Ferdinand Pecora
The economy was tanking. Millions lost their jobs. Stocks were down. And since bankers seemed to be riding out the bad times better than anyone, the government appointed a commission to look into who was to blame for the crash. But this was 1933, and Ferdinand Pecora was chief counsel to the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Banking and Currency…
Continue reading… “The man who busted the ‘Banksters’”
Consider it a public service.
I don’t know about you guys, but my parents are terrible at computers and still use IE5. That’s why I think Update Your Parent’s Browser Day is a great new holiday we all should take advantage of…
Continue reading… “Update Your Parent’s Browser day”
Syneseizure, the hack that won the “People’s Choice” award
Earlier this month, Science Hack Day SF brought together 150+ scientists, designers, developers, and makers to collaborate on science-related projects. Along with US hackers, the event included participants from Brazil, Canada, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, and South Africa thanks to a grant from Alfred P. Sloan Foundation toInstitute for the Future. My IFTF colleague Ariel Waldman, the lead on Science Hack Day SF and the grant, posted about the insanely creative and wonderful projects that emerged from the 48 hours of science hacking: a DNA-based cocktail, a globe where the location of the International Space Station is tracked using a laser pointer, the Isodrag Typeface that rescales letters based on their aerodynamic drag, and many others…
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?
Continue reading… “Here’s what Leonardo da Vinci’s to-do list looked like in 1490”
America should not ignore an obvious source of human capital – those from other countries.
What drives innovation? People with creative ideas, intellectual talents and personal ambition do. America has always relied individual and collective breakthroughs in human knowledge and production to enhance our lives and our econom, from advances in science, mathematics and health care to new technologies, products and companies. As the nation continues to find ways to improve the educational and life opportunities of its own citizens to help spark innovation, we should not ignore an obvious source of human capital–those from other nations.
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)…
Continue reading… “Buckminster Fuller’s largest dome is now a National Historic Place”
The video is released today, and it does not disappoint.
Succinctly but effectively, Annie Leonard tells the story of how our tax dollars are being misappropriated to prop up an ailing, energy intensive, resource hungry and ultimately counterproductive “dinosaur economy”. And she then goes on to make the case of how we could do things better…
Continue reading… “Launched Today: The story of ‘Broke’ puts the real crony capitalism on notice”
Dan Hobson, winner of the “Inventor of the Year Award” at the DaVinci Inventor Showcase
2011 turned out to be a banner year for the inventors and their products at the seventh annual DaVinci Inventor Showcase. The event took place at the Noah’s Event Center in Westminster, CO amidst a record crowd of attendees.
Winning top prize at this years event was Dan Hobson, CEO of Ross Nanotechnology for their product, NeverWet™, a nano-tech coating that completely repels water. However, this standout technology was only one of many that captured the imaginations of everyone who attended.
Continue reading… “Winners Announced – DaVinci Inventor Showcase”
Building a brighter tomorrow for all earths inhabitants.
Open Source Ecology is a network of farmers, engineers, and supporters building the Global Village Construction Set — a modular, DIY, low-cost, open source, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different industrial machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts…
Continue reading… “Global village construction set: Towards a DIY civilization”
Don’t gamble on the details.
Red flag and IRS — two things you never want to see in the same sentence. If you’re self-employed or have a small business, chances are somewhere along the way, you’ve been told that deducting a portion of your housing costs will be a red flag for an audit.
However, this isn’t necessarily the case. And if you legitimately qualify for the home office deduction, there’s no reason to avoid it. After all, the typical home office deduction will run into the thousands of dollars. It’s substantial and well worth the effort (far more so than scouring your car for a missing receipt for printer ink)…
Continue reading… “How to Maximize your home office tax deductions”
Anonymous has a new target.
Anonymous is getting ready for the biggest fight of their group’s history, ramping up to take on a Mexican drug cartel after one of their own was kidnapped by the drug lords…
Continue reading… “Anonymous plans to take on a Mexican drug cartel”
What’s on the minds of the new minds?
The world’s most successful entrepreneurs play hard, but they work even harder. That much was made clear after the dust settled on f.ounders, an event that has quickly become one of technology’s premiere conferences.
There aren’t many events where you meet two heads of state, eat dinner with Bono, and party with 150 of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs. But that’s exactly what happened at the f.ounders conference in Dublin, Ireland last week. The conference brought together the founders of Skype, YouTube, Netflix, Rovio, GroupMe, StumbleUpon, 4chan and more for four days of intensive networking, extravagant dinners and Irish hospitality — you couldn’t walk five steps without somebody offering you a Guinness…
Continue reading… “Four days with the World’s Greatest Entrepreneurs”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.