Slingatron
A Kickstarter project, Slingatron, that combines a slingshot capable of hurling objects into orbit and a space-bound railroad just might actually send you to space one day. (Images and video)
Continue reading… “The Slingatron: Building a railroad to space”
ERO Concrete Recycling Robot
The annual production of concrete in the world is estimated at about 6 billion cubic yards. It’s an alarming situation that has potentially devastating environmental effects. Consider that concrete under normal conditions has a lifespan of just 60 to 80 years–meaning that a significant number of the world’s buildings and bridges will have to be upgraded, if not entirely rebuilt, within our lifetimes.
Continue reading… “ERO Concrete Recycling Robot can ‘erase’ entire buildings”
High schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions will create early-college/dual-degree courses better aligned to the college curriculum.
The higher education landscape has been profoundly transformed in roughly 50-year intervals. During the early 19th century, the colonial colleges were joined by several hundred more religiously founded institutions. The mid-19th century saw the rise of public colleges, culminating in the Morrill Act of 1862. The turn of the 20th century witnessed the emergence of the modern research university as well as the articulation of the Wisconsin Idea, that public universities should serve the public, as well as the appearance of extension services. The 1960s saw the transformation of normal schools into comprehensive universities, the rapid proliferation of community colleges, the end of legal segregation in higher education, and sharply increased federal aid to colleges and universities.
Continue reading… “15 innovations that will alter the face of higher education”
Excellent misuse of cooking utensils!
Quote of the Day – “Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God’s final word on where your lips end.” – Jerry Seinfeld
Continue reading… “Top 10 Photos of the Week”
Skylar Tibbits, an architect who heads up the Self-Assembly Lab at MIT.
The essence of human identity is increasingly in the hands of a new generation. We are entering a future where our biology is becoming self-defined, assembled, manufactured, and increasingly unique. For one, advancements in new materials technology are leading to potentially game-changing innovations. When combined with rapid improvements in 3D printing techniques, the applications for human biology become manifold.
Continue reading… “4D printing: The new human bionics”
Hospital staff help a patient put on a cold cap.
What is the first thing most patients undergoing chemotherapy want to know? Oncologist Susan Melin of the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina told the Associated Press that often, her patients ask first about hair loss. “It’s not, ‘Is this going to cure me?’ It’s, ‘Am I going to lose my hair?'” she said.
Continue reading… “Cold caps may prevent hair loss during chemotherapy”
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hB85O3yy0zM[/youtube]
Today, they are just cute, animated eyes. But tomorrow, curved displays could change the way we interact with everything. According to Frog’s chief creative officer, Mark Rolston, in the next five years a doll will come out with a face made from a curved display, and that will change the way toys are made forever.
Continue reading… “The future of toys – Disney 3D prints animated eyes for interactive characters”
Only 44% of the top 25 online retailers responded to customer service requests from social media within 24 hours.
Social media and the internet have made it much easier for people to vent about bad service to a potentially large audience. If you make a customer unhappy these days you can count on their other 5,000-some friends hearing about it, too. Twenty-five percent of people who have a negative customer experience share their thoughts on social networks. (Infographic)
Continue reading… “Which industries get the most customer service complaints?”
The campuses that are wired for video are the classrooms of the future.
Demand for academic video among students is growing at an astronomical rate. Large and small universities alike are evaluating how best to harness the power of video to increase student success and classroom efficiency.
Continue reading… “The future of academic video in education”
Dolphins have individual signature whistles.
Humans use particular vocal labels for objects and for people. These are called words, and names. There are many animals that use sounds to convey information such as a wolf’s howl. Some creatures, such as parrots and dolphins, can learn specific vocal labels. And wild dolphins are known to have particular, individual signature whistles. Scientists at Scotland’s St. Andrews University wanted to know: can these whistles be used as labels?
Continue reading… “Dolphins use whistles to call each other by individual names”
World Bank president Dr. Jim Yong Kim has called for action on climate change.
Last week, the World Bank announced that is largely turning away from providing funding for coal-fired power plants, except in rare situations where there is no feasible alternative.
Continue reading… “World bank turns away from coal-fired power”
Study raises more questions about the health benefits of vitamins.
A new Biology Letters paper raises more questions about the benefits of vitamins as a health supplement. High doses of dietary antioxidants such as vitamins are claimed to slow the process of cellular aging by lessening the damage to proteins, lipids and DNA caused by free radicals. Some research has found that the longevity of mice could be extended by administering particular vitamin supplements, despite the supplements’ limited effectiveness in reducing free radical damage. However, the opposite was found to be true in voles in a new study.
Continue reading… “The negative effects of vitamins: Study”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.