Tuesday, October 22, 2013
A History of Railroad Signals - IEEE - The Institute
The telegraph and the closed-track circuit made railroads safe
A Startup Uses Fracking to Get at Clean Geothermal Power | MIT Technology Review
AltaRock has figured out how to use fracking to get more heat out of a geothermal well, but work remains before the energy source can dent carbon emissions.
Meet the machine whisperer who keeps Burning Man up and running : TreeHugger
Every year, a city springs up in the Black Rock Desert. Heavy equipment repair mechanic Rick Rea keeps the machines that keep the Burning Man equipment running, fixing generators and lifters so the festival can go on.
Seks in Japan - Vice Guide | Flabber
Japan gaat dood aan de vergrijzing. Japanners zijn namelijk niet zo burgerlijk. Trouwen, baby's, het interesseert ze niet. Sterker nog,
Graphics Processors Speed Up Twitter Visualizations | MIT Technology Review
A new database tool dramatically improves processing speeds using technology that’s already in your computer.
Scrap or Die | VICE United States
One sweltering afternoon in July, I found myself breaking and entering into a derelict warehouse on the east side of Cleveland. I was in the middle of a crash course in metal theft from a man named Ja…
Real-Time Sensor Double Checks What's in Your IV Drip - IEEE Spectrum
Errors in administering intravenous drugs are all too common, but an optical sensor that checks what's in the fluid may help
New Optics Can Capture Wide Fields in Exquisite Detail - IEEE Spectrum
Advances in monocentric lenses and image processing provide the ability to capture both the forest and the trees
The Russia Left Behind
A journey through a heartland on the slow road to ruin.
Your car is about to go open source - Computerworld
Automakers, the Linux Foundation and private developers are working to create an open-source OS for cars that would standardize up to 95% of the software in infotainment systems.
Inside Florida’s Battle With the Flesh-Eating Vibrio Vunlificus - The Daily Beast
A crabber is Florida's latest casualty of the flesh-eating bacteria Vibrio Vulnificus. Jacqui Goddard reports.
Natural Gas Could Partly Power Long-Haul Trucks and Trains | MIT Technology Review
Companies are developing powerful engines that can run on natural gas together with diesel.
See World War II play out in 7 minutes - Boing Boing
The Amazon Warehouses - Imgur
Imgur is home to the web's most popular image content, curated in real time by a dedicated community through commenting, voting and sharing.
Step into the Box
Take three industrial robots, two 4’ x 8’ canvases, and several powerful video projectors. Depending on who is doing the robot programming you may end up with a lot of broken glass and splinters, or you may end up with The Box.
4 New Ways to Smuggle Messages Across the Internet - IEEE Spectrum
SkyDe, StegTorrent, StegSuggest, and WiPad make hiding messages in plain sight—steganography—untraceable
Scrambled Code Keeps Software Safe - IEEE Spectrum
A new form of encryption could make practically unhackable code
Five Ways to Bring Broadband to the Backwoods - IEEE Spectrum
Solar-powered drones, supercheap satellites, beautiful balloons, and more
EnerJ, the Language of Good-Enough Computing - IEEE Spectrum
We could save energy in everything from smartphones to supercomputers by letting them make mistakes
These Robots Hunt Jellyfish--And Then Liquify Them With Rotating Blades Of Death | Co.Exist | ideas + impact
Huge herds of roaming jellyfish are becoming a huge problem in our ocean causing millions of dollars in damage and injury and death. The JEROS Robot...
Man cultivates tree that grows 250 different varieties of apple : TreeHugger
It would normally take acres and acres of trees to get this many apple types. Paul Barnett only had room for one.
Electronics Everything Reference Poster
[Ben] just sent us this great reference sheet. It's a poster he compiled of datasheets and various electronic references. He made it after spending too much of his time sifting through datasheets while working on projects.
Intricate Gizmos That Do Nothing but Hold Themselves Up | Wired Design | Wired.com
Grayber is a master of tension--both physical force and the emotional state.
Why Generation Y Yuppies Are Unhappy | Wait But Why
Lucy is part of Generation Y, the generation born between the late 1970s and the mid 1990s. She's a unique brand of yuppie, one who thinks they are the main character of a very special story. Only issue is this one thing: Lucy's kind of unhappy.
Remote Controls, Without the AAA Batteries - NYTimes.com
A company in San Diego, Maxwell Technologies, says it has developed a power system for remote controls that stores electricity without chemicals and can recharge in minutes. <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/remote-controls-without-the-aaa-batteries/">Read more…</a>
Santiago Calatrava Collects Critics as Well as Fans - NYTimes.com
The architect Santiago Calatrava is collecting critics as buildings develop problems.
Titanium Bullets, Rocket Sleds, and C-4: How the U.S. Tested the Safety of Nuclear Batteries - Wired Science
Back to 'Made in America' - Video - The New York Times
Watch Back to 'Made in America' video online. News and opinion video from The NYTimes including breaking news, investigative reporting, national and international coverage. Style and celebrity video.
Watch: 5 Surreal Gadgets for Surviving a Horrifying Apocalypse | Wired Design | Wired.com
Two artists asked architects, engineers and designers to imagine how life could go on in a world that looks a lot like Dune.
The global land rush : TreeHugger
Land acquisitions, whether to produce food, biofuels, or other crops, raise questions about who will benefit. Even if some of these projects can dramatically boost land productivity, will local people gain from this?
Tomato Can Blues
Charlie Rowan was a small-time cage fighter in rural Michigan who couldn’t get a break. He owed money to impatient people. He needed to start over, but didn’t know how. Then, he came up with a plan.
A Monument’s Mysteries Include Whether It Can Draw Tourists - NYTimes.com
The 237,746-pound Georgia Guidestones, inscribed with teachings in eight languages, could lead the way to prosperity for the small town of Elberton.
Belcourt Castle in Newport Gets a Face-Lift - NYTimes.com
A Gilded Age dowager in Newport gets a makeover that may finally put its troubled past to rest.
