot with knees with a peak pace of 6.8 miles per hour.

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Analysis, Science & Technology News, top 10

Top 10 best small towns in America 2011

August 17, 2011

Louisville, Colorado, home of the DaVinci Institute, has been
ranked No. 1 as the best small city in America.

In the minds of most people the phrase “small town” conjures up images of happier times.When the economy wasn’t in the current state it is now. When unemployment wasn’t above 9%. When people didn’t stress out about home values. When school budgets weren’t under siege. Those were the days, right?

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