.
Audi has became the second company (Google was first) to be licensed to run autonomous vehicles in Nevada. As seen at an exhibition of the tech from its Electronic Research Laboratory, its cars are already well on their way to ditching the driver.
Continue reading… “Audi first automaker to get autonomous vehicle license”
Record number of 349 military suicides in 2012.
More U.S. military service members have been lost to suicide than combat last year as the number of troops who took their lives rose to a record high.
Are taller workers smarter?
Taller workers earn a substantial wage premium. Studies that go back to the middle of the last century attribute the premium to non-cognitive abilities, which are associated with stature and rewarded in the labor market. More recent research argues that cognitive abilities explain the stature-wage relationship.
Continue reading… “Do taller workers earn more money because they are more intelligent?”
Quantum physicists are still very divided on how quantum mechanics is to be interpreted.
Quantum mechanics is real. We wouldn’t have superconductors, lasers, and many forms of computing and cryptography without its microscopically small probabilistic effects. But despite our laboratory certainty, what’s less clear is the role it plays in the fundamental nature of reality. And as a recent survey published by Anton Zeilinger at the University of Vienna has revealed, quantum physicists are still very divided on how it’s to be interpreted.
Continue reading… “Quantum physicists agree to disagree about the nature of reality”
China’s one-child law may be stifling its citizens’ innovation.
Development of a child can greatly be influenced by the number of siblings they have. But what happens when you have an entire nation of only children? China’s one-child law indicates that the policy may be stifling its citizens’ innovative instincts because single children born under the law there are less likely to be competitive, are more pessimistic, and less inclined to take risks, according to a new study. Those were the findings of researchers from Monash University in Australia.
Continue reading… “China’s one-child policy stifles innovation: Study”
Super Bowl ad surprises ruined by social media.
There is a growing feeling that marketers’ use of social media is ruining the surprise of Super Bowl ads. Last Super Bowl, just one memorable ad bucked this trend last Super Bowl–Chrysler’s offering with Clint Eastwood–while other firms such as Honda made similar versions available on YouTube and Facebook. General manager-brand marketing for Audi, Loren Angelo, reckons that, with just 24-48 hours’ worth of Internet chatter about the Super Bowl, the reveal is worth everything, allowing an advertiser to have “a much longer conversation with consumers.”
Continue reading… “Social media is spoiling the Super Bowl ad surprises”
Instagram loses half it’s active users.
At the end of 2012, Instagram changed its Terms of Service (ToS) and it has proved far more calamitous for the Facebook-owned Photo app than first imagined. According to new data, Instagram appears to have lost half of its active users in a month.
Continue reading… “Instagram drops from 40 million to 17 million active users in one month”
Saudi students can receive up to a five year visa, with scholarships covering tuition, housing and health benefits.
Meshari Albishi considers the University of Mary Washington his “second home” even though he is not a student there. He has made “a lot of friends,” and has access to the library, workout rooms and other campus facilities. The University of Mary Washington has offered him admission, on one condition: Before he can enroll, he must complete a non-credit program, called English for Academic Purposes.
Continue reading… “Students from Saudi Arabia flood U.S. colleges to study English”
Free technologies libraries should be using.
There are a lot of free applications and software you can use in your daily life. Here is a list of some of the major free technologies that everyone could be using in their own libraries.
Continue reading… “Top 7 free technologies libraries should be using”
Saudi King Abdullah
Thirty women were appointed to the previously all-male consultative Shura Council by Saudi King Abdullah in decrees published on Friday, marking a historic first as he pushes reforms in the ultra-conservative kingdom.
Continue reading… “Saudi King appoints 30 women to advisory council in historic first”
We could double our food supply just by making farming, shipping, and cooking more efficiently.
By 2075 the global population is set to hit 9.5 billion. It is widely assumed the world will eventually run out of food. According to one UN study, we will need to increase agricultural production 70% by the middle of the century, if we’re to cater to all the expected bellies.
Continue reading… “Ending the global food crisis – we just need to make use of what we have”
The latest influenza activity update in the U.S. has just been released by the CDC and it’s not a pretty picture. First things first: GET VACCINATED. If you’re over six months old or someone you interact with on a regular basis is at high risk of flu complications (i.e. young, old, pregnant, immunocompromised, etc.): GET VACCINATED. This year’s flu virus has arrived early and it has health officials across the country bracing themselves for what could be the worst flu season in a decade.
Continue reading… “Brace yourselves for the worst flu season in a decade”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.