In Radical Shift, Robots Work Right Next to Auto Workers | MIT Technology Review
It used to be too dangerous to have a person work alongside a robot. But at a South Carolina BMW plant, next-generation robots are changing that.
Dancing With Black Widow Spiders - NYTimes.com
A professional outdoorsman gets to know some of the black widow spiders near his home, first as a shy, retiring pet, then as a venomous threat.
CDC Threat Report: 'We Will Soon Be in a Post-Antibiotic Era' - Wired Science
DNA Double Take - NYTimes.com
Your DNA and identity are not as entwined as once thought. In fact most people have multiple genomes floating around, from mutations and remnants of pregnancies or twins.
Video: Why young people don't want to own cars - The Globe and Mail
Why are under-30s turning their backs on car ownership? Julian Satterthwaite reports from the Frankfurt Motor Show on what's driving the trend - and what manufacturers can do to encourage young drivers back behind the wheel.
No Tech Magazine: DIY Glaciers: a Low-Cost Alternative to Dams
"A remote Indian village is responding to global warming-induced water shortages by creating large masses of ice to get through the dry spring months. People in Skara and surrounding villages survive by growing crops such as barley for their own...
BBC News - Norway: Is world’s largest sovereign wealth fund too big?
Norway's sovereign wealth fund is forecast to be worth $1tr by 2020, but the debate in Oslo is not whether to split the fund - but when to split it, writes the BBC's Matthew Price.
Wasabi Empire: B.C. growers backed by top-secret technology challenge Japanese domination of world market | National Post
Backed by 20 years of secret Canadian-led research, a budding network of high-tech greenhouses is emerging in B.C. to churn out one of the world’s most finicky crops
No Tech Magazine: How to Keep Beverages Cool Outside the Refrigerator
In the industrialized world, we know only of one way to cool beverages: place containers in refrigerators. This practice, which occurs on a massive scale, is utterly dependent on fossil fuels. However, people obtained the same result much more sustainably...
No Tech Magazine: A Mattress that Lasts a Lifetime
"Our mattress is worn out. We need a new one, but I’ve been dreading buying a new one. I don’t like the waste of it all: The ignoble dragging of the old mattress to the curb. The prospect of sleeping...
The Tesla Model S and Ford Model T kicked off revolutions in mobility | Digital Trends
Over 100 years ago, the Ford Model T started a revolution in transportation. Now, the Tesla Model S is doing the same thing, and it's not just because it's an EV.
Watch: Jaw-Dropping Software Makes 3-D Models From Any Photo | Wired Design | Wired.com
Tao Chen hopes that 3-Sweep can finally democratize 3-D design.
This Insect Has The Only Mechanical Gears Ever Found in Nature | Surprising Science
The small hopping insect Issus coleoptratus uses toothed gears on its joints to precisely synchronize the kicks of its hind legs as it jumps forward
Frameless Geodesic Dome
The Eel World: Inside Maine's Wild Elver Turf War
In an economically depressed Maine county, Bill Sheldon is the kingpin of a $40 million baby-eel industry that may be doomed to extinction....
A Race to Save the Orange by Altering Its DNA - NYTimes.com
Growers turned to genetics in hopes of building a tougher orange tree. But would the public accept genetically modified food?
A nation of $100,000 firefighters - The Globe and Mail
We need them, but we can’t afford them, due to exorbitant wages and excessive ‘down time’
Are smart people really less racist or just better at hiding it? - The Globe and Mail
New study conducted by University of Michigan analyzed the racial position of more than 20,000 white Americans
It took 26 years and $200K, but Jeff Horley’s wooden sailboat — complete with Jacuzzi — is finally seaworthy | National Post
The advent of fiberglass sailboats killed the wood boat market 50 years ago. Meaning Jim Horley is old school, a hobbyist with a thing for African mahogany
The Juggalo Cult | Washington Free Beacon
Cave-In-Rock, Ill., population around 300, is not an ideal site for a hedonistic pilgrimage. The entire town smells of fresh cut grass, and there seem to be more grain silos than homes. Blue tarps hang from telephone poles advertising protestant churches and Bible verses.
BBC News - Poverty significantly saps our mental abilities say researchers
Researchers say that being poor can significantly impact a person's mental resources, leaving less capacity for other tasks.
Longreads - 'Like Being in Prison with a Salary': The Secret World of the Shipping Industry
'Like Being in Prison with a Salary': The Secret World of the Shipping Industry Rose George | Metropolitan Books | August 2013 | 17 minutes (4,213 words) Photo by Steve Gibson The following is the...
Murder by Craigslist - Hanna Rosin - The Atlantic
A serial killer finds a newly vulnerable class of victims: white, working-class men.
Start-up Profile: Axiflux - IEEE Spectrum
Although smaller and smarter, software-controlled electric motors and generators are a difficult sell
Risk Ahoy: Maersk, Daewoo Build the World's Biggest Boat - Businessweek
Every weekday morning in Okpo, a former fishing village near the heel of the Korean Peninsula, the streets fill with men and women—on bicycles, motorcycles, scooters, and on foot—in the matching gray jackets of Daewoo Shipbuilding Marine Engineering. The commuters stream down the hill from the
Male Sensitivity Written in the Genes - NYTimes.com
A crucial gene on the Y chromosome, SRY, that activates male development in a human embryo is surprisingly sensitive and vulnerable to environmental factors, a study finds.
They’re Taking Over! by Tim Flannery | The New York Review of Books
SpaceX's futuristic rocket design toolkit - Boing Boing
Kickstarting an open source hardware "machine shop in a box" - 3D printer/etcher/mill - Boing Boing
Trying to Shame Dune Holdouts at Jersey Shore - NYTimes.com
Townspeople are using various tactics to pressure more than 1,000 homeowners who are standing in the way of building a protective barrier along the coast.
Drum maniacs Buddy Rich and Ed Shaughnessy, 1978 - Boing Boing
BBC News - 'Walkie-Talkie' skyscraper melts Jaguar car parts
A new London skyscraper dubbed the "Walkie-Talkie" is blamed for reflecting light which melted parts of a car parked on a nearby street.
