Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Current Events, Globalism, New Discoveries, New Viewpoints

How Google’s algorithms are solving chemistry’s trickiest calculations

Google knows a thing or two about complex calculations performed across very big data sets. Which is why chemists are borrowing ideas from the search company to help them predict how substances react with each other.

PageRank is the algorithm that Google uses to determine the relevancy of links. Now, scientists from Washington State University have borrowed ideas from the code to understand how molecules interact with each other…

Continue reading… “How Google’s algorithms are solving chemistry’s trickiest calculations”

Art, Breakthrough Thinking, Insects, New Inventions, Robots, Science & Technology News

New “pop-up” technique spawns robotic insects

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The Harvard Monolithic Bee (or “Mobee”) pops up within an assembly scaffold,
which performs more than 20 origami assembly folds.

A new technique inspired by elegant pop-up books and origami will soon allow clones of robotic insects to be mass-produced by the sheet.

Devised by engineers at Harvard, the ingenious layering and folding process enables the rapid fabrication of not just microrobots, but a broad range of electromechanical devices…

Continue reading… “New “pop-up” technique spawns robotic insects”

Breakthrough Thinking, Great New Product, New Inventions

Print your own OLED display


oled printing

OLED displays being printed.

We’re already pretty much in love with OLED displays, but besides stunning picture quality and low power consumption, when they were first introduced it was promised that one day OLED panels could be actually printed. And that day has finally come.

Konica Minolta has created the first printhead that can be used for electronics manufacturing applications thanks to its incredibly small inkjets that can create drops a mere picoliter in size…

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Analysis, Education, Historical Perspectives, Plant Life

5 things plants do better than us

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Plants simply do some things better.

We need more trees in our cities. But our cities also need to become more like trees.

The other day I posted on why environmentalists must think like pro-athletes, inspired in part by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s work on optimal experience. As I finish up his book, I was struck by another observation—namely that the task of finding meaning in an individual’s life can be directly compared to the role of plants as “dissipative structures—organisms that collect diffuse energy from the sun and transform it into highly complex, dynamic structures.

It seems to me that the challenge of building community is very similar. We could, as a culture, do a lot worse than to learn from plants…

Continue reading… “5 things plants do better than us”

Animals, New Discoveries, Photo Perspectives, Science & Technology News

World’s tiniest lizards discovered in Madagascar

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Miniature chameleon

This little chameleon is one of four miniature lizards identified in Madagascar, adding to our growing list of amazingly teeny animals. The one on the match in this picture is a juvenile, but even the adults max out at 30 millimeters. They’re the smallest lizards in the world, and some of the smallest vertebrates found to date. (Pics)

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Analysis, Business, Great Videos, Internet, Science & Technology News

Facebook has a reputation problem: poll

Facebook is used by nearly 850 million people each month and roughly 480 million people use it every day. With a user rate like that and an upcoming $75 to $100 billion initial public offering, one might think Facebook is not only a highly visible company, but also one of Corporate America’s most reputable.

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New Inventions, Science & Technology News

Scientist pushes 3D printing boundaries with 3D camera & printer that doesn’t require software

3d-photography

Balaji Tammabattula’s invention allows anyone to duplicate any item, simply by photographing it.

Following the recent development of 3D printing technology, one Indian Computer Scientist has taken the revolution one step further.

Continue reading… “Scientist pushes 3D printing boundaries with 3D camera & printer that doesn’t require software”

Analysis, Animals, Breakthrough Thinking, Crazy Stuff

Cow collar texts ranchers when animals are sick or in heat

Even cows can benefit from having a mobile device. A new collar being developed for cattle ranchers could send cow health updates to farmers’ cellphones. The device could help ranchers save money in the long run, monitoring the health of their animals and prevent accidental deaths.

The Silent Herdsman collar will track the movements of the cow using the same type of sensors found in Wii devices. That data is relayed to the rancher via a cellphone using a variety of technologies including 3G. This technology could also send farmers instant notification if their animals are in heat, going into labor or in distress.

Researchers also hope to determine which movements the sensor will pick up to determine when cows are in heat…

Continue reading… “Cow collar texts ranchers when animals are sick or in heat”

Breakthrough Thinking, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Medical Breakthrough, Nanotechnology, New Discoveries

New nano-material combinations produce leap in infrared technology

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ASU engineers are working on technological advances that promise to help enhance infrared photodetection used in sophisticated weapons and surveillance system, industrial and home security systems, medical diagnostics and night vision equipment for law enforcement and driving safety.

Arizona State University researchers are finding ways to improve infrared photodetector technology that is critical to national defense and security systems, as well as used increasingly in medical diagnostics, commercial applications and consumer products…

Continue reading… “New nano-material combinations produce leap in infrared technology”

Analysis, Breakthrough Thinking, Business, Global Warming, Green Friendly, New Viewpoints

How to start your own hybrid car rental company

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Ali Salman of Simply Hybrids

In 2007, Ali Salman was a Vice President of Marketing at Beverly Hills Rent-A-Car in LA. He was becoming dismayed at how dirty the beaches were and how smoggy the skyline was near his home in Orange County. He began to get upset and thought someone should do something to improve the water and air quality in southern California. He then remembered the Chinese proverb: “it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.”

He took that message to heart and decided to open up his own green business, a car rental company called Simply Hybrids. Five years later, business is booming and growing at an annual rate of 26%. TreeHugger spoke with Mr. Salman about his hybrid car rental business and how he got to where he is today…

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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.