Middle-aged and white may no longer be a fitting stereotype for today’s mobile Internet aficionado.
What is the first image that comes to mind when you think of an Internet aficionado, circa 1995?
Continue reading… “Digital divide shrinks among mobile internet use”
0.03-inch wide close-up of the super-black, carbon nanotube coating.
Even though NASA has drastically scaled back its missions into space, that doesn’t mean the agency has stopped research for the benefit of space exploration. Evidence of this comes in the form of a new, super-black material that just got unveiled during the SPIE Optics and Photonics conference.
NASA is claiming it is the most light absorbent material ever developed, and capable of absorbing 99% of ultraviolet, infrared, far-infrared, and visible light. That may not sound too impressive on its own until you find out what it can be used for and the benefits it brings…
Continue reading… “NASA creates groundbreaking super black light absorbing material”
The video is released today, and it does not disappoint.
Succinctly but effectively, Annie Leonard tells the story of how our tax dollars are being misappropriated to prop up an ailing, energy intensive, resource hungry and ultimately counterproductive “dinosaur economy”. And she then goes on to make the case of how we could do things better…
Continue reading… “Launched Today: The story of ‘Broke’ puts the real crony capitalism on notice”
Now you see the alcohol…now you don’t.
You know what you never hear people say? “I really love the taste of whiskey, but I sure wish it didn’t get me drunk.” Yet, from the annals of incredibly stupid ideas comes ArKay, the O’Douls of whiskey…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSz843fFjzw&hd=1[/youtube]
There are many apps that create music based on nature sounds from here on earth, but not many that can create music based on the stars in our galaxy. But that’s just what AstroCantus accomplishes.
Continue reading… “AstroCantus – iPhone app creates music from stars and galaxies”
Workers with existing “conflict” between their work and home roles tended to end the day much more tired than those who made sure there was a clear separation of the two.
Working from home might be touted as the solution for those seeking ‘work-life balance’, but a study indicates it leaves many exhasted trying to juggle both at the same time. An American academic, Professor Timothy Golden, said the experience often proved counter-productive, with home-workers caught between the demands of the office and the demands of family life.
Researchers say the new study throws into doubt previous claims that fast food restaurants were the primary cause of obesity.
Middle class families in the U.S. eat more fast food than less-healthy poor ones, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis.
Continue reading… “America’s middle class families eat more fast food than poor families: study”
A simple swab of the inside cheek will tell if your child will be a future sports star.
Is your kid the next LeBron James, Peyton Manning or Albert Pujols? A Colorado company claims it can find out through DNA testing.
Continue reading… “Colorado company claims DNA testing could help choose your kids’ sport”
The DARPA MENTOR program should boost engineering skills for high school students.
The trend to put Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology into schools continues. Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS) announced that it has been chosen by the Georgia Institute of Technology to provide its Dimension 3D Printers to select high schools across the U.S. as part of The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Manufacturing Experimentation and Outreach (MENTOR) program.
An award winning innovative invention.
The winner of this year’s James Dyson Award is one that focuses on the water crisis in Australia. A continent faced with severe droughts, it is no wonder that Edward Linacre from Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne wanted to come up with a solution that will provide fresh water where there is no source on the ground.
A press release notes, “Edward studied the Namib beetle, an ingenious species which lives in one of the driest places on earth. With half an inch of rain per year, the beetle can only survive by consuming the dew it collects on the hydrophilic skin of its back in the early mornings. Airdrop borrows this concept, working on the principle that even the driest air contains water molecules which can be extracted by lowering the air’s temperature to the point of condensation. It pumps air through a network of underground pipes, to cool it to the point at which the water condenses. Delivering water directly to the roots of plants.”
Continue reading… “Airdrop design pulls water from air to irrigate deserts”
Voting in Oregon could be as easy as reading the Wall Street Journal.
In an attempt to make voting easier for the elderly and disabled, Oregon is letting citizens in five counties cast their votes on Apple iPads.
Election workers in the counties that make up that state’s 1st Congressional District are hitting parks, nursing homes and community centers to find voters who have trouble filling out traditional mail-in paper ballots, reports the Associated Press. The district is holding a special election to replace the seat left open by ex-Rep. David Wu, who left Congress in July after allegations emerged that he had had a sexual encounter with a young woman. Oregon is the first state to try voting via iPad, according to the report…
If you don’t opt out, away they go under new law.
The problem with organ transplantation is, of course, there’s not enough donors to go around (Maybe people think that they’d need that kidney in the afterlife or something).
But could this be the solution: a proposed Welsh law where organ donation is the default and people have to “opt out” if they don’t want their organs be transplanted…
Continue reading… “Can “Opt-Out” organ donation law be the solution?”