Those of us who merely watched the devastating 2011 Tohoku earthquake on screens got to witness something amazing: the resiliency and resourcefulness of the Japanese people. And we’re still seeing it as Japan prepares for future earthquakes. Here’s one example. Youichi Sakamoto invented a foundation structure that raises buildings on air pockets as soon as an earthquake starts…
Continue reading… “Inventor proposes levitating buildings on air cushions during earthquakes”
The Middle Ages may not have actually been the way you thought.
No matter how interested you are in history, you probably have still heard a lot about the Dark Ages, but much of that information, even the stuff you learned back in school, is actually fiction. Here are five commonly held beliefs about the Middle Ages that aren’t actually fact.
Continue reading… “Five common misconceptions about the Middle Ages”
BMI is a simple system, but it does have some flaws.
The Body Mass Index is a popular way to measure and assess whether someone is overweight or underweight. Basically, it’s just your weight divided by your height. BMI is a simple system, but it does have some flaws. Over at the Obesity Panacea blog, Peter Janiszewski (who has a Ph.D. in exercise physiology) has a nice post explaining why BMI is sometimes useful, and also why it’s not a great measurement of individual health…
Continue reading… “The problem with body mass index”
Human pixels, because traditional media is not social
Quote of the Day: “I am not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” – Woody Allen
Continue reading… “Top 10 Photos of the Week”
A row of classic Worksman hot dog carts on the factory floor.
The oldest bike manufacturer in the U.S., Worksman Cycles, also happens to be the home of two American food vending icons: the Good Humor ice cream tricycle and the New York City hot dog cart. What’s more, if you live in New York city, chances are that your last delivery pizza or egg roll traveled to your door in the front basket of a Worksman bike, and if, instead, you live in the Connecticut suburbs, you may well have enjoyed a cold Bud purchased from a Worksman-made drinks trolley during your evening Metro-North commute…
Continue reading… “Food Cart Factory”
Google knows a thing or two about complex calculations performed across very big data sets. Which is why chemists are borrowing ideas from the search company to help them predict how substances react with each other.
PageRank is the algorithm that Google uses to determine the relevancy of links. Now, scientists from Washington State University have borrowed ideas from the code to understand how molecules interact with each other…
Continue reading… “How Google’s algorithms are solving chemistry’s trickiest calculations”
Ali Salman of Simply Hybrids
In 2007, Ali Salman was a Vice President of Marketing at Beverly Hills Rent-A-Car in LA. He was becoming dismayed at how dirty the beaches were and how smoggy the skyline was near his home in Orange County. He began to get upset and thought someone should do something to improve the water and air quality in southern California. He then remembered the Chinese proverb: “it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”
He took that message to heart and decided to open up his own green business, a car rental company called Simply Hybrids. Five years later, business is booming and growing at an annual rate of 26%. TreeHugger spoke with Mr. Salman about his hybrid car rental business and how he got to where he is today…
Continue reading… “How to start your own hybrid car rental company”
Photo of me demonstrating an unuual thermoelectric generator
with NY Times Correspondent Matthew Wald
Futurist Thomas Frey: On Wednesday I was invited to speak on a panel at the 2012 National Electricity Forum, an event sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, in Washington DC.
Continue reading… “Dismantling of our Power Industry Infrastructure”
3D printing goes medical.
3d printing continues to take us boldly into the brave new world of the 21st century, and not surprisingly medical applications are at the top of the innovation ladder, since replacement parts are always in demand.
Recently, an entire mandible was created in a 3d printer by mixing titanium with the printing compound, and an elderly woman got a new lease on life thanks to the 3d printing of this replacement part. Here’s the scoop…
Continue reading… “3D Printing For Fun And Medical Applications”
A meadow of the seagrass plant Posidonia oceanica, which spreads by creating clones of itself.
It’s big, it’s old and it lives under the sea — and now an international research collaboration with The University of Western Australia’s Ocean’s Institute has confirmed that an ancient seagrass holds the secrets of the oldest living organism on Earth…
Ancient giant Posidonia oceanica reproduces asexually, generating clones of itself. A single organism — which has been found to span up to 15 kilometres in width and reach more than 6,000 metric tonnes in mass — may well be more than 100,000 years old.
Continue reading… “Ancient seagrass holds secrets of the oldest living organism on earth”
Boost your brain power with some cranial current.
Transcranial direct current stimulation can make your brain work better. DARPA proved it can make you better at video games, the U.S. Air Force has shown it cuts drone remote-pilot training in half, and Harvard researchers have used it to treat depression. So what is this magical device that powerfully manipulates your brain function and where can you get one?
It’s not much more than a battery and a bunch of wires. In fact, you could actually make it yourself…
Continue reading… “How to electrify your brain to be smarter with a 9-volt battery”
Feeling miserable today? Maybe you live in Miami, Florida. The city – famous for mega-million mansions and South Beach clubs – has just gotten the unenviable title of America’s Most Miserable City.
Forbes Magazine took a look at 10 factors (including violent crimes, unemployment rates, and foreclosures) for the 200 largest metro areas in the United States to find the 10 most miserable cities in America. See if yours make the list..
Continue reading… “America’s most miserable cities”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.