The STEM Crisis Is a Myth - IEEE Spectrum
Forget the dire predictions of a looming shortfall of scientists, technologists, engineers, and mathematicians
▶ Jeremy Clarkson: War Stories: THE GREATEST RAID OF ALL - YouTube
THE GREATEST RAID OF ALL "What a story it is, straight out of a Commando comic book." the guardian Jeremy Clarkson tells the story of one of the most daring ...
How GM makes a car sound like what a car is supposed to sound like — Thoughtful Design — Medium
During the car sales pitch, there is a moment when you first get behind the wheel. You hit the ignition, the engine turn…
Four-stroke engine with glass cylinder is a 2400 RPM piece of art
We know a lot about toggling bits in a register, but only a bit about how engines work. This one inspires us to throw ourselves into the field with reckless abandon. [Huib Visser] built this glass cylinder four-stroke engine and he took great care to make it beautiful.
A New Role for Amazon: An Engine for Jobs - NYTimes.com
American technology companies like Apple have been criticized for outsourcing manufacturing of their gadgets to China, rather than employing people to do the work in the United States. But one tech icon, Amazon, plans to announce it is creating more than 5,000 new full-time jobs in its United States warehouses to handle growing customer demand, as the Internet retailer seeks to draw more attention to the working-class jobs it is creating at home. <a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/28/a-new-role-for-amazon-an-engine-for-jobs/">Read more…</a>
What Can Old Menus From Hawaii Tell Us About Changing Ocean Health? | Surprising Science
A study of vintage menus reveals the drastic decline of the state's local fish populations between 1900 and 1950
The Confessions of Convicted Swedish Serial Killer Sture Bergwall, AKA Thomas Quick
He's a convicted serial killer who confessed to the brutal murders of over thirty people in Sweden. But Sture Bergwall's latest revelation may be his most terrifying
The New Bronze Age: We're Entering the Era of Tough Ore
Worries about oil and gas hog the airwaves. But copper is also essential to keep the world running. We have entered the era of tough ore.
3-Bee printing: tricking bees into making wax sculptures - Boing Boing
Some phones can be pwned by sending two SMS messages to them - Boing Boing
BBC News - Viewpoint: Could one man have shortened the Vietnam War?
Malcolm Gladwell on the little-known defence analyst who might have changed the course of the Vietnam War - if only people had listened to him.
Urban chickens increasingly being abandoned by 'hipster farmers,' advocacy group says - The Globe and Mail
Chicken Run Rescue, a group that provides temporary shelter and vet care to abandoned chickens, says the problem is that “hipster farmers” don’t understand what they’re getting into when they decide to purchase chickens for their backyard.
Mega quarry land north of Toronto bought by burgeoning farm fund Bonnefield | Financial Post
A controversial plan to build a massive quarry in rolling farmland north of Toronto appears officially dead in the water after a US$20-billion hedge fund in Boston agreed to sell the land on which the project was to be located
Mystery Theater: Season of the Witch Covers
Adrian Carton de Wiart - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opinion: Stop trashing millennials - CNN.com
Award-winning political cartoonist Matt Bors drew this comic strip after rage-reading too many millennial-bashing articles.
A tiny house mostly made of mushrooms : TreeHugger
Ecovative Design creates a wonderful new product that could revolutionize green building. But it is a work in progress.
Elke man heeft ooit deze conversatie met een vrouw gehad | Flabber
Deze sketch slaat de spijker echt op de kop als het gaat om de gemiddelde conversatie tussen een man en een vrouw.
Edward Snowden: Can a refrigerator function as a Faraday Cage? - Boing Boing
Costco CEO Craig Jelinek Leads the Cheapest, Happiest Company in the World - Businessweek
Joe Carcello has a great job. The 59-year-old has an annual salary of $52,700, gets five weeks of vacation a year, and is looking forward to retiring on the sizable nest egg in his 401(k), which his employer augments with matching funds. After 26 years at his company, he’s not worried about
Archimedes - Separating Myth From Science - NYTimes.com
Death rays notwithstanding, Archimedes’s discoveries, including his screw, are still inspiring modern-day inventions.
Oh, Canada - By Andrew Nikiforuk | Foreign Policy
10 things Generation Y won’t tell you - MarketWatch
They might have occupied Wall Street, but for the babies of the baby boomers, it’s top 1% or bust.
Raspberry Pi Bluetooth In/Out Board or "Who's Home"
I wanted to create an electronic In/Out Board. The type you may have to record who is present or not in a company or home. It is usually placed by the...
Echolocation by Smartphone Possible - IEEE Spectrum
A burst of sound and a pair of microphones may be enough to map simple rooms
Nat Geo Mines Its Unpublished Archives for Precious Gems | Raw File | Wired.com
Along with earning a reputation for publishing some of the world’s finest photojournalism over the years, National Geographic has also accrued a backlog of unpublished photos as vast as the Kalahari. So for the Yellow Box's 125th birthday this year, its editors launched a Tumblr to surface some of its otherwise forgotten images.
Things of Intrinsic Worth shows how coal power damages Montana's ranching lifestyle : TreeHugger
Things of Intrinsic Worth is a feature-length documentary which focuses on the ways coal mining is harming the livelihoods of Montana ranchers.
A tribute to James Gandolfini at Holsten’s Ice Cream shop in New Jersey, and on HBO - Boing Boing
Ex-Google Man Brings Linux to World of Networking | Wired Enterprise | Wired.com
J.R. Rivers once built networking gear for Google. And he'll tell you about it.
Ancient Roman Concrete Is About to Revolutionize Modern Architecture - Businessweek
After 2,000 years, a long-lost secret behind the creation of one of the world’s most durable man-made creations ever—Roman concrete—has finally been discovered by an international team of scientists, and it may have a significant impact on how we build cities of the future.
Tricky Ways to Pull Down a Skyscraper - NYTimes.com
Engineers in Japan are perfecting more efficient, and stealthier, demolition methods.
How the Revival of Postwar Germany Began - NYTimes.com
Germany’s economic recovery began 65 years ago this week when a strong-willed economist laid out the path forward and the United States, Britain and France followed it, an economist writes.
