Breakthrough Thinking – Page 97

Analysis, Big Problems, Brain, Breakthrough Thinking, Culture, Current Events, Education, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Internet, Latest Trend

Are Search Engines changing the way our memory works?

July 15, 2011

Has the Search Engine altered our way of thinking and remembering?

If you can Google it, why bother remembering? Being able to access facts with just a few keystroke definitely improved our lives, but it has actually changed the way our memories work.

A study of 46 college students found lower rates of recall on newly-learned facts when students thought those facts were saved on a computer for later recovery.

If you think a fact is conveniently available online, then, you may be less apt to learn it…

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Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Green Friendly, Latest Trend

Using Landfill Gas to make crafts

July 14, 2011

Utilizing landfills for more than land mass.

You wouldn’t think that arts and crafts required so much energy, but creating pottery and glass sculptures takes up a lot of energy. That’s why some green minded folks in North Carolina have devised a way to utilize gas from a landfill in their craft making endeavors…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Current Events, Globalism, Historical Perspectives, Internet, Latest News, New Discoveries, People Making a Difference

“Anonymous” hackers attack Monsanto and Tar Sands Oil Companies

July 14, 2011

Anonymous has chosen to attack Monsanto and Oil Companies involved in the Tar Sands project in Canada.

The notorious activist hacking group “Anonymous” has launched two new campaigns championing a pair of green causes — helping U.S. farmers earn the right to label their food as “GMO-free” and working to obstruct the expansion of the devastating tar sands oil project in Alberta, Canada. Monsanto, the giant biotech firm, has confirmed it was the victim of a large-scale hacking attack. And the oil companies are next, Anonymous says…

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Architecture, Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Plant Life

Future Farm: a sunless, rainless room indoors

July 14, 2011

Gertjan Meeuws of PlantLab

Farming is moving indoors, where the sun never shines, where rainfall is irrelevant and where the climate is always right.

The perfect crop field could be inside a windowless building with meticulously controlled light, temperature, humidity, air quality and nutrition. It could be in a New York high-rise, a Siberian bunker, or a sprawling complex in the Saudi desert. (w/video & pics)

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Breakthrough Thinking, Latest News, Medical Breakthrough, New Discoveries, Science & Technology News

Biomarker for Autism discovered

July 13, 2011

Researchers have identified the reduced activity in a part of the brain associated
with empathy and argue it may be a ‘biomarker’ for a familial risk of autism.

Siblings of people with autism show a similar pattern of brain activity to that seen in people with autism when looking at emotional facial expressions. Researchers at the University of Cambridge identified the reduced activity in a part of the brain associated with empathy and argue it may be a ‘biomarker’ for a familial risk of autism…

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Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Crazy Photos, Crazy Stuff, Human Behavior

Zappos ads use QR codes to dress naked women

July 11, 2011

Zappos tickles your fancy while displaying their product line.

Zappos has launched an ad campaign that expands the definition of “interactive” — by using QR codes to let consumers dress naked models featured in print ads.

The ads, breaking later this month, seek to drive home the point that Zappos offers “more than shoes,” so that phrase is splashed across the otherwise nude women’s nether regions. The QR codes then lead to a website with a video showing what happened to the women after the ad. Consumers can choose an outfit for the women and go to Zappos to buy it…

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Analysis, Baby Gadgets, Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, Green Friendly, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Latest Trend

New composting facility dedicated to dirty diapers

July 11, 2011

Compostable diapers would save mountains from landfills.

Articles have been written before about composting dirty diapers, and we got very excited about the news that mushrooms could break down diapers in 2 months, but given that end-of-life disposal options remain limited, and cloth diapers are yet to become the norm, what to do about the mountains of diaper waste created each year? One New Zealand community is looking at opening a dedicated diaper-composting facility to deal with the problem…

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Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Corporate Manipulation, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Entertainment, Human Behavior, New Viewpoints

Can’t decide on a tattoo? Get a QR Code inked on your chest!

July 8, 2011

As part of whisky brand Ballantine’s “Leave an Impression” campaign, Paris-based tattoo artist Karl Marc seared a QR code onto his friend Marco’s chest.

Marc says the whisky company approached him and asked if he would be interested in executing the tattoo — a QR code that unlocked an animation when scanned — via a live stream on the brand’s Facebook Page. The brand is doing similar events with other artists, from ice sculptors to graffiti artists…

Continue reading… “Can’t decide on a tattoo? Get a QR Code inked on your chest!”

Breakthrough Thinking, Great New Product, Green Friendly, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries, New Inventions

Solar Power Cells produced via inkjet technology

July 7, 2011

Harnessing the power of the sun through you injet printer?

Inkjet technology has allowed millions of people have the ability to print documents at home and even set up home offices. This technology may now even be used to create cheap solar energy cells…

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Education, Entertainment, Great New Product, Human Behavior

High Tech Specs may change the way we see the world

July 7, 2011

Perspective changing glasses are coming soon.

Imagine glasses that can read body language and offer suggestions about how you should respond, or goggles which can scan faces and call up criminal databases to find a real time match. These snazzy high tech specs aren’t just science fiction props anymore, and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are sure that their “social x-ray specs” are going to find a multitude of uses in society, from communicating more effectively with Autistic people to becoming human lie detectors and much more.

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Analysis, Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Entertainment

Free “Pocket Penguins” app offers live views of endangered penguins 24/7

July 6, 2011

Pocket Penguins app will keep you up to date on penguins any time.

If you love penguins, this app is perfect for you. California Academy of Sciences has a highly popular African penguin exhibit, and now they’ve added cameras to it so that even if you can’t visit CAS, you can watch the penguins all day, any day, even from an underwater vantage point which I’m sure is amazing during feeding time.

Continue reading… “Free “Pocket Penguins” app offers live views of endangered penguins 24/7″

Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Great New Product

Smartphone attachment diagnoses cataracts

July 6, 2011

Catra can diagnose cataracts on your smartphone.

Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab have created a smartphone attachment called Catra that can diagnose cataracts in a matter of minutes. The screening tool is currently being tested on subjects.

Catra clips on to devices such as phones and iPods, and scans the lens of the eye to create a map of the position, size, shape and density of cataracts. “I like to think of this as a radar for the human eye,” says Ramesh Raskar, director of the MIT Media Lab’s Camera Culture group…

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