Historical Perspectives – Page 40

Education, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, Money Talk

Sergey Brin donates half a million dollars to Wikipedia

November 18, 2011

Wikipedia just got a big financial shot in the arm.

We’re all used to hearing of über-rich gazillionaires donating to charitable causes like finding cures for diseases and feeding hungry children in Africa. But what about websites? Now you can say that you’ve heard that too, as Google co-founder Sergey Brin has forked over $500,000 to Wikipedia.

The donation is actually from Brin’s charity, the Brin Wojcicki Foundation, which he founded with his wife, Anne Wojcicki. Before these big bucks were sent to the Wikimedia Foundation (the nonprofit that runs Wikipedia), the couple had donated to Michael J. Fox’s fund for finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease…

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Globalism, Green Friendly, Historical Perspectives, New Viewpoints

Geothermal power plants could be a massive source of Lithium for batteries

November 17, 2011

The Nesjavellir Geothermal Power Plant in Þingvellir, Iceland.

In absolute terms, lithium is not particularly rare on Earth. It’s the 25th most abundant element, close to nickel and lead. Bolivia alone is estimated to have enough lithium to make batteries for 4.8 billion electric cars, and since lithium is not destroyed in use – unlike fossil fuels – old batteries can be recycled into new ones, or used to smooth out the output of wind farms.
So the question isn’t: Will we have enough lithium? Rather, it’s more like: As demand for it explodes, can we ramp up production rapidly enough, at a low enough cost, and while keeping it as environmentally-friendly as possible. It’s still probably going to be much better to make a battery once and then use it for years with progressively cleaner electricity (as the grid incorporates more and more renewable energy) rather than fill up a gas tank with non-renewable fossil fuels from halfway around the world every week, but even in that scenario, it’s going to be better if we can get the lithium cleanly and close to where we’ll use it. That’s where geothermal power plants enter the picture…

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Analysis, Architecture, Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Historical Perspectives

Absolutely amazing libraries

November 17, 2011

All libraries are not created equal.

Looking at some of the most beautiful libraries in the world, like the Wiblingen Monastery Library in Ulm, Germany seen above, is truly fascinating. But if you’re like me, it might also make you feel depressed about the sad state of your town’s library.

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Analysis, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, New Discoveries

Airport full-body X-ray scanners banned across Europe as unsafe

November 16, 2011

“Safety” at a price.

Ever since the attack on the Twin Towers back in 2001, security at airports has been significantly increased to help ensure no aircraft is ever hijacked again. But some of the new security measures have not been welcomed by all, with the prime example being the new full-body X-ray scanners.

These scanners are controversial for two reasons. The first is that they allow operators to see an intimate, graphic view of the person being scanned. But that has been solved to a large extent by the use of privacy filters.

The second, and much larger concern is the risk of them causing cancer…

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Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Current Events, Education, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries

Breakthrough in the future of superconducting

November 17, 2011

Is it possible for a gas to act like a metal?

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but it’s not all that useful as a gas. Two scientists say they’ve coaxed it to become a metal, which could be used in ways that would radically change our lives.

Two scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany say they applied intense pressure and manipulated a few other conditions to transformed hydrogen into a metal. If their results, which they published in Nature Materials, can be reproduced it could lead to amazing things like super-efficient transportation systems, powerful medical devices, and major advances in computing…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives

The world’s first chip-based CPU turned 40 today

November 15, 2011

Happy Birthday!

Who would have thought the future’d start with an ad in the back of Electronic News? But, on November 15, 1971 Intel announced its new 4004 processor—the first commercially available computer processor manufactured on a chip—and helped to usher in the Digital Age…

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Animals, Big Problems, Crazy Stuff, Culture, DIY, Entertainment, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, New Inventions

Thai Flood Hacks

November 15, 2011

Water Bottle Boat.

Necessity is truly the mother of invention, so when the going gets tough because of the2011 Thailand Floods, the Thais get floatin’ on a DIY boat made from water bottles.

Thai Flood Hacks is a Tumblr blog that collects the ingenuity of the Thai people in dealing with the 3-month-old flood. A few more pics follow…

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Analysis, Animals, Crazy Stuff, Education, Historical Perspectives, New Discoveries

Mid-Ocean creatures control light to avoid becoming snacks

November 14, 2011

Where transparency becomes a defense.

If you’re a snack-sized squid or octopus living in the ocean zone where the last bit of daylight gives way, having some control over your reflection could be a matter of life and death. Most predators cruising 600 to 1,000 meters below the surface spot the silhouette of their prey against the light background above them. But others use searchlights mounted on their heads…

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Analysis, Corporate Manipulation, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Fashion, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, New Discoveries

Aspartame has been renamed and is now being marketed as a natural sweetener

November 13, 2011

Aspartame has the same mind numbing toxic ingredients as before but has been rebranded with a nice new sounding name.

Artificial sweeteners especially aspartame has gotten a bad rap over the years, most likely due to studies showing they cause cancer. But not to worry Ajinomoto the company that makes Aspartame has changed the name to AminoSweet. It has the same toxic ingredients but a nice new sounding name.
And if you or your child happens to be allergic to Aspartame, well don’t take it personally it’s just business.

Despite the evidence gained over the years showing that aspartame is a dangerous toxin, it has remained on the global market . In continues to gain approval for use in new types of food despite evidence showing that it causes neurological brain damage, cancerous tumors, and endocrine disruption, among other things.

Most consumers are oblivious to the fact that Aspartame was invented as a drug but upon discovery of its’ sweet taste was magically transformed from a drug to a food additive. HFA wants to warn our readers to beware of a wolf dressed up in sheep’s clothing or in this case Aspartame dressed up as Aminosweet…

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Analysis, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Current Events, Economy, Education, Historical Perspectives, Latest News, Latest Trend, New Discoveries

US college grads’ salaries in steep decline

November 13, 2011

This trend doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

According to analysis from economist Michael Mandel, the average wages of US college grads have experienced sharp declines in the last decade. On the other hand, college keeps getting more expensive, and the collection of student loans has become much more aggressive. Sounds like a recipe for disaster…

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Breakthrough Thinking, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior

Why spending money on others promotes your happiness

November 13, 2011

We’ve always heard that it is better to give than to receive. And the research is there to prove the old adage is right. A post at PsyBlog has links to several studies about this phenomenon.

But why? Why is it that spending our money on others—prosocial spending—makes us happier?

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Analysis, Architecture, Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Famous Inventor, Historical Perspectives, New Viewpoints, People Making a Difference

Buckminster Fuller’s largest dome is now a National Historic Place

November 13, 2011

Buckminster’s legacy given new wings.

Buckminster Fuller only designed about a dozen of domed structures to begin with, and many have either been torn down in lieu of new construction or simply left to rot. But not the dome at Materials Park in Ohio, it just received a $7 million facelift and is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP)…

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