How Technology Is Destroying Jobs | MIT Technology Review
Automation is reducing the need for people in many jobs. Are we facing a future of stagnant income and worsening inequality?
Cheap Batteries for Backup Renewable Energy | MIT Technology Review
A battery made of cheap materials could store power when it’s windy for use when it’s not.
What Paintbrush Makers Know About How to Beat China - NYTimes.com
Change your business all the time. Or don’t ever change a thing.
What Paintbrush Makers Know About How to Beat China - NYTimes.com
Change your business all the time. Or don’t ever change a thing.
Cheaper Ways to Capture Carbon Dioxide | MIT Technology Review
Techniques developed at MIT and Pacific Northwest National Lab could make it more affordable to burn fossil fuels without releasing carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
Bloomberg Plan Aims to Require Food Composting - NYTimes.com
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who has built a name for pushing ambitious causes in New York, is rolling out a plan to begin requiring residents to collect their food scraps.
An Arid Arizona City Manages Its Thirst - NYTimes.com
There is a certain curiosity about the way water is used in Phoenix, which gets barely eight inches of rain a year but is not necessarily parched.
Video of Cambodia's homebrew "bamboo railroad" - Boing Boing
Cliff Young (athlete) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This eco-friendly sanitizer is safe, sustainable, and effective : TreeHugger
Here's a non-toxic and cost-effective solution for kiling bacteria and viruses everywhere, from locker rooms to boardrooms, and from daycares to nursing homes.
More evidence that we have reached "Peak Car" : TreeHugger
Is it a new reality, or a blip caused by the crummy economy?
Short video about Detroit makerspace - Boing Boing
3-D printed part from an airplane turbine - Boing Boing
Pollution in Northern Hemisphere helped cause 1980s African drought | UW Today
Abandoned Oil Wells Raise Fears of Pollution - NYTimes.com
Abandoned oil field equipment is a common problem in Texas, but some fear that the recent surge in drilling will set off worrisome encounters with old wells.
China to Build Panama Canal Bypass Through Nicaragua
since the start of Washington’s global war on terror its grip on South America has been slipping. The latest sign of this is the news that China will build a canal through Nicaragua
An engineering solution to preserve coastal biodiversity : TreeHugger
Dr. Louise Firth designs a solution to threatened biodiversity on Galway's shores.
New Rapid Malaria Test Uses Magnets and a Laser - NYTimes.com
A student-professor team at Case Western Reserve University has invented a hand-held malaria detector that magnetizes the innards of malaria parasites.
DVE Comedy Festival - Bert Kreischer - The Machine - YouTube
Bert Kreischer tells about the time he travels to Russia, gets the nickname "The Machine" and robs a train with the Russian Mob. NBD!, just another day in th...
Millennials Are the Unluckiest Generation - NationalJournal.com
Entering the workforce during a recession puts young people behind from the start.
David Arenberg And Surviving Prison - Business Insider
"When I went to prison, it was the first time in my life that I really stood out as a Jew."
Living On Bitcoin For A Week: The Journey Begins - Forbes
I'm living on Bitcoin for a week. Here's to hoping I survive to tell the tale.
Nanosponges Soak Up Antibiotic-resistant Bacteria and Toxins - IEEE Spectrum
Survival rates in mice infected with deadly bacteria dramatically increase when administered the nanosponges
BBC News - Choco pies: The smuggled treats of North Korea
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes reports from Seoul on the DVDs and chocolate treats being smuggled into North Korea.
BBC News - A Point Of View: Ghosts in the material world
John Gray revives the memory of a supernatural Walter de la Mare story to discuss materialism - the theory that only matter exists.
My father, the good Nazi - FT.com
Haggenberg Schloss Haggenberg is an imposing 17th-century baroque castle about an hour’s drive north of Vienna and a little short of Austria’s border with Slovakia. Built around an enclosed courtyard, it stands four storeys high, a foreboding stone
Photos Of Freight Train Hoppers - Business Insider
Drifters.
Linguists identify 15,000-year-old ‘ultraconserved words’ - The Washington Post
Researchers identify two dozen words whose sound and meaning have survived the past 15,000 years.
BBC News - Nordic ferries go gas-powered
The BBC's Malcolm Brabant sails on a new Nordic eco-friendly passenger ship, powered by liquefied natural gas.
BBC News - North Korea's silent football matches
Tim Hartley on the eerie silence and subdued atmosphere at a football match in Pyongyang.
Study: Men's Biceps Predict Their Political Ideologies - Lindsay Abrams - The Atlantic
Positions on economic redistribution correlated with upper-body strength.
Crack Rock City - The Morning News
An online magazine, published weekdays.
Thousands of spans in U.S. similar to collapsed Washington bridge at risk - The Globe and Mail
These ‘fracture critical’ bridges, while not structurally deficient, can be crippled if they are struck hard enough in the wrong spot
Old Economy Steve Is A New Meme That Will Enrage All Millennials Everywhere
Drives up federal deficit for 30 years, hands the bill to his kids. ..
The Age of Plenty - IEEE Spectrum
Feeding the World With Big Data - IEEE Spectrum
Agriculture experts say that open data could lift people out of poverty
Smartwatch Saves Battery Life with Two Processors - IEEE Spectrum
The Agent, a crowd-funded smartwatch, offers a second, low-power processor, wireless charging, and fashion-forward design
Here's Your Smart Lock of the Future, Today
In an ever increasing world of connected smart things, the most important home appliance, the front door lock, is just now getting automated. August, co-founded by Yves Behar and Jason Johnson, today announced the company's first product, a $200 lock aptly named Smart Lock. Now you never have to pull out your key or even your phone when your hands are full. You don't even need extra copies to dole out to friends and family.
Eco-minded 204 sq. ft. tiny home packs in tons of thoughtful details (Video) : TreeHugger
This wife-and-husband, designer-and-builder team created their own modern tiny home to realize the dream of simplifying their lives, while saving money.
