New Viewpoints – Page 27

Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Historical Perspectives, Latest Trend, New Viewpoints

Ruby on Rails popularity index 2012

May 15, 2012

Are you using Ruby on Rails yet?

Ruby on Rails has taken the web development world by storm since its first full release in 2005. Yet with new web platforms arriving each day, usage share of frameworks has become quite fragmented. So in this post, I compiled the latest trends and figures of Ruby on Rails from different sources, as well as some stats of the Ruby language.

In a recent survey of Bestvendor.com, Ruby on Rails remains to be the preferred framework of choice among startups. But, how popular really is Ruby on Rails?

After the jump is an infographic created to show how far Ruby on Rails has gotten since its release in 2005…

Continue reading… “Ruby on Rails popularity index 2012”

Brain, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, New Viewpoints

We’re heading towards a future where brain scans replace the SAT

May 14, 2012

No memorization will be necessary in the future.

Imagine if the extent your natural intelligence could be determined with a simple scan where you’d have to do nothing at all. What if it became the new standard for college admissions. Deterministic as it may seem, at least we wouldn’t have anymore goddamn vocab flash cards to memorize.

According to Duke University professor Jonathan Wai, writing in Psychology Today, there’s been a study conducted at UC Irvine since 1988, in which test subjects were put through various aptitude tests while conducting brain scans. What they discovered is the smartest patients required less brain power to accomplish a task. Efficiency!

Continue reading… “We’re heading towards a future where brain scans replace the SAT”

Breakthrough Thinking, Globalism, Hot Issues, Human Behavior, New Viewpoints

Wi-Fi-Blocking Wallpaper protects your Web Fortress by keeping neighbors out

May 9, 2012

Privacy?

Scientists from the institut polytechnique Grenoble INP and the Centre Technique du Papier have developed a novel new product so gratuitous, it almost seems necessary: a silver-crystal coated wallpaper that can block neighbors from freeloading off your Wi-Fi network. The silver crystals are arranged in such a way that they are able to block certain wireless frequencies, not least of which is the same frequency as a WiFI router.

But, what about just setting up a password-protected network?

Continue reading… “Wi-Fi-Blocking Wallpaper protects your Web Fortress by keeping neighbors out”

Analysis, Animals, Art, Entertainment, New Viewpoints

Amazing macro photographs of insects covered in dew

May 7, 2012

Common Fly covered in dew.

Perspective is everything. And that is especially true when considering these amazing photographs by Ondrej Pakan. He takes creepy crawlies that you’d usually steer clear of and turns them into something beautiful…

Continue reading… “Amazing macro photographs of insects covered in dew”

Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Food, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints

Uncommon Uses of Common Kitchen Appliances

May 6, 2012

How about a waffle shaped brownie?

What? If you think that a waffle iron is only good for … well, you know, waffles, then this is the article for you!

When Chowhound forum user thunderbug84 asked if there are any alternative uses for a waffle iron, the editors of the site were inspired to investigate…

Continue reading… “Uncommon Uses of Common Kitchen Appliances”

Analysis, Art, Crazy Photos, Culture, DIY, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Latest News, New Viewpoints, People Making a Difference

Photos of people living off-the-grid in the United States

May 7, 2012

Living ‘off the grid’ can entail going without some common luxuries.

Eric Valli spent 3 years taking photos of people in the United States who have “decided to live light on the earth.” The photographs are terrific. It looks like Valli spent time with two clans: a frontier/settler type group, and another group that look almost like cave people. I wish he had included more information about them!

Continue reading… “Photos of people living off-the-grid in the United States”

Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Entertainment, New Inventions, New Viewpoints

Cell Phone shaped like a glove

May 5, 2012

This cell phone is even handier than yours.

Talk to the hand. Bryan Cera’s fully functional cell phone slips onto your hand like a glove. Put the pinky finger to your mouth and the thumb to your ear. You can watch a demonstration video at the link…

Continue reading… “Cell Phone shaped like a glove”

Analysis, Brain, Breakthrough Thinking, Education, Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Human Behavior, New Viewpoints, People Making a Difference

15 powerful things happy people do differently

May 4, 2012

Happiness has to be allowed.

What is the difference between happy people and unhappy people? Of course, it may be very obvious, happy people are happy while unhappy people are unhappy, right? Well, that is correct, but we want to know what are the things that these people do differently and that is why, I have put together a list of things that HAPPY people do differently than UNHAPPY people…

Continue reading… “15 powerful things happy people do differently”

Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Latest News, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints, People Making a Difference

Dental plaque used to probe diet of ancient people

May 4, 2012

Ancient people ate far differently than we do.

While we may brush and floss tirelessly and our dentists may regularly scrape and pick at our teeth to minimize the formation of plaque known as tartar or dental calculus, anthropologists may be rejoicing at the fact that past civilizations were not so careful with their dental hygiene…

Continue reading… “Dental plaque used to probe diet of ancient people”

Analysis, Big Problems, Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Education, Entertainment, Globalism, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, New Viewpoints

The Intention Economy

May 1, 2012

Doc Searls says our current ‘attention economy’ should be switched to an ‘intention economy’.

Every day companies are spending gobs of money to earn and keep your attention. Advertisers are collecting heaps of information about you in the hopes of presenting you with more targeted advertisements: advertisements on which you’ll want to click. Yet despite all of this information, advertising still pretty much sucks. It doesn’t have to be this way…

Continue reading… “The Intention Economy”

Analysis, Brain, Breakthrough Thinking, Culture, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, New Viewpoints

Word usage predicts dating success

May 1, 2012

Function words – those unassuming “filler” words like the, this, though, I, an, there, and, that – are mightier than you think. For one, they’re a very good predictor of sex and love.

Yes, sex and love. Now that I’ve got your attention, on to the story of how analyzing the patterns of the use of these words in speech between two strangers in a speed dating scenario can be a very good predictor of who will get the date…

Continue reading… “Word usage predicts dating success”

Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff, Education, Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Human Behavior, New Viewpoints

Hate itchy mosquito bites? Building up an immunity only requires about 15,000 bites per year

April 29, 2012

Meet Steve Schutz. Some might say he’s very dedicated to his work. But others would call him downright crazy. You see Steve works in an insectarium, a place where mosquitos are born and raised. And to ensure its residents are well-fed and propagate, he serves up his bare arm once a week for dinner.

As a result, after a feeding the 50 red welts on his lower arm barely even register as a slight tingle since Steve has built up an immunity to the mosquito’s saliva…

Continue reading… “Hate itchy mosquito bites? Building up an immunity only requires about 15,000 bites per year”