Chairigami – cheap, sturdy cardboard standing desk

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This recyclable cardboard desk is assembled without any glue or fasteners and costs only $65.

If you are looking for a cheap and sturdy standing desk. There are many DIY options. But if you have always wanted to have some cardboard furniture in your home or office (and who hasn’t?), try one of the standing desks from Chairigami.

 

 

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3D acoustic cloak makes objects undetectable with sound

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The geometry of the plastic sheets and placement of the holes interact with sound waves to make it (and objects beneath it) appear as if they are not there.

Duke University engineers have demonstrated the world’s first three-dimensional acoustic cloak using a few perforated sheets of plastic and extensive computation. The new device reroutes sound waves to create the impression that both the cloak and anything beneath it are not there. (Video)

 

 

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Tiny ultrasonic chip will travel the arteries and heart to image blockages

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Tiny ultrasonic device

The less invasive a surgical procedure is, the better. Less invasive surgeries reduce patient discomfort, foster faster recoveries, and limit the risk of infection. Problem is, you have to get your eyes on a problem to solve it.

 

 

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Should your life be automated so you can work harder?

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Would you delegate all of your decisions to someone else?

Would you pay someone in the Philippines to answer your email for you — even your personal messages? Or hire strangers on the internet to plan your spouse’s big birthday party? Or throw meat, vegetables, and butter into a blender and call it dinner?

 

 

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Data becomes major revenue driver for U.S. mobile industry

mobile data revenue

In the fourth quarter of 2013 was the turning point in which the U.S. mobile industry started making more money off of data than from voice. Data became a bigger revenue source for carriers than voice services. From this point on data will be the primary growth driver for the U.S. mobile industry, while voice will recede in the rearview mirror.

 

 

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The DARPA Grand Challenge 10 years later

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2004 DARPA Grand Challenge

Fifteen vehicles left a starting gate in the desert outside of Barstow, Calif., to make history in the DARPA Grand Challenge on March 13, 2004, a first-of-its-kind race to foster the development of self-driving ground vehicles. The goal of the race was to autonomously navigate a 142-mile course that ran across the desert to Primm, Nev. The longer-term goal was to accelerate development of the technological foundations for autonomous vehicles that could ultimately substitute for men and women in hazardous military operations, such as supply convoys.

 

 

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Discovery of water-containing gem points to vast oceans beneath the Earth

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Diamond sample containing the hydrous ringwoodite.

The Earth’s transition zone is the part of the Earth that exists between the upper and lower mantle. Scientists often theorize what lies in the transition zone. Many believe that the transition zone contains a lot of water, but there was no proof to support that idea. A group of geologists from the University of Alberta uncovered a water-containing gem that finally confirms this theory: there is water, possibly massive oceans of it, deep beneath the Earth’s surface.

 

 

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Myth that 10,000 hours of practice can turn anyone into expert has been debunked

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Will 10,000 hours of practice make you an expert?

Can you become an expert at anything with 10,000 hours of practice? The widely touted theory, highlighted in a 1993 psychology paper and popularized by Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers, says that anyone can master a skill with 10,000 hours of practice. There’s even a Macklemore song about it, so that makes it real.

 

 

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Controversy brews over use of autonomous killer robots in war

A scene from the 2003 film Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

U.N. will begin to lay the groundwork for the role robots will play in war.

People are promised their quality of life will improve with the advances of technology, and what could be a better example of that than sending robots instead of humans into dangerous situations? Robots can help conduct research in deep oceans and harsh climates, or deliver food and medical supplies to disaster areas. (Video)

 

 

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Graphene oxide could offer a solution to unlocking our most abundant water source

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Dr Rahul Nair demonstrates a graphene-based membrane device.

Many of us struggle to satisfy our thirst even though we live on a water world.  That is because the Earth’s oceans are salty. Just 2.5% of the Earth’s water is freshwater, and of that, 60% is trapped in glaciers, 30% in groundwater (not all of which is accessible), and just 10% is on the surface in lakes and rivers.

 

 

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Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.