Nuclear waste site on Lake Huron concerns Michigan, Sarnia - Technology & Science - CBC News
The mayor of Sarnia, Ont., is rallying opposition to Ontario Power Generation's plan to store nuclear waste underground on the shores of Lake Huron.
Breakthrough clean gold mining technique replaces cyanide with... cornstarch! : TreeHugger
Mining gold's a dirty business. To extract gold from raw ore, a lot of cyanide is required, and wherever a lot of cyanide is found, there are also big environmental risks.
Dear Subaru: It's a bad idea to call your target audience a bunch of smelly loud bums : TreeHugger
The car company has been stereotyped for years, but that hasn't stopped them from peddling every tired cliche about transit.
London is building a power plant that burns waste fat from sewers : TreeHugger
The discarded fat that can clog the sewer system will now be used as a renewable energy source.
Technology can turn waste heat into electricity at temperatures as low as 86 degrees : TreeHugger
We've seen heat-to-electricity technologies that work with high temperatures, but this new breakthrough could allow waste heat to be harnessed from many more sources.
Rethink Robotics Opens Up Baxter Robot For Researchers - IEEE Spectrum
Researchers now have access to an open source SDK to "hack" Baxter
Trouble on the farm: 'We face a grim future' - NBC News.com
Jim Schriver has been farming since he graduated from Ohio State University in 1963. The 72-year-old grandfather of two grows corn,...
The Future of the Assembly Line - IEEE Spectrum
The assembly line was invented 100 years ago. It’s time to invent the disassembly line
Scientists say united on global warming, at odds with public view | Reuters
OSLO (Reuters) - Ninety-seven percent of scientists say global warming is mainly man-made but a wide public belief that experts are divided is making it harder to gain support for policies to curb climate
Study finds mice in New York City are evolving : TreeHugger
Cancel your expedition to the Galapagos; evidence of evolution may be closer to home than you thought.
Pinging the Whole Internet Reveals Unsecured Backdoors That Could Tempt Hackers and Cyber Criminals | MIT Technology Review
A home science experiment that probed billions of Internet devices reveals that thousands of industrial and business systems offer remote access to anyone.
Clever MIT floating wind turbines can store power for when the wind doesn't blow : TreeHugger
Wind and solar are growing rapidly worldwide, but because the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow, we need to find more ways to store energy.
How Big A Backyard Do You Need To Live Off The Land? | Visual.ly
More and more people are turning away from grocery stores and utility companies in favor of their own back yard. The idea of becoming self-sufficient
World Population By Latitude, Longitude | Geekosystem
Radical cartographer and Harvard grad student Bill Rankin devised these fascinating maps, which show the sum of all population living at each degree of latitude or longitude circa 2000. As you can see above, there's quite a northerly bias: According to Rankin, roughly 88 percent of the world's population lives in the Northern Hemisphere, with about half north of 27 degrees north.Rankin: Taking the northern and southern hemispheres together, on average the world’s population lives 24 degrees from the equator. Longitude map below: This time, the East wins handily.
Japanese Scientist Blames China for Yakushima’s Dying Trees - NYTimes.com
Osamu Nagafuchi has warned for years that a die-off among pine trees on Yakushima island is caused by pollution from China. Now he is being taken more seriously.
Ontario intervenes to save research station shuttered by Ottawa - The Globe and Mail
Premier Kathleen Wynne says Ontario is willing to ‘put operating dollars’ into the Experimental Lakes Area
Why aren’t younger Americans driving anymore?
What If We Never Run Out of Oil? - Charles C. Mann - The Atlantic
New technology and a little-known energy source suggest that fossil fuels may not be finite. This would be a miracle—and a nightmare.
Wat gebeurt er als je een natte doek uitwringt in de ruimte? | Flabber
Het kost een paar miljard, maar dan weet je mooi wél hoe het er uitziet als je een nat doekje uitwringt in space.
Ford to Test Heating and Cooling System That Could Improve the Range of Its Electric Vehicles | MIT Technology Review
A prototype system can heat and cool without draining battery power.
pgcF7ry.jpg (JPEG Image, 2048 × 1366 pixels) - Scaled (65%)
Interactive: Stash Your Cash | International Consortium of Investigative Journalists
Ontario paying a high price for Green Energy Act | Full Comment | National Post
The handy thing about the Ontario Liberals’ mishandling of the energy file, as an example of poor governance, is that there is really something for everyone
Dan Gilbert’s Quest to Remake Downtown Detroit - NYTimes.com
Against tall odds, Dan Gilbert, the Quicken Loans chairman, is putting down money to revive a two-square-mile area that was once Detroit’s core.
New Solar Process Gets More Out of Natural Gas - NYTimes.com
Scientists are developing a way to use energy from the sun to increase efficiency and reduce emissions at natural gas power plants.
Report Published on 3 Who Died From H7N9 Bird Flu - NYTimes.com
The report, by researchers from China, was published with commentary from American health officials, who said the disease “raised many urgent questions.”
New Guidelines Call for Changes in Science Education - NYTimes.com
New standards for curriculum, which at least 26 states have pledged to consider, take a firm stand on climate change and evolution and emphasize hands-on learning.
Progress is leaving Alberta’s historic grain elevators in its wake | Canada | News | National Post
These icons of prairie architecture have disappeared at an alarming rate. From a peak of 1,700 in the 1930s, the Alberta government now knows of only about 120
Morrissey: 'Thatcher Was a Terror Without an Atom of Humanity' - The Daily Beast
Singer Morrissey reacts to news of the death of former U.K. Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
How a Leafy Folk Remedy Stopped Bedbugs in Their Tracks - NYTimes.com
Hooks on the bean leaf exploit thinner areas in the bedbug’s exoskeleton to trap it, scientists have discovered.
Rodents of Unusual Size - a documentary about 20-lb rats in Louisiana - Boing Boing
Build your own transformer bed that turns into a desk : TreeHugger
Graham Phakos did, with an interesting design that does everything the expensive Italian jobs do.
DPRK: The Land Of Whispers (North Korea Travel Documentary) (2013) - YouTube
North Korea lies somewhere between a 1930′s Soviet Union frozen in time and a dark, futuristic vision of society... as imagined back in the 70′s. "Land of Wh...
