Impact Lab – Page 1188 – A Laboratory of the Future Human Experience

Great New Product, Science & Technology News

NEC’s ultra-thin organic battery is just 0.3mm thick

March 18, 2012

NEC’s organic radical battery (ORB)

NEC has been working on the “organic radical battery” (ORB) technology for some years, but has now announced its latest ORB breakthrough, the 0.3mm thick ORB. The output rated as 5kW/L with a capacity of 3mAh, according to Geek.com. On a full charge, the new battery prototype can refresh a screen 2,000 times. A recharge takes under a minute, about 30 seconds. The new batteries maintain 75 percent of their charge-discharge after 500 charges.

Continue reading… “NEC’s ultra-thin organic battery is just 0.3mm thick”

Analysis, Economy, Latest Trend

Middle class in Mexico becoming its majority

March 18, 2012

Customers look at laptops at a Wal-Mart store in Mexico City.

The middle class is fast becoming the majority in Mexico, breaking down the rich-poor divide in a profound demographic transformation that has far-reaching implications here and in the United States.

Continue reading… “Middle class in Mexico becoming its majority”

Analysis, Crazy Stuff, Culture, Education, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Hot Issues, New Viewpoints

Midnight Climax: CIA’s MK-ULTRA LSD experiments in San Francisco

March 17, 2012

The CIA’s notorious MK-ULTRA program got huge quantities of LSD distributed throughout the US.

Newly released documents shed light on the San Francisco edition of the CIA’s notorious MK-ULTRA program (through which people were unwittingly given massive doses of LSD to see if the drug would be useful for brainwashing), which ran from 1953-1964. There’s lots of detail about MK-ULTRA’s work in NYC and Montreal, but the San Francisco operation has been shrouded in mystery. The newly declassified documents form the springboard for a good investigative piece in SF Weekly, in which Troy Hooper speaks to Wayne Ritchie, one of the survivors of MK-ULTRA’s San Francisco operation…

Continue reading… “Midnight Climax: CIA’s MK-ULTRA LSD experiments in San Francisco”

Animals, Crazy Stuff, Food, Great Videos, Latest Trend, Photo Perspectives

Glow in the dark sushi the latest food craze to hit America

March 17, 2012

The genetically modified fish were originally bred to help detect environmental pollutants.

The latest must try food craze to hit America is sushi that glows in the dark. The sushi was inspired by genetically modified fish first bred for scientific research, a video showing how to make the glowing sushi has become a huge hit online. (Pics and video)

Continue reading… “Glow in the dark sushi the latest food craze to hit America”

Big Problems, Crazy Stuff, Health & Fitness, Latest Trend

Cinnamon Challenge YouTube craze could be harmful to your health, warn health experts

March 17, 2012

Health experts are cautioning people not to attempt a dare that is catching on due to a viral video.

Don’t expect any great culinary creation when your kids go digging into the spice drawer. They may be looking for the cinnamon, which they want to attempt to swallow, without water.

Continue reading… “Cinnamon Challenge YouTube craze could be harmful to your health, warn health experts”

Crazy Stuff, Great Videos, Photo Perspectives, Robots, Science & Technology News

5 cool Lego inventions that really work

March 17, 2012

Lego

We’ve seen some pretty awesome Lego creations in the past, including a Volkswagen van, Angry Birds, and even the heart of the Large Hadron Collider. But what about Lego inventions that actually work? Here are some of our favorite, fully functional Lego creations. (pics and videos)

Continue reading… “5 cool Lego inventions that really work”

Analysis, Business, Science & Technology News

Overnight success a myth

March 17, 2012

There can be years of decisions, learning, analysis, thought and effort to become an “overnight success”.

Rovio spent eight years and almost went bankrupt before finally creating their massive hit Angry Birds. It was their 52nd game they had created. Pinterest is one of the fastest growing websites in history, but struggled for a long time. Pinterest’s CEO recently said that they had “catastrophically small numbers” in their first year after launch, and that if he had listened to popular startup advice he probably would have quit.

Continue reading… “Overnight success a myth”

Analysis, Education, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Most college students in the U.S. prefer digital over print when reading

March 17, 2012

58% of college students prefer digital over print for textbook reading.

According to a new survey from the Pearson Foundation, the majority of U.S. college students now prefer digital formats whether they’re reading textbooks or “fun” books.

Continue reading… “Most college students in the U.S. prefer digital over print when reading”

Analysis, Business, Education, Historical Perspectives, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

The Coming Coder Wars

March 16, 2012

Futurist Thomas Frey: In the late 1980s, I spent some time as a mainframe programmer at IBM. Conversations around the water cooler often had to do with some of the cryptic code written 2-3 decades earlier, buried deep within the system, that was incomprehensible to what anyone was writing at the time.

Continue reading… “The Coming Coder Wars”

Analysis, Latest Trend, Science & Technology News

Study finds Millennial generation might not be so special after all

March 16, 2012

Today’s young Americans are less environmentally conscious—and often less civic-minded overall—than previous generations.

Are today’s Millennial generation altruistic and civic-minded or materialistic and self-absorbed? In the latest installment: a study that says the popular view of young adults as more caring, interested in social issues and concerned about the environment compared to previous generations is mostly false.

Continue reading… “Study finds Millennial generation might not be so special after all”

Analysis, Economy, Globalism, Latest Trend, Money Talk

Income gap growing faster in the U.S. than the rest of the world

March 16, 2012

U.S. income, while solid among its peers around the world, still leaves many grappling to make ends meet.

An “average” American earns close to $40,000 a year. That’s pretty good money compared with the rest of the world.

Continue reading… “Income gap growing faster in the U.S. than the rest of the world”

Architecture, Crazy Photos, Crazy Stuff

Crazy upside-down house in Malaysia

March 16, 2012

Upside-down house in Malaysia.

Did you ever wonder when you were a child what it would be like to walk on the ceiling? If you did, you are probably among the millions who, even as adults, continue to be enchanted by the idea of an upside-down house. (Pics)

Continue reading… “Crazy upside-down house in Malaysia”