Six famous thought experiments explained humorously in a minute each, by David Mitchell of the BBC’s That Mitchell and Webb Look.
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The Coming Collapse of Bitcoin?
Futurist Thomas Frey: In 2008 the entire world was beginning to panic as our global financial systems teetered ever so close to total meltdown. Major banks were either failing or near failure and the entire house of cards seemed to be one 10 of clubs away from becoming a meaningless flat stack in the middle of the table.
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Honeybees trained to smell TB
Honeybees are such an amazing creature!
New Zealand biologists believe that honeybees can sense the faint floral odor on the breath of people infected with tuberculosis, and are trying to find a way to train bees to help them diagnose TB…
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FCC Chief puts the kibosh on AT&T/T-Mobile merger
AT&T will have less of a monopoly now.
FCC chairman, Julius Genachowski, issued a draft statement yesterday lashing out against AT&T’s proposed acquisition of T-Mobile, calling its concentration of the wireless market contrary to the public interest. He’s also requested an administrative hearing, placing the onus on AT&T to prove the deal benign to wireless consumers…
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Print optimization software earns PrintEco Green Start-Up of the Year
A new way to print…or not.
At the 5th Opportunity Green conference held in Los Angeles November 10-11, new companies presented products and services in one-minute pitches for a chance to win Green Start-Up of the Year.
In a tight race with Kiverdi carbon recyclers, PrintEco Office pulled out in front at the last minute to take the prize with its print optimization software.
Eleven entrepreneurs showcased concepts in super succinct presentations and the approximately 1000 attendees from sustainably-minded businesses voted in real-time texts for the best idea…
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Large nest of juvenile dinosaurs found
What new information will this lead to?
A nest containing the fossilized remains of 15 juvenile Protoceratops andrewsi dinosaurs from Mongolia has been described by a University of Rhode Island paleontologist, revealing new information about postnatal development and parental care. It is the first nest of this genus ever found and the first indication that Protoceratops juveniles remained in the nest for an extended period…
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Bookmarklet lets you know how the companies you buy from lobbied Congress
Money, money, who got the money.
Nicko from the Sunlight Foundation sez, “Before Americans open their wallets for Black Friday (and Cyber Monday), the Sunlight Foundation encourages consumers to first explore the connection between their spending and politics in Washington. Checking Influence, a secure bookmarklet that analyzes financial statements with one click, exposes the lobbying activities and campaign contributions of companies you frequent. ”
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Here’s what Leonardo da Vinci’s to-do list looked like in 1490
Oh no, he forgot milk!
Even the brilliant mind of Leonardo da Vinci needed to jot things down in a notebook so he could remember what he needed to do. The only difference, of course, is that da Vinci’s to-do list was much more complex than ours. I mean, who needs to calculate the measurement of Milan and its suburbs and learn how to repair a lock, canal and mill?
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Pakistan bans “Monkey Crotch” and other offensive words in text messages
Pakistan takes a stand on offending texts.
Texting is safe again: gone are offending words like “monkey crotch,” “love pistol,” and “flatulence” from ever invading your text messages, at least in Pakistan.
The guardians of linguistic purity there have issued a list of more than 1,000 words and phrases to be banned…
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Honda’s natural gas civic is named green car of the year
Award winning green car.
Honda’s natural gas-powered Civic has been named Green Car of the Year. Selected from five nominees, the car took the honors at a kick-off ceremony for the Los Angeles Auto Show (November 18-27).
The Green Car Journal presented the award to Honda for the car’s near-zero emissions, a 200-mile range, and combined average of 31 mpg (highways and streets) with a clean combustion engine…
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Faster than light neutrinos recorded again in latest CERN experiment
CERN produces a breakthrough.
In September, physicists were scratching their heads at CERN when neutrinos were recorded as traveling faster than the speed of light. That shouldn’t happen unless Einstein turns out to be wrong.
The experiment is part of the Oscillation Project with Emulsion-tRacking Apparatus (OPERA) project, and saw neutrinos fired 732km from CERN to the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy. The issue was, some of those neutrinos arrived early by billionths of a second, and therefore faster than light speed. This obviously caused some concern that either something new had been discovered, or more likely, an error had been made with the measurements…
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Gorgeous 19th century patent models
A model of an electromagnetic engine.
Inventors today have got it easy. If they want to patent something, all they have to do is file some paperwork. Before 1880, however, if you wanted to patent a better mousetrap, you actually had to build it – or at least a miniature version to help patent inspectors understand why you actually deserve the patent…
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