Video: NASA's Best Views of Earth From Space in 2012 | Wired Science | Wired.com
This great collection of images of Earth from space come from several different satellites as well as the International Space Station. There are awesome shots of glaciers and sea ice, city lights at night and sand dunes. Some of the best stuff involves dynamic data visualizations that start at 1:22 in the video and show things like the winds during hurricane Sandy, changing sea surface temperatures and ocean currents.
Vertical-Axis Wind-Turbines Might Increase Wind Power Output | MIT Technology Review
A Caltech researcher thinks arrays of tiny wind turbines could produce cheaper power than big ones.
Los Angeles Plan to Turn Pollution Into Drinking Water - NYTimes.com
Storm runoff is the primary source of water pollution in Southern California, but cities are being encouraged to capture rainwater to bolster groundwater supplies.
BuildIts: Electric Tricycle
Wary of Events in China, Foreign Investors Head to Cambodia - NYTimes.com
Foreign companies are flocking to Cambodia as a way to limit their overwhelming reliance on factories in China.
Nature Blows My Mind! The ocellated icefish has transparent blood and no scales : TreeHugger
The almost infinite variety of life on Earth keeps surprising and puzzling us.
zHBaA.jpg (JPEG Image, 300 × 224 pixels)
Why is Ottawa abandoning swaths of prairie grassland? - The Globe and Mail
After almost 80 years, parcels of virgin sod almost twice the size of PEI are leaving federal protection
How Machiavelli Saved My Family by Suzanne Evans - WSJ.com
At the end of her rope with four young kids, a mother turns to an unlikely adviser—and learns how hardheaded rule can secure stability and happiness in the home.
A Slice of London So Exclusive Even the Owners Are Visitors - NYTimes.com
For many recent superwealthy foreign buyers, London is just a stop in a peripatetic international existence that might also include New York, Moscow and Monaco.
Ice That Took 1,600 Years to Form in Peru’s Andes Melted in Only 25, Scientists Say - NYTimes.com
Scientists say the rapid melting of the Quelccaya ice cap, the world’s largest tropical ice sheet, is the latest sign of global warming.
China Escalates Response to Avian Flu Outbreak - NYTimes.com
China escalated its response to a mysterious avian-borne virus on Friday, warning people to avoid live poultry and killing more than 20,000 birds at a Shanghai market.
Happy Simcoe Day, Ontario: A Holiday Celebrating a Great Planner : TreeHugger
It is a statutory holiday in most of Canada today, usually called something banal like "civic holiday"; it is simply a way to give Canadians an extra long weekend in our extra-short summers. In Toronto, they call it Simcoe Day, in honour of John Graves
Top Tech Cars 2013: Mazda6 - IEEE Spectrum
Japan unveils the diesel engine with the least compression
Top Tech Cars 2013: Infiniti Q50 - IEEE Spectrum
Today, drive by wire; tomorrow, drive by robot
Scientist links crude oil to fish deformities, asks Canada to investigate - Yahoo! News Canada
From Yahoo! News Canada: OTTAWA - A renowned Canadian scientist says there appear to be similarities between fish deformities found downstream from Alberta's oilsands and those observed after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska and Florida's Deepwater Horizon disaster.
The future of jobs in Canada - Business - Macleans.ca
The Jobs Report: The biggest threat facing the economy is a massive shortage of qualified workers
The Internet 'Narcissism Epidemic' - Bill Davidow - The Atlantic
Don't let popularity set your standard.
Why a BA is Now a Ticket to A Job in a Coffee Shop - The Daily Beast
The number of jobs requiring high-skilled labor has declined.
Do Millennials Stand a Chance in the Real World? - NYTimes.com
The members of Generation Y have developed an obsession with money — partly because they don’t have any.
Flushed Drugs May Threaten Stream Ecologies | Wired Science | Wired.com
Most streams that flow near cities and towns are laced with drugs that escape from sewage treatment plants or pharmaceutical factories. Although often occurring at concentrations of a few parts per trillion, these compounds can nevertheless hurt aquatic life, turning male fish into female fish with hormones or giving them the munchies with anti-anxiety medication. Now comes the first study that shows an effect of drugs on the base of the food web -- the nutritious microbial slime that covers the streambed.
Airports in China Hew to an Unswerving Flight Path - NYTimes.com
Terminal 2 at Hongqiao International Airport demonstrates China’s ability to move huge projects forward efficiently.
Alfred Anaya Put Secret Compartments in Cars. So the DEA Put Him in Prison | Threat Level | Wired.com
Alfred Anaya was a genius at installing traps — secret compartments in cars that can hide everything from weed to jewelry to guns. And if they were used to smuggle drugs without his knowledge, he figured, that wasn't his problem. He was wrong.
Coal mining? No. Fertilizer production in China : TreeHugger
There are many industries that do tremendous environmental damage yet remain out of the spotlight, especially in countries like China where environmental protection is just starting to truly get going.
Wind energy generator produces electricity from water droplets : TreeHugger
The EWICON wind energy generator has no moving parts and is completely silent.
FAIL of WIN: LITTLE BIG - Everyday I'm Drinking | Flabber
LITTLE BIG zijn een soort Russische kruising tussen New Kids en Die Antwoord. Vodka zuipend en super
Dragonflies, Nature’s Deadly Drone, but Prettier - NYTimes.com
New research suggests that dragonflies may well be the most brutally effective hunters in the animal kingdom.
China Announces 4 New Bird Flu Cases - NYTimes.com
A new strain is believed to have already killed two people and left one in critical condition.
Shameful! Even Antarctica's King George Island is full of trash : TreeHugger
King George Island is relatively ice-free and easy to access, at least compared to most of the rest of Antarctica, so it is an ideal spot for research stations.
The Secret World of 'Garbagemen' - Heather Horn - The Atlantic
An anthropologist joins the ranks of the underappreciated sanitation workers of New York City. The result? An eye-opening account of the mysterious and dangerous world of trash.
Here’s How to Magically Cook Scrambled Eggs in the Shell -- Grub Street New York
The one cooking tip you never knew you wanted.
