World’s largest lego tower.
Nearly 6,000 Lego lovers in Sao Paulo, mostly children, helped put together the independent blocks of Lego bricks which were later stacked using a crane. (video)
Arc Island – An Artificial Floating Island the Size of Manhattan
Arc Island
Entrepreneur Bernard Way has created a Kickstarter Page for an incredible project: building an artificial floating island the size of Manhattan.
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Taste and Health Benefits of Organic Food Are All in the Mind
Study finds organic food is considered healthier and tastier even when it’s not.
Researchers have found that labelling something organic tricks the brain into thinking it is better tasting and more healthy even when there is no difference.
Test Subjects With Electrode Implants Use Mind Control To Move A Cursor
What kind of future technology will come from this breakthrough?
As trippy as mind-control still seems to us, we’ve already seen it implemented in everything from wheelchairs to pricey gaming (and car driving!) headsets. But the problem is that they measure brain activity outside the skull — you know, the thing we’ve evolved to shield the murky goings-on in our minds from prying EEG sensors.
Now, though, a team of Washington University researchers appears to have happened upon a more effective — albeit, invasive — approach…
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Meanest Airlines in the U.S.
Meanest major carrier – United Airlines
Last year was a good one for the airline industry, with U.S. airlines churning out the highest profits in more than a decade. With the exception of American Airlines, every major carrier turned in positive profits for the year.
In the 2011 Airline Quality Rating (AQR) report released on April 4, quality is up as well.
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Rethinking the Future of Health Care
Futurist Thomas Frey: It wasn’t what I had planned on a 70 degree day last week when “springtime in the Rockies” was in full bloom. But I was on my way to the hospital, and over the next 24 hours I would learn much about a healthcare industry that is woefully unprepared for the changes that lie ahead.
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Over Half of Energy in the U.S. is Wasted
This flow chart shows the amount of energy (in quads) that is produced by different energy sources and consumed by different sectors.
This flow chart of the estimated US energy use in 2009, assembled by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), paints a pretty sobering picture of our energy situation. To begin with, it shows that more than half (58%) of the total energy produced in the US is wasted due to inefficiencies, such as waste heat from power plants, vehicles, and light bulbs. In other words, the US has an energy efficiency of 42%. And, despite the numerous reports of progress in solar, wind, and geothermal energy, those three energy sources combined provide just 1.2% of our total energy production. The vast majority of our energy still comes from petroleum (37%), natural gas (25%), and coal (21%).
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Eight Critical Skills for the Future
Futurist Thomas Frey: On Monday evening I presented my thoughts on the “Future of Mobile Apps & Peripherals” at our monthly Night with a Futurist event. My talk was followed by a fascinating panel discussion with three of the industry’s brightest minds – Michael Sitarzewski, Lisa Calkins, and Gary Moskoff with Karl Dakin moderating the discussion.
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Teens Deprived of Media Gadgets Experience Withdrawal Comparable to Drug Addicts Going Cold Turkey
Teenagers report overwhelming cravings when deprived of their laptops and cell phones.
Researchers found 79 per cent of students subjected to a complete media blackout for just one day reported adverse reactions ranging from distress to confusion and isolation.
Everything Will be Powered by the Sun in the Future
The ETH-Caltech solar fuel reactor uses concentrated heat from the sun to create fuel from water and carbon dioxide.
New scheme would use only sunlight, air and water to supply energy for cars, laptops, GPS systems. “At the California Institute of Technology, they’re developing a way to turn sunlight and water into fuel for our cars.”–President Barack Obama, Jan. 25, 2011.
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iPhone Jailbreaking Has Become a Lucrative Business
iPhone jailbreaking has now evolved into a lucrative industry with millions of consumers.
George Mason University senior, Kevin Lee, says he earns about $50,000 a year with an illicit-sounding pitch on Craigslist: “Get Your iPhone Jailbroken Today.”
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75 Year Old Georgian Woman Cuts Off Internet to Armenia
Elderly woman cuts off internet to Armenia after accidentally cutting through an underground cable.
A 75-year-old Georgian woman is facing jail time after she accidentally sliced through an underground cable and caused all Internet services in neighboring Armenia to crash.
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