A new way of looking at the world – “An emerging set of tools is making it easier than ever to track and compile all sorts of “data” and display it in a way that’s relatively easy to understand…”
How to Use a Cyclotron Particle Accelerator to Fight Cancer – And you thought MRI machines were big…
60 Minutes Puts Forth Laughable, Factually Incorrect MPAA Propaganda On Movie Piracy – “31 years ago, in 1978, the television program 60 Minutes put on an episode about the awful threat of “video piracy” to the movie industry. Featuring the MPAA’s Jack Valenti, the episode focused on how the VCR was going to destroy the movie business because anyone could copy and watch a movie in the privacy of their own home. Of course, in retrospect, that episode is hilariously wrong. You would think that, given how wrong they got it thirty years ago on this particular subject, 60 Minutes would be a bit more careful taking on the same subject again. No such luck…”
Scientists use computer to ‘read minds’ on screen – “Scientists have discovered how to read ‘the mind’s eye’ using a computer that can replicate what humans are seeing or recalling by monitoring their brain activity…”
To Some, Winner Is Not American Enough – “As soon as Mebrahtom Keflezighi, better known as Meb, won the New York City Marathon on Sunday, an uncommon sports dispute erupted online, fraught with racial and nationalistic components: Should Keflezighi’s triumph count as an American victory?”
How To Spam Facebook Like A Pro: An Insider’s Confession – “Did you know how Mark Zuckerberg supported Facebook in the early days, before he got venture funding? Casino ads. And how about those advertisers who were making over $100,000 a day selling Acai Berry and other weight loss products – they are friends of mine, pioneers of new advertising channels. You see those ads saying “Inbox (5). Nick, someone in San Francisco has a crush on you!” (with your name, profile picture, and city in the ad). I generated millions of dollars from these offers on Facebook – I am not proud of it, but it was very lucrative…”
Apple Wants iTunes to Replace Your Cable Box for 30 Bucks a Month – “Apple’s apparently pitching to networks a subscription plan that would deliver all your TV shows through iTunes for $30 a month, with the goal of launching it next year…”
Einstein’s Cosmic Speed Limit:
How countries spend their money – “World MAP illustrating percentages of total budgets allocated for Military, Healthcare and Education…”
First Test for Election Cryptography – “The first government election to use a new cryptographic scheme that lets both voters and auditors check that votes were cast and recorded accurately will be held tomorrow in Takoma Park, MD…”
Sahara Sun ‘to help power Europe’ – “A sustainable energy initiative that will start with a huge solar project in the Sahara desert has been announced by a consortium of 12 European businesses…”
Vision of the Future: Custom Corneas – “NASA technology that allows the Hubble telescope to focus on distant stars now offers LASIK eye surgery patients customized options for fine-tuned night vision, superior image contrast and sight even beyond 20/20. ..”
Guide To LED Technology – “LEDs have risen from their original occupation as humble indicator lamps to serving as the light source for some of today’s most advanced TVs. Electronics engineers prize the LED for its brightness and cool-running efficiency. Environmentalists and utility companies tout its low power consumption. Videophiles are warming to it for the performance enhancements it facilitates. And average consumers love the way it has slimmed their new TVs. In this article, we’ll explain how the LED works; how it’s used in current-model TVs and in the latest video projectors; and how it’s likely to be used in future displays. Of course, we can’t say exactly what the LED’s future in video will be, but we can say with a great deal of confidence that within the next 10 years, you’ll own at least one LEDbased TV — if you don’t have one already. ..”
Space arms race ‘an inevitability’ – “A TOP China air force commander has called the militarisation of space an “historical inevitability”, state media said today, marking an apparent shift in Beijing’s opposition to weaponising outer space…”
Free Energy From Air? Sorry, no. – “The neat thing about the compressed air vehicle is that the gas tank weighs less than the batteries of an electric or hybrid, and it doesn’t have all of the nasty caustic chemicals that are in a typical battery. The tank can be filled in under a minute at a compressed gas station, or overnight by plugging it in and running an electric compressor. And it can go for around 200 miles at 50-60 mph on a single tank. So it’s a reasonably practical car…”
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