Is This a Pandemic Being Born? - By Laurie Garrett | Foreign Policy
What happens if North Korea collapses? - The Week
Pyongyang is threatening nuclear war. But that might not even be the worst-case scenario
Turn Empty Water Bottles Into Alcohol Fueled Rockets
Not long ago I was challenged to create a project using a water bottle that could be displayed in a one minute long video. While I missed the one minu...
UK to plant 250,000 ash trees to outwit deadly fungus : TreeHugger
Ash trees are under attack in the UK, a deadly fungus is causing a lot of damage and so far there's not much we can do.
A Toxic Tour of Canada's Chemical Valley | VICE United States
The most shocking thing about Sarnia, Ontario’s “Chemical Valley” is that people actually live there. More than 60 oil refineries and petrochemical plants—40 percent of Canada’s total chemical industr…
Why do coins have ridges? — Ask HISTORY — History Q&A
4,000 men, 1 day, 175,000 lunches delivered : TreeHugger
Watch this video on how a group of men hand-deliver 175,000 meals a day across Mumbai, and get inspired about how their system could be used for distributing food in other locations.
The Gene Machine and Me - IEEE Spectrum
Ion Torrent’s chip-based genome sequencer is cheap, fast, and poised to revolutionize medicine
Who Lives Longest? - NYTimes.com
What Swedish babies and the Stone Age can teach us about life expectancy and income inequality.
Extremely Bad Advice: Art School Consequential | Arts | National Post
Dear Steve, I thought art college would be a stress-free promised land of like-minded people with purple hair and nose rings, but it turned out to be just like high school, only harder and everyone has purple hair and nose rings.
China, Russia, and India Put Nuclear on Fast-Forward at International Atomic Energy Agency Conference | MIT Technology Review
Fast reactors can shrink nuclear-waste stockpiles, but can designers tame the inherent hazards?
Meet the Man with a Cheap and Easy Plan to Stop Global Warming | MIT Technology Review
Intentionally engineering Earth’s atmosphere to offset rising temperatures could be far more doable than you imagine, says David Keith. But is it a good idea?
Berkshire's BNSF Railway to Test Switch to Natural Gas - WSJ.com
Berkshire Hathaway's BNSF Railway plans to test using natural gas to power locomotives instead of diesel, potentially weakening oil's dominance as a fuel amid a gas glut.
Old 8-storey tall grain silos re-adapted for ice climbing : TreeHugger
Thanks to a bit of creative reuse, these icons of the Midwest have been converted into challenging ice climbing walls for beginners and seasoned climbers alike.
House-eating invasive species of giant snail found in Australian port : TreeHugger
File this one under "we think we've just dodged a bullet". Invasive species are a huge problem in general, but even moreso in ecosystems that are isolated.
How to Stock Your Disaster Pantry - Popular Mechanics
As part of our April cover story on surviving anything, PopMech set up our own disaster pantry. Here's our guide to a sensible backup food supply that will sustain a family for a month.
Charlie LeDuff Golfs the Length of Detroit - YouTube
Fox 2's Charlie Leduff sets on a mission to golf from 8 Mile Road to Belle Isle, in a attempt to learn more about the city and it's citizens. What he discove...
The Streetlight of the Future Will Do So Much More Than Light Your Street - Emily Badger - The Atlantic Cities
It could also catch criminals, broadcast WiFi and... detect meth labs?
Packing 123 Horsepower - NYTimes.com
With the help of turbos, automakers are producing powerful but fuel efficient 3-cylinder engines. A Ford triple, as the engines are called, is small enough to fit into a suitcase.
Australian pop-out camper that is full of well-thought-out features - Boing Boing
De beste en slimste wiskundeleraar ooit | Flabber
Deze awesome wiskundeleraar bewijst dat je met een inventieviteit en humor het écht niet zo moeilijk is om de aandacht van leerlingen erbij te
Kickstarter campaign aims to reinvent the flywheel : TreeHugger
The new take on the technology uses more flexible materials to make it significantly cheaper.
Can a Radical New Treatment Save Children With Severe Food Allergies? - NYTimes.com
An experimental new treatment seeks to release children from the terror of severe food allergies.
Kinect Fusion Lets You Build 3-D Models of Anything - IEEE Spectrum
The new API will make it easy to generate 3-D models with a handheld Kinect
The Pain of Electricity (AC versus DC) - YouTube
Have you always wondered if you electrocuted yourself, which type of electricity would hurt more: AC (Alternating Current) or DC (Direct Current)? Wait no mo...
Mother Teresa was 'anything but a saint,' new Canadian study claims - The Globe and Mail
In a study to be published this month in Religieuses, a French-language journal of studies in religion and sciences, they suggest the nun’s approach to caring for the sick was to glorify human suffering instead of relieving it
Viral Video Shows the Extent of U.S. Wealth Inequality
The matter of wealth inequality in the United States is well known, but this video shows you the extent of that inequality in dramatic and graphic fashion.
‘Cyprien Gaillard - The Crystal World,’ at MoMA PS1 - NYTimes.com
Cyprien Gaillard’s solo show at MoMA PS1 uses film, photography and artifacts to show that the hubris of every civilization, including ours, will have its just reward.
WikiHouse pioneers do-it-yourself home building
WikiHouse is putting a new spin on old-time barn-raising with a free online resource that lets people put homes together the same way they might a giant jigsaw puzzle.
With Iowa Swabian Hall, a Farmer’s Quest for Perfect Pig - NYTimes.com
Carl Edgar Blake II is trying to breed the perfect pig — fatty, meaty and flavorful — in hopes of transforming an industry. The early reviews have been promising.
3D printed HOG drive
Here's a 3D printed Hemispherical Omnidirectional Gimballed Drive system which you can make at home. That's a mouthful which is why it is commonly referred to as a HOG drive.
