Germany didn’t just abolish tuition for Germans, the ban goes for international students, too.
Lower Saxony has made itself the final state in Germany to do away with any public university tuition whatsoever. As of now, all state-run universities in the Federal Republic—legendary institutions that put the Bildung in Bildungsroman, like the Universität Heidelberg, the Universität München, or the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin—cost exactly nothing.
Journalism is being replaced
Newspapers and other media entities have had to continually expand their view of who their competition is ever since the web was invented. In the old days the competition was other newspapers, and then TV, and then after the web it became other news websites, or maybe Yahoo or Google.
Continue reading… “Journalism’s competition doesn’t even look like journalism”
In terms of balanced growth, the US is the strongest economy in the world right now.
Here are a few charts that show the state of investment around the world. The data, taken from FRED, shows the percentage change in trailing twelve month real gross fixed capital formation from 1Q 2000 levels.
Continue reading… “The state of investments around the world: Charts”
Sleep issues are complex.
If we had a pill that could give us a good sleep, it would probably be the strongest medication ever made. There have been several studies that have connected inadequate sleep to chronic diseases and shortened lifespan. But unfortunately, sleep is not that simple. In fact, it’s the one natural process that might cause the most issues for modern-day adults, with around 30 percent of the American population having some degree of sleep disruption.
Continue reading… “Top 5 most common sleep problems (and how to find relief)”
LinkedIn used its massive dataset of professionals to see what colleges where producing employees at the most desirable firms.
Only a few of the conventionally prestigious schools made the top of the list when colleges are re-ranked by how graduates do in the job market. LinkedIn mined its massive dataset of professionals to see what colleges where producing employees at the most desirable firms in a handful of industries, including finance, tech, marketing, and media.
Continue reading… “LinkedIn reranked top colleges for most desirable jobs”
Machine learning is advancing at exponential rates. Many highly skilled jobs once considered the exclusive domain of humans are increasingly being carried out by computers. That may be good or bad depending on whom you talk to. Technologists and economists tend to split into two camps, the technologists believing that innovation will cure all ills, the economists fretting that productivity gains will further divide the haves from the have-nots.
The Knox home has geothermal loops buried under the backyard.
Andrew Know, manager of Naval Facilities Energy Initiatives, decided to go “net zero” on his home in Washington, D.C. What Knox got was a true zero-energy home, done right on a budget.
Continue reading… “Naval Facilities Energy Initiatives manager goes ‘net zero’ on his home in D.C.”
The parafacial zone (PZ) in the brain stem produces half of all the brain’s sleep-promoting activity.
For the first time ever, neuroscientists have used an innovative new method to identify a circuit in the brain that promotes deep sleep, which reinvigorates the brain from its daily activities.
Continue reading… “Neuroscientists discover on/off switch in the brain for deep sleep”
Kano
Children today have access to smartphones, tablets and laptops. They are powerful and intuitive, offering the Web and an ever-growing library of apps to explore. Learning and accessing information has never been easier.
Continue reading… “Kano – a $150 DIY computer and coding kit”
Larry Hester is the 7th person in the U.S. to have a bionic eye implanted.
Thanks to bionic eye technology, people diagnosed with a degenerative eye disease are seeing a new future. And Larry Hester is the seventh person in the U.S. to have a so-called bionic eye – an Argus II Retinal Prosthesis Device — implanted. It allows him to see for the first time in 33 years. (Videos)
Continue reading… “Blind man regains partial sight thanks to bionic eye”
Consumers are embracing the digital currency even though the value of Bitcoin has fallen 55% against the dollar.
Earlier this year Mary Fons joined the Bitcoin economy. She uses the digital currency to buy gift cards and office supplies. Her partner reimburses her with Bitcoin for his portion of the rent. Thirty-five year old Fons isn’t a nerd or a self-proclaimed libertarian like many of the currency’s early adopters. She lives in New York and co-hosts the Love of Quilting show on public television. “Why Bitcoin?” she asks. “Because I want to have options. I think it’s a beautiful thing open to everyone.”
Continue reading… “Bitcoin isn’t just for anarchists and libertarians anymore”
Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser
The head of Volkswagen’s powertrain development, Dr Heinz-Jakob Neusser, thinks that electric cars with over 300 miles of range aren’t too far off. The foundation of his argument is that the energy density of electric car batteries has been improving rapidly and will continue to do so.
Continue reading… “Electric cars with 310 to 373 miles of range are possible by 2020”
By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.
Learn More about this exciting program.