Lion Monument - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Farm Features « Centre for Sustainable Food Systems at UBC Farm
Bobbit Worm - Dinner time on Vimeo
Bobbit Worms are a very strange nocturnal predatory worm. They have most of their bodies buried in the sand, with just their frightening looking pincers showing. I…
Books: Robin Nagle's 'Picking Up'
In her new book 'Picking Up,' New York University anthropologist Robin Nagle explores one of the most dangerous, invisible professions: sanitation worker.
Wade Davis: Gorgeous photos of a backyard wilderness worth saving | Video on TED.com
Ethnographer Wade Davis explores hidden places in the wider world -- but in this powerful short talk he urges us to save a paradise in his backyard, Northern Canada. The Sacred Headwaters, remote and pristine, are under threat because they hide rich tar sands. With stunning photos, Davis asks a tough question: How can we balance society's need for fuels with the urge to protect such glorious wilderness?
BBC News - The church dome painted by graffiti artists
Two graffiti artists in Spain have decorated the ceiling of the dome of a church near Barcelona - at the request of the priest.
A School in the Cloud and the Future of Learning | Wired Business | Wired.com
Professor Sugata Mitra is developing an entirely new approach to education, one that could dismantle a centuries-old way of teaching.
Seed lending library - Boing Boing
What most schools don't teach - YouTube
Learn about a new "superpower" that isn't being taught in in 90% of US schools. Starring Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, will.i.am, Chris Bosh, Jack Dorsey, Ton...
The Internet Needs a Plan B | Wired Business | Wired.com
Internet and computer pioneer Danny Hillis thinks the internet needs a backup, a Plan B.
3-D Printed Car Is as Strong as Steel, Half the Weight, and Nearing Production | Autopia | Wired.com
The future of urban runabouts will be ultra lightweight, electrically powered and 3D-printed... if Jim Kor has his way.
Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why should you believe in world peace? - Slate Magazine
Is pessimism a biological trait, implanted in our ancestors by natural selection, or a learned, culturally inculcated propensity? Either way, it's awfully widespread these days. Almost everyone I know seems glum, especially about the prospects for a more peaceful world. A year ago, at a military-history powwow, I asked a...
Ant Species Losing Ground to Venomous Kind - NYTimes.com
An aggressive species is being displaced in North America by a more aggressive — and potentially dangerous — species, according to a new study.
Drugged - High On Alcohol Documentairenet.nl
Er zijn tientallen documentaires te vinden over drugsverslaving, toch gaat het 9/10 keer niet over die drugs die sociaal geaccepteerd is, namelijk alcohol.
The Norwegian prison where inmates are treated like people | Society | The Guardian
On Bastoy prison island in Norway, the prisoners, some of whom are murderers and rapists, live in conditions that critics brand 'cushy' and 'luxurious'. Yet it has by far the lowest reoffending rate in…
BBC News - Why speaking English can make you poor when you retire
A controversial theory by a US economist says the grammar of the languages we speak can determine how much money we save, and how healthy we are.
BBC News - France hopes for help from above in Six Nations
France was among the favourites to win the Six Nations but, after two defeats, they will be hoping for help from above.
Charlie LeDuff Golfs the Length of Detroit - YouTube
Fox 2's Charlie Leduff sets on a mission to golf from 8 Mile Road to Belle Isle, in a attempt to learn more about the city and it's citizens. What he discove...
Stag Hunts: fascinating and useful game theory model for collective action problems - Boing Boing
NASA's basement nuclear reactor
The future of energy may lie in a nuclear reactor small enough and safe enough to be installed where the home water heater once sat.
Door hidden by bookcase is a marvel of DIY engineering
Taking on a giant build just to hide your shotgun collection may seem a bit over the top. But we couldn't be more impressed with the project. [Korostelevm] did an amazing job of hiding a small closet with a bookcase-door. It's something straight out of a Hardy Boys novel.
Bristol University | News from the University | Floral signs go electric
Flowers' methods of communicating are at least as sophisticated as any devised by an advertising agency, according to a new study, published today in Science Express by researchers from the University of Bristol. The research shows for the first time that pollinators such as bumblebees are able to find and distinguish electric signals given out by flowers.
BBC News - The babies who nap in sub-zero temperatures
Would you put your baby or toddler outside in the freezing cold for their lunchtime nap? Many Nordic parents wouldn't give it a second thought.
BBC News - Siberian permafrost thaw warning sparked by cave data
Evidence from Siberian caves suggests that a global temperature rise of 1.5C could see permafrost thaw over a large area of Siberia.
BBC News - Flu drug 'shows promise' in overcoming resistance
A new type of flu drug that can stop resistant strains in their tracks shows promise, say US researchers.
Modern nomads living in a traditional yurt (Video) : TreeHugger
Choosing to live the mobile life, this couple have chosen to make a traditional Mongolian yurt their home instead of more high-tech alternatives.
Build a $300 underground greenhouse for year-round gardening (Video) : TreeHugger
Can't afford a glass greenhouse? Check out how to build your own underground greenhouse for cheaper and for growing veggies 365 days a year, even in cold climates.
Meet Luci, the solar lantern that shines a light on energy poverty : TreeHugger
A unique solar-powered LED lantern project is helping to bring safe, affordable, fuel-free lighting to the developing world (and to the backcountry).
7 Obscure, Remote and Super-Geeky Military Bases | Danger Room | Wired.com
The military doesn't always pick prime real estate for its bases. Often, it prefers strange, far-flung and obscure parts of the world — particularly when it comes to its geekiest endeavors. Here are seven.
Ironically, a Man's Face Can Tell You If He's Likely to Act Racist | Motherboard
What's more, we're hardwired to identify them as such. And it's all about testosterone.
DIY Weapons of the Syrian Rebels - In Focus - The Atlantic
Nearly two years after the start of Syria's popular uprising, the conflict has evolved into a slow-moving, brutal civil war with many players and no clear end in sight
In Norway, TV Program on Firewood Elicits Passions - NYTimes.com
A TV program about firewood, mostly showing a fireplace in use, has aroused passions in Norway.
The Plastinarium of Dr. von Hagens | Wired Science | Wired.com
From a German border town on the banks of the river Neisse, the anatomist Gunther von Hagens commands a fortress of death. The former textile mill ha
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